Lelouch32
04-27-2010, 07:02 PM
The Giants Rise: Eldrazi Overview
By: Corlando
Well, I finally managed to get to an Eldrazi release party and get my hands on some of the new cards. To say that I was blown away is an understatement. Rise of the Eldrazi brings a number of wonderfully powerful and fun cards to Magic the Gathering that will certainly see some serious as well as casual play. But out of the two hundred plus cards, there must be a few that stand out above the others. That is exactly what we are going to be covering in this addition of Cards n’Flux. Today I will point out some of my new favorite cards and give possible ideas of how they could be used. With that said let’s get underway.
Before we get to our first card, I feel I need to put a little disclaimer out for some of the readers. Even though the big, bad Eldrazi are the central part of this expansion, none of the cards we will discuss today are Eldrazi. This is mostly because, to be completely honest, I’m not that much of a fan of them. Granted the Eldrazi have power, ability, and everything else a person like me would love in a card, but I’m just not a fan. This might be out of the fact that I ran two big Eldrazi in my release deck and nothing came of them because I either didn’t draw them or couldn’t play them. It also might grow out of the fact that my main guru, a college friend who has taught me much in the way of deck building, also dislikes the Eldrazi. However, just because I don’t like the Eldrazi doesn’t mean I’m going to ignore them. I fully intend to discuss the Eldrazi’s strengths and weaknesses in a later article. Until then, you Eldrazi loving fanatics, shut up and read! Also, I will not be talking about level up creatures… at least not yet. Cue the maniacal laughter!!!
Alright, let’s start with blue this time around and see which way the die roles. I’ve actually got a few blue cards I am rather happy about. First up, I love the Sphinx of Magosi. I know it might be odd starting off with such a big creature, but… I want to so there. Sphinx of Magosi is a :mana3::manau::manau::manau: flying 6/6 that will devastate your opponents in a huge way. But that’s not the best part of this card. His ability reads, “:mana2::manau:: Draw a card, then put a +1/+1 counter on Sphinx of Magosi.” You know, when Rise of Eldrazi was being spoiled, I heard a number of people complain that blue was being passed over and neglected. After seeing this card, I find myself wanting to shout out “Objection!” as I point dramatically, displaying this card in my outstretched hand. This guy is amazing! Six flying damage that not only increases, but also gives you a card, oh heck yes I want this card. If you don’t kill off your opponents by smashing their life down to zero, then you’ll just stump them with card advantage as you play spell after spell of removal and canceling. The only problem with this card is the fact that he is rather color specific with the :manau::manau::manau: requirement, but that is definitely a small price to pay for this amazing beast. However, the next blue card will probably make its way into every deck possible. Distortion strike is a :manau: sorcery spell that gives target creature +1/+0 and makes it unblockable. Now this card would be great just like that. I mean seriously, combine it with Sphinx of Magosi for one turn and deal upwards of 7 or more unstoppable damage. However, the fun with Distortion Strike does not stop there. With the addition of the word Rebound, an ability which allows you to play the card again next turn, you can’t help but feel sorry for your opponent. I mean, along with Sphinx of Magosi, that is at least 14 unblockable damage, something that not many decks can come back from. Blue looks pretty powerful thanks to Rise of Eldrazi and I can’t wait to get my hands on these two cards.
Now that was just one color, let’s keep moving before I start drooling again. Moving to Black we see a number of other cards that will hopefully see some play. First up I want to talk about a little combo that some black decks could easily implement. The combo is a simple 3 mana, two card combo involving Contaminated Grounds and Nighthaze. I’m sure I’m not the first to think of this combo, but I know it will at least be tried. The idea is simple once you look at the cards. Contaminated Grounds is a land enchantment that turns the enchanted land into a swamp and whenever it is tapped, its controller loses 2 life. As for Nighthaze, target creature gains swampwalk until the end of the turn and you draw a card. A simple little combo that almost guarantees your ability to slam your opponent with some decent damage and even come out a card ahead. However, there are a few additional bonuses that can be had. Since you are turning the opponent’s lands into swamps, you are essentially mana locking them, sealing their ability to play spells. Granted this will not work against decks using black, but it could be quite a treat when playing against other decks. However, the second bonus might still make it useful for when playing against black decks. Even though a black deck will be playing swamps already, what is stopping you from causing them damage when they tap for mana? Contaminated Grounds is a pretty fun card on its own, but with the addition of Nighthaze, it just gets sweeter. As for creatures, there are a number of fun black creatures that will definitely influence decks. The most notable, at least in my opinion, has got to be Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief. Now, I really feel that this creature’s power has probably become infamous by now, so I’ll keep it short. Even though Drana is a 4/4 flying for :mana3::manab::manab:, she is certainly carrying more than that under her cape. Her ability reads, “XBB: Target creature gets -0/-X until end of turn and Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief gets +X/+0 until the end of turn.” I honestly see this lovely lady knocking Anowon from his spot in my deck as soon as I get two of them. This is because Drana does something that Anowon does not. Sure they both specialize in removal of creatures, but Drana gives her controller the ability to choose which creature dies. Anowon’s ability, though activating every single turn without fail, can be stopped if the opponent has enough unimportant creatures to keep sacking to protect their big guns. Drana is definitely a severe powerhouse and one I personally endorse as one of the best in the set.
Alright let’s see where the die lies and… onto to Green apparently. Now green decks got some serious power added to their decks due to Rise of Eldrazi. Whether it was big creatures or powerful spells, Green got a little bit of everything this time around. Creaturewise, Green has obtained the already famous Vengevine and the beast that is Pelaka Wurm, but there is another creature I want to point out to everyone. Aura Gnarlid is a little 2/2 creature for :mana2::manag: with the amazing ability to grow. Aura Gnarlid has two abilities, which read as follows, “Creatures with power less than Aura Gnarlid can’t block it. Aura Gnarlid gets +1/+1 for each aura on the field.” These two abilities are just beautiful with the right deck, and with all the new Umbra enchantments such as the Boar Umbra, which gives enchated creature +3/+3, it is easy to see this little 2/2 becoming an unblockable 6/6. Not to mention the fact that if your opponent plays an overly powerful creature, you can just drop another enchantment or two, making Aura Gnarlid even stronger. On the Spell side of things, Green obtained another instantly famous card, Momentous Fall. This :mana2::manag::manag: instant spell does force you to destroy one of your creatures, but in so doing you draw cards equal to the sacrificed creature’s power and gain life equal to its toughness. This is one hardcore card, giving Green the one thing it truly needed, the ability to draw more cards. I seriously see some big changes in the Magic the Gathering world and green might very well be leading the way.
Moving along the rays of a 45% angle, we move to the color white and its new stock of wonderful and useful cards. White got a real boost as well in terms of cards. From Gideon Jura to Transcendent Master and Deathless Angel, white decks are certainly going to be feared in a whole new way from now on. However, let me highlight a few other creatures and cards some of you may not have noted. Kor Spiritdancer is definitely a fun little two drop that could be added to some Kor decks. Her stats seem weak at 0/2, but with the addition of her ability, which gives her +2/+2 for every aura attached to her, she could easily become a worthwhile investment. Think of this card and then attach the two enchantments Asha’s Favor and Lifelink. Suddenly you have a 4/6 with First Strike, Flying, Vigilance, and Lifelink… I say yes to that idea. Another great card is Survival Cache. At :mana2::manaw:, this gain 2 life spell that also allows you to draw a card if your life is higher than your opponent’s seems decent and very white. However, the power of this card comes from a single familiar word, Rebound. Imagine this, your hand is empty and your down by one life. You draw and get Survival Cache. After gaining the two life, you’re one ahead of your opponent so you draw a card. Next turn, you play Survival Cache again thanks to the rebound ability and gain another 2 life and another card. Sure four life as a whole might not seem all that impressive, but some of the games I have played were won and lost by less than that. White also obtained a number of fun spells, which do everything from kill, to removal, to tapping. My favorite of these is Repel the Darkness. Not only does this :mana2::manaw: spell allow you to tap away your opponent’s biggest guns, but you also gain a card. This card advantage is just frosting on such a versatile spell. Whether you want to delay your destruction or open the doors to let your horde rush in, Repel the Darkness is the card for you.
Finally, we get to our last color Aquamarine… I mean Darkish Pink… I mean Red. Red also saw some serious additions; helping to fortify Red decks as powerful and sometimes unstoppable decks. One of my favorite Red cards for Rise of the Eldrazi has got to be Traitorous Instinct. This :mana3::manar: spell is everything a fun guy like me could ask for. What this card does is steal a creature from your opponent, but instead of just keeping them as is, like Act of Treason, it boosts the traitorous creature, see what I did there, by +2/+0. I love this card because it makes anything a threat. That was what Mark of Mutiny tried to do, but it did so by adding a +1/+1 counter to the creature. That was okay in theory, but do you really want to risk giving your opponent an improved creature when you only used it once? Granted you could use Mark of Mutiny on your own creature and give it a +1/+1 counter, but using it that way seems a little off. Traitorous Instinct is definitely the improved child of Mark of Mutiny, and this is one player who is looking forward to giving it a home. Another fun spell red received in this installment is Lust for War. This Aura Enchantment causes the enchanted creature to attack every turn if able and deal 3 damage to its controller every time it attacks. This is great early or late in game. Equip it to a weak creature that is just there for support or to a big creature you have protection from and just watch your opponent’s life drain away. This card can be a real treat in the right deck, and I’ll wager a several people are thinking of a number of other interesting ways to use it. Red also saw a few creatures enter its roster, one of them being one of my absolute favorites in the set, Conquering Manticore. This creature has it all. Solid 5/5 stats, flying, a decent mana cost, and an awesome ability that when summoned allows you to take control of target creature until the end of the turn. I love this because even on its first turn, even though it does not have haste, Conquering Manticore can still hurt your opponent. Imagine this, your opponent plays a Pelaka Wurm and you’re all set to start praying for a quick death. However, the next card you draw is Conquering Manticore and you just so happen to have enough to play it. Summoning Conquering Manticore, you take control of the Pelaka Wurm and send it in with your last few monsters to strike a killing blow. And if that wasn’t enough to kill your opponent, next turn you have a 5/5 flyer ready to tear them to pieces. This card is just beautiful and I can’t wait for a full playset.
With that I think I will draw this edition of Cards n’Flux to a close. Hope you all enjoyed the article and if you have any critiques or comments, please share them. Also please take a look at the following questions and feel free to answer them if you want.
1. What’s your favorite Rise of the Eldrazi card (non-Eldrazi)?
2. What kind of decks are you already putting together or have already finished?
3. What do you guys think of the Invoker cards?
And just remember, “Etherium is limited. Innovation is not.” This is Corlando signing out.
By: Corlando
Well, I finally managed to get to an Eldrazi release party and get my hands on some of the new cards. To say that I was blown away is an understatement. Rise of the Eldrazi brings a number of wonderfully powerful and fun cards to Magic the Gathering that will certainly see some serious as well as casual play. But out of the two hundred plus cards, there must be a few that stand out above the others. That is exactly what we are going to be covering in this addition of Cards n’Flux. Today I will point out some of my new favorite cards and give possible ideas of how they could be used. With that said let’s get underway.
Before we get to our first card, I feel I need to put a little disclaimer out for some of the readers. Even though the big, bad Eldrazi are the central part of this expansion, none of the cards we will discuss today are Eldrazi. This is mostly because, to be completely honest, I’m not that much of a fan of them. Granted the Eldrazi have power, ability, and everything else a person like me would love in a card, but I’m just not a fan. This might be out of the fact that I ran two big Eldrazi in my release deck and nothing came of them because I either didn’t draw them or couldn’t play them. It also might grow out of the fact that my main guru, a college friend who has taught me much in the way of deck building, also dislikes the Eldrazi. However, just because I don’t like the Eldrazi doesn’t mean I’m going to ignore them. I fully intend to discuss the Eldrazi’s strengths and weaknesses in a later article. Until then, you Eldrazi loving fanatics, shut up and read! Also, I will not be talking about level up creatures… at least not yet. Cue the maniacal laughter!!!
Alright, let’s start with blue this time around and see which way the die roles. I’ve actually got a few blue cards I am rather happy about. First up, I love the Sphinx of Magosi. I know it might be odd starting off with such a big creature, but… I want to so there. Sphinx of Magosi is a :mana3::manau::manau::manau: flying 6/6 that will devastate your opponents in a huge way. But that’s not the best part of this card. His ability reads, “:mana2::manau:: Draw a card, then put a +1/+1 counter on Sphinx of Magosi.” You know, when Rise of Eldrazi was being spoiled, I heard a number of people complain that blue was being passed over and neglected. After seeing this card, I find myself wanting to shout out “Objection!” as I point dramatically, displaying this card in my outstretched hand. This guy is amazing! Six flying damage that not only increases, but also gives you a card, oh heck yes I want this card. If you don’t kill off your opponents by smashing their life down to zero, then you’ll just stump them with card advantage as you play spell after spell of removal and canceling. The only problem with this card is the fact that he is rather color specific with the :manau::manau::manau: requirement, but that is definitely a small price to pay for this amazing beast. However, the next blue card will probably make its way into every deck possible. Distortion strike is a :manau: sorcery spell that gives target creature +1/+0 and makes it unblockable. Now this card would be great just like that. I mean seriously, combine it with Sphinx of Magosi for one turn and deal upwards of 7 or more unstoppable damage. However, the fun with Distortion Strike does not stop there. With the addition of the word Rebound, an ability which allows you to play the card again next turn, you can’t help but feel sorry for your opponent. I mean, along with Sphinx of Magosi, that is at least 14 unblockable damage, something that not many decks can come back from. Blue looks pretty powerful thanks to Rise of Eldrazi and I can’t wait to get my hands on these two cards.
Now that was just one color, let’s keep moving before I start drooling again. Moving to Black we see a number of other cards that will hopefully see some play. First up I want to talk about a little combo that some black decks could easily implement. The combo is a simple 3 mana, two card combo involving Contaminated Grounds and Nighthaze. I’m sure I’m not the first to think of this combo, but I know it will at least be tried. The idea is simple once you look at the cards. Contaminated Grounds is a land enchantment that turns the enchanted land into a swamp and whenever it is tapped, its controller loses 2 life. As for Nighthaze, target creature gains swampwalk until the end of the turn and you draw a card. A simple little combo that almost guarantees your ability to slam your opponent with some decent damage and even come out a card ahead. However, there are a few additional bonuses that can be had. Since you are turning the opponent’s lands into swamps, you are essentially mana locking them, sealing their ability to play spells. Granted this will not work against decks using black, but it could be quite a treat when playing against other decks. However, the second bonus might still make it useful for when playing against black decks. Even though a black deck will be playing swamps already, what is stopping you from causing them damage when they tap for mana? Contaminated Grounds is a pretty fun card on its own, but with the addition of Nighthaze, it just gets sweeter. As for creatures, there are a number of fun black creatures that will definitely influence decks. The most notable, at least in my opinion, has got to be Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief. Now, I really feel that this creature’s power has probably become infamous by now, so I’ll keep it short. Even though Drana is a 4/4 flying for :mana3::manab::manab:, she is certainly carrying more than that under her cape. Her ability reads, “XBB: Target creature gets -0/-X until end of turn and Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief gets +X/+0 until the end of turn.” I honestly see this lovely lady knocking Anowon from his spot in my deck as soon as I get two of them. This is because Drana does something that Anowon does not. Sure they both specialize in removal of creatures, but Drana gives her controller the ability to choose which creature dies. Anowon’s ability, though activating every single turn without fail, can be stopped if the opponent has enough unimportant creatures to keep sacking to protect their big guns. Drana is definitely a severe powerhouse and one I personally endorse as one of the best in the set.
Alright let’s see where the die lies and… onto to Green apparently. Now green decks got some serious power added to their decks due to Rise of Eldrazi. Whether it was big creatures or powerful spells, Green got a little bit of everything this time around. Creaturewise, Green has obtained the already famous Vengevine and the beast that is Pelaka Wurm, but there is another creature I want to point out to everyone. Aura Gnarlid is a little 2/2 creature for :mana2::manag: with the amazing ability to grow. Aura Gnarlid has two abilities, which read as follows, “Creatures with power less than Aura Gnarlid can’t block it. Aura Gnarlid gets +1/+1 for each aura on the field.” These two abilities are just beautiful with the right deck, and with all the new Umbra enchantments such as the Boar Umbra, which gives enchated creature +3/+3, it is easy to see this little 2/2 becoming an unblockable 6/6. Not to mention the fact that if your opponent plays an overly powerful creature, you can just drop another enchantment or two, making Aura Gnarlid even stronger. On the Spell side of things, Green obtained another instantly famous card, Momentous Fall. This :mana2::manag::manag: instant spell does force you to destroy one of your creatures, but in so doing you draw cards equal to the sacrificed creature’s power and gain life equal to its toughness. This is one hardcore card, giving Green the one thing it truly needed, the ability to draw more cards. I seriously see some big changes in the Magic the Gathering world and green might very well be leading the way.
Moving along the rays of a 45% angle, we move to the color white and its new stock of wonderful and useful cards. White got a real boost as well in terms of cards. From Gideon Jura to Transcendent Master and Deathless Angel, white decks are certainly going to be feared in a whole new way from now on. However, let me highlight a few other creatures and cards some of you may not have noted. Kor Spiritdancer is definitely a fun little two drop that could be added to some Kor decks. Her stats seem weak at 0/2, but with the addition of her ability, which gives her +2/+2 for every aura attached to her, she could easily become a worthwhile investment. Think of this card and then attach the two enchantments Asha’s Favor and Lifelink. Suddenly you have a 4/6 with First Strike, Flying, Vigilance, and Lifelink… I say yes to that idea. Another great card is Survival Cache. At :mana2::manaw:, this gain 2 life spell that also allows you to draw a card if your life is higher than your opponent’s seems decent and very white. However, the power of this card comes from a single familiar word, Rebound. Imagine this, your hand is empty and your down by one life. You draw and get Survival Cache. After gaining the two life, you’re one ahead of your opponent so you draw a card. Next turn, you play Survival Cache again thanks to the rebound ability and gain another 2 life and another card. Sure four life as a whole might not seem all that impressive, but some of the games I have played were won and lost by less than that. White also obtained a number of fun spells, which do everything from kill, to removal, to tapping. My favorite of these is Repel the Darkness. Not only does this :mana2::manaw: spell allow you to tap away your opponent’s biggest guns, but you also gain a card. This card advantage is just frosting on such a versatile spell. Whether you want to delay your destruction or open the doors to let your horde rush in, Repel the Darkness is the card for you.
Finally, we get to our last color Aquamarine… I mean Darkish Pink… I mean Red. Red also saw some serious additions; helping to fortify Red decks as powerful and sometimes unstoppable decks. One of my favorite Red cards for Rise of the Eldrazi has got to be Traitorous Instinct. This :mana3::manar: spell is everything a fun guy like me could ask for. What this card does is steal a creature from your opponent, but instead of just keeping them as is, like Act of Treason, it boosts the traitorous creature, see what I did there, by +2/+0. I love this card because it makes anything a threat. That was what Mark of Mutiny tried to do, but it did so by adding a +1/+1 counter to the creature. That was okay in theory, but do you really want to risk giving your opponent an improved creature when you only used it once? Granted you could use Mark of Mutiny on your own creature and give it a +1/+1 counter, but using it that way seems a little off. Traitorous Instinct is definitely the improved child of Mark of Mutiny, and this is one player who is looking forward to giving it a home. Another fun spell red received in this installment is Lust for War. This Aura Enchantment causes the enchanted creature to attack every turn if able and deal 3 damage to its controller every time it attacks. This is great early or late in game. Equip it to a weak creature that is just there for support or to a big creature you have protection from and just watch your opponent’s life drain away. This card can be a real treat in the right deck, and I’ll wager a several people are thinking of a number of other interesting ways to use it. Red also saw a few creatures enter its roster, one of them being one of my absolute favorites in the set, Conquering Manticore. This creature has it all. Solid 5/5 stats, flying, a decent mana cost, and an awesome ability that when summoned allows you to take control of target creature until the end of the turn. I love this because even on its first turn, even though it does not have haste, Conquering Manticore can still hurt your opponent. Imagine this, your opponent plays a Pelaka Wurm and you’re all set to start praying for a quick death. However, the next card you draw is Conquering Manticore and you just so happen to have enough to play it. Summoning Conquering Manticore, you take control of the Pelaka Wurm and send it in with your last few monsters to strike a killing blow. And if that wasn’t enough to kill your opponent, next turn you have a 5/5 flyer ready to tear them to pieces. This card is just beautiful and I can’t wait for a full playset.
With that I think I will draw this edition of Cards n’Flux to a close. Hope you all enjoyed the article and if you have any critiques or comments, please share them. Also please take a look at the following questions and feel free to answer them if you want.
1. What’s your favorite Rise of the Eldrazi card (non-Eldrazi)?
2. What kind of decks are you already putting together or have already finished?
3. What do you guys think of the Invoker cards?
And just remember, “Etherium is limited. Innovation is not.” This is Corlando signing out.