Lelouch32
05-03-2011, 06:02 PM
New Phyrexia: The Praetors
By: Corlando
Hello and welcome once again ladies and gentlemen to another edition of everyone’s sort-of weekly article series, Cards n’Flux. This week we cover the big guys, the Praetors. These five new leaders of New Phyrexia are the ones that are expunging the old order and battling for control of the new. All of these guys definitely have unique abilities and are all pretty powerful, but which of them has the strongest chance of becoming the next Father of Machines? Why don’t we hop in and find out?
Starting in the color Green, we come across probably the largest of the Praetors, Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger. This 7/6 trampler for :mana6::manag::manag:, is definitely desirable as just a big hitter, you could probably find cheaper beaters. However if you go for the cheaper beaters, you will not have access to both of Vorinclex’s awesome abilities. First up, if you tap a land for mana with Vorincelx on the field, you get an extra mana from that land. Essentially this ability gives you double mana, which is quite awesome if you are looking to pay for something that is very expensive. Yet that is not the real kicker. While Vorinclex is on the field, any land your opponent taps for mana will not untap during their next untap step. Vorinclex is all about predators fighting and surviving to create the ultimate Phyrexia. Vorinclex’s final ability makes it so that his controller is definitely going to be the one on top of the pile.
http://armadagames.com/forums/images/games/mtg/new_phyrexia/vorinclex_voice_of_hunger.jpg
Making sure your opponents do not have the mana to cast spells is powerful, but what about having absolutely no spells to cast? Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur is the most expensive Praetor out there coming in at :mana8::manau::manau:, however, you only get a 5/4 out that investment. That really does not seem all that right does it? Well consider these abilities. First he has flash, meaning if you happen to have 10 mana up you can play him during your opponent’s turn. Second, at the beginning of your end step, the player controlling Jin-Gitaxias draws seven cards. Finally, and most importantly, Each opponent’s maximum hand size is reduced by seven. Wait what!?! Yes, if you manage to get this guy on the field, you will win. Your opponent’s hand will be decimated, you will have a new hand every turn, and you will be unstoppable. What could your opponent possibly do to fight back? If your opponent is in top deck mode, his or her chances of actually drawing the card they need to survive are slim. Of course, drawing the one card they need to survive becomes even harder to play because you will undoubtedly have some sort of counterspell waiting to stop them because of all the cards you are drawing. Really the only drawback to this card, as is the case with most of the Praetors, is that his high mana cost makes him difficult to play. However if you can get him out, you will be certain to grasp victory.
http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_full_width/hash/47/6d/Jin-Gitaxias-Core-Augur_2.png
Alright so you want a Praetor that will not take ages to summon and you are not a fan of Green? Okay how about we go with the Pre-release Promo card as your Praetor of choice? Sheoldred, Whispering One is a 6/6 with swampwalk for :mana5::manab::manab:. So what other abilities does this leader bring to our tabletop game? First up at the beginning of your upkeep, return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. That is definitely awesome and should allow for a sustainable deck with a good amount of recursion. Think about it, your opponent manages to kill you Grave Titan only to have it return a little later thanks to Sheoldred. But of course, Sheoldred is still packing one more ability. At the beginning of each opponent’s upkeep, that player sacrifices a creature. Yes ladies and gentlemen, if you ever wanted to just decimate your opponent’s ability to keep creatures on the field then this is the card for you. I love this sort of ability because its causes continual pressure on your opponent to continue summoning creatures and fighting. If they do not manage to summon a creature, then the one they are trying to protect, the one creature that has so far been saving them from defeat is at risk of disappearing without a fight. Sure this ability becomes relatively useless against token decks, but every ability has its weakness. Sheoldred is a pretty good card and would make a fine general for Commander.
http://media.wizards.com/images/magic/daily/arcana/692_2zgxmuwsas.jpg
Now as much as I loved on Sheoldred, there is a Praetor that is above her in my mind. The first card officially spoiled for New Phyrexia Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is a wonderful card and gets my vote for best Praetor. Let me show you why. First up she is :mana5::manaw::manaw: meaning she is on the expensive side, but will come out sooner than some of the other bombs. She has vigilance meaning she will never tap and will always be ready to attack or block. That is well and good, but I love her other abilities even more because they have such a flavor to them. Elesh Norn is such a leader and such a threat on the battlefield that creatures under her command gain +2/+2 and her enemies are weakened by -2/-2. Talk about powerful. Elesh Norn is the only Praetor that can actually go toe to toe with a Titan and win. She makes all your little threats even more powerful. She is a force to be acknowledged and so will her legions once she makes her way onto the board. Think about it. A Mirran Crusader becoming a 4/4 with Double Strike. Baneslayer Angel becomes even more of a threat as a 7/7. What about Porcelain Legionnaire who becomes 5/3 with first strike? This bonus becomes even more enthralling if you remember that Honor of the Pure is still legal in Standard, meaning that you could easily end up with creatures that come into playing receiving a +3/+3 bonus or higher. I love this card and I cannot wait to get my hands on Elesh Norn’s power.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f6UE9BLGgls/Ta7gmEi4erI/AAAAAAAAMFM/DV7ryEBv4yk/s1600/Elesh%2BNorn.JPG
So you are probably all wondering, if I havee already thrown my support behind Elesh Norn, what are my thoughts on the fifth Praetor Urabrask the Hidden? Urabrask the Hidden is a 4/4 for :mana3::manar::manar: that gives all creatures you control haste while making all creatures your opponents control come into play tapped. These abilities and his low mana cost give Urabrask one other important attribute. Urabrask will probably be the only Praetor to see Standard level play. Since he is cheap he will be able to fit into certain Red decks as their top of the curve finisher, giving them a boost in speed and tapping down some would be blockers. In combo decks, Urabrask allows key pieces to activate their abilities as soon as they hit the board, allowing for immediate mana production. For Red beatdown decks, he becomes a support character possibly swinging in for damage, but mostly their to help the bigger guys like Inferno Titan do as much damage as possible as soon as possible. Urabrask will be a definite threat in Standard. It will just take building the right deck to make him a true threat.
http://armadagames.com/forums/images/games/mtg/new_phyrexia/urabrask_the_hidden.jpg
Well everyone how about we wrap this weeks article up with our favorite section, the closing questions section:
1. Which of the Praetors is your favorite and why?
2. Do you believe that Wizards is trying to push for a more late game Standard or are all these spells just building up for Commander?
3. Do you think Urabrask will be the only Praetor to make it into Standard play? If so which Praetor and what kind of deck?
Thanks again my faithful readers for stopping by once again. I hope you enjoyed this article and may you who are heading to Pre-release events have fun. I just ask that as you are building your sealed decks to remember, “Etherium is limited. Innovation is not.” This is Corlando signing out.
By: Corlando
Hello and welcome once again ladies and gentlemen to another edition of everyone’s sort-of weekly article series, Cards n’Flux. This week we cover the big guys, the Praetors. These five new leaders of New Phyrexia are the ones that are expunging the old order and battling for control of the new. All of these guys definitely have unique abilities and are all pretty powerful, but which of them has the strongest chance of becoming the next Father of Machines? Why don’t we hop in and find out?
Starting in the color Green, we come across probably the largest of the Praetors, Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger. This 7/6 trampler for :mana6::manag::manag:, is definitely desirable as just a big hitter, you could probably find cheaper beaters. However if you go for the cheaper beaters, you will not have access to both of Vorinclex’s awesome abilities. First up, if you tap a land for mana with Vorincelx on the field, you get an extra mana from that land. Essentially this ability gives you double mana, which is quite awesome if you are looking to pay for something that is very expensive. Yet that is not the real kicker. While Vorinclex is on the field, any land your opponent taps for mana will not untap during their next untap step. Vorinclex is all about predators fighting and surviving to create the ultimate Phyrexia. Vorinclex’s final ability makes it so that his controller is definitely going to be the one on top of the pile.
http://armadagames.com/forums/images/games/mtg/new_phyrexia/vorinclex_voice_of_hunger.jpg
Making sure your opponents do not have the mana to cast spells is powerful, but what about having absolutely no spells to cast? Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur is the most expensive Praetor out there coming in at :mana8::manau::manau:, however, you only get a 5/4 out that investment. That really does not seem all that right does it? Well consider these abilities. First he has flash, meaning if you happen to have 10 mana up you can play him during your opponent’s turn. Second, at the beginning of your end step, the player controlling Jin-Gitaxias draws seven cards. Finally, and most importantly, Each opponent’s maximum hand size is reduced by seven. Wait what!?! Yes, if you manage to get this guy on the field, you will win. Your opponent’s hand will be decimated, you will have a new hand every turn, and you will be unstoppable. What could your opponent possibly do to fight back? If your opponent is in top deck mode, his or her chances of actually drawing the card they need to survive are slim. Of course, drawing the one card they need to survive becomes even harder to play because you will undoubtedly have some sort of counterspell waiting to stop them because of all the cards you are drawing. Really the only drawback to this card, as is the case with most of the Praetors, is that his high mana cost makes him difficult to play. However if you can get him out, you will be certain to grasp victory.
http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_full_width/hash/47/6d/Jin-Gitaxias-Core-Augur_2.png
Alright so you want a Praetor that will not take ages to summon and you are not a fan of Green? Okay how about we go with the Pre-release Promo card as your Praetor of choice? Sheoldred, Whispering One is a 6/6 with swampwalk for :mana5::manab::manab:. So what other abilities does this leader bring to our tabletop game? First up at the beginning of your upkeep, return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. That is definitely awesome and should allow for a sustainable deck with a good amount of recursion. Think about it, your opponent manages to kill you Grave Titan only to have it return a little later thanks to Sheoldred. But of course, Sheoldred is still packing one more ability. At the beginning of each opponent’s upkeep, that player sacrifices a creature. Yes ladies and gentlemen, if you ever wanted to just decimate your opponent’s ability to keep creatures on the field then this is the card for you. I love this sort of ability because its causes continual pressure on your opponent to continue summoning creatures and fighting. If they do not manage to summon a creature, then the one they are trying to protect, the one creature that has so far been saving them from defeat is at risk of disappearing without a fight. Sure this ability becomes relatively useless against token decks, but every ability has its weakness. Sheoldred is a pretty good card and would make a fine general for Commander.
http://media.wizards.com/images/magic/daily/arcana/692_2zgxmuwsas.jpg
Now as much as I loved on Sheoldred, there is a Praetor that is above her in my mind. The first card officially spoiled for New Phyrexia Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is a wonderful card and gets my vote for best Praetor. Let me show you why. First up she is :mana5::manaw::manaw: meaning she is on the expensive side, but will come out sooner than some of the other bombs. She has vigilance meaning she will never tap and will always be ready to attack or block. That is well and good, but I love her other abilities even more because they have such a flavor to them. Elesh Norn is such a leader and such a threat on the battlefield that creatures under her command gain +2/+2 and her enemies are weakened by -2/-2. Talk about powerful. Elesh Norn is the only Praetor that can actually go toe to toe with a Titan and win. She makes all your little threats even more powerful. She is a force to be acknowledged and so will her legions once she makes her way onto the board. Think about it. A Mirran Crusader becoming a 4/4 with Double Strike. Baneslayer Angel becomes even more of a threat as a 7/7. What about Porcelain Legionnaire who becomes 5/3 with first strike? This bonus becomes even more enthralling if you remember that Honor of the Pure is still legal in Standard, meaning that you could easily end up with creatures that come into playing receiving a +3/+3 bonus or higher. I love this card and I cannot wait to get my hands on Elesh Norn’s power.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f6UE9BLGgls/Ta7gmEi4erI/AAAAAAAAMFM/DV7ryEBv4yk/s1600/Elesh%2BNorn.JPG
So you are probably all wondering, if I havee already thrown my support behind Elesh Norn, what are my thoughts on the fifth Praetor Urabrask the Hidden? Urabrask the Hidden is a 4/4 for :mana3::manar::manar: that gives all creatures you control haste while making all creatures your opponents control come into play tapped. These abilities and his low mana cost give Urabrask one other important attribute. Urabrask will probably be the only Praetor to see Standard level play. Since he is cheap he will be able to fit into certain Red decks as their top of the curve finisher, giving them a boost in speed and tapping down some would be blockers. In combo decks, Urabrask allows key pieces to activate their abilities as soon as they hit the board, allowing for immediate mana production. For Red beatdown decks, he becomes a support character possibly swinging in for damage, but mostly their to help the bigger guys like Inferno Titan do as much damage as possible as soon as possible. Urabrask will be a definite threat in Standard. It will just take building the right deck to make him a true threat.
http://armadagames.com/forums/images/games/mtg/new_phyrexia/urabrask_the_hidden.jpg
Well everyone how about we wrap this weeks article up with our favorite section, the closing questions section:
1. Which of the Praetors is your favorite and why?
2. Do you believe that Wizards is trying to push for a more late game Standard or are all these spells just building up for Commander?
3. Do you think Urabrask will be the only Praetor to make it into Standard play? If so which Praetor and what kind of deck?
Thanks again my faithful readers for stopping by once again. I hope you enjoyed this article and may you who are heading to Pre-release events have fun. I just ask that as you are building your sealed decks to remember, “Etherium is limited. Innovation is not.” This is Corlando signing out.