Category Archives: New Cards

Meet Blossoming Defense, Cross-Format All-Star

Blossoming Defense
Blossoming Defense – It isn’t just for Standard Smuggler’s Copter defense

Two sweet topics this week!

Topic Number One: Schools of Magic, 2016

Patreon supporter Sean O’Brien suggested we revisit the seminal Schools of Magic and talk about how some of Rob Hahn’s “Schools” figure into “modern” Magic: The Gathering.

I mean, everyone knows the Weissman School… But have you heard of Kim, Chang, or (topically here), O’Brien? Many of these Schools are alive and well twenty years after the publication of Schools of Magic, and their ideas of card advantage, blanking the opponent’s win conditions, or overloading a single type of resource remain key ideas still.

Thanks to Sean for such a great topic springboard (and, you know, his seminal contribution to Magic theory).

Further Reading: The Schools of Magic

Topic Number Two: (more) Kaladesh in Modern

I know, I know… We just did a “Kaladesh in Modern” episode two weeks ago… But that was before there were even any Modern tournaments with Kaladesh legal yet!

  • Per our predictions, Madcap Experiment into Platinum Emperion has already made Top 8 of an SCG Classic (albeit in the sideboard) of Wesley See’s U/R Storm deck.
  • Multiple Modern decks have already adopted Kaladesh “fast lands” … Both Grixis and Naya Boros Burn decks have improved their mana bases this way. Arya Roohi played only one Inspiring Vantage but Patrick thinks four might be the right number… And Mike not only likes four, but is seriously considering cutting green for it!
  • The most significant contribution to Modern (to date, at least) has got to be Blossoming Defense from Kaladesh. Basically all the U/G Infect decks are running some number of Blossoming Defense, but our hat tip has to go to Brad Carpenter, for winning it all! Great job Brad.

Check it all out as we “Meet Blossoming Defense, Cross-Format All-Star”

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Play Any Smuggler’s Copter Deck You Want

Smuggler's Copter
The first SCG Open with Kaladesh featured 32 copies of Smuggler’s Copter in its Top 8

Here’s the good news: You can play any Smuggler’s Copter deck you want.

After all, Smuggler’s Copter does so So SO much!

In a sense the existence of Smuggler’s Copter throws green and white under the bus. For all of two colorless mana you get the equivalent of a flying Watchwolf… That is also a Merfolk Looter.

Smuggler’s Copter is great with cards like Fiery Temper (which can get opposing Smuggler’s Copters out of the way), and it can smooth out your draws and help you hit your land drops.

Smuggler’s Copter is basically Umezawa’s Jitte. Actually… It may be even more ubiquitously playable than Jitte. After all, you didn’t generally see Jittes in Mono-Blue Control or most Gifts Ungiven decks. Smuggler’s Copter is already played in Grixis decks as well as Boros Aggro of at least three different flavors, plus a big, fat, G/W Ramp deck.

If you’re playing Delerium, Smuggler’s Copter can help you completed Delerium… Including by getting a land into your graveyard without dipping into Evolving Wilds.

This card is great in aggro decks… But it’s also great in color combinations like Grixis. Grixis might want the Copter just to help feed Prized Amalgam.

This card isn’t just good, it’s almost unbelievably flexible, and capable of contributing to a wide palette of different decks from Humans to Vehicles to a faux Reanimator.

… And it’s only Week One.

Listen to “Play Any Smuggl’er’s Copter Deck You Want” here:

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Toolcraft Exemplar is a Cross-Format All-Star

Toolcraft Exemplar
Kaladesh is going to make Magic fast again…
And Toolcraft Exemplar will be one of the best, and fastest (and not just in Standard).

Will Dead Weight be better than Ruinous Path?

If Patrick’s vision for the Kaladesh-upcoming Standard comes true, it will be!

Toolcraft Exemplar is an obvious addition to a potential White Weenie deck, for instance. If all you do is play Thraben Inspector Toolcraft Exemplar will be a one drop 3/2 on offense. Given the low threshold necessary to get the bonus, Toolcraft Exemplar might be better than Wild Nacatl! Wild Nacatl is a Pro Tour winner and currently tearing up Modern, remember.

Now adding Toolcraft Exemplar to White Weenie is obvious because of the Clue token synergy… But what about Smuggler’s Copter?

Smuggler's Copter
Smuggler’s Copter… Better than all?

Patrick has Smuggler’s Copter as his current top card for Kaladesh; it is an obvious addition to fast beatdown decks like White Weenie… And quite obviously gives you an artifact for your Toolcraft Exemplar.

The learning curve on some of the new Kaladesh cards will be steep!

Smuggler’s Copter is a fast, flying, threat… That is also a Merfolk Looter. This isn’t an ability to be dismissed given the prevalence of the Madness mechanic in the previous block.

But as for having more than one (sorry more than two) artifacts in play… the Exemplar will prove problematic. The first strike isn’t going to matter in a lot of games, until it does. This Dwarf Artificer is going to mess some folks up when they block lazily.

These are two great cards, that will serve great beatdowns (and soon).

More preliminary Kaladesh discussion here:

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Voltaic Brawler and Building Energy Aggro

Voltaic Brawler
Voltaic Brawler will be the centerpiece of a new G/R Energy Aggro deck.

Voltaic Brawler is an outstanding card. Even if Energy Aggro isn’t a thing — just a Gruul aggro deck of some sort — it will likely see play. There will likely be decks where Voltaic Brawler is the only Energy card.

Voltaic Brawler is great when it is working right, due to the nature of the Energy mechanic. For example, you can lead on a second turn Longtusk Cub follow up with Voltaic Brawler, and either put (or threaten to put) counters on the Longtusk Cub to force it through a 2/2 blocker. It can stack with other Energy cards like Lathnu Hellion, or even take advantage of turn one via Attune with Aether.

But that’s not all!

Voltaic Brawler has a sweet fail state (or two, depending on how you look at it)…
You can get in for four, get in for four again, and be left with a card that is on the order of Lambholt Pacifist (which just won both the Pro Tour and World Championship).

“It’s better than Putrid Leech.”
-Patrick

Patrick outlines how Harnessed Lightning will play like Valorous Stance, and Mike points out how seamlessly accurate it will be relative to historical burn cards.

Top Level Podcast also goes over Energy Ramp, B/G Energy Midrange, and intersections between the energy mechanic, and even Emrakul!

All this and more in this week’s podcast!

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Combustible Gearhulk is Our Exclusive Kaladesh Preview

Combustible Gearhulk
Combustible Gearhulk completes the Kaladesh Gearhulk Cycle

Okay, quick list:

  • Combustible Gearhlulk is a 6/6 creature for six mana… But has a “Browbeat” type ability attached
  • Will opponents consistently let you draw three cards? I mean if you can get that, you have accomplished much, because a 6/6 first striking Ancestral Recall for six mana is spectacular.
  • We think opponents might give you three cards more often than you might initially think. Many opponents will live in fear of the idea that there are three Combustible Gearhulks waiting on top of your library.

Context and Synergies:

  • If you can stack the top of your library, this card gets better and better; imagine a format where Congregation at Dawn is legal: You can put Combustible Gearhulk on top of your deck with, say, Emrakul and Ulamog… Congregation at Dawn itself becomes a conditional Draco-Explosion!
  • Combustible Gearhulk is best buddies with Saheeli Rai: Not only is Combustible Gearhulk a great card to nab with Saheeli’s Ultimate, a post-Gearhulk Saheeli makes for a great use of her middle ability.
  • When you’re not actively trying, Combustible Gearhulk is still pretty good; however, remember that even Ramp decks with high casting costs need both cheap Ramp cards and [zero mana] lands to get their big spells out. Will you do ten sometimes? Yes. And you’ll do less than that, often, too.
  • As long as we care about what the top of our libraries cost, Sorin, Grim Nemesis can provide a useful redundancy.

And for kicks, Patrick and Michael talk the other four Gearhulks (and more!) in “Combustible Gearhulk is Our Exclusive Kaladesh Preview”

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The Planeswalkers of Kaladesh

The new set Kaladesh is bringing in some awesome new Planeswalkers.

Isn’t that right Director of Magic R&D Aaron Forsythe?

Well… No.

Those were quite the Nissa and quite the Chandra we were looking for, Aaron. Luckily Kaladesh has got some other options.

Let’s check out the new Planeswalker Nissa, Vital Force:

Nissa, Vital Force

[+1]: Untap target land you control. Until your next turn, it becomes a 5/5 Elemental creature with haste. It’s still a land.

This first ability has amazing implications.

First of all, Nissa, Vital Force is more than 80% of a Reality Smasher. Five mana; five power of haste. Sign me up?

You aren’t forced to attack with the animated Elemental land, of course. You can leave up a 5/5 to block; or if you untap a red land, use it to remove one of the opponent’s threats. In either case, you can protect this Planeswalker.

Nissa, Vital Force’s [+1] is a useful ramp ability (she takes you from five to seven)… But really this is about going straight to six loyalty to get her emblem.

[-3]: Return target permanent card from your graveyard to your hand.

Niss’a [-3] is great; in fact, Patirck points out that there is some Den Protector going on here. But the [+1] straight to [-6] is such a powerful incentive, look for this ability to be used less commonly than it might have been in other contexts.

[-6]: You get an emblem with “Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you may draw a card.”

This is a shockingly potent Ultimate given how easy it is to set up.

Consensus: This Planeswalker will be both a Staple and a Flagship.

Saheeli Rai

Saheeli has the worst fatal flaw of Planeswalkers (can’t defend herself), but as a three mana one, has something special going on.

Chandra, Torch of Defiance

The comparisons to Jace, the Mind Sculptor are probably by design.

With the least of her abilities, Chandra produces mana more efficiently than Hedron Archive.

More about all the Kaladesh Planesalkers in “The Planeswalkers of Kaladesh”:

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Conspiracy: Take the Crown Exclusive Preview – Birds of Paradise

Birds of Paradise
Birds of Paradise, one of the most iconic cards in the history of the game, is back in Conspiracy: Take the Crown

Birds of Paradise is a powerful card that has quite a bit of history to it (going back, as it does, all the way to Alpha). We all know this is one of the strongest creatures of all time, Magic’s original redundancy card, and a key contributor to countless championship decks.

Instead of selling listeners on Birds [because, let’s be honest, why would they need to?] Pro Tour Champion Patrick Chapin and Resident Genius Michael J. Flores share some of their favorite Birds of Paradise stories.

Take a short trip down memory lane (and hear about Mike’s favorite bluff) in “Conspiracy: Take the Crown Exclusive Preview – Birds of Paradise”:

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Either Way… Splash Bloodhall Priest!

Bloodhall Priest
Bloodhall Priest… How are you not into the new Inferno Titan, man?

Mike isn’t sure if Vampires should play mono-red [madness], or mono-black (to make sure they can madness out and abuse Voldaren Pariah). Patrick has a different take: Instead of playing purely black or purely red, black should splash red and red should splash black.

Why?

At least if you are dead set on Vampires… Bloodhall Priest is just too good!

Let’s check out the range on Bloodhall Priest:

  • Worst comes to worst? Bloodhall Priest is a 4/4 for four mana with no real drawback. That’s not bad!
  • Bloodhall Priest is a bit Obstinate Baloth-ish; that is, it is a 4/4 creature that can come down via discard… After all it has a madness discount.
  • As a topdeck, Bloodhall Priest can act like a Murderous Redcap… But at twice the size. Later on, it is not difficult for this creature to completely take over the game. As long as you have no cards in hand, Bloodhall Priest can do a very tidy Inferno Titan impression, killing small creatures left and right

And it’s not like it’s off-theme! In addition to being an actual vampire for either black or red vampire choices, the fact that this card has madness gives it a natural synergy with either Furyblade Vampire (red) or Cryptbreaker (black). madness Madness MADNESS!

There are lots of other black and red cards, zombie-themed cards (in addition to and instead of vampires cards) removal, and potential sleepers all discussed in this podcast. Give “Either Way… Splash Bloodhall Priest!” a listen to find out what Mike Flores and Patrick Chapin have to say about Eldritch Moon, still before the first Top 8 breaks:

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Floor, Ceiling, Bedlam Reveler

Bedlam Reveler
Bedlam Reveler has a low floor… But also an amazingly high ceiling!

One of the nice things we learn in “Floor, Ceiling, Bedlam Reveler” is that Mike doesn’t know what “a low floor” means, apparently. Patrick explains the — frankly common — metaphor and also how the low floor-high ceiling range applies to this great new Eldritch Moon creature.

Make no mistake: The floor on Bedlam Reveler is slow. Its base cost is a blubbery eight mana. It can cost an awful lot of mana for a mere 3/4… And if you have more than three cards in hand? This Devil Horror can bedevil you, horribly.

But when Bedlam Reveler is good? It’s so good.

When Bedlam Reveler is on, it is both cheap and powerful.

It’s like a red [“Red-red,” -Mike] Tarmogoyf… But that draws three cards.

Or, it’s a Treasure Cruise — really, look at it — that leaves a 3/4 body.

That 3/4 body in fact has prowess… Meaning that if your Bedlam Reveler ever faces off with a real Tarmogoyf it is dicey that the green version will ever dare tangling with it. The ability to grow during combat can be just too scary.

Bedlam Reveler can play nice with Monastery Swiftspear, blue cards, and even free “pump” spells like Mutagenic Growth. Can you imagine attacking into an open Mountain with a first turn Monastery Swiftspear, drawing out a Lightning Bolt? “Mutagenic Growth?” That’s like countering their best card and forcing them to take four at the same time… By the way you’ve still got a Monastery Swiftspear.

Bedlam Reveler is going to be good in Standard but possibly really scary in larger formats. Modern and Legacy are both on the table with their Lightning Bolts (and blue cantrips).

Patrick and Michael talk Bedlam Reveler, tons of additional red cards, red vampires, black vampires, and revisit the colorless emerge wing of Eldritch Moon in “Floor, Ceiling, Bedlam Reveler”. Give it a listen!

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Liliana, the Last Hope Joins the Gatewatch

Liliana, the Last Hope
Liliana, the Last Hope might be everything you ever wanted in a three mana planeswalker.

Liliana joins the Gatewatch in Eldritch Moon! And by her nickname (“the last hope”) it seems like our Emrakul-opposing heroes might really need her help! But how about you? How can Liliana, the Last Hope help out your chances at winning in Standard?

  • [+1] Liliana, the Last Hope gains loyalty with an ability that is already better than the one boasted by Jace. This ability absolutely mows down small creatures, can help you keep pace with the Plants in G/W Tokens, and might even invalidate the Standard version of White Weenie!
  • [-2] Liliana, the Last Hope has a built-in card advantage ability, which is not trivial. The fact that this ability is only [-2] means that you can play Liliana and immediately use this ability without losing her. A Liliana, the Last Hope with a single loyalty can still be valuable, and you might have already gotten card advantage! A creature that you are actually aiming for is probably more valuable than a random card off the top of your deck; and remember, if you slot Liliana into one of Standard’s black control or midrange shells you might be getting back Goblin Dark-Dwellers! Boom.
  • [-7] It is important to note that this ability scales quickly, and that the Zombie tokens enter the battlefield untapped.

The only real question is whether you want to play Liliana, the Last Hope first… Or her Oath:

Oath of Liliana
Oath of Liliana will bedevil opponents on turn three.

How insane is Oath of Liliana in an Orzhov Control deck? Turn three Oath of Liliana, turn four Gideon? Double 2/2 defenders, anyone?

Oath of Liliana is an all right card to begin with (capable of killing an opposing creature) and you don’t have to get paid off by 2/2 creatures very many times before it starts looking abusive. Gideon into Ob Nixilis into Sorin, anyone?

Pro Tour Champion Patrick Chapin and Resident Genius Michael J Flores discuss Liliana, the Last Hope; Oath of Liliana; and a number of other flashy cards from Eldritch Moon in “Liliana, the Last Hope Joins the Gatewatch”. Give us a listen:

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