SPIRAL

This Time It's Personal...

2010-11-14T22:46:00.000+08:00

I'm moving yet again. It has become too bothersome for me to manage a team blog. I'm going back to a more intimate, personal approach to chronicling my adventures playing Magic. See you at squirrelopposition.blogspot.com.

Clockwork Black: Proliferating in the New Standard

2010-11-01T23:57:00.001+08:00

Every new set excites me. With the three-set Alara block leaving and the large set Scars of Mirrodin entering Type 2, I am off to a fresh start -- an opportunity to discover the next best deck. Good riddance to the foolproof Jund, a deck which crippled a host of other deck possibilities; but I will surely miss the Cascade mechanic and all that it offers to my Johnny-style of deck-building. Fortunately, the new artifact-based set offers some new toys for me to tinker with.

I used to enjoy just building and innovating decks. I took classic aggro, control, or tempo decks and tweaked them for the metagame. But after my second-place finish at the Philippine Nationals in 2008 (in which event I took a completely original rogue deck to an undefeated streak), I had an epiphany. Whereas once I was content on creating decks, since then, I have challenged myself further by developing entirely new archetypes. One of my latest designs, the current metagame favorite Eldrazi Ramp, which I introduced in Standard in the recent Grand Prix Manila, was nearest in archetype to a mid-range deck, but it is not completely so. This deck was a like a mid-range deck, in that it uses acceleration to ramp out power spells, but its late game, due to the Eldrazis, was almost better than that of control decks. Neither was it a combo deck, like the Tooth and Nail decks of yore which can easily be disrupted by Cranial Extraction effects. At that time, very few were convinced with the idea of hard-casting ten-, eleven-, and fifteen-mana monstrosities in a competitive environment. I took a risk and opened a door of possibilities.

Last Sunday, coincidentally Halloween, I entered my latest Frankenstein monster in a Standard tournament. I managed a sixth-place finish in a field of 30-plus players. Not to my surprise, everyone else was surprised. The deck was a treat to play with, a trick to play against. This was not your run-of-the-mill aggro or control deck from some deck list in the Internet. This was a bunch of individually bad cards assembled into a well-oiled machine. How bad the cards? Clue: Tumble Magnet. Here's the deck list:

Clockwork Black

4 Necropede
4 Ichor Rats
2 Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
4 Contagion Clasp
4 Throne of Geth
4 Lux Cannon
4 Tumble Magnet
4 Everflowing Chalice
4 Doom Blade
2 Votaic Key
2 Mox Opal
4 Tectonic Edge
18 Swamp

I can't figure which archetype this deck falls into. Using the Theory of Fire strategy, the deck can go aggro with early poison counters and proliferating all the way for an early-game win. It can go control mode against creature-based decks, locking the game with Tumble Magnet and Lux Cannon shenanigans. Strictly speaking, it is not a mid-size, a tempo, or a control deck. I think of Clockwork Black as a variety of a combo deck, one where certain cards must complement each other for the deck to work, a deck where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Whatever anyone else thinks of this relatively inexpensive deck, I think this, or a similar version of it, will be one to watch out for in the coming months. And even if it will be not, I am quite sure that this will be one of the most enjoyable decks to play with. I mean, what's better than locking your opponent with a charged Cannon or winning by poisoning your opponent?

Bayani Top-8s GP Manila!

2010-06-15T13:13:00.001+08:00

Congratulations to Team Spiral's Bayani Manansala, Jr. for finishing at the Top Eight of Grand Prix Manila! Nag-level up ka na! Now you have another GP Top 8 in your Magic resume!

Congratulations also go to Jeremiah Chua for placing 20th in the event with an equally impressive 11-2-2 record.

Deck lists at: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/eventcoverage/gpman10/top32decks

BFFs: Kozilek, Ulamog and Emrakul

2010-06-14T22:48:00.001+08:00

Kozilek was Journeying to Nowhere. Ulamog was Oblivious in his Ring. Then from the Eye of Ugin came Emrakul, ready to take the turn, but not before All turn to Dust. When was the last time you saw all three Eldrazi Titans on one side of the battlefield, ready to attack a 20-life opponent?

It was Day Two of Grand Prix Manila 2010. Coming from a solid no-byes 8-1 record from Day One, I took the seat assigned to me for the first round of Day Two. Sitting across me: Shuhei Nakamura -- Worlds Top Eight, Player of the Year, an awe-inspiring Pro. He played a Blue-White-Red Control deck – a well-tested, tried and true moneymaker. I played something I've been brewing for weeks, a concoction that never seemed to work, a deck with cards that pros have maligned in their Rise of the Eldrazi set reviews. I guess not many of the big-name players thought that hard-casting 11-mana creatures was going to be this easy.

With my Green-White Eldrazi Trap deck, I beat one of the world's best. The ending of Game Three was unbelievable, a scene I could only have dreamt of. All three Eldrazi legends were at my command, all at the same time! This was not just winning. It's winning with style. And a lot of oomph. And more oomph. This was no ordinary FNM and not just against an ordinary player. This was this year's biggest tournament in the country and against Magic's biggest superstar. Suffice to say, the whole experience was euphoric and unforgettable, something that I will recount over and over again until it becomes one of Philippine Magic's greatest urban legends (except that it is all true).

I ended the Grand Prix with a money finish, but I feel that I failed to do the deck justice. Two of the losses from my 11-4 record were due to game-play errors which players of a higher calibre than I, might not have committed. I wish that other Filipino players stop looking for decks from other countries. We have very capable deck-builders in the country today. We can never be better than them as long as we look up to them. Kinokopya pa lang natin ang mga deck nila, nasa "next-level" na pala sila. Let this whole experience be an inspiration to local deck designers to never give up.

The deck list from mtg.com is a little erroneous. Sa mga kokopya, bigyan ng credit ang designer. Here is one of GP Manila's "Cool Decks."

GW Eldrazi Trap

By Paul Ernest Lazaro

4 Wall of Omens
4 Overgrown Battlement
2 Kozilek's Predator
2 Pelakka Wurm
2 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
3 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre

4 Everflowing Chalice
3 Path to Exile
4 Grwoth Spasm
4 Summoning Trap
4 All is Dust

4 Stirring Wildwood
4 Sunpetal Grove
4 Eldrazi Temple
2 Eye of Ugin
2 Graypelt Refuge
6 Forest
2 Plains

Sideboard

3 Day of Judgment
2 Pelakka Wurm
1 Path to Exile
2 Celestial Purge
2 Perimeter Captain
2 Pithing Needle
2 Acidic Slime
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn

Price List: Rise of the Eldrazi

2010-04-25T16:27:00.001+08:00

MYTHIC RARES
All Is Dust	P500
Cast Through Time	P100
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn	P400
Gideon Jura	P1,600
Hellcarver Demon	P150
Kargan Dragonlord	P450
Khalni Hydra	P350
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth	P500
Lighthouse Chronologist	P150
Linvala, Keeper of Silence	P350
Nirkana Revenant	P350
Sarkhan the Mad	P500
Transcendent Master	P500
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre	P400
Vengevine	P1,400
RARES
Angelheart Vial	P20
Awakening Zone	P250
Baneful Omen	P20
Bear Umbra	P40
Conquering Manticore	P40
Consume the Meek	P300
Consuming Vapors	P350
Coralhelm Commander	P80
Deathless Angel	P100
Devastating Summons	P20
Disaster Radius	P20
Dormant Gomazoa	P20
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief	P100
Echo Mage	P20
Eldrazi Conscription	P40
Eldrazi Temple	P350
Gelatinous Genesis	P40
Gigantomancer	P20
Gravitational Shift	P40
Guul Draz Assassin	P40
Hedron Matrix	P20
Hedron-Field Purists	P20
Hellion Eruption	P20
It That Betrays	P40
Kazandu Tuskcaller	P40
Keening Stone	P40
Kor Spiritdancer	P80
Lightmine Field	P80
Lord of Shatterskull Pass	P40
Magmaw	P20
Momentous Fall	P250
Mortician Beetle	P40
Mul Daya Channelers	P200
Near-Death Experience	P40
Nomads' Assembly	P20
Pestilence Demon	P20
Rage Nimbus	P20
Realms Uncharted	P200
Recurring Insight	P20
Renegade Doppelganger	P40
Repay in Kind	P20
Spawnsire of Ulamog	P40
Sphinx of Magosi	P40
Sphinx-Bone Wand	P20
Splinter Twin	P40
Student of Warfare	P300
Surrakar Spellblade	P40
Tajuru Preserver	P150
Thought Gorger	P40
Training Grounds	P100
Tuktuk the Explorer	P80
Umbra Mystic	P40
World at War	P20

Updated April 24, 2010. Price list does not guarantee availability of cards. Visit the store or text 09228328216 (Sun), 09273529678 (Globe), or 09199708948 (Smart) to confirm availability and/or check condition of cards. Sorry, we don't do deliveries.

If You Can’t Beat Them, Jund Them!

2010-03-14T10:57:00.001+08:00

Congratulations to long-time Spiral member Kris Legaspi for placing fifth at yesterday's Standard tournament at the Bacolod Chicken Inasal in Greenhills, San Juan!

Expecting a lot of mirror matches, Kris used a classic Jund build with main-deck Great Sable Stags. Five out of his seven matches that day were against Jund. At least five players in the Top Eight played Jund. Maybe this saying (slightly modified for Magic players) holds true: If you can't beat them, Jund them!

Here's the deck:

Jund

4 Putrid Leech
4 Sprouting Thrinax
4 Bloodbraid Elf
2 Great Sable Stag
4 Siege Gang Commander
2 Broodmate Dragon

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Blightning
3 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Rampant Growth
1 Terminate

4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Savage Lands
4 Raging Ravine
1 Lavaclaw Reaches
3 Dragonskull Summit
3 Forest
3 Swamp
3 Mountain

Spiral Ascension (or How I Cascaded My Way to a GPT Top Eight with a Fun Deck)

2010-03-07T01:24:00.001+08:00

What, for me, is the greatest joy for a Magic player?

After several weeks (uhmm... make that months) of "shadow-playtesting" (like shadow-boxing) with my Naya Pyromancer Ascension combo-control deck, I finally found the guts to test in a real-life tournament this concoction of individually bad cards (except maybe for Lightning Bolt and Bloodbraid Elf). I was apprehensive at first, thinking that my humble brainchild wouldn't stand a chance against a sea of pro-proven ("pro-", as in the winners of the last Pro-Tour) Net-decks, but my Magic buddy Ankol convinced me to join the Grand Prix Trial-Kuala Lumpur so as to finally put all those doubts to rest. And who would have thought that, after a seven-round 69-player bar room brawl (the event was held at Bar Uno in West Avenue), this calculated monstrosity of a deck would land a spot at the Top Eight?

Spiral Ascension

4 Enlisted Wurm
4 Bloodbraid Elf

4 Naya Charm
4 Captured Sunlight
4 Violent Outburst
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Day of Judgment
3 Volcanic Fallout
2 Pyromancer Ascension
2 Sylvan Bounty (ok, look it up at Gatherer...)

4 Jungle Shrine
4 Stirring Wildwood
4 Raging Ravine
4 Arid Mesa
4 Mountain
4 Plains
2 Forest

Sideboard

4 Demolish
4 Celestial Purge
2 Lavaball Trap
2 Luminarch Ascension
1 Day of Judgment
1 Volcanic Fallout
1 Pyromancer Ascension

This deck is unpredictably predictable. In this deck, the cascade mechanic is less random. I call this utilization of this mechanic as calculated cascade.

The heart of the deck is Pyromancer Ascension. This enchantment ends games – the challenge is how to accomplish the difficult quest. There are two main methods of doing so. One way is to let your cascade spells fill your graveyard with like-named instants and sorceries. Another is by chaining two Naya Charms using the recover mode. Once the spell-copier goes online, chain Lightning Bolts and Captured Sunlights for the win. Unbelievable and unrealistic as it may seem, I won almost all of my games that way. If for some reason (Maelstrom Pulse = evil) the Ascension route to victory couldn't work, win the old-fashioned way by creature beatdown via Bloodbraid Elf and Enlisted Wurm and the reliable man-lands. That's just the basics of playing the deck. There is more fun to discover, especially with the sideboard.

Before I get anyone too excited, I have to confess that this version of my deck wasn't really very impressive. I was lucky that day, and was paired to a generous player (bawi ako next time) in the last round who gave me the win due to my better tie-breaks.

I have several versions of this deck; this one is my anti-Boss Naya build. I knew that this version folds easily against Jund. Luckily, I won against one Jund, relying heavily on my sideboard and the element of surprise that comes with playing a rogue deck. But I also lost two rounds against Jund, one of which was in the Top Eight. My other loss was to a great player who beat me with a rush of well-"equipped" land-falling critters.

In every loss, there is a nugget of wisdom to be learned. I feel that my other version of this deck, one with built-in Path to Exiles, would be better against the current creature-heavy metagame. I didn't play that anti-Jund version because I thought there would be a lot of Blue-White Control Net-decks (against which PTE would perform poorly) in the tournament – I was wrong. Next time I play this deck, my build will be even more control-ish, with my sideboard geared against Blue-based control decks instead.

Forgive me if I end this write-up with a little melodrama. I needed this Top-Eight win. This win is an affirmation of my skills as a deck designer. This win will provide me with inspiration to make more wacky decks. I hope there will be more Filipino deck builders and rogue-deckers, and less Net-deckers. For me, there is no greater joy for a Magic player than to win with a self-designed deck.

Magic at “Any” Cost: Pauper at Spiral

2010-02-15T12:00:00.001+08:00

Kung mailki ang kumot, matutong bumaluktot. Rough translation: If there's a will, there's a way.

Playing competitive Magic has become too expensive to the "average Juan". Every new set brings with it hundred-peso cards a tournament player has to get hold off in order to stay with the pack. Sadly, for that reason alone, many have stopped playing the game. But there are a resourceful few who would just not quit. Nothing can prevent them from playing the game they love, not even its high cost. Thanks to Filipino ingenuity, the local Pauper Magic community is growing and there seems to be no stopping the rise of the, pardon the pun, "common tao" (that's "average citizen" to the not Filipino).

Pauper Magic is the unofficial label to a Magic format where all cards which are not of common rarity are banned. Without mythic rares, rares, and uncommons, Pauper Magic decks tend to be cheap, and hence easy on those who are tight on the budget.

Here at Spiral Intramuros, (sorry, this might sound weird...) we are developing a community of Paupers. During weekdays, it is rare not to see some youngsters play-testing their latest all-common concoction. Spiral players compose of students from the different nearby colleges. They'll be the first to admit that, as students, ultra-competitive Magic is likely to be bad on their budget. But thanks to the regular weekend Standard Pauper tournaments at Spiral, playing casual Magic no longer has to cost them an arm and a leg.

Cheap, yes, but Pauper Magic is certainly not child's play. Many play this format mainly because it presents deck-designing challenges. The restriction to common cards and the lack of Net-decks squeeze out the creative juices of aspiring deck-builders. Pauper Magic is also an opportunity for learning. The over-exposure to common cards develops one's abilities in Limited deck construction and card assessment. It is my theory that players who excel in Pauper Magic will turn out to be good in playing Limited formats, where common cards are the bulk and backbone of decks. And to newbies to the game, the all-commons format is an inexpensive but effective way of mastering the basics of the game and its fundamental strategies, like card advantage, card power, and tempo.

The growing Pauper Magic community is proof that you don't have to be filthy rich in order to enjoy playing the game. The high cost of those "power cards" is not an excuse not to have fun with your buddies. Let Pauper Magic be your gateway to competitive tournament play. Learn as much as you can from playing this format so that by the time you play next-level Magic, you will be at the top of your game. Paupers seem meek compared to cut-throat Standard and Extended tournament players. But wasn't it said that the meek shall inherit the earth?

I end this short entry with a Worldwake-based Ally deck that I'm pretty sure will cost you less than a day's allowance:

Cascade of Allies

4 Oran-Rief Survivalist
4 Nimana Sell-sword
4 Bujoka Brigand
4 Akoum Battlesinger
4 Graypelt Hunter
4 Tuktuk Grunts

4 Violent Outburst
4 Demonic Dread
4 Fiery Fall
2 Veinfire Borderpost
2 Firewild Borderpost

4 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Jund Panorama
4 Mountain
4 Forest
4 Swamp

World-Weak: The Underrateds (Part Two)

2010-02-10T10:08:00.001+08:00

Read Part One: http://spiralmtg.blogspot.com/2010/02/world-weak-underrateds-part-one.html

MARSHAL'S ANTHEM AND EVERFLOWING CHALICE

The strength of Marshal's Anthem lies not in its Glorious Anthem ability. Even if the card never had the +1/+1 ability, it would still be unbelievably good. Living Death and Patriarch's Bidding have taught us that multiple-creature reanimation can be quite dangerous. Perhaps more so when the creatures being reanimated are game-ender Iona, Shield of Emeria and the synergistic token-maker Captain of the Watch.

Everflowing Chalice is Signet on steroids. A second-turn Chalice is fantastic, but a two-countered Chalice is insane mana acceleration. This artifact is excellent at ramping out heavy hitters like the aforementioned Iona and the Captain, kicking power spells Marshal's Anthem and Sphinx of the Lost Truths, and animating man-lands like Celestial Colonnade.

These two cards are not getting the attention they deserve despite their card power. Maybe because their effects are so subtle and un-extraordinary that they are overshadowed by the other flashy cards of the set.

We originally planned to put Marshal's Anthem and Everflowing Chalice in an Esper control deck ala Ravnica's famous Solar Flare deck. But there really seems to be no reason to play Black aside from Esper Charm. Here is a sample deck list:

UW Control

2 Iona, Shield of Emeria
4 Sphinx of Lost Truths
4 Captain of the Watch

2 Marshal's Anthem
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Into the Roil
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Spreading Seas
4 Day of Judgment
4 Everflowing Chalice
4 Path to Exile

4 Celestial Colonnade
4 Sejiri Refuge
4 Glacial Fortress
2 Island
4 Halimar Depths
6 Plains

Also worth trying is this less expensive version of Mono-White Control featuring both the Anthem and the Chalice.

Mono-White Control (Budget!)

2 Iona, Shield of Emeria
4 Knight-Captain of Eos
4 Captain of the Watch
4 Kor Cartographer
4 Knight of the White Orchid

3 Martial Coup
4 Marshal's Anthem
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Everflowing Chalice
4 Path to Exile

3 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
20 Plains

Wow, no BSA! Who needs a ten-thousand-peso set of Banesalyer Angel when you have a more synergistic one-hundred-peso set of Knight-Captain of Eos as your five-drops?

MIRE'S TOLL AND BLOODHUSK RITUALIST

One mana pinpoint discard is often good, as proven by Thoughtsieze and Cabal Therapy. I'll be the first to admit though that Duress is still better than the Blackmail-ish Mire's Toll. Duress is effective even at the early stages of the game, whereas Mire's Toll is poor during the first two or three turns. Furthermore, this mini-Mind Sludge is restricted to mono-black decks with lots of swamps. Mire's Toll's role, however, is not as replacement for Duress; it is meant to complement it. Think of Mire's Toll as Duress Nos. 5 to 8.

Another discarder tool from Worldwake is Bloodhusk Ritualist. While often seen as an actual vampire replacement for Mind Sludge in Vampire decks, this card can easily fit in pure discarder decks. Unlike Mind Shatter, it is never a dead card even when your opponent no longer has cards in his or her hand; simply play it as a 2/2 beater.

I have always been a fan of discarder decks, and have been quite successful with them in tournaments. While everyone else thinks that the Vampire strategy is the only way to go with mono-black (and I can't blame them, Vampires are as solid as they can get), I prefer to differ. Here is my Worldwake version of a way-cheaper-than-Vampires mono-black discarder.

Mono-Black Discarder (Budget!)

4 Nyxathid
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Bloodhusk Ritualist

4 Smother (or Urge to Feed?)
4 Duress
4 Mire's Toll
4 Tendrils of Corruption
4 Sign in Blood
2 Liliana Vess

2 Gargoyle Castle
24 Swamp

CALCITE SNAPPER

This, believe it or not, is my No. 1 pick as the best Standard card from Worldwake. Forget Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Treasure Hunt – we've had decent card-drawers from Blue, like Jace Beleren and Divination, even before Worldwake became tournament legal. Calcite Snapper is something very new in Blue's territory – an excellent early creature comparable to the likes of Putrid Leech.

Shroud has always been one of the best creature abilities in the game. Blue's finisher, Sphinx of Jwar Isle, is a testament to that. Add this ability to Calcite Snapper's versatility as a defensive / offensive creature and we have the best mono-blue creature in Standard that no one has been talking about. Against aggro decks, it is a decent blocker, taking care of those non-flying vampires, early attacking elves, and Jund's problem cards Sprouting Thrinax and Bloodbraid Elf. But against slower control-oriented decks, this turtle is a five-turn clock that can singlehandedly win the game! Nothing is more embarrassing than being beaten by one goofy turtle!

My teammates have play-tested Calcite Snapper in Grixis and Blue-White-Red Control decks, and the turtle surpassed my initial expectations. My teammate Stephen however suggested that the Snapper is better in a two-color tempo-ish control deck which allows the turtle more freedom to beatdown! Something like this:

UR Turtle Beatdown

4 Calcite Snapper
4 Sphinx of Jwar Isle

4 Earthquake
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Double Negative
4 Treasure Hunt
4 Spreading Seas
2 Into the Roil
2 Burst Lightning

4 Halimar Depths
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Terramorphic Expanse
6 Island
6 Mountain

Blue provides tough-to-kill creature beatdown, while Red lends some direct damage for blocker removal or simply for finishing off your opponent.

I guess that's it, my list of underrated cards of Worldwake. I'm sure we'll discover more gems in the weeks to come. We just have to keep an open mind and dwell on possibilities, not restrictions, in order to realize the full potential of individual cards. What might be the weakest card to the rest of the Magic community might be that missing piece that will make your deck work. Maybe next time I'll go less competitive and more casual as I try my hands on Pauper Magic deck design.

World-Weak: The Underrateds (Part One)

2010-02-08T12:32:00.001+08:00

A couple of days has passed since Worldwake has become tournament legal. We at Spiral have been testing out some Worldwake cards and have discovered some diamonds in the rough. While the rest of the Magic community is going ga-ga over the hyper-expensive (with emphasis on "hype") Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Abyssal Persecutor, hoarding those one-hundred-peso Basilisk Collars despite not having any decks with which they could be played, and "designing" the most obvious Elf and Vampire decks with new additions Joraga Warcaller and Kalastria Highborn, I indulge in the thrill of the hunt for the next Rishadan Port or Tarmogoyf – that card that everyone else thought was useless but turned out to be the best of the rest. Without further ado, here are some Worldwake cards which I think are currently underrated.

DUAL MAN-LANDS (CELESTIAL COLLONNADE, CREEPING TAR PITS, LAVACLAW REACHES, RAGING RAVINE, AND STIRRING WILDWOOD)

I. Don't. Get. It. Why does the community in general dislike these mana-fixers? If the price of the card is reflective of its perceived power level, then Worldwake's two-color man-lands are extremely underrated. I have completed my set of man-lands buying them for P150 to P250 each. The weaker, short-lived M10 lands sell from P300 to P500, far more expensive than the man-lands.

Why does everyone think that M10 duals are better? Maybe it's just a textbook case of supply and demand. Maybe we have just been too star-struck with the fetch-lands that we think all other lands post-Zendikar are extremely inferior. Or maybe, and I believe this to be the case, we are just waiting for the Net-decks to arrive before we finally realize how useful they are.

I might be eating my words later about three months or so, but for now I stick with my opinion that the man-lands are far superior to M10 duals in three color shard-based decks. The main argument against the man-lands is that they come into play tapped. I've studied Jund, and Grixis and Esper control decks. Guess what – most of the time, M10 lands do come into play tapped. They are often played in the first turn tapped. Other times, there is no other choice but have them come into play tapped due to the absence of the appropriate basic land on the battlefield. And still, in majority of games, it really doesn't matter whether they come into play tapped or not. In my book, I'd rather play with pro-active attacking dual lands than those that just sit there and do nothing but often have the same drawback.

For those who still fear getting mana-screwed due to the always-comes-into-play-tapped man-lands, here's a simple tip: up the deck's land count and lower its mana curve. Twenty-six to twenty-eight lands in a deck isn't at all bad when these lands turn into 4/4 flying monsters which could single-handedly win games. Another tip: if you collected M10 lands thinking they were tournaments staples, there is no reason why you shouldn't have these Worldwake duals.

BESTIAL MENACE, WOLFBRIAR ELEMENTAL, LEATHERBACK BALOTH AND OMNATH, LOCUS OF MANA

These green spells, as great as they are, still seem to be taking the backseat to Joraga Warcaller and his crew of elves.

Bestial Mance and Wolfbriar Elemental are the token generators Oran-Rief, the Vastwood has been waiting for. Bestial Menace is a less powerful Cloudgoat Ranger or Siege-Gang Commando, but has the advantage of belonging to the color with efficient mana acceleration. But better than the Ranger and the Commando is Wolfbriar Elemental, which is at the very least an efficient 4/4 four-drop, and quite insane later on with more mana. An early Garruk accelerating into either of these two green token makers is sure to swing games.

If you thought Woolly Thoctar was good, Leatherback Baloth is even better. The toughness of five shrugs off Bituminous Blast and kicked Burst Lightning. Plus it belongs to a color which is naturally aggressive and contains efficient one-mana accelerators. A second-turn Baloth, which can survive perennial early creature-kills Urge to Feed and Lightning Bolt, can easily win games.

While Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Abyssal Persecutor share the spotlight as the two most expensive cards in Worldwake, everyone else seems to be forgetting another mythic rare that may be even better than the two in terms of card power. Everyone else thinks Omnath, Locus of Mana belongs only in some casual decks. I think this is a result of misunderstanding how Omnath's abilities work. Or maybe he has been overshadowed by Joraga Warcaller and the Elves deck, the obvious yet uncreative mono-green aggro deck of choice.

Omnath is comparable to former Standard star Figure of Destiny -- the more mana you have available, the bigger it gets. Only, Omnath is better, as you can actually use the mana you pump him with. With Vines of Vastwood and Eldrazi Monument to protect him, and Wolfbriar Elemental and Strength of the Tajuru as mana dumps, maybe another mono-green aggro deck, aside from Elves, is also viable. Something like this:

Mana-Monster

4 Llanowar Elves
4 Noble Hierarch
2 Birds of Paradise
4 Omnath, Locus of Mana
4 Leatherback Baloth
4 Wolfbriar Elemental

4 Garruk Wildspeaker
4 Vines of Vastwood
4 Bestial Menace
2 Eldrazi Monument
2 Strength of the Tajuru

4 Khalni Garden
4 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
14 Forest

(With apologies to KoA and Ankol for sharing this deck list...)

The important question now is this: Is this Omnath deck better than the typical Elf deck? It's tough to answer at this moment. Elf is more consistent in the early game, but this mid-size deck packs more power. But one thing is for sure – the Omnath deck is far more fun and creative than the more popular Elf deck.

I have already surpassed my quota of 800 words for this article. And I have to do something else at the moment. Be back tomorrow for more "snappy" underrated cards!

(To be continued...)

Price List: Worldwake

2010-02-03T20:41:00.001+08:00

MYTHIC RARES	PRICE
Abyssal Persecutor	P1,000
Admonition Angel	P300
Avenger of Zendikar	P150
Comet Storm	P200
Dragonmaster Outcast	P200
Eye of Ugin	P200
Jace, the Mind Sculptor	P1,500
Novablast Wurm	P150
Omnath, Locus of Mana	P300
Wrexial, the Risen Deep	P100
RARES	PRICE
Agadeem Occultist	P50
Amulet of Vigor	P100
Anowon, the Ruin Sage	P120
Archon of Redemption	P70
Basilisk Collar	P200
Bazaar Trader	P50
Butcher of Malakir	P50
Celestial Colonnade	P400
Chain Reaction	P150
Creeping Tar Pit	P350
Death's Shadow	P100
Goliath Sphinx	P50
Harabaz Druid	P150
Joraga Warcaller	P300
Jwari Shapeshifter	P150
Kalastria Highborn	P300
Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs	P100
Lavaclaw Reaches	P400
Lodestone Golem	P200
Marshal's Anthem	P150
Mordant Dragon	P50
Quest for the Nihil Stone	P150
Quest for Ula's Temple	P70
Raging Ravine	P450
Seer's Sundial	P70
Selective Memory	P50
Stirring Wildwood	P400
Stone Idol Trap	P50
Stoneforge Mystic	P150
Strength of the Tajuru	P100
Talus Paladin	P150
Terastodon	P100
Terra Eternal	P70
Thada Adel, Acquisitor	P100
Wolfbriar Elemental	P200
UNCOMMONS	PRICE
Bestial Menace	P60
Bloodhusk Ritualist	P50
Canopy Cover	P5
Caustic Crawler	P10
Cunning Sparkmage	P5
Deathforge Shaman	P5
Dread Statuary	P30
Everflowing Chalice	P70
Hada Freeblade	P40
Hammer of Ruin	P10
Horizon Drake	P5
Kor Firewalker	P80
Leatherback Baloth	P60
Lightkeeper of Emeria	P5
Loam Lion	P50
Nemesis Trap	P30
Perimeter Captain	P20
Permafrost Trap	P20
Quest for Renewal	P10
Quest for the Goblin Lord	P30
Razor Boomerang	P5
Refraction Trap	P40
Ricochet Trap	P20
Ruin Ghost	P10
Rumbling Aftershocks	P10
Scrib Nibblers	P5
Sejiri Merfolk	P40
Shoreline Salvager	P30
Slavering Nulls	P30
Slingbow Trap	P20
Smother	P60
Spell Contortion	P25
Summit Apes	P5
Tectonic Edge	P80
Tideforce Elemental	P5
Tuktuk Scrapper	P5
Urge to Feed	P100
Vapor Snare	P20
Vastwood Animist	P5
Voyager Drake	P5
COMMONS	PRICE
Æther Tradewinds	P2
Akoum Battlesinger	P5
Apex Hawks	P2
Arbor Elf	P30
Battle Hurda	P2
Bojuka Bog	P15
Bojuka Brigand	P2
Brink of Disaster	P2
Bull Rush	P2
Calcite Snapper	P15
Claws of Valakut	P2
Corrupted Zendikon	P5
Cosi's Ravager	P2
Crusher Zendikon	P5
Dead Reckoning	P5
Dispel	P20
Enclave Elite	P2
Explore	P20
Feral Contest	P2
Fledgling Griffin	P2
Gnarlid Pack	P2
Goblin Roughrider	P2
Grappler Spider	P2
Graypelt Hunter	P2
Grotag Thrasher	P2
Groundswell	P5
Guardian Zendikon	P2
Halimar Depths	P15
Halimar Excavator	P2
Hedron Rover	P2
Iona's Judgment	P2
Jagwasp Swarm	P2
Join the Ranks	P5
Khalni Garden	P10
Kitesail	P5
Kitesail Apprentice	P5
Marsh Threader	P2
Mire's Toll	P10
Mysteries of the Deep	P5
Nature's Claim	P5
Pilgrim's Eye	P5
Pulse Tracker	P2
Quag Vampires	P2
Quicksand	P30
Rest for the Weary	P5
Roiling Terrain	P2
Ruthless Cullblade	P2
Searing Blaze	P30
Sejiri Steppe	P10
Skitter of Lizards	P2
Smoldering Spires	P2
Snapping Creeper	P2
Surrakar Banisher	P2
Tomb Hex	P5
Treasure Hunt	P20
Twitch	P2
Vastwood Zendikon	P5
Veteran's Reflexes	P2
Walking Atlas	P2
Wind Zendikon	P5

Updated February 3, 2010. Price list does not guarantee availability of cards. Visit the store or text 09228328216 (Sun), 09273529678 (Globe), or 09199708948 (Smart) to confirm availability and/or check condition of cards. Sorry, we don't do deliveries.

World after Worldwake (Conclusion)

2010-01-29T14:48:00.001+08:00

By no means is this an accurate prediction of the coming Standard metagame. There is only so much one person can do; I'm sure there are more decks out there waiting to be discovered. I encourage everyone to not just sit around and wait for the next Net-deck; be pro-active and design the next big deck. Hunt for the next power cards. And do it with passion and fun. The world of Constructed Magic is shaped by innovators and deck-desingers, not Net-deckers. Be one of the powerful minority.

DESIGN...

Worldwake provides us with tools for other interesting deck designs. Marshall Anthem might be a key card to a Mono-White Control or a Solar Flare-style Esper deck, reanimating the likes of game-breaking Iona, Shield of Emeria and token-producing Captain of the Watch. Jace, the Mind Sculptor, aside from being an automatic inclusion in Blue-based control decks, might find a home in Blue-Green or Bant tempo decks instead, empowering Lorescale Coatl and bouncing would-be blockers in order for Vedalken Heretic to swing.

Red-Black aggro-discarder decks containing Blightning and even Hellfire Mongrel might find new life in Mind Shatter-like Bloodhusk Ritualist and the unassuming Slavering Null. (I still thing Quest for the Nihil Stone is a terrible card; Bloodchief Ascension is better for this deck.) What about a Suicide-Black deck containing Death's Shadow, or a Red-Green aggro-ramp deck partnering Scute Mob with Worldwake's Dragonmaster Outcast?

Elegantly designed Bestial Menace and under-the-radar Wolfbriar Elemental are begging to belong to a ramp-tokens deck powered by Oran-Rief, the Vastwood. And don't get me started with the possibilities with mana-monster Omnath, Locus of Mana. Pardon the cliché, but the possibilities really seem endless.

INNOVATE...

To contribute something to the Magic community, you don't have to start from scratch. Replacing a single card from an already established deck can sometimes make the difference. The tougher Loam Lion, for example, might be a better Goblin Guide or Elite Vanguard in Naya decks. Or instant-speed Mysteries of the Deep over Mind Spring? How about the more reliable Smother instead of Disfigure in non-Vampire Black decks? Searing Blaze is a cheaper and sometimes more powerful burn spell over Resounding Thunder in Mono-Red decks.

Leatherback Baloth opens the possibility for a non-Elf take on Mono-Green Aggro. Even the Everflowing Chalice, with its potential to produce multiple amounts of mana, might find a home most control decks in Standard. Sometimes innovations can be very much simpler, like Halimar Depths, Khalni Ganden, and Sejeri Steppe replacing Islands, Forests, and Plains, respectively.

Sideboard strategies develop as well. On the top of my list is Tectonic Edge. Between Worldwake's man-lands and Zendikar's utility lands (like Oran-Rief, the Vastwood, and Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle), lands have suddenly become a threat which requires a specialized solution. While not all colors can effectively deal with lands, any deck can and will benefit from Tectonic Edge. Rest for the Weary and more importantly Kor Firewalker will crush burn-based tactics. Nemesis Trap is Baneslayer Angels' bane, while Bujoka Bog bogs down graveyard-based decks.

AND HAVE FUN!

Magic is not all about winning tournaments. I seldom play decks I do not enjoy. And to me, enjoyment comes from being original. Conventional ways of winning like aggro or control strategies bore me. If ever I were to win, I had to win with style!

Warp World decks find new tools to tinker with in landfall fatties Admonition Angel and Avenger of Zendikar. Terra Eternal, together with Worldwake's man-lands and Zendikons, make for an interesting lands-strike-back type of deck. Maybe Halimar Excavator can inspire a control-mill type of Ally deck. Feel like donating Immortal Coil to your opponent via Bazaar Trader? Quest for Ula's Temple – 'nuff said.

Sure you might not win a lot of games using fun decks. But imagine the riot that will ensue when you beat that arrogant Jund player by attacking him with a gigantic octopus!

THE END

This whole writing experience has been cathartic. For a moment in my life, I feel purged of thoughts. Perhaps it is the nothingness that follows a stream of consciousness. Nonetheless, I enjoyed writing this. If you did enjoy reading, show your appreciation by showing up at your nearest Spiral store. I'd be glad to see you there!

World after Worldwake (Part Three)

2010-01-27T22:57:00.001+08:00

Read Part One: http://spiralmtg.blogspot.com/2010/01/world-after-worldwake-part-one.html

Read Part Two: http://spiralmtg.blogspot.com/2010/01/world-after-worldwake-part-two.html

ALLIED STRATEGIES

If ever I were to make an Ally deck, I'd definitely go for the aggro approach. No fancy milling via Malamir Excavator, or Agadeem Occultist shenanigans. Just good ole' fashioned beatdown courtesy of incrementally growing weenies. This deck is very far from perfect, and would not probably reach tournament calibre, but there is something appealing about its simplicity and straightforwardness:

White-Green Allies

4 Hada Freeblade
4 Kazandu Blademaster
4 Tallus Paladin
4 Harabaz Druid
4 Graypelt Druid
4 Oran-Rief Survivalist
4 Timbermaw Ranger
4 Kabira Evangel

4 Path to Exile

4 Stirring Brush
4 Sunpetal Grove
4 Graypelt Refuge
6 Forest
6 Plains

Worldwake definitely provided us with Allies more superior than those in Zendikar. At first glance, I thought Harabaz Druid was simply a Gemstone Sliver – good but not really impressive. Then a friend pointed out that it actually was a Priest of Titania, one of the most powerful tribal cards of all time. Hada Freeblade is a much-needed addition to the curve, while the efficiently costed Tallus Paladin simply is great in beatdown races.

I am tempted to go Naya with this build and replace Timbermaw Ranger with Kazuul Warlord, and Kabira Evangel with Lightning Bolt. Another approach is to splash Black for Bala Ged Thief. Maybe someone with enough time can play-test other Ally builds.

GO-GO-GOLEM!

If Jund still plagues tournament tables (as it will within the first few weeks after Worldwake), I would give this Esper Aggro deck a try. Between Ethersworn Canonist and the new set's Lodestone Golem, cascade spells will not be as great as they used to.

Esper Aggro

4 Court Homonculus
4 Esper Stormblade
4 Ethersworn Shieldmage
4 Tidehollow Sculler
4 Master of Etherium
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Ethersworn Canonist

4 Thopter Foundry
4 Path to Exile
4 Fieldmist Borderpost
4 Mistvein Borderpost

4 Marsh Flats
2 Swamp
2 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Island
4 Plains

For an artifact creature, Lodestone Golem is surprisingly costed efficiently. Though it easily dies to Lightning Bolt, this four-mana golem still looks good as a beater and mana denial all rolled in one beefy 5/3 body.

BIG, BAD, BLACK

Abyssal Persecutor is one mythic rare that is very difficult card to assess. Already, it tops Worldwake as its most expensive card. Although it might seem Baneslayer-good on one hand, it might also just as well be Nicol Bolas-bad. Or even only situationally good like Lotus Cobra. But for me one thing is certain: not every deck with access to Black mana, such as Jund, can use it.

How do we abuse this four-mana 6/6 flying monster? For one, it belongs in a deck with a lot of ways of "exorcising your own demons," so to speak. The deck must contain a lot of creature removal which can effectively deal with the demon. There is nothing more embarrassing than having your own card keeping you from winning. Jund has a lot of creature-kill, but Lightning Bolt and Bituminous Blast could not get rid it. Perhaps the Abyssal Persecutor might find a home in a Mono-Black Control deck:

Mono-Black Control

4 Abyssal Persecutor
4 Fleshbag Marauder
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir

4 Wretched Banquet
4 Tendrils of Corruption
4 Sign in Blood
4 Everflowing Chalice
2 Lilina Vess
2 Mind Shatter
4 Durress

2 Gargoyle Castle
22 Swamp

Fleshbag Marauder and Gatekeeper of Malakir are sure ways of getting rid of Abyssal Persecutor, while sometimes Wretched Banquet and Tendrils of Corruption will fill that role. Worldwake's Everflowing Chalice on the second turn can accelerate the demon to turn three for a faster beatdown. The sad thing, however, is that this deck still does not convince me that it deserves its 30-dollar price tag. Maybe a Red-Black Aggro-Control deck will prove me otherwise:

Demon Devourer

4 Abyssal Persecutor
4 Fleshbag Marauder
4 Caldera Hellion
2 Voracious Dragon

4 Blightning (or Bloodghast?)
4 Terminate
4 Goblin Assault
4 Everflowing Chalice
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Comet Storm

4 Lavaclaw Reaches
4 Akoum Refuge
4 Dragonskull Summit
6 Mountian
6 Swamp

With the Devour ability on Caldera Hellion and Voracious Dragon (both of them combo well with Goblin Assault, by the way), getting rid multiple Abyssal Persecutors will be a breeze!

Next: The Conclusion!

(To be continued...)

World after Worldwake (Part Two)

2010-01-26T22:11:00.001+08:00

Read Part One: http://spiralmtg.blogspot.com/2010/01/world-after-worldwake-part-one.html

TO THE KOR

Who am I kidding? There is no way an equipment-based Kor deck will dominate Standard any time soon. The problem with building a Kor deck is that you have to have lots of equipment in your deck. Maybe around 10. See, for it to work, you need multiple pieces of equipment in the battlefield. Kor tend to be selfish with their weapons; they don't want to share. Creatures like Kor Duelist, Armament Master, and Kitesail Apprentice each want to have their own toy in order to be effective.

Another problem with this deck is that it needs a Jitte-level equipment in order to be competitive. Looks like we have to settle with Trusty Machete in the meantime.

Just for the heck of it, I still designed a Kor deck for casual games. I'll be play-testing this deck once Worldwake is released. Then I'll be donating it to my little brother afterwards.

Of Kors

4 Kor Duelist
4 Kitesail Apprentice
4 Armament Master
4 Kor Outfitter
4 Kor Hookmaster
4 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Kor Aeronaut

4 Trusty Machete
4 Blazing Torch
2 Quietus Spike

4 Sejeri Steppe
4 Dread Statuary
14 Plains

Yes, that's Blazing Torch. Weird, huh? Perhaps splashing Green for Behemoth Sledge might work, although I'd rather not invest too much on this deck.

EXPLORE POSSIBILITIES

As dull as it may appear, the card Explore got me excited. This was the card I was waiting for, the missing piece to complete the deck I've been working on since Zendikar was released. While not as reliable as Rampant Growth's mana acceleration, Explore's cantrip makes up for it. It's a simple and elegant card that, together with Rampant Growth, will help any Ramp deck, like the cheap but effective Valakut deck:

Valakut Ramp

4 Siege-Gang Commander
4 Bogardan Hellkite

2 Chandra Nalaar
2 Comet Storm
4 Rampant Growth
4 Explore
4 Harrow
4 Khalni Heart Expedition
4 Expedition Map
4 Lightning Bolt

12 Mountain
4 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Forest
4 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle

The Valakut deck should be treated more as a Ramp deck than a combo deck. That way, it becomes less vulnerable to hate. I therefore inserted more threats in the form of Siege-Gang Commando, Bogardan Hellkite and Chandra Nalaar (instead of defensive land-destruction cards like Lavaball Trap and Goblin Ruinblaster) so I could survive games wherein my Valakut gets destroyed or turned into an island via Spreading Seas. Comet Storm is obviously good in this type of deck. But Dragonmaster Outcast, even with all that mana acceleration in the deck, still seems too fragile.

I have been playing with a Cascade-based Pyromancer Ascension deck for a long time now. It's a fun deck to play with as it is unlike any other deck. Explaining the mechanisms of this deck requires a separate article altogether... let's just say it's unpredictably predictable. If I can get it to be competitive, I would be extremely proud. But I can't seem to perfect the deck because it still lacks the much needed card-drawer. Enter Explore:

Pyro-Cascade

4 Enlisted Wurm
4 Bloodbraid Elf

4 Bituminous Blast
4 Blightning
4 Naya Charm
4 Explore
4 Violent Outburst
4 Captured Sunlight
2 Pyromancer Ascension

4 Jungle Shrine
4 Savage Lands
2 Arid Mesa
2 Verdant Catacombs
2 Marsh Flats
2 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Swamp
3 Plains
3 Mountain
3 Forest

I used to have Rampant Growth instead of Explore in this deck. The problem with Rampant Growth is that it always gets cascaded even late in the game when I already have all the mana sources I need. With Explore, I get some mana acceleration early in the game, and have it work as a card-drawer (with Pyromancer Ascension in play) later on. I have another version of this deck which uses only Naya colors and contains Day of Judgment and Worldwake man-lands.

KNOW THY ELF

Joraga Warcaller and Arbor Elf will validate Elves as a legitimate competitive tribe, up there with Vampires. Together with Elvish Archdruid and Llanowar Elves, these two Worldwake cards will make Elf decks more consistent.

Mono-Green Elves

4 Llanowar Elves
4 Arbor Elf
4 Nissa'a Chosen
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Elvish Archdruid
4 Joraga Warcaller
4 Master of the Wild Hunt

4 Vines of Vastwood
3 Nissa Ravane
3 Eldrazi Monument

2 Gargoyle Castle
4 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
16 Forest

There is beauty in this deck's simplicity and harmony. There are no random singletons, and almost all cards have synergy with one another.

There are other, non-Elf, Green cards from Worldwake worth noting. Maybe sometime this week, I'll be designing a mana-monster Omnath deck, or a mono-green tokens deck featuring Bestial Menace and Wolfbriar Elemental. For now, I have to say good-bye. See you soon... hopefully by then I would have come up with a decent Ally deck!

(To be continued...)

World after Worldwake (Part One)

2010-01-26T12:18:00.003+08:00

New sets always get me inspired. New sets mean new cards. New cards mean new decks. New decks that actually work are works of art. There is beauty in the unity of cards, how they interact with one another to amount to something far greater than the individual parts, like pigments on a painting. I see through the eyes of an artist: new cards are new tools for my next masterpiece. This new set, Worldwake, offers so much to my canvass, and today I am inspired.

I intend to go through my Worldwake set review on a more practical approach. Instead of simply stating which cards are good and which cards are bad, I will be posting sample decks containing these Worldwake cards. That way, there is little room left for maybes. I hate it when set reviewers say "this card is good..." and follow it with a big "if." All the information needed to accurately assess the strength of a card are readily available. A card is either only good or bad, not conditionally good or conditionally bad. Integrating Worldwake cards into possible decks for the new Standard will prove whether the new card will actually work.

A caveat though: these decks still lack the much-needed play-testing. What may be good in theory might be terrible in practice.

BLUE CARD-DRAW LEVELS UP

As poor as Blue counter-magic is and will be, card-drawing is moving the opposite direction.

Jace, the Mind Sculptor is the poster child of Worldwake. Perhaps rightfully so. While its power level is still being debated on, I am convinced that the reincarnated planeswalker is that good, and far better than its earlier counterpart. In terms of card-drawing, the Brainstorm ability is superior to regular card-draw, and combos well with card-shufflers like fetchlands. The Unsummon and Fateseal/Scry abilities provide the much-needed versatility the original Jace Beleren card lacks. It has been proven time and again that the best planeswalkers are those which can protect themselves against attackers. This is not to say that the original Jace Beleren will be obsolete, as Fog and Mill decks will still benefit from its Howling Mine and 20-card mill abilities. Control decks, such as Captain America and Grixis, will find the new Jace far better, however.

Divination also finds a better replacement in Treasure Hunt. With control decks containing almost fifty-percent land cards, the potential card advantage for only two mana is a good bargain. The card also combos well with the Mind Scupltor's Scry and Brainstorm abilities, as well as Sphinx of Jwar Isle's. On that note, here is an upgraded version of the classic RWU Captain America control deck:

RWU Control

3 Sphinx of Jwar Isle

2 Traumatic Visions
4 Spreading Seas
4 Double Negative
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
3 Ajani Vengeant
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Treasure Hunt
2 Earthquake

4 Island
3 Mountain
4 Plains
4 Arid Mesa
4 Celestial Colonnade
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Glacial Fortress

The deck is very similar to the original build, with Jace Beleren and Divination replaced with Worldwake cards. Celestial Colonnade also presents an additional threat. I'm only on the fence with the presence of eight fetch-lands, as it might lessen Treasure Hunt's potential. Maybe Mysteries of the Deep (which I still think costs too much) instead of Treasure Hunt?

VAMPIRES GET A REVAMP

Vampires might be undead, but this Black tribe is very much alive after Worldwake. The new set offers some quality utility cards to replace non-vampire cards. Instead Mind Sludge, use the more versatile "discard-on-a-stick" Bloodhusk Ritualist. Instead of Disfigure, or even Worldwake's Smother, use the more powerful Urge to Feed. Even Kalastria Highborn, with its tribal-themed "bleeder" ability, seems better than Vampire Hexmage in a dedicated Vampire deck. Here's a more aggressive Vampires deck that abuses Kalastria Highborn:

Vampires

4 Vampire Nocturnus
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Vampire Lacerator
3 Kalastria Highborn
4 Bloodghast
3 Vampire Aristocrat
2 Bloodhusk Ritualist

4 Urge to Feed
4 Tendrils of Corruption
4 Durress

4 Marsh Flats
4 Verdant Catacombs
16 Swamp

Sacrifice Bloodghast to the Aristrocrat, trigger the Highborn. Repeat with every landfall! Or better yet, sacrifice all your minions to suck out what little life your opponent has for a vampiric coup de grace!

Other vampire cards from Worldwake seem lacklustre. Malakir Bloodwitch is a way better five-drop than Anowon, the Ruin Sage, which by the way easily dies to conventional creature kill with its toughness of three. Pulse Tracker, Quag Vampires, and Ruthless Cullblade also belong to a lower power level.

WHEN LANDS ATTACK...

Two years from now, Worldwake will be remembered as the set which introduced dual-color man-lands. They are as staple as fetch-lands, and yet they do not garner as much hype as the fetch-lands did when they where previewed.

Whence before, Treetop Village and its ilk are usually restricted to mono- and sometimes dual-color decks, multi-color decks of Standard and even Extended can now proudly use man-lands without screwing with their mana base. For dual- allied-color decks, the man-lands of the appropriate colors are automatic shoo-ins together with M10 duals (unless you're playing with some wierd deck like Valakut Ramp). Slow Standard three-color decks like Jund will, however, soon shy away from M10 dual lands (which usually come into play tapped anyway) and replace them with these pro-active lands. Even mono-color decks can choose between Gargoyle Castle and Dread Statuary, depending on the deck's speed and colored-mana intensiveness. (Tip: two copies of Castle for slower decks with a lot of triple-color mana costs, four copies of Dread Statuary for faster decks with no or little triple-color mana costs.)

While Standard's Tier One deck, Jund, did not receive much spells from Worldwake, I'm pretty sure non-spells Raging Ravine and Lavaclaw Reaches are more than enough to compensate:

Jund Ramp

4 Broodmate Dragon
2 Siege-Gang Commander
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Sprouting Thrinax

4 Bituminous Blast
2 Terminate
4 Maelstrom Pulse
4 Explore
4 Blightning
4 Lightning Bolt

4 Savage Lands
4 Lavaclaw Reaches
4 Raging Ravine
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Mountain
3 Forest
3 Swamp

From the set of man-lands, I find Lavaclaw Reaches particularly interesting. The colorless Fire-breathing ability obviously works well in decks with tremendous amounts of mana to spend. Lavaclaw Reaches, meet your new best friend, fellow-land Crypt of Agadeem:

Agadeem Control

4 Monstrous Carabid
4 Architects of Will
4 Igneous Pouncer
4 Viscera Dragger
4 Fleshbag Marauder
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Bloodhusk Ritualist

4 Earthquake
2 Consume Spirit
2 Liliana Vess
2 Banefire

4 Crypt of Agadeem
4 Lavaclaw Reaches
4 Dragonskull Summit
2 Mountain
8 Swamp

Keep on cycling to build your graveyard, then attack with a Crypt-powered Lavaclaw Reaches for an exciting win! While I admit that this deck would never reach Tier One (or even Tier Two) status any time soon, I guarantee that this will be one fun deck that anyone will enjoy playing!

Join me next time as I "explore" "ally" strategies and get to the "kor" of things in the next instalment of this set review!

(To be continued...)

Price List: Zendikar

2010-01-25T17:15:00.002+08:00

Updated January 25, 2010.

Mythic Rares	Price		Stock
Chandra Ablaze	250		2
Eldrazi Monument	500		4
Eternity Vessel	100		2
Felidar Sovereign	80		4
Iona, Shield of Emeria	350		3
Kalitas, Bloodchief of Ghet	50		3
Lorthos, the Tidemaker	50		0
Lotus Cobra	700		0
Mindbreak Trap	300		3
Nissa Revane	550		1
Ob Nixilis, the Fallen	300		0
Obsidian Fireheart	75		4
Rampaging Baloths	250		1
Sorin Markov	450		1
Warren Instigator	250		1
Rares	Price		Stock
Archive Trap	200		4
Archmage Ascension	30		2
Arid Mesa	650		0
Armament Master	50		1
Bala Ged Thief	30		4
Beastmaster Ascension	50		4
Blade of the Bloodchief	50		3
Blood Tribute	30		4
Bloodchief Ascension	150		0
Bloodghast	350		4
Celestial Mantle	20		1
Conqueror's Pledge	200		0
Cosi's Trickster	30		4
Crypt of Agadeem	100		4
Day of Judgment	600		4
Devout Lightcaster	100		1
Electropotence	30		3
Elemental Appeal	70		4
Emeria Angel	150		4
Emeria, the Sky Ruin	100		4
Gigantiform	40		0
Goblin Guide	300		0
Grappling Hook	30		4
Guul Draz Specter	50		3
Halo Hunter	30		4
Hellkite Charger	50		0
Kabira Evangel	30		1
Kazuul Warlord	30		2
Lavaball Trap	70		1
Lullmage Mentor	30		3
Luminarch Ascension	200		1
Magosi, the Waterveil	100		1
Malakir Bloodwitch	250		2
Marsh Flats	650		0
Misty Rainforest	700		4
Oracle of Mul Daya	75		4
Oran-Rief, the Vastwood	150		0
Predatory Urge	30		3
Pyromancer Ascension	100		4
Rite of Replication	30		3
Roil Elemental	50		4
Sadistic Sacrament	150		1
Scalding Tarn	650		4
Scute Mob	150		2
Sea Gate Loremaster	30		2
Sphinx of Jwar Isle	125		0
Sphinx of Lost Truths	100		2
Summoning Trap	100		2
Terra Stomper	40		2
Turntimber Ranger	40		2
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle	125		1
Verdant Catacombs	750		1
World Queller	70		1
Uncommons	Price		Stock
Æther Figment	3		4
Akoum Refuge	30		4
Arrow Volley Trap	5		4
Baloth Cage Trap	5		4
Baloth Woodcrasher	3		4
Blazing Torch	3	4
Brave the Elements	20	0
Carnage Altar	3	4
Cobra Trap	5	4
Feast of Blood	25	4
Frontier Guide	3	4
Gatekeeper of Malakir	75	4
Geyser Glider	3	4
Goblin Ruinblaster	30	4
Gomazoa	3	4
Graypelt Refuge	30	4
Greenweaver Druid	3	4
Hagra Diabolist	3	4
Hedron Crab	20	2
Hellfire Mongrel	3	4
Inferno Trap	3	4
Jwar Isle Refuge	30	4
Kazandu Blademaster	30	4
Kazandu Refuge	30	4
Khalni Gem	3	4
Kor Aeronaut	25	4
Kor Duelist	10	1
Landbind Ritual	3	4
Living Tsunami	3	4
Mark of Mutiny	10	4
Marsh Casualties	20	4
Merfolk Seastalkers	3	4
Merfolk Wayfinder	3	4
Mind Sludge	20	4
Murasa Pyromancer	3	4
Needlebite Trap	3	4
Pitfall Trap	3	4
Primal Bellow	3	4
Punishing Fire	40	4
Quest for Ancient Secrets	3	4
Quest for Pure Flame	3	4
Quest for the Gemblades	3	4
Quest for the Gravelord	25	4
Quest for the Holy Relic	3	1
Ravenous Trap	5	4
River Boa	20	4
Runeflare Trap	3	4
Seascape Aerialist	3	4
Sejiri Refuge	30	4
Shepherd of the Lost	3	4
Summoner's Bane	5	4
Tajuru Archer	3	4
Trailblazer's Boots	3	4
Trapmaker's Snare	20	4
Trusty Machete	10	4
Turntimber Basilisk	3	4
Unstable Footing	10	4
Vampire Hexmage	50	4
Vampire Nighthawk	100	1
Windborne Charge	3	4
Commons	Price		Stock
Adventuring Gear	1	4
Beast Hunt	1	4
Bladetusk Boar	1	4
Blood Seeker	1	4
Bog Tatters	1	4
Bold Defense	1	4
Burst Lightning	25	4
Caller of Gales	1	4
Cancel	1	4
Caravan Hurda	1	4
Cliff Threader	1	4
Crypt Ripper	1	4
Demolish	1	4
Desecrated Earth	1	4
Disfigure	10	4
Expedition Map	10	4
Explorer's Scope	1	4
Giant Scorpion	1	4
Goblin Bushwhacker	10	4
Goblin Shortcutter	1	4
Goblin War Paint	1	4
Grazing Gladehart	1	4
Grim Discovery	5	4
Guul Draz Vampire	5	4
Hagra Crocodile	1	4
Harrow	10	4
Heartstabber Mosquito	1	4
Hedron Scrabbler	1	4
Hideous End	10	4
Highland Berserker	1	4
Into the Roil	10	4
Ior Ruin Expedition	1	4
Joraga Bard	1	4
Journey to Nowhere	10	4
Kabira Crossroads	5	4
Khalni Heart Expedition	10	4
Kor Cartographer	1	4
Kor Hookmaster	1	4
Kor Outfitter	1	4
Kor Sanctifiers	1	4
Kor Skyfisher	10	4
Kraken Hatchling	1	4
Lethargy Trap	1	4
Magma Rift	1	4
Makindi Shieldmate	1	4
Mindless Null	1	4
Mire Blight	1	4
Mold Shambler	10	4
Molten Ravager	1	4
Narrow Escape	1	4
Nimana Sell-Sword	1	4
Nimbus Wings	1	4
Nissa's Chosen	10	4
Noble Vestige	1	4
Ondu Cleric	1	4
Oran-Rief Recluse	1	4
Oran-Rief Survivalist	1	4
Paralyzing Grasp	1	4
Pillarfield Ox	1	4
Piranha Marsh	5	4
Plated Geopede	10	4
Reckless Scholar	1	4
Relic Crush	1	4
Ruinous Minotaur	1	4
Savage Silhouette	1	4
Scythe Tiger	1	4
Seismic Shudder	1	4
Shatterskull Giant	1	4
Shieldmate's Blessing	1	4
Shoal Serpent	1	4
Sky Ruin Drake	1	4
Slaughter Cry	1	4
Soaring Seacliff	1	4
Soul Stair Expedition	1	4
Spell Pierce	15	4
Spidersilk Net	1	4
Spire Barrage	1	4
Spreading Seas	1	4
Steppe Lynx	10	4
Stonework Puma	1	4
Sunspring Expedition	1	4
Surrakar Marauder	1	4
Tanglesap	1	4
Teetering Peaks	5	4
Tempest Owl	1	4
Territorial Baloth	1	4
Timbermaw Larva	1	4
Torch Slinger	1	4
Trapfinder's Trick	1	4
Tuktuk Grunts	1	4
Turntimber Grove	1	4
Umara Raptor	1	4
Vampire Lacerator	10	4
Vampire's Bite	1	4
Vastwood Gorger	1	4
Vines of Vastwood	10	4
Welkin Tern	1	4
Whiplash Trap	1	4
Windrider Eel	1	4
Zektar Shrine Expedition	10	4
Zendikar Farguide	1	4

Prices subject to change without prior notice. Price list does not guarantee availability of cards. Visit the store or text 09273529678 to confirm availability and/or check condition of cards. Sorry, we don't do meet-ups or deliveries.