Friday, August 26, 2016

Conspiracy Set Review: Red Cards

I am catching myself holding back some comments. This is, after all, a set that only really works in limited multi-player. As such, it has many limited cards. The problem with the set is that it is sold in $4 packs. If it had been packaged differently, I would be very excited about buying lots and lots of it. But at the same time you can buy one of these packs for $4, you can buy a pack of Khans of Tarkir and pull one of five fetchlands. If the packs had been sold at $2.50 MSRP, or in a deckbuilder's toolbox, it would have been a runaway hit. As it is, those boxes are going to sit and wait for the small number of players who can pull off a limited play group. I know I can't.


Besmirch: multi-player version of Act of Treason, got it.
Deputized Protester: good to get to your needed creature count in limited.


Garbage Fire: more for my notes sheer.
Crown-Hunter Hireling: [Monarch Card] this thing can site there and have Defender once you are no longer the monarch, and with four opponents, it looks like that can be the next turn, and this creature does not have Haste. What gives?


Goblin Racketeer: it would not be limited jank if it had Indestructible or a higher toughness, or a lower casting cost.
Grenzo's Ruffians: very nice. The second clause is great. I want to see this in play.


Grenzo, Havoc Raiser: solid card for sure. If you can drop it early, it can be very strong.
Skyline Despot: [Monarch Card] Because every set needs a dragon. It can be a brutal and awesome play if you can somehow remain the monarch for three or four turns after you cast this.


Pyretic Hunter: more for my notes. If your number is 5, you have a mostly vanilla critter. If it is less than five, this is a weak card. Menace is great, though.
Gang of Devils: limited 6 drop. Remember, Lightning Bolt does 3 damage to one creature or player for one mana.


Subterranean Tremors: some really strong effects on this card. It should be a great play mid and late game. Another card that is required to end a game that could otherwise go on forever.
Goblin Tunneler: limited needs this, it can also go well with a strong one or two drop that needs to deal combat damage to an opponent for a bonus.


Volatile Chimera: great effect, I want to play this bad. This card is all up-side. This set should have had nine more cards similar to this one being all up-side.
Burning Wish: makes $4 packs palatable. Using anything in your sideboard is awesome, of course.


Burn Away: Graveyard manipulation can be very handy, even late game, or especially late game. The damage is more like a bonus. I would have preferred a lower casting cost and no damage bonus. I would have preferred Nihil Spellbomb.
Charmbreaker Devils: more like Heartbreaket Devils. You bought only one pack just for kicks and you pull this.... ouch. Remember, its a 6 drop. That's not a miss-print.


Coordinated Assault: limited trick.
Fiery Fall: I guess someone will be stuck with this card in their draft. It's another 6 drop in a set brimming with 6 drops.


Ember Beast: it's a limited set.
Flame Slash: nice limited card.


Goblin Balloon Brigade: nice limited card. Low drops like this one are always great picks.
Guttersnipe: great card, a must have in a blue-red instants and sorceries deck.


Gratuitous Violence: nice. I wish I was playing devotion to red. Another card that can help end a stalemate and shorten games.
Hamletback Goliath: because enough of these have not been sold at Targets and Walmarts as promos with repackaged product. So many better choices for this slot.... that's one heart-breaking pull in a pack that could have had a much better rate.


Havengul Vampire: a limited uncommon.... what? Wasn't this a limited common in Innistrad?
Ill-Tempered Cyclops: for the creature count in limited.


Hurly-Burly: after the first or second turn, there is not much to do with this card. Oh, and it's a sorcery.
Kiln Fiend: because this is a limited set. Good in the blue-red instants and sorceries deck.


Ogre Sentry: because this is a set geared for limited.
Trumpet Blast: because this is a set geared for limited.


Stoneshock Giant: another limited uncommon. Ouch....
Twin Bolt: much better in fast constructed games. It's at its best as a battle trick after blockers have been declared.


Sulfurous Blast: it can really great in the right board state.... really great. But if one or two of your opponents are in low-creature strategies, this thing will be a mosquito bite, maybe cripple one of your opponents and someone else will take that player out immediately after this is played. It's good. Another card needed to get the game going.
Tormenting Voice: a solid pick. A really useful card in any format.