Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Kaladesh Deconstructed: Artifact Cycles

There is only really one cycle reminiscent of the Scars of Mirrodin Spellbombs. Nihil Spellbomb, the black one, was the better Spellbomb in Scars of Mirrodin. The black one here, Metalspinner's Puzzleknot also looks to me like the strongest one.


There is also a three-some. The three modules share a name, and Decoction Module and Fabrication Module are part of the Energy economy, with one getting you Enters the Battlefield (ETB) Energy and the other one letting you exchange Energy for +1/+1 counters. Animation Module might as well be a separate card, except that it can give you one more Energy counter, or any other counter (this is really powerful, in my opinion, when we look back at all those counters we would like to have more of in Modern, Legacy, and Vintage). Oh, and Animation Module can be used as a token maker if you are willing to pay the one mana stall per token.


Kaladesh Deconstructed: The Mythic Rares

The Gearhulk cycle looks slightly uneven at first glance. The White one looks like the strongest, followed by the Red one. All have Enters the Battlefield (ETB) abilities.


The artifact theme got a Mythic Rare, and so did the Vehicle theme. Esper got all the Mythic Rares, and then we have Rashmi (love this card) in Blue/Green.


A fall set with four planeswalkers is almost a core set. I wish they would bump these sets up to five, but that's just me-I love planeswalkers.


Kaladesh Deconstructed: Elves

Look at all these elves! This is my favorite tribe. There have been countless Elves issued to date. Well, actually, the number is finite: 311. No one drop? Did I miss it? That's clumsy. I will have to figure out what to do with the slot. Maybe I will use it for an artifact or a one drop from one of the other sets in Standard.





Kaladesh Deconstructed: Aetherborn and Gremlins

The Aetherborn are a new tribe. I don't see a one drop, but with eight different creatures, I am sure I can come up with a Standard Constructed deck. I don't see a Lord (that gives members of the tribe a +1/+1 boost).



I wish there have been more Gremlins. It would be really cool to build a Gremlins deck. There have been all of two Gremlins issued to date, one in Mirrodin Besieged, and one in Antiquities. Because there are only six, this is the only 24 creature deck you can build now in Standard Constructed.


Monday, September 19, 2016

Kaladesh Deconstructed: Dwarfs and Vedalken

I would like to learn this set in depth. The two previous blocks have been fun, but Kaladesh is special: artifact set!!!

There are ten White Dwarfs and two White/Red Dwarfs in this set-one of the latter is a Dwarf Lord, giving Dwarfs +1/+1. There have been 38 Dwarfs issued before these, most in Red, and most in the Legacy (old frame) era. My favorite, of course, is Dwarven Miner, a land destruction dork.




There are seven Blue Vedalken, and a Blue/Red Vedalken, and a Blue/Green Vedalken in this set. I am not seeing a Vedalken Lord. There have been 38 Vedalken in all of Magic (Shards of Alara block and Gatecrash had more than other sets).



Kaladesh Set Review

I can't wait to play this set!

Kaladesh Set Review: White
http://mtgadventures.blogspot.com/2016/09/kaladesh-set-review-white.html

Kaladesh Set Review: Blue
http://mtgadventures.blogspot.com/2016/09/kaladesh-set-review-blue.html

Kaladesh Set Review: Black
http://mtgadventures.blogspot.com/2016/09/kaladesh-set-review-black.html

Kaladesh Set Review: Red
http://mtgadventures.blogspot.com/2016/09/kaladesh-set-review-red.html

Kaladesh Set Review: Green
http://mtgadventures.blogspot.com/2016/09/kaladesh-set-review-green.html

Kaladesh Set Review: Multicolored and Lands
http://mtgadventures.blogspot.com/2016/09/kaladesh-set-review-multicolored-and.html

Kaladesh Set Review: Artifacts Part 1 of 2
http://mtgadventures.blogspot.com/2016/09/kaladesh-set-review-artifacts-part-1-of.html

Kaladesh Set Review: Artifacts Part 2 of 2
http://mtgadventures.blogspot.com/2016/09/kaladesh-set-review-artifacts-part-2-of.html


Saturday, September 17, 2016

Kaladesh Set Review: Artifacts Part 2 of 2

Last part of the review. I have already come across some great Johnny artifacts.


Foundry Inspector: I am playing it, all right. It only helps your artifacts, and that's great. I think this is a must-have in a deck with lots of artifacts, at least in this Standard.
Multiform Wonder: It has it's uses, but if you swing it too much in the aggro direction, it can be very vulnerable as a 5/1. I think it will settle in junk rare territory.


Ghirapur Foundry: A fun card for sure. It lets everyone play more cards, and draw more cards. It requires a lot of creativity in deck building to play it in an asymmetric way, in a way that helps you more than it helps your opponents. I think it will be an affordable card, and if it is, I would like to build around it.
Narnam Cobra: Limited and useful in that format.


Glassblower's Puzzleknot: 5 mana to Scry 2 twice and to get 4 Energy. It reads like a very useful card, and not just in Limited.
Iron League Steed: Solid uncommon on account of Haste. I would come up with a way to buff it up, and play it in Red just because I can couple it with more creatures with Haste.


Inventor's Goggles: Similar to Ghostfire Blade (1 drop, Equipped creature gets +2/+2. Equip 3; Ghostfire Blade's equip ability costs 2 less to activate if it targets a colorless creature.)
Key to the City: I like it a lot. I want to discard in Esper Reanimator, and for 2 mana I can get a card. Sign me up. A really fun rare, and it could even be a valuable rare.


Metalspinner's Puzzleknot: for 5 total mana you draw two cards and you lose 2 life. Seems fair, given that you get the choice of when to play each of the two activations.
Ovalchase Dragster: 5 drop 6/1 with Trample and Haste is a very good uncommon. I have used similar effects before in White/Red decks with great positive results.


Metalwork Colossus: Very nice. It requires an investment in big artifacts, and it's worth trying. It reads really strong. I don't know the set well enough at this point to determine if it will be a junk rare, or a powerful rare, or something in between.
Panharmonicon: ETB heaven, let's roll. Once again, in isolation it's difficult to evaluate this card. If an ETB deck can be built to be very strong, this artifact will double the ETB bonuses beyond a certain point in the game. That can be really good, even gg-good.


Prophetic Prism: this is a great color fixer, and it's a common? I like it a lot.
Perpetual Timepiece: great self-mill for reanimator and it lets you recover some of the cards you don't need in your graveyard, such as lands and artifacts. Solid is solid.


Prakhata Pillar-Bug: seems all right in Limited.
Renegade Freighter: 5 drop 4/3 with an end of turn bonus reads limited jank.


Scrapheap Scrounger: great for Esper reanimator. I am guessing it will not be an expensive rare.
Whirlermaker: That is one insane overcosted casting of a 1/1 token. I have no idea why it costs so much. I think this is a Limited uncommon on first reading.


Self-Assembler: I looked in Gatherer, and there is one previous artifact creature of type Assembly-Worker. You want to guess what it's called? It's called Assembly-Worker. Limited jank at first glance.
Woodweaver's Puzzleknot: 5 mana to get 6 Energy counters and gain 6 life. It does have its uses.


Sky Skiff: 3 mana 2/3 with Flying. Limited jank.
Smuggler's Copter: 3 mana 3/3 Flying and you can draw and then discard when it attacks or blocks. OK, I see it as a junk rare, yet I also see it as very useful in a specific deck, a deck with Cathartic Reunion.


Skysovereign, Consul Flagship: 8 mana 6/5. When it enters the battlefield it is still an artifact. It does feel Mythic that it can come in and cripple a planeswalker. And then it does the same every time it attacks. Yeah, that's a strong effect. What's missing is damage to player, and that means to me that this card will likely not be an expensive Mythic.
Snare Thopter: Limited uncommon. It does have Haste. I love Haste. Oh, and it's a flyer. I like it. Maybe it's more than a Limited uncommon.


Torch Gauntlet: aggro equipment, most useful in Limited.
Workshop Assistant: good for your Limited creature count. The bonus is nice too.


Weldfast Monitor: pretty good for a common. With the Red activation, it is a solid common.