Amonkhet Set Review: Artifacts and Lands and Selected Embalm Tokens

We are down to the last selection. The set so far looks like will be complemented well with Theros block, even though I must admit that this set defines a new lower level of power, even below the low power level of Theros block. Also, the Gods seem weak.

Bontu's Monument: All of the monuments encourage mono-color decks, which is great, and also consistent with the Theros block. This one goes well with Blood Artist. I like it a lot.
Edifice of Authority: Very nice casual lockdown effect.

Embalmer's Tools: Great Embalm enabler. I like it a lot. It can be used in ALL decks with a lot of Embalm. The Zombie clause is love at first sight for me.
Honed Khopesh: Solid in casual and Limited play.

Gate to the Afterlife: I guess God-Pharaoh's Gift is a card in Hour of Devastation. Draw a card, then discard a card works well in a specific deck. Lots of Embalm will do it in this set.
Kefnet's Monument: Not as good an effect as Bontu's Monument because your opponent may not have any creatures, or may only have creatures that are not worth keeping tapped. The spell cost savings, though, is great across the board for all five monuments.

Hazoret's Monument: Very useful (discard/draw) effect to put on an artifact that helps red spells. Do note that you have to discard and then you draw. It is always much better to draw first and discard second.
Oracle's Vault: Great Johnny artifact. I love it and want to play it. Unless you fuel the second effect, the earliest you can use it is turn turn 6 or 7. That's late.

Luxa River Shrine: Yet another trigger for any 'whenever you gain life this happens' triggers. At 3 mana it reads like a Limited card, yet this effect can be very strong in the right deck.
Pyramid of the Pantheon: A solid mana rock, I will take it!

Oketra's Monument: I love the monument cycle. This one is great. Drop a bunch of white weenies and you get a token from each one. I am sold!
Rhona's Monument: The added effect can be useful but +2/+2 on a clogged board can do a lot of nothing.

Throne of the God-Pharaoh: That is one sweet clock. I want it! The deck with this would have to be able to drop many creatures and hope the attacks that come in when they are tapped are not fast enough and big enough to outrun this clock. In White/Black or Green/Black, I would drop a slew of creatures and creature tokens and disrupt my opponent with black discard and target destruction spells.
Watchers of the Dead: Useful in a Standard without a card as powerful as Nihil Spellbomb 1 drop Artifact (Tap, Sacrifice Nihil Spellbomb: Exile all cards from target player's graveyard. When Nihil Spellbomb is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may pay Black. If you do, draw a card.)

Cradle of the Accursed: definitely good in Limited after you have all the mana you need. I will use it in Constructed, but only with mono-black Zombies.
Grasping Dunes: Same as before. I would only use it in a '-1/-1 counter matter' deck with one or two colors.

Cascading Cataracts: I like the rainbow effect. It has many uses in all formats. This land reads like a sleeper (a card that seems innocent but can actually be the cornerstone of a strong strategy).

Evolving Wilds: Welcome back, old friend. 

Painted Bluffs: friends with Shimmering Grotto. Great casual land.
Sunscorched Desert: Someday, I would love to win a game with this land!

I include tokens here for the Embalm creatures that have additional text other than an evergreen ability. The token is supposed to be a copy of the card, and it therefore has to copy everything on the card it copies.

Amonkhet Set Review: Multicolored

After the success of Return to Ravnica, new sets include a nice selection of multicolored cards. I always have fun with these.

Ahn-Crop Champion: The Exert effect is a good one since it applies to all of your creatures. If you don't use it, it's still a square creature (4 drop 4/4) and that's OK.
Bounty of the Luxa: This is a lot of fun. It reminds me of Bring to Life from Battle for Zendikar as a fun effect that makes you think. You get two effects with this, and they alternate. That's fun. Getting an extra card every other turn is great, and getting three additional mana every other turn is also great.

Aven Wind Guide: Another fun card. By the time you drop it, you should have a small batch of tokens. It's similar to Intangible Virtue (1W Enchantment, Creature tokens you control get +1/+1 and have vigilance.) from Innistrad.
Enigma Drake: A cousin of Spellheart Chimera (1UR Creature — Chimera (Flying, trample, Spellheart Chimera's power is equal to the number of instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard.) And just like it's cousin, it will be fun to play, but not super strong, which is fine for casual decks.

Decimator Beetle: The effect is great, but at 5 mana, it's on a too-heavy creature and will not trigger more than once or twice. I encountered a similar issue when playing Possessed Skaab 3UB Creature — Zombie (When Possessed Skaab enters the battlefield, return target instant, sorcery, or creature card from your graveyard to your hand. If Possessed Skaab would die, exile it instead.) from Origins. I really wanted to have fun playing Possessed Skaab but in the vast majority of games, I either won or lost before I got to cast it.
Shadowstorm Vizier: Cool card for a janky deck full of Limited jank with Cycling, and this set has many of those cards. There are also a bunch of other janky Cycling cards that have been issued in Modern and Legacy. It would be fun to see how big this can get in such a deck.

Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons: Oh, this is great. It's an auto-include in the '-1/-1 counters matter' deck. You are putting counters on your opponent's creatures and making tokens from that action. That's just awesome.
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamum: Come up with a way to have the biggest possible creature token as early as possible, and this makes it unblockable. I like it a lot. It's Legendary because if it wasn't it would be completely broken. The Embalm cost is too high; it might as well not be there most of the time.

Honored Crop-Captain: Nice buff for a casual army builder. I like it a lot. It goes well with Akroan Hoplite WR Creature — Human Soldier (Whenever Akroan Hoplite attacks, it gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is the number of attacking creatures you control.) from Theros.
Neheb, the Worthy: This is an awesome addition to the Minotaur deck from Theros block. Yeah, I want to play this bad.

Khenra Charioteer: Reasonable alone, great with bigger critters on your side of the board.
Nissa, Steward of Elements: This is a really cool planeswalker. I hope it is weak in Standard so that I can get a playset on the cheap. It belongs in a casual Green devotion Modern deck. Cast it for X=7+ and use the ultimate as soon as it enters. That's a great entrance, with two 5/5 Flyers. Next, protect it and +2 for a few turns. Then start playing the 0 ability for Johnny goodness.

Wayward Servant: Oh, yeah, get in my Zombie deck right now!
Merciless Javelineer: Discarding a card isn't free, and needs to be put into a deck with care. Otherwise, you will have cards you will not want to discard, and this effect will go unused. This is a great nod to Shadows over Innistrad block. Oh, and it's a Minotaur... that's great.

Samut, Voice of Dissent: It's in the Naya colors (White, Red, Green). It should be the creature that ends the game in your favor. You can bring it in with Flash to stop an attack, and then attack for the win next turn.
Weaver of Currents: Nice mana bonus for a casual deck. Goes well with Hedron Archive 4 Artifact (Tap: Add CC to your mana pool. 2, Tap, Sacrifice Hedron Archive: Draw two cards.) Another card with cross-block synergy.

This cycle is similar to previous split card cycles, especially the one issued in Dragon's Maze. I had a lot of fun with many of those cards. I hope I have fun with these.

Start//Finish: A bit heavy for both effects. Will probably see rare use. It Start was one less mana, that would have made a big difference.
Onward//Victory: Same as for Start//Finish. If Onward was one less mana, that would have made a big difference.

Reduce//Rubble: OK, I am sounding like a broken record. All of these cards are over-costed by one mana because you get the Embalm benefit. I get it. I wish we had fractional mana, because all of these cards would be really useful if the difference between the in-the-hand spell and what it is inspired by was 1/2 mana. A 3 drop Mana Leak just isn't good, no matter what the upside from Embalm may be.
Destined//Lead: Yeah. These cards suffer from the same problem the Dragon's Maze split cards suffered from. They are over costed by 1 mana for a good reason, but you have to play two colors, and that is a disadvantage. Lead is a narrow effect, and just isn't worth it except if you decide to build your whole deck with the sole purpose of making this card playable, which a Johnny deckbuilder like yours truly will do, but almost no one else will ever bother doing.

Spring//Mind: Six mana for two cards late game isn't bad.
Prepare//Fight: One more thing. Except for battlecruiser Standard, you don't want to play any of these in-the-hand spells in Constructed, especially for one more mana, and your game plan should not include waiting around for the Aftermath benefit. No.... this just doesn't work. I am sorry, it does not. Not in Modern.

Failure//Comply: No. This is a cute combination of two denial actions, but by the time you get around to use Aftermath... no, this doesn't add up. You are spending 3 mana (1WU) to send a spell back to the hand and keep it there next turn. That's a lot of work. For the simple use of Cancel (1UU) you get to counter said spell outright. The extra mana cost across the board for the in-the-hand, or top spell, means none of these cards will likely see play outside of battlecruiser Standard.
Heaven//Earth: Interesting combination.

Rags//Riches: If you are able to play Riches, you could have won some other way by then.
Cut//Ribbons: Ribbons is actually a pretty good effect, but you need a creature to hit with Cut, which will happen often enough in Standard.

Amonkhet Set Review: Green

No new decks I want to build after going through Red. I did run across a few Minotaurs that I would like to add to the Theros deck and run in Modern just for fun.

Cartouche of Strength: Decent target removal in Green. A little heavy for the effect, though.
Benefaction of Rhonas: A little heavy, yet a good effect to fill the graveyard in Black/Green and White/Green Embalm.

Bitterblade Warrior: Limited.
Champion of Rhonas: OK, this is really good. Any creature means Craterhoof Behemoth in Modern, and I am doing that with this. This is a great card and I want to play it. What's more, you can do it again two turns later.

Channeler Initiate: Another auto-include in the '-1/-1 counters matter' deck with Nest of Scarabs.
Crocodile of the Crossing: Solid. It's aggressively costed, and the downside can be an upside if you have ways to move the counters or benefit from them. Haste on this creature is simply awesome.

Colossapede: We need more vanillas, and a vanillas-matter card or two to buff them.
Defiant Greatmaw: (Cut and Paste) Solid. It's aggressively costed, and the downside can be an upside if you have ways to move the counters or benefit from them. Not only that, this one couples well with Crocodile of the Crossing

Dissenter's Deliverance: Good replacement for Naturalize to hose Kaladesh, except Naturalize can also destroy enchantments. Boy, do I miss the Core Set.
Giant Spider: Because we lost the Core Set.

Exemplar of Strength: It's not overcosted because you are taking the hit for the counters. Gaining 1 life can only be good with very specific cards. As a lone effect, it sucks.
Gift of Paradise: Limited. Costed for battlecruiser.

Greater Sandwurm: Limited.
Naga Vitalist: another battlecruiser 2 drop mana dork. We already have enough of these.

Hapatra's Mark: Not as good as it seems. It reminds me of Alpha Authority (1G Enchantment — Aura, Enchant creature, Enchanted creature has hexproof and can't be blocked by more than one creature.)
Oashra Cultivator: Limited.

Shefet Monitor: Seems pretty good. What's a Desert card? Is that a reference to Desert Cerodon? If it is, that's cool. This is a 6 drop that doesn't win the game, and that means you will only be playing it in Standard. Oh, wait, I get it, this means a Desert LAND. There was a "Land - Desert" in Arabian Nights and there are two in this set. Yeah, it should read 'Desert Land' to make it clearer that you are not looking for cards with 'Desert' in their name. Or is it both?
Harvest Season: This is really good and I want to play it. I can see some really broken plays with it. It's an addition to the Doubling Season family.

Haze of Pollen: Fog with Cycling. Fog is a 1 drop, and that makes a huge difference. That extra mana keeps this card out of a turbo Fog deck.
Sixth Sense: Great card. It says "draw a card," and that's all I wanted. Now we need to enchant something unblockable. I want to play it! Benthic Infiltrator is still in Standard. This is yet another card that bridges this block with another block still in Standard. This is a key function of the Core Set that has been lost.

Honored Hydra: Junk rare for battlecruiser Standard. Reads like a good uncommon. If you can discard it from your hand, though, the Embalm cost is lower than the casting cost.
Spidery Grasp: Innistrad reprint. Limited.

Hooded Brawler: Solid common is solid. I want to play it. In a Red/Green deck with Bloodlust Inciter already on the board, this can come in with Haste, hit for 5, and then sit out the next turn.
Stinging Shot: an aggressive, if somewhat limited Plummet, and you can cycle it. I like it.

Initiate's Companion: Limited, and with a nice effect.
Synchronized Strike: Solid battle trick. It can help a defensive move, especially if those creatures were exerted immediately before you played this. Yeah, definitely a solid battle trick.

Manglehorn: Fantastic Kaladesh hoser. Otherwise a sideboard card since in Modern and Legacy you may not necessarily be up against an artifact deck.
Scaled Behemoth: Solid in battlecruiser Standard.

Ornery Kurdu: Limited.
Shed Weakness: Limited, and a nice upside to limit the damage of -1/-1 counters to your creatures.

Pouncing Cheetah: Limited, and a great battle trick if you save up the mana to cast it with Flash.
Vizier of the Menagerie: Reads Mythic allright. It must be removed immediately, and if it isn't, it's a toolbox that will end the game in very few turns. I would add a few Scry cards, play this in Blue/Green, and have a few Craterhoof Behemoths in my deck.

Prowling Serpopard: Very strong, and an addition to a deck I have been thinking about for a long time in Legacy that uses all of the Green creatures that can't be countered.
Rhonas the Indomitable: Now, that's a really clean and strong God. None of that 'seven cards in hand' nonsense. In Green, you will be able to satisfy this clause easily. One of the better Gods, for sure.

Quarry Hauler: The -1/-1 counter healer. Needed in this format, even if a little too heavy for Modern.
Sandwurm Convergence: A great 'go big' creature in Standard. If you get to cast this, you probably are going to win the game before you get any of the tokens.

Trial of Strength: I want to play it. It reads strong.

Watchful Naga: This is one of the better Exert cards. "Draw a card," enough said.
Mouth//Feed: Great all around. "Draw a card," enough said.

Amonkhet Set Review: Red

I know I am planning to build at least Esper (White/Blue/Black) Zombies and a '-1/-1 counters' deck. I may also build a janky Cycling deck.

Ahn-Crop Crasher: Exert seems better on a weaker creature. I would not like to tap this creature for the Exert benefit unless I really, really had to. It's a solid hitter.
Blazing Volley: great sideboard card. Against some decks, it will be amazing.

Bloodlust Inciter: I really like this card. It can be used late game to great effect. Yeah, I really, really like this card. This can make your bigger hitters have Haste one at a time.
Battlefield Scavenger: Seems innocent enough, but I can see how this card could be abused. You can do the 'discard, then draw' for each of your Exert creatures. You can couple that with Cycling effects as well. This card makes me think.

Bloodrage Brawler: this card reads like a 'combo with Madness' card. I like it. One of my biggest complaints about the loss of the Core Set is how within-block Standard decks now tend to be. This card makes me want to combine Madness with cards from this set.
Electrify: Limited.

Brute Strength: Limited.
Emberhorn Minotaur: Limited, and to good use.

By Force: Kaladesh hoser.
Combat Celebrant: Wow, as in really a positive 'wow.' It can die the first time you Exert it, but if you time it right, this is the card that will win you the game.

Cartouche of Zeal: its reasonable. You don't have to play it early game. You can play when you want to attack past a big threat later in the game.
Consuming Fervor: Interesting downside. If it can be played with Nest of Scarabs, the downside can be turned into an upside.

Deem Worthy: Limited.
Flameblade Adept: that's really good. There are many ways to abuse Cycling in this set.

Desert Cerodon: Limited.
Fling: Welcome back, old friend. It looks like Act of Treason is not currently in Standard. One of my favorite janky plays of all time is to steal a creature with Act of Treason and then Fling it.

Glorious End: Reads Mythic enough. It requires understanding turns well. If you don't, you lose!
Harsh Mentor: Oh, this is very good. It reads like a money rare. It does not hit Enters-the-Battlefield (ETB) abilities, right? If it did, that would be bonkers.

Glorybringer: It will be strong in Standard. It needs to be a 6/6 and have some other effect to make it's mark in Modern.
Hazoret the Fervent: Now here is a God that can do well. It's easy in Red to end up with an empty hand, and it has Haste. This one is strong.

Hazoret's Favor: seems like not much of a benefit. I think this is a junk rare.
Nimble-Blade Khenra: Limited, and good. I love Prowess. It is always a great ability.

Heart-Piercer Manticore: Not bad. It will be an even better play if one of your creatures has been paralyzed with Pacifism or one of its variants. You only get the sacrifice bonus once per ETB.
Pathmaker Initiate: Limited.

Hyena Pack: We need more vanillas and cards that make them better!
Magma Spray: Welcome back, old friend.

Limits of Solidarity: OK, we don't have Act of Treason, but we at least have this. It's one more mana, yet it can be used to combo with Fling.
Manticore of the Gauntlet: Those are two good ETB effects for late game in Limited.

Minotaur Sureshot: Solid in Limited.
Pursue Glory: Limited.

Nef-Crop Entangler: Limited.
Soul-Scar Mage: Really good with Nest of Scarabs. Prowess is great!

Sweltering Suns: Reasonable board wipe early game. I see why Cycling can be useful on this card late game.
Tormenting Voice: Because we no longer have a Core Set.

Thresher Lizard: Limited.
Trial of Zeal: The effect is really good, especially because it has "or player," but the cost isn't so great. It's costed for battlecruiser Standard.

Trueheart Twins: This is a much better Exert clause than the ones that only apply to the one creature being Exerted, and you can use it for all of your creatures. This is a solid battle trick card.
Warfire Javelineer: Another solid battle trick card, except it only targets one creature. It can be dead in the hand as you wait to be able to use the effect, or you will have to play it minus the effect, in which case it's effectively a vanilla creature.

Violent Impact: Another over-costed battlecruiser card. Someday we will look back at this era of Magic and reflect on all these overcosted cards that are a waste of a slot in these sets. This type of spell has the same feel-bad that the over-costed creatures from the Legacy era have. Compare with Pillage, from 6th Edition (1RR Sorcery, Destroy target artifact or land. It can't be regenerated.)
Insult//Injury: Underwhelming as a rare. It would have been great as an uncommon. The key clause that makes it good (if it was an uncommon) is "you control." Yeah, I would have preferred it be an uncommon as a Sorcery, or rare and at Instant speed and bumped up to 4 mana for Insult. As a Sorcery your opponent sees you coming, and has advance warning to react to it. The surprise play as an Instant would have made it awesome.