Let's get started with some cards that might make the Standard format a bit different:
1. Athreos, God of Passage.
For awhile now, Esper humans has been a thing and the only aggressive deck that could feasibly main-deck Supreme Verdict. With their creatures dying left and right and spawning zombies on their way to the underworld, Athreos promises that it won't be an easy death. Not only are the Humans annoying to deal with as is, but now you have to choose to give those creatures back or pay 3 life. That life can add up quickly and you'll have Lyev Skyknights chasing you down faster than the Running of the Minotaurs(It's an annual tradition on Theros). Athreos looks to have some really fun interactions with cards like Xathrid Necromancer, Vexing Devil, Solemn Simulacrum, or anything already playable with a nice enters or dies trigger, and at a measly 3 mana to cast, certainly find a home somewhere.
2. Bassara Tower Archer.
This guy could make an easy addition to Naya Hexproof or a Green-based Devotion deck. Naya Hexproof basically only had Voice of Resurgence for it's 2-drop slot, which is a great card, but not hexproof. The other 2-drop was Hero of Iroas, which wasn't found in every list. Now, we have hexproof creatures all up the curve for this deck and it might be enough to make the deck a much more formidable foe. Making matters worse, Naya Hexproof could be rocketed into the best seat of the house with:
3. Aegis of the Gods.
Another 2-drop that fits on curve very well for Naya, this guy gives YOU hexproof. While not Hexproof himself, he provides a great effect: the ability to dodge edict effects, which is what can destroy the hexproof builds. My only issue with this guy, is that while all your creatures are so impossible to deal with, your opponent will probably end up with a full grip of removal just sitting in his hand waiting to be used on anything it can target. As soon as you play a guy that can be targeted, it will be. However, he does force your opponent to answer him if they are to target you with anything at all, so he can bait out Hero's Downfalls and Supreme Verdicts fairly nicely.
4. Reprisal
White-based aggressive decks will most likely find a slot or two in their sideboard for this guy. The ability to handle G/R/x monsters at instant speed will be a nice addition, not to mention eating those Desecration Demons up too! A generic 2-mana situational removal that's easy to cast/splash will easily show up here and there.
5. Skybind.
Bant Enchantment fog decks are looking better and better aren't they? With this one, you can exile blockers, get additional effects out of ETB creatures(Armada Wurm, Sylvan Primordial) or even reset your attackers to be able to block next turn. Not exceptionally great at 5 mana, but in a control shell, it's perfectly plausible to play around and get some great effects out of it.
6. Harness by Force.
Red devotion decks have been around since the start of Theros and now there's a great way to add extra win conditions to your playset of Fanatic of Mogis. With Harness, you don't care how many big attackers they throw in front of your guys. Simply get to turn 4 or 5, use Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, get loads of mana and steal the show! You probably only need to take 1 or 2 guys anyway with Red Devotion, so this makes a fantastic way to finish games quickly.
7. Battlefield Thamaturge.
A lot of talk has been had over this guy, and it seems like the possibilities just keep coming in. Let's just say, that this guy makes spells with 'X' in it's cost amazing if they can target 'X' creatures. Cards like, Curse of the Swine, Gridlock, Aurelia's Fury, all become way powerful. Granted, he's a measly 2/1 that'll probably eat up some removal as fast as Aegis of the Gods, but then again, that's not always bad either.
8. Bearer of the Heavens.
This guy has such a unique effect that the Standard format hasn't had for so long, that it just begs to be abused... somehow... My first thought was to see if there were any good ways to exile your own creatures while his effect happened so that you could get them back into an empty board and proceed to win from there. The best situation I thought of was to exile an Obzedat at the end of your turn and get rid of the Bearer on your opponent's turn. Such a high mana cost though, if only there was a nice way to reanimate these days...
9. Deicide.
Pronounced Day-ih-Side, this is sure to be a fantastic sideboard, if not mainboard, removal. Mono Blue decks get hosed a bit with their 4 Thassa's always in the main, and since it's such a popular archetype, this could be in any white-based deck and probably will be. Mono-Blue players, be on the lookout here, you might not get to scry as much as you thought :)
10. Banishing Light.
O-RING!!! Always a great removal spell(now with the correct wording).
So many good cards in this set, I can't wait to try them out in Standard, however, let's move on to some discussion of the limited format. Pre-release weekend is coming up soon and as my favorite format, I'm super excited to look at the new cards from that perspective. With limited in mind, here are some cards that I believe will be your first targets in drafts/sealed:
1. Dawnbringer Charioteer.
Not much more powerful than Wingsteed Rider already is in limited, but the addition of Lifelink can dash any hopes of keeping up with the Heroic "Ben Hur". At 4 mana, it's an easy first pick.
2. Heroes' Bane.
A bad Kalonian Hydra, some say, but the upside is you don't have to risk it in combat to double the counters on this one. Because of that, and if you're lucky to dodge some removal for a turn or two, this guy, even though lacks trample, will bludgeon any who oppose you until the way is clear. Another easy first pick.
3. Armament of Nyx.
I always wanted something like this for some aggressive decks I've built in the past. The ability to make your guys better or make their's worse is great versatility. Board clear? Strap up your enchantment creatures and make haste with the beats. Too many blockers over there? Put one out of commission. A card that will make a fine addition to any W/x deck you choose to go in limited.
4. Blinding Flare.
This card will simply end games on the spot. With such an easy cost to pay for each target, this card will put any defense on the ritz and frustrate many a player. Not to mention getting off super easy Heroic triggers. If you're even remotely looking into red for your limited battles, this card is a windmill slam pick!
5. Feast of Dreams.
Enchantment Set. Enchantment Removal. Too easy. Easy to cast, easy for a splash card. Not first pick, but a great addition for any Black decks.
6. Lagonna-Band Trailblazer.
1 mana cost, big toughness, heroic for +1/+1 counters. All great stats. Even though this guy is nothing for your offense without heroic triggers, he's still much better than Yoked Ox, and trust me, you'll love playing with this guy.
7. Sigiled Skink.
There have been some great 2/1 creatures for 2 mana that I'll pick up real quick if passed around. This guy is amazing for any red deck. As long as you found a handful of removal/burn spells, this guy can keep putting on the pressure and clean up your draws to keep the game going in the direction you want it to go.
8. Swarmborn Giant.
A 6/6 for 4 mana, that's... new... This guy actually has a downside though. I don't know, I guess being able to sacrifice my entire board to keep one of your creatures from attacking totally sucks for you huh?! Either way, this giant is a huge pain to deal with. If you're lucky and have a flyer that can get through before this guy starts swinging, you'll be ok. If not, better find some removal quick. A 6/6 is big enough to end games on it's own if left unchecked so I'll pick these up in the first few picks if I'm thinking about green.
9. Hypnotic Siren.
A great early game pest that's not big enough for your opponent to want to waste removal on, but without a bigger flyer, it just keeps getting more and more annoying while bringing you closer to victory. Draw it later in the game? Slap it on your opponent's best guy and beat down(with flying). A great pick. Cool art too!
10. Nyx-Fleece Ram.
A 2-cost blocker that it's tough to deal with and the few points of life it'll net you throughout the course of a game can make a huge difference. If it's left to its own devices, you'll probably net around 8-12 life points per game that he comes down on turn 2. If that's not enough to sway the game your way, I'm not sure what is. The art is pretty nice too. If there's not much in the pack, I'd first pick this guy but he's probably around a 2nd-4th pick.
Well thanks for hanging in with me for this long. If you're still as excited about this set, let's talk about some cards that are already out that might see some price changes.
As I discussed in my last article on the spoilers, Mana Confluence is a guaranteed slam dunk. Many decks run City of Brass up to a 4-of and this land pushes the City to the bench. No more losing to Rishadan Ports! Mana Confluence is sure to plummet the price of City of Brass so if you haven't already, sell sell sell!
With the addition of the New G/W Ajani walker, G/W aggro decks are sure to see a slight spike, notably Voice of Resurgence, Fleecemane Lion or creatures that interact well with counters like Kalonian Hydra. Most people realize that the Mentor of Heroes isn't amazing, but I'm sure there will be some people who look into it. After all, he IS a planeswalker.
I've noticed that there a lot of cards that mill yourself. Notably, Nyx Weaver, Kruphix's Insight, Returned Reveler, among others already in standard. This makes me wonder if we'll get a decent reanimator spell in M15 or possibly the next block. If we get anything that rivals Unburial Rites, it might be worth picking up some cheap bombs like Ashen Rider, Bearer of the Heavens, Angel of Serenity, Sylvan Primordial.
Dictate of Kruphix is another effect we haven't had in Standard for a while now and it begs the thought of returning the dreaded "Turbo-Fog". If it were to return in standard, and it will even if it's not very competitive, the cards I'd look at picking up would be; Sphere of Safety(great with many enchantments), Heliod(Makes many enchantments), Mana Bloom(A recurring enchantment entering the battlefield trigger). While likely not to see much of a spike, if any, they could at least be used as some throw-ins for trades.
Dictate of Kruphix is another effect we haven't had in Standard for a while now and it begs the thought of returning the dreaded "Turbo-Fog". If it were to return in standard, and it will even if it's not very competitive, the cards I'd look at picking up would be; Sphere of Safety(great with many enchantments), Heliod(Makes many enchantments), Mana Bloom(A recurring enchantment entering the battlefield trigger). While likely not to see much of a spike, if any, they could at least be used as some throw-ins for trades.
Other than that, there hasn't been much that has spiked my thoughts on speculations for this set, however, like I mentioned before, there are a few cards that could have some cross-format playability. The cards I'm thinking of specifically are; Aegis of the Gods, Eidolon of the Great Revel, Eidolon of Rhetoric, and of course, Mana Confluence. Other than the land, I don't believe these cards will be too expensive upon release, so go ahead and pick up your playset and hang onto them for awhile until we figure out where those cards will end up.
Thanks for reading everybody! Hope you have a great pre-release weekend. I look forward to seeing some great new things from this set!
DannyO
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