Thursday, July 9, 2015

Magic Origins Prerelease Primer



Hey everyone! Josh here with Wizardden.com's Team Roguet3ch back from a long hiatus of writing. Today, as always with a new standard set, I'll be bringing you a prerelease primer filled with the goodies you should be looking for at your prerelease events this weekend. This will serve as the main article with all of the reviews mashed into one. I'll be honest though, this one is long. like 6000 words long. So I have also made an article for each color that will even have a few more photos than this one so if you feel like skimming and having a quick read check out the links below. If you're up for a good, long read definitely continue on. I hope this leads you to many victories this weekend.

White
Blue
Black
Red
Green, Multi-colored, & Artifacts

For anyone who has read my previous primers I'll be changing up the way I evaluate cards and shortening the number of cards I'll discuss in depth to what I see to be the top three commons and uncommons, along with a few honorable mentions and a list of the cards that I give a rating of 3 or greater for their rarity, which I will also now be listing with the card (this number is relative to the power of the set with 5 being the highest rating)

Before we jump into the White Uncommons I want to be up front in saying you probably can't go wrong with your color selection this weekend as all of the colors appear to have a very flat power level, by which I mean they are all very comparable in their strengths and weaknesses. I think this is great for a sealed format. Looking at Dragons Fate sealed Red was the best color by a significant margin which made it punishing when playing the format if you were forced into the weaker colors like Blue or White. You have some really high payoffs in any color when playing Origins and I think it will make this prerelease a very fun event. Without further adieu, let's dive in to the White Uncommons.

#1 Sentinel of the Eternal Watch: 4.5



 This card isn't a great investment when you look at his 4/6 body on a 6 mana creature. It is the Vigilance and tap down ability that really makes this creature shine. He will be great on offense and defense as he doesn't have to tap to attack and he will always tap your opponents best blocker. Vigilance makes the Sentinel a very powerful blocker as well as there are only a handful of cards with a natural power greater than six. I'll be very happy to see this card in my pool this weekend.

#2 Consul's Lieutenant: 4

This is an insane two drop. Being a two power first strike is as real as it gets. This Lieutenant will be eating all of your opponents creature's in the early game and will make sure that you are able to punch a few points of damage in to close things out in the mid game. Renown is a pretty awesome limited mechanic. Probably about as awesome as a potential 3/2 first striker with upside.

#3 Patron of the Valiant: 4

Patron of the Valiant is a 4/4 flier with upside. Not much more needs to be said about the card other than the fact that these types of cards demand an answer from your opponent and will generally just win you the game. If the spell resolves your Renown creatures get another boost which I think will be quite relevant in the limited format.

Honorable mentions (Also really good)

Swift Reckoning: 4



This is a premium removal spell you should always play if you are in white. Spell mastery is very achievable and only requires 7-8 non-creature spells to be acquired. Wizards of the Coast did a very good job at designing this mechanic for limited play. Swift reckoning will probably come out at the top of the food chain for cards with this mechanic.

War Oracle: 3.5

I've mentioned that I like the Renown mechanic, this is no different as a 3/3 lifelink creature for four mana is already playable. Add the fact that if your opponent lets him through in combat once and they have a 4/4 with lifelink that will cause all kinds of problems for them.

Knightly Valor: 3.5

A lot of times an aura is a liability in limited. You set up for a two for one and your opponent gets advantage off of whatever creature you enchant. This isn't truly the case with Knightly Valor as you get a 2/2 with vigilance if the spell resolves. Looking at it from the perspective of pay five mana to get a 2/2 Knight token with Vigilance, your opponent discards a removal spell, you are actually getting decent value even in the worst case scenario.

Cards that got a 3

Anointer of Champions
Blessed Spirits
Totem-Guide Hartebeest: if you have Suppression Bonds 

White definitely has some powerful uncommons, let's see how the colors common cards stack up.

White Commons

#1 Suppression Bonds: 3.5



This card doesn't get above a 4 as a common due the converted mana cost of four. It definitely stands out to me as a premier common removal spell in white and I will be happy to play it. I, personally, don't feel this card is exceedingly powerful, however.

#2 Celestial Flare: 3.5

This has the same deal as Suppression Bonds in that it is a very quality removal spell at common. I would even go as far as to say that the two are interchangeable. I ranked Suppression Bonds higher simply due to the great synergy with several cards that like enchantments. I really like that you can cast this as the 'End Combat' phase after  you have picked off the small stuff with your blockers as the creatures are still recognized as attackers. With a little work this two mana spell can put in a hefty amount of work for you.

#3 Knight of the Pilgrim's Road: 3.5

This is a large, efficient creature that will generally trade up as it has a mana cost of three. If you are on the play it will almost always be a 4/3 as your opponent will have to trade in a generally unprofitable manner to remove the Knight. I am a fan of this card and will be happy to have it in my 23 this weekend.

Honorable Mentions

Stalwart Aven: 3-3.5



Let's be honest here, this is just a 2/4 flier for three mana in disguise. I almost have this as the number three card in the white commons. This Aven is going to be a nightmare for people, myself included, this weekend.

Topan Freeblade: 3-3.5

A potential 3/3 with vigilance for two mana at common??? Sign me up.

The 3's

Healing Hands
Heavy Infantry
Auramancer

I am definitely a fan of what White is bringing to the table in Origins. I don't think it will be my first pick color at the prerelease events this weekend but I wouldn't be surprised if a box with the picture of the sun popped up at my house by Sunday.

Off to Blue which I believe has some very high quality uncommons. The problem I have with blue is the lower quality of cards at the common slot. Still a very sound color to choose this weekend and one I will probably be eating my words with.

Blue Uncommons

#1 Skaab Goliath: 4.5



Anyone who remembers Innistrad limited probably remembers this guy. He's a 6/9 for six mana which is the largest creature in the set. He is essentially invincible to -X/-X removal spells and will always be a beating in combat. This guy is very close to the number one uncommon in the set in my mind. It is so good I would even consider splashing a third color just for this guy.

#2 Jhessian Thief: 4

Judge?!?!?! My opponent played this card on turn three and is running away with the game because of it. I plan on calling Ariel over to say exactly this every time it happens to me during a prerelease this weekend. This card is truly absurd and one of the higher quality cards you can get your hands on. Drawing extra cards is sweet; and this Thief will help you do just that.

#3 Whirler Rogue: 4

I'm honestly not sure if this the number three blue uncommon or not. It is very powerful in that it adds three creatures to the board (two of which have flying) for the low, low cost of four mana. My issue with this is there are several cards that will create the 1/1 fliers for your opponents as well which gives them the opportunity to create a weird parity where you are basically getting a 2/2 for four mana. It definitely has it's ups and downs but it's ups are definitely powerful ones.

Honorable Mentions:

Turn to Frog: 3.5



This is an excellent card that as long as you can keep a creature on the board will be a two cost removal spell. Blue doesn't get things like this often due, in my opinion, to the power level it has when paired with other cards in the colors. Having Turn to Frog and Disperse is very nice as your opponent will have nothing but a whim as to which of the two cards they should try to play around.

Tower Geist: 3.5

I really like to draw cards. I also really like attacking a 2/2 flier that does both for me is awesome and I'll love to include the Tower Geist in all of my blue decks.

Hydrolash: 3.5

This card can absolutely wreck combat math for your opponent. Suddenly attacking a bunch of 3/3's into your 2/2's doesn't seem so appealing and it replaces itself by drawing a card. This is a very real combat trick and one you need to be very aware of going in to prerelease weekend.

The 3's

Anchor to the Aether - 3
Clash of Wills - 3
Sigiled Starfish - 3
Sphinx's Tutelage - 3

Blue has a very large number of playable uncommons. The problem the color encounters is its lack of quality commons. There are certainly a few powerful playables that we'll take a look at now.

Blue Commons




This is a great removal spell, unlike some similar blue cards that don't do all of the work. Claustrophobia will tap your opponents creature and keep them tapped for as long as our enchantment exists. This makes it a great catch all removal spell for creatures and one you should be looking for if you want to play blue.


The Voidmage is pretty cool as a bounce spell that progresses your board, or as something to bounce a creature of yours with a great enters the battlefield effect. I really like cards with that kind of versatility as they create some really fun situations where you get to "outplay" your opponent.


This guy is going to be a terror. A 6/6 defender is fine as it locks down the ground but it is very easy to get this guy attacking in the late game. A great card in both the control and tempo style decks. As one will be playing the attrition game with control cards while the other is tossing spells to the bin as it gains tempo advantage. Overall, a very quality common.

Honorable Mentions:

Disperse: 3.5



I really like cards that bounce creatures as they can create a pseudo time-walk when you force your opponent to tap out again the next turn to make the exact same play. I think Disperse is always powerful in limited and this should be no different. 


Prowess is a pretty awesome evergreen mechanic. I really like 3/3 fliers and five isn't an excessive amount of mana to invest into it. The fact that this guy has prowess tells me that he will be closing out games in the near future in a city near you.

The 3's


Overall blue is a fine color. The commons aren't the best but there are cards that will make your deck and make it better because they are there. The real power comes when you have 5-7 of the uncommons in your sealed pool as they provide a tremendous amount of power to your deck.

Off to black which has an interesting problem when compared to the other colors. See if you can spot it.

Black Uncommons

#1 Cruel Revival: 3.5



This is a fine card as a removal spell but much more when we factor in a zombie in the bin. Being able to get a perfect example of a two for one is great potential an I will be looking for these if I am playing black this weekend.


We have seen this effect recently in Merciless Executioner and this will be just as good. Edicts are fine in limited and this is a little better in that it will sometimes allow you to trade a 1/1 or 2/2 for a much larger creature. 


This is a great card that will provide a ton of value over the course of a long game. Creatures die. Scrying greatly improves the quality of your draws. This makes for a great static ability that generates value that can't be measured. Tack on a win condition in the drain life clause and we have an excellent enchantment that will be an all star in any controlling black deck.

Honorable Mentions

Crickets. That's right, I couldn't find another black uncommon that excited me enough to bring it up.

Black commons, on the other hand, are a whole different devil. There are a slew of cards that would give me incentive to build with black in my deck as we'll see here.

#1  Unholy Hunger: 4



I have a feeling Christian Rasmussen is going to be looking for every one of these to jam in his deck thanks to the name. I really like removal spells and while this one doesn't have an effect worth five, I'm happy to know there are removal spells at common in black. 


This is a really powerful spell for two mana. While this is a combat trick, which usually isn't the greatest, it is a very powerful one in that it grants deathtouch and can even potentially kill your opponent while you are playing defense. I really like this card and I hope that it can shake up peoples view of combat tricks in limited. 

#3 Reave Soul: 3.5-4



Another removal spell makes the top three. Killing a creature with power three or less actually seems to be quite good in this format as it can kill a lot of the problematic renown creatures with tacked on abilities like first strike and vigilance. 

Honorable Mentions




This card will probably turn out to be better in drafts where you can prioritize picking these up over the course of 24 packs compared to the set 6 you receive in a sealed event such as the prerelease. Still, it is a common which makes me feel like there will be pools with 3 maybe even 4 of these. Those will definitely make this a 3.5 and potentially more.


Read the Bones will definitely be providing some great filtering and card selection. Being able to draw four cards deep is pretty real. You get to see if one of the top two is valuable enough to pick up and if not there is a good chance the two blind cards you draw will carry some heat. I was a fan of this card in it's debut in limited and I have a feeling it will be the same story this time around.


This is an awesome two for one that rewards you for playing it later in the game. a three powered creature is relevant at most stages of the game. Having the ability to have your opponent discard a card late is generally huge as most cards will carry a lot of weight on their shoulders when determining a winner. Early on it is still a two for one trading with a creature or drawing removal and having your opponent discard. This will be a heavily played card this weekend.

The Other Goodies


I have a feeling you caught on to Blacks lack of quality uncommons. You can definitely note the long list of playable commons making black a fine color to play in a prerelease this weekend.

Off to red which for the past year and probably longer has been an exciting color to play in limited. I think this time will be the same and I will definitely be playing it for at least one event this weekend. 

Red Uncommons

#1 Ravaging Blaze: 4-4.5



This card is crazy good. It's an instant speed removal spell with the ability to dome your opponent as well. I really like versatile cards. I also enjoy the ability to just kill my opponent during their end step. While we won't be getting Cone of Flame in the last core set this is certainly a card I am happy to call the best red uncommon.


This creature has a very potent, yet, unassuming ability. There will be a multitude of 1-2 toughness creatures being played and being and to remove them gives this creatures pseudo first strike which is a very good keyword ability in limited.


The Elemental creatures are back in Origins. Seismic Elemental is a pretty cool card in that it can be a finisher on two fronts: dealing a large amount of damage in one shot and being a beefy creature on the ground, should the game continue from his crash onto the battlefield. My only issue with it is that the creature doesn't have haste. Should we be guaranteeing a 4/4 coming in with the alpha on turn 5 this would be a ludicrous card.

Honorable Mentions




Reach is a pretty relevant ability which is most commonly seen in Green. To see it come up in red is a breath of fresh air and a welcomed one at that. This is also a 4/3 for 4 which are good stats, even when looking at good cards like Summit Prowler (not great but you always play it if you are red).


I am generally not a fan of aggressive strategies in limited, especially sealed. Goblin Glory Chaser has a lot of depth for a one drop, however. I like that Menace is a thing and that this creature has the ability. Being able to turn a one drop into a 2/2 with upside has to make this a good card, even if it is a one drop.

The 3's


Red has some very high quality uncommons and it doesn't stop there. Let's jump into the commons where there is a long list of great cards.

Red Commons




This is a great card that will give you the ability to close out a game or put a dent in your opponents life total while blowing out combat. Occasionally, this card will even allow you to pick off one to two creatures while getting the four points in on your opponent. This is a very solid card that I will be happy to play in any red deck.

#2 Fiery Impulse: 3.5-4

Shock's are pretty cool in limited. Bolt's are even cooler though. Fiery Impulse does a great job at enabling other Spell Mastery cards as well which makes this a top common and one I'll be happy to have 2-3 of in my pool this weekend.


I mentioned earlier that I really like First Strike as a limited mechanic. This is an undercost 3/3 with first strike almost 100% of the time. Your opponent will not want to give you profitable blocks so renown will go off a large percent of the time as long as the sergeant is played on turn two.

Honorable Mentions


 

It will require minimal work but this is generally going to be a 3/2 with haste that instantly becomes a 4/3 for the remainder of its existence. A 4/3 for four mana that doesn't have a prohibitive mana cost like Summit Prowler is a welcomed addition to Red's Origin arsenal.


This is another card that gets better in draft in my opinion. There are several cards in this set that reward you for having multiples of them and drafts allow you to have a little more control of this than you would playing sealed. Nevertheless, this card is pretty awesome in that if you happen to open a few of these you are able to essentially chain large, hasty creatures which is quite potent in limited.


Back on the block Titan's Strength is back to pump it up. A 3/1 boost is pretty real as a combat trick. While it doesn't draw you a card the ability to smooth out your next draw is very nice on this one cost combat trick.

The Other Goodies


Overall, Red is an exciting color with a lot of powerful additions to your deck in all rarities. While I mention you can't go wrong picking any color earlier, you can definitely do right by looking to play red this weekend.

Off to the last of the five colors, Green. I am generally a fan of green in limited as the big, stompy creatures it provides are usually difficult to remove with the resources your opponent will have. Origins seems no different with the exception of the split between elf synergy and your run of the mill standard green beaters. Let's take a look at the uncommons and see what we're looking to open this weekend.

Green Uncommons




This guy is pretty huge. He'll eat or trade with any creature in the set at common/uncommon except for Skaab Goliath and all while holding down defense on the ground and air due to his vigilance clause. This isn't quite the Pelakka Wurm we had in Modern Masters but it is a very welcomed addition to Green's arsenal.


I really like cards that make decision making more difficult and complex for my opponent. This guy will definitely do that as blocks become awkward, attacks become awkward, oh, and this guy gives trample to your biggest attacker as well. I am sold that this will be a huge part of people's success in green this weekend. Hopefully the Alpha will be good for you!

#3 Valeron Wardens: 3.5-4

I've said it once and I'll say it until I'm blue in the face. I really like drawing cards. Abzan Beastmaster was one of my favorite Green Uncommons for exactly this reason. While Wardens won't quite draw as many cards generally it will definitely gain you advantage, so long as you have a fairly large (8-10) suite of creatures with Renown. A 1/3 for three mana definitely isn't exciting but if we can attain the 3/5 status our investment is instantly returned.

Honorable Mentions




A 2/2 that regenerates for three mana is good. BUT. a 2/2 that has the potential to be a 3/3 that regenerates and only costs two mana is the real deal. This guy is going to be a true house this weekend and is definitely one I'll be keeping a close eye out for.


There is a pretty sizable chunk of cards that have power greater than three. Again I really like drawing cards, soooooooo... it seems like a no brainer I'd at least have this as an honorable mention. They stack if you have multiple, however, there is the downside that you will generally be taking a turn off to cast this. It is a fine late game draw though in that you can play two spells a turn and start gaining advantage if you draw it late. Not a total ringer but a really good card that you should definitely play if you are in green and have a few creatures that will trigger it's ability.


This card may be a bust since it doesn't grant trample to your team. It does demand blocks from your opponent, however, which gives this card some pretty good upside in my opinion. All the sudden your board of three 3/3 creatures will trade very profitably to your opponents board of behemoths which gives this card the potential to create 2,3,4 even 5 for 1's in extreme scenarios. It can be a totally dead card as well so I recommend proceeding with caution on this one. I also recommend only playing one copy no matter how many are opened.

The Other Uncommon Goodies


As always, green brings a lot to the table when it comes to limited gameplay. This could be the whole color with how many good cards we've seen. We haven't, yet, touched on the commons but that is where some of Green's true magic unfolds. Origins is no different with a few commons I am very excited to cast in a prerelease this weekend. Let's take a look.

Green Commons




This card is going to be good on turn 4 or turn 15. Having deathtouch is pretty real. Having the ability to be a 3/4 with the ability is absurd. After he goes Renown, your opponent will have a very difficult time blocking this creature without a 2 for 1 which is exactly what you want out of mid game creatures. It's been awhile since green has had a card like this in the four slot and I'm very excited to see how well it performs this weekend.


The Mauler Rhox my socks off. A potential 6/6 trampler for five with no drawback other than he has to trample over once as a 4/4 to get the payoff of evolving. This guy is going to be wrecking boards this weekend, I just hope on my side of the table. 

#3 Wild Instincts: 3.5-4

This is very similar to the Hunt the Weak that we have come to love, with a little bit of Epic Confrontation thrown in for kicks. Giving your guy a +2/+2 buff is great as a turn 4 play. you pick off their best (or only) blocker and proceed to beat in with a bigger creature because of it. This will be a very powerful card to have in your deck and one that you should always play if you are in Green.

Honorable Mentions




This is another one of those cards that gets a little better in draft. At common though, it is isn't unlikely to have a pool with 2-3 of these. I definitely recommend playing them all they scale very nicely into one another. It's fine if you only have one as well because your opponent will never know there isn't a pack of wolves waiting to be fed in your hand. 


This is probably the fourth place finisher in green, actually. Anyone who played back in Avacyn Restored will remember this guy can be obscene. Being able to surprise pump a creature while progressing your board is nothing to be scoffed at and I have a feeling he'll be even more powerful this time around since you can break open the 6/6 stalls that will inevitably unfold in this limited format.

The Other Goodies


Green is a very powerful color that I'll be happy to pair most likely with any other color. It adds excellent depth to the cards in Red, giant monsters to fight alongside the fatties in blue, Renown value to go with White, and big creatures to compliment the smaller creatures in Black. I don't think it's the best color, as that honor goes to Red in my book, but it is definitely strong and shouldn't go overlooked.

On to the multi-colored cards which has no rares and no commons. All of these uncommons are playable if you are in these colors, however, none of them truly give much incentive to play a set color combination. A few of them didn't seem quite as powerful in my eyes and didn't make the list. I'll list my top 3 and a few other goodies and we'll take a look at artifacts from there.

Multi-Colored Uncommons

#1 Possessed Skaab: 3.5-4



This is a really interesting card that has a really powerful effect printed on it. Being in Blue/Black it will have a lot of great targets from removal spells, to tempo spells and almost everything in between you will always be able to grab a relevant card and leave decent body on board as well. The advantage this card can generate is it's reason for being the number one multi-colored card in my book though.




So I can't help myself. I'm a child. My Fiance tells me this at least once a week and after I saw this card I realized she is right. I simply won't be able to stop myself from exclaiming "He's got the Clap and he's giving it to you!!" every time I cast this card in limited. He's a flier that likes other fliers, I like that effect a lot. it is very unique and something we simply don't get in every set. He takes a few other fliers to be at his best but that isn't too hard to come by in this set. I also like that he breaks the Thopter stalemate I talked about briefly earlier in the article.




This card has a lot of upside. He will be no smaller than a 3/4 with the ramp in this set and is a card that will really pull it's weight as it can grow to have higher power than any other card in the set. This card definitely has a lot of upside and I can't find the downside if you are in these colors. 

The Other Goodies


The multi-colored cards are exciting. There are ten of them meaning you may have one for your decided color combination. I wouldn't allow which of these cards you have to dictate what colors you play. Go with the flow in sealed and if you happen to find one of the gold cards that matches your color combination, great. If not, play your strongest colors to reap the greatest rewards. 

Off to our final stop of this article: Artifacts. I am not the biggest fan of the artifacts in this set, however, there are a few of these cards I could see making my 20-23 card depending on the strength of the pools I play this weekend. Let's dive into the Artifact Uncommons and see what we'll be working with in this set.

Artifact Uncommons

#1 Meteorite: 3.5



I'm a fan of meteorite in that it ramps and can clean up some sloppy situations after blocks when attacking. I don't think this is great unless you have a curve with a high count of 4 and up spells though as this is just a way to help accelerate you into playing one very powerful spell or getting to two spells a turn faster. 


This card isn't great by any means but the artifacts in core sets generally never are. Being able to dodge sorcery speed removal as well as being an aggressive 3/3 flier that only requires you to play creatures in the first main phase is pretty awesome though. I definitely view this as a 22 or 23 card I'll look at to play but the fact that there's a chance of playing these is a little exciting to me.


I'm generally not a big fan of equipment in limited but this card might be different. Exalted is a pretty awesome mechanic and I like that this card grants Exalted on steroids. I would probably only play it in a hyper aggressive deck like Red/White but I feel it could definitely shine in a deck like that.

Off to the commons that the artifacts offer which are all cards I consider very fringe and will not go in every deck I'll try to list where they will be at their best and hopefully that will be enough to help decide whether or not you should sleeve these three cards up this weekend.




Interestingly enough, this card has a home in two different styles of deck, both on polar opposites of the spectrum. A 2/1 for one that can attack easily in an aggressive deck is always welcomed and I feel it is in this style of deck that the construct will be at its true best. I also think that The very slow control decks will want this out of the board. It will trade with a vast majority of the early creatures in the format making this a great choice for a blocker if your opponents come out throwing punches right away in game one. I think it is interesting that it only would go in these two places and basically no where in between. This oddity is what gives this card my number one common artifact ranking.


A 3/3 for 4 isn't the greatest of stats but this guy will sometimes make it to the main deck. I don't think the three life he gains when dying is going to be very relevant and I will never draft this highly. I'll probably always be hopeful that he sits on the bench in sealed as well.

#3 Alchemist's Vial: 2.5-3

The only reason I would ever play this is that it draws me a card. I do like the fact that it can sit until a critical late game turn as well, but it is now going to be known information for your opponent to factor in to their decision making. not a card I'll be happy to play but, again, at least it draws you a card.

This concludes my limited review for all of Origins, I hope this helps lead you to victory at your prerelease events this weekend. I hope to see you at Wizard Den this weekend. If you do see me there track me down and let me know what you think of the set and the review. 

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