New Toys

Fungal Sprouting meet Thromok; Thromok, Fungal Sprouting. Nuff' Said. xD

Thanks for reading, 'till next time. ;-)

M13 Spoilers and Review

I know I haven't posted in a while, and in my defense the interwebs was holding out on the proper pictures for some of the cards for me to do this review. So anyway, here's some of what's in store in

the upcoming M13 core set.

Legends:

Odric is definitely a worthwhile legend in my book, and while he may not be the most stellar commander ever his ability is extremely useful in the right decks. I can see him commanding a deck of his own or as a one-of in Ghave or Rith for example and he pairs really well with Vault of the Archangel.

Talrand is a very "build around me" kind of card. He has great synergy with flashback spells and spells with rebound and the tokens coming with built in evasion is a plus, though I have to say that he doesn't interest me that much. I'm interested to see if he sees any play either in standard or in EDH. As it stands I'm not sure that he packs enough of a punch for either format unless he turns out to be a combo piece or something and even that seems unlikely to me.

Supposedly the replacement for Grave Titan in standard, though as a friend of mine would say, my reaction to this card initially was angry confusion since I was pretty sure that Exalted was a mechanic for Bant yet here we see Nefarox with it. He will probably see some play in standard but I don't expect him to make any big splashes in the EDH scene. He might have a place in a Thaximundar deck though.
















Very reminiscent of Chancellor of the Forge except with a more narrow application in that it requires Goblins rather than just creatures like the chancellor. It should see some play in goblin tribal I suppose but I'm not terribly excited; though I guess I should say that I've not been much of a fan of the goblin tribe anyway.

Fun tidbit: Krenko is apparently from Ravnica.













Another inhabitant of Ravnica, Yeva is pretty useful in my book though you might have to build around her if you use her in a multicolored deck. She's no powerhouse like Zur but she interests me enough to build a deck at least. Flash >>> No Flash. ;-)

I suppose some people might prefer to just use Alchemists Refuge should they be in the right colors to do so. Though what Yeva has over Alchemist's Refuge and Winding Canyons is that her ability is static and free once she's on the board.

Other Stuff:

Pretty much a staple for my Rafiq deck and I think this should see tons of play in any deck that looks to abuse the Exalted mechanic.

Another great card that is definitely finding a slot in Rafiq. Sakura-Tribe Elder now has Exalted too? Yes please! xD

Featured here because I felt like I had to say that this is most likely going to be banned in EDH. Its reminiscent of Sway of the Stars which is also banned so...

Interesting card which could be best friends with Swiftfoot Boots and Darksteel Plate for example. I think its a great addition to any of the fortress decks out there.

That's it for today, and I think that M13 is turning out to be one of the best core sets in the history of core sets though time will tell I guess. Hope you guys and gals out there are enjoying this spoiler season.

Thank you for reading, 'till next time.

New Pet Card

My little brother recently got a box of some old magic cards that a friend of mine had to help start him and his friends at school off on their journey into the world of MtG. My brother is currently doing internal exams at his school now though, so needless to say, they were confiscated until his exams are finished. At which point he and his friends can then start going through the cards and building their decks.

Anyway on to the point. Today I figured I would rummage through the cards so that I could perhaps give my little bro some advice on what would be a good direction to go in based on the cards available. (After his exams of course.) There were some decent cards in each color here and there so each color is likely an equal candidate for whatever deck he chooses to build. Though I have to say that after stumbling across a couple of Phyrexian Reclamations I would strongly advise him to go black! xD

There were quite a few cards in the box so I would occasionally stumble across some old nostalgic cards from Onslaught as well as some other old favorites but nothing amused me more than Goblin War Buggy. I mean, look at it! How can you not love this card?

I decided that I would include one of these in any EDH deck I build that splashes red. Though I won't dip in to the box, those are strictly for the kids. I figure I'll pick one up on the interwebs or proxy one up if I have to.

Now for those of you who know me, you would know that Thalakos Deceiver is another pet card of mine so I'll let you know that this instantly trumps the Deceiver out of sheer hilarity. Though as funny as this card is, it doesn't trump Darksteel Colossus. Nothing does. Ever. ;-)

One last note is that I will now be looking for more artwork by DiTerlizzi because this one is a gem.


Anyways, thats all for today and I hope I was successful in educating you as to why you should be playing with Goblin War Buggy. =)

Thank you for reading, 'till next time.

The Big Deck

As promised before I went on staycation, I present to you my Type 4 stack, or, as we call it, The Big Deck. It has sort of slimmed down over the years due to some damaged sleeves marking some of the cards and other reasons but still maintains most of its size. This deck contains almost 250 cards so forgive me for not posting links to the card images as it would have been overwhelmingly tedious.


Artifact: 9
Akroma's Memorial
Howling Mine
Legacy Weapon
Mimic Vat
Mind's Eye
Mindslaver
Mirari
Nevinyrral's Disk
Nim Deathmantle

Creature: 89
Aegis Angel
Akroma, Angel of Wrath
Angel of Despair
Angel of Salvation
Anowon, the Ruin Sage
Archangel of Strife
Avacyn, Angel of Hope
Avatar of Slaughter
Avatar of Woe
Blazing Archon
Blightsteel Colossus
Blood Tyrant
Boldwyr Intimidator
Butcher of Malakir
Cadaver Imp
Child of Alara
Consecrated Sphinx
Damia, Sage of Stone
Darksteel Colossus (Best Creature in the Deck!)
Dawnglare Invoker
Djinn of Wishes
Draining Whelk
Dread
Dread Cacodemon
Drogskol Reaver
Eight-and-a-Half-Tails
Elgaud Shieldmate
Empyrial Archangel
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
Eternal Witness
Fiend of the Shadows
Frost Titan
Furyborn Hellkite
Geth, Lord of the Vault
Gilded Drake
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
Godsire
Grave Titan
Griselbrand
Hamletback Goliath
Havengul Lich
Hornet Queen
Hydra Omnivore
Intet, the Dreamer
Iona, Shield of Emeria (Always Call Blue!)
It That Betrays
Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund
Keiga, the Tide Star
Kokusho, the Evening Star
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
Linvala, Keeper of Silence
Lorthos, the Tidemaker
Memnarch
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
Myojin of Night's Reach
Nicol Bolas
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
Pathrazer of Ulamog
Petrified Wood-Kin
Phyrexian Metamorph
Platinum Angel
Platinum Emperion
Prince of Thralls
Quicksilver Gargantuan
Rafiq of the Many
Reya Dawnbringer
Riku of Two Reflections
Scourge of Kher Ridges
Sen Triplets
Sheoldred, Whispering One
Silverblade Paladin
Simic Sky Swallower
Sower of Temptation
Sphinx of Jwar Isle
Sphinx of the Steel Wind
Stormtide Leviathan
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Teneb, the Harvester
The Mimeoplasm
Thraximundar
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
Vengeful Archon
Verdant Force
Vorapede
Vorosh, the Hunter
Wolfir Silverheart
Wrexial, the Risen Deep
Wurmcoil Engine
Yosei, the Morning Star

Enchantment: 15
Chant of the Skifsang
Confiscate
Curse of Bloodletting
Curse of Echoes
Curse of Exhaustion
Decree of Silence
Eldrazi Conscription
Faith's Fetters
Leyline of Anticipation
Leyline of Lifeforce
Leyline of Sanctity
Pillar Tombs of Aku (Fan Favorite)
Take Possession
Treachery
Warstorm Surge

Instant: 58
Absorb
Angel's Grace
Arcane Denial
Assert Authority
Beacon of Immortality
Cancel
Chaos Warp
Counterlash
Counterspell
Deprive

Desertion

Discombobulate
Dismal Failure
Dismiss
Dissipate
Dream Fracture
Dromar's Charm
Evacuation
Fervent Denial
Fog
Forbid
Force of Will
Gather Specimens
Go for the Throat
Grab the Reins
Humble
Increasing Vengeance
Krosan Grip
Last Word
Lay Bare
Mana Drain
Mystic Melting
Naturalize
Orim's Chant
Punish Ignorance
Put Away
Redirect
Reins of Power
Relic Crush
Resounding Silence
Resounding Thunder
Reverberate
Rewind
Searing Wind
Snakeform
Spell Crumple
Stoic Rebuttal
Sudden Spoiling
Swords to Plowshares
Terminate
Time Stop
Trickbind
Turn to Frog
Undermine
Urza's Rage
Wild Ricochet
Wipe Away
Word of Seizing

Planeswalker: 2
Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
Sorin Markov

Sorcery: 51
Akroma's Vengeance
All Is Dust
Archangel's Light
Austere Command
Barter in Blood
Beacon of Tomorrows
Beacon of Unrest
Black Sun's Zenith
Blatant Thievery
Blightning
Brilliant Ultimatum
Concentrate
Consuming Vapors
Counsel of the Soratami
Cruel Ultimatum
Damnation
Day of Judgment
Death by Dragons
Death's Caress
Decree of Pain
Elven Cache
Exhume
Foresee
Heroes Remembered
Hymn to Tourach
Increasing Devotion
Increasing Savagery
Insurrection
Mark of Mutiny
Mystic Retrieval
Persecute
Phyrexian Rebirth
Plague Wind
Planar Cleansing
Primal Surge
Reforge the Soul
Regrowth
Relentless Assault
Resounding Scream
Searing Flesh
Slave of Bolas
Syphon Mind
Tidings
Time Stretch
Time Walk
Titanic Ultimatum
Unnerve
Violent Ultimatum
Wheel of Fortune
Windfall
Wrath of God








First, I will justify Pillar Tombs of Aku's place in the deck. This card has, on multiple occasions, presented a case of RTFC & UTFC (Read the fucking card & Understand the fucking card) where players play it, then play Time Stretch forcing them to either sacrifice two creatures or lose 5 life. I mean, over the years of playing Big Deck its so hilarious every time someone plays it so we never cut it.

You always call blue with Iona to shut down opposing counterspells which forces players to speak now or forever hold their counters and Darksteel Colossus is the best creature in the deck, I don't care what anyone else tells me.

As for some funny situations that have occurred over the years, well, there was this one time fairly recently where someone had Gisela on the field while another person had an Avatar of Slaughter. Needless to say, things got very hairy from then on.

Also, I'll never forget the time when Leb had Memnarch, sucked up all the creatures on the board (including Darksteel Colossus!) and then played Titanic Ultimatum, knocking most everyone out the game except myself and Rockman and putting himself at 97 life. Me, with my diehard attitude convinced Rock that we shouldn't give up and began collaborating. I wiped the board, Rock Confiscated his Colossus and began chipping down his life and the rest is history. Rock won that game by the way.

Rock is also the only person to achieve killing everyone at the table in the same turn. (It involved some shenanigans with Relentless Assault)

Having said all that, I highly recommend and promote Type 4 (or The Big Deck as we call it) as a fun format that can be just as or even more insane than EDH and if you have some spare cards lying around then thats all you need to make a Type 4 stack of your own.

Just in case anyone cares then here are our house rules that have sort of evolved over the years:

1- You can only play two spells per turn
2- You can't play two spells and attack (Even more hilarious than Pillar Tombs)
3- You CAN, however, play one spell, attack, and then play another spell (Debatable loophole)
4- You can only use any one ability once per turn
5- Starting hand size is usually zero but negotiable depending on what kind of game we want.
6- Starting life points is usually twenty but again negotiable
7- Always kill Jammin first (I never agreed to this but its apparently a rule)

Thats it for today, and if you aren't already playing Type 4, I hope you decide to pick it up and take it to your playgroup because it is awesome. You have my word on that. (Especially if you use my list ;-) )

Thank you for reading, 'till next time.

M13 Spoilers!....Kinda

I've been browsing through some of the latest cards spoiled and it seems that we are indeed getting some commanders in the upcoming M13 set in July. Sadly, there aren't any acceptable pictures of these cards at this point so I'm not going to do a review on them just yet. What I am going to do though is introduce you to a new artist as he makes his first foray into the world of MtG artwork.

Now, I'm no art critic but this guy has caught my attention and I'm talking about Noah Bradley.

This picture has a certain serenity to it and the glow coming from behind the tree (the sunrise perhaps?) adds just the right ambiance. Just might be my favorite forest yet.
















Not much I can say about this one except: Beautiful. Its not as impressive as the Forest in my opinion but its good.

This one is very unique in that it captures a bird's eye view of the plains, I could be wrong but I don't think that that has been done before. Nice use of color for the land below and the clouds obscuring some of the view is a nice touch. I'm still more impressed by the Forest but I like this one a lot.














This is not a Noah Bradley piece but I had to feature the legend here. John Avon is notorious for his landscapes and looking at this piece here, its no wonder why.

This piece is right up there with Adarkar Wastes as one of my favorite land pieces ever.














Sorry for the lack of actual spoilers but the cards that I actually want to review have some terrible pictures as I said, so I'll wait until we get some better pictures before I start reviewing them.

Thank you for reading, 'till next time.