Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Magic the Gathering News Vol 18: Pro Tour Avacyn Restored, Grand Prix's and Much, Much More

Hello everyone and welcome to yet another edition of the monthly news here at the emporium, this month with the return of Avacyn we got ourselves a new pro tour, Pro Tour Avacyn Restored, as well as the results of that pro tour and much much more, so without further ado let's begin this month's edition of the news.

Well with Avacyn Restored officially on the shelves and the Pro tour done and over with,  i must admit this was quite a good set to look forward to, 244 cards, 15 of them being lands gave us a decent chunk of cards to work with for this particular set in question.

But when the final card was said and done, it was Alexander Hayne and his Miraculous Blue/White miracles build that took the day, featuring a heavy total of 16 miracles in deck, including the now famous card, Entreat the Angels which helped him win 1st place at Barcelona this year, congrats to you canada man and team Mana Deprived for the win, here's to the world magic cup later this year, go canada go.

Also with Avacyn restored, we got ourselves Event Decks which recently went on sale here plus a chance to take a look at some of the events featuring this particular set in question, with one of them being Grand Prix Anaheim, which we alll know to be a Innistrad Block format only, which has had some success on the Canadian front as of late. But a huge congraulations go to Marc Lalauge for winning GP anaheim and qualifying for Pro Tour: Return to Ravnica later this year, good job, also other winners of GP's this month include Christian Calcano who took the crown at Grand Prix Minneapolis good job man and of course, i am looking forward to seeing you on the Pro Tour once again in a few months time.

In other magic related news, we got a change to the rules in regards to Cavern of Souls as of late, for the full changes to the rules on this particular card in question, please address the link below.

Cavern of Souls Changes ---> New Cavern Ruling

It breaks it down in a way that it now officially makes sense, which believe it or not, is how people have been abusing the card,  that forces the rule change to this particular card in question.

On the Magic 2013 front we got ourselves a few new cards of choice including a brand new legendary creature known as Nefarox, Overlord of Grixis, which believe it or not, has a feature photo down below, take a look


Isd that a 5/5 black flyer with Exalted, yes Exalted is returning and to a core set, finally, let's reminisence about the past 2 core sets shall we

In 2011 we had ourselves Scry, the fun mechanic which basically shifted different cards and the like making it fun to draw cards again.

2012 gave us Bloodthirst, which was a original Ravnica mechanic which was featured on specific cards in the old days which took off like a rocket and now we are returning to what i think is the coolest mechanic yet, Exalted but instead of 3 colors having it, it looks like Black is getting it as well which is no surprise here.

Well i am afraid that is it for this edition of the monthly, right on time as usual, on the 1st of next month Planechase 2012 will hit stores and have fun playing that particular format again, till next time this is vergil signing off.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Planechase Previews: 5/21/2012

Hello and welcome to this victoria day edition of the emporium, in today's edition we got some previews for discussion as per usual, a few by wizards of the coast and 1 by Gathering magic, whom normally get preview cards, so without further ado let's go.


The first of the wizards of the coast previews, Selesnya Loft Gardens which is another planar card, with the planar subtitle Ravnica, how fitting since we are returning there for another set this coming fall, so the effect of this is simple, If a effect would put one or more tokens onto the battlefield, it puts twice that many of those tokens instead, if a effect would place one or more counters on a permanent, it places twice that many counters instead, whenever you roll the planar symbol, until end of turn, add one mana to your mana pool of any type that land produced, wait a second doubling, doubling, aha Doubling Season anyone, it now has it's own plane, very sweet wizards.


Well apparently i was wrong on that mana rock, it doesn't add 1 mana of any color, it adds one generic mana, but it does allow you to roll the planar die at sorcery speed, Fractured Powerstone is it's name eh and it only costs 2 mana instead of 3, interesting, i'll be sure to note this particular mana rock when i encounter it.


Well here's the Gathering Magic promo, Interplanar Tunnel, it's pretty simple for a Phenomenon, when it is encountered, reveal cards from the top of the planar deck until you reveal the plane cards, put a place card from among them on the top of your planar deck, then put the rest on the bottom in a random order, so essentially this allows you to choose the next place you'll go in game pretty much, which is pretty sweet, i'm sure we will see this a lot come the release.


The final preview of the day is Lair of the Ashen Idol, this has the planar sub title Azgol, when this is out at the beginning of your upkeep, sacricfice a creature if you can't planeswalk, when you roll the planar symbol any number of target players each put a 2/2 black zombie creature token onto the battlefield, a interesting plane i must admit, very interesting to say the least. Well that's it for today, tommorow let's hope there are more previews as well, till next time this is vergil signing off.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Planechase 2012 Spoilers: Revealed Cards and New Planes.

Hello everyone and welcome to this strange saturday edition of the emporium, in today's edition we of course will be looking at the revealed spoilers of Planechase 2012, which occured some time after the official spoilers from MTGCommander.net yesterday afternoon, of which i was very impressed about, so without further ado let's begin.


Remember how i said there was a Jund plane, well this is it, Jund, with the planar subtitle Alara, meaning for the first time we got one a old area we know, so for this one it's whenever a player casts a red, green or black creature spell that creature gains devour 5, plus whenever you roll a specific symbol, you get 2 1/1 goblin tokens from it, not a bad thing honestly, but there's another card besides it, check out Thromok the Insatiable whom is yet another legend of this particular new set, he's a 0/0 has devour X, where X is the number of creatures devoured this way and he costs 3, Green, Red, he's a mythic rare and he's a hellion, a interesting legendary here folks.


We also have a new Phenomenon called Spatial Merging, where whenever you encounter this particular card, reveal cards from the top of your planar deck, until you reveal 2 plane cards, Simultaneously planeswalk to both of them, Put all other cards revealed this way to the bottom of your planar deck in any order, another interesting card to be honest here, because let's face it going to 2 seperate planes is hilarity.


Sitting behind a old friend is a brand new card for the format called Illusory Angel, she costs 2, blue, flies, is a 4/4 which you cannot see due to lens glare, is a Angel Illusion, which is a first for magic i do believe, she can only be cast if you've planeswalked this turn, meaning she is only good for this particular format, which itself is not much of a surprise, she's uncommon as well so expect to see her in every Blue based deck, since i've got a feeling she'll be in at least 2 of the decks.



Another devour based mechanic creature is a dragon named Preyseizer Dragon, costs 4, red, red has devour 2, flies and whenever it attacks it deals damage to target creature or player equal to the number of counters on it, it's a 4/4 rare too so meaning it probably going to be seen as a 1 of in the Jund based deck.


Wait there is a lot more, sitting besides another old friend, is two brand new cards Dragonlair Spider and Brindle Shoat while the spider is a 5/6 that costs 2, red, red, green, green, ala Dragon Broodmother she also has reach and whenever a opponent casts a spell, put a 1/1 green insect creature token onto the battlefield, she is also a rare, while the Boar meanwhile has a 1/1 body, costs 1 and a green to cast, is a common and when it dies you get a 3/3 boar token to replace it, expect to see this abused a lot for devour.


We have a new plane called Truga something or other, can't tell due to lens flare, again this pictures suck but at least it's something, it's on a plane called Ergamon which looks really nice honestly, the card does All lands have tap, add one mana of any color to your mana pool, whenever you roll the planar symbol reveal the top three cards of your library, put all lands revealed this way into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order, so here is your land fixing plane, i'm guessing this is going to be included in almost all of the decks.


Last but not least sitting bewteen Exotic Orchard and Mass Mutiny which is returning by the way is a brand new artifact based card called Etherium-Horn Sorcerer which has Cascade and the ability Pay blue and red to return it to it's owner's hand, repeatable cascade anyone, seriously, it's mana cost is 4, blue, red and is a 3/6 rare, of course i'm over impressed due to this factor, since cascade is already a very broken mechanic, now it's just more broken then ever.

Anyways that's it for today, monday we begin official previews, if none of these cards have already been spoiled come monday, see you next time.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Planechase Previews: MTGCommander.net Previews

Hello everyone and welcome to yet another edition of the emporium, believe it or not it's friday and with fridays usually we have nothing to talk about of importance but today is a little different, the crew over at MTGCommander.net got a few shiny previews for the up and coming Planechase 2012, let's take a look at them.


Introducing first Krond the Dawn-Clad, wow much here i'm a little in shock by this particular card in question, 6/6 Flyer, Vigilance and whenever it attacks if it's enchanted, so meaning Krond has to be enchanted with a aura, exile target permanent, he's a Swords to fricking Plowshares on a stick when enchanted, just when we finished a whole new set, we get to see this guy, he's a mythic rare of course, costs Green, Green, Green, White, White, White and damn that art is cool.


Also with MTGCommander's previews is yet another legendary, Vela the Night-Clad, she costs a whopping 4, blue, black and has intimidate, gives other creatures you control intimidate and whenever she or another creature you control leaves the battlefield, each opponent loses 1 life, she is also a 4/4 mythic rare, a interesting twist on a card such as this, i don't intentionally see myself running her at all, but it wouldn't hurt to see what was offered in terms of power/toughness and the whole 9 yards when it comes to new legendaries of a set, anyways that's all for today, till next time this is vergil signing off.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Planechase 2012: Rumors and Promotion Card

Hello everyone and welcome to yet another edition of the emporium, for today's edition i will of course be talking about the up and coming Planechasae 2012, with cards being revealed and of course the promotion card that is apparently supposed to be coming up, even though Gateway promos are finished as of now, so without further ado let's begin.

The first one i want to talk about is the planes, of course there are going to be new ones, as well as previous additions, but apparently we are getting a Jund plane where creatures are going to be getting Devour 5, we all remember the devour mechanic from the Shards of Alara block, don't we folks, anyways it's time to take a look at the promotion card which is going to be given out, according to speculation.


For those who cannot read the card here is exactly what it is and what it does.

Stairs to Infinity
Plane - Xerex
Players have no Maximum hand size
Whenever you roll the planar die, draw a card
Whenever you roll .... reveal the top card of your planar deck, You may put it on the bottom of your planar deck.

Amazingly enough i'm already impressed with this card just due to the Spellbook effect but whenever you roll the die, you get a free card, i'd be rolling maybe 4 times a turn if i had the mana for it, great way to reload your hand, anyways let's move onto more speculated cards for the set.

Note; Most of these rumors are from MTGSalvation's Flopitout, whom posted these rumors a while back but i never got a chance to talk about them till now.

So apparently according to speculation there is a Mana rock that allows you to roll the planar die for free a extra time, plus it also adds one mana of any color to your mana pool, costs 3 mana, rarity is yet unknown on this particular one. #2 of the rumored cards is a legendary ninja with Ninjitsu, we all remember that particular mechanic from Kamigawa block, his original mana cost is 3, Blue, Blue, Black, Black and his Ninjitsu cost is 2, Blue, Blue, Black, Black and whenever he deals combat damage to a player, you may look at that player's hand and cast a instant or sorcery from it for free, talk about doing something completely stupid but fun.

More rumors abound with Cascade returning for this particular multiplayer thing, with a 2/2 for 1, Blue, Green, plus another creature that costs Blue, Black, flies and is a 1/1 that when it enters the battlefield you get to draw a card, not only does this sound like fun, but it sounds like it'll fit in perfectly with my Sharrum deck in all respects, i just gotta wait for it a while longer.

Other then that, there are literally no more rumors flying around, but tommorow is the beginning of the previews, courtesy of my new favorite MTGCommander.net when they show off a full preview card, holy shit it's gonna be killer, see you all next edition.

Avacyn Restored Limited Review: Multicolor, Lands and Artifacts

Hello everyone and welcome to the review of Avacyn Restored in limited, prerelease time is over and it's time to check out how i think Avacyn Restored limited will do as a stand alone draft format, much similar to Rise of the Eldrazi from 2 years prior, i will explain the ratings down below as always and give my utmost thoughts on each color of the set, remember this limited review will only cover Uncommons and Commons in the set, rares will be a seperate entity and covered in one article.

A - Very Good, draft this at all times in this color.
B - Easily playable, focuses heavily on the color in question
C - Middle of the Road, splashable and semi playable.
D - Sideboard Material, for tough matchups only.
F - Never play this, ever.

Without further ado let's begin

Note: Since there aren't any multicolor cards to speak of that are common and uncommon i will not be doing those until i review all the rares of the set.

#211) Angel's Tomb - B, You know for a artifact it's completely playable here, if you recall Glint Hawk Idol from Scars of Mirrodin, then you'll know this is also completely playable, 3 mana for a artifact that animates into a 3/3 when a creature enters the battlefield under your control, not half bad if i say so myself.

#212) Angelic Armaments - D, This is not really that good, though the bonuses are nice for it, your paying 4 mana to equip it to a creature each time, the casting cost though is decent enough.

#213) Bladed Bracers - C, A decent equipment if your good at using them, though most of the time the bonuses for specific creature types justifies the cost of the equip,

#216) Haunted Guardian - B, For a early game card to be effective it has to have the key to help you survive the early ongoing attackers, in this case, with defender and first strike combined into one on this 2/1 2 drop, i can safely say this is going to impress for the early game.

#218) Narstad Scrapper - C, For colorless firebreathing for itself it's very nice and effective, sure of course your going to have some 5 drop 3/3 in your deck if you aren't already playing a 5 drop then maybe draft this.

#220) Scroll of Avacyn - B, Not only does this give off card advantage but it gives a extra 5 life if you already control a angel, not a bad combination.

#221) Scroll of Griselbrand - A, Perhaps the best scroll, makes players discard a card and if you control a demon they also lose 3 life, in this format, life matters.

#222) Tormentor's Trident - D, if this had trample i would use it, but personally sticking this in your deck is not such a good idea, since you've got superior equipment already in this format.

#223) Vanguard's Shield - C, Being able to block a extra creature with this equipped plus the +0/+3 bonus it gets is kinda nice for it's cost, rounded effectively it could make it easier to win.

#224) Vessel of Endless Rest - B, So not only does this put something in a graveyard on the bottom of the library, which already earns it a B, but it also fixes your mana for 3 casting cost, not a bad combination.

#229) Seraph Sanctuary - B, For a common land it does it's job effectively, churning out colorless mana, gaining life when it enters the battlefield and when angels enter the battlefield, great flavor for a set like this.

Well that's all she wrote for the commons and uncommons of Avacyn Restored, stay tuned for the rares next.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Avacyn Restored Limited Review: Green


Hello everyone and welcome to the review of Avacyn Restored in limited, prerelease time is over and it's time to check out how i think Avacyn Restored limited will do as a stand alone draft format, much similar to Rise of the Eldrazi from 2 years prior, i will explain the ratings down below as always and give my utmost thoughts on each color of the set, remember this limited review will only cover Uncommons and Commons in the set, rares will be a seperate entity and covered in one article.

A - Very Good, draft this at all times in this color.
B - Easily playable, focuses heavily on the color in question
C - Middle of the Road, splashable and semi playable.
D - Sideboard Material, for tough matchups only.
F - Never play this, ever.

Without further ado let's begin

#167) Abundant Growth - B, You know you are good when you can drop this turn 1, fix your mana, replace it with another card and trigger miracle on the same turn, is this not good, or is this the best aura of the set period.

#168) Blessings of Nature - B, When most of the time, players wonder how to make their entire team bigger in a format like this, this comes along, with the set mechanic Miracle, plus it's original cost is 5 mana, but giving +1/+1 counters times 4 to your team is going to be a game winner, plus the Miracle cost is a single green, oh yeah.

#169) Borderland Ranger - A, 2/2 fixing your mana with a off color mana source, plus it can attack and block, nice reprint bro.

#170) Bower Passage - F, Avoid this one at all costs, the annoyance factor of this enchantment just turns me off here, sure it's a 2 drop enchantment but making only fliers not block your creatures is kinda pointless in this format.

#174) Diregraf Escort - D, Just keep this in the sideboard for the zombies player, that's pretty much it's only use in limited, soul bond is nice and all but it's kinda useless on this one considering there aren't a lot of zombies in Avacyn Restored like Dark Ascension.

#175) Druid's Familiar - B, A soul bond card that i feel is useful here, sure it's 2/2 for 4 but when paired both creatures automatically get +2/+2, imagine pairing this with another one of these, insane tricks bro.

#177) Eaten by Spiders - C, Another situational card for green, sure it blows up a flier, kills the equipment attached to it, for 3 mana though i'd kinda look at it and just use it to respond to a attacker

#178) Flowering Lumberknot - D, Unless you are playing with the set mechanic Soulbond this guy is a joke card thrown into the set, he doesn't attack or block without being bonded to a soul bond creature, keep him in the sideboard unless you are using and abusing soul bond.

#179) Geist Trappers - C, Reach on a pair of creatures isn't that bad in this format, considering already you've got a 3/5 body to block with, plus if bonded to another creature, like another soul bond creature you're in for some crazy times.

#180) Gloomwidow - C, For all honesty i understand why this is back in this set, 3/3 reach that can only block fliers is some seriously good limited material, plus it fills the 3 drop curve rather nicely, playable and splashable if you are going light green.

#181) Grounded - F, For all intensive purposes avoid this at all costs, this is literally one of the worst auras in the set, if not the worst aura.

#182) Howlgeist - D, If you feel like your deck needs a 4/2 6 drop with undying, then yes go for it, but leave it in the sideboard since there are quite a few better 6 droppers in this set to be honest.

#183) Joint Assault - B, Even if you aren't using that many soul bond creatures in your deck this is still a good spell to have in a moment's notice, it's not often instant speed spells work well in limited but when the critical amount of damage is needed this may get you there.

#184) Lair Delve - B, Another very respectable spell, it allows you to basically set up your next creature and a land if necessary, so you don't miss those ever important land drops, plus if anything it allows for Miracle to be easier to set up in this set.

#185) Natural End - B, Being able to blow up a artifact or enchantment and gain 3 life in the process is very nice, even on turn 3 when you got a threatening target to take out, it's balanced, playable and easily splashable outside of green.

#186) Nettle Swine - D, Vanilla creatures often get left behind in this format, but if you absolutely need a 4 drop in your deck to go along with the soul bond guys you already have then this one is for you.

#187) Nightshade Peddler - C, Formats often don't usually see a lot of set mechanic spells early on, but this being the 2 drop in this color, deathtouch really isn't as revelant as many would think for limited, but it's still nice to have as a back up plan for blockers, of course this could also be used against you.

#188) Pathbreaker Wurm - B, Most 6 drops i tend to ignore but when soul bond gives this and another trample, how can i say no to a finisher like this guy, 6/4 even without trample is still nasty, plus he's a common.

#190) Rain of Thorns - D, For all intensive purposes for what it does for the mana cost is a little too high, sure it can do three things but for those three things you better have 3 targets to hit with this, a enchantment, artifact and a land.

#192) Sheltering Word - C, In a pinch i can see this being played, 2 drop instant speed hexproof and life gain out of the deal, really tight pinch card for the drawn out late game.

#193) Snare the Skies - B, So this pump spell is good i guess since it only costs a single green mana, plus it gives reach and a +1/+1 pump until end of turn, a really unique card for limited, great in the early game too.

#196) Terrifying Presence - B, So your opponent is attacking with everything they have huh, well Fog most of the creatures except 1, block that creature and your fine, a really good combat trick for 2 mana.

#197) Timberland Guide - B, Another really good 2 drop spell in this format, even though it's a 1/1 it gives a +1/+1 counter upon entering the battlefield, plus it's common.

#198) Triumph of Ferocity - C, This really isn't going to work all the time since it checks the greatest power creature on your upkeep but when it does, card advantage, it's still mildly playable for what it does.

#199) Trusted Forcemage - B, Even without bonding this to another creature, you are still getting a 2/2 outta the deal, it's decent, cost effective and hey with soul bond it becomes a 3/3 with the other creature getting a +1/+1 boost.

#201) Vorstclaw - C, Another easily playable 6 drop in this set, vanilla 7/7's often don't get a lot of love, but combine this with soul bond and you are laughing.

#202) Wandering Wolf - B, In the words of 2 drop fanatics everywhere, suck it weenies, yes 2/1 that cannot be blocked by those puny 1/1's all day long, a very nice 2 drop creature for this format.

#204) Wildwood Geist - B, Usually for a 3/3 that costs 5, you gotta have something good, but this does just that, it gets +2/+2 when it is your turn, so having a 5/5 for 5 on your turn is kinda nice.

#205) Wolfir Avenger - A, Best card in the color period, 3/3 with flash, regenerate him at will, costs 3 mana, is a uncommon that is worth every minute in limited in this color, expect to draft this high.

#207) Yew Spirit - B, It's not often i rate high casting cost creatures at such a effective rating, but with Chameleon Colossus's ability to double it's power and toughness for 4 mana like the predecessor that is the colossus, it's a very nice addition to an already defining format.

And that's it for the colors of the set, stay tuned for Multicolor, Lands and Artifacts.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Avacyn Restored Limited Review: Red


Hello everyone and welcome to the review of Avacyn Restored in limited, prerelease time is over and it's time to check out how i think Avacyn Restored limited will do as a stand alone draft format, much similar to Rise of the Eldrazi from 2 years prior, i will explain the ratings down below as always and give my utmost thoughts on each color of the set, remember this limited review will only cover Uncommons and Commons in the set, rares will be a seperate entity and covered in one article.

A - Very Good, draft this at all times in this color.
B - Easily playable, focuses heavily on the color in question
C - Middle of the Road, splashable and semi playable.
D - Sideboard Material, for tough matchups only.
F - Never play this, ever.

Without further ado let's begin

#125) Aggravate - D, for a 5 mana spell you'd kind of expect a little more out of it, one of the uncommons you would side board in for if your facing a lot of 1/1's other then that not really a essential card in this stand alone format.

#127) Banners Raised - D. Another real sideboard material card in this color, sure it gives things +1/+0 but when you are already running some seriously powerful dudes in this format, it kinda makes this a useless card.

#128) Battle Hymn - F, One of the bad cards of this set, a specific ritual effect type card where the requirement is solely based on creatures, you gotta at least have 3 creatures to make this worth playing, let alone have a deck filled with creatures.

#131) Dangerous Wager - C, Got a empty hand other then this, play this, get 2 free cards for no downside since you are always going to be dropping some threats and emptying your hand by turn 5, this is one of those utter value cards a lot of players like.

#132) Demolish - D, A specific land pissing you off in this format, which there really isn't a lot of them, or rather just hit a color screw on the opponent and force them to discard, keep this a situational side board card.

#134) Falkenrath Exterminator - A, Probably one of the best two drops red has at the moment in limited, sure you'll be either A) Using this for it's ability, or B) Hitting hard and fast with the stacking of counters, either way draft this high, trust me.

#135) Fervent Cathar - B, While limited has it's quirks this guy i feel is a great addition to this color, a 2/1 hasty target creature cannot block this turn guy is something not a lot of players like in this format, essentially getting through for 2 extra points of damage plus your main attackers seems like it's gonna get ugly real quick.

#136) Gang of Devils - C, so at first you are probably thinking, vergil why is this a C on your scale, i'll tell you why, even though it is a 3/3 for 6, when it dies it basically does a Incinerate when it dies, that is why, being able to kill 2 or even 3 things when it dies is just insane, a lot of red players are going to be either playing this or holding it in hand for the right moment.

#137) Guise of Fire - D, sure auras that can Skullclamp a creature are nice and all, but your going to be using this as removal in this format for a 1/1's, even the flying 1/1's that blue produces, just because they are a pain in the ass in this format, other then that keep this for situational purposes.

#138) Hanweir Lancer - C, Honestly soul bond is still unpredictable to me at least, sure it's a 2/2 for 3, giving first strike to itself and another creature, honestly even if you did draft a 3 drop in this set in this color i'll still take maybe 10th pick, pack 2.

#139) Havengul Vampire - B, You know you are good when you got a 2/2 for 4, that also gains +1/+1 counters when things die and he deals damage, he gets mighty big, mighty fast in this format, which is saying something.

#140) Heirs of Stromkirk - B, i originally looked at this card and went, holy crap that is a 4 drop intimidate 2/2, the only reason it goes so high on my scale is due to the intimidate factor, plus it gets bigger each time damage is dealt, 5 swings from this will make any player beg for mercy.

#142) Kessig Malcontents - A, Honestly if you were going to draft humans, you'd scoop up as many of these as possible, great 3, 3/1 it deals damage equal to the number of humans you control when it enters the battlefield, pretty much another reason why humans are so good in this set.

#143) Kruin Striker - A, Humans just seem to get all the nice little cards of this set, this is so a A on the scale simply due to the fact it gets +1/+0 and trample when another creature enters the battlefield under your  control.

#144) Lightning Mauler - B, Honestly why is this not a A, well simply due to the fact that it has the set mechanic, Soul Bond which is very susceptible to removal as a response to the soul bond card entering the battlefield, the hasty feature is nice though on a 2/1 2 drop.

#145) Lightning Prowess - D, Middle of the road, sideboard material card, sure it has it's uses but the haste feature that red often likes is a essential factor for not getting the F rating here.

#146) Mad Prophet - C, I love Merfolk Looter and any card that emulates it in any color these days needs to have some form of love shown to it, but on a 2/2 hasty 4 drop, yeah please i'll dump something i don't like outta my hand and get a better card.

#147) Malicious Intent - F, This is the worst common in red, period, avoid this at all costs, i don't care about it, in fact if i was using a numbers scale, this would get a 0 on that scale, it's that bad.

#149) Pillar of Flame - B, Shocking folks on turn 1 and basically taking them down to 18 is a effective way to start a match, plus it deals with pretty much every 2 or lower toughness creature in the format, which there are plenty.

#150) Raging Poltergeist - D, Honestly if you have no choice to take this on your last pack, pick 15, then take it, it's just gonna sit in the sideboard, who would want a 5/1 that costs 6 in this format and dies to everything 1 toughness or higher.

#152) Riot Ringleader - A, If i was to say Red/White humans was the best format deck in limited, i'd be right on the money a effective 3 drop that's a 2/2 and when this attacks all your humans automatically Battle Cry, nasty i tell you.

#153) Rush of Blood - B, usually when i say extra damage you say "What", well this particular spell is mighty useful, sure it's a neat combat trick as your attacking and they are declaring blockers, 3 mana though to give a creature essentially double it's power for a single turn, really sweet.

#155) Scalding Devil - B, Again, limited is showing why i love this format, a 2 drop 1/1 that hits for 1 for 3 mana, doesn't need to tap, can be used as a response to combat damage, instant speed abilites are always welcome here.

#156) Somberwald Vigilante - D, sure it's a 1/1 for 1, but the ability to deal a single, i repeat a Single point of damage when it is blocked kinda is iffy, but if you need the 1 drop slot filled in limited, take it, it may be useful.

#157) Stonewright - B, Being able to Firebreath someone with a lot of mana open for 2 creatures is sick, even with soul bond, probably the better soul bond of the color honestly, even as a 1/1 for 1 mana it's still a nice card.

#158) Thatcher Revolt - A, Can i just give this a A+ please, seriously, best common in red, period, expect to always draft this first pick, even just for splashing, mana cost perfect, 3 1/1 humans with haste, three dudes yo.

#159) Thunderbolt - B, Sure this is a great burn spell in this format, but not the absolute best burn spell for the format, sure it hits flyers hard and fast, sure it hits players for a decent chunk for it's cost, still a great addition to your deck if your going red.

#160) Thunderous Wrath - A, If i was to tell you the single best burn spell in the set was this card, you'd probably laugh at me, but hear me out, Miracle is probably the best limited mechanic for this set, being able to top deck this and hit for 5 on that turn is sheer lunacy, let alone the fact that this is also a great 6 drop spell if you need a game ender card.

#163) Uncanny Speed - D, Personally i would sideboard this, just because it's a 2 drop spell that has no real use till creatures are on the field, but it's still a fine situational card for this format.

#165) Vigilante Justice - C, Personally this fits right into the human deck at the 4 slot, since most human players are going to be running maybe 10-12 humans so that's maybe 7 points of damage without Thatcher Revolt, still a great enchantment to add to an already great format.

Well that's all she wrote for red, next on the agenda is Green, the final main color of the set, see you next time.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Avacyn Restored Limited Review: Black


Hello everyone and welcome to the review of Avacyn Restored in limited, prerelease time is over and it's time to check out how i think Avacyn Restored limited will do as a stand alone draft format, much similar to Rise of the Eldrazi from 2 years prior, i will explain the ratings down below as always and give my utmost thoughts on each color of the set, remember this limited review will only cover Uncommons and Commons in the set, rares will be a seperate entity and covered in one article.

A - Very Good, draft this at all times in this color.
B - Easily playable, focuses heavily on the color in question
C - Middle of the Road, splashable and semi playable.
D - Sideboard Material, for tough matchups only.
F - Never play this, ever.

Without further ado let's begin

#84) Appetite for Brains - C, Discard normally in limited is very hard to come by, considering most sets only have 1 or 2 discard outlets, but the potential of always hitting a 4 or greater power creature in your opponent's hand is kinda half and half here, don't always expect this to work, even against a Blue player.

#85) Barter in Blood - B, it is so nice to have this back in limited again, removal that is hard to come by since like discard outlets they are few and far bewteen, but when you got no creatures and your opponent has 2, well play this and no one has any creatures, a very welcome piece of removal for this format.

#86) Blood Artist - A, how can i not give a A, first it's a 1/1 for 2, plus when stuff dies and a lot of stuff is going to die in this format, target player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life, black loves this kind of stuff to say screw you, i'm winning.

#87) Bloodflow Connoisseur - B, a very respectable black vampire that is pretty balanced i feel a 1/1 for 3 mana but you can sacrifice stuff to give it +1/+1 counters each time, it can be done as a instant ability while responding to damage via other spells.

#88) Bone Splinters - A, 1 drop removal that has been seriously missed in this format, so you sacrifice a creature, i'd just sacrifice a token and be done with it, can be a answer to every creature in the format in the early game, most limited players run at least 2 of these.

#89) Butcher Ghoul - B, With undying it gets a B, without undying it gets a C, but thank god for undying, you can most certainly use this as a sacrifice outlet for a turn, bring it back as a 2/2 and go nuts.

#90) Corpse Traders - B, Discard on a body, hell yes, 3/3 for 4 mana, yes 3/3 for 4, it's not often flavor and balance wise there is some balance here, but in this case i would say that isn't true anymore at least.

#91) Crypt Creeper - C, This is your standard run of the mill dude that flavor wise in the set got a reprint, sure it costs 2 mana for a 2/1 but when you sacrifice it you get to exile a card from a graveyard, a interesting choice here but still lack luster for limited, good as a body, but it's ability is meh.

#93) Death Wind - D, Removal that costs a whole load of mana to use is truly sideboard material here, you may sideboard this in maybe once to see how it performs, but usually removal that costs X and a specific color doesn't see that much play in limited, Black Sun's Zenith being the only exception to this rule.

#95) Demonic Taskmaster - A, how can i not rate this as a A rank card in limited, a 4/3 flier that you have to sacrifce a creature at the beginning of your upkeep but if you cannot that's ok it still stays, there is no negative drawback with this guy, draft him high in black.

#99) Driver of the Dead - B, usually when it comes to returning stuff, most players don't expect a mini Reveillark in this format, this is the case, say hello to Driver of the Dead, sure a 3/2 for 4 mana but hey i'll just return my Butcher Ghoul and swing with them next turn.

#100) Essence Harvest - B, Usually with big creatures you expect to have some big finisher in the 2nd main phase of a turn, this is the cast, 4 mana for a X spell where X is the greatest power creature you control, player loses X life and you gain X life, yeah, this is one of those cards most players find unattractive at first, but it grows on you.

#101) Evernight Shade - B, Honestly if you got a creature like this, sure just dump a whole ton of black mana into him, pump him to heights unknown and swing, even for 4 mana and with undying he will just come back again and continue to be a pest, so for the mana cost it's pretty decent here.

#103) Ghoulflesh - C, So a aura that costs 1, gives that creature that is enchanted -1/-1 and makes it a black zombie, hmm interesting but middle of the road material here i would feel.

#105) Grave Exchange - D, it's not often your going to be using a 6 mana return spell that also forces a player to sacrifice a creature, sure it may be late game material but having this in the first turn opener hand is not really going to go well, considering that slot could be used for something else.

#108) Homicidal Seclusion - B, most of the time when you think enchantments, you think something along this line, sure it only triggers when you got 1 creature, but when that one creature is your biggest dude, it gets +3/+1 and lifelink, hello here, busted much.

#109) Human Frailty - B, Black removal that hits humans in this format, i like it, since there are going to be lots of humans in this particular format, this is going to be a sought after piece of removal by black players here.

#110) Hunted Ghoul - B, I like the fact it's a 1/2 plus it's a great attacker that really can't block half the stuff in the format, but for 1 black your going to be attacking with this guy, plus he's a common, plus he's easy to draft, expect to see a few of these on limited tables.

#112) Maalfeld Twins - C, So one of the bombs of this format, a 6 mana 4/4 that when it dies it replaces itself with 2 2/2's, a interesting choice here, it's a middle of the road bomb that needs a look over i would feel for black players.

#113) Marrow Bats - D, Personally i'm not a big fan of a 4/1 flyer that costs 5 mana, considering it's secondary ability is to pay 4 life and it regenerates, it may be good in limited but the toughness factor means it gets shot down too easily.

#114) Mental Agony - C, Spells like this are really interesting for black players, since it always hits directly where it counts, the life total and the hand, for 4 mana you are getting what you pay for, this could potentially be a kill spell too as a end game finisher.

#115) Necrobite - D, i'm not a big fan of deathtouch giving spells, considering when the creature given deathtouch dies it regenerates, but still it's tapped for a single turn, which could cost the game in this format, who knows i gotta look at this one a bit more closely.

#116) Polluted Dead - B, Sure go ahead and kill this, but your losing a land if you do, Stone Rain on a stick is the best term here for this guy, 5 for a 3/3 is also quite nice, i like it more for the after effects of the creature dying still though.

#117) Predator's Gambit - C, A 1 mana aura that grants +2/+1 to a creature is nice, but when you control no other creatures it gets intimidate, interesting this could make or break a match if played correctly.

#118) Renegade Demon - B, I don't care if it is a vanilla 5/3, a beater is still a beater in this format, he's 5 mana, he's balanced to the point where your going to play at least 1 in your deck if you are black.

#119) Searchlight Geist - C, 3 drop fliers that are 2/1's that you need to pay mana for to gain deathtouch aren't that high on my list of cards to draft, still it's a 2/1 beater in the air, i like it but the mana ability turns me off from giving it a B.

#120) Soulcage Fiend - B, You know demons in this set are way cooler then the previous two, sure it's 3 to cast, a 3/2 that when it dies each player loses 3 life, as well as being a common, this is a high draft rating card here folks.

#122) Triumph of Cruelty - B, 3 mana enchantment that triggers at each of your upkeeps and forces a player to discard a card if you control the greatest power creature or are tied for it, sure i have a 7/7 Griselbrand, discard a card please dear opponent, this sounds like a fun card honestly.

#123) Undead Executioner - B, removal on a stick, yeah when it dies target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn, but if it has 2 toughness bye bye, plus it's a 2/2 beater for 4, gee black has some good removal and beaters this set.

#124) Unhallowed Pact - C, Since this is a aura you can enchant other creatures, steal it when it dies and use it against em, a neat little way to do business in black, a good aura and good cost i feel at least.

Alright so that's black for Avacyn Restored, stay tuned tommorow for Red.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Avacyn Restored Limited Review: Blue


Hello everyone and welcome to the review of Avacyn Restored in limited, prerelease time is over and it's time to check out how i think Avacyn Restored limited will do as a stand alone draft format, much similar to Rise of the Eldrazi from 2 years prior, i will explain the ratings down below as always and give my utmost thoughts on each color of the set, remember this limited review will only cover Uncommons and Commons in the set, rares will be a seperate entity and covered in one article.

A - Very Good, draft this at all times in this color.
B - Easily playable, focuses heavily on the color in question
C - Middle of the Road, splashable and semi playable.
D - Sideboard Material, for tough matchups only.
F - Never play this, ever.

Without further ado let's begin.

#42) Alchemist's Apprentice - C, the first card in this color and it's showing it's a middle of the road material card, sure it's a 1/1 for 1 and a blue, but you can sacrifice as a response to removal and get a card out of it, not a bad deal honestly.

#43) Amass the Components - B, Being able to draw three cards and effectively place a useless card from the hand onto the bottom of the library is key here, but something to keep in mind is if your going to be using Miracle cards, it only applies to the first card of the turn, still a good draw spell.

#46) Crippling Chill - C, 3 mana for a instant speed lock down for a full 2 turns, plus you get a free card to replace it, something blue is quite good at doing in limited this time around, though the rarity is a little off balance since it's a common, should have been uncommon instead.

#49) Dreadwaters - D, In this format a mill spell like this is only good if you got a deck focused around it, but for X where X is the number of lands you control is not bad, considering most of the time you'll have about 6 lands when you cast it, so X will usually be about 4 to 6, keeps it out of the F range.

#50) Elgaud Shieldmate - C, one of the better soulbond dudes, 2/3 four mana and a hexproofer, not bad considering this is blue, but again soulbond is iffy since of course it relies on 2 creatures instead of just the one.

#51) Favorable Winds - B, Heavy blue players are going to love this enchantment, considering it gives all your fliers +1/+1 for a mere 2 mana, if i didn't know better i swear this was the replacement for Intangible Virtue.

#52) Fettergeist - D, 3/4 for a 2 and a blue, but you gotta pay 1 mana for each creature you control, sure it is good alone, but what if you control 7 creatures, then you gotta basically pay all resources just to keep it alive, this is kinda bad honestly for a uncommon.

#53) Fleeting Distraction - C, giving a creature -1/-0 until end of turn and being able to replace itself are nice, this is a interesting reprint since the last time we saw this was 2 years ago in Rise of the Eldrazi, how fitting this comes back for another limited format.

#54) Galvanic Alchemist - C, being a 1/4 body with soul bond is kinda nice, since you can throw this up as a brick wall for a few turns, but the trick is soul bond you instantly pair this and gets somewhat better, since at any time you can pay 2 and a blue for either creature and untap it, however being said i'm not favoring this new mechanic at all.

#55) Geist Snatch - B, Being a counter spell which costs 4 mana is ok i suppose, but when you get to put a 1/1 blue spirit as well on the battlefield, it makes it a little more desirable as a counter spell, the only problem is it counters creatures only, otherwise it'd be the perfect counter spell for this format.

#56) Ghostform - B, having a 2 mana spell that makes 2 creatures unblockable is kinda nice, even if they are 2/2's in this format, you still get 4 points of free damage if they are 2 power, minimum damage dealt with this is mostly 2, since there are a few 1/1's in this format.

#57) Ghostly Flicker - C, Honestly with this i'm not exactly sure why i gave it a C on my rankings scale, sure it's good for abusing enter the battlefield effects like the new one soul bond, which is somewhat good, but other then that, maybe it has it's uses in limited as a potential addition for this color.

#58) Ghostly Touch - B, Lock down effects in limited are superb here, with this being no exception of course, 2 mana enchantment that when the creature enchanted with this attacks it taps or untaps target creature, so making synergy seem more valuable here for something.

#59) Gryff Vanguard - D, Honestly i would expect more of a 3/2 with flying, enter the battlefield you can trip of course, but that i feel is one of the only things that save this particular card from the F rating, is the replacement effect, sideboard this if you are having troubles with flyers in limited.

#60) Havengul Skaab - C, for a bomb it's pretty good, when it attacks you bounce something you control, a creature anyways and you get a chance to abuse it's enter the battlefield effect if it has one, but for a 4/5 for 6, it's quite a limited material bomb.

#62) Into the Void - D, 4 mana Unsummon that hits two creatures at sorcery speed, not good enough, this is so sideboard material, blue is starting to feel like a more support color in this set.

#63) Latch Seeker - B, This particular format is going to have a lot of 3 drops, this is one of those excellent 3 drop dudes, 3/1 unblockable, throw a piece of equipment on this and you are golden.

#66) Mass Appeal - C, Honestly something that works with only humans for this particular format is going to get a middle of the road rating, sure it costs 3 mana, but it's a Divination at sorcery speed only for a specific creature type, maybe in limited you'll get to play this once.

#67) Mist Raven - B, Abuse of entering the battlefield effects in this set seems to be very apparent, 4 mana for a 2/2 flyer that bounces a creature when it enters the battlefield, not a bad thing, since this format seems to be a quick format, based upon what's been seen so far.

#69) Nephalia Smuggler - A, it's a piece of late game material waiting to happen, sure it may be a 1 drop 1/1 but when it comes down to it, most players are going to be using this guy for his ability more so then anything, considering soul bond is around.

#70) Outwit - B, A very specific counter spell which hits spells that target a player, but it's a counter spell regardless for 1 blue, yeah most blue players are going to always keep a mana open in case of a Miracle spell like Thunderous Wrath pops up.

#71) Peel from Reality - C, there are way too many bounce effects in this set, is this the bounce abuse set or something, besides this being a reprint, it's a instant speed 2 drop spell that hits a target creature you control and a target creature a opponent controls, it's a decent combat trick at least.

#72) Rotcrown Ghoul - B, 5 drops that hit for 1/8th of a library in limited are huge, considering when they are common as well, the only reason it didn't get a A on this scale is due to the simple fact it only triggers when it dies.

#73) Scrapskin Drake - D, 2/3 flyer that can only block flyers is the reason that this is a D on the scale, sorry but when your not able to block little 1/1's on the ground by turn 3, you got something wrong here, sure it's a great sideboard card, but other then that don't expect too much outta it.

#74) Second Guess - B, Late game counter spells anyone, this is what blue is known for in limited a lot of the time, being able to drag the game out to a near halt while controlling the board, plus this counters the second spell cast this turn, so you can essentially put this on the stack and go nuts.

#75) Spectral Prison - B, Lock down auras in here are very nice, considering it forces the opponent to waste a spell to get rid of it, meaning you'll be able to open up much faster and easier even if you are facing a blue player in this format, still a great aura for limited.

#77) Stern Mentor - B, A decent soul bond effect where it mills, is a good 4 drop that's a 2/2 and it both creatures consistently hit 4 cards at a time, if both are paired, a creature that's really good in limited and i gotta examine this guy further someday.

#80) Tandem Lookout - B, Soul bond with a Jon Finkel effect is very nice, considering there is no Black to  worry about in the mana cost for this guy, being able to attack, get a card or two and have a slight advantage is always nice, blue seems to have the better of the soul bond guys.

#82) Vanishment - A, the only Miracle card that's a uncommon in this color, 5 mana for it's base casting cost but 1 blue for it's Miracle cost and it's at instant speed, the new Unsummon of the set, truly there hasn't been a better unsummon till now.

#83) Wingcrafter - B, Being able to throw flying in the early game is super exciting, with this being a 1 drop card and a 1/1 at that, makes it so that you can effectively play this and play your next creature, attack for 1 in the air and go nuts in the very early game in this color.

Well that's it for this edition of the Limited Review, Black is next on the list, as always i will take a look at the Rares and Mythic Rares in another article.

Avacyn Restored Event Deck Lists

Hello everyone and welcome to yet another edition of the emporium, in today's edition i'll be talking about the Avacyn Restored deck lists which were spoiled via Wizards of the Coast, as per the norm with the lists i'll be talking about the money cards in each build and perhaps what to expect as a whole, so without further ado let's begin.

Humanity's Vengeance - Blue/White


Lands


2 Glacial Fortress
1 Moorland Haunt
9 Island
12 Plains

Spells


2 Dismember
1 Divine Deflection
2 Mental Misstep
3 Oblivion Ring
3 Righteous Blow

Creatures


1 Blade Splicer
4 Fiend Hunter
4 Gideon's Lawkeeper
1 Mirran Crusader
3 Nearheath Pilgrim
2 Nephalia Smuggler
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Porcelain Legionnaire
3 Tandem Lookout
2 Wingcrafter

Sideboard


3 Cathedral Sanctifier
2 Cloudshift
2 Inquisitor Exarch
4 Mana Leak
3 Negate
1 Pacifism

So it appears with this first list we have 4 good rares to look forward to in here, 2 Glacial Fortress, A single copy of both Mirran Crusader and Phyrexian Metamorph since those are the highest value in the decks, with the metamorph being about 7 to 8 dollars these days, roughly but my question is if there are more then enough humans in Innistrad to warrant this deck, why aren't they in here, instead we have a bunch of Phyrexian's and Mirrans fighting along side each other, with stuff like Tandem Lookout which grants the ability to draw a card each time damage is dealt, strange list but moving on, here is the 2nd list which is called Death's Encroach.

Death's Encroach - Mono Black


Lands


24 Swamp

Spells


3 Altar's Reap
3 Despise
2 Dismember
2 Doom Blade
3 Go for the Throat
2 Lashwrithe

Creatures


1 Cemetery Reaper
2 Crypt Creeper
4 Diregraf Ghoul
1 Geralf's Messenger
3 Ghoulraiser
1 Gloom Surgeon
1 Gravecrawler
4 Highborn Ghoul
4 Skinrender

Sideboard


2 Appetite for Brains
2 Crypt Creeper
3 Deathmark
1 Despise
2 Distress
1 Ghoulraiser
1 Surgical Extraction
3 Triumph of Cruelty

Ok so this list is much better honestly, you have both a copy of Gravecrawler and Geralf's Messenger which are both part of the highly popular Blue/Black zombies build, as well as a Surgical Extraction, 2 Lashwrithe and 7 pieces of removal inside the main deck. The real money cards as i said are the Crawler, the Messenger and the Extraction in this deck, each one pretty much pays for the entire thing as a whole, plus what's so bad about 24 extra swamp, just replace them with Zendikar swamps and you are golden, overall i'm more impressed with the mono black list then i am the Blue/White list but i'm going to defintely pick up both as soon as i can get my hands on them and give them a once over as well as a few other things, but for now this is vergil signing off.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Duel Deck Announcement: Izzet vs Golgari

Hello everyone and welcome to yet another edition of the emporium, in today's edition i'll be showing off the Arcana Announcement where the next duel deck was announced, Izzet vs Golgari as well as list all the information and provide my thoughts onto this announcement, so without further ado let's begin.

With the up and coming set, Return to Ravnica we are bound to have a duel deck focused around it and today was the day we learned that this duel deck was true, it's Black/Green vs Blue/Red in a clash underneath ravnica, meaning we have the ever powerful Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind vs the lich lord Jarad in a excellent clash for supremacy but your wondering where is the art for the set, allow me to show you the preview piece.


If that isn't Niv Mizzet i don't know what it is, seriously this alternate art form of the card looks super cool and super appealing to all players whom have ever even played this particular dragon.

Here is all the information that is to go along with this thing.

Release Date: September 7th, 2012
MSRP: 19.99 US
Languages Available: Japanese, English

Full Announcement on Product ---> Duel Deck Full Announcement

I for one am looking forward to this particular product, when it is released exactly 4 months from today, i'm sure we will get some spoilers for this after the M12 spoiler season is said and done, as well as the From the Vault for this year is fully revealed, but until next time this is vergil signing off.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Avacyn Restored Limited Review: White

Hello everyone and welcome to the review of Avacyn Restored in limited, prerelease time is over and it's time to check out how i think Avacyn Restored limited will do as a stand alone draft format, much similar to Rise of the Eldrazi from 2 years prior, i will explain the ratings down below as always and give my utmost thoughts on each color of the set, remember this limited review will only cover Uncommons and Commons in the set, rares will be a seperate entity and covered in one article.

A - Very Good, draft this at all times in this color.
B - Easily playable, focuses heavily on the color in question
C - Middle of the Road, splashable and semi playable.
D - Sideboard Material, for tough matchups only.
F - Never play this, ever.

Without further ado let's begin.

#3) Angel's Mercy - C, in this format reprints like this are highly under valued, sure it gives 7 life for 4 mana, but it's a splashable card that kinda requires a little too much for what it does, but it goes and keeps you alive for a few more turns at least, unless your facing down Griselbrand.

#4) Angelic Wall - B, How often in this format are we going to play a 2 drop, lots of times, 2 mana basically say no damage for me, for at least 3 turns, allows you to pretty much set up and is easily playable for it's cost and it flies.

#5) Archangel - A, A serious bomb in this format, got a down grade from rare to uncommon as a reprint, 7 mana 5/5 flying vigilance is going to get you there, fits with the theme of the set, plus having some angelic back up is always kinda nice.

#7) Banishing Stroke - B, Some serious tuck effects in limited, it gets this particular grade due to it's Miracle cost, got a threat staring you down, draw this and play it for 1 white mana and boom threat is gone, it's going to come in real handy in this limited format.

#8) Builder's Blessing - D, if you are having some serious survival problems with big creatures always staring you down, maybe this enchantment is for you, but only giving untapped creatures a +0/+2 boost is sorta like saying here's maybe a extra turn, even for 2 mana, but it goes great with Angelic Wall.

#9) Call to Serve - C, Due to this being a aura i'm a little skeptical here for what it does, sure it gives a boost, flying and turns it into a angel along with it's other types, but there is usually a answer for everything in this format, even this.

#11) Cathedral Sanctifier - A, Ok so who thought on this one, a 1 drop 1/1 that when it hits the field it's basically saying i've got 23 life and you've got 20, deal with it, a serious threat in white, probably one of the better commons you can draft, always take this one.

#12) Cloudshift - B, Instant speed blink effects like this one are going without saying one of the better combat tricks in the format, allowing you to essentially abuse enter the battlefield effects for a single white mana, it goes without saying, no white deck should go without at least 2 of these.

#13) Commander's Authority - B, A aura that's actually pretty good for 5 mana, it churns out those 1/1's every upkeep and having a small army here is kinda nice, goes without saying it's still a decent aura for what it does.

#14) Cursebreak - A. one of the better pieces of enchantment removal in this set, it's highly valued and probably the best thing you get for 2 mana, gaining 2 life as well is nothing to scoff at for what it does.

#15) Defang - D, A situational piece of lock down, only really good for most big heavy damage dealers, of which there is a few in the format, but not as many threats as one would anticipate at all, even for a large set such as this, still a great piece for the sideboard for what it does.

#16) Defy Death - C, recursion here is very rare in limited, maybe 2 or 3 cards do the job well enough, this is one of those spur of the moment cards in the set, fitting with the angelic theme here, sure it returns stuff but the bonus applies to angels, of which there is enough in this set to at least justify one copy of this in the deck.

#17) Devout Chaplain - B, How good is this you ask, well if you got lots of humans to play with, consider this removal on a stick against any artifacts or enchantments in this set, one of the better forms of removal here, sure it's requirement is a little steep but in limited this guy is highly valued.

#19) Emancipation Angel - A, best uncommon angel of the set, period, 3/3 flier, returns stuff so you can abuse enter the battlefield effects again and again, is a serious 3 drop threat and basically is perhaps the best uncommon in white

#21) Farbog Explorer - B, 2/3 swamp walkers are nothing to scoff at for limited, so your facing a black player, i'll just hit you direct to the face, non black players, i'll just attack, great 3 drop in this set, goes without saying white is showing why it's highly valued in a large set such as this.

#22) Goldnight Commander - B, One of the better non flying uncommons in this set, 2/2 and whenever a creature enters the battlefield all creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn, ok really this is like the ultimate pump, great material here.

#23) Goldnight Redeemer - A, Second best uncommon in white for this set, due to the sheer fact it gains you 2 life for each creature you control, 6 mana, basically negate all damage and gain back a serious crap ton of life, for a 4/4 body with flying too, oh joy.

#25) Holy Justicar - D, there really isn't enough zombies in this format for this guy to be effective, a 2/1 for 4 mana is lack luster, considering it's main effect is dealing with zombies here, if there were then it's say run him but again not enough to justify him.

#26) Leap of Faith - B, a instant that's a mini Fog, gives that creature flying and prevents all damage to it, can you say combat trick much, i like this and it's cost is balanced enough to make me wanna play it for limited in white.

#27) Midnight Duelist - B, pro vampires and a being a 1/2 for 1 white is pretty good, it hits well, it blocks little guys at will, provides a nice comfort zone against vampires and allows for perhaps a easy going time in white.

#28) Midvast Protector - B, A mini Sejiri Steppe here on a body is not bad honestly, protection from the color of your choice when it enters the battlefield, plus being a 2/3 for 4 mana is kinda nice.

#29) Moonlight Geist - D, this guy is serious sideboard material, 3 drop for a 2/1 flyer that has a mana ability to prevent all damage done to it and by it, but it flies, so at least that makes it non F worthy here.

#30) Moorland Inquisitor - A, 2 drop 2/2's that have first strike potential is serious business here for white, sure it costs 3 mana to give it first strike but it's a instant speed ability which you can use as a blocker ability.

#31) Nearheath Pilgrim - B, Lifelink in this format, along with set mechanics is kinda nice i suppose, considering it is a 2/1 body for 2 mana.

#34) Righteous Blow - B, Being able to Shock other creatures that are blockers or attackers is a very nice thing indeed, since white kinda needed this instant speed removal, it's a nice welcome limited addition.

#35) Seraph of Dawn - C, 2/4 that flies and has lifelink for 4, the imbalance of power and toughness makes it a C for obvious reasons.

#37) Spectral Gateguards - D, Soulbond is not all it's cracked up to be for this format, all the good ones are rare, for a reason, 2/5 vigilance granter that can be easily dealt with since it's ability requires another creature, so in a sense this is kinda lack luster.

#39) Thraben Valiant - B, 2/1's with vigilance are very good on my list of limited material cards, considering this only costs 2 mana, makes it a very nice attacker and blocker

#40) Voice of the Provinces - C, 6 mana for 4 power worth of creatures is great in the late game, but only 4 power worth is middle of the road material here, itself being a 3/3 and it puts a 1/1 white human into play.

#41) Zealous Strike - B, Combat tricks like this are highly valued, considering 20% of your deck is going to be spells most of the time, having this in hand with a bomb creature in the format is nothing to scoff at all.

And that was white for this set, blue will be tommorow and it will continue till this set is fully reviewed, till maybe next week, until tommorow stay tuned, this is vergil signing off.