Day 4 of spoilers and we got some sweet new goodies. Let’s check them out.
Eidolon of the Great Revel- Ok, so earlier this week I may have been a tad mistaken about Keranos. He’s an awesome bomb for an emerging R/W/U control deck that seems to be taking shape. Once I considered him from that angle, this card becomes an unbelievable bomb to pair with Keranos. Once you have taken control of the board state, this 2 mana 2/2 will start to lock things down with Keranos to simply crush your opponent. His ability punishes players who play spells with a converted mana cost of 3 or less and deals 2 damage to them. Ok, so it is a sysmetrical ability, but once you’ve set up the board state with an indestructible Keranos, wipe the board state clean with a supreme verdict and then follow up with this guy. You won’t need to cast spells because Keranos will reveal cards and deal damage without the need for a spell, and this guy will punish your opponent for having to play spells to try and get back into the game. Also add in the fact that the Eidolon is a Devotion generating field day and you have a real winner here. I’ll give him an A for an efficient body, and devastating ability, and the potential to help re-shape standard as Keranos’ sidekick.
Interpret the signs- This is a fun looking draw spell where for 6 mana you get to Scry 3, then reveal your top card and draw cards equal to the converted mana cost of the card revealed. I love the ability and the Scry 3 almost assuredly allows you to find something with an expensive casting cost to draw a bunch of cards, but I wonder if 6 is too high to pay for this. I suppose if Opportunity can see play in a G/U flash deck like it did in the fall, this could see play, but I get the sense this is a card that EDH players will love. I think it is extremely flavourful, and I love to scry, so I’ll give it a try, but it may not see a whole of competitive play. I’ll give a B because I like the card more than I probably should.
Kruphix, God of Horizons- Ok, another of minor Gods is revealed and this one leaves me scratching my head. For 5 mana (1 green, 1 blue, and 3 colourless) you get a 4/7 indestructible legendary enchantment creature God with the same devotion mechanic we have come to know. His pair of abilities are interesting and while one I really like, the other leaves me confused. The first one is that you have no maximum hand size, which I always appreciate, so if you fire off a huge Sphinx’s Revelation you get to keep all your cards and not concern yourself with discarding. The second ability is what leaves me shaking my head because if you have unused mana in your mana pool, that mana becomes colourless. It’s extremely interesting, but I’m not sure what I’m going to do with that colourless mana. I love the card…but I’m a little baffled what I’m doing with the second ability. I’ll pass on giving him a grade because I just don’t know what to do with him.
Setessan Tactics- Another example of Strive, as it has been pointed out elsewhere looks and feels alot like multi-kicker, Setessan Tactics is a 1 mana instant that gives target creature +1/+1 and the ability to tap it and fight target creature. The Strive cost lets you pay one mana for each additional target and each new target is granted the same ability. This is super cheap to play, triggers Heroic on potentially numerous targets for an equally inexpensive amount, and then is as close to mass removal as I’ve ever seen in Green. With this being at instant speed it could prove to be a back breaking combat trick in any limited game. I’ll hold off on Constructed formats, but perhaps it could be sided into a monsters deck as a sideboard card to clear the road to bring the pain. All in all, this is a sweet removal card and an excellent and inexpensive example of Strive. I’ll give this a B+.
Silence the Believers- Wow…Black got MORE removal…and this time things don’t even die, they get EXILED instead. Oh, and the spell has Strive just in case one target wasn’t enough. OH MY GOD! So for 4 mana you get to exile a creature and all Auras attached to it and you can spend another 3 mana to target additional creatures. This is yet more awesome removal for Black, and the fact that it exiles creatures means that even indestructible cards aren’t immune. I can assure you that this will be played in Constructed, even if only in the side board as a one or two of, but there is no doubt that this is very powerful. Watch out, Black got more toys to take for a spin. This has got to be an easy A even if it could be a tad expensive to cast.
Spite of Mogis- A 1 mana sorcery that deals damage to target creature equal to the number of instants and sorceries in your graveyard. This is going to be fine removal and is very reasonably costed provided you set your deck up to play enough other spells to make it truly relevant. My only issue with this card is that I don’t feel like this is a Mogis-like ability. Mogis is B/R, but this ability is very reminiscent of abilities attributed to R/U (like Spellheart Chimera), so while I like the card, I feel like it’s a little off in terms of where it fits from a flavour perspective. So, if my only real quibble is with the flavour this guy is packing, I have no doubt that the card will be just fine. It’ll get a B- because it’s a tad narrow in the sense that it needs the right deck, but once it finds a home will be a very solid addition and pull its own weight for sure.
