Hello again. It's been a little longer than I would have liked between posts, but I have been pretty busy lately with finals going on and re-designing my site. No worries though, I'm here and I'm ready to talk about my favorite new cards from the hotly anticipated "New Phyrexia".
Karn, the Liberated
First up is the groundbreaking Planeswalker, "Karn, the Liberated". (Speaking of which, I'm going back to the libertine this week.) This card is amazing for obvious reasons. His colorless mana cost means he's going into any deck and his -3 ability means he's most likely going to see play in the the colors that are light on removal. (Especially green which is getting some awesome treats in this set.) Though there are complaints about his last ability making games go on too long, I can't wait to see it go off. I'm personally not going to interfere with it the first time somebody plays it. I just want to experience dimensional travel through cardboard. (I just got mindslavered for the first time the other day, it was an odd and cool experience. Now I'm a glutton for dying in weird ways in Magic.)
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
This card is going to find a niche. It's two Glorious Anthem's and a one sided infest. It does something that white doesn't usually get to do. Elesh Norn will either be a finisher at the top end of a few deck's curves or it will be the commander of a couple of mono-white control and midrange decks.
Suture Priest
This card will see play in metagames that have swarms of squirrels or elves running them over.
Chancellor of the Spires
The blue chancellor is going to be played in a lot of decks that like to take advantage of their opponents deck. I play memory plunder, so I'm playing this card.
Deceiver Exarch
The Deceiver is going to be played in decks filled with control effects and combo. He'll probably take the place of pestermite in red blue decks with splinter twin. Or even better, they'll both be sleeved up to increase the odds of getting the fortunately easy to disrupt combo.
Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
this card is going to be the beatdown. Even if this card is laying on the corner of your playmat just before you play him, Jin is going to be a hard card to deal with. He'll usually empty at least one player's hand before he's killed, though just imagine living the dream where you get to untap with him.
Viral Drake
This card is a win condition with wings. It's a combo with a body. It will see play in artifact combo decks, it will see play in decks that don't have infect printed on any other card. I might play it I guess.
Xenograft
Have you ever wanted to play conspiracy in a deck that wasn't black? Bant decks with ally subthemes will be clamoring for this card. (Hint, Turntimber Ranger)
Life's finale
there is demand for more field sweepers in non white decks and this card fills that description plus some. Casting this card with reanimate is going to feel like casting bribery in a non-blue deck, but even without reanimate or debtors knell, this card is good enough.
Phyrexian Obliterator
This card is unfair enough as it is, but imagine facing that thing down with a mono-red deck. The obliterator is going to make for some sad moments for red and green mages.
Sheoldred, Whispering One
Sheoldred is going to be a powerful commander. I can picture decks filling up their own grave to abuse her affect, though she'll still be amazing without being built around.
Priest of Urabrask
This card is pretty good, it'll filter red in multicolor decks making for turn three ball lightnings or at the least he'll be good for a free spell. It also might be worth looking into electropotence.
Urabrask the hidden
This guy is going to create a whole new archetype in commander. The mono-red aggro control deck. He will be making fast decks faster and punish slow opponents.
Beast within
This card will be revolutionizing the way mono-green decks play. It will be in just about every deck with green. Dealing with opposing Gideon's, Jaces, Academy Ruins, and almost any card your opponent will be playing will be pretty sweet. It'll also make for some surprising blowouts.
Birthing Pod
This card is going to be a build around me piece. I want to put this in my five color morph deck and flip over a scornful egotist to get a cost of nine creature on turn five. Then there are the decks that will be happy to just trade in their old creature for the new model.
Fresh Meat
This card is going to save a lot of green decks from the Wraths and Damnations that have been blowing them out. Sometimes it will just help you deal after losing your commander and a few baloths or other 5/5 plus creatures, but if your win condition is a swarm of elves... you're one happy guy.
Melira, Sylvok Outcast
I don't anticipate Melira being a popular commander, but she will be a handy tool in green decks. Also, decks with plenty of creatures with persist will be interested in having a copy in their deck.
Noxious Revival
Regrowth effects are nice. Regrowths that cost one twentieth of your life at instant speed are better.
Triumph of the Hordes
This card is a blowout and a half. There are going to be occasions where using this with one creature will get you the win. There are of course the more common situations where you'll have more than a couple beaters out already and you'll just win anyway.
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger
Vorinclex is a going to be a great general. I'm personally building a deck for him to command now. A gauntlet of power effect ramping into him will make for an early lockdown of your opponents mana and a ridiculous amount for you. (He'll also get in for 21 points pretty often by the way. Just sayin')
Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer
I don't think I need to say much about this card. It's pretty obvious he was made to be played as a commander. He loves swords that give protection and hammers that forge suns. Yeah, Sunforger will be pretty okay with him. This guy will be very strong, get yourself a copy and get building.
Batterskull
Another great equipment, The best part about this card aside from it's insane numbers, is it's ability to protect itself. Just imagine your hand is empty, you're opponent wraths the field and you bounce it back to your hand. Next turn you have another germ attached to your wingless angel. Batterskull is going to be one hard to deal with card.
Caged Sun
Another gauntlet of power can't hurt.
Lashwrithe
Another powerful living weapon that I can't wait to play. Just imagine how big your creature will be with Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth out there.
Myr Superion
This card should be at home in elf decks or in decks that cheat cards into play. It also works very well with Priest of Urabrask.
Omen Machine
This will go into fun stuff decks. Wild evocation, hive mind, Knowledge pool. Omen machine is going into a deck with all of them. And I'm the one putting that deck together. It'll be fun I swear... Okay, it'll probably just be confusing but whatever, I'm building it.
Surge Node
This will be going into artifact combo decks. It works pretty well with Everflowing Chalice, (My favorite card obviously.) Culling Dais, or anything with charge counters.
Sword of War and Peace
I shouldn't even have to say why this card is great. It makes creatures almost untouchable by the best removal spells, lets you hit your opponent and kill their planeswalker. (No more having to chose one over the other.) Though Godo, Bandit Warlord will like this card the best of course.
Torpor Orb
This gets my award for Griefer card of the set. It's going to mess up a lot of decks whose only artifact removal are creatures like acidic slime or indrik stomphowler. It'll also mess up your deck in general. Go look at your deck and count the cards that say when a creature enters the battlefield... Yeah, it's a lot I know. Pack some spells that destroy permanents or artifacts and you should be fine.
Unwinding Clock
I'm a combo player and I have a Kozilek, Butcher of truth deck that would love to have this card. It's like seedborn muse that I'm actually allowed to play. I'm pretty sure I'll be hated out of the game because of this card, but I don't care. My horde of machines will be ready to combo out the victory that much faster.
Well that's all I have to say about that. This set is filled to the brim with fun and powerful cards at all rarities and is going to have a huge effect on all formats especially Commander. This set has a whopping seven(!) legendary creature that have awesome effects that demand to be built around and dozens of cards that will capture players attention and surely bring more than a few smiles. If you're anything like me, you surely can't wait for the pre-release of New Phyrexia.
As always you can follow me here or on Twitter. @KuromanKuro And if you like what you read then go ahead and Digg/follow me.
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