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loreleywrites · 8 years

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Command Zone: Consulate Commanders and Renegade Ringleaders

Whether you support the Consulate’s efforts to maintain a safe and secure society or the renegade’s efforts to unshackle aether and innovation from oppressive law, Aether Revolt has new commanders for you. In fact, it has six new commanders: one for each color and colorless.

In case it wasn’t obvious, today’s article is going to break each of these new legendary creatures down. What are they about? What kind of strategies do they enable? How well do they fit into existing decks? Those kinds of things.

Sram I Am

He loves The LEGO Movie.

Sram, Senior Edificer is all about building things up. Auras, Equipment, and Vehicles are all subtypes that augment your existing creatures. The key to any Sram deck is to have creatures that benefit from these subtypes too.

Thankfully for Sram, mono-White Equipment decks are already well-supported. Between Kemba, Kha Regent and Nahiri, the Lithomancer, these decks have existed for years. Each commander has their own advantages, and Sram’s is raw card advantage. Drawing cards is White’s biggest weakness, and making all of your Equipment spells into cantrips keeps the cards flowing.

Auras are the next best subtype to build around. Sram may only be a 2/2 for two mana, but Auras can quickly turn him into a Voltron threat. The selling point for this style of deck is that White has a bunch of removal spells that are Auras. You don’t need to attach them to your creatures to get the card; Sram is just happy you’re casting Auras at all! When your removal spells can draw into even more removal spells, you’re harnessing real power. There are even Auras that can bounce themselves back to your hand. #Value

I’m not terribly excited at the prospect of building a Vehicle deck around Sram. Depala, Pilot Exemplar hits a lot more of the relevant cards, but Sram is still going into the 99. Depala can help dig to him, and then it’s off to the card-drawing races as you amass more and more Vehicles. Since he’s also a Dwarf, Sram will be at least a 3/3 to crew most of the Vehicles you’ll play.

Bottom of the Baral

Hooded face? Sword for an arm? Short temper? What a nice guy!

Baral, Chief of Compliance is a self-loathing mage on a plane that has very few mages. I don’t know who taught him his mad skillz, but he’s sure got ‘em.

Obviously, Baral is all about instants and sorceries. Making them all cast one less is better than being a mana dork, as it allows you the discount more than once if you can cast more than one spell a turn. Since Baral only costs two mana, you’re going to get that bonus right away.

As the number one instant and sorcery color, Blue has plenty of stuff to work with. Talrand, Sky Summoner and Uyo, Silent Prophet are just two of the existing mono-Blue commanders this archetype can be built around. So, once again, we have a new legendary creature that offers a new twist on an established strategy.

Baral does also have another ability, however. You get to loot whenever you counter another spell. Sculpting your hand is nice in a singleton format, but I’m pretty down on counterspells in multiplayer. Waiting around and trading one-for-one is a great way to fall behind. There are good counterspells, but I don’t like “Counterspells!” as a deck theme. If you do go that route, don’t forget Guile.

Party Hard

Bottoms up, darlings!

Yahenni, Undying Partisan has a lot going on, so I’ll break it into three parts.

First, they have haste. Haste is probably one of the most underrated abilities in Commander, as not having to live through multiple opponents’ turns to attack is very yes goodtimes (That’s a technical term.) Having haste on your commander, especially when they cost a mere three mana, means more opportunities to smash for commander damage.

Yahenni is one of few Aetherborn that have the ability to draw life-sustaining aether out of other creatures. As such, they are a Vampire and have a version of the classic vampire ability. Any time a creature an opponent controls dies, for any reason, Yahenni gets a +1/+1 counter. When it comes to multiplayer Magic, creatures die. A lot. If you just play a regular game of Commander, Yahenni will get huge on their own.

Though if you want to be tricksy, you can combine a creature sweeper with Yahenni’s final ability. Sac a creature to make Yahenni indestructible, cast Damnation, and probably kill one of your opponents with commander damage right there. Or sac a creature in response to an opponent’s sweeper. Or sac a creature to stop a piece of removal. Or sac a creature to make Yahenni live through combat (especially on defense). Or sac a creature to prevent an opponent from stealing it. In case you didn’t notice the pattern, there are a ton of uses for this ability.

In fact, Yahenni being a sacrifice outlet means they’re much more than just an aggressive Voltron commander. You can do all kinds of graveyard stuff, build around death triggers, abuse the heckfire out of Grave Pact, and more.

It’s your party; go nuts!

Monkey Business

When you’re a professional pirate, you’re always in the best of company.

But maybe you want to go bananas.

Kari Zev, Skyship Raider and her prince, Ragavan, soar free in the aethersphere. They also rumble on the battlefield, since that’s the only time you’re able to actually get that Monkey’s help. First strike and menace aren’t terribly exciting on a 1/3, and an extra 2/1 isn��t doing a whole lot since Ragavan doesn’t deal commander damage, so what do we do with Kari?

First strike and menace would be way more exciting on a bigger creature, so my first thought goes to Voltron. Load Kari up with Equipment and you have a much scarier Pirate. Red has a ton of artifact synergies already, so this is a novel way to build such a deck. It’s much less comboriffic than the usual Daretti, Scrap Savant decks and focused more on a beatdown strategy.

If you get a creature token every time Kari attacks, maybe we can also build around that. A handful of Red cards already interact with creatures entering the battlefield. Purphoros, God of the Forge and Warstorm Surge are just a few examples of cards that will love you pooping out a Monkey every turn. So long as Kari can keep attacking, you can keep whittling down your opponents’ life totals.

That’s where my brain went, but I’m sure a unique creature like Kari has more potential.

Count Me In

What a divine divining rod. Does it point to aether? Cuz that seems like cheating. Aether is everywhere. He might be a fraud. Investigation pending.

Rishkar, Peema Renegade is one helf of an Elf. He plays with +1/+1 counters, a common theme in Green, while also guaranteeing you have two more mana dorks. He also costs three mana. That means he’s on-curve for some serious mana ramp.

Green’s relationship with +1/+1 counters exists in almost every block in Magic history. There is no shortage of different +1/+1 counter decks that can be built around Rishkar, and he’s great in any other +1/+1 counter deck as part of the 99. All that is very open-ended.

It’s worth noting that Rishkar lets any of your creatures with counters be mana dorks, not just ones with +1/+1 counters. But they’re almost always gonna be +1/+1 counters, so there’s not exactly a ton of build-around potential with other counter types. Your next best bet is to tinker with -1/-1 counters and the persist mechanic (annihilating the -1/-1 counters with Rishkar’s +1/+1 counters is a good strategy), but that’s about as far as I’d be willing to stretch.

That’s really all I have to say about Rishkar. I think he’s awesome, and he’s gonna fit into basically any Green deck you want to put him in. He’s a solid commander himself too. My expectations are high for this workhorse of an Elf.

The THOP Heard ‘Round the World

Lore spoiler alert. Good job, flavor text!

LEGENDARY.

THOPTER.

Now that that’s out of the way, we have another colorless commander! Considering five of the now seven cost ten or more mana, it’s refreshing to see a one-drop in this “color.” First, let’s look at what Hope of Ghirapur actually does.

The answer: very little. Other than being a 1/1 flier, it can lock a single opponent out of casting noncreature spells during the second half of your turn. But only if you smack that player with Hopey first. Join me in groaning, because this ability is pretty useless.

Here’s the good news: colorless Commander decks are incredibly difficult to build. Wait, I said good news. How is this good news!? Well, there just isn’t a whole lot to do with Hope of Ghirapur when restricted to colorless cards. It is a one-drop and it does have flying, so commander damage is probably the best avenue of victory here. Colorless does have one big asset in this department: Equipment. Thopter Voltron can be a thing! If you add in some other Thopter cards, you’ll have a host of evasive threats capable of carrying oodles of weapons for you. It’s pretty silly, but I like how it captures Kaladesh’s spirit of invention.

Magic: The Gathering: Civil War

Six new commanders, all at rare, is pretty sweet. They each provide a novel mix of abilities to the format. Being rare means they will be easy to obtain (in foil (or as a prerelease promo)). Commander has its financial problems, but it doesn’t seem like any of these six exciting cards will be part of that. Truly something to celebrate!

Which new legendary creature are you excited to build around, planeswalkers?

#Command Zone #Magic The Gathering #MTG #Commander #EDH #Aether Revolt #MTGAER #Sram #Baral #Yahenni #Kari Zev #Rishkar #Hope of Ghirapur

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abzanascendancy · 7 years

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In 2017′s Magic Story...

Part 1

So instead of whining about how we haven’t gotten any new story, I decided to do what Wizards is doing this week, and going over this year’s past articles. Or in my case, reviewing 2017′s Magic Stories! Part 1 is going to cover Revolution Begins through Pride of the Kraul. Without any further ado, let’s get started!

Just keep in mind these are my OPINIONS. And yes, some have changed.

Also I need to remember to tag future In Today’s Magic Stories with the actual title of the story. It’ll make finding them again a lot easier...

Revolution Begins

This one had a lot to live up to, after In The Dead of Night. It was still enjoyable, but not memorable. Seeing Gonti again was a treat, as was Sram. I feel like this story was a setup to the next one, and whoo boy does it succeed in that role!

Favorite Moment:

Chandra looked at Pia, wordlessly asking whether it was time to leave...dramatically.

Least Favorite Moment:

"The notion of the progression of aether through time is vastly unexplored. I believe we could make great strides in that field. Don't you agree?" -- Mitul, idiotically suggesting time travel. Granted he wasn’t there for Time Spiral, but we know better, and we should stop him.

Burn

HOLY SHIT THIS STORY JUST BLOWS ME AWAY ON SO MANY LEVELS. I CAN’T EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE HOW GOOD IT IS. GO. READ IT YOURSELF. REREAD IT. Just be warned it contains references to suicidal thoughts. BUT THE STORY IS SO GOOD.

Favorite Moment:

If I had to choose only one, it’s Dovin Fucking Baan.

Nissa helping Chandra is still the best moment, but Dovin Baan is still a joy to read. Other honorable mentions include Liliana’s nicknames, awkward moments between Gideon and Chandra, “I blew up a museum”, The Gremlins Wedding March...

Least Favorite Moment:

If I had to nitpick something, it’s how evil Baral is. At the time I noted that Bolas would have to do something supremely evil to top it. While the Elder Dragon delivered, I just hated how much of a dick Baral was for little reason.

The Skies Over Ghirapur

Jace’s original pirate friends! Kari Zev was enjoyable to read, as was Jace trying to plan with red-aligned characters. We get to see Depala once again, and learn some Kaladeshi pirating stuffs!

Favorite Moment:

"Jace! I'm blind!" the pilot yelled. "WHAT?!" "Take the controls!"

Jaceus take the wheel! Close seconds include Kari Zev’s disturbing devotion to Ragavan and incoming Sky Whale

Least Favorite Moment

Probably how easily the Skysovereign is defeated here. It’s a minor nitpicky complaint.

Breaking Points

This was a well crafted story. Not my favorite, nor on the sheer scale Burn was, but still very well crafted. Chandra’s recovery and interaction with everyone, Liliana’s wit and banter, Gideon getting used to trusting the people aligned opposite to him on the color pie.

Favorite Moment:

"Girl's right." Liliana was reclining on a deck chair. Her eyes were shaded under a parasol. "We shouldn't miss another chance to take out Tezzeret." "I believe having your flesh scoured from your skeleton can be a very effective distraction." Liliana tilted her head, chiseling Gideon with an extremely-bored-with-your-naivete look.

Liliana, Queen of Class and Empress of Sass.

Least Favorite Moment:

Chandra seems so blase when the crew of the Heart of Kiran first feel the effects of Dovin’s sabotage. “Probably just... turbulence.” What’s a meteor then, dust in your eye???

Puppets

We get a bit of history on Liliana as well as her motivations and thoughts. Really surprising she saw development in this arc, but that means each member of the Gatewatch had their time in the spotlight, and she got to be useful with her necromancy on a plane of artifice. And hey, someone even died! Just not Tezzeret, and more’s the pity.

Favorite Moment:

The only thing that really stands out to me here is how Dominarians refer to the Nine Hells -- and Phyrexia had nine spheres. That made my day back in the day.

Least Favorite Moment:

The fight scene, oddly enough. I want to like it, but I have trouble envisioning it.

Renewal

This story made me cry. Yahenni’s penultimate party was... moving. Pia revealing she built a memorial to Chandra too... This is truly a great story, all round.

Favorite Moment:

Seeing Yahenni’s reincarnation. We hope to see you again, sweetheart!

Least Favorite Moment:

So you’re just leaving Baral in prison. Unattended. Where anyone can look for him. And free him. Also what happened to Dovin Baan? Where the hell did he go???

Impact

The first story of Amonkhet went over spectacularly. Y’know, apart from the rest of what happened there. The intro narration, looking back on it, is actually pretty reflective on their role in the grand scheme of things. The wind carried on, oblivious to their presence. Their being there is just as easily forgotten, for what they accomplished. Still just so much fun seeing the Gatewatch not as invincible vanquishing heroes, but normal people trying to figure out a situation, and the failings therin.

Favorite Moments:

The different perspectives, and everything that happened therein. We really got to see the flaws of the Gatewatch as well as their strengths, along with some hints towards the future (though we’ll get to that later).

Some highlights:

"Pop in, find a dragon, roast a dragon." -- Chandra Nalaar

Then again, I guess this is the home of a giant evil dragon who sends evil henchmen out to destroy all that’s good on other worlds with their …evilness. -- Chandra Nalaar

“I could’ve used that one, Beefslab.” – Liliana Vess.

Liliana being vored by sandwurm.

Chandra’s internal dialogue.

“Liliana” disintegrating a sandwurm from the inside out.

Nissa, paragon of strength, stabbing through the head of a sandwurm with no effort, while Beefslab needs to cut through the soft underbelly.

Least Favorite Moment:

First, going through with this concept -- not a full fledged plan but a concept -- despite all the warning signs. Second, doing so whilst hiding it from your new ally. Just -- the boneheadedness of it all!

Trust

We got some much needed character development for Gideon here. Now we understand the tie to Theros: this moment is all the more impactful. It’s just... well, I’ll get to that soon enough.

Favorite Moment:

"What are you wearing?" the aven said.

Least Favorite Moment:

I feel like this was one of the weaker stories, looking back on it. It doesn’t really do much except setup. Gideon’s story is set up. Samut’s plotline is set up, and in turn Chandra and Nissa going to find her. Liliana and Temmet are set up. There’s just not a lot that happens here. It’s fluff.

The Writing on the Wall

We get to see some Gatewatch interaction, which is nice. We’re introduced to Hapatra as well. We got lots of nice speculation to start with, and ended off with some more as well. Oh and Gideon not explaining things well at all.

Favorite Moment:

Nissa & Chandra interaction. Even if some of it was cut, it was still enjoyable to see their relationship grow.

Least Favorite Moment:

Gideon’s and Chandra’s disconnect. Okay this is more on Gideon than anyone, but still... he could have tried explaining.

Servants

God, I forgot how good this was! While it doesn’t stand out in any one particular category, it’s more of a red mage in that it’s a jack of all trades.

Favorite Moments:

Yet here you sit. Eating fruit.” – Raven Man

You thought it was Liliana who blasted that sandwurm, but it was me, Raven Man!

Liliana’s banter with Jace

Liliana using blasphemy to buy time.

Least Favorite Moment:

We don’t know what became of Temmet. I mean we can assume based on his card, but that’s all it is: assumption.

The Hand That Moves

I loved this story back in the day. So much speculation. So much tantalization. So much... muchness! And now? Well...

Favorite Moment:

The visions. We already know one of them has come true. She saw a young man, his face erased, stumbling among a garden of statues. High above the man a growing cloud of dusk attacked the sun. From somewhere outside the garden there was a mighty roar. Hello, Ixalan!

Least Favorite Moments:

The red herrings. We see Emrakul(?) talk to Nissa, but then she just buggers off. Likewise, Nissa can manipulate the gods as they are in effect Leylines, but nothing becomes of it. It’s like being given a box of soil from an elvish garden, and it never coming up until the last book. Which, to be fair, it does help, but still...

Brazen

Er... yeah, I’m gonna have to apologize on this one. I got a lot of flack for hating it when it first came out. Like vehemently hating it. Now though?

Favorite Moment:

It’s hardly the worst story, and I don’t hate it. In hindsight, I can see how masterfully everything was done. It’s a full-fledged tragedy in short story form. I appreciate it. It has my respect.

Least Favorite Moment:

No, it’s not everyone dying. It’s not even Djeru.

It’s Gideon.

Okay and Bontu too, but that’s for Part 2. Gideon gets really angry towards the end. Like, uncharacteristically angry. Granted we’ve never seen him like this before, and it’s understandable, but it’s still a shock for me.

Trespass

We learn the backstory of Samut, Nakht, and Djeru! I still like this story. It doesn’t stand out like the others in terms of magnitude, but rather for its simplicity. It’s a story about kids for one thing. For another, we get to see life growing up on a plane, which is also rare. I hope we get more stories like this. Y’know, without the death and all.

Favorite Moment:

Seeing Nakht’s magic, and the worldbuilding done here in general.

Least Favorite Moment:

I felt sad that we didn’t get to see Nakht grow up. It’s not something I dislike: I understand it, I’m just disappointed. Still, nothing a few time travel shenanigans couldn’t fix. HEY MITUL--!

Judgement

This one was also a bit weak for me. It felt like they needed to fill in the space between now and the Hours beginning.

Favorite Moments:

Samut and Hazoret’s heart-to-heart.

Okay and the obvious: Nissa was the only one doing an adequate job of fighting without magic. She had taken a few punches from the third initiate facing her, but had lifted Jace from the ground and tossed him into her opponent. Hazoret's mark shone red and vibrant on the crown of her head as she screamed a Joragan battle cry at Jace and the initiate.

Least Favorite Moment

Apart from that epic moment, the arena fight seems pointless apart from being a time-waster ‘til the Hours.

Pride of the Kraul

Oh this was a sweet distraction from the goings on at Amonkhet! Utterly delightful! Not only did we get to see a sneak-peak at the talented Vraska, but we also got to meet the Kraul, and get foreshadowing for Ravnica 3!

Favorite Moments:

Vraska & Mazirek’s interactions. We get to learn a lot about them not only as people, but as people who are oppressed and seeking something better.

Least Favorite Moment:

Sobeslav you racist cur! Treat your fellow Golgari guildmembers with more respect you utter douche! I spit on your grave!

Seriously dude was a jerk and got what was coming to him.

So that’s Part 1 of my Magic Story Recap! Did you agree with anything? Did I miss a favorite moment? Again? Stay tuned next week for Part 2!

#Magic Story #Recap #Recap 2017 #Revolution Begins #Burn #The Skies over Ghirapur #Breaking Points #Puppets #Renewal #Impact #Trust #The Writing on the Wall #Servants #The Hand That Moves #Brazen #Trespass #Judgement #Pride of the Kraul

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ion0ra · 7 years

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Brewing a standard list right now

Ok so I'm going UR control, and have a chopping block of things to put in. I'd like some input as to what to put in/take out. This includes cards I want in both mainboard and sideboard.

The list is:

Baral, Chief of Compliance Nimble Obstructionist Lookout's Dispersal Perilous Voyage Siren Stormeater Spell Pierce Spell Swindle Censor Lightning Strike Hijack Kari Zev's Expertise Countervailint Winds Crook of Condemnation

Cryptic Serpent

Enigma Drake

Crash Through Soul-Scar Mage (Forgot name) Journeyer's Kite/Maze DFC Edifice of Authority Disallow Magma Spray Negate Perpetual Timepiece Pull From Tomorrow Reduce // Rubble Dowsing Dagger Primal Amulet Sentinel Totem Sorcerous Spyglass Vanquisher's Banner And of course Spirebluff Canal

#[ ooc ]#mtg #standard #mtg standard #tiro talks

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jones-friend · 7 years

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BUDGET EDH DECKS!!!

HELLO FRIENDS!

I put together a few decks for a friend and figured I would round out the rest of them.

Below are five budget EDH decks, under $40 on the tcg player mid each. They’re made using the Aether Revolt mono color legends with multiplayer gimmicks and such in them. They all run vows, and when applicable offerings and tempts.

Rishkar

https://deckstats.net/deck-12797830-cb7c8f75b10dd6fa9a5af569daafd0d3.html

Sram

https://deckstats.net/deck-12797987-f991eba7b8fa94482449be8be32ec094.html

Yahenni

https://deckstats.net/deck-12797669-6caf15d24058f58a5702e5a55dc1cea7.html

Baral

https://deckstats.net/deck-12797691-0f86b8dbdb75d459c5c8577c2c5604f0.html

Kari Zev

https://deckstats.net/deck-12798254-be9115a0dad16e742f407e1d4bd9843a.html

#mtg #edh #commander #budget #yeen's human

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talinthas · 8 years

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On Kaladesh Pronounciations part 2- Aether Revolt legends

A lot of folks have been asking me if I’d update my pronounciation guide for the new legendary creatures in Aether Revolt. I didn’t initially because there are only five of them and I didn’t think folks would be that interested, but it turns out the names were more confusing than I thought, so here you go =)

Baral - not a real name, but phonetic rules would imply ‘buh-RAHL”.

Kari Zev- First off, best character in the block, let’s just be up front about it.

Kari rhymes with Starry, Zev has the same sound as the first syllable in beverage or levitate.

Ragavan- Rah-guhvun. emphasis on the first syllable. Best monkey.

Rishkar- rhymes with wish-car, or fish star.

Sram- this is hard, cause it’s more Cambodian or Thai style hindu name than indian. Sr is a hard sound for a lot of westerners to make as an initial sound, myself included. In north india, it would be Shr instead. but yeah, Sram is liek Spam or Slam, just with an r instead.

Yahenni- not a real word, but the way everyone seems to say it is yuh-henny.

Anway, hope that helps!

#kaladesh #mtgaer #aether revolt

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mtg-cards-hourly · 10 months

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Baral and Kari Zev

Artist: Magali Villeneuve TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

#mtg #magic the gathering #tcg #$0.22 #magali villeneuve #baral and kari zev #march of the machine #legendary #creature #human

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markrosewater · 1 year

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Hello Mark! I was playing commander the other day with Baral and Kari Zev and casted Flame of Anor and noticed that my commander wasn't a wizard and in fact not even a pirate. Baral on his own is and Kari also is a Pirate. Shouldn't part of the excitement of the flavour of partnering characters also be reflected in game mechanics of their types? There's been longer type boxes in magic before. Thank you!

For the team-ups we couldn't fit all the creature types on the type line, so we mostly left off the class creature types. "Human Wizard Pirate" wouldn't have fit, and we didn't just want to do the class type from one creature and not the other.

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mtg-realm · 8 years

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Magic: the Gathering - Aether Revolt Playmats

Here’s the Ultra PRO product line-up for Aether Revolt play mats featuring some very sweet artwork.

Magic Aether Revolt Playmats Our standard playmats are sized approximately 24" wide x 13.5" tall, and made with a premium fabric top for a smooth, protective playing surface. The back of the playmats are lined with non-slip, textured rubber material for added grip and padding. The Aether Revolt release will offer six designs: • Baral, Chief of Compliance • Kari Zev, Skyship Raider • Rishkar, Peema Renegade • Sram, Senior Edificer • Freejam Regent

Aether Revolt 6ft and 8ft Playmat for Magic: the Gathering Six foot and Eight foot Table Playmats with premium fabric top to prevent damage to cards during game play. Dimensions are approximately 72" X 30" or 96" X 30". Rubber backing lets the playmat lay flat and prevents the mat from shifting during use. Features Battle for Zendikar release artwork.

#mtg #mtg realm #magic the gathering #ultra PRO #Aether Revolt #play mat #Gaming Accessories #art #Illustration

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doctor-roman · 8 years

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Praise be to @bace-jeleren and her powers of blessings.

Here’s what a box and bundle got me

1x Mechanized Production 1x Lightning Runner 1x Tezzeret, the Schemer 1x Ajani Unyielding 1x Heart of Kiran 1x Paradox Engine 1x Planar Bridge 1x ((FOIL!!)) Aethergeode Miner 1x ((FOIL!!)) Yahenni, Undying Partisan 1x Aethergeode Miner 1x Call for Unity 1x Consulate Crackdown 1x Solemn Recruit 1x Baral, Chief of Compliance 1x Disallow 2x Quicksmith Spy 1x Whir of Invention 2x Midnight Entourage 1x Secret Salvage 1x Yahenni’s Expertise 1x Yahenni, Undying Partisan 1x Kari Zev’s Expertise 1x Kari Zev, Skyship Raider 1x Freejam Regent 1x Pia’s Revolution 1x Quicksmith Rebel 3x Release the Gremlins 1x Greenbelt Rampager 1x Heroic Intervention 1x Rishkar’s Expertise 1x Dark Intimations 2x Aethersphere Harvester 3x Lifecrafter’s Bestiary 2x Merchant’s Dockhand 1x Metallic Mimic 1x Peacewalker Colossus 1x Scrap Trawler 1x Walling Ballista 1x Spire of Industry

Overall, I’m very happy with my pulls. I could have gone with a few less multiples, but eh, I won’t complain.

Honestly, between the foil Yahenni, AND Ajani, AND Tezzeret, those alone made it all worth it.

I also got two Fatal Pushes, and will probably order a few more later on.

Another card that I got that I’m excited to use is Treasure Keeper in Gisa. Just need to go through my deck and see how many cards I have that cost two or less.

Other than that, I played a couple games with @exploding-catnip-pouches using cards we pulled for the decks, and I saw just how much work Lifecrafter’s Bestiary can do. Going into Sigarda for sure.

Speaking of Catnip, he predicted the exact pack Ajani was in, and I fear him.

#mtg

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commandertheory · 8 years

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Aether Revolt Commander Set Review

For each new set, I write an article discussing the new legendary creatures and the nonlegendary cards that I think will be relevant in Commander.

The Set Overall

I think Aether Revolt is a great set for Commander. Most of the legends are playable (and a few are quite powerful), there are a lot of cards for niche archetypes, and the artifact decks got a ton of support. Considering that Standard sets are not designed with Commander in mind, I think we made out like bandits.

Also, Paradox Engine is the most broken card to see print in the last few years.

The Commanders

He may seem like he’s just a value commander, but the best version of Sram is probably the Equipment combo deck. There are so many 0-1 CMC equipment (like, more than 50) that it’s not particularly difficult to cast a dozen or more of them in a turn (it helps if you’ve got cost reduction effects and some additional card draw). Once you’ve dumped a few dozen equipment onto the field, you can just slap them onto Sram (with a little help on the equip costs from Puresteel or Sigarda) and swing for a ton of Commander damage. Here’s the list I’ve been playing with:

Sram Equipment Combo

Baral is quite good in Azami and Talrand, but I think he’s even better in the command zone. My first take on Baral was a pretty passive draw-go list, but a clever reader suggested High Tide combo and the resulting deck I made is pretty damn solid. Baral can save you a dozen or more mana over the course of a High Tide turn, greatly improving your odds of comboing off. Here’s the list I’ve been playing with:

Baral High Tide Combo

Haste and the ability to protect one’s self are key qualifications for a strong Voltron commander (a low CMC is another), so Yahenni fits neatly into that archetype. In addition, their sacrifice ability gives you much more room to build around them than similar monoblack Voltron commanders (Grave Pact effects and/or Dawn of the Dead/Corpse Dance seem like good places to start). Here’s a (rough) list to get you started:

Yahenni, Undying Partisan

This is not a card for Commander. I say this because it seems as though Kari was specifically designed to keep you from doing cool things with her. Exiling the token at end of combat prevents you from clamping it or building up a token army, and her attack trigger doesn’t play very nicely with extra combat steps, either.

In addition to being a great addition to various +1/+1 counter decks, Rishkar is a strong commander that turns random value creatures into mana dorks. A list:

Rishkar, Peema Renegade

There are only a handful of ways to repeatedly recur this dude in monobrown, so I think you’re better off trying to figure out how to win with Commander damage than you are trying to Silence everyone for the rest of the game. Cheap, evasive bodies are exactly what Voltron decks are looking for, and no other colorless commander comes down as quickly as Hope.

The Maindeck Cards

In this set review, I’ll be using two five-point rating scales to evaluate the nonlegendary cards, one that measures how many decks a card is playable in (we’ll call that “spread”), and one that measures how powerful it is in those decks (”power”). Here’s a brief rundown of what each rank on the two scales means:

Spread

1: This card is effective in one or two decks, but no more (ex: The Gitrog Monster). 2: This card is effective in one deck archetype (ex: self-mill decks). 3: A lot of decks will be able to use this card effectively (ex: decks with graveyard interactions). 4: This card is effective in most decks in this color. 5: Every deck in this color is able to use this card effectively.

Power

1: This card is always going to be on the chopping block. 2: This card is unlikely to consistently perform well. 3: This card provides good utility but is not a powerhouse. 4: This card is good enough to push you ahead of your opponents. 5: This card has a huge impact on the game.

Spread: 4

Power: 2

Getting revolt and only being able to target tapped creatures are not insignificant restrictions, but White has basically zero ETB creatures that just straight-up kill stuff, so I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Note that she is Sun Titan- and Recruiter-compliant and that she’s a playable Dwarf for Depala.

Spread: 4

Power: 1

Using her fairly seems like a terrible idea, since she requires you to let somebody else kill you (which could obviously backfire horribly if anyone has a removal spell). She could be interesting if you’re trying to dig really deep with Necropotence or Hate someone to death, but Resolute Archangel seems like a safer bet (and you actually get to keep your angel).

Spread: 1

Power: 2

This one is a little speculative, since I’m not sure exactly what deck it fits into. However, White sources of card advantage are usually worth scrutinizing, and small bodies are relatively easy for White to recur.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

An auto-include in Jor Kadeen that I believe has potential in other White token builds. Three bodies for four is not a terrible rate, and when you factor in the mana generated by this card, you’re actually paying quite a bit less than that.

Spread: 5

Power: 3

The jump between 2 CMC counterspells and 3 CMC counterspells is a big deal, but so is the added flexibility of a Stifle. Any deck running a lot of counters is going to be happy to add this to its suite.

Spread: 1

Power: 1

This will work about 30% of the time when you play it in your Breya tribal Thopter list.

Spread: 1

Power: 3

This is actually pretty legit as a way to draw more cards in Paradox Engine combo decks. Not sure other decks will be able to get enough value out of it to justify its inclusion.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

I think that you probably shouldn’t run Trophy Mage if your game plan is to grab Worn Powerstone or Coalition Relic or something. If, however, you’re running combo pieces that happen to be CMC 3, the Mage will do good work.

Spread: 3

Power: 3

The initial testing I’ve done with this card has shown me that Improvise is significantly worse than Convoke since you’re not likely to be running a bunch of artifacts that don’t already tap for mana. While you could typically count on Chord of Calling costing 2ish mana less than what’s printed on the card, you should expect that Whir of Invention will not be discounted during most games (unless your deck has a bunch of artifact tokens for some reason). The card is somewhere between Transmute Artifact and Reshape in power level, and I don’t think it’s correct to run it unless you’ve got artifacts that will win you the game (whether by themselves or as part of a combo).

Spread: 1

Power: 1

This is not a Dark Confidant, and I don’t think the energy deck is a real thing in Commander. You should probably view this as a worse Pain Seer.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

Not really sure what deck this is for. Kaalia can do much more powerful things than trading Signets for Disfigures or taking a card from each opponent and I doubt the Black artifact decks are interested in a sac outlet that costs 7ish mana.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

If your metagame tends towards low mana curves with lots of mana dorks and small utility creatures, there’s a reasonable chance that this will be a 1-mana board wipe.

Spread: 1

Power: 3

I think this could be good in something like Purphoros, where you have a ton of tokens to feed to it and more creatures entering the battlefield on your side is exactly what you want to be doing.

Spread: 1

Power: 2

Some Zada decks run Fists of the Anvil, and this is strictly better.

Spread: 1

Power: 3

I think Kari Zev’s Expertise could be pretty sweet in a Zada deck. Giving all your dudes haste is marginal but casting a million cheap spells for free seems perfect for the deck, since Zada can have a little trouble generating enough mana while she’s going off.

Spread: 4

Power: 2

I’d probably play this if it was colorshifted to White, but Red has a lot of strong competitors when it comes to artifact destruction (Vandalblast, Shattering Spree, Rack and Ruin, etc.). I think Purphoros might like it, since both halves of the card are useful in that deck, but most other lists can skip it.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

This seems like a solid addition to any Elfball-ish deck that has a lot of mana and is always looking for gas. For example, that Rishkar list I posted earlier.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

I think this is a pretty reasonable card to play in +1/+1 counter aggro decks that just want to turn on their Oona’s Blackguard or get value off of their Hardened Scales.

Spread: 2

Power: 4

I’m actually a big fan of these kinds of cards in fatty-heavy Green builds that are looking for ways to restock their hands. Rishkar’s Expertise is only slightly more expensive than most of these effects, and it’s likely to refund most of that mana when it resolves.

Spread: 4

Power: 2

Green/White decks to be permanent-based, so the +2 is pretty likely to hit and obviously the -2 is almost always going to be relevant. The main question is whether he’s worth six mana, and I believe the answer is no for most decks. The one deck where I think he could be above average is Planeswalker control. Generating card advantage and killing creatures are the most important abilities for a planeswalker to have in that deck, so Ajani should be right at home.

Spread: 5

Power:1

Seems super low impact compared to other cards in these colors. Compare with Capital Punishment.

Spread: 4

Power: 3

Cards that synergize with other good cards tend to be good themselves, and this guy is no exception. Green/White has a ton of spicy (and cheap) permanents that tend to draw removal, so there are always going to be solid targets for recursion. It’s also worth mentioning that he goes infinite with a sac outlet and Saffi Eriksdotter or Angelic Renewal. In fact, if you’ve got a Sterling Grove and a little time, you can sac Sterling Grove on your upkeep to put Greater Good on top of your library, draw it, then cast Rallier to reanimate the Grove. Sac the Grove again to put Angelic Renewal on top, then cast Greater Good and sacrifice any creature other than Rallier to draw the Renewal off the top. Cast Renewal, then Sacrifice Rallier to Greater Good, looting for three. Angelic Renewal returns Rallier, which returns Renewal. Repeat until you’ve dug through your entire deck for a win condition sac outlet.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

While I do like the -2, the +1 is not impactful enough to make me want to use it and the ultimate is pretty terrible. Black has so many better options for removal that you don’t need to waste your time with this slow, expensive, narrow, situational card.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

It’s basically a second copy of Hardened Scales for the decks that want it. It’s a little worse against infect, but that’s whatever since the infect decks are already so lethal to begin with.

Spread: 1

Power: 1

Not only am I pretty confident that the energy deck doesn’t exist in Commander, but even if it did it would probably involve Blue, and I can’t imagine running this over one of Blue’s many Time Warp effects.

Spread: 1

Power: 2

The only lists I can think of that have enough non-mana rock artifacts and non-artifact spells to use this card tend to specialize in either artifact tokens, Vehicles, or Equipment. In artifact token or Vehicle decks, you’d almost always rather be attacking with your tokens/Vehicles. This might do something in the latter archetype.

Spread: 1

Power: 2

I don’t think this is good enough for most tribal decks, but it can generate free counters in Ghave.

Spread: 2

Power: 5

Best card in the set, and it’s not close.

Your deck has to be heavily invested in either mana rocks or mana dorks for this card to be effective, but if you’re in one of those camps then you’ll find it to be quite absurd. Once you have Paradox Engine and 3+ mana worth of rocks/dorks, you’ll find that every spell you cast is either free or it actually nets you mana, so you can just chain card draw spells and dig through your deck until you hit a win condition. It’s such a strong engine that it’s worth it to build an entire deck around tutoring it out, because the upside is enormous. This card will also change up the order in which Arcum Dagsson tutors for stuff, since it untap your Myr Turbine and your Arcum to net an additional tutor with every spell you cast.

Here’s a list built around Paradox Engine:

Nin Artifact Combo

Note that the deck doesn’t even have access to Black’s tutors, which means the ceiling on the Engine is even higher than the frequent T5 kills that list represents.

Spread: 1

Power: 2

Depala is the only deck so heavily invested in Vehicles that it could make use of this effect. I like the idea of limiting the amount of creatures you keep on the board in your Vehicle deck so that you can exploit Vehicle’s immunity to board wipes, and this card does a good job of enabling that strategy.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

Most colors have better ways of finding their win conditions, so I think it’s safe to say this is only likely to be good in Monored or Monobrown artifact ramp decks. It’s obviously absurdly expensive, but you’re probably going to be in a good position if you can fire it off even once, seeing as you can just grab a Blightsteel or an Eldrazi or something.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

This card is super hard to evaluate, so take those numbers with a grain of salt. It seems great in sacrifice-oriented artifact builds like Daretti or Breya, but I’m not quite sure how good it is if you’re playing an artifact deck that has less control over when things hit the graveyard.

Spread: 1

Power: 2

I’m always on the lookout for artifact creatures that generate value because I think artifact reanimation needs more solid targets to be truly good. Esper artifact decks probably have better things to do than try to cascade into value, but I think this guy could be playable in Daretti.

Spread: 1

Power: 2

If Mox Opal is good in your deck, I give you permission to run this card.

Wrapping Up

Please let me know if there are any cards you think I missed or if you think I evaluated any of these cards incorrectly. Thanks for reading!

#spoilers #set review #aether revolt

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