Dissension Review
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Spoiler - Dissension
White
Card Name: Aurora Eidolon
Cost: 3W
Type: Creature — Spirit
Pow/Tgh: 2/2
Rules Text: W, Sacrifice Aurora Eidolon: Prevent the next 3 damage
that would be dealt to target creature or player this
turn.
Whenever you play a multicolored spell, you may return
Aurora Eidolon from your graveyard to your hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
As a creature it’s pretty awful, more than two mana above the curve. The sacrifice ability is not particularly great, and there aren’t enough worthwhile multicolored spells in white to make the Aurora Eidolon a good choice.
Card Name: Beacon Hawk
Cost: 1W
Type: Creature — Bird
Pow/Tgh: 1/1
Rules Text: Flying
Whenever Beacon Hawk deals combat damage to a player,
you may untap target creature.
W: Beacon Hawk gets +0/+1 until end of turn.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
I can conceive of situations in which the Beacon Hawk is worthwhile: you can tap Mother of Runes to make the Hawk unblockable, then untap the Mother of Runes and use it on defense, for example. Unfortunately, I don’t think there are enough useful tapping creatures to justify playing the Hawk over other white two-drops.
Card Name: Carom
Cost: 1W
Type: Instant
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: The next 1 damage that would be dealt to target creature
this turn is dealt to another target creature instead.
Draw a card.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
In the right situations, Carom is a three for one, and in the worst situations it cycles. Vulshok Sorcerer and Sparksmith are both good sideboard cards against White Weenie, and it’s possible that Carom is a good sideboard choice against IsoBurn, Goblins, and so on in order to counteract their sideboard strategies.
Card Name: Freewind Equenaut
Cost: 2W
Type: Creature — Human Archer
Pow/Tgh: 2/2
Rules Text: Flying
As long as Freewind Equenaut is enchanted, it has “T:
Freewind Equenaut deals 2 damage to target attacking
or blocking creature.”
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
The ability is pretty much worthless, since it necessitates a creature enchantment and an opponent’s attacking or blocking creatures, so this is a 2/2 Flyer for 3. It’s not crazy, but I think that Thermal Glider is generally better.
Card Name: Guardian of the Guildpact
Cost: 3W
Type: Creature — Spirit
Pow/Tgh: 2/3
Rules Text: Protection from monocolored
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
There’s so little multicolored stuff in the format that this is pretty close to unblockable and untargetable. Its only nemesis is Mishra’s Factory (which is exactly the right size to block it). At 4 mana, it’s not a ridiculous finisher for a control deck. For bonus fun, play this with a Tallowisp in play and fetch Armadillo Cloak.
Card Name: Haazda Exonerator
Cost: W
Type: Creature — Human Cleric
Pow/Tgh: 1/1
Rules Text: T, Sacrifice Haazda Exonerator: Destroy target Aura.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
There are a handful of solid Auras, but not enough to justify this one drop.
Card Name: Soulsworn Jury
Cost: 2W
Type: Creature — Spirit
Pow/Tgh: 1/4
Rules Text: Defender (This creature can’t attack.)
1U, Sacrifice Soulsworn Jury: Counter target creature
spell.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
This strikes me as really good in matchups the revolve around creatures without evasion. On turn three, it’s likely to be big enough to block any potential attacker without taking lethal damage, and when your opponent casts a bigger creature it can trade if you have mana up. I think that this is viable, at least as a sideboard card, in UW control.
Card Name: Steeling Stance
Cost: 1WW
Type: Instant
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn.
Forecast — W, Reveal Steeling Stance from your hand:
Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn. (Play
this ability only during your upkeep and only once
each turn.)
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
“Overrun” White-Weenie might be the optimal way of building the deck, but I think that other Army of Allah effects are stronger.
Card Name: Valor Made Real
Cost: W
Type: Instant
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Target creature can block any number of creatures this
turn.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
This will almost always be worse than Fog.
Blue
Card Name: Enigma Eidolon
Cost: 3U
Type: Creature — Spirit
Pow/Tgh: 2/2
Rules Text: U, Sacrifice Enigma Eidolon: Target player puts the
top three cards of his or her library into his or her
graveyard.
Whenever you play a multicolored spell, you may return
Enigma Eidolon from your graveyard to your hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Again, its creature-ness and activated ability are pretty awful. If this is playable, it’s for the triggered recursion ability. If you’re looking for blank cards I think you could do better.
Card Name: Helium Squirter
Cost: 4U
Type: Creature — Beast Mutant
Pow/Tgh: 0/0
Rules Text: Graft 3 (This creature comes into play with three +1/+1
counters on it. Whenever another creature comes into
play, you may move a +1/+1 counter from this creature
onto it.)
1: Target creature with a +1/+1 counter on it gains
flying until end of turn.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Five mana is too much for three points of power, even if it made your entire team unblockable for free.
Card Name: Ocular Halo
Cost: 3U
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has “T: Draw a card.”
W: Enchanted creature gains vigilance until end of
turn.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
I’m pretty sure most of the tricks you can do with this and tons of mana are better – or at least comparable – with Psionic Gift. If you haven’t seen the Psionic Gift deck, you’re unlikely to see the Ocular Halo deck.
Card Name: Silkwing Scout
Cost: 2U
Type: Creature — Faerie Scout
Pow/Tgh: 2/1
Rules Text: Flying
G, Sacrifice Silkwing Scout: Search your library for
a basic land card and put that card into play tapped.
Then shuffle your library.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Silkwing Scout draws immediate comparison to Sakura-Tribe Elder. The Scout is a lot more expensive to use right away as a land-fetching spell, and suffers particularly for requiring two colors of mana. It’s much harder to support Silkwing Scout than it is to support STE. That said, it’s a lot easier to get card advantage from a creature with two power, and Silkwing Scout doubles as an aggressive creature much more usefully than Sakura Tribe Elder. I think Silkwing Scout will be a reasonable choice in UG, although it won’t be anything like a staple.
Card Name: Vision Skeins
Cost: 1U
Type: Instant
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Each player draws two cards.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
When is this better than Words of Wisdom?
Okay, and how often does that happen?
Exactly!
Card Name: Writ of Passage
Cost: U
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature attacks, if its power is
2 or less, it’s unblockable this turn.
Forecast — 1U, Reveal Writ of Passage from your hand:
Target creature with power 2 or less is unblockable
this turn. (Play this ability only during your upkeep
and only once each turn.)
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Against an opponent with no removal, this is great on a Ninja of Deep Hours or an Ophidian. Even if they have removal it’s a solid Forecast ability. It’s the sort of borderline playable card that’s the best in the format at doing something that isn’t quite worth doing.
Black
Card Name: Delirium Skeins
Cost: 2B
Type: Sorcery
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Each player discards three cards.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Three cards is a lot. If you have any kind of board advantage and can empty both players’ hands, it’s pretty close to game. I’m pretty sure this is significantly worse than Hymn to Tourach (except in the rare situations where it’s your last card in hand and your opponent has exactly three cards in hand, or situations where you want to get rid of cards in hand) and so I think it’s more interesting as a potential splash, particularly against Tides. I’m pretty sure, though, that around the time you’ll cast this Tides will have more than three cards in hand, and its vulnerability to Disrupt makes me think that Mesmeric Fiend is probably a better anti-Tides splash discard spell.
Card Name: Demon’s Jester
Cost: 3B
Type: Creature — Imp
Pow/Tgh: 2/2
Rules Text: Flying
Hellbent — Demon’s Jester gets +2/+1 as long as you
have no cards in hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
A 4/3 Flyer for 3B is nothing to sneeze at, but it’s still a little expensive, especially since at three toughness it’s vulnerable to Lightning Bolt and Incinerate. When an opponent can also deal with it with Shock (or an unpowered Kindle or Pyrite Spellbomb or whatever) during your upkeep, it just looks a little too fragile. When it takes a special (though far from impossible) set of circumstances to even get that fragile creature, it seems like Demon’s Jester is cute but not good enough.
Card Name: Enemy of the Guildpact
Cost: 4B
Type: Creature — Spirit
Pow/Tgh: 4/2
Rules Text: Protection from multicolored
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
This is close to strictly worse than Giant Cockroach.
Card Name: Entropic Eidolon
Cost: 3B
Type: Creature — Spirit
Pow/Tgh: 2/2
Rules Text: B, Sacrifice Entropic Eidolon: Target player loses
1 life and you gain 1 life.
Whenever you play a multicolored spell, you may return
Entropic Eidolon from your graveyard to your hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
It’s possible that the black or green Eidolon belong in some sort of GB Tortured Existence deck with Shambling Shell. It’s definitely worth testing, since GB Tortured Existence is a solid deck, but I think the Eidolon’s are probably “win more” cards in the one deck that could justify playing with them.
Card Name: Macabre Waltz
Cost: 1B
Type: Sorcery
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Return up to two target creature cards from your graveyard
to your hand, then discard a card.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
That art is creepy! I think there are better choices, since Macabre Waltz is pretty mediocre in the early game when you don’t have many creatures in the graveyard and will frequently be a pretty mediocre topdeck. By the time it’s good you probably have enough mana to play
Card Name: Nettling Curse
Cost: 2B
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature attacks or blocks, its
controller loses 3 life.
1R: Enchanted creature attacks this turn if able.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Without the Red ability, it’s almost strictly worse than Pacifism in a color that has better removal. With the ability, it’s likely to be an expensive way to deal damage to an opponent and to yourself at the same time.
Card Name: Slaughterhouse Bouncer
Cost: 4B
Type: Creature — Ogre Warrior
Pow/Tgh: 3/3
Rules Text: Hellbent — When Slaughterhouse Bouncer is put into
a graveyard from play, if you have no cards in hand,
target creature gets -3/-3 until end of turn.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Hellbent isn’t a very useful ability on a control card. In this case, you have to hit 5 mana, empty your hand, and have your opponent’s creatures matter. It’s too hard.
Card Name: Vesper Ghoul
Cost: 2B
Type: Creature — Zombie Druid
Pow/Tgh: 1/1
Rules Text: T, Pay 1 life: Add one mana of any color to your mana
pool.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
It’s too much mana to make a good accelerant. It’s better as a mana fixer, but even then three mana is too much. By the time Vesper Ghoul has an effect on the game, several other decks are winning the game.
Red
Card Name: Cackling Flames
Cost: 3R
Type: Instant
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Cackling Flames deals 3 damage to target creature or
player.
Hellbent — Cackling Flames deals 5 damage to that creature
or player instead if you have no cards in hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Five damage is a lot, but so is four mana. I think this is a better finisher in IsoBurn than Fireball, but I still don’t think it makes the cut.
Card Name: Kill-Suit Cultist
Cost: R
Type: Creature — Goblin Berserker
Pow/Tgh: 1/1
Rules Text: Kill-Suit Cultist attacks each turn if able.
B, Sacrifice Kill-Suit Cultist: The next time damage
would be dealt to target creature this turn, destroy
that creature instead.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
There are too many good cards for R (or B) to justify the Cultist.
Card Name: Ogre Gatecrasher
Cost: 3R
Type: Creature — Ogre Rogue
Pow/Tgh: 3/3
Rules Text: When Ogre Gatecrasher comes into play, destroy target
creature with defender.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
There aren’t enough good, common walls for the Gatecrasher to ruin.
Card Name: Psychotic Fury
Cost: 1R
Type: Instant
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Target multicolored creature gains double strike until
end of turn.
Draw a card.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Psychotic Fury seems like a card to build a deck around, or at least to dramatically influence a deck’s design. If you have plenty of multicolored creatures, Psychotic Fury is great. It cycles for 1R, or it’s a cantrip combat trick to either kill an opponent’s creature (because it effectively doubles a creature’s power) or save your own (since Double Strike incorporates First Strike), or it’s a finisher that deals a ton of damage (and, while it’s at it, it draws a card). The issue is having enough multicolored creatures around. My first instinct is to look to green, which also provides Giant Growth and similar cards. It’s also possible that Psychotic Fury belongs in a Wee Dragonauts deck or even in Psychatog.
Card Name: Sandstorm Eidolon
Cost: 3R
Type: Creature — Spirit
Pow/Tgh: 2/2
Rules Text: R, Sacrifice Sandstorm Eidolon: Target creature can’t
block this turn.
Whenever you play a multicolored spell, you may return
Sandstorm Eidolon from your graveyard to your hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
See the other Eidolons.
Card Name: Taste for Mayhem
Cost: R
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+0.
Hellbent — Enchanted creature gets an additional +2/+0
as long as you have no cards in hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Four power is a lot, especially for 1 mana, but too many things can go wrong for Taste for Mayhem to be worthwhile.
Card Name: Utvara Scalper
Cost: 1R
Type: Creature — Goblin Scout
Pow/Tgh: 1/2
Rules Text: Flying
Utvara Scalper attacks each turn if able.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
It’s a flying Goblin. But no.
Card Name: Whiptail Moloch
Cost: 4R
Type: Creature — Lizard
Pow/Tgh: 6/3
Rules Text: When Whiptail Moloch comes into play, it deals 3 damage
to target creature you control.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
There’s a huge difference in the format between 3 toughness and 4. This is easy to dismiss at three toughness, since it would be barely playable without the big disadvantage.
Green
Card Name: Cytospawn Shambler
Cost: 6G
Type: Creature — Elemental Mutant
Pow/Tgh: 0/0
Rules Text: Graft 6 (This creature comes into play with six +1/+1
counters on it. Whenever another creature comes into
play, you may move a +1/+1 counter from this creature
onto it.)
G: Target creature with a +1/+1 counter on it gains
trample until end of turn.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
It’s nice and big, but it’s too expensive. It’s pretty hard to justify over Krosan Tusker.
Card Name: Simic Initiate
Cost: G
Type: Creature — Human Mutant
Pow/Tgh: 0/0
Rules Text: Graft 1 (This creature comes into play with a +1/+1
counter on it. Whenever another creature comes into
play, you may move a +1/+1 counter from this creature
onto it.)
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
I don’t think the ability to put more eggs into your baskets is that helpful.
Card Name: Simic Ragworm
Cost: 3G
Type: Creature — Worm
Pow/Tgh: 3/3
Rules Text: U: Untap Simic Ragworm.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
In general, Horseshoe Crab is going to be a smarter choice since it biases your deck towards blue, which matches the activated ability.
Card Name: Sporeback Troll
Cost: 3G
Type: Creature — Troll Mutant
Pow/Tgh: 0/0
Rules Text: Graft 2 (This creature comes into play with two +1/+1
counters on it. Whenever another creature comes into
play, you may move a +1/+1 counter from this creature
onto it.)
1G: Regenerate target creature with a +1/+1 counter
on it.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Four mana is too much for two points of power.
Card Name: Street Savvy
Cost: G
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +0/+2 and can block creatures
with landwalk abilities as though they didn’t have
those abilities.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
The format includes very little land-walking, so this is really two toughness for a card and one mana. That seems worse than, say, Holy Strength, which is hardly defining the format.
Card Name: Utopia Sprawl
Cost: G
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Enchant Forest
As Utopia Sprawl comes into play, choose a color.
Whenever enchanted Forest is tapped for mana, its controller
adds one mana of the chosen color to his or her mana
pool.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
To support Utopia Sprawl, you need plenty of Forests and also a desire for non-green mana (since, otherwise, this is just a worse Wild Growth). You also really want to be two colors, since otherwise Utopia Sprawl is not going to get you your colors. Finally, Utopia Sprawl makes the “Karoos” significantly worse and it also makes your deck more vulnerable to land destruction and bounce. With all those problems, it’s hard to see Utopia Sprawl as seeing significant play.
Card Name: Verdant Eidolon
Cost: 3G
Type: Creature — Spirit
Pow/Tgh: 2/2
Rules Text: G, Sacrifice Verdant Eidolon: Add three mana of any
one color to your mana pool.
Whenever you play a multicolored spell, you may return
Verdant Eidolon from your graveyard to your hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Again, see the other Eidolons, particularly the black one. It seems like Verdant Eidolon has the most useful ability and has synergy with Tortured Existence so it’s the most likely to see play.
Multicolor
Card Name: Assault Zeppelid
Cost: 2GU
Type: Creature — Beast
Pow/Tgh: 3/3
Rules Text: Flying, trample
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Flying and Trample are not very synergistic, and the cost/mana ratio is significantly worse than Gaea’s Skyfolk, so I don’t see the Zeppelid as being strong.
Card Name: Azorius First-Wing
Cost: WU
Type: Creature — Griffin
Pow/Tgh: 2/2
Rules Text: Flying, protection from enchantments
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Protection for Enchantments is a mixed blessing, since I’d be inclined to run Empyrial Armor in WU agro. The card Azorius First-Wing is most likely to dodge is . . . Pestilence!
Card Name: Coiling Oracle
Cost: GU
Type: Creature — Snake Elf Druid
Pow/Tgh: 1/1
Rules Text: When Coiling Oracle comes into play, reveal the top
card of your library. If it’s a land card, put it into
play. Otherwise, put that card into your hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
I really want this to be good, but Sakura-Tribe Elder is almost certainly better. Even without considering the mana cost, definitely getting an extra basic land of your choice is much better in the early game than a land or a card draw, depending on what’s on top of your deck. When you factor in the mana costs, Sakura-Tribe Elder takes an even bigger lead in the early game. In the late game, Coiling Oracle is better than Sakura-Tribe Elder, but not by a lot.
Card Name: Gobhobbler Rats
Cost: BR
Type: Creature — Rat
Pow/Tgh: 2/2
Rules Text: Hellbent — Gobhobbler Rats gets +1/+0 and has “B: Regenerate
Gobhobbler Rats” as long as you have no cards in hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Without Hellbent, Gobhobbler Rats is marginally below the curve. If you can achieve Hellbent, the Rats are significantly above the curve. It’s going to be hard in PEZ to achieve Hellbent in a two-color deck, so I don’t see the Rats being that successful.
Card Name: Minister of Impediments
Cost: 2(w/u)
Type: Creature — Human Advisor
Pow/Tgh: 1/1
Rules Text: ((W/U) can be paid with either W or U.)
T: Tap target creature.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
It doesn’t require any turn-to-turn mana investment, so it might not be unreasonable, but there aren’t many decks that can’t deal with a 1/1, especially one that doesn’t come online until turn 4. It’s a possible sideboard card against Affinity.
Card Name: Overrule
Cost: XWU
Type: Instant
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Counter target spell unless its controller pays X.
You gain X life.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Here’s how a match between Mono-U control and IsoBurn plays out: in the early game, IsoBurn lays lands and casts Lightning Bolts, a couple of which Mono-U counters. Mono-U hits about 5 mana around the time IsoBurn hits 0 cards in hand, and at about 8 life. Both decks draw cards for a few turns, and then IsoBurn casts 5 or six Burn spells during Mono-U’s endstep, one or two of which resolve. If necessary, the two decks repeat these last steps and IsoBurn does the last few damage. Overrule would be great in this matchup, since, say, five life makes a huge difference. On the other hand, Faith’s Fetters might be just as good since it deals with an Isochron Scepter or a Mishra’s Factory and gains 4 life at the same time.
Card Name: Plumes of Peace
Cost: 1WU
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Enchant creature
Enchanted creature doesn’t untap during its controller’s
untap step.
Forecast — WU, Reveal Plumes of Peace from your hand:
Tap target creature. (Play this ability only during
your upkeep and only once each turn.)
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Until you hit 5 mana, the Forecast ability is unlikely to be useful since it really only prevents blocking. At 5 mana, Plumes of Peace can neutralize an untapped creature, which may be useful. I think I’d rarely prefer this to Faith’s Fetters, though.
Card Name: Rakdos Ickspitter
Cost: 1BR
Type: Creature — Thrull
Pow/Tgh: 1/1
Rules Text: T: Rakdos Ickspitter deals 1 damage to target creature
and that creature’s controller loses 1 life.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
This isn’t awful, but this sort of RB control deck isn’t struggling for win conditions, so the one life loss isn’t a big deal. I think Vulshok Sorcerer is probably better.
Card Name: Riot Spikes
Cost: (b/r)
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: ((B/R) can be paid with either B or R.)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/-1.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Riot Spikes trades power for versatility. Sometimes, you really need to put two power onto the board (with haste, as well!) Sometimes, you really need to remove a troublesome creature. Riot Spikes fills in either of these needs for one mana! Unfortunately, those two points of power are in the form of a creature enchantment (or Aura), and an enchantment that makes creatures even more fragile. And that removal spell is at Sorcery speed and only effects creatures with one toughness. As a rule, flexibility is worse than power (unless it’s a lot of flexibility for a little power), and I don’t think Riot Spikes is an exception.
Card Name: Shielding Plax
Cost: 2(g/u)
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: ((G/U) can be paid with either G or U.)
Enchant creature
When Shielding Plax comes into play, draw a card.
Enchanted creature can’t be the target of spells or
abilities your opponents control.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Shielding Plax requires a lot of mana without having any immediate impact on the board. The effect can be very powerful in very narrow circumstances, since it requires that your opponent have creature removal and not have creature removal (or mana) right now. I don’t think it’s quite good enough.
Card Name: Vigean Hydropon
Cost: 1GU
Type: Creature — Plant Mutant
Pow/Tgh: 0/0
Rules Text: Graft 5 (This creature comes into play with five +1/+1
counters on it. Whenever another creature comes into
play, you may move a +1/+1 counter from this creature
onto it.)
Vigean Hydropon can’t attack or block.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
If the common Graft cards were good then Vigean Hydropon might also be good as a way of enabling them. Since they aren’t that great, Vigean Hydropon just makes your next 5 creatures slightly bigger. That’s not crazy, especially in a near mirror, but it isn’t good enough.
Card Name: Wrecking Ball
Cost: 2BR
Type: Instant
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Destroy target creature or land.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
I think this is worse than Terminate, which isn’t seeing much play but might be more viable now that there’s a B/R Karoo. That said, the Karoos make land destruction much more viable, both since it can produce a major tempo advantage and because it’s especially good against multicolor decks.
Artifacts
Card Name: Azorius Signet
Cost: 2
Type: Artifact
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: 1, T: Add WU to your mana pool.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Card Name: Rakdos Signet
Cost: 2
Type: Artifact
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: 1, T: Add BR to your mana pool.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Card Name: Simic Signet
Cost: 2
Type: Artifact
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: 1, T: Add GU to your mana pool.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
The Signets are hard to run, mostly because they “turn on” opponents’ artifact destruction in decks that otherwise lack it. Many of the format’s best decks are hurt by artifact destruction and so there’s good reason to maindeck it. If your deck isn’t hurt by artifact destruction it’s tough to justify running Signets.
Lands
Card Name: Azorius Chancery
Cost:
Type: Land
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Azorius Chancery comes into play tapped.
When Azorius Chancery comes into play, return a land
you control to its owner’s hand.
T: Add WU to your mana pool.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Card Name: Rakdos Carnarium
Cost:
Type: Land
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Rakdos Carnarium comes into play tapped.
When Rakdos Carnarium comes into play, return a land
you control to its owner’s hand.
T: Add BR to your mana pool.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Card Name: Simic Growth Chamber
Cost:
Type: Land
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Simic Growth Chamber comes into play tapped.
When Simic Growth Chamber comes into play, return a
land you control to its owner’s hand.
T: Add GU to your mana pool.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
I really like the Karoos. A Karoo and a Lotus Petal is tempo and card neutral, so it’s actually not crazy to run them in aggro decks. Contrary to my first impressions, they’re actually not that great in base-blue control decks, since they cost one mana if you play them and return a tapped land but cost two mana if you play them and return an untapped land. They’re best in “board control decks” that do a bunch of things on their own turn. I think, then, the BR one might be best, although the others are definitely playable.
Spoiler - Dissension
White
Card Name: Aurora Eidolon
Cost: 3W
Type: Creature — Spirit
Pow/Tgh: 2/2
Rules Text: W, Sacrifice Aurora Eidolon: Prevent the next 3 damage
that would be dealt to target creature or player this
turn.
Whenever you play a multicolored spell, you may return
Aurora Eidolon from your graveyard to your hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
As a creature it’s pretty awful, more than two mana above the curve. The sacrifice ability is not particularly great, and there aren’t enough worthwhile multicolored spells in white to make the Aurora Eidolon a good choice.
Card Name: Beacon Hawk
Cost: 1W
Type: Creature — Bird
Pow/Tgh: 1/1
Rules Text: Flying
Whenever Beacon Hawk deals combat damage to a player,
you may untap target creature.
W: Beacon Hawk gets +0/+1 until end of turn.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
I can conceive of situations in which the Beacon Hawk is worthwhile: you can tap Mother of Runes to make the Hawk unblockable, then untap the Mother of Runes and use it on defense, for example. Unfortunately, I don’t think there are enough useful tapping creatures to justify playing the Hawk over other white two-drops.
Card Name: Carom
Cost: 1W
Type: Instant
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: The next 1 damage that would be dealt to target creature
this turn is dealt to another target creature instead.
Draw a card.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
In the right situations, Carom is a three for one, and in the worst situations it cycles. Vulshok Sorcerer and Sparksmith are both good sideboard cards against White Weenie, and it’s possible that Carom is a good sideboard choice against IsoBurn, Goblins, and so on in order to counteract their sideboard strategies.
Card Name: Freewind Equenaut
Cost: 2W
Type: Creature — Human Archer
Pow/Tgh: 2/2
Rules Text: Flying
As long as Freewind Equenaut is enchanted, it has “T:
Freewind Equenaut deals 2 damage to target attacking
or blocking creature.”
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
The ability is pretty much worthless, since it necessitates a creature enchantment and an opponent’s attacking or blocking creatures, so this is a 2/2 Flyer for 3. It’s not crazy, but I think that Thermal Glider is generally better.
Card Name: Guardian of the Guildpact
Cost: 3W
Type: Creature — Spirit
Pow/Tgh: 2/3
Rules Text: Protection from monocolored
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
There’s so little multicolored stuff in the format that this is pretty close to unblockable and untargetable. Its only nemesis is Mishra’s Factory (which is exactly the right size to block it). At 4 mana, it’s not a ridiculous finisher for a control deck. For bonus fun, play this with a Tallowisp in play and fetch Armadillo Cloak.
Card Name: Haazda Exonerator
Cost: W
Type: Creature — Human Cleric
Pow/Tgh: 1/1
Rules Text: T, Sacrifice Haazda Exonerator: Destroy target Aura.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
There are a handful of solid Auras, but not enough to justify this one drop.
Card Name: Soulsworn Jury
Cost: 2W
Type: Creature — Spirit
Pow/Tgh: 1/4
Rules Text: Defender (This creature can’t attack.)
1U, Sacrifice Soulsworn Jury: Counter target creature
spell.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
This strikes me as really good in matchups the revolve around creatures without evasion. On turn three, it’s likely to be big enough to block any potential attacker without taking lethal damage, and when your opponent casts a bigger creature it can trade if you have mana up. I think that this is viable, at least as a sideboard card, in UW control.
Card Name: Steeling Stance
Cost: 1WW
Type: Instant
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn.
Forecast — W, Reveal Steeling Stance from your hand:
Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn. (Play
this ability only during your upkeep and only once
each turn.)
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
“Overrun” White-Weenie might be the optimal way of building the deck, but I think that other Army of Allah effects are stronger.
Card Name: Valor Made Real
Cost: W
Type: Instant
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Target creature can block any number of creatures this
turn.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
This will almost always be worse than Fog.
Blue
Card Name: Enigma Eidolon
Cost: 3U
Type: Creature — Spirit
Pow/Tgh: 2/2
Rules Text: U, Sacrifice Enigma Eidolon: Target player puts the
top three cards of his or her library into his or her
graveyard.
Whenever you play a multicolored spell, you may return
Enigma Eidolon from your graveyard to your hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Again, its creature-ness and activated ability are pretty awful. If this is playable, it’s for the triggered recursion ability. If you’re looking for blank cards I think you could do better.
Card Name: Helium Squirter
Cost: 4U
Type: Creature — Beast Mutant
Pow/Tgh: 0/0
Rules Text: Graft 3 (This creature comes into play with three +1/+1
counters on it. Whenever another creature comes into
play, you may move a +1/+1 counter from this creature
onto it.)
1: Target creature with a +1/+1 counter on it gains
flying until end of turn.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Five mana is too much for three points of power, even if it made your entire team unblockable for free.
Card Name: Ocular Halo
Cost: 3U
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has “T: Draw a card.”
W: Enchanted creature gains vigilance until end of
turn.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
I’m pretty sure most of the tricks you can do with this and tons of mana are better – or at least comparable – with Psionic Gift. If you haven’t seen the Psionic Gift deck, you’re unlikely to see the Ocular Halo deck.
Card Name: Silkwing Scout
Cost: 2U
Type: Creature — Faerie Scout
Pow/Tgh: 2/1
Rules Text: Flying
G, Sacrifice Silkwing Scout: Search your library for
a basic land card and put that card into play tapped.
Then shuffle your library.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Silkwing Scout draws immediate comparison to Sakura-Tribe Elder. The Scout is a lot more expensive to use right away as a land-fetching spell, and suffers particularly for requiring two colors of mana. It’s much harder to support Silkwing Scout than it is to support STE. That said, it’s a lot easier to get card advantage from a creature with two power, and Silkwing Scout doubles as an aggressive creature much more usefully than Sakura Tribe Elder. I think Silkwing Scout will be a reasonable choice in UG, although it won’t be anything like a staple.
Card Name: Vision Skeins
Cost: 1U
Type: Instant
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Each player draws two cards.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
When is this better than Words of Wisdom?
Okay, and how often does that happen?
Exactly!
Card Name: Writ of Passage
Cost: U
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature attacks, if its power is
2 or less, it’s unblockable this turn.
Forecast — 1U, Reveal Writ of Passage from your hand:
Target creature with power 2 or less is unblockable
this turn. (Play this ability only during your upkeep
and only once each turn.)
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Against an opponent with no removal, this is great on a Ninja of Deep Hours or an Ophidian. Even if they have removal it’s a solid Forecast ability. It’s the sort of borderline playable card that’s the best in the format at doing something that isn’t quite worth doing.
Black
Card Name: Delirium Skeins
Cost: 2B
Type: Sorcery
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Each player discards three cards.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Three cards is a lot. If you have any kind of board advantage and can empty both players’ hands, it’s pretty close to game. I’m pretty sure this is significantly worse than Hymn to Tourach (except in the rare situations where it’s your last card in hand and your opponent has exactly three cards in hand, or situations where you want to get rid of cards in hand) and so I think it’s more interesting as a potential splash, particularly against Tides. I’m pretty sure, though, that around the time you’ll cast this Tides will have more than three cards in hand, and its vulnerability to Disrupt makes me think that Mesmeric Fiend is probably a better anti-Tides splash discard spell.
Card Name: Demon’s Jester
Cost: 3B
Type: Creature — Imp
Pow/Tgh: 2/2
Rules Text: Flying
Hellbent — Demon’s Jester gets +2/+1 as long as you
have no cards in hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
A 4/3 Flyer for 3B is nothing to sneeze at, but it’s still a little expensive, especially since at three toughness it’s vulnerable to Lightning Bolt and Incinerate. When an opponent can also deal with it with Shock (or an unpowered Kindle or Pyrite Spellbomb or whatever) during your upkeep, it just looks a little too fragile. When it takes a special (though far from impossible) set of circumstances to even get that fragile creature, it seems like Demon’s Jester is cute but not good enough.
Card Name: Enemy of the Guildpact
Cost: 4B
Type: Creature — Spirit
Pow/Tgh: 4/2
Rules Text: Protection from multicolored
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
This is close to strictly worse than Giant Cockroach.
Card Name: Entropic Eidolon
Cost: 3B
Type: Creature — Spirit
Pow/Tgh: 2/2
Rules Text: B, Sacrifice Entropic Eidolon: Target player loses
1 life and you gain 1 life.
Whenever you play a multicolored spell, you may return
Entropic Eidolon from your graveyard to your hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
It’s possible that the black or green Eidolon belong in some sort of GB Tortured Existence deck with Shambling Shell. It’s definitely worth testing, since GB Tortured Existence is a solid deck, but I think the Eidolon’s are probably “win more” cards in the one deck that could justify playing with them.
Card Name: Macabre Waltz
Cost: 1B
Type: Sorcery
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Return up to two target creature cards from your graveyard
to your hand, then discard a card.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
That art is creepy! I think there are better choices, since Macabre Waltz is pretty mediocre in the early game when you don’t have many creatures in the graveyard and will frequently be a pretty mediocre topdeck. By the time it’s good you probably have enough mana to play
Card Name: Nettling Curse
Cost: 2B
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature attacks or blocks, its
controller loses 3 life.
1R: Enchanted creature attacks this turn if able.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Without the Red ability, it’s almost strictly worse than Pacifism in a color that has better removal. With the ability, it’s likely to be an expensive way to deal damage to an opponent and to yourself at the same time.
Card Name: Slaughterhouse Bouncer
Cost: 4B
Type: Creature — Ogre Warrior
Pow/Tgh: 3/3
Rules Text: Hellbent — When Slaughterhouse Bouncer is put into
a graveyard from play, if you have no cards in hand,
target creature gets -3/-3 until end of turn.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Hellbent isn’t a very useful ability on a control card. In this case, you have to hit 5 mana, empty your hand, and have your opponent’s creatures matter. It’s too hard.
Card Name: Vesper Ghoul
Cost: 2B
Type: Creature — Zombie Druid
Pow/Tgh: 1/1
Rules Text: T, Pay 1 life: Add one mana of any color to your mana
pool.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
It’s too much mana to make a good accelerant. It’s better as a mana fixer, but even then three mana is too much. By the time Vesper Ghoul has an effect on the game, several other decks are winning the game.
Red
Card Name: Cackling Flames
Cost: 3R
Type: Instant
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Cackling Flames deals 3 damage to target creature or
player.
Hellbent — Cackling Flames deals 5 damage to that creature
or player instead if you have no cards in hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Five damage is a lot, but so is four mana. I think this is a better finisher in IsoBurn than Fireball, but I still don’t think it makes the cut.
Card Name: Kill-Suit Cultist
Cost: R
Type: Creature — Goblin Berserker
Pow/Tgh: 1/1
Rules Text: Kill-Suit Cultist attacks each turn if able.
B, Sacrifice Kill-Suit Cultist: The next time damage
would be dealt to target creature this turn, destroy
that creature instead.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
There are too many good cards for R (or B) to justify the Cultist.
Card Name: Ogre Gatecrasher
Cost: 3R
Type: Creature — Ogre Rogue
Pow/Tgh: 3/3
Rules Text: When Ogre Gatecrasher comes into play, destroy target
creature with defender.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
There aren’t enough good, common walls for the Gatecrasher to ruin.
Card Name: Psychotic Fury
Cost: 1R
Type: Instant
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Target multicolored creature gains double strike until
end of turn.
Draw a card.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Psychotic Fury seems like a card to build a deck around, or at least to dramatically influence a deck’s design. If you have plenty of multicolored creatures, Psychotic Fury is great. It cycles for 1R, or it’s a cantrip combat trick to either kill an opponent’s creature (because it effectively doubles a creature’s power) or save your own (since Double Strike incorporates First Strike), or it’s a finisher that deals a ton of damage (and, while it’s at it, it draws a card). The issue is having enough multicolored creatures around. My first instinct is to look to green, which also provides Giant Growth and similar cards. It’s also possible that Psychotic Fury belongs in a Wee Dragonauts deck or even in Psychatog.
Card Name: Sandstorm Eidolon
Cost: 3R
Type: Creature — Spirit
Pow/Tgh: 2/2
Rules Text: R, Sacrifice Sandstorm Eidolon: Target creature can’t
block this turn.
Whenever you play a multicolored spell, you may return
Sandstorm Eidolon from your graveyard to your hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
See the other Eidolons.
Card Name: Taste for Mayhem
Cost: R
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+0.
Hellbent — Enchanted creature gets an additional +2/+0
as long as you have no cards in hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Four power is a lot, especially for 1 mana, but too many things can go wrong for Taste for Mayhem to be worthwhile.
Card Name: Utvara Scalper
Cost: 1R
Type: Creature — Goblin Scout
Pow/Tgh: 1/2
Rules Text: Flying
Utvara Scalper attacks each turn if able.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
It’s a flying Goblin. But no.
Card Name: Whiptail Moloch
Cost: 4R
Type: Creature — Lizard
Pow/Tgh: 6/3
Rules Text: When Whiptail Moloch comes into play, it deals 3 damage
to target creature you control.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
There’s a huge difference in the format between 3 toughness and 4. This is easy to dismiss at three toughness, since it would be barely playable without the big disadvantage.
Green
Card Name: Cytospawn Shambler
Cost: 6G
Type: Creature — Elemental Mutant
Pow/Tgh: 0/0
Rules Text: Graft 6 (This creature comes into play with six +1/+1
counters on it. Whenever another creature comes into
play, you may move a +1/+1 counter from this creature
onto it.)
G: Target creature with a +1/+1 counter on it gains
trample until end of turn.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
It’s nice and big, but it’s too expensive. It’s pretty hard to justify over Krosan Tusker.
Card Name: Simic Initiate
Cost: G
Type: Creature — Human Mutant
Pow/Tgh: 0/0
Rules Text: Graft 1 (This creature comes into play with a +1/+1
counter on it. Whenever another creature comes into
play, you may move a +1/+1 counter from this creature
onto it.)
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
I don’t think the ability to put more eggs into your baskets is that helpful.
Card Name: Simic Ragworm
Cost: 3G
Type: Creature — Worm
Pow/Tgh: 3/3
Rules Text: U: Untap Simic Ragworm.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
In general, Horseshoe Crab is going to be a smarter choice since it biases your deck towards blue, which matches the activated ability.
Card Name: Sporeback Troll
Cost: 3G
Type: Creature — Troll Mutant
Pow/Tgh: 0/0
Rules Text: Graft 2 (This creature comes into play with two +1/+1
counters on it. Whenever another creature comes into
play, you may move a +1/+1 counter from this creature
onto it.)
1G: Regenerate target creature with a +1/+1 counter
on it.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Four mana is too much for two points of power.
Card Name: Street Savvy
Cost: G
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +0/+2 and can block creatures
with landwalk abilities as though they didn’t have
those abilities.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
The format includes very little land-walking, so this is really two toughness for a card and one mana. That seems worse than, say, Holy Strength, which is hardly defining the format.
Card Name: Utopia Sprawl
Cost: G
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Enchant Forest
As Utopia Sprawl comes into play, choose a color.
Whenever enchanted Forest is tapped for mana, its controller
adds one mana of the chosen color to his or her mana
pool.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
To support Utopia Sprawl, you need plenty of Forests and also a desire for non-green mana (since, otherwise, this is just a worse Wild Growth). You also really want to be two colors, since otherwise Utopia Sprawl is not going to get you your colors. Finally, Utopia Sprawl makes the “Karoos” significantly worse and it also makes your deck more vulnerable to land destruction and bounce. With all those problems, it’s hard to see Utopia Sprawl as seeing significant play.
Card Name: Verdant Eidolon
Cost: 3G
Type: Creature — Spirit
Pow/Tgh: 2/2
Rules Text: G, Sacrifice Verdant Eidolon: Add three mana of any
one color to your mana pool.
Whenever you play a multicolored spell, you may return
Verdant Eidolon from your graveyard to your hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Again, see the other Eidolons, particularly the black one. It seems like Verdant Eidolon has the most useful ability and has synergy with Tortured Existence so it’s the most likely to see play.
Multicolor
Card Name: Assault Zeppelid
Cost: 2GU
Type: Creature — Beast
Pow/Tgh: 3/3
Rules Text: Flying, trample
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Flying and Trample are not very synergistic, and the cost/mana ratio is significantly worse than Gaea’s Skyfolk, so I don’t see the Zeppelid as being strong.
Card Name: Azorius First-Wing
Cost: WU
Type: Creature — Griffin
Pow/Tgh: 2/2
Rules Text: Flying, protection from enchantments
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Protection for Enchantments is a mixed blessing, since I’d be inclined to run Empyrial Armor in WU agro. The card Azorius First-Wing is most likely to dodge is . . . Pestilence!
Card Name: Coiling Oracle
Cost: GU
Type: Creature — Snake Elf Druid
Pow/Tgh: 1/1
Rules Text: When Coiling Oracle comes into play, reveal the top
card of your library. If it’s a land card, put it into
play. Otherwise, put that card into your hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
I really want this to be good, but Sakura-Tribe Elder is almost certainly better. Even without considering the mana cost, definitely getting an extra basic land of your choice is much better in the early game than a land or a card draw, depending on what’s on top of your deck. When you factor in the mana costs, Sakura-Tribe Elder takes an even bigger lead in the early game. In the late game, Coiling Oracle is better than Sakura-Tribe Elder, but not by a lot.
Card Name: Gobhobbler Rats
Cost: BR
Type: Creature — Rat
Pow/Tgh: 2/2
Rules Text: Hellbent — Gobhobbler Rats gets +1/+0 and has “B: Regenerate
Gobhobbler Rats” as long as you have no cards in hand.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Without Hellbent, Gobhobbler Rats is marginally below the curve. If you can achieve Hellbent, the Rats are significantly above the curve. It’s going to be hard in PEZ to achieve Hellbent in a two-color deck, so I don’t see the Rats being that successful.
Card Name: Minister of Impediments
Cost: 2(w/u)
Type: Creature — Human Advisor
Pow/Tgh: 1/1
Rules Text: ((W/U) can be paid with either W or U.)
T: Tap target creature.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
It doesn’t require any turn-to-turn mana investment, so it might not be unreasonable, but there aren’t many decks that can’t deal with a 1/1, especially one that doesn’t come online until turn 4. It’s a possible sideboard card against Affinity.
Card Name: Overrule
Cost: XWU
Type: Instant
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Counter target spell unless its controller pays X.
You gain X life.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Here’s how a match between Mono-U control and IsoBurn plays out: in the early game, IsoBurn lays lands and casts Lightning Bolts, a couple of which Mono-U counters. Mono-U hits about 5 mana around the time IsoBurn hits 0 cards in hand, and at about 8 life. Both decks draw cards for a few turns, and then IsoBurn casts 5 or six Burn spells during Mono-U’s endstep, one or two of which resolve. If necessary, the two decks repeat these last steps and IsoBurn does the last few damage. Overrule would be great in this matchup, since, say, five life makes a huge difference. On the other hand, Faith’s Fetters might be just as good since it deals with an Isochron Scepter or a Mishra’s Factory and gains 4 life at the same time.
Card Name: Plumes of Peace
Cost: 1WU
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Enchant creature
Enchanted creature doesn’t untap during its controller’s
untap step.
Forecast — WU, Reveal Plumes of Peace from your hand:
Tap target creature. (Play this ability only during
your upkeep and only once each turn.)
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Until you hit 5 mana, the Forecast ability is unlikely to be useful since it really only prevents blocking. At 5 mana, Plumes of Peace can neutralize an untapped creature, which may be useful. I think I’d rarely prefer this to Faith’s Fetters, though.
Card Name: Rakdos Ickspitter
Cost: 1BR
Type: Creature — Thrull
Pow/Tgh: 1/1
Rules Text: T: Rakdos Ickspitter deals 1 damage to target creature
and that creature’s controller loses 1 life.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
This isn’t awful, but this sort of RB control deck isn’t struggling for win conditions, so the one life loss isn’t a big deal. I think Vulshok Sorcerer is probably better.
Card Name: Riot Spikes
Cost: (b/r)
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: ((B/R) can be paid with either B or R.)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/-1.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Riot Spikes trades power for versatility. Sometimes, you really need to put two power onto the board (with haste, as well!) Sometimes, you really need to remove a troublesome creature. Riot Spikes fills in either of these needs for one mana! Unfortunately, those two points of power are in the form of a creature enchantment (or Aura), and an enchantment that makes creatures even more fragile. And that removal spell is at Sorcery speed and only effects creatures with one toughness. As a rule, flexibility is worse than power (unless it’s a lot of flexibility for a little power), and I don’t think Riot Spikes is an exception.
Card Name: Shielding Plax
Cost: 2(g/u)
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: ((G/U) can be paid with either G or U.)
Enchant creature
When Shielding Plax comes into play, draw a card.
Enchanted creature can’t be the target of spells or
abilities your opponents control.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Shielding Plax requires a lot of mana without having any immediate impact on the board. The effect can be very powerful in very narrow circumstances, since it requires that your opponent have creature removal and not have creature removal (or mana) right now. I don’t think it’s quite good enough.
Card Name: Vigean Hydropon
Cost: 1GU
Type: Creature — Plant Mutant
Pow/Tgh: 0/0
Rules Text: Graft 5 (This creature comes into play with five +1/+1
counters on it. Whenever another creature comes into
play, you may move a +1/+1 counter from this creature
onto it.)
Vigean Hydropon can’t attack or block.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
If the common Graft cards were good then Vigean Hydropon might also be good as a way of enabling them. Since they aren’t that great, Vigean Hydropon just makes your next 5 creatures slightly bigger. That’s not crazy, especially in a near mirror, but it isn’t good enough.
Card Name: Wrecking Ball
Cost: 2BR
Type: Instant
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Destroy target creature or land.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
I think this is worse than Terminate, which isn’t seeing much play but might be more viable now that there’s a B/R Karoo. That said, the Karoos make land destruction much more viable, both since it can produce a major tempo advantage and because it’s especially good against multicolor decks.
Artifacts
Card Name: Azorius Signet
Cost: 2
Type: Artifact
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: 1, T: Add WU to your mana pool.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Card Name: Rakdos Signet
Cost: 2
Type: Artifact
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: 1, T: Add BR to your mana pool.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Card Name: Simic Signet
Cost: 2
Type: Artifact
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: 1, T: Add GU to your mana pool.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
The Signets are hard to run, mostly because they “turn on” opponents’ artifact destruction in decks that otherwise lack it. Many of the format’s best decks are hurt by artifact destruction and so there’s good reason to maindeck it. If your deck isn’t hurt by artifact destruction it’s tough to justify running Signets.
Lands
Card Name: Azorius Chancery
Cost:
Type: Land
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Azorius Chancery comes into play tapped.
When Azorius Chancery comes into play, return a land
you control to its owner’s hand.
T: Add WU to your mana pool.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Card Name: Rakdos Carnarium
Cost:
Type: Land
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Rakdos Carnarium comes into play tapped.
When Rakdos Carnarium comes into play, return a land
you control to its owner’s hand.
T: Add BR to your mana pool.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
Card Name: Simic Growth Chamber
Cost:
Type: Land
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Simic Growth Chamber comes into play tapped.
When Simic Growth Chamber comes into play, return a
land you control to its owner’s hand.
T: Add GU to your mana pool.
Set/Rarity: Dissension common
I really like the Karoos. A Karoo and a Lotus Petal is tempo and card neutral, so it’s actually not crazy to run them in aggro decks. Contrary to my first impressions, they’re actually not that great in base-blue control decks, since they cost one mana if you play them and return a tapped land but cost two mana if you play them and return an untapped land. They’re best in “board control decks” that do a bunch of things on their own turn. I think, then, the BR one might be best, although the others are definitely playable.
posted by Chris Morling | 9:58 AM
15 Comments:
Excellent set review, and a great read, too! My favorite bit is using Tallowisp to fetch Armadillo Cloak, with the Guardian.
Some notes:
Graft: I have the feeling that it's not as bad as it looks. Graft might have some utility in Astral Slide decks. Or some kind of ability that triggers leaves play and comes into play effects.
If phasing triggered comes into play and leaves play effects (the opposite direction that the judges went in), Graft would probably find its way into tier-two decks. As it stands, it looks like a hard fit in PEZ.
Riot Spikes: This card just strikes me as just the sort of versatile tool lacking in Goblins and/or Suicide Black. It might even be able to replace Unholy Strength in aggro black - maybe.
It's just that there's not much difference between a 2/1 evasion beater and a 2/2. Other than that pump makes evasion critters deadly.
Coiling Oracle: Did anyone notice that it has, like many of its UG ilk, three creature types? Elf is one of them.
Karoo Lands: I think playing the Lotus Petals alongside the bounce-lands is a great idea. The card advantage, as you've said, mitigates the short-comings of the Lotus Petal. With a decently high land count, the Karoo lands are really excellent in control strategies.
By the way, Chris, I thought you might appreciate my UW Control deck. I based much of it on some of things you've been saying about Faith's Fetters. I think it plays extremely well, but could use another look (especially the land count):
Creatures
2 Drift of Phantasms
3 Ninja of the Deep Hours
1 Silver Drake
3 Ornithopter
Spells
4 Brainstorm
1 Capsize
3 Counterspell
3 Disenchant
4 Forbid
4 Force Spike
3 Overrule
Enchantments
1 Arcane Laboratory
4 Faith's Fetters
Artifacts
4 Lotus Petal
Lands
4 Azorius Chancery
16 Island
If I ever play Guardian of the Guildpact with a Tallowisp in play I will giggle like a schoolgirl. Then it will get Terminated or be the victim of a Diabolic Edict and I'll cry, also like a schoolgirl.
That's just the way I roll.
I have to say that your UW deck looks wrong. That's not to say that there's definitely something wrong with it, it's just very strange looking. I don't think you can support Forbid with just 3 Ninjas (the defining movie of my generation.) I don't think you can justify Ornithopter just to get an unblocked hit with Ninja of Deep Hours (since Ornithopter is otherwise pretty close to a blank.) I don't think you can support Silver Drake -- even as a one-of -- off of 5 Blue creatures (one of which you probably have to Transmute to find the drake.)
You asked about the mana. I'm still not sure how to think about the Karoos exactly, but I think it's useful to imagine them counting as 2 lands around turn 6 or 7 as much fewer before then, down to 0 lands on turn 2. In other words, around turn two this deck is going to look like a deck with 4 Lotus Petals and 16 lands. I've got to think that's too few.
As I've said, the Karoos are much better when you return a tapped land (since then they "cost" 1 mana) than when you return an untapped land (since then they cost more like 2 mana). For one mana you expect a card draw with something extra (like mana fixing). For two mana you expect a lot more (a mini-Tutor in the case of Impulse, or one card now but more cards to follow in the case of Accumulated Knowledge.) That makes them a little weaker in a deck without many Sorcery-speed plays before turn 4.
Incidentally, the Karoos are generally awful against Tides, especially from a blue deck. If you want to play them against Tides, the first one should hit play around turn 6, I think, a turn or so after the Tides player starts missing land drops. That way you still have a mana advantage on the turn you play them. Even then, they aren't great since High Tides means your Islands (but not your Karoos) produce critically important extra mana.
One radical thing you might consider is adding 4 x Mishra's Factory and 2-4 x Desert. That puts you at 22-24 lands on turn 2 and (using my thinking from above) 30-32 lands in the late game. Desert and Mishra's Factory have the advantages of being less likely to be dead draws in the late game than Islands, although the presence of Forbid can compensate for dead draws.
Alternatively, instead of Desert you might consider the Urza's Saga cycling land that produces white mana. In the early game it's a source of white mana, but when you draw a Karoo it turns into a new card.
Cheers,
Chris
You're right. The mana base is totally wrong. I took your abvice and threw in Mishra's Factory.
The Urza block land-cyclers are always great cards, but too many CIPT effects are hard to cope with in the early game. A control deck can lose control of the board unless it is able to at least slow opponents early on.
The revised mana base looks like this:
4 Mishra's Factory
4 Azorius Chancery
18 Island
I ended up boarding some of the white-based removal, like Disenchant. Faith's Fetters seems like a strong enough, mid-game removal card that it was unneccesary to pack much more that it.
Also, I'm thinking about replacing Ornithopter with either Cloud Of Faeries (which works well with the CIPT lands and the Ninjas) or Cloud Sprites.
Are there any other white cards that should be maindecked?
Mystic Zealot seems like a really strong finisher. In the late game it's a 3/5 Flyer for 4, and if you're desperate it's a 2/4 in the early game. I'm not convinced that this deck is really hurting for finishers (since you have Mishra's Factory and Ninjas and whatnot), so this is probably not the deck for Mystic Zealot, but that's the white card I'd be most inclined to look at.
After boarding, Coalition Honor Guard might be really strong against burn, or you might go with Circle of Protection: Red. Disenchant and Seal of Cleansing seem good against Affinity.
Cheers,
Chris
Guardian of the Guildpact: This seems to be one of the most potent cards in the new set. It appears particularly alluring as a kill in a control deck; it's hard to take out and virtually unblockable.
Unfortunately, there are no white control decks, and - so far - only a few decks that can support a white splash in a control strategy.
What about a White-Black deck, with Pestilence and Guardian? Perhaps a little awkward.
Here's what the deck is looking like, in case you were interested. It's actually playing pretty well (though, I've only tested it a few times, because of time constraints).
// Lands
18 Island
4 Azorius Chancery
4 Mishra's Factory
// Creatures
2 Drift of Phantasms
4 Ninja of the Deep Hours
4 Cloud of Faeries
// Enchantments
1 Arcane Laboratory
4 Faith's Fetters
// Spells
4 Brainstorm
1 Capsize
4 Counterspell
4 Force Spike
2 Overrule
4 Forbid
So far, the Forbids work well with the Chancery.
Also, an especially interesting combo is Cloud of Faeries with the Ninjas and it gets even better with the Chancery.
That looks really good.
I might cut a Forbid for a Compulsive Research or perhaps a Mental Discipline. That would give you card drawing to tutor for and free up an uncommon for a sideboard Energy Flux. Affinity looks pretty strong against this list, and Energy Flux isn't perfect (since it's expensive -- generally it costs 3UUU over two turns) but when it hits play it makes things pretty rough for Affinity.
Cheers,
Chris
Thanks!
Though, Faith's Fetters did not seem like a great card, until I actually took a good look at it (when you suggested it might be good, and, before, when you suggested that a top-tier deck should combine life gain with counter-magic).
What's counter-intuitive about FF is that it produces life-gain; in a control deck, life-gain is absolutely deemphasized. However, when life-gain is tacked onto another function, and with enough potency, it becomes rather effective (like against burn).
Removing a Forbid and throwing an Energy Flux into the sideboard is probably becoming standard in blue decks. Backed by additional Drift of Phantasms in the sideboard, it shouldn't be hard to fetch out a Flux in game-two.
However, considering the sheer amount of anti-artifact white cards that can be boarded in, is it neccessary to use Energy Flux?
In my board, I was thinking of something like this:
2 Drift of phantasms
4 Disenchant
4 Seal of Cleansing
2 Drifting Meadow
2 Plains
What about the uncommons?
There's really three types of good uncommons cards for the purposes of PEZ. Those that make decks and those that, had they been commons, would have been good.
The following examples are good enough to have entire decks based around them (or have decks partially based on them):
Jagged Poppet
Casting Cost: 1BR
Color: Multi-Colored
Spell Type: Creature - Ogre Warrior [3/4]
Whenever Jagged Poppet is dealt damage, discard that many cards.
Hellbent - Whenever Jagged Poppet deals combat damage to a player, if you have no cards in hand, that player discards cards equal to the damage.
Jagged Poppet comes out on turn three. But in a reanimation deck, possibly earlier. The key selling point is that, combined with Dark Ritual, Lotus Petal (and other accelerants), it's quite possibly a turn-one drop. Backed by burn and discard, it's a potential second-turn source for discard three. It seems like an absolutely brutal card that meshes extremely well with the pace of black-red burn-discard decks.
Pain Magnification
Casting Cost: 1
Color: Multi-Colored
Spell Type: Enchantment
Whenever an opponent is dealt 3 or more damage by a single source, that player discards a card.
In the same vein as the Jagged Poppet, Pain Magnification is brutal in burn-discard decks. First reason, it stacks, second reason, it comes out early with acceleration. Third, it has massive synergy with aggro-burn strategies.
Plaxmanta
Casting Cost: 1UG
Color: Blue
Spell Type: Creature - Beast [2/2]
You may play Plaxmanta any time you could play an instant.
When Plaxmanta comes into play, creatures you control can't be the targets of spells or abilities this turn.
When Plaxmanta comes into play, sacrifice it unless G was spent to play it.
I'm not sure what to make of this card, but there's got to be some kind of combo hidden in it.
The Almost Good Enoughs, Had They Been Commons:
Ghost Quarter
Casting Cost:
Color: Colorless
Spell Type: Land
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
T, Sacrifice Ghost Quarter: Destroy target land. Its controller may search his or her library for a basic land card, put it into play, then shuffle his or her library.
It could have been an anti-Mishra's had it been common.
Paladin of Prahv
Casting Cost: 4WW
Color: White
Spell Type: Creature - Human Knight [3/4]
Whenever Paladin of Prahv deals damage, you gain that much life.
Forecast - 1W, Reveal Paladin of Prahv from your hand: Whenever target creature deals damage this turn, you gain that much life. (Play this ability only during your upkeep and only once each turn.)
It's actually a great card. Completely broken if a common. Too bad.
Skyscribing
Casting Cost: XUU
Color: Blue
Spell Type: Sorcery
Each player draws X cards.
Forecast - 2U, Reveal Skyscribing from your hand: Each player draws a card. (Play this ability only during your upkeep and only once each turn.)
As a common, it would have replaced Prosperity in ProsTides. As an uncommon it's not going to see play at all.
Spell Snare
Casting Cost:
Color: Blue
Spell Type: Instant
Counter target spell with converted mana cost 2.
Marginally and unevenly superior to Force Spike. As an uncommon not a single deck is going to play this one. Bad idea, Wizards.
Jagged Poppet is awesome in certain metagames, ones with lots of ProsTides and Mono-U control. It's hard to justify in a format with as many Lightning Bolts as PEZ, though. I guess it's pretty even -- they Lightning Bolt it, then it attacks unblocked and you're even.
I'm not convinced about Pain Magnification. It's a little too expensive to get working.
Plaxmanta would be awesome as a common, but I don't believe it as an uncommon. Same with Spell Snare, which would be a really clever choice in PEZ if it were a common, but is unplayable as an uncommon. Oh well.
I think your analysis of Jagged Poppet is pretty spot-on: Its face-value ability is directly synergistic with its hellbent ability.
What's most overlooked the feature of Jagged Poppet? It has a casting cost of three - meaning it can be reanimated with Unearth (in addition to Exhume). That makes it substantially easier to reanimate.
Combine with madness, threshold Putrid Imp and flashback effects and you've got a deck. Though, the hard part is finding the cards.
Right now, I've been messing with such a deck. It's really neat to be able to go:
Turn 1: Swamp; Dark Rit; Putrid Imp, discard Poppet to Imp; Unearth on Poppet.
Turn 2: Beat with Threshold'd Imp and Poppet for five, opponent discards three.
Anyway, just an idea for BR deck. I'm sure other stuff can be inserted, particularly Twisted Abomination.
Hello
I did test a hellbent deck saturday on a tournament.
Hellbent should be "recalled" helldoomed in peasant.
The format is so fast I tought it would be quite easy to achieve a 7/2 regenerating Rats on turn 2.
It never occured. Actually, there's always something preventing from having no card in hand.
1st : two colors. Mean you're a lot more vulnerable to mana death. What can you do when on turn 1, your opponent cast dark ritual > Choking sands, on turn 2 strip mine, turn 3 strip mine, turn 4 strip mine ?
He did have a hell of a luck, but, well, two colored cards are a problem (even with lotus petal) (and I only have four of them). Ravenous rats is a more secured option (and includes control by discarding)
2nd : don't rely on aura to win. Distaste for mayhem... Makes you more vulnerable to removal, or "creature-death" (as in "mana-death"). By comparison, Reckless charge is a way lot more powerful (I had both in my deck, and reckless charge did a lot more damage than Taste for mayhem). And btw, it has Flashback, which is, in a low drawing deck, a bless !
The good surprise came from Mourning thrull, with Reckless charge. This small flying thing, with its spirit link included, help me win a couple of games, not to say all the one I did win.
While I'm at it, congrats for the neat analysis of the Ravnica block (what about a Wagic Peasant list ?)
Hello
Just to say I made a Coldsnap review. I can send it to you if you want. Juste say Hi on lfm"at"mac.com
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