Hello everybody, and welcome to another edition of the Magic Show. This week we’re going headfirst into Alara Reborn spoilers. Not only do I have an incredible spoiler all to myself, how about the fact that Meddling Mage is returning to Standard? Oh yeah, that’s right. Want to know what it looks like? Ready to get a glimpse of the incredible Todd Lockwood artwork and a raft of new spoiler goodness to boot? Let’s go!
So for Alara Reborn I am graced by another kick ass spoiler thanks to our friends at Wizards of the Coast. You’ll recall that for Conflux I was provided the powerful Cliffrunner Behemoth, a card sure to only get better as time goes on and Lorwyn rotates this fall, and for Alara Reborn there was no lacking in the fatty department. This time I got a kick ass monster and he’s a good one. Say hello to Mycoid Shepherd:
Mycoid Shepherd
1GGW
Creature – Fungus
Whenever Mycoid Shepherd or another creature you control with power 5 or greater is put into a graveyard from play, you may gain 5 life.
As pure mana flooded across the shards, it brought a sense of unity even to Jund’s vicious food chain.
5/4
And all I gotta say is wow. This guy has far more potential than Cliffrunner Behemoth ever had. This guy basically puts the hurtin’ on those new spiffy Blightning decks, such as the one that just took the top spot in the SCG $1K. This dude virtually guarantees you the ability to gain five life off itself at the least, while also having a 5/4 attached to that ability, while also being just four mana. Have you looked at Noble Hierarch lately? That guy is such a beating these days, and he continues to get better. Noble Hierarch provides you the acceleration to get this guy out on Turn 3 and the Exalted ability to allow your creatures to reach that magical 5 power in order to give you a whopping 5 life when they die.
Now of course this guy is shut down by Path to Exile, as it is the most popular removal spell and doesn’t allow this card to trigger its lifegaining ability. But removal is as removal does, and they’re not always going to have it. Mycoid Shepherd gives your Naya Aggro deck the power and reach to make it through the most powerful of burn spells. Only the inclusion of cards like Everlasting Torment or quick beats from Stigma Lasher could make this guy no less than a powerhouse, and going up the chain from Turn 1 Noble Hierarch, Turn 2 Woolly Thoctar, Turn 3 Mycoid Shepherd has to be good beats. Of course, you could always squeeze Cliffrunner Behemoth in there turn 3, and then drop Mycoid Shepherd the next turn, just asking them to blow their Terminate before your 5 life-providing monster goes online. Aw hell, if we’re dreaming let’s just go ahead and throw some Wilt-Leaf Lieges in there, and maybe some Gaddock Teeg so they don’t blow us out with Wrath of God.
In terms of Constructed playable 5+ power creatures to use, look at how perfectly Cloudthresher works with this guy. I’ll evoke, wreck your board of Spectral Procession and Bitterblossom tokens, and then we’ll both take 2 and I’ll gain 5? Just nasty. Creature pumps like Exalted in the Bant deck, the aforementioned Wilt-Leaf Liege, and cards like Might of Alara allow Mycoid Shepherd to fire off when your blocked Wild Nacatls die to removal or blockers. Evoke creatures like Cloudthresher are certainly tasty, and at the kitchen table I would just kill to evoke a Walker of the Grove with Mycoid Shepherd out. Gain 5 and get a 4/4? Sick. Meanwhile Persist is sexy with this guy too, allowing you to gain five from Twilight Shepherd when they Wrath of God and you return Mycoid Shepherd to your hand, or how about firing off twice for Woodfall Primus should you have some sort of sacrifice outlet?
Speaking of sacrifice outlets being needed, look at the Twitter-feed spoiled Blitz Hellion. This would be a fantastic card to use with Mycoid Shepherd… provided you can kill it before the end of your turn somehow. Luckily we’ve got cards like Nantuko Husk and Scarland Thrinax, but getting all of these pieces into play will be difficult. Using outlets like Devour or cheap sacrifice-inducing effects like Bone Splinters is probably a better idea. Nevertheless, as more five-power creatures find their way into Standard lists, you have to look at Mycoid Shepherd as a powerful and viable option. He’s definitely undercosted, and is sure to wreck a Red mage’s day. I look forward to see this guy charging in the red zone in just a few weeks.
Alara Reborn Spoilers, Week 1
All right everybody, it’s time to dive heard-first into some serious spoiler goodness. And first up is the debut of Meddling Mage and its awesome new image. That’s right, not only is it coming back to Standard, we have some kick ass new artwork to go along with it. You won’t find this anywhere else but the Magic Show folks, and I certainly appreciate Wizards of the Coast giving me the pleasure of confirming its existence as well as spoiling its new artwork for you. I know this version doesn’t feature Chris Pikula, the Invitational winner who designed this card and whose face resides on the Planeshift version. But wow, did Todd Lockwood really knock it out of the park on this one! An incredible piece for an incredible card. This is sure to be a chase rare from the get-go, as it has implications in virtually every format. Meddling Mage does a very unique job in Magic, and to have that uniqueness in Standard will certainly make games a lot more interesting. I’ll just go ahead and say that you’ll most likely be naming Volcanic Fallout in the upcoming metagame, as your Cryptic Commands and Negates counter practically everything else, but the brilliance of this card is its versatility. Sometimes you play Thoughtseize on Turn 1 and by using that information Meddling Mage plays an entirely different role. All I know is this card is incredible, the artwork is fantastic, and the possibilities are endless. I never got the chance to play with Meddling Mage when it was in Standard last go around, but you best believe I’ve purchased my playset and am ready to rock out with Pikula at the top tables.
Up next is the aggro player’s best friend, Jund Hackblade, who I am so tempted to call Crunch Crunch as he is the perfect follow up to a turn one Tattermunge Maniac, aka Nom Nom. So Nom Nom, Crunch Crunch, bash for five on Turn 2? So sick! That is the goodness of playing with Red and Green mana or, thanks to the multicolor hybrid goodness, playing with Red and Black mana as well. This guy is probably the most powerful turn 2 play in Standard in terms of raw power to toughness ratio, its ability to get in there immediately, and its ability to not die to a token. While it will die to Volcanic Fallout, I can only imagine how powerful a Naya deck will be as it curves from Tattermunge Maniac, Jund Hackblade, Woolly Thoctar, and then Knight of New Alara. Pow! Right in the face. That gives you what? A 4/3, a 5/4 and an 8/7 smashing in on Turn 4? Wouldn’t that put your opponent at dead by then? Holy crap!
Sphinx of the Steel Wind is up next, a sort of Esper Akroma that lacks most of what made Akroma awesome: The ability to dodge Black-based removal, and haste. But before we go on bashing, let’s appreciate this monster for what it is: A legitimate bomb in Limited and potentially insane in Standard with Master Transmuter and Sharuum the Hegemon. The best part about the Sphinx is that almost all artifact hate is either Red or Green, and that gives the Sphinx a huge advantage against the usual artifact removal played in Standard. No Naturalize or Shatter is going to stop this monster from smashing into the red zone. Another important aspect is Lifelink, making this guy powerful both attacking and blocking. Gaining six life a turn even if chumped by a Spectral Procession token is No Joke and can have a definite impact on the game. Did I mention it’s not Legendary? Can you imagine two of this guy out? Yeesh.
Speaking of Legendary Creatures, how about the latest Bant monster Jenara, Asura of War? A legend that is simply destined to be rocking EDH decks the world over, this is also quite the Turn 2 play after dropping Noble Hierarch on Turn 1. The most powerful aspect of this creature, besides being an incredibly efficient 3/3 Flyer for just three mana, is that in the late game this creature is by no means a lame topdeck. Instead you get to use your leftover mana each turn to pump her to ludicrous heights, then smashing in accordingly. While Jenara is fighting Rhox War Monk, a.k.a. Pancake Flipper, for the three mana slot, I could certainly see a copy or three find its way into Bant decks the world over. The evasion aspect is nothing to scoff at, and while a double striking War Monk is cute, an evading, self-pumping Angel with double strike seems even scarier.
The other EDH general-to-be is Thraxamundar, who sounds like one of those horrible riffs on a goofy name. Thraxy, Thraxiliah, Thraximojo, Thraximundar! So ridiculous name aside, this guy is kind of insane. While I can see all sorts of EDH games loving this guy, I can also see a Standard reanimator deck punishing a player for going ‘Shields Down,’ playing Makeshift Mannequin, and destroying someone’s board with a 7/7 smashing in after they sacrifice a dude. This guy’s ability basically means you’ll need two creatures per turn to chump block with, and I just love how it has some strange synergy with Mogg Fanatic and even Fleshbag Marauder. Sac some dudes, get some counters, beat your face? I love this guy if for nothing but his raw Timmy-ness.
Lavalanche is next and I can’t help but laugh at yet another funky name. Lavalanche, really? How about Jundquake? Perhaps Goodness Gracious, Great Balls of Jundfire? This spell is immediately outclassed by a few cards: Namely Banefire, which is about a hundred times more efficient, and Volcanic Fallout, which does much the same thing for two less mana, a less mana-intensive cost, at instant speed, is uncounterable, and wrecks a few of the most popular decks in the format. That leaves Lavalanche to being absolutely crushing in Limited, and very narrow everywhere else. If you want to wipe the board you’d play Volcanic Fallout, if you wanted to burn them out you’d play Banefire. Next!
The last card I want to talk about this week is Qasali Pridemage. This is an incredibly powerful and efficient weenie that gives you a sort of Viridian Zealot 2.0 for a much more relaxed casting cost and an extra point of toughness to boot. This guy is perfectly suited for a word full of Bitterblossoms and Oblivion Rings, and can be brought back to life thanks to Reveillark for even more destruction. The sure-fire foil to an Esper deck, Qasali Pridemage may not look like a powerhouse, but efficient and effective weenies are something to be treasured. I mean, how long did it take something as innocuous as Knight of Meadowgrain to catch on? Now it’s a two-dollar uncommon. I’d suggest you pick up your playset as soon as possible.
So that’s all for this week folks. Next weekend we’ll finally get our chance to crack some Alara Reborn packs, and I am definitely excited. If you haven’t heard, I’ll be at the Los Angeles prerelease held by SunMesa Events. SunMesa is run by good friend of the show Glenn Goddard, who not only is getting me out to California for the weekend, but is the same guy responsible for bringing back States last year. So for those on the west coast, get yourself to the Prerelease and I’ll definitely see you there.
Until next time Magic players, this is Evan Erwin. Tapping the cards… so you don’t have to.
Evan “misterorange” Erwin
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