Hello again, and welcome back to my little prognostication of Magical cards. When last we met, I was telling you the studs and duds at your Time Spiral prerelease (you did pick up your Spectral Forces, Tormod’s Crypts, and Stonewood Invocations, and trade off your Jaya Ballards, Magus of the Scrolls, and Gemstone Caverns like I told you, right?) This time around we’re going to look at the values of Planar Chaos. Before we get started, let me say a couple of things.
One: All spoiler information comes from MTGsalvation.com. As of Thursday, 1/18/07 at 9pm, the entire Planar Chaos spoiler was complete at MTGSalvation.com. I am going by the spoilers on their site. As usual, MTGSalvation gets all the credit for this information, as well as all of the blame if any of the card texts or rarities are wrong.
Two: This is one of the strongest Magic sets ever printed. There is a very high percentage of playable cards, and more than a handful of absolute must-get bombs. Of course, these are peppered throughout all three rarities. Green, by itself, has twelve cards that are going to see tournament play (several of them in multiple decks and formats). My inclination is to recommend complete sets as a way to get everything in Planar Chaos, because there are a ton of money singles this time around. Damnation is already selling for $20-$25 each, and is not going to come down in price.
All right, enough introduction. Here’s the spiel: I’m going to break down the cards by color and rarity. If I list a card as (BULK) it means that it won’t have much interest at all at your prerelease. If I list it as (PICK UP) it means that it will likely be undervalued early, and you should pick it up while it’s cheap. If I list it as (TRADE AWAY) it means that early hype will not likely live up to actual play value, and that you should trade them off while they are at their peak. If I list a card as (KEEP), it means that the card will likely start high, and stay high (again, Damnation is a good example of a Keep. It doesn’t meet you have to keep it, but it means that it will keep it’s value.)
Please refer here for the full Planar Chaos spoiler on Salvation. Full card texts will be on the site come Monday afternoon (along with Planar Chaos singles presales)
White Rares:
Benalish Commander (BULK/TRADE AWAY)
Mostly a casual card, and certainly not a replacement for Decree of Justice.
Crovax, Ascendant Hero (TRADE, $5)
Everyone is going hog wild on Crovax, but his lack of Evasion will hurt. The Black Crovax gave up -1/-1 and the ability to return to hand for flying, and the flying is what made it playable. Yes, Crovax will kill entire hordes of Elves. Against control though, Crovax will sit on the ground while large flyers kill overhead.
Dust Elemental (BULK/TRADE AWAY)
Heroes Remembered (BULK/TRADE AWAY)
Magus of the Tabernacle (PICK UP $2-$3)
The last Magus cycle was a disappointment across the board. This cycle is somewhat better. The Magus of the Tabernacle gains a lot from having six toughness (enough to survive Char/Psionic Blast), and it stymies creature decks. I think people are going to be a little gun-shy about the Magus this time around because all of the other ones have bottomed out since Time Spiral, so now might be a time to pick up the three better ones (Bazaar, Library, and Tabernacle).
Mesa Enchantress (TRADE AWAY $2)
Timeshifted Verduran Enchantress. The only thing going for Mesa Enchantress is that it combines really well with defensive enchantments that White has (Faith’s Fetters, etc), but Verduran Enchantress has been around in Standard for years, and hasn’t seen play.
Porphyry Nodes (TRADE AWAY $3-$4ish)
Timeshifted Drop of Honey. I just don’t see this working out well. Your opponent can play around it easily. If they drop multiple creatures, you Wrath and probably break even two for two. It’s bad against haste creatures, control decks, and combo. Condemn seems like a better choice still.
Retether (TRADE AWAY $2)
It’s no Replenish.
Voidstone Gargoyle (TRADE AWAY $2-$3)
This guy combines Meddling Mage and Pithing Needle. He also costs three more than the Mage and four more than the Needle, making it very cumbersome for stopping threats.
White Uncommons and Commons of Note:
Aven Riftwatcher (C): Pick up in Foil.
Calciderm (C): Timeshifted Blastoderm. Worth getting in foil, but without Fires of Yavimaya, will not be as useful as Blastoderm was.
Dawn Charm (C): Also pick up in Foil. Good sideboard material.
Mana Tithe (C): Timeshifted Force Spike. Foil will sell for $2-$3. Will be a staple.
Saltblast (U): Will also be popular, but might also have Constructed applications. This is basically Desert Twister with a mana discount for the non-White clause.
Sunlance (C): Timeshifted Strafe. Will do much better than Strafe did (which was an underutilized card) because there are more non-White aggressive creatures you want to kill than non-Red aggressive creatures. Worth picking up foil versions.
Blue Rares:
Aeon Chronicles (BULK/KEEP)
Probably worth running in Urzatron decks as a one- or two-of, but otherwise too expensive for use. If you’re not playing Urzatron, just trade this to someone who is.
Body Double (TRADE AWAY $2)
See Dimir Doppelganger / Clone / Vesuvan Doppelganger / other copy / Reanimation cards.
Braids, Conjurer Adept (TRADE AWAY $2-$3)
Will be popular with casual and group-game players, but a Show and Tell each turn is probably too random to win games reliably. For the same cost in Green, you get Hunted Wumpus.
Chronozoa (TRADE AWAY/BULK)
If your opponent can’t kill it within three turns, you get two more. With eight Wraths in the format, along with Lightning Helix / Putrefy / Mortify / Char / Psionic Blast / Volcanic Hammer / etc, this will die.
Dichotomancy (BULK/TRADE AWAY)
I just don’t see this being good. Nine mana is a lot to pay, and your opponent can play around the Suspend cost.
Magus of the Bazaar (PICK UP $2-$3)
Again, the Magus cycle is going to be undervalued as a whole. On the White one, people see a 2/6 creature that costs one to upkeep. On this one, they see themselves losing a card each time it is activated. Friggorid, dredge, and Threshold decks don’t care. Aggressively costed.
Serendib Sorcerer (TRADE AWAY $2)
Sorceress Queen was always popular with casual players, and Serendib Sorcerer will be as well. Might see some sideboard play against decks that are removal-light and creature-heavy.
Serra Sphinx (Trade Away $2)
Hopefully people will realize that Serra Angel is just a bad card, and that reprinting as a non-Angel card will show them that without being an Angel, it’s just awful.
Spellshift (BULK/TRADE AWAY)
The definition of a bulk rare.
Blue Commons/Uncommons of Note:
Dismal Failure (U): Recoil as a Counterspell. Quite good in control versus control.
Pongify (U): Players are going nuts about this card, but I just don’t see it. Trade away foil copies you get for more generally useful cards.
Venarian Glimmer (U): Not that good early, but great for knocking out cards after the draw phase mid / late game. Probably worth picking up in Foil.
Black Rares:
Damnation (KEEP/$20)
This is the marquee card of the set, lives up to every bit of its hype, and will not drop below $20 as long as it is Standard legal. Wrath is a $15 card, and it has been reprinted in thirteen tournament-legal sets at this point (Alpha, Beta, Unlimited, Revised, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, Portal, Player Rewards, and Battle Royale). Damnation is in a big, fat, whopping one set.
Extirpate (KEEP/$5)
A mini-Haunting Echoes. People are making this out to be the second coming, but you need to get a card in the graveyard first. This is amazing against decks that get their own cards in the graveyard (Firemane Angel, Dredge decks, Friggorid, Proclamation of Rebirth, Project X). It’s not as great if you need to force a discard, and then use this to maybe or maybe not hit cards in their hand. Definitely worth keeping as a main deck / sideboard card, since it’ll see play in multiple formats.
Imp’s Mischief (BULK/PICK UP)
Black quietly gets Misdirection, but at a Black price (loss of life). This is actually quite a tool for Black, and has a really good chance of seeing consistent play in more than one format. Get them now, before people realize they are very playable.
Magus of the Coffers (TRADE AWAY $3-$5)
This isn’t one of the better Magus, because it costs five mana. If you want a billion mana and are playing Black, Gauntlet of Might already fills this role, and is less fragile than a Durkwood Boars. This might be played in some decks, but not before it drops some in value. Trade them while their value is at their highest.
Mirri the Cursed (TRADE AWAY $3)
Mirri just isn’t that good. She is a 3/2 Flying Hasty First Striker for four, but two toughness is oh-so-fragile. Basically, you are adding +1/+0 and First Strike to Crazed Skirge, and I never saw Crazed Skirge see play in Constructed.
Null Profusion (KEEP/BULK)
Recycle ended up seeing some use, and right now there aren’t many discard effects being played seriously in Standard. This might have some potential (and be worth picking up), just don’t put any premium on it beyond it being a bad rare.
Rolling Horror (PICK UP/BULK-$2)
Will be a really good finisher/mid-game play in Mono Black control. It also can double as a finisher in a Black Aggro deck — after your first wave of guys get Wrathed, chance are you’ll get a 6/6 or 7/7 for 5 mana.
Temporal Extortion (TRADE AWAY $5-$6)
The punisher mechanic was previously in Red, but reappears in Black in this set. This mechanic is inherently weak, because your opponent can choose the worse (for you) of two results. Moreover, this isn’t splashable. Trade them off — if Walk of Eons is seeing zero play, this will likely be relegated to the same fate.
Black Commons/Uncommons of Note:
Enslave(U): The Black Confiscate, but only for creatures. Still, this may have sideboard applications. Pick up a couple. Trade them if they are being valued highly.
Shrouded Lore(U): Timeshifted Forgotten Lore. One of the better Regrowth variants ever printed, and one that people will overlook at first because it is very wordy. Pick up a playset of these and keep them.
Treacherous Urge(U): Call this a feeling, but this has serious potential as a sideboard card to get two-for-ones all over the place. When combined with Damnation, Aggro decks will potentially hold back threats, allowing you to come out ahead even against them. This is basically a Threaten variant for Black.
Red Rares:
Akroma, Angel of Fury (TRADE AWAY $10-$15)
Akroma, Angel of Fury will get played, and it will be decent (either in Reanimator, or in red mid-range Aggro decks). It’s not as good as Akroma, Angel of Wrath though. Pro Black and Pro Red are better than Pro White and Pro Blue (which are not the removal colors), and Haste is better than Firebreathing on a card such as this. It can still kill quickly, and some decks will not be able to deal with it outside of Wrath of God, but considering this is the flagship “name” creature in the set, you can probably trade these off for a load of more tournament-playable cards at your prerelease (Ravnica block Duals, Demonfires, etc), and pick them up later after they depreciate some.
Detrivore (BULK/TRADE AWAY)
It’s no Destructive Flow.
Fatal Frenzy (KEEP $3-$4)
I’m conflicted about this card. On one hand, is Berserk any good when it costs three rather than one? Also, Berserk could kill an opposing creature in a pinch. This one can only hit your own guys. On the other hand, this can make Goblin Piledriver immediately lethal (which is relevant if you’re racing), works better than Psychotic Fury in Extended Tog (easier to trample over through a blocker than to double strike through a blocker, no?), and combines well with some of the ridiculously undercosted Green pump spells floating around right now (Might of Old Krosa plus Fatal Frenzy = Attack for ten minimum on a 1/1 creature?). I’d hold onto these, but not go out of my way to trade for them unless I could get them cheap. If they are trading high, trade them away, and try to pick them up at a slightly lower price later on.
Magus of the Arena (TRADE AWAY/BULK)
Arena isn’t seeing play as a three-activation land (uncounterable), so this has no chance.
Molten Firebird (TRADE AWAY/BULK)
Timeshifted Ivory Gargoyles. Also junk in this day and age.
Shivan Wumpus (TRADE AWAY $2-$3)
Argothian Wurm has, to my vexation, remained a $3ish card forever. This is the Red Argothian Wurm. Just like the punisher mechanic, your opponent chooses if you get a Stone Rain or a 6/6 trampler. Meanwhile, they can continue to beat you down with creatures if they are aggro, or kill your guy with removal if they are control.
Torchling (KEEP/PICK UP $5-$7)
Players will be a little gunshy after Windreaver, but this guy is much closer to Morphling than Windreaver. It has three identical abilities to Morphling (+1/-1, -1/+1, and Untap), and two new abilities (Lure instead of Flying, and Misdirection instead of Untargetability). What’s this mean? Well A), you probably won’t be able to kill Torchling with targeted removal. Burn, Faith’s Fetters, what have you — they will all just get redirected straight to your dome (unlike other redirect effects on creatures, Torchling can redirect anywhere, not just to other players). Also, Torchling is built-in removal (thanks to Lure). If your opponent attacks, you can kill their creature and keep yours alive. If they don’t attack, you force them to block. Torchling also lives through Wildfire, meaning there’s a deck out there for him pre-built. I think Torchling will prove to be playable, and will live up to early hype.
Volcano Hellion (PICK UP $3-$4)
Is Volcano Hellion any good? I say yes. Forgetting for a moment any combos it has with Stuffy Doll, Volcano Hellion can basically kill any creature in play, stick around to block for a turn, and / or beat down for six pretty early on in the game. It is a pretty good card for a mid-range deck, and it can stall an aggro deck early (pay one life to kill Savannah Lions, and keep the other creatures from attacking for a turn). It usually will stick around for only one turn, but sometimes you’ll be able to pay the upkeep, and then come out swinging (in fact, as a late game draw, it’s perfectly fine as a 6/5 for four mana with a 3-6 mana echo cost. It gets even better if you play Thick-Skinned Goblin).
Boom / Bust (PICK UP $2-$3)
I don’t know what it is about split cards, but they consistently are valued less than if either half of the card were printed on its own card! This is just a psychological happening — people say “well, only half this card is useful to me, so it’s not worth as much” rather than “Man, I really like Armageddon!” And make no mistake, one side of this card is Flat-out Armageddon for six mana. The other hand is Raze for two. The environment is suitably slow enough that against several control decks, casting Armageddon is killer. Is it better than Wildfire? Well, weenie decks can run Boom / Bust either for early mana stymieing, or for late-game theatrics. They can’t do the same with Wildfire.
Red Uncommons and Commons of Note:
Aether Membrane (U): Wall of Tears was played in some formats, and this is a larger Wall of Tears that flies. I see this having applications as a sideboard card against weenie decks for mid-range stall decks — maybe something like Wildfire decks (since this survives Wildfire).
Blood Knight (U): A staple for Red Weenie. Get four of these. They are $1-$2 Uncommons.
Dead / Gone (C): Shock a creature, or bounce a fatty. There are times Red wants to do either / or, and so this might fight for a slot in several decks against the usual array of burn spells. Probably not for Extended, but probably worthwhile in Standard versus Shock or Sudden Shock. Not a shoo-in, because of the inability to damage players.
Keldon Marauders (C): Two mana for five damage. If you have Haste, it’s two mana for eight damage. There isn’t an easy way to give it haste in Standard, but in Extended this might be part of a Fires deck, if Fires is ever revived. I’d pick up a foil playset, just in case.
Reckless Wurm (U): Right now, the G/R Madness deck as fallen out of favor (so has U/G Madness, but that’s a different story). Will the ability to run eight Arrogant Wurms make G/R more viable? It’s possible, so I’d probably pick up a playset of these.
Rough / Tumble (U): There are decks that would love to run 8 Pyroclasms off the board. Now they can. The second ability (Tumble) is just gravy. Pick up a playset of these.
Simian Spirit Guide (C): This will immediately be played in Vintage, Legacy, Extended, and Standard. Although it sounds all encompassing, it won’t be played in all decks — just a ton of combo decks. The foils will sell for $3-$4 each, given that every Vintage and Legacy player will want a playset to replace their very non-foil Elvish Spirit Guides.
Stingscourger (U): This is going straight into the Extended Goblin deck. For R1 or for R (with Warchief out), you get rid of an early blocker, and then end up with something to feed to your Skirk Prospector / swing for two. This also has Standard applications, as it’s the Red Man-o’-War. Pick up a foil playset of these as well.
Green Rares:
Gaea’s Anthem (TRADE FOR/KEEP $3-$4)
Timeshifted Glorious Anthem, which has always been a $4-$5 card. Now it’s in Green, which is a color that can use it more than White (Elves for the win!)
Groundbreaker (KEEP $4-$5)
Timeshifted Ball Lightning. Part of the soon-to-be holy triumvirate of remarkably fat Green haste creatures (Timbermare, Giant Solifuge, and this). If you don’t plan on playing Green, trade them away. If you do, don’t let them go. They aren’t going to go down in price.
Fungal Behemoth (TRADE AWAY BULK-$2)
I suppose this works well with Simic creatures, but generally you have better things to do with your time and mana for Green — such as Loxodon Hierarch, Timbermare, Giant Solifuge, and Concentrate.
Jedit Ojanen of Efrava (TRADE AWAY – $3-$4)
I’m torn on Jedit as well. In the mirror match, he’s an absolute game breaker. However, will the mirror match last this long? Half the time, yes — your opponent will be drawing a lot of cards (who ever thought I’d say that about the Green Mirror Match), whereas you will have Jedit and an ever-increasing horde of Cat Warriors. I think I view Jedit like I view Kamahl and Silvos — both of them saw borderline play in Standard, both of them were good at what they did, but you were better served trading them to casual players for tournament cards, rather than playing with them yourself.
Life and Limb (TRADE AWAY/BULK)
Which is what you are risking if you play this in an environment filled with Wraths, Pyroclasms, and other ridiculously good mass-removal spells.
Magus of the Library (KEEP $6-$8)
The best of the new Magus cycle. This wouldn’t have been too hot if it weren’t for all the good card drawing Green got in this set, but between Scryb Ranger, Keen Sense, Harmonize, Ohran Viper, and the ability to play Blue for even more card drawing, Magus of the Library will vex players for the coming years. It’s really good, and the ability that puts it over the top is that you can use it as a mana elf / acceleration if you’re not drawing cards.
Timbermare (KEEP $3-$4)
Our StarCityGames.com Planar Chaos preview card, and essentially a second Ball Lightning for Green in one set — except this one might stick around for a second go. Also quite good with Chord of Calling, and with Might of Old Krosa. There’s going to be a Green haste deck with all-fat haste Green creatures, and this will be a part of that core.
Wild Pair (TRADE AWAY/BULK)
Casual players might like this, but it’s not going to make the cut in Constructed (especially if Protean Hulk is already seeing zero play).
Green Commons/Uncommons of Note:
Ana Battlemage (U): Reminiscent of Thornscape Battlemage, which definitely saw play. U/G is going to be a played deck (see Magus of the Library, above), so it’s basically a three-for-one that leaves you with a 2/2 creature. The Black ability is useful too.
Essence Warden (C): Replaced Soul Warden (which it is Timeshifted from) in the Project X deck. Will be extremely popular with casual players as well.
Evolution Charm (C): Lay of the Land, Raise Dead, and Jump in one card. The first was played, the second was marginal, and the third is the inverse of Emerald Charm’s “Loses Flying” ability — which is useful for killing flyers. Add instant speed and the ability to play all three abilities, and you have a winning card (and one you should get four foil copies of).
Harmonize (U): Timeshifted Concentrate. This is going to be a Green staple. Get four immediately, and hold onto them. $1-$2 Uncommon.
Hedge Troll (U): Timeshifted Sedge Troll. There’s a G/W deck already running around out there, and this guy definitely can find a home there. Dodges most targeted removal, and stops a creature rush.
Hunting Wilds (U): Double Farseek for four mana. You probably won’t play the kicker often, but the ability to fix your entire manabase while accelerating is key. This is close to Skyshroud Claim, except that it gets Ravnica-block Duals. Worth picking up a playset early, just in case.
Kavu Predator (U): This has got to fit into some deck, even if as a sideboard card, given Loxodon Hierarch, Faith’s Fetters, Martyr of Sands, and other lifegain spells that are seeing play in Standard right now. The trample is relevant given Blanchwood Armor, Moldervine Cloak, Stonewood Invocation, and Might of Old Krosa. Pick up four copies.
Keen Sense (U): Timeshifted Curiosity, which has been a staple $1-$2 Uncommon. This is even better, because there are a lot more early creatures you’d want to use this on, either in Green, or in Green/Red (as opposed to Mono-Blue or Blue/Red). This will see a lot of play in Standard, and some in Extended.
Mire Boa (C): River Boa (Which is one of those $.75-$1 Green commons) for Swamps rather than Islands. Will be good in the upcoming metagame. Pick up four foil copies, they’ll sell for $1-$2 each.
Seal of Primordium (C): Timeshifted Seal of Cleansing, which was a staple card. So is this. Pick up four foil copies, also a $1.50-$2 foil card.
Gold and Land Rares:
Intet, the Dreamer (GRU3): Blue: Mind’s Desire for one card.
Numot, the Devastator (UWR3): Red: Stone Rain two lands.
Oros, the Avenger (BWR3): White: Sunlance everything.
Teneb, the Harvester (WGB3): Black: Zombify a creature in any graveyard.
Vorosh, the Hunter (BUG3): Green: Put 6 +1/+1 counters on it.
All of these are 6/6 Dragons for six, making them mirrors (in wedge enemy colors) of the Invasion Dragons, which were (and continue to be) insanely popular. Of these, Numot the Devastator is the only one that immediately has a deck (R/U/W Angel/Midrange), and can be quite the finisher in that deck. Teneb the Harvester is a great Reanimation target, because he can then start reanimating your other guys, making an army by himself. The other three dragons either have weaker abilities, or don’t have deck that you’d immediately want to throw them in. This isn’t to say that they won’t see play (they are as good as the Champions and Invasion dragons), but that some are just better than others right now. Most will trade in the $3-$6 range. If you play R/U/W, pick up a couple of Numot as your new finisher. For the others, trade them away if you can get good cards for them, but they will probably come in and stay in the $3-$6 range forever.
Radha, Heir to Keld (PICK UP, $2-$3)
People are undervaluing Radha right now, because they read the “May add RR” ability as “must add” and are worried about taking mana burn. Contrary, Radha allows you to swing, and the come in with direct damage for free. This is significant, and will be even more useful once Incinerate rotates in via Tenth Edition. Also, Radha taps for mana on her own. This is worth running in your R/G aggro deck.
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth (KEEP/PICK UP, $5-$6)
Strictly better than a Swamp, ridiculous with Cabal Coffers in Extended (and Mono-Black control is definitely poised for a comeback in that format with all the tools it got in this set!), and quite good with things like Tendrils of Corruption and Consume Spirit. These will be staples in many Black decks, much like Flagstones is played heavily in White.
Gold Uncommons of Note (i.e. The Slivers)
Cautery Sliver: Goblin Legionnaire Sliver, but for one damage / heal instead of two. Definitely a great aggressive creature, as is Goblin Legionnaire. Playable outside of Sliver decks.
Frenetic Sliver: Frenetic Efreet Sliver, and definitely aggressively costed for a flyer that can dodge removal. Another Sliver that is playable on its own.
Neurotic Sliver: Vindicate Sliver. At six mana, this kills anything. At three mana, it swings for two (or three if you have Ligament Sliver). The best Sliver in the set, and a card which will see play in B/W control decks as a removal spell / small attacking threat. Pick up four.
Have a great time at the Prerelease this weekend! If you’re coming to Richmond on Saturday or Roanoke on Sunday to the StarCityGames.com event, come on by the sales booth and let me know what you thought about my picks. We’ll have artist rk post on hand, and lots of cool events all day long.
Also, check out my new regular column, further on down the front page, for a look at The Real Deal! This week, the column ties straight in with this one — it’s a list of the cards that are currently Standard legal that will drop or rise in price because of the cards in Planar Chaos. Check it out!
Ben