Prereleases for the new core set, Magic 2010, are happening around the world this weekend. After that, Launch parties on the 16-18th will be where most of the FNM crowd will be spending their dough. That weekend also marks the end of 10th Edition as the core set in Standard, with M10 functioning for the next 15 months, until it rotates in October-ish of 2011.
With that in mind, today we’re going to examine M10 from a variety of different angles, starting with Limited.
M10 draft is going to be the format du jour for the next little while, both for prereleases and launch parties, but also for some of the higher level pro events. This means that the format will develop and change. You’d do well to read Olivier’s Drafting With articles if you’re premium, as he’ll be able to give real-time experience on how these drafts develop. Let’s look at a few key points of M10 Draft.
First of all, this is a triple set draft, meaning you can get a more consistent deck in terms of colors. You’re more likely to have multiples of a given playable, as you’ll see three packs worth of M10 commons and uncommons. Also, as a more mono-chromatic set, you don’t have to worry about butting colors with as many players. For instance, in Shards draft, Blue was in three different shards, meaning that, in some cases, over half the table was in Blue in one form or another. On average, 3/5’s of the players were in any given color, whereas for M10, we can easily expect fewer players per color. You should also be able to draft a fairly stable deck without the need for mana-fixing, which is important, as there isn’t nearly the plethora that there was in previous sets.
Let’s look through some of my favorite cards in each color for M10 draft (note, they may not be the best, just my favorites. I may not mention an awesome card, because it’s obviously awesome, and everyone knows it. I’ll also be avoiding Rares and Mythic Rares, as they aren’t seen often enough in any given draft.)
Starting in White, I think Armored Ascension could be good, as you’ll probably have at least 2-3 Plains out when you cast it. It may be something to consider boarding in if they don’t have much spot removal. Glorious Charge and Harm’s Way are both great combat tricks for the format, and I fully expect many White players to completely change games with them. Pacifism is solid removal on creatures without activated abilities, and can be a stalemate breaker late game. Same goes for Palace Guard, as it can stop a counter swing from becoming lethal with his ability to chump an entire team. The Common Soldier Lords Veteran Armorsmith and Veteran Swordsmith look fun, but are lacking a critical mass of Soldiers to help, as only one common soldier (the aforementioned Palace Guard) and two uncommon soldiers (Rhox Pikemaster and Elite Vanguard) are in the set. If you can get Captain of the Watch, they jump priority quite a bit.
Looking into Blue, Fabricate can help you find your bomb Artifact, but does little else. Ice Cage is decent removal, but more accurately described as a bounce spell than out and out removal. Sleep is probably Constructed playable, and in Limited it can end games out of nowhere. It’s probably worth splashing Blue if you can to play it. I always like Telepathy, as knowledge is power, and with perfect information it’s a lot easier to outplay your opponent. Tome Scour can also be decent, if you can play for the late game, and its value rises in 40-card formats, but you probably need at least four to make it worthwhile, along with some form of forced card draw (preferably Howling Mine or Jace, the former of which may be going late, the latter not so much). Wall of Frost could buy you the time you need with Tome Scour. Overall, I think Blue is somewhat weak for this format, but has some surprises.
Moving around the wheel to Black, Consume Spirit is enough to end late games, or at least swing them far enough to matter. Deathmark is good more often than you would think, as if you’re in Black, it’s more likely your opponents are in Green and/or White. Probably still stays in the sideboard, but comes in closer to 50% of matchups instead of the expected 40%. Diabolic Tutor is good for finding game-ending spells, obviously. Disentomb effectively is like drafting another good creature, sometimes better, as it has the potential to be far more adaptable at times. Doom Blade is strictly better than Terror, but really only affects Ornithopter or Platinum Angel in M10. Still, good removal is good removal, and is valuable. Drudge Skeletons are on my favorite list, but as a control player, I like anything that buys me time to the late game by clogging the ground up. Duress can draw out tricks, but in a more creature centric format, expect to whiff on occasion. Sign in Blood is of course nuts, and should be taken high, both as card advantage and occasional burn in an emergency. Weakness is decent removal, but nothing spectacular. Wall of Bone is high on my list, but again for the aforementioned clogging reason. Overall, I think Black is very strong in M10 Limited.
Red is defined by Lightning Bolt, and as a common, it will be an easy splash for a lot of players. Fireball is also a popular burn spell that can be splashed easily. Red has a lot of creatures with fire-breathing abilities, which aren’t as strong in my opinion. Goblin Artillery is fun with Lifelink, if you’re W/R. Panic Attack is a bad version of Sleep for one less, but can still get the job done if necessary. Pyroclasm is the most reliable sweeper, but expect to not get much out of it after turn 4. Overall, I think Red is strong, but will be cannibalized by other colors looking to splash the better cards in the color.
Finishing off our slice of Color Pie, Green starts off strong with Acidic Slime, a good value at 5, but you’ll probably be aiming for Enchantments or Artifacts as often as lands, as it’s a lot harder to land-screw someone in Limited. Still, on occasion, it will turn a stumble into a fall if they miss. Borderland Ranger is the new Civic Wayfinder, and should be a good fixer, one of few. Cudgel Troll is another regenerator, this time with a good power to go with it, so it’s high on my list. Entangling Vines is good removal, if expensive. It won’t stop a perpetual blocker like a wall, though. Giant Growth is a known quantity, and you’d do well to represent it even if you don’t have it in hand. Mold Adder is the sideboard card you’ll want to notice, as it’s good against Blue and Black, although probably not as good as expected, as Black can easily kill it when it becomes a nuisance, and Blue has some answers as well. Nature’s Spiral looks okay, but it’ll mostly be creatures you return. Prized Unicorn may or may not have Neil Patrick Harris riding it, but either way is a valuable distraction to alpha strike for the win. Rampant Growth, another fixer, you’ve seen it before, and probably know where to value it depending on your deck. Overall, I like Green quite a bit.
As far as artifacts go, the life gain cycle (think Angel’s Feather) can be okay, but nothing to write home about. Gorgon Flail could have value, depending on how ba-roken Deathtouch is in the new combat rules. Mostly, you want it on your Unicorn, though. Whispersilk Cloak is another equipment worth monitoring. Terramorphic Expanse is a good fixer, probably slightly better than the Panoramas, although your mileage may vary. Finally, obviously draft basic lands last, unless you want to send a signal.
How can you send signals, you say? Well, if the last two cards you get are some color you aren’t remotely in, and want your neighbor in, and the basic land, take the basic. This should tell the person next to you that you are most definitely not in this color. Try it out, it’s not bad.
Before we move into Constructed, let’s have a chat with some of the cards leaving Standard soon. Up first, Mogg Fanatic.
JP: So, Mr. Fanatic.
MF: Please, call me Mogg.
JP: Okay, Mogg, how are you handling the transition?
MF: Well, frankly, not very well. I mean, it was bad enough they rearranged the rules of the game to hose me. But you know what, I love this game, I’m devoted, obviously, so I was ready to adapt, and become a solid role-player for Red. And then this! It’s a slap in the face!
JP: You mean being left out of M10
MF: Yes! I mean, you have no idea how much I’ve done for this game. I’ve made thousands, no, millions of sacrifices! You think anyone in R&D has made the kinds of sacrifices I have for this game? I have given my life for this game, and this is the thanks I get. You bet I’m mad. You know what? I’m outta here. I’m gonna go find someone in R&D with 1 toughness and give them a piece of my mind. Literally.
JP: wow, if I’m in R&D right now, I’d be sandbagging a pump spell right about now. You may need it. Next up, the most conspicuous card left out of M10, Wrath of God. How are you handling the transition out of Standard?
WoG: You know, a lot better than people expected. I’ve had a few calls from some of my friends asking how I was doing, and when to expect the Pillars of Salt to start appearing. But honestly, I just haven’t been as wrathful as I used to be. I don’t think I’ve sent any plagues of locusts, or even rained blood in quite a while. I guess that explains why I was cut.
JP: So, you’re really turning into a big softy, aren’t you?
WoG: Hey, I still got some kick when I need to. Don’t tempt me, boy, you ain’t no Darksteel Colossus.
JP: My apologies. Let’s get back to work!
Looking at standard, Kith Deck Winz looks to be extremely strong, with an improved Glorious Anthem coming our way. Faeries will still be a player, but the mirror will be horrible, as the transition to Drowned Catacomb will hamper the ability to play turn 1 Thoughtseize or Duress quite a bit. G/W Tokens will be a contender, with Overrun giving it some kick, alongside Garruk. I think G/X Elves will also be strong, especially with the new Lord, aka Steroid Elf. Even Erwin said it best, Priest of Titania and Elvish Champion got Bizzay! Baneslayer Angel is for real, according to Aaron Forsythe on twitter, which means five-drops just got a new level of awesome. Furthermore, with Wrath being taken out, the time table for reset buttons just became five instead of four. One more turn for aggro decks to try and get there, which is probably enough to push them over the edge.
Soldiers have a strong curve for Post-Zendikar, and if they get a solid three-drop and a few more options on one- and two-drops, they could easily morph out of Kithkin to become the premier aggro deck.
Vampires looks like a fun theme deck, and I could see myself running Mono-Black Control with Bitterblossom for some enjoyable beatings.
Finally, one card that I see being very strong, at least for the next few months, is Wake Thrasher. With mana burn no longer an issue, you can feel free to tap out float your mana in the opponent’s end step. With a second Merfolk lord, this deck could again be a contender as a strong Aggro deck as well.
Until next time, this is Jeff Phillips, reminding you: Don’t make the Loser Choice.