We are but mere days away from the Conflux prerelease, and I for one am very excited. This set looks to feature tons of fun and interesting cards, ranging in power level from borderline playable to format-defining tournament powerhouse, from possible “crazy build around me” cards to staples that will see play for years to come. This set is going to be a strong one!
Ravnica and Time Spiral seemed to be at a fairly decent power level, if you ask me. Lorwyn brought some drastic changes, with cards like Cryptic Command; Thoughtseize; Profane Command; Doran, the Siege Tower; and Mulldrifter making a huge splash. This is to say nothing of how outrageous things were to become with the introduction of Morningtide.
By now, the hatred and regret caused by Bitterblossom (or at least by it being a Tribal Enchantment — Faerie) is just as much a part of Magic culture as Tarmogoyf’s “Greatest Of All Time” tag, but that was far from the only major shakeup caused by Morningtide.
Reveillark is arguably the most powerful White creature of all time, possibly even surpassing the devastating Academy Rector and Akroma, Angel of Wrath. It has had a tremendous impact on Standard, as well as providing combo options in every format above it.
Mutavault is a man-land on par with Mishra’s Factory, and one that is actually often even more powerful as a result of its tribal synergies. Chameleon Colossus was an incredible new weapon for Green Mages, one that helped set the bar for creatures in Standard. Even the “flops” of the set, like Countryside Crusher, have had an impact somewhere, in one format or another (Loam decks, etc).
A deeper examination reveals layers upon layers of Morningtide influence, including Heritage Druid, Earwig Squad, Vexing Shusher, Vendilion Clique, Mind Shatter, Mind Spring, Negate, Murmuring Bosk, Shard Volley, and many more.
Some might argue that Shadowmoor can compete with Morningtide, on account of Demigod of Revenge, Reflecting Pool, Kitchen Finks, Firespout, Oona, Ashenmoor Gouger, Deus of Calamity, Flame Javelin, Filterlands and so on, but remember that Shadowmoor is twice as large as Morningtide. Did it bring anywhere near twice as much to the table?
Conflux is smaller than Morningtide, and while I don’t think there is a Bitterblossom or Reveillark in the set, the fifth best Conflux card competes with the fifth best Morningtide card, and likewise for the tenth best, twentieth best, and so on.
A couple of weeks ago I talked about ten cards I thought were worth talking about from Conflux, which you can read about here. This week, the spoiler is almost completely available, courtesy of our friends over at mtgsalvation.com (they had 132 of 145 as of the writing of this article). I would like to take a few minutes and look at (at least?) ten more hot cards that everyone is, or should be, discussing.
For ease of reading, I have included the complete text of each card, as spoiled by mtgsalvation.com.
Child of Alara (M)
Legendary Creature — Avatar
WUBRG
Trample
When Child of Alara is put into a graveyard from play, destroy all non-land permanents in play. They can’t be regenerated.
6/6
Let’s start off with one that a lot of people are talking about. A number of people have told me that they fully expect me to be playing this guy in Kyoto in some sort of Five-Color deck. A 6/6 trampler for five mana that sweeps the board if he dies? Sounds interesting right?
Here’s the thing… you are paying for the abilities on this guy, and I just don’t think they are going to be relevant enough to warrant the price. Look at Fusion Elemental–
Fusion Elemental (U)
WUBRG
8/8
This guy is a freaking huge vanilla creature that is only uncommon and not particularly exciting beyond the novelty of what he is. Fusion Elemental is an 8/8 for the same cost as Child of Alara, and I think we can agree that Fusion Elemental is not good enough for our deck. How much better is Child of Alara?
To begin with, Child is a 6/6 versus an 8/8. That is pretty huge. Trample is certainly a great ability on a 6/6, but is it really worth two points of power and two points of toughness? Probably not. The sexier aspect of the Child is his ability that triggers upon death. Of course, to truly understand this card, you have to imagine the circumstances that would lead to its death.
The Child of Alara is not a Reveillark. It has to actually die proper to trigger, or I would be singing a very different tune. The Child is a 6/6 Black creature. How exactly is it dying again?
When I think of ways to deal with a 6/6 Black creature in Standard, my list probably begins something like:
10. Unmake
9. Banefire (the new Demonfire, which you can read about in my article from two weeks ago)
8. Cruel Ultimatum
7. Wrath of God
6. Condemn
5. Bant Charm
4. Celestial Purge (see below for card text)
3. Sower of Temptation
2. Path to Exile (the new Plow)
1. Cryptic Command
Of these answers, only three even trigger the Child’s ability. Of those, typically people with Wrath or Cruel Ultimatum are not the people you want to Disk against. People with Banefire probably don’t want to see the Child, but will try to attack with Demigod and then Banefire you out.
So is the key that he dies in combat? Then I would ask you, why would he ever die in combat? If he is on defense, your opponent will not attack with anything bigger than him (making him a bad Icy). If he is on offense, your opponent will not kill him in combat unless they don’t mind it triggering. He is a 6/6 trampler, but even if he was a 6/6 unblockable guy, I would not be impressed.
I’m sorry to say, but this guy is a fun card, and reasonably powerful, but the standard is far too high for second-rate bombs like this to make it into modern Five-Color decks. He’s even a legend. That is not a huge drawback, but it is another strike against him.
That is not to say there are no WUBRG bombs in the set that impress me… Check out:
Maelstrom Archangel (M)
Creature — Angel
WUBRG
Flying
Whenever Maelstrom Archangel deals combat damage to a player, you may play a spell from your hand without paying its casting cost.
5/5
To begin with, a 5/5 flyer that is not a legend is very comparable to a 6/6 trampler that is a legend. The real question is whose ability is more relevant?
The Maelstrom Archangel’s ability is certainly at risk of being “Win More,” as you could easily argue that if you are hitting your opponent with a 5/5 flyer, you are already winning. However, this is not completely true.
Sure, you are probably doing alright at that point, but the truth is, it is very easy to imagine that you could be playing a control mirror and let your opponent hit you with some random 5/5 a couple of times while you establish card advantage. Alternatively, you could be playing an aggro deck and not draw one of your Paths/Unmakes or whatever. You go to race, you get in for a bunch, and the Angel’s controller Volcanic Fallouts to clear the path of any Spectral Procession tokens. He connects.
Then he plays Cruel Ultimatum without paying its casting cost.
Sure, that is the actual definition of a Magic Christmas, where all your dreams and fantasies come true, but that is huge potential. Even if you merely slip a Broodmate Dragon or a Mulldrifter into play, the mana advantage is undeniable. I would venture to say that the vast majority of the time Maelstrom Archangel connects, it is a “One-Hitter-Quitter” type situation, as few will come back from that.
Keep in mind, I am not saying this is the next Cruel Ultimatum. This guy might actually just not offer enough upside to be worth the fact that he gets Plowed as easily as the next guy. I am just saying this guy is more interesting that Child of Alara.
Can you imagine accelerating this guy out turn 3 with multiple Green mana creatures? I know it is a little optimistic, but can you imagine turn 1 Noble Hierarch, turn 2 Birds of Paradise plus Thoughtseize, turn 3 Maelstrom Archangel. If he connects, you could hit your opponent with something devastating. Combine this with the fact that you could probably easily incorporate Windbrisk Heights, maybe even Mosswort Bridge, and you are starting to have a number of strong incentives to play insanely powerful expensive bombs.
When we were speaking on ways to deal with Child of Alara (and Maelstrom Archangel), Celestial Purge was mentioned. I think this is one of the most important cards in the set.
Celestial Purge (U)
Instant
1W
Remove target Red or Black permanent from the game.
This card is simple, elegant, and extraordinarily well positioned. Between Bitterblossom; Figure of Destiny; Demigod of Revenge; Ashenmoor Gouger; Doran, the Siege Tower; Ajani Vengeant; and Liliana Vess, there is no shortage of juicy targets.
One of the most flexible color hosers of all time, this card may not overwhelmingly crush a player, like Choke, Perish, or Karma, but it is very reminiscent of Red and Blue Elemental Blast in that it is just a great, efficient answer to a lot of problems, and it is sure to offer nice, if modest, rewards when used properly.
I think this card will prove to be one of the more important in the set. There are so many Red and Black permanents to which you would love an answer. For instance, what better answer to Ajani Vengeant are you likely to play? Plus, it removes the card from the game, giving added value against things like the new Shambling Remains.
Shambling Remains (U)
Creature — Zombie Horror
1BR
Shambling Remains cannot block.
Unearth: BR
4/3
At first glance, there are some who will call this a bad Ashenmoor Gouger, but there are some interesting factors to consider. First of all, 4/3 is the new 4/4. The whole reason Ashenmoor Gouger was so great was that Firespout was the defining sweeper. Should Volcanic Fallout take over the top spot, three toughness may accomplish most of what four could, plus you gain added value in the form of a wonderful Unearth option, helping beat cards like Broken Ambitions and Plumeveil.
The casting cost is actually slightly easier on this guy than a Gouger, as he is effectively the same cost, but requires 1 less Sulfurous Springs damage to play. This is a small point, but a pertinent one nevertheless, especially if you pack lands like Caves of Koilos, causing the pain to add up.
Another aggressive Red creature that many will not fully appreciate at first is Hellspark.
Hellspark (U)
Creature – Elemental
1R
Trample, Haste.
Sacrifice Hellspark at the end of turn.
Unearth: 1R
3/1
Hellspark is exactly what he appears to be: a Spark Elemental with a rebuy option. This is possibly a great fit for an ultra aggressive Red deck, as he serves as 3 damage for two mana, which is the standard, but then you get the free rebuy. If an opponent is trying to beat you with weenies, counters, discard, or non-Plow spot removal, Hellspark has natural strengths.
How do you effectively block or counter or Terror this guy? He has certain weaknesses, no doubt, such as Plumeveil or when you are behind in the race, but there is a reason some of the game’s top aggro players, such as Mark Herberholz, are geeked about this guy. He may turn out to be wrong for the Standard format, or he might turn out to dominate Eternal formats. It is hard to say, but you should definitely keep an eye on this guy.
One more Red card I wanted to talk about to today is Viashino Slaughtermaster.
Viashino Slaughtermaster (U)
Creature — Viashino Warrior
1R
Double Strike
BG: +1/+1 until end of turn, use only once per turn.
1/1
On the surface, the Slaughtermaster is somewhat unassuming, but like Boros Swiftblade, we would do well to pay close attention when a creature with Double Strike has any sort of a reasonable casting cost, as it is one of the most powerful keywords of all time.
For starters, this guy hits for two a turn, which is the minimum to get him in the door. When you compare a 1/1 Double Striker to a 1/2 Double Striker (Swiftblade), you become interested in what sort of pump effects are available in the format (or equipment, for that matter). I tell you, if Shocklands are in Eleventh (…) it is going to make Might of Alara (a functional reprint of Gaea’s Might) look mighty tempting on a Viashino Slaughtermaster.
Then you remember the Slaughtermaster can pump himself. +1/+1 for two mana is hardly exciting… but wait, with Double Strike, that means this little two-drop hits for four, two of which is first strike damage! That makes him quite a potent threat all by himself, easily slipping under countermagic and hitting hard, even trading with Plumeveils or Broodmate tokens or Mistbind Cliques.
He is particularly vulnerable to cards like Vithian Stinger and Peppersmoke, but he is another card to keep in mind, particularly if you come across some good creature pump.
Conflux is far from all aggressive, however. There are exciting defensive cards to explore as well, such as Wall of Reverence.
Wall of Reverence (R)
Creature — Wall
3W
Flying, Defender
At the end of your turn, gain life equal to the power of a creature you control.
1/6
Great, the only thing better than a Wall is lifegain, right? Well, take a moment to consider the context for this card. First of all, as we have seen time and again with Plumeveil, walls don’t need to make mana to be good if they are well positioned.
Wall of Reverence has six toughness, which is very unusual in this format. I mean, what deals six damage? That makes it very durable, as it takes two good burn spells to take it down, and it can block even a Demigod of Revenge and live to tell about it. How convenient is it that it’s a flier that comes down the turn before Demigod, can’t easily be burned out, and can block and live?
Next of all, it has a one power. That may not seem like much, but consider how many Spectral Procession and Bitterblossom tokens are out there. This guy is the perfect man for the job, killing one every turn, while gaining you life in the process. It is going to be challenging for someone with a Bitterblossom to beat this if he is relying on Agony Warp to deal with creatures.
Finally, let’s look at the lifegain aspect of this card. Sure, it gains a life a turn on its own, which is great against Red decks with Demigod or while you are taking down Bitterblossom/Spirit tokens, but imagine if you are able to surprise someone by flashing down a Plumeveil or Cloudthresher, untapping, and dropping this guy? He triggers at the end of your turn, you will almost always get at least 1 Stream of Life, even if they find a way to deal with it.
I am not sure if this is a maindeckable card or just a great sideboard option, but there is little doubt that many decks are going to greatly struggle with all the things this girl brings to the table.
I didn’t really talk about any straight Blue cards last time, and that is mostly because Blue is far from the strongest color in this set, but I do want to mention at least 1 card today.
Telemin Performance (R)
Sorcery
3UU
Reveal the top cards of target opponent’s library until you reveal a creature card. Put that creature into play under your control and put the rest of the cards into owner’s graveyard.
Basically, this is a Helm of Obedience that goes until it hits (although doesn’t combine as well with Leyline of the Void). Whether or not this card remains a mere oddity, becomes a lethal sideboard move, or even becomes a tournaments staple remains to be seen.
The first thing that pops into my head is how this card will impact an opponent who doesn’t have any creatures. That’s right: for five mana, you just straight up deck them. Not bad, as this might be a heckuva sideboard against creatureless decks (or decks where the only creatures are total bombs).
It also sort of serves as a Bribery (a card that saw quite a bit of play itself). The downside is that you don’t get to pick which creature you end up with. The upside is that you can mill a substantial portion of a library when aimed right.
If nothing else, this card may just help “keep people honest” who are given yet another incentive to make sure they have at least a couple of creatures in whatever crazy brew they are producing.
By the time Wizards R&D was working on Conflux, they must have realized just how big a mistake Bitterblossom was and were willing to take drastic measures to try to check the balance of power. Check out this little number, almost certainly specially engineered to help bring a little health to the format.
Scattershot Archers (C)
Creature – Elf Archer
G
T: Scattershot Archers deals 1 damage to all creatures with flying.
1/2
Alright, I get that Green hoses fliers and this guy would be someone believable, if not for the second point of toughness that is so obviously in place to protect him from Peppersmoke.
It is interesting that this guy has so many things working in his favor. First of all, he is obviously a stone-cold killer versus not only Bitterblossom, but almost every other faerie seeing heavy play in Standard. A second one is cumulative, locking out even Archmages and Sowers.
In addition to being a giant beating against Fae (how do they kill him without losing tons of value?), he is also respectable against Spectral Procession, plus helps you interact with cards like Broodmate Dragon, Mulldrifter, Plumeveil, even Demigod of Revenge in some cases.
Now aside from his potent special ability, it must be remembered that he is an Elf (traditionally a well-supported tribe) and he has a second point of toughness, which is especially relevant when we start talking about pump abilities like Ajani Goldmane and such.
Will he make it as a maindeck option or merely be another anti-flier sideboard option? I think the answer lies in whether or not you can utilize the fact that he is actually a respectable one-drop in a format with very few.
Another interesting Green card that has certainly been juiced on power level, but might suffer too much from its positioning, is Thornling.
Thornling (M)
Creature — Elemental Shapeshifter
3GG
G: Haste
G: Trample
G: Indestructible
1: +1/-1 until end of turn
1: -1/+1 until end of turn.
4/4
This guy is more powerful than Morphling in many regards. First of all, Indestructible and Haste are two deadly abilities, and trample on a seven-power creature is great. Second, his abilities all work together well. This guy is powerful and fun, but there is a catch.
He is living in a world of Plows. Look at that list of removal spells from above. Over half of them can kill this so-called “indestructible” creature.
In most other worlds, this card would dominate Standard. As it is, I predict he has an influence, but the tools certainly exist to keep him in check. The other big hose is that he is essentially a six-drop, as you want to keep him indestructible. Of course that means to gain haste, you often need seven mana. He is so greedy for mana that you will probably find yourself often wishing you had a little more, no matter how much you have.
Of course, if you are a true Green Mage, perhaps a surplus of mana, particularly Green, may be the least of your worries…
This card will be hot, so pick it up, but be ready to unload it, as I think it will cool off when people realize just how many Plows people are going to play nowadays. It is still freaking powerful, so keep it in mind.
A card that took a minute for me to fully appreciate is Knight of the Reliquary. Take a look at this one, and think about it for a minute before formulating an opinion.
Knight of the Reliquary (R)
Creature – Human Knight
1WG
Knight of Reliquary gets +1/+1 for every land in your graveyard.
T, Sac a Forest or Plains: Search your library for a land and put it into play.
2/2
So how do we even evaluate a card like this? Well, for starters, let’s compare him to Terravore, a card that saw play regularly in formats like Extended where it is easy to put a lot of lands into graveyards.
This guy gets a definite +2/+2 instead of keying off opponents lands. That makes him less splashy as a 20/20; however, he is more likely to be at least 4/4 or 5/5 in Standard than Terravore would have been.
Then, instead of Trample (a great ability on a creature like Terravore), we have an interesting mana fixing ability with deep implications. It is easy to notice that he can use his ability every turn to power himself up in a stand-off, while thinning your library, but pay close attention: he also gets any land you want, not just basics. This can help you quickly mount an army of Treetop Villages or Mutavaults.
On top of that, there is the fact that he doesn’t put the land into play tapped, so if you just use him outright to fetch a Mutavault, he serves as mana acceleration. I think this guy has the makings of a tournament player if he can find the right home. Even if you are just trying to have a little fun, imagine fetching a Gaea’s Cradle with this guy!
This guy doesn’t just easily slide into Faeries or Five-Color or Tokens or Demigod Red, but he is a very powerful card that just needs the right home. That is one of the coolest aspects of Conflux is that there are a lot of reasons to try new decks (assuming you willing to play a non-Five-Color deck, hehe).
I want to look at two more cards before I take off for today. Armillary Sphere is the first.
Armillary Sphere (C)
Artifact
2
2, T, Sac: Search your library for up to 2 basic lands and put them into your hand. Shuffle, etc.
First of all, how fun is this card going to be in Limited?! Second, this card is very much like a Courier’s Capsule that anyone can use, with the added value of helping you domain (and if you are trying to Domain, you might be very happy that it costs colorless to play, instead of requiring Green early like old Invasion Domain fixers).
The power level is not off the charts, but I consider Courier’s Capsule a fine tournament card, and this one is comparable. It is nice that it is common, as it will be fun in Limited and should help lots of aspiring players fix their mana when they don’t own a playset of Reflecting Pools.
All in all, this one is worth playing around with a little, as it might be the key to playing Domain in the new Standard.
The final card I want to say a few words on today is Ancient Ziggurat.
Ancient Ziggurat (U)
Land
T: Add 1 mana of any color. This mana may only be used to play creatures.
This card is very enticing. Pillar of the Paruns was underrated, and this card has the huge bonus of being able to play cards like Birds of Paradise or Noble Hierarch on turn 1, a feat that many five-color gold creature decks struggle with in Standard.
This card may be the key to a whole new archetype that leads with Birds and Noble Hierarch, following with a Turn 2 Doran (or Rhox War Monk or Woolly Thoctar). From there, your curve could include Rafiq of the Many or Cliffhanger Behemoth (see Evan Erwin Magic Show from last week), or any of a number of things.
The mana could be made to accomplish so much. With Birds and Hierarch powering out monsters and Ancient Ziggurat helping ensure that your manabase can keep up with Five-Color Control’s real estate, there is something to be investigated here.
There are many issues that need to be addressed, such as what kind of support cards to use (you don’t want to just lose to Sower of Temptation), as well as inherent obstacles that need to be overcome (Ancient Ziggurat doesn’t work well with Figure of Destiny, for instance). Still, this land is very powerful in the right deck, and it will be the centerpiece of at least one new archetype.
Alright, I am out for this week. I have to get ready to fly out to Denver for the Big Prerelease they are holding at the Crowne Plaza. Manuel Bucher and I will be gunslinging, armed with everything from Standard to Extended to Elder Dragon Highlander decks. Hopefully, I will see many of you there, though whatever prerelease you check out, I am sure it will be a blast.
See you guys next week!
Patrick Chapin
“The Innovator”
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