The consensus opinion that I’ve been hearing over and over is that the current PTQ Block Constructed format is anything from “stale” to “terrible.” People feel as though there are just a few competitive decks, and that really it’s a joke to play anything other than Faeries. While this may or may not be the case, the fact remains that Eventide is just on the other side of the horizon, and chances are good that it will shake the format up.
My article will be discussing cards that have been rumored to appear in Eventide, so if you’re trying to avoid spoiling your Prerelease experience, this may not be the article for you. I’ve included a spoiler of each card I mention at the end of the article, so you won’t have to spend too much time flipping between sites to figure out which cards I’m talking about.
Usually, people seem to think about which new cards will fit in well with the existing decks. I think that this method has merit, since a good deck that improves can certainly be expected to remain a good deck. However, because I keep talking to people who are just looking for a way to break out of the Faerie-dominated mold, I’ll be looking at cards that can exploit weaknesses in the strategies that are currently popular.
Faeries
Faeries has been my constant enemy, even before Lorwyn-Shadowmoor Block Constructed was a format. I’ve been getting my Reveillark-playing face stomped on by this deck since February, but each and every time it happens, I feel like I know how to fight back just a little bit better. Granted, Standard Faeries and Block Faeries are not the exact same beast, but I don’t feel like it’s tough to say that the Block version has more weaknesses than the Standard version. The biggest offender, of course, is the fact that the deck no longer gets a fifth-turn jolt of free cards. Additionally, the removal suite has been downgraded somewhat, and the secondary counterspell is not as good.
These changes from the Standard version exacerbate the weakness I have found easiest to exploit in Faeries, which is the fact that they are riding the razor’s edge all game long. They’ve got the tools to keep everything dangerous off the board and kill you with a 4/4 Mana Short along the way, but if something slips through the cracks, their whole plan can all fall apart. Yes, Bitterblossom can go a long way towards helping fight the spell that got away, but it can’t usually work complete miracles, so if you can fire bullets at the Faeries until they simply run out of answers, they’ll start to fold quickly.
While it’s easier to get to the point where your spell makes it onto the board, Block Faeries tends to actually be better at recovering due to the fact that they run Sower of Temptation, and can simply grab your Cloudthresher or similar away from you. Dropping the defenses for a four-mana Main Phase play might backfire further, but if it was truly your last bullet that landed, you might not have anything to follow up with. Ideally, then, we want to make sure that not only do we have the gas to outlast Cryptic Command but also the gas to keep on trucking. It’s also worth noting that you can try to pressure them by coming out faster than they can; if outlasting the countermeasures works, so can outrunning them. In general, then, the way to beat Faeries is with fast, resilient threats or with a constant barrage of bombs.
So, what new cards exploit these weaknesses? There are a handful of little guys, with the obvious winners being Red and Green. Figure of Destiny can be thought of as a Red or White Pouncing Jaguar, which is not too shabby when you’re also getting the option to convert him to a complete monster in the late game. Nettle Sentinel plays the same role as a Goblin Cohort, and you shouldn’t have too much trouble untapping him if you’ve built the rest of your deck to put fast pressure on the board. The entire cycle of Mimics turn into fatties just for playing the same game you usually would, and give you a reasonable creature in the meantime.
One card that I particularly like is Groundling Pouncer. The problem with all of these x/1s is that Faeries might just have the Peppersmoke to stop them, but this guy’s built-in defenses will be ready any time Faeries expects to cantrip their Smoke. Meanwhile, he plays as a two-power two-drop that can turn into an absolute house for just one mana, and he will likely lead Shorecrasher Mimics and friends into battle for plenty of new Blue/Green decks.
As for the bombs, well, there are plenty of those as well. Lieges in general tend to be pretty powerful, but the Black/White and Red/White seem the best at winning a game without much backup. Two new flying White fatties give you beef with a Vindicate or Troll Ascetic shield built-in, and Green gets a four-power four-drop that can answer Bitterblossom in Wicker-Bough Elder and a five-drop that can just smash faces in Deity of Scars. The new Ashling is also very strong as a Black creature that also lives through Nameless Inversion, but the Black creature I’m most excited to resolve against Faeries is Soul Snuffers. Four mana for an effective 2/2 that will wipe out most of my opponents creatures is definitely appealing, especially since this Wrath-man won’t hit me for eighteen damage when they untap and drop a Puppeteer Clique.
All in all, it looks like we’re going to get quite a few new tools to fight the Faerie menace. Of course, none of them dodges every single answer, but more hard-to-answer questions can never really be a bad thing.
Kithkin
White Weenie decks since the beginning of White Weenie decks have shared similar problems. This incarnation of the old staple tries to shore up many of these weaknesses, but they do still exist to be exploited.
Like any good swarm deck, Kithkin suffers from vulnerability to good creature sweepers. This is why cards like Firespout and Austere Command have been getting so much attention, but those don’t always get the job done when the opponent is packing Forge[/author]-Tender”]Burrenton [author name="Forge"]Forge[/author]-Tenders and a deck that can kill you on the fourth or fifth turn. In addition, if you manage to actually hit with one of these big spells, you might find it rendered ineffective by a Mirrorweave, or simply recovered from immediately with a Cloudgoat Ranger and a Mutavault.
In addition to being good against these board-sweeping effects, the Kithkin deck is very strong against repeated one-for-one trades, as its cards are very cheap for the punch they pack, and many create more than one threat. However, while the deck might be able to outlast repeated one-for-ones, it does much worse against repeated two-for-ones, and this is why you see the same decks that run Firespout running cards like Kitchen Finks and Shriekmaw.
If you don’t want to fight the Kithkin by removing them from play, the other big angle of attack is to fight them by just outclassing them. Wilt-Leaf Cavaliers is only a little bit slower than a Knight of Meadowgrain, and nearly twice the size. Something like Oona, Queen of the Fae can beat a Kithkin player all by itself by creating an army of blockers that the opponent’s little threats can’t fight through.
Eventide doesn’t give us very many straight-up removal spells that do more than simply kill one creature, but there are a few. Recumbent Bliss gives you a Pacifism that gains you life over the course of the game, and getting more than one into play can buy you a huge amount of time. Fire at Will can answer a Wizened Cenn plus another creature, though it suffers from the same fate as Firespout when there’s a Forge-Tender sitting on the board. However, there are an amazing number of creatures that can help fight a weenie swarm, which makes both Makeshift Mannequin and Reveillark very happy.
The Black/White Liege gives you both a sizeable defender and triggers that help destroy aggressive strategies. If you happen to have a Peppersmoke or Nameless Inversion to go with your Mortality Liege, you can block and kill one creature, shrink a second, and use the trigger to destroy a third. Soul Snuffers takes out any lingering tokens and Forge-Tenders, while shrinking the bigger guys and giving you a blocker. Outrage Shaman plays Shriekmaw, and though he might not be quite as good at the job, he can come back for a second round courtesy of Reveillark. The Black/White Hedge-Mage gives you a three-drop, a one-drop, and a Scar all in one, and the Blue/Green Hedge-Mage gives you a three-drop, some life, and an Unsummon. Surely these creatures will all find homes, and make a fair attacking deck feel pretty awful about its chances at winning.
As for some “fair” creatures to call your own, I think my personal favorite is Quillspike. On first inspection, all you’re getting is a 1/1 for three mana, but alongside a Kitchen Finks you’re getting a 4/4 and a 3/2 that continuously trades itself off and gains two more life. Black/Green also has a very powerful Liege, which while only a 2/2 on its own will pump out enough 3/3s to clog up the ground if you get a few turns. Divinity of Pride gets to be the new Exalted Angel, though it will be pretty horrible if you manage to run him into Mirrorweave when they’ve got more than just a pair of guys in play. The last of the fair creatures I think might see play is Spitemare, because any combat he gets involved in should result in at least two dead creatures, trading with one and shooting down another. If you’re facing only 2/2s, then he might be unbreachable.
Now, finding a home for all these guys is a slightly different story. Many of the creatures with comes-into-play effects will sit happily alongside Reveillarks and Mulldrifters in the Five-Color Control decks, being abused by various reanimation abilities. Cards like Quillspike probably need a new home, but I’m sure that someone will find the deck that uses the Quillspike/Finks combo alongside the Quillspike/Devoted Druid combo to create a deck that not only defends well, but can field an arbitrarily large attacker as early as the fourth turn.
Something I want to mention but can’t really find a spot for is Chaotic Backlash. It suffers from the Forge-Tender problem, yes, but I think that it might be a great way to punish someone for dropping a Cloudgoat Ranger on you.
Five-Color Control
The biggest weakness of this strategy in general has always been the speed at which it gets off the ground. While various decks might run defensive measures like Firespout, Kitchen Finks, and Plumeveil, you really won’t find yourself under pressure from a Five-Color Control deck until the fifth turn or so, and “pressure” is being generous. They’ll start to fire shot after shot at this point, but if you can kill them before they get there, or just deflect the shots long enough to deal twenty points, you can take them down.
This is, of course, why people tend to think that Five-Color Control loses to Faeries. The Faerie deck can toss out Bitterblossom, Scion of Oona, and Mistbind Clique to kill the Five-Color deck before it even gets its act together, or it can just sit back on Flash creatures and counterspells to weather the storm the Five-Color deck sends its way. However, Faeries isn’t the only deck that can do these things, it just happens to be the one that’s currently the best at it.
The other way to beat a Five-Color deck is to get into a huge slugfest with it, and come out on top. Often the Five-Color mirrors begin to look like this, with one player landing a Mind Shatter for three before the other fires off a Mind Spring for four, followed by an Oona answered by Austere Command followed by a Twilight Shepherd. If you can throw punches that are big enough to win the game or simply unanswerable by your opponent’s configuration, you can find yourself riding just one or two pieces of cardboard to victory.
It would seem, then, that the cards we’re looking for to beat Five-Color decks are the same as the ones we looked for to beat Faeries; fast threats and huge bombs. The difference, however, is that the fast threats need to be harder to answer than they were against Faeries, as the Five-Color deck has more defense. Similarly, the big bombs need to have an immediate effect, since they are liable to disappear by the time you untap. If they don’t have an immediate effect, then they need to have some way of ensuring their own survival.
I’ve already discussed the cards that can provide fast pressure against Faeries, so I won’t cover them again here. I will add a few to the list, though. Flickerwisp is a quick, high-power flyer that isn’t irrelevant in the late game when you draw it off the top, as it can re-trigger your Mulldrifter or other 187 creature. Needle Specter is similar to Jace in that it is a fast source of card advantage, though it is certainly a little more vulnerable than Jace is.
I think that the biggest threats to Five-Color are the new bombs. I’ve already talked about Archon of Justice, but it’s worth noting that it gives you a free removal spell if they deal with your 4/4, and that the fragility that Makeshift Mannequin bestows might not be all bad. Thunderblust gives you a huge threat that not only gets in one hit before falling to the Sorcery-speed removal, but gets a second in after that when it Persists back. Haste is also the friend of Nobilis of War, who should get in at least one solid five-point attack, potentially pumping some of your smaller fellows in the process.
Retrace is also something that you can use to make sure that you don’t ever run out of gas. It’s been said that one problem with Five-Color Control is that it’s difficult to regulate your draws, and you may simply draw three or four more lands than the other guy and die. If, thanks to Spitting Image, each of those lands is a Legendary removal spell or a free Mulldrifter/Twilight Shepherd/whatever, you won’t be feeling the pain too much. Call the Skybreaker and Worm Harvest will also give you reuseable threats for when you find yourself with too much mana coming off the top, though the Harvest probably isn’t exciting enough the first few times to really be worth it.
Overall
A teammate of mine has said that he’s not too excited about Eventide; I couldn’t disagree more. In addition to the massive number of cards I think address specific weaknesses in the Block format, there are plenty that are just solid cards that are sure to find a home. For instance, I’m sure that Five-Color players will love to upgrade from Crib Swap to Unmake, while people all over the world will enjoy the freedom that the new Cairnlands provide.
I don’t think that the Block format will be picked up and turned on its head, but I do think we’ll see more change than a few simple tweaks to existing decks. Cards like Soul Snuffers are powerful enough to change how people will plan matchups, while engines like Quillspike will, I believe, bring new decks into the format.
Lastly, even if you disagree with my opinions on the new cards, hopefully you’ve found my thoughts on ways to attack the top three Block decks enlightening. Even if your next PTQ takes place before Eventide comes out, hopefully you’ll be better at knocking down the big guys in Lorwyn-Shadowmoor block.
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me in the forums, via email, or on AIM.
Benjamin Peebles-Mundy
ben at mundy dot net
SlickPeebles on AIM
Mini-Spoiler
Thanks to www.mtgsalvation.com for the info!
Archon of Justice {3}{W}{W}
Rare
Creature – Archon
Flying
When Archon of Justice is put into a graveyard from play, remove target permanent from the game.
4/4
Flickerwisp {1}{W}{W}
Uncommon
Creature – Elemental
Flying
When Flickerwisp comes into play, remove another target permanent from the game. Return that card to play under its owner’s control at the end of turn.
3/1
Recumbent Bliss {2}{W}
Common
Enchantment – Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can’t attack or block.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may gain 1 life.
Spirit of the Hearth {4}{W}{W}
Rare
Creature – Cat Spirit
Flying
You can’t be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.
4/5
Ashling the Extinguisher {2}{B}{B}
Rare
Legendary Creature – Elemental Shaman
Whenever Ashling the Extinguisher deals combat damage to a player, choose target creature that player controls. He or she sacrifices that creature.
4/4
Needle Specter {1}{B}{B}
Rare
Creature – Specter
Flying
Wither (This deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters)
Whenever Needle Specter deals combat damage to a player, that player discards that many cards.
1/1
Soul Snuffers {2}{B}{B}
Uncommon
Creature – Elemental Shaman
When Soul Snuffers comes into play, put a -1/-1 counter on each creature.
3/3
Chaotic Backlash {4}{R}
Uncommon
Instant
Chaotic Backlash deals damage to target player equal to twice the number of white and/or blue permanents he or she controls.
Outrage Shaman {3}{R}{R}
Uncommon
Creature – Goblin Shaman
Chroma – When Outrage Shaman comes into play, it deals damage to target creature equal to the number of red mana symbols in the mana costs of permanents you control.
2/2
Thunderblust {2}{R}{R}{R}
Rare
Creature – Elemental
Haste
Thunderblust has trample as long as it has a -1/-1 counter on it.
Persist (When this creature is put into a graveyard from play, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to play under its owner’s control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
7/2
Nettle Sentinel {G}
Common
Creature – Elf Warrior
Nettle Sentinel doesn’t untap during its controller’s untap step.
Whenever you play a green spell, you may untap Nettle Sentinel.
2/2
Wicker-bough Elder {3}{G}
Common
Creature – Treefolk Shaman
Wicker-Bough Elder comes into play with a -1/-1 counter on it.
{G}, Remove a -1/-1 counter from Wicker-bough Elder : Destroy target artifact or enchantment.
4/4
Nightsky Mimic {1}{WB}
Common
Creature – Shapeshifter
Whenever you play a spell that’s both black and white, Nightsky Mimic becomes 4/4 and gains flying until end of turn.
2/1
Battlegate Mimic {1}{WR}
Common
Creature – Shapeshifter
Whenever you play a spell that’s both red and white, Battlegate Mimic becomes 4/2 and gains first strike until end of turn.
2/1
Riverfall Mimic {1}{UR}
Common
Creature – Shapeshifter
Whenever you play a spell that’s both blue and red, Riverfall Mimic becomes 3/3 and is unblockable until end of turn.
2/1
Shorecrasher Mimic {1}{UG}
Common
Creature – Shapeshifter
Whenever you play a spell that’s both green and blue, Shorecrasher Mimic becomes 5/3 and gains trample until end of turn.
2/1
Woodlurker Mimic {1}{BG}
Common
Creature – Shapeshifter
Whenever you play a spell that’s both black and green, Woodlurker Mimic becomes 4/5 and gains wither until end of turn.
2/1
Mortality Liege {2}{WB}{WB}{WB}
Rare
Creature – Horror
Other white creatures you control get +1/+1.
Other black creatures you control get +1/+1.
Whenever you play a white spell, you may tap target creature.
Whenever you play a black spell, you may destroy target creature if it is tapped.
3/4
Balefire Liege {2}{WR}{WR}{WR}
Rare
Creature – Spirit Horror
Other red creatures you control get +1/+1.
Other white creatures you control get +1/+1.
Whenever you play a red spell, Balefire Liege deals 3 damage to target player.
Whenever you play a white spell, you gain 3 life.
2/4
Creakwood Liege {1}{BG}{BG}{BG}
Rare
Creature – Horror
Other black creatures you control get +1/+1. Other green creatures you control get +1/+1.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put a 1/1 black and green Worm creature token into play.
2/2
Divinity of Pride {WB}{WB}{WB}{WB}{WB}
Rare
Creature – Spirit Avatar
Flying, lifelink
Divinity of Pride gets +4/+4 as long as you have 25 or more life.
4/4
Nobilis of War {WR}{WR}{WR}{WR}{WR}
Rare
Creature – Spirit Avatar
Haste
Attacking creatures you control get +2/+0.
3/4
Deity of Scars {BG}{BG}{BG}{BG}{BG}
Rare
Creature – Spirit Avatar
Trample
Deity of Scars comes into play with two -1/-1 counters on it.
{BG}, Remove a -1/-1 counter from Deity of Scars: Regenerate Deity of Scars.
7/7
Gwyllion Hedge-Mage {2}{WB}
Uncommon
Creature – Hag Wizard
When Gwyllion Hedge-Mage comes into play, if you control two or more plains, you may put a 1/1 white Kithkin Soldier creature token into play.
When Gwyllion Hedge-Mage comes into play, if you control two or more swamps, you may put a -1/-1 counter on target creature.
2/2
Selkie Hedge-Mage {2}{UG}
Uncommon
Creature – Merfolk Wizard
When Selkie Hedge Mage comes into play, if you control two or more Forests, you may gain 3 life.
When Selkie Hedge Mage comes into play, if you control two or more Islands, you may return target tapped creature to its owner’s hand.
2/2
Unmake {WB}{WB}{WB}
Common
Instant
Remove target creature from the game.
Figure of Destiny {WR}
Rare
Creature – Kithkin
{WR}: Figure of Destiny becomes a 2/2 Kithkin Spirit.
{WR}{WR}{WR}: If Figure of Destiny is a Spirit, it becomes a 4/4 Kithkin Spirit Warrior.
{WR}{WR}{WR}{WR}{WR}: If Figure of Destiny is a Warrior, it becomes an 8/8 Kithkin Spirit Warrior Avatar with flying and first strike.
1/1
Fire at Will {WR}{WR}{WR}
Common
Instant
Fire at Will deals 3 damage divided as you choose among any number of target attacking or blocking creatures.
Spitemare {2}{WR}{WR}
Uncommon
Creature – Elemental
Whenever Spitemare is dealt damage, Spitemare deals that much damage to target creature or player.
3/3
Call the Skybreaker {5}{UR}{UR}
Rare
Sorcery
Put a 5/5 red and blue Elemental creature token with flying into play.
Retrace (You may play this card from the graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)
Groundling Pouncer {1}{UG}
Uncommon
Creature – Faerie
{UG}: Groundling Pouncer gets +1/+3 and gains flying until end of turn. Play this ability only once each turn and only if an opponent controls a creature with flying.
2/1
Spitting Image {4}{UG}{UG}
Rare
Sorcery
Put a token into play that’s a copy of target creature.
Retrace (You may play this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)
Quillspike {2}{BG}
Uncommon
Creature – Beast
{BG}, Remove a -1/-1 counter from a creature you control: Quillspike gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
1/1
Worm Harvest {2}{BG}{BG}{BG}
Rare
Sorcery
Put a 1/1 black and green Worm creature token into play for each land card in your graveyard.
Retrace (You may play this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)