Rise of Eldrazi is a big, explosive Timmy set, and looks to be loads of fun. This week I’ll take a look at what Eldrazi offers for Vintage play. Next week I’ll explore its Legacy offerings (which are many!).
But first, time to recap Worldwake. In the Worldwake set review, I suggested you pick up:
4 Bojuka Bog
4 Dispel
4 Khalni Garden
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Nature’s Claim
4 Ricochet Trap
1 Terastodon
3 Thada Adel, Acquisitor
Once again, if you followed my suggestions, you’d have almost every Vintage playable. Lodestone Golem has been huge, and has already made a tremendous impact on Vintage, winning many tournaments, as I’ll show you in a few weeks. Bojuka Bog has been almost as potent, showing up in a number of locations and a variety of decks. Nature’s Claim is already a sideboard staple almost as common as Red Elemental Blast. Part of that undoubtedly is the fact of Oath and Lodestone Golem’s success. And Terastodon, which I only predicted would be played in Dredge, has become one of the most exciting cards in the set because of its applications in Oath.
Thada Adel is also making a clear impact in Bant Fish, as predicted. It’s already shown up in 7 different tournament Top 8s, including tournament winning decks, and it’s been legal for a little over a month. If I missed the mark, it was in suggesting that you buy 3. The most I’ve seen so far is 2 per deck. Dispel has shown up in some sideboards. The only cards on the list that I gave that I haven’t seen in mid-sized Vintage Top 8s are Richocet Trap and Khalni Garden.
The only card I overlooked was Jace, The Mind Sculptor, which has had a surprising impact on Vintage. He’s been very good in Oath decks.
Worldwake was a great set for Vintage, and probably far more important for Vintage than Legacy. Worldwake gave Vintage some key format staples, some excellent role players and utility cards, and some cards that may see play at the margins. It’s a credit to Vintage that it adopts new cards so quickly and efficiently, and the fact that each new set seems to contribute so meaningfully to the format.
The Eldrazi:
Every single one of these is Type 4 playable, but what about Vintage? Next week I’ll be exploring all of the various ways you can cheat these guys into play in Legacy (which are many), but such a comprehensive look is unnecessary in the context of Vintage.
2009 was the year of the Monster in Vintage. Beasts, large and small, reigned. Each original set introduced some novel behemoth to contend with, some new brute to fear. Exotic and terrifying new Angels (Iona), Sphinxes (of the Steel Wind), and Leviathans (Inkwell) swaggered through tournament tables. Each new set brought a monster more terrifying than the last. These creatures changed Vintage as we know it.
The Eldrazi are creatures on that scale, certainly. The question is whether they can be efficiently cheated into play. Each of the big Timmy creatures finds its way into Vintage via Oath of Druids or Tinker. The Oath deck sometimes has a Show and Tell in the sideboard, as that is efficient enough for Vintage play. Because the Eldrazi are colorless, that rules out Tinker.
Summoning Trap isn’t good enough for Vintage just to cheat this guy into play. It’s true that you are very likely to get spells countered in Vintage, but the trick would be manipulating your library enough to be able to make this an effective spell. With Brainstorm restricted, it’s unrealistic to be able to rely on the Trap to cheat Eldrazi into play.
Metalworker is Vintage playable, and is another way to cheat Eldrazi into play (aside from the Channel), but even then, it’s stretching the use of Metalworker. Eldrazi won’t contribute to Metalworker’s ability, so you’d have to significantly restrict the number of Eldrazi you include, and I’m skeptical that Eldrazi would make a Metalworker deck stronger in the metagame. Although, if you were, I’d start with Ulamog’s Crusher.
If cost isn’t a consideration, the best Eldrazi to cheat into play is Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. He’s the largest and has the best abilities and built-in protection. The question is whether he can be played in Oath. That’s the most obvious home for him in Vintage. And in that home, I have to admit that he’s probably pretty decent. The problem is that Terastodon was just printed. Had Terastodon not just been printed, I would run this guy with Iona. Seeing as Terastodon is now a firm part of the Oath creature one-two punch, this guy may have to contend for the third Oath creature slot, or the sideboard, over the sideboard Terastodon slots. I’d pick up at least one copy of this guy — as he’s probably strong enough to at least contend in Vintage Oath, and you don’t want to be left hanging just in case you need him.
Next week I’ll take a much closer look at the Eldrazi, as there are many more viable ways to cheat them into play in Legacy.
This is almost certainly better than Path to Exile in Vintage, and probably better than Swords to Plowshares. The main reason is that it’s a great anti-Tinker card. Swords gives the Tinker player a bunch of life. Path gives them a land. You don’t want to give them either. And in fact, this puts the Tinker target in about the best possible place. Exiling it is pretty good, but putting it second from the top of their library is about the same effect. And that makes this just better than a blue bounce spell for a number of reasons. First, you can actually get rid of cards like Goblin Welder with Oust that aren’t effectively addressed with a mere bounce spell. Same with Lodestone Golem or Juggernaut. It puts the cards out of reach, but not terribly out of reach. And, with the Tinker targets, it takes up a draw, which is far more devastating than having the monster in hand. You know that their second draw will be a dead one.
Vintage playable.
Surviving Cache
A three mana sorcery that draws two cards, albeit over two turns. Thirst for Knowledge nets one card for the same casting cost. Compulsive Research and Night’s Whisper also do the same. This card is a White card comparable to Compulsive Research, although slightly weaker because of the delayed effect.
This is the first White card I’ve ever seen that is more than a mere cantrip. I’m excited by it. This card may be Vintage playable. At least, I wouldn’t dismiss it so easily. Unlike other Vintage draw spells, though, this can’t be abused by Yawgmoth’s Will.
True, this card does defeat Time Vault. But there are cheaper ways to do it.
Seagate Oracle
1/3 that Sleight of Hands for 3 mana. Too expensive.
Vintage playable. Rich Shay once posed the thought experiment: how good would a card be that cost 1U and drew two cards without a drawback? His team came to the consensus that such a card would be broken. The thing that holds Night’s Whisper back is that it is a Black spell, and thus requires Blue decks to fetch a dual land early on, and still Night’s Whisper is very popular in some quarters.
This card is probably better than Night’s Whisper in general (although not all cases) simply because it’s Blue. What makes this card so good is the fact that Vintage decks often keep hands with dead cards, like Tinker targets and Tendrils, and other cards that are completely superfluous. Vintage decks used to be able to get rid of these cards with Brainstorm, but that’s not longer an option.
Imagine you are playing Oath and you fan open this hand:
Island
Forbidden Orchard
Underground Sea
Mox Pearl
See Beyond
Iona, Shield of Emeria
Spell Pierce
See Beyond makes this hand amazing. People are comparing it to Lat-Nam’s Legacy, but that’s the wrong comparison. First of all, with Lat-Nam’s Legacy there is a chance that you’ll re-draw the card you put back. Second, the draw is delayed, and the next upkeep is an eternity in Vintage. See Beyond actually reduces the hands that you have to mulligan, while powering up your opening hand and your deck.
I will be testing this card in a variety of decks, but I think it may also be good in decks like TPS. Imagine this opening hand:
Island
Mox
Polluted Delta
See Beyond
Fact or Fiction
Memory Jar
Yawgmoth’s Bargain
This card will allow you to draw two new cards and put a dead/ expensive card back in your deck, whether it’s Tendrils, Inky, or a superfluous mana or spell.
The restriction of Brainstorm dramatically reduced Vintage player’s ability to manipulate their opening hands and reduce the variance of Vintage. Any hand with just mana and See Beyond is keepable. Because of the variance, players are more likely to keep hands that they wouldn’t have kept some time ago, but now do because the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. The TPS hand I just put up makes this point. See Beyond will draw you two new cards for two mana! Then, those cards will give you information to decide what to put back. I imagine this card is also very good with Sensei’s Divining Top. But what’s also so good about it is how well it works with cards like Duress or Spell Pierce. On turn 2 you can play See Beyond and Duress/Spell Pierce with just Land, Land, Mox.
Vintage decks also tend to have at least a few dead cards in their deck that they sometimes draw in their opening hands. For example, reconsider the Oath hand I suggested above.
I think this card is not only Vintage playable, but good in Vintage. I expect that it will see more than a marginal amount of play, and I’d suggest that you pick up four.
The most obvious application of this card would be either Vintage Elves — a budget, but not terrible combo deck – or Kobolds, a hyper-fringe, mostly casual archetype. But another, perhaps more intriguing possibility is comboing with Empty the Warrens. It’s a Vintage possibility, although remote.
The obvious comparison is Cold-Eyed Selkie. And the three-mana slot in Bant Fish has become ever tighter with the printing of Thada Adel. I don’t think this card is better than either one of those, but if you were running a different version of Fish, perhaps UR, then Surrakar Spellblade might get the nod over Cold-Eyed Selkie. It’s Vintage playable.
Because Vintage has such a large card pool, there are so many possible interactions with this card. Out of those untold interactions, there may be a few that are genuinely broken. It’s a card that you may want to keep an eye on and see if it is breakable. Just in case Wizards hasn’t printed anything yet that works well with this card, they may well have planted this card here for future combos.
A feature of Vintage is that virtually every Vintage non-artifact playable costs 1-3 mana, with the exception of ‘pitch spells’ like Force of Will. So, on the face of it, this card would hit just about every playable in Vintage. The problem is that the exception swallows the rule here. Force of Will is the card that any given player will want to Duress away more than any other card. Because this can’t hit Force of Will, it’s automatically limited in where it can see play. Unfortunately, I don’t expect this card to see Vintage play. Legacy, on the other hand…
New graveyard hoser. It’s not an effective Dredge hoser, which automatically limits its applicability. Bojuka Bog, Tormod’s Crypt, and Leyline are each more efficient. And in terms of nuking a particular card, Coffin Purge and Extirpate are also more effective. Still, this card can exile more than a few cards in the first few turns, and can actually advance your game state at the same time. It’s also an instant. I really like the card, and it’s Vintage playable, in principle. Although I don’t see a home for it in the current metagame.
At first blush, this card would seem to be rather narrow. The only colorless cards that see play in Vintage are artifacts and lands. Yet, artifact decks make up a huge part of Vintage. This card could serve as a one-mana Impulse in 5c, Mono-Green, or R/G Stax. Digging five cards deep is no small matter either. This card is Vintage playable. I’ll be interested to see if it actually sees play.
This is Gifts Ungiven for lands. The difference is that it’s a mana cheaper, and Green. It’s a card advantageous card, and can tutor up some really useful land. It’s probably most powerful in a deck like 5c Stax, where you can get cards like Tolarian Academy, Strip Mine, Mishra’s Workshop, Barbarian Ring, Cabal Pit, Bojuka Bog, Bazaar of Baghdad, Horizon Canopy, The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, or Karakas. That deck would also abuse Crucible, making this card even more synergistic. I don’t expect this to see Vintage play, but it’s Vintage playable, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it did. It’s also got the unique upside of being able to combo for Dark Depths with Tolaria West.
The G/x Beats answer to Smokestack out of the board, possibly. Gaddock Teeg is already good there, but you can’t run Teeg in straight G/R. May have other niche applications.
The solution to the Lodestone Golem mirror?
A surprise anti-Dredge card for MUD. Play this card and then use it to win the game the next turn (or the same turn). It may be a little bit pricey, but it beats playing Leyline. Still, it’s weaker than a full slate of Tormod’s Crypts.
Your Rise of Eldrazi Vintage Checklist:
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
4 Oust
4 See Beyond
4 Ancient Stirrings
2 Surrakar Spellblade
There are a number of cards with potential, but I don’t want to suggest them until I’m more confident that they will see play. This checklist is a little bit lighter than usual, but it’s still got a strong potential Vintage Blue draw spell on there, which is always something to look out for. See Beyond is the card I’m most excited about, and the card that should have the greatest impact on Vintage. Do not make the mistake of underestimating this card. It’s gonna see play, and it’s gonna be good.
The Complete Vintage Checklist, April, 2010, Updated with Worldwake
Key: ** Commonly Played/Format Staples * Niche/ Less Commonly Played
Vintage Checklist by Type:
Land:
4 Ancient Tomb *
4 Arid Mesa *
4 Bazaar of Baghdad **
4 Badlands *
4 Barbarian Ring *
4 Bayou *
4 Blinkmoth Nexus *
4 Bloodstained Mire **
4 Bojuka Bog **
3 Boseiju, Who Shelters All *
3 Cabal Pit *
4 Cephalid Coliseum *
4 City of Brass **
4 City of Traitors *
3 Crystal Vein *
4 Dark Depths *
2 Darksteel Citadel *
4 Dryad Arbor *
4 Flooded Strand **
4 Forest *
4 Forbidden Orchard *
4 Gemstone Mine **
1 Glimmervoid *
2 Horizon Canopy *
10 Island **
2 Karakas *
1 Library of Alexandria **
4 Marsh Flats *
4 Maze of Ith *
4 Mishra’s Factory *
4 Mishra’s Workshop **
4 Misty Rainforest **
4 Mountain *
4 Petrified Field *
4 Plains *
4 Plateau *
4 Polluted Delta **
4 Savannah *
4 Scalding Tarn **
4 Scrubland[/author]“][author name="Scrubland"]Scrubland[/author] *
4 Seat of Synod *
2 Snow-Covered Island **
2 Snow-Covered Forest *
2 Snow-Covered Mountain *
2 Snow-Covered Plains *
2 Snow-Covered Swamp *
1 Strip Mine **
4 Swamp *
1 Tendo Ice Bridge *
4 Taiga *
1 Tolarian Academy **
2 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale *
4 Tropical Island **
4 Tundra **
4 Underground Sea **
4 Undiscovered Paradise *
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth *
4 Verdant Catacombs *
4 Volcanic Island **
4 Wasteland **
4 Windswept Heath **
4 Wooded Foothills *
Artifact:
1 Aether Spellbomb *
4 Aether Vial *
1 Alter of Dementia *
4 Arcbound Crusher *
4 Arcbound Ravager *
1 Black Lotus **
1 Candelabra of Tawnos *
4 Chalice of the Void **
4 Chromatic Sphere *
4 Chromatic Star *
4 Chrome Mox *
4 Cranial Plating *
4 Crucible of Worlds **
1 Coalition Relic *
2 Culling Scales *
2 Cursed Totem *
3 Damping Matrix *
1 Darksteel Colossus **
4 Defense Grid *
4 Duplicant *
3 Engineered Explosives *
4 Ensnaring Bridge *
4 Frogmite *
4 Goblin Charbelcher *
4 Grindstone *
4 Grim Monolith *
1 Helm of Obedience *
1 Inkwell Leviathan **
4 Jester’s Cap *
4 Juggernaut *
3 Karn, Silver Golem **
1 Lion’s Eye Diamond *
4 Lodestone Golem **
1 Lotus Petal **
1 Mana Crypt **
1 Mana Vault **
4 Master of Etherium *
3 Masticore *
1 Memory Jar **
4 Metalworker *
4 Mindlock Orb *
2 Mindslaver *
4 Mox Diamond *
1 Mox Emerald **
1 Mox Jet **
1 Mox Pearl **
1 Mox Ruby **
1 Mox Sapphire **
4 Null Rod **
4 Orb of Dreams *
4 Painter’s Servant *
4 Phyrexian Dreadnaught *
4 Pithing Needle **
2 Platinum Angel *
1 Possessed Portal *
4 Powder Keg *
1 Pyrite Spellbomb *
3 Razormane Masticore *
4 Relic of Progenitus **
1 Sculpting Steel *
4 Serum Powder *
3 Sensei’s Divining Top **
4 Skullclamp *
4 Solemn Simulacrum *
4 Smokestack *
1 Sol Ring **
4 Sphere of Resistance **
4 Staff of Domination *
4 Su-Chi *
1 Sundering Titan **
4 Sword of Fire and Ice *
4 Tangle Wire **
1 Time Vault **
4 Thorn of Amethyst **
4 Tormod’s Crypt **
1 Trinisphere **
4 Triskelion *
4 Uba Mask *
3 Umezawa’s Jitte *
4 Voltaic Key **
Blue:
4 Accumulated Knowledge *
1 Ancestral Recall **
4 Annul **
3 Arcane Laboratory **
4 Back to Basics *
4 Blue Elemental Blast *
1 Brainstorm **
3 Brain Freeze
4 Breakthrough *
4 Careful Study *
2 Cephalid Sage *
4 Chain of Vapor **
4 Commandeer *
4 Compulsive Research *
4 Control Magic *
4 Counterbalance *
4 Courier’s Capsule *
4 Cunning Wish *
4 Cursecatcher *
4 Daze *
4 Deep Analysis *
1 Diminishing Returns*
4 Dispel *
3 Echoing Truth **
4 Energy Flux *
4 Erayo, Soratami Ascendant *
1 Eye of Nowhere *
1 Fact or Fiction **
4 Fatestitcher *
1 Flash *
1 Flash of Insight *
4 Force of Will **
1 Frantic Search *
1 Gifts Ungiven **
1 Gush *
4 Glen Elendra Archmage *
4 Hurkyl’s Recall **
4 Hydroblast *
3 In The Eye of Chaos *
4 Impulse **
4 Intuition *
1 Inkwell Leviathan **
2 Jace Beleren
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor *
2 Magus of the Unseen *
4 Mana Drain **
4 Mana Leak *
4 Master of Etherium *
4 Master Transmuter *
4 Meditate *
1 Meloku the Clouded Mirror *
1 Merchant Scroll **
4 Mindlock Orb *
4 Mindbreak Trap *
1 Mind’s Desire **
4 Misdirection **
1 Mystical Tutor **
4 Mystic Remora **
4 Narcomoeba *
4 Ninja of the Deep Hours *
4 Negate *
4 Old Man of the Sea *
4 Ophidian *
4 Pact of Negation *
1 Ponder **
4 Propaganda *
4 Rebuild **
4 Read the Runes *
4 Remand *
4 Repeal **
4 Sage of Epityr *
4 Sea Drake *
4 Sower of Temptation **
4 Spell Pierce **
4 Spell Snare *
4 Spellstutter Sprite *
2 Sphinx of Lost Truths *
4 Standstill *
4 Stifle **
4 Strategic Planning *
3 Teferi’s Realm *
4 Tezzeret the Seeker **
2 Thada Adel, Acquisitor**
1 Thirst For Knowledge **
4 Thoughtcast *
2 Tidespout Tyrant *
1 Time Walk **
4 Time Spiral *
1 Timetwister **
1 Tinker **
4 Transmute Artifact *
4 Trickbind *
4 Trinket Mage *
3 Vendilion Clique *
4 Waterfront Bouncer *
1 Windfall **
2 Wipe Away *
Black:
4 Ad Nauseam *
4 Animate Dead *
4 Bloodghast *
4 Bridge From Below *
4 Cabal Ritual **
4 Cabal Therapy **
4 Contagion *
4 Dance of the Dead *
3 Darkblast **
4 Dark Confidant **
4 Dark Ritual **
1 Demonic Consultation *
1 Demonic Tutor **
4 Diabolic Edict **
4 Disciple of the Vault *
4 Doomsday *
4 Dread Return *
4 Duress **
4 Earwig Squad *
4 Entomb *
4 Extirpate **
4 Faerie Macabre *
4 Golgari Thug *
4 Grim Tutor *
4 Ichorid *
1 Imperial Seal **
1 Infernal Contract *
4 Leyline of the Void **
3 Massacre *
4 Mind Twist *
1 Necropotence **
4 Necromancy *
4 Night’s Whisper **
4 Phyrexian Negator *
4 Planar Void *
2 Perish *
4 Putrid Imp *
4 Ravenous Trap *
4 Sadistic Sacrament **
3 Sadistic Hypnotist *
4 Skeletal Scrying *
3 Smother *
4 Stinkweed Imp *
4 Street Wraith *
4 Tendrils of Agony **
1 The Abyss *
4 Thoughtseize **
4 Unmask *
4 Vampire Hexmage *
1 Vampiric Tutor **
4 Warren Weirding *
1 Yawgmoth’s Bargain **
1 Yawgmoth’s Will **
4 Yixlid Jailer **
Red:
4 Ancient Grudge **
1 Beacon of Destruction *
1 Burning Wish *
4 Desperate Ritual *
4 Empty the Warrens **
3 Flametongue Kavu *
1 Firestorm *
4 Goblin Lackey *
4 Goblin Matron *
4 Goblin Piledriver *
4 Goblin Recruiter *
4 Goblin Ringleader *
1 Goblin Sharpshooter *
4 Goblin Vandal *
4 Goblin Welder **
4 Goblin Warchief *
4 Gorilla Shaman **
1 Grapeshot *
4 Grim Lavamancer *
4 Ingot Chewer **
4 Magus of the Moon *
2 Lava Dart *
1 Primitive Justice *
4 Pyroblast **
4 Pyroclasm **
4 Pyrokinesis *
4 Pyrostatic Pillar *
4 Rack and Ruin **
1 Recoup *
4 Red Elemental Blast **
4 Rite of Flame *
1 Rolling Earthquake *
4 Seething Song *
4 Shattering Spree *
3 Siege-Gang Commander *
4 Simian Spirit Guide **
4 Stingscourger *
4 Tin-Street Hooligan *
4 Viashino Heretic *
1 Wheel of Fortune **
4 Worldgorger Dragon *
Green:
4 Birchlore Ranger *
1 Channel *
4 Choke *
4 Crop Rotation *
2 Drop of Honey *
4 Elvish Spirit Guide **
4 Emerald Charm *
1 Eternal Witness *
1 Fastbond *
4 Fyndhorn Elf *
1 Gaea’s Blessing *
4 Glimpse of Nature *
4 Golgari Grave-Troll *
4 Heritage Druid *
4 Krosan Grip *
2 Krosan Reclamation *
4 Land Grant *
4 Llanowar Elves *
4 Life From the Loam *
2 Living Wish *
4 Mold Adder *
4 Naturalize *
4 Nature’s Claim **
4 Nettle Sentinel *
4 Noble Hierarch *
4 Oath of Druids **
4 Oxidize *
1 Regal Force *
1 Regrowth **
4 Reverent Silence *
4 Root Maze *
4 Seeds of Innocence *
4 Seal of Primordium *
4 Summoner’s Pact *
4 Tarmogoyf **
2 Terastodon **
4 Tinder Wall *
2 Uktabi Orangutan *
1 Viridian Shaman *
4 Wirewood Symbiote *
4 Xantid Swarm **
White:
4 Academy Rector *
1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath *
1 Aura Fracture *
4 Auriok Salvagers *
4 Aven Mindcensor **
1 Balance **
4 Children of Korlis *
4 Enlightened Tutor *
4 Ethersworn Canonist *
4 Ghostly Prison *
4 Jotun Grunt *
4 Kataki, War’s Wage *
2 Iona, Shield of Emeria **
4 Orim’s Chant *
4 Ray of Revelation *
3 Rule of Law *
4 Seal of Cleansing *
4 Serenity *
4 Swords to Plowshares *
4 Tariff *
4 Wispmare *
Multi-Color:
1 Angel of Despair *
4 Cold-Eye Selkie *
4 Dimir Cutpurse *
2 Empyrial Archangel *
3 Fire/Ice **
2 Flame-Kin Zealot *
4 Firespout *
4 Gaddock Teeg *
4 Guttural Response *
2 Hellkite Overlord *
4 Hide/Seek *
1 Hull Breach *
4 Lorescale Coatl *
4 Manamorphose *
4 Meddling Mage *
1 Oona, Queen of the Fae *
3 Pernicious Deed *
4 Psychatog *
4 Qasali Pridemage **
4 Sharuum the Hegemon *
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind **
4 Tidehollow Sculler *
3 Trygon Predator *
4 Vexing Shusher *
Changes:
This time around I didn’t add or subtract anything that wasn’t from Worldwake.
My goal is to create a list that is inclusive, that captures every option that you’d want for modern Vintage to build any competitive deck you want. The idea is that if you own every card on this list, you could build just about every deck in Vintage. Also, it is a repository for you to reference to consider deck building options.
I will continue to update this with every Vintage set review, including all of the cards from the previous set that have wound their way into Vintage, and any others besides. Also, as cards fall out of the format or become superceded, I will continue to drop those cards from the list, just as I did with a few cards from this list.
And, as always, your feedback is appreciated. It’s thanks to some feedback from my last article that I realized I missed a few cards I would have included.
Until next time…