It looks like the real 7th Edition spoiler is up and about – unless, of course, it is not accurate at all – and I figured that I would review the entire set card by card before anyone else does… Unless someone has already beat me to the punch. I promise that this review will be as informative as any other review you will read, unless you find one that is somehow better, which you probably won’t, although it’s possible that you may.
I claim that this evaluation is guaranteed to be 100% correct, but there might be a few errors here and there. I know that I got everything right, but there are a couple things I might’ve missed. So, without further ado, my views on each card in 7th Edition…
White
Damn, I just realized that the spoiler I have (Mag2) doesn’t have the text listed, just the card names. Well, I guess most of you already know what the cards do (but I probably don’t, so I’ll just make stuff up if the need arises), so I’ll start over. Here goes…
White
Angelic Page: This card is good. Or bad. In Limited. Or Constructed. I think it’s a creature that costs something. It has an ability, if I recall correctly, but don’t quote me.
Ardent Militia: This card can fit in any deck that has access to white mana. If you have white mana, you can then cast this card.
Blessed Reversal: I’m pretty sure this does something, but in like a backwards method. Maybe instead of drawing a card during your draw step, you discard one. I forget, though.
Breath of Life: I have no idea what this is. But the card name sounds like it would be good in Limited.
Castle: Heh, they spelt it rong.
All the CoPs: Are these the ones that cycle or not?
Cloudchaser Eagle: It sounds like it’s a flying creature, from the name of it. Flying is an ability that allows you to evade”ground” creatures, such as Morphling, and just fly over their heads.
Crossbow Infantry: I remember something about a card that had”Infantry” in a part if it’s name. I think it was a fair card.
Disenchant: If this card was an instant, you would then be able to cast it at time you could play an instant.
Eager Cadet: No idea. But get four copies.
Elite Archers: Much like his cousin, Goblin Elite Infantry, this guy goes great in a Sligh deck.
Gerrard’s Wisdom: I knew a guy that had seen one of these once. He told me it was pretty neat looking.
Glorious Anthem: I think this was once used by some player somewhere, but I’m not sure.
Healing Salve: I have a feeling this can help to prevent some kinds of damage. If that is the case, using four of these in any deck is probably a good idea.
Holy Strength: This was one of the best cards in Homelands that was reprinted in Alpha. Scoop these up before people remember how good they were.
Honor Guard: Protection from artifacts. Hello – Masticore, anyone?
Intrepid Hero: I don’t even know what”intrepid” means, but it sounds pretty cool anyway.
Kjeldoran Royal Guard: This land was the focal point of an old deck named”Counter-Post,” and should be good again with Eager Cadet.
Knight Errant: This just sounds like a good card.
Knighthood: A great creature enchantment that fits perfectly on Knight Errant.
Longbow Archer: Much like Elite Archers, this card is good because it’s a distant cousin of Goblin Elite Infantry. See, it pays to follow the storyline once in a while.
Master Healer: Reprinting one of the Masters from Invasion seems like an odd thing to do at this point, but whatever.
Northern Paladin: It’s best to use the alternate casting cost on this card, unless you think you’d rather not. And I tend to agree with you.
Pacifism: It’s like a white Drain Life, but better.
Pariah: I heard that this card is very good in Bargain, and I remember it getting played a lot in Extended Survival decks. Good stuff indeed.
Purify: It’s a Wrath of God, or a March of Souls, depending on what you need at the moment. That’s versatility.
Razorfoot Griffin: This card was a vital part of Aaron Forsythe kitchen table deck”Angry Griffin,” and for good reason.
Reprisal: I’m pretty sure that cycling this in response to life gain going on the stack will make Trix players scoop.
Reverse Damage: Dealing ten to the dome is good, and this card will double it for you. I think all red mages will want to splash white for four copies of this.
Rolling Stones: This card will gather no moss in your crap box. A great first-turn drop; maybe on par with Sacred Grounds.
Sacred Grounds: The best first-turn drop ever. WotC must mean”Wizards of the Crackhouse” for reprinting this. Hi, I’m a turn-one kill, nice to meet you.
Sacred Nectar: Fits perfectly in a Sacred Grounds deck in case the combo fizzles. Chaff in Limited, but great in Draft.
Samite Healer: When this card was first printed, it was deemed too powerful for tournament play, so WotC reprinted it under a different name in order to stabilize the environment.
Sanctimony: A great Draw-Go hoser, but not maindeck worthy unless you run at least four Worldly Tutors.
Seasoned Marshal: The bigger and better Goblin Marshal, this guy makes four Goblin tokens coming and going. Don’t expect anyone to pay this guy’s echo, ever.
Serra Advocate: Much like Aluren in that this will allow you to drop Serra Angel into play on turn three. A Bomb in Limited, Constructed, Five-Color, Solomon Draft, Highlander, and BYOB – but it sucks in Type 1, regrettably.
Serra Angel: The fact that this Angel can’t be countered is good news for everyone but the players that use countermagic.
Serra’s Embrace: First they put in Serra Advocate. Then Serra Angel. And now this! Come on WotC, dammit! Quit building our decks for us!
Shield Wall: One of the rare cards that fits great in Limited but sucks in Constructed. It almost reminds me of Masticore.
Skyshroud Falcon: Don’t kid yourself -“protection from blue” will be a major factor in deck construction for the next year or so.
Southern Paladin: Better than Northern Paladin, but this card’s alternate casting cost isn’t as reliable. Always pay full price for this guy.
Spirit Link: Putting this on your opponents Blastoderm = win.
Standing Troops: I thought about getting a few copies of this card, but then I remembered that I already had some, which means that I don’t have to go about acquiring any more. If you have some, then you won’t need to get any either.
Starlight: The fact that you can sacrifice this to draw four cards after it deals its damage isn’t as good as it sounds. Trust me.
Staunch Defenders: I used to think this guy was good in Urza Block, but he’ll shine in a Five-Color White deck when Mirage rotates out.
Sunweb: I traded four of these for four Ports, six Masticores, three Squees, and seventeen Morphlings before I found out that it was coming back in 7th Edition. I got ripped. Hard.
Sustainer of the Realm: Better than Planeshift’s familiars. ‘Nuff said.
Venerable Monk: Combos well with Bull Hippo and Wall of Tears.
Vengeance: This card rocks in Mental Magic. First pick!
Wall of Swords: Um, I thought trample wasn’t supposed to be in the base sets? Hello? R&D, what’s going on?
Worship: And you thought Necropotence was card advantage?
Wrath of God: It’s very good as fodder for Pyroclasm, and maybe even better as a pump to save your Mogg Toady, but it’s sort of limited in its ability and a little overcosted for its limited ability.
Blue
Air Elemental: A super card for Stompy; don’t let the echo deter you from bringing the beats.
Ancestral Memories: Probably one of the strongest Constructed cards ever printed, especially if you can draft it in multiples.
Arcane Laboratory: This card just houses Yawgmoth’s Agenda and that was probably the reason that it was brought back. Just in time, in my opinion.
Archivist: I remember seeing this in many Pro Tour 1 decks and I think that it still has the power to make an impact on the environment, but I’m not sure.
Baleful Stare: A staple of Replenish decks that was usually heavily played in Replenish decks.
Benthic Behemoth: Much like Morphling, this guy gives you a way to end the game quickly, even if you have to discard your hand, sacrifice all your lands, pay half your life rounded up, and donate three pints of blood during your upkeep.
Boomerang: Infinitely better than Cursed Scroll, and more broken due to it being a continuous damage source.
Confiscate: Not sure what the point of this card is, but it looks pretty strong in the right deck. Maybe blue could find a way to use it to its full potential.
Coral Merfolk: The best example of a”win more” card ever printed.
Counterspell: Worse than flexible counters like Prohibit, Rethink, and Mana Leak, but someone in R&D obviously loves this card.
Daring Apprentice: This card looks like it will be very good at some things. That alone might make it good at a few things.
Deflection: Two words: Wakefield Fattie.
Delusions of Mediocrity: I’ve found that most cards that have the word”of” in their name are very sound in Limited. This is likely to be just another example that holds true to form.
Equilibrium: This card sports a 6:5 vowel-to-consonant ratio. I think you know what that means!
Evacuation: A wonderful card to put in a blue deck if your mana can support it. If it can’t, you should probably try to draft some blue mana sources.
Fighting Drake: Much like Waylay, this card will soon need to see errata to prevent confusing”at end of turn” interactions.
Fleeting Image: I suspect that his gating will be too difficult to manage, but I leave it up to you guys to prove me wrong.
Flight: This makes Rancor look plain stupid. Four of these will make any deck better, even though some decks will get worse by using this card.
Force Spike: The effect this card will have on a game can be very great. Or pretty good. Or even not much. It all depends.
Giant Octopus: WotC won’t reprint Black Lotus, but they put this bomb in 7th. What the hell is wrong with them?
Glacial Wall: Superb when you only have one card in hand; otherwise, very average. Still, a first pick.
Hibernation: In the Draw-Go mirror match, whoever draws this card first will win every time.
Horned Turtle: Depending on the momentum of the game, this card can swing the momentum to your side, or it can give the momentum back to your opponent if you had the momentum and are beginning to lose it.
Inspiration: I used to think that creature enchantments were ass, but this card has made me see the light. Works great in a creatureless deck.
Levitation: One word: Mize.
Lord of Atlantis: Giving haste to all your opponents creatures doesn’t sound too good to me at all. Maybe Zvi can figure a way to eliminate the drawback, but I sure can’t.
Mahamoti Djinn: A crappy version of Zanam Djinn. I guess not every card can be as good as the original. And this is proof.
Mana Breach: The fact that this card will be put into every deck, even the decks that can’t cast it, is a testament to its power.
Mana Short: Not tapping to attack is strong in Type 1, but I don’t expect this card to see much play in a Counter-Sliver deck.
Mawcor: Great in Constructed, but don’t put it in any decks that you have to build yourself, such as Type 2, Block, or Extended.
Memory Lapse: A subtle card that can sneak up on you, quietly, while you least expect it, and without much fanfare, quite possibly catching you off guard with your guard down.
Merfolk Looter: If I were to play this card, I would most definitely put it into my deck.
Merfolk of the Pearl Trident: A very strong finisher for suicide decks.
Opportunity: Much like Lava Axe, this card offers a difficult choice, with”target player” in it’s text box. While it will be a hard time to choose your target, if you practice enough you will figure it out, eventually. (Look for my article”Making sure you choose the right target player” next week.)
Opposition: I think this card has a good effect, but I’m not sure what to do with it. Maybe it’ll be good in Limited, but if it isn’t then you should probably not draft it.
Phantom Warrior: The original reason that the”four of each card” rule that was put into effect last month. And it certainly warranted it.
Prodigal Sorcerer: Great combo with Force of Will, and not too bad with Pouncing Jaguar either.
Remove Soul: When casting this card, be sure to tap your mana to pay its converted mana cost. If you don’t, and a judge sees you, you could get yelled at.
Sage Owl: This guy is a no-brainer in any deck that wants to play it.
Sea Monster: This card is very undercosted for what it does, but it doesn’t really do it very well. Still, I think that when all is said and done, this card will be very undercosted for what it does.
Sleight of Hand: This card will never single-handedly win you the game if you don’t cast if, especially if it’s not in your deck.
Steal Artifact: Very good in some decks. In others, it’s not so good.
Storm Crow: I will stuff as many of these as I possibly can into my deck and just risk the deck check. You should, too.
Telepathic Spies: I used to think that this card was better than I originally thought, then I realized that I thought it was better than it really was, which lead me to believe that it was really better than I originally thought, but it wasn’t any worse than it was intended to be.
Telepathy: I’m pretty sure that if you like this card, you’ll enjoy playing with it.
Temporal Adept: I wouldn’t suggest using this card unless you are using sleeves, as it is designated as a rare, thus could get scratched up and stuff, which might come back to hurt you if you ever want to trade it for another card(s) later on.
Thieving Magpie: Heh – you said”pie.”
Tolarian Winds: I don’t remember Swampwalk ever being a big deal before, but with this card it really won’t matter at all. But it might.
Treasure Trove: A bigger, badder Shattering Pulse is always going to be of some use.
Twiddle: This is a nice compliment to Mind Twist in Type 1, and is pretty good with Fireblast in Extended. Forget about using it in Type 2, though; it’s probably too slow for that.
Unsummon: Combos well with Vigorous Charge, if you are willing to take the two turns it takes to set up the combo.
Vigilant Drake: If this card gets played a lot, it will see plenty of play.
Vizzerdrix: I think this card has too many weird letters, but still can be a major force, even if you can’t use it in Scrabble.
Wall of Air: Um, it’s called atmosphere.
Wall of Wonder: This is a good card that wants to be put into a good deck and used by a good player who plays very well.
Wind Dancer: The worst X spell ever.
Wind Drake: The best Y spell ever. And a very good proxy for a Z spell in an emergency.
Black
Abyssal Horror: Its effect is pretty good for what it does.
Abyssal Specter: First pick, and it might even be good in Limited.
Agonizing Memories: Sacrificing two creatures seems like a very steep alternate casting cost just to add one fading counter, but it does seem to be undercosted in general.
Befoul: I had chicken pox when I was like ten, so that means that I can’t get them again. Or is that just an old wives tale?
Bellowing Fiend: The best rhystic card since Swords to Plowshares.
Bereavement: Pretty good if you get yours in play before your opponent gets theirs in play. Otherwise, it’s chaff.
Blood Pet: The”remove from the game” stipulation seems harsh, but this card might see some play in 5-color Highlander Draft.
Bog Imp: Comparable to Coastal Tower in that it has a useful ability that will rarely, if ever, single-handedly cause you to lose the game.
Bog Wraith: I’ve always wondered what this card did.
Corrupt: If this card had one more fading counter, it would be playable. As it is, it’s utter crap, although it’s not half-bad.
Crypt Rats: Strictly better than one Crypt Rat.
Dakmor Lancer: A guy I know saw this card at a dealer’s table once. He said it looked neat and that I would think it looks neat, too.
Dark Banishing: I would never cast this without multiple Overrun backup.
Darkest Hour: Interesting, but I’m not sure what kind of deck would use it. Perhaps a deck that uses black mana sources would be able to play it, but I’m not sure.
Dregs of Sorrow: While the phasing can be very annoying, it’s worth every ounce of frustration that it will cause, since it will force many opponents to figure out what the hell phasing is.
Drudge Skeletons: This works fine as a sorcery, but if it was an interrupt it would really dominate the Limited environment.
Duress: I just got home from an Extended tourney, so I apologize if I can’t really remember what this card does. It sounds good, though.
Eastern Paladin: Terrible alternate casting cost. At least it cycles.
Engineered Plague: This card was meant for either bad players, average players, good players, or great players, and I think that it’ll work for one of those groups.
Fallen Angel: Probably the best of the 187 creatures, and it combos well with Zombie Mob and Planar Void.
Fear: Versatility for the black mage. Four copies in your deck will help out immensely against combo, control, and will own other black creature-based decks as well.
Foul Imp: When you play this card you may pay 2. If you do, pay another 2. If you do, pay another 2. If you do, you suck.
Fugue: If I knew what this card did, I’d probably build a deck around it right now.
Giant Cockroach: Heh, you said”giant [edit].”
Gravedigger: Infinitely better than Necropotence in terms of card advantage, and it doesn’t even cost you any cards, although you
still have to skip your combat phase.
Greed: Great synergy with Infernal Contract.
Hollow Dogs: Two words: John Candy.
Howl From Beyond: A great card in black decks, as it is already in color and doesn’t require splashing any off-color lands. Good times.
Infernal Contract: See”Greed.”
Leshac’s Rite: This card spells”Net Deck” all up in here.
Looming Shade: A very bad Looming Shade imitation.
Megrim: Works great in a cycling deck, if you can manage to Donate it to your opponent and then drop Fluctuator. This card speeds up the kill by at least two turns.
Mind Rot: A possible usage for this card may be in some kind of deck that uses this card.
Nausea: A definite staple in all sealed decks.
Necrologia: This card will see play in many decks that use it.
Nightmare: Arc Lighting is a little better than this card, but it’s still playable if you want to put it in your deck and play with it.
Nocturnal Raid: Some decks will drool over this card, while others won’t be so sure. But everyone will eventually drool over something, so it might as well be this card.
Oppression: Black doesn’t usually get mana-producing creatures, but this card will be a very useful addition to the black mage’s mana ramping.
Ostracize: A good hoser that prevents the abuse of white discard spells, and it’s about time.
Persecute: I recommend Rack and Ruin as the perfect companion to this game-breaker.
Plague Beetle: If this card ever wins you a game, you’ll probably be glad that it did.
Rag Man: Proof that WotC will reprint broken cards if enough pros bitch and moan and sign petitions.
Raise Dead: This card sounds awesome! I think I’ll call WotC Game Support line and find out what it does.
Razortooth Rats: Better than Thran Dynamo at life gain, which is probably the most important aspect of tournament-level Magic.
Reprocess: Finally, a suitable replacement for Land Tax.
Revenant: Has the potential to be explosive with a turn-one Dark Ritual, Grim Monolith, Voltaic Key.
Scathe Zombies: It’s amazing that WotC printed this card in the same set with Stream of Life. It seems they don’t care that they have just destroyed multiplayer forever.
Serpent Warrior: There are a number of cards that work very well with this card. Probably.
Soul Feast: A little better than Mind Bomb, which this card is obviously based on, but not as good as Probe, which this card obviously was meant to imitate, but in its”fixed” version.
Spineless Thug: This card is great to slow down the beats from Stompy, Sligh, and other aggressive creature-based decks. First pick.
Strands of Night: If you put this card in your deck, expect to draw it eventually.
Stronghold Assassin: Heh, you said”ass.” Twice.
Tainted Aether: Depending on your opponent’s deck, this could be very good, very bad, or somewhere in the middle, but I suspect that it’s one of the above in most cases.
Unholy Strength: Great card if it lives up to all the hype. If it doesn’t,
then it won’t be so great.
Wall of Bone: I bet the decks that use this card will play more copies of it than the decks that don’t use it. Just a hunch.
Western Paladin: Best alternate casting cost of all the Paladins.
Yawgmoth’s Edict: I suggest trying this card out to see how you like it. I think that if you try it out, you’ll be able to find out if it’s any good or if it really isn’t.
Red
Aether Flash: It’s a poor man’s Hammer of Bogardan, but it probably works better in most decks that use this instead of Hammer.
Balduvian Barbarians: This card requires you to play it to be effective. I don’t like restrictive cards like that.
Bedlam: Two words: Mana Burn.
Blaze: I forget what this does, but I bet it’s pretty good because it sounds like a card that I would like.
Bloodshot Cyclops: This card should be a first pick, unless you decide that you would rather pick something else.
Boil: I think this card is very good, but it’s probably bad. But it might turn out to be good, and it can also end up being bad. My advice: go ahead and use this card and expect it to work very well for you as long as it doesn’t end up being very bad.
Crimson Hellkite: I would probably draft this card anywhere from first to fifteenth pick. If you get a chance to draft this, do it, and I think you’ll agree with me.
Disorder: This card’s mana cost is very reasonable, considering how much mana you have to pay to cast it.
Earthquake: This is nothing more than an overcosted Draco. But if it gets played, it will probably see some play.
Fervor: A card that might be in heavy demand if lots of players try to get a few copies of it.
Final Fortune: Cast Apocalypse, then in response throw this bad boy down for a total lock.
Fire Elemental: I’m fairly certain that this card is either great, very good, average, crappy, or terrible. And I stand by my evaluation.
Ghitu Fire-Eater: I have no clue what it does, but eating fire sounds like a cool thing to do during your upkeep.
Goblin Chariot, Digging Team, Elite Infantry, Gardener, Glider, King, Matron, Raider, Spelunkers, War Drums: I think I like this new creature type. They are pretty cool, and it’s about time that red got a new creature type that is better than Dragons. Kudos, WotC, and keep Goblins as a creature type in the future.
Granite Grip: Not a card for the meek! This screams”combomania!”
if played on a creature. You have been warned.
Hill Giant: Like Invasion Acolytes, this card will cause headaches for the unprepared green mages.
Impatience: An interesting card for what it does. If it does it well, it could very well be even more interesting. If not, it won’t interest many players at all.
Inferno: Enchantment removal for red? You have to be kidding me!?
Lightning Blast: I like the sound of this one. Could be the sleeper of the set, unless, of course, it isn’t.
Lightning Elemental: I like that this card has shadow, which means that it will be very hard for a deck that can’t handle shadow to handle.
Mana Clash: I never would’ve believed that banding would come back so strong. A force to be reckoned with.
Ogre Taskmaster: Seems very good at combating Oath decks. Or Forbidian, perhaps.
Orcish Artillery: I’m certain that I once owned this card, but I forget what it does. But I remember that I thought that I might’ve liked it at one time.
Orcish Oriflamme: The fact that this card can’t be targeted will make it very hard for your opponent to target it.
Okk: Infinitely better than Tolarian Academy, with more ways to abuse all the mana you’ll get (Okk can just pump the mana into himself for a mana dump, and you don’t even need to tap it to do so!).
Pillage: The best Flanking card ever printed can do nothing but get better, especially since Flanking is obsolete.
Pygmy Pyrosaur: If this card works well for you, you should be pleased. If it doesn’t, then I expect that you won’t be pleased at all.
Pyroclasm: Draft this card early – or draft it late if you want to. If you don’t want to draft it, that’s fine, too.
Pyrotechnics: This is a fun card to use in multiplayer, especially when there are more than two Squees in play at the same time.
Raging Goblin: Might be a good finisher in a combo-heavy environment.
Reckless Embermage: This card does serious damage to itself or another creature or maybe it deals it to you or your opponent. Any way you slice it, this card is very good most of the time. Except when it sucks, then it’s like, really bad.
Reflexes: This card…Okay, I really have no idea.
Relentless Assault: Eron the Relentless’s long overdue Enchant World card finally sees print. Glad to see that it comes at a time when it is sorely needed.
Sabretooth Tiger: If you have Mountains in your deck, this card can be reliably cast, as it usually requires red mana to be cast.
Seismic Assault: Probably one of the best cards in the set if you agree with me. If not, then it isn’t.
Shatter: This is probably good, as I have heard good things from people who have told me that this card is probably pretty good.
Shivan Dragon: A weaker version of Hypnotic Cloud doesn’t really rock my world, and I suspect that it won’t rock yours either.
Shock: I’ve heard much hype about this card, but I am not ready to believe it until I hear a little more hype.
Spitting Earth: I’m fairly certain that there is red mana in the casting cost for this card, but I’ll have to check the oracle and get back to you next week.
Stone Rain: This is a very good card that can gain you between six and eight life every time you cast it. A no-brainer for any deck that uses Necropotence, Necropolis, Necrosavant, Necromancy, or Necrotaal.
Storm Shaman: If your opponent is playing with this card, I have two words for you: Intentional Draw.
Sudden Impact: This card would be better if you could use it to gain life, or at least damage your opponent based on the number of cards they have in their hand. I know WotC tries very hard to make good cards, but this one seemed so obvious, dammit!
Trained Orgg: Okay, so WotC is using Pokemon Trainer cards in Magic? Not the best idea ever, but it will bring many Pokemon players into Magic since they already have many trainer cards that will be useful.
Tremor: I would shudder at the thought of this card being back around, but I’m all out of puns.
Volcanic Hammer: Shawn Reigner’s Invitational Card finally makes it to the Big Time! Can you say”goose bumps?”
Wall of Fire: Good card that gets no respect because it kinda sucks.
Wildfire: I can see why many players seem to be excited about this card coming back into the fray, because they probably already own a few copies and won’t have to buy any more.
Green
Anaconda: Two words: Dome You!
Ancient Silverback: I’ve seen this card printed so many times that I have to wonder if there is anyone that still worries about protection from banding anymore.
Birds of Paradise: Great synergy with Pox.
Blanchwood Armor: Heh, you said”wood.”
Bull Hippo: Very effective if you find a way to circumvent it’s cumulative upkeep. Could be great, or at least very good. Keep an eye out for this one because it could end up being very bad.
Canopy Spider: If you can manage to cast this card, ever, it should place your opponent directly into their scoop phase. Watch out for Nightscape Apprentice, though.
Compost: Strictly superior to Tidal Kraken at half the mana. This card is just begging to go directly to the Watch List.
Creeping Mold: If used correctly, this card will be put into decks that will use it right.
Early Harvest: Two words: Run DMC.
Elder Druid: I expect this card to be used in many decks, but it likely will see no play in the decks that don’t use it.
Elvish Archers, Champion, Lyrist, Piper: While I think the new Goblin creature type that red got was a step in the right direction, these”Elves” seem weak and probably won’t see much play. If you are going to make a new creature type, why not make it good – or at least playable?
Familiar Ground: If your opponents can find an answer for this card before it kills them, then it probably won’t be able to win you the game all by itself.
Femeref Archers: A third cousin, twice removed from Elite Archers, but much better because it’s also the nephew of Goblin Elite Infantry.
Fog: Great in any deck that uses heavy artifact mana, as it won’t force you to tap out to cast it.
Fyndhorn Elder: The fact that this guy doesn’t tap to attack means that he doesn’t need to be tapped to attack. And that’s a good ability for the times when you need it.
Gang of Elk: If you can use its token making ability before turn six, you will just friggin’ win; it’s that damned good.
Giant Growth: The ability of this card to fix your mana is often overlooked in Constructed, but it might see some play in heavy blue decks, at least in Limited.
Gorilla Chieftain: Perfect for a green mage, who should have access to green mana with which to play this spell.
Grizzly Bears: After years of having players refer to a 2/2 for 2 as a Grizzly Bear, WotC finally got off their asses and made the card that players had been asking for for years. About friggin’ time!
Hurricane: This card reminds me of Planeswalker’s Mirth a little too much. Maybe R&D is running out of ideas?
Llanowar Elves: An obvious rip off of the older (and better) Cavern Harpy, but whatever.
Lone Wolf: A nice card, but it would be better if it was just a little bit better than it is. That’s not to say that it’s not a nice card, but it could be just a little bit better than it is. A first pick.
Lure: The absolute nuts if you can slap this on a Taunting Elf. Also combos well with Cloak of Mists.
Maro: An excellent card for decks that absolutely need to use it.
Might of Oaks: Pulling a land from your library is good, right?
Monstrous Growth: Pulling TWO lands from your library is better!
Nature’s Resurgence: I might be nuts, but if this card is used at all, it will probably be used in a deck. Prove me wrong, people!
Nature’s Revolt: If you are looking for a card to put in your deck, you could use this one.
Pride of Lions: Yet another mana fixer that will fix mana in a deck that needs its mana fixed and might see a need to use mana fixing cards like this mana fixer here.
Rampant Growth: +7/+7 at a critical moment never hurt, right?
Reclaim: A staple of Necro decks for years, but its fifteen minutes are most likely over.
Redwood Treefolk: Heh, you said”wood” again.
Regeneration: Casting this in response to a Fact or Fiction is a new catch phrase waiting to happen: IRTYCFoFICRNCYL (In Response To You Casting Fact or Fiction, I Cast Regeneration, Now, Chief, YOU Lose).
Rowan: The fact that this card can’t be targeted by Perish makes it pretty good if your opponent tries to cast Perish.
Scavenger Folk: If you don’t play this card, don’t be surprised at all if you don’t topdeck it when you need it the most.
Seeker of Skybreak: Six words: This card is some good chaff.
Shanodin Dryads: The best red hoser that green has ever seen! Wow!
Spined Wurm: There is too much flavor text on this card. And that frightens me a little.
Squall: Combos well with Soothsaying and has the potential to be very good when it doesn’t suck.
Stream of Life: Probably one of the best multiplayer cards ever printed, it gains so much with the reprinting of Scathe Zombies.
Thorn Elemental: Finally, a creature that Rishadan Port can’t neutralize! If that doesn’t bring Wakefield back, nothing will!
Thoughtleech: Poison counters = tech.
Trained Armadon: And another Pokemon Trainer. Jeez.
Tranquility: Being able to skip your untap phase might have its uses, but I can’t really think of any except for a deck full of”comes into play” tapped cards. Even then, it seems kind of difficult to use.
Treefolk Seedlings: Heh, you said”seed.”
Uktabi Wildcats: Insane in 5-Color green, and it gets better if you use Treetop Villages to power it.
Verduran Enchantress: This card should appeal to the little kids, PTQers, or pros, or maybe not any of them.
Vernal Bloom: I think you should use this card if you want to. If you don’t want to, then I suggest not using it.
Wild Growth: While it’s no Rampant Growth, +4/+4 is still pretty good.
Wing Snare: Two words: Ponza Deck.
Wood Elves: I still have no idea why pulling land out of your deck is better than just drawing it, but I suspect that some players will use this card in Ponza decks. While Wing Snare is obviously better suited for Ponza, those type of players are very stubborn, probably because their parents told them they were conceived in the back of a ’72 Pinto. (You forgot to laugh at saying”wood” — The Ferrett)
Yavimaya Enchantress: I still have no idea what”all your base are belong to us” means. But I bet it’s pretty stupid.
Artifacts
Aladdin’s Ring: A great card to draw if you put it in your deck.
Beast of Burden: Cast this against a red deck and never worry about Choke resolving again.
Caltrops: The best white hoser since Celestial Dawn. It is that good.
Charcoal Diamond: More durable than a Swamp, and just better.
Coat of Arms: An artifact that can destroy multiple lands? Sign me up, chief, and in a hurry!
Crystal Rod: This is the best counterspell around, but I don’t expect it to see much play as many players prefer to use the superior card”Counterspell.”
Dingus Egg: An excellent Constructed card, except for the times that it will be very bad. But it will always be good in Limited, except for the times that it isn’t. A first pick.
Disrupting Scepter: What a perfect way to hose all the Living Death decks that have been running rampant in Type 2 for the last two years. See, sometimes R&D listens to us!
Ensnaring Bridge: All these”flip a coin” cards are lame. Stop it.
Feroz’s Ban: One of the best cards to go and get with Harrow.
Fire Diamond: Faster than a Mountain, although not as durable.
Flying Carpet: A little too color-intensive to see any serious Constructed play, but it’ll probably kick ass in Limited if it turns out to be very good in that format.
Grafted Skullcap: Will single-handedly bring back the phrase”to the dome!” And with good reason.
Howling Mine: How did the first-grader spend his day at school?
Iron Star: Two words: Gary Wise.
Jalum Tome: If you manage to draft this card, I suggest that you make sure you put it maindeck or maybe just leave it in your sideboard.
Jandor’s Saddlebags: A perfect fit in just about any deck that has a mana curve.
Jayemdae Tome: Wasteland can’t touch it. ‘Nuff said.
Marble Diamond: Not quite as good as a Plains, but it does help to smooth out the mana inconsistencies in mono white.
Meekstone: It has an ability that is sometimes useful, but other times it’s not so useful. The idea is to figure out when it will be useful, then use it right then and there before it becomes useless.
Millstone: The mana burn that this card forces you to take might be enough to make people shy away, but the smart players will just forget to take the burn and feign innocence if caught.
Moss Diamond: So much better than a Forest, and harder to kill.
Patagia Golem: The best time to use this card is when it seems good. It’s probably a good idea to not use this card at the times that it seems bad.
Phyrexian Colossus: Since this card can’t be named by Meddling Mage, expect it to see a lot of space in sideboards everywhere.
Phyrexian Hulk: Combine with Brand and Scrap for a very nice, teched-out synergy.
Pit Trap: Combos well with Trap Runner and Bottomless Pit. Oh, and Pit Imp too. Booby Trap, Giant Trap Door Spider, Breeding Pit, Lord of the Pit, Pit Raptor, and Tar Pit Warrior as well. Very synergistic.
Rod of Ruin: Two words: Bah Roken.
Sisay’s Ring: Three words: Telim’ Tor’s Darts.
Sky Diamond: Probably not as good as an Island, but it does cycle, which will help you to draw through your deck faster.
Soul Net: A fun card that may or may not see much use in Constructed or Limited formats. If it gets used a lot, then it will probably be pretty popular.
Spellbook: This card was made for Sligh. Broken in Extended and Type 1 Sligh decks.
Static Orb: Very good card in combination with some other cards that you may or may not already own. If you do own them, then you don’t have to worry about getting them, as you already have them.
Storm Cauldron: A fair card that could be used in a lot of decks that
use, or have access to, colorless mana sources.
Teferi’s Puzzle Box: Heh, you said”box.”
Throne of Bone: Heh, you said, uh, forget it.
Wall of Spears: This card will make sure that Royal Assassin stays back to play defense. Excellent metagame choice.
Wooden Sphere: If this card cost seven it would be a steal, but at two it seems like a rip-off.
Lands
Adarkar Wastes: Pretty interesting idea, but I’m not sure if it will go over very well.
Brushland: Great card with a wonderful idea! Play this bad boy!
City of Brass: This has a chance to be better than Adarkar Wastes in a blue/white deck if the right minds can figure out how to break it.
Forest: Too slow. Too easy to kill. Play anything over this in green.
Island: While it doesn’t cycle like Sky Diamond, it is a little quicker.
Karplusan Forest: If they printed this, why the hell did they print”Forest?” WotC is redundant. WotC is redundant.
Mountain: While this is slower than Fire Diamond, it is more durable.
Plains: A little better than Marble Diamond, even if it isn’t any faster.
Sulfurous Springs: The Goblin Game/Thieves’ Auction of 7th Edition.
Swamp: A little too fragile for Constructed, but fine in Limited.
Underground River: I’m not sure what WotC was thinking when they printed this, but it’s a safe bet that the guys who came up with this are now unemployed. Utter chaff.
And there you have it: my take on 7th Edition. For all you naysayers who like to check set evaluations a few months after the fact to find all the errors, I proclaim that you won’t find any in this evaluation, but you might find a couple that turn out to be erroneous. That’s right, chief – I am very confident that I nailed every card dead on the head, unless I missed a couple here and there. Still, I contend that I will be right about every card listed above unless I am incorrect about a couple.
Have a nice day.
John Friggin’ Rizzo