Hey, it’s The Cak again with another Caktacular article for you. My last was a basic lowdown of Saviors Limited with the commons from the set. If you missed it, here’s the link. Since commons influence a format a lot more the uncommons and rares do, it is important to remember the following article is not about strategy and what color has the best uncommons. I just wanted to go over the power of each uncommon and rare in the set and possibly let you know about some hidden cards that people have not found to be good yet. Champions of Kamigawa was actually a fairly balanced set in terms of uncommons. It does have its Strengths of Cedars and Crystal Shard had in Mirrodin block. The best uncommon is Champions of Kamigawa is probably Honden of Infinite Rage and there’s definitely something that tops that in Saviors of Kamigawa. Anyway, let’s look at the uncommons from Saviors…
Aether Shockwave
This is pretty techy, but I can’t see myself playing this card unless I had all spirits or all snakes or something like that. I could see myself boarding it in against an all snake deck or all spirit deck.
Charge Across the Araba
This can range from a little worse than Overrun to a lot better than Overrun. If you are White, you probably want to pick this up early as possible. In a deck with 10 or more Plains, it’s simply insane.
Eiganjo Free-Riders
I’ve seen players draft this card way too high, only because they think that there really isn’t a drawback. You need to have a lot of one-mana and two-mana White creatures to be able to run this card to its full ability.
Ghost-lit Redeemer
A one-mana spirit that cycles to gain 4 life is always playable and one that gains you 2 life by tapping it and a mana is even better. This guy is definitely underrated and should get some recognition pretty soon.
Hail of Arrows
I haven’t got a chance to play with or against this card yet, but it seems very good. Against some decks though it will probably sit in your hand all game until it hits a flyer, but by the time you are being attacked by a control deck you are probably in losing position. It’s also easy to play against if you know they have it and it costs a lot of mana, but it can easily blow people right out of the game if they aren’t expecting it.
Hand of Honor
Samurai of the Pale Curtain is very good and therefore so is this guy. Same thing goes with the mana issues of Pale Curtain though – it’s hard to play it in the same deck as Wicked Akuba and cards like that, but it should still be a very high pick.
Inner-Chamber Guard
Once again another card that is deck dependent. It’s essentially a 2/4 wall for two mana, so it can be good in the right deck like Blue/White control. I can’t see myself playing with it in any aggressive deck though.
If you have any enchantments in your deck, I would probably leave this in the sideboard because you are forced to kill an enchantment when it comes into play, even if it is your own. However if you have no enchantments it is easily maindeckable and can be very good at some points in the game.
Evermind
Quentin Martin probably had to change pants after he saw this card. I hate that deck and I would never play this card.
People laugh at this guy whenever he sees play, but he can actually be pretty solid. Being able to soulshift a counterspell can give your opponent a very hard time.
Kiri-Onna
This guy definitely wins the tempo war for you, which is very important these days. Bouncing a four-drop or five-drop that has something like Serpent Skin or Indomitable Will on it will usually win the game for you. Also, being able to return to your hand if you play a spirit or arcane spell is very important because Blue has so many instant arcane spells. Once you can get him going with enough mana up every turn to bounce him back with something, it will be very hard to lose.
Oboro Envoy
The best Blue uncommon in the set by far and close to the best uncommon in the set in general. He is so hard to beat late game and causes nightmares in combat for your opponent mid game. It also helps with having more cards in your hand, which usually is beneficial for you.
Overwhelming Intellect
I have countered a Moss Kami with this once on MODO and it felt pretty good. I still hate counterspells in Limited because there are too many times that they are just dead, but I can see myself playing this card. I wouldn’t take it high at all though.
Rushing-Tide Zubera
This is probably this biggest creature that Blue has and it is pretty good too. Both Spiraling Embers and Barrel(bearl)-Down Sokenzan will deal more than 3 to it and combined with cards that Soulshift for 4 or more, it becomes excellent.
Secretkeeper
You can pretty much treat it as a four-mana 4/4 flyer, which makes it absolutely retarded. Blue usually has more cards in hand than the opponent, so take the common Moonfolk from the last set high if you get this early.
Shape Stealer
I wouldn’t play this maindeck unless I had a lot of “spirit craft”(sounds so stupid) cards like soulshift and Devouring Greed, but it can be a very good sideboard card against Green.
Shifting Borders
Seems
Pretty
Bad
Trusted Advisor
This card can be pretty good when combined with Kiri-Onna, but other than having cards that can combo with it, don’t play it.
Exile into Darkness
This is actually surprisingly good. It kills Kabuto Moth and it can come back later in the game to get more guys. I can see myself taking this first pick if I’m U/B.
Footsteps of the Goryo
Once again, why? Hulluh? I saw this card then imagined Joey Bags eating a giant PB&J sandwich.
One-mana 1/1 spirit is always playable and its ability can actually be pretty good most of the time —stop me if you’ve heard this before – especially with soulshift.
Hand of Cruelty
Pretty retarded and if you ever get to play against a White deck then that probably is game. A two-mana 2/2 with pro White that turns into a 3/3 in combat is absurd and should be taken very highly.
If you have never played with this card before, it is probably better than you think it is. I would rate it the same as something like Kami of the Painted Road, but it can be more important if you need to win the “more cards in hand” war.
Kiku’s Shadow
A solid two-mana removal spell, but it doesn’t kill Kabuto Moth. It does, however, kill everything that Green has and I think you all should know where to pick good removal spells by now.
Locust Miser
A four-mana 2/2. Unless you have the Miser deck, which I assume many of you will actually have and I can’t wait to lose to you, I wouldn’t suggest playing this.
Measure of Wickedness
This is one of those cards where you don’t know if it’s good or not. I can see myself playing it in a very aggressive deck that didn’t really have any finishers, but I probably wouldn’t want to risk it.
Razorjaw Oni
A solid body for its cost, but it has a potential huge drawback. In the Black on Black matchup however, this can be insane. Black normally doesn’t block a lot anyway, so I would take it around 4-7th
Skull Collector
Ravenous Rats isn’t in the format, or anything Black you can return to your hand to abuse his ability, so it isn’t very good. Returning a guy every upkeep is just too big of a drawback for me.
Burning-Eye Zubera
Not as good as the Blue one, but a four-mana 3/3 spirit with a solid ability is always good. It can easily hold the ground from large monsters if you need it to and blocks Order of the Sacred Bell like none other.
Captive Flame
This card is very interesting, but every time I have tried to play it, it hasn’t really ever been outstanding for me. I see it being the best in some Blue/Red deck with a lot of flyers.
Feral Lightning
I’ve seen this both be trash and a solid finisher, so I don’t know quite yet what to make of it. It’s kind of deck dependent, making it playable in aggressive decks and not so playable in more controlling decks.
Gaze of Adamaro
At first I completely dismissed this card, but now know that it can be a solid sideboard card against moonfolk decks or any deck for that matter that wants to have more cards in had than the opponent. Even if it is only 3 or 4 to the nug, sometimes that’s just enough.
Ghost-lit Raider
Best uncommon in the set hands down. I would splash this card in almost anything. It’s even a spirit so you can soulshift it back. If you ever have to play against this guy, good luck.
Godo’s Irregulars
I had two of these in an almost mono-Red deck once and they were pretty much unblockable. Other than that they don’t do much and in a deck with a normal mana base they aren’t going to be very good.
Oni of Wild Places
Rorix seems good. Reminds me a lot of Skittish Valesk from Onslaught. It’s also the best of the uncommon return a guy to your hand upkeep because it gets in there the turn you play it. It’s also a demon, so it’s very good in Red/Black decks.
Sokenzan Renegade
This card seems awful. If they ever get to take it then you basically lose it seems like. It’s only a three-mana 3/3, so it’s usually not worth the risk playing cards like this.
Seems like a fine sideboard card against any artifacts that give you trouble like Jitte for example, which many of my opponents have had. Get as many Stone Rains as possible along with this card and see what happens. Hulluh?
Yuki-Onna
A four-mana 3/1 isn’t very impressive, but in blue red if you have many instant arcanes it can be good. It’s probably just going to be a sideboard card against artifacts.
Briarknit Kami
Paul Ziegler once played this turn 5 then another turn 6 then three spirits turn 7. I conceded shortly after. I think I underrated this card at first because if you go to the late game, he is definitely going to win it for you.
Dense Canopy
Creatures with flying don’t block anyways. I can’t see myself ever bringing this in. I guess that it’s tech against Matsu Tribe-Decoy if you have a million x-1 flyers.
Descendant of Masumaro
If you are on the draw and you play this turn 3, that usually will be game. Most people don’t realize that you gain counters every turn, not just take the difference then remove them end of turn.
Ghost-lit Nourisher
Not as good as the Red Ghost-lit obviously, but still a very good card. Reminds me a lot of Kabuto Moth late game and it doubles as a pump spell too, which makes it very good.
Haru-onna
Green doesn’t have a lot of card advantage cards and I don’t really think this counts, but this is close as you are going to get besides Elder-Pine of Jukai. A four-mana 2/1 seems pretty bad but it combos nicely with Okina Nightwatch and anything that can soulshift it back.
Kami of the Tended Garden
This guy is hard for your opponents to deal with and he even has soulshift. He is basically an upgrade of Rootrunner, although sometimes the upkeep can be a pain if they have like Kitsune Riftwalker out. In Green/Black it’s nuts, particularly if you have Scuttling Death around.
Kashi-Tribe Elite
Obviously playable in any Green deck, but can be broken if you have Sachi or Sosuke or even Seshiro. A three-mana 2/3 is never unplayable, so this usually makes the cut.
Molting Skin
I’m usually not a fan of onboard “tricks” unless I’m playing against a | and trust me, I’ve played against many of those in my time, so this normally will be a nice trick that doesn’t cost mana to use really. Not as good as Serpent Skin, but it should have the same effect on the game.
Seek the Horizon
Kodama’s Reach isn’t that good, so why would this be? If you have some cards that get bonuses for having more cards in your hand than your opponent I could see playing this, but other than that I would not want this in my deck. I guess if you are splashing something, but I hate doing that also.
Stampeding Serow
I’ve seen this be absolutely insane with Elder-Pine of Jukai, but it can also be a problem if you are stalled on 4 mana and don’t have any of guys to play. It’s deck dependent, normally being very good with early Green drops and not as good in slower Green decks.
If you play this turn 2 on the play and they don’t play anything, then they take four damage and that’s all its ever going to do. Just embarrassing.
Ivory Crane Netsuke
Another card I can’t ever see activating. If you have 7 cards in your hand you are either stalled on mana and losing or are already winning the game.
If it didn’t hit other equipment it would still be a good card. There aren’t many other equipment in the block, but there are always going to be times it randomly kills a O-Naginata or something.
O-Naginata
I’m not really a fan of this card yet. I once drafted a Green deck where I could have taken two of these, but took creatures and pump spells over them. It’s just too situational for me. It wastes a spot in your deck that could be a creature.
Soratami Cloud Chariot
I haven’t got to play with or against this, but I hear it can be fairly good. I can definitely see playing it in Green, but I’m not so sure about other decks. Going to the skies with Moss Kami and Scuttling Death seems like it could be good. I’d like to know what you guys think about it.
This concludes the uncommons portion of my three-part Saviors of Kamigawa article. Please leave feedback in the forums because I always like to read your thoughts on what I write and some of my card evaluations. I have to cut this short because I’m leaving in 30 minutes for the airport to go to Ohio to spend five days with Gadiel, Chambers, and Tim Aten at Aten’s house. Then we leave from there to go to the Pro Tour in London. Hopefully I can capitalize on a 3-1 like I failed to do last time. Thanks for reading.
The Caaaaaak