First Impressions of M11 with Ari

With the spoiler at 249/249, you know what time it is! Now with even more levels to go!


Limited:

Just rating each specific card is worthless, as more important is how you draft an actual deck.

White is very good in this limited format. It has four common fliers, the standard 2 removal spells + Excommunicate, and a Fortify effect that basically becomes Overrun when you have that much evasion. It also has the Walls to back the standard Skies strategy that inevitably is one of the best in every Core Set limited format. Infantry Veteran was decent the last time around, Mighty Leap really depends on your second color as to how good it is, and Squadron Hawk seems very mediocre especially given what the next color lost.

Blue is going to change significantly from its role in M10. The whole Skies plan still exists, though it is a bit slower thanks to your 3 mana 3/4 becoming a 3 mana 2/3, but you will be focused on aggression more so than long game advantages. Merfolk Looter is gone but in its place is Aether Adept, another contender for best Common. You also trade Essence Scatter for Mana Leak and lose some late game power for early game utility. Diminish also works best when creatures are fighting, something you can force by attacking. You still have the bomby uncommons from before as well, so keep that in mind. Sleep probably gets even better as the color gets more aggressive.

Black is more or less the same as M10, but it plays a bit better with other colors. It still demands a large investment due to Corrupt, Sign in Blood, and Liliana's Specter but Looming Shade is replaced with a Shade that only requires half its pump to be Black mana.

Red sucks even more than it did in M10. Chandra's Outrage is an upgrade from Seismic Strike, but you lose Orcish Artillery aka one of the actual reasons to be Red. Lightning Elemental gets downgraded to Vulshok Berserker, who still just dies to the same crappy blockers (especially without Looter or Horned Turtle as the 1/x to step in the way) and kills them slower if he gets through. Thunder Strike and Volcanic Strength would be interesting if you had any reasonable creatures early on. The only thing Red really does is provide reach to another aggressive deck, most likely White, or give anybody splash removal.

Green's creatures get better, but now it actually has win games in a normal way instead of just always having Overrun. Fortunately having 2 common Wurms tends to do this. Every other color has removal, so there really isn't a shortage despite you having none. Cultivate over Rampant Growth also aids with casting double color spells like Chandra's Outrage and Aether Adept.

Overall Ratings:
1. White: Aggression helps trump bombs
2. Green: My fat is fatter than your fat.
3. Blue: Now owns almost all bomby uncommons.
4. Black: Still good, but losing Merfolk Looter hurts your ability to be anything but base Black.
5. Red: NO ONE LIKES YOU. GO HOME.

Constructed
 
Cards that were already in Type 2 are omitted here unless something has drastically changed to make them better or worse.

White


Ajani's Pridemate - This card will be played. Even gaining life once is enough, and just off the top of my head you have Basilisk Collar, the CIPT duals and Kabira Crossroads, Ajani itself, Baneslayer Angel, etc. Actually, the last 2 are probably just overkill, but the point stands. Just triggering this guy once is probably enough and multiple triggers gets pretty silly.

Condemn - Probably necessary to keep the Red deck in check post rotation. Not much else to say as this will see obvious play in the same decks it always has.

Knight Exemplar - A search of Standard Knights reveals a bunch of Alara block cards that don't really stand up well against a Bloodbraid Elf. Definitely overrated for now.

Leyline of Sanctity - I have played an Ivory Mask in multiple decks. Probably also a reasonable SB card in Legacy Enchantress if you really hate Storm players still, though Runed Halo exists if you are just going to tutor for it.

Squadron Hawks - People want to do this with Vengevine or Jace. In my future, I just want to Giant Solifuge people with Vengevine or activate my Jace until they concede. And not play awful cards.

Sun Titan - I personally hate this card as it's just another random idiot that doesn't really do much when paired up to removal. In reality it probably is a reasonable option for a control deck, but it might require too many hoops to jump through to activate at all.

War Priest of Thune - Worse than Ronom Unicorn in older formats as you have to hold it. (You have to admit though, you don't want to meet this guy in a dark alley at night.  -G)

Blue

Aether Adept - This is a good Man. I would at the least board him in any Ux tempo deck that can pay the UU in the cost. He also can do some cool things with Vengevine.

Conundrum Sphinx - People are trying to do too many tricks with this card. I want to remind you it still is a 4/4 for 4 with flying.

Diminish - Know this effect exists as it will be sideboarded. Also know it doesn't remove abilities.

Foresee + Jace's Ingenuity - Why play these when I can Jace? If your answer is not "Can't play more Jace", I suggest you try again.

Leyline of Anticipation - This card is so close to awesome. It probably will be boarded for certain match ups, but you can't realistically mull for it as unlike Leyline of the Void you still have to play a game with it in play. I expect this to be played in new Extended as an answer for bigger control decks to Faeries. Legacy is also a possibility with Serum Powder, though I'm not sure yet what this would accomplish.

Mana Leak - Obvious card is obvious.

Mass Polymorph - Polymorph + counter back up against removal. Might see play as Polymorphs 5-6 now, might see play next year as a better Summoning Trap.

Preordain- Not sure if this is better than Ponder, but incidentally this is a combo with both Ponder and Brainstorm. Will see the exact same play Ponder did.

Redirect- Know this exists for the same reasons as Swerve.

Scroll Thief- Unimpressed. Ophidian hasn't been good in a while.

Stormtide Leviathan- Reanimate will be cast targeting this.

Time Reversal- This card is getting hyped for no reason. It combines the Force of Will issues of Ill-Gotten Gains with the inconsistency issues of Ad Nauseum in Legacy, and I don't think there is a critical mass of Rituals for Extended. The lack of actual Moxen also hurts the ability to just turn 1 this and get ahead.

Black

Captivating Vampire- Might help solve some of the issues Nighthawk had of not hitting hard enough while not suffering from the Wall of Omens problem Arrogant Bloodlord had, but then you still have the shitty midrange deck problem Vampires had in the first place.

Corrupt- You will beat this card several times at FNM.

Dark Tutelage- Reasonable in an aggressive deck against decks where attrition is important, but this is no Bob. Bob provided a clock and was removable in the worst case. Most likely this will make it as a Red card.

Demon of Death's Gate- I want to Jace this.

Grave Titan- Much better than the White one, partially as there isn't a direct competition with Baneslayer and partially because 4 power is worth more than a 3 drop. This also requires no set up.

Leyline of the Void- Don't sideboard this to beat Vengevine. You will just end up down a card losing to 4/3 attackers and Jaces.

Liliana's Specter- Ravenous Rats usually sees play, and Chittering Rats definitely did.

Nantuko Shade- Punches through Wall of Omens and Planeswalkers well enough to possibly make some Mind Sludge deck viable. Definitely not one with Corrupt however.

Phylactery Lich- This is just more Phyrexian Negators if you decide to do that in Vintage or Legacy combo. If Scars of Mirrodin is artifact based, it will likely hurt this more than help in Standard as removal for the Lich target is going to be more common.

Reassembling Skeleton- Not sure what you would do with this, but it will never be played in a fair way.

Viscera Seer- 1 cost sacrifice outlets are often important combo pieces. Keep this in mind for Extended season.

Red

Bloodcrazed Goblin- This is a bad Kiln Fiend.

Chandra's Outrage- Not really set up for now, but if 4 becomes a key toughness with Scars of Mirrodin this will be played.

Chandra's Spitfire- This is a good Kiln Fiend, assuming you actually want that.

Combust- Not impressed. A better card for this purpose is also in this set.

Cyclops Gladiator- Cute effect, but I would rather their land continue to burn if I untap with my four drop than kill a Wall of Omens.

Destructive Force- People are ramping into Comet Storm in block. This is similar and possibly better against things that aren't Jace.

Ember Hauler- Will see some play but the 2 slot in red is very clogged. More likely to see the last burn slot over Forked Bolt.

Fire Servant- You will beat this card at FNM.

Fling- Groundswell and Vines of Vastwood might mean some small child near you will be doing this.

Hoarding Dragon- Not going to trigger as often as you would like in a world of Journey, Jace, and Condemn.

Inferno Titan- Arc Lightning does not excite me, and a Red 6 drop without actual haste does not excite me.

Leyline of Punishment- Might be reasonable as a board card, but for now it is outclassed by another card in the same set.

Pyretic Ritual- Almost the same as Rite of Flame in Dragonstorm, but whether that deck exists in a world of Thoughtseize and Fae without Gigadrowse is yet to be seen.

Green

Autumn's Veil- Unfortunately, this still doesn't solve the issue that White and Green are the colors that least want Silence or that Duress is just better.

Cultivate- Obvious card is obvious.

Fauna Shaman- Something cool will be done with this. I do not know yet whether it is a tool box deck, an abusive graveyard deck, or just attacking for 2 and upgrading late game mana creatures into threats.

Gaea's Revenge- Currently outclassed by certain other giant uncounterable creatures.

Garruk's Companion- Reasonable wing man for a more beefy green deck with Leatherback Baloths.

Mitotic Slime- It’s like a Thrinax that dies and makes a Thrinax. Very good and all the hate about how it matches up poorly vs Jace is crap as that is more an issue for the rest of your deck.

Obstinate Baloth- This is no Great Sable Stag. Jund still exists, it still is the best Bloodbraid Elf deck, and might just have to also become the best Vengevine deck for a while until people realize the only deck that really benefits from this is Mythic. Everything else can't cast it or has Vengevine to ward off Blightning already.

Overwhelming Stampede- Probably just as good as Overrun, which is worse than Eldrazi Monument.

Primeval Titan- I would cast this as a spell with no attack trigger or body. The rest is honestly just overkill.

Sylvan Ranger- Much less of a 2 for 1 than Borderland Ranger as the 1/1 body is hardly a 1.

Artifacts and Lands

Brittle Effigy- The best red card in the set. Kor Firewalker and Baneslayer Angel can suck it.

Crystal Ball- If you need long term card quality and can't play Jace, why aren't you playing Jace?

Jinxed Idol- Might be a cute sideboard option against control in a Red deck post rotation, as all the other creature decks for now beat control.

Sword of Vengeance- Not a Loxodon Warhammer.

Temple Bell- In old Magic, this would be a board option. In Jace's world, it is not.

Mystifying Maze- Outright kills tokens, but takes way too much mana to work against most aggressive decks.

Top 5 Cards:
1. Lightning Bolt
2. Primeval Titan
3. Condemn
4. Mana Leak
5. Obstinate Baloth for 3 months, Baneslayer Angel or Day of Judgement for the next 12, Preordain for the rest of time.

I'm likely wrong about Titan not just being the best. I'm also probably overrating Mana Leak here as Unified Will is better in aggressive strategies and in control you are losing to big monsters anyways and not wanting too much to counter a burn spell, leaving just Jaces which Mana Leak is only marginal value against at best compared to Negate.