M11 - A Legacy Set Review

Going to stick to only new cards from M11, and since there are a lot of new cards, I'm going to bold the cards truly worth discussing, and everything else can be skipped.



White:

Ajani's Mantra:  Nope.

Ajani's Pridemate:  Even if this guy had the Ageless Entity trigger, still nope.

Angelic Arbiter:  For the record, 5 mana and up is about where you want to be for cheating guys into play.  I'll still pay 5 mana for some 1-of's in control decks, but I better be getting a Gigapede or something similiarly recursive/powerful.  So evaulate it as a reanimator deck would:  4 turn clock, does not block all Tarmogoyfs, does not handle Knight of the Reliquary very well, effect does not do a ton when removal and instants can be played on your turn, while attacking on theirs - pass.

Assault Griffin:  Nope.

Cloud Crusader:  Reverse Griffin, but double nope.

Inspired Charge:  Nope.

Knight Exemplar:  I'm sure I'll see it eventually, and then I'll plow him.

Leyline of Sanctity:  I like this card, but True Believer holds a Jitte, and Runed Halo can be cast easily.  If you're really afraid of Storm combo, then this gives them a definite hurdle to jump over.

Mighty Leap:  Sweet art... yeah.

Roc Egg:  We have Rukh Egg, remember how good that one was?

Serra Ascendant:  I like my 1 mana guys to deal 2-4 damage a turn.  This guy will be dealing 1 for a while.

Squadron Hawk:  I know this guy is inherent card advantage, and that part is exciting.  Brainstorm and this guy is similarly exciting, as well as the same Aether Vial number as Stoneforge Mystic.  This guy will be experimented with, but I doubt it'll have a long lasting impact.  I'm sure I'll eat my words when this guy is holding a Jitte.

Sun Titan:  Okay, so here's the deal.  We're not going to be casting this guy, and I don't want to cheat him into play unless he's going to make me win - and I don't see him winning harder than Iona or Sphinx of the Steel Wind.

Tireless Missionaries:  Come on.

Vengeful Archon:  This has the 3 turn clock body and protects you from dying, a little.  Unfortunately this effect takes additional mana and he has to contend with Sphinx of the Steel Wind and Blazing Archon, so he'll be passed on.

War Priest of Thune:  Grab a couple of these guys when you can't play Qasali Pride-Mage, or you want a body leftover for destroying enchantments.  Good news: If you want to destroy an enchantment, and are playing Survival of the Fittest, you can get this guy to blow up a Pernicious Deed or Moat.  Even better news on the Pernicious Deed front, they can't blow the Deed for 0 or 1 and force you to blow up your own Survival.  Bad news: Narrow, doesn't beat Humility, and not a lot of people are playing Pernicious Deed.

Blue:

Aether Adept:  Man-o'-War is already legal in this format.

Air Servant:  This thing costs 5!

Armored Cancrix:  I don't know what a Cancrix is, but it Cancrix the hell out of here.

Augury Owl:  Bird tribal that can thankfully ship all those other awful bird tribal cards to the bottom of your library.

Call to Mind:  Wait, Regrowth is legal in this format?

Conundrum Sphinx:  If I want to spend 4 mana in this format, it's probably going to be Jace, Elspeth, Jitte + Equip...

Diminish:  Humble.  Snakeform.  Ovinize.  Let me know when you play any of these.

Frost Titan:  As odd as the Standard evaluations go, this is the worst of the Titans.  As far as Reanimation targets, this guy will lock down a problem creature/land and let you race.  Unfortunately, shroud is just better...

Harbor Serpent:  Flavor != Legacy.

Jace's Erasure:  We have Brainstorm in this format!... pass.

Jace's Ingenuity:  Combo: Meditate.  Control: Fact or Fiction. Aggro: Standstill.

Leyline of Anticipation:  I don't foresee anyone anyone wanting to spend a card on this in Legacy.  Even if it means instant speed Tarmogoyf.

Maritime Guard:  Best Merfolk since Pearl Trident.

Mass Polymorph:  I prefer my combo finishers to end with 2BB.

Merfolk Spy:  Best Merfolk since Maritime Guard.

Phantom Beast:  I don't know whether to go with a Phantoms reference, or a Beast reference.

Preordain:  Consider this as a cantrip for Combo decks, or decks that want to find things.  I like it more than Ponder in the sense that there is a 100% chance I won't be drawing any of the 3 cards when I need to shuffle, but it's slightly worse in that I won't see the same number of cards.  Considerations, considerations.

Redirect:  Finally, a well costed Misdirection.  Maybe.  I know I'll be picking up some.

Scroll Thief:  Best Merfolk since Merfolk Spy.  Okay, seriously though, this isn't very good.  We have Cold Eyed Selkie if we want an Ophidian.

Stormtide Leviathan:  Okay, now here's something I can get behind.  8 toughness means it can't be burned out easily, 8 power means it ends the game in 3 turns, with unblockable-ness.  The prison effect is very, very good in some matches.  It costs 1 less life to Reanimate, and doesn't actually care what your opponent is doing.  Pick it up in foil.  If you can't find it anywhere else, go buy an Intro pack and get one.

Time Reversal:  I don't really know what the big deal is for all those Standard players thinking how broken it is.  We don't have awesome Moxen, it costs a non-negligable amount, and it doesn't have an untap effect (Time Spiral) associated with it.  That said, I have fizzled off of 100% of the Diminishing Returns I have cast from my Wishboard.  Maybe paying 1 more will tip the balance of Karma in my favor.

Water Servant:  Morphling isn't even good anymore.

Black:

Barony Vampire: Nope.

Blood Tithe:  Also nope.

Captivating Vampire:  Vampire Nighthawk and Gatekeeper of Malakir are the only Vampires for me.  Sorry Edward.

Dark Tutelage:  Dark Confidant costs 2.  If I need a Dark Confidant, I'll go to my main man Bob.

Demon of Death's Gate:  I don't remember the last time I saw 3 black creatures on the table.

Grave Titan:  Here's another interesting Reanimator target, since if he gets Pathed, you still have some Zombies.  But it doesn't beat the current go-to targets.

Liliana's Caress:  Memory Jar isn't legal in this format.  Also, it's bad.

Liliana's Specter:  I would like to note that recently I saw a game of Tendrils Storm Combo vs. Turn 1 Dark Ritual, Hypnotic Specter.  Soon, the Specter went Hulkamania on Storm Combo's hand.  It was sweet.

Necrotic Plague:  Don't need creature Kudzu.

Nether Horror:  Nope.

Nightwing Shade:  Brother of Darkwing Duck, also unplayable.  Literally, you can't play it, because the card doesn't exist.

Phylactery Lich:  This guy will see play, but I'm not sure where yet.  Not on Artifact Lands, because Wasteland exists, but on Sensei's Divining Top, on Jitte (how sweet would that be?), and on other things that are a beating.  This might finally be a place where I can play Hymn to Tourach.  Compare this guy to Tombstalker, in the sense that he will end the game very quickly, and he has a very good upside (Indestructible, versus flying).

Quag Sickness:  Come back when this costs B.

Reassembling Skeleton:  Coming to a Contamination near you!

Rotting Legion:  The flavor for this card is sweet.  Also, compare this to Scarwood Treefolk.

Stabbing Pain:  The only stabbing pain I can see happening with this, is my Tarmogoyf is sleeping on the job for one turn.
Red:

Ancient Hellkite:  Skip.

Arc Runner:  Also skip, if you actually enjoy killing your opponent with efficiency.
Bloodcrazed Goblin:  Will take Goblin Guide over this guy 98% of the time.  (The 2%?  When you play against Lands.)

Chandra's Spitfire:  Just play Kiln Fiend.  That guy doesn't cost 3.

Combust:  Let me know when the format is dominated by blue or white creatures.  If this could divide damage, it would be good against Merfolk.  Also, Merfolk loses to mountains already.

Cyclops Gladiator:  This guy has an awesome ability, but he needs haste to become Legacy viable.

Destructive Force:  Somewhere out there, there is that one guy who wanted to play his Wildfire deck in Legacy.  And Grim Monolith just got unbanned!  Gasp.  I even found a list that took 2nd in a 34 man tournament from last year:

Wildfire, now with better Wildfires | The Rusty Machete

6 Creatures:  
3 Crater Hellion
3 Sundering Titan

34 Spells:  
4 Burning Wish
3 Devastation
3 Wildfire
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Gilded Lotus
4 Gruul Signet
4 Thran Dynamo
4 Trinisphere
4 Worn Powerstone

20 Lands:  
4 Ancient Tomb
4 City of Traitors
8 Mountain
4 Sandstone Needle

15 Sideboard:  
2 Volcanic Fallout
3 Decree of Annihilation
1 Hull Breach
1 Pyroclasm
1 Shattering Spree
1 Tooth and Nail
1 Tranquility
1 Wildfire
4 Relic of Progenitus

Earth Servant:  I didn't know that people liked Earth Elemental.  They probably don't.

Ember Hauler:  I like this guy in Goblins over Mogg Fanatic since he kills Qasali Pridemages.  But I haven't played Mogg Fanatic in forever.

Fire Servant:  Haven't actually seen a deck with Lightning Bolt with 5 mana unless it was getting manaflooded already.

Hoarding Dragon:  Costs 5 and doesn't win the game on the spot.

Incite:  Awesome flavor, costs R... but isn't Lightning Bolt #9-12?

Inferno Titan:  Doesn't do enough, period.
Leyline of Punishment:  I have played with Flaring Pain before, and this is the Leyline of Pain.  I know I'll try picking them up if they're cheap, but I don't see myself using them very much.

Manic Vandal:  I don't think we needed a Viridian Shaman in red, but if you get a chance to look at the artwork on this guy; it's pretty amazing.

Pyretic Ritual:  Finally.  They made a worse Desperate Ritual.  Maybe it'll see play in Belcher, but I would rather go into black and get Dark Ritual.

Reverberate:  This spell is called Fork.  I won't call it anything but Fork.

Thunder Strike:  This red spell doesn't burn, and isn't named Ajani Vengeant (who also burns).

Volcanic Strength:  When's the last time you played an Aura in this format?  Too soon.

Wild Evocation:  Anything Wild Evocation can do, Dream Halls can do better.  Dream Halls can do anything better than you.  No it can't.  Yes it can.  No it can't.  Yes it can.  Thank you Irving Berlin.
Green:

Autumn's Veil:  Counters Daze.  Good man.

Back to Nature:  Sideboard card versus Enchantress, if you were already playing Tranquil Domain - you got an upgrade!

Brindle Boar:  Delicious.

Cultivate:  Nope.

Dryad's Favor:  Also Nope.

Fauna Shaman:  This is worth discussing, definitely not as a replacement for Survival of the Fittest.  Here's how I see it:  Most Survival decks need to function well without Survival, because you only can have 4 copies (even though it feels like more).  If you're playing the Green/White/Black version, RecSur, you can kill off one of your 2 copies of Academy Rector to get Survival, Pernicious Deed, or Moat.  So, in a pinch, there's something like 6 copies of Survival - I can see versions with White skipping out on Fauna Shaman completely.  Alternatively, Bant Survival finds a copy of Survival with Ponders and Brainstorms - they don't need Fauna Shaman either.  But a while back there was a deck called RGBSA, Red-Green-Black-Survival-Advantage - they were stuck finding Survival of the Fittest the hard way; drawing it.  I feel like Fauna Shaman gives them the small edge RGBSA needs to compete, by giving them faux copies in Fauna Shaman.

Gaea's Revenge:  Doesn't this guy cost 7, and can be blocked?

Garruk's Companion:  Gone are the days of Watchwolf, where this guy would have been good.

Garruk's Packleader:  Wait, wait!  This guy says draw a card!  He... also costs 5.

Greater Basilisk:  This guy also costs 5.

Hornet Sting:  This doesn't deal 3 damage.  Shock would have been acceptable.

Hunter's Feast:  There is only one target player that will gain 6 life.

Leyline of Vitality:  There are 3 abilities on this card, and 2 pretty worthless ones.  You get 3 tries to figure out the good ability.

Mitotic Slime:  Durkwood Boars turns into Grizzly Bears, which turns into worthless 1/1's.

Obstinate Baloth:  Remember that time when you were playing that creature deck and you had an awful hand that included 5 lands, Aether Vial, and Obsintate Baloth - So you led with Land Aether Vial, go, and then your opponent Thoughtseized you?"  Man, good times.  Side note, if you were going to play Ravenous Baloth... this guy might actually do the job.

Overwhelming Stampede:  As playable as Overrun.

Plummet:  If you really want to kill that Tombstalker, now's your chance.

Primal Cocoon:  For those times where you don't want to be attacking or blocking with your creature.

Primeval Titan:  If you want to start hardcasting things that cost 6, please refer to another format.  If you want to get 2 Cloudposts with this guy - again, find another format.

Sacred Wolf:  When 4 Troll Ascetics won't do.

Sylvan Ranger:  This guy is the top of your Legacy curve.

Artifacts and Lands:

Brittle Effigy:  I know I'm going to be picking up one of these.  Trinket Mage for Explosives, and Trinket Mage for the Effigy.  For 3cc guys, it costs the same to kill a creature, and for larger creatures, it's kind of a bonus.

Elixir of Immortality:  I have Trinket Mage-ed for Sunbeam Spellbomb before.  Not in this format.

Gargoyle Sentinel:  Not even efficient enough.

Sorcerer's Strongbox:  This card flips a coin.

Steel Overseer:  Maybe Affinity, probably not.  Affinity creatures need to attack.

Stone Golem:  Raising the bar, one stone at a time.

Sword of Vengeance:  I'm not sure how to evaluate this one, because while it is worse than Sword of Fire and Ice and Sword of Light and Shadow, it does allow your creature to attack and block, and it will come into play for 2 (I am referring to, of course, Stoneforge Mystic).  This might be the 4th best Equipment for Legacy.

Temple Bell:  There is talk of a Mind over Matter + Temple Bell combo deck. 

Warlord's Axe:  And on the list of best equipment for Legacy...
Mystifying Maze:  Consider this as Maze of Ith, except instead of being helpful and tapping for green mana (Life from the Loam) it is far more expensive and the same effect can be reached for 0 mana.  I don't like this card, and neither should you (for Legacy).

Okay, it was long, but for the short version for cards to potentially think about:

Leyline of Sanctity, Squadron Hawk, War Priest of Thune, Preordain, Stormtide Leviathan, Phylactery Lich, Destructive Force, Ember Hauler, Leyline of Punishment, Fauna Shaman, Back to Nature, Brittle Effigy, Sword of Vengeance.

I'm not saying that these are the best cards and pick them up immediately, I'm just saying that they should be given at least half a consideration the next time you're brewing up a list.

-G