Thursday, January 30, 2014

Born of the Gods - Blue Review



30 Aerie Worshippers

Compared to the white Inspired token maker, this one seem much better to me.  Being a 2/4 means it can attack without as big of fear of being killed and making Wind Drakes isn’t the worst thing to be doing in limited.

Standard – 0.0
Limited – 2.0

31 Arbiter of the Ideal

This card seems destined for a life of EDH play. In limited though this card seems just bonkers.  6 CMC for a 4/5 Flyer is not unreasonable and seems quite the steal when it has nothing but positive upside.  Putting things into play for free just for doing what you want to be doing with a massive flyer (Attacking) has a tendency to put you way ahead in a game.

Standard – 1.0
Limited – 4.5
32 Archetype of Imagination

This wizard was costed right out of standard play.  In limited this can just be a game breaker making all of your creatures essentially unblockable, it is however quite fragile so don’t leave it unprotected too long.

Standard – 0
Limited – 3.5

33 Chorus of the Tides

Evasive creatures are always good, this is a reasonable enough price for a three power flier that comes with a perk of scrying when targeted.

Standard – 0
Limited – 2.5

34 Crypsis

Probably good enough for a 23rd card in most decks.  It is a decent enough trick that will often be a removal spell.  It gets markedly better if you have lots of Heroic or Inspired creatures in your deck.  I might even be selling this card short.

Standard – 1.0
Limited – 1.5

35 Deepwater Hypnotist

Two drops are important in limited so there will be times you end up playing this guy, and maybe just maybe you can dig deep and find some value in the inspiration but I would not hold my breath.

Standard – 0
Limited – 1.5

36 Divination

Divination is Divination, the classic two for one.  Currently being played in most control decks in Standard.

Standard – 2.0
Limited – 3.0

37 Eternity Snare

While being an answer with an answer type of card, the tempo boost gained from this card is generally worth the investment.  I would be wary of relying on this vs green and white decks, as they typically have some enchantment removal that could make eternity seem like only moments.

Standard – 0.0
Limited – 3.0

38 Evanescent Intellect

I don’t see much current use of this card out side of some sort of UB Ashiok Phenax deck.  But if you have them in your deck you probably should just play some better cards anyway.  There are much better cheap bestow and inspiration enablers available.  I am sort of glad this isn’t very playable, every time I read the name I think of the Elektra vs Sandbags fight scene.

Standard – 0
Limited – 1.0

39 Fated Infatuation

People have written this off by comparing it to Cackling Counterpart, but context is everything.  It is probably worth a look to see if the Mono U deck might be interested in some number of these in the 75.  There are some sweet plays that this card can enable, like copying a Tidebinder Mage to lock down a fresh cast Stormbreath Dragon.  Perhaps in a long enough game can be used to save a Pony army from an untimely removal spell by copying the Master.  In limited triple blue is pretty steep but it’s a clone of your best dude for three so it’s worth playing.

Standard – 2.0
Limited – 2.5

40 Flitterstep Eidolon

Thankfully there is a lot more removal available in the format with the addition of BNG.  This Eidolon would have been way too good in base Theros.  Unblockable is extraordinarily strong in limited, and this guy seems a challenge for your opponent no matter which way you are able to get him on the field.

Standard – 1.0
Limited – 3.0

41 Floodtide Serpent

Most of the time this guy’s downside should actually be an upside; there are plenty enough cantripments (enchantments that cantrip, coining a new phrase here) that he can be used as some sort of card advantage engine.

Standard – 0.0
Limited – 2.5

42 Kraken of the Straits

Creatures get really big in Theros.  I don’t think that 7 mana for this guy is going to be worth the investment most of the time.  If your deck is mostly Mono U then by all means give this guy a try, but don’t be upset if he isn’t the unbeatable monster you thought he would be.

Standard – 0.0
Limited – 1.0

43 Meletis Astronomer

This seems a pretty sweet card in the durdle decks of the format.  The 1/3 body is not the worst in this format.  There are plenty of enchantments and enchantment creatures to find with the Heroic trigger.  This could prove to be slightly better than Omenspeaker as the format grows.

Standard – 1.5
Limited – 2.0

44 Mindreaver

I hate cards like this far too narrow to be played in any format, this guy isn’t even good in EDH.

Standard – 0.0
Limited – 1.0

45 Nullify

Nullify, oh what friends we could have been if you could counter Enchantments instead of just Auras.  Fine card in limited comparable to Essence Scatter with some upside for being more difficult to cast.  In standard I can think of only 4 Auras that see much play at all.  (Underworld Connections, Domestication, Boon Satyr and Unflinching Courage)  Unless more problematic Auras see play you are better off just Essence Scattering if that is the effect you want.

Standard – 1.5
Limited – 2.5

46 Nyxborn Triton

This guy is not nearly as exciting as a few of the other vanilla bestow guys.  But he is still quite playable.

Standard – 0.0
Limited – 2.0

47 Oracle’s Insight

Drawing a card is very powerful, scrying before you draw is even better.  I would love this card a lot at 2U, but I feel like that 3U should be cheap enough to make me want to play this card.  I think it will be much better in Sealed than Draft.

Standard – 1.0
Limited – 2.5

48 Perplexing Chimera

Many people are going to be perplexed by this chimera at the prerelease and further.  It will make for chaotic games to be sure.

Standard – 0
Limited – 1.5

49 Retraction Helix

The upside of this instant is pretty insane, but it has some hidden costs that people won’t think about at first glance.  First you have to have an untapped creature to target, secondly that creature has to not be summoning sick.  While not an impossible set of hoops to jump through it is still some real costs.  I don’t think I would play this card in a deck with less than five or six creatures that have Heroic or Inspire.  I think this card is bonkers silly in a deck with multiple Triton Wavecrashers.  I am going to hedge my rating on the side of caution here however.

Standard – 1.5
Limited – 2.5

50 Siren of the Fanged Coast

Another tribute card that doesn’t have a really unwanted result.  You would never not play a 3UU 4/4 flier, nor would you not play Mind Control.  The tension here comes from those few times when you absolutely have to have one mode or the other.  Unless your opponent is just bad you are unlikely in that case to get the exact card you need.

Standard – 1.0
Limited – 3.0 (Might be low)

51 Sphinx’s Disciple

The disciple would have been a nice playable card in base Theros, as there were not that many fliers around.  Now there are a lot more things in the air, and a five mana 2/2 is not likely to attack and live to untap very often these days.  You cast this and your opponent untaps and casts Nessian Asp, not a good feeling.

Standard – 0
Limited – 1.5

52 Stratus Walk

Such Cost, Much Evasion, Draw Card, Amaze.  Heroic up a guy, or make a monster fly?  Sign me up.  Who blocks anyways!

Standard – 1.0
Limited – 3.0

53 Sudden Storm

Add Sudden Storm to the growing list of Blue tempo plays in this format.  This might be better than Griptide in the UW Heroic decks.  Sleep saw some slight sideboard play in it’s day, this is much worse than Sleep.

Standard – 1.0
Limited – 2.5 – 3.0

54 Thassa's Rebuff

Isn’t reliable enough to see much limited play.  In Standard there is lots of talk about this being played in Mono U.  The problem with this card is it is only very good when you are way ahead on the board.  If you are struggling to play catch-up you might not have enough devotion to actually counter what you need to counter. 

Standard – 1.5
Limited – 1.0

55 Tromokratis

Interesting card.  Requires instant speed removal to kill it, unless you can just block it down. 

Standard – 1.0
Limited – 3.5

56 Vortex Elemental

I like this elemental.  Requires your opponent to use a valuable removal spell or risk having their best creature shuffled away.  Can also double as an expensive lure effect if necessary.

Standard – 1.0
Limited – 2.5

57 Whelming Wave

If a deck is wanting a fifth or sixth wrath this is what they might have to settle with.  Ultimately I do not think that this card will prove to be very good and only good under some narrow situations in limited.  It would be fairly easy to build a deck around this card in limited, though  it probably wouldn’t that good.

Standard – 1.5
Limited – 2.0

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