Magic Origins Spoilers - Limited Review for June 24
Welcome to day three of the official spoilers. We have a mere nine spoilers to look at today, but they include a cycle of commons that should be a pretty big deal in Limited. I'll be reviewing these new spoilers from the standpoint of how well I expect them to perform in Limited. Of course we can't rate the cards accurately without knowing the entire set, but we can evaluate the cards in an "average" limited format. In addition to the spoilers for today, I've included cards that were spoiled previously and not reviewed in my last article.
You can find all the latest spoilers on the Magic Origins page. Please note that if I haven't yet reviewed a card, it's probably because the official English spoiler for it has not been released yet.
Grading Scale
A: This card will often be the best card in one's deck. I'd consider splashing it where possible. (Citadel Siege, Dragonlord Atarka)
B: This card is rarely cut from a deck that can cast it. In draft, it signals that a color or archetype is open. (Abzan Beastmaster, Death Wind)
C: Cards like this make up the majority of limited decks. You're neither excited nor embarrassed to have them in your deck. (Soul Summons, Screamreach Brawler)
D: I'm not putting this in my main deck unless I have a specific reason or I'm low on playables. (Abzan Advantage, Blessed Reincarnation)
F: This card will have little or no impact on the game if I draw it or is strictly sideboard-material. If I cast this card, please stage an intervention for me. (Crucible of the Spirit Dragon, Keeper of the Lens)
White
C
This creature has fine stats for Limited and is great to have against aggressive decks, but I wouldn't overload my deck with these and disrupt my mana curve while trying to "combo" off. In the end, it's just life gain, which is not going to ever win you the game by itself, Felidar Sovereigns aside.
It is somewhat unfortunate for this Cleric that Shambling Ghoul is also a Common and matches up well against 2/2s. The flavor text serves as a neat little reminder of that fact.
A
This troop is very similar to an Uncommon already spoiled for this set: Sentinel of the Eternal Watch. This creature gets more aggressive stats and has the potential to tap two (or possibly more) creatures in a turn, while the Sentinel taps for free and essentially taps an extra turn by having a large body and Vigilance. The ability to tap multiple creatures is the most important change among these and makes for a big upgrade. I don't know if I'd force mono-White after first picking this to try to get up to a ridiculous 3-4 taps in a turn, but I know I'd be highly tempted to.
Blue
D-
One copy of this is unplayable unless you're Kenji Egashira and able to win drafts with Aven Skirmishers. Two copies at once means you're down one card for two 1/1s so you've essentially cast Raise the Alarm. Three copies (completely unrealistic) means you're down one card and three mana for three 1/1s so you've now cast Spectral Procession, except that it's probably taken you a lot more than one turn to do it.
Since the average case scenario is unplayable, the good case scenario is just okay, and the (somewhat) great scenario involves drafting and casting three copies of the same Common, you can count me completely out on Faerie Miscreant.
C+
I always knew that Sigiled Starfish secretly had a Planeswalker's spark inside it. I need to ask Doug Beyer from the Wizard's creative team whether Starfish are sentient in the Magic the Gathering multiverse.
Jace is fine as a source of minor card selection, but is pretty bad once he transforms into the Planeswalker form. Most likely he'll flashback one spell and then die to attacks. Even if he lives, his plus ability is underwhelming enough that it shouldn't significantly hinder your opponent.
F-
Skywise Teachings is a good card because it eventually affects the board and makes the other spells in your hand affect the board. Jace's Sanctum makes no such claim; it's only upside is ramping you (a land would likely have done just as much good) and letting you scry a few times. If Taigam's Scheming, essentially Scry 5 with Delve upside, was bad in Khans block, then this card is horrendous.
Black
C
This creature is a bit easier to trigger than its counterparts since it isn't required to be on the battlefield at the same time as the other copies. I would be unhappy to play 1-2 copies of this, but with 3-4 copies and some incidental self-mill, it could become a decent engine. I find it humorous that Cruel Revival is in the set when creature will sometimes prefer to just hang out in the graveyard.
Red
D
Goblin War Paint is pretty bad even in the Red/White dedicated Voltron archetype in Modern Masters 2015. Taking a point of toughness away and adding another downside all for the "benefit" of getting another copy of this horrible card out of your deck; I think I'll decline. At least it passes the extremely low bar of sometimes being better than Infernal Scarring.
Green
B-
Say hello to the world's best Titania's Chosen (though this does miss out on sweet Elf synergies). Sunscorch Regent recently reminded us that your opponent is generally going to need to cast spells to win. When each spell they (or you) cast hurts their chances, it can get out of control quickly. Obviously this is a poor topdeck, but it's strong enough on turns three through five that you'll always be happy to play it.
C+
An upside bear with Sliver-like tendencies, Timberpack Wolf gets better when it's in a pack. Who would have thought? I'll happily play as many of these in my deck as I can grab if I'm playing Green; it's hard to have too many 2-drops when they can get as big as 4-drops. It also has the second worst flavor text of all time (right behind Ancient Grudge).
Conclusion
And just as quickly as it started, it's over. Hopefully we get a larger number of spoilers to work with tomorrow. There's still plenty of cards in the set to see.
Please join me for more spoilers and more Limited review each weekday this week and next. Reach out to me on Twitter @JakeStilesMTG or in the comments below with your thoughts on the new cards.
