2018 is a new year, with new goals and new efforts!
InstantSpeedMTG is being reorganized as a part of InstantSpeedLive, as viewed at twitch.tv/instantspeedlive! Also, thanks to a fun lapse in memory on our part, instantspeedmtg.com has lapsed and we are back to a blogspot address until further notice, but if you are reading this message, you may have already figured that out.
Exciting growth has come to InstantSpeedLive streaming content! We have announced a tentative schedule including Thursday night MTG streams, with occasional Monday Arena action.
InstantSpeed Retro will be a Saturday night stream for retro rpg's and nostalgic gaming. We are live with industry standard tools and equipment, a fresh new look, and of course, a witty host.
The biggest development in InstantSpeedMTG is the adoption of 3DH as our home and native format. 3DH is a form of budget form Commander, as played on MTGO. Love for EDH has kept us quite busy for a couple years, collecting cards and chasing league championships. We have found a format that gives us access to the full power of Magic across it's whole life, is accessible to all across the world, and does it all without costing more than a $3.00 investment on a budget deck of digital cards. We have the desire to use our platform to champion Magic and it's digital forms, and we believe 3DH will represent one of the finest and most accessible experiences to offer. We will be posting more commentary and analysis on 3DH as a format in the coming months, as we become more immersed.
With that in mind, we are adding a Thursday night stream to the schedule, likely a late evening/late night show of 3DH players in the community facing off after the Head streamers of the community, Jeremy Noell and PraetorMagic (and others). Visitors at twitch.tv/instantspeedlive will often be treated to the weeks antics of the 3DH community, as we will be hosting 3DH channels exclusively.
Check out our initial stream, a three-way deathmatch against mono-black shenanigans and jeskai control!
Monday, March 19, 2018
Thursday, February 9, 2017
EDH DECKTREK: Rehyan // Ravvos
The editors at InstantSpeedMTG have been doing work with a couple new partner-led decks and wish to bring you a deck-tech that goes big AND wide!
Reyhan, Last of the Abzan, brings the Abzanity no matter what zone he is headed to. Akin to Skullbriar, Reyhan helps to conserve counters, working against your opponents removal efforts. The difference is that Reyhan spreads those counters around your board. Reyhan is a cheap commander that can come down early game and avoid notice until it is too late, while opponents have their eyes diverted to your bigger guns and flashy artifacts
Ravvos, Soultender is a triple threat. His anthem affect is only slightly relevant, yet being a flyer to stack counters onto that deals commander damage can be a sneaky aristocrat-style one-shot kill for players stuck on the ground. His recursion ability is strong, and when combined with Meren of Clan Nel Toth, your graveyard will become a house for you to live in.
DISCLAIMER: If you build this deck, you might want to purchase MORE DICE because you will need them to pile on top of your huge creatures before crushing your opponents. This deck is a +1/+1 counter machine that stops your opponents from advantageously killing your creatures while you scale up exponentially and trample over everyone.
Great staples for this archetype are Cathar's Crusade and Hardened Scales, though both of these enchantments are highly noticeable by opponents. Creatures like Forgotten Ancient and Juniper Order Ranger can give you big benefits just by showing up. Add in a Corpsejack Menace and a Kalonain Hydra and you will probably be reaching for more dice than you've brought.
B Team Countercorp cards are Death's Presence, Grave Betrayal, Cauldron of Souls, Abzan Falconer, Mikaeus the Lunarch. Several recent releases have cropped up in our build, including Winding Constrictor, which is exactly what the deck wants - a two-drop play that builds your counter's momentum early and confuses your opponents threat-analysis.
Win conditions in this game include similar features of Meren's deck, i.e. Mycoloth, Bloodspore Thrinax, and Avenger of Zendikar. These creatures coupled with a sack outlet such as Ashnod's Altar or Perilous Forays can give you the flexibility to smash with earned counters. This interaction can save you against most Red board clears, any -x/-x affects, and with any of the auxiliary pieces available, could make you stronger for it.
Triskelion and Walking Ballista are two single-card wincons. The inevitable board-wipe will attempt
to calm down your board-state, which will certainly backfire and create a giant Tommy Gun to shoot down the opponent that dare attack you. Paired with a sack outlet and a couple counters on the board already, one of these Tommy's is your fastest, and only non-combat, win condition.
Ramp in our deck is a beautiful thing. Besides a basic Wood Elves and Sakura Tribe Elder for early game value, Gyre Sage and either version of Selvala can be played, depending on how benevolent you want to be. Ranger's Path is the best turn two play you can imagine. Midgame, Fertilid can give you something non-aggressive to do with your counters, while hoping a Zendikar Resurgent can stick to the board. Card Quality choices such as Sylvan Library and Lifecrafter's Bestiary also make the deck.
One thing this deck has over Meren and Skullbriar decks is access to sweet, sweet white removal. Swords to Plowshares, Mortify, Utter End, Anguished Unmaking, Return to Dust, and Path to Exile all vie for a spot on the team, with Krosan Grip and Beast Within always great options as well. Depending on your local metagame, you may want seven of the above-mentioned spells, but five is a basic minimum that this deck has no problem meeting.
Aura Shards is a powerhouse of an enchantment that is pure value with only 2 triggers, and will likely draw out enchantment removal that could hurt your counters strategy. Best case scenario: Aura Shards with a Mycoloth and Cathar's crusade on the board at the same time. Pure. Counter. Christmasland.
Board wipes for this deck has one tailor-made auto-includes. The deck is resilient to board wipes, but doesn't bounce back reflexively. The Abzan colored board wipe like Duneblast could be just what the Khan ordered. Step One: Choose one of your creatures, perhaps one like Ravos, being a flyer with a recursion ability. Step two: destroy all creatures, and flood your Ravos with counters thanks to Reyhan's ability. Step Three: Attack.
Generic board wipes like Mass Calcify and Wrath of God are called for as well as a Supreme Verdict. While you seldom wish to exile any of your creatures, if you are behind and have only a Reyhan and some enchantments on the board, the drawback will be acceptable. Conversely, if you build your creatures, and find yourself against enchantment or artifact heavy decks, Supreme Verdict could be the card that evens the playing field. Bane of Progress is included for the same reason, bringing our build to five board-wipes.
Panharmonicon and Blade of Selves are included, though are considered diversionary cards. They are way too powerful to be allowed to live, and should be dismissed. If removed, you are freer to make other plays, and if not, every play you make is doubled or quadrupled in effect. These cards might want to come down before your Aura Shards, Hardened Scales, or Meren of Clan Nel Toth for this reason.
HAIL HYDRA! Hydras have a great synergy with Reyhan, providing instant counters for you to float around your board, given the right sack outlets. Use Hydra's like a multitool and include four or five that serve your needs in your meta. Scourge of Skola Vale is a great staple, as it is a low costed creature and a free, albeit slow sacrifice outlet that can turn into big multipliers mid-game. Imagine sacking a Lifeblood Hyrda with five counters on to Scourge, with Reyhan alone on the board; Scourge gets five counters, Reyhan allows you to put five counters wherever you want, and you draw five cards from Lifeblood Hydra.
Kalonian Hydra is another staple, and is certainly an aggressive way to get big, fast. Inclusions like reveillark and karmic guide can target hydras that enter with counters on them, while Ravvos can let you recast hydras with X in the cost for even bigger hydras, all without losing any of your total power!
Recursion comes to us through our commander Ravos and his bff Meren, but in order to be truly resilient we will need more. We also include Obzedat's Aid and Victimize for direct-to-battlefield effects. We have Reveillark and Karmic Guide. Creeping Rennaisance can be a sudden shift in your favor, should your hand be empty, and can even be flashed back.
In our land base, there are two inclusions worth mentioning. Khalni Garden is a turn one that will provide you with a 0/1 Plant token that can help make other plays down the line, especially with Sidisi, Undead Vizier, Mycoloth, or Bloodspore Thrinax. This is useful when you mulligan down to five cards looking for Sol Ring into Swiftoot boots, but don't find it.
We also play Krosan Verge, because of the flexibility to get any plains AND any forest card right to the battlefield. We can grab duals and get our bases covered while actually multiplying our current land base, thinning our deck of lands by a further 3%. Every little bit counts, right?
An alternate build to this deck would focus on the color black's ability to make people sacrifice permanents along with you. Butcher of Malakir, Fleshbag Marauder, Mazirek, and Vulturous Zombie are all auto-includes if you're interested in a little more tit-for-tat in your game. Smothering Abomination and Grim Haruspex can fuel your hand while Meren and Ravos hand out second and third chances to your graveyard, all while counters are raining down. This version looks a lot like Mazirek and Jarad decks already do, with an added win-con of going big on one creature. Because Golgari aristocrat decks don't focus much on combat beyond that, we feel it's a direction OUR Abzanity deck doesn't want to go down, instead preferring to reap rewards within combat.
While similar to other Golgari and Abzan colored decks, this partner pair gives you a dynamic machine that puts big bodies on the ground. This deck becomes strong in the mid-game and builds on its own momentum. Recursion and Removal are strengths of ours while we carve out a path through the battlefield, practically throwing dice on the table. Like the noble Abzan, we march on through danger and ill-weather for the values of counters, counters, and more counters!
Reyhan, Last of the Abzan // Ravos, Soultender
Reyhan, Last of the Abzan, brings the Abzanity no matter what zone he is headed to. Akin to Skullbriar, Reyhan helps to conserve counters, working against your opponents removal efforts. The difference is that Reyhan spreads those counters around your board. Reyhan is a cheap commander that can come down early game and avoid notice until it is too late, while opponents have their eyes diverted to your bigger guns and flashy artifacts
Ravvos, Soultender is a triple threat. His anthem affect is only slightly relevant, yet being a flyer to stack counters onto that deals commander damage can be a sneaky aristocrat-style one-shot kill for players stuck on the ground. His recursion ability is strong, and when combined with Meren of Clan Nel Toth, your graveyard will become a house for you to live in.
DISCLAIMER: If you build this deck, you might want to purchase MORE DICE because you will need them to pile on top of your huge creatures before crushing your opponents. This deck is a +1/+1 counter machine that stops your opponents from advantageously killing your creatures while you scale up exponentially and trample over everyone.
Great staples for this archetype are Cathar's Crusade and Hardened Scales, though both of these enchantments are highly noticeable by opponents. Creatures like Forgotten Ancient and Juniper Order Ranger can give you big benefits just by showing up. Add in a Corpsejack Menace and a Kalonain Hydra and you will probably be reaching for more dice than you've brought.B Team Countercorp cards are Death's Presence, Grave Betrayal, Cauldron of Souls, Abzan Falconer, Mikaeus the Lunarch. Several recent releases have cropped up in our build, including Winding Constrictor, which is exactly what the deck wants - a two-drop play that builds your counter's momentum early and confuses your opponents threat-analysis.
Win conditions in this game include similar features of Meren's deck, i.e. Mycoloth, Bloodspore Thrinax, and Avenger of Zendikar. These creatures coupled with a sack outlet such as Ashnod's Altar or Perilous Forays can give you the flexibility to smash with earned counters. This interaction can save you against most Red board clears, any -x/-x affects, and with any of the auxiliary pieces available, could make you stronger for it.
Triskelion and Walking Ballista are two single-card wincons. The inevitable board-wipe will attemptto calm down your board-state, which will certainly backfire and create a giant Tommy Gun to shoot down the opponent that dare attack you. Paired with a sack outlet and a couple counters on the board already, one of these Tommy's is your fastest, and only non-combat, win condition.
Ramp in our deck is a beautiful thing. Besides a basic Wood Elves and Sakura Tribe Elder for early game value, Gyre Sage and either version of Selvala can be played, depending on how benevolent you want to be. Ranger's Path is the best turn two play you can imagine. Midgame, Fertilid can give you something non-aggressive to do with your counters, while hoping a Zendikar Resurgent can stick to the board. Card Quality choices such as Sylvan Library and Lifecrafter's Bestiary also make the deck.
One thing this deck has over Meren and Skullbriar decks is access to sweet, sweet white removal. Swords to Plowshares, Mortify, Utter End, Anguished Unmaking, Return to Dust, and Path to Exile all vie for a spot on the team, with Krosan Grip and Beast Within always great options as well. Depending on your local metagame, you may want seven of the above-mentioned spells, but five is a basic minimum that this deck has no problem meeting.
Aura Shards is a powerhouse of an enchantment that is pure value with only 2 triggers, and will likely draw out enchantment removal that could hurt your counters strategy. Best case scenario: Aura Shards with a Mycoloth and Cathar's crusade on the board at the same time. Pure. Counter. Christmasland.
Board wipes for this deck has one tailor-made auto-includes. The deck is resilient to board wipes, but doesn't bounce back reflexively. The Abzan colored board wipe like Duneblast could be just what the Khan ordered. Step One: Choose one of your creatures, perhaps one like Ravos, being a flyer with a recursion ability. Step two: destroy all creatures, and flood your Ravos with counters thanks to Reyhan's ability. Step Three: Attack.Generic board wipes like Mass Calcify and Wrath of God are called for as well as a Supreme Verdict. While you seldom wish to exile any of your creatures, if you are behind and have only a Reyhan and some enchantments on the board, the drawback will be acceptable. Conversely, if you build your creatures, and find yourself against enchantment or artifact heavy decks, Supreme Verdict could be the card that evens the playing field. Bane of Progress is included for the same reason, bringing our build to five board-wipes.
Panharmonicon and Blade of Selves are included, though are considered diversionary cards. They are way too powerful to be allowed to live, and should be dismissed. If removed, you are freer to make other plays, and if not, every play you make is doubled or quadrupled in effect. These cards might want to come down before your Aura Shards, Hardened Scales, or Meren of Clan Nel Toth for this reason.
HAIL HYDRA! Hydras have a great synergy with Reyhan, providing instant counters for you to float around your board, given the right sack outlets. Use Hydra's like a multitool and include four or five that serve your needs in your meta. Scourge of Skola Vale is a great staple, as it is a low costed creature and a free, albeit slow sacrifice outlet that can turn into big multipliers mid-game. Imagine sacking a Lifeblood Hyrda with five counters on to Scourge, with Reyhan alone on the board; Scourge gets five counters, Reyhan allows you to put five counters wherever you want, and you draw five cards from Lifeblood Hydra.
Kalonian Hydra is another staple, and is certainly an aggressive way to get big, fast. Inclusions like reveillark and karmic guide can target hydras that enter with counters on them, while Ravvos can let you recast hydras with X in the cost for even bigger hydras, all without losing any of your total power!
Recursion comes to us through our commander Ravos and his bff Meren, but in order to be truly resilient we will need more. We also include Obzedat's Aid and Victimize for direct-to-battlefield effects. We have Reveillark and Karmic Guide. Creeping Rennaisance can be a sudden shift in your favor, should your hand be empty, and can even be flashed back.
In our land base, there are two inclusions worth mentioning. Khalni Garden is a turn one that will provide you with a 0/1 Plant token that can help make other plays down the line, especially with Sidisi, Undead Vizier, Mycoloth, or Bloodspore Thrinax. This is useful when you mulligan down to five cards looking for Sol Ring into Swiftoot boots, but don't find it.
We also play Krosan Verge, because of the flexibility to get any plains AND any forest card right to the battlefield. We can grab duals and get our bases covered while actually multiplying our current land base, thinning our deck of lands by a further 3%. Every little bit counts, right?An alternate build to this deck would focus on the color black's ability to make people sacrifice permanents along with you. Butcher of Malakir, Fleshbag Marauder, Mazirek, and Vulturous Zombie are all auto-includes if you're interested in a little more tit-for-tat in your game. Smothering Abomination and Grim Haruspex can fuel your hand while Meren and Ravos hand out second and third chances to your graveyard, all while counters are raining down. This version looks a lot like Mazirek and Jarad decks already do, with an added win-con of going big on one creature. Because Golgari aristocrat decks don't focus much on combat beyond that, we feel it's a direction OUR Abzanity deck doesn't want to go down, instead preferring to reap rewards within combat.
While similar to other Golgari and Abzan colored decks, this partner pair gives you a dynamic machine that puts big bodies on the ground. This deck becomes strong in the mid-game and builds on its own momentum. Recursion and Removal are strengths of ours while we carve out a path through the battlefield, practically throwing dice on the table. Like the noble Abzan, we march on through danger and ill-weather for the values of counters, counters, and more counters!
Friday, August 5, 2016
Special Report: Lone Rider // It That Rides As One
Eldritch Moon has waxed over us. Amid price spikes and and pro tours, the booster draft format for EMN is young, impressionable and complex as the common spell slinger continues to explore.
One shadow is being cast long over the format, one looming figure instilling fear in drafters.
I like to refer to him as The Saint of Killers.
The fact that this card is found at uncommon rarity shakes me to my bones. Without the ability to flip, this card is still an interesting, pesky creature likely to draw your opponents removal. The flip side is a veritable win condition. Life gain is a trivial matter for Lone Rider, as it will be diving into enemy ranks before any board state is truly established. Spells like Blessed Alliance and simple battle tricks like Shadow's Over Innistrad's Strength of Arms and Aim High can be found easily late. If not dealt with on turn three, maybe four, Lone Rider is very likely to become It That Rides As One, a concession is likely to follow (unless playing a Black deck -- this player may try to draw Murder before conceding).
With an equipment or Aura attached, a la Lunarch Mantle (or Senseless Rage or True Faith Censor), It That Rides As One will be a titan on the battlefield, representing a game winning threat as well as a lifelinking wall, something no one wants to attack into.
Lone Rider is held back by its one toughness, whereas First Strike will allow it to attack into plenty of early board states, this is a format with plenty of one damage spells. There are few 1/1 creatures in Eldritch Moon, and with the emergence of spells like Make Mischief, Galvanic Bombardment, the pinging ability of Weaver of Lightning, and Borrowed Malevolence all seemingly designed to stop the Saint of Killers in mid-gallop.
Blue/Red is shaping up to be the most sought after deck in the format, but this dark horse easily fits the saddle of an underdog. White/Green Humans had a presence in the previous SOI format, and the synergies to be found there are only deeper, keeping the archetype pinned to #3, if not #2. B/R is likely to have multiple drafters at a table, so never fear to take this card very early in the draft, and start looking for incidental lifegain. It is also a great signal card, so if you see this passed to you beyond the third pick, you can assume either your opponent opened Thalia (if its Bruna or Gisela, you'll be able to see) or, much more likely, white is a wide open plain awaiting the hooves of righteous horror.
One shadow is being cast long over the format, one looming figure instilling fear in drafters.
I like to refer to him as The Saint of Killers.
Lone Rider // It That Rides As One
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| "Aha! A reason to play me!" |
Lone Rider is held back by its one toughness, whereas First Strike will allow it to attack into plenty of early board states, this is a format with plenty of one damage spells. There are few 1/1 creatures in Eldritch Moon, and with the emergence of spells like Make Mischief, Galvanic Bombardment, the pinging ability of Weaver of Lightning, and Borrowed Malevolence all seemingly designed to stop the Saint of Killers in mid-gallop.
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| The Natural Enemy of the Saint |
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Shadows Over Innistrad Booster Box Opening!
We got our hands on a booster box, and we open it for you!
Stay tuned for more openings!
Friday, April 8, 2016
Limited Attention -- Shadows Over Innistrad's Most Wanted -- Green!
Keep eyes peeled and diligent in search of these draft picks, and pursue with extreme prejudice!
AUTUMNAL GLOOM // ANCIENT OF THE EQUINOX
Green is heavy into Delirium. Green/Black is good, and is very delirious. This card is good before it transforms, enabling your delirium with a cheap effect that only requires you to have some black mana to make cards fall like dead leaves into your graveyard. Once you have a 4/4 trample/hexproof Treefolk on the board, you are way ahead.
Preferred Draft Pick: 2-5
CRAWLING SENSATION
This is another Delirium enabler, and one that will fit into more decks. This card can reliably give you 1/1 tokens starting on turn 4. This is a deceptive enchantment that may escape your opponents notice at first, but after two turns on the board, one is likely to have Delirium activated for your other cards, and you've taken 5-7 less damage thanks to your chump blocking insects. Graveyard hijinks decks will go crazy with this deck, gaining value from plenty of creature cards as they hit the graveyard.
Preferred Draft Pick: 4-6
INTREPID PROVISIONER
Human tribal synergy may not be the most flavorful in the set, but it shall not be denied. Intrepid Provisioner is a solid body that passes the vanilla test thanks to a Trample ability that will keep it relevant after it's Entrance ability has resolved. In most color combinations, you will find Human creatures for your deck, not least of which being Green/White.
Preferred Draft Pick: 4-6
WATCHER IN THE WEB
When I think of this card, I think of a Command & Conquer RTS game where you click a spot on the map and out pops a bunker, ready to be your defensive rock as well as take down a bunch of bad guys. If you play this card, defense is no longer what you have to worry about. It survives against most threats and removal spells, and locks down any flyers that might come your way (most of which having 1-2 power). Conversely, seeing an opponent drop this will seriously challenge one's gameplan.
Preferred Draft Pick: 4-6
PACK GUARDIAN
We all are going to be very accustomed to discarding lands during this set. Putting 6 power onto the ground on turn four is very nearly ridiculous. Even should you play this late game, you will still very likely get a great block or a very punishing attack in with this card. Getting full value from it is not a far shot to make, and will have double the effect on the board (if not your opponent's life total) than a card like Goldknight Castigator, a fellow four-drop. This card could almost deter players from laying a 5th land. At Uncommon, this could very well be THE reason to play Green.
Preferred Draft Pick: 2-4
More bulletins as they develop! Stay tuned to InstantSpeedMTG.com!
DRAFT AWARE!
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Shadows Over Innistrad Most Wanted: BLUE
Alert Level Rising! PreRelease events are imminent!
The populace must be informed!
Be on the lookout for these five blue cards, in Common or Uncommon, considered armed and dangerous in Limited formats. If these cards are spotted, we recommend drafting with appropriate prejudice.
ABERRANT RESEARCHER // PERFECTED FORM
Holy mad insect scientist!
Who doesn't mind playing a 3/2 flyer for 4 mana? This is a common prospect in Blue. How about a 5/4 flyer? Playing Blue means you will probably have plenty of spells to hit on, but the tension will be palpable for your opponent each upkeep of yours. And if you miss? In a deck where you are trying to achieve Delirium, which Blue decks will often want to do, the researcher will help you get there.
PREFERRED PICK: 2-4
MANIC SCRIBE
Achieving Delirium will feel very good with this guy on the board. A 2-drop with 3 toughness is nothing to shake a stick at, and will essentially all but deliver you delirium. Once your opponent is only drawing one out of every 4 cards in their deck, odds are definitely stacked in your favor. (note: board out against other heavy delirium decks)
PREFERRED PICK: 4-6
RECKLESS SCHOLAR
This three-drop can make sure you have card quality advantage moving into the mid-game. It won't have a great affect on the board and doesn't totally trade up, but if your hand is full of cards that say "Madness," this overachiever will be your best friend.
PREFERRED PICK: 3-5
PRESS FOR ANSWERS
Who says a little detective work doesn't pay off?
This card presents some of the nicest economy in the color. The tap-and-stay-tapped effect has cost as little as one mana in the past, so you are essentially getting an investigate for one mana, which is about as cheap as one can be bought. Simply running this card helps delirium, tempo, and card draw. Heck, it might even help you do some damage.
PREFERRED PICK: 5-7
STORMRIDER SPIRIT
A Common rarity flash flyer already has our vote for President. Make it a 3/3 and next stop, the world. The versatility this card brings to a deck can easily create huge game swings. This card will be a star on defense, and still a 3/3 flyer on offense. If your deck has any spirit synergies at all, you will be riding this storm towards prize packs.
PREFERRED PICK: 3-5
Stay tuned to InstantSpeedMTG.com for more installments of
Shadows Over Innistrad: Most Wanted!
Evolving Wilds: Changes for Magic Online Prerelease
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| Art: Willian Murrai |
Most of us are super jazzed this week. Prerelease, for the InstantSpeedMTG crew, is this Friday at midnight, Saturday for others, all weekend for some. We all have our entries and boxes pre-ordered and all we have to do is wait until the time comes to enjoy the fruits of our anticipation. For our most unfortunate and under-served brothers and sisters, those without access to the live-giving force of a local game store, Prerelease is only alive on Magic: The Gathering Online (henceforth, MTGO). Those players, as well as the rest of us, will enjoy the changes coming to MTGO.
In the past MTGO mirrored real life MTG, in particular when it came to Prereleases, only the whole schedule was delayed two weeks. In an article on Magic.wizards.com today, Digital Project Manager for MTGO Lee Sharpe announced several upgrades to the online pre-release experience.
"Prereleases are like Christmas, where you get to unwrap your presents and play with them right then and there."
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| "Why must I wait another week to draft? WHYYYYY?!" Art: James Ryman |
While the two week stagger remains in place, several other traditional elements have been removed, namely, the week afterwards wherein players had to wait to begin drafting and purchasing packs. This time around, on MTGO at least, players will enter the new season on the Monday following Prerelease.
Prerelease events will include special Shadows Over Innistrad Sealed Leagues. Sharpe states that "Sealed League technology is awesome." We agree, and can't wait to play! These leagues will continue to offer a foil promo rare or mythic rare card for your purchase. Players will have until April 20th to complete their league.
Also on the docket are Prerelease Swiss Drafts. These will be pack-per-win only.
Players in both types of events will receive an Avacyn avatar.
Release events are also canceled along with the week of hiatus between prerelease and Release. So, essentially, Pre-release has become Release, and the only real difference between what you play on Saturday the 16th and Monday the 18th is the Foil Promo that will come with your online cards.
While we appreciate that Wizards is spending time crafting unforgettable experiences in MTGO, these are minor efforts to streamline the schedule, and don't really get down to increasing the draw and payoff for competing on MTGO on that particular weekend. We look forward to more changes as the next couple of prereleases roll around.
Tweet at Lee Sharpe at @mtg_lee with suggestions for further upgrades. MTGO Shadows Over Innistrad Prerelease events open April 15th!
Monday, March 21, 2016
Limited Attention -- Shadows Over Innistrad Draft Primer #001 Investigate!
Only two weeks away from pre-release weekend for Shadows Over Innistrad, the speculative deck techs have begun. Possible time traveler Owen Turtenwald dropped a Red/Black Madness deck tech onto Channel Fireball that made us itch to jump into a draft, though knowing we must wait another three weeks to sit down with the actual cards, why not brainstorm?
"Investigate" is a new mechanic built into the design of Shadows Over Innistrad. Big Man Mark Rosewater took the time to explain the process of designing of the mechanic on Magic.wizards.com, and that got us thinking. Here we discuss draft combos, entry points, and execution of an "Investigate" themed deck.
What is our objective? "Investigate" gives us a number of artifacts that stay around for the late game, giving us something to do with our mana down the line. Therefore we prioritize control and mid-game spirited cards. The colors we will inhabit will be Blue, Green, and to a lesser degree, White.
How To End Up Here
A good place to start off talking about this draft achetype is the legendary artifact, Tamiyo's Journal. This will give you an Investigate each turn, and allow you to search up whatever win condition you were able to grab. At rare, the Journal is a huge card to pull into any deck. This also means if you pick up another bomb that isn't totally on-theme, the Journal will play right into it, without even sacrificing itself. In this format we will likely not have 8, 9, or 10 powered creatures, but if you happen to open a Jace, Avacyn, or more likely, Sigurda, you will be much closer to these bombs. Artifacts see much less removal in Limited as well, so this card is likely to stick for the whole game. If you are able to play this and sacrifice three clues immediately, it becomes a 5 mana tutor instead of the 6 mana, draw three that the three clues represents. This card is versatile enough to thoroughly enjoy drafting it pack one, pick one every time.
Sage of Ancient Lore/ Werewolf of Ancient Hunger will be as powerful late-game as you are successful in working the Investigate machine you pull together. Keep 5 or 6 cards in hand, and you will have a powerful hitter that has the possibility of doubling his power and effectiveness if things peter out. You will also be able to sacrifice clues at instant speed in order to pump Sage, which will drive your opponent crazy in the best possible way.
We are taking it for granted that investigating will be an easy proposition for most decks. Even so, Daring Sleuth and Bearer of Overwhelming Truths is going to be a card to pick up early. Taking one first pick won't necessarily limit you to the deck we are discussing, but at uncommon, you can easily have one or two. Not only can this easily be a 4 or 5 damage threat in the mid-game, but it also furthers your Investigation goals.
As Mr. Rosewater personally spoiled, Tireless Tracker is a card you might you might open, and if the pack has no removal, you could end up picking this up and feeling strongly pulled towards an investigate deck (we would suggest staying open, but there could be worse first picks). The value of this card is obvious. You will arrive at the late-game with more clues that you can shake a scepter at, and as soon as you start cashing them in, Tracker will be a threat your opponent has to deal with, if not sooner.
Also Look For
One of the best enablers for your "investigate" theme will be Briarbridge Patrol. He has the added benefit of making any creature in your hand a six drop that says "draw three cards". Imagine you end up with a bomb rare like Sigurda or a Geralf's Masterpiece, you've tutored it up with Tamiyo's Journal, you play it for almost better than free (I digress). The Patrol has a big enough body to stick around, do some damage, and earn you a clue each time he does. At uncommon, you could see these late, will probably only see one per pack, and should consider taking 5-10th pick.
We've been shown several Enchantments that seem to be build-around's for these decks. As the various oaths in Oath of the Gatewatch proved, an enchantment is rarely going to be first-pick worthy, and these cards are no exception.
Trail of Evidence will be better in a deck with lots of spells (obviously) which means if you are leaning towards stronger creatures than spells, you may find yourself not playing this card. This will work great if you are able to find lots of counterspells. A better and cheaper option is Ongoing Investigation, more likely to make an impact if you have more green cards and creature cards than counter-spells or removal.
Ulvenwald Mysteries will be more useful for its second ability, capitalizing off of other sources of clues to flood your board with 1/1 tokens. The first ability will likely provide one or two clues per game, but certainly far fewer than either of the blue archetypes.
White has several options for an investigate-heavy deck as well, such as the quick-play Thraben Inspector, starting you off with a clue on turn one. Expose Evil is also a common instant that will make Trail of Evidence better, and is cheap enough to consider playing as a battle trick when trying to sneak your Bearer of Overwhelming Truths in for extra special damage.
The idea is to build a curve of lower-powered creatures, investigate as often as possible, and draw cards at triple the rate of your opponent. This will always keep your hand full, your options more plentiful, and your attacks more effective. We are certain there will be several pieces to the puzzle at common rarity released at the end of the week, but with what we have there is already an archetype to be considered.
Otherwise, just grab all the vampires.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE DRAFT ARCHETYPES AND SEALED DECK DISCUSSIONS ON INSTANTSPEEDMTG.COM!
"Investigate" is a new mechanic built into the design of Shadows Over Innistrad. Big Man Mark Rosewater took the time to explain the process of designing of the mechanic on Magic.wizards.com, and that got us thinking. Here we discuss draft combos, entry points, and execution of an "Investigate" themed deck.
What is our objective? "Investigate" gives us a number of artifacts that stay around for the late game, giving us something to do with our mana down the line. Therefore we prioritize control and mid-game spirited cards. The colors we will inhabit will be Blue, Green, and to a lesser degree, White.
How To End Up Here
A good place to start off talking about this draft achetype is the legendary artifact, Tamiyo's Journal. This will give you an Investigate each turn, and allow you to search up whatever win condition you were able to grab. At rare, the Journal is a huge card to pull into any deck. This also means if you pick up another bomb that isn't totally on-theme, the Journal will play right into it, without even sacrificing itself. In this format we will likely not have 8, 9, or 10 powered creatures, but if you happen to open a Jace, Avacyn, or more likely, Sigurda, you will be much closer to these bombs. Artifacts see much less removal in Limited as well, so this card is likely to stick for the whole game. If you are able to play this and sacrifice three clues immediately, it becomes a 5 mana tutor instead of the 6 mana, draw three that the three clues represents. This card is versatile enough to thoroughly enjoy drafting it pack one, pick one every time.
Sage of Ancient Lore/ Werewolf of Ancient Hunger will be as powerful late-game as you are successful in working the Investigate machine you pull together. Keep 5 or 6 cards in hand, and you will have a powerful hitter that has the possibility of doubling his power and effectiveness if things peter out. You will also be able to sacrifice clues at instant speed in order to pump Sage, which will drive your opponent crazy in the best possible way.
We are taking it for granted that investigating will be an easy proposition for most decks. Even so, Daring Sleuth and Bearer of Overwhelming Truths is going to be a card to pick up early. Taking one first pick won't necessarily limit you to the deck we are discussing, but at uncommon, you can easily have one or two. Not only can this easily be a 4 or 5 damage threat in the mid-game, but it also furthers your Investigation goals.
As Mr. Rosewater personally spoiled, Tireless Tracker is a card you might you might open, and if the pack has no removal, you could end up picking this up and feeling strongly pulled towards an investigate deck (we would suggest staying open, but there could be worse first picks). The value of this card is obvious. You will arrive at the late-game with more clues that you can shake a scepter at, and as soon as you start cashing them in, Tracker will be a threat your opponent has to deal with, if not sooner.
Also Look For
One of the best enablers for your "investigate" theme will be Briarbridge Patrol. He has the added benefit of making any creature in your hand a six drop that says "draw three cards". Imagine you end up with a bomb rare like Sigurda or a Geralf's Masterpiece, you've tutored it up with Tamiyo's Journal, you play it for almost better than free (I digress). The Patrol has a big enough body to stick around, do some damage, and earn you a clue each time he does. At uncommon, you could see these late, will probably only see one per pack, and should consider taking 5-10th pick.
We've been shown several Enchantments that seem to be build-around's for these decks. As the various oaths in Oath of the Gatewatch proved, an enchantment is rarely going to be first-pick worthy, and these cards are no exception.
Trail of Evidence will be better in a deck with lots of spells (obviously) which means if you are leaning towards stronger creatures than spells, you may find yourself not playing this card. This will work great if you are able to find lots of counterspells. A better and cheaper option is Ongoing Investigation, more likely to make an impact if you have more green cards and creature cards than counter-spells or removal.
White has several options for an investigate-heavy deck as well, such as the quick-play Thraben Inspector, starting you off with a clue on turn one. Expose Evil is also a common instant that will make Trail of Evidence better, and is cheap enough to consider playing as a battle trick when trying to sneak your Bearer of Overwhelming Truths in for extra special damage.
The idea is to build a curve of lower-powered creatures, investigate as often as possible, and draw cards at triple the rate of your opponent. This will always keep your hand full, your options more plentiful, and your attacks more effective. We are certain there will be several pieces to the puzzle at common rarity released at the end of the week, but with what we have there is already an archetype to be considered.
Otherwise, just grab all the vampires.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE DRAFT ARCHETYPES AND SEALED DECK DISCUSSIONS ON INSTANTSPEEDMTG.COM!
Friday, March 18, 2016
Planeswalkers Invade Innistrad!
It's a Planeswalker Extravaganza! Spoiler season rolls onward in leaps and bounds with a new Planeswalker released each day this week! Wizards has been putting it's top personalities to task with such names as lovable pro player Luis Scott Vargas and streamer Gaby Spartz responsible for officially introducing us to these cards. The hype is real and InstantSpeedMTG brings you an in-depth analysis of our new favorite cards.
Large questions have loomed over Magic: The Gathering, players wondering ubiquitously where Nahiri was and when she would re-enter the lore. Now we know, not only where she is (here), but that hell follows her.4 mana, 4 loyalty
Nahiri, The Harbinger is a practical, balanced Planeswalker at its 4 mana cost. It is cheap enough to curve into and still have cards one might be able to discard. Nahiri is vulnerable, as she doesn't quite protect herself and can be rattled pretty easily at 4 loyalty.
+2
A "blind loot" ability is usable with tons of Madness cards in hand, but it remains to be seen how often Madness will show up in any format. The upside of this ability is that it is a +2, and not a +1, so although you will have to discard cards to build her up, you still may happily do so twice if it means getting to her third ability. The value of this card will not be in card value. however.
-2
Your opponent will be less enthused about attacking Nahiri unless confident in being able to overcome her. This ability falls short of counting as protection, yet its range of targets gives her more versatility. Shadows Over Innistrad is also shaping up to be an enchantment heavy set, so this ability may prove more useful than it might have been in previous sets.
-8
Nahiri's third ability, typically not entered into the discussion of a Planeswalker card, is actually slightly more relevant given that, in a board stall, or with no cards in hand, one may simply +2 her, and decline to discard a card, thereby doing nothing, and building her up to becoming a deadly tutor.
InstantSpeedMTG broke this story for you as soon as the hints dropped. We made puerile predictions for this card that were mostly off, but we can be happy to stand corrected while checking out our newest Planeswalker in the pantheon, Arlinn Kord/Arlinn, Embraced by the Moon.
She is a young Planeswalker, as shown by her 3 loyalty points, yet can have a profound affect on the mid-game. She has a total of 5 planeswalker abilities, so 4 mana might be undervaluing Arlinn.
Arlinn Kord
+1
While necessary for strengthening her loyalty count and carrying her into the late game, this ability is actually on the short end of the effectiveness stick. You will be able to create one advantageous attack with this ability, which can sneak through 4-5 damage. This will be unlikely to create any change in the board state.
0
Arlinn's transform ability is extra special, being the mode in which she protects herself as well. InstantSpeedMTG's preview of the card predicted some 2/2 beasts would be summoned, and boy are we happy to be right about that one. One will likely use this ability right off and transform Arlinn, starting a very comforting cycle that will be one of pain for your opponent.
Arlinn, Embraced by the Moon
+1
Storywise, we learn that because of her Planeswalker spark, she is able to retain the same consciousness (and power) in both of her forms. On the card, this means not only the ability to transform back and forth between forms, which is a first in Magic, but also means she can share with her team and grow as a Werewolf. This means great things for a player's board state, as using this ability will quickly, if not immediately, force chump blocks our of your opponent and get you very close to a lethal strike. This ability will likely be the main win condition for any deck Arlinn is in.
-1
The turn after being played, you have a choice to lightning bolt a creature, sending Arlinn back to human form and opening the way for more 2/2 protectors. While not as versatile as some burn-style Planeswalker abilities, this does have the important caveat of saying "or player." Getting your opponent close enough will do for Arlinn's deck, or even doing six damage before attacking with 3-4 creatures being pumped by her. This is the Pain part of the aforementioned cycle for your opponent.
-6
We appreciate the effort, but really, do we need more abilities here? If played extremely late, Arlinn can create a "Gruesome Slaughter" on your opponents side of the battlefield. This ability is notably cheap and notably does not require your creatures to take damage (side note, they do tap, so watch out for Reality Smashers). This is a medium powered ability that one would likely not wish to sacrifice Arlinn for, opposed to continuing the wolf-bolt cycle that she is so well suited for.
He has produced some of the most astronomical prices in Standard history; he is one of the most recognized names in Magic: The Gathering today; he is the Living Guildpact, and he is back -- It's Jace!
5 mana, 5 loyalty
Jace isn't going to be helping anyone in the early game, but shows he is the master of control and the epitome of a mono-blue Planeswalker in the sheer domination he will have over the mid-and late- game. On curve, he should be easy enough to protect long enough protect himself, and once he starts drawing you cards at a higher quality percentage, victory is in hand.
+1
+1
Card quality is effective, and Jace is card quality incarnate. His is the purest card draw ability we've seen in Shadows Over Innistrad, if not the most imposing. A wise opponent, however, will know not to undervalue the threat that the Scry 1 portion presents, and if that opponent is being mana flooded at the same time, a concession typically follows.
-2
Jace is able to protect himself in a limited fashion by bouncing any specific threat to him. This will mean evasive creatures or tramplers, but will only mean one of them. Played on curve, this can set a player up for a slow but certain victory. Played late game, this ability loses a bit of value, as you are most likely to either have the blockers necessary or have far fewer.
-8
While just short of a total game-ender, this sure is a fun ability that does not seem too tough to achieve. Decks playing this card are likely to have blockers, counter-spells, and tempo spells to protect Jace, while the card itself helps you draw three cards at higher quality to help get there. Once achieved, Opponent's will likely lose hope, especially without card draw sources of their own.
While just short of a total game-ender, this sure is a fun ability that does not seem too tough to achieve. Decks playing this card are likely to have blockers, counter-spells, and tempo spells to protect Jace, while the card itself helps you draw three cards at higher quality to help get there. Once achieved, Opponent's will likely lose hope, especially without card draw sources of their own.
It being a week of startling Planeswalker spoilers, why not add in a real jolt of madness? Hints to a certain vampire Planeswalker's presence have been dropped, as we explored Markhov Manor at GP Bologna and saw the pervasive madness tearing it apart. Perhaps, thought we, Sorin Markhov would be visiting us in the next set, Eldritch Moon. Wizards has upped the number of Planeswalkers (by at least one) by including the following card in Shadow's Over Innistrad.
Sorin is now the most expensive Planeswalker revealed to us (seated in a color combination that in the last couple formats has wanted to play quicker, with less expensive creatures). Each besides, Arlinn, has a starting loyalty equal to its mana cost. In Sorin's case, this is a boon and makes him into a removal spell as well. Planeswalker cards this expensive rarely break into formats beyond Limited, as well. That being said, Sorin might be the one to change that trend (though he won't be too happy about it, or anything really).
+1
Sorin has a great card draw ability, which is something that both the new Nahiri and Jace cards wish to do as well. One will likely do 5-6 damage to one's opponent while building loyalty counters. Revealing your draw to your opponents may be a drawback for some, but in a black/white deck, one will likely be playing zombies, vampires, and clerics, so the element of surprise typically has much less affect than, say, a blue/black control deck. And, you are drawing cards!
-X
Easily his most useful ability, this middle section of text makes Sorin a removal spell worth 4-5 damage immediately, and if one has blockers, he will stick around and help draw cards for a while. This is quite powerful, quite versatile, and gets rid of pretty much every creature your opponent might be playing. If he is to see any use in Standard, this would be the way.
-9
This is definitely the kind of ultimate power that makes you guffaw once or twice, and everyone definitely will want to end a game in this manner. It's the most game-ending ability we've seen from this week's new Planeswalkers. It does seem like one could use the ability to make a huge comeback, however successfully blocking when you need such a comeback is an extreme rarity. You will get this off when you are already at a board stall or better, when you will most likely drop the card, lightning bolt something big, and start drawing cards and dealing damage. For this reason we believe this ability will not be used as often as guffawed at.
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