Unreleased and New Card Discussion

[benjameenbear]

Just to confirm, Gix's 2nd ability gets around timing restrictions, correct? If I can exile a bunch of cards from my opponents' decks at instant speed and casat their cards at instant speed, I'm SO excited. Combined with the powerful card advantage his static ability offers, and I see a very strong Commander in the makings.

[toctheyounger]

Just to confirm, Gix's 2nd ability gets around timing restrictions, correct? If I can exile a bunch of cards from my opponents' decks at instant speed and casat their cards at instant speed, I'm SO excited. Combined with the powerful card advantage his static ability offers, and I see a very strong Commander in the makings.

It seems to be worded similarly to Gale, Waterdeep Prodigy and I know for a fact he breaks timing restrictions. I think its probably best to wait for release notes, but I think itd be worth grabbing copies anyway; even though its implied its reasonable to assume that's how it works. He seems super strong.

[NZB2323]

I think I'll be adding Scavenged Brawler to my Neheb, the Worthy deck.

[Mookie]

On one hand, lots of cool new cards. On the other hand, I dislike old-style cards - I find them difficult to read, and sort of ugly. Hoping they'll look better when I actually have my hands on them, and that it's mostly just an image quality thing. :/

Anyway...

• Glint Raker is sweet - a big evasive beater that also provides some incremental card advantage / graveyard filling. I do wish it were an artifact itself though (which I suspect will be a recurring theme in this set).
• Blast-Furnace Hellkite has some interesting diplomatic implications - flashing it out to give an attacking opponent double strike can definitely lead to some flashy situations. Offering is... not a mechanic I expected to see return, but artifact offering is pretty open-ended.
• Machine God's Effigy is awesome. I was already a fan of Cursed Mirror, and this continues the theme of 'more expensive mana rocks with upside'. Four mana is a bit steep (given that it only produces a single color), but if you treat it as a Clone, it looks a bit more interesting.
• Smelting Vat isn't quite Birthing Pod, but turning one artifact into two is pretty sweet, particularly if you have some cheap artifacts to flip (or artifact lands). Definitely goes straight in my Sharuum deck as yet another durdle engine.
• Wreck Hunter is mono-black ramp. Powerstones are admittedly a bit limited in their applications, but it still looks quite fun, particularly if you have some mill.
• Terisiare's Devastation is sweet - Languish with upside for artifact-based decks. A bit weak if you don't have any artifacts and have to pay a bunch of mana, but if you can consistently wipe the board and also ramp a bit, it looks quite nice.
• Scavenged Brawler is fun. Turns anything into an immediate voltron threat.
• Thopter Shop is my one-stop, mom-and-pop spot to top off my plot of thop-thop bots. It's also a mono-white draw engine, if you squint at it (which I am, since the preview is super blurry).
• Wondrous Crucible is yet another durdley value engine to throw in Sharuum. Random makes it a little awkward, and there is a risk of exiling something you don't want to, but it's still a nice little engine.

...I think the thing in the set that makes me happiest is all the black artifact support, since it's mostly been ur recently. On the flip side, I've been contemplating making an enchantment-based cube recently, and realized that the number of artifact support cards that exist massively outnumbers the number of enchantment support cards, and that isn't likely to change anytime soon.

[Dunadain]

I think I'll be adding Scavenged Brawler to my Neheb, the Worthy deck.

I think this card will singlehandedly encourage me to resurect my Skullbriar, the Walking Grave list. He's got a couple new toys since last I touched him.

[Guardman]

...I think the thing in the set that makes me happiest is all the black artifact support, since it's mostly been ur recently. On the flip side, I've been contemplating making an enchantment-based cube recently, and realized that the number of artifact support cards that exist massively outnumbers the number of enchantment support cards, and that isn't likely to change anytime soon.

I love the artifact support black has been getting lately. It wasn't until the Necron deck that I finally felt there was enough neat black artifact creatures/identity to build my Armix, Filigree Thrasher / Rebbec, Architect of Ascension deck that I've wanted to since Armix has been spoiled. I also enjoy how they are giving black and white a more artifact creature identity compared to blue and red's more noncreature artifact identity. And I expect the set to deliver even more cool black artifact interactions as the set is revealed.

But really, the thing that made squeel is the old border Armix, Filigree Thrasher and the amazing new old border art for Traxos, Scourge of Kroog. Traxos has always been one of my favorite legendaries and to see him like that... It almost makes me want to put together a deck for him to helm.

[Dunadain]

On one hand, lots of cool new cards. On the other hand, I dislike old-style cards - I find them difficult to read, and sort of ugly. Hoping they'll look better when I actually have my hands on them, and that it's mostly just an image quality thing. :/

It really depends for me, some cards look gorgeous, some look awful, and I can never really tell why.

Though all of the old border colorless cards look awful to me. Bleh

[folding_music]

I still wonder why Urza makes Constructs instead of Golems? i feel like this is the flavour link that got away somehow

[DirkGently]

If you told me there was a card called Urza's Command I would have assumed it'd be a lot more exciting.

First mode is just super boring and only niche useful. Second mode just sucks imo, Third mode is okay I guess. Fourth mode, same. I guess a decent-sized creature for an artifact deck with flash, scry, and cantrip isn't the worst but it's definitely no cryptic command. The almost total lack of interactivity for a blue command is pretty weak sauce.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

If you told me there was a card called Urza's Command I would have assumed it'd be a lot more exciting.

First mode is just super boring and only niche useful. Second mode just sucks imo, Third mode is okay I guess. Fourth mode, same. I guess a decent-sized creature for an artifact deck with flash, scry, and cantrip isn't the worst but it's definitely no cryptic command. The almost total lack of interactivity for a blue command is pretty weak sauce.

From an excitement perspective, I agree. From a balance perspective, I think Cryptic Command is about as good as a 4 cmc blue command should be. No need to powercreep the dang thing just because Urza slapped his brand on it.

First mode is suuuuuper lame though, I concede. Creature shrinking, while occasionally a blowout, never looks very impressive and is occasionally totally superfluous (see Jace, Vryn's Prodigy // Jace, Telepath Unbound for reference).

[DirkGently]

It's not just that it's weaker, it's also just really niche. The fourth mode is okay as a fallback (although scry 2 draw 2 for 4mv is deeply boring in 2022, so it's certainly not supporting more than 1/2 the cost of the spell), but the first mode is trash and the second and third mode are both usually useless except in artifact decks - and while the third mode is the clear best imo, it's also only useful in heavy artifact decks THAT CARE ABOUT COMBAT. Without fitting into that very specific niche, I just don't see the other modes pulling enough weight to justify it. So yeah, extremely niche and not even terribly exciting within that niche imo.

[pokken]

The white command is weirdly decent I think. 1ww get a plains scry 2 gain 2 is not miserable. Disappointed its basic but it's still a nice option.

[Sporegorger_Dragon]

It's not just that it's weaker, it's also just really niche.

No need to powercreep the dang thing just because Urza slapped his brand on it.

Agree with both. They clearly didn't want another Cryptic Command or blue staple, so I feel they pretty much hit the sweet spot here.

[TheGildedGoose]

All these old bordered cards.

[5colorsrainbow]

Guys! I figured out how to break Chromatic Orrery!

Urza, Prince of Kroog + Chromatic Orrery +Training Grounds + Lightning Greaves Infinite mana and infinite card draw

XD


Also, how many urza's are they going to print? We are at 5 now.

Urza, Chief Artificer
Urza, Lord High Artificer
Urza, Lord Protector
Urza, Powerstone Prodigy
Urza, Prince of Kroog
(Honorary)
Urza, Academy Headmaster

Remember when everyone was super hyped about Urza, Lord High Artificer because Urza finally had his own card? Pepperidge farm remembers.

I'm not really complaining, I have plenty of other things to complain about, and I get this set is all about Mishra and Urza, but why? Are they running out of name ideas or something?

The Brother's War story takes place from Urza's and Mishra's childhood to Urza becoming a planeswalker so they each get multiple cards to reflect the different stages of life they are at during the story.

[Ruiner]

Gix's Command feels worth trying out in my Killian, Ink Duelist deck. At a cost of just three mana, assuming the first mode is chosen, modes 2 and 4 are probably the most useful but maybe occasional the 3rd one will come in handy.

[Sporegorger_Dragon]

At a cost of just three mana

That doesn't work, Gix's Command doesn't target so Killian can't discount it.

[NZB2323]

All of these commands feel underwhelming to me.

[Ruiner]

At a cost of just three mana

That doesn't work, Gix's Command doesn't target so Killian can't discount it.

Oh geeze, my brain just auto filled in target creature. Oh well, then it's useless haha

[cheonice]

How cute is Tawnos, the Toymaker! 🥰 He looks at animals and makes toys based on them! Awwww!

[DirkGently]

Mode 3/4 Gix's Command seems like the strongest command to me. 3-for-1 with board impact isn't the worst. Definitely brutal in limited, and okay in commander despite the high cost.

The white command is weirdly decent I think. 1ww get a plains scry 2 gain 2 is not miserable. Disappointed its basic but it's still a nice option.

I don't think it's playable unless you really like the double strike option. Draw plains scry 2 gain 2 isn't the worst fallback but it's definitely not good. Drawing 2 basics, even if you're allowed to select them, is garbage tier (anyone maining Journey of Discovery? okay, Sasaya, Orochi Ascendant // Sasaya's Essence, but anyone ELSE?), and I'd say scry 2 gain 2 is a lot worse than searching for a basic. So we're weaker in multiple ways than Journey of Discovery and that's not even a played card outside of very niche archetypes.

The 2/2 is great for limited, sometimes a fallback in commander but usually not a primary mode (I guess it is an artifact for decks that care about such things). So I think most of the weight rests on how good the double strike mode is for you, with the land/scry modes being fallbacks if you're struggling to develop, and the 2/2 if you need a chump blocker or something.

[Hermes_]

How cute is Tawnos, the Toymaker! 🥰 He looks at animals and makes toys based on them! Awwww!

Mana cost: 3GU
Type: Legendary creature Human artificer
Rarity: Rare.
Statistics: 3/5.
Ability: Whenever you cast a beast or bird creature spell, you may copy it, except the copy is also an artifact. A copy becomes a token.

tribal of some sort, which means boring to build right?

[illakunsaa]

Hurkyl's Final Meditation seems really strong.

[DirkGently]

Hurkyl's Final Meditation seems really strong.

I want to like it for Phelddagrif, but I don't know. At sorcery speed it seems pretty bad, that effect costs ~4 (and usually isn't good at 4 either), even without the downside of ending your turn before you can recast anything.

At 10, it's a hell of a strong answer. Wipe, counterspell, anything you want really. But 10 is a ton of mana. And except for exiling a spell, it's not a permanent solution to a lot of things. If you could exile the board I'd probably be into it, but as-is I just don't think it's economical enough, even for a deck that doesn't care too much about economy.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

I really like the new gix, but I don't like his new art. His original design was kinda goofy, but it feels like they abandoned it entirely instead of updating his classic aesthetic. Not a fan in a set buttering its bread with nostalgia. Seriously, look at him, he looks like a cool biomechanical demon, but it doesn't look like Gix.

@DirkGently by the way, your estimates of the new commands is off. You can only choose each mode once (unlike the confluences, which specifically state you can choose a mode more than once). So they're probably worse than you thought 😆