Thermal Blast

If Fiery Conclusion isn't a good card, this sure as hell isn't either. At it's base level, it's a 5 mana Flamecast Wheel, which is slightly better, but it's still bad. If you have threshold, it's a non-sacrificial Firey Conclusion that costs almost triple. This would only garner 1 star if it said "creature or player". It's just really bad. Really really bad.

Pros: Non-sacrificial Firey Conclusion sometimes, better than Ember Shot

Cons: 5 mana, requires Threshold for max efficiency

Rating: 0/5

Drought

Heh, anti-Devotion before Devotion existed. "You want to cast your Phyrexian Obliterator? Hope you didn't really want your land base anymore..." This card is pretty fun, especially if you have some colour-changing effects (since you can change "black" to "green", but they'll still have to sack Swamps). But, unless you have a colour-changing effect, it's pretty useless against non-black decks. I'd run this with Swirl the Mists for maximum fun.

Pros: Screws over black decks hard

Cons: Only useable against black decks without support, upkeep cost

Rating: 3/5

NOTE: Check the errata'd text on this before decrying my idea as "non-functional"

Suffocating Blast + Cancel + Flamecast Wheel (Triple Header!)

It's Cancel with a Flamecast Wheel-like spell attached, so I guess we have to look at both parts before looking at it as a whole.

Is this a good card? I guess, but it's no Counterspell. Well, it's a counterspell, but it's not the Counterspell. It's a solid back-up, but not really a good choice for a main counterspell, mainly due to the cost. You want to be able to counter stuff as early as possible, and turn 3 may be too late against some decks.

Is this a good card? No. No it is not. There is no reason to run this card. If you have space for it, run a Forest instead. Even if you don't have any green cards, a Forest will always serve you better. However, its badness has to do mostly with the fact that it costs a full 6 to use. If it was 1 to go down 2 to activate, then it would be a lot better (sort of like an improved Moonglove Extract).

So, back to Suffocating Blast. It's made of an okay card and a bad card, albeit if both of those cards were cheaper, they'd be better. So, if we divide the cost of Suffocating Blast amongst its two components, it basically becomes a Counterspell with a slightly weaker Searing Spear. So, the question becomes: is a Counterspell with a mini-Searing Spear attached in one card good? Yes, it is. My only major issue is that it's very colour-intensive, so it's basically relegated to the world of Izzet decks. The cost is high, but since it's 2 cards in one, that is to be expected.

Cancel

Pros: Counterspell

Cons: Costs 3

Rating: 2.5/5

Flamecast Wheel

Pros: Colourless damage

Cons: Costs 6 for 3 damage to a creature

Rating: 0/5

Suffocating Blast

Pros: Counterspell with creature damage

Cons: Colour intensive, costs 4

Rating: 4/5

Two-Headed Dragon

It's like a regular dragon, only with double the fun! This is a pretty good card all-in-all, except for some of the doubling. Not being able to be blocked by less than 2 creatures and being able to block an extra creature is pretty awesome, but I'm not a fan of it's uber-firebreathing. I've never liked cards that have a 2:2 mana-to-power-boost ratio because it requires too much investment for what it gives you. I know it's the same in the end (and easier for multicolour decks), but it doesn't allow for as much flexibility. It's the difference between 2 power and 1 power with a Lightning Bolt alongside. Still, a pretty good card for what it does.

Pros: Double dragon

Cons: Uber-firebreathing

Rating: 4/5

Starstorm

Instant-speed boardwipes are pretty rare and this is one of the best (topped only by Evacuation in my opinion). This card is great for two reasons. First is its speed, which is, as I've mentioned, amazing. Second is its Cycling. If you've got this in your hand but have no reason to use it, you can easily get rid of it in exchange for another card (again, at Instant-speed). The only issue I have with it is that it's an x-cost spell, so you may not have enough mana to deal with the problems to need too. That, and it deals damage instead of straight-up killing, but that's more a red issue rather than specific to this card.

Pros: Instant-speed boardwipe, usable even if not castable

Cons: X-cost

Rating: 4.5/5  

Kamahl's Sledge

Let's sing a little song. It's called "How to Make A Burn Spell". Here we go!

Make sure the cost ain't too high // Or else you're probably gonna die

This "burn" spell costs way too much for a burn spell. The point of burn is that it's cheap and fast and this is neither. Someone pointed out on the Gatherer comments that it's "8 damage for 7" if you have threshold. As someone else pointed out on those same comments: "I'd rather run Lash Out".

It's gotta be real real fast // To make sure you're not last

As I just said, burn spells have to be cheap and fast. Sorcery-speed burn has to be really good to run because you're losing your speed advantage. Cards like Pillar of Flame and Anger of the Gods are good examples because they get rid of the creature(s) permanently or Pyroclasm because it does a relatively large amount of damage for its cost. This is too slow and does too little.

Targeting only creatures is okay // But creatures might not be alive all day

Some cards, like Flame Slash, can get away with targeting only creatures because it's quick (early game) and does a lot of damage. But, if your burn deck is running properly, there shouldn't be many creatures around for very long, so you'll run out of targets for your creature-only spells. Burn spells, in my opinion, should usually have a choice between gribbly and man for targets.

Follow these steps to give your card an edge // If you don't you might get Kamahl's Sledge

I like this song.

Pros: Does damage to a creature and maybe a player

Cons: Costs 7 for 4 damage to a creature without threshold, sorcery-speed

Rating: 0/5

Eternity Snare

Before I give this card the rightfully-deserved thrashing I'm about to give it, I need to mention the two good things about this card. First, it replaces itself which is always good. Second, it's soft removal, so it does lock down a creature without actually killing it meaning that it won't trigger any Morbid-type thingies. Now, on to the thrashing.

The first thing wrong with this card is its mana cost. This effect should never cost 6, not even in blue. At best, since it replaces itself, this should cost 4. Secondly, this should at least tap the thing it's targeting since, you know, it's kind of useless to make something stay tapped if it doesn't start tapped. Finally, I personally think that this should be a flat Enchant Permanent instead of just Enchant Creature. For 6 (ideally 4), I would hope you're getting something a little more powerful than a worse Bonds of Quicksilver (which is already pretty bad).

Pros: Replaces itself, soft removal

Cons: Costs 6, doesn't tap the creature

Rating: 0.5/5 

Honor Guard

I remember using this guy all the time in drafts back in the day. It's an alright 1-drop because of it's defensive firebreathing. Need to stop that Phyrexian Obliterator without sacrificing many permanents? Just pump this guy up and you're fine! There are a ton of times where I'd love to have a 1-drop that can stop pretty much any trampler and this really fits the bill. However, there are some problems with the card. First and foremost, it's only defensive firebreathing, meaning that no matter what you pump into this, it's still going to do only 1 damage. It's basically a wall with an upkeep cost of X, where X is equal to the power of the thing you want to stop. Really, this is a good draft filler card and not much else.

Pros: Cheap defensive firebreather

Cons: Only a cheap defensive firebreather

Rating: 1.5/5

More Quickies!

Yeah, so in order to compensate you guys for putting up with my lack of regular reviews, I decided to do a fairly large number of quickies today. Hope this makes up for it!

Crusade

Yup, it's a cheap anthem. Can't really say much else about it except for the fact that it effects all white creatures, not just your own, so it can kind of be a double-edged sword.

Pros: White anthem

Cons: Universal anthem

Rating: 2.5/5

Dwarven Pony

Yay! A way to give Mutavault mountainwalk! Seriously though, there exists a slim number of cards that this works for, so it's really not that good.

Pros: Gives a Dwarf mountainwalk

Cons: Only gives 1 Dwarf mountainwalk until end of turn

Rating: 1/5

Horned Troll

Yup, this is a card. It's decent in drafts, but otherwise "meh".

Pros: Regenerates

Cons: No evasion

Rating: 2.5/5

Divine Transformation

Another "meh" card. +3/+3 on an Aura for 4 isn't terrible for white. Again, good in drafts, lacking elsewhere.

Pros: +3/+3 for 4

Cons: The artwork lies to you

Rating: 2.5/5

Flashfires

Screw you white decks. That's pretty much all I can say about this.

Pros: Hoses white decks

Cons: Only hoses white decks

Rating: 3/5

Balm of Restoration

3 mana for a worse Healing Salve? Uh, no thanks. And, believe it or not, this is a rare. Goes to show how little WotC knew about the game's meta when they first started out (to be fair though, most games start out like that).

Pros: Prevents 2 damage or gains 2 life, colourless

Cons: Thrice the cost of a Healing Salve

Rating: 0/5

Aura Graft

I love the original text of this card! Other than that, it's pretty decent, especially since you not only move the Aura, but you also gain control of it. And, it's Instant speed, which is always nice.

Pros: Steal and move an Aura

Cons: Only moves Auras

Rating: 3/5

Scavenging Ghoul

Interesting mechanic and it's not a terrible card. This is a mechanic that I'd like to see on more creatures in the near future.

Pros: Gets multiple regeneration chances

Cons: Needs a creature to die per regeneration, 2/2 for 4

Rating: 2.5/5

Order of the Sacred Torch

Pretty damn good card. A 2/2 for 3 with a really good ability, especially in white and despite the life requirement. Not bad.

Pros: Counter magic in white

Cons: Only counters black spells, requires life investment

Rating: 4/5

Show of Valor

Save a baby; get s defense buff. This has saved a few of my creatures in draft and sealed games, but otherwise it's not that great. Would have much preferred +4/+2 for 3.

Pros: Sizeable toughness boost at Instant-speed, okay power boost at Instant-speed

Cons: Marginally useful outside of draft/sealed

Rating: 2/5

Fear

Yup, it gives Fear. Not extremely bad on a 2-drop, but not great either. Would have rather seen it on a 1-drop (such as in Gruesome Deformity).

Pros: Gives Fear

Cons: 2-drop, double black

Rating: 1.5/5

Lead Astray

Gets rid of blockers and prevents attacking I guess. Again, another card that's good in drafts, but terrible in constructed.

Pros: Taps two creatures for 2, Instant-speed

Cons: Only taps two creatures, useless outside draft/sealed

Rating: 2.5/5

The Original Shrines

That's right, Kamigawa didn't invent the idea of shrines! Before I start, I just want to put it out there that I think these should have the subtype "Shrine". It only makes sense.

Aven Shrine

We're leaving the gate with easily the weakest part of the set. 6 life over 4 cards is worse than just straight-up casting 4 Healing Leaves and that's pretty bad. If it was doubled, like Dwarven Shrine, then maybe it would be playable, but right now it isn't.

Pros: Adds lifegain to repeated casts

Cons: Only 6 life over 4 cards

Rating: 0.5/5

Cabal Shrine

This can really hurt a control deck since they won't want to cast their countermagic more than once or twice because they'll have to chuck a good chunk of their hand to do so. It's something that can also bite you though since it will make you discard your hand for spells as well. I think a Rakdos-style deck might be able to use this most effectively, but it's a real double-edged sword.

Pros: Forces discard on repeated casts

Cons: Major double-edged sword

Rating: 2/5

Cephalid Shrine

Again, another double-edged sword, but this one is a bit more manageable since you can mitigate any negative effects by simply running a low-cost deck. Think a deck that would run Dark Confidant, but more blue.

Pros: Really good control card

Cons: Small double-edged sword

Rating: 3/5

Dwarven Shrine

Suicide red embodied in a single card. This is a great card for red since there are a fair number of different red burn spells that do the same thing, so you can mitigate the amount of damage you will take by essentially running a singleton deck. Every time you kill an opponent's creature, they will have to think twice about playing another copy of that creature because they'll be taking a fair bit of damage to do so.

Pros: Damage on repeated casts

Cons: Very mitigatable double-edged sword

Rating: 3.5/5

Nantuko Shrine

This is the shrine from this set that I want to make a deck around. Green has a lot of cards that sack themselves to get things (Yavimaya Elder, Diligent Farmhand, etc) and repeated casts of those things will get you more Squirrels. There are also cards like Chatter of the Squirrel which have flashback that make more Squirrels. Throw in Nut Collector and Squirrel Mob and it'll be a fun time!

Pros: Squirrels on repeated casts

Cons: Enemies get Squirrels too

Rating: 4/5

Greater Good

I think this card has been earning more and more acclaim in recent years, especially as the popularity of EDH has grown, and all of it is well-earned. This card basically makes your opponent less like to try and kill your big things because they don't want you to draw cards. A Terminate targeting a Brontotherium suddenly becomes a green Inspiration (effectively).  It's just a really good card and the only real downside is that you have to discard three cards after drawing however many cards you drew. While that can be a problem, as long as you don't sacrifice tiny creatures, you'll always get at least a 1-card advantage.

Pros: Gives you a benefit from creatures targeted by kill spells

Cons: Discard 3 cards each time you use it

Rating: 4/5

EDH Help: Essential Land Cards

It's back! Here are some really good lands for EDH consideration.

Strip Mine

It's freaking Strip Mine. I don't think I need to explain it.

Lake of the Dead

This card can really give you a much-needed mana boost at the right moment. It's a 4-mana boost and that could easily win you a game.

Lotus Vale

Another mana boost-style land. Yeah, it requires land sacrifice, but it a deck that has a lot of "untap target land" effects can change the amount of mana from one land from 2 to 6. Again, that's enough mana to win you a game.

Kjeldoran Outpost

A land that makes tokens? Awesome. A land that makes useful tokens? Awesomer.

Winding Canyons

It's kind of like a colourless Alchemist's Refuge and that makes it pretty cool. Most decks can use flash creatures and this card makes it possible.

Oran-Rief, the Vastwood

Your green token deck will love this card. If I have to explain why, you probably shouldn't be playing a green token deck.

Nettling Imp

I've always liked "force to attack" effects and this is pretty much the granddaddy of all those effects. Forcing an opponent's creature to attack can usually give you a tactical advantage and this card twists the knife, as it were, by destroying the creature if it is rendered unable to attack. My favourite part of this card is its errata. It doesn't specify that the creature can't have Defender, just that it can't be a Wall. So those Axebane Guardians, Gomazoas, and Plumeveils will be in a lot of trouble when targeted by this. I wish it was a bit beefier or had Flying (it has wings!), but it's not exactly a deal-breaker.

Pros: Forces non-Walls to attack or kills them

Cons: 1/1 for 3, no Flying 

Rating: 3.5/5

BoTG Gods

Ephara, God of the Polis

I think this may be a sleeper card, in that it doesn't look like much, but it will find some weird way to be awesome in some format. White and blue do have the most flash creatures, so there's definitely the potential for something. Still, I can't shake the feeling that maybe this effect should be blue/green instead so that token decks can get a lot more use out of it.

Pros: First creature per turn trips

Cons: Not in most abusable colour combo

Rating: 3.5/5

Karametra, God of Harvests

Hi there, new EDH superstar! Given that cards like Admonition Angel and Avenger of Zendikar are already staples of some white and green decks respectfully, this card brings both worlds together in what I envision to be a scary, fast deck (think a Kamahl, Fist of Krosa EDH, but with a lot more removal). Outside of EDH, I can't see this being played.

Pros: EDH superstar

Cons: Ignorable out EDH

Rating: 3.5/5

Mogis, God of Slaughter

This card is kind of the opposite of Karametra, God of Harvests. I can see this being played everywhere except EDH (as a general at least). It formats like Standard and Modern, this card will definitely keep the pressure on your opponents by making them sack a dude or lose 10% of their starting life each turn, but in slower formats like EDH, that may not matter as much (especially since it's only dealing 5% of starting life there). I view this card the same way I see Desecration Demon, except that no matter what they choose, they're getting punched in the face.

Pros: Non-EDH superstar

Cons: Weak in EDH

Rating: 4.5/5

Phenax, God of Deception

This is the weakest god in the set without a doubt. I can see it sort of working in a causal or EDH Wall-deck, but outside of that it's really weak. Milling is not as strong or as viable in tournament play as WotC seems to continually think it is. It's very flavourful, but not very impressive in-game.

Pros: Flavourful, good in a Wall-deck

Cons: Not competitive, only good in a Wall-deck

Rating: 2/5

Xenagos, God of Revels

Basically, take what I said about Mogis, God of Slaughter, put it here, only replace the part about sacking a dude with "forcing your opponent to sack a dude or die". I see this card like the new Hellrider, that thing you don't really think will be a problem until you play against it once or twice, wherein afterwards you live in fear of it for the rest of your life. The only issue I have with it is that is does come in a little too late for my liking. I would have rather liked to see it cost 2RG.

Pros: Rush down champion

Cons: A smidge too expensive

Rating: 4/5

Artist: Mark Zug

Man, it's been a while since I've done one of these, hasn't it? Well, I just got my copy of Full Steam Press's new Magic artbook and I wanted to have another look at a Magic artist. Today: Mark Zug. He's done a fair bit of illustration work for Magic and a lot of it is very recognizable, including one of the best cards in Legacy and couple great ones in Modern  (I'll let you figure out which ones on your own).

Best Art:  Chalice of the Void

Everything about this art just works. The crazy evil guy hovering over the cup, the cup itself, the mist billowing out of the top, it's just fantastic. It's one of those pictures that I'd want to frame and put on my wall because it's just that good. It really gives the card that "evil" feeling, which if you've played against this card, you know fits.

Worst Art: Vanguard of Brimaz

This is a good piece of art, but it really clashes with what I think the card was going for. This card was supposed to showcase Brimaz's elite soldiers and it kind of looks more like a soldier-in-training. It also looks like the lion in the background is yelling something at the one in the foreground and it spooked him a little bit. Good art, but it clashes with the spirit of where it was put.

Art I'd Want Painted on the Side of my Van: Godhead of Awe

This came close to being the best art, but I figured it was too metal to be a white/blue card. That being said, it's so metal that I want to get it painted on the side of my van (should I ever get one). If you look at it without the border, you'll see what I mean.

Mark Zug has done a lot of great work for Magic. It's so good that his worst art isn't actually bad, it just clashes with the intention of the card. Definitely check out his website for more great art.

Wandering Eye

I've always had a soft spot for cards that reveal hands and this card is pretty high up on that list. It's a little overcosted since it forces you to reveal your hand as well, but in the right control deck, that doesn't really matter. In a Grixis deck, for example, your opponent is going to be fairly certain that you will have both some kind of kill spell and some kind of counterspell in your hand 99% of the time, so what's the point in hiding it? The advantage then goes to you because now you know not to counter your opponent's Chalice of the Void and to save that counterspell for the Multani's Presence in their hand (because you're suddenly playing this in Legacy I guess). It removes all the guesswork that comes with playing a control deck without the issues of memorization that Duress-esque can cause. Finally, it can sort of work as a demoralization tactic against your opponent since they will probably start trying to overthink the game by making them wonder what plays you're going to make with the cards in your hand. It's subtle, but it can be enough to tilt some opponents. However, it is still a little overcosted and weak, but for what it does, I like it.

Pros: Reveals all hands

Cons: Overcosted, weak

Rating: 3.5/5

Waste Away

If anyone ever says "card x is terrible removal", just respond with "well, it ain't Waste Away". This card is terrible. It's a worse Executioner's Swing and Executioner's Swing is not that great. It costs 5 and two cards for what is basically a fancy Murder.

Pros: Fancy Murder

Cons: Way, way, way too expensive

Rating: 0/5