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Bruce Gray - August 14, 2014

Crack a Pack MTG Journey into Nyx with Bruce (2nd)

Crack a Pack MTG - Journey into Nyx boosters 2

Crack a Pack MTG Journey into Nyx with Bruce (2nd)

 by Bruce Gray – Casual Encounters

                Welcome back to another week of Crack a Pack MTG with Bruce.  We’re going to take a little break from some M15 for a while, mostly because as cool as the set is, it is also a very tricky draft format because there are a very high number of picks where it is tough to decide what is best.  It just isn’t a clear cut slam dunk. There are so many interchangeable cards and cards that seem to be reasonable (but not amazing) in M15 that picking cards and ordering selections is very difficult.  So, this week I thought I’d go back to Journey Into Nyx…but don’t worry, I’ll be back on M15 for next week, that’s a guarantee.

 

There’s no point beating around the bush…let’s get down to business and see what we’ve got.

 

Rare

 

 

Uncommon

 

 

 

 

Common

 

 

 

 

Ok, once again this week we have opened up another premium Mythic Rare in our pack.  Pharika is pretty solid god who got a bit of bad reputation.  She’s a house at 5/5 for 3 mana if you can get her online…so if you want to take her you had better be ready to go Black and Green.  Her activated ability is also pretty useful if you can score a few Constellation cards in your draft.  She also accesses your graveyard to make 1/1 death touching snake tokens which can warp combat and trade up to take out much larger creatures.  Add in the feature that she’s worth a couple of dollars and you have the makings of a very fine first pick.  In some formats I would be shy to grab a Gold card as my first pick, but considering the relative power level of the card and the fact that the B/G deck is actually very good, I’d be prepared to grab her and see what I can manage when it comes to finding playable cards to support Pharika. She’s not quite a windmill slam first pick, but she is very solid and clearly gets out in front as the early favorite.

 

Believe it or not, the next card to grab my attention is Sigiled Starfish.  This innocuous little 0/3 is super useful.  For starters, it blocks “Bears” for days, but the real asset is the Scry 1 ability when you tap it.  This allows for SO much card filtering in your deck that it is a little absurd. This improved card selection may not give you true card advantage, but the improved quality of what you will be drawing will make a huge difference and put you in the driver’s seat.

 

The next card that grabs my attention is Bladetusk Boar.  This solid creature comes with evasion in the form of intimidate and just does work.  A 3/2 for 4 mana isn’t super efficient, but the fact that it almost assuredly speeds up the clock on your opponent means that it needs to get answered soon.  Also, Red is very strong in this format, so grabbing the Boar and then forcing Red a little doesn’t feel like a bad idea.

 

Gold-Forged Sentinel is another interesting card.  A 4/4 flier for 6 mana, but seeing as it is an artifact it can fit in any deck.  I like the 4/4 flier.  I like that it is an artifact and can deal with creatures with Intimidate.  This is a very reasonable choice and a solid body that can get rough and tumble when you need it.  Normally artifacts aren’t a high priority for me, but this one is a very serviceable body and can fit anywhere.

 

Sigiled Skink also gets my attention because a 2/1 for 2 mana is very crucial in this very fast draft format.  The fact that it allows you to scry 1 whenever it attacks can also set up some very good card filtering and really help your cause avoid drawing into dead cards.  I like this little guy, but he is a little limited due to his 1 toughness.

 

Colossal Heroics is a useful combat trick to untap a blocker and pump it…and the Strive ability can help you to set up a situation where you could conceivably blow your opponent out with surprise blockers.  It takes a fair degree of set up, so go sparingly with this card, but it does make a useful addition to a deck and is a long way from being unplayable.

 

Spiteful Blow always gets my attention.  Yes, it is still 6 mana removal…that hasn’t changed from a couple of weeks back when I looked a pack of Journey Into Nyx…but it does kill a creature, set your opponent back a turn with respect to their land, and is a nice insurance policy.  I’ll look at it because removal at almost any price will get consideration, but it’s not super flashy.

 

Akroan Mastiff is a very solid tempo type creature for white.  The ability to tap down a creature is very relevant and makes this a strong utility creature.  The body is a little fragile, so it is unlikely to be going into combat too frequently, but I won’t give up on it.

 

Nyx Infusion is a versatile aura that can act as a form of quasi removal or as a pump spell.  The options presented here makes this a very valuable little addition to deal with creatures of all sorts.  Look in this pack alone at all the things this card kills.  Sigiled Skink, Akroan Mastiff and Bladetusk Boar and it turns the Gold-Forged Sentinel into a Wind Drake.  No, this is useful in either mode, but mostly as a form of conditional removal.

 

Godhunter Octopus.  I don’t much care for this card. Sure, a 5/5 for 6 mana is pretty useful at the top end of the curve, but the condition placed on this creature in order for it to attack really makes me nervous.  There are lots of other very good 6 drop creatures in this format and I would be none too thrilled to have this at the top of my curve unless I was well and truly stuck.

 

Mortal Obstinacy, Cruel Feeding, and Nature’s Panopoly.  I lump all of these in together, not because they do the same thing, but because they are all marginal cards that you could play if you wanted to try and benefit from some Heroic triggers.  Otherwise, they are all kind of Blah and could be played as a 23 card, but you aren’t going to fist pump like a champ because you grabbed any of them. Your deck would also largely be fine if they didn’t make the deck in favor of some other card too.

 

Desecration Plague is the last card in this pack and is probably the most unplayable card in the pack.  Destroying a land is fine and all, but truthfully speaking, you would rather be doing something else with your mana.  Sure, the Kitchen Table “Land Destruction deck” will love this card, but in a draft, if you would like to do well, you avoid this and hope it gets forced on someone. It just does not do enough to impact the board state and leaves you stranded looking at a dead card in hand.

 

Top 5 cards

 

  1. Pharika, God of Affliction
  2. Sigiled Starfish
  3. Bladetusk Boar
  4. Gold-Forged Sentinel
  5. Spiteful Blow

 

First pick

Once again this week, there is almost no doubt about what gets drafted first.  Pharika, God of Affliction is just too powerful to ignore, and so you’ll grab her and try and force Black and Green a little.  There are a few other cards in this pack in both Black and Green that might work their way back to, so I won’t feel bad.  However, I have left Red and two very strong Red creatures (the Boar and the Skink) available meaning that there will almost assuredly be someone in Red nearby. All in all, I feel pretty good about my pick and comfortable with the direction I would be taking and ready to see what came next.

 

So, there we have it…another week, another pack, and pretty sweet Mythic Rare in the form of Pharika.  What would have picked first?  Pharika? The Starfish?  Something else?  I could see someone making a pretty good case with this pack as there were actually some other choices that could have made sense in another strategy, but I feel pretty safe in taking the Pharika and trying to build the B/G agro deck.

 

Thanks very much and until next time, may you open nothing but bomb Mythic rares.

 

by Bruce Gray – Casual Encounters
@bgray8791
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Three Kings Loot - April 20, 2014

Journey into Nyx- Felhide Petrifier, Flamespeaker’s Will, Flurry...

Felhide Petrifier

Felhide Petrifier- Ok, so tribal Minotaurs was scary already and there is a pretty reasonable Budget Standard Minotaur deck…and they got ANOTHER weapon.  Felhide Petrifier is a 2/3 for a black and 2 colourless and it has deathtouch and gives all other Minotaurs you control death touch.  So, now you don’t even want to block the Man-Bulls. He’s cheap, has HUGE upside for your Man-Bulls, and just makes the board state awful.  I like him and might try a Man-Bull deck of my own.

Flamespeaker's Will

Flamespeaker’s Will- An inexpensive Aura for 1 red that gives target creature +1/+1, so it’s ok right there.  However, the extra with this is that when enchanted creature deals damage to a player you may sacrifice Flamespeaker’s Will to destroy target artifact.  Frankly, the conditional aspect of the second half of the card is a really a disincentive to playing it because the set up cost to trigger it is actually pretty high. +1/+1 for 1 mana is ok, but hardly exciting…so, you can run this in limited, but you’ll probably want to pass on it.

Flurry of Horns

Flurry of Horns- 5 mana (1 red and 4 colourless) sorcery that gives you 2 2/3 Minotaurs with haste. A friend was talking to me about this card and said that he looked at this as a 4/6 for 5 mana, because in essence, that is the net impact to your board state.  When put in those terms, this is actually a reasonable card.  It won’t see play in Constructed or anything, but it is a pretty useful card for Limited and is another source of Man-Bulls for the Minotaur deck.

Gluttonous Cyclops

Goldenhide Ox- A 6 mana (1 red and 5 colourless)  5/4 Cyclops that also Monstrosity 3 for 7 mana (2 red, 5 colourless).  It’s a useful body and the single red in the casting cost could make him splashable…but he’s really just a dude with a big body that will plug up the board.

Goldenhide Ox

Goldenhide Ox- This is an interesting 6 mana (1 green and 5 colourless) enchantment creature ox that has Constellation that when it is triggered forces target creature to get blocked this turn if able. A 5/4 for 6 mana is ok with a solid body to attack or block with, and the single green means you could splash this guy easily enough, and the Constellation ability is potentially useful to take control of combat on your opponent.  I think this is mostly just a big body, but the Constellation could become relevant in some decks looking to turn the tide of combat.

Grim Guardian

Grim Guardian- A 1/4 enchantment creature Zombie with Constellation for 3 mana (1 black and 2 colourless).  The Constellation ability, when triggered, says that each opponent loses one life. This is actually a pretty solid card and very grindy in the B/W draft deck featuring Scholar of Athreos and Servant of Tymaret.  The high toughness makes this a solid blocker for 3 mana, and the Constellation ability could really be useful to chip away at the life total of your opponent.Harvestguard Alseids

Harvestguard Alseids- a 2/3 enchantment creature Nymph with Constellation for 3 mana (1 white, 2 colourless).  The Constellation ability, when triggered, says prevent all damage done to target until end of turn.  This will be marginal and mostly used for the reasonable body, but is mostly just a big yawn because it’s pretty uneventful.

Hour of Need

Hour of Need- A three mana (1 blue, 2 colourless) Instant with Strive that says exile target creature and put a 4/4 flying blue Sphinx token and for an additional 1 blue and 1 colourless  you can target additional creatures.  This is a pretty awesome card because it is ridiculous combat trick.  Cast this, exile your dinky merfolk or little soldier, and trade it for a 4/4 flying Sphinx! That’s ridiculous! I’ll happily trade my little  creature for an Air Elemental.  The Strive makes this potentially really powerful because 5 mana for a pair of 4/4 creatures is very good. I like this one…if you see this in draft, don’t pass on it.

Hubris

Hubris- This is a 2 mana (1 blue, 1 colourless) instant that is basically a unsummon effect.  You return the creature and all auras attached to it to its owner’s hand. This is useful if you need to save something you have Voltroned up, but is really a removal spell for Blue and sets your opponent back quite a bit, particularly if they have Bestowed a creature (which is quite expensive usually) on the creature you just unsummoned.  We saw that Voyage’s End was good in Theros, and Hubris will be similarly quite good.

Humbler of Mortals

Humbler of Mortals- A 6 mana (2 green, 4 colourless) for a 5/5 Enchantment Creature Elemental with Constellation.  The Constellation ability, when triggered, says creatures you control gain trample.  This will a solid 6 drop in limited and could really make your big fatty’s very relevant and help push through the damage, but I feel like what you REALLY want to do is on the follow up turn Bestow something on this guy, trigger the Constellation, and then Smash away.  He’s a little conditional, but the big body helps to make this guy more playable.

Knowledge and Power

Knowledge and Power- 5 mana (1 red, 4 colourless) enchantment that says whenever you scry, pay 2 colourless, deal 2 damage to target creature or player.  This is a huge set up cost for a shock and frankly is pretty unplayable.  Don’t get lured in.  Pass this one up and keep moving.

Lagonna-Band Trailblazer

Lagonna-Band Trailblazer- 0/4 Centaur for 1 white mana that has Heroic and gets +1/+1 counters when targeted by spells.  He’s already a good blocker with high toughness, and then hit him with a spell of ANY sort and suddenly this guy is VERY good for the amount of investment.  Yoked Ox version 2.0 with the improved ability makes this guy very good.

Leonin Iconclast

Leonin Iconoclast- A 4 mana (1 white, 3 colourless) for a 3/2 Cat Monk (love the creature type) that has Heroic that says whenever it is targeted destroy target Enchantment Creature your opponent controls.  This could be really useful because this block is chocked FULL of enchantment creatures…and now I get a creature a solid body that can attack, get tricked, and takes out an Enchantment creature  and can trade up to get a 2 for 1.  I like this creature.

Lightning Diadem

Lightning Diadem- a 6 mana (1 red, 5 colourless) aura that gives target creature +2/+2 and when Lightning Diadem enters the battlefield deal 2 damage to target creature or player.  6 mana for +2/+2? No way! Even WITH the Shock on the Enter the Battlefield this is a bad card.  Don’t waste your time.Magma Spray

Magma Spray- Well, hello pillar of flame, my old friend, I’ve missed you.  This will be useful removal, is cheap and inexpensive and exiles pesky creatures. You’ll play this in limited and it might even find a way to sneak into sideboards in Standard.

Market Festival

Market Festival- A 4 mana aura (1 green and 3 colourless) that targets a land and says that whenever the land is tapped for mana, its controller gets 2 mana in any combination of colours to his or her mana pool in addition to the mana it normally produces. This an interesting ramp spell that essentially produces 3 mana from 1 land, but is expensive to cast.  If you cast this you had better have a handful of HUGE fatties you want to drop, but I think it’s a little slow and likely something you will pick up late in your draft and may opt to pass on as far as being in your 23 card deck.

Mortal Obstinacy

Mortal Obstinancy- 1 white gets you an aura that gives +1/+1 to target creature and when enchanted creature deals combat damage to an opponent you may sacrifice it to destroy target enchantment. It’s still pretty conditional, but I might run this in limited because of the large number of enchantments in the block and might find it useful to take out a troubling enchantment creature.

Nature's Panoply

Nature’s Panopoly- 1 green mana for an instant that also has Strive and says put a +1/+1 counter on target creature and you may spend 2 colourless and a green to target each additional creature.  This is an ok combat trick, but lacks a little bite.  It might be on the fence for your 23 card deck but likely won’t hurt you much if you run it.

Nessian Game Warden

Nessian Game Warden- a 4/5 Beast for 2 green and 3 colourless that has a really neat ability.  When it enters the battlefield you may look at the top X cards of your library where X is equal to the number of forests you control, and reveal a creature from among those cards and put it in your hand and the others put them on the bottom of you library in any order. This is interesting card advantage and a big body that makes this one very playable and quite powerful.

Nightmarish End

Nightmarish End- a 3 mana (2 colourless and 1 black) for an instant that gives target creature -X/-X where X is equal to the number of cards in your hand.  First off, the artwork on this is super cool as Ashiok has clearly done awful things to the poor dude in the picture. The ability is good in limited where you will likely have cards in hand because the format is a little slower and could quite seriously take out a big creature or two.  You’ll consider this one as being a solid removal spell.