Hello! Welcome to my set review of March of the Machine, where I will pick five cards of each colour and discuss my favourite cards from them.
Given that March of the Machine (aka MOM) also comes out with a set of preconstructed Commander decks, I’ll also be covering my favourite new cards from there in another article.
Without further ado, here are my favourite Red cards!
This is one of the most busted cards in the set. Three green pips keeps it solidly in green, but wow what a card. Tendershoot Dryad with the city’s blessing gives you a card every turn. There are already infinite combos with this and persist creatures. The most egregious of these combos is Kitchen Finks, Tribute to the World Tree, and a sacrifice outlet like Phyrexian Altar, Altar of Dementia, or Ashnod’s Altar.
With Finks entering, you draw a card and gain 2 life. Sacrifice it to Phyrexian or Ashnod’s Altar for mana. Persist triggers. Kitchen Finks returns as a 2/2 triggering Tribute to the World Tree, adding +1/+1 counters, thus removing the -1/-1 counter and allowing for Persist again. You gain two life. Sacrifice to an altar of your choice to repeat the cycle. Infinite mana, infinite mill. This works with persist creatures with power 3 or less. Just a crazy card that’s going to do a lot of wild stuff. Keep a copy in a binder, you might need it.
Hello, new Chromatic Lantern! I love the mana fixing on this card, but the real fun comes from its abilities. The +1 doesn’t untap the land, notably, but a 3/3 with vigilance, hexproof, and haste is a fine attacker or defender. The -2 fills your graveyard for a Muldrotha deck and pops a permanent among them to hand. The real spice is the restriction free emblem of playing lands and permanent spells from your graveyard. Wowee, this makes me want to build something green for the first time in a long time. Yes, it’s silly to evaluate based on an ultimate, but come on, live a little!
Ogre Battledriver is a solid card in red. For green to get a similar card in the command zone that changes the two point buff to a counter when green has plenty of Hardened Scales effects, that’s crazy powerful. Giving board wide trample to your creatures is also very strong on a beefy 6/5 body. In terms of in the 99, Surrak and Goreclaw just care about you playing non token creatures and similar to Tribute to the World Tree play really well with Persist. Cauldron of Souls, a sacrifice outlet, and an ETB creature that uncaps an artifact will create loops for days!
Kami of Whispered Hopes is one of two Hardened Scales effects in the set, but this one is a mana dork too. Ozolith plays nice with its second ability and if you need to cycle it away, that’s a great option to have. Ozolith’s a far cry from its first appearance, that’s for sure, but knowing how strong Hardened Scales is, these two cards are more value on a single card. They also cascade in mana value. These are worth highlighting for the simple fact that this effect is powerful but also extremely popular.
Fine. He made it to the top. Does Vorinclex fully deserve to be in the top cards of the set, maybe. ETB tutor for two Forests to hand on a five drop is… underwhelming. Having a 6/6 trample, reach body can deter attacks or allow you to get through and that’s nice. The flip side is where it’s at and truly, that first chapter is what’s worth repeating so get your Hex Parasites ready because we’re going hunting. Mill ten and pick up to two creatures from the pile to pop into play right away? Yeah, bud, it’s a narrow and less powerful Tooth and Nail, but it adds some excitement. Will they whiff? Will them get the perfect combo? Flip the ten!
Second chapter is fine especially with Doubling Season or the aforementioned Hardened Scales effects. The final chapter is kind of… hmm. It’s not quite a board wipe. It allows you to be strategic about using your creatures to fight threats and you’ll have a 6/6 to sling around at least. My least fave Praetor of the bunch and knowing my luck, I’m going to open several and none of the ones I like.
Honourable Mentions
- Invasion of Shandalar // Leyline Surge – Three Regrowths for permanents on ETB that turns into a free permanent into play at upkeep. Unbelievable and powerful, but also so open ended that it’s hard to say much more.
- Ancient Imperiosaur – Big dino can be a 20/20 for “free” by tapping seven creatures. Dinosaur!
- Deeproot Wayfinder – This combat damage trigger is fantastic and great for self-mill decks or land decks or decks with fetches.
- Doomskar Warrior – This can dig pretty deal into the top of your library but giving this ability to a bigger creature can dig even further. Hydra decks are going to love this mechanic.
- Glistening Dawn – You get two big Incubate tokens. This is just fine, but counters decks, keep an eye out.
- Invasion of Ikoria // Zilortha, Apex of Ikoria – A worse Finale of Devastation that becomes an 8/8 who says your creatures can force damage through like Thorn Elemental.
- Invasion of Zendikar // Awakened Skyclave – Is there any reason to play Explosive Vegetation anymore? Flip it and get a chromatic land. Blink it and keep getting basics. Win, win.
- Ruins Recluse – New Spider with a mana sink for all you Spider lovers.
- Storm the Seedcore – This card is just fine but that art is some of the most beautiful art this game has seen.
- Tandem Takedown – This is insane. One of the best bite spells.
- Cosmic Hunger – Another solid bite spell that adds eligible targets and also tells us KOMA IS DEAD WITHOUT SHOWING US?!?!?!
- Portent Tracker – This is sneaky good. Keep an eye on this. Anything that says untap target land in decks with Cabal Coffers or Maze of Ith is worth a second look. This also has added utility against battles. This is probably the best green common by a long shot.
- Wary Thespian – ETB and death surveil 1 is solid as is, but this is a kitty Cat! We love to see it.
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