Subject: exodus cards Date: Mon, 15 Jun 1998 17:20:19 GMT From: andy@mcnish.demon.co.uk (andy mcnish) To: Frank Kusumoto finally had a chance post-nationals to have a longer look at the exodus spoiler here are my picks * means interesting ** means meta-game changing Black *carnophage B 2/2 zombie pay 1 life of tap carnophage during your upkeep suicide black boost... * keeper of the dead BB 1/2 B,T to destoy target non-black critter if opponent has 2 or more fewer cards in their graveyard (one thing black decks can do easily is put stuff into their yard and remove stuff from their opponents') * oath of ghouls 1B enchantment each player (if they have more critters in their yard than their opponent) may return a critter to their hand from yard during upkeep in creature-heavy decks with limited removal (or bounce removal) or as bord vs creatureless decks (especially nice with thrull surgeon vs a creatureless deck) * plague bearer 1B 1/1 (zombie) XXB: destroy target non-black critter with X casting cost non-tap ability mana birds for 3 mana most weenies/walls for 5 counts as zombie for sarcomancy/carnophage decks *thrull surgeon 1B 1/1 1B: sac for coercion effect (play as sorcery) a 4cc coercion that's also a critter and therefore can be strongholded/oath of ghouled/corpse danced etc. Blue * curiosity U enchant critter if enchanted critter damages opponent, you may draw a card slow deck:'gee i can cast this on my rainbow' fast deck: ' gee i can cast this on my spindrift' *dominating licid 1UU 1/1 1UU licid becomes enchantment gain control of target critter. pay U to end allure is looking more vulnerable than ever to bounce so this may not be such a bad alternative ** equilibrium enchantment 1UU whenever you successfully cast a critter spell you may pay 1 to return target critter to owner's hand (ie pay 1 extra mana to turn any critter cast into man-o-war:) big timing question here can it bounce itself ?? if so it's close to broken (a man-o-war and 4 mana is a soft anti-critter lock) and a broken wall is a 3 point whispers... the first of the stronghold power cards black (and to a lesser extent red green and white) critter decks will have a hell of a time keeping anything on the table against a bouncy blue merfolk (or whatever) untargettable critters just got a lot better (hey slivers :):) *ertai wizard adept legend 2U 1/1 2UU T, counter target spell another soft-lock card...hard with a sceptre and 7 mana or just a pit out... *keeper of the mind wizard UU 1/2 U,T draw a card only if your opponent has 2+ cards more than you in hand (not so good vs firestorm decks) but can you say 'bouncy blue merfolk' - everything 1 or 2 except 4 men-o-wars and 3 eqilibriums :) or tradewind rider decks of course * mana breach 2U enchantment whenever any player plays a spell , that player returns a land he controls to owner's hand play in weenie decks ? other uses ? * merfolk looter 1U 1/1 T: draw and card then choose and discard a card always useful in a fish deck you'd expect * robe of mirrors U enchant critter critter can't be target of spells or abilities can someone remind me if this is the same as 'spells or effects' ? anyway fox can stick it on his hermit druid and it might live long enough to get the combo off :):) * rootwater mystic merfolk U 1/1 1U: look at top card of target player's library (another useful fish) green hah - wotc's vendetta vs green continues ('hmm let's see ' green is the colour of critters so we won't let it have any removal and then we'll shaft it for 2 years by making perish splashable') although it does have to be said that chris manners won the UK championships yesterday with the worst card in magic in his deck (that's a forest btw :) * elvish beserker elf G 1/1 for each critter blocking it,eb gets +1/+1 until end of turn ok mechanic for weenie beatdown * mirri , cat warrior legend 1GG 2/3 first strike forestwalk doesn't tap to attack the much vaunted 'really good critter' hmm.. well it's not bad at all (forestwalk is hardly devastasting but at least it's got the 1st strike and non-tap - which are great abilities )- but why on earth make it a legend ?? and of course it's not perish or bounce proof [just take time out for my suggested green critter 'almost a usable green creature' 1GG 2/3 AAUGC can't be the target of spells or effects. if a black spell or effect puts AAUGC into the graveyard from play, it returns to play at the end of the turn] * skyshroud elite G elf 1/1 se gets +1/+2 as long as oppopent controls a non-basic land (the fixed kird ape) this is nice depending on meta -game almost a must in pure mono speed green i think (even the other mono-decks will have wastelands) ** survival of the fittest enchantment 1G G,discard a critter card:search library for a critter card, show it and put it in your hand. shuffle library should see play - much better than worldy tutor in a critter heavy deck- and it's a shuffling engine of course as it's about the best green card in the expansion they've made it splashable so you don't actually have to play green critters with it :):) red *pandemonium enchantment 3R whenever a creature comes into play that creature's controller may do damage equal to that creature's power to target creature or player ouch - obviously in a mogg flunky deck va a creature-light one this will be nasty - as to how much play it actually will see i'm not so sure splashable though so someone will likely find a use for it ('meet man-o-war - my 2 point re-usable bolt 'etc. ) **price of progress instant 1R deal 2 damage to target player for each non-basic land he/she controls and they made it an instant ! this is metagame changing - it is likely to encourage more mono-decks and/or non-land mana.... * raging goblin R 1/1 no summoning sickness 1/1 goblin + celerity for 1 mana ? it's a deal :) *seismic assault enchantment RRR choose and discard a land card: deal 2 damage to target critter or player very card efficient mid/late -game * shattering pulse instant 1R buyback -3 life destroy target artifact a priori better than shatter (which was ok in the first place) * sonic burst instant 1R discard a card ar random: sonic burst deals 4 damage to target player or critter question - i assume you can only use this if you have a card to throw? - much talked about but i'd be surprised to see many in mono-red decks until fireblast is gone.... * spellshock enchantment 2R whenever a player sucessfully casts a spell spellshock deals 2 damage to that player... another useful enchantment and splashable white ** cataclysm sorcery 2WW each player chooses and artifact, creature, enchantment and land they control. sac the rest. !!!! the mind boggles how this could effect the T2 environment and what deck archetypes will emerge to take advatange of it it looks playable in WW and maro-geddon for sure.... * paladin en vec knight 1WW 2/2 first strike prot. black; prot. red en-kor deck anyone :) * peace of mind enchantment 1W W - choose and discard a card: gain 3 life i know that the keeper and reaping the rewards have attracted more attention, but i still think this is the best lifegainer in the set for the slower control decks - they usually have card advantage by mid-game anyway (and have paid for it in life) it's not a tap effect, and it's only one W to use - and 3 life/card looks like a good deal to me... *soltari visionary cleric 1WW 2/2 shadow if soltari visionary damages any player destroy target enchantment that player controls given how good some enchantments are in this set (and that the visionary has shadow, 2 toughness and still deals the damage) this is fantastic value (far better than mirri i'd say) not so long ago white didn't have any decent critters for 3 mana now it's got: orim champion en-vec visionary the only problem is which ones to put in your deck.. :) * soul warden cleric W 1/1 whenever any other critter comes into play gain 1 life again nice 1cc for WW -esp vs other weenie rush decks... white now has foot soldier, nomad en kor and this for 1cc in 2cc it has white knight, warrior en kor and longbow for 3cc see above * treasure hunter 2W 2/2 when comes into play return target artifact card from graveyard to hand a 187 ' go get my scroll/diamond/disk/whatever' * welkin hawks 1W 1/1 flying if wh is put into graveyard from play, search library for a wh card -reveal to all players and put into hand. shuffle library remember their first attempt at a canrtip 1/1 flyer ? didn't it cost 4?? this is nice (esp with shuffle) and it gets round mass removal (why can't green have stuff like this to get round perish?) but i don't know how much play it will see with so many other good WW around.. artifacts *erratic portal 4 1, T : return target critter to it's owners's hand unless it's owner pays 1 this is good as you can use it to save/bounce one of your own critters for 1 mana * null brooch 4 2, T discard your hand: counter target non-creature spell (interrupt) sting in a very narrow way - ie as combo with ensnaring bridge- horrid in a pox deck though * sphere of resistance 2 all spells cost 1 more to cast opposite to the last so broad in its effects some decks must find a use for it land destruction springs to mind first i think... that's about it - i've just picked out one's i saw and thought 'ah' not a bad set though now i need to get some cards...... later andymac