Zendikar Top 5
Posted by gatch | Labels: Magic: the Gathering | Posted On Monday, October 19, 2009 at 1:52 PM
A couple of weeks after the global release of Zendikar, Magic players all over the world are scrambling to get their hands on the hottest rares, full art lands, and the sleeper cards that lie dormant, waiting to be broken. Right after a rotation it is vital for a competitive player to know what cards to grab now and what to trade away while they still have some value, and with the shortage in printed product we can expect the prices to skyrocket once the metagame is established.
So without further ado, here's what I think will be solid gold.
My Top Five Money Cards:
#5 : Mindbreak Trap - This actually has more value outside of standard, but value it does have nonetheless. No more uncounterable nonsense says the blue mage.
#4 : Ob Nixilis the Fallen - Not often does a legend work as a four-of in the combo deck where it belongs. Best played turn 6 followed by a fetch land drop. BOOM.
#3 : Day of Judgment - Its not Wrath, but its what we have. Get four.
#2 : Lotus Cobra - The "Lotus" in the name is indicative of high value. Seriously, this will be awesome.
#1 : Fetch Lands - No surprise here. Used in every format. You want playsets of these..and you want them yesterday.
My Top Five Uncommons:
#5 : Quest for the Gravelord - I expect this to be in every black based aggro deck as an answer to board sweepers.
#4 : Unstable Footing - 5 mana for 5 damage to the face that can't be prevented. at instant speed. What banefire?
#3 : Gatekeeper of Malakir - Board advantage anyone? Who says black cant handle Great Sable Stag?
#2 : Vampire Nighthawk - 3 mana for a 2/3 flyer with lifelink & deathtouch? Any deck with a hint of black will want this.
#1 : Brave the Elements - This is Burrenton Forge-Tender 2.0. It also lets you get a free swing that can end the game.
My Top Five Sleeper Cards
(these are cards I think are undervalued at the moment, and getting them now will be a good investment)
#5 : Nissa Revane - I like Nissa, even though a lot of people think running her in a deck would be like marrying a single mom with four kids. Nissa and her chosen may be narrow, but so was ajani goldmane, and he saw play with the little white men. There are already a number of elves that work great with her ultimate: Bloodbraid elf and ElvishArchdruid to name a few. I'll get a playset of her now while she's dirt cheap, just in case the next expansion carriesanother bomb of the elven kind.
#4 : Chandra Ablaze - This planeswalker is just waiting for the right deck, but I think people are seeing it already.Both + and - abilities work great for a burn heavy deck. Big red should want at least one copy for her game endingultimate.
#3 : Bloodchief Ascension - I watched this card jump from a crap rare to a chase rare in a span of one week. I mean come on, like getting 2 damage in a turn would be difficult for an aggro/burn heavy deck? Once online, sit back and watch your opponent take it from his own spells. Or end his agony with a couple of blightnings, or an Archive trap for the win.
#2 : Luminarch Ascension - This will eat control decks for breakfast. Drop this on turn two and watch your opponent make bad plays and over commit to the board trying to stop the inevitable from happening. In a deck that limits your opponents creatures from getting in for damage, Luminarch Ascension will be as threatening as Bitterblossom was in the last standard. But since it's white and will only fit into a few decks, I have to award number one sleeper to...
#1 : Eldrazi Monument - It makes your guys bigger, gives them wings, and renders them indestructible the turn it comes into play. This will pull wins out of nowhere! Iv'e been running one in my soldier control deck and it has yet to disappoint. In fact I don't remember ever losing a test game after landing this on the board. Being colorless and costed below 6 mana means it should fit into almost any aggressive deck in the format. I wouldn't run 4 though, maybe somewhere around 2-3 is the right number. Simply put, in an aggro vs aggro matchup (which I predict will be 80% of the metagame), the player who runs Eldrazi Monument will have an edge. Trade away an ajani goldmane for a couple of these now and your soldier tokens will never be happier.
Next time i'll be featuring a Planeswalker control deck that I managed to pilot to 1st place at a local standard event.
So without further ado, here's what I think will be solid gold.
My Top Five Money Cards:
#5 : Mindbreak Trap - This actually has more value outside of standard, but value it does have nonetheless. No more uncounterable nonsense says the blue mage.
#4 : Ob Nixilis the Fallen - Not often does a legend work as a four-of in the combo deck where it belongs. Best played turn 6 followed by a fetch land drop. BOOM.
#3 : Day of Judgment - Its not Wrath, but its what we have. Get four.
#2 : Lotus Cobra - The "Lotus" in the name is indicative of high value. Seriously, this will be awesome.
#1 : Fetch Lands - No surprise here. Used in every format. You want playsets of these..and you want them yesterday.
My Top Five Uncommons:
#5 : Quest for the Gravelord - I expect this to be in every black based aggro deck as an answer to board sweepers.
#4 : Unstable Footing - 5 mana for 5 damage to the face that can't be prevented. at instant speed. What banefire?
#3 : Gatekeeper of Malakir - Board advantage anyone? Who says black cant handle Great Sable Stag?
#2 : Vampire Nighthawk - 3 mana for a 2/3 flyer with lifelink & deathtouch? Any deck with a hint of black will want this.
#1 : Brave the Elements - This is Burrenton Forge-Tender 2.0. It also lets you get a free swing that can end the game.
My Top Five Sleeper Cards
(these are cards I think are undervalued at the moment, and getting them now will be a good investment)
#5 : Nissa Revane - I like Nissa, even though a lot of people think running her in a deck would be like marrying a single mom with four kids. Nissa and her chosen may be narrow, but so was ajani goldmane, and he saw play with the little white men. There are already a number of elves that work great with her ultimate: Bloodbraid elf and ElvishArchdruid to name a few. I'll get a playset of her now while she's dirt cheap, just in case the next expansion carriesanother bomb of the elven kind.
#4 : Chandra Ablaze - This planeswalker is just waiting for the right deck, but I think people are seeing it already.Both + and - abilities work great for a burn heavy deck. Big red should want at least one copy for her game endingultimate.
#3 : Bloodchief Ascension - I watched this card jump from a crap rare to a chase rare in a span of one week. I mean come on, like getting 2 damage in a turn would be difficult for an aggro/burn heavy deck? Once online, sit back and watch your opponent take it from his own spells. Or end his agony with a couple of blightnings, or an Archive trap for the win.
#2 : Luminarch Ascension - This will eat control decks for breakfast. Drop this on turn two and watch your opponent make bad plays and over commit to the board trying to stop the inevitable from happening. In a deck that limits your opponents creatures from getting in for damage, Luminarch Ascension will be as threatening as Bitterblossom was in the last standard. But since it's white and will only fit into a few decks, I have to award number one sleeper to...
#1 : Eldrazi Monument - It makes your guys bigger, gives them wings, and renders them indestructible the turn it comes into play. This will pull wins out of nowhere! Iv'e been running one in my soldier control deck and it has yet to disappoint. In fact I don't remember ever losing a test game after landing this on the board. Being colorless and costed below 6 mana means it should fit into almost any aggressive deck in the format. I wouldn't run 4 though, maybe somewhere around 2-3 is the right number. Simply put, in an aggro vs aggro matchup (which I predict will be 80% of the metagame), the player who runs Eldrazi Monument will have an edge. Trade away an ajani goldmane for a couple of these now and your soldier tokens will never be happier.
Next time i'll be featuring a Planeswalker control deck that I managed to pilot to 1st place at a local standard event.
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