[Discussion] Darksteel in Type 1

[Bastian]

Soooo, a new set has come out, it's time to figure out which cards make the cut or not.

Arcbound Reclaimer -  4
Artifact Creature - Golem (R)
Modular 2 (This comes into play with two +1/+1 counters on it. When it's put into the graveyard, you may put its +1/+1 counters on target artifact creature)
Remove a +1/+1 counter from Arcbound Reclaimer: Put target artifact card from your graveyard on top of your library.
0/0
Illus. John Foster
101/165

May be good in TNT decks, or MUD. It can bring back more artifacts from the graveyard to your hand so you can cast it and it can welded back into play after it dies.

Eater of Days -  4
Artifact Creature - Leviathan (R)
Flying, trample
When Eater of Days comes into play, you skip your next two turns.
When Mirrodin's varied civilizations developed ways to fight the levelers, Memnarch upped the stakes.
9/8
Illus. Mark Tedin
120/165

Definitly better than Leveler was. Can it find a place in MUD decks? Remember that it can come into play and ending up being plowed which means your opponent gains three turns and you just get 9 life in exchange.

Juggernaut
Yeah, so it's another reprint, but at least TNT decks get the chance to use a prettier Juggernaut than the original one. I never liked the original art:(

Last Word -  2UU
Instant (R)
Last Word can't be countered by spell or abilities.
Counter target spell.
"Someday, someone will best me. But it won't be today, and it won't be you."
Illus. Scott M. Fischer
23/165

If this cost at least 1 less mana I bet it would see a lot more play. As it is Pyroblasts/REBs are probably better choices.

Memnarch -  7
Artifact Creature - Wizard Legend (R)
1UU: Target permanent becomes an artifact in addition to its other types. (This effect doesn't end at end of turn.)
3U: Gain control of target artifact. (This effect doesn't end at end of turn.)
"In the blur between metal and flesh, Memnarch found madness."
4/5
Illus. Carl Critchlow
129/165

Panoptic Mirror -  5
Artifact
Imprint -- X, T: You may remove an instant or sorcery card with converted mana cost X in your hand from the game. (That card is imprinted on this artifact.)
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may copy an imprinted instant or sorcery card and play the copy without paying its mana cost.
136/165

Super Scepter can imprint more than a single spell. You can imprint an ancestral, orim's chant, disenchant, time walk, etc... each a turn and repeat its effect during each upkeep. The question is if by the time you're playing the mirror you shouldn't already be winning or you wouldn't prefer something else?
Imprinting a t-walk means you win the game, but scepter is probably a better choice... If it imprints Ancestral Recall you've basically won the game and you can always imprint a counterspell or a disenchant.
Verdict: it's a win more card. The scepter is still far far better...

Pristine Angel -  4WW
Creature - Angel (R)
Flying
As long as Pristine Angel is untapped, it has protection from all colors and from artifacts.
Whenever you play a spell, untap Pristine Angel.
4/4
9/165

Retract -  U
Instant (R)
Return all artifacts you control to owners' hands.
32/165

As someone said in MTGNews this is like a mini yawgmoth's will for artifacts. You get to return all your artifacts back to hand and replay them for more mana. Doing so means more mana and more spells count for storm effects. Combo anyone?

Slobad, Goblin Tinkerer -  1R
Creature - Goblin Artificer Legend (R)
Sacrifice an artifact: Target artifact becomes indestructible until end of turn.
"I used to joke that he had been exiled for being too smart. Now I know why he never laughed."
- Glissa Sunseeker
1/2
Illus. Kev Walker
69/165

This would be good in TNT decks if Goblin Welder wasn't already there. What's the need of making an artifact undestructable if you can just weld it back into play?

Sundering Titan -  8
Artifact Creature (R)
When Sundering Titan comes into play, choose a land of each basic land type, then destroy those lands.
When Sundering Titan leaves play, choose a land of each basic land type, then destroy those lands.
7/10
146/165

Sundering Titan does not only give a huge creature but it can also destroy several dual lands each time, once it comes into play and when it's put back into the graveyard.

Test of Faith -  1W
Instant (U)
Prevent the next 3 damage that would be dealt to target creature this turn, and put a +1/+1 counter on that creature for each 1 damage prevented this way.
17/165

Probably the best white card of the set. Another good card for WW decks (which are needing it so much).

Trinisphere -  3
Artifact (R)
As long as Trinisphere is untapped, each spell that would cost less than three mana to play costs three mana to play. (Additional mana in the cost may be paid with any color of mana or colorless mana. For example, a spell that would cost  to play costs  to play instead.)
154/165

The card with the greatest impact in type 1, this will probably see play in MUD, not as a replacement for spheres of resistance but as an addition to the already used spheres. Although its ability is shut off if it's tapped it also affects the costs of pitching effects like Force of Will, Gush, etc...

Viridian Zealot -  GG
Creature - Elf (R)
1G, Sacrifice Tel-Jilad Zealot: Destroy target artifact or enchantment.
2/1
"I will fight only the way nature intended -- and nature intended us to win."
90/165
 
A great addition to green decks. Stompy and Oshawa Stompy only benefit from the zealot! It can also use its ability the turn it comes into play!

Wand of the Elements -  4
Artifact (R)
T, Sacrifice an Island: Put a 2/2 blue Elemental creature token with flying into play.
T, Sacrifice a Mountain: Put a 3/3 R Elemental creature token into play.
158/165

Wand of the elements can benefit from the wide use of duals in play. Unlike the cycling ability of Decree of Justice the wand can be countered but it can also be used off mana drain. It doesn't cost mana to make the tokens and they're bigger than the soldier tokens that goblin trenches or decree make. This card will probably see play in Keeper or even perhaps in monoblue decks.

Discuss and add further comments you find fit.

[jpmeyer]

I don't think Last Word should be discounted in control decks for the mirror.  Each control deck has a bunch of spells (Will, Twist, Balance, etc.) that simply win the game for it.  Last Will stops every single one of those except Decree of Justice, which is why I think it's interesting as a one-of either main or in the board to Wish for.

[Hyperion]

Cards that will definitely see play:

Trinisphere
Viridian Zealot
Oxidize

Green is the only color with cards that I would bet money on seeing play.

Cards that might see play:

Sundering Titan - TNT already has a bunch of expensive artifact creatures with potentially gamebreaking abilities at its disposal, and here's another one!

Serum Powder - 3  
Artifact
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
Any time you could mulligan and Serum Powder is in your hand, you may remove your hand from the game, then draw that many cards. (You can do this in addition to taking mulligans.)

I haven't tested this yet but I imagine this is on everyone's mind as an inclusion in combo decks that may be prone to inconsistency.

Geth's Grimoire -  4
Artifact
Whenever an opponent discards a card you may draw a card.

SB card for a Madness-heavy metagame  .

If Darksteel Gargoyle had an extra P/T on it, I would bet on it being played, but at 3/3 it's not big enough to justify playing something that can't realistically be hardcasted.

Darksteel Gargoyle - 7
Creature - Gargoyle
Flying
Indestructible
3/3

[Smmenen]

Mirrodin dropped so many bombs into our laps that its going to be very difficult to reach that kind of level of use.

In particular, there are far more specialized cards and no Glimmervoids or Thirsts for Knowledge - so the amount of Darksteel cards used from this set is going to be unsurprisingly narrow.

That voltaic construct may have applications.

Steve

[MuzzonoAmi]

I think Arcbound Bruiser, Arcbound Slith, Arcbound Crusher, and Arcbound Overseer show some potential as well. Likely in a TnT or Stacker-type deck. Though they could also give rise to a more aggressive artifact archetype than we've seen before.

[Dr. Sylvan]

If even ten different Darksteel cards showed up in Top 8s over the next couple of months, it would be above the median for all sets. If eight showed up, it would have a higher percentage than Mirrodin. Will it?

White: Nothing, of course.
Blue: Last Word, Retract
Black: Scrounge? (doubtful)
Red: Shunt? (doubtful)
Green: Oxidize, Viridian Zealot
Artifact: Arcbound Slith?, Darksteel Brute?, Trinisphere

Anywhere from five to nine cards will see Top 8 berths is my prediction. Go forth and prove me wrong.

[Dante]

I think Arcbound Bruiser, Arcbound Slith, Arcbound Crusher, and Arcbound Overseer show some potential as well. Likely in a TnT or Stacker-type deck. Though they could also give rise to a more aggressive artifact archetype than we've seen before.

Arcbound Ravager will be interesting to test as well and would generally be the base of any modular type deck..

Arcbound Ravager -  2
Artifact Creature (R)
Sacrifice an artifact: Put a +1/+1 counter on Arcbound Ravager.
Modular 1 (This comes into play with a +1/+1 counter on it. When it's put into a graveyard, you may put its +1/+1 counters on target artifact
creature.)

[MuzzonoAmi]

Hmm....

I competely forgot that you can sac the Ravager to its own ability until you posted that. Modular now looks better than ever..

[Dante]

Hmm....

I competely forgot that you can sac the Ravager to its own ability until you posted that. Modular now looks better than ever..

Right.  Also, it gives +1/+1 when a modular artifact is going to be destroyed instead of the usual number of counters.  (What I mean is that if a modular creature with 3 counters is going to be destroyed, you just sack it to the ravager and get the 3 counters, plus the +1/+1 counter for saccing.)

[rozetta]

The Arcbound mechanic might combo nicely with either the new jade statue (darksteel brute) or mishra's factory/new flying mishra's factory. The arcbound slith is another cheaper one, although a 1/1 for 2 mana isn't brilliant. For total Timmy value, Arcbound Ravager + Pentavus + Welder + shite loads of mana = fun times.

Skullclamp is getting a lot of press for type 2 discussions, but drawing 2 cards for 1 mana + random token creature isn't bad. However, I can't really think of a deck in Type 1 where this would be useful except maybe fish, but then the effect is sorcery speed, so scratch that one too. And timmy value goes to yet another combo with our friend the Pentavus, and perhaps with something like Verdant Force or Sacred Mesa.

[Matt]

Æther Vial is a way to let old-style "mana line" decks like sligh and stompy get around Chalice, if you're playing first. Could see sideboard use. Could hypothetically see use in WW, where the default Chalice isn't at 1.