The eye is still watching: New Phyrexia

[BruiZar]

A quick rundown of my first picks of the set.

Mental Misstep - Card is good Get foils because they will be worth 40 euros each

Birthing Pod - card is good

Phyrexian Metamorph - Great card in a lot of formats. Super versatile, nice cost

Batterskull - One of the best cards of the set. This thing is gonna push Stoneforge Mystic over the top in standard and I can also see this being played in legacy. You can't remove it and the life gain is tremendous. Its mythic so i think this is going to be more expensive than that shitty Karn we got.

Gitaxian Probe - This card is good


Less interesting:

Sword of War and Peace - the colors make it decent. I'm sure this thing will prove its worth, its not what we hoped but its probably good enough

Dismember - 1 colorless mana answer to big creatures. Could see some play in colors that are lacking removal.

Surge Node - Best proliferate card yet. Not sure where this goes but it has potential

Torpor Orb - Not too exciting, but hunted horror/dreadnaught/stifle will like this in legacy.

Puresteel Paladin - I can't help but like this card. Drawing cards for equipments and being able to equip for free is great. Will probably not see tons of play but the powerlevel is great.

Hex Parasite - Utility creature like last set's 2CC needle-on-a-stick

Surgical Extraction - We already have Extirpate so the effect is nothing new, but phyrexian mana is better than split second

Moltensteel Dragon - It's not really an elegant card, but I like it nonetheless. The thing has a lot of reach for cheap. Perhaps in life.dec or some soulsisters build in non-vintage formats

Beast Within - Not the set's greatest card, but still a solid removal spell, especially for oath.

[Troy_Costisick]

Hex Parasite - Utility creature like last set's 2CC needle-on-a-stick

This is one I'm really excited about in Dark Times.

[Diakonov]

Birthing Pod - card is good

Yes.  I have been trying very hard to break this ever since they spoiled it.  I can't seem to find the right string of creatures to Birth into, but I'm convinced that it involves Pestermite and Reveillark.

Also, it can do some nasty things in Affinity.  Myr Enforcer --> Go!

[Delha]

I can't seem to find the right string of creatures to Birth into, but I'm convinced that it involves Pestermite and Reveillark.

Clearly, it should be Scornful Egotist into Teeka's Dragon.

A little more seriously, I like the idea of a recursion-toolbox setup.
4: Vine Dryad
5: Acidic Slime, Keldon Firebombers
6: Yosei/Kokusho/Keiga, Crater Hellion
7: Sheoldred, Angel of Despair, Platinum Angel
8: Sundering Titan/Terastodon/Woodfall Primus, Empyrial Archangel/Platinum Empyrion
9: Reya Dawnbringer/Artisan of Kolizek, Iona

Cute, but not necessarily great:

• Deranged Hermit -> Kamahl
• Clone Shell
• Emrakul's Hatcher -> Predator Dragon/Tar Fiend
• Abyssal Persecutor
• Protean Hulk

[TopSecret]

I think Birthing Pod is ridiculous as a card.
As far as Vintage goes, I think it has potential. It could be interesting in a very twisted build of Workshop aggro.
Metalworker into Birthing Pod into Lodestone, next turn Swing, into Precursor Golem, then next turn beat face, then switch into Hellkite for cleanup, keep the tokens, and next turn ramp again after blowing shit up (or finding Welder by sacrificing tokens).

Point being, the shenanigans with this card could be really, really epic.

[BruiZar]

Watch out for Andy's article next week. I preordered my foil pods and I suggest you do the same..

[BruiZar]

I think Blade Splicer is incredibly underpriced at the moment. its at 2 bucks but i think 6 at least should be more fair.

Sword of War and Peace at 25$ is a rip off
Phyrexian Obliterator at 25$ is even worse
Karn at 50$ is too much too

The presale for this set is too expensive. The set can't carry as much value as SCG is rating the cards at. Birthing Pod is still underpriced at SCG.

[TopSecret]

I think Blade Splicer is incredibly underpriced at the moment. its at 2 bucks but i think 6 at least should be more fair.

The presale for this set is too expensive. The set can't carry as much value as SCG is rating the cards at. Birthing Pod is still underpriced at SCG.

I'm not sure Blade Splicer is gonna be that much. It is a 4/4 for three, with first strike which is quite good.
But I don't know what it'll be put in besides like metacraft or something (unless Golem.dec ends up being good),
so I'm not really sure if it's overrpriced right now.
But yeah, it's pretty possible most of the presells are overpriced. There's been a lot of speculation recently. It'll be interesting to see how it pans out.

[BruiZar]

I think blade splicer is an incredible equipment carrier. You can equip a 3/3 first strike (first strike on an equipped creature is already powerful), and when it dies, equip the 1/1. Squadron Hawk costs 1W per flying body though.

I expect it to be pretty strong in standard and definitely worth more than 2$

[BruiZar]

I think this is my favorite card of the set.

Surely, this is not an eternal staple but it´s such a powerful and undercosted card in the common slot. For 1 colorless mana you can have a flying/lifelink creature. It even gets back your phyrexian mana cost. Vampire nighthawk has deathtouch and +1/+2 for 2 mana extra and that was a card that was played a lot.

Flying and lifelink just begs for equipment. I think it would go great together with Stoneforge Mystic (What doesn´t)

[Wagner]

Vampire nighthawk could trade with pretty much anything, making it hard to 2 for 1 it.

This guy dies to everything. Pretty much all creatures are good equipment carriers. Memnite is probably better than this guy for this role if you just want t cheap creature.

[policehq]

I think this is my favorite card of the set.

Surely, this is not an eternal staple but it´s such a powerful and undercosted card in the common slot. For 1 colorless mana you can have a flying/lifelink creature. It even gets back your phyrexian mana cost. Vampire nighthawk has deathtouch and +1/+2 for 2 mana extra and that was a card that was played a lot.

Flying and lifelink just begs for equipment. I think it would go great together with Stoneforge Mystic (What doesn´t)

This + Mourning Thrull + Hatred deck!

At the very least, it's another cheap creature with evasion to be equipped with Cranial Plating.

[BruiZar]

Yeah, Arcbound Ravager is gonna love this too!

[Delha]

This guy dies to everything. Pretty much all creatures are good equipment carriers. Memnite is probably better than this guy for this role if you just want t cheap creature.

I disagree with this. Yes, most creatures can carry a Jitte, but a Boros Swiftblade will do so far better than say a vanilla 5/5 (which also probably cost you 2-3 times as much as the Swiftblade).

Creatures like this have always let you pack in a lot of abilities at a given cost because of their low power, and with combat abilities almost invariably scale better than vanilla beaters. T1 Savannah Lions -> T2 Bonesplitter is cute but easily traded with. On the other hand, T1 Auriok Glaivemaster -> T2 Bonesplitter is probably impossible for most decks to remove via combat until the midgame.

[MaximumCDawg]

I think I'm the only one who likes this dude because he plays nice with Skittering Skirge, inasmuch as he comes down t1 allowing you to play your t2 3/2 without worrying about him detonating out of jealosy when you cast another creature. 

In seriousness, while this is not a bomb by any means, this is the best 1/1 flier for 1 printed so far.  I did a quick gatherer search for natural fliers (thus ignoring Baloon Brigade, Putrid Imp, and other creatures that only sometimes fly) that cost 1, and here's what pops up.

Brass Gnat - Brass Untap drawback

Cloud Pirates / Cloud Sprite / Nightshade Stinger - No-blocking drawback

Shrieking Drake - Bounce drawback

Thought Nibbler - Hand size drawback

Flying Men / Lantern Kami / Scryb Sprites / Suntail Hawk / Zephyr Sprite - Totally vanilla

In other words, a 1/1 flying lifelink is heads and tails above every other flier for its cost.  That is why good card is good, and why you'll see it played somewhere.  Anyone who wants a flying weenie will now have to have a good reason not to choose this dude.

[nataz]

putrid imp

[TorpidNinja]

I think I'm the only one who likes this dude because he plays nice with Skittering Skirge, inasmuch as he comes down t1 allowing you to play your t2 3/2 without worrying about him detonating out of jealosy when you cast another creature. 

In seriousness, while this is not a bomb by any means, this is the best 1/1 flier for 1 printed so far.  I did a quick gatherer search for natural fliers (thus ignoring Baloon Brigade, Putrid Imp, and other creatures that only sometimes fly) that cost 1, and here's what pops up.

MaximumCDawg qualified that out.

[Wagner]

Spindrift Drake, screw 1/1s, this guy has 2 power! Yes I did use it in a aggro blue deck years ago with Serendib and Dandan and Unstable Mutation, yes it was as bad as it sounds.

[Diakonov]

Spindrift Drake, screw 1/1s, this guy has 2 power! Yes I did use it in a aggro blue deck years ago with Serendib and Dandan and Unstable Mutation, yes it was as bad as it sounds.

I also did this

[TopSecret]

This guy dies to everything.

Everything has to die sometime.
But seriously, this thing is the fucking stone cold nuts and I am kind of surprised they printed it.
If the game goes longer than a few turns, you start gaining a significant amount of life off this guy and later he can chump block.

He's pretty much the best one mana life gain spell I've ever seen.
Could see some play in standard control decks or something.
I mean, Sakura Tribe Elder saw play. This thing can too. It's like, an everflowing chalice of lifegain. Like Sun Droplet that drain lifes the opponent and still keeps coming back for more beatings.

Really strong card if you ask me.
Maybe one of the best win conditions ever printed for a control deck that doesn't mind going all in on a one mana flyer.

[Wagner]

Maybe one of the best win conditions ever printed for a control deck that doesn't mind going all in on a one mana flyer.

Control decks are not is a hurry to win, but they also don't mind paying more for their win condition once they have the upper hand, that's win they usually play a Titan or a Baneslayer, not a card that will take 20 turns to win and force them to draw games a lot.

It's not a GOOD card, it's an ok card. Mourning Thrull is the same card, yet it saw 0 play whatsoever, and I don't think the fact that it cost 1 more has anything to do with it.

[TopSecret]

Maybe one of the best win conditions ever printed for a control deck that doesn't mind going all in on a one mana flyer.

Control decks are not is a hurry to win, but they also don't mind paying more for their win condition once they have the upper hand, that's win they usually play a Titan or a Baneslayer, not a card that will take 20 turns to win and force them to draw games a lot.

It's not a GOOD card, it's an ok card. Mourning Thrull is the same card, yet it saw 0 play whatsoever, and I don't think the fact that it cost 1 more has anything to do with it.

Not bad points. However, I think comparing the card to Mourning Thrull isn't fair at all, since one costs a mana less and can be cast off anything, and is an artifact.
The difference between tapping out and dropping something turn one and tapping out and dropping something on turn two is fairly large. But I understand if you don't agree about the applications.

[Wagner]

Maybe one of the best win conditions ever printed for a control deck that doesn't mind going all in on a one mana flyer.

Control decks are not is a hurry to win, but they also don't mind paying more for their win condition once they have the upper hand, that's win they usually play a Titan or a Baneslayer, not a card that will take 20 turns to win and force them to draw games a lot.

It's not a GOOD card, it's an ok card. Mourning Thrull is the same card, yet it saw 0 play whatsoever, and I don't think the fact that it cost 1 more has anything to do with it.

Not bad points. However, I think comparing the card to Mourning Thrull isn't fair at all, since one costs a mana less and can be cast off anything, and is an artifact.
The difference between tapping out and dropping something turn one and tapping out and dropping something on turn two is fairly large. But I understand if you don't agree about the applications.

I agree, it is a big difference if that card DOES something in the game, like put pressure (Goblin Guide) or set you up (Top), but a 1/1 lifelink, the difference between both is just really not that big a deal, you will deal 1 extra damage to the opponent and that's pretty much it.

Also, if your opponent is playing an aggressive deck with stuff like Arc Trail, he'll be more than happy for you to pay 2 life for a dude.

[BruiZar]

I pulled a sword of war and Peace today, sold it for 20 euros. One of my games went first turn skirge third turn sword into nuts.

Btw rage extractor was fucking awesome for me all day long. That thing is so great. Turns anything into value amd its good in multiples. Im not sure how fast standard is but damn rage extractor was so nice. It dealt 10-13 damage per game i saw it in.