Blue is perhaps the most played and most powerful color. And as such has fewer hidden cards to consider for regionals. But there are some.
A quick recap: this series is for rogue/casual players going to regionals. If you aren't netdecking or spending a ton of money getting new cards, this is a look at useful cards you might already have that aren't getting a lot of notice in Standard at the moment.
On the flip side, if you are netdecking, this might be the kind of cards you'll see from a rogue deck. Or give you some sideboarding ideas.
BLUE
Arcum Dagson 3U (Legendary)
2/2 Tap: Target artifact creature’s controller sacrifices it. That player may search his or her library for a noncreature artifact card, put it into play, then shuffle his or her library.
A very narrow purpose but are you playing with a number of artifact creatures plus equipment and think an Akroma's Memorial would be neat too? Look no further.
Clone 3U
0/0 As Clone comes into play, you may choose a creature in play. If you do, Clone comes into play as a copy of that creature.
You want more of a good thing? You got it. You want some of your opponent's good thing? You can get it.
When you make a copy of an object you do not copy any effects that have been applied to that object. Clone comes in as a base copy of the creature: exactly what's printed on the card.
If there are no other creatures already in play when Clone comes into play, the Clone dies.
Clone does not target so yes, you can Clone untargetable creatures.
Clone can copy a morphed creature but the copy is just a blank 2/2 with no abilities on the front or back of the card.
All comes-into-play abilities of the copied creature will trigger when the Clone comes into play.
You can Clone a Legendary creature but both that creature and the Clone go to the graveyard when Clone resolves. This can actually be very useful.
If you copy something which is temporarily a creature such as a man-land, at the end of turn the Clone quits being a creature and continues being a land just as the original card would do. Clone as mana acceleration, who knew?
You play the Clone and it goes onto the stack. When the stack clears, THEN you pick what Clone will copy. Your opponent doesn't get to do something sneaky like kill the creature you are Cloning. If he chooses to kill one creature before the Clone resolves, he can but you just choose a different creature to clone.
As a neat effect, you can Clone an Epochrasite. When the Clone leaves play, it gets the Epochrasite's suspend with three time counters. When it comes back into play, it comes back as a Clone (but sadly without the +1/+1 counters a real Epochrasite would have). Have a deck that'd really rock if only you could play eight Epochrasite? To quote Bob the Builder and Osama, "Yes We Can!"
Cursecatcher U
1/1 Sacrifice Cursecatcher: Counter target instant or sorcery spell unless its controller pays 1.
Its a counterspell creature. Counterspell creatures can be cool. Very cool. Cooler than that.
I'm not going to mention every single counterspell creature by name but they are strong. And Cursecatcher is the best.
Delay 1U
Counter target spell. If the spell is countered this way, remove it from the game with three time counters on it instead of putting it into its owner's graveyard. If it doesn't have suspend, it gains suspend.
Dream Stalker 1U
1/5 When Dream Stalker comes into play, return a permanent you control to its owner's hand.
Need a big blocker and have creatures with comes-into-play effects?
Drifter il-Dal U
2/1 Shadow
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice Drifter il-Dal unless you pay U.
Is your idea of a good time smacking around an opponent with cheap shadow creatures, Flying Men, and Unstable Mutation? Start here.
Faerie Swarm 3U
*/* Flying
Faerie Swarm's power and toughness are each equal to the number of blue permanents you control.
Fledgling Mawcor 3U
2/2 Flying
Tap: Fledgling Mawcor deals 1 damage to target creature or player.
Morph UU
Lots of 1/1 creatures in standard right now. This will pick off lots of 1/1 creatures in standard right now.
Horseshoe Crab 2U
1/3
U: Untap Horseshoe Crab.
Who doesn't like silly creature combos? I mean, besides serious players?
Take one of the tap to do damage creature enchantments (roughly in order of goodness: Arcane Teachings, Fire Whip, Power of Fire). Mix with blue mana to untap the Crab over and over to machine gun down the opposition.
If you are greedy and want to put more than one enchantment on the Crab, Ophidian Eye or Keen Sense will let you draw a card when the Crab deals damage to your opponent. Or Vampiric Link/Spirit Link will give you a point of life per point of damage.
Or if you prefer an instant army, Presence of Grond or Elemental Mastery may be your preferrence.
Seriously, pingers can be very effective. But playing a creature aura combo probably isn't the best idea in the world...unless you are in it for the stories and not the wins.
Magus of the Future 2UUU
2/3 Play with the top card of your library revealed.
You may play the top card of your library.
This is such a powerful effect that they named a whole Standard-legal set of cards after it. Remember Stormscape Familiar, Stonybrook Banneret, and similar enablers. Its much more cool to be able to play the card you see.
Martyr of Frost U
1/1
2, Reveal X blue cards from your hand, Sacrifice Martyr of Frost: Counter target spell unless its controller pays X.
Its a counterspell creature. Counterspell creatures can be cool.
Paradox Haze 2U
Enchant player
At the beginning of enchanted player's first upkeep each turn, that player gets an additional upkeep step after this step.
Do you need two or more upkeeps a turn? Arc Blade, Chronomantic Escape, Cyclical Evolution, Festering March, and Reality Strobe would appreciate it. Sleeper Agent? Spore counter creatures? Lavaborn Muse or The Rack? Playing other suspend cards? Double Kinship triggers? Reality Acid?
Or does your opponent have Vanishing permanents or Cumulative upkeep?
Phantom Warrior 1UU
2/2 Phantom Warrior is unblockable.
Unblockable.
Prodigal Sorcerer 2U
1/1 Tap: Prodigal Sorcerer deals 1 damage to target creature or player.
Pingers are nice against faeries and elves. People are going to play faeries and elves.
Spiketail Drakeling 1UU
2/2 Flying
Sacrifice Spiketail Drakeling: Counter target spell unless its controller pays 2.
Its a counterspell creature. Counterspell creatures can be cool.
Spiketail Hatchling 1U
1/1 Sacrifice Spiketail Hatchling: Counter target spell unless its controller pays 1.
Remember how I mentioned that counterspell creatures can be cool? Its still true even after all this time (for you slow readers).
That's it for blue and for the series. I hope not to get such a late start next time.
A Final Note:
Whatever rogue deck you play, take it to the extreme. There's a reason why you are wanting to play the deck. Trust in the heart of the cards...um, scratch that.
Believe in your deck concept. If you are anything like me, you are playing the deck because it does something you believe is a strong idea that can get you wins.
Push that idea to the maximum and sell out to it. The last hours before a tournament are always the most dangerous. If you have the choice between playing a deck you enjoy (or that you've poured your heart and soul into) versus a deck that bores you to death or that's a chore to play, make the right choice rather than the expected choice.
Tags: Magic Standard Regionals Review Casual Clinic Tournament
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Magic: the Gathering
