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Just thought I'd make a quick note about my prerelease weekend. Rather than bore you with the non-Lorwyn related stuff I did I thought I'd share the one draft I did participate in. Here's what I ran:

 

White:

 

Oblivion Ring x2

Crib Swap x2

Neck Snap

Austere Command

Hillcomber Giant

 

Red:

 

Blind-Spot Giant x2

Giant's Ire x2

Lash Out

Giant Harbinger

Inner Flame Igniter

Consuming Bonfire

Glarewielder

Axegrinder Giant

Stinkdrinker Daredevil

Crush Underfoot

Mudbutton Torchrunner

Soulbright Flamekin

 

No color:

 

Moonglove Extract

Runed Stalactite

Springleaf Drum

Shimmering Grotto

 

The plan I had going into the draft was to get as much of the good red and white elimination as humanly possible in the first five or so picks and then pick up the remaining giants, which i assumed would still be there because nobody gave giants any love.

 

The coolest combo in the deck is that Stinkdrinker Daredevil makes my Giant spells cost 2 less to play... so my Crib Swaps only cost W. Kind of hilarious.

 

I also killed someone with another cool combo: Soulbright Flamekin and Inner Flame Igniter. 7 mana on the board + those guys = all 3 of my dudes get +1/+0 and gain first strike and trample. 

 

Any thoughts?

Reubs: Hello out there, Alley Grifters. In today’s article I’m going to discuss the cards from the upcoming Lorwyn expansion that I expect to be worth their weight in Wastelands and the ones going the way of the Nephilim. Here to help me separate the best from the rest are a few experts on the subject: First up, when this card came out it was a measly two to four dollar piece of cardboard and drew nearly no attention. Since that time it has become a perennial all-star that at its peak was worth a whopping twenty five dollars. Please give a warm welcome to Tradewind Rider.

Tradewind Rider: Good to be here, Reuben. Folks, at the prerelease for Tempest I was nothing. Everyone was clamoring for Medidtates and whatnot, but all I had to do was be patient and let nature take its course. A few months later, I’m worth nearly a hundred bucks for a play set. That's just how it work sometimes. Recently, I’ve hung up my card playing boots for the most part and instead turned my attention on identifying so-called ‘sleepers.’ Masticore? I called it. Golgari Grave-Troll? I knew he’d be big.

Reubs: How about Tarmogoyf?

Rider: I’ll tell ya, no one could have seen that thing coming. ‘Goyf reminds me a lot of myself, shooting up to twenty bills out of nowhere. We just had lunch the other day. Nice guy. Sure eats a lot, though.

Reubs: I’m sure he does. Our second guest knows what it’s like to be under the spotlight right from the get-go and it continued to get attention all the way up until its rotation from Standard, having been a casual staple floating right around eight bucks throughout its stay in Type 2. Ladies and gentlemen, Spiritmonger.

Spiritmonger: If anyone knows what it’s like to keep steady it’s me. Rail to rail I kept a stable line and I’m pretty good at spotting the cards in new sets that you want to keep an eye on if you want to retain your value. If you follow my example you might just get yourself reprinted with alternate art like me. I just recently went out with Dark Confidant and Loxodon Hierarch by the way, since they’re going to be joining me soon. They wanted to say hi.

Reubs: Oh, well send them my regards. We look forward to your insight. And our last guest, but certainly not... well, actually I suppose that our last guest is least. After coming out of the gate with a lot of hype and an asking price right around fifteen bucks, our third expert dropped off of the radar quickly and left collectors scratching their heads. Regardless of the price of the card, I’m sure you’ll find the price of the knowledge imparted on you worth your while. Say hello to Anurid Brushhopper.

Anurid Brushhopper: Thanks for having me, Reuben. I’m a big fan. Anyway, unfortunately some cards just aren’t going to live up to expectations. This is where I come in. Knowing which cards to trade away while the iron is hot is just as important as knowing which ones to stockpile. I’ve learned a lot from other big time letdowns like Rootwater Thief and Stone Tongue Basilisk and I definitely think I can be of service.

Reubs: Excellent. Now that the introductions are out of the way, let’s get right to the cards. First up, let’s discuss the Planeswalkers. Any thoughts?

Hopper: It’s tough to assign them to any category right off the bat, seeing as they are too new to the game. Nobody knows how the Planeswalkers will impact Magic once players fully grasp them. From the outset, however, I certainly think that Garruk Wildspeaker will have the biggest impact on the game. You can play Garruk turn 3 after some mana acceleration, untap a couple lands, turn four use his overrun ability. Even if you just had a first turn Llanowar Elves, second turn Grizzly Bears, third turn Garruk into more Grizzly Bears, that’s still a 4/4 and 2 5/5s with trample fourth turn! Let’s not even discuss getting double Tarmogoyf in this situation! Plus he pumps out 3/3s! So good! Certainly not going to burn a hole in your trade box waiting to be bulked to a dealer.

Monger: That’s not bad, but I think that Lilliana Vess is the one to watch. Overrun and Call of the Herd are both pretty good as abilities, but wouldn’t you rather have Living Death and Vampiric Tutor? Vampiric Tutor is so good it’s banned. That’s not even to mention that making a player discard a card is way better than untapping two measly lands. I think Wizards knew what they were doing, making her the first previewed of the bunch.

Rider: It’s just like you two to pick cards in your colors. Fortunately, the Planeswalker in blue, Jace Beleren, is no good at all...

Reubs: Really? A lot of people see her as being really good, possibly the best one of the cycle.

Rider: Yea, because Howling Mine sees so much play right now? Jace does have two things going for it though: it has a +2 Loyalty ability so it gets stronger quicker and it's the cheapest of the bunch. Really, only time will tell. Right now I think Chandra Nalaar is the only one that is good enough to get any play outside of Type 2. She comes into play with the highest loyalty, she has the best +1 Loyalty ability by far and one of the best secondary abilities as well. Her finishing ability is what makes her so special, though. The third turn after you put her into play you basically win the game. She is incredibly versatile and as a result she could possibly find a home in Red Deck Wins in Extended. Jace Beleren will not find a home in, say, Trinket Tog.

Hopper: I expect Ajani Goldmane to attend ‘Liners of the Dollar Bin Anonymous’ way before Jace, Rider. At least Howling Mine is playable, but even less decks played Honden of Cleansing Fire.

Reubs: I see you have some differing opinions on the Planeswalkers, but we have to get moving. Let’s go on to the other cards. What do you think about Wren’s Run Packmaster?

Monger: Could be good. I have a soft spot for creatures with higher power and toughness than casting cost and both mono-green aggro and green-white aggro are viable right now.

Hopper: I’m not so sure. I mean, I’m a 3/4 for three and I never made that big of a splash -

Rider: But he makes dudes! And not just any dudes, 2/2 deathtouching wolf dudes!

Hopper: Also, I’m not sold on the Champion ability. It might be too conditional and it's just asking to get you 2-for-1'd. Could be good, but -

Rider: Dudes!

Reubs: Yes, we get it Tradewind. You like tokens. Moving on, how do you feel about Galepowder Mage?

Rider: Well he certainly doesn’t fall into my category. I’ve heard tons of rumors about Prismatic Lens, this guy and Avalanche Riders on turns two through four ever since he was spoiled.

Reubs: I agree. Certainly isn’t a sleeper. So where do you think he’s likely to end up?

Hopper: Galepowder remind me a lot like myself: he’s flashy, has good stats for his casting cost, and does something fairly unique. Unfortunately, Momentary Blink is in the environment so he doesn’t have a real good place to fit in.

Monger: I think Brushy is probably right here. My guess is he’ll end up like many before him: great in draft, unplayable in constructed.

Reubs: Do you feel the same way about Gaddock Teeg? He has certainly been getting a lot of hype, he’s got good stats for his cost and he does something new and exciting -

Hopper: I think that’s the main difference right there: Gaddock is truly innovative. There were creatures before me that could survive Wrath of God and targeted removal and there were cards before Galepowder that could remove a creature and return it to play. There has never been a card that does what Mr. Teeg can do.

Rider: Plus, there’s the allure of telling someone, "No, you can’t do that." Trust me, I’ve returned enough creatures to their owner’s hands to know what I’m talking about here. I think a close one to compare to Mr. Teeg is Teferi. Now he can throw a wrench in the mix. Fun to party with, too. Anyway, if a card that can shut down entire deck archetypes it's good in my book. I think Gaddock will be a lot like Teferi in that respect.

Monger: You’re probably on to something there. Not only does he do something totally original but he also has some already existing decks he can be applied to. I hear he’s been going out with Saffi Eriksdotter a lot ever since he’s been previewed. I imagine his price will fluctuate a lot like Teferi’s does, and that is to say not much. He’ll probably come out at six to nine dollars and stay around there for a good long time, much like Teferi and yours truly. Though if you ask me, I think most people would rather have a 6/6 counter-gaining, color-changing, regenerating beater such as myself than a measly little -

Reubs: Easy there, Monger. If you were in Standard I’m sure everyone would play you as a four-of but since we can’t how about we move to a creature with your exact casting cost, Nath of the Gild-Leaf?

Monger: I like him. He can’t take me down by himself of course, but few can. And if you give him a couple of turns he and his little friends sure can.

Rider: Plus he provides a nice control element every turn with his discard effect. Definitely possibilities.

Hopper: I think I saw him trying to buddy up with The Rack and Tarmogoyf a little while back, but his five converted mana seems too slow for Tarmorack even with the loss of Dark Confidant and the new elf land. I think a better application of Nath is green-white-black control or maybe some kind of 3- or 4-color aggro-control. I know you’re big on Glittering Wish, Reubs. This guy, along with Dosan the Siege Tower, might make your pet deck playable just a bit longer.

Rider: Certainly not a lot of fanfare for Mr. Leaf up to this point. Could be a sleeper, but he’s not high on my watch list. Only time will tell.

Reubs: You have a watch list?

Rider: Sure I do.

Hopper: So do I.

Monger: That makes three of us.

Reubs: Well that makes things a lot easier. Have at it you guys.

Rider: Okay, tops on my list of sleepers are Militia’s Pride, Knucklebone Witch, Cloudthresher, Brion Stoutarm and Oona’s Prowler. I could be wrong though. After all, I did pick Second Chance as a sleeper before Urza’s Legacy came out and today no one could tell you what that card even does anymore.

Monger: My list of rock-steady competitors right now looks like Cryptic Command, Wanderwine Prophets, Immaculate Magistrate, Wydwen, the Biting Gale, Dosan the Siege Tower and Hamletback Goliath. The Prophets and the Goliath are odd choices, I know, but they're going to stay popular for the same reasons Sliver Legion and Walk the Aeons did: many casual players love the opportunity to kill people with infinite turn combos and absurdly ridiculously inconcievably gigantic monsters. No, bigger than that. Even bigger. I certainly know a little something about that. There was this one time I was in this multiplayer game in Rockville, Maryland, and there were two Doubling Seasons and a Nemesis Mask in play -

Hopper: I’m going to cut you off right there for the sake of the audience. In case you were wondering, my possible busts include Brigid, Hero of Kinsbaile, Nova Hunter, Rings of Brighthearth and Epic Proportions. Funny, I have Wanderwine Prophets and Brion Stoutarm down on my list, too.

Reubs: Sounds like we have more to discuss, but unfortunately we are running out of time. By the way, nobody mentioned Thoughtseize?

Monger: Everybody's talking about that thing. We thought you wanted original content. Besides, nobody wants to read about that card anymore.
 
Reubs: True enough, and on that note I'd like to thank my guests for all of their input in helping the TCG Player audience figure out what cards to look out for at the upcoming Lorwyn prerelease. Until next time, remember...

Monger: Actually, before you say that last part, let me ask you something: when’s the last time a ten cent common beat me?

Hopper: Or me?

Rider: Or me?

Reubs: Uh, let me think… This one’s tough. How about Radiant’s Judgment, Grave Peril and Volrath’s Curse, respectively?

Monger: Yea, I guess that’s good enough.

Reubs: All right then, thanks for reading everyone. Until next time, remember: ten cent commons beat ten dollar rares every single time.

 

reubs

ps, I think that two song-themed titles in my first two entries were enough, don't you?

I hear 5/5s for four are pretty good. They are so good that they often dictate the format that they are played in. Think about some powerhouses from Magic's past with those beefy stats: Blastoderm was public enemy #1 back when R/G Fires was the deck to beat. Phyrexian Scuta was in too many Invasion block aggro variants to count. Rumbling Slum left its mark on Standard in these past few months. That’s just to name a few.

Now think about this: green, black and white all get new creatures with that power /toughness and casting cost in Lorwyn. While a 5/5 on turn four (or three if you have some acceleration) is good enough to begin with they all have additional abilities as well. For one thing they all have the ‘Champion on (insert creature type here),’ which is just about as much of a drawback as paying two life as an additional cost for Thoughtseize, considering how many gosh darn playable creatures there are going to be in Lorwyn. I think that while all three will see a fair amount of play, for my money it’s easy to spot which one of the 5/5 beaters is the hands down best of the bunch: Thoughtweft Trio.

Thoughtweft Trio 2WW
Creature - Kithkin Soldier
Rare
First strike, vigilance
Champion a Kithkin (When this comes into play, sacrifice it unless you remove another Kithkin you control from the game. When this leaves play, that card returns to play.)
Thoughtweft Trio can block any number of creatures.
5/5

This card is just the nuts.

Imagine this scenario (because you are likely to face something similar to this very soon): Turn one Goldmeadow Stalwart revealing Thoughtweft Trio (or another Kithkin one-drop), turn two Leaf Gilder or Springleaf Drum or Rampant Growth or Prismatic Lens (or pretty much any mana fixer in the game) and turn three 5/5 undisputed owner of the combat zone and four turn clock. Pretty good.

That’s if you want The Three Amigos* to come down a turn early, but there’s really no need. The two and three drops available to a white mage are so fantastic you don’t need to play this thing until turn four, what with other efficient beatsticks at your service (like Wizened Cenn, Knight of Meadowgrain and Mirror Entity) and the awesome utility available (from the likes of Oblivion Ring, Crib Swap and Militia’s Pride). Perhaps most importantly, Kithkin Harbinger makes sure that you will have your ground-pounder available as soon as necessary. What’s more is if your opponent somehow happens to kill your ridiculous Kithkin and you had Championed a Harbinger then all you have to do is search up another one with the ‘comes into play’ ability. Seems unfair.

Based on the power of the tools mono-white aggro has at their disposal (and mostly on the power of the Trio), I am predicting it here first: White Weenie will win the first Lorwyn block constructed event.

Shortly after writing the above sentence is when I knew it wouldn’t happen.

We thought the same thing about white is Time Spiral block, remember? “Soltari Priest back in the new set? How can I lose!” While that sentence might be a bit excessive and probably not what anyone actually said, it is not without some truth. ‘The Great White Hype’ of PT-Yokohama, where Sulfur Elementals ruled the day and Wafo-Tapa showed that control could be played in such a limiting format proved it. How about Martyr of Sands from Coldsnap, a card that people said was going to break the format. I think that Martyr-Proc won one major event in two years, which is far from format defining, and Snow White Aggro never really took off either.

Something is said before just about every new set is released about how strong White Weenie is going to be and how it’s the ‘deck to beat.’ Sure, sometimes things pan out for the little white creatures, but for every PT-Rebels there’s at least two or three disappointments when it comes to White Weenie.

Certainly Lorwyn White Weenie has all the tools for a great deck to be possible. Oblivion Ring is a mono-colored Vindicate, Goldmeadow Stalwart is Isamaru back in Type 2 (but without the legendary drawback), Wizened Cenn is a cheaper Goblin King, Thoughweft Trio is the best creature to put in the red zone in the set, and so much more. It’s obvious to me that it is the best archetype available…

I just feel like it’s not going to happen. I’ve seen this movie before and I’ve seen how it ends too many times.

I know how good it is, but just the same: I will not be playing White Weenie.

Reubs

*Trademark me. That’s right, I invented it. I hope it starts catching on.

You all know how the song goes. At least you should. If you don’t then stop reading the article right now, go to the music download website of your choice and listen to it. I’m not kidding. It’ll make you feel better.

The point of this title is that until recently I was the King of Spain... so to speak. I'll explain: a few months back I, along with a friend of mine, substituted as hosts for Evan Erwin’s popular Magic show aptly titled ‘The Magic Show.’ This led to a gig as a weekly writer at a popular Magic strategy site with a good amount of readership. I would also do the occasional video for the site (when I had time), which gave me even more exposure. Pretty soon I was getting recognized at PTQs, prereleases and the like. One guy even asked me to sign his River of Tears but we couldn’t find a permanent marker. It was nice...

While it lasted.

Now I work at the proverbial Pizza Pizza (seriously, go listen to the song), and by ‘work’ I actually mean ‘no longer work for that site and now I’m doing this.’ You see, the website decided to change directions as a company and will no longer be posting strategy articles from writers such as myself, instead focusing more on selling Magic cards and product. As a result, I have been thrust into the world of competitive Magic writing.

I say all of this at the risk of sounding all high and mighty, but I believe it is important information for those of you who are unfamiliar with my work.

Maybe someday soon another website will hire me as a weekly columnist but for now I now shift my attention here, to the TCG Player blogs, and to you, the readers these blogs. To that end I promise to deliver to the best of my abilities: average creative content, mediocre tournament reports, half-baked Magic theories, relatively entertaining anecdotes and the occasional long pointless diatribe, such as this one. I’m telling you, when I go off on a tangent I go off on a tangent. It’s like a never ending story except way more abusive and there’s no Falcor the Luck Dragon.

Anyway, I want to thank TCG Player for the opportunity to continue my writing and providing an outlet for aspiring Magic writers to peddle their wares.

At least there’s plenty of Humble Pie to go around.

Reubs

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