My Top Ten Return to Ravnica Block Abilities (but not fuse)

Return to Ravnica is drowned in abilities and powers. In fact, there were ten made in total, one for each guild, adding a hefty load of new powers and plays to look out for. I thought it may be interesting to try and rate them from 10 to 1 in terms of how much I like them.

Now, "like" them is a broad term. The abilities were marked on:

How tactically and interestingly they could be used
How much they caused interesting situations and versatility
How much they kept with the theme and flavour of the guild that they represented.

So lets get stuck in, my number 10:

10

Battalion - Boros

Now, I mean no offence to any Boros players out there, but your mechanic just didn't do it for me. Now, that doesn't mean that it wasn't strong, in fact, it was one of the stronger guilds of the set,however I just don't get excited by this ability. Essentially for me, it doesn't encourage you to play more tactically, it simply says "attack with lots of stuff," and that doesn't really get me on the edge of my seat. However, I do like the whole "strength in numbers" thing, I think its pretty cool, but on the whole Im pretty unimpressed (although I can't really suggest anything else).

9

Scavenge - Golgari

Once again, no offence is intended, but I have some similar problems with scavenge. Now, I really like the flavour. I think its really nice how Golgari breaks the boundaries between board and graveyard, and provides some great interaction between them. And I would't actually change the mechanic at all, just the way they used it. You see, what I think scavenge is trying to be is flashback, a mechanic that we saw come back in the latest set Innistrad. I think it would have been interesting for scavenge to cost LESS that the actual card itself, or you could do it with a cost (e.g. discard a card: do the scavenge thing) rather than simple mana cost.

8

Detain - Azorius

I find this ability more annoying then interesting. And please don't think or tell me that this is simply because I was on the reviving end of it, because I wasn't, but the point I want to make is that Board - Stalls are just not fun. Creatures attacking, and killing, and spells pumping and shooting are really fun, but forcing a port minotaur to "hold back on this one" is nothing interesting to me. I think something that interacted with mana, or possibly a "fog" type deal would have been more interesting.

7

Overload - Izzet

This ability just bores me. It doesn't really encourage you to think intelligently about the card in your hand, it just kinda makes it worse. Now, tell me what you wish, but if you held the card above you would not cast it straight, you would wait until the opportunity and then cast the overload. It doesn't make the card more versatile, it just makes it take longer to cast. And Im not even sure about the flavour, BIGGER spells? Hrm... I would have liked to see something involving flipping coins or something, I dunno. If you're wondering, the reason this ability made it to number 7 is simply because its fun to do when it works, and it at least causes some interesting situations.

6

Unleash - Rakdos

Ok, this is probably the first ability that I can say I actually LIKE. E.g, I would like it to hopefully make another appearance. It causes you to think tragically, aggressively when you want to, and all around makes the cards more versatile. It feels flavourful, and I think it makes interesting states.

5

Bloodrush - Gruul

Bloodrush is just cool. I love how it makes the card in your hand into a trick as well as a creature, it makes deck-building really interesting, and gives that extra, and balanced, factor to the creature. I think its very flavourful also, (actually, come to think of it, I think this would have been more interesting in Boros, but anyway). Great stuff here, and very well implemented.

4

Cipher - Dimir

Cipher is an amazingly well implemented, flavourful extravaganza that is a delight to play with. It leads to some absolutely hilarious situations, especially with the card "stolen identity," and is all round interesting to think about. I really like the flavour as well, really makes you feel like a kind of hidden puppet master, or mafia boss. Perfect for Dimir. A worth fourth place.

3

Populate - Selesnya

Populate gets out of hand very fast. Lets just get this out the way: yes, its flavourful. try flavourful. I simply think that it was just very well implemented and fun, especially as a combat trick. I don't really have much to say about it other then that, I just have a soft-spot for it.

2

Extort - Orzhov

Wow I love this power. Not does it encourage you to think about the order that you player your cards, e.g. hmm... to I play this now, or wait for more mana so I can extort it. (or) hrm... do I cast this guy first, or the one with extort and get the life next turn. All of this is good. But furthermore, its just soooo fun to do! It allows you t come back from bad situations, play defensively as well as offensively, as well as being beautifully flavourful and balanced. Wizards exceeded themselves on this one.

1

Evolve - Simic

So here we are, and please don't judge me. I didn't pick evolve as my number one just because I really like Simic, in fact, I picked Simic for the power. Evolve does everything extort did and better. Not only does it encourage you to think about curve, order that you play things, and how you build your deck, but it gives you vastly rewarding results: a bigger creature, with a healthy side of flavour. It fits the guild perfectly, my only suggestion is that that could have made it more versatile (e.g. something that grows wings when it gets big enough, or when a flying creature comes into play it also gets flying), that could have been cool. But other than that niggle, Evolve is an amazingly fun mechanic, stellar stuff.

A Review of Dragons Maze

So the final instalment of the Return to Ravnica block has been released, and what do I think? Overall, Im unimpressed. And that terminology is very important, Im not let down, not disappointed, but unimpressed.

Now I understand that Dragons Maze has the disadvantage of being that little set that has to find a way of wrapping up. But it just feels weak. Here I'm going to try and explain my reasoning behind this, as well as talk about a few things that I DID like.

First of all, the cards. Now, the simple problem I had with them is that they felt... lazy. Most of the card in the set were in cycles, that is, there were versions of them in every colour. Now, this is often a very nice and reliable way of designing cards, it ensures that all of them are balanced, and gives a nice set of things to collect. But all it does is make every card seem very... unspecial. Nothing really EXCITES me in the set. Opening a pack seems just like a waste of time, everything is either overworked to death or way, way too simple.

Even at the prerelease, where you would be gives one RTR booster and GTC one (guild specific), these cards were the only things making up decks. And I understand that DGM is trying to be nothing more than some simple vinaigrette to sprinkle on your RTR salad, but its more like chucking marshmallows on it: everything feels bloated, and very very bland.

Now is has probably become apparent by now that Im not really a fan. So Im not going to spend all this time ranting about the set. There ARE of course a few cards that stand out to me, either for flavour or playability, and I will talk about them now. The cards are... well... all of the ones you can see around this post: Ral Zarek, Blood Baron of Vizkopa, and Ruric That the Unbowed. All of these I thoroughly like the design of, and Ill talk about that now.

First of all, Ral Zarek. He's the only planes walker in the set, and I hate to say one of the few cards that actually feels flavourful and fun. I really like all of his mechanics. His +1 is strong, coupled with -2 is very nice. And his ultimate is just cool. I love how well it summarises the flavour of the izzet, great stuff here. I traded a copy of him away at the prerelease I went to, and I am starting to regret it...

Second of all, Blood Baron. Blood Baron's great, and I finally chose him over the other big Ozhov (black white) cards, Teysa. Maybe I just like the guild, but this guy is really cool. He's powerful even without the final clause (the instant win), but its a nice touch: I like having other goals to work towards. I adore the art, and I think I'd enjoy playing with him, all round great stuff.

Finally, Ruric. Just a nice card, a solid body, and very nice abilities. He's just nasty, and I'm intrigued as to whether or not he'll see any real play. Anyway, also glad I've got one of these.

Innistrad Block: My Thoughts

Now, before I begin to talk to you about Innistrad, let's talk a bit about another set, Zendikar. Zendikar is a set close to my heart for two reasons: firstly, because it was when I first went to a sealed prerelease, and remember enjoying it thoroughly; secondly, because I consider it the last 'pure' MTG set.

Not that I don't think sets after Zendikar weren't good. Some of them were absolutely incredible, Scars Of Mirrodin being the set that I decided that I loved magic. However I consider Zendikar the last set that the truly cared about the FANS, not the money.

You see, although I loved the flavour in Scars, I came the realisation that the money was becoming more important. Now, I understand that everyone will have difficulties, but it was becoming clear that they were running out of ideas. Direct improvements of old cards were coming up, with quite a few ridiculously overpowered rares and mythics there to make a quick buck. I have always prided Wizards Of The Coast on the fact that Magic was not about money, unlike many other TCG's around. Yu-Gi-Oh's slogan was actually 'The More You Have, The Stronger You Get.' Magic was simply about the great game, and people would buy cards regardless. But Wizards was making it all about the powerful cards, 'you just had to keep opening packs till you pulled one of those,' and it really bothered me.

 Now, I loved Scars. I should hopefully provide a review at some point, but essentially I thought it was tonnes of fun. However I did realise that this was happening, but it didn't seem to phase me too much.

However when Innistrad came out, I was sad. I felt that they had a chance to redeem themselves, and did the opposite: Innistrad PROVED my theory that this was what was becoming of Magic. Looking over the cards in the set, every other one seems to be a rare or mythic. I just bothers me. What wizards was trying to do was to raise the price of something they realised was equally expensive to print.

But let's put all this behind, and focus on the set.

Now, Lets just say that I consider Innistrad one of the most flavourful sets ever printed. Whe I heard 'Gothic Horror,' I was worried. Magic is high-fantasy in my opinion, but I went on the assumption that if they could make robots fighting brilliant, they could do it with vampires and werewolves. Oh my God they made it work. Every picture, name, flavour text and abilities fitted each card and set perfectly. I really think it was the little tributes that made the set work (invisible stalker-the invisible man, delver of secrets-the fly, civilised scholar/homicidal brute-dr. Jekyll and mr. Hyde). The set was positively fun to play, simply to see this happen to characters that you actually care about. There was simply nothing more satisfying then seeing a zombie deck take-on a human/angel deck. Or ghosts vs. werewolves. It was brilliant. I really felt that while Wizards lost ethical points, I realised that a lot of hard work had gone into making this set work, especially from the artists. I have to be thankful for keeping it simple too, nice, straightforward cards, and they let the combos do the talking.

So, what's my verdict of Innistad? Now, while I'm still angry at Wizards for this set, I do feel like it was a tonne of fun. I do not think that their efforts were quite enough to win me over, but they are boldly noted. I feel like I would have enjoyed this set more if they had cut-the-crap, and just powered-down some of the ridiculous cards. Anyway, I praise Wizards on this incredible set.

Footnote: The card you see above is my favourite card in the entire set, simply for an excellent combination of flavour, simplicity and effectiveness. I would also like to apologise for the particularly long review today, I suppose it was to make up for the slightly under-par one yesterday.

Artist Of the Week - Chippy

Chippy remains one of my favourite artists in Magic. He shows excellent understanding of colour, spacing and tone, to create very beautiful images. Chippy is behind some of my favourite cards in magic, especially for the flavour.

As far as I'm concerned, Chippy IS art in Magic. Although he may seem to shine with his creatures, Chippy has produced two of my favourite lands of all time, including my favourite forest.

I can't really explain in text how good he is, but I have added a few notable examples of his work below.

So if you want to check out his work, you can click here. 

Top 10 Lorwyn Cards

Lorwyn is still one of my favourite sets. I love the flavour, artwork, and mechanics. There are tonnes of great cards in this set, but I am going to give you my top 10. So lets jump in.

10

I really like this card. I realise that they printed several versions (a red, a blue etc.) but I think this one works best for me. The artwork is excellent, reminding me of cold walks in scotland or yorkshire. When I look at it, I always feel "I would hide there," and you can see why. The colourful water and grass to the left give excellent contrast to the grey sky. And the power is a tonne of fun. A great card.

9

This guy's great. Throws your guys at their face, and gains you some life in the process. I also think that his overall costings are very well chosen. He's the perfect cost, power and toughness, abilities and creature types, although I can't help feeling he doesn't need that 'Warrior' type, I think he's cooler when he's throwing things for his own benefit. Anyway, his artwork's great, and he's a lot of fun.

8

I can't really explain why I like this card. Its not particularly flavourful, and not even that good. Perhaps I like him simply for his artwork: a great looking elf standing proudly next to two dogs. The forest behind him looks great too: with the yellow light beaming down through the trees. I think this is my favourite picture of an elf: not eerie, not scary, not silly, but mystical.

7

My god this guy's hilarious. H reminds me kinda of Tarmogoyf, he looks through graveyards and adapts accordingly. The art's great, although perhaps a little creepy. Anyway, I'm sure they're some great decks to be made with this guy. Loving the ability, and the changeling is a nice touch too.

6

Now let's just get this out there: this card is terrible. It really was never effective, there simply wasn't enough 'clash' in the set for this to be effective, and so it becomes a little weak. I feel like it could have been balanced with a 'life gain' as well, but its a tonne of fun. Clash is a fun ability, and this card really ties it together. I like the artwork too, I believe it to be a pencil drawing, and it gives a really light feeling to an otherwise grim card. Anyway, its a neat idea.

5

Oh god the flavour. This card is simply hilarious, I feel like it should be in an un- set. It just gives the set a really light and fluffy texture that I really enjoyed, much like coldsnap. Plenty of combos too. Anyway, a rightful place halfway down the list.

4

This is one of my favourite goblins of all time. Fast, easy removal, all at a good price. A really good turn 3 drop, and certainly doesn't get worse as the game progresses. You can drop him as an easy blocker, and he becomes a pain to deal with. This guy can take down a 4/4, or a 1/1 and shoot a 3/3. Anyway, a very solid card. 

3

This card simply looks beautiful.The light beaming down onto the stones, the red stone, the clouds, the moss climbing up the side of the stones. You feel like this really is the place of ancient magic. Furthermore, its a great card, fast, straightforward, and unless agains control decks, I consider this a lot better than most pain lands. 

2

It was really indefinite that this card would appear on the list. Later reprinted as a mythic in "From the Vault: Legends," Doran is still one of the coolest cards ever printed, right down to the casting cost. Buffs up your treefolk and packs a hefty punch himself. And, as always, love the artwork.

1

What?! Really? An uncommon at the number one spot! But no, this is the card that made me love Lorwyn. There is something so perfect about this card, I can't explain it. The thought of a giant that looks after giant, flying goats is just wonderful: something that seems to come right out of a Norse fairytale. The fact that it drops you soldiers that you can either send in, or keep back and use to give him flying is excellent. He makes a cheap, fast insert to a white weenies deck, particularly with kithkin as its base. I could really stare at the picture for hours: the winged goat in the background, the peaceful giant in front, and the three little kithkin hiding around the picture. Adam Rex, you have outdone yourself. Truly my favourite card in Lorwyn.

A Look-Back at Coldsnap

Coldsnap came out on July 21, 2006: a great 10 years after its 2 original sets, ice age and alliances, which remains to be the longest time between the first and last set of a block being released. Although it was called part of the ice age set, it is clear that it was more of a 'tribute,' going largely unnoticed and had little impact on the actual game. Very few coldsnap cards have found their way into core-sets, or been reprinted. Even the central mechanics in coldsnap remain exclusive, as opposed to other powers like kicker and flashback that at least popped up for one more block.

But that's ok. Coldsnap is certainly no more than that: a tribute. It is a memory of one of the greatest sets ever printed in Magic, so who cares about whether or not it left an impact, or was any good. But this is where you're wrong. Coldsnap was good. Very good. And although I cannot say I have been around to play it,  looking over is cards and finding a few packs at the back of some stores, I can say that is one of the most under appreciated sets ever printed.

So, lets first talk about the theme in coldsnap. We are transported into a harsh, dangerous climate, complete with huge beasties, and dangerous Balduvian barbarians. However, it is also the contrast: a beautiful, celestial plane, home to griffins, beautiful glaciers and mystical elves. The art in Coldsnap is some of the best ever, with beautiful colour-choices and design (especially in the lands), transporting you instantly to the both difficult and fun plane. And that is exactly how the cards play-out: difficult and fun.

Coldsnap is two things at once: the most challenging freezing-hike you will ever go on, and the largest and strangest snowball fight you will ever have. Cards actually force you to think, something that seems to be quickly fading in the game, but if you can pull it off, you will have some of the most satisfying games of Magic the Gathering that you possibly can: especially in draft or limited formats.

If you wish to take a look at what coldsnap has to offer, click the snowflakes.

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The Festivities Have Begun!

Ahhh. So let me tell you a bit about myself and why I decided to create this blog. I have been playing Magic the Gathering for about 4 years now, and the game has developed into a large part of my time, money and interest. I realised recently that I have quite a lot to say about the game, its universes, cards, backstories and tactics, and so created this blog. Experimenting with it I hope to:

Improve my skills of writing and editing

Improve my work-ethic by trying to keep to a strict deadline

Improve my skills of communication and journalism

and also to Improve the days of people who take a quick read of this blog.

Posts will hopefully not be too long: only about 5-10 minutes to read in length, however I hope to make up for this by posting DAILY. Posts will include pictures, links, and hopefully videos, and will be on all sorts of miscellany: top 10's, tactics, card spotlights, art, and also random assortments of humour or comedy I come across. I hope you will think about scouting through here occasionally, or if you want, you can leave me a message or comment telling me feedback, or ideas for future topics. And with that, I let you enjoy the blog!