Get a Life!

Well hello there, thanks for stopping in today, I have a gormet of spoilers to talk about today, so why even waste time talking, let's see them cards! I will start with the cards not from the mothership first.

There really isn't much you can say about this card except that it absolutely will see play up and down the chain. From limited to constructed, you can expect to see this card around all the time. First, it's a hard counter for 1UU, which is the same as cancel. However, it can also get a reduced cost, down to that of Counterspell. Counterspell is absurdly powerful, while Cancel is more begnin. They have tried all sorts of ways to push the power level of counter spells without actually reprinting Counterspell (Deprive), and this is another card to do it. Fitting well with the artifact theme, if you have lots of artifacts, this is awesome because it's a 2 mana counter spell with no loss of tempo.

Continuing with the theme of blue and artifacts, we have what can really just be considered the artifact version of Polymorph. I don't think this will see play though, as there are no cool targets from Zendikar Block or M11. Obviously that will change with SoM, but even getting a Platinum Emporian only goes so far (it has no evasion to put your opponent on a clock with). Also, how can you make this card consistant? I don't think there is an artifact token maker right now that isn't an artifact itself ever, so no deck in any format will be able to support this card.

But you know what's awesome? How about some Angels that will make your day miserable, check out these sick cards:

Patrick Chapin already talked at length about this card, so theres nothing I can really add to what he said (after all, he is the innovator, and I aint). However, to put his story shorter and to add my own spin on it. I don't think this card will see play competetivly. It does what a mythic SHOULD do: look and feel awesome, but not have such a game-breaking effect that ruins the game.

But that's not the cool angel, this is the cool angel:

Finally! The card whose art we have seen previewed for the past 6 months or so. This card is simply awesome. First thing that popped into my head is you could just cast Sleep, and then play this card the next turn for a one sided Wrath. Also, if you get hit by the alpha strike, dropping this angel can create such a huge tempo swing that your opponent may not be able to recover. Another great thing about this card? It's a cover foil in a starter deck, so everyone can get their epic angels. I know I will definitely be working out a way to play this card and make it do awesome things!

But wait, that's not all, there are 2 articles from the mothership that must be addressed! (1 - 2) Etched Champion, the card that convinced many people that sunburst was coming back in SoM, is absolutely solid (once Metalcraft status has been reached, until then it kinda stinks). I think the coolest thing about artifacts with metalcraft is that they themselves count as one of the 3 artifacts to activate their own ability. So if you have 3 artifacts all with metalcraft, then they all get better. That being said, theres going to be some seriously awesome metalcraft decks popping up in the near future. Combo this guy with the likes of Steel Overseer, Lodestone Golem, Mox Opal, and Phylacatory Lich (you need to have a color of some kind), and you have a beast to be had.

That card's low cmc is why it's ability is awesome, yet not mind blowing. In Adam Styborski's article, we get a card that doesn't hold back on cmc or awesomeness. In some ways, this card is very comparable to Eldrazi Monument, because when it hits play and sticks, you effectively can't lose. Lifelink is all of a sudden becoming a huge deal in Magic with the entire Soul Sisters deck, Baneslayer Angel, Basilisk Collar, Behemoth Sledge, Rhox War Monk, Sphinx of the Steel Wind (legacy reanimator deck), Talus Paladin, and Vampire Nighthawk all making big scenes in one form or another over the course of the past year. But not only does this give everything you have lifelink, it also gives them double strike, which could be more relevent. Double Strike is like first strike in that it removes the blocker before your creature gets threatened. However, when dealing damage to a player, if I hit with a 2/x double striker, you take 4 damage. This doubles the damage of all my cratures abilities, and in turn doubles the life I gain off all my creatures. While Baneslayer is already awesome with 5/5 first strike, and lifelink, imagine if that first strike became a double strike? 10 damage to the face and I gain 10 life?!?! How rediculous is that? Imagine having Felidar Sovereign and True Conviction in play together. Felidar Sovereign gains you 8 life a turn and activates himself that much faster! After rotation, Soul Sisters loses Soul Warden, Ranger of Eos, and Elspeth, but I think with some tech like this card, the life gain deck will remain prevalent as a deck to fear.

That is all for now folks, I will likely be back tomorrow with more juiciness lined up. Right now 14/15 mythics have been spoiled, and once number 15 is released, I will do an article on the preorder price of mythics (right now it's astronomical!). But until then, may the force be with you