Some Fun Little Trinkets to Play With

Back a few weeks ago, Trinket Mage was spoiled to be in Scars of Mirroden and all I heard online was talk about how awesome this is and how it will be a huge staple in decks for the next two years. However, since then I heard little, until recently.

The other day I was perusing decklists from last weekend's NY 5K, and one of the decks had something I never thought about. It was a UR deck that ran the Sparkmage - Collar package. How did he fetch up the Collar? Well... Trainket Mage! Basilisk Collar costs 1 mana, so the Trinket Mage can fetch it up. According to Gatherer, there are currently 28 legal targets for Trinket Mage. Obviously, most 0 or 1 mana cost artifacts are very unexciting, but there are a few gems I want to talk about.

Everflowing Chalice
Even though this card costs 0, you will never actually play it for that. UW tap-out decks would rely on this card to help ramp them up a turn or 2, but it's incredibly awkward to draw this card late in the game. With a tutor from Trinket Mage, you could just play 2 in your deck with a smattering of Mages to fetch them and save yourself from awkward draws late in the game.

Mox Opal
I am not a fan of this card still. I think this card is all hype, just like Time Reversal was for M11

Quick Aside

Time Reversal is a mythic rare reprint of Timetwister, a piece of the Power 9, for a cost of 3UU
Time Warp is a mythic rare reprint of Time Walk, a piece of the Power 9, for a cost of 3UU
Jace's Inginuity is a reprint of Ancestral Recall (yeah, it was an instant) for 3UU, so it should be a mythic right?..... right?

End Aside

Back to Mox Opal, I don't think this card is really consistant enough for it's cost, or at least for now. Right now there are few Metalcraft decks around, and no one has yet to break the ability. So for now, sell this card, but when Beseiged comes out, we may be singing a different tune.

Nihil Spellbomb
This is a card I initially wrote off as being a junky card, but Mark slapped me with the facts after I used a set of these to proxy Seachrome Coasts. This card is actually really awesome sideboard tech against Vengivine decks without having to play black. Sure black lets you have it cycle, but without that this card is a 1 mana Tormod's Crypt! Drop this turn 1 vs the Vengivine opponent, and he won't be having a good day. Even if you only ban 1 Vengivine from coming back, that's better than Path to Exile! However, Vengivine isn't the only card that loves the graveyard. Necrotic Ooze decks will hate this card too. Isn't it interesting that the only deck that runs Necrotic Ooze (as far as I know) also runs the Vengivine/Fauna Shaman package. Here is our 1 mana combo kill!

Infiltration Lens
This is another balanced powerhouse card of old, as I have mentioned before. No one can complain about drawing 2 cards for 2 mana (and possibly many more times for no more cost), and I expect this card to show up in decks of all colors except blue, because doesn't need or even want it.

Adventuring Gear
This card never really caught on during Zendikar block, but all of a sudden this card has become all the rage! I still think the best place for this card to go is on a Goblin Graveleer, because on turn 3 your opponent can be down to 10 life thanks to a Goblin who felt like going on an adventure, and just so happened to find a fetch land

Basilisk Collar
Ok, we know this card is nuts, but I just wanted to say one more thing. You know what's better than Cunning Sparkmage with the Collar? Inferno Titan with the Collar! Attack, kill 3 or your guys, then bash for 6 + however much I firebreath. Oh, and did I mention the lifelink? Now I'm gaining almost double digits on life each time I attack!

Brittle Effigy
Mark and I decided at the same time that we both need a playset of this card. Unfortunately, every store I have been to is sold out. This card solves all of your problems from Emrakul down. It's even janky tech against Vengivine by preventing it from coming back with a vengence for that game. It's basically the catch-all spell that I find myself putting into more and more sideboards as Eldrazi Green Ramp becomes a bigger and bigger deck. It's simply the best answer to anything your opponent can throw at you.

Chimeric Mass
Another card that I heard people talk about, but am yet to see actually hit play. Theoretically, if you draw Trinket Mage with 10 lands, you could play the Mage, then follow it up with this guy to make him a 7/7, which isn't too shabby. The only unfortunate thing about this is the lack of evasion, but protection from sorcery-speed removal isn't a bad tradeoff (Day of Judgement)

Currently, I don't have any plans for the Trinket Mage outside of the Basilisk Collar combo. Trinket Mage does what you would expect, it gets you little trinkets. Nothing that will be mind-blowing, but every little piece of utility can come in handy some day. I don't think this will be an insane card that some people have said it will be, but don't let this guy slip your mind when working out your blue deck of any form.

This friday, I didn't play in the FNM, and instead opted to go to the movies and see The Town, which is awesome, and I highly reccomend seeign it. Next week though, I am sitting on 2 decks to choose from. First would be the Myr deck, which I am currently getting Riddlesmiths into instead of Myr Galvanizers for more card advantage, or the mono-black deck, which is more of a Meta-hoser than anything else. If I had to choose right now, I would go Black, just because I have the sideboard complete, but in time, I think the Myr deck will get itself together and be ready to rumble!

Until next time guys, come up with cool new decks and tell me about them, I am bored of hearing about ramp all day (even though I play it too XD). Stay classy