New Phyrexia Spoilers?! Already?!

Hello everyone! One again I am blogging to you from work as we have had nothing to do for so long today that I have read every article posted today on all of these sites:

Chennel Fireball
Star City Games
Blackborder
TCG Player
Daily MTG

And despite all that reading I am pacing the warehouse bored with another hour to go. So I am going to talk about the amazing spoilers that have been released from New Phyrexia:

Suture Priest
1W
Creature - Cleric
Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may gain 1 life.
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under an opponent's control, you may have that player lose 1 life.
1/1

This guy is a white Soul Warden-meets-Bloodseeker dude. I have used both to slight prophit in the past, and at the very least this guy will be a decent card for limited.

Pristine Talisman
3
Artifact
: Add to your mana pool. You gain 1 life.

As much as gaining life is cool against mono-red and the likes, the turn this sets you back relative to Everflowing Chalice or Sphere of the Suns isn't really worth it. I will probably play this card in limmited though if I'm going for a slower controlling deck, because the lifegain is awesome now that manaburn is gone!

Ok, well I wasn't feeling too inspired with those spoilers... but now I only have 55 minutes left of work today! Until next time, stay classy!
































Okay, you caught me, I'm just kidding! I got a txt from Mark last night telling me about how spoilers were getting posted up to MTG Salvation as we were speaking. I immediatly ran down to the computer and let the epic invade my mind. You can find the spoilers here. It is important to note that these might not be real, although MTG Salvation is almost always fairly accurate. I'm going to go card by card and talk about my thoughts until I abruptly stop and go home because my shift is over.

Karn, the Released
7
Planeswalker - Karn

+4: Target player exiles a card from his or her hand.
-3: Exile target permanent.
-14: Set aside all non-Aura permanent cards exiled with Karn, then restart the game. Then put all cards set aside this way onto the battlefield under your control.

Why not start with the card that is the poster child for the set first? There's a lot to talk about with Karn, and it starts with the upper-right hand corner. 7 mana planeswalkers have never been to popular in casual or competetive environments before. However, I think this guy will obviously be a boss in casual (come on, restart the game????), but he will also see constructed play, and the reason is in his -3 ability. Exiling any permanent on board recursively is INSANE. Is their Jace at 11 and really pissing you off? Good bye! Gideon laughing at your army? See ya later! Are they mana-skrewed? Let's Stone Rain every turn!
His +4 is the Lilliana Vess +1 if you target your opponent, but can get nasty if you target yourself with the intentino of going -14. I think I will exile a Blightsteel Colossus.... and another.... and a backup Karn... Oh, let's restart the game! I leyline in 22 power worth of infect and exile whatever petty threat that's in my way!
I think it goes without saying (but I'm saying it anyways) that he is only good in a hardcore control deck. Wafo-Tapa is currently buying the Delorian to jump a couple months to the future... I look forward to this guy!
Expected price: $15-20, driven by casual players
 
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
5WW
Legendary Creature - Praetor

Vigilance
Other creatures you control get +2/+2.
Creatures your opponents control get -2/-2.
4/7

Another 7 drop, which immediatly lends itself to control and casual. I think this card is absolutely viable for control, although probably in the sideboard, against all beatdown decks. As the Boros or Vampires player, how do you beat this? The only option you have is to kill your opponent by turn 6. Insert Gideon Jura, Day of Judgement, Condemn, Wall of Omens here. Should I mention how nice this card is with Grave Titan or Hero of Bladehold? With T6 Titan, T7 Elesh Norn, swing, you're hitting for 16 damage with 3 4/4s chillin. If you have this and Hero in play with no other creatures, the 2 attacking together is 18 damage! Lose your Wurmcoil Engine, have some 5/5s! Let's make some 2/3 Eldrazi Spawn tokens with Awakening Zone (and drop the Praetor 2 turns earlier). This card is absolutely nuts, and I definitely expect it to see play!
Expected price: $4
 
Puresteel Paladin
WW
Creature - Human Knight

Whenever an Equipment enters the battlefield under your control, you may draw a card.
Metalcraft - As long as you control 3 or more artifacts, each Equipment you control has equip 0
2/2

Cool, another 2/2 for WW... Auriok Edgewright sees play too... Unlike the Edgewright, I expect this guy to see some play in Quest decks of all kinds, although probably WW Quest, because that plays all 12 Ornithopter, Memnite, and Signal Pest (and I have seen Mox Opal poke it's head in from time to time). Now Stoneforge Mystic cantripe as it grabs an artifact AND gives you a bones draw as you flash in the equipment! But that's not the cool part. The cool part is his Metalcraft ability (like I said, better in WW Quest). Nothing is worse then having your monsterous Ornithopter get Doom Bladed and you sit there feeling awkward about your Argentum Armor. With Metalcraft, you can keep opponents under serious pressure by equipping the Armor endlessly for 0 mana! Yes, there is an end to their spot removal, and it's usually after 2 shots, then you can Vindicate their board and sign the match slip.
Expected price: $1-2

Species Transplantation
Enchantment

When Species Transplantation enters the battlefield, choose a creature type.
Creatures you control are the chosen type in addition to their other creature types.

If you know me, then you know I love crazy combos! Do you see the combo yet? How about if I tell you it's an infinite combo with a Zendikar crap rare? How about if I tell it was the foil card on a starter deck? How about Turntimber Ranger? Here's the combo: Species Transplantation naming "Ally". Now play Turntimber Ranger, his ETB ability triggers giving him a +1/+1 counter and putting a 2/2 Wolf in play. Thanks to Species Transplantation, it will be a 2/2 Wolf Ally, and will trigger Turntimber Ranger, putting on another +1/+1 counter and making another Wolf Ally.... infintely! This is just like the Pestermite + Splinter Twin/Kiki Jiki combo except both pieces cost 5 and you have to untap with your board.... but it's an infinite combo in Standard! (expect this to be a featured deck when the set is released)
Expected price: 50 cents - $1


Glistening Oil
BB
Enchantment - Aura

Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has Infect.
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a -1/-1 counter on enchanted creature.
When Glistening Oil is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, return ~ to its owner's hand.

There are 2 ways to look at this card: recursive creature removal or a recursive Phyresis. I think in draft, this card will be sweet because you can just eat up your opponents x/1s and x/2s (+ proliferate) endlessly. Also, if your opponent is at a high poison status, you can Corrupted Conciense your own guy and go for it. In constructed, I don't see it. If you're playing infect, play infect creatures. If you want to kill something, use Doom Blade.
Expected price: 50 cents - $1

Phyrexian Cancellor
BBBB
Creature - Horror

Trample
Whenever a source deals damage to Phyrexian Cancellor, that source's controller sacrifices that many permanents.
5/5

The obvious comparasin for this card is Phyrexian Negator. However, there are some major differences, starting with the cost. 2B is far more managable than BBBB. The latter effectively requires a mono-black deck, or a manabase like Vampires, where the only red mana are RB duals. However, when he does stick, Lightning Bolt is the worst thing your opponent can be packing, and chump-blocking won't get there either. It's Go for the Throat or go home against this guy! I can definitely see this being part of a MB beatdown deck, as it's too insane of a clock to be ignored. This guy also plays well with Abyssal Persecutor. Maybe in a big Vampires deck, playing this guy and Abyssal Persecutor together. Cast Arc Trail dealing 1 to your own Cancellor, and 2 to your opponent. Sacrifice Persecutor to the Cancellor trigger, GG.
Expected Price: $12-15

Praetor's Grip
1BB
Sorcery
Search target opponent's library for a card and exile it face down, then that player shuffles his or her library. As long as it remains exiled, you may look at it and cast it as though it were in your hand.

This is what Distant Memories wishes it was. Ranging from stealing a major threat form your opponent's deck, to busting the Mirror wide open (grab their Jace, TMS), this card feels secretly powerful. An important thing to note is that you don't tell your opponent what you stole, so if they really know their list they have to crack a fetchland and count every card in their deck to figure it out. Even if you can't cast the card you steal, exiling a card from your opponent's deck isn't the worst, especially in limited where you can strip their bomb.
Expected price: $1-3
 
Scrapmetal Fiend
R
Creature - Construct

Scrapmetal Fiend's power and toughness are each equal to the number of artifact cards in all graveyards.
*/*

It's a red Tarmogoyf! This card is an automatic 4-of in any heavy metal breadown deck (that's actually an awesome deck name, or maybe Heavy Metal Breakdown...). Keep your eye on this one, it has the potential to be a 5/5 for R in the right deck.
Expected price: $8+

Okay, I am going to abruptly stop there as I am done for work today, I am only about halfway though though, so maybe I will finish this up when I get home tonight. Until next time, stay classy!