The Dark is Ascending

Hello Everybody!

Today we have our very first day of spoilers released on the mother ship, and man! I am already really excited to see where this set goes from here! There are so many cards previewed that are incredible (or at least the mechanics are) that I really don't know where to start!

Undying? What an awesome name for the horror mechanic! Oh, and the mechanic itself its awesome too! This already on twitter has been declared on twitter as the green bloodghast, and while you can't go infinite on it (easily) it certainly packs a punch! Graveyard recursion naturally lends itself to combo decks arising, and there's definitely a possibility of comboing the +1/+1 mechanic with the -1/-1 mechanic that was last block. At the very least, this is an easy way to use proliferate aggressively without being an infect deck. This is absolutely an aggressive mechanic, and so once again I think standard will be getting even faster and faster going forwards.

This next card (which is a windmill slam first pick limited bomb) showcases another new Mechanic that is ALSO very combolicious with the previous block, that being getting yourself to <=5 life via Phyrexian Mana and then making all of your cards nuts good. Obviously Tharabran Doomsayer is a slam pick because it's basically the white Bloodline Keeper, but I can actually imagine this card being constructed playable because in combination with a very aggressive deck that leans on Phyrexian Mana to play dudes faster, it can help deliver a sweet final punch. However obviously you don't REALLY want to get yourself down to 5 life because then you auto-lose to a Morbid Brimstone Volley. One application of Fateful Hour that is likely to never work, but could, is in the ANT deck because it wants to burn life, and if there are cool enough combo cards that can offer something new and unique, then we could have some rebuilding to do!

Flashback is once again returning, and this was a card specifically I was hoping they were going to reprint. Now we finally have access to Ancient Grudge AND Ray of Revelation in all the same formats, so now nothing is safe, which is terrifying. Which is exactly what WotC want for this block. Nice! The best part? I have a good feeling my original foil one just really jumped in value! Considering I'm not playing it in Dredge anymore, I think it can go to good use elsewhere...

Can be cast from the graveyard!?!?! You know how to speak my language! I think Gravecaller is probably the best thing black aggro decks could ever ask for! I can't make a decklist right now, but I think MB aggro is about to have it's time to shine! Let me put it this way: go trade from some Phyrexian Obliterators, it's going to get nasty in here! Between Phyrexia and the darkening horror of Innistrad, black is just waiting to bust out and smack some people up, which is nice considering it's barely being played right now! This is definitely a card I plan on leaving the prerelease with 4 of!

This is the new DFC proxy for Dark Ascension. For Innistrad we could learn about Reckless Waif and Garruk, and this time, feast your eyes on Wolfbitten Captive! 8 1 drops is exactly what the Werewolf deck needs, and even if it's just a 1/1 that transforms into a 2/3, no one ever complained about a Kird Ape. However, what more interesting is the Huntmaster of the Fells. Finally we have the Werewolf Legend to join Geist of Saint Traft, Grimgrin, and Olvia Voldaren! I really expect this one to be sweet, so go get your Mayors, the moon is starting to rise! Also interesting to note is a 7 mana colorless DFC. Don't know where that's going.....

And finally, a card that will probably never see constructed play (though a sweet limited bomb) we have a beautifully flavorful card! Resurrect all zombies at the price of all humans?? Yeah, that's what I call ballin! This card by itself goes to show how awesome top down design is, as even the "non playable" cards are still amazing and fun to look at!

That's all I have for today! I am really stoked for Dark Ascension to come out, and I can't even wait for tomorrow's previews to bust down my browser! Spoiler season is here for the next 12 days, and this party is just non-stop fun and brewing! Until next time, Stay Classy!

Ryan Lackie
Ryan.Lackie92@gmail.com
@ThingsILack
ThingsILack on mtgo