Moar Gatecrash!

Hello Everyone!

So I was planning on having a much more calm week of previews with a lot of bulk rares and staple draft cards, but over the past couple days that theory has been completely shot. Today we have some sweet cards that have me going back to 60 card decklists and looking at more potential options for the future!

Kicking things off, we have the obligatory 1 mana card to rep a new ability. As I have said before, I don't think the best use for Extort in constructed will be in an aggressive deck, but instead in a slow controlling deck. A 1 mana 1/1 isn't exactly screaming aggro, but I actually do like this guy in a slower shell. Getting Extort online early is sweet, and Thrull Parasite has a very relevant ability where it's able to do a Grim Lavamancer impersonation, however instead of going for damage we're attacking planeswalkers and other things with counters on them. Instead of 2 cards in the bin, we're paying 2 life instead. I think it's quite elegant how Thrull Parasite costs life to use, but can gain you that life right back.

What's interesting about this guy is we can also use him in a completely opposite manner. Imagine if we played this card in a deck with the likes of Strangelroot Geist or Geralf's Messenger. Those creatures battle and die gloriously for the army, but then for the low low cost of just 2 life we can ensure they get another chance at life and undeath. With Geralf's Messenger, this guy can play the role that Fume Spitter did last year allowing you to rebuy Messenger, but with other value tossed in for fun. Sure, this one isn't removal, but this format isn't nearly as fast and killing their turn 1 Delver isn't a relevant play now.

And now presenting.... the first playable card with Bloodrush! This guy is sweet! A Titanic Growth with trample is a perfectly costed effect for infinite blowouts, and a 4/4 trample for 4 isn't amazing, but is a solid threat in it's own right. If you have played with Selesnya Charm in the past couple months, you have seen first hand how almost no one sees the pump spell coming. Ghor-Clan Rampager also has the added bonus of an extra +2/+2 and it's uncounterable! I have used Selesnya Charm to its best effects on a Silverblade Paladin, and on him the extra +2/+2 is downright terrifying and will win games completely on its own!

Frontline Medic is a little awkward, but the card is very good, and interesting to think about. Making all of your creatures indestructible is really sweet in that you can just slam your dudes into their board with no fear of losing any creatures in combat. The awkward part of the card comes where the Mana Leak ability doesn't streamline too well with the Battalion side. Regardless, I like me an aggressive disruption spell though, and a 3 mana 3/3 is perfectly on curve. There are a ton of relevant cards with X in their mana cost in standard right now: Bonfire of the Damned and Sphinx's Revelation are public enemies number one right now, but there are other incredibly powerful X spells you may run into like Rakdos's Return, Entreat the Angels, Epic Experiment, and Syncopate. It doesn't make much sense that a Human Cleric whose ability is to slam bodies into other bodies is also a walking counterspell, but just don't read too into it. This card is super good, and I expect to have it see a ton of play!

This card reminds me of Mirror Entity, a card I have had much success with in my Legacy Elves deck. The card is sweet because even if you can't pull off the infinite combo, you can still turn all your guys into 5/5s and randomly swing for 40 damage. Biomass Mutation, because it's an instant, offers us that surprise "I WIN!" moments. You don't need to get too big to make this card absolutely terrifying, as even activating for 4 in the late game will easily be enough to end the game right there. I don't think this card will do enough to push its way into constructed, but it may make it as a sweet 1-of? I think cards like Gavony Township and Kessig Wolf Run will be more consistent and more powerful overall, but at the very least, Biomass Mutation will be a sweet first pick in draft and will earn its place as the coolest pump spell ever made!

Holy crap! Talk about a card tailored for multi-player! I don't play EDH personally, but if I did, this is the kind of stuff I would want to be doing! Talk about the craziest Snapcaster Mage you have ever seen played! Usually EDH games are 4 person free-for-alls, and in those kinds of games Diluvian Primordial is an absolute must counter spell unless if everyone mutually feels like dying. The 5/5 flying body is cool and all, but it's the free spell casting that turns everyone's heads. EDH is full of the craziest, nastiest, most powerful spells everyone can muster and so being able to take everyone's best plays and throw it all right back at them for free all at the same time is actually a little nauseating! Pick up cheap foils if you can, this is probably the marquee card of the set for EDH!

Now this is a really awesome use of the Evolve mechanic! One of the things that detracts from mana dorks is that going late they become completely irrelevant because of their tiny bodies however Gyre Sage has Evolve and so as you drop your bombs like Thragtusk, then Restoration Angel it to get more triggers, life, and dudes, eventually you get to the point where we have a 5/6 Gyre Sage, and it starts packing heat! Nevermind topdecking an X spell and being able to tap for 3+ mana! Costing 2 mana and not tapping for any mana by itself are absolutely legitimate drawbacks, but I'm sure in no time we will see a home for our Druid and we will make all of the mana!

This card was spoiled by Frank Leopore, everyone's favorite fearless leader of TCGPlayer.com. While I don't think any monstrous insects will be rampaging standard any time soon, it's such a sweet card that closes a game terrifyingly fast by itself. Dealing damage in the powers of 7 is horrifyingly fast! I really hope to open this card in a draft so I can have the slowest grindiest deck of all time just so I can bring out the anti-raid and clean up house!

Remember that Battlefield Medic? Here's another INSANE X spell that it will have to counter in the coming months! Wow, where to begin? For starters, this is like an instant-speed fireball to the face, which isn't too exciting. However, like Fireball, we can split up the damage however we want among our opponent's creatures, but unlike Fireball we don't need to pay an extra mana for every new target making this spell much more efficient. But wait, there's more! This also taps all of those creatures! So now we can either use this as a pseudo Silence to buy some time, or we can effectively make our creatures unblockable to force through damage on the board. BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! If we choose to do any damage to the opponent, they can't cast non-creature spells this turn! Geez! You know what non-creature spell I don't want my opponent to cast? Supreme Verdict. We can set up our board so that we have lethal for next turn, then on our opponent's upkeep ping them with Aurelia's Fury and guarantee we will not be wrathed that turn while also tapping/killing any creatures on their board. This puts the opponent in a position where they need near perfect to survive since they can only play dudes, and all their other work setting up the board is completely nullified. This card is an ace in the whole, and I think it will show up as a 2-of as a closer in Naya decks going forward!

Last but not least, Boros hits 2 home runs in a row! Boros Charm is fighting for best charm in the whole cycle since all of these abilities are insane! First there's the one-sided instant speed Flame Rift for the same CMC, which sounds perfectly fair. But then we can make sure our creatures survive through a Wrath/Removal Spell suite? Or our opponent plays something like Boom//Bust and we want to save our mana, or our Planeswalker gets Dreadbored and we want to save our friend? Sounds like an awesome card! But then there's the option for a Double Cleave?! It's a combat trick, but it can also surprise win you the game! Boros Charm is perfect for any aggressive deck looking to have a swiss army knife in their pocket. Every ability is very commonly relevant and will be used in all forms very frequently.

If this card gets too popular, Supreme Verdict loses a lot of value, and Mutilate may become the best wrath in the format.

The first thing I thought when I saw this card is how it will probably see play in Modern and Legacy. 2 mana for 4 damage at instant speed is incredibly powerful, and I think Modern burn will absolutely add white to fit it, and Legacy may find a space for it as well, although that version plays Price of Progress so it may not want the Plateau. However, Legacy Zoo may want it since they play a lot of burn in their decks, but they can also make use of the other 2 abilities as well to help push their creatures through for more damage.

Overall, Boros Charm is absolutely bonkers and is my pick for the most powerful card previewed today!

As we get closer and closer to seeing the full set spoiled, I am getting increasingly excited for the Prerelease in just a couple weeks! I am technically affiliated to Boros, so that's what I'm leaning towards right now, but I reserve the right to change my mind should something catch my eye, but for now I think I will rep the red and white! That's all I have for today! Until next time, stay classy!

Ryan Lackie
Ryan.Lackie92@gmail.com
@ThingsILack

P.S.
The other day when I was talking about Dimir Charm I thought the removal slice of the card was a neutered Smother when in fact the card is a Swat. This makes the card significantly worse. While it can still hit Dark Confidant, Tarmogoyf is now generally safe along with guys like Wild Nacatl that cost little but grow in size quickly. Some important cards it can hit now that it couldn't before are Silverblade Paladin, Vampire Nighthawk, Metalworker, and Doran. Relevant Creatures it can no longer hit are: Phyrexian Dreadnaught, Insectile Abberation, and flipped Werewolves.