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Crashing Gates and Taking Names

It’s that beautiful time again when a crisp, new Magic set has descended upon us like the light of the first spring morning compelling us to descend into another season of Planeswalkerly combat filled with expletives, stress, and that special feeling you get when your opponent curves [card]Hellrider[/card] into [card]Thundermaw Hellkite[/card] and you run the numbers through your head to see if you could leap over the table and bludgeon another human being to death with a table leg before the judge arrives. Like all of you, I have been laboring over the completed spoiler with care, struggling to fit the new cards into decks I already have built, or pondering new creations that I can unleash upon the world. While I do not have the herculean constitution to do a pun-filled full set review ala Conley Woods or LSV (or even a Chris Lansdell) I do have it in me to offer some insight on the cards that psychically accosted my inner brewer. With that in mind, let’s take a look at Gatecrash.

A lot of my observations will be with an eye towards the Modern format. It’s the format I’ve been playing the most with PTQ season rearing its ugly head, and as [card]Deathrite Shaman[/card] has shown, it only takes 1 card to seriously impact a deck’s playability in the format.

Cards that caught my eye:

[card]Experiment One[/card]/ [card]Cloudfin Raptor[/card]: If Evolve is going to be a viable strategy, it will be off the strength of these two cards. There will be many games where you lead with one of these and curve out in explosive fashion and rush off to tell your buddies of your conquests. But, there will also be many where neither gets above 2 power before Supreme Verdict comes down and you’re in topdeck mode (where they suck) and you spend an hour grumbling about “bad beats.”

[card]Aurelia’s Fury[/card]: This is my pick for best card in the set, possibly best in the block. If you can’t tell, I love this card. The versatility it allows for is unbelievable, and I had to re-read it multiple times just to make sure I wasn’t stupid. When a card makes your eyes cross and has you gibbering like Lenny pontificating on some rabbits, it’s one you need to pay attention too (unless it’s [card]Ice Cauldron[/card], screw that card). All the Fury needs to be good is mana, and we are living in the Age of [card]Farseek[/card].

[card]Frontline Medic[/card]: MEDIC! I have already preordered a playset of these (I was a soldier-medic once upon a time, that alone ensures my love). It should be one of the top 10 cards of the set.

[card]Unexpected Result[/card]: Supposedly, if you ever play this card and resolve it revealing a Spanish language [card]Inquisition of Kozilek[/card] the world ends. Use with caution.

[card]Skullcrack[/card]: This card is going to be a headache. I expect to play against it 20,000-30,000 times as 85% of the “Tournament Practice” room meta is red decks. It gives Modern burn decks much more consistency against decks that fight with lifegain ([card]Kitchen Finks[/card] just got worse) and might ease the constant stream of, “[card]Thragtusk[/card] should be banned, standard sucks!” comments.

[card]Master Biomancer[/card]: I can see this immediately jumping into a strong Modern deck (Hello, Melira Pod!). It dodges Torpor Orb, makes your late game mana dorks into beasts, and has infinite combos with persist creatures. It will also find a place in Standard. Untapping with this and making 2-3 tokens will end the game quickly.

[card]Gideon, Champion of Justice[/card]: Gideon, Champion of $#!@. (AKA Joshua Lemish. Do you really want Joshua Lemish in your 4-drop spot?)

[card]Vizkopa Guildmage[/card]: I saw this and high-fived a [card]RHOX FAITHMENDER[/card] (yes, I sought out an imaginary creature from a card game to express my overwhelming joy, this card breaks down the barriers of reality). I know everyone has been selling their mommas and donating kidneys to get a playset of [card]Exquisite Blood[/card] since this has been spoiled, but it’s another card that immediately needs to be tested in Modern. It gives the [card]Martyr of Sands[/card] decks another win condition and could even fit into Melira Pod as a 1-of. Thus far, this is my favorite card spoiled.

[card]Orzhov Charm[/card]: Another card that should slot right into a Modern deck. Martyr should at least give the Charm some consideration, as the lifegain it possesses can offset the life loss on the second option, and it can benefit more than anyone on the third option.

[card]Enter the Infinite[/card]: It will be used to fuel some combo in some format at some point when someone figures out some way to cheat it. Some will love it, some will hate it. The whole “draw your deck” has some epic flavor. I’m some kind of fan.

[card]Crypt Ghast[/card]: I feel like this card is being criminally undervalued because [card]Nirkana Revenant[/card] bombed. There is a world of difference between 4 and 6 mana, and I fully expect this guy to make a splash in standard (maybe even Modern). Untapping with 9-10 mana on turn 5 (or even 4) is much better than untapping with 12-14 mana on turn 7, and you should be able to play it in conjunction with another spell late game thanks to the [card]Mana Flare[/card]-esque boost. Note that you don’t have to tap a [card]Swamp[/card] for black mana to get the effect (hello [card]Blood Crypt[/card] and [card]Rakdos’s Return[/card]).

[card]Alms Beast[/card]: At the behest of my fearless leader, KYT, I will again state that Medina is wrong and this card is worse than [card]Desecration Demon[/card]. Both have crazy good p/t for their mana cost, both are blanked by any creature on the field. But, the Demon has evasion, and don’t say, “But it can be blocked by any guy on the field!” so can the Beast. The point is that, that’s the only way they get through him. I can send Restoration Angel over Alms Beast all day. Would you rather have [card]Alms Beast[/card] chumped 2 times, then get through (where your damage is offset by the life they gained chumping), or have them sacrifice two creatures to [card]Desecration Demon[/card] and then get through (who’s now an 8/8)? The only advantage that Beast has is that it can block. Congratulations, you paid 4 mana for a wall that gains life for your opponent.

[card]Sylvan Primordial[/card]: If any of the “Not Titans, We Promise” are gonna be played outside of Commander, this is my pick. It will always have a target, and it should always be able to fetch a land.

[card]Mind Grind[/card]: My pick for the best limited card in the set.

[card]Obzedat, Ghost Council[/card]: Good, definitely playable, but I don’t know if it will ascend to greatness. It feels like it’s right on the cusp of being a format definer. Locking the exile ability to only at the end of your turn is a real downer. It can’t dodge instant speed removal (it has to be considered, even if we don’t see a lot of it being played right now), and you can’t remove him to [card]Supreme Verdict[/card] on your turn. It will be an all-star against Verdict/[card]Detention Sphere[/card] style control decks.

[card]Zameck Guildmage[/card]: Sneakily good. He will find a home in standard, each of his abilities is aggressively costed. Being an Elf Wizard helps, and he may even (surprise) earn some modern consideration (with Melira Pod… again… time to make sure I have all the cards I need for that deck).

[card]Duskmantle Guildmage[/card]: Gatecrash has the best guildmages for constructed, not even close. Better than Return to Ravnica and better than original Ravnica block. This one will spawn a new deck, as you get an instant win when this is paired with [card]Mindcrank[/card] (once an opponent puts a card in the graveyard, I recommend using [card]Ghost Quarter[/card]) in Modern, or two activations and a [card]Jace, Memory Adept[/card] in standard. Two card, two color, “I win!” combos should never be discounted, ESPECIALLY when the colors that you need are blue and black.

[card]Urban Evolution[/card]: This is just [card]Divination[/card] stapled to [card]Explore[/card] and it’s just awesome.

Quick aside: Man, oh man, do I love that [card]Cavern of Souls[/card] is a for real Magic: The Gathering card. I spent 5 seconds daydreaming about going [card]Farseek[/card] into [card]Urban Evolution[/card] into [card]Sylvan Primordial[/card]. Why? Because, if I get to 7 mana, and one of those lands is the Cavern, I don’t have to worry about my monster resolving. For all my Magic playing life I’ve had to live with the fear. The fear of the big, bad Blue mage Boogeyman waiting to [card]Cancel[/card] my fun. [card]Cavern of Souls[/card] really is the “Viagra” of Magic.

[card]Signal the Clans[/card]: One in three times* this card is going to be nuts. Like, instant-speed-[card]Demonic Tutor[/card]-blow-your-mind-kick-your-opponent-in-the-junk-and-call-him/her-a-word-that-rhymes-with-buntfalafel level nuts. Other times, this is going to guarantee that you “cycle” it and draw 1-of three awesome creatures. Value Town, population: me.
*Maybe. I suck at the maths.*

[card]Immortal Servitude[/card]: Playing this in Modern with X=1 could bring back 4-5 creatures and gain 10-20 life in Martyr decks. Playing it for X=2 could bring a squadron of [card]Squadron Hawk[/card]s. This may be better than Proclamation of Rebirth, and definitely warrants testing.

[card]Prime Speaker Zegana[/card]: This card will be good as long as [card]Thragtusk[/card] and/or [card]Restoration Angel[/card] in the format. It’s just too easy to curve into her on turn 5/6 or blink it late game with a ton of value. All you really need is a 2/2 on the board to make her playable (I’d totally play a 3/3 that drew me 3 cards for 6), anything above that pushes this into “game wrecking.” I’ve heard rumblings of putting it in Modern at the top of the [card]Birthing Pod[/card] chain, but I have doubts.

And now, a couple of rough decklists to keep you warm this winter. These decks probably won’t be format wreckers, but they should be a lot of fun on a Friday night.

First up, a sample Martyr deck for Modern. This is going to be my starting point, though I want to test a lot of different interactions (and maybe slip a [card]Dark Confidant[/card] or [card]Sorin, Lord of Innistrad[/card] into the deck at some point). There are so many different avenues you can take this deck, and I think that Gatecrash has given it some wonderful new tools. I’ll start with an [card]Immortal Servitude[/card]/ [card]Proclamation of Rebirth[/card] split, but I think Servitude may be better.

[deck title=Travis Hall – Immortal Martyrdom]
[Lands]
4 Godless Shrine
4 Marsh Flats
2 Mistveil Plains
2 Swamp
2 Flagstones of Trokair
9 Plains
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Martyr of Sands
4 Soul Warden
4 Soul’s Attendant
3 Serra’s Ascendant
4 Ajani’s Pridemate
2 Tidehollow Sculler
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Vizkopa Guildmage
2 Ranger of Eos
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Path to Exile
2 Immortal Servitude
1 Proclamation of Rebirth
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
2 Orzhov Charm
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Ethersworn Canonist
3 Runed Halo
2 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Kataki, War’s Wage
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

As for standard, this first deck is an update of the [card]Rhox Faithmender[/card] deck I’ve been advocating for awhile on Horde of Notions. Some things here I’m just trying out, like [card]Gift of Orzhova[/card], but I think the Guildmage ability offers an interesting way to win in Standard.

[deck title=Travis Hall – Ain’t Life a Drain]
[Lands]
4 Godless Shrine
4 Temple Garden
3 Isolated Chapel
2 Woodland Cemetery
2 Gavony Township
4 Forest
3 Plains
2 Swamp
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Avacyn’s Pilgrim
4 Vizkopa Guildmage
3 Silverblade Paladin
4 Rhox Faithmender
3 Restoration Angel
4 Thragtusk
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Selesnya Charm
2 Oblivion Ring
1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
1 Gift of Orzhova
4 Farseek
2 Orzhov Keyrune
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
4 Frontline Medic
2 Liliana of the Veil
2 Sigarda, Host of Herons
3 Merciless Eviction
2 Rest in Peace
2 High Priest of Penance
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

And, finally, I just want to make a bunch of black mana and play huge spells. This deck tries to untap with [card]Crypt Ghast[/card] on turn 4 or 5 and capitalize on the huge mana bump.

[deck title=Travis Hall – Tales From the Crypt]
[Lands]
4 Evolving Wilds
4 Blood Crypt
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Forest
2 Mountain
6 Swamp
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Crypt Ghast
4 Huntmaster of the Fells
4 Thragtusk
1 Grisselbrand
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Duress
4 Grisly Salvage
4 Farseek
3 Mutilate
1 Increasing Ambition
2 Army of the Damned
3 Rakdos’s Return
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
2 Vraska the Unseen
1 Dark Imposter
3 Victim of Night
2 Dreadbore
3 Liliana of the Veil
2 Tragic Slip
2 Underworld Connections
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

I’ve seen a lot of hate for Gatecrash on the social networks. But, I think there are a lot of cards deceptively powerful, and it will definitely shake up both Modern and Standard. Like Avacyn Restored, I think this set will prove very powerful over time, and will add a depth to the decks we already have (via the new shocklands if nothing else). Personally, I’m excited to see what we can do with Gatecrash!

If you like my suggestions, you can follow me on Twitter: travishall456. I throw around random observations and deck ideas every day. You can also catch me spouting rogue brews weekly on the Horde of Notions podcast.

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