While I won’t be using this card in today’s deck it did make me think of Maze’s End decks from Standard’s past, and my beginnings at playing with foil cards. Also with us nearing Halloween I’m sure some of you have visited your local hay/corn maze, and heck even going to the grocery store for me feels like I am running a maze.

Yes you heard that right. Maze’s End was when I started foiling out decks.

I attended a Dragon’s Maze pre-release, and although I did get a Ral Zarek out of my kit when the event was over no one wanted their promo Maze’s Ends so I picked up the cards, began to build with it, and after Theros came out it wound up looking like this.

It was at this same time I started getting into formats like Legacy (building Punishing Jund) and EDH, and while my primary focus has shifted to Modern I do have a lot of fond memories of those days where I was winning by playing a land.

Can we do this in Modern? I don’t see why not, and honestly if decks like Tezzerator are played we can do so with this. Might it be a poor choice for even FNM? Sure. Are there a lot of cards that can wreck this deck? Yeah, of course! However on those games that you do win it’s worth it. The goal of running the maze is to survive it, and sometimes you don’t.

Modern Maze’s End

Artifacts (4)
4 Expedition Map

Enchantments (3)
3 Ghostly Prison

Creatures (7)
4 Gatecreeper Vine
3 Wall of Omens

Instants (9)
4 Fog
3 Safe Passage
2 Negate

Planeswalkers (2)
2 Kiora, the Crashing Wave

Sorceries (10)
4 Sylvan Scrying
4 Ancient Stirrings
2 Supreme Verdict

Lands (25)
4 Maze’s End
4 Windswept Heath
2 Azorius Guildgate
2 Selesnya Guildgate
2 Simic Guildgate
1 Boros Guildgate
1 Breeding Pool
1 Dimir Guildgate
1 Forest
1 Golgari Guildgate
1 Gruul Guildgate
1 Izzet Guildgate
1 Orzhov Guildgate
1 Rakdos Guildgate
1 Temple Garden

Sideboard (15)
3 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Stony Silence
2 Crackling Perimeter
2 Naturalize
2 Damping Sphere
2 Swan Song
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Negate

How the deck works

Obviously the primary win condition is using Maze’s End‘s ability to search for the last guildgate to win the game. It’s a pretty powerful ability when you consider the totality of what it does, however how can we achieve such a feat.

I’ve looked over several decks. Some are Turbo Fog based (like the old Standard decks), some even focus on enchantments. However the primary way to win is by playing Lands. This is where I thought of another deck where lands are very important: Tron.

Cards such as Ancient Stirrings, Expedition Map, and Sylvan Scrying allow you to find any land as opposed to just basics in Tron. Why limit those cards to just Tron decks? Sure these lands, the guildgates, come into play tapped, but you have other ways to stay alive even when being tapped out.

• Gatecreeper Vine, and Wall of Omens are cards that either allow you to search for a land, or simply draw a card (which could be a guildgate). While one has more toughness than the other you only need to block with them, and them living is not vital to winning the game. Don’t be afraid to play these on turn three, and use the land you find to put into play.
• Supreme Verdict will often tap you out, but also wipe their board of creatures. This will leave you vulnerable to their next play, but we don’t have a reliable way to set up Terminus, and can’t afford our spell to be countered.
• Ghostly Prison might seem odd as it does also tap you out early, but it taxes your opponent forcing them to play more threats (and lands) to attack with more than one creature.
• Kiora, the Crashing Wave also taps you out, and is the primary win condition. If you can survive to get the emblem you can win even through one of your guildgates being removed from the game (or Maze’s End itself).

Keep in mind that Safe Passage prevents all damage not just combat damage. Nice Grapeshot you have there!

If you can get up to four lands where one is a Maze’s End without being interrupted you can start using your Maze’s End on their end step to ramp out guildgates.

In the sideboard

Some key cards in the sideboard:

• Crucible of Worlds: This card’s inclusion should be no surprise. With enough land destruction in Modern as it is you will need this to play lands from your graveyard.
• Ensnaring Bridge: Pairing this with your defenders will help you stabilize as you play all of the ramp cards in your hand. There are only a few ways to draw, but not enough to consistently keep cards in your hand so this will be beneficial.
• Naturalize: You will lose to Blood Moon.
• Swan Song: Speaking of the moon you can simply counter it. Coupled with your bridge and fog effects the 2/2 bird is not much of a worry.
• Crackling Perimeter: This is your alternate win condition. Use it wisely, but keep in mind it can take awhile to ping the opponent to zero.

In conclusion

This is a very rough draft, and you’ll want to make the changes necessary to your metagame. I think a lot of us have been waiting for key pieces to be presented to try it in Modern, but the pieces that Tron has used to great success are probably the ones we should have used from the very beginning. Finding specific lands is key to this deck’s strategy, and those cards are the best way to do that.

Thank you all for reading about this strange deck. I know this is on the fringe of the Modern format, but what cards would you use for the deck? How would you change the above? Do you already have a version of the deck built? Please comment below, and follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter.

Next time with Halloween upon us I’ll shamble through another article to celebrate the rising of the dead.

Until then…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

Today I’m going to talk about one who devoted his whole life to worshiping dragons: Sarkhan Vol.

Sarkhan was a soldier in the Mardu Horde who grew tired of the bloodshed of war, became a shaman, and afterwords was touched by the spirit of an ancient dragon. He then cleared his foes from the battle (sparking in the process), left his home on Tarkir, and went searching for dragons. Eventually succumbing to the will of Nicol Bolas he wound up being forced into the Elder Dragon’s plot to release the Eldrazi, before returning to Tarkir’s past to save the Spirit Dragon, Ugin from Bolas’ claws of death.

There have been six (yes 6!) Planeswalkers featuring Sarkhan, and honestly some of these I’m not even going to use. If you wish to comment about them you can, but unlike the other two that I have looked it there are some Sarkhans that honestly I feel are too difficult to try to make playable. I’ll still comment on each of them though so they won’t be completely dismissed.

Sarkhan Vol

In my article about the Izzet League I talked about Runaway Steam-Kin. I think we can do something with that here.

Creatures (17)
4 Runaway Steam-Kin
4 Quirion Dryad
4 Winding Constrictor
3 Walking Ballista
2 Scavenging Ooze

Planeswalkers (2)
2 Sarkhan Vol

Enchantments (6)
4 Hardened Scales
2 Song of Freyalise

Spells (11)
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Atarka’s Command
2 Kolaghan’s Command
2 Dreadbore

Lands (24)
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Bloodstained Mire
3 Raging Ravine
2 Overgrown Tomb
2 Forest
2 Swamp
1 Blood Crypt
1 Stomping Ground
1 Treetop Village
1 Wooded Foothills

How the deck works

Miracle Grow decks have a long history in Magic, and this may be a time to take a look at another version, albeit a more aggressive version, of the archetype. The synergy between the cards above can not be questioned, and with the addition of Hardened Scales your creatures can become more powerful than what your opposition has. There is one inherent flaw though in that your spells do have to have red in them in order for the primary creature in the deck (Runaway Steam-Kin) to be useful.

• Your ideal first turn is turn 1 Hardened Scales, and then play a Quirion Dryad or Winding Constrictor. If those survive playing a Runaway Steam-Kin into a Lightning Bolt will send you off to the races.
• Sarkhan Vol is your finisher. Although your creatures do not get counters from his first ability (but the creatures do based on the color of the spell he is) it could be the punch you need. You could also steal a blocker to finish them off.
• Song of Freyalise might seem like an odd inclusion, however being able to use your creatures for any color of mana can help you clear the path, deal some damage to your opponent, and once you get to the third chapter finish them off.

In the sideboard you will want discard spells like Duress, some form of graveyard hate (perhaps the third Scavenging Ooze), and Bow of Nylea would be a sweet one of if you are ever in a matchup where you have a board stall, and need either more counters or deathtouch.

I really wanted to fit Bloodhall Ooze in here, but found no room.

Sarkhan the Mad

Here we come to our first of the Sarkhans that honestly does not feel that great. He has no way to add counters to himself, and unless you have a creature on the board he has no true impact. If you were to build a deck with him I recommend using creatures with the Persist mechanic (like Kitchen Finks) or Undying mechanic (Geralf’s Messenger), or perhaps both. There may not be enough to facilitate a deck, and using his -2 ability first does not leave a lot of room for his 0 ability. He also requires running more than one to keep his abilities going. If you build a deck with him share it in the comments below.

Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker

This one is my favorite of the Sarkhan planeswalkers, and embodies the spirit of Magic: the Gathering. In the beginning this game depicts you as a wizard traveling fantasy realms doing battle with others with your spells while summoning creatures. Since his spark ignited (which every time I hear that being used I always think of the Michael Bay Transformer movies) he has become a powerful adversary seeking the power of dragons, sometimes even turning himself into one.

Creatures (13)
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Llanowar Elves
3 Tireless Tracker
2 Wood Elves

Enchantments (4)
4 Blood Moon

Planeswalkers (3)
2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter

Spells (15)
4 Stone Rain
4 Farseek
3 Explore
2 Molten Rain
2 Lightning Bolt

Lands (25)
8 Forest
4 Field of Ruin
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Cinder Glade
2 Stomping Ground
1 Ghost Quarter

How the deck works

While we’re all familiar with the Gruul Ponza Scheme deck (that’s what I call it) this focuses on not only depleting your opponent’s lands but also searching for your own. Forgoing the Utopia Sprawl plan allows for other cards (such as your planeswalkers) to be played. Granted the planeswalker presence is a little light here, but I always envisioned this type of deck to go big through spells over creatures. Garruk, Primal Hunter also adds a steady stream of creatures, while your Field of Ruin plus Ghost Qaurter package complements your land destruction spells in your deck.

In the sideboard I would look at cards that oppose graveyard strategies as usual. I’m not sure how many slots you would want to devote to Scavenging Ooze or Grafdigger’s Cage though. Enchantment and Artifact hate are also slots you will want to use. This could be done with an Engineered Explosives as often times you’ll only need it for 2 against matchups such as the various Affinity decks and Bogles.

Outpost Siege might also be interesting in here.

Sarkhan Unbroken

While this Sarkhan is pretty neat my idea for this one would be similar to the one above, but with more focus on ramp spells to play a lot of dragons.

Creatures (15)
4 Arbor Elf
3 Stormbreath Dragon
3 Sylvan Caryatid
2 Courser of Kruphix
2 Birds of Paradise
1 Dragonlord Atarka

Enchantments (6)
4 Utopia Sprawl
2 Frontier Siege

Planeswalkers (5)
3 Sarkhan Unbroken
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance

Spells (8)
4 Farseek
3 Explore
1 Cyclonic Rift

Lands (25)
4 Copperline Gorge
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Cavern of Souls
3 Misty Rainforest
2 Forest
2 Stomping Ground
2 Mountain
1 Breeding Pool
1 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
1 Island
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Steam Vents

How the deck works

All ramp all the time. This deck wants more mana than you do in order to cast its large dragons. Dragons historically have had large mana costs, and in a deck splashing a third color it’s much needed. You have multiple directions here as you can ramp into Sarkhan Unbroken, or Stormbreath Dragon. Don’t forget that Stormbreath can go monstrous allowing you to deal damage on top of attacking. I know all of these words may have fallen on deaf ears as you are focused on the single Cyclonic Rift in the deck. With so much focus on ramp the deck will lack interaction, and you have to have a card that allows you to catch up. The Overload cost could be easy to obtain here.

Other things to look for are the Cavern of Souls allowing you to cast your dragons without being countered, and for any color. The Haven of the Spirit Dragon helps vs discard effects as well.

I really wanted to fit Thunderbreak Regent in here. I’m not sure where. That may show up later.

Sarkhan, Dragonsoul

This Sarkhan is from the planeswalker decks made for new players for Magic 2019. While there might be room for a cost this large his +1 does negligible damage, his -3  and -9 are similar to abilities seen on the last two versions of Sarkhan. For me this card feels unimaginative. Perhaps you may disagree? If so share your thoughts in the comments below.

Sarkhan, Fireblood

Now we get to perhaps the most powerful of the Sarkhan planeswalkers. Those that cost three mana to cast are some of the most powerful in the game, yet not all of them see equal play. Once I saw this card I imagined an actual “Dragon Stompy” deck for Modern, and although some have tried to create a version of it I think I might be onto something here.

Creatures (14)
4 Thunderbreak Regent
4 Simian Spirit Guide
3 Stormbreath Dragon
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
1 Hazoret the Fervent

Artifact (4)
4 Chalice of the Void

Enchantments (4)
4 Blood Moon

Planeswalkers (5)
3 Sarkhan, Fireblood
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance

Spells (9)
4 Fiery Temper
3 Mizzium Mortars
2 Abrade

Lands (24)
8 Mountain
4 Arid Mesa
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Field of Ruin
2 Darksteel Citadel
2 Ghost Quarter

How the deck works

This mono red prison style deck is meant to lock the opponent out of low cost spells until you can plant a Blood Moon, and then deploy your threats to win. Having a variety of threats in dragons, or cards that can deal damage to the opponent can help win a game once the lock is in place which sometimes can be a problem with these style of decks.

Fiery Temper might seem odd, but with Sarkhan, Fireblood‘s +1 you could discard it, and then pay it’s madness cost. While minor this could come up.

So why does this deck run Darksteel Citadel? Synergy with Pia and Kiran Nalaar of course. Keep in mind the 2 damage that can be done when sacrificing artifacts including the Citadel.

The sideboard MIGHT be a problem. Enchantments are a big problem for mono red, and Ratchet Bomb is awfully slow against them. Graveyard hate, and land destruction may take up most of the slots in your board.

In conclusion

That’s a lot of variety even with 2 of them not really being playable. Each deck plays in it’s own unique way, and tries to focus on the abilities of the Sarkhan in the deck.

What are your thoughts? Have you played with any of these Sarkhans in your decks? Leave a comment, and make sure to follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter.

NEXT WEEK…we’re going to run the Maze!

Until then…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

Gerry Thompson, and The World Championship

Last week notable Magic: the Gathering professional player Gerry Thompson posted on Twitter that he was not going to play in this year’s World Championship event. I would have written an article on this, but I was in the midst of the individual guild reviews, and did not want to ruin the flow of those articles. This news hit the community like a ton of bricks, and no one (except those closest to Gerry) knew it was coming. After reading the article I honestly can’t blame him at all. He goes into a lot of points (of which I won’t cover all) that I agree with, and even though I have no aspirations to have playing Magic be my source of income it is a hobby I have been invested in for a long time. Things like this happening, and the ramifications of such, can impact even people like me so we should all pay attention.

1. I do not know what Wizards pays the players who play at the highest levels beyond just what is posted about prize payouts, but compared to other games that have blown by Magic: the Gathering in viewership as well as popularity it surely does seem that those who choose to go this route are not properly compensated for their time. Many players wanting to win at these types of events have to stream, be a part of a podcast, write on a website like Star City Game or Channel Fireball, or find other ways within Magic to supplement the income they get from just playing. Essentially they have to get a second job. Have you ever taken a look around you, and wonder why many of us (at least here in the United States) feel that it’s “okay” for people to have to have a second job to stay afloat? That one job is simply “not enough”? I’m sure there are reasons why people do it, and that’s fine. I have before in my life (more than once even) but honestly we all could be better without having that as a rule rather than an exception. This game should be no different. Wizards needs to rethink how they pay players who are at the top of this game, and promote their product. If Wizards is going to treat the Pro Tour are a promotional tour (which honestly it is) then they need to compensate those who promote it, especially if those people can be placed in a Hall Of Fame.
2. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the game. However they did not work with GenCon to be a part of that event which would have placed more eyes on the game than being held at another venue. The Silver Showcase was also an absolute disaster. They brought in players who left Magic to play other games (such as Hearthstone), and the finals match did not have a pro Magic player paired against a non-Magic player. This was perhaps the most egregious thing about the event let alone the choice of format. The players chosen should have been promoting the current product, and maybe even do that through Magic Arena. Wizards of the Coast had one chance to put all of the gaming world on their product, and blew it.
3. In this day and age of information gathering data is important to many of us. If decks are registered well in advance, and can even be done electronically, having only 32 to look at by the end of the event is not enough. Let’s say for instance that Mono Green Tron wins an event, but we never know how many total players registered that deck, what their win-loss record is vs certain matchups, and how many of those decks lost as opposed to those that won. Sometimes we get lost on a deck winning than understanding what matches it faced during a weekend. More on this later.
4. I understand highlighting your players is very important. They push the joys of the game, and can in many respects become celebrities in the community. While many point to Star City Games for doing this I think it can even go a bit farther. I would like to see a focus on those players local to the areas that these events hit, as well as on those who always travel to these events. To me in the last five years I can’t recall many new names being given the spotlight. I’m not saying turn away from those that people want to see, but let’s hear about a good player or community representative that only appears when an event is close to where they live. Major League Baseball (for example) is good about this when a team goes on the road. When arriving in the visiting city there will be a focus during the entire broadcast on players the visiting team is about to face. This gives the viewer an inside look on players they may not already know. In the case of Magic if the focus is only on the same group of people we may never get to see anyone new.
5. The road to trying to become a pro is awful. When Gerry said that it’s “first or dead last” system the PPTQ (and even RPTQ) systems are exactly that. Trying to top 8 a GP is equally as difficult, and with the price of entry for these events rising one could suddenly feel like this weekend was wasted when they walk away with nothing (not even a playmat) to show for their time spent. These items should not be add-ons. Doing so makes it appear that you are greedy, and want more money than you are willing to put out for support. This also is worse for those outside of the United States where events are not as plentiful.
6. REMOVE THE CHEATERS!! No one who has cheated the game in a purposeful or malicious way should ever be allowed to play at the highest level, nor be sponsored by Wizards of the Coast to promote their game (even streaming Magic Arena) ever. Period. It’s literally a mixed message.

I will not pretend that I know Gerry, however I can agree with a lot of things he’s mentioned. In my opinion, as I have watched him over the years through his articles as well as podcasts, he has grown to be a positive influence in the community. Many of us should aspire to be this positive in not only our own individual communities, but in life overall.

The World Champion is…who?

While Javier Dominguez did win the tournament that very few knew about he was not prominently displayed on the home page of the Magic website. Why? Imagine if your favorite sports team won their league’s championship, and info about them as well as the game was buried in the main page. Wouldn’t that be frustrating? Wouldn’t you be looking for the news elsewhere instead of clicking on the various links trying to find the answer? I understand the purpose for the re-design of the homepage for Magic, but when was the last time you went there to read an article that was not about a recent tournament?

I used to go there for information, but currently there are enough content creators out there that you can find their articles, videos, and content outside of the Magic homepage. Sure this helps new players get to those creators, but what if we get familiar with where those people are? What purpose does the homepage serve then? Javier should have been the very first thing to appear when going to this page, For a week. Without question. However he wasn’t, and once again Wizards missed an opportunity to do a good thing.

Also I heard Gerry was banned from even entering the event where it was held? I’m sorry, but that’s just damn childish. For a game that’s been around 25 years they have a lot of growing up to do. If you want bad PR then that’s how you do it.

Counterspell? No. Lightning Bolt? No. Better Vindicate? Yes…?

As I mentioned before this marked the 25th anniversary of Magic: the Gathering, and for it we went back to Dominaria. We were able to visit, briefly, the original plane where the story of the game took place. This was their chance to reprint cards from Magic’s history for us to play again, and while I know cards on the Reserved List are out of the question I was hoping for something from the past to spice things up. Sure the set itself was fine, but it was drenched in new cards, new play design philosophy, and with the exception of Serra Angel, Icy Manipulator, and Siege-Gang Commander there wasn’t a whole lot of the game’s past (in the form of reprints) to truly embrace the nostalgia.

I understand that a lot of the players currently playing at an FNM level or above may not have been playing as long as I have, but we have had Lightning Bolt in Standard before. We nearly got Counterspell, but that’s when the idea to reduce the cost if a Wizard was in play happened. We keep being told that printing cards like this make them too powerful for Standard. I also understand that Wizards is in a place where they want to produce the most new cards in each set vs reprints.

However are you going to tell me this card is “balanced”, or “good”, for Standard play?

When new players are told a card like this is “good” or “acceptable” it sets a bad precedent. Having cards like Lightning Bolt in a Core Set honestly is fine. As long as the colors are balanced, and each can do powerful things, cards in the game’s past can be put into Core Sets as they could help deal with things either currently present, or coming up. Having a high percentage of playable cards in a set also helps sell sealed product.

However with all of that said they flip that philosophy on it’s head and give us a better version of Vindicate in Assassin’s Trophy? Sure they do design cards that are the chase cards. The ones that will “sell the set”, but honestly we were going back to RAVNICA. All they really needed to do was show us Shocklands, and we were sold. They either do want to give us powerful cards that will find their way from Standard to eternal formats upon release, don’t want to provide us reprints, or are looking for ways to push a set because sales may not be where they feel they should be. Or perhaps it’s all of that? As a long time player this seems really confusing. The more they do things like this, and not provide reprints, the less they appear to be interested in those who have been long time consumers. That’s a bad look for a company that says they are “still growing”.

Amazon? Walmart? Target? Oh my!

Yes. I understand the concerns. Wizards has eliminated the option for your local game store to order directly from them to get stock when the distributor is out. They are also selling directly to these online retailers when they could promote the local game store instead.

Yep. Got it.

What about the Mythic Edition that’s only available through the Hasbro Toy Store? That also cuts out the local game store.

Yeah, but are you really going to buy that? Let’s take a look at these issues one at a time.

1. Wizards of the Coast recognizes a trend in how consumers are spending their money. They are clearly focused on gaining new players in the 13 year old to 23 year old demographic. As the consumers in that age have changed over the years they have noticed a trend in that demographic: primarily online shopping. They are playing games, watching a program, or even just communicating primarily online than any other method. As longtime retailers have begun to downsize (or even close) as this trend continues Wizards of the Coast notices an opportunity to reach new players. Yes I also understand that stores sell sealed product on sites like TCG Player, however if the new player is not even familiar with the seller (in this case the store) how can they find them? We also have to keep in mind the older buyers (perhaps someone getting a gift for the new player) may not know where to go, or if they do what to buy. I have had family members attempt to go into the stores I visit, and they have no idea if what they purchased for me is the current product, what it’s value is (financially of course, but to me that’s not what counts), and if they are doing things correctly (as far as what they are asking for, saying it’s name right, etc). These consumers are put in a very stressful, and potentially embarrassing situations. You might be laughing, but it’s true. Think about this the next time you buy something for someone, and you are not familiar with the product let alone where to look for it. Buying these things online is a lot easier, and they can direct where it’s shipped to keep it a surprise as well. That’s a win for everyone. Also we need to keep in mind that Wizards has to print to this new demand which will make singles cheaper. I recently asked a store how much a box was, and it was $120. Would you rather buy a box at that price, or for under $100?
2. Many complain that stores should have been given the Mythic Edition to sell. Oh how soon do we forget. Yes it’s $250 through the Hasbro Toy Shop, but if this was sold through your local game store this would have been more than double what Wizards is asking for. Do you all remember the now discontinued From The Vault (FTV) series? This was a series of fifteen cards with a unique foiling process (and sometimes new art) packed with an MSRP of around $35 sold only through your local game stores. These products, depending on how good the cards in it are, often times were sold for a much greater price. Guess who complained about this happening? You guessed it. You did. The same people upset that the Mythic Edition is only available through Wizards of the Coast. Sure just like the FTV this isn’t for everyone, but Magic is at times a FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) type of hobby. New products bring the most demand, and when there is a sense of a barrier it causes people to choose to miss out. Their natural reaction is disdain, and then they are left without. Eventually this feeling passes, but not without the criticism that we have. In order to curb this Wizards of the Coast has kept the selling portion of this product under control. Go take a look at how much a box of this product, the Mythic Edition, is selling for online and then wonder why Wizards made this (correct) decision. Hopefully next time they can allow for orders from around the globe.

What can we do to make things better though? Well, as far as buying products at the local stores instead of Amazon we can introduce this game to others. Perhaps friends or family when we gather at parties, or even on the holidays. Yes those interested in going to stores can find that information for themselves online, but if we can put our phones down for a moment maybe we can teach someone we care about what the game is while gauging their interest for more information about it. There are products for new players out their, but these things don’t seem easy to understand, or may even be confusing to someone new to card games in general. Each of us can be ambassadors to the game which helps grow the game,…and leads to my next point.

Take Down Your Ivory Tower

At it’s center Magic: the Gathering is an intellectual strategy game. I find it a lot similar to games like Chess in that regard where you are only aware of the pieces in front of you, and the goal. The unknown is what plays your opponent will make next. You have to think ahead, and anticipate their moves while advancing your own game plan. However in recent years, especially with the increased connectivity via social media, content creators, and coverage, one thing has superseded that.

Wanting to be right. All the time.

Magic: the Gathering is a complex game full of possibilities to explore. I have heard from some that they equate it to be a puzzle to figure out, and once figured out a new puzzle emerges. This is a good way to think about the game, but sometimes we forget that not everyone can see the same puzzle. Nor should they.

Modern is a great example of this. The card pool is large enough where a player can find a style of deck they want to play, and play it. Yet when trying to engage with the community they can be met by others who dissuade them from making their choices, and depending on the level of conversation be made to feel uncomfortable or excluded.

We are so focused on being accepted by others who are at a level that we wish to achieve, and whom we may have never interacted with in person, that unless we play specific cards or decks we can begin to doubt ourselves as well as our way to think critically and genuinely. We wind up giving up thinking on our own to let someone else do that work for us, and our achievements are no longer unique or our own.

I encountered this level of backlash before Jace, the Mind Sculptor was allowed in Modern. I also encountered this when discussing Punishing Jund in Legacy as it doesn’t play Brainstorm. Sometimes even Jund in Modern as well (yet suddenly everyone’s backed off of hating Jund now that we have Assassin’s Trophy). Now suddenly the same people who would give grief over my choices are picking up these decks, and claiming how good they are as if they have known this for a long time.

What we should do instead is have a conversation when people in the community ask us about decks. Questions such as:

• Why are you choosing this construction?
• What is your favorite color to play?
• What do you like to do when playing a game? Attack with creatures? Do something powerful?
• How much time do you have to play? (Studying some strategies takes a lot longer than others)
• …and others

Having a conversation with someone, instead of pointing our your opinions from your ivory tower, is more conducive in getting the other person to not only converse with you, but to also listen to what you may suggest as well as put together connections they may not recognize or understand. Not everyone in this game should play at the same level as YOU. Ever. Can they? Sure, but they should always find their own path, and be welcomed on that journey. Not feel like they have stepped into a Member’s Only jacket wearing club. This is a big negative that happens in our game from the kitchen table and can sometimes go all the way to larger events or even content (such as podcasts).

In Conclusion

What we truly need to understand is The Gathering part of this game is what makes it Magic. Sure the company can, and will, do what it feels is necessary. However there are still a lot of things that we collectively can (and should) do better. If we all work together, and do so in a positive manner, perhaps the changes we want to make with the game (as well as it’s coverage) will come to fruition.

Thank you all for reading. What are your thoughts on these issues? Do you wish we would get more reprints? Please comment below, and follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter.

This weekend I will be in Columbus playing in the side events during the Star City Game Columbus Open. If you are going make sure to let me know, and we can play some games. I may also swing by 16-Bit Barcade as it is awesome.

Until then…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

While one may think the Selesnya Conclave as peace loving, nature protecting, “hippies” (for lack of a better word) their history does tie back to some hypocritical and sinister dealings (Editors Note: Sort of. They were almost taken over by Savra so that Szadek could kill Mat’Selesnya, the ancient parun of the Guild by using the Selesnyans’ Quietmen to do so). Fortunately recent years have put into place leadership that protects Ravnica for the benefit of everyone, and the Conclave leads that charge.

The Selesnya Conclave

This white and green guild is filled with anything a fan of fantasy RPGs would want. Elves (the Silhana), Clerics, Archers, Druids, Shamans, Centaur, and more! These different races, and classes, have learned to work together in harmony for the good of all. While the other guilds have boasted new mechanics this guild brings back a fan favorite with Convoke. Sadly we don’t get a Chord of Calling reprint which would have been awesome!

Conclave Tribunal was one of the first cards to be revealed during PAX weekend at the beginning of the month. While you have to use some of your creatures to use this for cheap it can put a hole in the opposing defense allowing your other creatures to get through. This card is quite powerful especially if your forces have Vigilance.

Convoke plus a permanent buff? Venerated Loxodon is a really strong card. Imagine casting this for one white mana, and then using it plus your remaining mana to cast another one, in the same turn. Unless you can answer some of the threats you could be dead the next turn. I’m glad this does not have Trample, or it would be super powerful.

Elf? Check. Draws cards when you play a creature? Check. Has green mana? Check. Beast Whisperer is quite strong in an aggro or a creature heavy mid-range deck. It has three toughness, but keep in mind that Elvish Clancaller exists to keep it out of Lightning Strike range. I would keep an eye on this card as drawing cards by following your plan only helps you achieve victory.

Gate? Heck yes. However while Circuitous Route is not going to find Maze’s End in Standard perhaps we can in Modern. While it would be an FNM deck it is something we could try. Ramp spells are also beneficial for EDH decks, although green sure does have a ton of them already. I could see this in a Standard deck looking to use a lot of the split cards, or perhaps a card I’ll be talking about in a moment, but not as a four of.

Civic Wayfinder, and Borderland Ranger each saw competitive play, and I’m sure District Guide will as well. It’s also an Elf which is beneficial in the new Standard as Elf tribal could be an archetype. This also can get Gates which could use this creature as a blocker in a casual Maze’s End Modern deck too. Unlike this previous card this is definitely a four of in the decks it will be played in as it fixes your mana (even if you use it to get a Gate).

This card is sweet. While it is odd that she produced 1/1 white Soldier tokens (instead of Elves) Emmara, Soul of the Accord showcases how this guild works together, collectively, in it’s pursuits regardless of race or class. Very on theme. Did you know she can be part of an infinite mana combo in Modern too? Here’s what you need.

• Cryptolith Rites
• Intruder Alarm
• Emmara, Soul of the Accord

Infinite mana.

What can you get with that much mana? A giant Walking Ballista? A huge Banefire? What about more creatures at INSTANT speed?

Sure. I miss Sphinx’s Revelation (a lot), but March of the Multitudes is somewhat close. You really only need to cast this on your opponent’s end step to begin to turn the corner. I see this as another Secure the Wastes, but your other creatures will allow you to cast this card. This is also a good card to use when your board is getting wiped away. Do not sleep on this card!

The Selesnya Conclave is full of strategies for those who enjoy go wide aggro, and mid-range decks. If you enjoy getting the maximum value out of your cards then this guild is right up your alley. Make sure you have enough cards to increase the power and toughness of your creatures to avoid problems with Goblin Chainwhirler as it’s a bane to all token decks currently in Standard.

We have reached the end. The five guilds have been revealed, and I have covered them all as much as I can. Are there cards from other sets in Standard that you want to couple with those in the Selesnya colors for Standard? Do you want to try Maze’s End in Modern now too? Make sure to comment below, and to follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter.

Until next week when I return to weekly Monday articles…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

The Izzet League

Followed by those who seek greater knowledge, or those who choose to become part of an experiment, the Izzet League are the inventors on Ravnica. Led, until recently, by the Dracogenius Niv-Mizzet this blue and red mana guild is currently being ran by Ral Zarek.

The mechanic this time around for these inventors is Jump-start. While this is a name better suited for the Kaladesh setting this mechanic feels like a take on the Flashback and Retrace mechanics blended together. In order to cast a spell with Jump-start from your graveyard you have to discard a card, and in the late game when you draw an unnecessary land this could be beneficial.

When a new set enters Standard one thing we look for are replacements for cards that have rotated out of the format. So as Glimmer of Genius leaves a replacement is warranted, and in this case it’s Chemister’s Insight. In recent years Wizards of the Coast has tried to provide players a card like Inspiration feeling that drawing two cards for four mana at instant speed is fair (and in Standard it is), but they have juiced it up a bit this time. Allowing you to draw four cards for eight mana, and discarding a card, will make this a card for us control players to use. I can’t wait to play this card.

Punisher cards, where you give your opponent a choice on how the spell resolves, are a topic of strategy that has happened for many years. In the case of the Jump-start mechanic Risk Factor puts the advantage slightly back into your favor. If you play with multiples of these your chances of the opponent taking four damage is minimized over time. This card is a better version of Browbeat, and is my pick for FNM card from this guild.

This card seems interesting. While walls in control strategies are sometimes needed in aggressive metagames they usually provide something upon coming into play. This card provides an advantage the longer it remains in play with a control deck. Those decks usually play a lot of instants in the form of counterspells or spot removal, and even in the event you have to cast a sweeper at sorcery speed you still get the trigger from this upon casting before the spell resolves. Having two of these in play can really pressure your opponent. I wouldn’t mind trying this card.

Runaway Steam-Kin is the most hyped card in red, and honestly I can see applications for this in Modern. As people look at this card they think primarily of burn spells, and rightfully so. However I am thinking of other cards that have red in their casting cost, especially in Modern:

• Terminate
• Kolaghan’s Command
• Atarka’s Command

That’s just to name a few. Those cards can do things other than burn your opponent, which can be more beneficial in a game, and can help grow the Steam-Kin. Speaking of grow couple this with the following cards, and you may have a sweet aggressive Jund aggro deck:

• Quirion Dryad
• Winding Constrictor
• Hardened Scales
• Walking Ballista

This might be one to watch.

Of any card in this set to make me play Jeskai it is Ionize. Having a card that only costs a single blue in it’s cost be able to counter a spell is pretty strong, and the fact this card is in Standard tells me that there should be plenty of ways to counter a spell for anyone wishing to play a control deck. If you look at this card close enough it’s an Instant speed Blightning. The card you are countering is essentially discarded, and the 2 damage is nothing to sneeze at either. This card will be seen a lot in Standard, and some mages may play it in Modern as well.

All control decks need a finisher, and Niv-Mizzet, Parun is indeed just that. A creature that can’t be countered the only downside to this card is that it ties up your available mana. However if you untap with him anytime you draw a card you are doing damage. Dealing more than five damage a turn can help end games quickly, and this guy partners with Teferi, Hero of Dominaria quite well.

Now we arrive at the other planeswalker in the set in Ral, Izzet Viceroy. A very main character in the story, and minion of Nicol Bolas. While this card has the same template many planeswalker cards have had before it the second ability is quite interesting as it counts cards in exile, Those in exile may be the ones you cast with the Jump-start ability giving them a use beyond their second casting. Otherwise he is competing for a spot currently occupied by the time mage Teferi, Hero of Dominaria.

The Izzet League always has something up it’s sleeve, and this time it’s no different. Their designs are usually simplistic, and straight to the point (draw cards, do damage to something, etc), but that efficiency is where their guild shines. For them the only way to succeed is through trial and error, even if that means dealing with a lot of errors.

Was this article quick? You bet. Izzet mages waste no time so neither should I when covering them. Are you also sad the charm cycle did not come back in this set? Izzet Charm was a sweet card. Leave a comment below, and make sure to follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter. Tomorrow I will cover the last guild the Selesnya Conclave.

Until then…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

The Golgari Swarm

The largest guild on Ravnica, the Golgari Swarm is host to many necromancers as well as undead. However the guild is not solely focused on such things. They also tend to the land itself as they embrace both life and death as one continuous natural cycle. Hosting members of many tribes (including Trolls, Gorgons, and even Oozes) (Editors Note: In the story, creatures that aren’t Elvish are referred to as Teratogens!) a large part of their population are either Devkarin (a race of Elves) or Human(ish). Recently the guild has a new leader in Vraska who recently returned from Ixalan in addition to an increased presence by the Kraul (a race of hive mind-like insects), and will play a pivotal role in the upcoming story.

In Guilds of Ravnica Undergrowth is the new mechanic. Not as powerful as Dredge, but a lot better than Scavenge (the two previous mechanics respectfully), Undergrowth allows for effects to happen depending on how many creatures are in your graveyard. For a guild based on the enemy colors of black and green mana it might seem this mechanic would work at cross purposes with the colors involved, but you may be surprised with what tricks this guild has up its collective sleeve.

Lotleth Troll is a perfect example of a big payoff using Undergrowth. A 6/5 creature with no abilities seems a little weak, but it would be hard to efficiently trade with this creature if it’s attacking with others so it does have some advantage beyond just the card itself. Decks that utilize the graveyard, most namely Dredge, will often have several creatures in the graveyard to deal damage to the opponent. This card will be a lot of fun to play with, but we need a way to resurrect it from the graveyard instead of paying full retail for it. I will try to make room for this in my Meren of Clan Nel Toth EDH deck.

Another card for my Meren EDH deck will be Plaguecrafter. A better version of Fleshbag Marauder  this card is sweet! While a 3/2 is nothing to sneeze at one thing that’s missed on this card is it’s subtype: Human. I expect a non-zero number of copies of this card to appear in sideboards of Humans Modern decks as against Azorius Control is can cause the opponent to sacrifice their Gideon Jura allowing the Humans to swing in freely.

My sleeper pick for the guild is Pilfering Imp. Placed along with the discard spells already in Standard this card can help keep your opponent off tempo by sacrificing itself allowing you to utilize cards with the keyword Undergrowth while interacting with your opponent. Having this come down on your first turn it can be useful to use its ability when your opponent has a flying blocker, or the turn after you have already seen their hand but lack a discard spell.

What’s better than fueling Undergrowth though? Bringing your creatures back of course! Gruesome Menagerie does exactly that. Allowing you to get back the top two cards I mentioned to use again allows you to use your graveyard as an extension of your hand, and provides additional bodies to block if needed. I can see this card somewhere in the Abzan Company deck, affectionately called “Faux Pod” since the banning of Birthing Pod years ago. Also another addition to my Meren EDH deck this card will have it’s uses.

This is the card I want to build with the most. Mausoleum Secrets is an instant speed TUTOR!!! Holy cow! It allows you to get anything from your library based on how many creatures are in your graveyard. I want you to take a moment and look at Collective Brutality. Come back here when you’re done.

Done? Okay go back and re-read it.

Done? Sweet. These two cards pair so well together it’s absurd. Granted in Standard this will be used with the Surveil mechanic that I talked about yesterday, but I feel it’s use may be primarily to go get our next card out of Standard decks.

Yes. We have finally reached the point where we talk about the card that many have asked me about. Assassin’s Trophy has taken over nearly all conversation about Guilds of Ravnica, and rightfully so. An instant speed version of a cheaper Vindicate this allows Jund to have a weapon against Tron decks during game one. It takes care of anything (Yes. ANYTHING!), but unlike Abrupt Decay it can be countered by many cards in the format so you have to pick your targets wisely. While the deckbuilding restrictions of needing to be in a deck with black and green does limit it some I would not be surprised to see this as THE removal spell in Standard, and one of the strongest cards in Modern. However with all of that said I would not start with more than three in your Modern Jund decks. Doing this still provides you game against problematic decks, but versus decks where it’s only “ok” against having three gives you space to make appropriate changes going to game two. You will still want four Lightning Bolts as that’s often times better removal against early creatures, and Assassin’s Trophy even makes Fatal Push better. It will be played against you, and trigger Revolt off of Fatal Push allowing you to remove one of your opponent’s creatures during that same turn (so not necessarily immediately). I would also run a pair of Swamps and Forests, and make adjustments from there depending on how many of these are showing up against you.

The Queen has taken her throne. After making a deal with Nicol Bolas, Vraska has become the master of the Golgari Swarm. This powerful Gorgon is on full display on the card Vraska, Golgari Queen, and this card is quite solid. While not able to get to full loyalty with the help of Doubling Season on the turn you cast her the abilities she possesses are quite good. Her first ability should be targeting cards who either only have a use when the come into play so you can get them back later, or target a card like Stitcher Supplier from Core Set 2019. You could also target a land of yours if you need to cast another spell on your main phase, and have a replacement land in hand.

Her second ability can remove smaller permanents on the board that may be in the way of your attackers. This can also remove any other permanent that’s not a creature as well so keep an eye out on what your opponent plays.

Her third ability is pretty sweet. If you have a creature that will go unblocked (one with flying or trample) you win the game. While I don’t expect this to happen often in Standard it can help get around potential board stalls so make sure to prepare properly when using her abilities.

Wow, what a lot of powerful cards! Grave-Shell Scarab was one of the first Golgari cards I ever played, and we have come a long way since those days. Are there any Golgari cards I missed that you think will be great? (Editors Note: Hint hint Necrotic Wound) Share your thoughts below, and make sure to follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter.

Until Tomorrow when we blow up the Izzet League (Editors Note: Niv might not be too happy about that)…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

The House Dimir

If I were to play a Rogue or a Sorcerer in the upcoming Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica Dungeons & Dragons supplement my character would be from House Dimir. This guild reminds me a lot of The Night Masks which were running Westgate until they were found, and driven out. With the guild being tied to blue and black mana the colors are well represented here. Obtaining knowledge, and power at any cost are the two hallmarks of those colors which this guild represents quite well in the new set.

Surveil is the mechanic of the guild this time around, and it allows you to look at cards from the top of your library. and put any number of them into your graveyard with the rest going back on top. While it’s not quite Scry I think this mechanic will be quite powerful in the new Standard at the very least.

Thief of Sanity reminds me a lot of Nightveil Specter from the previous Ravnica set, but this is definitely different. Outside of the mana cost the card you get to select when you connect with this you will be able to cast even after this creature has been removed. The fact the card is face down, and you can cast it by using mana of any color fits the theme of the guild. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this come out of sideboards.

While no Thoughtseize, casting Thought Erasure early (or even a turn after casting Duress) could still really put your opponent behind, and if the card on top of your deck is one you can’t cast soon it can help you sculpt your hand a little. The fact you can pluck any card can help you take cards that may be difficult to handle (such as cards with Hexproof), or nonland permanents that could also be problematic (Planeswalkers for example). I could see this card played in Modern at FNMs to supplement other discard spells.

Control decks always need some type of evasive finisher, and Nightveil Predator is absolutely solid in that role. The only keyword it’s missing is Lifelink, but even without that your opponent may not want to block due to it having Deathtouch. As long as you have removal spells for your opponent’s creatures a few swings of this can put you ahead. This is also not Legendary, and if you want to play a Tribal deck this could support the Vampires from the Ixalan sets.

Control decks also want to draw cards, and while we do have Divination in Standard Notion Rain does a lot more. If the top two cards of your deck are not good you can put them into the graveyard, and draw two cards. For anyone who remembers Read The Bones that card was great for the quality of cards it could draw you, and outside of the mana cost this card is a little better. What this, and other Surveil cards also do, is fuel your Search for Azcanta. In the case of Notion Rain can add three cards to your graveyard getting you closer to finding Azcanta.

Now we get to the card that will be played the most in Standard. Sinister Sabotage, a very thematical card for the guild, comes from a long line of counterspells with similars costs. Cancel, Dissolve, and Disallow are all cards that have a similar cost, and this particular card may be the best among them all. A clean answer to any spell being cast, and the Surveil mechanic helps you fill your graveyard to transform Search For Azcanta as early as possible. For us Azorius Control players we will have to use this Dimir card until this coming winter, and hope we can cleanse our deck of influences from other guilds.

This card is crazy. Unmoored Ego is quite strong, and is another card I expect to see at Modern FNMs at the very least. Here we have a card where you can name ANY CARD. Yes. Even LANDS. So against Tron you can name Urza’s Tower, and get them all. Against multicolored decks that only have a few basics of a certain color you can try to deny that color that way as well. This will be quite a powerful card to watch.

This card may not look like much, but at four mana you can cast Connive, and take your opponent’s Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice as she is a 2/5. However Concoct is the card I’m looking at, even if it’s only a single card. This card can Surveil an Obzedat, Ghost Council to the graveyard, and put it into play for five mana. No granted Obzedat also costs five mana overall, but the Esper deck running Goryo’s Vengeance is mostly a Dimir based deck with a splash of white. Keep in mind in that you can cast one side, and then later on cast the other side with a card like a transformed Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy.

House Dimir has a lot it can offer, and it’s ability to manipulate the top of your library can unlock spells for you to cast when you need them. However unlike Boros this looks to be more of a support guild, but that also seems to fit the guild’s theme as it always tries to infiltrate some of the guilds to force it’s agenda.

There’s a look at the cards from House Dimir. Tomorrow I’ll take a look at the Golgari Swarm, and I’m sure there is a certain card you all are looking for my thoughts on. Until then are there any secrets that the Dimir gave us that I missed? Leave a comment below, and make sure to follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter.

Until tomorrow…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

Today let’s take a look at Boros.

The Boros Legion

The standing army of Ravnica, the Boros Legion boasts a large number within their ranks (though the Golgari Swarm are the largest guild in Ravnica). They fight with a righteous nature enforcing the laws created by the Azorius Senate (yeah baby!). Without them chaos may just wash over the entire plane so their importance should not be understated.

Being a guild based on the mana colors of white and red, this is a guild for those who want to attack with creatures every turn. While there hasn’t been much synergy from a game mechanics point of view in previous iterations of Boros cards, this time around we do have a fitting mechanic: Mentor.

Here is an example of a card with the Mentor mechanic. Sunhome Stalwart is a really good soldier with both First Strike, the Mentor ability, and a 2/2 for two mana. When he attacks he can provide another attacking creature a +1/+1 counter if it’s smaller than him (so it would have to be a 1/1 or 0/1 for example). This is a card you would want to pair with either a card you cast on turn one (assuming you cast this on turn two), or a card that can make a token.

Legion Warboss is a perfect example of a card you would want to play after Sunhome Stalwart. When you go to the beginning of combat, but before you declare attackers, the Stalwart sees the 1/1 Goblin made by the Warboss, and will boost it’s power and toughness when both are declared as attackers. Keep in mind the counters from the Mentor mechanic are permanent and not just until the end of turn. You’ll need to find larger creatures to continue using this mechanic.

Tajic, Legion’s Edge is a perfect example of a creature with Mentor that has more power to keep the mechanic going. Having Haste allows it to go into combat right away, and providing a +1/+1 counter to a previously played creature that is also attacking. He can also get First Strike as long as you have open mana, and in an archetype that is all about the red zone you want First Strike on as many creatures as possible.

Where this mechanic, and the guild really shines though, is through it’s leader: Aurelia.

Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice may not look like much at first glance, but where she shines is her ability that happens before Mentor triggers when you stack it properly. While she does not have Haste herself she can give another creature with Mentor, say a previously played Legion Warboss, +2/+0 and Trample (because the Warboss is red) until end of turn. The Warboss will trigger it’s Mentor ability (say on a previously played Stalwart) giving that a +1/+1 counter.

This Mentor ability can snowball if the creatures are played in the right sequence. Let’s say we have played Aurelia on the fourth turn, and already have a Warboss on the field, along with a Stalwart, and two Goblin tokens. That provides us:

• a 2/5 flyer
• a 2/2 (Warboss)
• a 3/3 (Stalwart)
• a 2/2 Goblin token
• a 1/1 Goblin token

On the next turn Aurelia gives the +2/+0 and Vigilance (because Stalwart is a white creature) to Sunhome Stalwart . His Mentor ability will trigger to give Aurelia a +1/+1 counter. Aurelia can then use her Mentor ability to put a +1/+1 counter on a 1/1 Goblin token created by the Warboss. Legion Warboss can then put his +1/+1 counter from Mentor onto another 1/1 Goblin token.

This seems quite powerful. However what else can we do in this guild?

The split cards are back in this set, and while we can’t Fuse them anymore these cards do provide a choice. In this case Integrity allows us to temporarily increase a creature’s power and toughness to make sure your Mentor ability triggers off of it, and then receives the Mentor the next turn (just like in my example above) if you have more than one creature with Mentor on the field. Later in the game if you need to remove a blocker, or finish your opponent, Intervention acts as a Lightning Helix (Helix being the most famous card ever printed for this guild).

One problem that aggro decks have is that sometimes they can not survive the attack back by the opponent. Some players may be able to take an attack unblocked if they know they can win on their turn. Deafening Clarion can help here by giving your army Lifelink until end of turn, and with several Mentor triggers happening you could be gaining an arbitrarily large amount of life. In the instance that your opponent blocks you can also reset the board by doing 3 damage to every creature, and using this in your second main phase can cause your opponent to lose their army after combat is over if those creatures took any damage during combat.

The Boros Legion looks pretty strong coming out of the (Guild)gate, and there might be a really good deck with these cards in just this set alone. Do I see any of them making the break into Modern? Probably not; however the more Soldiers that are printed the more a Soldier stompy deck can truly be viable for FNM play.

However there is one card that caught my eye: Demotion.

One mana removal spells have always been strong, and while this still allows the creature to attack I can see this being added to a creature like The Scarab God, or even a mana producing creature like Elvish Archdruid. Imagine sticking this onto an already tapped Steel Overseer against the Hardened Scales Affinity deck? Sure the opponent may sacrifice the artifact you target to their Arcbound Ravager, but Demotion is an Enchantment, and it would grow your Tarmogoyf if the enchantment lands in the graveyard.

Overall this guild looks solid, and if you’re on a budget, or just want to play an aggro deck at your FNM, you can’t go wrong with this guild.

That’s all I have for today. Tomorrow we’re going to look at the cards from House Dimir. In the meantime are there any cards I missed? Are you also sad that Assemble the Legion was not reprinted? Leave a comment, and make sure to follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter.

Until tomorrow…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

Today though we’re going to talk about another planeswalker. Today’s spotlight will land on the Sangromancer himself: Sorin.

There have been four planeswalker cards featuring Sorin Markov in various casting costs, and he is quite the fan favorite among many in the Magic: the Gathering community (Editors Note: Also still stuck in a rock). I’ll go through each one, in order of release, and take a look at a possible deck for each of them. First up the original.

Sorin Markov

Mono Black Control

Creature
3 Fulminator Mage
2 Hypnotic Specter

Instant
3 Fatal Push
2 Tendrils of Corruption
2 Victim of Night
1 Murderous Cut
1 Dismember

Planeswalker
4 Liliana of the Veil
2 Sorin Markov

Sorcery 
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Damnation
3 Read the Bones
3 Thoughtseize
2 Corrupt

Land
8 Swamps
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Field of Ruin
4 Marsh Flats
2 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Ghost Quarter

Sideboard
4 Leyline of the Void
3 Rain of Tears
3 Collective Brutality
2 Liliana the Last Hope
2 Duress
1 Crucible of Worlds

How the deck works

Appearing for the first time in Zendikar Sorin Markov is designed for a heavy black build if not just mono black (which honestly is more likely). Unlike blue based control decks this deck cannot counter spells the opponent is playing (yes we are NOT going to play Dash Hopes. Sorry.) so we have to be proactive. This requires us to attack their hand, and play a lot of removal. Your manabase is also really simple allowing you to attack their mana with Field of Ruin, Ghost Quarter, and Fulminator Mage. While the fetchlands may not feel like they are necessary it does turn on Revolt for your Fatal Pushes.

Your primary way of winning is putting the opponent’s life total to 10 with Sorin Markov, and finishing them off with Corrupt. You can build up a lot of mana with the few permanents you have due to them having more than one black symbol in their mana costs so exploit that as much as you can while keeping your opponent in top deck mode. Your sideboard has additional hate for Big Mana decks with Rain of Tears, and plans for Burn, graveyard based decks, and blue based Control decks.

Sorin, Lord of Innistrad

Modern Esper Control

Creature
3 Snapcaster Mage

Enchantment
2 Search For Azcanta
1 Detention Sphere

Instant
4 Opt
3 Cryptic Command
3 Path To Exile
2 Fatal Push
1 Hyrogliphic Illumination
1 Logic Knot
1 Negate
1 Azorius Charm
1 Secure the Wastes
1 Spell Snare

Planeswalker
3 Jace, Architect of Thought
2 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
1 Gideon Jura

Sorcery
4 Terminus
1 Timely Reinforcements

Land
4 Flooded Strand
3 Celestial Colonade
3 Island
3 Polluted Delta
2 Field of Ruin
2 Glacial Fortress
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Godless Shrine
1 Marsh Flats
1 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Watery Grave

Sideboard
2 Spell Queller
2 Stony Silence
2 Dispel
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Settle the Wreckage
1 Anguished Unmaking
1 Celestial Purge
1 Disenchant
1 Negate
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Nihil Spellbomb

How the deck works

Sorin, Lord of Innistrad was released in Dark Ascension, and until the next Sorin was released this one was my favorite. The ability to produce a lot of tokens with this Sorin makes him his own win condition, however I added a few more. This deck actually existed during the time of Innistrad through Return to Ravnica blocks, and did quite well for itself in that meta. I decided to make a few changes to the original list for Modern play. Let’s go over a few of these.

• Gideon Jura couples well with the other planeswalkers in the deck. Stalling any non-flying aggro from hitting you or damaging Gideon too much gives you time to clear the board (hopefully for the second time) before attacking for a lot of damage.
• Terminus is the best board wipe in Modern. If you run a deck that can cast it for one white mana you should run this over other sweepers.
• Secure the Wastes works great with Sorin’s emblem as you have a lot of 2/1 creatures, and those could end the game rather quickly on their own.

This deck only splashes black for cards like the aforementioned Sorin, Fatal Push, and a few sideboard cards. If you’re looking for a fun FNM deck to play I would start here. Yes the Azorius Charm looks strange, but it’s bounce ability works well with Field of Ruin, and the hidden mode of lifegain can be relevant.

Sorin, Solemn Visitor

Modern Abzan Midrange

Creature
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Scavenging Ooze
3 Grim Flayer
2 Tasigur the Golden Fang
2 Walking Ballista

Instant
3 Path to Exile
2 Fatal Push
1 Murderous Cut
1 Abrupt Decay

Planeswalker
3 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar

Sorcery
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Lingering Souls
2 Thoughtseize
1 Maelstrom Pulse

Land
4 Blooming Marsh
4 Verdant Catacomb
3 Marsh Flats
3 Shambling Vent
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Godless Shrine
1 Forest
1 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Temple Garden
1 Treetop Village
1 Twlight Mire
1 Windswept Heath

Sideboard
3 Fulminator Mage
3 Collective Brutality
2 Liliana, the Last Hope
2 Stony Silence
2 Duress
1 Damnation
1 Celestial Purge
1 Grafdigger’s Cage

How the deck works

Before I stopped writing my “Speaking Casually” series of articles (and I may bring those back) I was going to write about a similar build of this deck. Although the above cards are the foundation of a token strategy this deck does focus a lot on green for quality midrange creatures. By landing an early Tarmogoyf, or Grim Flayer you start applying early pressure to your opponent. The later of those two can power them both if it connects which can be brutal when paired together. Your non-creature spell suite, while mana efficient, can also be situational. Path to Exile, for instance, doesn’t do well vs Azorius Control. However Lingering Souls does. Make sure to sideboard out the right cards in your matchups to capitalize on their effectiveness. The remainder of the deck is typical for a black/green/x deck currently in Modern with the exception of two cards:

• Tasigur the Golden Fang: Not typical for these lists, and his Delve mechanic may seem counter productive to the rest of the creatures in the deck, it’s ability can refill the graveyard for use again. You could even use Scavenging Ooze to limit the opponent’s choice of bad cards to give you when you activate Tasigur.
• Walking Ballista: This is something I saw this week at FNM, and damn does it seem sweet here. I should probably get a few copies for myself honestly as it’s even starting to see play in Control decks in Legacy. This card counts as two card types for Tarmogoyf and Grim Flayer.

As always there are ways to fight Tron in the sideboard, as well as Burn, Control, and artifact based decks. This would also be another neat deck to run at FNM if you can’t afford traditional midrange pieces like Liliana of the Veil, and Dark Confidant.

Sorin, Grim Nemesis

Modern Orzhov Prison

Creature
3 Wall of Omens

Enchantment
3 Oblivion Ring
3 Rest in Peace
2 Sphere of Safety
2 Ghostly Prison

Instant
3 Fatal Push
3 Path to Exile

Planeswalker
2 Sorin, Grim Nemesis
2 Gideon of the Trials

Sorcery
4 Terminus
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Thoughtseize
1 Timely Reinforcements

Land
5 Swamp
4 Field of Ruin
4 Marsh Flats
3 Plains
3 Shambling Vent
2 Godless Shrine
2 Isolated Chapel
1 Fetid Heath
1 Ghost Quarter

Sideboard
3 Leyline of Sanctity
3 Greater Auramancy
3 Duress
2 Stony Silence
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Gideon’s Intervention
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Anguished Unmaking

How the deck works

I’ll admit this one was a little tough, but I wanted to find a way to highlight each Sorin as they are all unique in some way. For instance this Sorin, which was released in Shadows Over Innistrad costs SIX MANA to play. That’s a lot, and if you aren’t ramping then how the heck are you going to play this? This is when I thought about a Prison style deck (Editors Note: Fitting deck style, considering he’s stuck in a rock). Let’s look a bit further.

• Ghostly Prison slows down aggro decks as the opponent would have to pay an extra two mana for each attacking creature. However we’re not stopping there with Enchantments.
• Sphere of Safety taxes the opponent even more for not only attacking you, but also your planeswalkers. That tax is equal to the number of enchantments you control as well.
• Gideon of the Trials while not an enchantment can still tax your opponent. With Wall of Omens in play, and even just Ghostly Prison the opponent may not be able to attack with everything. You have probably already used Gideon’s +1 ability to Fog a creature, and you’ll have removal in hand to deal with another.

So how do you win? Well drawing cards with Sorin, Grim Nemesis of course. It’s +1 ability slowly drains life from the opponent until you either have defeated them, or made a ton of 1/1 creatures with this. Imagine if your opponent has “an arbitrarily large life total” due to a combo. You wipe the board with Terminus, and then ultimate Sorin, Grim Nemesis. It sounds like a bad time for them.

In the sideboard you have more enchantments, and cards to deal with both Artifact decks, any deck that wants to interact with you, and ways to tax your opponent further with Gideon’s Intervention.

Whew.

Even though there are only four Sorins this was a little complex trying to find a home for each of them. Remember these decks are made to focus on the planeswalker himself, and build around it in some fashion.

What do you think of these decks? Are there any cards you think I have missed? Please leave a comment, and make sure to follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter.

NEXT WEEK I will take a look at each of the guilds coming to us in Guilds of Ravnica. It will be a HUGE undertaking for me as it will be the first time I have done this, and I know many of you are asking me about my thoughts. Trust me. They are coming.

Until next week…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

Recently I asked for questions from you all in a variety of topics related to Magic: the Gathering. I’m going to go through each of those, and do my best to answer them here. After that I will discuss some upcoming articles as we get closer to the release of Guilds of Ravnica.

Josh asks: “What are decks like BW Tokens, Jund, Abzan, Esper Control, or the like missing to be considered competitive in the modern format right now?“ 

Thanks for the question, Josh. Honestly Jund is already quite competitive in the format as it is. The problem I am seeing currently is if you play at FNM events, and build your sideboard to beat decks you never see, you could wind up with results you may not anticipate. It’s the most fair of the fair decks in my opinion so keep at it. I even discussed Jund in last week’s article.

As far as the other archetypes let’s break those down:

• Abzan: Reid Duke recently had a video posted to YouTube where he plays an Abzan deck. While his deck may be leaning more towards Golgari with a splash of White there are some differences that are note worthy. Having only two Scavenging Ooze seems too few in my opinion. In the creature heavy format that is Modern I would want at minimum three for game one. The life gain, and incidental graveyard hate for the first game could be very dependent on how the match is decided. With that said Lingering Souls is a nice way to attack opposing planeswalkers, and Azorius based control decks with Teferi, Hero of Dominaria are big problems for us. The deck does lose a lot without Lightning Bolt, and Fatal Push has to do a lot of heavy lifting. There is the added benefit of the white sideboard cards such as Stony Silence. One card I would like to see these decks run against the Azoirus (or any Path to Exile) decks is Stillmoon Cavalier. With that said this deck lacks the “cast two cards a turn” that Jund has with Bloodbraid Elf to turn the corner, but it’s definitely worth exploring more. A card like Pernicious Deed would bring the deck a long way especially if it can be brought back from the graveyard, but I don’t see Wizards of the Coast making that Modern legal.
• Esper Control: This deck has some similar problems as Abzan in where you either choose Path to Exile or Fatal Push to do your heavy lifting with spot removal. You also have the issue of trying to fit all of the good cards in those colors into the deck. That’s a pretty daunting task, and requires one to focus on what direction they want to take. If we look at the approach of Reid’s Abzan deck in the link above we could have it be base Dimir while splashing White for Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, and Supreme Verdict. This means we would use Creeping Tar Pit over Celestial Colonade as our creature land of choice, and our removal package would center around Fatal Push, and Murderous Cut. Our sweepers can still be flexible with Consume the Meek, and even Merciless Eviction where you can exile all of a single card type on the board (and then untap two lands with Teferi, Hero of Dominaria). While I would love to see a card like Undermine appear in Modern Counterspells at that cost are already not being played. We may have to build the deck to be proactive with discard spells, removal, and rely on either Countersquall or Negate to keep non-creature permanents off the board.
• Orzhov Tokens: As far as this archetype you mentioned I think it can do well right now. Similar to what I mentioned above with Esper you want to take a proactive approach, however instead of relying on your spells or planeswalkers you have a constant stream of threats. Here is the list I posted in the spotlight on Gideon from a few weeks ago:

Modern Orzhov Tokens

Enchantment (9)
4 Intangible Virtue
3 Bitterblossom
2 Legion’s Landing

Instant (7)
4 Path to Exile
2 Fatal Push
1 Anguished Unmaking

Planeswalker (5)
3 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
2 Gideon, Martial Paragon

Sorcery (15)
4 Lingering Souls
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Thoughtseize
2 Spectral Procession
2 Collective Brutality

Land (24)
4 Concealed Courtyard
4 Field of Ruin
4 Marsh Flats
4 Plains
2 Godless Shrine
2 Isolated Chapel
2 Swamp
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Vault of the Archangel

Sideboard (15)
4 Damping Sphere
2 Wrath of God
2 Auriok Champion
2 Rest in Peace
2 Stony Silence
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Grafdigger’s Cage 

Hopefully that answers your questions Josh. Happy brewing.

Joe asks: “Modern seems overly dominated by very linear aggressive decks. What kind of cards do you think Wizards could print to address this kind of climate?”

Great question Joe, and very timely too based on our match this past FNM. A lot of the decks you mention have only a solid Plan A, and lack a really strong Plan B. For this to change decks will need to have a strong Plan A, a very good Plan B, and a Plan C they can fallback on during the first game. Not too many decks have this. The Krark-Clan Ironworks deck can go with the Scrap Trawler attack as a Plan B, but their Plan C with Sai, Master Thopterist is in their sideboard. Azorius Control has really only one main plan, which is smothering their opponent in card advantage, and using Jace, the Mind Sculptor‘s first ability often times is a Plan B that feels like a Plan A at times. Cards like Damping Sphere have helped in some regard to keep fast linear decks down, but those focus with that card has been mostly on Tron, and Storm strategies. That coupled with Jace, the Mind Sculptor being introduced to the format have given rise to a lot of these linear aggressive strategies. If we had a card like Imposing Sovereign, but was a permanent and not a creature, that might be the leg up slower or fair decks need to reach parity with the aggressive decks. I would only keep the effect to creatures as it would allow the opponent to still play the game with their other permanents not being impacted.

Jon asks: “What is 1 card of each color you would like to be introduced into the modern format and why do you feel it would be a good addition to the format?”

This is an excellent question Jon. When looking back on cards in Magic’s history it may be challenging to find some good ones to answer your question. The rules have changed over time, and some mechanics may even be phased out (Regeneration being replaced by Indestructible for example). However that does not mean we won’t find any. Let’s take a look at each color in turn to see what we can find. I will stick with non-creatures as before Modern creatures were generally seen as poor in design compared to today’s standards.

White

This color was quite the challenge as most white cards were either over-costed, or targeted only a certain color. There were those that also paired with a color (or two) limiting what decks they could be played in. I nearly settled on Oblation, however instead chose Council’s Judgment. Having this card have two White in the mana cost means it would be difficult to splash, and provide non-creature removal as well. In fact if a card like this would be made for Modern I would make it say non-creature to tone down the power level of the original.

Blue

This is what should have been in Amonkhet in my opinion. While Mana Leak is currently available it is a dead card late in the game. Negate is also a bad card vs decks with few non-creature spells. Later in the game you can use these to counter opposing counterspells, but that does not happen often enough. This spell would help control decks by providing an early counterspell as well as a way to draw additional cards later in the game. We received Opt last year, and it’s time for control decks to get another piece.

Black

Honestly Black has a lot of good cards already in Modern, however there is one I can think of that may help. I know you all may think I have lost my mind, but hear me out. A card like Victimize would be a good addition to Modern. The format is lacking a solid reanimation spell. Things are limited to Goryo’s Vengeance, and unless you are running Obzedat, Ghost Council you’re going to lose the creature you reanimated (Editors Note: Vengeance only hitting Legendaries is also a bummer, I want to be able to reanimate other stuff!). Those strategies are all in on getting a large creature in play early, and if it dies they have to find another one to continue their game plan. Several creatures already exist in the format that are played in the early turns to facilitate a graveyard strategy, yet we lack the spells to cheat out a large creature. I would like to see this change.

Red

This might be the craziest pick so far, but honestly there is a reason to have Gamble in Modern, it’s to replace Burning Inquiry. That card is more problematic than Thoughtseize honestly. While Thoughtseize only takes one card, Burning Inquiry takes three. It destroys hands, and prevents the opponent from properly interacting with the ones who cast Inquiry. Replace it with Gamble, and the match is a lot better for both players, and viewers alike.

Green

Green is also a color that seems to have a lot already. I would normally look at cards like Green Sun’s Zenith, or Glimpse of Nature, but those may not be what we need. Green is naturally opposed to Blue and Black, and while Reclaim is already Modern legal this card does it one better. Being able to return ANY card to your hand helps negate the affects of a discard or counterspell allowing you to play the card you need at the right time. This card essentially becomes additional copies of all the cards in your deck, and can help combat the decks Green is supposed to combat.

These cards are not on the Reserved List so they can be reprinted, but will they? Only time will tell. If their current trend holds these won’t see the light of day in Modern, but if they did (or ones similar to them) maybe we can see some more archetypes in Modern and perhaps solidify others.

Thank you to everyone who sent in questions. What are your thoughts on the answer to these questions? What other questions do you have? Please share them below, and make sure to follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter. Here’s what I have planned for the next few weeks:

September 17th: I’ll do a spotlight on Sorin.
September 24th: I’ll review Guilds of Ravnica.

So stay tuned for those.

Until next time…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils