Strixhaven spoiler season
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on March 25, 2021, 3:29 p.m. by Coward_Token
Thought I'd make a general thread as a complement to the more specific ones.
March 25th stuff (with risk of EDH centrism) Show
seshiro_of_the_orochi says... #2
Has anyone else yet seen that CMC4 black 3/3? There isn't an official name yet, I think (I can't tell the language the spoiler is in, anyone can help?)
Doesn't matter, it taps to Entomb every turn. There is no additional cost and it even grows when you entomb a non-permanent. That's a powerful card for any black graveyard deck.
April 2, 2021 8:35 a.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #3
Also, the fact that WotC very clearly just copied Quidditch into the world of Strixhaven bothers me. It just feels lazy.
April 2, 2021 8:47 a.m.
Coward_Token says... #4
the Entomber: Yeah whoah, at least it's MV 4 and doesn't have haste. Repeatable tutoring in a contemporary set is kinda surprising
April 2, 2021 10:22 a.m.
Nerdytimesorwhatever says... #5
A 4 mana 11/10 and a 6 mana Library/Library sized creature, and repeatable tutoring stapled to a creature.
Power
CREEP
April 2, 2021 10:29 a.m.
Coward_Token says... #6
I mean for the 11/10 the sacrifice requirement is worth mentioning, but yes the creature creep is real
Harness Infinity: Especially with the name in mind, it's kinda surprising this isn't a Quandrix card
Dina, Soul Steeper: a cheap lifegain golgari commander, not bad.
Sedgemoor Witch: go go Young Pestmancer!
Blex, Vexing Pest // Search For Blex: eheheh this is very cute
April 2, 2021 11:10 a.m.
Coward_Token says... #7
Beledros Witherbloom: Oof, as usual , pretty expensive in EDH. At least it's cheaper than Verdant Force , and untapping all of your lands without spending mana is obviously going to be explosive; probably not super hard to combo this for infinitive mana
April 2, 2021 11:20 a.m.
Nerdytimesorwhatever says... #8
Beledros is likely not going to helm a competitive list, but may join Razaketh and Vilis in the Reanimator train. I mean, think about Vilis in conjunction with Beledros. Nuts.
April 2, 2021 12:01 p.m.
seshiro_of_the_orochi says... #9
Just consider the Witherbloom dragon in a deck that also plays Seedborn Muse and Patron of the Orochi .
April 2, 2021 12:14 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #10
Jadiz, Oracle of Arcavios: Obviously powerful, but mind that MV. Built-in protection is pretty nice for such an expensive card. Note that both sides put out lands untapped. I assume the Sorcery side's recursion is primarily there so that you can cast the Creature side later, it kinda Adventure-esque.
April 2, 2021 2:22 p.m.
Named_Tawyny says... #11
So, ancient multi-limbed colourless wandering giants, and floating stone arches...
Are we secretly on Zendikar?
April 2, 2021 3:10 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #12
Arcavios goblins apparently have human skin and I kinda hate it??
April 2, 2021 4:34 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #13
Mortality Spear: Instant, , destroy target nonland permanent, less if you've gained life on the same turn. Quite nice rate if you can consistently meet its condition
April 2, 2021 5:38 p.m.
That is actually pretty powerful. There are not that many instants that can target and get rid of any nonland permanent that don't have some kind of target restriction. And I mean in all of magic, not just Standard.
April 2, 2021 7:13 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #15
Elimination Ritual: not quite golgari Dockside Extortionist , but this could get real explosive in EDH. Make those go-wide token decks cry! (Well, even more frequently than usual.)
April 2, 2021 7:14 p.m.
Or you could even use it on your own tokens/creatures to create a huge mana pool for a big play. Like all your Pests while playing that dragon.
April 2, 2021 9:47 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #17
MagicMarc: yeah but in EDH Phyrexian Altar is a thing so you could do that part already for free, after the down payment. But I hear you.
April 3, 2021 8:38 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #18
Is there any reason for which The Biblioplex needed to have a restriction on its ability? War Room is almost entirely better, and has no restrictions on when its ability can be used, so I feel that the Biblioplex did not need to have a requirement for when its ability could be use.
April 4, 2021 9:56 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #19
Blex, vexing pest is very nice, but why do pests now need to be their own creature type? Were there not other types that would have worked, instead?
Professor’s warning should have been white, not black, but I understand that it is connected to Liliana, and I also believe that it should have been a lesson, for obvious reasons.
Honor troll absolutely should have been white, but, yet again, one of white’s ally colors gets the effect instead; at least WotC is actually acknowledging it, with the name of that card.
Dina, soul steeper is very good for an uncommon, and she will be great for decks with great amounts of tokens or reanimation tactics. The only problem is that she does not inherently have any method of gaining life, but, in black and green, that should not be a problem.
Wow, harness infinity is insane! The high mana cost will make it difficult to cast, and I fully agree that it should exile itself, but the effect is awesome, and will definitely turn the tide of a game. Also, Seb McKinnon’s artwork is as amazing as ever! How is that an instant? Is it not too powerful to be an instant?
Retriever phoenix provides an interesting variant on the learn mechanic, which is nice, but I still am waiting for there to be either a multicolored and/or legendary phoenix in a set, eventually.
The Biblioplex would be a great land for a deck that is dedicated to instants and sorceries, so I may add it to the Elsha of the infinite deck that I am building.
Beledros Witherbloom is very nice, but the fact that her final ability can be used only once per turn, untaps only lands, and costs 10 life to activate, means that she is not worth 7 mana, in my mind at least not for a 4/4 creature.
April 5, 2021 6:39 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #20
Move over 60-format nerds, it's C21 time!
(Collapsible due to obnoxious wall of text) Show
April 6, 2021 1:05 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #21
Even in a non-spellslinger deck, Rionya, Fire Dancer is secretly an extra Conjurer's Closet in red+ due to the "one plus" templating
Fiery Encore only hitting permanents seems kinda weird for its cost, even if there's ways to convert it into player damage
Ruin Grinder kinda look like something out of Pacific Rim, and I hate it slightly more for it
April 6, 2021 3:32 p.m.
Rionya is pretty strong since it triggers at the combat step. Can use it to abuse combat turns pretty easily. It's a wizard so shapes up nicely with Inalla for a commander too.
April 6, 2021 4:30 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #24
I do like some of the new cards in Commander 2021, but I am very displeased that nearly every reprinted card in that set has already been reprinted, before, and that no cards in the older border are being updated to the new border, thus far.
Excavation technique will be a great replacement for
Bramblecrush
in my
Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis
deck.
Monologue tax is less powerful than is Smothering Tithe , but it shall be great to have that redundancy.
Archaeomancer's map is an example of how card advantage works in white, and I am glad that WotC printed that card.
Veryan, voice of duality will be awesome for the
Elsha of the Infinite
deck that I am building, but, with so many awesome cards in this set, I worry that I will not be able to put every one of them in that deck.
April 6, 2021 9:51 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #25
Oversimplify: I think everyone here knows my feelings on these kind of effects at this point.
Ruxa, Patient Professor: Cute, even if I never personally cared about vanilla tribal.
Fractal Harness: It's neat that the pseudo-Living Weapon part is basically optional since the token will be dead on arrival if you go with X = 0. Obviously another toy for Skullbriar, the Walking Grave . If I got it right, this will trigger Ezuri, Claw of Progress regardless of the value of X, which makes it extra neat for him
Theoretical Duplication: Oof. I doubt you'll get more than one batch of tokens out of this, but basically silencing all Creature spells (and Creature cheating) after the first thing you plagiarize is pretty good too. Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer got another toy in addition to Rionya, Fire Dancer
Spawning Kraken: This could have been a seafood commander in its own right, which makes me think that's something they're going to release relatively soon
Replication Technique: This seems way better than Creative Technique ; you can come to an agreement over what's copied, making it way more predictable
Perplexing Test: Brudiclaaaaad
Deekah, Fractal Theorist: Meh. Slightly more expensive Talrand, Sky Summoner that forces you to keep track of a lot of dice
Esix, Fractal Bloom: Spooky art; more what I had in mind when I heard about the creature type. Anyway, Avenger of Zendikar obviously curves nicely from this, probably intentionally so. Note that it doesn't restrict you to copying just your own creatures.
April 7, 2021 12:16 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #26
Geometric nexus is insane, and it will definitely lead to players creating powerful creature tokens, especially if they have card with the proliferate mechanic in their decks.; the fact that its ability triggers from any player casting an instant or sorcery makes it even more amazing.
The amount of card advantage that can be gained from commander’s insight will definitely be impressive, and also will definitely affect the outcome of games.
Curiosity crafter is very nice, but the fact that its ability triggers only from token creatures limits its usefulness.
Deekah, fractal theorist is effectively a creature version of Metallurgic Summonings , which I am certain that many players shall appreciate, and, on that subject, the fact that Metallurgic Summonings is being reprinted in this set is excellent, because I felt that its price was becoming uncomfortably high for a card of its power.
Given the great amount of cards that generate fractal tokens, I suppose that it was inevitable that there would be a legendary fractal, and Esix, fractal bloom will be insane when combined with doubling season or the deck’s other face card, Adrix and Nev.
Oversimplify is a very nice card, but neither blue nor green are supposed to be able to permanently remove creatures from the game, even if they provide a new creature in return, so I strongly dislike how that card is providing those colors with even more effects that break the color pie.
I am very glad that sequence engine can exile creatures cards only from graveyards, because green is not supposed to be able to exile creatures that are currently on the battlefield.
Spawning kraken will become very powerful, very quickly, and I personally think that it should have had a more color-intensive cost, since it is too easy to cast, as it currently is.
April 7, 2021 6:25 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #27
Coward_Token, I fully agree that oversimplify is a major color pie break, and I may actually start a thread to ask if WotC even cares about the color pie, any more.
April 7, 2021 9:47 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #28
Esix has single-handedly made me interested in this set. Now my Squirrel Nest will make me a Squirrel Mob every turn.
In regards to Oversimplify...I hate to break it to you, but blue has had that style of removal for almost half the age of the game at this point. It's part of it's color identity.
April 7, 2021 11:25 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #29
Appeal to history; I've said my piece on why it shouldn't with regards to EDH.
April 8, 2021 12:27 a.m.
Coward_Token says... #30
For what it's worth, MaRo agrees, but also says that Oversimplify doesn't work like a straightforward wrath in practice
April 8, 2021 12:34 a.m.
Coward_Token says... #31
WotC confirmed monsters for not doing the precon spoilers in the order of -> -> -> ->
April 8, 2021 12:09 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #32
Mmmm okay quite positive about the Silverquill deck:
Cunning Rhetoric: Fun and nicely costed.
Thantis, the Warweaver
approves.
Bold Plagiarist: Unfortunately, it's not whenever anyone puts counters on an opponent's creature, so some symmetrical cards like Evolutionary Escalation won't work since you're the one putting down all the counters. There's a handful that seems to fit the bill tho: Shadrix Silverquill , Orzhov Advokist , Regna's Sanction , Tempt with Glory (why is this a six-drop?) and Agitator Ant . (Also Oversimplify , but I don't think there's a way for Bold Plagiarist to see the Fractals getting their counters.) I kinda wish it was an Aura or auto-attaching Equipment.
Author of Shadows: Graveyard hate is nice and all but one measly card for MV 5? Would have been cool if you got something from each opponent.
Keen Duelist: Something between Bob and BO . Probably not as competitive as the former, but it's fun.
Scholarship Sponsor: Go go Aven Mindcensor , obviously. Compare Explosive Vegetation .
Stinging Study: Whoah okay. No Ad Nauseam , but I like that this rewards the more expensive commanders (Wait no shoo! Go away Dargo !) With an MV 5+ card at the helm it's a fine rate.
Promise of Loyalty: Mm-hm, it's nice that they're working on white wraths. Great for and against Voltron decks.
Combat Calligrapher: White flying token gifter that also makes evasive tokens for yourself? My
Marisi
deck welcomes it with open arms.
Tempting Contract: This can certainly get out of hand, but for something that's basically a tapped MV 4 mana rock I wish it made you one Treasure guaranteed per trigger, like the Tempting Offer spells it's based on.
Nils, Discipline Enforcer: While far from competitive, here's a fun commander for some of those abovementioned counter-giving cards
Fain, the Broker: As mentioned by Muddstah, a Trading Post in the command zone is pretty neat, and none of the "conversion" abilities cost any mana! That untapping will probably be used for some nonsense or other
Felisa, Fang of Silverquill: Kinda funny that enemy Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons and The Scorpion God players can end up making tokens for you. Black Sun's Zenith can make a Martial Coup impression here. Are there any old creatures in orzhov that makes large amounts of weird counters for itself?
April 8, 2021 1:13 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #33
Black and white are my two favorite colors in this game, so, naturally, I am excited about the cards in the black and white deck.
Tempting contract is nice, but very unreliable, so I am not certain if I can put it into any of my current decks.
Felisa, fang of Silverquill is nice, but nothing spectacular, and I notice that many cards that are associated with Silverquill generate inkling tokens, just as many cards that are associated with Quandrix generate fractal tokens.
I do not like the wording on combat calligrapher; would it really have taken up too much space to write “whenever a creature attacks one of your opponents, its controller creates…etc.?”
Return to Dust has already been reprinted numerous times, so I dearly wish that WotC had instead reprinted Heliod's Intervention in this set, since that card has been printed only once, and is better in the majority of situations.
Guardian archon is definitely a great card, but its controller shall need to find a way to “flicker” it to truly get great value from it, but that should not be difficult to do, in white. I also like that this is the second card in the game with the text “secretly choose an opponent” and “activate this ability only once,” after Stalking Leonin .
Nils, discipline enforcer is a perfect example of white’s authoritarian nature, and he will definitely be annoying for many players whose decks rely upon putting +1/+1 counters on their creatures; I have a deck with Atraxa, Praetors' Voice as the general, so he could definitely hinder that deck, if I cannot deal with him, quickly. At least he does not have flash, because that would make him ridiculous.
Promise of loyalty will definitely lead to some very complicated political dealings in games that have more than two players, so I will be interested to see how it works.
Sponsorship scholar is another example of how card advantage works in white, and, even better, it allows players to search for any basic lands, not merely plains! Finally, WotC is making white more powerful and helping it to reach the other colors in terms of power!
I really like author of shadows; first, that artwork is amazing, and, second, the effect is very sinister, and will definitely turn the tide of a game, if used properly.
Bold plagiarist is the latest in a long line of cards that punish players who seek to gain advantage, but, at least, this one does not actually stop them from gaining advantage; it merely copies their advantage. Why is it that the opponent is the one who places the counters on the plagiarist, and not the controller of the plagiarist?
In a similar manner, cunning rhetoric is a continuation of black’s ability to discourage an opponent from attacking one’s self, and punishing them, if they do.
Fain, the broker, has serious potential for powerful combos, and could definitely lead to major shifts in games if used properly.
Incarnation technique would be good for either my Mimeoplasm or my Teneb, the Harvester decks, but I cannot remove and existing cards to make room for it.
With keen duelist, I first am very glad that there are still black wizards in this game, now that warlocks are a creature type, and, second, a symmetrical Dark Confidant will definitely lead to some major politics and bargains between players, and it should go without saying that the best way to use it is with the ability to manipulate your own deck, such as with Crystal Ball or Sensei's Divining Top .
Stinging study is a nice way to take advantage of a general with a higher casting cost, especially if that general has been sent back to the command zone at least once, and has become too expensive to reliably recast; given that that card costs 5 mana to cast, I say that a player should have a general with a converted mana cost of at least 5 to truly get good value from it.
Inkshield is like Batwing Brume on steroids, but its high mana cost does mean that it will require strategy and careful timing to be used most effectively; I personally think that it could have cost 4 mana and still have been perfectly balanced.
As for the reprints, did we really need another reprint of Zetalpa, Primal Dawn or Sun Titan ? However, the reprints of Utter End , Oblation , Magister of Worth , and Mikokoro, Center of the Sea are all welcome, and I am glad that WotC has finally reprinted Deathbringer Liege , because that card very badly needed to be reprinted.
Overall, WotC has really increased the quality of this year’s Commander product, compared to those from previous years, so I hope that every Commander product has this level of quality, from this point forward.
April 8, 2021 9:05 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #34
Healing Technique is kinda underwhelming; cheaper than Restock /more consistent MV than Seeds of Renewal . Negotiate with the Demonstrated opponent to have them pick up removal?
Also god damn is LRR milking their spoiler for all the streaming time it's worth
April 9, 2021 6:19 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #35
It is late where I am, so I will not comment on every card from the black/green deck, but I am very glad to see Greed reprinted, again, since it needs to be kept available and affordable. However, why did WotC reprint Sanguine Bond , again, when Exquisite Blood needs a reprint far more dearly?
April 9, 2021 11:18 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #36
So the Witherbloom precon was so-so, IMO:
Gyome, Master Chef: I never voiced it but I predicted that the chef would be Witherbloom when I read Cram Session 's flavor text, woo. (Although I only just got the pun on that card, ironically.) Anyway, EDH tries to get caught up with the ELD Food theme, but the support is still kinda lackluster; mostly the card advantage from Savvy Hunter and Trail of Crumbs . (Can the fact that Foods are artifacts be abused in golgari?) But hey, an extra excuse for Cauldron Familiar loops in our format for the purpose of triggering people's PTSD.
Tivash, Gloom Summoner: Meh. I'm all for more Demonic presence but this seems pretty boring. Kinda like a token-producing Aetherflux Reservoir . (Also, he kinda looks like Urza, or the Raven Man.)
Yedora, Grave Gardener: Well, this is kind of an odd one. Seems more at home in the 99 than at the helm? Turns
Kadena
into an extra copy of
Grim Haruspex
. Not sure if there's a good way of abusing it. Turn random manifested cards into lands? Resurrect people with
Worldgorger Dragon
?
Blossoming Bogbeast: Obvious Pathbreaker Ibex comparison; MV 1 cheaper
Marshland Bloodcaster: Fancy, but watch that MV. Ironically perhaps, itself benefits greatly from being cheated out.
Revival Experiment: One of the few sources of noncreature reanimation in these colors
Ezzaroot Channeler: Pretty much green Marshland Bloodcaster.
DemonDragonJ: Maybe the wanted to avoid having the infinitive combo with Dina, Soul Steeper from its sister set? WotC does seems to dislike EB tho, seeing as SB already got not one but two creature equivalents in Defiant Bloodlord and Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose while EB got none.
April 10, 2021 4:33 a.m.
Coward_Token says... #37
Witch's Clinic: Make Demonlord Belzenlok safe for some extra mana. If you want to, you can target Planeswalker commanders with this, or even noncreature ones like a dormant Purphoros, God of the Forge . Put it on an enemy commander for brownie points?
April 10, 2021 4:48 a.m.
seshiro_of_the_orochi says... #38
I just realized something regarding Gyome, Master Chef . It's a troll that cares about feeding. Do I have to elaborate the memeness any further?
Question to the other users: Which of the commander decks (if any) areyou going to buy? You could deduct from the beginning of my post, I'll go with Witherbloom. Btw, I really like how WotC finally made some actually working new names for the enemy-pairings. These get stuck into one's head pretty easily.
April 11, 2021 8:38 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #39
Coward_Token, the fact that WotC is not treating Exquisite Blood the same as Sanguine Bond is very annoying, considering that one card is far more expensive than is the other, and that a creature version of EB would make perfect sense. I understand that they would wish to avoid an infinite combo with Dina, but there have been many other opportunities to reprint that card, or to make a creature version of it, so I hope that WotC does that, soon.
April 11, 2021 9:41 a.m.
Coward_Token says... #40
Yeah I'm guessing that it'll be included in one form or another in Crimson Vow's Commander product
April 11, 2021 10:05 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #41
Coward_Token, the upcoming Innistrad sets are the perfect place to print a creature version of Exquisite Blood , so I hope that WotC does that, or else, I shall be very disappointed.
April 12, 2021 8:59 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #42
Has WotC stated why they felt that it was necessary to change "converted mana cost" into "mana value?" Are they really saving that much space on cards by having one less word?
May 2, 2021 9:26 a.m.
Named_Tawyny says... #43
They felt that MV was more approachable and intuitive than CMC for new players.
May 2, 2021 1:03 p.m.
DemonDragonJ A couple of thoughts here.
First, I personally would be surprised if any variant of Exquisite Blood gets printed. There are a lot of "whenever you gain life, opponent loses life" cards, and any new EB would instantly create an infinite loop with every one of them. When Exquisite Blood was printed, it pretty much replaced Blood Tribute , which was the only option for Sanguine Bond loops for three years. That was it for a long time. Since then, SB got a lot of imitators for whatever arbitrary reason, but I think that WotC consciously chose one effect to reprint, to prevent Eternal formats (Modern and EDH, mostly) from becoming a mass of "gain life, lose life" loops.
For mana value, it's shorter and just as easy to understand than CMC (written out, of course), but there's one case that I constantly got hung up on, and there's no way I was the only one: Spells cost less.
A. "With Aluren and Goblin Warchief out, I play Reckless One for free."
B. "You can't do that, Reckless One 's converted mana cost is too high."
A. "But Goblin Warchief makes it cheaper!"
B. "That's not what converted mana cost means. CMC is the total of everything in the cost in the upper corner."
A. "So 'costs less' doesn't actually mean 'costs less?'"
B. "No, it changes what you pay, not what it costs. Think of it like a coupon -long explanation that A forgets five minutes after the game-"
By uncoupling the word "cost" from two meaning, that side case is cleared up.
Another Shadowborn Apostle print would be nice.
May 2, 2021 1:28 p.m.
Looking back, Aluren didn't even use CMC, which didn't help at all.
May 2, 2021 1:32 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #46
legendofa, are you saying that this change was made to avoid confusion, similar to how "comes into play" was changed to "enters the battlefield" or "remove from game" was changed to "exile?"
Also, given that WotC has printed numerous creature versions of Sanguine Bond , most notably Defiant Bloodlord and Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose , it would not make sense to not print a creature version of Exquisite Blood ; also, between those two abilities, I feel that "whenever an opponent loses life, you gain that much life" makes more sense for a creature to have than does "whenever you gain life, target opponent loses that much life."
May 2, 2021 7:05 p.m.
DemonDragonJ Reducing confusion probably wasn't the only reason it was changed, but I'm sure it factored into the decision.
I could understand a creature version of Exquisite Blood , but I don't expect it to show up regularly. I count eight cards with a variant of the SB effect: Cliffhaven Vampire , Defiant Bloodlord , Dina, Soul Steeper , Epicure of Blood , Marauding Blight-Priest , Sanguine Bond , Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose , and Vizkopa Guildmage . A new EB goes infinite with all of these, with incredible redundancy.
How would you stat a creature version out? What would you expect its mana value and P/T to be?
May 2, 2021 7:33 p.m.
Incidentally, Dina, Soul Steeper + EBcreature would be an infinite combo in Standard. Last time that happened, Felidar Guardian got banned.
May 2, 2021 7:37 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #49
I think that if there's any kind of EB effect this year it'll be in the Crimson Bond Commander product.
May 3, 2021 12:31 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #50
legendofa, I think that a creature version of Exquisite Blood could have the same power/toughness and mana cost as Defiant Bloodlord , although perhaps slightly stricter, such as , rather than .
Also, I agree with Coward_Token that WotC can avoid disrupting standard by printing such a card in either a future Commander set or the upcoming Modern Horizons 2.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #1
Damn, Dragon's Approach + Thrumming Stone will end a lot of games. Niv-Mizzet, Parun and Birgi, God of Storytelling Flip feel like the obvious commanders for this combo.
April 2, 2021 8:24 a.m.