Random card #1: Roc Egg

Roc Egg

Roc egg appears for the first time in Magic 2011 and was reedited in Magic 2012. It's like a new version of Rukh Egg from Arabian Night, in white and one mana cheaper. It has the same state as the old card, with the defender ability that appears with Kamigawa. Aniway, since it's a 0/3 creature, it's not really interesting to attack with it. You will keep him to build time, before he dies.

If he dies, you put a 3/3 flying token into the battelfield. A 3/3 is not as good as the 4/4 Rukh, but it's quite good in limited.
Don't waste your own removal on him. Keep him on the battlefield, it often deters opponents to kill it, depending on the state of the game.

One more thing, you put the token, right away after he dies. Rukh Egg put it only at the end step. What does it change ? If you kill him during an opponent attack phase, you can block one attacking creature. Surprise !

Resources: Magic black based tutors

In this post, I will list tutors with black color in it. I will add a comment about all of them too.
This list will help to reference cards for the Commander format.

Black tutors help player to have redundancy in their deck since Commander is a singleton format.
Black tutors, on the contrary to other colors, in general, allow you to find a card regarless of its type.
In this case, you don't reveal the card to other player.
And then, the searched card either go to your hand or to the top of your library.

We have also cards that put creature directly into the graveyard. Keep an eye on them if you play a reanimator deck.

Another category of tutors is the landcycling card that allow you to search for sawmp or any land on your library. Consider them carefully since black don't have lot of way to serach for land.

And finally, Transmute from Ravnica is a capacity that allow the player to search card for the library if you take a card with the same mana cost as the transmuted card. It brought us many new tutor cards.

I will also list cards that are multicolor. They do have the spirit of black tutors !

In another article, I will add a comment about each card.


B

1CC
Demonic Consultation
Entomb
Imperial Seal
Spoils of the Vault
Vampiric Tutor

2CC
Demonic Tutor
Diabolic Intent
Divining Witch
Infernal Tutor
Tainted Pact
Shred Memory

3CC
Buried Alive
Cruel Tutor
Dimir Machinations
Doomsday
Grim Tutor
Maralen of the Mornsong
Rhystic Tutor

4CC
Diabolic Tutor
Dimir House Guard
Fleshwrither
Insidious Dreams
Night Dealings

5CC
Brainspoil
Corpse Connoisseur
Demonic Collusion
Diabolic Revelation
Increasing Ambition
Liliana Vess

6CC
Beseech the Queen
Netherborn Phalanx
Twisted Abomination

7CC
Absorb Vis
Rune-Scarred Demon

9CC
Bringer of the Black Dawn

UB
Lim Dûl's Vault

A blink to the past: Time spiral Black cards

It's time to look at the black cards of Time Spiral.
In two posts, I already dealt with the White card and the Blue Cards of Time Spiral.

Black features madness and shadow keywords.

Assassinate
It's a sorcery version of the ability of Royal Assassin. Even the card name matches. This card is well designed, not too powerful and will be reprinted many times in a lot of core sets, with a flavor text being a quotation of a Royal Assassin.

Basal Sliver
A sliver version of Blood Vassal

Cyclopean Giant
This card in its name and ability refers to an old artifact in Alpha called Cyclopean Tomb.

Demonic Collusion
A buyback version of Demonic Tutor.

Dread Return
In the art, the creature is Mindslicer, you can look at this article from Wizards of the Coast.

Drudge Reavers
A flashable Drudge Skeletons !

Evil Eye of Urborg
A creature which is like a mirror version of Evil Eye of Orms-by-Gore, even power and thoughness are reverse.

Faceless Devourer
A Faceless Butcher for shadow creature.

Fallen Ideal
This aura turns one of your creature into a Fallen Angel. Moreover, the art is painted by Anson Maddoks, illstrator of the angel !

Feebleness
A flashable Weakness !

Liege of the Pit
A new version of Lord of the Pit with morph. The fact that is a liege can refer to Gaea's Liege.

Lim-Dûl the Necromancer
Lim-Dûl appears in Ice Age. It was the occasion to make a card for him.

Living End
A version of Living Death with suspend.

Magus of the Mirror
The magus of Mirror Universe.

Mindstab
A suspend effect of the Mindstab Thrull. The art is also done by Mark Tedin, artist of one version of Mindstab Thrull, since card in Fallen Empires had multiple arts.

Nether Traitor
A shadow version of Nether Shadow.

Nightshade Assassin
You can cast Scent of Nightshade when you play this card.

Pit Keeper
You can activate the ability of Oversold Cemetary when you play this card. This creature let you make a game decision : what's the best thing to do ? Play this early and attack or wait for card advantage ?

Plague Sliver
The Juzam Djinn Sliver. Be careful, it's a hoser for sliver !

Sangrophage
A bigger Carnophage, but not as good as the old one.

Sengir Nosferatu
Sengir Vampire is a famous card from Alpha. This card can transform into a bat. If it was in Innistrad, it would be a double card. See how much Magic has developed since Time Spiral...

Skittering Monstrosity
This is a new version of creature like Skittering Horror and Skittering Skirge.

Skulking Knight
A flanking knight version of Skulking Ghost and Skulking Fugitive.

Smallpox
It's a small Pox.

Urborg Syphon-Mage
A spellshaper who can cast Syphon Soul.

Vampiric Sliver
A sliver with vampiric ability of Sengir Vampire.

Viscid Lemures
during Ice age, an artist was commissionned to draw Hyalopterous Lemure. He didn't know what was a Lemure, so he search and thought it had to draw a little animal. It was completely wrong, a Lemure was a spectre or spirits of the dead. The new card is what he should have drawn.
The flavor text also make fun about this story.

M13: Thragtusk and new Liliana and Ajani !

Thragtusk follows the trend of creature who creates token if he leaves the battlefield. A good addition for a Thromok EDH deck.

We already had Brindle Shoat, this one cost a lot more but also give life when he comes into the battlefield.
He's also fantastic in a deck with flicker abilities, like Deadeye Navigator.
This beast is a 5 power creature, so you can also play him in a  Mayael the Anima deck.

The new Liliana is a planeswalker that you should play in a mono black EDH deck (Griselbrand, Iname, Death Aspect, Korlash, Heir to Blackblade) that wants a lot of black mana, along cards who can generate lot of black mana like Cabal Coffers or Altar of Shadows and finish opponents with Exsanguinate.

Being able to guarantee a land drop each turn for no mana is really great !

Note that she isn't able to win a game by herself.

Ajani is a strong planeswalker. He's not able to protect by himself but he is cheap.Build an army and wait until you can use his ultimate. Again, this Ajani relates to your life number so find way to increase it.

M13: Odric and the Rings

Odric is a 3/4 first strike, enough to be hard to deal before putting over creatures to support him.

It's quite difficult to reach that number of creature but then, you can choose either to deal has much damages has possible since you can decide that your opponent don't block you or setting an edge by destroying ennemy creature.

A good idea is to couple him with Darien, King of Kjeldor.

 

 

The ring is a new cycle of equipment, an interesting cycle, their equip cost is really cheap.

The black one can provide a regeneration shield for each of your creature if you have a lot of mana.

The red one is quite good, cheap price for haste, and can help red creatures get bigger.

M13: Put the world in Fire

Worldfire is a red mythic card from M13.

What is the best thing to do with it ?

Play it in Jhoira of the Ghitu Commander deck and suspend a creature ?
Suspend Rift Bolt ? !! This card is fun !

A blink to the past: Time spiral Blue cards

Let's look at the blue cards from Time Spiral who features abilities like morph and shadow.

Ancestral Vision
It's the suspend version of Ancestral Recall. Although not as good as the P9 piece, this card is quite good.

Brine Elemental
It's a 5/4 elemental like Water Elemental. Not much can be said about him.

Cancel
This card is paint by Mark Poole, the artist who already paint Counterspell in Alpha. It's the reason why their arts are quite similar.

Deep-Sea Kraken
It's a suspended version of Tidal Kraken.

Draining Whelk
It's the creature, we can see on Mana Drain's art. Infortunately, it doesn't give mana like with Mana Drain :/

Drifter il-Dal
It's Spindrift Drake with shadow intead of flying.

Fathom Seer
When he's flip up, he cast Dream Cache. You can notice gold pieces on the art as the card it refers too.

Fledgling Mawcor
Mawcor was in Tempest, and here is a tiny version.

Fool's Demise
Ur's an enhanced version of False Demise.

Looter il-Kor
This is a really good version of Merfolk Looter.

Magus of the Jar
The magus for Memory Jar.

Moonlace
This refers to a cycle of really bad rares from Alpha (Purelace, Thoughtlace, Deathlace, Chaoslace, Lifelace). No one wanted them, and no one want that one.

Ophidian Eye
Enchant you with this to draw card like with Ophidian from Weatherlight. It was the first draw "saboteur".

Psionic Sliver
It's the sliver version of Psionic Entity.

Sage of Epityr
A wizard with Sage Owl ability.

Spell Burst
This spell is Spell Blast with buyback. In the late game, it's difficult to play against an opponent with a lot of mana sources.

Spiketail Drakeling
A bigger version of Spiketail Hatchling, but not has big as Spiketail Drake. He's kind of missing link from the two Prophecy cards.

Sprite Noble
A new version of Faerie Noble from Homelands but not restricted to faeries creatures.

Stormcloud Djinn
It's quite difficult to find out why this Djinn would have a red boost ability. It's just because of this creature from the Dark : Electric Eel.

You can also look at its flavor text :

As fickle as lightning, as slippery as an eel.

Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Tefeiri can be seem in many cards from the past in Mirage, Urza's saga and Invasion expansion. For the first time, he had a card. It's really strong, can block counterspell, suspended cards. While in play, your opponents can't bluff.

Telekinetic Sliver
A sliver version of Opposition ?

Tolarian Sentinel
It's a spellshaper who can cast Rescue.

Vesuvan Shapeshifter
A clear reference to Vesuvan Doppleganger. It's also illustrated by Quinton Hoover. Combo with Brine Elemental.

Walk the Aeons
A flashbackable version of Time Walk. Notice the art with the skeletons, like the P9 piece.

M13: new red legendary goblin Krenko is here !

Krenko, Mob boss is a new legendary goblin. He is quite expensive, and don't have haste. Thus, He's ability is slow, but if he stays in play, you can't outnumber opponents with goblins. And how can you do that faster ?

Don't worry, he don't came alone, we have a functionnaly reprint of Dragon Fodder, with a new name.
He's a good new card for a Wort, Boggart Auntie commander deck.

By the way, he combo with Intruder Alarm :)

Don't forget that goblin token has already been pushed with Beetleback Chief

Krenko is part of a cycle of legendary creature with Talrand in blue, and Nefarox in black.

There's also a new angel called Sublime angel. We already knew that exalted was back in M13, in black and white this time.

M13: a new green legend and an old artifact

Legends are back in core set.. If you play it as your commander, you can play it by surprise : )
Maybe best to not play it as commander, but it's a good addition to any Commander deck !

Tormod's Crypt is back too !
Read more »

A blink to the past: Time spiral white cards

In a series of articles about cards from Time Spiral, let's start with white cards.
White creature in Time spiral have shadow and flanking. It's quite an aggressive color. It also has a cool flickering card as Momentary Blink. Back in the time, remember that it wasn't M10 rules, damages went to the stack !

Amrou Scout
This card is illustrated by Quintoon Hoover, who have paints Amrou Kithkin.

Amrou Seekers
This creature has "white fear" and refers to the aura "seeker" from the legend expansion, which grant this ability.

Castle Raptors
The untap bonus of the raptors is a reference to the enchantment Castle from Alpha.

Celestial Crusader
The crusader obviously refers to Crusade.

Children of Korlis
It's an homage to martyr of korlis, an old card from antiquities.

Chronosavant
It's a white Necrosavant ! The creature in the card art has the same pose as the old card from Visions.

Cloudchaser Kestrel
Every cloudchaser in magic destroy enchantment (the first one in Tempest, the second one in Odyssey). This one does it too, and is part of the "white matter" theme of Time Spiral block for white cards.

D'Avenant Healer
This card refers to D'avenant Archer in the name and in her first ability.

Duskrider Peregrine
It's a big Duskrider Falcon with suspend !

Errant Doomsayers
This card has an ability quite similar to Aysen Bureaucrats (the latest care about power, and Doomsayers care about toughness).

Evangelize
This card is an activation of the Preacher ability. It has flashback so it can be devastating for the opponents' camps.

Flickering Spirit
This is a reference to Blinking Spirit. Art are really similar; since it's the same artist for the two cards.

Foriysian Interceptor
This is one of the two reference to Two-Headed Giant of Foriys from Alpha (the second one is an artifact card).

Gaze of Justice
This card is part of the "white matter" theme and is a reference to Hand of Justice from Fallen Empires expansion.

Griffin Guide
This is a variant of Elephant Guide, a really good card, but far better. Flying and a flying token is really good.

Gustcloak Cavalier
This a new element to the Gustcloak creature in the Carnage set.

Icatian Crier
Icatian Crier is part of a spellshaper cycle (mechanics of Mask of Mercadia set) where each creature will cast a spell from the past.
Here, it's Raise the Alarm. But as the card refers to Icatian Town, it makes citizen token.

Ivory Giant
Is he casting a Blinding Light ? another card for the "white matter" theme, but not really a reference to an old card.

Jedit's Dragoons
Jedit Ojanen is a cat warrior from Legends expansion. The first card with Dragoon in its name is a creature that gives life when it comes into play (Radiant's Dragoons).This card is quite similar to the old one, without echo.

Knight of the Holy Nimbus
This is a really more aggressive version of Clergy of the Holy Nimbus ! A card of choice for an aggressive white deck.

Magus of the Disk
This is part of a rare cycle of Magus where each creature, one by color have an ability of an old artifact. For the white one, it's Nevinyrral's Disk.

Mangara of Corondor
Mangara is part of the storyline of the Mirage set. His name appears on card like : Mangara's Blessing, Mangara's Equity, Mangara's Tome. But it had never appeared in a card before. Time Spiral was the right time for it.

Opal Guardian
This a reference to the sleeping enchantments of urza set, a set of enchantments that turns into a crature if an opponent play a card. This card turns to Abbey Gargoyles of the Homelands set, already illustrated by Christopher Rush.

Outrider en-Kor
This is a variant of "en-kor" creature from fortress who can't redirect damage to another creature.

Pentarch Paladin
We had Northern Paladin (alpha), Southern Paladin (Weatherlight), Eastern Paladin and Western Paladin (Urza's Saga). It was time to have a paladin who can destroy a permanent of the color of your choice !

Plated Pegasus
This kind of damage prevention has previously be seen on the card Benevolent Unicorn, althought not worded the same way. This time with flash which can be useful against a stormy Grapeshot
It may also been a reference to Armored Pegasus, not sure about this.

Pulmonic Sliver
Time spiral brings back Slivers for the second time after legions).
This sliver is part of a cycle of sliver version of card from the past. Here it's a reference to Avenging Angel.

Restore Balance
Another cycle for this expansion. One spell by color (+artfact), which can't be casted, only suspended. For the white one, it's a suspend Balance, which is really less powerful than the old spell.

Serra Avenger
In Time Spiral, we have reference to old card name mix with other. It can be a reference to Gaea's Avenger, but this time with Serra.

Spirit Loop
A variant of spirit link but with the ability to get back the aura from the battlefield like in urza's legacy (Rancor for example).

Tivadar of Thorn
This knight disliked goblins so much that he made a crusade against them (Tivadar's Crusade) with his troops (Knights of Thorn).

Weathered Bodyguards
Does his name refers to Weathered Wayfarer ?
What is sure is that his damages redirection ability refers to Veteran Bodyguard, the first one with that kind of ability.

In a next article, we'll explore blue cards of Time Spiral !

A blink to the past: Time Spiral

Time spiral is a magic set published in september 2005. It was really special since it contains 121 timeshifted cards with the purple rarity, all from past extensions.

Time spiral is about the past of Magic. People who played Magic for a long time could grasp all the references, but this set was really too complicated for new players.

Since this sets, Magic became more and more accessible. It was the peak of complexity Magic reached, and it will not be as complicated as it was. After that, R&D started to develop the 'New World Order' where commons are simple as possible.

In a following series of articles, I will show the references put in cards of this expansion, either in capacity, flavor text or illustrations.

Welcome to vivid meadow !

Vivid meadow is a blog about Magic the Gathering.


This blog talks about The Commander format, new cards, past and new set...


I hope you'll enjoy it as much as myself : )