Random card #7: Court Homunculus

Court Homunculus is a common card from Conflux, the second expansion of the Alara block. This plane is divided in 5 "shards" in the beginning. This creature is from the Esper Shard, composed of white, blue and black color. In this shard, each permanent is an artifact card. Esper permanents are colored artifact, something that was only seen before with Transguild Courier from Dissenssion and Sarcomite Myr from Future Sight.

Transguild Courier is special since it's in every color and Sarcomite Myr was a hint to colored artifact in the Future Sight expansion. It was aimed to show colored artifact that will appears in Scars of Mirrodin. But it was a perfect fit for Esper, so colored was not used in Scars of Mirrodin.

This is an solid, aggressive creature, a good 1 drop creature, since you only need one another artifact to boost him. That's something that could be easily done with Esper card, an equipment that cost 0 for example (Bonesaw), but also card from Mirrodin, like artifact land. Nevertheless, it's quite fragile so be sure to do a early great amount of damages with him.

The art was made by Matt Cavotta, there are two little cute homoculus standing above small pylones and their cloths and cape make them look like taller.

Random card #10: City of Solitude

City of Solitude



This card was printed in Visions in a time where counterspells were dominant. At that time, creatures were not as strong as nowadays. Counter draw deck were possible at that time and it was a favorite style of play for a great portion of players. Like land destruction deck.

Green color is an blue ennemy color, it needed something good against its main force. For them, this card is a must-counter. Otherwise, plenty of counters will be useless and stay in their hands.

This is a really good sideboard card and a card you must have in your Commander deck if you have a pesky blue mage playing with you.

It's a double edge-sword, all players are affected by its effect, even you. Moreover played in multiple times, it won't help because it's an enchantment with an effect which doesn't stack. But at least if you put more than one in your deck, it will put pressure to your opponent who will have to counter each of it.

It's a versatile card, since any players won't also be able to play combat tricks during an opponent's turn.

Resources: White Blink spells

Blink are called like this because of a great card in Time Spiral : Momentary Blink.



What is so great with this card ?
First, you can protect a creature from a spell that destroy it. Second, you can have an 'enter the battlefield effect' if you play it on a creature with one. Obviously, that's always useful.

Third, when this card was released, damages were put on the stack. So it means that you can deal damages and 'blink' your creature to save it. It was of course a huge combat trick.




For players, this kind of effect was then called 'blink' and in their mind it's a white or blue effect. But in fact, it was a effect that first appears in a white card in Urza's Destiny. Moreover it wasn't called 'blink' but 'flicker'. The idea behind this card, it's that white can let things be shaped anew, and start a new life.



Therefore, many cards allowed players to :
- blink a permanent you control
- blink any permanent
- blink many permanents

And we can distinguish two timings. In the first one, the permanent comes back in the battlefield right away, let's called it 'instant blink'.

In the second one, the permanents come back at the beginning of the next end phase. We can called it 'delayed blink'.

Blink cards had been a part of Magic for quite a long time now and also part of the white color. It was even really present in Avacyn Restored.



So let's start with a listing of white blink spells sorted by cost. These spells allows the player to 'blink' permanents.

1CC
Cloudshift
Planar Guide

2CC
Flicker
Liberate
Momentary Blink
Otherworldly Journey
Ruin Ghost

3CC
Astral Slide
Flickerwisp
Ghostway

4CC
Flickerform
Galepowder Mage
Glimmerpoint Stag
Restoration Angel

6CC
Sudden Disappearance

In another article, I'll publish blue, multicolor and artifact blink spells.

Resources: Blue, artifact and multicolor blink spells

Non white blinks spells are not in a lot of number, but each of them are quite good.

Blue blink card



1CC

Nephalia Smuggler

3CC
Ghostly Flicker

6CC
Deadeye Navigator

multicolor blink spells

2CC
Mistmeadow Witch
Turn to Mist

4CC
Vanish into Memory

5CC


Venser, the Sojourner

Artifact blink spells

1CC
Voyager Staff

5CC
Conjurer's Closet

Random card #6: Wall of Caltrops

This card had been printed in Legends, an old extension of Magic, one of the first Magic expansion. This expansion featured for the first time legendary permanents and gold cards. While famous for that Legends had also a "wall" thema. To support that, Legends features many instants that help wall, and many wall creatures.

It's a wall of caltrops, so it's not a big creature, just a 2/1 creature. If you block with other creatures, and at the conditions that all bloking creature are walls, it gains banding until end of turn. That is really impressive ! One of the rare creature with band with other wall. At least, you can manage to kill a creature and keep you wall on the battlefield, nice !

It was already useless back when it was printed, and not more useful nowadays.

About the art, we can say that it was hard to paint a wall like this. It's more a carpet that a wall. Anyway, we can tell that Brian Snoddy made his best.

The flavor text is fun, it's the soldier who is screaming about his pain. Ow !

A blink to the past : Time spiral Artifact and Lands cards

Artifact 

Assembly-Worker

This cards refers to Mishra's Factory. Another way to boost your assembly worker !

Brass Gnat

This is a flying version of Brass Man ! Not powerful but annoying.

Candles of Leng

The name of this artifact refers to Library of Leng.

Chromatic Star

A new version of Chromatic Sphere. This version allows you to draw a card if a player destroy it or you sacrifice it.

Chronatog Totem

The cycle of Totem in Time Spiral are mana stone and can be transformed into creatures. The blue version is a Chronatog, an Atog that eats time !

Clockwork Hydra

Clockwork creature exist since Alpha : Clockwork Beast. It's creature with counters and they lose them when they are used. So of course Time Spiral needed its own version.



Foriysian Totem

The red totem can be transformed into an old creature from Alpha : Two-Headed Giant of Foriys.
There was also a white version in Exodus : Foriysian Brigade.

Gauntlet of Power

This card turned Gauntlet of Might into an 'all colors' cards, so it obviously cost more but is also more versatile.

Jhoira's Timebug

Another element of Jhoira's arsenal after Jhoira's Toolbox. She really like bugs apparently.

Lotus Bloom

Time Spiral version of Black Lotus. With suspend of course.

Paradise Plume

A plume of Birds of Paradise. Of course it can give you mana of any color. But it also give you life when spell of the colored choice is played.

Phyrexian Totem

The black totem creates a Phyrexian Negator, a really powerful creature, really dangerous for uour opponents... but also yourself !

Sarpadian Empires, Vol. VII

This cards can creates a great diversity of token. Some type might look awkward : homarid, citizen ?? It's because they are types from Fallen Empires expansion ! This is the last book related to the Sarpadian Empires. Past volumes were in flavor text of this expansion.

Stuffy Doll

This doll has been in many cards before where it suffers a lot : The Rack, Black Vise, Cursed Rack, Leshrac's Rite...

It deserves a card !

Thunder Totem

This is a totem for a powerful white creature : Thunder Spirit.


 +  =

Triskelavus

This is a mix between to popular creature artifact : Triskelion and Tetravus.

Weatherseed Totem

The totem of a powerful treefolk of Urza's Legacy : Weatherseed Treefolk.

Land

Academy Ruins

Tolarian Academy is now in ruins but is still powerful.

Flagstones of Trokair

Trokair is a place from Fallen Empires. It came back again with a powerful land.

Kher Keep

Kher Keep is a kobold place. Kobold in magic are really small creature. They have a king called Rohgahh of Kher Keep.

Swarmyard

This card is a reference to Elephant Graveyard. This time, you can regenerate a large number of different type of creature. These creature types are not the most powerful of Magic but are well appreciated. Especially squirrel !

Urza's Factory

This land works really well with Urza's land, since if you control the 3 lands, you can activate this land's ability. Note that the type of token is the same as Mishra's factory, that explains this card flavor's text : 

"Though their ideals are leagues apart, Urza's and Mishra's creations have a surprising harmony with one another."

—Tocasia, journal entry