MTGCommander.net got the honor of showing off the first spoilers for Planechase 2 that really have nothing to do with Planechase at all! They are fantastic new additions to Commander though thanks to some absurd casting costs and even better abilities.

Krond the Dawn-Clad is an interesting choice thanks to an absurdly unsplashable casting cost. As a white-green commander, I love anyone who plays well with Armadillo Cloak and this guy certainly does. The combination of offensive and defensive capabilities makes me very interested in him, but I’m not sure he has enough to make him a top tier Commander.

For multiplayer though, I love how this guy works in reanimating decks thanks to the simple fact that Animate Dead is an aura.

Vela the Night-Clad looks an awful lot like a shadow priestess I used to run in World of Warcraft. The evasion combined with mass evasion makes me very interested, but I really love her final ability. It triggers whenever someone leaves the battlefield which is very interesting when combined with ninjitsu and phasing (who expected those abilities to ever be paired up). Add in the rise of flickering effects from Avacyn Restored and I’m very interested in seeing what this card can do.

This brings the Planechase 2 visual spoiler up to four cards in all.

But now there are some new things being leaked left and right. MTGSalvation is the source for four potentially leaked cards:

Legendary Ninja 3UUBB
Ninjustu 2UUBB
When ~ deals damage to a player, look at that players and hand and cast an instant or sorcery spell from it.
7/6

Mana Rock 3
Artifact
T: Add one mana of any colour
T: Roll the planer Dice

New card with cascade is a 2/2 for 1GU

UB artifact creature
Deathtouch, flying
When ETB, draw a card
1/1

There there is the newest Planechase Promo! If Tazeem is any indicator, get this one while you can!

Stairs to Infinity
Plane – Xerex
Players have no maximum hand size.
Whenever you roll the planar die, draw a card.
Whenever you roll chaos, reveal the top card of your planar deck. You may put it on the bottom of your planar deck.

With Planechase 2 being similar to Commander, we will only be tracking new cards spoiled. This includes 21 new cards, 32 new Planes and 8 new Phenomena. You can find out 61 card visual spoiler here.

This is not a review per say. This is more a chronicle of an experience. Within the realm of board gaming there is a sector of epic games. Games that require far more effort and time than your normal table top experience. Opportunities to play these games are few and far between, but when they arise, they should be seized. What follows is an account of one of those gaming sessions. Tom recently spent 14 hours in Azeroth, hunting down Illidan Stormrage and testing his gaming fortitude to the limits.

After a marathon session of World of Warcraft (WoW) did you ever sit back and ask yourself how the game could be improved? Did any of your answers include doing away with all the automation, digital elements and the computer game itself? Well someone did, because they created a WoW board game, and expansion based on the Burning Crusade (the first expansion for the WoW computer game).

I’m sure that when Fantasy Flight Games developed it, in partnership with Blizzard, they had all sorts of reports and surveys that identified a target demographic. Unless those results included insomniacs, I have no clue who the hell this game is for.

Actually, to call this a game is unfair. This is not a game, it is an endurance test. The game is a massive undertaking in every conceivable way. Board games rarely require scheduling in advance. In fact, one of the great advantages board game players have is being able to sit down on a whim and play. Such is not the case for the WoW board game. My own game took nearly a month of emails, discussions and even a rules meeting a week before the actual game so that new players could learn. Teaching the rules takes over an hour, and with every second counting on game day, we couldn’t afford to waste time.

The real madness isn’t in how long the game takes, but that anyone ever finds time to play it. When’s the last time you had 10-12 hours absolutely free? More importantly, when’s the last time you actually did one thing for 10-12 hours without being distracted or diverted to some other task?

So once you’ve found 5 other willing participants and have scheduled a game, how do you play? If you’ve played WoW, there’s going to be some familiarity, but playing the MMO is in no way a per-requisite for playing the board game. The board game’s relationship to the MMO is similar to the relationship that games like Castle Ravenloft and Wrath of Ashardalon share with Dungeons and Dragons. All based on the same source material, but not beholden to its mechanics.

Fans of WoW will find plenty of familiar classes and abilities.

WoW the board game is for 2-6 players, but playing with anything less than 6 mars the experience. You play in two teams of three, one Horde and one Alliance. Even if you are playing with fewer than 6 players this is still the standard setup, so you would have one player controlling multiple characters. All the more reason to find a full party.

The essence of the game is that the teams are racing to defeat the big bad boss of the game. There are several bosses to choose from, all hallmarks of the WoW series. Before reaching the boss the teams work to complete quests by defeating other monsters, and delve into dungeons in order to gain experience and find better equipment.

As your characters level they also gain new abilities. Once your team is strong enough you can go take on the boss. First team to down him, wins. For my game, we choose Illidan Stormrage, the toughest of all the bosses and the one that takes the longest to defeat.

The interesting thing is that the teams are almost playing separate games. The quests are independent to each group, with a few exceptions, and both teams can also go into dungeons, though the loot drops can be used up by one team before the other gets there.

PvP exists, but there is very little value or penalty for participating. In my game it never occurred, and the more experienced players at the table remarked that they’ve never seen a reason why they would do it. What this means is that the game becomes a race, and at higher levels turns take so long you might not even really know what’s going on with your opponents until the end game.

The most exciting element of the game is that it is team based. Each team gets a “turn” where they can take several actions that involve moving around the world, fight monsters, or enter towns to sell/buy items and perform other actions. Each player on the team gets two actions and they do not have to all be taken together.

However, because the game enforces the team aesthetic, it is rare that you’ll have all three party members roaming the world soloing monsters. A great deal of discussion and strategy is involved and players need to come to consensus in order to be successful.

In the end, my team lost as our opponents entered the dungeon and destroyed Illidan one turn before we did. While losing a close game is discouraging, there’s less a feeling of losers/winners and more a sense of camaraderie that develops among the six players. Such is the result of a day long marathon through one of the last bastions of long form board gaming.

World of Warcraft the board game isn’t for everyone, and frankly, it probably belongs in an earlier time. It wasn’t made for the Twitter generation, but that doesn’t mean we can’t time out from a life of instant gratification and enjoy the slow burn. It doesn’t come with a monthly subscription and you’ll have quite the story to tell afterward. If the opportunity presents itself, jump in, because trust me, there aren’t many analogs out there, nor should there be. Games like this should remain few and far between, lest their novelty and unique brand of fun wear thin.

The lovely Harp Twins, Camille and Kennerly, have returned with another excellent arrangement played on electric harps – the Game of Thrones theme!

The second Magic: the Gathering expansion ever, Antiquities used to be full of expensive cards simply because of their scarcity. But now, card prices have drastically dropped (in most cases) allowing older sets to become much more manageable. This list isn’t about reminding you about what awesome cards are known about in Antiquities like Power Artifact, but about showing what gems have been forgotten about over the last 18 years.

Being a set based around artifacts, it seems only fitting to begin there. Cursed Rack is a unique piece in the Stuffy Doll arsenal. With many decks in Commander abusing cards like Reliquary Tower, it is hard to limit your opponents maximum hand size. Cursed Rack provides a colorless way to do just that when you aren’t able to make use of the Misers or Jin-Gitaxias. If you constantly face off against someone abusing their hand, take it down.

Mightstone and Weakstone are two sides of the same twisted coin. From a lore standpoint, they’re ungodly important from within the game itself, but they’ve been forgotten. The ability to give all attacking creatures +1/+0 or -1/-0 can drastically change how a battle is fought. For group hug players, either stone is useful depending on how your deck is constructed. But what I really like is the colorless nature of them. Red has plenty of ways to pump creatures continuously, but giving that option to blue? That is worth considering. What makes them even sweeter is the face that both can be found for only a quarter!

Rocket Launcher is worth remember simply because of how absurd it is. Dropping this into a crowded table with enough mana gives green a fantastic way to clear the way. The best part though is you can target as many different things as you want for a single turn with it! If you’re looking for weird removal, look no further than this. Or just use Goblin Cannon.

Black has one major weakness: the inability to destroy artifacts. With a strategy that consists of hoping you discard it before you play it, Black can’t do a whole lot once the artifact hits the board. But before the color wheel really got crafted, Gate to Phyrexia was created. One of the pricier cards in the set now; this gives mono-black Commanders a decent way to destroy artifacts.

Blue faces a similar issue with artifacts; mainly their only way to stop them is by countering them in advance. Energy Flux has been reprinted multiple times over the years, but the fact of the matter is: this card is good. Many Commander decks utilize artifacts for mana acceleration and card drawing and the ability to force people to keep paying for them is a great deterrent (or a great way to put a target on your head from the Karn Commander).

In Commander, I don’t see Citanul Druid really taking off. He’s fragile but I just love the possibilities of his ability (especially when combined with Mycosynth Lattice). Casual 60 is where this card can really shine with a little extra work.

To continue the artifacts-matter theme, Gaea’s Avenger can quickly be a value. The ability is unique and there are plenty of ways to abuse it (again, Mycosynth Lattice). Though now there are plenty of ways for green to get giant creatures for cheap, so he’ll face some competition. If you know artifacts are going to be in abundance, check this guy out.

I love how out of whack the color wheel used to be. Artifact Blast is just so weird. Half of an Annual in the wrong color, this is a great way for red to get around those pesky indestructible artifacts. Sure, Into the Core may be a better option most of the time, but there is nothing quite like having the red player say, “I’ll counter that.”

I don’t know how people keep forgetting this card exists, but Shatterstorm needs to be remembered. Again, this card completely depends on how artifact dependant your opponents are but the little line “they can’t be regenerated,” means you have a way to stop Masticores in their tracks. If you aren’t running many or any artifacts, run this as a source of removal.

All of Antiquities is kind of weird given how focused on artifacts it is. If your play group is anything like mine though, you operate on a delayed schedule so Scars of Mirrodin is finally getting a lot of play. Damping Field is a very odd enchantment that can be either devastating or absolutely useless. Also, the artwork is hilarious awkward.

The final set of cards worth mentioning come from the lands – and I don’t mean Strip Mine, Mishra’s Workshop or Mishra’s Factory. All of those are excellent and worth playing (though lets be honest, if you have a Mishra’s Workshop you should probably sell it). But the full Urzatron debuted in Antiquities: the Power Plant, the Tower and the Mine. I’ll admit, they’re next to useless in Commander but in casual 60, they’re the original Cloudpost.

As a whole, Antiquities is full of a lot of awful cards that really show their age. Yes, there are some excellent cards too like the Candelabra of Tawnos, Ivory Tower and Su-Chi. But a lot of the set is so narrow or completely outclassed, I mean over half the set mentions Artifacts in some way! So what is your favorite card in Antiquities for multiplayer Magic? If you say Urza’s Miter, I think you’re lying. Or you just really like Pope hats.

Platter after platter, the halfing hosts continued to reward the heroes with enough burgers to feed an entire non-halfing village. With the trolls slain, the heroes began to wonder what would happen to the halflings if they discovered a human sized burger.

With my relatively new apartment, I had to make a huge sacrifice: the loss of my grill. Thanks to things like “fire codes,” I’m not allowed to have a grill on my porch. And since my smoke alarm goes off whenever I use my toaster, I’ve lost the ability to grill large pieces of meat. But sometimes I  really want a burger that isn’t McDonald’s. So combined with the fact that Trader Joe’s sells these adorable miniburger buns, I had to make myself some.

But then I realized that a slider is just about the right size for a halfling, and that’s why I went with lamb because I don’t see Bilbo or Frodo being able to take down a beef critter.

Ingredients
1 pound ground lamb
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon mint, fresh or dried
8 mini burger buns

Toppings
Hummus
Feta
Mixed greens

Directions
Combine the spices together and mix them into the lamb. Divide the lamb into equal sized patties, about two ounces each. Now here’s where the recipe falls apart, if you have a grill, use that. I ended up making them on a griddle over medium-high heat. The lamb was cooked for about 4 minutes on each side until cooked through but still juicy.

The buns were sliced and toasted while the feta cheese melted onto the burgers. After slathering up some hummus on each bun, I topped them with some mixed green and served. They were delicious.

For a side, I went with baked sweet potato fries. My friend Sam actually provided the recipe and they are fantastic! Now I have to go yell at Tom, because this site is way too Castle-y and not enough cooking!

But Avacyn Restored is a little different, since there are only three gold cards and all of them happen to be legendary angels! That’s going to mess with the top 5…

Casual and Commander Review: Avacyn Restored
White | Blue | Black | Red | Green | Gold, Artifacts & Lands

Bruna, Light of Alabaster

For years, the aura commander has been Uril, the Miststalker. He’s huge, grows even bigger and is near impossible to kill. But Bruna may offer a new alternative, and color pairing, to aura-centric players who are looking for something different. Being an evasive 5/5 for six with vigilance makes her decent in the air, but her ability is what looks to be most exciting.

Bruna not only allows you to play auras for free, she also steals them from other players and returns them from a graveyard. As far as I’m concerned, she effectively removes the card disadvantage so often found on auras. Toss in the fact that she can move auras during combat, and you’ve got a fascinating Voltron-style commander that will play differently from Uril. So have fun stealing everyone’s licids.

Gisela, Blade of Goldnight

Boros players haven’t got the widest selection of commanders to pick from, so just getting a new one is nice, especially one that isn’t so creature-combat focused. But what I really like about Gisela is that she is a two-turn clock essentially for commander damage. Or just regular damage since this augments damage for everyone else at the table.

Furnace of Rath is a great way to force the game into sudden death overtime, but having your own Furnace attached to an angel is beyond great. Then you get to the white half where Gisela is near impossibly to kill in combat. Your opponent needs a 10/11 (or a 10/5 first striker) to be able to kill Gisela alone. Cast her, toss on Lightning Greaves and watch the world crumble around you.

Sigarda, Host of Herons

Sigarda just isn’t as exciting to me as her sisters. Flying and hexproof on a 5/5 for six is a great deal, but green and white isn’t exactly a color combination struggling for new commanders. But here’s my biggest issue with Sigarda, she doesn’t do anything new.

Tajuru Preserver has been doing the same thing for years but rarely sees play (unless you are in a heavily infested Eldrazi playgroup). Sigarda just does it all over again and that just isn’t exciting enough to me.

Angel’s Tomb

A 3/3 angel for 3 that is immune to sorcery speed removal is nice, but I don’t see this card making any big strides. The inability to animate it for mana hurts it and stops it from being a bigger Glint Hawk Idol.

Angelic Armaments

I love equipment and it really bugs me that Wizards has essentially ruined it by making the five Swords. All equipment now is compared to those in casual because they never rotate. Angelic Armaments just falls short. It isn’t awful and I love the flavor, but you’re paying seven mana to give a guy +2/+2 and flying. That’s really expensive.

Bladed Bracers

If you’re running some weird Angel-Human tribe deck, this kind of could work. But again, all equipment suffers because any one drop is going to be vying for Skullclamp’s slot.

Conjurer’s Closet

Now this interests me. The flickering being at the end of your turn is a bit odd, but I understand not wanting to have to explain to people why their flickered creature can’t attack. But the Johnny in me can’t wait to abuse this with any kind of temporary stealing. Or anything involving counters. It’s just a shame this only works on creatures… but it would probably be obscene with Planeswalkers. Good thing it plays so well with Gideon Jura.

Gallows at Willow Hill

In the right deck, this can be an amazing piece of recursive removal. The human requirement can be a bit of a pain, but knowing at the end of a turn you can whack another creature might almost make it worth it. It’s a lot of hoops to jump through and the fact that it doesn’t work on regeneration though makes me wary.

Haunted Guardian

I love the art on this card. The card itself though isn’t nearly as exciting. In Commander, I don’t see ever playing this (unless you have a construct theme deck), but in casual 60 it’s a cheap piece of defense to protect you early game.

Moonsilver Spear

Don’t mistake this for turning your creature into Saint Traft, because the angel doesn’t get to attack. As a token generator, this is amazing since you only need to attack with it once, get an angel and then equip said angel. It’s a solid piece of equipment, but I worry about the simple fact that it only gives first strike. Worst case though, you can sacrifice a small creature in combat to get a 4/4 angel out of it.

Narstad Scrapper

This is a really awful version of Golem Artisan, or a bigger version of Dragon Engine. It’s your call.

Otherworld Atlas

I love charge counters and I love forcing card draws. Otherworld Atlas combines them into a delicious combination that can either be great for keeping players happy, or enraging someone by ensuring they have to wait a full round before getting to play with all their cards – before discarding them all! I’m sure there is some awful way to abuse this (maybe Laboratory Maniac).

Scroll of Avacyn

If you’re playing angels, this is a decent cycling card but at the end of the day, it’s like half a spellbomb.

Scroll of Griselbrand

I always prefer loss of life over life gain, but this scroll is another odd piece. If you have the demons to back it up, it’s decent but not great still.

Tormentor’s Trident

Sorry Poseidon, there is no reason to really play this ever outside of limited.

Vanguard’s Shield

I much prefer this over Echo Circlet. Still a relatively rare ability, the ability to block multiple creatures can drastically change a battle. Tossing this onto a Fog Bank protects you much more, so if you plan on turtling up, consider this shield.

Vessel of Endless Rest

I love this card. I love the three mana artifacts that add any color since it allows some mana acceleration and mana fixing at the same time in colors that aren’t green. But since Darksteel Ingot became the standard, it is hard for other cards to live up to it. Manalith didn’t pull it off, but I really like the extra line of text on the Vessel. Being able to get mana and put any card on the bottom of its owner’s library means late game, you can use it to get your best threat or use it offensively to stop someone from abusing their graveyard.

Alchemist’s Refuge

The newest take on Winding Canyons, I really like this card. I don’t care about casting creatures with flash, but the idea of turning any sorcery into an instant is very, very exciting. Or instant Planeswalkers (not sure why though…). This is a weird combo card that is bound to make for some screwy plays. I just want to break the rules of Magic with it.

Cavern of Souls

This card is interesting and I love how divided people are on it. I personally find counterspells to be less than awesome in multiplayer since it is a losing proposition – just like playing burn. So the ability to make creature spells that can’t be countered is fine, but Overmaster isn’t exactly taking over the table.

In a multicolor tribe deck like Silvers, I see this as being excellent simply because it comes into play untapped and adds any color. But if you’re just playing Elves, this isn’t any better than a forest usually because you can’t use it to cast colored spells! I honestly think this card is overhyped Thran Quarry that is less useful in multiplayer.

For commanders, counterspells are a bigger issue. Again though, you really need the tribe focus to make this worthwhile.

Desolate Lighthouse

Izzet Mages, here is a land for you! Filtering your hand is amazing, especially late game when you just want to draw a certain card. This card isn’t splashy or fancy, but it’s so simple and solid that I can’t help but love it in any deck that runs red and blue.

Seraph Sanctuary

This card is going to make people hate you. The life gain aspect can quickly become a nuisance, especially given how cheap some angel spells are. There are better lands out there and gaining a single life probably won’t be enough to make me play this.

Slayer’s Stronghold

Rounding out the assortment of enemy lands is the Boros one and much like their angel, this is amazing. For only two mana (well, three really), a creature gets haste, vigilance and +2/+0! But my favorite cards in Magic are the ones with multiple uses. Thanks to giving haste and vigilance, you can toss the benefit on an opposing creature to get a few extra hits through to an opposing player. It’s subtle, but I really like the idea of a land that can really mess with combat.

As a whole, the “other” category in Avacyn Restored is underwhelming. Aside from the legendary angels, the artifacts are pretty bland while the lands are decent but very niche. But I think that sums up Avacyn Restored fairly well. There are only a few dozen cards I’m legitimately excited about while the rest just look lost.

Top 5 Multicolor, Artifact & Land Cards from Avacyn Restored for Casual and Commander

5. Conjurer’s Closet
4. Desolate Lighthouse
3. Vessel of Endless Rest
2. Bruna, Light of Alabaster
1. Gisela, Blade of Goldnight

Casual and Commander Review: Avacyn Restored
White | Blue | Black | Red | Green | Gold, Artifacts & Lands

Casual and Commander Review: Avacyn Restored
White | Blue | Black | Red | Green | Gold, Artifacts & Lands

Abundant Growth

I really like how Wizards is actively making auras that aren’t automatic card disadvantage for simply existing. The draw a card aspect of this is a nice touch, but the simple fact is this just is a mana fixer, not mana acceleration. If you’re playing some weird five color monstrosity (which I’ve been known to do) that isn’t domain, it’s a fine way to make sure you don’t get screwed. Plus it doesn’t mention other mana symbols specifically, so it works fine in any Commander deck with green.

Blessings of Nature

This can quickly become a cornerstone of an odd counter based deck. Being able to reload a Triskelion or augment any modular creature makes this a decent spell. The miracle cost is very nice and could theoretically give you a 6/6 on turn 2 if you’re playing Isamaru or something similar. The sorcery speed holds it back from being really excellent though.

Borderland Ranger

A fine mana fixing reprint, there isn’t much to say about this card that hasn’t been said before. If you’re splashing a color or two, he’s great for ensuring everything goes smoothly after turn 3. There isn’t anything new here, but that doesn’t stop Borderland Ranger from being a decent card.

Bower Passage

I’m very interested in how this card will play out. While I don’t even see donating Levitation to your opponent to then cast this, I do see myself playing this alongside Levitation. Flyers that can only be blocked by reach make for a much more terrifying army.

Champion of Lambholt

Well, this is just excellent. The awesome blocking clause for all your creatures makes this an interesting lord. Toss in the ability to grow bigger every turn, this is a card that just loves the idea of tokens. Toss it alongside Verdant Force or Imperious Perfect to watch things get absurdly out of hand. My only complaint is she isn’t an elf, but that is probably a good thing.

Craterhoof Behemoth

Speaking of tokens, here’s the finisher for that green deck. A hasty 5/5 in green is unique, but the fact that it brings its own Overrun just makes this even more overkill. This should singlehandedly end games. If you cast this and don’t attack, I assume you want to concede.

Descendants’ Path

Well, there goes the neighborhood. The second someone casts this and has an Eldrazi Spawn on the battlefield, I am willing to bet a lot of money that they aren’t playing an Elder Spawn theme deck. In any creature-themed deck, this can be a great way to circumvent a mana curve (or make use of Soothsaying). Also, this is just stupid with any Changeling.

Diregraf Escort

If zombies are such a big issue at your table… then I guess this works. But even if zombies are that big of an issue, there are better ways to resolve it.

Druid’s Familiar

Is it sad that I’m not sure a 4/4 for 4 is worth playing? Sure, it may ruin the curve of my amazing Grizzly Bear deck but this card just doesn’t do enough. (Note to self: improve Grizzly Bear deck).

Druid’s Repository

I love this card. Being able to turn attacking into mana is a great way to encourage action at the kitchen table. But thanks to proliferate and the amount of counter juggling that can occur now, I love the idea of being able to turn attacking into charge counters! Pentad Prism is great for turning charge counters into mana, but turning attacks into charge counters has me very excited.

Eaten by Spiders

Plummet was a decent arrow in Green’s quiver, so getting another removal spell that knocks Wing Snare further down the totem pole is fine by me. Destroying the creature is nice, but destroying the equipment too is even better. I can easily see this becoming a staple in green Commander decks from here on out.

Flowering Lumberknot

I really wish this card was just a tree, not a treefolk. But even that wouldn’t make up for the fact that it can’t attack or block! It’s like a terrible version of Blastoderm.

Geist Trappers

I want to think this is a Ghostbusters reference. I think soulbond works better with more expensive creatures, since it makes pairing them easier. The reach is decent but not groundbreaking. But I can’t help but already taste the bitter disappointment when I’m out of creatures and cast this, only to be defeated by a single flier.

Gloomwidow

A fine reprint, this is decent on the defense and offense. He isn’t terribly exciting though.

Grounded

Why would you ever play this?

Howlgeist

A ghost wolf, this card is decent but not great. The high cost is somewhat offset by the undying but at the end of the day, this is still a six-drop. Green six drops have drastically improved since the day of Craw Wurm (hell, even Yavimaya Wurm outclassed it 13 years ago). I’m old.

Joint Assault

If you are content on making this soulbond deck work, then sure! For the rest of you, there are better options, like Elvish Fury.

Lair Delve

This card could become the green Divination in the right deck. If you’re focusing just on beating down your opponent and playing lands, it’s fantastic. But I’m afraid of the one time you play it and reveal two more Lair Delves.

Natural End

While this isn’t Krosan Grip, additional Naturalizes are always appreciated – especially in Commander because you can never have too many ways to kill a Skullclamp or Jitte.

Nettle Swine

I dislike this art immensely. I also dislike most vanilla creatures.

Nightshade Peddler

I really like this soulbond card because it’s an ability that really works. Giving your best creature deathtouch then throwing it into battle while the Peddler stays behind to act as another deterrent is a great play. This is also the first time that mono-green has gotten a way to permanently give deathtouch to a creature.

Painbreaker Wurm

If you’re playing some awesome Craw Wurm deck, go for it.

Primal Surge

Well, this is a Commander card if I ever saw one. At 10 mana, I don’t see this getting cast too often, but when it does, well there goes the game. The effect is amazingly powerful, provided you actually have a way to make use of it. I can’t wait for the one time it is cast and the first card turned over is a non-permanent, because then I will laugh and laugh.

Rain of Thorns

Part Desert Twister, part Decimate and part Hull Breach, this is a great late game piece of removal. The inability to deal with creatures and planeswalkers is frustrating but the fact that this card can three-for-one is amazing. It is true utility.

Revenge of the Hunted

Another sorcery that should be an instant in green with miracle – Revenge of the Hunted is another one of those cards that should be so much fun, expect Wizards made it a sorcery. How am I supposed to cast this on my opponent who is attacking someone two seats down from me to utterly decimate an opposing force? This isn’t a bad card, but it wasn’t made with multiplayer in mind.

Unless you make some really weird build that draws cards on other turns to cast this on opposing creatures.

Sheltering Word

This seems to fall in line with spells like Withstand Death (bad) and Vines of Vastwood (amazing). I think this falls closer to the Withstand Death end of the spectrum. Hexproof is nice to counter a spell targeting it and the life gain is gravy, but the fact that this costs two makes me less than thrilled about it. Run Avoid Fate instead.

Snare the Skies

If you play this, I will laugh at you. And I’m the guy who plays Homarids on a regular basis.

Somberwald Sage

For three mana, a 0/1 better do a lot and this card does. Adding three mana of any color for creature spells means you can rapidly escalate. Turn one birds, turn two Somberwald Sage, turn three any of the Titans. Or a Wurmcoil Engine. Or Elesh Norn because you now have seven mana! That’s almost as quick as my legacy Reanimator deck! Even if you’re in mono green, this is a solid (but fragile) piece of acceleration.

Soul of the Harvest

Whoosh! It’s like a mirror of Harvester of Souls! Green loves card draw, but the non-token clause hurts this more than I would like. Still, it’s a 6/6 trampler for 6 which isn’t too bad. I easily see this living happily in green Commander decks as a mid-game way to refuel.

Terrifying Presence

With that art, the name is more than fitting. But the ability to single out a single creature for combat means you can drastically turn some tables for combat you aren’t part of – or just target a creature not in combat to turn this into another Fog. As a Fog variant, it works really well and gives a unique twist that hasn’t been seen much. This card isn’t mind blowing, but it is really good at what it does.

Timberland Guide

You can’t even see this guy’s shoes! How do we know if he really is the Timberland Guide? If you really needed that second Ironshell Beetle, here you go.

Triumph of Ferocity

Red isn’t the only card getting a bigger slice of the color pie in Avacyn Restored, green is too with some new card drawing. Another mirrored pair with Triumph of Cruelty, the green version can be good but I don’t like the idea of cards doing something on a conditional basis. If you can make this work, it is amazing. But otherwise, you’re left with an enchantment that does nothing. At least it doesn’t just automatically give a card to the controller of the highest power.

Trusted Forcemage

Much like Druid’s Familiar, Trusted Forcemage just doesn’t do enough. It’s like a slightly worse version of Exalted which is a disappointment.

Ulvenwald Tracker

BEAR FIGHTER! I love this little guy as a piece of removal. As long as you have the bigger creature, you win! Plus this doesn’t tap the creature that fights, so you can fight in the middle of combat. Or before combat. Or after combat to pick off a pesky creature. But seriously, this guy fights with bears, what more do you want?

Vorstclaw

Seriously Wizards, just keep pouring salt on the outdated Craw Wurm wound!

Wandering Wolf

A 2/1 that can’t be blocked by 1/Xs will quickly become outclassed on the kitchen table. I like the idea of it (and would consider it for 10-Land Green), but I don’t see this usually working out.

Wild Defiance

This card worries me. Thankfully, it only applies to sorceries and instants, not abilities. Still, turning your Giant Growths into +6/+6 is terrifying but I really like how you can turn damage spells into pump spells in a pinch. Suddenly your Gut Shot can give +3/+3, which drastically can change the boards mechanics. Even better is that this may encourage the other players to cast an instant or two on your guy to finish someone off.

Wildwood Geist

In a five player game, four of the five turns aren’t yours. Therefore, four of five turns, this is a 3/3 for 5. No.

Wolfir Avenger

Remember when Albino Troll was considered an amazing creature? Well, this three-drop is most comparable in my mind and is absolutely amazing. The combination of flash and regeneration means this acts as a 5 mana removal spell in green to take out a creature with toughness of three or less. This is just a solid creature.

Wolfir Silverheart

While I dislike most soulbonds, I can’t help but get excited about the idea of an 8/8 for 5 mana with the only conditional aspect being you need another creature. Guess what, you’re playing green, you will have another creature. And now both will get +4/+4. This will become your Commander’s second in command.

Yew Spirit

I love exponents in Magic. As Chameleon Colossus showed us years ago, doubling then doubling again. Turning your 3/3 into a 6/6 is nice. Turning a 6/6 into a 12/12 is better. But once you start making 48/48s, then you really can start having fun.  If your deck ends up with a lot of excess mana and you’re already running Helix Pinnacle and Chameleon Colossus, add this in next. And Doubling Cube.

As a whole, green doesn’t really expand into much new territory. You’ve got amazing mana acceleration, some strong removal and even stronger creatures. I don’t see much new ground being broken with this set, but I do see a lot of players being content with the minor tweaks that Avacyn Restored provides. That and you get the guy who fights with bears.

Top 5 Avacyn Restored Green Cards for Casual & Commander

5. Wolfir Silverheart
4. Rain of Thorns
3. Ulvenwald Tracker
2. Somberwald Sage
1. Champion of Lambholt

Casual and Commander Review: Avacyn Restored
White | Blue | Black | Red | Green | Gold, Artifacts & Lands