Artifacts and lands in core sets usually aren’t the most exciting options. Thanks to a lower learning curve and overall power level, the cards end up just kind of existing. But every now and then, a card slips through that makes you sit up and take notice.

Magic 2013 Casual & Commander Review
White | Blue | Black | Red | Green | Other

Chronomaton

This is a weird little 1/1 but I like him! The ability to wind himself up allows him to quickly grow. As an attacker or blocker, he doesn’t wow me but as part of some elaborate counter exchanging combo deck, he’s a great one-drop.

Gem of Becoming

For Commanders, if this is in your colors then it is great! For kitchen table 60, this is still great. Being able to grab a mountain, swamp and island is incredible. It refills your hand, ensures you don’t miss any land drops, grabs some awesome non-basics and thins your deck! While it is a bit pricey, this is an ability that you rarely see. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: artifact, commander, froot loops, gold, land, m13, magic 2013, magic: the gathering, multicolor, nicol bolas, review

Green is an odd color in Magic 2013 because there doesn’t seem to be that much new with it. Big creatures, some pump spells and that is about it. A handful of cards make me sit up and take notice, but the reality is M13 doesn’t offer that many new toys.

Magic 2013 Casual & Commander Review
White | Blue | Black | Red | Green | Other

Bond Beetle
Ironshell Beetle has been one of those odd two-drops and Bond Beetle continues the tradition. While not the most exciting card, the versatile nature of it combined with a bounty of bounce effects makes me think Bond Beetle can be abused – or just used as some awkward anti-undying mechanic.

Boundless Realms

Late game, there is nothing worse than drawing land after land. Boundless Realms is such an odd card though that tries to walk between being excessive ramp and deck thinning. Thanks to a high casting cost, this card doesn’t seem to really work in many environments. Commander players are too busy tricking their decks out with nonbasic lands, while kitchen table 60 needs something to do with all these lands.

Though I do really like the idea of making a Living Lands deck… Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: commander, garruk, green, m13, magic 2013, magic: the gathering, review, yeva

I’m a weird Commander player. I know that because I keep tweaking my mono-red Jaya Ballard deck whenever a new set comes out in hopes that maybe some day it will actually work (though pulling off her Inferno when equipping a Loxodon Warhammer and wearing a Darksteel Plate was awesome), so when looking at red cards I take it way too personally.

Magic 2013 Casual & Commander Review
White | Blue | Black | Red | Green | Other

Chandra’s Fury
Combining Lava Axe with a one-sided Tremor doesn’t really wow me. Or maybe I’ve realized how few 1/1s get played at my table. I don’t every expect to play this card, but I do think I’ll keep it in mind if tokens ever become a problem again.

Cleaver Riot
Red Overrun makes Cleaver Riot an interesting card, but the sorcery speed makes it much less fun (and impossible to use defensively). Where I am most interested in this card is an awkward red infect deck that probably shouldn’t exist but I don’t even care. I want to make it. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: chandra, commander, krenko, m13, magic 2013, magic: the gathering, red, review

The color wheel of Magic is constantly rotating and as it does, colors trade abilities (though blue seems to be sticky and keeping a lot of stuff…), but it always excites me when Black gets to return to its past and offer new spells and creatures.

Magic 2013 Casual & Commander Review
White | Blue | Black | Red | Green | Other

Blood Reckoning

Hissing Miasma is oddly outdated now thanks to Planeswalkers existing, so Blood Reckoning updates the wording and tweaks the mana cost. Putting up a barrier to surround yourself is rarely a black ability, but new disincentives are always a plus. Though at four mana, this is going to be expensive and will probably result in people just crushing you with giant creatures instead of a lot of smaller ones.

Bloodhunter Bat

A 2/2 flier combined with a miniature Drain Life? That could be a lot worse for 4 mana. While not the most exciting card, the evasion and ETB trigger allow this to be abused in creative ways. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: arena, black, commander, liliana, m13, magic 2013, magic: the gathering, nefarox, review

Blue is an interesting color in multiplayer. In Commander, it seems to be the color that can do anything but in casual 60 it often can’t do enough. Traditional methods of control don’t really work and going too far into a permission deck will quickly result in the entire table turning against you. So the other option is to wait until the perfect moment to strike and M13 offers some new tactics.

Like always, I am only reviewing the cards new to M13 and will try my best to say something about each and every one. I can’t promise what I say will actually be insightful.

Magic 2013 Casual & Commander Review
White | Blue | Black | Red | Green | Other

Archaeomancer

The blue Anarchist/better Scrivener that can return instants or sorceries, Archaeomancer is a dangerous card in singleton formats. While the 1/2 body for 2UU isn’t terribly exciting, there are now plenty of ways to abuse this card to create a recursion engine that would make Tamiyo blush. For commanders, now you have another Izzet Chronarch.

Arctic Aven

The blue member of the new allied creatures, Arctic Aven allows you to get a 3/2 flier with lifelink – for only three mana! While not the most exciting card (outside of limited), it really is a solid uncommon. Though when I glance at the art, I think it is a winged turtle. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: arena, blue, commander, jace, m13, magic 2013, magic: the gathering, review, talrand

Core sets are always kind of odd when it comes to reviews. Most of the commons and uncommons are awkward at best and intended for drafting or introducing new players to core concepts, while the rares range unplayable to niche. Occasionally you’ll get a card that does something truly unique though and that’s what these reviews are all about.

With over half the set being reprints, the Magic 2013 Casual and Commander Review will only cover brand new cards. And I’m going to comment on every single one of them. I’m really glad they cut down on vanilla creatures. As always, the biggest rule about reviewing sets like these for the kitchen table is that there is never a card that is truly unplayable – just very, very close.

Magic 2013 Casual & Commander Review
White | Blue | Black | Red | Green | Other

Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Planeswalkers are always interesting in casual but more often then not, they are quickly killed off. But this version of Ajani lands quickly and works in a variety of decks. His first ability, while awkwardly worded, can work well in group hug style decks as he can pump any creature (or none at all).

His second ability is less useful thanks to the sorcery timing requirement, but on the offensive the combination of evasion and double strike makes for a terrifying beast in the air. But the fact that it costs -3 makes me wary. Finally there is the ultimate which evokes his original ultimate nicely. Getting an army with power double your own life just four turns after Ajani resolves can quickly end games. Plus the fact that he essentially starts the game at 5 loyalty means he will be a challenge to kill.

Ajani’s Sunstriker
White Weenie usually doesn’t have enough staying power to control the kitchen table past turn three and Ajani’s Sunstriker doesn’t do enough. The biggest issue is the simple fact that this 2/2 for WW only has one ability – it’s just a worst version of Knight of Meadowgrain. If you’re putting together some weird cat-cleric tribal deck, this could work to lower your curve, but otherwise it falls into the strictly worse pile. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: ajani, arena, commander, m13, magic 2013, magic: the gathering, odric, review, white

A handful of new spoilers (and some extra confirmations) have come out today! First, cards from yesterday but in English!

From the Mothership:

Hellion Crucible
Land (R)
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
1R, T: Put a pressure counter on Hellion Crucible.
1R, T, Remove two pressure counter from Hellion Crucible and sacrifice it: Put a 4/4 red Hellion creature token with haste onto the battlefield.

Blood Reckoning comes from Wizards Organized Play and Hellion Crucible is from Magic Friends.

Tags: m13, magic 2013, magic: the gathering, spoilers

Trading Post 4
Artifact (R)
1, T, Discard a card: You gain 4 life.
1, T, Pay 1 life: Put a 0/1 white Goat creature token onto the battlefield.
1, T, Sacrifice a creature: Return target artifact card from your graveyard to your hand.
1, T, Sacrifice an artifact: Draw a card.

Everything but the Tradingpost and Fungal Sprouting came from DailyMTG… which is currently down.

Tags: akroma, m13, magic 2013, magic: the gathering, spoiler

Touch of the Eternal 5WW
Enchantment (Rare)
At the beginning of your upkeep count the permanents you control. Your life total becomes that number.

The first four all come from the mothership. Master of Pearl Trident was revealed by TCGPlayer and MagicBlogs.de got the Touch!

Tags: m13, magic 2013, magic: the gathering, spoiler