I want to do something a little different for the spoilers today -
I am going to check out a few of the cards that caught my eye, whether because they are good, bad, or just plain weird!
First: Into the Maw of Hell
Burp.
This card is interesting, but I feel like a single Land for 6 mana is too late to matter, while 13 points of damage to a creature is more than overkill to most of the problem beaters, and the creatures you will really want 13 damage for - big beasties like a Blightsteel Colossus or Ulamog will shrug it off like its nothing.
On the flip side, seems like it will be awesome with Stuffy Doll or Mogg Maniac.
Verdict - Bad.
Blasphemous Act - pretty sweet card! Pretty close to the best Red sweeper available, as thirteen damage is enough to take out just about any non-Pro Red/Indestructible Creature, especially in EDH where Emrakul is banned. Like Into the Maw above, the card deals specifically 13 damage - a number significant to the horror/occult genre. Are we to assume that there will be one or more 13/13 in the block?
Verdict - Good.
Mindshrierker - This card gets the 'HOLY CRAP' from me every time I read it. It mills yourself, which has been proven a strong ability *cough Dredge cough* and it will get massive for just a few colorless mana. It carries a sword rather well, and as a Spirit, has a lot of tribal synergies (and will assuredly have more.)
He goes really well with the next two on the list.
Verdict - Good x2
Labratory Maniac is CRAZY!!! Not only is it an alternate win condition (on a cheap body, no less,) it turns one of the oldest principles of defeat in Magic - Mill and Decking - on its head! While I don't think this guy is a staple, or great in any real way, boy is he awesome anyways!
Verdict - Weird!
The Derranged Assistant was definitely hired by the Labratory Maniac - there's so much synergy here my head spins. Blue doesn't have access to too much ramp either, so this guy actually fills a spot that is traditionally held by Artifacts.
Verdict - Good.
Mentor of the Meek - I am a huge fan of WW, and this guy is probably the best of the Soldier buffs available. He reminds me of the Puresteel Paladin, only better. Consider this - the Mentors will be drawing off of each other! In EDH terms, he turns the best of the White Generals into Cantrips - 8 and 1/2 Tails will love it!
Verdict - GOOD!
Creepy Doll. Both a description and a name. I got to give it up to Matt Stewart - who has worked on plenty of excellent cards like Kor Firewalker and Viridian Emissary - cause this card is giving me the creeps just looking at it. The perspective is so close to those scissors that there is near fight or flight response in me. Even the flavor text is creepy as hell.
With that said, the card itself is kind of a stinker. For the cost of five mana, I would expect a better card. It will be good in limited formats, but I am not sure it deserves to have that Gold sticker.
I was going to go with 'Weird', but after soem thought -
Verdict - Bad
This guy has been spoiled for a while, and pretty much everything that can be said, has. Another in a long line of added classic spells to a beat-stick, and personally I love it.
Verdict - Good
Kessig Wolf Run - Wow. Just wow. Green and Red is a classic combination, but one that I feel has been relegated to the back burner (Gruul seems like the worst of the Ravnica houses,) but mostly because Green has had a long love affair with Blue and Red is like the third wheel.
No more! RG is a force to be reckoned with, and the Wolf Run is going to be the tipping point. Trample is such as essential Evergreen ability, especially so in EDH where sometimes a general will just need Trample to knock off a player *cough cough Omnath cough cough.* I'm eager for the Planeswalkers, but I'm howling for the Wolf Run. Gimme Gimme!
Verdict - Good.
Last card I want to talk about today is the Gavony Township. While not as blatantly good as the Kessig Wolf Run, the ability lends itself well to the Selesnya way of conductiong bidness -
TOKENS TOKENS TOKENS COUNTERS COUNTERS COUNTERS!
Rhys, the Redeemed decks are going to love this card, and I know for a fact it is going straight into my Ghave, Guru of Spores deck. I am not chomping at the bit like some of the other spoiled cards, but I am still pretty jazzed about this release.
Verdict - Bueno.
Thats my musings on some more Ravnica spoilers! I'll keep checking and chucking them when I see something of interest, so check back!
