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By: tempesteye, Victor Bloodgood
Oct 05 2009 1:19am
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There are a lot of interesting cards in Zendikar. We have the new Landfall ability, one which looks to make an impact not just in Sealed but also in Constructed. We have the return of Kicker and we finally have the Enemy Fetchlands, just in time for the ME3 Enemy Duals. Looking over all of Zendikar, my first reaction is "WOW!"

I know that I haven't been this excited for a set since I first saw the initial spoilers for Ravnica.
Now while Shards block was a boon for tri-color and multicolor decks and strategies, Zen seems to be pushing us back to a simpler time. One more oriented toward Mono-Color and Dual-Color with heavy double and triple mono color casting costs. And while that's not to say that many of these cards can't be used in multicolor decks, I can already see that even with the Enemy Fetchlands those heavy color commitments aren't always going to be easy to make.

We won't cover every single one of the cards in the set, of course, just the ones which may have an application for Commander. Some of the talked about ones and some hidden treasures (pun intended).

White

(Arrow Volley Trap): Yes it's free if you're being attacked by 4+ crits. But in most cases you'll kill one, maybe two creatures. Or you won't even be able to kill one of them considering the average P/T of what's actually played. This is a card for limited, through and through. Commander players have much better choices.

(Celestial Mantle): In Commander, creature enchants must be way above the curve in order to see play. Auras need to provide an immediate advantage that offsets the possibility of a 2 for 1. This is one of those cards. Essentially a repeatable Beacon of Immortality on a creature, even connecting one time through the Red Zone makes it worthwhile. Multiple hits can mean your life total will quickly get out of hand. Probably best in an Uril deck, but still worth consideration in any other deck which runs evasive White.

(Conquers Pledge): Run Martial Coup instead. It does more for less.

(Felidar Sovereign): Well, we don't see too many of these cards. Alternate win conditions are few and far between. And they usually require some heavy warping of your deck in order to get them to work with any consistency. Being able to fundamentally shortcut the rules is a powerful lure and this card has the possibility of being very strong. The caveat is that it dies to everything and it forces you to wait a full turn while you are sure to be the target of the entire table. Still, it's at least worth considering. As a 4/6 with two relevant abilities, one of which helps you achieve the alternate WinCon, players had better be on guard. There have already been some calls from a few paper EDH players to ban it preemptively. The rules committee has decided to wait to see if it really is format warping but no matter what their decision, you can be sure that this will see play so be prepared.

(Iona, Shield of Emeria): Another anticipated card for Commander. And another one that has seen calls for preemptive banning. It sure looks as if White has gotten some very powerful tools with Zendikar. So do we use Iona as a Commander? Probably not, considering her extreme mana cost.
However, she does have the potential to completely shut down all your opposition by locking every one of your opponents out of playing spells for the rest of the game.

How's that, you ask? Easy:


 Tooth and Nail                   Painter's Servant

Yes, it's another Painter's Servant combo. Play T&N into Iona and Painter's. When it resolves you name the same color for both Angel and the Servant (it doesn't matter which color). If your T&N isn't countered then it's GG table!

(Kor Skyfisher): Kor as a race in Zen don't offer much to Commander players, as they are mostly limited fodder and possibly Std playable (debatable). However, this guy has an ability in White we don't usually see, allowing you to bounce any permanent. Since white usually gets Blink effects or creature bounce via Whitemane Lion type cards, the effect might be playable in a non-blue W/x deck. Sure it's Sorcery speed but returning your best permanent before sweeping up is a nice benefit.

(Lumenguard Ascension): This can be a huge advantage if you get it down early, especially in a MP format where you'll regularly be playing with 3+ players. The other great thing is that it doesn't require you to go a full turn around the table, so even if you are attacked by one player it will still trigger if the others left you alone. Once it meets the trigger you can pump out as many 4/4 Angles as you have 1W available.
"Son, I remember when a 1/1 Pegasus token for (1W) was a good deal. Sure you had to sacrifice one on your Upkeep but that was the cost and it was a fair deal. You kids today are spoiled. I tell you, we sacrificed it and we LIKED it!"
This is probably better early game but also consider for the late game when it's between you and another player, and you have both exhausted your resources.

(Pitfall Trap): Discounted dreck is still dreck. Much too conditional, even at the single W. Play Condemn or Swords or Path.

(Quest for the Holy Relic): Also too slow to see any serious play. While the ability to equip your (Emperyal Archangel) is nice, how often will that kind of scenario come up? Consider using this slot for a card that does affect your position. Personally, I'd rather see a Stonehewer Giant instead.

(Windborn Charge): This could have been playable if it were an instant. Maybe. But being a Sorcery removes any usefulness as a combat trick and relegates this to the dustbin.

(World Queller): One of the two cards in Zendikar hyped as "Planeswalker killers".
This functions as a pseudo Braids, Cabal Minion and it could see play just because it gets around targeting. The major downside to World Queller (one I believe players are overlooking) is that it has to stick for a full go around, and it only triggers once, during your upkeep, unlike Braids which triggers on every upkeep. I'd say this is right on the curve of being playable and is very deck dependent.


Blue

I've seen lot of players complaining about how Blue has been neutered lately. Poor Blue is not getting any good cards or creatures when what they really mean is that it's not getting any good (and cheap) hard counters.

I think that people have been so used to seeing Blue be overpowered (in comparison to the other colors) that they're not recognizing some of the powerful tools that Blue is getting.

(Archive Trap): I see this as possibly playable in a dedicated Mill strategy (like those decks which use Kami of the Crescent Moon, Mesmeric Orb, Howling Mine, etc.) but outside of that I do not believe it's generally worth the effort. With at least two other players in a 100 card format, 13 cards from any one deck isn't even a blip.

(Archmage Ascension): This is the kind of card that rewards you for doing exactly what you want to do anyway; Blue loves to draw cards with things like Brainstorm, Ponder, Thirst for Knowledge and about a zillion others. Once you meet the condition this turns every draw into a tutor. Not your first draw per turn. Every draw. Did I mention that Blue is very good at drawing extra cards? This is very strong and highly playable. Pack your Enchantment hate because you're sure as hell going to need it for this.

(Gomazoa): Blue doesn't have many effective early drops. Some Looters and a few walls but not much more in the way of deterrents. This is a step in the  right direction for Blue. Flying allows this to block most Commanders if they come down early and the threat of having your Commander shuffled into your deck is not insignificant. Plus, who wants to waste removal on a 0/3 Wall? Seriously? I'll just bring the beats elsewhere instead. A great delay tactic buying Control some extra time.

(Lorthos, the Tidemaker): And now we come to our second new possibility for a Commander. An 8/8 Legendary Octopus which allows you to pay 8 colorless to tap 8 permanents, and they don't untap on your opponents next untap step.
I personally love the design on this guy. I think they nailed the flavor dead on.
Do I think he's even remotely close to being a competitive Commander? Not a chance. I'm sure that he will be a casual staple for a long time. Who doesn't like a repeatable Blue Yosei? And I'm calling it Ursula from now on.

(Mindbreak Trap): What hasn't already been said about this card? It's good. Maybe not as good in Commander as in tournament Classic but still, it solves the same set of problems as Time Stop and for the same mana cost with a possible upside of casting it for 0. Also great card for stopping Blue extra turn recursion shenanigans via Time Stretch. If you're playing FoW in your Commander deck you should probably consider this too.

(Rite of Replication): A good card for the mana cost and a possible win condition if Kicked, depending on the board state. I've seen Colossus get cloned and this would just be ridiculous. The only disappointment is that you can't target multiple creatures but then again, I guess you can't have everything.

(Roil Elemental): A better version of Sower of Temptation. I'm going to have a ton of fun using this with Dreamscape Artist. Expect to see this in Big Stealy or any of the Blue based control decks.

(Sphinx of Jwar Isle): A good card, and not for the peek ability either, but for the Shroud. A Blue 5/5 flier for 6 with unconditional Shroud is a very good deal.

(Whiplash Trap): Another limited trick which is too weak for Commander

Black

Black has some INCREDIBLE cards for Commander. I was absolutely amazed at how strong Wizards made black. We haven't seen this kind of set presence since ... I can't remember when. Like White, Black has been given some very versatile tools.

(Blood Tribute): Wow. Take an opponent down by half of their life? Yes sir! The life gain is a major plus although it's probably too conditional unless you're playing a Garza deck. Even without the life gain this is a very playable card as, on average, as you''ll probably hit for 10-15 points of life loss. Oh, and if you have a Wound Reflection in play then yes, that's GG for someone (if you can pull it off).

(Bloodchief Ascension): Another great MP card that scales well. Be warned that this will make you a BIG target.

(Disfigure): Usually in Commander you're looking for removal that can generate CA but this might be worth having because it's -x/-x which is almost always better then damage. And it's a single B. The closest comparable cards are Lose Hope or Darkblast which are much more narrow. I like it but I'm still on the fence about this.

(Gatekeeper of Malikir): Another strong card. Edict attached to a body makes a very good early drop with a bonus. I'm a fan of edicts in Commander because there are so many hard to remove crits, from Sapling to Colossus to Rafiq wearing a Cloak. I've played some of the PS Battlemages for their abilities and my feeling is this is just as good, if not better.

(Grim Discovery): A pretty good card for what it does: Get back your best creature and possibly a Fetchland or another important non-basic (Wasteland'ed Coffers anyone?).

(Gruul Draz Specter): Worth noting that it doesn't matter which opponent has an empty hand, you only need one with no cards for the bonus to kick in. That being said, I probably won't play this.

(Halo Hunter): Almost all of the important Angles played in Commander dodge this guy: Akroma, Pristine, Emperial, Baneslayer. Too narrow for my tastes so I say skip him.

(Kalitis, Bloodchieg of Ghet): Our second legendary crit in the lineup. As a Commander he's got a great ability. Who doesn't like killing creatures? And getting a guy for killing crits is a delicious bonus. Ka-Ching! But ... at 7 mana he's very expensive to cast so I'd expect to build an MBC deck around him, not an Aggro one. Using him anywhere else but monoblack as just a fattie is going to be a very tough sell.

(Needlebite Trap): This is a sleeper card for Commander. There are a lot of decks which play life gain, either via crits, spells or equip. I'd say that you'll almost always be able to get this of for the single B. The real question is, "Is it worth a spot over something else, like another threat?"

(Ob Nixilis, the Fallen): Third legendary creature and another possible Commander in our list. Now here is a guy who'd make a good leader. He rewards you for hitting your land drops by bolting your opponents and getting bigger. His casting cost is well within the acceptable range and it's easy enough to get him out quickly to take advantage of those early lands. Plus he turns your late game land into threats too. Yummy. I expect to see a lot of him.

(Ravenous Trap): Play Tormod's Crypt or Relic of Progenitus instead.

(Sadistic Sacrament): It requires a heavy (BBB) but if you operate in a combo heavy meta it has potential. Playing it Kicked is insane as Exiling the best 15 cards in your opponents deck is usually crippling. This reminds me of Identity Crisis because if you get it off you're going to decimate one player.
It's possible to cast this kicked as early as turn 6 if you get lucky with an (Urborg, Coffers and 4 swamps). I'd say it's really a meta dependent choice.

(Sorin Markov): This guy is NUTZ! Sure he's 3BBB but he's got a starting loyalty of 4 so you can hit an opponent with the Magister ability as soon as he enters the Battlefield. The + ability is nothing to sneeze at and the Mindslaver-esque ultimate is just gravy. Keep in mind that his reminder text says "Please kill this player immediately."

(Vampire Nighthawk): A very good early drop for Black. Lifelink, Deathtouch and Flying for 1BB? SERIOUSLY? This guy is hyper-efficient.

Red

While Red got some good all around cards I don't think it's got much in the way of Commander playable cards. Sadly, while the rare cards in the Zendikar Quest cycle have been pretty good for Commander in the other colors, the Rare card in the Red Quest cycle looks for multiple copies of cards in your GY so it doesn't do anything for us.

(Chandra Ablaze): I don't think this will see much play in Commander. She's has a great Ultimate but in our type of game card advantage is king, and the first two abilities are exactly the opposite of what you want to be doing.

(Electropotence): This is a one sided Pandemonium. Now, I was wrong about Vicious Shadows in Shards when it first came out, thinking that it wouldn't see play in Commander, so I'm hedging my bets on this one. It is a great ability but it costs mana to activate, and that hurts it. Still, I'm sure someone will build with it and I think that it may end up being a good utility card for Red.

(Elemental Appeal): This will kill someone out of nowhere. Mark my words. It won't matter one bit that you have a few 1/1's to chump because it's going to Trample right over them. That's what makes it relevant.

(Hellfire Mongrel): Is exactly the kind of card you don't want to topdeck in the late game which is, unfortunately, when it wants to be played. The body is to small and the ability too insignificant.

(Hellkite Charger): OK, so this has its own built in Aggravated Assault? And it's a Dragon. Face smashing was never so much fun. This will see play.

(Inferno trap): Not quite strong enough to make the cut because it only hits one target and that target has to be a creature.  Good burn needs to be versatile as well as cheap. This is one but not the other.

(Lavaball Trap): An interesting card. This has the possibility of dong some major mid-game damage to a player by setting them back a few turns and/or wiping out their board position. Considering the number of Karoos played in Commander it's a tempting inclusion. I'm a skeptic but willing to be convinced.

(Obsidian Fireheart): If a Red mage gets this to stick for even a few turns it's going to be a continual beating. Because you'll take damage even after the Fireheart has left play (or is Exiled), and there's very little you can do short of an Æther Snap or sacrificing your lands, it's amazingly resilliant. I see a great combo in this and either Braid of Fire or Mana Geyser. *shudder*

(Punishing Fire): I like stuff that's recursive. Rekindled Flame is a highly playable card, as is Thunderblade Charge. But for 2 damage I have to ask myself, "Will it be relevant?"

(Runeflare Trap): Possibly. We all know that card drawing is ubiquitous in Commander.


Green

Ah yes, Green, the underappreciated color. The big, dumb, unclever creature based color. At least, it was before Zendikar. ;)
It might not have gotten the same number of playable Commander cards that White or Black has but what it doesn't get in quantity it makes up for in quality.

(Baloth Cage Trap): A good card that you will almost always get to Cast for 1G. And a 4/4 is nothing to sneeze at. If you have this in your opening hand there is the very real possibility of casting this turn 2 due to all the Talisman, Signets and other artifact acceleration.

(Baloth Woodcrasher): I think I love this card. Each land that comes into play gives it +4/+4 and Trample. Multiple Trample is redundant but Green is very, very good at getting more than one land per turn into play. Play a Fetchland and crack it is +8/+8 rightthere, and if you cast a Rampant Growth that's another +4/+4, for +12/+12. Cast and crack a Fetchland into an (Explosive Vegitation) and you have a 20/20 monster. Now that is some tasty beating. Yes, yes, it suffers from "dies to everything" syndrome but Timmy doesn't care, and any responsible player is going to Greave it first.

(Beastmaster Ascension): This is really going to shine in those token decks. Rhys specifically, but any deck that can generate tokens will make this a very dangerous card. You though Overrun was bad? This is worse.

(Cobra Trap): Nice insurance against an Akroma's Vengeance or an Austere Command but ultimately not powerful enough to meet the Commander threshold. Except in the aforementioned token deck.

(Frontier Guide): This is a better version of Fertilid even if you can't target anyone else but yourself. And I play Fertilid. Plus, why would you want to target anyone else anyway?

(Mold Shambler): Consider this evolutionary ladder; Viridian Shaman becomes Indrik Stomphowler which becomes Acidic Slime which becomes Mold Shambler. While the Shambler lacks the Deathtouch that Slime has it more than makes up for it by being able to hit any non-creature permanent,. Reminds me of another green favorite of mine: Woodfall Primus.

(Nissa Ravine): Unless you're playing Elves! she is just not worth it.

(Oracle of Mul Daya): A great card. Great. Maybe not strictly better then Azusa but this plus a Top is a powerful combo, allowing you to effectively double your tempo. Also combos quite well with Abundance.

(Predatory Urge): An interesting take on Green removal. It seems that the Arena effect is now moving mostly into Green. And considering that Green gets some of the fattest Fattie-Fat-Fat, this isn't bad at all. But again, it's an Aura so you're open to a 2 for 1.

(Rampaging Baloths): Some additional (and may I say good) Card Advantage for Green. It's a big monster that makes more big monsters. And it turns all those late game land search cards that you may not be happy about topdecking into serious gas.

(Summoning Trap): News Flash!!! This card is just as good as you think it is.

(Tanglesap): I know plenty of people are going to skip right over this thinking it's just another Fog but it's some very interesting card design. It's clever in a way that's not obvious. It allows you to attack and get yout damage through, possibly even killing their creatures, while yours take no damage. I think this as a great step forward for Green. Very tricky.

(Vines of Vastwood): No, you won't kill my attacking fattie, and oh, and take an extra 4 for even thinking about it. For half the cost of a Stonewood Invocation you get almost the same effect. A good deal all around.

Colorless/Lands

(Blade of the Bloodchief): Considering the average power level of Equipment in Commander, I don't think this makes the cut.

(Eldrazi Monument): Powerful? Yes. Drawback? Tiny.

(Eternity Vessel): All I can say is thank God for the General damage rule. Also forms nice little combo with Sanguine Bond. Remember that anything which sets a life total does so by forcing you to either gain or lose the appropriate amount.

(Explorer's Scope): I think this is going to be an underestimated card. Colorless acceleration should never be overlooked.

(Trailblazer's Boots): A relevant ability but without Shroud or Unblock-ability you'd be better off something else.

The Enemy Fetchland Cycle: Well, of course!

The EtB lifegain tapland cycle: Good filler and strictly better then the Invasion cycle.

About the Rare land cycle:
(Crypt of Agadeem): This is being called Coffers 2.0. While it can be more useful then Coffers because it taps for mana, I don't think it's going to be as powerful in Commander. Maybe in a re-animator based deck but I honestly don't' see it making an much of an impact.

(Emeria, the Sky Ruin): This is an uncounterable Reya effect. If you are heavy plains then there is absolutely no reason NOT to run this. It might even be worth adding to any deck that uses Prismatic Omen.

(Magosi, the Waterveil): Extra turns are a very powerful lure. No question about that. But it looks like Wizards has managed to balance out the drawback to avoid abuse. The realist in me says "not worth it" but the optimist in me says someone will find a way to break it. If not now, then eventually.

Well, that about covers the obligatory review of a new set. As I said before, this looks to be an exciting set which will impact multiple formats, not the least of which is Commander. I hope you enjoyed this review and am looking forward to your comments. Let me know what you think. Whether I'm right or wrong. But either way, keep playing.

6 Comments

tempesteye you should have by Flippers_Giraffe at Mon, 10/05/2009 - 04:54
Flippers_Giraffe's picture

tempesteye you should have checked that your links for the new cards were working as its not very easy looking up each card and then going back to your article to read what you said about it, to be honest I didnt bother even doing that as its too much hard work.

Shame looked a good article

links by tempesteye at Mon, 10/05/2009 - 10:14
tempesteye's picture

Yeah, I forgot that the auto links don't work for this until the set is released in the MTG:O Client. Normally I'd have direct linked to Gatherer.
JX, you think you could do that? Or bounce it back to me so I can?

Zendikar Autocard? by spg at Mon, 10/05/2009 - 11:28
spg's picture

Is there a specific date when autocarding will work for Zendikar on PureMTGO?

Autocarding by tempesteye at Mon, 10/05/2009 - 11:50
tempesteye's picture

The autocarding is tied to the MTGOTraders website which is, I believe, tied to the client. I might have that wrong but basically the autocarding on Pure doesn't work until after the set goes live in the client. So if you want to autocard before that you need to tie each individual card to Gather via direct hyperlinks.
Anyway, I apologize for messing that up. And I have no way to fix it now because one an article is submitted it can't be edited.
On the bright side though, all the links *will* work in about three and a half weeks :p

^^ by Neverloze (not verified) at Mon, 10/05/2009 - 12:35
Neverloze's picture

Unfortunately, I have to agree with Flippers.
I got to the bottom of black cards, before I got tired of switching browser.
I'm still pretty new to Z though, so I have no idea what most of the cards do unless you have it descriped.

As I really enjoy the 100c format I like reading the articles aswell, so I hope that you might be able to resubmit it with working links, I can see now that mtgotraders have Z in their list if that was the problem.

As said, I hope to read it over again sometime soon.

See you on the battlefield!

Never

(Archmage Ascension) - I do by Reaper9889 at Mon, 10/05/2009 - 12:49
Reaper9889's picture

(Archmage Ascension) - I do not think it is that good :/ You will need 6 turns (assuming that you draw 2 cards a turn)... I think this might be doable in Azami, where you can "flip" it after a few turns, but except for her I think it is too slow even for commander :/ On the other hand Azami is evil anyway...

(Magosi, the Waterveil) + (Rings of Brighthearth)...

Stuff I think you missed:
(Oran-Rief, the Vastwood) - Kick all creatures you played this turn for G. It is quite stupid with Rhys (like everything else ^^)

(Kor Sanctifiers) - it is quite rare for white to get a creature that can destroy enchantments AND artifacts...

(Hedron Crab) - it seems interesting in a reanimator style deck.

This is not really missed but I think (Quest for the Gravelord) is NEARLY worth it. I would say that it is the ultimate expression of how little creature size matters in commander. A 1 mana 5/5 is only nearly worth it. That said I think I will test it anyway.

(Soul Stair Expedition) - I see it as 1 something to do early game and two ca for 1 mana... You will be able to use it in a typcial commander game.

(Expedition Map) - finding Glacier's early game outside green is tech.