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By: Leviathan, Mike Morales
Dec 02 2011 7:45am
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FINALLY HERE!

Masques block is coming out soon, which means that online players have pretty much all of the same cards that paper players possess.  Well, almost all.  There still some stuff missing from pre-Mirage that would be nice to have, but I think we can get by without most of it.  So unless we get another round of Masters Edition cards, we aren't going to be getting any more of the old stuff.  

So when Masques comes out, they are releasing the entire block at the same time.  I wasn't playing when Masques block came out in real life, so this is going to be my first experience with almost all of these cards.  So please forgive me if I misunderstand the power of some of these guys.  And it is entire possible that I may have missed some hidden secrets as well.

As usual, I am only going to be covering cards that are new to online play.  That means that stuff like Ascendant Evincar and Cho-Manno, Revolutionary aren't going to be talked about below.  But there is still plenty of new stuff to look at!

LEGENDS 

Something to keep in mind is that all these legendary spellshapers are now humans.  Don't know if that will make much of a difference, but it is worth pointing out.

Alexi, Zephyr Mage - The first of the new spellshaper legends, Alexi actually has the possibility of seeing some play.  The main problem that the spellshapers have is that they require you to discard cards, a pretty valuable resource.  And most of these legends require that you discard multiple cards for their effect.  Alexi can be used for bouncing your opponents' creatures either to get through for damage, or just to get rid of something that is annoying.  And Blue can make up for the card disadvantage through the massive amount of draw that it has available.  However there are a ton of creatures out there with shroud or that have beneficial "enters the battlefield" effects.  And if you use her ability multiple times, you're eventually going to run out of cards.  She's better than Linessa, Zephyr Mage, but not a whole ton better.

I think she could be a good support creature in the right type of deck though.  Reanimation decks and The Mimeoplasm all like ways to dump cards into the graveyard.  You could even use Madness cards and flashback stuff like Unburial Rites.  And again, the ability to remove blockers can be helpful.

Greel, Mind Raker - The next spellshaper has a pretty brutal ability.  Being able to Mind Twist opponents for the hands can really hurt people in the late game.  Once again, you can use some of the madness cards and stuff like Reassembling Skeleton and Vengeful Pharaoh that does well in the graveyard to toss.  Plus Black's draw abilities are second only to Blue.  The big problem is that Greel just isn't as good as most of the other popular mono-Black Commanders available, whether we are talking about Xiahou Dun or Sheoldred.  On top of that, repeatable targeted discard will get you hated out.  You might run into one or two adventurous souls who use this guy as a Commander, but it will definitely be rare.

I don't think you will even see him used as a regular creature.   I've seen people use Cao Cao, Lord of Wei for their discard purposes, and he doesn't require you to dump cards yourself.  On top of that Cao doesn't require any mana.  But Greel is worth considering just for the fact that he can force discard at instant speed. 

Latulla, Keldon Overseer - Unfortunately Red doesn't have the same number of cards that work well in graveyards as the other colors.  Sure, you have Anger, and Squee, Goblin Nabob can be used over and over again.  But the card disadvantage is just too rough to handle in this color.  If you really wanted to use this card, it would have to go into a control deck with every mana doubler you could get a hold of, from Gauntlet of Might to Extraplanar Lens, including Sculpting Steel.  You could use Latulla as your finisher in that kind of deck.  But you would likely rather have Hidetsugu, or even Kazuul.  You would get style points for using her though.

I don't think you would see people using this lady as a regular creature.  Fanning the Flames, Red Sun's Zenith and Devil's Play would all be better Red X-spell finishers, in my opinion, without the card disadvantage. 

Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero - As everyone knows, a repeatable tutor is nothing to laugh at.  Cards like Captain Sisay are very popular due to their power.  Lin Sivvi is obviously a rebel tutor, so you are going to want to get all the new Mercadian Masques rebels, as well as some of the ones that are already available.  I've never really played with rebels at all, so I don't know how powerful this method would be in play.  But being able to pull up Bound in Silence or Defiant Vanguard, and then put them back into your library to tutor up again can be pretty nice.

Lin Sivvi works best in a deck that is built around her.  Rebels like her, and she likes rebels.  If you are playing lots of rebels, might as well add her. 

Mageta the Lion - This big guy will likely be the most popular spellshaper played.  The ability to have a repeatable Wrath on a stick is nothing to sneeze at, and is great for control decks.  The main problem I see with this guy is that mono-White has difficulty with card draw already, and losing 2 additional cards each time you activate Mageta can leave you pretty far behind.  Mono-White doesn't really have a whole lot of ways to abuse the graveyard (Emeria, the Sky Ruin seems like it would be an auto-include here, and possibly Reya Dawnbringer) so you are kind of behind there.  My thought on how to use him would be to include the token making enchantments so that you can create an army after you Wrath.

As a regular creature I just think there are better cards for the effect.  If you really wanted to you could squish him into some sort of Karador dredge style deck, so that you could have the opportunity to replay the cards that you are tossing.  

Volrath the Fallen -  This is the guy that I am most excited to build around.  There are some pretty large critters out there that you can toss to this guy, and he can turn into a 2 hit killing machine.  Heck, just toss Draco and all he needs to do is connect!  Include Phyrexian Reclamation to do it again!  Or you can toss things like legendary Eldrazi to get your graveyard shuffled back into your hand for tossing again.  Make him unblockable through equipment or something like Filth to push the damage through.  Even if you don't make him larger through his ability, he still has 6 power, which is nothing forget about.  Stick him into a mono-Black shell, and you should be good to go.  Finally, he is a shapeshifter.  I don't think that his creature type would have much of an effect in a mono-Black deck, but it is worth pointing out.

As a regular creature in a deck Volrath loses a lot of his appeal.  His damage won't count as Commander damage, which means that he's just another cog in the machine.  Without having a deck specifically with a few large cost fatties to throw for him, he just won't do it for you.

CREATURES

Mercenaries are just not that great.  Sure, you can search up some changeling cards, but other than that they aren't fun.

 Aerial Caravan - Sort of a weaker Djinn of Wishes or Future Sight, this can be good with cards that let you see the top of your library, such as Sylvan Library or Oracle of Mul Daya.  Seems like it would do well in Intet decks, specifically.  Not the best, but worth a look.

 Avenger en-Dal - With this guy out, you have a way to cast repeatable Condemns, although with the ability to exile instead of just putting on the bottom of the library.  Although you won't be able to tuck Commanders with this guy, it is a great rattlesnake that can keep people from attacking you with that Blightsteel Colossus.

 Battle Squadron - Red version of the new White card Geist-Honored Monk, but with flying.  The evasion is pretty sweet, and there are a ton of token decks out there that could use that extra large beater.  Commanders like Ulasht and Marton wouldn't mind this card at all, and as it is a Goblin, can go into Wort decks to great effect. 

 Cho-Arrim Alchemist - This is pretty sweet, in that it isn't just damage prevention.  As we all know, there are some pretty large creatures out there, and this Alchemist gives you the opportunity to make large amounts of life gain.  The most interesting part of the card, however, is that it does not target.  This means that you can prevent the damage from guys like Uril and Thrunn, which isn't a bad thing at all.  White has a few of these kind of cards that don't care about creatures with shroud, and it is always worth knowing about them.  If you are playing a defensive deck, this guy is worth a look.

 Corrupt Official - To block, or not to block?  On the face of it, it seems like a pretty easy choice:  Take the damage.  However, if you put something like Strata Scythe on him, the decision becomes much tougher.  He is generally outclassed by most modern creatures, but he may be worth a look in Nath decks.  And don't forget that he regenerates, an undervalued ability.

 Dawnstrider - Repeatable Fog effect for when you really want to stall the game out.  However, different from something like Spike Weaver in that if you don't have an untap effect like Seedborn Muse, you can only Fog one opponent's attack per turn, leaving you vulnerable on other opponents' turns.  But being a spellshaper, helps fuel those graveyard Commanders like Karador. 

 Devout Witness - This time, you get a repeatable Disenchant effect.  That pretty much is always handy.

 Flowstone Overseer - Creature kill on a stick, but this guy has a couple of problems.  First, his Red requirement is pretty heavy, meaning he pretty much only fits in a mono-Red deck.  Next, he is mana intensive in general.  In order to kill a Titan you would need 12 mana!  Sure, that isn't as hard with Gauntlet of Might out, but it still eats up most of your turn.  But if you like playing with big fat guys, I can't imagine a better card!

 Fountain Watch - So this is a better version of Spectral Guardian, but doesn't have the ability to beat down like Indomitable Archangel.  There are a ton of different decks this can fit into, basically anything that likes artifacts.  The prime deck I can think of off the top of my head would be Sharuum decks, but my old Numot deck based around assembling Kaldra would like it as well.  Just keep in mind that this card prevents your artifact creatures from carrying equipment!

 Hammer Mage - This guy seems great to me, sort of like a limited Pernicious Deed.  The best part is that it is slightly selective, meaning that you can get rid of all of your opponents' Myr and Swords, while keeping your Akroma's Memorial alive.  Even better, since this guy is in Red you will have several ways of giving him haste, like an Anger in the graveyard, meaning you can use him right away.  Unfortunately mono-Red really likes its artifacts, so this guy would do better in a multi-colored deck.

 Indentured Djinn - My first thought when I saw this guy was that he would go well in those Grixis punisher decks I have seen floating around.  You know, the kind that runs a bunch of draw effects, Underworld Dreams, Ebony Owl Netsuke and Storm Cauldron.  But then I saw that he had a "may" ability, meaning that if you play him your opponents don't have to draw.  So I really think that he is stuck in the realm of Group Hug decks now. 

 Keldon Firebombers - So you want to even up the mana situation after people have gone nuts with their Primeval Titans?  Go ahead and drop this guy.  Of course, you are probably going to tick off the rest of the table as well.  Armageddon on a stick is actually pretty powerful, but I have a feeling you won't be seeing too much of this guy.  Combine with cards like Wildfire and Land Equilibrium if you really want to annoy the table.

 Moggcatcher - Good with goblins.  Keep in mind it can search up non-creature cards as well.  Pretty much an auto-include in Wort and Ib Halfheart decks.

 Notorious Assassin - Repeatable creature kill is fun.  Similar to Attrition, but Attrition is obviously better.

 Overtaker - Repeatable Threaten is pretty sweet.  If you include a sac outlet like a suspended Greater Gargadon or even Altar of Dementia, you can make sure that your opponent won't get his guy back.  There are a bunch of decks out there that like to steal the stuff of their opponents, and this guy seems like a natural fit in something like that.  

 Rathi Assassin - So this card should be good, as it has two decent abilities, right?  Unfortunately, the Royal Assassin part requires mana, which is always a pain.  On top of that, being able to search up mercenaries isn't all that exciting.  Sure, you can get a small changeling into play with this, but I'm guessing it won't be worth it.  Pass. 

 Rootwater Thief - Sort of a slow acting Sadistic Sacrament.  I can see how this could come in handy to remove combo pieces from decks, but why not just use the Sacrament or Jester's Cap?  That way you avoid the combat step all together.  However this guy can come down early, before people have their defenses set up, and take out important stuff. 

 Rushwood Elemental - A bigger version of Chlorophant that comes with trample built in!  Obviously needs to go in mono-Green decks, but is nice to combo with cards like Primalcrux and Khalni Hydra.  Add Doubling Season for extra fun. 

 Saber Ants - Combine with Acorn Catapult!  Super combo!  Seriously though, this could go well in a bunch of token decks, like Rhys or Ulasht.  Even better, add to Red decks that like to use Earthquake and Savage Twister effects. 

 Seahunter - Auto-include for merfolk decks.  Also good for searching up Shapesharer to take out opposing Commanders.

 Silverglade Elemental - A better version of Ondu Giant in that it is bigger, and can search up any Forest, not just a basic land.  This means everything from Savannah to Murmuring Bosk.  Great in multi-colored decks.

 Skyshroud Poacher - Jeez, like elf decks need another tutor.

 Squirrel Wrangler - Now, I know that there aren't a whole lot of squirrels out there, and certainly not enough to make a reasonable deck.  However that won't stop a few crazies out there from trying to make this guy work.  Just combine with Life from the Loam, Crucible of Worlds and use Azusa to make a monstrous squirrel horde!  Or combine with Conspiracy to make everything squirrels!  Fear the squirrel uprising!

 Stampede Driver - A mini Kamahl, Fist of Krosa.  Unfortunately there are plenty of other similar cards out there that perform similar functions, but without the card disadvantage.  I guess it could go into token decks, but it is probably not good enough.

 Thrashing Wumpus - Pestilence on a critter, similar to Pestilence Demon, this guy has a couple of advantages over its larger flying cousin.  First, the casting cost is much more reasonable, meaning that it can come down much sooner.  In addition, that lower casting cost helps with re-casting after returning it to your hand from your graveyard.  The Demon, on the other hand, is much larger, flies, and doesn't usually die to its own ability.  You need to take a close look at your deck to determine which is better for you, but I think this guy is worth considering in any mono-Black control deck.

 Warmonger - Squallmonger came out online with the Commander decks, and I haven't seen anyone play with it yet.  That's unfortunate, as it has a pretty decent effect and can be a game ender in the right circumstances.  The Red version is similar, but is much better at clearing the board of the much more prevalent groundpounders that run around in games.  Unfortunately, giving your opponents some control over your effects means that it is likely he won't last very long, as he dies to his own effect. 

 Woodripper - I've seen this guy mentioned a couple of times in the past, and he seems interesting.  While Indrik Stomphowler gives you a one-shot "enters the battlefield" effect, this guy can kill up to 3 different artifacts.  Unfortunately, he doesn't take out enchantments, so his versatility is severely hampered.  In random limited situation he is good, such as going up against Sharuum and Karn decks, but most of the time I would rather have Acidic Slime.

ARTIFACTS, ENCHANTMENTS AND LANDS

 Armistice - I mention this because mono-White has extremely limited options when it comes to card draw.  The activation costs a ton, but you can use it politically when necessary.  Of course, it hurts to give an opponent life when it is just down to the 2 of you, but the card draw will help.

 Belbe's Portal - There are plenty of tribes out there that wouldn't mind being able to dump their large critters into play cheaply, from Dragons to Demons to Wurms.  Unfortunately the Portal costs 5 mana, meaning it will likely be a little while before you actually get one of those big guys into play.  In my opinion Quicksilver Amulet is generally better just due to its versatility, but there's nothing wrong with play both!

 Black Market - I'm sure when mana burn was still around, this was a high risk/high reward type of card, just like Braid of Fire.  However, no it's basically a no risk/high reward card.  If you have a deck that likes to sacrifice creatures, such as Savra, Sek'Kuar or Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder, you can quickly start getting huge amounts of Black mana to play around with and abuse.  Assuming someone doesn't blow it up first, of course.  

 Celestial Convergence - I think this card is pretty funny.  Sort of a slow version of Felidar Sovereign, I don't see it getting any play but it is worth knowing about.  Combine with Aether Snap for an instant win!

 Charisma - Finally, the card that Tibor and Lumia decks have been waiting for!  This is actually a pretty interesting card that you can try to combine with Pestilence Demon, the Mongers, and more.   

 Citadel of Pain - So with mana burn gone, this card seems practically worthless, right?  Well, there are plenty of Blue decks out there that like their Leyline of Anticipation and being able to do stuff during opponents' turns.  Of course, there are slightly better cards out there, such as Price of Glory or City of Solitude, but if you really hate Blue it's worth knowing about this card.

 Crackdown - This is a pretty sweet card for mono-White control decks.  Being able to keep opponents' big creatures tapped down is pretty nice, and gives you time to get your defenses set up.  Meanwhile, it won't affect you at all.  Combine with Kismet and Loxodon Gatekeeper for additional pain.

 Dual Nature - This card is a better version of Minion Reflector.  First, it requires no mana to get the token.  Next, the token doesn't get exiled at the end of the turn.  So do you want 2 Terastodons?  2 Titans?  Heck, even 2 Solemn Simulacrums is pretty good.  I think this is worth of inclusion of almost any creature heavy deck, and will do especially well in Kresh decks.

 Dust Bowl - Honestly I would rather have Dwarven Miner, but if you combine with Crucible of Worlds you can get continuous land destruction. 

 Foster - This is an interesting way of recovering from removal and Wrath effects.  Of course, it requires that you have mana available.  Not sure it is good enough to see play, but I guess if it put cards directly into play instead of into your hand it would be too powerful.

 Haunted Crossroads - A cheap method of recursion, unfortunately you "lose" a draw step with this card.  But that's essentially the same problem that Volrath's Stronghold has, and everyone plays with that card, right?  You can even avoid this problem by playing with cards like Future Sight, or even having extra card draw out like Phyrexian Arena.  Or if you want to be even screwier play with Baneful Omen to stack the top of your deck!

 High Market - Another sacrifice outlet with knowing about.  Can help your Commander from being tucked, as the activation cost is very low.  Good in decks like Savra, Homura, or Zirilan.

 Infernal Genesis - So this card is interesting as it has a couple of different uses.  First, it is a token generator.  Not just for you, but for your opponents as well.  This means that it works great with cards like Massacre Wurm, Suture Priest, Falkenrath Noble, or in Kresh decks.  Next, it does some very nice milling of yourself and your opponents.  This has become a much more prevalent theme with the most recent Commander decks coming out, so Chancellor of the Spires, Memory Plunder, The Mimeoplasm and Sexy Wrexial will like this as well.

 Kor Haven - Gives White decks another Maze of Ith/Mystifying Maze variant.  The color requirement can be annoying, but seems like it would be worth it.

 Kyren Negotiations - There will be times when you make a mass of tokens, but can't attack for whatever reason.  Maybe an opponent has Moat or Caltrops out or something.  This will help push that damage through!  Worth considering in Rith and Ulasht decks, or any token producing deck that has Red in it.

 Magistrate's Scepter - Most of the time if you want to take extra turns, you just play Blue.  However, now everyone has the opportunity!  Works best with stuff like Seedborn Muse, or artifact heavy decks that use stuff like Clock of Omens or Unwinding Clock so that you don't have to wait several turns to get that extra one.

 Monkey Cage - Another token producer, this one is nice because the tokens are a little larger than normal.  Of course, you can be completely hosed if someone plays Mother of Runes after you drop the cage, but most of the time this card is worth at least 4 tokens.

 Overburden - Unfortunately it can't hose token decks, but it can still slow some decks down, especially creature heavy decks like Mayael and Kresh.  Not sure of there being many cards to abuse it with other than Bojuka Bog.

 Parallax Tide - This seems like it would be a little fairer than Strip Mine/Crucible of Worlds.  Using this can keep an opponent from abusing Gaea's Cradle for a couple of turns, or even get rid of their Maze of Ith so that you can send in an attacker without getting stopped.  Is it necessary?  I dunno, but I guess someone will find a way to abuse it.  My guess would be with some proliferate shenanigans.

 Parallax Wave - Similar to the Tide above, this one offers pinpoint removal for a limited time.  Again, seems like it could be abused with some recursion and/or proliferate.

 Predator, Flagship - There are plenty of scary fliers out there, from Commanders to Consecrated Sphinx.  This gives you a way to destroy them repeatedly, as well as gives some of your creatures the ability to fly over defenders.  Sure, it costs a bunch, but it can help out mono-Green decks deal with problem areas.

 Soothsaying - Another way to stack the top of your deck, this one comes with the bonus of being able to shuffle your deck at any time so that you can look at new cards!

 Tower of the Magistrate - This one does a couple of things.  First, it allows your blocker to block a Wurmcoil Engine or other large artifact creature all day long.  Next, it can keep your creatures from being killed or messed with by artifacts like Helm of Possession or something as simple as Icy Manipulator.  But the most interesting application is that it can make equipment fall off a creature!  So if someone swings at you with a critter carrying a Sword, just give it protection, and it will fall off! That can definitely come in handy.

INSTANTS AND SORCERIES

There are some new pitch spells, but I'm pretty sure they won't see much play.  Not many people use Snapback and it is widely available.

 Calming Verse - Once again, a card that gets better without mana burn.  Uril decks and the like will enjoy this card, as you can get rid of all your opponents' enchantments while keeping your safe.  Also worthy of inclusion in all those Bant enchantment based decks you see running around.

 Denying Wind - Sadistic Sacrament in Blue, unfortunately the casting cost is just too extravagant.  

 Dominate - First, the good news:  This is essentially an instant speed Control Magic!  You don't have to give up the creature you steal at the end of the turn.  Now, the bad news:  It costs a crapton of mana to get a decent creature.  You want the Wurmcoil Engine?  Be prepared to pay 9 mana buddy!

 Forced March - Similar to Black Sun's Zenith, but it won't put those pesky counters on the big creatures you control.

 Honor the Fallen - Instant speed graveyard hate, with a little bit of life gain thrown in.  Great for dealing with Incarnations, and doesn't require a bunch of mana like Suffer the Past can at times.

 Skyshroud Claim - A very good card.  First, it can grab any Forest card, meaning duals are included.  Second, it puts them into play untapped!  Worth considering in just about all multi-colored decks that have Green.

 Wave of Reckoning - A very strange Wrath effect, I can see this going into Treefolk based Doran decks and doing well.

And that's it.  Wow, that wasn't a whole lot there.

CONCLUSION

All right, looking through what we have here, the following are the cards that I would consider staples and you should pick up:

Not really a whole lot, I know.  But there are a bunch of cards that have more specialized uses that I am planning on grabbing.  Of course, I am going to pick up all the legends.  But on top of that I am going to grab Forced March, Predator, Flagship, Kyren Negotiations, Infernal Genesis, Crackdown, Charisma, Thrashing Wumpus, Silverglade Elemental, Saber Ants, Rushwood Elemental, Overtaker, Fountain Watch, Hammer Mage, Devout Witness and Cho-Arimm Alchemist.  Each of these have more specialized uses.  I'm not sure how many of them are actually going to make it into my decks, but they are definitely worth having on hand.

So if I missed any cards or cool interactions, please mention them in the comments.  Like I said, all of this is new to me, but I'm guessing a lot of you have experience with this stuff.  The last time I covered a whole block was when I talked about Mirage, and I at least was familiar with all those cards.  So any help you can give to others out there is appreciated!  Until next time!

Leviathan, aka Tarasco on MTGO
mrmorale32 at yahoo dot com

CONQUEROR & COMMANDER ARCHIVE

5 Comments

Sorry, thought Dual Nature by Leviathan at Fri, 12/02/2011 - 12:50
Leviathan's picture

Sorry, thought Dual Nature only effected the controller. Not nearly as good as I wanted it to be. My bad.

I think you may be by bogtrog at Fri, 12/02/2011 - 18:11
bogtrog's picture

I think you may be underselling dust bowl. repeatable destruction is just so handy. It seems especially good in mono colored decks that can start chucking basics to deal with problem lands. Total staple IMO.

I also don't see Haunted crossroads making to big of an impact. Phyrexian Reclamation is similar, and I think a better card, but it doesn't get all that much play.

I'll be interested to see just how much of an impact Tower of the Magistrates will have. It seems like it could just hose certain popular decks and strategies. But I think the same about Homeward Path, and it still isn't played a ton. I certainly plan on giving the tower a try though, it seems like fun.

I need to sit down with the MM lists proper and pick out the tings I am interested in. It looks like you hit most of them, but I feel like there may be 1 or 2 more that might have been missed. I am a bit afraid Rhystic study might be all over the place now, but we will see.

I am kind of amazed at just by bogtrog at Mon, 12/05/2011 - 12:18
bogtrog's picture

I am kind of amazed at just how few instants and sorceries this block has to offer the format. I suppose given the power level of the block itself, that shouldn't be too surprising.

One creature I'd like to mention is Viseling. I have always had a soft spot for the guy. Black Vice is a pretty powerful card, but the fact that you have to target a single player has usually kept it out of most commander decks. Viseling hits all opponents though, and might be a pretty useful guy. Could be a nice punisher against those blue mega draw decks, and just be nice bonus damage against most other decks. It is certainly far from a staple card, but he might me worth it with certain game plans. I'm going to give him a try at least.

I also think a few of the flash auras might be worth giving a whirl, like Cho-Manno's Blessing, or Latulla's Orders.

Haunted Crossroads by Lythand at Fri, 12/02/2011 - 19:55
Lythand's picture
5

Haunted Crossroads can be a bomb in a reanimater deck. Combos well with Lurking Predators. It also has more value in commander simply for getting utility cards back like Eternal Witness.

Nice article by Treamayne at Sun, 12/11/2011 - 04:11
Treamayne's picture
4

Nice recap of some of the things to look forward to in EDH with this release (and some things to dread). I, too, did not play this block when released (played Paper from Legends to Urza Block, started online with TSP) so most of these are new to me too. I did I thought of while reading that I wanted to mention:

Kyren Negotiations - seems like a good use for walls at EoOT.

Magistrate's Scepter - Proliferate...This scares me as I expect to see it used for inf turns. Alot. In green it would be too easy to do with Doubling Season and Contagion Engine.

Parallax Tide and Wave - I expect people will abuse this the same way as they do O-ring. With the Exile triggers on the stack, bounce it back to hand. The return hits first, returning nothing, then the exiles trigger making these into 4 CMC exile 4 targets (as long as you can sac or bounce this in response to your own exile triggers)