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By: gwyned, gwyned
Aug 05 2015 12:00pm
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(Author's Note: I apologize that it took so long to get this out. Real life conspired against me for the past couple weeks. I will do my best to get Part 3 out much faster!)

I. Introduction

Magic Origins, the last of the Core sets for Magic the Gathering, has finally been released on Magic Online. If you're looking for superb analysis of this set's impact on Limited and Standard, I'm afraid you've clicked the wrong link. Instead, it is the purpose of this article to break down this unique set from the perspective of the Standard Pauper player. This set introduces us to three new mechanics, while also bringing back two other mechanics from previous sets that will also now be available to any future set. So it's probably a good idea to brush up on these mechanics before continuing, as I will assume you understand how all of these work. Last time, I took a first look at the creatures and spells that make use of these five mechanics. Today, in Part Two, I will analyze all of the reprints at Common before turning to the rest of the Commons in the set in Part Three.

If you've read my previous set reviews, you should be familiar with my methodology. Rather than assigning a particular letter grade, I will instead note each card as a "hit or myth" and discuss why I believe this card will or will not be relevant. My reasoning is simple: unlike in Limited, you will never have an instance where you have to prioritize one card over another in any meaningful way, and thus a letter grade is not that helpful in actual practice. I also make use of a third category - borderline - for those cards that aren't great, but might see some play in the right deck. So without further ado, here's Part 2 of my Standard Pauper review for Magic Origins!

II. Reprints in Magic Origins
A. White

1. Auramancer was notable for its absence in the enchantment heavy Theros block, but it returns to Standard for one final season with that block. With over 80 different Enchantments in the Standard Pauper cardpool right now, Auramancer brings some incredible value to the virtual battlefield. It returns removal Auras like Pacifism, Bestow creatures like Leafcrown Dryad, utility creature Auras like Mortal Obstinacy, or potent creatures buffs like Eternal Thirst. Combine this with Heliod's Pilgrim or Kruphix's Insight, and you've got the potential for a very powerful Enchantment based deck. But even if that's not your aim, simply getting back a card combined with a 2/2 creature for 2W is enough value for anyone to want to include this.

Verdict: Hit - Can you tell I'm enchanted with this card?


2. While the return of Auramancer is a nice tough, discovering that Celestial Flare was being reprinted in Magic Origins represented a major shift in the metagame. With so many White protection spells (such as Gods Willing) in the format right now, it's wonderful to at last have a removal spell that sidesteps them. Celestial Flare is also our only real answer against Hexproof creatures, making it an invaluable weapon to have in our arsenal.  While the double White casting cost can be prohibitive, mana fixing remains good enough that most of the time that won't be too much of a problem. Additionally, it can be risky to rely only on this for removal, as it does absolutely nothing against utility creatures that don't need to attack or block to be effective.

Verdict: Hit - Perhaps I've got a flare for the dramatic, but I predict great things for this card.


3. Charging Griffin looks like a strong card. While a 2/2 with Flying is quite overcosted at 3W, the fact that it attacks as a 3/3 is about what you would expect for 4 mana, even in White. But there's a big difference between 2 and 3 Toughness in the format when it comes to dodging removal. Worse, we've become accustomed to White getting 2/3 Flying creatures for only 3 mana (such as Sunspire Griffin), and that one measly extra source of mana makes a surprisingly big difference. One could make the argument that this is not even better than Alabaster Kirin, and that card hasn't really seen any play in the format. For all those reasons, I don't think this is going to make much of an impact.

Verdict: Myth - Stop me if you've heard this one: how do you stop a charging griffin...


4. Mighty Leap has always struck me as a strange combat trick. Getting +2 / +2 and Flying is a pretty good deal for 1W, but it's the timing that is the issue. Typically you don't want to play cards like this prior to your opponent decided how he or she is going to block, since you open yourself up to all sorts of counter play. But if you wait until after blocks are declared, giving your creature Flying has no effect in combat. So, to really squeeze the most value out of this card, you have to use it defensively to turn one of your creatures into a surprise blocker for one of your opponent's flyers. And in most circumstances, White has better ways to do that. Mighty Leap isn't a bad card, but is one that should only be included when you have good reason to do so.

Verdict: Borderline - It's no leap of imagination to call this playable, but it's not the most mighty trick either.


5. Yoked Ox asks the question, how much Toughness can you get for a single point of mana? Getting 4 points of stats for a single mana is a pretty good deal, but even still this is not a card that will ever see play except out of the Sideboard, and even then only against very aggressive decks. Interestingly enough, it doesn't have Defender, so if you're playing more of an Aura-based archetype, this is a pretty good target, since the beefy Toughness means your opponent will have a hard time killing it at Instant speed, and afterwards you should have a solid threat. But I certainly wouldn't classify that as a good reason to play this card. Even if there are corner cases where it might be useful, you're better off just never including this in your deck.

Verdict: Myth - You'd have to be as dumb as an ox to take this yoke upon you.

B. Blue

1. At least at one time, Exclude was one of the better Commons and saw plenty of play in Pauper. When Bone to Ash first came out in Dark Ascension, I wondered whether it would still be good enough for one extra Blue mana. As it turns out, the answer is generally "no." Four mana is a lot to try and hold up turn after turn, and unless you've got full control of the board, it's too easy for your opponent to play around it. If you're looking for this type of effect, Nullify should be your go-to card, especially since Auras will probably continue to be a major presence in the metagame. As is so often the case, one additional mana is the deciding factor between a card that is very good and a card that is only borderline playable.

Verdict: Myth - Let's cut right to the bone and just not play this.


2. If ever there were a color that gets to do it all, it would be Blue. It's got counters to deal with just about anything, card draw to generate advantage, evasive creatures, and even dabbles in spot removal, as is the case with Claustrophobia. Granted, this is only slightly better than Encrust when used on a creature, and that card didn't see a whole lot of play in the format. Nonetheless, just the fact that Blue is able to shut down a creature by tapping it and keeping it tapped goes a long way to helping shore up one of Blue's typical weaknesses. Nonetheless, I can't help but remember Narcolepsy, which was far superior to this card. But given that we'll probably never see it at Common again, this is the next best thing.

Verdict: Borderline - I get uncomfortable in such tight spaces between good and mediocre.


3. Disperse is the fixed version of the very early Boomerang, since the latter allowed you to bounce your opponent's Lands and generally make a huge nuisance of yourself. We haven't had Unsummon in the format in quite some time, but generally speaking the extra utility of Disperse more than makes up for the one additional mana, since it allows you to bounce Enchantments as well, which at times can be a great combat trick. Of course, we have plenty of similar effects in the format right now, so unless you specifically want to target non-creatures, you're probably better off with Force Away, Peel from Reality or Voyage's End, at least until the rotation of Standard this fall.

Verdict: Borderline - This won't get much distribution in the format until after rotation.


4. Dreadwaters returns from Avacyn Restored, coming into an environment that probably doesn't support milling as a win condition but does reward players for getting cards into their graveyard via Delve and Spell Mastery. However, even in a deck completely built around such a strategy, spending 4 mana on a card that does absolutely nothing else is not going to win you any games of Standard Pauper. And without the presence of cards like Psychic Strike or Thassa's Bounty, it is highly unlikely that Dreadwaters will be able to empty your opponent's library enough to actually allow you to win that way. Thus, this card should see exactly zero play in the upcoming metagame.

Verdict: Myth - Do not dread the return of mill.


5. It doesn't get much more vanilla than Maritime Guard. A 1/3 vanilla for 1U is exactly the number of stats you would expect for that cost, and it does have the minor advantage of being able to block a 2/2 indefinitely. However, in Blue alone you have twelve other two-drops at your disposal, and in almost every case any of those are superior to this card. Of particular note is Omenspeaker, which is strictly better than Maritime Guard thanks to identical stats and mana cost, but giving you the added bonus of Scry 2 when it enters the battlefield, which as I've mentioned before is almost equivalent to drawing one card. As such, there is absolutely no reason you should ever play this card.

Verdict: Myth - Be on you guard against ever including this in your deck.


6. Negate has probably become the most played permission spell in Standard Pauper, for no other reason than its cheap simplicity. For 1U, you get to counter any spell your opponent casts, no questions asked. Unlike in Limited, almost every successful archetype in Standard Pauper relies on one or more spells as a win condition or at least as a major deck enabler, and thus it is very rare where Negate won't have a reasonable target. While most decks won't want to include a full playset maindeck, having access to this effect in your Sideboard is one of the easiest things you can do to help shore up difficult matches. It's not the most exciting or flashy of spells, but it certainly will continue to have a role moving forward.

Verdict: Hit - Its lackluster status doesn't negate the fact that it will see plenty of play.


7. We have yet another reprint from Avacyn Restored in the form of Scrapskin Drake, a 2/3 with Flying for 2U that has the disadvantage of only being able to block creatures with flying. Getting a 2/3 in the air for only three mana is a pretty good deal, especially with only a single colored mana in the cost, so the downside is only appropriate. Of late, we haven't seen much in the way of aggressive Mono Blue tempo builds, but if such an archetype is viable, Scrapskin Drake seems like a prime candidate for inclusion. It's not anything impressive, but the ability to attack in the air early as well as block 2/2 Flying creatures and live to tell the tale should not be overlooked going forward.

Verdict: Borderline - Don't scrap your plans to include this card without a good reason to do so.


8. Similar to Dreadwaters, Screeching Skaab comes into an environment that encourages you to get cards into your graveyard to fuel Delve and Spell Mastery. In this case though, you actually get a 2/1 vanilla creature for your trouble. However, once again there are a dozen other possibilities just in Blue for creatures in this slot, and once again this isn't anywhere near the top of that list. In fact, this card already exists in the format as Sultai Skullkeeper, and that card has seen absolutely zero play in Standard Pauper. While we've seen some success with Sultai decks dedicated to dumping a lot of cards into the graveyard to power out big creatures, I don't think this card belongs in such a deck.

Verdict: Myth - Screeching with joy is appropriate if your opponent plays this against you.


9. Magic Origins certainly has an Enchantment theme running through the set, and unfortunately that theme includes bad creature Auras like Stratus Walk. The only respectable aspect of this card is that at least it cycles when it is successfully cast on a creature, although in doing so you still run the risk of having it destroyed at Instant speed and really getting outplayed. But even worse, the card actually comes with a drawback, preventing the enchanted creature from blocking non-flyers! As it stands, you're actually better off using this against your opponent, drawing a card in the process and keeping that creature from blocking in combat. Just don't play this, alright?

Verdict: Myth - Get your head out of the clouds and leave this in your virtual binder.


10. Ever since I first played with Darklit Gargoyle, I have always liked creatures that you can spend mana to alter their stats to fit your particular game state. Watercourser is a somewhat meager 2/3 for 3 that has the ability to grow into a 4/1 if it goes unblocked. Of course, you have to spend UU to bring that about, opening yourself up for getting hosed by a well-timed removal spell by your opponent. If this also had the ability to beef up its defense in a similar way, allowing it to grow into an 0/5, it might be worth testing out in the right deck. But as is, even though I like this card, I don't think it's good enough to see much if any play. Still, it's nice to see a Common with this level of complexity to it, even if it isn't good.

Verdict: Myth - Over the course of time, you'll discover this one is all wet.

C. Black

1. While highly defensive creatures used to the be the prerogative of mainly White and Blue, in recent sets we've seen a noticeable increase in Black cards like Catacomb Slug, that combine very large Toughness with decent Power with a fairly expensive cost. Such cards have not proven to be that great; however, they are better than they look, providing a body that is very tough for your opponent to deal with and giving you an attacker that will survive combat with almost any other creature on the board. Of course, with its relatively low Toughness, it is vulnerable to double-blocks. What is worse, at least in this case, is the simple fact that vanilla creatures are almost never worth playing in Standard Pauper.

Verdict: Myth - Your brain must be sluggish if you're excited to play this.
 

2. Macabre Waltz was last seen in the original Ravnica block, and while we already have a glut of other spells that return multiple creatures from the Graveyard (such as Dutiful Return), Macabre Waltz is a very welcome addition for two reasons. First, it's quite cheap at 1B; in fact, it's half the cost of Dutiful Return or other similar Commons! Second, it has significant synergy with both Delve and Spell Mastery, making it the perfect addition to a MonoBlack or Dimir Control deck. This isn't nearly as good in a more aggressive archetype, since you often won't have multiple creatures to return early. But in almost any other type of deck, this is well worth considering.

Verdict: Hit - There's another value in this dance partner to be worth its gruesome cost.


3. Nantuko Husk last saw print as an Uncommon in 9th edition (although we did get Blood Bairn in M14), so the fact that it's returning as a Common in Magic Origins is a big boon to the format. There is somewhat of a tokens subtheme in the set already, and with the excellent token generators that currently exist in Standard Pauper, it should be trivial to pump up this creature to enormous size. The fact that it's also a 2/2 for 2B is also noteworthy, since it's already borderline playable even without its ability. We haven't seen much in the way of Aggro in Black as of late, but I suspect that this card might just change that. It's certainly seems to be powerful enough to be worth building around.

Verdict: Borderline - I wouldn't shell out to much for this, but it's certainly worth testing.


4. Returned Centaur seemed an odd choice in Theros block, but it is much more at home in Magic Origins thanks to the synergy of getting cards into the graveyard for Delve and/or Spell Mastery. A 2/4 for 3B is decent value for a creature with a relevant 'enters the battlefield' type effect (remember the Gatekeepers?) However, in this case the ability to mill yourself for four doesn't quite qualify as a relevant ability. And while four Toughness is above the normal threshold at Common, there are still some good options to deal with it. Unless you have a dedicated build that needs those extra cards in the graveyard, this is really just a vanilla 2/4 for 4, and thus isn't good enough to see play.

Verdict: Borderline - I almost called it a myth, but I returned to upgrade it due to its potential synergies.


5. Weight of the Underworld has a pretty strong effect, but it's overshadowed by cards of the past such as Dead Weight and Quag Sickness, or even the more recent Debilitating Injury. With multiple ways to search your library for Enchantments, having several different Aura-based removal spells is quite good in the format right now. But even so, Weight of the Underworld just seems so expensive for what it does. For only one more mana, you get Flesh to Dust, which immediately kills anything at Instant speed. This card has been in the format since Theros, and I don't believe it's seen any play so far. And with nothing here to suggest otherwise, I can't imagine it will see play going forward either.

Verdict: Myth - Bad removal can be such a weight on your shoulders.

D. Red

1. It appears that Act of Treason has firmly cemented itself as a Common staple in Red, which is surprising given the fact that it was originally printed as an Uncommon back in Magic 2010. On the other hand, this is certainly an iconic Red ability. It steals a creature, untaps it, and gives it Haste, allowing you to do anything you want with it for that turn. It's a powerful effect, but it takes absolutely no thought for the future, since the creatures immediately goes back to its original controller at the end of your turn, potentially having done very little to change the outcome of the game. While it's a great trick for aggressive Red decks that just want to finish off an opponent, it's generally not very good outside of that strategy.

Verdict: Borderline - It's not considered treasonous to keep this in your Sideboard until the second act.


2. Evaluating Bellows Lizard is pretty easy. It's a 1/1 for R, which at Common almost always means it's not going to see any play. It does have Firebreathing built-in, but it costs an additional colorless mana every time you activate it, which makes it prohibitive to use multiple times. Interestingly enough, this is very similar to Foundry Street Denizen, whose only difference is that it gets the +1/+0 from other Red creatures entering the battlefield rather than by spending mana. The Denizen actually saw a decent amount of play in aggressive Red decks, but I wouldn't expect the same for this card, since the last thing that type of deck wants to do is spend a whole bunch of extra mana.

Verdict: Myth - Don't get all hot and bothered if I get this one wrong.


3. In a metagame with lots of Tokens, having the ability to deal 1 damage to every creature your opponent controls has proven to be very important. Chandra's Fury certainly accomplishes this, but at a pretty expensive cost. This is essentially just a Lava Axe variant, trading in a single point of damage that instead gets dealt to all of the target player's creatures. As long as we continue to have access to other spells that deal with Tokens (such as Scouring Sands), there won't be much incentive to play this card. It's a shame that it doesn't allow you to target a single creature for 4 damage instead of only players, but that would probably be too strong to see print at Common.

Verdict: Myth - Again, don't get angry with me if I get this one wrong too.


4. If you want aggressive, Cobblebrute certainly fits the bill. It's rare to see a 5 Power creature at Common, and almost unheard of to see one for only four mana. The downside, obviously, is that with only 2 Toughness, just about any other creature in the format will be able to block and trade with this card. But, if you could play this within the right Izzet shell, where you rely on permission spells to protect it and removal to get opposing creatures out of the way, this can certainly do a lot of damage in a hurry. Honestly though, that's a lot of conditions to make this good. The vast majority of the time, this will be a liability in your deck, and as such I don't think it will see much play.

Verdict: Myth - I'll gladly throw rocks at this brute.


5. Demolish is another Red card that seems to find itself a spot in just about every set now, which is unfortunate considering how bad it is. Once upon a time, Land destruction was a viable archetype even at Common, but the sheer agony of playing against such strategies forced Wizards of the Coast to severely nerf such strategies. Even in a metagame that supports two and even three color decks, with a casting cost of 3R, most of the time Demolish will be too late to be effective. And while Magic Origins does include a few decent Artifacts, this is hardly the most effective card to attempt to deal with them. Since both modes of this card bad, there is no reason that you should want to play it.

Verdict: Myth. Demoralizing, perhaps; demolishing, no.

 
6. Dragon Fodder is back again, entering into a metagame where I expect token strategies to continue to make a significant impact. Getting two 1/1 s for the price of 1R at Sorcery speed is fine but not exciting, but has proven to be better than I anticipated back when it was reprinted first in Dragons of Tarkir. For some strategies you just want to pile as many tokens onto the virtual battlefield as possible, and this is certainly one of the easiest ways to accomplish that. Nonetheless, the presence of Common sweepers is something that must always be kept in mind, and as long as those effects continue to see print in the future, cards like these will not be at their best.

Verdict: Borderline - As it turns out, goblins actually do make good fodder.


7. I first saw Smash to Smithereens way back when I first discovered Magic Online during Lorwyn block, and it's always been my favorite way to deal with artifacts. For the same cost as Naturalize, you get to not only destroy the artifact in question, but deals 3 damage to your opponent as well. If I anticipated that artifacts were going to be a major presence in the upcoming metagame, this card would be amazing. But given the fact that good artifacts are few and far between in Standard Pauper, this card is an amazing answer to a question the format simply isn't asking. And in a potential future set with a major emphasis on artifacts at common, this probably would be too good to see print.

Verdict: Borderline - I refuse to completely smash my dreams of getting to play this card.

E. Green

1. Magic Origins also brings us the long-awaited return of Elvish Visionary, which is one of the few 1/1s that has reliably seen play in the format. A card that allows you to cycle for 2 mana is always borderline playable in Limited, and Elvish Visionary gives you the bonus of a 1/1 out of the deal. While there aren't any Blink effects in the format that would allow you to really take advantage of its enters-the-battlefield ability, you could certainly do worse than returning this to your hand with a bounce spell or even graveyard recursion. Obviously it's pretty poor in any sort of aggressive archetype, but in a more controlling build, I could certainly see this being worth consideration.

Verdict: Borderline - I don't envision this breaking the format, but it's worth testing.


2. Leaf Gilder is an interesting variation on Llanowar Elves, giving you an extra point of Power for that one additional colorless mana. There certainly is a surprisingly big difference between 1 and 2 Power, but when it comes to mana acceleration, there is an equally big distinction between accelerating from one to three as opposed to from two to four. Attacking with your mana elf in the early game usually means something has not gone as planned, and by the time you don't need the mana acceleration anymore, a 2/1 isn't likely to be much more relevant than a 1/1. That being the case, if this is the type of card you're looking for in Green, you're probably better off sticking with Elvish Mystic.

Verdict: Myth - It doesn't matter how you paint it - this isn't a card you want to play.


3. Might of the Masses is another card that seems like it could do well in the upcoming metagame thanks to the emphasis on token generation. While it has the potential to be a pretty mediocre Giant Growth, in a dedicated token build one can easily use this as your finisher, dealing anywhere from 6 to 10 damage all by itself. While not as good as it was in Rise of the Eldrazi without the accompanying Eldrazi Spawn tokens, I still anticipate this coming in and dealing massive amounts of damage to an unsuspecting opponent. It certainly won't see play in just any Green deck, but in the right sort of build, this could easily be one of the more powerful cards at your disposal.

Verdict: Borderline - Don't underestimate its might if you've got the masses on your side.


4. I've always thought Orchard Spirit was an odd card. Typically Green is the color with the best answers to Flying creatures, and as such Wizards hasn't printed a Green Common creature with Flying since Planar Chaos. Yet, we once again have this card in the format, which essentially has Flying but only on offense. As such, it's essentially worse than a Wind Drake in Green, and Wind Drake typically isn't good to enough to make the cut. It's certainly a novelty to see some evasion in Green, but generally speaking this isn't really what you want to be doing in most Green decks. So while you could certainly do worse than a 2/2 for 2G with Evasion, most of the time you have better options.

Verdict: Borderline - I almost called it a myth, but in the spirit of fairness gave it the benefit of the doubt.


5. On its face Reclaim doesn't look that bad. It lets you take any card that you've already played (or otherwise dropped into your Graveyard) and get it back for the very reasonable cost of a single Green mana. But here's the catch: you spend a card to accomplish this, and in doing so make no effect on the state of the battlefield; what's more, the card goes on top of your library, not into your hand. This means that you are effectively giving up two cards (Reclaim plus the one you would have drawn on top of your library) to get a single card back into your hand. In Standard Pauper, there isn't any card that will ever be worth such a price. So while this may look tempting, it's actually quite bad.

Verdict: Myth - If you lose this card, this is not one you want to reclaim.


6. It would be interesting to hear Mark Rosewater discuss why they decided to phase out Giant Growth and replace it with Titanic Growth. The two cards are very similar, but most of the time you'd rather actually have the former, since there are very few times that +3 / +3 isn't enough to win combat or survive removal, thus saving you the additional colorless mana. Regardless, this is the defacto Green combat trick, and while it's nothing special, it certainly does what it does quite well. Like I said, it dodges removal, allows you to kill a larger creature and survive combat, and can even be used as a finisher against your opponent. If you're playing any sort of Green aggro or midrange, you're probably playing this card.

Verdict: Borderline - It doesn't have a gigantic effect on the game, but it's often still worth it.


7. Unfortunately for Vastwood Gorger, it's coming back into a metagame that has a wide selection of Green creatures for 6 mana, all of whom are arguably better. A 5/6 vanilla for 5G is pretty mediocre by any standards, and even at Common you would expect to get some sort of relevant ability tacked on. In particular, both Segmented Krotiq and Vulpine Goliath have similar stats and cost, but are significantly better (the krotiq since it can be cast early on as a 2/2, and the goliath because it takes advantage of Trample). While Segmented Krotiq doesn't offer enough, Vulpine Goliath has actually seen some play in the format. But I would be shocked if this card ever makes it into a winning deck.

Verdict: Myth - There's a vast gulf separating this from being playable.


8. Yeva's Forcemage harkens back to the Soulbond mechanic from Avacyn Restored, save that it only affects the targeted creature during the turn the Forcemage enters the battlefield. Giving another creature +2 / +2 is a fairly significant boost, but once it's gone, you're left with a 2/2 for 2G, which is pretty mediocre. Green doesn't typically have trouble summoning large creatures onto the battlefield, but this might pair well with Blue or White, allowing you to strike hard with Evasive creatures when this comes into play. It's just too bad this doesn't have Flash like its patron Yeva, as that would make this quite good. As is, I don't think this will see much play in the upcoming metagame.

Verdict: Borderline - I wouldn't force this into just any deck, but maybe it can find a home.

F. Colorless

1. It's hard to say anything about Evolving Wilds that hasn't been said already. While it existed alongside Terramorphic Expanse for a brief time, Evolving Wilds has become the de-facto Common mana-fixer in Standard for a long time, and in combination with the Common Duals that continue to see print, makes running two and three color decks at Common easier than it ever has been. While I wouldn't be surprised to see the Common Duals disappear for a time from Standard at some point in the future, reprinting Evolving Wilds in this set guarantees we'll still have access to simply mana-fixing for some time to come. And that's always welcome in Standard Pauper.

Verdict: Hit - Its role hasn't evolved much, but it still sees play in a lot of different decks.


2. If you're looking for a cheap card to block just about anything on the ground, Guardians of Meletis certainly has that role covered. I can't help but compare this to Wall of Tanglecord from Scars of Mirrodin, which was a whole mana cheaper and could also be used in Green to block creatures with Flying. While that's not a huge difference, it's enough to make the wall playable while Guardians of Meletis has not seen any play. There simply are easier ways to get large blockers in the way without having to pay 3 mana for the opportunity. And given the amount of Enchantment hate in the format, playing an Artifact also tends to be a significant liability. Stay away from this card.

Verdict: Myth - Guard against the temptation to mess with this.

III. Conclusion

So that wraps up all the reprints from Magic Origins, so next time I'll be back with the rest of the new Commons. In closing, let me remind you that you can check out all of my previous articles here on PureMTGO by clicking here. I also publish over on my blog on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and encourage you to keep up with all my projects there. You can get a sneak peek at any of my videos before they go live here at PureMTGO.com over on YouTube.com. Simply search for "gwyned42," select one of my videocasts, and click the Subscribe button. You can keep up with everything I'm doing on Twitter at the username gwyned42; check out my profile here and click on Follow. Finally, I am the host of Monday Pauper Deck Challenge, which is a weekly PRE featuring a Swiss tournament in the Standard Pauper format, with prizes awarded for the Top 8 finishers thanks to the sponsorship of MTGOTraders. As always, if you've never checked out MPDC, I encourage you to browse over to PDCMagic.com for all the information and then come join us at 2:00pm EST / 6:00pm GMT in the /join MPDC room.