M10 Spoiler 3

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Wow - so much news / spoilers, I think I may slide into overload today. Perhaps I will start with the easy stuff first - Magic 2010 spoilers !


Acidic Slime, 3GG
Creature - Ooze, Uncommon
Deathtouch
When Acidic Slime enter the battlefield, destroy target artifact, enchantment, or land.
2/2

Not that bad - not that good either - a bit overcosted but I still love the destruction this brings to the table.


Ball Lightning, RRR
Creature - Elemental, Rare
Trample, haste
At the beginning of the end step, sacrifice Ball Lightning.
6/1

I realise core sets are a return to basics but I still twitch when I read the rules help text on this card. Not a bad creature really and a decent price. I would be looking for recursion on this one.

Clone (reprint), 3U
Creature - Shapeshifter, Rare
You may have Clone enter the battlefield as a copy of any creature on the battlefield.
0/0

Decent card, just plan your play appropriately - start working your strategies out now. Same art as the previous 10th Edition print which is OK.


Child of Night, 1B
Creature - Vampire, Common
Lifelink
2/1

A very simple vampire with lifelink - I know it is a common but still wish I could have this critter have flying as well. Art is dark, flavour text makes me giggle.


Undead Slayer, 2W
Creature - Human Cleric, Uncommon
W{T} : Exile target Skeleton, Vampire or Zombie
2/2

This my friends is a decent card - if you find yourself up against those black creatures - you may want this in your sideboard as this is as useful to you as an extra toe against a red burn deck.


Glacial Fortress
Land - Rare
Glacial Fortress enters the battlefield tapped unless you control a Plains or an Island.
{T} : Add {W} or {U} to your mana pool.

I was really hoping for a non-basic land which I could drop on turn one but perhaps I am a bit too greedy - this is just fine as well (except for the rarity part).

Likewise to Glacial Fortress, we can expect similar dual lands in M10 such as these - - -

Murky Tidewater
Land - Rare
Murky Tidewater enters the battlefield tapped unless you control a Island or Swamp.
{T}: Add {U} or {B} to your mana pool.

Floral Clearing
Land - Rare
Floral Clearing enters the battlefield tapped unless you control a Forest or Plains.
{T}: Add {G} or {W} to your mana pool.

Desolate Cairns
Land - Rare
Desolate Cairns enters the battlefield tapped unless you control a Swamp or a Mountain.
{T}: Add {B} or {R} to your mana pool.

Ashwood Forest
Land - Rare
Ashwood Forest enters the battlefield tapped unless you control a Mountain or a Forest.
{T}: Add {R} or {G} to your mana pool.

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Huge rule changes on the horizon Magic Players - it will rock your world come 17th July so put on your thinking caps. These rules changes go into effect on July 11, 2009 (the first day of Magic 2010 Prerelease events) and are scheduled to take effect on Magic Online on July 29.

On the whole, I think (as a casual player) that these are good changes. Perhaps since I have as much neuronic activity in my upper cortext as a bag of rocks, I think that this makes the game a bit more simple.

Here is a brief summary of the changes - for all the gory details, read the column today.

1. Small change to the order of when players are to mulligan.

2. Terminology changes: “in play” is now “the battlefield”, “play” is now “cast”, “removed from the game” is now “in exile”. The very wordy “at the end of turn” is now “at the beginning of the end step”, which is still stoopid sounding.

3. No more mana burn - land really should not hurt you. Mana pools are now drained at each step.

4. Tokens now have ownership by the first player to control them, not the player who cast the spell that brought them into play.

5. Damage no longer uses the stack and combat is changed (check the additional notes below). Most significantly, while declaring blockers, the attacker assigns the ordering of the blockers on his or her creatures. After assigning the order, players can cast spells. THEN damage is dealt, and the attacker must assign at least lethal damage to each blocker, in order, before moving on to the next one. Damage is resolved immediately. This is like automatic trample to each successive creature.

6. Deathtouch and lifelink are now static abilities / state effects.

Additional notes on Combat Damage . . .

Combat Damage No Longer Uses the Stack (!)

As soon as damage is assigned in the combat damage step, it is dealt. There is no time to cast spells and activate abilities in between; the last time to do so prior to damage being dealt is during the declare blockers step.

Combat Phase
* Beginning of combat step
* Declare attackers step
* Declare blockers step
* Combat damage step
* End of combat step

* If a creature has the ability to block multiple attackers, and does so, it uses the same order-and-assign system for dividing its damage among those attackers. In this case, the defending player orders the attacking creatures.
* If multiple creatures are blocking an attacker and one of them leaves combat, the relative order of the other creatures doesn't change.
* If one or more creatures is blocking an attacker and a new creature enters the battlefield blocking that attacker (I'm thinking of Flash Foliage), the attacking player inserts the new creature into the existing order wherever he or she wants. It can be first, last, or somewhere in between. The relative order of the other creatures doesn't change.

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Did that just bake your noodle ? - I'm gonna need some more time to digest this.