Zendikar Intro Pack W

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This is the last post covering the Zendikar Intro Packs. Today we will cover off the Mono-White Intro Pack and for your entertainment a brief video on the dissection.

For our previous post on the Green-Red (The Adventurers Deck) and the Red-Blue(Pumped Up) Intro Packs, click HERE.

For the previous post on the Mono-Black (Rise of the Vampires) and the Blue-Green (Unstable Terrain) Intro Packs click HERE.

Today, we also have an a video in our last installment, so grab some popcorn and buckle in. Don't forget that each intro pack contains a learn-to-play guide, a Zendikar flavour guide AND one Zendikar Booster Pack.

First - onto the video . . .

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The 'Kor Armory' mono-white Zendikar Intro Pack contains 41 cards which contain, like the name suggests, a very strong Kor and (artifact) equipment creature theme. The many inexpensive (mana-cost) creature cards may allow you to find and maintain a board position early in the game. There are several creatures with a kicker cost for added bonuses. Some Kor get bonuses from being equipped with artifacts as well. Although this may be the new 'white weenie' deck, look for other cards in Magic 2010 and Zendikar to make this deck more agressive and dangerous for your opponent.
* - indicates a reprint from Magic 2010 or another set

Creatures - 13
1 x Kor Duelist, , Uncommon
2 x Kor Skyfisher, 1, Common
1 x Armament Master, , Rare
2 x Kor Aeronaut, , Uncommon
2 x Kor Hookmaster, 2, Common
2 x Kor Sanctifiers, 2, Common
2 x Kor Cartographer, 3, Common
1 x Serra Angel*, 3 , Uncommon

Other Spells - 10
1 x Spidersilk Net, 0, Common
1 x Explorer's Scope, 1, Common
1 x Trusty Machete, 1, Uncommon
2 x Pacifism*, 1, Common
1 x Narrow Escape, 2, Common
1 x Divine Verdict*, 3, Common
1 x Windborne Charge, 2, Uncommon
1 x Landbind Ritual, 3, Uncommon
1 x Conqueror's Pledge, 2, Rare

Lands - 18
16 Plains
2 Kabira Crossroads

All-Foil Boosters

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We will take a short break from our run through of the Zendikar Booster Packs (here & here) to have a look at some interesting from Wizards today . . .

Quote:
Stories are told of boosters with all rares, or all foil premium cards. But those stories are strictly rumors. Legends. Tales told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Until now. Take one last trip to Alara and collect all 539 foil premium cards, in this handsome foil booster. Each of these boosters contains fifteen foil, black-bordered cards from Shards of Alara, Conflux, and Alara Reborn. These boosters will be available for a limited time, starting on January 8, 2010. And they're only $11.99!

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Very interesting. This may or may not be the next winning marketing gambit being rolled out by the Wizards of the Coast. Personally, we will probably not be picking any of these up simply because it seems about $2 to $3 overpriced. This may also have an adverse effect on the singles market for foils. There are some players I know do not care for foils at all due to the bending and warping issue due to the printing process which had not quite been fully resolved to their satisfaction.

Just another note - I'm certain only the very rich would be able to afford the $40 drafts with these packs. ;-)


Having said that, we personally know several EDH (Elder Dragon Highlander) players who are most likely going bananas on receiving this news today. If you are not aware, EDH is yet another Magic the Gathering multiplayer variant format which enjoys a healthy measure of popularity. In EDH, decks are comprised of 100 cards, with only one of each card within the deck. Many players enjoy pimping their EDH deck to include premium foils.

Although WoTC had not elaborated within their post, we are assuming that this special all-foil booster pack will contain 15 cards in total withe the usual distribution of rarity : 1 Rare / Mythic, 3 Uncommons, 10 Commons, and 1 Basic Land. Previously, one would be lucky to find that foil card inserted randomly at the back but since the cards in this special booster are all foils, some waggish players prognosticate that there will be a randomly inserted plain non-foil card. :)

As all of these cards may come from either Shards of Alara, Conflux and Alara Reborn, there is a good chance to see that Bloodbraid Elf, Path to Exile, or Elspeth, Knight-Errant foil you had been wanting but never were lucky enough to open.

Speaking of luck, let's change to chances of opening up a foil in a normal pack to better understand why the foil cards were so highly sought after because of their rarity.

> This quote from Ben Bleiweiss . . .
The chances of opening a FOIL Path to Exile is 1 in 720 packs (two Uncommons per box, 40 Uncommons in the set). You would need to statistically open TWENTY booster boxes to get a single foil Path to Exile. To get a PLAYSET of Foil Path to Exile, you'd need to open Two-Thousand, Eight-Hundred and Eighty booster packs, or EIGHTY booster boxes!

Zendikar Intro Pack B & U/G

~ We hope to provide contents and some details on all Zendikar Intro Packs this week but will break it up a bit. Today we will cover off the Mono-Black and the Blue-Green Intro Packs. Four our previous post on the Green-Red and the Red-Blue Intro Packs, click HERE. We hope to have an additional post of the Mono-White one including a video in our last installment. Don't forget that each intro pack contains a learn-to-play guide, a Zendikar flavour guide AND one Zendikar Booster Pack.

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'Rise of the Vampires' mono-black Zendikar Intro Pack contains 41 cards which contain, like the name suggests, a very strong vampire creature theme. Some bonus abilities are provided when your opponent's life drops to 10 or less. There are some great cards in here that will wittle your opponent's life down and gain you life. Tweak this deck with supporting vampire cards from the Magic 2010 core set.
* - indicates a reprint from Magic 2010 or another set

Creatures - 15
2 x Acolyte of Xathrid*, , Common
2 x Guul Draz Vampire, , Common
2 x Child of Night*, 1, Common
1 x Gatekeeper of Malakir, , Uncommon
1 x Mindless Null, 2, Common
2 x Vampire Aristocrat*, 2, Common
2 x Vampire Nighthawk, 1, Uncommon
1 x Heartstabber Mosquito, 3, Common
1 x Zombie Goliath*, 4, Common
1 x Malakir Bloodwitch, 3, Rare

Other Spells - 8
2 x Vampire's Bite, , Common
2 x Feast of Blood, 1, Uncommon
1 x Hideous End, 1, Common
1 x Diabolic Tutor*, 2, Uncommon
1 x Rise from the Grave*, 4, Uncommon
1 x Blood Tribute, 4, Rare

Lands - 18
16 Swamp
2 Piranha Marsh

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'Unstable Terrain' Blue-Green Zendikar Intro Pack contains 41 cards which feature the new kick-butt landfall mechanic. The landfall mechanics in this deck will pump up your creatures, give life-gain, provide trample or gain control of an opponent's creature. There are also several cards included which will be able to synergize with the landfall mechanic that will either allow you to get wither let you find or get additional lands into play. There are a lot of very excellent Zendikar cards available like Rampaging Baloths or Oracle of Mul Daya that you can use to upgrade this deck.
* - indicates a reprint from Magic 2010 or another set


Creatures - 15
1 x Coral Merfolk*, 1, Common
2 x Sage Owl*, 1, Common
1 x Frontier Guide, 1, Uncommon
1 x Gomazoa, 2, Uncommon
1 x Merfolk Wayfinder, 2, Uncommon
1 x Grazing Gladehart, 2, Common
1 x Turntimber Basilisk, 1, Uncommon
2 x Windrider Eel, 3, Common
1 x Living Tsunami, 2, Uncommon
1 x Sphinx of Jwar Isle, 4, Rare
1 x Baloth Woodcrasher, 4, Uncommon
1 x Roil Elemental, 3, Rare

Other Spells - 8
1 x Unsummon*, , Common
1 x Giant Growth*, , Common
2 x Ior Ruin Expedition, 1, Common
2 x Paralyzing Grasp, 2, Common
1 x Harrow*, 2, Common
1 x Mind Control*, 3, Uncommon

Lands - 18
10 Island
7 Forest
1 Terramorphic Expanse*

Stay tuned for our final Zendikar Intro Pack decklist for white including a video.