Shadows Over Innistrad Spoiler 2-09

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps,

Some news first - 
• As many had suspected, Event Decks and Clash Packs are to be discontinued.  MaRo's post to Blogatog here.
• News is that Wayne England had just passed away.  His lovely art has been featured on numerous MTG cards, D&D products, and many other places.  :(

Returning now to the subject line of this post - another Magic: the Gathering leak of Shadows Over Innistrad we should be talking about.  As Wizards of the Coast staffer Trick Jarrett said, "leaks aren't journalism. Publishing leaks is purely self-serving, looking out for the good of yourself and your ego."  

Apologies to our readers about this, but here is our self-serving non-journalism on the last batch of Shadows Over Innistrad leaks which got posted to Reddit's 'r/magicTCG' possibly via from the same evil epicenter mentioned in this previous post.  As stated in may previous posts, we love the odd spoiler but don't care for big leaks - all cards are unofficial - look to Wizards of the Coast for officially previewed cards.

Crow of Dark Tidings - 2B Common Zombie Bird Flying 2/1 with a nice self-mill for 2 on entering the battlefield.  Love the name on this card.

Ember-Eye Wolf - Common 1/2 hasty wolf with a 1R pump ability.  The top of the card was cut off in the OP but we would expect this to be perhaps 1R.  Smokey the Bear would be unhappy with the card art and flavour text.

Explosive Apparatus - Common one-drop artifact, apparently a spirit grenade which for a 3 colourless, tap and sac will deliver 2 damage to creature or player.  Love the flavour, hate the card.


Lightning Axe - a lot of players are happy with this Time Spiral reprint.  Five damage is no small thing, and most will want to pay that one red mana and discard rather than pay five.  This may also help you get to the new 'Delirium' mechanic quicker.

Magmatic Chasm - 1R common sorcery for a conditional unblock is not too shabby.  Giving a A+ for flavour here.

Nibilis of Dusk - Prowess is back - w00t!  A common which delivers a 2/1 flying spirit with prowess for 2U is decent.

Pieces of the Puzzle - 2U common sorcery which will float up to two instants and/or sorceries from the top five of your library.  In other news, Jace continues to be helpful is whichever Plane he finds himself.


Pore Over the Pages - 3UU for an uncommon sorcery for a decent draw three, untap up to two lands and discard a card.  Huge fodder for speculation in the flavour text here.  Markov Manner Destroyed?  Is Tamiyo OK?  What the hell is a cryptolith?

Quilled Wolf - 1G for a 2/2 wolf - meh.  The +4/+4 pump for 5G may be OK late game.  Flavour time - Parish-blades are cathars stationed in parishes and serve as escorts along roads, and the Quiver of Kessig is a relatively new offshoot of the parish-blades that specializes in archery and long-range defense.

Sanguinary Mage - Vamp wizard yo!  1R for a 1/3 with prowess is OK in our books.  Some talk in the flavour about cults in Nepahlia aligning with the Stromkirk vampires.

Shamble Back - LOVE this card.  A single B exiles a critter taking a dirt nap, popping you up two life and birthing a 2/2 Zambie.  Sweet.

Stitched Mangler - This common 2/3 Zombie Horror costs 2U, enters tapped but also taps down an opponents critter that does not untap on their next untap step.  Decent IMHO.


Voldaren Duelist - Haste Vamp Warrior with a 3/2 body for 3R sounds bad.  The second ability shuts down a creature from blocking that turn does not improve it all that much.

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