M11 Spoilers 6-22

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps,

Looks like rain up in our neck of the woods for the remainder of the week, so we suggest not going outside to play in the puddles (we know that sounds fun ☺) but instead, stay inside and work on your game. Today we have, if you've missed it, some interesting arts from MTG Tactics which are purported to be in the upcoming Magic 2011 set - let's have a looky see . . .


Click to enlarge and you will note some interesting card images (still small and blurry unfortunately) for Deadly Flank, Sacred Lancer, Elvish Archer, and Rain of Arrows. These cards have not yet made it onto our Magic 2011 spoiler list (linky HERE) as we do not yet know anything else about them. We can however speculate which slots they may be in the 'name and number crunch' list. Deadly Flank (12/249), Sacred Lancer (25/249), Elvish Archer (172/249), and Rain of Arrows (194/249).

Anywhoos - more spoilers hopefully on the way. We do have some pooled spoilers from Wizards of the Coast to provide to you shortly after midnight Friday, 25th.

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Quick reminder - don't forget about the very cook $10 store credit giveaway at MTG Mint Card → 4 winners so far - on week 3 now.
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Righto - next item . .

We were getting ready for another FNM last week tweaking our Cunning Collar deck when we came across our old Deathbringer Liege deck from Eventide. Dang nostalgia set it shortly after knocking the dust off it so we had to have a quick game - yep it was epic.


We loved this deck ( ♥ ! ). And we kept it really, really simple - just include black / white hybrid cards from the set. It pretty much built itself. Sure we could have funked with it but wanted to play with flavour in mind - besides that, it was tonnes of fun and won quite a few casual games.

The bombtastic cards in the deck were Deatherbringer Liege, Divinity of Pride, and Stillmoon Cavalier with a host of other complimentary cards.

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Magic Humour

~I hope all have found their way over to the new site . . . our apologies for the lack of advance warning but it was something that we had mulled over for quite some time.

To make it up to you, here are some funnies we have fabricated from the latest set Eventide . . .

Chilli Night

College Night

Fly Swatter

Yellow Pages

Athlete`s Foot

Until next time, Happy & Safe Gaming !

Eventide Lieges

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As promised in the last post here, I will be reviewing the Lieges of the recently released set of Eventide. I was thinking of providing fresh Shards of Alara art spoilers but hey . . a promise is a promise and you will have to wait until next post for that.
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The Eventide Lieges are all Rare creature cards and have a 'Colour Matters' Theme just like the Shadowmoor Lieges. Unlike Shadowmoor, these cards have a varied cost of 1, 2 or 3 colourless mana and 3 hybrid mana (this may be paid in either of the two colours indicated.

The Eventide Liege cards have two separate abilities while they're in play that each check for a certain color. If a card matches both colours, both of those abilities will "work". Specifically, the Shadowmoor Liege cards will 'pump' creatures in play of one colour by +1/+1 and +1/+1 again for other creatures of the specified colour. Of course, if a creature is both colours (read : HYBRID), one obtains a double boost. In addition to this, the Eventide Lieges also have an additional third (or fourth !) ability specific to the individual Liege . . . let's have a look.

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Balefire Liege
2 {R/W}{R/W}{R/W}
Creature - Spirit Horror
2/4
Other red creatures you control get +1/+1. / Other white creatures you control get +1/+1. / Whenever you play a red spell, Balefire Liege deals 3 damage to target player. / Whenever you play a white spell, you gain 3 life.
This is a great timmy-like effect without a tap and some really decent life-gain for the cost of this Liege spell.

Creakwood Liege
1 {B/G}{B/G}{B/G}
Creature - Horror
2/2
Other black creatures you control get +1/+1. / Other green creatures you control get +1/+1. / At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put a 1/1 black and green Worm creature token into play.
This Liege, from what I have heard is on many players 'must have' list for the Eventide set. First of all - this card has least expensive mana cost among the Eventide Lieges AND you get token which IMMEDIATELY become 3/3 critters as long as the Liege is in play . . . VERY sweet !

Deathbringer Liege
2 {W/B}{W/B}{W/B}
Creature - Horror
3/4
Other white creatures you control get +1/+1. / Other black creatures you control get +1/+1. / Whenever you play a white spell, you may tap target creature. / Whenever you play a black spell, you may destroy target creature if it's tapped.
This Liege provides an absolutely solid argument for stacking your deck with hybrid white / black spells. Although I am not very keen on the artwork, this card provides a solid one-two slam on a hybrid spell that is sure to have your opponents board clear.

Mindwrack Liege
3 {U/R}{U/R}{U/R}
Creature - Horror
4/4
Other blue creatures you control get +1/+1. / Other red creatures you control get +1/+1. / Pay {U/R}{U/R}{U/R}{U/R} You may put a blue or red creature card from your hand into play.
This card appears to be a bit overpriced in my opinion. The only way I could see myself playing this in a deck is if I had a LOT of fairly expensive creatures . . . the jury is still out on this one.

Murkfiend Liege
2 {G/U}{G/U}{G/U}
Creature - Horror
4/4
Other green creatures you control get +1/+1. / Other blue creatures you control get +1/+1. / Untap all green and/or blue creatures you control during each other player's untap step.
This Liege offers a fairly decent 'vigilance' effect for your green and/or blue critters. This particular Liege also does not maintain the same enemy-hybrid rigidity as some of the other Lieges demand.

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Similarly, the Eventide Auras Cycle checks the enchanted creature's colours and provides a +1/+1 boost (or MORE !) to a creature's strength and toughness for each of the two specified colour. Each enchantment is a Common and also provides a nifty ability. The mana cost to play these enchantments vary however.

Clout of the Dominus {U/R}
As long as enchanted creature is blue, it gets +1/+1 and has shroud. (It can't be the target of spells or abilities.) / As long as enchanted creature is red, it gets +1/+1 and has haste.
Great mana cost for a solid +2/+2 hybrid pump and two great abilities.

Edge of the Divinity {W/B}
As long as enchanted creature is white, it gets +1/+2. / As long as enchanted creature is black, it gets +2/+1.
This aura differs from the other by giving a whopping +3/+3 hybrid pump. This is offset by not providing any further abilities.

Favor of the Overbeing 1 {G/U}
As long as enchanted creature is green, it gets +1/+1 and has vigilance. As long as enchanted creature is blue, it gets +1/+1 and has flying.
Another decent aura with the traditional abilities of vigilance for green and flying for blue.

Gift of the Deity 4 {B/G}
As long as enchanted creature is black, it gets +1/+1 and has deathtouch. (Whenever it deals damage to a creature, destroy that creature.) As long as enchanted creature is green, it gets +1/+1 and all creatures able to block it do so.
This is a really sweet aura - not only does it push lethal damage, it will also force your opponents critters to line up for it !

Scourge of the Nobilis 2 {R/W}
As long as enchanted creature is red, it gets +1/+1 and has "{R/W} : This creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn."
As long as enchanted creature is white, it gets +1/+1 and has lifelink.
This is also a decent aura and should be considered for those players with decks that go into a later game.


Again - stay tuned next post for a bunch of very cool Alara Art spoilers.

Eventide Release

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As far as my performance goes for release tournaments, this was by far the most epic fail I had experienced . . . I lost 3 and won 1 - but only because I was lucky to get a 'bye' due to an odd number of players.

When I left, I was less than satisfied with my pool of cards (1 sealed Shadowmoor tournament pack and 2 Eventide booster packs), and even less satisfied with my ability to pull together a deck that would win at least once.

Once home, I contemplated on the good things that happened that afternoon - I did get a nice foil promo (Figure of Destiny), and I was able to get a few trades done before the tournament - I now have my black-blue Ghastlord deck pretty much complete. After this, I helped myself to several tasty cold carbonated beverages from my fridge and had a second look at my card pool.

I realised that when I build a deck, it takes several days or weeks - this is not the collecting or purchasing of desired cards, just the thoughts about what card synergies obtains the best 'bang for the buck'.

The less-than-adequate deck I put together at the tournament basically enlisted almost anything that was black and green. With a sombre (and much more longer) look at my pool, I can see a lot more possibilities.

Anywho . . . here is what I got ->

RARES
Witherscale Wurm 4 GG Creature - Wurm 9/9 Shadowmoor
Regal Force 4 GGG Creature - Elemental 5/5 Eventide
Worm Harvest 2 {B/G}{B/G}{B/G} Sorcery Eventide
Knollspine Invocation 1 RR Enchantment Shadowmoor
Sunken Ruins Land Shadowmoor

Uncommons
Canker Abomination 2 {B/G}{B/G} Creature - Treefolk Horror 6/6 Eventide
Noxious Hatchling 3 {B/G} Creature - Elemental 6/6 Eventide
Hag Hedge-Mage 2 {B/G} Creature - Hag Shaman 2/2 Eventide
Sturdy Hatchling 3 {G/U} Creature - Elemental 6/6 Eventide
Slinking Giant 2 RR Creature - Giant Rogue 4/4 Shadowmoor
Boggart Ram-Gang {R/G}{R/G}{R/G} Creature - Goblin Warrior 3/3 Shadowmoor
Noggle Ransacker 2 {U/R} Creature - Noggle Rogue 2/1 Eventide
Glamer Spinners 4 {W/U} Creature - Faerie Wizard 2/4 Shadowmoor
Kithkin Rabble 3 W Creature - Kithkin */* Shadowmoor
Inkfathom Witch 1 {U/B} Creature - Merfolk Wizard 1/1 Shadowmoor
Dream Salvage {U/B} Instant Shadowmoor
Lockjaw Snapper 4 Artifact Creature - Scarecrow 2/2 Shadowmoor
Illuminated Folio 5 Artifact Shadowmoor
Trip Noose 2 Mana Artifact Shadowmoor

Here is the mess of commons I received . . .

WHITE
Rune Cervin Rider, Ballynock Cohort, Last Breath (2), Apothocary Initiate, Strip Bare, Cenn's Enlistment
BLUE
Whimwader, Wiulderness Hypotist, Parapet Watchers, Briarberry Cohort, Drowner Initiate
BLACK
Ashenmoor Cohort, Smodering Butcvher, Disturbing Plot, Smolder Inititate
RED
Chaotic Backlash, Hotheaded Giant, Cinder Pyromancer, Rustrazor Butcher, Smash to Smithereens, Flame Jab, Intimidator Inititate, Blistering Dieflyn
GREEN
Wickerbough Elder, Presence of Gond, Toil to Renown, Gleeful Sabotage, Nettle Sentinel
BLACK / WHITE HYBRID
Unmake, Nightsky Mimic, Edge of the Divinity, Nip Gwyllion
BLUE / BLACK HYBRID
Helm of the Ghastlord, Gravelgill Duo, Scarescale Ritual
BLACK / RED HYBRID
Sootwalkers
BLUE / RED HYBRID
Riverfall Mimic, Inside Out, Clout of the Dominus
RED / WHITE HYBRID
Scourge of the Nobilis, Double Cleave, Duergar Assailant
RED / GREEN HYBRID
Morselhoarder, Scuzzback Marauders
GREEN / BLUE HYBRID
Grazing Kelpie (2), Shorecrasher Mimic
GREEN / WHITE HYBRID
Shield of the Oversoul
ARTIFACTS
Thornwatch Scarecrow, Watchwing Scarecrow, Scrapbasket, Hoof Skulkin, Chainbreaker.

Unfortunately, I cannot say that I care for most of these cards and very few will actually make it into any future decks I build . .. BUT having now the time to carefully consider the cards in this pool, I think that I would have built a very different deck.

For tips on building a Shadowmoor / Eventide Sealed deck, see Steve Sadin excellent article titled 'Unsealing Shadowmoor/Eventide' HERE. I truly wish this article was available to read prior to the Release Event . . . it would have saved me a whole lot of frustration.

Noggles !

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Some of you may be sharing the same thought as me right about now . . . What the hell are Noggles !?.

I think this poor fellow got lost on his way to the Folsom Street Fair.

Two words about this one -
Social Miscreant.

Hey buddy . . . why the long face ?

The importance of maintaining a well organised sock drawer is demonstrated here.

Here is what the the interweb spat out upon my querry . .

This creature, whose name is variously spelt, is the Shetland Kelpie. It appears like a beautiful little grey horse, about the size of a Shetland pony, bridled and saddled. It is less malicious than the Kelpie and much less dangerous than the Eash Uisge, but it has two mischievous tricks. Its peculiarity is that it is much attracted by water-mills, and if the mill was running at night it would seize the wheel and stop it. It could be driven off by thrusting a burning brand or a long steel knife through the vent-hole of the mill. Its other trick was to loiter along the mill-stream and allure pedestrians to mount it. It would then dash away into the sea and give its rider a severe and even dangerous ducking; but it did not, like Each Uisge, tear its victim to pieces, it merely rose through the water and vanished in a blue flame. Before mounting a stray horse it was wise to look well at its tail. The Noggle looked like an ordinary horse, but it had a tail like a half-wheel, curled up over its back. Some people called the Noggle a Shoopiltie, but it seems to have shared this name with the merpeople.

- - -Wow - I think someone had waaay too much sugar ! - -

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Anywho - there are four Noggles in the new Eventide set - all of them housed in the enemy hybrid house of blue & red -

Noggle Bandit 1{u/r}{u/r} common
Creature - Noggle Rogue 2/2
Noggle Bandit can't be blocked except by creatures with defender.
Noggles believe that they were the first race ever to walk Shadowmoor. They don't "steal." They just take back what's rightfully theirs.

This is almost as good as being 'unblockable' - there are not many players I personally know of who run creature defender cards.

Noggle Bridgebreaker 2{u/r}{u/r} common
Creature - Noggle Rogue 4/3
When Noggle Bridgebreaker comes into play, return a land you control to its owner's hand.
"It's always funny till someone gets hurt. Then it's hilarious."

I am trying to understand why one would want to return a land to one's hand. (?)

Noggle Hedge-Mage 2{u/r} uncommon
Creature - Noggle Wizard 2/2
When Noggle Hedge-Mage comes into play, if you control two or more Islands, you may tap two target permanents.
When Noggle Hedge-Mage comes into play, if you control two or more Mountains, you may have Noggle Hedge-Mage deal 2 damage to target player.

This does sound like a decent card but I would like to find a way to have the 'come into play' effects repeatable instead of a 'one-off' deal.

Noggle Ransacker 2{u/r} uncommon
Creature - Noggle Rogue 2/1
When Noggle Ransacker comes into play, each player draws two cards, then discards a card at random.
Noggles live purely by what they can scavenge. There is not a single thing a noggle eats, wears, or uses that did not once belong to another.

I am not a fan of this card at all and it will likely find its way into a bicycle spoke.

Other references to Noggles may be found in the flavour text of these two cards . . .

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Jawbone Skulkin
"Ah, skull of shrew-a very potent substance. In powdered form, it gives thrice the zing of noggle hoof pulp." -Boghald, Barrenton medic
Just one word - - "YUMM !" . . . noggle hoof pulp - apparently it has zing !

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Talonrend
Change is a denizen of Shadowmoor as much as ouphes and noggles are.
Again - Just wondering out loud here - - Do ouphes and noggles pop over to eachother's den for tea ( ? ).

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Now for something completely different . . . We have for your hungry eyes a selection of 5 Eventide Playmats featuring absolutely great art featuring an enemy-hybrid scenery !


Fetid Heath

Twilight Mire

Flooded Grove

Cascade Bluffs

Rugged Prairie



Until next time, Happy & Safe Gaming everyone!

Eventide Tokens

~ Wizards has finally released the list of Eventide tokens today on Magic Arcana. There appears to be a MISSING TOKENs (?) - I was unable to find the Kithkin Soldier and Wolf Creature tokens. I will assume that Wizards will not provide these for the new set but will use the existing ones from Shadowmoor.

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Here is the list of tokens that had been posted and the cards which generate them . . .

W - Kithkin Soldier - 1/1 (Cenn's Enlistment, Patrol Signaler, Gwyllion Hedge-Mage)
W - Goat - 0/1 (Springjack Shepard, Springjack Pasture)
U - Bird - 1/1 - Flying (Fable of Wolf and Owl)
G - Beast - 3/3 (Savage Conception)
G - Wolf - 2/2 (Fable of Wolf and Owl)
U/R - Elemental - 5/5 - Flying (Call the Skybreaker)
B/G - Worm - 1/1 (Creakwood Liege, Worm Harvest)
B/W - Spirit - 1/1 - Flying (Beckon Apparition)
R/W - Goblin Soldier - 1/1 (Rise of the Hobgoblins)


































Where the Eventide card has not yet been spoiled on the preview minisite, I have included the artwork for it.

Cenn's Enlistment / 3w
Sorcery - EVE Common
Put two 1/1 white Kithkin Soldier creature tokens into play.
Retrace

Patrol Signaler / 1w
Creature - Kithkin Soldier EVE Uncommon
1{W}, {T}: Put a 1/1 white Kithkin Soldier creature token into play.

Gwyllion Hedge-Mage / 2{wb}
Creature - Hag Wizard EVE Uncommon
When Gwyllion Hedge-Mage comes into play, if you control two or more plains, you may put a 1/1 white Kithkin Soldier creature token into play.
When Gwyllion Hedge-Mage comes into play, if you control two or more swamps, you may put a -1/-1 counter on target creature.

Springjack Shepherd / 3w
Creature - Kithkin Wizard Uncommon
Chroma - When Springjack Shepherd comes into play, put a 0/1 white Goat creature into play for each white mana symbol in the mana costs of permanents you control.

Springjack Pasture / Land / EVE Rare
{T}: Add 1 to your mana pool.
4, {T}: Put a 0/1 white Goat creature token into play.
{T}, Sacrifice X Goats: Add X mana of any one color to your mana pool. You gain X life.

Fable of Wolf and Owl / 3{ug}{ug}{ug}
Enchantment - EVE Rare
Whenever you play a green spell, you may put a 2/2 green Wolf creature token into play.
Whenever you play a blue spell, you may put a 1/1 blue Bird creature token with flying into play.

Savage Conception / 3gg
Sorcery - EVE Uncommon
Put a 3/3 green Beast creature token into play.
Retrace

Call the Skybreaker / 5{ur}{ur}
Sorcery - EVE Rare
Put a 5/5 red and blue Elemental creature token with flying into play.
Retrace

Creakwood Liege / 1{bg}{bg}{bg}
Creature - Horror - EVE Rare
Other black creatures you control get +1/+1.
Other green creatures you control get +1/+1.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put a 1/1 black and green Worm creature token into play.

Worm Harvest / 2{bg}{bg}{bg}
Sorcery - EVE Rare
Put a 1/1 black and green Worm creature token into play for each land card in your graveyard.

Beckon Apparition / {wb}
Instant - EVE Common
Remove target card in a graveyard from the game. Put a 1/1 white and black Spirit creature token with flying into play.

Rise of the Hobgoblins / {wr}{wr}
Enchantment EVE Rare
When Rise of the Hobgoblins comes into play, you may pay {X}. If you do, put X 1/1 red and white Goblin Soldier tokens into play.
{rw}: red and/or white creatures you control gain first strike until end of turn.

Don't forget to prepare yourself for the Pre-release Event this weekend !