Rivals of Ixalan FULL REVEAL

~
Magic: the Gathering players this weekend will likely be spending a good volume of time pouring over the full reveal of all Rivals of Ixalan cards which was posted by Wizards of the Coast's card image gallery linked right here.  With all the cards now out it will indeed take a bit to soak in and evaluate.  

What is clear at the moment is that we have support designed for 10 two-coloured draft archetypes.  This of course is the most obvious paths, but the beauty of Magic: the Gathering is individual innovation.  Should you be exploring something with a more tribal theme, then you should want to include the appropriate 'forerunner' as mentioned in the below section in the cycles.  For now, here are the 'suggested servings' of critical cards all at Uncommon rarity to build upon - 

• Blue / White ASCEND - Resplendent Griffin
• Blue / Black ASCEND - Deadeye Brawler 
• Black / Red PIRATES - Fleet Neckbreaker
• Red / Green AGGRO - Raging Regisaur
• Green / White RAMP - Atzocan Seer

• White / Black VAMPIRES - Legion Lieutenant
• Black / Green (? Recursion / Elementals) - Jungle Creeper
• Green  Blue MERFOLK - Merfolk Mistbinder 
• Blue / Red PIRATES (Raid) - Storm Fleet Sprinter
• Red / Whte AGGRO - Relentless Raptor

Here were three late Rivals of Ixalan previews from yesterday, before the full reveal - 

Hadana's Climb // Winged Temple of Orazca - one of my favourite enchantments - low casting cost, and relatively easy to transform into a relevant and useful land with utility to shoot over an evasive and pumped up threat.  Little doubt that this will be at the very least a two of in my Merfolk tribal build in the new standard.

Wayward Swordtooth - A 5/5 dino for 3 mana - what's the catch here ?  It allows an extra land drop each turn which is damn fine - what's the drawback.  It can't attack / block unless you have the City's Blessing, which should not be that difficult.

Twilight Prophet - 2/4 Vampire for 2BB.  Has flying and ascend, which when you have the City's Blessing

allows for a card draw with a damn solid drain 'n' gain - classic Orzhov goodness here.  A decent four-drop, with the only restriction here the doulbe-black casting cost, unless you are going in for a build with mostly swamps.

OF NOTE - 
The Rivals of Ixalan Release Notes have been loaded as well (pop over to this linky), so do read about the new Ascend mechanic, the returning ones and of course, the card specific notes.  All we will touch upon, now that we do have all the cards posted, are the card cycles you can expect.  Not noted is the cycle mentioned above in the draft archetype section.  Note that given we have a unique arrangement of the four tribes, the tradition colour distribuion would not have the full 'wrap-around' (we're certain there is a better phrase to convey this).  Anywhoos, here they are - 

Elder Dinosaurs: 
Five rare legendary Elder Dinosaurs and one mythic -
• Zetalpa, Primal Dawn 
• Nezahal, Primal Tide 
• Tetzimoc, Primal Death 
• Etali, Primal Storm 
• Ghalta, Primal Hunger 
• Zacama, Primal Calamity

Legendary transforming enemy color enchantments: 
Five rare legendary enchantments in enemy color pairs that transform into legendary lands whenever a condition is met. Each of these lands tap for one mana of any color and have other powerful abilities -
• Profane Procession // Tomb of the Dusk Rose (W/B), 
• Journey to Eternity // Atzal, Cave of Eternity (B/G), 
• Hadana's Climb // Winged Temple of Orazca (G/U), 
• Storm the Vault // Vault of Catlacan (U/R), and 
• Path of Mettle // Metzali, Tower of Triumph (R/W).

Forerunners: 
Four uncommon creatures, one for each major tribe. Each has an enters the battlefield ability that tutors a creature of the respective type to the top of your library, and a triggered ability whenever a creature of that type enters the battlefield under your control -
• Forerunner of the Legion (W vampires)
• Forerunner of the Coalition (B pirates)
• Forerunner of the Empire (R dinosaurs)
• Forerunner of the Heralds (G merfolk)
~

FULL Hour of Devastation Spoiler

~
Happy Friday MTG peeps,

This evening during the Friday Night Magic event at your local gaming store, we are fairly certain Magic: the Gathering players will be talking about the remaining Hour of Devastation cards posted today by Wizards of the Coast.  We know we'll be yattering about this at our local shop, OMG! Games here in Barrie. There was a metric ton of cards previewed today, mostly uncommon and common, and there is quite a bit to review over the next few weeks.  

For today however, here at MTG Realm, we are just giving you the summary.  The WotC official Hour of Devastation Card Image may be found at this link, and the Release Notes for the set may be found over here.

Hour of Devastation officially releases on July 14, 2017 and contains 199 cards and includes randomly inserted foil / premium versions of all cards.  Rarity break-down is as follows:
• 12 mythic rares
• 42 rares
• 60 uncommons
• 70 commons
• 15 basic lands

The Planeswalker decks for this set contain 10 additional cards which are considered part of the Hour of Devastation set.  These two products have 2 mythic planeswalkers, 2 rares, 2 uncommons, 2 commons and 2 common dual taplands. There are five full art basic lands different from the previous Amonkhet set, which highlight the arrival of Nicol Bolas.

New Keyword Abilities

Afflict
A static ability with a variable value. Whenever a creature with this ability becomes blocked, defending player loses life equal to the Afflict value.

Eternalize 
Keyword ability which is an evolved Embalm. Eternalize can only be activated if the creature is in the graveyard. When activated, the card is exiled and creates a token copy of itself. This creature token is a copy of the eternalized creature, except that it is a zombie in addition to its other creature types and monocolored black. Its power/toughness becomes 4/4. Many creatures with eternalize have abilities that get better because of their increased power.

Mechanics carried over from the previous Amonkhet set includes:
• Aftermath (split frame cards)
• Cycling 
• Exert

• -1/-1 counters

WHITE
Act of Heroism	Hour of Revelation
Adorned Pouncer	Mummy Paramount
Angel of Condemnation	Oketra’s Avenger
Angel of the God-Pharaoh	Oketra’s Last Mercy
Aven of Enduring Hope	Overwhelming Splendor
Crested Sunmare	Sandblast
Dauntless Aven	Saving Grace
Desert’s Hold	Solemnity
Disposal Mummy	Solitary Camel
Djeru, With Eyes Open	Steadfast Sentinel
Djeru’s Renunciation	Steward of Solidarity
Dutiful Servants	Sunscourge Champion
Gideon’s Defeat	Unconventional Tactics
God-Pharaoh’s Faithful	Vizier of the True
BLUE
Aerial Guide	Proven Combatant
Aven Reedstalker	Riddleform
Champion of Wits	Seer of the Last Tomorrow
Countervailing Winds	Sinuous Striker
Cunning Survivor	Spellweaver Eternal
Eternal of Harsh Truths	Strategic Planning
Fraying Sanity	Striped Riverwinder
Hour of Eternity	Supreme Will
Imaginary Threats	Swarm Intelligence
Jace’s Defeat	Tragic Lesson
Kefnet’s Last Word	Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign
Nimble Obstructionist	Unquenchable Thirst
Ominous Sphinx	Unsummon
	Vizier of the Anointed
BLACK
Accursed Horde	Lurching Rotbeast
Ammit Eternal	Marauding Boneslasher
Apocalypse Demon	Merciless Eternal
Banewhip Punisher	Moaning Wall
Bontu’s Last Reckoning	Razaketh, the Foulblooded
Carrion Screecher	Razaketh’s Rite
Doomfall	Ruin Rat
Dreamstealer	Scrounger of Souls
Grisly Survivor	Torment of Hailfire
Hour of Glory	Torment of Scarabs
Khenra Eternal	Torment of Venom
Lethal Sting	Vile Manifestation
Liliana’s Defeat	Without Weakness
	Wretched Camel
RED
Abrade	Hazoret’s Undying Fury
Blur of Blades	Hour of Devastation
Burning-Fist Minotaur	Imminent Doom
Chandra’s Defeat	Inferno Jet
Chaos Maw	Khenra Scrapper
Crash Through	Kindled Fury
Defiant Khenra	Magmaroth
Earthshaker Khenra	Manticore Eternal
Fervent Paincaster	Neheb, the Eternal
Firebrand Archer	Open Fire
Frontline Devastator	Puncturing Blow
Gilded Cerodon	Sand Strangler
Granitic Titan	Thorned Moloch
	Wildfire Eternal
GREEN
Ambuscade	Oasis Ritualist
Beneath the Sands	Overcome
Bitterbow Sharpshooters	Pride Sovereign
Devotee of Strength	Quarry Beetle
Dune Diviner	Rampaging Hippo
Feral Prowler	Ramunap Excavator
Frilled Sandwalla	Ramunap Hydra
Gift of Strength	Resilient Khenra
Harrier Naga	Rhonas’s Last Stand
Hope Tender	Rhonas’s Stalwart
Hour of Promise	Sidewinder Naga
Life Goes On	Sifter Wurm
Majestic Myriarch	Tenacious Hunter
Nissa’s Defeat	Uncage the Menagerie
MULTICOLORED
Bloodwater Entity	Farm // Market
The Locust God	Consign // Oblivion
Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh	Claim // Fame
Obelisk Spider	Struggle // Survive
Resolute Survivors	Appeal // Authority
River Hoopoe	Leave // Chance
Samut, the Tested	Reason // Believe
The Scarab God	Grind // Dust
The Scorpion God	Refuse // Cooperate
Unraveling Mummy	Driven // Despair
ARTIFACT
Abandoned Sarcophagus	Hollow One
Crook of Condemnation	Manalith
Dagger of the Worthy	Mirage Mirror
God-Pharaoh’s Gift	Sunset Pyramid
Graven Abomination	Traveler’s Amulet
	Wall of Forgotten Pharaohs
LAND
Crypt of the Eternals	Hashep Oasis
Desert of the Fervent	Hostile Desert
Desert of the Glorified	Ifnir Deadlands
Desert of the Indomitable	Ipnu Rivulet
Desert of the Mindful	Ramunap Ruins
Desert of the True	Scavenger Grounds
Dunes of the Dead	Shefet Dunes
Endless Sands	Survivors’ Encampment

~

Kaladesh FULL SPOILER

~
Happy Friday MTG peeps,

As you may see from the title of today's post, the FULL Kaladesh card list is now up and the card image gallery over on the WotC Mothersite (linked here) has been updated. With today's offering of the full Magic: the Gathering set, is the Kaladesh Release Notes, which may be found over here.  We think most every player at tonight's Friday Night Magic Event at OMG! Games here in Barrie will be speaking of nothing more than this.

If you were looking for an Ornithopter reprint, then brace yourself walking down sad panda lane.  Be of good cheer!  There are many other lovely artifacts, and this set looks to have a great level of synergistic and fun cards.

Have a look at Gearseeker Serpent, the closest we may come to an 'Affinity for Artifacts' in Kaladesh but wow - colour us impressed.  This 5/6 fatty may be swinging out several turns ahead of when your opponents may least expect it.

We have a feeling that the Simic Combine may have sent a secret research group to Kaladesh - how else could one explain the odd Wily Bandar?  We do not want to impose our Binary sensibilities upon this but is it part feline, part primate (or just all trouble) ?

For those blue mages out there who were looking for an array of counter magic, you may not be overjoyed with the number of unconditional and efficient options available in this set, but take heart that we do have this spell to nerf non-artifact spells.  Sorry but cold-comfort there.

Anywhoos, here is the full text list which we will be going through over the course of the weekend !

~ 

WHITE	BLUE
Acrobatic Maneuver	Aether Meltdown
Aerial Responder	Aether Theorist
Aetherstorm Roc	Aether Tradewinds
Angel of Invention	Aethersquall Ancient
Authority of the Consuls	Ceremonious Rejection
Aviary Mechanic	Confiscation Coup
Built to Last	Curio Vendor
Captured by the Consulate	Disappearing Act
Consulate Surveillance	Era of Innovation
Consul’s Shieldguard	Experimental Aviator
Eddytrail Hawk	Failed Inspection
Fairgrounds Warden	Gearseeker Serpent
Fragmentize	Glimmer of Genius
Fumigate	Glint-Nest Crane
Toolcraft Exemplar	Torrential Gearhulk
Trusty Companion	Vedalken Blademaster
Visionary Augmenter	Weldfast Wingsmith
Wispweaver Angel	Wind Drake
BLACK	RED
Aetherborn Marauder	Aethertorch Renegade
Ambitious Aetherborn	Brazen Scourge
Demon of Dark Schemes	Built to Smash
Dhund Operative	Cathartic Reunion
Diabolic Tutor	Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Die Young	Chandra’s Pyrohelix
Dukhara Scavenger	Combustible Gearhulk
Eliminate the Competition	Demolish
Essence Extraction	Furious Reprisal
Fortuitous Find	Giant Spectacle
Foundry Screecher	Harnessed Lightning
Fretwork Colony	Hijack
Gonti, Lord of Luxury	Incendiary Sabotage
Harsh Scrutiny	Inventor’s Apprentice
Thriving Rats	Terror of the Fairgrounds
Tidy Conclusion	Thriving Grubs
Underhanded Designs	Wayward Giant
Weaponcraft Enthusiast	Welding Sparks
GREEN	MULTICOLOUR
Appetite for the Unnatural	Cloudblazer
Arborback Stomper	Contraband Kingpin
Architect of the Untamed	Depala, Pilot Exemplar
Armorcraft Judge	Dovin Baan
Attune with Aether	Empyreal Voyager
Blossoming Defense	Engineered Might
Bristling Hydra	Hazardous Conditions
Commencement of Festivities	Kambal, Consul of Allocation
Creeping Mold	Restoration Gearsmith
Cultivator of Blades	Saheeli Rai
Dubious Challenge	Unlicensed Disintegration
Durable Handicraft	Veteran Motorist
Elegant Edgecrafters	Voltaic Brawler
Fairgrounds Trumpeter	Whirler Virtuoso
Verdurous Gearhulk
Wild Wanderer
Wildest Dreams
Wily Bandar
ARTIFACT	LAND
Accomplished Automaton	Aether Hub
Aetherflux Reservoir	Blooming Marsh
Aetherworks Marvel	Botanical Sanctum
Animation Module	Concealed Courtyard
Aradara Express	Inspiring Vantage
Ballista Charger	Inventors’ Fair
Bastion Mastodon	Sequestered Stash
Bomat Bazaar Barge	Spirebluff Canal
Chief of the Foundry
Cogworker’s Puzzleknot
Consulate Skygate
Cultivator’s Caravan
Deadlock Trap
Decoction Module
Metalwork Colossus
Multiform Wonder
Narnam Cobra
Ovalchase Dragster

~