[BNG] Spoiler: NESSIAN DEMLOCK and HEROES' PODIUM

BIGMAGICLIVE has just posted a video that revealed a new card, which roughly translates to "Nessian Demlock" in English. The beast costs 3GG and has an uncommon rarity. In addition, it has tribute 3 and has a power/toughness of 3/3. When Nessian Demlock enters the battlefield, it can destroy a target noncreature permanent (similar to Woodfall Primus) if its tribute cost was not paid. So, it can either be a 6/6 for 3GG, or a 3/3 for 3GG that can destroy a planeswalker or even a god if it still isn't in creature mode. I don't think this card would see play in Standard or even block constructed, but it will of course be decent in limited. These tribute cards seem to be uninteresting. If only the tribute hydra or this beast had trample or shroud or anything similar.

There hasn't been much spoilers lately because the mothership has rested for the weekend. In addition, all of the gods have already been revealed except for Phenax. It could either be that he is extremely powerful, or that he is overrated. For now, Mogis, God of Slaughter seems to be the fan favorite, with Karametra and Ephara being touted as new cards for Elder Dragon Highlander or EDH.



Moving on, the Australia/New Zealand Facebook page of Wizards of the Coast just released Heroes' Podium a legendary artifact that seems to have been lost in Theros and should have landed during the Kamigawa block. This will obviously get some love from Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH) players because of its ability. Aside from powering up one's legendary creatures, the artifact also allows you to look at your library for a legendary card, given that you have enough mana to pay for x. While it may seem like it costs too much at 5 colorless mana, its search ability essentially makes it great in mana-ramp decks that would perhaps need to find Emrakul or Progenitus immediately.

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[BNG] Spoiler: SPIRIT OF THE LABYRINTH, GLIMPSE THE SUN GOD, and CHROMANTICORE

The mothership has just officially unveiled three new BNG cards The first one, Spirit of the Labyrinth, would probably one of the chase rares of the set. It has a 3/1 body for a mere 1W, and it has an ability that essentially slows down opponents that have card advantage as their winning strategy such as those using Whispering Madness and Notion Thief, which are also cards that go against the card-drawing of opponents. Will I get one of these? Of course. The real question is how much will this card be, and in what decks will this be played in.

The next card reminds me Guildpact's Gigadrowse. It allows you to prevent enemy creatures from attacking during the opponent's turn, or you can use it during your turn in order for your creatures to be able to directly attack the opponent or his/her planeswalkers. It really seems that Born of the Gods is the set of goodie uncommons, and this card is no exception to that collection. With its scry 1 ability, it makes sense to have it as an uncommon. Moreover, the flavor text is interesting too. "Better to be beneath Heliod's notice than beneath his heel." Are his worshipers saying that it is better that they are essentially unable to move in the eyes of Heliod, rather than be trampled by the sun god? Perhaps.

The last card is one of those exquisite WUBRG rares (well, in this case, mythic rare) that would join the ranks of Sliver Queen and Karona, the False God. Chromanticore is, sadly, not a legendary creature, which would ultimately disappoint EDH players as he seems to be a good pentacolor commander. Aside from the amazing artwork, this manticore has flying, first strike, vigilance, trample and lifelink. Add in a couple more abilities like haste and protection from a color or two and this could compete with Akroma, Angel of Wrath and her Planar Chaos counterpart, Akroma, Angel of Fury.

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[BNG] Spoiler: Bile Blight, Karametra, God of Harvests, and Unravel the Aether

It seems that monoblack will have another great removal in their sleeves. Bile Blight is a black instant card that only costs BB and can kill a horde of tokens, or a couple of 3/3 creatures with the same name. It's basically the child of Last Grasp and Echoing Decay. It seems that Mobo Black Devotion will not stop its control over Standard, with more and more cards proving the versatility and domination to be found in using black.

Image from WOTC

The next card, Karametra, God of Harvests, is arguably better than Ephara, God of the Polis and is almost as awesome as Mogis, God of Slaughter. It can easily be abused by elf decks splashing white or midrange aggro Selesnya decks. This card can probably enter play in the third turn, ideally, with green having one-drop mana producers. Moreover, it has a staggering seven toughness for a 3GW creature. Finally, its abiltiy can also get Stomping Ground and Sacred Foundry, among other Ravnica shocklands that are essentially either forests or plains.

Image from WOTC

Finally, Unravel the Aether is green's answer against the powerful gods such as Thassa, God of the Sea. Even better, personally speaking, is that it can get rid of a pesky Eldrazi Monument when I'm in a mirror match with an Elf deck in casual play. Well of course I could use Naturalize instead. But anyway, it would be better to use Unravel the Aether instead when you're dealing with gods since they are indestructible. Hence, they cannot be destroyed by Naturalize. The next best option would be to return them to the opponent's library.

Image from WOTC

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[BNG] Spoiler: Torment's Herald, Fate Unraveler, and Thassa's Rebuff

Metagame.it has just unveiled Torment's Herald, which is basically a 1BB 3/3 flying demon that makes you lose one lifepoint during your turn. It can, however, be bestowed and give a creature +3/+3 and the ability fo fly. However, it seems too much to pay 3BB for a bestow, and is essentially a bad choice compared to that 6/6 flyer for 2BB that only has a drawback which can severely damage your opponent's strategy. And that card is of course Desecration Demon. This card probably won't see serious play, well at least until some cards rotate out of Standard. Moreover, Nightveil Specter is much better than this for a three-drop.

Image from Metagame.it

The second card, Fate Unraveler, is from Rebellion.es and pretty much a solid card. It is a 3/4 for 3B, and it is an enchantment creature. What makes this card interesting and the high probability that it will see some serious play is that it has an ability similar to Underworld Dreams. This makes it an Underworld Dreams on a 3/4. It's creature type is a hag, which is a bit uncommon to see. Moreover, it can survive some of the cheese spells currently being used in Standard because of its 4 toughness.

Image from Rebellion.es

Finally, Thassa's Rebuff was spoiled by StarCityGames. When a player looks at it, he/she might easily be reminded of Mana Leak, an old counterspell that requires a player to pay 3 mana unless he/she wants his/her spell countered. This might just actually be better if used in the right deck. Master of Waves and Thassa, God of the Sea will probably enjoy this welcome addition. Even if the player can pay the mana required, he/she is essentially using mana that could have been spent on other spells.

Image from StarCityGames

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[BNG] Spoiler: Archetype of Endurance, Raised by Wolves, and Reap What is Sown

MTGCommander has just provided us with "Archetype of Endurance", green's enchantment creature in the "archetype" cycle which means that there will be one for each color. There is already Archetype of Imagination for blue. Moreover, while it seems good that your creatures cannot be targeted by the spells of your opponents, it also sucks if you want to power up your creatures because you also won't be able to use it on them. I'm not even sure if it's a good thing that your opponent has no hexproof on his/her creatures in play, especially if it's a heroic deck. In addition, it costs 6GG for a 6/5 that doesn't even have trample or something similar.

Archetype of Endurance (image from MTGCommander)

The next card, Raised by Wolves, was provided by LoadingReadyRun and is a pretty fun card to use. It costs 3GG, and you get two 2/2 green Wolf creature tokens, aside from ideally giving the enchanted creature at +2/+2. It might seem like too much, but it is easy to accumulate five mana using a green mana ramp deck. A 1/1 elf or something that produces mana can then be a 3/3 with two accompanying wolves, dealing three damage on that turn and ideally having the opponent lose seven life points during your next turn. In addition, having two Raised by Wolves in play would mean that the enchanted creatures gets +4/+4. Sweet.

Raised by Wolves (Image from LoadingReadyRun)

Finally, ChannelFireball posted Reap What is Sown, which is essentially the brother of Common Bond and is a counter version of Ravnica: The City of Guild's Seeds of Strength. It's an instant card that costs 1GW, which means that you could use it to power up your creatures to effectively block attackers. Moreover, it triggers the heroic ability of up to three creatures. It is a really good uncommon, and Born of the Gods seems to be full of them.

Reap What Is Sown (image from ChannelFireball)

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[BNG] KIORA'S FOLLOWER and PAIN SEER for Game Day + TROMOKRATIS for Launch/Release

It seems that inspired will be trying to make a serious impact on Standard play. In addition, Bob's long lost brother is tagging along. Both Kiora's Follower and Pain Seer will have full-art alternate artwork promo versions for Game Day which will be from March 1-2, 2014. For now, players are still doubtful to the actual impact of Pain Seer, since it either has to attack or has to be tapped by some spell or enchantment. Hopefully, some combo could be found in order to live up to its expectations. In addition, Kiora's Follower is one of the great Simic uncommons out there, enabling the untapping of your land, or a creature of yours to block an attacker, or even allow another tap ability to be used.

Kiora's Follower (image from WOTC)

Pain Seer (image from WOTC)

It seems that Born of the Gods spoilers through Twitter are going to be a thing now. Brain Trunk, a brand manager for Wizards of the Coast, just tweeted a spoiler. A legendary kraken, at that. Actually, it's a very decent card, so much so that it would be fun in EDH and would be a bomb in limited. Moreover, Tromokratis means "terrorist" in Greek. The artwork personally seems bad, though an 8/8 for 5UU which can have hexproof and has some sort of mass-provoke as it attacks is a sweet deal. In addition, it will have an alternate art version which will be useed as the Launch/Release promo card which is from February 7-9, 2014.

Tromokratis (image from MTGS)

Tromokratis Launch/Release Promo Version (image from WOTC)

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[BNG] Prerelease Promo Cards

Silent Sentinel, Arbiter of the Ideal, Eater of Hope, Forgestoker Dragon, and Nessian Wilds Ravager have been known for a bit while now, and the mothership has now officially unveiled their prerelease versions. I'm still not impressed at all at both the ability and the artwork for Silent Sentinel. Sure, riding some sort of flying chimera and being able to get back some enchanment cards into the battlefield might sound good, but they can also be done in better and cheaper ways. This cards needs a lot of support to see any serious play.

Silent Sentinel (image from WOTC)

Moving on, Arbiter of the Ideal is an interesting card. For me, it is normal to have a 4UU 4/5 flyer for blue, since it would certainly have some useful ability in the long run. Having an inspired mechanic and with the Theros block pushing the possibilities of tapping and untapping permanents, we could witness some experimental decks that would run this card. Remember, those that get to be put onto the battlefield by this sphinx also become enchantments.

Arbiter of the Ideal (image from WOTC)

While the name seems average, Eater of Hope has a really great artwork. It might suck for having only four toughness, but it has two abilities which make it either hard to kill or clear the battlefield of some enemy creatures, respectively. Look at that nice little flavor text too. The card also reminds me of Eater of Days simply because of the name.

Eater of Hope (image from WOTC)

The red one, Forgestoker Dragon, is a great card to have in limited. It can easily be the great red finisher of the deck, with its 5/4 power and toughness for a sensible 4RR, not to mention it can force the opponent to have no blockers at all. This means that the ability can be used so that not only the dragon will be unblocked, but also your other creatures in the battlefield.

Forgestoker Dragon (image from WOTC)

Finally, perhaps Timmy would be delighted to hear about Nessian Wilds Ravager. It's a possible for 12/12 for a mere 6 mana. This means that it can probably enter the play in the fourth turn or so, given that green decks specialize in mana acceleration. However, the downside is that if the opponent has no creatures, he/she can still choose to not pay the tribute, and the hydra will remain a 6/6 with no abilities and no creature to battle against as it comes onto the battlefield.

Nessian Wilds Ravager (image from WOTC)

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[BNG] Spoiler: Fanatic of Xenagos and Fated Intervention

Two cards have been found just recently, with one being in a French version and the other is supposedly in Japanese. Both of them seem to be part of a cycle. The first one, Fanatic of Xenagos, seems to be the green/red counterpart of the gree/blue Kiora's follower. So, expect three more "worshippers", one for each god in BNG, to complete the cycle. For now, Fanatic of Xenagos is the best tribute card out there right now. It could either be a 3/3 for 2RG with haste and trample and a temporary +1/+1 which is good for aggro, or it could be a 4/4 for 2RG with trample. A really good card to cascade to for casual play.

Fanatic of Xenagos (image from smfcorp)

The next card, which is Fated Intervention in English, is also part of a "fated cycle", with red having Fated Flames and white having Fated Retribution, which both deal with creatures and planeswalkers. I could see this getting some play, since surprise 3/3 centaur blockers can easily change the game. Moreover, it's really easy to mana ramp and bring out these guys, and it can have scry 2 if it was cast on your turn. It is a good defense against a mass removal.

Fated Intervention (image from MTGJP)

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[BNG] Spoiler: Fated Retribution and Kiora's Follower

According the moderator of MTGS, it is unofficially confirmed that a card named "Fated Retribution" will appear in Born of the Gods. It is apparently part of a cycle of "Fated X" cards which are all rare. We are already aware of Fated Flames for red, and Fated Retribution seems to be another card that deals not only with creatures but planeswalkers too. It actually seems okay for 4WWW, since it's an instant and provides a scry 2 if it was cast on your turn. It's always nice to see the reaction of an opponent who has just amassed an army and then watch them all die during his/her turn.

Viperesque:

Fated Retribution 
Instant (R)
Destroy all creatures and planeswalkers. If it's your turn, scry 2.

It seems that the the mothership is releasing Born of the Gods cards through different internet platforms. Aside from their website, a card has has been posted through the "Oracle of Theros" and this one, Kiora's Follower, was posted through the Twitter account of Magic: The Gathering. It seems like the BNG will be a set wherein players have the opportunity to find some sweet and sick combos related to tapping and untapping permanents. How "inspiring", right? Finally, look at the flavor text. Theros' gods story really is interesting.

Kiora's Follower (image from WOTC)

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[BNG] Spoiler: Mogis, God of Slaughter, Flame-Wreathed Phoenix, and Hero of Iroas

Since Ephara, God of the Polis was already officially unveiled yesterday, it only seems fitting that Mogis, God of Slaughter finally makes its entrance. I like this one more than Ephara simply because its ability which works very well for you without having to have a devotion of seven. At worst, he's an enchantment that either deals two damage to the opponent's life points, or it kills of one of his/her creatures. At best, he's an indestructible 7/5 god that still deals damage or gets rid of your creature's opponents. Note that even if your opponent has, say, a Thassa, God of the Sea in the battlefield, it would mean nothing if it was in creature mode and was the only creature the opponent has. If the opponent only has about four life points left with no saving grace to come around soon, it's pretty much a bid farewell for Thassa.

Mogis, God of Slaughter (image from WOTC)

Moving on, I am pretty disappointed with Flame-Wreathed Phoenix. I would have thought of it as a good card if it was an uncommon, or an average creature if it was rare, but making it a mythic rare simply isn't right. It's a mere 3/3 flyer with haste that has the standard recurring phoenix ability, or a 5/5 flyer for four mana. There are loads of other good red cards right now besides the Phoenix. It's simply not exciting.

Flame-Wreathed Phoenix (image from WOTC)

Finally, it seems that Hero of Iroas has just arrived in time to strengthen the white weenie, or mono-devotion. It could even herald a new Boros deck, come the arrival of the Red/White god. It's a 2/2 for 1W, and allows for cheaper aura spells. In addition, targeting it with a spell gives it +1/+1 counters. In an aggro build, that makes it a good pick in order to end the game quickly in one's favour.

Hero of Iroas (image from WOTC)

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[BNG] Spoiler: Epiphany Storm and Eater of Hope

Just eight hours ago, the Oracle of Theros posted four cards in their account. The first one, Ephiphany of Storm, might seem like a useless card at first, but once you realize that it triggers both heroic and inspired, then of course a world of possibilities appears unto itself. Aside from its wonderful artwork, it has an interesting discard/draw ability for a red card. Would it be useful to some black/red deck, or perhaps in some mono red deck?

Epiphany Storm (image from Oracle of Theros)

The second one, Eater of Hope, seems like a costly 6/4 flyer for 5BB, but it does have neat abilities which fit its color. Aside from making it hard to get rid of because of its regenerate ability, it can also destroy any creature by sacrificing two of your own. The flavor text provides some good thoughts to ponder with regards to the story too. Theros does not only have gods which are worshipped, but also demons and planeswalkers such as Kiora.

Eater of Hope (Image from Oracle of Theros)

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[BNG] Spoiler: Nessian Wilds Ravager and Forgestoker Dragon

The official English versions of the Spanish ones we've seen going around the internet has now been unveiled by the Oracle of Theros. The first one, Nessian Wilds Ravager, introduces us with the 'tribute' ability. While it seems pretty strong, it probably won't see some serious play soon. If it does become a 12/12, it does not have trample, which means it needs some aura or equipment of some sort to at least be a threat to opponent. If it does not have any form of evasion, it can simply be blocked by 1/1 tokens. Moreover, it the opponent does not have any creatures at all, he/she can still opt to not pay the tribute cost and keep the hydra a 6/6 for six.

Nessian Wilds Ravager (image from Oracle of Theros)

Moving on, Forgestoker Dragon is a pretty good card. If its ability could have been activated even if it is not attacking, then it would be a useful card in the late aggro game. Perhaps in the aggro versus aggro situation. While it is only a 5/4 flyer for six, its ability to kill off some tokens and prevent some creature bigger than it to block during that combat phase could help a lot. Let's see how it works out for this dragon.

Forgestoker Dragon (Image from Oracle of Theros)

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[BNG] Ashiok's Adept, Archetype of Imagination, and Ephara, God of the Polis

Aside from the three scry lands and other cards that have been spoiled today by the mothership, there are also Ashiok's Adept, Archetype of Imagination, and the first god to officially be spoiled: Ephara, God of the Polis. The first one, Ashiok's Adept, only costs 2B, though this comes with a weak 1/3 PT. However, its heroic ability is pretty nifty as it can make each opponent discard a card every time it becomes the target of a spell. Until more card are revealed that could support Ashiok's Adept, we still wouldn't know if it would actually see play beyond casual.

Ashiok's Adept (image from WOTC)

The next card, Archetype of Imagination, is part of a cycle of five cards, one for each color. They basically give your creatures an ability or upgrade of some sort, while providing a disadvantage for the creatures of your opponents. It is always nice to see that cards like this and Ashiok's Adept target all opponents. I don't see Archetype of Imagination as appearing in serious play simply because of its 3/2 PT for a card that costs six mana. There are just too many good blue cards right now to use something like that.

Archetype of Imagination (image from WOTC)

Finally, Ephara, God of the Polis, is officially the first God card to be revealed in Born of the Gods. Aside from the beautiful artwork, it has a pretty great PT for a 2WU cost. Moreover, while a devotion cost of seven might seem to high, which is actually five because Ephara already has WU in her mana cost, there are a number of creatures out there that can easily make her a creature. For example, Thistledown Liege already provides 3 devotion, aside from making Ephara into an 8/7 indestructible god. Let's see whether she sees some serious play or not and simply be discarded for Thassa, God of the Sea.

Ephara, God of the Polis (image from WOTC)

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[BNG] Nyxborn Shieldmate, Everflame Eidolon, and Skyreaping

The mothership has recently begun spoiling Born of the Gods card. Here, we have Nyxborn Shieldmate, Everrflame Eidolon, and Skyreaping. The first one, Nyxborn Shieldmate, seems like a really good common card. It has a 1/2 power and toughness, making it a great first-turn drop. Moreover, its bestow cost of 2W for providing another creature +1/+2 while turning into a 1/2 creature itself after is already a pretty sweet deal. It would be a good pick in Limited. Looks like White Weenie has new tricks up its sleeve.

Nyxborn Shieldmate (image from WOTC)

Moving on, I am not much impressed with Everflame Eidolon. It's an uncommon, unlike Nyxborn Shieldmate, and yet it is only a 1/1 for 1R. Moreover, while it can pump its power, it will still have a toughness of 1. Perhaps its best to use it as an enchant creature first. I am not that impressed with this card, especially with regards to its rarity.

Everflame Eidolon (image from WOTC)

Finally, I really like Skyreaping. If if were an instant, then I'd be sold. However, as it is, I am already set on getting four or more copies of this. This would be a good sideboard for my elf deck against pesky faerie decks. It seems to easy to kill of the faeries even if I only have a few elves in play once I cast Skyreaping. Moreover, its 1G cost is really awesome, in fact I would not mind if it was 2G just because of the promise it hold for my elf deck.

Skyreaping (image from WOTC)

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[BNG] Pharagax Giant, Pain Seer, and Oreskos Sun Guide

The official day of spoilers has started, and the mothership has introduced quite a load of card already. The first card, Pharagax Giant, introduces the "tribute" mechanic which allows an opponent to prevent one's creature from coming into the battlefield with a specific number of +1/+1 counters by having the creature deal some sort of damage or do an ability as it comes into the battlefield. For Pharagax Giant, I wouldn't mind making it a 5/5 instead of taking five damage myself since it does not have trample, haste, or first strike. I could simply block it with any creature I have.

Pharagax Giant (image from WOTC)

Moving on, Pain Seer is very reminiscent of Bob, also known as Dark Confidant. Bob has been a staple in Modern, and I've personally seen his price soar every since his debut in Ravnica: City of Guilds. Pain Seer has a greater toughness, bein a 2/2 for the same mana cost of 1B, however, the card drawing abilities do not happen as easily as in Bob's. Pain Seer either has to attack or should be targeted with a spell to tap it, in order for inspired to happen as it untaps and does the card-drawing-lose-life ability. We'll have to see how the players think of ways to perhaps abuse this one.

Pain Seer (image from WOTC)

Finally, Oreskos Sun Guide seems to be a welcome addition for white weenie decks that could be a mayhem in terms of providing massive life points. I think that we all remember the nightmare of Knight of Meadowgrain back in Kithkin days of Lorwyn. Aside from the spectacular artwork, Oreskos Sun Guide can easily be put in a multi-color deck because of its 1W mana cost. Perhaps it'd be great to use in an Orzhov or Selesnya deck. Just pump it with a spell or an aura spell, and go for the offensive while gaining life points later.

Oreskos Sun Guide (image from WOTC)

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[BNG] Temple of Malice, Temple of Enlightenment, Temple of Plenty, and Springleaf Drum

The mothership has officially confirmed that Springleaf Drum will make a comeback in Born of the Gods. This little common artifact helps not only produce mana, but mana of any color for multicolor decks. In addition, this would be a great pick in Limited, regardless of the colors one chooses to play it with. Moreover, the originally Lorwyn common will have a new, moody artwork, compared to the colorful and lively Lorwyn version.

Springleaf Drum (image from WOTC)

In addition, it's pretty sure now that there would only be three rare scry lands in Born of the Gods. Temple of Malice would provide a scry land for Black/Red. I'm pretty excited to see how two-color devotions will work out in Standard. Mono-blue and mono-black devotion has dominated the current Standard. Moving on, Temple of Enlightenment will give Azorius fans a scry land. Will the great W/U return to make a beating out of other decks? Finally, Temple of Plenty is for the Selesnya G/W fans. G/W has been one of those hard-to-beat aggro decks ever since I could remember in Ravnica: City of Guilds. They can have early-turn creatures that have tough defenses and great abilities, all the while having spells that could reinforce them and prepare for the offensive. Also, back in the days, Loxodon Hierarch and Glare of Subdual meant that it could also control the game by controlling the field.

Temple of Malice (image from WOTC)

Temple of Enlightenment  (image from WOTC)

Temple of Plenty (image from WOTC)

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