[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] Hero Cards: Provider, Warmonger. Vanquisher, Explorer, General, Savant, and Tyrant

The mothership has officially revealed all the hero cards for the prerelease, launch weekend, and Game Day of Born of the Gods. The hero card for red's Destined to Conquer will be The Warmonger, which, like The General, gives a power-up to your creatures. Instead of +1/+1, it gives +2/+0 which makes it ideal for the offensive, not to mention giving haste to all creatures. The Provider, on the other hand, is the hero card for green's Destined to Thrive. It does fit the name because although it won't affect all of your creatures, it provides one of your creatures with two +1/+1 counters, making it tougher to kill, and giving you life points equal to its toughness. The Born of the Gods prerelease tournaments will be from February 1-2, 2014.

The Provider (image from WOTC)

The Warmonger (image from WOTC)

The Hero Cards for Born of the Gods have been released. For those who are not yet acquainted with them, they are basically cards which you are allowed to use with a special deck for certain events, or of course, in casual play. Just like in Theros, there will be one Hero card for each color in Magic. Presumably, we would get another five Hero Cards as we face Xenagos in Journey into Nyx. The first one, The Vanquisher, is the one you receive during Game Day, which is why the card has the number 6 in it.

Image from MTGS

The second one, The Explorer, which lets you play an additional land, is for the BNG Release weekend. Moreover, there are nine quests or challenges which will allow you to collect all of the Hero Cards. This means that you have to go to these events if you want to have them. The number in the middle, which is 6 for The Vanquisher and 5 for The Explorer, essentially mean that they are for the 5th and 6th challenges, respectively. The 5 is what you get during the Release weekend. The Launch Weekend is from February 7-9, 2014. The number 6 is for Game Day, which will be from March 1-2, 2014.

The Explorer (image from WOTC)

The last three - The General, The Savant, and The Tyrant - are three of the five hero cards that you can acquire during the Prerelease weekend. The General is the Hero Card you get for playing white, which is Destined to Lead. It is fitting because generals seem to relate with the soldiers, knights, and weenies of White, not to mention that The General can power them up. The Savant is the blue Hero Card for Destined to Outwit, and the ability of it to tap all of the creature's opponents is something out of, say, Hidden Strings, for example. Moreover, the word 'savant' itself means being an intellectual or a scientist, which basically makes it fitting for blue. Finally, The Tyrant at first might seem to be for red because of, well, Dragon Tyrant from Scourge, but a closer look at the ability is essentially more reminiscent of the black Infest and Festering Goblin. The Tyrant will be the Hero Card for black's Destined to Dominate.

The General (image from WOTC)

The Savant (image from WOTC)

The Tyrant (image from WOTC)

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[BNG] Prerelease Promo Cards + FATED FLAMES as the Buy-A-Box Promo Card

Someone just found a Born of the Gods prerelease poster that had the five prerelease promo cards in it. Despite being in Spanish, the translation shouldn't be a problem for long. We are all excited to see them so that we can make a wise choice with the color to pick during the tournament. For now, I like Wild Devastating Nessian the most simply because of its brute force and because it can potentially see a little bit of serious play. If the opponent doesn't make it a 12/12, he/she will risk having the hydra attack and perhaps kill a precious creature of his own. Firestir Dragon is also good for limited as it is a big flyer that can kill creatures while making sure that it damages the player.

Aside from them, Mediator of the Ideal seems okay, though of course it has to attack or be tapped in order to use the ability. Perhaps a combo of some sort can be used to tap the Sphinx and enable the ability without having attack with it. Silent Sentinel would be decent if there's a really good enchantment card in the graveyard. And finally, I think Devourer of Hope is the weakest in the bunch simply because of the high mana cost for a 6/4 flyer, and an ability that would be like a 2-for-1. Though of course the cards in use and the players who use them can change my mind.

Good news! Or at least, almost goods news until WOTC confirms it. The Buy-A-Box promo card for Born of the Gods is Fated Conflagration. It could also just be called Nefarious Burn since the card shown is not in English, but it's 100% sure now that it's really called Fated Conflagration. For now, what do you think? The card is basically a red instant card that costs 1 colorless mana and three red mana. In addition, it deals 4 damage to target creature or planeswalker. Finally, if it is your turn, you get to Scry 2.

Image from MTGS

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STOCKING TIGER - 2013 Holiday Promo Card + Temple of Enlightenment, of Malice, and of Plenty

The Mothership has officially began the Holidays with their 2013 Holiday Promo Card: STOCKING TIGER. While it is indeed a fun card, it doesn't seem playable at all if you don't have any booster packs. But if you do have any, it'd be awesome. In addition, A CAT CONSTRUCT! They have finally arrived.

The artwork was done by Terese Neilsen and here is the full version:

According to user Ceth from MTGS, the remaining two scry dual lands sporting the Azorius and Selesnya colors are included in Born of the Gods (BNG). The Azorius scry land's art shows merchants preparing for trade, while the Selesnya scry land's art has some grass and animal on it.

In addition, Ceth also stated that there were multicolored creatures in the expansion and that there were cards in BNG that are supposed to affect or even make Modern even better with two unmentioned specific tribal creatures being pinpointed out.

The mothership just released the traditional Oracle of Salvation for Born of the Gods, and the guys at MTGS are at it to look at some possible cards.

It seems obvious that dual-color lands will be in the set, and three "temples" have been supposedly identified so far:

Temple of Enlightenment
Land
Rare
Temple of Enlightenment enters the battlefield tapped. When Temple of Enlightenment enters the battlefield, scry 1.
Tap: Add W or U to your mana pool.

Temple of Malice
Land
Rare
Temple of Malice enters the battlefield tapped. When Temple of Malice enters the battlefield, scry 1.
Tap: Add B or R to your mana pool.

Temple of Plenty
Land
Rare
Temple of Plenty enters the battlefield tapped. When Temple of Plenty enters the battlefield, scry 1.
Tap: Add G or W to your mana pool.

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BNG, JIN Preview - Heroic Path + XENAGOS GOD ART + ELVISH MYSTIC as Februrary 2014 FNM Promo

While we are all aware of Xenagos, the Reveler (which I actually like since not only is he a slightly affordable planeswalker, but it reminds me about the good ol' days of beast decks in the Onslaught block) as a planeswalker, the mothership has also revealed new artworks for him. This also serves as a sneak peek of what the remaining two sets, Born of the Gods and Journey into Nyx, of the Theros Block has in store for us. And yes, his GOD VERSION. Not only is he looking like being born from a mountain, you can also clearly see that he's in battle against Ajani and Elspeth. What is Ajani doing there? We'll find out soon enough.

Xenagos God Art (Born of the Gods)

Xenagos God Art (Journey into Nyx)

A planeswalker turned god? Yes? No?
It's that time of the Theros block again wherein players going to the prerelease tournaments must choose their heroic path based on their favourite mana colour.

For Born of the Gods, each color represents:
WHITE - Destined to Lead
BLUE - Destined to Outwit
BLACK - Destined to Dominate
RED - Destined to Conquer
GREEN - Destined to Thrive

And, according to MTG Realm, each "seeded" PR pack will have the following:
- 1 Seeder booster pack
- The (traditional) Premium Foil PR Promo Card
- 1 Activity Card
- 1 Spindown Life Counter
- 1 Welcome Letter
- 1 Hero Card
- 2 Born of the Gods Booster Packs
- 3 Theros Booster Packs



Coming in from the mothership, it looks like the good ol' elves are at it again to get the spotlight as the FNM prize for February next year. Elvish Mystic is of course the long-lost twin brother of Llanowar Elves. So what do you guys think of the art? I actually like the both of them. The FNM version seems like the more "mana-giving" between them though, and he really looks like a 1/1. I can imagine the original version's illustration as a 2/1 or even a 2/2. Anyway, here is the full illustration of the FNM version of Elvish Mystic by Winona Nelson:



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BNG: Game Day Challenge "BATTLE THE HORDE" + Foil Promo KARAMETRA'S ACOLYTE + WARLEADER'S HELIX as January 2014 FNM Promo

According to the mothership, the sixth challenge on the Hero's Path is to "BATTLE THE HORDE". Who didn't enjoy that hydra challenge for the Theros Game Day? The Born of the Gods Game Day will be next year from March 1-2. So get yourself (and your money) ready to fight the horde! Also, we hope that you will have fun with the hero cards you will be getting.

Ready to purchase this year's Holiday Gift Box? Worry not, since this sweet foil is enough to be the reason for you buying it. The art definitely does not disappoint compared to the original version. I could see this card in mana ramp, though it won't go well with an Elfball deck because it is a human druid, In addition, if you've ever wondered what exactly an acolyte is in the real world, here's a summary:

"In many Christian denominations, an acolyte is anyone who performs ceremonial duties such as lighting altar candles. In others, the term is used for one who has been inducted into a particular liturgical ministry, even when not performing those duties.

The word acolyte is derived from the Greek word ἀκόλουθος (akolouthos), meaning an attendant, via Late Latin acolythus." (source)

Fans of Lightning Helix and its big brother will love the foil promo card for January 2014. Would you just look at those platinum/steel armor plating? And those dark angel wings? And with Ravnica as the background, it'd be nice to have it on your binder. Remember, Boros Deck Wins is always a good aggro deck to play in whatever format, well, perhaps not for Legacy.



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M14 Ultra Pro Playmats - Scourge of Valkas, Thorncaster Sliver, and a Paladin + EXPERIMENT ONE as FNM Promo for September

From slivers to dragons to paladins, M14 has got them all! Check out these awesome Ultra Pro playmats.
Personally, I like the one with the redhead angel. Anyway, the M14 full spoiler is about to be unveiled on the mothership soon! Check out what WOTC will offer to the players, old and new. There's always time to play Magic: The Gathering. It seems that old creature types will finally get some serious attention.

Does it look human? Sure, it definitely looks like an ooze but it's sort of like a merman ooze. Or whatever. Still, a pretty decent card September's FNM. Evolution, baby! Charles Darwin, yeah! Also, the Simic guild seems to be active once again with its experimentation and mutations, giving out more brute force and versatility for the guild.




source: MTGS

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Magic 2014 [M14] Duels of the Planeswalkers [D14] Promo Booster Packs for Android, Steam, and iPad Platforms (Scavenging Ooze)

For all those acquiring M14 - Duels of the Planeswalkers, you will all be getting a promotional booster pack, all of them to include the M14 version of Scavenging Ooze! Wizards of the Coast has been giving a rabid marketing campaign, including for those willing to play DOTP in their PS3 and Xbox360. Now, even Apple and Android users can have fun with planeswalkers. In addition, there will also be a Steam version for those who worship Gaben. This is probably the best promo card for DOTP 2014, compared to the sliver and the ogre for the Xbox and PlayStation platforms. 

The art for Scavenging Ooze actually reminds me of slivers. Anyway, we'll have to wait and see what the next Duels of the Planeswalkers has in store for those wanting more of these kind of promos. The sad thing about this, though, is that not all countries would have them. Personally, I feel that those in Asia and Africa are left out, which seems weird because of the growing MTG communities there. Perhaps a look beyond the big markets such as the United States, Europe, and Japan would provide others a chance to have these.

source: The Mothership

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