I would like to welcome everyone back to Ideas Unbound. First of all, let me apologize for the long delay since my last content. I have been busy with work and life, and haven’t had a lot of time for Magic lately, but I’m planning on changing that and getting back to a regular content cycle. Hopefully, this will also encourage my fellow Arena writers to get back to it as well.

Magic 2014

A new core set is just around the corner and we will again reach the point in Standard with the most cards legal at one time. Let’s take a look at some of the cards that have been spoiled for Magic 2014.

Fiendslayer Paladin

A lot of people are going to compare this card to Paladin en-Vec. They are very similar in nature, but each has their advantages. While Fiendslayer does get the same protection from cards like Doom Blade and Pillar of Flames, it does not get to attack unblocked through a horde of Zombies or block forever against big creatures. However, the lifelink on Fiendslayer is big game. This card is going to be very good against the red based aggro decks out there. I think we will see Ghor-Clan Rampager as the go to answer for this guy in R/G aggro since he is not protected from combat damage. Remember that he is also not protected from Olivia either.

I don’t yet know where this guy will fit best. I think a lot of people are going to try him in Bant Hexblade, but after thinking about it, I’m not sure this guy is a good fit for the deck. The 3-cost slot for that deck is already filled with Geist of St. Traft and Silverblade Paladin and even Ajani in some versions. And while this guy is protected from the black and red targeted spells, he is not protected from things like Fiend Hunter and Oblivion Ring like the true hexproof creatures are.

I think this guy will fit better in a GW aggro/midrange shell, replacing things like Loxodon Smiter and Centar Healer. Being a human is very good in a world with Cavern of Souls and Mayor of Avabruck, so we might see a return to GW or Naya humans. And I don’t even want to think about this guy with an active Gavony Township behind him.

Young Pyromancer

At first glance, I like this card a lot. A 2/1 for 1R is on par for red. The ability just seems insane though. Every time you case a burn spell you get a creature, too. It allows a red aggro deck to play a little more spell heavy. And if you have more than one in play, it gets insane. Playing one of these on turn 2 and then another one on turn 3 followed by a Pillar of Flame and you get two elementals as well.

This card might be what's needed to give Delver a second chance in Standard. Both creatures want you to play a high spell count. With the addition of Shock and possibly Flames of the Firebrand, there will be quite a few burn spells to help clear the path for your creatures. I'm quite certain this card will see play in Standard. I just don't konw where.

Garruk, Caller of Beasts

So a new Garruk comes to join the party. I on the fence with this guy right now. I don’t flat out hate him, but I’m not sure if he’s good. His +1 is probably gonna be Draw 2 on average. And you know that those two cards will be creatures. I can definitely see Jund being okay with drawing two creatures against the control decks in the field. It allows them to keep up in the late game. And if Garruk survives a turn and gets to do it again, it might be hard for the opponent to keep up with your torrent of Thragtusks.

At this point, there are not a lot of great options for the -3 ability. Craterhoof seems to be the obvious choice. It might be possible to build a mono green ramp deck that has the potential of powering out lots of guys and a crashing through on the back of Hoof. If we want to go as big as possible, there is always Worldspine Wurm. This is probably over the top and completely unreasonable, but imagine your opponent’s face on this series of plays.

Turn 1: Elvish Mystic
Turn 2: Elvish Archdruid
Turn 3: Garruk -> Worldspine Wurm

Sure, we are talking about Magical Christmasland here, but it would still be fun.

Slivers

Ah yes, the return of Slivers. First of all, let me just say that I'm not opposed to the changes that were made to Slivers. I understand the reason the changes were made. In the long run, it will lead to much better gameplay, I feel.

As for the creatures themselves, I'm sure Sliver decks are going to be tried. We don't know all of the Slivers available yet, but alot of the ones we have seen have potential. I'm pretty sure most Sliver decks are going to start with Predatory Sliver. Muscle Sliver was always a favorite in old Sliver decks. Predatory Sliver will make sure your guys are big enough to deal with opposing armies.

Striking Sliver and Galerider Sliver both seem like excellent one drops. They both have very relevant abilities that will allow your Slivers to dominate combat. Syphon Sliver also seems very good, allowing you to be aggressive without having to worry about counterattacks. I'm hesitant to say what colors a Sliver deck should be right now, since we do not know them all. Its possible that as long as Cavern of Souls is in the format, 5-Color slivers may be the best option. Turn 1 Cavern naming Slivers means you can probably cast every creature in your deck. It will be a question of how many non-Sliver spells are in your deck and how many Caverns you can afford to run. One thing I do know is that between Predatory Sliver and Manaweft Sliver, non-green Sliver decks are almost certainly wrong.

GP Miami

I just wanted to touch base on the results out of the Standard GP in Miami this weekend. First of all, big congratulations go out to Reid Duke for winning his second GP. If you get the chance to watch this man play Magic, do so. You are guaranteed to learn something. I strongly recommend watching the two matches between him and Brad Nelson at this event.

As far as the top 8, I am very excited to see 7 different archetypes in the Top 8. We have a very diverse standard format right now that really rewards tight play and proper deck construction. I’m not surprised to see Jund taking the top spot, especially with it being piloted by Reid Duke. Jund is a deck that just plays good cards, and it plays them well. Every card you draw has the potential to impact the board in big ways.

I think my favorite deck in the Top 8 though was Junk Aristocrats. I have been a big fan of this deck since its debut. Unlike Jund, which is a deck full of powerful cards, this deck is more of a well-oiled machine. The amount of synergy between the cards in this deck is insane. It’s hard to find two cards in the deck that don’t work together in some way. And, of course, I am happy to see the inclusion of Obzedat. He is, by far, one of my favorite creatures in Standard right now.


Ok, that’s going to wrap things up for me this week. As I said, I hope to get back into a regular content schedule now. I’m also looking at some possible video content for the site as well. As always, feel free to leave questions and comments.

-Eddie Walker