The Return of Exalted

So the July release of M13 is still a little over a month away and spoilers are still further down the road but we do know one thing: exalted is coming back. I absolutely loved all of Alara’s mechanics so i am stoked to hear it is coming back. Again not a whole lot is known about the core-set at this point still. We know the buy a box promo is a card called Cathedral of War and there is a picture of a gorgon floating around from a future set that might show up and there is a rumor we will see the reprint of Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker. Again out of all of this all we know for sure is that exalted is coming back.

So what are you guys hopes from the core-sets? Are you stoked for exalted or dreading it’s return? What do you think about the rumors flying around about Bolas and that gorgon? Are your finger’s crossed that we have seen the last of titans for some time? Let us know in the comments below or email us at powercords@gmail.com!

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Return to Ravnica Speculations

While the dust might still be settling from the release events of Avacyn Restored as well as from the AVR Pro-Tour in Barcelona this past weekend but we can’t deny the exciting announcement of Return to Ravnica sitting on the horizon.

At this point in time little is known about RTR yet since it is still two sets away with the summer release of 2013 sitting between us and our return to the cityscape of Ravnica but we have plenty to speculate about at this point. First off we have been teased with an image of two of your favorite characters in the Magic universe who are going to be making an appearance in the block.

Jace Beleren and Niv-Mizzet

Jace and Niv-Mizzet, blue should be excited.

Lets start with talking about the Izzet dragon. So last time we saw him he was a legendary creature so I doubt we will see him return as such. There has never been a remade legend with different text that is more or less the same dude (we see remakes of characters after something has changed, ex. Glissa Sunseeker vs Glissa, the Traitor or Sygg, River Guide vs Sygg River Cutthroat)  and I strongly doubt we would be looking at a straight up reprint of Niv which leads us to one logical conclusion: planeswalker. There is a chance I am terribly wrong and we are just going to looking at some cool new legendary creature but I know I am not alone in hoping for a Niv planeswalker. While not being a planeswalker he has seemed to have vanished from the plane of Ravnica pointing to planeswalking as the only explanation. This wouldn’t be the first time we see a legendary creature make the jump to planeswalker. Look at Venser, Karn, or Nicol Bolas, the latter being a perfect example of why Niv-Mizzet might be becoming a planeswalker. The main argument against that is that he doesn’t have the ability to planeswalk but I feel that the arguments for him being a planeswalker are much stronger. Niv being incredibly intelligent perhaps discovered a way to artificially planeswalk and this discovery is the big crisis plaguing the set. Or perhaps this is where his relationship with Jace takes place. Maybe Jace has found a way to planeswalk with others, bring Niv with him.

So what exactly is Jace’s role on Ravnica? Is he here because of Niv-Mizzet or does he have some other motivation for being here? So if Jace is showing up it would be a safe assumption that he would show up as a planeswalker. If so this would be the fourth variant of Jace we would be getting which feels a little boring for R&D to be making so perhaps we will be looking at something like a duo planeswalker thing going on between Jace and Niv? One way or another I get the feeling R&D is going to doing something new and spicy for the return to the plane.

Since the release of the Ravnica block two major things have happened to Magic: the release of mythic rares and the release of planeswalkers.  Many people are hoping that with RTR we will be seeing a cycle of dual-colored planeswalkers, one for each guild but chances are this won’t happen regardless of how badly we all want it to. Wizards really wants to keep planeswalkers special and exciting and to do this they have to keep them rare. Since the release of planeswalkers, a given block sees about 5 or 6 planeswalkers. If they were to go ahead with the cycle we would be looking at a jump to 10 planeswalkers spread out over a block with 3 or 4 per set. Maybe this number is low enough to preserve the special-ness of planeswalkers but there is a good chance R&D will deem it too high. Than again there are always first times for everything and this might be the perfect environment to try it out and would an amazing way to show off the flavor of each guild. With the planeswalkers that have been shown off in Duels of the Planeswalkers one can only hope that we will be seeing not only their debut on real cards but accompanied by one for every guild. One way or another I am sure we are going to be looking at some pretty epic mythics representing each guild as well as some gnarly legendary creatures to accompany them.

Speaking of dual colored cycles, the Ravnica blocks most famous cycle was its dual colored lands. The Ravnica shock lands are perhaps some of the best lands ever printed so it leaves its return a large responsibility to uphold. I doubt we will be seeing a straight up reprint of the dual lands because powerful cards such as these don’t usually get reprinted and if they were, their only real effect would be on such a small scale. I feel like R&D will take this opportunity to come up with some kind of crazy new land but what exactly I am not sure. Mark Rosewater, MTG’s head designer has mentioned that we should look to the Innistrad’s cycle of enemy colored lands for insight into the next blocks mana-base but I don’t know what to make of that. That hint suggests we will be seeing the allied colored M10 lands being reprinted here which I feel is very unlikely due to them having become a core-set staple and being pretty boring for an opportunity to something so exciting. Additionally, Ravnica’s basic lands are widely regarded as some of coolest and best looking basic lands made to date. Wizards of the Coast is quite aware of this fact so fingers are crossed they do homage to the original beauties by perhaps going as far as making new full-art lands similarly to Zenidkar’s? I realize this is very doubtful but it can’t hurt to hope!

All of the basic lands depicted beautifully the city covered plane

So lastly, the block needs an instigator or a antagonist. With the return to the Mirrodin we saw things get mixed up a bit with the return of the Phyrexians and their invasion of the plane. With Return to Ravnica to keep things exciting we need something new going on on the plane. With Guildpact we were given the Nephilim as the bad guy wreaking havoc on the plane and would love to see them return to Ravnica as well. But I feel like they aren’t necessarily new enough to be the main threat. Something to consider which is admittedly highly unlikely is something Eldrazi related. This seems incredibly unlikely since it has been such a short time since we last saw them but there a couple things that suggest it is a possibility. The last time we saw Jace outside of a core-set was in the Zendikar block doing battle with the Eldrazi and now we see him again. On top of that I have always found several connections between the Eldrazi and Nephilim. Both are powerful creatures that are awoken and start destroying their respective plane. Their behavior as well as appearances’ seem somewhat reminiscent of the Eldrazi. On top of that both have special relationships with the color pie, the Eldrazi being completely void of it and the Nephilim being all over it. To be completely honest I really doubt we will be seeing them show up in the block but theres no harm in speculating.

So all in all Return to Ravnica is a set that I am really looking forward to. I absolutely loved the Ravnica block, gameplay and flavor-wise and cant wait to see what happens. Ravnica is all about color combinations and multi-colored cards and god knows I love me my multi-colored cards. You can be sure to expect some multicolored goodness coming up here as well as some game changing cards and some rule breaking on R&D’s behalf.

So what do you think is going to happen with RTR? Are we going to be seeing a new Jace? How about a cycle of planeswalkers? Will Niv be a planeswalker or will Ral Zarek fill the Izzet planeswalker slot? Maybe Jace will be part of the multicolored planeswalker cycle and if so what color combo would he be? What do you think the lands will look like? What do you think is going to be going on on the plane and is there going to be some new bad guy out there? Leave all of your thoughts and speculations in the comments below or let us know at askpowercords@gmail.com!

So this might be a little over-powered but imagine how awesome a planeswalker like this would be! Now imagine 9 more!

First AVR Planeswalker Revealed: Tamiyo

The first of two Avacyn Restored planeswalkers was revealed today and it really shows off the similarities between the Innistrad block and the Kamigawa block with the fact that the planeswalker is indeed a moonfolk.

As many of noticed the last mono-blue planeswalker outside of a core set was Jace, the Mind Sculptor and while not nearly as game changing, Tamiyo, the Moon Sage is sure to do some work. Right off the bat it should be noted that Tamiyo is able to protect herself once hitting the field, passing the planeswalker test and the fact that it’s her +1 is pretty sweet too. While she might be a five drop which isn’t nearly as fantastic as a 4 or 3 drop she does enter the battlefield with 4 loyalty keeping her safe from Incinerates and un-metal crafted Galvanic Blasts. While not as fast as Jace she does do several really important things very well. Being able to lock down the board with her +1 is awesome and depending on the board you can draw a handful of cards. While her +1 might not be great against aggro or faster creature based decks you can just throw her down, draw 3 or 4 cards and still have her on the field which for five mana is a pretty sweet deal. While her first 2 abilities are powerful her ultimate is pretty amazing as well. Tamiyo is the perfect planeswalker for a control deck and her ultimate reflects that. Imagine it being late game and just getting her ultimate off and being able to counter everything your opponent throws out there with one Dissipate or killing every creature they have with one Go for the Throat. Everyone of your cards gets so much value. Blue is an incredibly powerful color and Tamiyo is the perfect representation of the color. She is going to be an all-star in most control decks and could even show up as a finisher in decks simply running blue. I doubt she will show up to much outside of Standard though, perhaps occasionally in Modern. All in all she is a great card and I am looking forward to seeing her in action.

Moving onto to other notable blue cards that have been revealed leads me to Arcane Melee. While this probably won’t see too much play due to the simple fact that paying the 5 mana probably isn’t worth the benefit but I am sure that there could be some sweet combos and plays revolving around this at one point or another. Keep an eye on this bad boy.

Tandem Lookout is another blue card which could end up being pretty powerful. This is the first Soulbond creature that has really caught my eye. I could see him ending up in blue aggro decks paired with Delvers, Invisible Stalkers or other flyers serving as that card advantage engine blue aggro decks are always looking for.

The last blue card I want to talk about is actually part of a cycle of multicolored angels including the previously announced Sigarda. The angel I am referring to is the aura oriented Bruna, Light of Alabaster. While Bruna is indeed powerful she feels very comparable to Sovereigns of Lost of Alara but slower and in a Standard environment lacking super powerful auras to abuse. In Type 2 right now at least the only auras worth utilizing are Angelic Destiny and perhaps Call to Kindred (If you are going with an angel tribal theme kind of deal). While she might definitely become more powerful as the rest of the set is revealed or with the release of M13 and the next Ravnica oriented block which is bound to have some enchantments but for right now she is kind of lack luster. She might show up in a couple Modern Bant decks as a back up if there Sovereigns fails but I really doubt she will see too much play at the moment at least outside of EDH where she could make for a pretty freaking sweet general.

Gisela, Blade of Goldnight is the last angel in this multicolored angel cycle, unless they of course have a BW one up their sleeve (I assume not because one of themes of this set is everybody versus black so having more BW cards doesn’t make a ton of sense flavor wise). Gisela is probably my favorite out of three so far simply because she is awesome. While she doesn’t have that untouchable style that Sigarda has she definitely is going to be trickier to kill than Bruna. One of the major downsides of Bruna or even Avacyn is that they don’t do anything once hitting the board and this is where Gisela really shines. Playing those other angels probably won’t let you win the turn they come into play but with Gisela coming into play she could really give you that edge you need. She might see some play in Solar Flare but she is definitely going to be showing up in Frites and perhaps even in ramp decks. Imagine playing one of those latter two decks and having an Inferno Titan in play and then reanimating a Gisela. Your Titan attacks right off the bat hitting your opponent for 6 or wiping out all of their tokens or simply killing an opposing titan and then having the actual titan hit your opponent for 12 before pumps. Not only does she make killing your opponent that much easier but it makes killing you and your team that much harder as well. While she not have the protection Sigarda has, she will most definitely be worth it. She will definitely be seeing play in Standard and possibly in Modern (probably not too much). And of course like all of the other legendary creatures revealed so far she is going to rock in Commander.

Now if you are looking for a card that is hands down going to be showing up in Legacy and Modern as well as Standard look no further because Vexing Devil is your man. Holy shit this card rocks. So worst case scenario you pay the 1 mana for him and your opponent pays the 4 life to kill him. So worst case scenario you are hitting your opponent for 4 life for one mana on turn one. Best case scenario you have a 4/3 turn one. Either way works for me! This is a card that is going to be a 4 of in all top-tier RDWs in all formats for some time to come. He feels like a Keldon Marauders on super soldier serum. While he is obviously going to be a mono red all-star he is definitely powerful enough to make it into UR Delver lists, RG Aggro decks and could very well show up in the Wolf Run decks. Probably Boros too. Really any fast deck using red. In all honesty this card would be ridiculously powerful for 2 mana but instead he is 1. Definitely going to be one of the most powerful cards in the set.

Translation:
Enchantment
At the beginning of your upkeep, reveal the top card of your library. If it's a creature card that shares a creature type with a creature you control, you can cast this card without paying its mana cost. Otherwise, put it at the bottom of your library.

This is another card I am excited about and definitely see it being abused in Modern. Descendants’ Path is a great card just waiting to be abused in some tribal deck and with all of the angels showing up in this set. I think we might all know what are creature type is most likely to be abused here is. They have already announced one (arguably two) 3 drop angels and if any more show up expect to see some legendary angels flying onto the board turn 4 or 5 to accompany their smaller brethren. While angels are the creature type screaming to be cheated in we cant forget that WG Humans is a pretty powerful deck and this is only going to make it more so. While its going to be decent in Standard I am really excited to see the Eldrazi shenanigans with this bad boy in Modern. I can picture UG decks running Nest Invaders (which are also technically Eldrazi), Mutavaults and other Shapeshifters to cheat into play all of those giant Eldrazi we have learned to fear by now.

One last card worth mentioning is the newly announced demon, Harvester of Souls. Harvester is pretty powerful card in the right environment and I think he could be an invaluable source of card advantage in Junk Pod decks and even some zombie builds with the self-sacrificing sub-theme present in Mortar Pods and Fume Spitters.

All in all Avacyn Restored is shaping up to be one of the coolest and most game changing sets we have seen in quite a while. I really feel like the design team wanted to spice things up a bit and with the cards revealed so far it is safe to say they have. It is getting me incredibly excited for the titans to rotate out of standard because this set has really released so many awesome and unique finishers to replace them. For a complete list of the spoiled cards check out MTG Salvation!

One last thing I want to address is that I completely undervalued miracle. Holy crap is Temporal Mastery powerful. Especially in Legacy where you are able to put cards from your hand back on top of your deck. I could see TM or maybe even Brainstorm getting axed in the format simply because the combination of the two is going to be so incredibly powerful. Literally everyone is going to run blue. It is going to be stupid not to. For all of your AVR news tune in to Power Cords!

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