Monday Night Magic #153 – Galapagos Giveaways! | MTGCast

Filip on May 4, 2009

My favorite ARB card is certainly Thraximundar

my friend and I were doing a team draft, and he goes Grixis, opening the assassin 3rd pack.
knowing how badass it is, every time he would play it, he windmill slams it down on the table and yells in a really loudly, roars in fact, “THRAXIMUNDAR!!!” continually waving his hand up and down above it before swinging and making odd/ somewhat immature exploding noises to go along with the hasty game altering beat-sticky power of the card

and just to our luck, in the final game that night, he needs to draw one card to win the game, and low and behold, whats on top…?
“THRAXIMUNDAR!!!”
just having won the draft for us like that with sheer awesomeness makes it my favorite card
just so cool!

ellibelli on May 5, 2009

My favorite card (from the looks of it) is Maelstrom nexus, just for the random things that would ensue. That and double negative for a cool name and how its hard for it would be hard to cascade onto.

TheCassiusKid on May 5, 2009

“It provides what every discerning mage needs – time to think.”

My choice is Wall of Denial… but wait, hear me out!

I personally have not yet cast wall of denial, but I have played against it. True, it was preventing me from getting in any damage to my opponent, but anytime I swung into it with lifelink, my creatures simply read, tap: gain 5-7 life. The first game I encountered this phenomenon I was able to squeak by my little creatures, while he busied his wall with my 5/4 first strike lifelink. (Bonus points for those of you who know what this guy is!) At the end of the game I won with over 40 life. The second time this happened was my favorite win of all time. The game was dragging out. I had a vigilance with lifelink out. He, his Wall of Denial. My life total broke 50, he had a handful of cards left in his library. He landcycles. Goes through his cards once, looks over all of his cards in play. He then looks through his library again, and back to the board. Starts counting on his fingers, then he shows them all upright, and simply says, ” I can’t deal enough damage before I deck.”

Who would have thought such a pain in the ass card could win me the game twice!?

Mellowcow on May 5, 2009

Would you not run duals because there’s Wasteland, Price of Progress, and Back to Basics in the format? Never!

Ravarshi on May 5, 2009

My favorite ARB Card has Got to be Lorescale Coatl, because it’s flavorful as a wise snake, and i’ve already got a playset built into my Graft! Theme Deck, that abuses Graft Tokens and +1/+1 (which Coatl just so happens to give me, Thanks to Simic Guildmage to Shift em around for Extra-Grafts. And so i can Steal Creatures with My Cytoplast Manipulator.

Lorescale Coatl. Godly. Totally, I also Love Anathemancer, in block it’s usually 3 damage turn 3, and 8 damage late game… (i pulled it off earlier, it caused the finishing blow)

Philippe on May 5, 2009

Slave of Bolas, beautiful art, awesome flavor text, perfect color combination, not overpowered, smooth, and a potential game winner!! Best part is, it’s an uncommon!!!

Robert Lancaster on May 5, 2009

My favorite Alara Reborn card would have to be Mage Slayer. A strange choice you might say, but after the heroics it allowed me to pull off at the release event on Sunday past, it just has to be the Mage Slayer.

Game 2 against the top local player, I am 1-0 up. The game has been a real ding-dong affair. I had the early game sewn up with the Jund haste creatures. My opponent fought back using Thopter tokens (of all things). I kept cycling in the hope of pulling off a miracle. There are four cards left in my library. I draw the Enlisted Wurm off the top. I have a MASSIVE Lord of Extinction and some other flyers and Topan Ascetic all with four plus power (thanks to the tokens from the new cycler). My opponent is sitting on 4 life and I can see that I am going down next turn.

This is turn 3 of the 5 after time has been called. I play the Enlisted Wurm and cascade out the Mage Slayer. Game over!!!

Nothing my opponent could do. Equipping any of my creatures and attacking would spell the end of the game.

Mage Slayer … you ROCK!!!

Mitja on May 5, 2009

I haven’t had a chance to go to a Prerelease event for AR, so this is all just theory backed by some playtesting with proxies.

My favourite card from Alara Reborn is quite hard to pick, but I’m currently leaning towards Anathemancer. I think it’s a very well designed card that punishes all the people playing the dozens of non-basics in their decks just because they can. It’s not Price of Progress, but then again, it shouldn’t be. However, it’s a Gray Ogre that will also deal from 3 to 8 damage when he comes into play in a normal game. Also, as Unearth is uncountrable, it can be a Banefire in the late game.

A good card for Standard and Highlander alike, I really like its design and flavor text. It won’t break any formats in half, but it will cause some players to think about putting in some basics instead of just jamming their decks with every Vivid land and Reflecting Pool they can get their hands on. I applaud WotC for making this card! Good job!

Jaelan on May 5, 2009

Oh man, guys, Alara Reborn is such a good set! Don’t make me choose just one!

JAELAN’S TOP CARDS OF ARB (in no particular order)
* Fieldmist Borderpost (the entire cycle, really) – it’s about time they printed some solid mana fixers at common! These also make Tezzeret better, and I’m excited to build a deck around him.
* Wall of Denial – Walls are good now? …Walls are good now!
* Mask of Riddles – It’s a Finkel mask! Doesn’t everyone want to be Finkel?
* Behemoth Sledge – Beat the hell out of me at the prerelease, until I told it I’d put it in my list of top cards.
* Qasali Pridemage – This guy is the epitome of versatility. He’s cheap, he’s an effective beater, and he can take care of problem enchantments/artifacts on the turn he comes into play! I just want to know what he’s doing on the Great Wall of China (waitaminute… maybe the Great Wall of China will be in the next set!?).
* Lord of Extinction – FAT
* Putrid Leech – Such fantastic design in the perfect colors, and also very flavorful: he sucks the blood of his controller to get stronger! There’s a lot of built-in tension for both players. Do you attack with a 4/4 into this guy?
* Lorescale Coatl – I love the artwork on this card; that it rewards players for something they’re already doing (and already want to do more of, :AHEM: Gavin) makes this a card I’d really like to find a way to play with.
* Winged Coatl – Flash is my favorite ability for creatures, because it’s both defensive (flash in a surprise blocker) and offensive (flash in an attacker at your opponent’s EOT). This guy is fantastic, simply because he can take down the fattest fatty on your opponent’s side, even if that fatty is untargetable (Uril, the Miststalker WATCHOUT!)
* Slave of Bolas – I think this might be the most game-swinging card in the set. Not only are you removing their best creature, but you get a free beating on them as well. Sarkhan Vol wishes he could be this good.

But if I have to choose just one, it would have to be:

* Spellbreaker Behemoth – 12 years ago I would have been absolutely bonkers for this card. I used to LOVE Balduvian Horde because it was a 5/5 for 4 mana, just like Juzam Djinn. Then in Tempest they printed Rathi Dragon, a 5/5 FLYER (!) for 4 mana! There’s just something about 5/5s for 4 mana that make me smile and think back to the good old days of Magic. And it’s UNCOUNTERABLE! Counterspellers (like me) will have blue mana symbols running down our cheeks…

CJ on May 5, 2009

I went to my local stores prerelease and it was 2 alara, 2 conflux, 2 reborn sealed. I’m opening up my packs and seeing pretty bad rares and nothing too great in my commons and uncommons while the guy next to me is opening elspeth and other $20 mythics and I get to my reborn packs and I open a Nemesis of Reason! I’m super happy I knew how great this guy is. Then I open my second reborn pack and it’s a second Nemesis of Reason! Two of them in my only two reborn packs. I’m ridiculous happy about my sealed, I end up playing an Esper-Bant deck and I wreck house and win the sealed, get enough packs for free drafts for about a month and that is why Nemesis of Reason is hands down my Favorite card in Alara Reborn.

Conley on May 5, 2009

I never said not to run dual lands… obviously you mana fixing, you simply need to remove as many nonbasics as possible without hindering your game plan.

People started putting basics into their decks when path to exile came out… a small but effective and necessary change. I am not advocating taking out all basics, but to ignore the effect anathemancer has on the format is just dumb

Conley on May 5, 2009

and obv if I could type, I would have said *need mana fixing* and then *taking out all nonbasics* lol

Jon A.K.A. The Frex on May 5, 2009

The Story: The breath of malfegor killer
Favorite Alara Reborn Card: Breath Of Malfegor

Alright, first off let me say that I haven’t played in a draft since mirrodin until i went to the Alara Reborn pre-release party with some close friends, so i was a bit out of touch but i felt like i had some good knowledge with the current sets and what is strong card-wise.

The main reason I chose this card is because of the story behind it, it allowed me to win first place at the pre-release party at a local shop in Charlotte, NC in a draft. There are 2 parts to this story, the best part (or at least i personally think so) is the 2nd part.

The events started with a sealed tournament, and really once i opened those packs, i didn’t know what the hell to do. Colors were everywhere and my mind was baffled how many cards i should be running instead of the standard 40. I actually ended up running around 55 cards, just because i couldn’t afford to not run all 3 terminates and crystallizations, it was UTTERLY rediculous and my friends were in the same similar predicament.
I couldn’t believe it but it actually held up pretty well, sadly I ended up getting steamrolled to a guy who on game 3 (we were 1 and 1 that match) dropped an enigma sphinx that cascaded into a enlisted wurm into a gorger wurm on turn 8. Alright….YEAH so about those terminates…..

WHAM 15 to the dome next turn.

GG?

Well lesson learned, cascade is just utterly fantastic in limited.

Later that evening I jumped into a draft with my good old friend Russell, who was housing me and 3 other friends who came down to visit for the pre-release event in Charlotte.

Now it was 2 reborn and 1 shards for the packs.

first pack it looked like utter crap…

crap, after crap….after…crap..more cra- holy **** what a bomb! I said to myself as i held a Foil Empyrial Archangel..as i slowly slid it to the side and lo-and-behold! a broodmate dragon…hm 6 mana for 2 4/4 flyers…I hear that’s pretty good.

I sat there and thinked, kept thinking until i finally caved in and took the broodmate. Something struck me, something heavy and it was telling me go for gold. I passed that gold over to the left, ironically it was my good friend Russell. He looked at that stack and said outloud and in my face. “Jesus Jon, what the hell? What in the world could you have taken over this?” he spoke, baffled. I wouldn’t tell him, and he was eager, oh so eager to know as if he was a kid again during christmas the day before you could open your presents.

The cards keep on tabling and we get to our third pack…looking back I realize I’ve been passed 3 or so breath’s of malfegor.. and it just spoke to me and I answered. I answered gloriously to its enchanting question, “Yes, i will run all 3 of you breath’s of malfegor, and i will win”. Fortunately enough i had a solid deck, mostly running jund and broodmate being my bomb.

1st Round…totally stomped the guy, just utter wreckage after the 2nd match.
2nd Round…Close match but a breath of malfegor did it, oh the look on my opponents face.

fast forwarding…
Final round

things go smooth, i ended up getting 5 damage in on him by turn 4. Its rather slow on our parts as my hand ended up being more reactive than pro-active. Turn 5…i draw breath of malfegor..we are at a stand still with our creatures on the board and i’m all out of removal. I swing in hopes of forcing his hand, he pumps and my creature dies. I pass turn and i take a beat and block. I cast breath of malfegor end of his turn.

Draw another..and something tells me…just speaks to me..I pass the turn.
Take another beat. He slaps down another creature..he passes. E.O.T. Breath of malfegor.

BAM my final breath of malfegor…oh what glorious thing have you done deck!

I actually consecutively casted breath of malfegor at the end of my opponents turns starting at EOT turn 5 to turn 7.

Winning me the draft.

But really winning isn’t the best part of this story…its the fact that my friend russell took that angel i passed him…and he let me sign it with a permanent marker and i even threw on a small heart on it for laughs.

It now shines with my signature and it even appears like the artist signed cards you see floating around!

There on the front page of his binder in his “no trade” section basking in glory lies the best moment I’ve had with magic.

MrCheco on May 5, 2009

Definitely it has to be Bloodbraid Elf for me.

Being a 3/2 hasty creature for 4 mana may be a little weak in an environment where volcanic fallout is an awesome “mini” sweeper. But! the reward you get for playing it is really superior, free spells putting pressure on my opponent? Damn yes! It doesn’t matter if it is a removal, another critter or other spell, the excitement you get when flipping the top is awesome. Of course this is in favor of aggro (I love it) and I am thankful to WotC for printing this one.

bluwmonkeygod on May 5, 2009

My opponent has a flameblast dragon on the board and nothing else. I’m at 8 and my opponent is at 11. I got nothing but lands on my board. So I draw my card praying for something that can deal with it and I top deck a Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund. I take control of his flamebalast dragon and swing in for the win. Greatest top deck ever. That is why Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund is my favorite card.

Ron Lambert on May 5, 2009

The best card in alara reborn would have to be Jenara, Asura of war, because its so versatile. I busted it at the pre-release draft and its just awesome to have on the table to have a nice turn three threat

tootley on May 5, 2009

My favourite card that probably won the most games for me at the release event was putrid leech. It might be hideous and it might seem like crap, but it won me games. I guess its just one of those cards.

Coming in at close second is Nemesis of Reason. Nothing like milling your winning opponent to death with a 3/7. Its butt is huge.

Nikerym on May 5, 2009

Before revealing what my favorite card in Alara Reborn is we are going to have a popquiz:

1) What is your favorite creature type of all types?
2) What is your favorite way of winning?

Obiously the answer to 1 is Zombie and 2 is Milling.

In Alara Reborn there is a card that is both a Zombie and allows you to mill – so im gonna go with Lich Lord of Unx.

Gavken on May 5, 2009

My favourite card comes from my Pre-release in Aldershot UK. I was already 1-0 down in my first match due to colour screw (playing 4 colours) and in the second game I was 20 points to 1 down.

The previous turn I have just saved myself by playing a Spellbound Dragon stopping his 2/2 flyer and Jenara. He had a ton of mana on the board and at the end of his turn he pumped Jenara up to an 8/8 flyer (I don’t know why he didn’t do it earlier and attack to be honest).

I was sitting with Godsire and Soul’s Fire in hand. I attacked with the Dragon and discarded the Godsire to it dealing him 11 damage. Then I cast the Soul’s Fire and did 11 to the Jenara.

Two turns later my opponent was dead and I couldn’t believe that I’d turned the game around so fast. I went on to win the match 2-1, and overall came 12th out of 32.

Any Dragon that can generate such an insane play has gotta be my vote for the best card, even if it possibly isnt the best constrctured card.

Gavin

Matthew Blumenfeld on May 5, 2009

My favorite card from Alara Reborn would ahve to be Behemoth Sledge. It caught my eye as soon as it was spoiled and I craved to have a set instantly. It reminds me of Loxodon Warhammer but without the creature still being vulnerable to damage.

At any of the Alara Reborn events it was always a bad thing to see a turn 3 Sledge. As soon as it would hit you heard your opponent grown. I know in my last couple of matches at the prerelease I dropped it turn 3 with a quasali pridemage on the board and by turn 4 they were just chumping away as much damage as they could.

TheCassiusKid: I bet it was Bant Sureblade with a Behemoth Sledge on it =P Wall of Denial gave me a couple of T: Gain X life cards as well.

Ting on May 5, 2009

Yet another excellent show and a big “hi” to Mr Conley!

My favourite card is Necromancer’s Covenant, which to me is very fitting for B/W colours. It also tickles my fancy because it fits right into my casual zombie deck with a discard as a main control element (Cashseize, Tidehollow Sculler…). NC also serves as a “lord” by spewing out a bunch of 2/2s and giving them lifelink. I am looking forward to picking up a few and putting them into the deck!

Tony D. on May 5, 2009

My favorite card of ARB has to be nemesis of reason. I was drafting at the release event and was in UW after 2 packs (3 crystallization, 4 bant sureblade, and a meddling mage already at this point) and I see nemesis of reason P3p1. It was not easy for me to pass terminate and qasali pridemage but I could deal with those more easily than the walking glimpse. I eventually ran bant splashing black and milled my opponents out 3 times that night, going 3-1 for third place and 2 packs. in those were a foil aven mimeomancer, a madrush cyclops, and 2 behemoth sledge. It was great and I love that card.

Fear the 3/7!

Michael on May 5, 2009

My favorite card is “Mask of Riddles”. Combining Card Draw with Evasion gives lots of oportunity (even in an Artifact Creature heavy meta) for getting damage through with a nice benifit when you succeed.

Brendan on May 5, 2009

My favorite card is Lightning Reaver. It did great things all day at the release, but the best part was when we got home:

Lightning Reaver is ridiculously, ridiculously good in 2HG. It only got to attack twice before it got Faith’s Fettered, and it spent the rest of the game dealing 4 a turn to the opposing team.

Also, I like the high contrast blue/red art.

sen on May 5, 2009

Sen Triplets. My name is Sen

pokerbob1 on May 5, 2009

My favorite card has to be Nemesis of Reason. This card is a fiend for milling. I was able to dominate the release event by drawing one of these. I got to untap with it and when I attacked I milled his only answer for the card. It was an epic win.

I also like the card for casual constructed. Nemesis Blink. Since you do not need to deal damage…just attack, you can blink out the Nemesis so it has pseudo vigilance and you still get to mill for 10. This is the new deck that I want to build. With 7 toughness, it is hard to kill and makes a nice blocker. You can also use Wall of Denial in the deck to have a nice control deck. Very fun. Milling is back!

Kailam on May 5, 2009

Not favorite card but in the prerelease tournament for Reborn I was lucky enough to pull With my pool I was looking for heavy removal with a terminate, two resounding thunders resounding silence and bone splinters. It was 5 rounds and so far I had gone 4-0-0, last round playing someone going 3-1-0. A good friend of mine and to come first I needed to win, He told me he opened well and from a quick peek when he was playing the table across from me his deck was quick and full of big guys, even pulling out a Dragon broodmother and a broodmate dragon.

The first match against him was over quickly with me dropping my vithian Renegades stone raining his boarder post, he never recovered. Second game was all his muliganing to 5 and getting over swarmed with two 3/1 Fear haste guys.
The last game, this was where it happened. I was on 2 life he was on 15 my hand was empty and his turn he just got me from 10 to 2 with two 4/4 dragons. completely untapped he passes turn with 3 cards in hand. I assumed there wasn’t one card in my deck that could save me, I draw and I pull my only rare in my deck Karrthus, tyrant of jund. I play him, no response… I was lucky, stealing both his dragons untapping them and attacking for 15 on the nose… I win my prerelease 5-0!
Although not a good card Karrthus is now my favorite card, opening my box it was almost destined to be as I opened two foil versions to now go with my one of.

Mike L on May 5, 2009

Nemesis Of Reason is my favorite card.

This card is bananas in limited. At a pre-release I opened one, read the text, re-read it again and instantly started laughing, it turns those games your gonna lose to that one stupid little 2/2 flyer into a 3 turn race for your opponent to find a removal spell or get 7 power worth of creatures together, the best was when I even equipped an behemoth sledge on it. This card holds a special place in my heart in limited format for single-handedly winning me over 5 games. Nemesis of Reason, I love you.

bateleur on May 5, 2009

My favourite card from the set is easily Sen Triplets.

Confession time: I was one of those players who really loved Mindslaver back in Mirrodin. But not because I’m some kind of griefer – quite the reverse. The reason I loved it is because when you Mindslavered someone and they were playing a terrible mono-Green fatties deck it was almost useless! But the same spell played against some irritating sadsack with his all-tournament-rares 5C big mana deck would absolutely WRECK it.

Sen Triplets is more of the same fun, but better designed. First, it requires some effort to use well because if you just randomly cast it the opponent will kill it. Second, it’s nice that you can play permanents and use them yourself, but needing to use your own mana keeps it fair. Lastly, the fact it’s a creature means there are far more other spells that interact with it.

Overall the card is what I want the future of Magic to look like: Fewer stupidly unbalanced cards like Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker and Cruel Ultimatum. More cards which are potentially amazing, but sufficiently beatable and decently interactive.

jim c on May 5, 2009

my favorite card is qasali pride mage. This guy has a lot of diversirty in a common and i expect it to see a lot of play in constructed as well. early on it gets in there for 3 with exalted goodness mid to late game it supports your best creatures. oh yeah and its reminder text says sacrifice to destroy target behemoth sledge.

grayfox on May 5, 2009

My favorite Alara Reborn card is Sen Triplets. I really love esper and all the neat stuff the artifacts can do. This is just icing on the filigree infused cake!
My wife likes to play with the angel deck from Divine vs Demonic alot and smash me with Akroma (who doesn’t?) but the fact that I could possibly to play then smash with said Akroma just makes me giddy.

BigMike on May 5, 2009

My favorite card is lord of extinction. splash in blue and run nemesis of reason and the other new mill card in ARB. swing with nemesis and lord, lord gets +10/+10

pstmdrn on May 5, 2009

Thematically, Alara Reborn has a lot of beautiful cards that fill well into the story and are useful to boot. One of the most well designed cycles of cards in this set are the Sojourners, which my favorite card comes from. Their representation of shard immigrants trying to bring the strengths of their cultures to new lands resonates strongly with me. Their cycling effects also add versitility.

My favorite card is Bant Soujourners. Aside from adding to the theme beautifully, getting a creature upon death or cycling is simple and very beneficial.

Zak on May 5, 2009

I definitely have to say that Qasali Pridemage is my favourite. The super-efficient body harks back to Watchwolf, along with a built in Naturalize/Disenchant. I love being able to sacrifice it to kill off a Bitterblossom or an Oblivion Ring, not to mention it being a Vindicate on legs against an Esper deck. I’m sure that we will see it in top 8s in the future in a wide range of decks.

Mark F. on May 5, 2009

Enigma Sphinx baby!!!

I was able to play him against 5cc and cascade into a (sideboarded in!) Telemin performance…what creature did he have to give up?? CLOUDTHRESHER, muhahaha! Still lost that game but hot damn, cascade on a 7 cost creature is sick.

Honorable mention to Sen Triplets. These fair maidens have treated me well thus far! Especially in one game where I was playing against w/b aggro (Nightsky Mimics, Edge of Divinity, Unmake, Stillmoon – brutal beats!). On my side of the board sat Sen Triplets, Enigma Sphinx, Magister Sphinx, Sharuum, Sphinx Summoner, Master Transmuter and Scepter of Fugue. On his side? Stillmoon Cavalier and Story Circle…naming BLUE!!! With enough mana to prevent damage from every single one of my flyers. What to do? Well, I was about to bounce the Circle with Cryptic and make him discard with the Scepter…until the Triplets said “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don’t make him discard it, leave it to us fella!” So, instead of Fuguing (thats a word!), I bounce the Story Circle and use the Triplets to play it from his hand naming BLACK! Tee hee! Shenanigans!!!

Greg on May 5, 2009

My favorite card has to be soul manipulation. It’s a perfect blue/black card that fits it’s flavor very well. I have already put this into my grixis multiplayer deck, specters everywhere. The card advantage for multiplayer makes it an excellent card.

Chris L. on May 5, 2009

I was at the pre-release at my local store which usually draws between around 70ish people with multiple ranked above 1800 and even quite a few over 1900. I surprisingly make it to the top 8 draft after pulling off the aven mimeomancer/goblin assault combo in around half of my games leading up to the top 8.

The draft was Shards, Reborn, Reborn and I hear my neighbor let a happy gasp escape him as he opens up what is clearly a big bomb. I move into R/G with no other splash as it looks like R/G aggro was a really effective strategy in this format. In pack two I open up Enigma Sphinx and pass it to my neighbor to the right who I had heard gasp earlier. I didn’t figure he would take it as he didn’t seem to be in esper from the signals pack one.

The rest of the draft goes as planned and I sit down for my first match. I win quickly with the aggro strategy and then sit there to watch the match play out between the guy to my right and a friend of mine. They were on game three and the board is clear with each having two cards in hand. It was turn 9 or 10 I believe and both of them were a little flooded. The guy who was to my right turned out to be playing 5 colors so I am thinking he might have taken the sphinx now. All of the sudden he draws it and looks at his manna and sees that he can cast it. If he hits any decent sized guy this looked like it would win the game.

He plays the sphinx and cascades 4 cards down right into a broodmate dragon! He shouts “Now that’s living the dream” as my friend just reels in shock at the huge swing in the game. I just laugh as for seven manna the guy gets a 5/4 flier and two 4/4 fliers to totally turn the game around. After that I decided I just had to have an Enigma Sphinx in my EDH deck and he has turned out to be just amazing every time I cast him. I would just have to say that Enigma Sphinx is my favorite card in the set, not because it makes every deck, but just because of the sheer craziness that can result when you get to play something like a broodmate dragon off the cascade.

Blake Tran on May 5, 2009

My favorite card from Alara Reborn would have to be Ardent Plea.

First of all, it’s an uncommon. A good uncommon is like your best friend that you just realized has always been there for you. You aren’t chasing her because she’s rare and everybody wants her, but you cherish seeing her everytime because she’s practical and beautiful in her own right.

Being uncommon means it’s pretty awesome in Limited. I built a bant little guys deck out of my sealed pool at the Prerelease. It had things in multiples like Ethercaste Knight, Bant Sureblade, Naya Hushblade, and a singleton Jhessian Infiltrator that almost carried me the whole way in a game. I went undefeated, but what was interesting is that I did not have Ardent Plea in my deck at first until I was talking with my friends.

At first I was like oh Ardent Plea seems pretty good, then I was like, wait, don’t you have to build your deck around cascade? Nope, that was a brain fart because I was thinking if you revealed something higher cost it would be bad. Back to the girl analogy, it was like finally realizing how beautiful she was. I put the two I opened in the deck, even making it 41 cards just to fit them in. I was not disappointed. It basically tutors a Shardblade or Ethercaste Knight. One game I T2 Qasali Pridemage, T3 Ardent Plea -> Ethercaste Knight! Cool, I swing for 5! You are never unhappy with what you get because all the two drops are little monsters. Ardent Plea is basically like having a girlfriend that gives you presents everytime you see her. She always gives you Exalted (that’s the kiss). But then she goes ahead and unveils a present she was holding behind her back, hand-wrapped! You don’t know what it is and you open it. Cool, an Esper Stormblade! Thanks Ardent Plea, you’re the best! And then she does it again the next time you see her. You always get the kiss, but then you get a surprise. (You never know what it’s going to be, but you know you’ll like it.)

There’s a lot of other special things about Ardent Plea. It’s the first noncreature with two keywords. It was the first card revealed in Alara Reborn. It IS the first card in Alara Reborn. It has flavor in the storyline because Elspeth needs something to help her out while Nicol Bolas is owning everything. Plus, Elspeth is HOT!

I don’t think there is another card from Alara Reborn that has contributed to my life and the lives of others as Ardent Plea has.

Even now, I can submit an Ardent Plea to cascade into prizes…

Parker on May 5, 2009

I really like Sigil Captain.

I thought he is a perfect addition to my soldier deck and it is fantastic to abuse him with Martial Coup. When i get to wrath AND get 5 3/3 soldiers, I sequel with glee!

I also love his art so much; he is one big tough and very fat rhino!

Jon Johnson on May 5, 2009

Ok… I have many different cards that are different types of favorites!

1) Flavor-Favorite!
Slave of Bolas – This card perfectly fits the theme of the entire Alara block. The depiction of a “fallen angel” on the card is so perfect when compared to the awesome powers of Nicol Bolas! it just goes to show his amazing capabilities to corrupt and control whatever he wants!

2) Limited!
Breath of Malfegor – We opened 4 of them in a 2HG sealed pool and, well… we did pretty amazing with them! 10 Dmg to a team is nothing to scoff at!

runner-up: Mind funeral – someone played it against me and hit all six borderposts in my deck before hitting any lands!

3) Constructed (standard):
Anathemancer – can anyone say zombie-with-a-great-ability?

4) Constructed (legacy):
Lorescale Coatl – Simply beautiful and hides above the curve of 1-2cc cards that are usually revealed with a counterbalance! Simply amazing in a UG countertop deck.

Plaguezombie on May 5, 2009

My favorite card of the new set is certainly Behemoth Sledge. On the day of the Sunday Prerelease, my Sealed pool included 2 of them, a Jenara and a feral hydra, so I felt a Bant/Naya (which dumbed down to a G/W/u/r deck with that new fertile ground in it and 2 splash color borderposts) was the best choice. I had gone 2-0 in the first rounds, then losing to a perfectly timed Sarkhan Vol (in which my sledge-equipped 11/11 Jenara killed me, and I was swept the next game), which put me in the 2-1 bracket, meaning if I was to make top 4, I would have to win. Now, I would say I’m an okay player, so when I saw that I would have to play against one of the best players which on occasion stopped by the store, I just about knew that I wasn’t going to make it. Game 1 I lost fairly quickly, a Caldera Hellion clearing my board, followed by 2 putrid leeches on his side to ensure my demise. The next game, I was able to stall with 2 Grizzled Leotaus until I drew my Feral Hydra, an 8/8 that would be easily terminated (I knew he had one, so I expected it the second I attacked). The next few turns went draw, go, buff until I drew a sledge, which I played and equipped. The lucky guy he was, he had the Pridemage on me the next turn. I still attacked, but of course my (at the time) 19/19 trample lifelinking monstrosity did not get there that turn. I passed, and waited for the next big spell he would play. Nothing. He passes, and there it is, the second Behemoth Sledge! I slam it down, and he proceeds to scoop his cards. The third game, which I won by getting in there quickly and effortlessly, also included the double sledges, but one was pridemaged and one was naturalized. Regardless, it was a great time, and that was why I believe it is the best card.

Isaac R on May 5, 2009

My favorite card is Breath of Malfegor! Won many of my prerelease games with this little guy. The best memory, however, involves a game I didn’t even win.

I was faced off in the 4th round against a good friend of mine. He got Sen Triplets into play. The only card in my hand…Breath of Malfegor. He doen’t have red mana. We stall for many turns, as our life totals both creep downward. He’s down to 6 life before he finds a borderpost for red, and puts it into play tapped. So I finally cast Breath of Malfegor during my turn. His next turn…he top decks kiss of the amesha! So frustrating. He eventually won the war of attrition. But Breath of Malfegor kept my hope alive for a long time.

Marc on May 5, 2009

My favorite ARB card is Finest Hour, I loved it from the time I saw it spoiled on mtgsalvation. I was 18th in line for the 1st pod at my regional PR and got Finest Hour in my pool (along with several lack-luster rares like Mindlock Orb). I had some efficient bant creatures and with the splashy Finest Hour as my best rare I was bant all the way. I only saw Finest Hour in two of my matches, but each time it showed up I was able to play it, and of course it crushed my opponents with the puniest of creatures. I ended up 2-2-0, but the most fun I had was watching my opponents slowly realize that exalted stacks for each combat. Also the art is truly spectacular, dynamic and flavorful for the mechanic.

Domo230 on May 5, 2009

My favourite card has to be ethersworn shieldmage.

Flavour wise this card is great. The artwork, flavour text and ability to flash in preventing damage to artiface creatures create in my mind this image of this vedalken wizard going into the newly discovered shards and showing the local inhabitants (such as the ethercaste knight) the greatness of a life coated in etherium.

I especially love the flavour text. I can just imagine this guy appearing from behind your rank of troops, countering whatever your opponent has thrown at you while he promises them that etherium will eventually lead them to perfection.

In game hes also great. I love him in my esper bounce deck. Nothing better than repeatedly bouncing him back to my hand with master transmuter.

All credit to the cards designer that I can such a strong sense of the backstory behind this guy from such a small amount of subtle information.

TheAnimeGuy on May 5, 2009

My Faaveorite Alara Reborn Card: Lorescale Coatl

Reasoning/Story:

Even when I saw the spoiler, I knew I was going to love this card. I went to 2 Sealed Pre-Releases, and I got 1 Lorescale in both. My first Pre-release, I had a solid sealed deck, and nothing major with the Coatl Happened, but in my second sealed, it was the worst sealed deck I have ever made.

5colors, No Substance, My bombs were Feral Hydra, which is good, and my only other bomb was honestly… Lorescale Coatl? Lol. So the deck was bad. Bur i did mannage to win a cpl games, all with Lorescale Coatl. turn 5 13/13 Lorescale Coatl or greater, every game I won, for the win lol.

I did this by:
Turn 3 Drop Lorescale
Turn 4 Draw for turn and either Esper Charm or Elfish Visionary + Call to Heal. (Lorescale – 5/5)
Turn 5 – Draw for turn and Drastic Revelations (Discard Hand, Draw 7, Random Discard 3) Lorescale = 13/13

I did that more than the 2 times, but sadly the 3rd and fourth time I did that, my opponrnt had a Slave of Bolas waiting for me >_> Ouch.

Allan In KC on May 5, 2009

Darn someone took mine, I’m in love with Spellbound Dragon as well. I was living the dream at my Pre-release with Spellbound Dragon pitching Akroma-Bot (The new artifact akroma) and returning it with Sanctum Gargoyle, only to pitch it to the dragon again. Two attack for 11? I like that a lot.

Ludo on May 5, 2009

My favorite card from Alara Reborn has to be Wall of Denial. After scrubbing out of the main flight at my pre-release for the first time in a very long time, I decided to do an Alara-Reborn-Reborn side draft. Not only did I get passed a Meddling Mage in pack one which paid for the draft and more, but I also drafted not 1, not 2, but 3 Walls of Denial, the other highlights included a kiss of the ameisha and an offering to Asha, lacking any sort of creature with power greater then 3. I proceeded to split the finals with a friend. The judge that was running the drafts decided to make my matches into feature matches which he spent most of the time laughing during. My first opponent got so frustrated he conceded with a few obsenities thrown in and walked away, my second opponent had less obsenitities but a little more frustration. Needless to say when you resolve 3 0/8 walls with flying and shroud you’re probably not going to lose. It may take forever, but they seem really good.

SquareDragon on May 5, 2009

My pick for best card: Maelstrom Nexus

Yes, I know that it doesn’t do anything by itself, but as long as you’re not one turn away from death and can cast it, you will always want to play it first. Cascade spells were designed to have weak effects to keep them from being too powerful. Nexus gives cascade to your regular spells, transforming nearly all the spells in your hand into cards that should be banned. For extra fun you can play spells for their alternate costs (borderposts, evoke) and cascade for the full cmc of the spell! Add the beautiful art and story behind the maelstrom and you’ve got one amazing card.

Dylan on May 5, 2009

Nemesis of Reason.

I was playing my GW aggro list on MWS, and I come up on what looks to me like faeries. t1 underground river, t2 bitterblossom. but then he doesn’t do anything turn 3. or 4. Just sits back and agony warps some stuff, not even blocking with his tokens. turn 6, nemesis of reason. Ok. I have 46 cards left, so I don’t care. I figure I’ll beat him down before nemesis becomes an issue, since he’s at 8 life and I have a huge board advantage (duh). He can’t even swing since he has to block. He doesn’t block, and he goes down to 2. On his turn, he takes 1 from the blossom, then taps 4 for… MIRRORWEAVE. Swings with 5 nemesis of reason, mills my entire deck.

Granted, I won g2 and g3. But that combo was so hilarious, Nemesis wins best card in my book.

Emmett on May 5, 2009

I’m drafting SOA, ARB, ARB and I get passed Bituminous Blast like 3rd time around. I kind of dismiss it, but i’m building RBG so I put it in.

It’s late game of game 3. I barely have anything on board, just some 3/3. My opponent now drops the 3/4 that gives haste and swings with it. I’m at seven, so i block. He laughs and plays Colossal Might, and I take 4… bringing me to 3.

I now have nothing. He’s got a 3/4. I can only hope to topdeck something good…
Bituminous Blast. I kill his 3/4 hasty, and cascade into Thought Hemmorhage!!! I name Karrthus because i know he’s playing one… it’s in his hand. He takes three and loses his main wincon… he was one mana away from playing it. I win from there.