2 Comments For This Post

1. Thomas Says:
   September 3rd, 2008 at 8:25 pm

   Thoughts on the ALA cards:
   http://blogthemagicgathering.blogspot.com/2008/09/shards-of-alara-spoiler-cards-and.html

   Thoughts on the ALA cards:

   The Windwright Mage is my favorite card so far, mostly for the art (I’m often tempted to make a deck with nothing but hot chicks), it’s also in my favorite shard: blue, white, & black with a focus on artifacts… works for me.

   Shards of Alara Spoiler:

   Courier’s Capsule 1 Blue
   Artifact
   1 Blue, Tap: Sacrifice Courier’s Capsule: Draw two cards.
   #37/249
   [I might play it if I can reanimate it, but it seems kinda expensive. You could theoretically play it on your first turn and activate it on your second, so it's not a horrible thing to get in your opening hand, but you might not have much mana left over for other spells unless it stays in play unactivated for a turn or two while you're hoping it isn't removed. I'm not too excited about this card, but it's card draw.]

   Sharding Sphinx 4 Blue Blue
   Artifact Creature - Sphinx
   Flying
   Whenever an artifact creature you control deals combat damage to an opponent, you may put a 1/1 blue Thopter artifact creature token with flying into play.
   4/4
   [6 mana means I'd expect to win or lose the game before ever being able to cast Sharding Sphinx and a cheap counter would give my opponent mana advantage, but it's ability can give you a quick swarm of thopters, so it might be a game-winner. I don't really care for it very much, I'm paranoid about my big spells being countered.]

   Tezzeret the Seeker 3 Blue Blue
   Planeswalker - Tezzeret
   +1: Untap up to two target artifacts.
   -X: Search your library for an artifact card with converted mana cost X or less and put it into play. Then shuffle your library.
   -5: Artifacts you control become 5/5 artifact creatures until end of turn.
   4
   Illus. Anthony Francisco
   #60/249
   [I like untapping, I love fetching, and turning artifacts into creatures sounds like a breakable mechanic, so I'm really excited about this card, I just wish it had the art of the Windwright Mage.]

   Corpse Connoisseur 4 Black
   Creature - Zombie Wizard
   When Corpse Connoisseur comes into play, you may search your library for a creature card and put it into your graveyard. If you do, shuffle your library.
   Unearth (When you pay the unearth cost, put this creature from your graveyard into play. It gains haste until end of turn. Remove this card from the game at end of turn or if it would leave play. Play this ability only at time you could play a sorcery.)
   3/3
   Illus. Mark Hyzer
   [Nice for Dredge. I'm goth, I love playing in graveyards. ;)]

   Caldera Hellion 3 Red Red
   Creature - Hellion
   Devour 1 (As this creature comes into play, sacrifice any number of creatures. Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature for each creature sacrificed this way)
   When Caldera Hellion comes into play, it deal 3 damage to each creature.
   3/3
   Illus. Raymond Swanland
   [If you like mono-red, you've got a 3/3 boardsweeper at a decent cost. Try to hit your opponent and sacrifice a few goblin tokens just before damage resolves and you just might have a game-winner. I like the art, even if it is only a big worm, from Hell; it's kinda dragonesque, almost looks like it's spews fire.]

   Goblin Assault 2 Red
   Enchantment
   At the beginning of your upkeep, put a 1/1 red Goblin creature token with haste into play.
   Goblin creatures attack each turn if able.
   #101/249
   [Play this early then bring out your Caldera Hellion. Honestly, I root for elves over goblins, because I like hot chicks, but goblins can be amusing... and deadly.]

   Jund Battlemage 2 Red
   Creature - Human Shaman
   Black, Tap: Target player loses 1 life.
   Green, Tap: Put a 1/1 green Saproling creature token into play.
   2/2
   #106/249
   [Untap to combo. The mana cost is decent, but you might want to wait for your Black or Green mana to show up before bringing it into play (unless your opponent can discard your hand).]

   Naya Battlemage 2 Green
   Creature - Human Shaman
   Red, Tap: Target creature gets +2/+0 until end of turn.
   Green, Tap: Tap target creature.
   2/2
   #142/249
   [3 mana for a 2/2 with nice combat tricks to combo with untappers. Looking good, in more ways than one... the art is lovely. :)]

   Ajani Vengeant 2 Red White
   Planeswalker - Ajani
   +1: Target permanent doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step.
   -2: Ajani Vengeant deals 3 damage to target creature or player and you gain 3 life.
   -7: Destroy all lands target player controls.
   3
   #154/249
   [You can use the +1 ability to stall an opponant by tapping enemy lands, then use the -2 ability to clear the board or bash people upside the head, but you have to wait a couple rounds to bring this card into play, so it's not really a card I'd want for my opening hand and a 3 seems too easy to kill. I won't be happy with this card unless I see a couple of low mana cards to combo with it.]

   Blightning 1 Black Red
   Sorcery
   Blightning deals 3 damage to target player. That player discards two cards.
   #156/249

   Deft Duelist White Blue
   Creature - Human Rogue
   First strike
   Shroud (This creature can’t be the target of spells or abilities.)
   2/1
   Illus. David Palumbo
   #165/249
   [I don't like it. A 2/1 firststriker is most useful in the early game, but it's 2 mana means it can't come into play until the 2nd round and will need to be hastened or it won't even see combat until the 3rd round, but by the 3rd round your opponent's creatures might be tough enough to not care about 2 damage; I would look for combos to use with this card before considering it for a deck, something to make enemy creatures weaker or something which benefits from you being able to keep a creature in play. A Deft Dualist can clear the board of weenies though, slowly.]

   Bull Cerodon 4 Red White
   Creature - Beast
   Vigilance, haste
   It holds motionless vigil, watching Naya in silence through the screen of the whitecover. When it senses anything amiss, it launches forward with the uncanny sound of torn fog.
   Illus. Jesper Ejsing #261/249 5/5

   Hellkite Overlord 4 Black Red Red Green
   Creature - Dragon
   Flying, trample, haste
   : Hellkite Overlord gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
   : Regenerate Hellkite Overlord.
   Illus. Justin Sweet 8/8

   Kiss of the Amesha 4 White Blue
   Sorcery
   Target player gains 7 life and draws two cards.

   Qasali Ambusher 1 Green White
   Creature - Cat Warrior
   Reach
   If you control a Forest and a Plains and a creature is attacking you, you may play Qasali Ambusher without paying its mana cost and as though it has flash.
   2/3

   Rhox War Monk Green White Blue
   Creature - Rhino Monk
   Lifelink
   #188/249 3/4

   Stoic Angel 1 Green White Blue
   Creature - Angel
   Flying, vigilance
   Players can’t untap more than one creature during their untap steps.
   #199/249 3/4

   Tower Gargoyle 1 White Blue Black
   Artifact Creature - Gargoyle
   Flying
   4/4
   #205/249
   [4 mana for a 4/4 Flyer in my favorite colors, nice, but I might need some mana fixers to get it out earlier.]

   Windwright Mage White Blue Black
   Artifact Creature - Human Wizard
   Lifelink
   Windwright Mage has flying as long as an artifact card is in your graveyard.
   She knows the names and secrets of each of Esper’s twenty-three winds.
   2/2
   Illus. Chippy
   #208/249
   [3 for a 2/2 lifelinker and she'll probably get her flying, because her shard is heavy on artifacts, and she has a decent mana cost; I'd use her.]

   Do you collect on MTGO:
   I can only afford to collect commons at flea markets, but since I’m homeless I would switch to MTGO if I could, because I lugged around 20 pounds of carboard in a backpack for a month before I decided to just stash my cards at a soup kitchen and risk them getting stolen, but since I’ve never owned a credit card, getting a start on MTGO has proven difficult.

2. Thomas Scott Painter Says:
   September 3rd, 2008 at 11:26 pm

   Thoughts on the ALA cards so far:
   I wrote quite a bit about them:
   http://blogthemagicgathering.blogspot.com/2008/09/shards-of-alara-spoiler-cards-and.html
   I comment on Courier’s Capsule, Sharding Sphinx, Tezzeret the Seeker, Corpse Connoisseur, Caldera Hellion, Goblin Assault, Jund Battlemage, Naya Battlemage, Ajani Vengeant, Blightning, Deft Duelist, Bull Cerodon, Hellkite Overlord, Kiss of the Amesha, Qasali Ambusher, Rhox War Monk, Stoic Angel, Tower Gargoyle, & Windwright Mage, my favorite.

   Do you collect on MTGO:
   No, but I’d like to start, because lugging around 20 pounds of cardboard can make you tired when you’re homeless. …except I’ve never owned a credit card, so getting started on MTGO has been a bit difficult.

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1. Comment on Monday Night Magic #119: Sensei’s Divining Top is … Says:
   September 5th, 2008 at 10:58 pm

   [...] lantern314 wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptI’m not too excited about this card, but it’s card draw.] Sharding Sphinx 4 Blue Blue Artifact Creature - Sphinx Flying Whenever an artifact creature you control deals combat damage to an opponent, you may put a 1/1 blue Thopter … [...]

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