Auras: now with 100% more "suck it!"

I played in a Rise of the Eldrazi release event on Sunday, and decided ahead of time that I'd illustrate whichever card stepped up as the MVP of my sealed pool. I went 3-1 with a lot of help from ...



Drake Umbra. See Howard Lyons' original art here.

It was my first chance to play with this set, and after shucking/sorting the boosters the strange, new landscape left me woozy. When the fog cleared I chose a black/white build heavy on removal and levelers. I had some spawn action in two Dread Drones and a Corpsehatch which made me feel OK about including a tag team of cheaper Eldrazi: Crushy and Artsy. An Evolving Wilds and Prophetic Prism prompted me to ask the pool: is there anything off-color here worth splashing? A card with only a single colored mana in its cost, good for mid to late game, with enough pop to justify mussing up my land a bit?

A large chunk of wins came from the singleton splash - some loser creature suited up all sleek and blue, burying the opponent's earthbound defenses in mountains of steaming drake feces. And that's why Drake Umbra was my Old Spice Player of the Game!

Othwerwise, I was able to cast the bigs when I got them, but they only came up a few times and were quickly neutralized. Runner-up MVP was Gloomhunter. It turns out flying is still pretty good!

I like this set a whole lot.

Eldrazi love triangle

It That Betrays (with special guest appearances from Hand of Emrakul and Kozilek, Butcher of Truth)

Aww, Kozilek! You fell for It, and then It annihilated your heart. But come on, Kozi, baby: you shoulda known better than to fool around with It That Betrays in the first place.

See Tomasz Jedruszek's original art here.

Chopped liver

Serra Angel

Why is she so pissed? I don't read angel swear runes, but I suspect it has something to do with the new girl.

See Douglas Schuler's original art here.

What am i doing here? Who are you guys?

Bestial Menace

See Andrew Robinson's original art here.

And here's a standard deck list I've been gaming with:

4 Bestial Menace
4 Conqueror's Pledge
4 Overrun
4 Rampant Growth
4 Trace of Abundance
4 Wildfield Borderpost
3 Path to Exile
2 Wolfbriar Elemental
2 Pilgrim's Eye
2 Martial Coup
2 Day of Judgment
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Ajani Goldmane
1 Sigil Blessing
4 Khalni Garden
4 Stirring Wildwood
6 Forest
6 Plains
sideboard:
3 Kor Firewalker
2 Luminarch Ascension
2 Qasali Pridemage
2 Day of Judgment
2 Celestial Purge
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Path to Exile

Ain't no artifact like a continuous artifact cuz a continuous artifact don't stop.

A couple takes on Winter Orb:





See Mark Tedin's original art here.

Winter Orb was one of my first rares, and one of the first cards that made me think, "This game right here might just be craaaazy."

And I hope someday Wizards prints a polar bear, say 2/2 for WW, with "When Runeclaw Polar Bear enters the battlefield, destroy target artifact." Give the polar bears their revenge!