Every Rosewater Has Its Thorn

First of all, congratulations to design chief Mark Rosewater for completing his nearly decade-and-a-half quest to bring poison back to Magic. He must have felt like some kind of badass last weekend as planeswalkers across the land got the toxic beatdown. Kudos!

Unable to leave the Looter Grotto for a pre-release, I had plenty of time to consider the aesthetics of poison delivery. So, if you're not feeling the stock "green swirls" poison counter, I have a couple of options for you. First, straight cash poison:

Yeah, homie, you just took damage from one of my bugs, so take the money.

Here's what it looks like to be rich and dead:

Here's the poison money PDF for your printing and cutting pleasure. I could only fit six on a page at the proper size, so you're going to have to print two if you actually want to close the deal.

But if you're an infect connoisseur with a flair for the dramatic nothing compares to the relentless ticking of the Inkwell Looter Poison Clock.

This is gonna look sweet in that little alcove in the downstairs hallway ...

... but should we be concerned about the snake hand?

*URK*

And here's the PDF for the clock, with some hastily written instructions included. Even if you can follow the instructions, you really just need to figure out a way to stick a clock hand on a clock face in a way that it rotates nice and smooth.

NOW GO FORTH, INFECT AND PROLIFERATE!

Attention Khalni Gardeners

THESE ARE NOW SOLD OUT, but you can still download and print your own here.

I had these plant tokens done up by a professional printer. Bright color, heavy paper, rounded corners ... the works. They're real nice. I gave a bunch away at GP Portland but have leftovers. So I'm selling them here while the gang is still Khalni gardening and avenging Zendikar.

The meta-game

How many will you spot at your next major Magic event?



... but seriously, I had a fantastic time at GP Portland, playing cards and meeting people. I was going to write up a comprehensive report laden with wit and misplays but it's a week after the fact and Scars of Mirodin is breathing down my neck and I'm going to let a snide bingo card be the statement.

Dream big, little Jace.

Even the mightiest of planeswalkers has to start somewhere. Based on Ryan Pancoast's original Mind Control card art.

And in unrelated news, I got a bunch of these plant token business cards printed up real nice:

The worst day skyfishing is better than the best day working

Kor Skyfisher (original card art by Dan Scott here)

Some days you wake up, look in the mirror and realize that you're down a deep well of late-blooming Kor Skyfisher infatuation.

I've been wanting to post decklists because everyone loves decklists and I love these particular deckslists -- and they both have 4 Kor Skyfisher. I'm sorry. It's a sickness, but I like it.

You know the feeling. Blissed-out comfort with a deck, the nuances that materialize through familiarity, little surges of love each time you cast a faithful old spell. Maybe it's not the most powerful list or the best overall choice, but you know what it takes to pilot it to a win. You've got one-ofs that make no sense to anyone else yet you know in your bones that it's right. And you just like to listen to the engine hum. That's where I'm at in Pauper and Standard. The pauper deck is actually very good against the relevant matchups with a well-tuned sideboard and a lot of maindeck catch-all cards to mop up the randoms. The standard deck, well, it's a tier down, but it's been excellent in the uneven landscape of MTGO's tournament practice room. I know, weak, but hey, that's love!

PAUPER:

4 Kor Skyfisher
4 Aven Riftwatcher
4 Guardian of the Guildpact
4 Wall of Hope
2 Blind Hunter
1 Dimir House Guard
1 Twisted Abomination
4 Pestilence
4 Castigate
4 Unmake
3 Wrench Mind
1 Grim Harvest
4 Kabira Crossroads
4 Terramorphic Expanse
3 Orzhov Basilica
2 Bojuka Bog
6 Swamp
5 Plains
Sideboard:
4 Duress
4 Echoing Decay
3 Prismatic Strands
2 Benevolent Unicorn
2 Leave No Trace

STANDARD:

4 Kor Skyfisher
4 Emeria Angel
4 Steppe Lynx
4 Student of Warfare
4 Pilgrim's Eye
2 Sun Titan
1 Baneslayer Angel (exactly how many I own)
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Path to Exile
2 Adventuring Gear
2 Brave the Elements
1 Journey to Nowhere
4 Arid Mesa
4 Marsh Flats
4 Tectonic Edge
2 Gargoyle Castle
10 Plains
Sideboard:
Leyline of Sanctity plus a fluctuating bunch of situational removal

Let's split!

Just a quick custom ooze token update here. The idea originated with some Comic-con nachos.

Get the printable PDF, make like an ooze and split.

... and her sister, Shauna Farman.

Fauna Shaman

Not much to say on this one. When the card was first spoiled my first thought was, "Awesome." My next thought was, "She seems like a classic pet hoarder."

See Steve Prescott's original card art here. Or see a bigger, differently-cropped version at the end of this Mike Flores article.