Review(Innistrad Review) - Green

Hi everyone.

Well, we've finally reached the end of the review of my review of the partial Innistrad spoiler. It's been fun looking back at my thoughts on the cards without having the full context of the set revealed, and I haven't done too badly with it either.

I've been recapping my initial impression of the cards, then looking at how they have actually performed and how I think their role will continue to evolve. You can see the entries for white, blue, black and red here.

Boneyard Wurm
	Review:	Easily outclassed at all stages of the game and puts too many constraints on deck building.
	Reality:	It has not seen any play. Largely because (as stated in the review) if you are playing green Primeval Titan is easily as big, has evasion, and provides card advantage. If you are not green there is no reason to splash Boneyard Wurm.
	Accuracy:	5
	Future:	Will continue to be occasionally ridiculous in limited (although I have just as often seen it cast as a 0/0; awkward, etc.), unlikely to even be considered in block constructed.

Garruk Relentless
Review:	Very strong, doesn't require much building around. Could see play in Birthing Pod and splashed in blue control decks.
Reality:	Where Liliana has so far failed to live up to the hype, Garruk has far outperformed general expectations. He has been spotted winning tournaments in GW Tokens, and fighting with his alternative Primal Hunter incarnation for spots in the various Kessig Wolf Run decks. Birthing Pod is MIA for now, and the blue decks have remained in the Esper shard, so I have been harsh and marked myself down.
Accuracy:	4
Future:	As witnessed in the Wolf Run lists, the biggest competition to Garruk is actually Garruk. With enough green the concensus is to go with the Primal Hunter first. I would be surprised if Birthing Pod did not return as more creatures enter the environment, and Garruk remains a great addition for games where the Pod is not drawn.

Gatstaf Shepherd
	Review:	Solid but unexciting roleplayer.
	Reality:	The werewolf deck has not happened yet, and no current deck requires the Shepherd's particular stats right now.
	Accuracy:	4
	Future:	Gatstaf Shepherd has more than proved itself in limited, so it will very definitely remain in consideration once there are enough werewolves to build a deck.

Mayor of Avabruck
Review:	Mayor of Avabruck is slightly below par, Howlpack Alpha is slightly above.
Reality:	No home has been found for the Mayor yet, but a lot of people have tried to make it work.
Accuracy:	5
Future:	It seems like a lot of the reviews have been a case of "not yet, but wait for more support". Mayor of Avabruck offers the most promise of any of these cards. There are so many werewolf cards that are "good enough" already that it does seem that it is as much a case of waiting for the meta game to be right as anything else.

Moonmist
	Review:	Lots of promise in constructed, can lead to exciting aggressive draws.
	Reality:	This card is entirely linked to the werewolves, and does pretty much nothing in other decks (especially with Fog in Magic 2012). As there is no werewolves deck, there is no use for this card.
	Accuracy:	3
	Future:	Maybe. Maybe not. I am still on board with this card if there is a werewolf deck.

Green was largely good for me. The main source of deviation was the failure of werewolves to emerge as a deck, which is something that could easily have gone either way at that point.

I hope you've enjoyed reading these recaps. It's been interesting to see these cards from two different points of view, so I'll aim to be more thorough in covering the revealed cards during the next spoiler season in case this is a format I revisit.

Steve

Review(Innistrad Review) - Red

Hello again!

This week I'm going to finish up the review of my inital impressions of cards from the midway through the Innistrad spoiler, looking at them again in the context of the full set having been used for the last ever world championships.

I've already looked at white, blue and black. Today I've reached the red cards, which were pretty thin on the ground at this point; just a couple of potential tournament cards and some limited fodder:

Bloodcrazed Neonate
	Review:	Not what red is looking for. Could have a chance in a slow format with no one mana removal, but still worse than Stormblood Berserker.
	Reality:	Shock is good enough to see play as a Lightning Bolt replacement (although often in the form of Galvanic Blast). The printing of Geistflame and the emergence of Gut Shot as a playable card ensure that Bloodcrazed Neonate will not be seeing constructed play.
	Accuracy:	5
	Future:	Even a dedicated vampire deck would struggle to want this card. Possibly if there was a three mana lord that gave +1/+1 and flying, and no other two mana vampires are printed.

Devil's Play
Review:	On the edge of playability, will hinge on how useful the flashback ability is.
Reality:	I'm calling this a hit after seeing Devil's Play performing almost exactly the function predicted in Chapin's Grixis deck from Worlds. Early on it is removal that you don't mind pitching to Desperate Ravings. Late game it is a finisher that the UB control decks might even set up for you if they are trying to win with Nephalia Drownyard.
Accuracy:	5
Future:	It will certainly see an increase in play along with Olivia Voldaren and Desperate Ravings from the same Grixis deck. I think that a one-of in a second tier deck will be the extent of it's adoption though.

Kruin Outlaw
	Review:	A key card if RG Werewolves happens, competing with Chandra's Phoenix in Mono Red.
	Reality:	I think I got this spot on, even down to the support for the human creature type in white being stronger than the werewolf support. Chandra's Phoenix is indeed keeping it out of the straight red decks.
	Accuracy:	5
	Future:	Watch for this to become a player (in block at least) if the next set delivers more werewolf support.

Village Ironsmith
Review:	Unimpressive in each form and quickly outclassed.
Reality:	This has seen no play.
Accuracy:	5
Future:	This will continue to see zero constructed play (and sees far too much limited play in my experience).

A clean sweep of the red card reviews!

Well, pending the future performance of Kruin Outlaw. That score is more of a 4.8, but I'm not doing decimal places...

Next time I finish up with the green cards, and a healthy five card haul.

Steve

Review(Innistrad Review) - Black

Oh, hi. I'm here again?

This is turning into a habit!

Today I'm going to look back on my spoiler review of black cards. I've already reviewed the white and blue cards, and the format will remain the same. I will recap my first impression review, look at the impact each card has actually had, then rate my prediction and talk about the future performance of the card.

Bloodgift Demon
	Review:	Solid playable, with few competitors as a black five drop.
	Reality:	The Demon has not made an impact on constructed so far. The mono black deck is only interested in creatures with infect, and control has so far opted for a pool of six drops and Batterskulls.
	Accuracy:	3
	Future:	With Dismember disappearing from decklists, it could well be time for Bloodgift Demon to shine. Pat Chapin showed at worlds that Olivia Voldaren is a big game, and running the two together in a Rakdos deck could provide enough card advantage to justify ditching blue for the better manabase.

Diregraf Ghoul
Review:	Replacement for Vampire Lacerator, depends on support for black/Zombie aggro.
Reality:	As mentioned in the white retrospective, the "monster" tribes have so far failed to appear in Standard. This is unlikely to remain the case with two more sets of Zombies, Vampires and Werewolves to come.
Accuracy:	4
Future:	There will absolutely be a Zombie deck at some point. I remain confident that Diregraf Ghoul will be part of it, but as this remains to be seen I can't go higher than 4 right now.

Liliana of the Veil
	Review:	Not a powerhouse that goes into any black deck, but promising in a deck built to take advantage of her.
	Reality:	One note is that none of the flashback cards that are seeing play (such as Forbidden Alchemy) had been spoiled at this point. She has failed to make that big an impact; consider that Liliana has flitted in and out of various Solar Flare incarnations (the deck that seems best suited to using her), and is yet to win any large events.
	Accuracy:	5
	Future:	Now that the hype has passed it is clear that Liliana of the Veil is a strong planeswalker, but hardly the next coming of the Mind Sculptor. I would guess that her power will increase though, as more flashback cards and graveyard mechanics become available.

Reaper from the Abyss
Review:	Good, card advantage generating finisher, but competing against Grave Titan and Wurmcoil Engine.
Reality:	There has been no reason to fear the Reaper so far in Standard. As I talked about for Bloodgift Demon, it doesn't fit in with the infect plan of mono black. Control has opted for Grave Titan or Wurmcoil Engine, and Consecrated Sphinx if a card advantage generating flyer is required.
Accuracy:	4
Future:	This remains a good option, but it is waiting for a new deck that requires it. Look out for further morbid cards, which combine very well with Birthing Pod. There is already a removal chain of Skinrender, to Morkrut Banshee, to Reaper from the Abyss, to Sheoldred, Whispering One. Reaper remains one of the strongest plays you can make in block constructed.

Screeching Bat
	Review:	Curves nicely* but too risky. Is not a vampire.
	Reality:	The obvious problem with my review was forgetting that you can't actually transform it until turn five... The usual notes regarding the tribal "monster" decks apply, but I can't see this making the cut even if a vampire deck does emerge.
	Accuracy:	2
	Future:	Will remain a high limited pick, but that will be the extent of this batting career.

Aside from a miss on the bat (must remember to double check card text!), Bloodgift Demon is the only card to perform dramatically below my expectations. My assessment of Liliana of the Veil looks pretty well spot on. Let's just say I'm not regretting the decision to laugh at the traders attempting to get fifty euros for them at Milan. Good luck with that!

Steve

Review(Innistrad Review) - Blue

Hi again!

Today I'm looking back at my first impressions of the blue cards from the early Innistrad spoiler. It's interesting to see how much knowledge of the complete set can change card evaluations, and how important it is to think about the context that the cards require to be good.

I looked at white yesterday, and my initial predictions came off pretty well. As before, I'll recap my original review from midway through the spoiler season, how the card has fared since then and give my opinion on the future of the card. There were only three blue cards of interest at that point (no Snapcaster Mage to weigh in on yet); how accurate were my thoughts on them?

Civilized Scholar
	Review:	Unplayable, too fragile despite a quick clock.
	Reality:	It has seen play in niche combo decks, using the transform rules to allow a Necrotic Ooze to mill through several creatures with a Scholar in the graveyard.
	Accuracy:	3
	I missed the combination with Ooze, although the other cards used (Bloodline Keeper and Grimgrin, Corpseborn) had not been spoiled yet.
	Future:	As more creatures enter the format the Ooze deck may become more viable, but barring this specific interaction I don't think it will see play.

Ludevic's Test Subject
Review:	Unexciting, requires a way to cheat the transform.
Reality:	There were no more Moonmist style effects to transform cards. This has seen zero play in competitive decks.
Accuracy:	5
Future:	As per my spoiler review, with a good enough way to cheat the transform this could be the next Tarmogoyf. Without, this is far worse than other options for decks with this much mana to spend.

Stitcher's Apprentice
	Review:	Enabler for Morbid. Potential engine card.
	Reality:	It has seen no play. Morbid has proven more of a limited mechanic so far, excluding Brimstone Volley, and no cards that require such an enabler have emerged yet.
	Accuracy:	4
	Future:	It is not impossible that Stitcher's Apprentice sees some play, in the right circumstances. Certainly there are enough 1/1 and 2/1 creatures in Standard right now that the body is not completely irrelevant, but you would have to really want the ability.

It definitely looks like they saved the sweet blue cards for the final reveals this time. The Test Subject was a fairly obvious hit to make and a clear 5. I think the other two were fairly speculative mentions and subject to other specific cards being printed. As it was, I went the wrong way with the Civilized Scholar by looking at trying to attack with him instead of taking advantage of the looting effect.

Next time I'll recap my black reviews, with a healthier five cards to look at; including my first thoughts on Liliana of the Veil.

Steve

Review(Innistrad Review) - White

Hi everyone!

I've not written for a bit, due to holidays/work commitments/travelling to European GPs/general disappointment at the latest poorly handled announcements from Wizard of the Coast, but I felt like getting back on the horse, so to speak.

With the last ever World Championships having just shaken up the various constructed metagames, I wanted to revisit my spoiler review and see how my predictions have fared so far. For each card I'll summarise my review, look at how it has performed (or failed to!) and I'll give an accuracy rating out of five to my review. I'll also give my opinion on the future performance of the card.

Dearly Departed
	Review:	Potentially playable with enough Humans and a way to tutor it to the graveyard.
	Reality:	UW Humans is a deck, but Dearly Departed hasn't been seen anywhere near the lists that are topping Standard tournaments. The deck is fast enough to not need to work for the DD counters, and with no way to put a card directly into the graveyard there is little incentive to play this.
	Accuracy:	4
	Future:	Could still have a place in slower decks that are seeking to grind out a long game, but compares badly to Sun Titan while it is still legal.

Elite Inquisitor
Review:	Niche card that will be playable if Zombies, Vampires and Werewolves are decks.
Reality:	None of the three "monster" decks have materialised yet, so Elite Inquisitor has remained tucked away in the trade binders so far.
Accuracy:	5
Future:	There will obviously be more support for the creature types Inquisitor is good against in the next two sets; look for this card to start seeing play if one or more of them become tier one.

Fiend Hunter
	Review:	A narrow Oblivion Ring that is harder to cast and easier to remove. One to keep an eye on for the right deck/card.
	Reality:	Fiend Hunter has seen basically no play in successful decks, beyond being a singleton target in some Birthing Pod builds.
	Accuracy:	5
	Future:	Continue to watch out for any sort of engine card that could pair with this. Vedalken Mastermind and Reality Acid saw some fringe play when it was Standard legal.

Mentor of the Meek
Review:	Limited bomb, doesn't quite have enough power for constructed.
Reality:	It saw a little play at the start of the format, but was quickly passed over by the GW tokens (called it!) deck that would most want the effect.
Accuracy:	5
Future:	As long as there are enough "army in a can" cards (Geist-Honored Monk, Elspeth Tirel, Garruks various), it looks like Mentor of the Meek is sitting behind Mirran Crusader and Blade Splicer in the queue of white three drops. It could well have a future in block constructed where the competition is less fierce.

Mikaeus, the Lunarch
	Review:	Steel Overseer with less efficiency and MOAR POWER! Needs a token theme to be good.
	Reality:	We well and truly got the required token making cards, although the discussed W/B deck is not quite there yet (although with Bloodline Keeper there is not much more support required to "go there"). Mikaeus has fitted straight into the various W/X token decks and Tempered Steel alike, normally as a three-of in deference to the inefficiency of the card.
	Accuracy:	5
	Future:	Expect Mikaeus to continue to see play at the current levels, barring a better alternative being printed (unlikely).

I'm going to call white a success for me, with a full house of pretty much on the ball predictions. They weren't all no-brainers, either; Mentor of the Meek was very hyped before the set released, and general opinion was down on Mikaeus, the Lunarch.

I'll be back soon with a recap on the blue cards.

Steve