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Last week was First Impressions Week here at MDV, and like all the other articles from last week, this week I’ll be reviewing the latest set, Eventide, for your casual playing pleasure. Eventide has got some pretty amazing cards in it, and it’s got some uncommons that are definitely worth playing around. That means it’s time for another Lite Raiding the Dollar Bins. And this time, it’s Eventide themed! I hope everyone had a good time last week with MDV’s Eventide First Impressions. Eventide has been a lot of fun to work with so far, and hopefully you’ll enjoy the rest of this week’s offerings. Make sure to catch my next article (in the near future) as I discuss drafting Shadowmoor and Eventide, and give you tips and hints to increase your draft savvy with the release of this new set.
One of the coolest things about conventions is that there are always a large amount of shops, stores, and websites that set up booths to sell their wares on the convention floor. This is great for the casual budget player, because most of these retailers have extensive dollar bins, and with some rares that are normally not “dollar bin quality.” For example, at a recent convention, I obtained 4 Eladamri’s Call for a dollar apiece! That’s an amazing tutor, and it was pretty darn cheap if you ask me! If you’re looking for that chase rare and you can’t find it at your local friendly game shop, I invite you to check out the retailers for good dollar bin deals. I have to admit, I’m pretty stoked about Eventide. Multicolored cards have always been one of my favorite parts of Magic, and hybrid is such a cool mechanic. These two sets have shown us the power of hybrid as a mechanic, and they’ve given us some powerful spells as well. Eventide adds more to the mix, such as the enemy pair hybrid dual lands, more Demigods, and some cool new creatures. At the Eventide Prerelease, I immediately became enchanted by the Selkies in Green/Blue, and amused by the Noggles in Blue/Red.
It’s not just the rares in Eventide that are good, though. In fact, there are some pretty good uncommons in Eventide. I like all of the three hybrid cost uncommons (like Crag Puca and Wistful Selkie) and I think that there’s definitely a place for cards like Duergar Mine-Captain. Of all the uncommons in Eventide though, my favorite cycle is the one of enemy-colored Hatchlings. Hatchlings start out as a bad deal. As 2/2s for 4 mana, they aren’t exactly that impressive. But, as you continue to play spells in their colors, they get better and better. What makes them really good is that they get better quicker if you play spells that are in both of their colors. This week, we’re going to do just that. I’m going to show off two Hatchling decks - one that’s a bit on the controlling side, and one that’s pure aggressive fury. Let’s start with the control list first.
Things get out of control for your opponent once you get Nightsky Mimic or Voracious Hatchling down. All of a sudden, 32 of your 36 spells are going to pump your formerly puny creatures, and the beatings can begin. Edge of the Divinity is a card that adds the damage on, and turns a Mourning Thrull from a nuisance into a game winner. Once your creature force comes online, this deck becomes unstoppable, and Mortify helps take care of anything that your enhanced creatures can’t deal with. Things to Remember 1) Play a spell every turn. In order to get the benefits of some of your creatures, especially the Mimic and the Hatchling, you have to be able to play a spell every turn. This may mean playing Gerrard’s Verdict even when your opponent only has one card in hand, but if it you get an aggressive edge out of it, that might be what it takes to get the win. 2) Edge of Divinity is a beating. Choose carefully which creature you enchant with Edge of Divinity. Of course it’s cool the first turn you enchant a Mimic with it, because you get a 7/7 flyer. However, in the long run, enchanting your Blind Hunter or Mourning Thrull may be a better choice because they have evasion permanently. Card Suggestions Adding rares to this deck might not be a bad idea. Divinity of Pride is a great finisher, and in a deck that’s already gaining life, this guy will normally be an 8/8. Talk about power! Deathbringer Liege is also a powerful creature, pumping all of your creatures and turning all of your spells into a trip to the graveyard for your opponent’s creatures. Black/White also has some powerful non-creature spells. Vindicate, the best piece of removal ever printed is a welcome addition to this deck, as is Unmake. Castigate is another great spell this deck could take advantage of. Finally, if you want them, Gwyllion Hedge-Mage, Bloodied Ghost, and Restless Apparition are all fine cards for this deck. Just make sure that you play “gray” all the way. Next up is our aggressive deck. Instead of making the deck focus purely on winning combat, I wanted to see a deck that could race by the competition without them knowing what hit them. Red/Blue in Eventide has quite a few evasive creatures. Noggle Bandit and Riverfall Mimic are both nigh-unblockable, provided you jump through the right hoops. Well, that’s what this deck does. Let’s take a look at the list.
Card Suggestions Crackleburr and Dominus of Fealty are both fun rares that might be added to the decklist. The Dominus is most likely your “better” bet, since it’s a very aggressive creature and it has evasion to go with its creature stealing abilities. Noggle Hedge-Mage is a good creature for this deck, but isn’t quite as aggressive as I’d like. However, it offers you the ability to tap down opposing creatures so your men can get by for damage, and if you’ve got two Islands and two Mountains out, it’s a pretty good card. Invoke the Firemind is also a fun card, but in my mind, you’d probably be better off playing Fireball, and that’s not really the point, is it? I’m also not a huge fan of Mindrack Liege, mostly because of its high cost and the uselessness of its extra ability in this deck. All the creatures are at or below four mana, so you aren’t gaining a lot of anything other than flash for some extra mana. *yawn* Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind is a pretty sweet Dragon. If you have him, and want to show off a bit of your inner Timmy, you can’t go wrong here. Extra cards and a 4/4 flying body are nothing to scoff at. If you play Niv-Mizzet, Noggle Ransacker is probably not a bad pick either. I hope you liked my Hatchling decks. Until next time (which assuredly brings Nephilimy goodness), this is Death_By_Beebles signing out. ~Death_By_Beebles Alex Hoffman has been parading around with the pseudonym of Death_By_Beebles for three years now. He’s a writer for Magic Deck Vortex, and can often be found tinkering with his latest decks and studying for biochemistry. He is the author of Raiding the Dollar Bins and Going Blind series at MDV, and the recent startup series Pauper Chronicles. Alex likes kittens, reading, and generally enjoying life. He doesn’t like Brussels sprouts. You can send him deck ideas, combos and suggestions at deathbybeebles@yahoo.com.
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Greysky
Hunting. 
The
idea of this deck is to use your early control cards like Gerrard’s Verdict and
Pillory of the Sleepless to keep your opponent and his or her creatures in check
while you play out some of your small Black and White guys. Mourning Thrull and
Nightsky Mimic take up your two-mana slots. The Thrull keeps your life loss to a
minimum by letting you gain life each time it attacks.
Noggled. 
Much
like the first deck, this deck differs in the fact that its small creatures are
less powerful after another Blue and Red spell is played. They make up for it by
being unblockable. Crag Puca and Shrewd Hatchling fill up the top slots (as far
as mana usage goes) and Noggle Bandit makes things very difficult for your
opponent. Schismotivate helps bring the hurt by making your unblockable
creatures even more powerful. It’s also a great combat trick. Electrolyze is a
great card, and helps win the game by gaining you card advantage when you go
into combat.