Home   Decks   Combos   Articles   Visual Spoilers   Art   Features   Links   Search   Forum

MDV RSS Feed  
 

   

Join the MDV Forum Community.  Talk about recently submitted articles, combos, join forum games, mafia, deck building contests, monthly card creation contests, etc.  There's much to be had in the MDV Forums!

Magic Deck Vortex Facebook!
If you're on Facebook and want to know the latest on MDV via Facebook, Join here!


Donate to your favorite Casual Magic website: Magic Deck Vortex!




HOME 

ABOUT MDV 

LINKS   
ADVERTISE  
CONTACT  


  NEW DECKS! 
 
  ABOUT THE DATABASE
  HISTORICAL DECKS
  DECKS BY TYPE

  DECKS BY COLOR 


  NEW ARTICLES 
  Updated!  
  >2010 ARCHIVES Updated!  
  ARTICLES BY AUTHOR 
  ARTICLES BY SERIES


   Recent Combos    
   
Combo Archives  
 
   Infinity Combos  


  CREATURE LISTS  
 
  LAND SPOILER 
 
EXPANSION SETS
      Worldwake    
      Rise of the Eldrazi    
      Shake 2010    
  MECHANIC SPOILERS  
  OTHER SPOILERS 


  ART CATACOMBS 

  ARTIST LINKS   

  NEW ART! 
 


  DECK OF THE DAY   Updated!
  MDV CONTESTS
   Updated!
  CELIXIA   

  POLLS  


  Bazaar of Wonders 
  MDV Arcade!   NEW!
  Casual Deck Submission 
 Join the Forums!

MDV Featured Article:
Back ] Home ] Up ] Next ]

MDV Featured Article - First Impressions: Conflux - Esper. - by Coldstone and Dan Wright(Drathro) - posted 2/10/09 - discuss here

Drathro and I are going to be introducing you peeps the world of metal and precisely cut clouds. I look forward to delving into this Shard, as it was my favorite from the start of this lovely multi-color block we have here.

Hopefully our reviews of the cards will leave you feeling fulfilled and ready to have your limbs replaced with some lovely and sturdy Etherium replacements. Enjoy!

Conflux: Esper - Blue, Black & White

Armillary Sphere 2
Artifact
2, T, Sacrifice Armillary Sphere: Search your library for up to two basic land cards, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then shuffle your library.

Coldstone's Grade: C
Great mana-fixing for Limited. Searching for two lands for two mana is always nice, especially given the all domain stuff you can mess around with. In Constructed, I doubt you’d want to run this, seeing as you have access to some much better mana-fixers.

Drathro's Grade: C+
You're absolutely right that this is pretty strong in limited formats. It also has strong similarities to Courier's Capsule, gaining two cards for four mana, invested over two turns if necessary. The fact that it only gets basic lands can be considered a drawback or a bonus, depending on how you build your deck. Go, go gadget mana fixing!

Celestial Purge 1W
Instant
Remove target black or red permanent from the game.

Drathro's Grade: B-
I can't really grade this any higher since it only affects two out of five colors, but the fact that it can remove any permanent type of those colors is extremely relevant (vs Bitterblossom, Sulfuric Vortex, etc). In Constructed formats, this is a decent sideboard candidate and you will almost always have a target for Celestial Purge in multiplayer.

Coldstone's Grade: A
While I do agree that this is a smidge narrow as to what colors it hits, don’t forget that those two colors happen to hold some of the game’s most treacherous threats (Demigod, Figure of Destiny, Ajani Vengeant, and Bitterblossom to name a few).

That being said, I can’t remember one time I had this in Limited that this was a dead draw (being that just about all of the Naya/Grixis/Jund multi-color creatures are either red or black), and cheap removal of this sort is just awesome.

Constructed-wise this is definitely going to see a lot of sideboard play, especially with Kithkin and R/W Vengeant control. So expect to see these coming in during a lot of Game Twos.

Countersquall UB
Instant
Counter target noncreature spell. Its controller loses 2 life.

Coldstone's Grade: C+
Definitely a solid Limited pick. Color-fixing runs rampant in the Alara block, so there shouldn't be any trouble being able to produce either color (even more so if you're going Esper, in which case this is a no brainer). In constructed, this fights with Negate for the same slot. The two life loss is very nice to have tacked on, but I think Negate is going to be a bit more comfortable for Blue players to not have to worry about splashing Black.

Drathro's Grade: B
This is a good card for a good cost. The design makes perfect sense, as well. I agree that the mana can be a little restrictive, but if you are running Blue and Black with counters, there's very little reason not to run Countersquall instead of, or even in addition to, Negate.

Court Homunculus W
Artifact Creature - Homunculus
Court Homunculus gets +1/+1 as long as you control another artifact.
1/1

Drathro's Grade: B-:
I want to play this in Affinity decks, but there are already so many good cards for Affinity that there's just no space for this little guy. Maybe in Pauper and Peasant Affinity decks Court Homunculus can fit in better. In any case, a 2/2 for one mana is a good deal, so keep an eye out for aggressive decks that can play this.

Coldstone's Grade: B
Very true about Affinity, Drathro. They have much more efficient creatures to use (ones that come out for free, too).

Now, if there's one deck archetype that's been given a lot of help, its Esper Aggro for Standard. I love Homunculi in general, and this guy's no different. Very playable in both Limited and Constructed (as most 2/2s for one mana usually are). I approve.

Cumber Stone 3U
Artifact
Creatures your opponents control get -1/-0.

Coldstone's Grade: D
At first I thought of some applications for this, but then I realized it just wasn't worth it. The power reduction is really only relevant if your opponent is really on some sort of aggro rush theme, which really only happens (with any consistency) in Constructed. The problem there is that there I would just rather remove the creature(s) from the board than reduce their power in any way, shape, or form.

Now Limited this is a smidge better. It fogs a tiny bit of damage from bigger creatures, and maybe even be able to prevent unwanted trading of your creatures for theirs. Even then though, having to spend four mana for this is just too much. If this had been 2U, you could work on curving it out just a little better.

Drathro's Grade: C-
I'm not a huge fan of this one either, but against tokens and weenies, it is obviously not total dross. The problem is, against a weenie rush, you'll be down to almost no life by the time you can play this trump. In Limited formats, which are usually slower, this has the potential to stall the game by at least one turn, if not multiple turns.

Darklit Gargoyle 1W
Artifact Creature - Gargoyle
Flying
B: Darklit Gargoyle gets +2/-1 until end of turn.
1/2

Drathro's Grade: B-
A 1/2 flier for two mana is actually decent, and the option to go aggro with the pump ability is nice with any toughness boost. Combine with one Master of Etherium to enable Darklit Gargoyle to grow to 6/1. Drop it in a budget Black-White deck with Edge of the Divinity - sure, it only gets +1/+2 from that Aura, but that means you have the realistic potential to pump up the power and attack with a 6/2 flier as early as turn three, and an 8/1 flier each turn thereafter!

Speaking of Gargoyles, wasn't Coldstone the name of the Cyborg Gargoyle in that Disney TV cartoon?

Coldstone's Grade: D+
Heh, you’re spot on there, Drathro. He’s where I got my screen name from, originally. (Most people figure its because of the ice cream shop of the same name)

Eh.. This is primarily a Limited creature. 3/1s for two mana with flying are usually worth a second look, but unfortunately for Darklit, he requires a mana investment in order to reach that stat. Creatures with 1 toughness are and always will be, fragile, and in Constructed, don’t expect this to ever live for very long (especially with all the burn). Limited wise it’s a smidge better, as burn isn’t quite as prevalent, and 3/1 fliers can potentially get there. But he’ll always have to have that look over his shoulder for the danger.

Esper Cormorants 2WU
Artifact Creature - Bird
Flying
3/3

Coldstone's Grade: C
Tower Gargoyle is of course the preferred four converted mana cost flier for Esper, but this is a nice second should you not see any of the Gargoyle. 3/3s for four usually work pretty well in Limited, and being common you should see a few more of them than the Tower dude.
In Constructed, you just play Tower Gargoyle. 'Nuff said.

Drathro's Grade: C
Just another fairly costed creature, good in limited, yadda yadda. It needed a second ability to make it special, but it didn't get one.

Esperzoa 2U
Artifact Creature - Jellyfish
Flying
At the beginning of your upkeep, return an artifact you control to its owner's hand.
4/3

Drathro's Grade: B
This is more like it. Cheap, large, and evasive with a drawback that can sometimes be turned to an advantage. Also, the art is pretty neat.

Coldstone's Grade: B
Completely agree with you on this guy’s awesomeness. It shouldn't be too hard to draft up some low cost artifacts to play before you've cast this fatty, and keep him bringing the beats for as long as you can. Heck, I'd pick this even if I'm not even going Esper. 4 power for 3 is ridiculous, plain and simple. Constructed loves this because of cards like Ornithopter, Spellbook, and Fountain of Youth (just a few of those advantages you mentioned, Drathro, as you can just recast those). You can even do a few shenanigans with Faerie Machinist, should you get one. Great card, here.

Ethersworn Adjudicator 4U
Artifact Creature - Vedalken Knight
Flying
1WB, T: Destroy target creature or enchantment.
2U: Untap Ethersworn Adjudicator.
4/4

Coldstone's Grade: C+
A big untapping Esper dude. Not bad, though I think this is more a Timmy card than a Spike. His abilities, though very good, are mana intensive, which is where I think the problem lies. Nevertheless, he’s a pretty nice Limited bomb, being decently costed, with some decent stats. Even if you’re not Esper, the untap ability gives him pseudo-vigilance, which is always a plus. Constructed I don’t see this being in more than a casual deck.

Drathro's Grade: B+
Hey, are you calling me a Timmy? Logically speaking, this is not the best card in Conflux but, at a visceral level this is definitely my favorite card of the set. It's a fair cost for a 4/4 flier, with extra abilities that push it over the top. When you get an extra Mortify every turn, it's kind of hard to lose a damage race.

Faerie Mechanist 3U
Artifact Creature - Faerie Artificer
Flying
When Faerie Mechanist comes into play, look at the top three cards of your library. You may reveal an artifact card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
2/2

Drathro's Grade: C
Similar to the Tenth Edition common Gravedigger, this card should net you an extra card most of the time it is played. Adding flying pushes the power a little above Gravedigger. Some seem to think this will be very good for artifact combo or affinity decks, but I remain skeptical. Definitely post in the forums about this one, if you disagree.

Coldstone's Grade: C+
This guy + Esperzoa is pretty nuts in Limited if you’ve managed to go straight Esper. I might’ve preferred four cards, a la Gift of The Gargantuan, so, like you Drathro, I remain skeptical too. He’s got a 2/2 body with evasion attached to it, so I think maybe I can manage.
Constructed wise I think most people will pass on this. It’s a good ability, but four mana for just a 2/2 dork that maybe can net you a creature, I think you could do better.

Inkwell Leviathan 7UU
Artifact Creature - Leviathan
Islandwalk, trample, shroud
7/11

Coldstone's Grade: C+
I loooove me some big Blue creatures. Especially ones with trample (as that’s a very un-Blue mechanic, typically). Dropping this successfully in Limited usually means you’re pretty set, barring your opponent having something silly like Progenitus out, or a Martial Coup in hand. But those are specific cases, so I doubt you’ll see them too often.

Drathro's Grade: A
I might see this one a little differently, Coldstone. Shroud makes this a good card. Shroud plus trample plus a convenient 7/11 size makes this awesome! It's also able to be transmuted, tinkered, welded, or reanimated into play. I think decks that run Darksteel Colossus should consider this as a additional alternate finisher - spells that can deal with DC generally can't deal with Inkwell Leviathan, and vice-versa. Expect to see this everywhere.

Lapse of Certainty 2W
Instant
Counter target spell. If that spell is countered this way, put it on top of its owner's library instead of into that player's graveyard.

Drathro's Grade: B+
Costing one more mana than its ancestor Memory Lapse, Lapse of Certainty is still a strong card, and an interesting direction for White. At the very least, White beatdown decks should appreciate getting in an extra turn of damage after using Lapse of Certainty on a Wrath of God. If you're lucky enough to be holding a second Lapse, thwarting Wrath twice in a row can really seal the deal.

Coldstone's Grade: B-
A Memory Lapse for White that costs three. This is definitely not bad for a color that typically doesn’t counter much. Even if your opponent gets to re-use the spell, the break in tempo often times can be enough to swing the match in your favor, especially in Limited. In Constructed, I’ve yet to figure out what decks will try to play this. The cost makes it a tad clunky to play for most aggro decks, so perhaps a few of the White-based control decks can give it a shot.

Magister Sphinx 4WUB
Artifact Creature - Sphinx
Flying
When Magister Sphinx comes into play, target player's life total becomes 10.
5/5

Coldstone's Grade: B-
This guy’s a whopper of a Limited bomb, especially if you can accelerate into it. By himself, he puts your opponent on a two turn clock (if he resolves, of course). Heh, this makes me wish Hidetsugu's Second Rite was still in Standard, which would cause all sorts of shenanigans. Now I’d love to find a home for this guy in the current Standard metagame, but I doubt we’ll see much of him, unless life gain becomes a solid strategy somehow, in which case he’ll shine. Maybe I really should try out that Esper Aggro deck...

Drathro's Grade: C+
I think Magister Sphinx has a weird ability. It may be a solid 5/5 flier, but there are better attackers at less than seven mana, so you must be paying extra for the life-setting ability. The best use I can think of for Magister Sphinx is to combat lame infinite life and Martyr of Sands decks.

Master Transmuter 3U
Artifact Creature - Human Artificer
U, T, Return an artifact you control to its owner's hand: You may put an artifact card from your hand into play.
1/2

Drathro's Grade: A-
The Transmuter is a little too slow for combo abuse. However, in a control situation where it can be protected for a turn, it can be very difficult to get rid of. As well it enables any nasty tricks you may have in hand to be played through.

Coldstone's Grade: B+
The only thing that stopped me from giving this an ‘A’ was the power and toughness. A 1/2 for four doesn’t usually live very long in a format filled with burn, 2/2 creatures, and planeswalkers that can smack it for three damage. That said, Master Transmuter is a great bomb in Limited if you can build around it. There is much less burn here, and if you keep it alive to see an untap phase with it, your opponent could be in for some hurting in the forms of Inkwell Leviathan, Magister Sphinx, Obelisk of Alara, or any other big flashy artifact things you can get your hands on. For Constructed, I’m definitely going to see who’s brave enough to try and build a deck of the cutely dubbed, "Blue Goblin Welder".

Parasitic Strix 2U
Artifact Creature - Bird
Flying
When Parasitic Strix comes into play, if you control a black permanent, target player loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
2/2

Coldstone's Grade: C+
This guy’s not too shabby in Limited. Sort of like a Blind Hunter without the haunt. I never had the pleasure of getting this, a Black permanent, and an Esperzoa going, but that’s a nifty little combo if you can keep it going for a few turns. Other than that, I don’t see this Strix making a big splash in any other formats other than Limited.

Drathro's Grade: B-
Interesting that you mention Blind Hunter, since it is a key card in Pauper deck called Orzhov Blink. Orzhov Blink already runs Blue in addition to White and Black. If Parasitic Strix becomes integrated into the deck, shouldn't they change the name to Esper Blink? This is a cool card that definitely has casual Constructed potential.

Reliquary Tower
Land
You have no maximum hand size.
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.

Drathro's Grade: B
This card seems to polarize opinions, and I fall squarely in the "yes, please" camp. Classic Draw-Go style decks will love this. Heck, the only card stopping this from being played in Standard Cruel Control decks is Cruel Ultimatum itself, and that can be replaced with something a little less heavy on the colored mana. Combo decks will appreciate this as well. You don't have to waste a spell slot on Spellbook, and you won't have to discard after playing Necrologia for sixteen cards.

Coldstone's Grade: D
Uhh... its Spellbook that can make mana. I dunno how much of a help this thing is in Limited, as most times I’ve yet to have a hand size of eight for more than a turn or two (besides, I don’t think I’d want to have one fairly often, as that usually means you’re having mana issues). The fact that this makes mana is really the only thing this has going for it, and I’d probably prefer Spellbook anyways as it costs zero mana and doesn’t cost you a land drop.

Salvage Slasher 1B
Artifact Creature - Human Rogue
Salvage Slasher gets +1/+0 for each artifact card in your graveyard.
1/1

Coldstone's Grade: C+
Seems like a lot of the new Esper guys are Limited-only dudes. Slasher’s good, but not great. The one toughness sticks out like a sore thumb, even when he gets threatening big (5/1 or larger). Usually, this guy will just trade with a random big dork late game (hopefully not with something like Child of Alara, though), which is what keeps this guy from being worse than Glaze Fiend. I can maybe see this guy being test run in a version of super aggressive Esper Aggro, but probably not much else.

Drathro's Grade: D+
At least Nim Shrieker had flying. At the very best of times, this will be a two mana edict when you attack. The rest of the time, it stinks. The only place this has a remote chance at being good is maybe as a backup attacker for a Legacy Berserk Affinity deck, but what do you take out to make that change?

Scepter of Dominance 1WW
Artifact
W, T: Tap target permanent.

Drathro's Grade: B
If you don't mind playing White, this can actually be part of a sweet mana denial deck. Scepter of Dominance also "pacifies" the biggest threat, but with an "upkeep" of one mana. I definitely feel it has potential, but there might not be enough White disruption to make a deck... yet.

Coldstone's Grade: D
I have no idea why these were made into rares. If they were all colorless, maybe, as they would get around ‘protection from’ abilities, but as they stand now they’re just... clunky.

This one I rank second out of the three of them, as it does stop some big creature bombs (the ones without shroud and are not named Progenitus, mind you) from smacking your face around for a little while. Constructed wise, forget it. There are much better tappers out there that do the job for cheaper (one’s even colorless!).

Scepter of Fugue BB
Artifact
1B, T: Target player discards a card. Play this ability only during your turn.

Coldstone's Grade: C-
When this was first spoiled, I thought it really had a shot at being competitive, as it wasn’t sorcery speed. But after the full text came out, it went from that to being very sub par. Its only really benefit is that its reusable, and combos decently with Nyxathid. Other than that, its only okay. Standard wise? No way. I can think of muuuch better discard outlets.

Drathro's Grade: B-
The way I see it, we just got a strong discard engine in Eventide with Raven's Crime. Now in Conflux, we get another one, only this one is a little slower. Still, it has the potential to be really irritating, so that's always good.

Scepter of Insight 1UU
Artifact
3U, T: Draw a card.

Drathro's Grade: C
The high activation cost of this scepter makes it a lot more difficult to build into a deck than the other two Conflux scepters. Card draw at instant speed (sort of) is not something to be taken lightly, but I think this is right on the edge of playability.

Coldstone's Grade: C-
Reusable draw is usually not terrible in Limited, so this gets a grade up from D-. However, I don’t like it eating up one of my rare slots. At uncommon or something, this would’ve been just fine. Heck, it and its brethren might be halfway decent. But not at the rare slot.

Constructed? I think for the mana investment you’d rather play stuff that will net you just more than one card. Stuff that also comes with a 2/2 body attached.

Scornful Aether-Lich 3U
Artifact Creature - Zombie Wizard
WB: Scornful Aether-Lich gains fear and vigilance until end of turn.
2/4

Coldstone's Grade: C+
This guy’s not too bad in Limited. Reasonably costed with decent stats to back it up. Cheap vigilance guys are always worth a second look, so I’d definitely scoop these guys up if I was in the colors. Sadly for Constructed, he’s just a tad too awkward to fit in anywhere solid. The aggro build of Esper would probably prefer to just run Transmuter if they had to really chose a four drop.

Drathro's Grade: C-
Now there's an interesting contrast in play styles: Coldstone notes that vigilance is the ability that gives this a little extra punch for Limited formats, while I am more interested in the fear ability. Interactive vs non-interactive, much?

In any case, if they had split the ability into a White-activated vigilance ability and a Black-activated fear ability, I would have ranked this higher. As it is, this is a mediocre creature that forces you to run three colors. Not that three colors is that difficult right now. For that matter, fear and vigilance really are pretty good in Limited. I'll split the difference and call it not terrible.

Sludge Strider 1WUB
Artifact Creature - Insect
Whenever another artifact comes into play under your control or another artifact you control leaves play, you may pay 1. If you do, target player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
3/3

Drathro's Grade: C+
They made you pay for this life loss, which is a smart move, considering that little bit of trouble with Disciple of the Vault. I think this card is all about the cool factor for casual: It's an Insect, it has some sweet art, and we casual players love our bleeder decks, though they don't usually involve Blue.

Coldstone's Grade: C+
If this didn’t clash with the same cost as Tower Gargoyle, it would be definitely worth a look at for Standard. As is, he’s pretty good for Esper Limited if you can draft up enough artifacts to make him worth it. I do wish this has evasion, but you’d be bordering on making it a rare if you gave it something like flying or island/swamp/plainswalk. Oh well, you take what you can get.

Sphinx Summoner 3UB
Artifact Creature - Sphinx
Flying
When Sphinx Summoner comes into play, you may search your library for an artifact creature card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. If you do, shuffle your library.
3/3

Coldstone's Grade: D
I was really on the fence with this guy when I first looked at it. He’s a very expensive and narrow tutor, and with underwhelming stats given his cost. I don’t see why he couldn’t just search up any artifact. I could go fetch a Scourglass and use it to bomb up the field or something to that degree. Unless you’ve ripped some nice big artifact creatures (like Sharuum), the most you’ll go look for is another blocker.

Thanks, but no thanks with this one.

Drathro's Grade: C
Between Sphinx Summoner, Faerie Mechanist, and Sanctum Gargoyle, there seem to be a lot of Esper fliers which net you an extra card. Sphinx Summoner is unfortunately a 3/3 flier for five mana, which is definitely a little on the high side, but the cost of tutoring has to come from somewhere.

Telemin Performance 3UU
Sorcery
Target opponent reveals cards from the top of his or her library until he or she reveals a creature card. That player puts all noncreature cards revealed this way into his or her graveyard, then you put the creature card into play under your control.

Drathro's Grade: C+
This has some oddball potential, especially if you want cards in the opponent's graveyard, or if you know all they run is a Darksteel Colossus. This definitely goes in a few sideboards, but I've already got a couple crazy main deck ideas running through my head for this performance.

Coldstone's Grade: C
This isn’t too bad in Limited, as you have more chances to hit something more fleshy than in Standard. Its also pretty nice that the other cards you reveal get milled away to the graveyard, instead of your opponent being able to potentially reuse them later on.

Standard I dunno. The odds of hitting a worthwhile creature are slim, given the aggro heaviness of the format. Occasionally you might snag something, but I think this will just stick to being a casual rare.

Traumatic Visions 3UU
Instant
Counter target spell.
Basic landcycling 1U (1U, Discard this card: Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.)

Coldstone's Grade: C-
The only real reason I’d run this is for the basic land search. Yeah occasionally I’ll counter a spell, but typically you’re not going to with this. Blue doesn’t usually get the ability to search out lands, so if you’re mostly in Blue and are splashing something else, definitely scoop these up. Constructed wise? Yeah right.

Drathro's Grade: C+
I agree that the basic land cycling ability is the reason to run Traumatic Visions, especially in this modern age of multicolor insanity. Being able to hard cast a "Force of Will" in a pinch is just gravy.

Vectis Agents 3UB
Artifact Creature - Human Rogue
UB: Vectis Agents gets -2/-0 until end of turn and is unblockable this turn.
4/3

Drathro's Grade: D
I'm going to jump out of Esper for a moment to mention that Thornling is a really good card with some really bad art. Why is this relevant here? Well, Vectis Agents is the exact opposite: Vectis Agents is a disappointing card with awesome art! Other than the pic, this is bad limited filler.

Coldstone's Grade: F
I soooo had high hopes for this when I saw the artwork. I figured something that was two casting cost, and had something nifty like fear or islandwalk. But instead we get... this.

Even for Limited, I think I’d refrain from running this. Five mana for a 2/3 unblockable creature? No thank you. And I even have to put mana into it in order to do that! Constructed? Lets not even go there.

Vedalken Outlander WU
Artifact Creature - Vedalken Scout
Protection from red
2/2

Coldstone's Grade: B
Okay, now why couldn’t Vectis Agents have this kind of ability? That would have made them awesome.
*sigh* Oh well.

Drathro's Grade: C
The whole cycle of protection scouts is fine by me.

View from Above 1U
Instant
Target creature gains flying until end of turn. If you control a white permanent, return View from Above to its owner's hand.

Drathro's Grade: C+
View from Above has a weird sort of buyback going on. At first, I dismissed it as lame, then I realized you could give your whole team flying if you had the mana. Finally, it occurred to me that you could even build a small storm count with this. Maybe Quirion Dryad has a new buddy...

Coldstone's Grade: C+
Reusable (potentially) instant that grants your other dudes flying. Not bad for Limited, really, especially if you can lift something like Meglanoth or another fat behemoth into the sky for five or more damage. Constructed peeps can pass, as its probably not worth having to recast this each turn just to lift a dude up into the sky.

Worldly Counsel 1U
Instant
Domain - Look at the top X cards of your library, where X is the number of basic land types among lands you control. Put one of those cards into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.

Coldstone's Grade: C
This was hard to grade. It’s a great card, but do you run it in three colors; or four or five? To be honest, I think that any of the shard decks that run Blue are going to try testing this out (namely Bant and Grixis), and if it takes off from there, this card can get an elevated grade to B.

Limited its pretty good, as you’re usually running lots of basics anyways, and if you’ve got a way to produce Blue mana, then you’re pretty set.

Drathro's Grade: C
Sometimes better than Telling Time, sometimes worse. In any case, I'm not overly excited about this reprint.


It looks like Coldstone and I agreed on the worst card in the Conflux Esper Shard. We both gave our lowest scores to Vectis Agents. It's a shame that such sweet art was relegated to such an underwhelming creature.

On the other hand, we disagreed on what the best Esper card is. Coldstone gave his highest rating to Celestial Purge, a fine utility card, but one I found too narrow to rate quite as highly as he did. I cast my vote for Inkwell Leviathan, which I saw as a large-and-in-charge, difficult to deal with threat, but Coldstone felt is too expensive to reach the board and stay there outside of limited.

Looking for the highest average score between us, Master Transmuter comes out on top. We both recognized it as a vulnerable and somewhat expensive creature, but we also felt that it can have a powerful effect on the game, once you can activate it's ability.

What do you think of these Conflux Esper cards? Head to the forums and let us know where we went wrong, or what cards we called spot-on. If you don't yet know what you think, then go out, build some decks, play some games, then come back and report in the forums on the best and the rest from Conflux!

You can discuss this article in the MDV forums here.
Find other articles by this author here.
Find other articles by this author here.
Find other articles from this series here.

Back ] Home ] Up ] Next ]

Articles Spotlights from 2008:
A Fresh Perspective: Stasis - Part One.
The Apprentice Magician - Part Six.
Design on a Dime: The Lunch Meat Edition!
Fit the Flavor 2008 - FINALE!
The Games People Play - Market & EDH.
Sarpadian Empires, Vol VII: Foreword.
More Evil Than Evil.
Pauper Chronicles: Top O' the Morningtide to You!
Words from the Streetz: Uncommon and Common Magical Treasures.
The Writers Guild: The Inside Scoop.

DISCLAIMER.
Magic the Gathering is TM and copyright Wizards of the Coast, Inc, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. All rights reserved. All art is property of their respective artists and/or Wizards of the Coast. This site is not produced or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

Magic Deck Vortex (www.magicdeckvortex.com) is a service provided by John Streetz to promote the knowledge, enjoyment and awareness of Magic: the Gathering as a collectible card game (CCG). This is a free site that does not generate any profit for its owner. Magic Deck Vortex is based out of Chicagoland, Illinois and has been around since August 2002.

Home   Decks   Combos   Articles   Visual Spoilers   Art   Features   Links   Search   Forum