Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Understanding Audience Size

I'll take a stab at some number theory here for size of groups. As a school teacher in a very small school district I've had the experience of having class sizes ranging from 5 to 34. As a conference presenter I've worked with groups of up to 100. There are some very specific things to take into account at various sizes.

2-3 Accountability Groups
I use this term because groups of this size are fantastic at holding others to deadlines, getting people to open up about their own faults and issues, and are a great tool for growth. They are often times Mentor/Mentee relationships or a meeting of colleagues trying to work on a very particular project. If you're trying to get work done, groups this size are ideal


4-7 Dinner Party
Groups that are bigger than a small gathering don't have the intimacy for people to open up to the same level unless they have been taking place for quite a long time. At most a situation like this can end up breaking up into a couple of conversations. Most classroom techniques have a lot of trouble at this size. A single speaker with 4-5 people listening is awkward. Breaking up into roleplays is also odd because either you have everyone doing them while the rest of the group watches, or you have two or three roleplays going on at once. This size group is best for brainstorming and having open discussion of a topic.

8-12 Workshop
At this size you can easily have people break up into small groups for individual work or roleplay without things getting weird. Speaking to a group this size as a classroom doesn't work great but is feasible. Having something for people to do in groups of this size is necessary. At the very least taking detailed notes, writing down answers to questions, or having some form of team work helps a groups this size move forward. Discussions at this size tend to be dominated by a few key people unless you have some sort of system in place that gives everyone the chance to speak. Wraparounds, where everyone shares something in turn, works great at this size

13-40 Classroom
When you get much above twelve it can be difficult to keep everyone actively participating in whatever is taking place. The classroom structure often times includes breaking people into small groups in order to achieve meaningful discussion. Question and answer works at this size but don't mistake that kind of interaction for true discussion. Some form of presentation followed by individual or small group work is generally needed to make the best use of this size. Sharing work from the group works to some degree but is difficult to make meaningful without a group meeting more consistently.

40+ Conference Presentations
Once you break the 40 line you have no ability to monitor what people are doing. You can't really stop the show to get feedback and make adjustments. There's likely to be too many questions for you to ever answer them all. This is where conference presentations differ from the other setting sizes. You're goal is to inform and inspire your audience to take certain steps in the future. You're focused purely on the takeaway with full knowledge that nothing will be completed during the presentation. Audience participation is still important, but audience input generally won't shift the direction of anything. You ask questions that you already know the answer to in order to keep the audience involved, not to gain any specific information.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Letter Read at the Lopez Island School Board Meeting on 5/14



  I would first off like to thank those of you who have spoken out in support of the Technology Program here at Lopez Island School. Whether by email, in person, on Facebook, or hugs, I thank everyone who has taken a stand about the value of the technology education.

  While I’d naturally like to give a diatribe about the value of technology in education, I have little doubt that the members of the board already know and agree with the role technology should be playing in our schools. Instead, I’d like to tell you a story about a day in my job. During the evening previous to this day I had received an email from Bill informing me that Stephanie’s monitor had gone out and asking me to take a look at it first thing in the morning. As I entered school I went to Stephanie’s computer and solved the problem immediately. This was prior to taking my daughter down to kindergarten and before anyone was even in the district office.

  Upon reaching the kindergarten class and seeing my daughter off to school, I was pulled into the elementary office where they were having internet problems. After troubleshooting in the elementary office I headed down to the server room to restart the wifi controller which seemed to be the source of the problem. Once everything was settled and internet was restored, I got a call from the kitchen telling me that they were experiencing problems on the lunch counter computer. This computer is wired so the wifi controller couldn’t have been the cause. It turns out that somehow the wired connection on their computer had been disabled, so I simply re-enabled it and got the lunch counter going again. I then sat down with the kitchen computer which had been replicating several new kinds of adware and was unable to access any kind of internet browser. I solved this problem too, all before I got back to my classroom to turn on my computer.

  I tell you this not because I feel overworked or want to be appreciated for what I do. I tell you this because each one of these problems required a direct, hands on solution that could not have been handled by remote support. These kinds of problems are common everyday issues in any school. We cannot expect every teacher to be a technology expert and we cannot expect other teachers or administrators to step away from their job to provide technical support.

  Imagine the situation where our support was instead based in Anacortes and would have to arrive from the mainland the following day. We have a full day with Stephanie’s monitor not working, the kitchen doing all finances by hand and unable to make their daily reports, and no internet available in the elementary classrooms, offices, or principal’s office. The money saved by keeping these individuals up and running far outweighs the cost of my time. This was all done and I still taught my classes on this day. As a note, this isn’t a random mythical day. It was last Wednesday, shortly after I was informed by the Superintendant that the technology program was being gutted.

  I am here to ask that the current technology program be allowed to remain as it is. It provides much needed support for our staff and education for our students. This is the time to be growing our technology program, not decreasing it. The expectation of our students entering either college or the work place is that they are computer literate. The belief that our students will learn what they need on their own or at home simply isn’t true. Children today will be directly affected by the choices they make online for the rest of their lives. Failing to provide them with a suitable education with regards to their involvement in the internet is simply an unconscionable choice.

  I’d ask you to think back to something you did in your teenage years. Something, perhaps, that you are not proud of. The members of the school board have the luxury of this only being a memory in the minds of those present at the time. This is not the reality our students live in. Imagine instead that your friend with you took pictures, posted them online, and it became the top hit when someone searched your name, even today. The actions of our students online can be like tattoos or scars they carry for the rest of their lives. If we are giving each of our students access to a tattoo gun, we best be assured they know how to use it.

  The state and federal government have been very clear as to the direction of technology in education. The common core standards for Language Arts state that children in the 6th grade must be publishing their work online. We are facing the impending Smarter Balanced Assessments that will first test the digital competency of a student before it can accurately assess mathematics and literacy. Where do we expect our students to gain the skills necessary to navigate these assessments? How can we test students on machine they are entirely unfamiliar with and expect them to succeed?

  In the two years I’ve been here, we as a school have made great steps forward with regards to technology education. Our first through fifth graders are learning to type, creating presentations, word-processing thanks to the work of Lisa Shelby bringing technology to the forefront of the elementary school. Most of our secondary teachers are posting due dates, assignments, and lessons online for students who were absent or otherwise missed these important details. We have established a course in 6th grade in which students learn about cyberbullying, internet safety, 3D design, programming, email usage, typing, website creation, blogging, and digital citizenship through simulation. In the digital video class students have found a voice to air their opinions to the community as activists and artists. Our juniors and seniors have learned how to control their online image and prevent damaging information about them from becoming public. Finally, they produced an online portfolio presenting their crowning achievements from their high school career to be made available to parents, grandparents, college admissions officers, and future employers. By cutting the technology program, you are saying that this is not the kind of education our children need. By reducing technology education you are placing our students at a serious disadvantage compared to students graduating from other schools.

  My final point comes in the part of four questions. Without this position how can we make sure technical support is available to students and teachers at all times during the school day? Who will be responsible for making sure our school moves forward with 21st century technology? Who will make sure that our students are protecting themselves and their reputation online? Finally, if we don’t take the responsibility to make sure our students are computer literate aren’t we further punishing the students in our community who are already at the greatest economic disadvantage?

Friday, February 7, 2014

Born of the Gods Limited Set Review - Multicolored and Colorless

The other color set reviews can be found at the following links:
Black
Red
Green
White
Blue


For me, one of the best ways to make a profit and still enjoy playing Magic is to win events. In Limited events that means knowing what is good in a format and being able to able to accurately assess the value of cards. Everyone puts their own value on certain types of cards. Some favor removal over any creatures, others take any decent creature over removal. Some like expensive or late game cards and others prefer value for early tempo. While I can't adjust for your play style I can tell you what I happen to think of certain cards.

Limited Rating System

Everyone who evaluates cards uses a different system. Mine is 1-10 because I feel like it creates the easiest and most recognizable system. Using grades tends to provide some false associations; B- is a pretty lame grade in school but a pretty good card in magic. I also don't like using the 1-5 system because I'd rather say something is a five than a two point five.

10 - First pick and must play even if you have to splash it.
9 - Game winning card every time it hits the table.
8 - Bombs, top tier removal, and otherwise game defining creatures.
7 - Powerful creatures or amazingly efficient creatures, conditional removal.
6 - Solid creatures, expensive or highly restrictive removal, big play enchantments and artifacts.
5 - Core cards in your deck, on curve creatures, decent cards.
4 - Fallback cards that you'd rather not have in your deck but can fill in if needed. Cards that are too situational to main deck.
3 - Bad cards, cards that have too much risk and little reward.
2 - Really bad cards that barely do anything at all and aren't likely to impact the game in a meaningful way.
1 - A card with zero meaningful impact on Limited games of Magic.
Add-on Ratings
S - Sideboard cards. These will often be brought out of your board and are worth picking up over other things of their level because of their impact against certain match-ups.
+ - Better than the average card in this category but still not worth the step up to the next level.

Multicolored Uncommons

It’s worth noting that Multicolored cards generally require you to be in the two colors to establish an accurate value. Splashing for them is frequently dangerous and not advised in most circumstances. Also pack 1 pick 1 is a rough time to grab a multi-colored card because it sticks you into a single color pair on your first pick.

Ephara’s Enlightenment – 5
Uncommon
I feel like this is a tricky way to trigger heroic several times, but definitely not a bad one. On the first shot you get heroic and a +1/+1 counter. When you cast another creature you get to put it back on the next turn. The added benefit of flying means that I think this card is playable and will pull its weight. I like that it gives counters because they stick around even if something happens to the enchantment. Plus gaining evasion on a heroic guy is a nice bonus.

Fanatic of Xenagos – 5+
Uncommon
As a 3/3 for three with additional damage the turn you play him or a 4/4 he’s a pretty swanky three drop. A 3/3 with haste would probably cost you more so you’re already getting a bonus. This is just a really solid creature regardless of how the tribute goes. Either way he’s still a guy you want in red green.

Kiora’s Follower – 6+
Uncommon
Already being a bear we know she’s playable. But this card is beyond all accounts amazing. While at first glance this looks like a ramp card, the fact that it stays relevant the entire game makes it incredibly strong. On turn three you’re untapping a land for a four drop, on turn eight you’re untapping your Kraken to block with, or gaining another trigger on your Retraction Helix. My god this does everything.

Ragemonger – 5+
Uncommon
Considering that minotaurs never really did it for me in Theros I’m reluctant to say this guy sounds good. Having more three drop minotaurs will probably help and making your others easier to cast seems pretty nice. If you already have one on the board your next is only a two drop and all further minotaurs only cost colorless mana. This makes for an interesting minotaur ramp. But I still don’t see this as the tribal that is going to carry you through. Most of the minotaurs in this set are either rare or not that impressive.

Reap What is Sown - 5
Uncommon
Hmm. With Travel Preparations I got to do two creatures for one less mana, then I got to do it again to two creatures which were possibly the same for one more mana. This means the creature that it matters for grew twice and maybe I can make an irrelevant card more relevant by putting two 1/1 counters on it. This doesn’t do that. At best it is a bad Glorious Anthem. Instant speed is nice but you’ve really got to line up your blocks perfectly to make it work. I guess it’s playable as a combat trick and heroic enabler.

Siren of the Silent Song – 6
Uncommon
Considering Liliana’s Spectre is a pauper staple I can see this card going far in limited. The repeated discard effect on a flier can decimate an opponent’s hand pretty quickly. Even if you only get two or three discards you’re gaining huge card advantage. Paying three for a 2/1 flier isn’t great but they tend to be able to get in when nothing else can.

Multicolored Rares

Chromanticore – 2
Mythic
Just no.

Ephara, God of the Polis – 6+
Mythic
Ephara is actually one of my favorite gods because her ability is just plain useful. She is one of the few gods that actually takes steps to help you reach devotion. If you’re in blue and white you could do far worse than an enchantment that lets you draw a card every time you play a creature. Eventually that leads to turning her back into a creature and that’s pretty nice.

Karametra, God of the Harvests – 5
Mythic
If I was in white green I’m sure I’d run her, but I can’t really be that happy about ramp starting at five mana. Plus I only get the ramp when I cast a creature after her. I think any god is probably a five regardless if you’re in the colors just because of the large possible upside, but really this one might only be a four.

Kiora, the Crashing Wave – 8
Mythic
Having had the chance to play with Kiora a bit in constructed I think this card is amazing. Being able to blank their biggest guy while ticking up or simply providing additional ramp is very sweet. If they can’t deal with you quickly you basically get a win the game emblem in a few turns. The fact that she protects herself means that you can blank their biggest threat for as long as she lives. Even when she ends up dying after two or three turns she still feels like she’s done her fair share of work. In order for her to be a blank you need to be getting hit by two creatures you can’t deal with. At that point you’re likely to need more than a planeswalker to save you.

Mogis, God of Slaughter – 5+
At least Mogis does something impactful when your board is empty. He’s a four mana clock that says you’re going to die in the next five to ten turns. That isn’t terrible. However, that isn’t really enough. If you have the creatures to get him turned on he’s fine, but he doesn’t do much work on his own. Better than Karametra but only by a hair.

Phenax, God of Deception – 6
Mythic
As an alternate win condition, Phenax is pretty impressive. With a 40 card deck he can mill through a library pretty quickly. This makes him the king of board stalls but not much else. Even if you get him turned on it’s still probably better to mill away than attack. I’d say this’ll frequently be a three to five turn clock assuming you have some sort of decent blocker on the board, which isn’t bad but it clearly isn’t a direct threat either.

Xenagos, God of Revels - 7
Mythic
Is Xenagos really that good? Yes, yes he is. Even at five mana doubling the power and toughness of a creature is massive. Your 3/1 becomes a 6/4 when it attacks. You play some big six drop and get to attack with him right away as a 8/6 or something ridiculous. This has an immediate board impact and can turn any race into your favor. If you’re deep in the hole it won’t do much but an otherwise unremarkable creature can quickly become a game ending threat with Xenagos.

Colorless Uncommon

Gorgon’s Head – 5
Uncommon
Repeatable deathtouch is a pretty powerful tool. Considering you can move it around from attackers to blockers it’ll be able to pull some weight. I’m pretty sure I don’t want two of these in any deck but I’m pretty happy with one. Sometimes you just won’t have the creatures to put it on but turning your otherwise unremarkable two drop in to a Sedge Scorpion can save the day.

Pillar of War – 4+
Uncommon
With all the work Returned Phalanx did in Theros I’d expect this to make it into a fair number of decks. A 3/3 wall for three can do some decent blocking and it makes for an automatic target for a bestow. I think I’d rather have a creature that can attack but I can see running a couple of these to shore up my ground game early on if I felt I was lacking in three drops.

Siren Song Lyre – 5+
Uncommon
Tapping down creatures is a really powerful effect. Paying six mana and tapping one of your creatures in order to tap down your first guy is a bit harsh. But there are times where your opponent has a card you just don’t have an answer for and this can be that answer. As an insurance policy it seems decent but I’m still worried about running it in my main deck. Without a creature to stick it on it is worthless and it basically ties up both a creature and two mana for the rest of the game when I could probably just play another creature.

Springleaf Drum – 5
Uncommon
I think this card goes in every deck. With inspired running around this gives the only free trigger for it every turn. Any creature with inspired will trigger whenever you want them to if you have this card. Plus it provides both fixing and ramp at a pretty affordable cost. I think I’d even happily run two because of how quickly it would let me start playing big creatures. As a Modern and Pauper staple card this is something that will do good work in any deck so long as you’re playing, you know, creatures.

Colorless Rare

Astral Cornucopia – 5
Rare
Considering that Darksteel Ingot saw play and this is a multicolored set I can’t imagine leaving this card out of a deck just for the ramp effect. It also allows for an additional splash which is nice. But overall it’s just mana fixing and ramp combo which doesn’t do much else. I also don’t ever see casting this for six unless I’m just plain out of things to do.

Hero’s Podium – 2
Rare
This is a constructed card and not a very good one at that. Considering this is one of the three rares you’re likely to open and Legendary creatures only come out at Rare or Mythic most of the time the chance you’ll ever be able to use this to positive effect is pretty low. If somehow you get two legendary creatures in your deck you still need to spend five mana to cast plus another five or so mana to dig for a creature. That’s ten mana to possibly get one of your legendary creatures into your hand. It doesn’t even cast it.

Temple of Enlightenment, Temple of Malice, Temple of Plenty – 5+
Rare
Considering that we’re seeing temples played in Standard even in mono-colored decks I think that using a temple to replace a Plains is just fine. If it matches your colors I’d definitely pick it up ahead of any generally playable card. Plus it’s sure to be worth between one and two tickets. Even it only matches one color I think it’s still a pretty easy pickup just for the free scry.

Born of the Gods Limited Set Review - Blue


For me, one of the best ways to make a profit and still enjoy playing Magic is to win events. In Limited events that means knowing what is good in a format and being able to able to accurately assess the value of cards. Everyone puts their own value on certain types of cards. Some favor removal over any creatures, others take any decent creature over removal. Some like expensive or late game cards and others prefer value for early tempo. While I can't adjust for your play style I can tell you what I happen to think of certain cards.

The other color set reviews can be found at the following links:
Black
Red
Green
White
Multicolored and Colorless

Limited Rating System

Everyone who evaluates cards uses a different system. Mine is 1-10 because I feel like it creates the easiest and most recognizable system. Using grades tends to provide some false associations; B- is a pretty lame grade in school but a pretty good card in magic. I also don't like using the 1-5 system because I'd rather say something is a five than a two point five.

10 - First pick and must play even if you have to splash it.
9 - Game winning card every time it hits the table.
8 - Bombs, top tier removal, and otherwise game defining creatures.
7 - Powerful creatures or amazingly efficient creatures, conditional removal.
6 - Solid creatures, expensive or highly restrictive removal, big play enchantments and artifacts.
5 - Core cards in your deck, on curve creatures, decent cards.
4 - Fallback cards that you'd rather not have in your deck but can fill in if needed. Cards that are too situational to main deck.
3 - Bad cards, cards that have too much risk and little reward.
2 - Really bad cards that barely do anything at all and aren't likely to impact the game in a meaningful way.
1 - A card with zero meaningful impact on Limited games of Magic.
Add-on Ratings
S - Sideboard cards. These will often be brought out of your board and are worth picking up over other things of their level because of their impact against certain match-ups.
+ - Better than the average card in this category but still not worth the step up to the next level.

Blue Common/Uncommon

Aerie Worshippers – 5+
Uncommon
While some of the pieces of inspired dude factory aren’t impressive, getting a 2/2 flying bird for 2U isn’t bad. At 2/4 I feel you’re much more likely to be able to make an attack than with lower power and toughness making untapping a worshiper far more likely. Plus getting a token with evasion is far more powerful than a couple of 1/1 mans. Inspired still seems more like a bonus than a reality though and this is a 2/4 for for.

Archetype of Imagination – 6+
Uncommon
Levitation is bad at 2UU. A 3/2 on top of Levitation for 1U more is better. But the fact that this almost makes all your creatures unblockble is huge. It does make Reach a more valuable ability in this set but suddenly picking up your entire board and being able to ship it over unhindered can easily win you board stalls. The only problem here is that if you drop him on a pretty empty board he is just a 3/2 flier. We happily paid 3UU for Messenger Drake it seems likely we’d pay one more to add the Trained Condor plus effect.

Chorus of the Tides – 5+
Common
Speaking of 3/2 fliers, here’s one that costs two less mana. This heroic ability is actually the worst heroic ability I’ve seen yet. I’d never burn the spell just to do it –but if I’m going to bestow onto my flier anyway, getting a free scry one isn’t bad. I think I’ll be happy to play chorus of the tides as blue fliers looks like it could have a solid impact.

Crypsis – 5
This still isn’t Gods Willing but it is blue and it does untap a creature and allow you to make a possible two for one. Seems legit so long as you have bigger creatures, which isn’t blue’s strength. I feel like this is card is a fine combat trick but doesn’t handle a threat unless you have something to block with that has deathtouch. With Baleful Eidolon or Dredge Scorpion this card goes up significantly. But on its own I’m not very impressed.

Deepwater Hypnotist – 5
Common
2/1s two drops are generally fine but unexciting. The bonus of giving a temporary Sensory Deprivation on untap may be significant if you get to attack with him once, you’re likely to be able to continue doing so. Again, inspired is more of a bonus in this case, but a 2/1 for two is still playable.

Divination – 5
Common
Drawing cards in Theros always felt like I was just fishing for more land to be able to cast some of my bigger creatures. With a decent number of two casting cost creatures I fear that Divination may be a dangerous play in a lot of games. If you do nothing on turn two and your opponent plays a creature, then you Divination on turn three and they play three drop, you’re in pretty bad shape. That said, gaining card advantage is still going to be important in the late game.

Eternity Snare – 6
Uncommon
Cantrip Claustrophobia probably sounds better than it is. At six mana plus failing to tap the creature you’ve enchanted I’m not convinced that this card is really going to save you. It’s also not like you’ll be able to turn around and cast the card you’ve drawn until the next turn. But cantrips are still pretty nice and removal (even bad expensive removal) is still removal.

Evanescent Intellect – 2
Common
It’s a mill enchantment aura. That is so bad. Millstone wasn’t terrible but it was a straight up artifact. I know this is intended to go on something with Inspired or heroic but it just looks terrible for either of those purposes. Maybe I’m wrong but this cycle looks like they’ll all be sitting in the sideboard and never seeing play.

Flitterstep Eidolon – 5+
Uncommon
1/1 unblockable for two is fine; it makes for a great bestow target to hand out some continual damage. Being able to pitch it onto your big beasty for 5U is also pretty good because you have an unstoppable threat. Overall this guy is fine but he doesn’t do much on his own. Unlike several of the better bestow cards in Theros giving a pretty weak bonus doesn’t turn your non threat into a big threat. If you have to drop this on a 2/3 for six mana you aren’t exactly thrilled with the results.

Floodtide Serpent – 5
Common
Vanilla test says fine. I honestly can’t tell if this is a drawback or an advantage. Fortunately, it’s a cost not a trigger so Missed Trigger penalties don’t apply. Technically I’d say it is a drawback but being able to pitch your unattached bestow creatures into your hand is pretty nice at the best times. At the worst times you’ve got a 4/4 blocker. Sea Serpent was frequently playable primarily as a strong defender and 4/4s will block a lot of incoming threats. I’m thinking he’ll see play and be an acceptable creature most of the time.

Kraken of the Straits -5
Uncommon
A big dumb creature that can’t be double-blocked for the kill seems pretty decent. 6/6 uncommon is fine, even for seven mana. There isn’t a lot of downside here except for the seven casting cost, but when a 6/6 with moderate evasion is your reward, you’re pretty happy. Do I want more than one? Probably not, but I’m fine with the first one at the top of my curve.

Meletis Astronomer - 5
Uncommon
1/3s for two often do much more work than we expect them to. There is a lot of 2/1s and 2/3s running around in the set which makes the 1/3 body  pretty important. Again, the mediocre heroic trigger means that I’m not thrilled with blowing a spell just to trigger heroic but if you’re already going to bestow or combat trick a guy, the upside is pretty decent. I think most of the time I’m playing a 1/3 for two more than I’m looking to rip enchantments out of my library.

Nullify – 5
Common
I’d generally run two Essence Scatters if I had them. I think nullify fits into that same mold. The UU instead of 1U is a bit of a downside because often times I’d end up using my Essence Scatter on turn three or four when I didn’t have a play. I can’t really guarantee that I have the mana at that point. With so many bestow creatures floating around I think Nullify is still decent, but not impressive.

Nyxborn Triton – 6
Common
When I look at bestow creatures the first thing I look at is what happens if I cast them as creatures. 2/3 for three is a perfectly fine minotaur that is fair but not exciting. The next thing I look at is how much longer do I need to wait to bestow it. In this case, I’m bestowing two mana later and getting 2/3 which bumps any card from just a card to a bomb. Even better, when they kill that guy I’m left with a 2/3 which isn’t insignificant. I think this Triton will see plenty of play and will always do good work on the field.

Oracle’s Insight - 7 
Uncommon
You know how I said that the tap ability enchantments were lame. I wasn’t talking about this card. As a note, this card almost says “Tap a creature, scry 1, draw a card” which almost feels acceptable for four mana. But instead it lets you do this every turn. This card is insane. On any target with Inspired it is just plain bonkers.  If this stays on the field for a few turns, you win. Occasionally you’ll get blown out but that’s a risk with any enchantment.  Don’t forget you can activate it the turn you play it unless the creature is summoning sick. Or wait until their turn. While this is a great card you need to make sure you have threats in your deck that are worth digging for. If you have the option, you may just have to take a strong creature to actually have threats instead of this card.

Retraction Helix – 6
Common
This almost says “tap a creature you control and Disperse” but not quite. For one mana I’m a big fan. Considering this can be done after blockers are declared to remove an aura the number of tricks this card can play is fantastic. It also triggers heroic and will trigger inspired.

Siren of the Fanged Coast – 6+
Uncommon
Nine out of ten times, this is a 4/4 flier for five, very Serra Angel. That one other time this card may be pretty bad. This is one of the few cards when the either/or from Tribute may not work out in your favor. If their board is weak, you get to steal their best creature, which may not be much. Then you’re stuck with a 1/1 flier and their mana dork for five. The backfire issue is there but this is still a pretty solid card.

Sphinx's Disciple – 5+ 
Common
When we played Messenger Drake we were at least guaranteed a replacement card when it died. This is more of a flying Scroll Thief which seems pretty good until you see you’re paying five mana for a 2/2. When the air is open this is a great card. But if there’s much of anything else up there it’s not going to do much for you. But once you pull ahead with card draw, you’re sitting pretty good.

Stratus Walk - 5
Common
This is several times better than Flight. You still get a card back which is pretty nice but I'm not thrilled with it overall. It's good for both Heroic and Inspired. But overall it is not fantastic. I'm curious if the card replacement gives it more valuable than I'm giving it but it is still just a not very good aura. I might find myself happy to throw this in to my deck as a 22nd and 23rd card simply to up my speed through my deck.

Sudden Storm - 4+
Common
Slow Frost Breath with scry. If you've got the solid aggressive deck or the big bestow creature it's pretty good as you can get in for two turns. But in most regular decks this is still just a bad card. I hate having to use cards like this to do nothing but punt for two turns.

Thassa's Rebuff - 4
Uncommon
This card has some really good possible upside in the right deck. If you're heavy blue it's fantastic. Lots of the time your opponent can't afford to pay three more mana to cast their big spells. Used on a card on curve it is pretty nice, once you're late in the game it can just get pretty bad. All in all it's really risky. It might find a home in some Mono-Blue.

Vortex Elemental – 5
Uncommon
This looks like a bad removal to me. So long as you’re able to block something you can basically throw it back into your deck and later end up drawing a creature that doesn’t really do anything on its own. It can deal with a big threat which may mean you need to side board it in against something you just don’t have an answer for, but you are just going to see it and whatever you send back into your opponent’s library again. The forced block cost is too high to expect to be able to hit two creatures and it doesn’t do anything against creatures with any form of evasion. Bad removal is still removal.

Blue Rare

Arbiter of the Ideal - 8
Rare
Rarely do you not attack with a 4/5 flier. That makes untapping it very likely though not a sure thing. At slightly weaker than a Mahamoti Djinn this card is a solid bomb. If it becomes the engine that keeps on giving you’ll just keep playing creatures and you’re unstoppable. It is a bit of a win more card since you already need to be in a position that you can attack with a 4/5 flier but the fact that it likely provides back end cover when you’re attacking makes it feel really solid.

Fated Infatuation – 5
Rare
While this card is great a triple blue casting cost is pretty scary to me. I’d expect to see it landing in mono-blue decks just fine but if you have to wait until 6 mana to get your third blue source, the three casting cost clone really groundbreaking. Being able to get a clone and scry two is pretty good, so is instant speed clone. I’m just not sure how many decks want to run a UUU anything.

Mindreaver – 4
Rare
While I think Mindreaver is a very interesting card, I think it falls drastically short in Limited. The fact that you don’t get to rip three off the top when you cast Mindreaver and start off with some valid targets is a really big downside, especially in limited. Plus, how many doubles do people end up with, even in draft decks. You might have a couple of two ofs in your deck, maybe you got lucky and pulled three of a common. But as it is this guy is really just a 2/1 for UU which isn’t great but works in a pinch.

Perplexing Chimera – 5+
Rare
The number of people that simply won’t be able to follow how this creature works will be huge. I think this card belongs in the Judgebringer deck because of all the problems it causes. That said, it basically shuts your opponent down until they cast something you want. Then it shuts you down. As the last card out of your hand it is the best insurance policy around. They can’t even really kill it. Though deciding when to use it will be a huge skill play. I want this to be an 8, but it's just not.

Tromokratis – 7+
Rare
The king of board stalls, Tromokratis is really an all or nothing card. It sits like a big wall and can prevent your opponent from trying to dink away at you with a flier. Remember, all creatures means All creatures so this goes horrible with any RTR block guys with Unleash. He’s a big dumb guy that can’t be chump blocked so he’ll make an impact on the field no matter what.

Whelming Wave – 6
Rare
An overloaded Cyclonic Rift with some possible advantages looks pretty cool. Sorcery speed is a bit of a bummer but at only four mana it can fix some overloaded board states and really take some action onto a Voltron your opponent has created. It seems like I’d want this in my deck even if I didn’t have any of the left behind creatures just to solve problems I have no other answer for.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Born of the Gods Limited Set Review - White


For me, one of the best ways to make a profit and still enjoy playing Magic is to win events. In Limited events that means knowing what is good in a format and being able to able to accurately assess the value of cards. Everyone puts their own value on certain types of cards. Some favor removal over any creatures, others take any decent creature over removal. Some like expensive or late game cards and others prefer value for early tempo. While I can't adjust for your play style I can tell you what I happen to think of certain cards.

The other color set reviews can be found at the following links:
Black
Red
Green
Blue
Multicolored and Colorless

Limited Rating System

Everyone who evaluates cards uses a different system. Mine is 1-10 because I feel like it creates the easiest and most recognizable system. Using grades tends to provide some false associations; B- is a pretty lame grade in school but a pretty good card in magic. I also don't like using the 1-5 system because I'd rather say something is a five than a two point five.
10 - First pick and must play even if you have to splash it.
9 - Game winning card every time it hits the table.
8 - Bombs, top tier removal, and otherwise game defining creatures.
7 - Powerful creatures or amazingly efficient creatures, conditional removal.
6 - Solid creatures, expensive or highly restrictive removal, big play enchantments and artifacts.
5 - Core cards in your deck, on curve creatures, decent cards.
4 - Fallback cards that you'd rather not have in your deck but can fill in if needed. Cards that are too situational to main deck.
3 - Bad cards, cards that have too much risk and little reward.
2 - Really bad cards that barely do anything at all and aren't likely to impact the game in a meaningful way.
1 - A card with zero meaningful impact on Limited games of Magic.
Add-on Ratings
S - Sideboard cards. These will often be brought out of your board and are worth picking up over other things of their level because of their impact against certain match-ups.
+ - Better than the average card in this category but still not worth the step up to the next level.

White Common/Uncommon

 Acolyte’s Reward - 6+
Uncommon
The ability to pull a two for one with this card seems really high. Even if you’re stuck blocking a bigger creature than you’re capable of killing initially it allows you remove up. This is a pretty good removal spell that could also lead to some end of game scenarios when you get hit with a big alpha strike. I think this is a solid card you’re going to want in your white decks. Removal and save your guy is pretty swanky.

Akroan Phalanx - 6
Uncommon
Vanilla test this guy comes back decent. Paying four for a 3/3 vigilance is pretty decent, the upside if you happen to be red is pretty significant. Obviously in the RW aggro deck this guy is a pretty sweet cleanup card. I’m sure he’ll do work in any deck and may cause me to splash a single mountain if the cards fall right.

Akroan Skyguard - 6+
Common
Everything that Wingsteed Rider did in Theros will probably be done by the Skyguard. Paying one less white for one less power and toughness feels significant because without any pants to put on the Skyguard he’s not really posing an air threat. But the ability to get him into play a turn earlier and find an enchantment to get on him makes him a very strong card. Generally when my Wingsteed Riders are doing work they’re 5/5s or more so being a point of power and toughness down won’t be an issue most of the time. Evasion and heroic is a great combo.

Archetype of Courage - 7
Uncommon
Giving all of your creatures first strike just seems insane. Doing so on a 2/2 for 3 is fantastic. There isn’t a huge number of other cards with first strike that you’ll be canceling out with this Archetype but giving two or three other creatures first strike can turn a bad board into a good one really quickly. This Archetype won’t bring you back from the brink though. Dropping a 2/2 first strike onto an empty board is going to leave you feeling pretty disappointed.

Dawn to Dusk - 5
Uncommon
With all the bestow creatures in this set I’m pretty sure you’re going to happily find a target for this card every time you cast it. If I’m going to run an enchantment removal anyway playing one that can get me a refund card as an added bonus is nice. I doubt I’m casting my enchantment removal on turn two anyway so waiting a little bit doesn’t hurt too much. It is sorcery speed but as a two for one it’s pretty decent.

Elite Skirmisher – 4
Common
I’m not very impressed with short term heroic abilities for the most part, especially not on a three drop. 3/1 for three is pretty bad already. Having to throw a spell on him to get him to tap someone down isn’t really a redeeming quality. He does trade nicely (though at three mana it’s not really trading up) and sometimes being able to tap someone down for that final swing is important, but I’m not seeking to put him in my deck.

Ephara’s Radiance – 3
Common
It’s an enchantment, that gives life gain. This has two things that are significant negatives. Where’s my draw a card here? I’m not saying that I’d play it with it, but I wouldn’t feel as insulted by the power. Three life per turn is insignificant, but neither is a card, two mana a turn, and tapping a creature. This card asks a lot and doesn’t give much back.

Excoriate – 6
Common
Good removal is fantastic. Exiling is better. Most creatures tap when they attack. I like removal. Removal feels awkward in this set much like it did in Theros making any source of removal very important. The more I read this card the less I like it. Sorcery speed removal of a tapped creature means that it has to hit you before you can kill it. Don’t get me wrong. I’m playing Excoriate in my deck, I just wish it was better.

Ghostblade Eidolon – 7
Uncommon
Wasn’t Two-Headed Cerberus 1RR? This guy is 2W and comes with bestow. Six is a lot to pay for bestow, but when you’re adding double strike you’re probably getting what you pay for. Unfortunately when he falls off you need to find something else to give him to really make him shine, but double strike is a super powerful mechanic that demands an answer.

Glimpse the Sun God – 4+
Uncommon
I think this card is playable but I have trouble seeing it as very good. Cards like Frost Breath don’t always get played because they really demand an aggressive deck in which the tapping card is a finisher. I haven’t seen that early aggressive deck out of Theros block like I did out of Innistrad or Zendikar. Most decks in Theros got really aggressive early with cards like Ordeal of Thassa on a weak creature outpacing the opponent. Tapping down their creatures doesn’t matter if yours is already bigger.

God-Favored General – 4
Uncommon
Without finding a good way to tap this guy I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with him. I don’t want to fall into the trap of playing him and Ephara’s Radiance to try to get off a combo that gives me two 1/1 soldiers and three life for five mana every turn. Even if I can attack with him the turn on turn three, I basically need to blow my entire turn four to get two 1/1 soldiers.  I want this guy to be good so bad but at 1/1 I don’t feel like I have enough ways to tap him to make do good work.

Great Hart – 4
Common
2/4 for four has never been good. But it is a creature that fits into the curve. Pillarfield Ox barely made it into decks in M14 which had very few good white creatures. I see some better white creatures in Born of the Gods so I assume that the elk-ox probably will see some play but never happily.

Griffin Dreamfinder – 4+
Common
There is so much to like about this card it’s a shame that he’s just not very good. Paying five mana for a 1/4 flier isn’t going to impress me, especially with double white. Getting an enchantment card back from your graveyard isn’t nothing though, especially when it comes with a fine beast to place it on. Turning the 1/4 into a 3/6 makes for a pretty serious air born threat. Considering that Auramancer can do some work maybe we’ll see this guy make a showing. But five mana is a lot more than three.

Hold at Bay – 3
Common
This is not Gods Willing. It never will be. It’ll save your creature or counter some damage to the face, but much like life gain you don’t win by preventing damage, you win by doing it.

Loyal Pegasus – 5+
Common
2/1 flying for one is pretty amazing really. Any aggro strategy is going to love this guy. But if he’s your only guy in the air he can’t actually block anything flying and can’t attack. I think you’d be happy to run 4 of these, but less happy to run one. You just really need to look at your overall strategy for attacking early to see where if the Pegasus fits in.

Mortal’s Ardor – 4+
Common
Combat tricks for one are pretty good. But I like them when they look more like Giant Growth. I also don’t feel that lifelink is great on a combat trick. You generally use tricks to squeak out a card. Rarely is it for big damage. So a +1/+1 for one just isn’t very impressive.

Nyxborn Shieldmate – 4
Common
It’s Holy Strength, only it’s not. Honestly I think Divine Favor is probably a better card. Being left with a 1/2 when someone drops your enchanted creature isn’t really a bonus. I actually think this card is pretty bad. As a three cost bestow I’m not impressed, as a creature I’m not impressed. I don’t really want him in my deck. Unless I've got my hoard of Skyguards to bestow upon.

Oreskos Sun Guide – 5
Common
Bears are bears. Bears that gain you life when they attack are better bears. Bears look like they’ll play a role in this set because there’s a number of low casting cost creatures. The only problem is, few of them are any good. If you get in with Sun Guide a couple of times it makes for a pretty good card. But most of the time he’s just going to be a bear.

Ornitharch – 6+
Uncommon
3/3 flier for five is decent. 5/5 is great. Getting two 1/1s isn’t bad either. This is one of the tribute cards that actually feels like a tossup. If your opponent has other fliers you’ may find yourself getting blocked out and having the extra two birdies won’t matter much. If your opponent has removal to get rid of you, you’ll be one big creature. But either way, they better have an answer because you’re getting five power in the sky.

Revoke Existence – 4S
Common
I’m debating if this card is worth trying to run main deck. There aren’t the artifacts to make it matter but there are lots of enchantment creatures. It looks like about half of the creatures are enchantment creatures. Running one enchantment removal in Theros was fine and I think that this is likely to be a good choice. But it is still slow and only kills enchantments. It’s no Doom Blade.

Sunbond – 4
Uncommon
Four mana enchantments ask a lot. This is Mark of the Vampire territory. Gaining life wasn’t super easy in Theros and I don’t expect it to be getting much easier. Without a lot of creatures with lifelink I’m not sold that I want Sunbond in my deck. Unless I have a handful of Hopeful Eidolons or a couple of Gray Merchant of Asphodel but even then, this is a four mana enchantment that doesn’t do anything. On the flip side I’m sure I’ll get blown out by this card more than once. When things come together on this card it is unstoppable.

Vanguard of Brimaz – 6
Uncommon
Everything I don’t like about Akroan Crusader seems to be fixed in his newest incarnation. A 2/2 for two is much better than a 1/1 for one. Crusader ended up decent because of the number of possible bestow targets, plus Dragon Mantle and Titan's Strength. I think Vanguard will do well also.

White Rares

Brimaz, King of Oreskos – 8+
Mythic
Brimaz is nuts. First off getting a 3/4 vigilance for three is the best deal in the set. We were excited to see Boon Satyr at 4/2 flash for three. Here we’ve got vigilance plus pumping out guys, guys with vigilance. When I compare this guy to Ajani, Caller of the Pride I see a lot more problems for an opponent from Brimaz. Three turns later you’ve done up to 15 damage and have a swarm of little catlings.

Eidolon of Countless Battles – 8
Rare
While the floor on Eidolon is pretty low, getting a 1/1 for three, if you have any kind of board presence this card gets dangerous quick. At only a four bestow cost (we’re talking Hopeful Eidolon speed here) you’re guaranteed a +2/+2 with a likelihood of seeing  +4 or +5 pretty easily. The best thing is that even if your opponent kills the creature, you get all of the bonus minus one in the creature when it falls off.  This is the closest we’ve seen bestow and casting cost on a card before. I don’t think we’ll see this being cast as a creature very often.

Fated Retribution – 4
Rare
Planar Cleansing was basically playable in M14 at six casting cost and triple white. This is instant speed but seven mana is a ton to ask in limited. The scry is a nice bonus but I don’t think this will be making it into most decks. Generally problem creatures come in the form of some guy Voltroned up with bestow creatures. This just kills all your creatures and gives them a swarm of guys that fall off. I don’t think it solves any real problems and I don’t expect it to find a home.

Hero of Iroas – 6+
Rare
As a 2/2 heroic for two I’m pretty happy with this hero. I see the decreased cost in auras as a bonus, possibly a significant one, but not an overpowered one. This card seems good, but not broken. It basically provides a little ramp into your bestows and is a solid early creature on top of that. I think it might be a toss up between this and Skyguard for the evasion.

Plea for Guidance – 4
Rare
Six mana tutors seem excessive. This card feels a lot like Opportunity without the instant speed. You can pull up your two best bestow creatures this way but you’re spending the entire turn to do it. You’ll probably spend your next turn casting one of them and the following turn casting the other. Of course, at that point you’re probably going to win the game. But you’ve had to tap out for three turns in a row to get there. Maybe the format will end up slow enough that this card will matter. We don’t get the big monstrosity creatures in Born of the Gods like we did in Theros so maybe you’ll get to the late game and not have anywhere to better to spend your mana.

Silent Sentinel – 6
Rare
Like many bombs, the cost is the primary consideration. Paying seven mana for anything is scary. Only getting a 4/6 is a little sad. But once the air is clear you’re likely to start causing some real damage. Well, kind of likely. You see you need enchantments in the graveyard, which by seven mana isn’t really hard to do. But enchantment creatures can’t come back bestowed, which is most of your enchantments. That doesn’t mean the card is bad but I think I’m likely to be underwhelmed whenever I finally get this card onto the field. It’s big, has evasion and a good ability, but there’s many other cards that I feel will help me win earlier on.

Spirit of the Labyrinth – 5+
Rare
This is clearly a constructed card. It is entirely possible you’ll be rare drafting it anyway as it can cause some significant problems for most of the big decks in standard and brings a pretty solid 3/1 body to the table. In limited the ability is basically useless. You may blank someone’s Divination but you aren’t going to do things like shut down a Sphinx’s Revelation. That said, a 3/1 for two is really solid and will make any deck happily.

Born of the Gods Limited Set Review - Green


For me, one of the best ways to make a profit and still enjoy playing Magic is to win events. In Limited events that means knowing what is good in a format and being able to able to accurately assess the value of cards. Everyone puts their own value on certain types of cards. Some favor removal over any creatures, others take any decent creature over removal. Some like expensive or late game cards and others prefer value for early tempo. While I can't adjust for your play style I can tell you what I happen to think of certain cards.

The other color set reviews can be found at the following links:
Black
Red
White
Blue
Multicolored and Colorless

Limited Rating System

Everyone who evaluates cards uses a different system. Mine is 1-10 because I feel like it creates the easiest and most recognizable system. Using grades tends to provide some false associations; B- is a pretty lame grade in school but a pretty good card in magic. I also don't like using the 1-5 system because I'd rather say something is a five than a two point five.
10 - First pick and must play even if you have to splash it.
9 - Game winning card every time it hits the table.
8 - Bombs, top tier removal, and otherwise game defining creatures.
7 - Powerful creatures or amazingly efficient creatures, conditional removal.
6 - Solid creatures, expensive or highly restrictive removal, big play enchantments and artifacts.
5 - Core cards in your deck, on curve creatures, decent cards.
4 - Fallback cards that you'd rather not have in your deck but can fill in if needed. Cards that are too situational to main deck.
3 - Bad cards, cards that have too much risk and little reward.
2 - Really bad cards that barely do anything at all and aren't likely to impact the game in a meaningful way.
1 - A card with zero meaningful impact on Limited games of Magic.
Add-on Ratings
S - Sideboard cards. These will often be brought out of your board and are worth picking up over other things of their level because of their impact against certain match-ups.
+ - Better than the average card in this category but still not worth the step up to the next level.

Green Common/Uncommon

Archetype of Endurance – 4+
Uncommon
Eight mana asks a lot. In a set without other hexproof it really asks too much. Generally the biggest issues with hexproof come from smaller creatures that have been bestowed up. Green doesn’t really have answers to these problems other than bigger creatures. Removing hexproof doesn’t really do anything. Giving all your creatures hexproof is kind of cool but not something that makes a creature with an additional two mana over a Craw Wurm.

Aspect of Hydra – 4+
Common
The biggest problem with this card is that it will occasionally do nothing. When all you have is your one or two drop on the board you’re not getting a very big bonus. However, it can also do amazing things on a developed board. Unfortunately, this means that it is no Giant Growth. Generally I want to use my giant growth on turn three or four for a decent trade up to clear out the biggest problem on their board. I can’t really gurantee that I’ll be able to make use of this that early in the game, especially if my two drop comes from a different color. It seems when I want to use this it doesn’t do much, though it still can neutralize a threat late game, if my board isn’t empty.

Charging Badger – 4
Common
Beware the 1/1 for one. Trample is a good ability but 1/1 just doesn’t cut it without some serious bestowing going on. Just because you can play him on turn one doesn’t really give you any advantage because you probably don’t have anything to bestow him with until turn three to five.

Culling Mark – 2
Removal requires a lot to make it bad. This requires that you have a bigger creature (or one with deathtouch), be attacking, and the target be untapped and not have a quick tap ability. That just feels like too many restrictions. I don’t think this card is terrible and it will solve some problems, but it won’t solve the problems you really want it to.

Graverobber Spider – 6
Uncommon
Oh, Giant Spider, what you been eating? Giant Spiders are fine limited cards. This has the ability of gaining a Rootwalla like bump which is just upside. Again, I think 2/4 is a pretty solid number in this set which may push the value up even higher.

Karametra’s Favor – 5
Common
Did I say I didn’t like this cycle. Well this one hardly counts since it’s a cantrip. It’s also color fixing, something that feels pretty sparse with the exception of Springleaf Drum. Having to have a creature you’re willing to tap for the mana is a little sad but it gives you your card back which is a big bonus. Considering you’re probably going to throw this onto your worst creature it won’t be terrible if your opponent burns removal to get rid of your one or two drop.

Mischief and Mayhem – 4+
Uncommon
Combat tricks are fantastic when they hit two creatures in heroic -- oh wait. This is not a combat trick. This is a heroic enabler at sorcery speed for five mana. So we’re looking back at overrun here. If you have the guys with evasion this could be a quick 10+ damage to your opponent’s face which can turn the game around. But if all it does is lead to chump blocking you haven’t done much. I might run one if I don’t have any real cards to play but the lack of surprise is disheartening.

Mortal's Resolve – 5
Common
This feels like a slightly more expensive Ranger’s Guile but indestructible does give additional upside. You can prevent a kill spell and still be a quality blocker. It feels like I’d have use for one or two in my deck just to guarantee my threats aren’t taken out but I definitely wouldn’t want more. It also doesn’t stop everything which is always concerning.

Nessian Demolok – 5+
Uncommon
The floor on this guy is still a 3/3 for five that destroys a meaningless land. The upside is taking an enchantment with you. This is one guy that I think frequently won’t see tribute.  Unless your opponent has a game winning enchantment on the board or some big bestow creature he’s going to just take out the biggest bestowed creature or a land. If your opponent has missed a land drop this creature becomes fantastic. They either need a way to deal with a 6/6 or they’re set back a land which will prevent them the chance of finding one. So a great creature on curve and not the worst draw late in the game makes it pretty good.

Noble Quarry – 5+
Uncommon
Lure bestow is pretty interesting. Considering that this ends up getting all of your creatures in to hit two turns in a row it seems like a pretty decent card. Drop it on your weakest creature and swing in full board. Then do it again next turn should end the game. However, lure cost four and had targets like Thicket Basilisk. Paying six is a lot more and I don’t feel like you have fantastic combo targets to throw this on.

Nyxborn Wolf – 5
Common
If Regathan Firecat was playable at 4/1 for three adding bestow and losing a power should also be fine. Giving a creature +3/+1 is pretty significant and still ending up with a decent sacrifice blocker afterwards is solid. Bestow costs are a little higher than ideal but we’ve seen that Boon Satyr is a big card, this is like his little cousin, who may be a little bit slow.

Peregrination – 4
Uncommon
I like ramp cards but by the time I’m playing a four drop I really want more than just ramping. Getting a land onto the battlefield, one in the hand, plus scry is a fair amount of ramp but spending turn 4 doing nothing other than playing lands is a bit concerning. I prefer to see cards that do less on turn one and two or have effects like this attached to a 2/2 creature so at the very least my board can develop while I’m digging for land. I’m also sad that this doesn’t turn creatures into birds.

Pheres-Band Raiders – 6
Uncommon
What I like about this card is that I’m going to be attacking with my 5/5. If they can’t stop it I get another 3/3. Paying six for the 5/5 is fine, the bonus if it just gets chumped is fantastic. I see this as a totally acceptable win condition if your opponent doesn’t have an answer. Sometimes he’ll just run into two creatures and kill them but then your other smaller guys can get in for attacks. The fact that he has to be blocked makes him pretty solid.

Pheres-Band Tromper – 6
Common
A Canyon Minotaur with upside is good by me. I figure he’ll frequently have some trouble growing but if he does he’s likely to continue growing. I’m pretty happy with this as a four drop. If my opponent hasn’t put anything significant down it’ll cause a problem. I’m also happy to bestow onto it because it’ll continue to grow when it is able to attack.

Raised by Wolves – 5
Uncommon
When this card lands, it’s big. Two creatures, heroic activation, +2/+2 on the target. However, if you get blown out by removal, it is a huge loss. Also that +2/+2 probably won’t stick around forever unless you protect mama and papa wolf. I do feel that as an awkward Moan of the Unhallowed on the battlefield it is playable. But the potential downside is so big I’m a little concerned.

Satyr Wayfinder – 4
Common
If I find a way that I want a bunch of cards in my graveyard I’m still not sure what I’d do with this guy. This is a replacement for Mulch, only it is not in a graveyard set. It’s not even ramp and is only sort of fixing. I just don’t see the combos with anything but Graverobber Spider being very good. Where’s my Spider Spawning? However, if it's my only option for mana fixing, it is a card. But I can't verify it's better than a land.

Setessan Oathsworn – 4+
Common
If you’ve got the deck this card is ok, but without significant heroic enablers a 1/1 just isn’t going to cut it. While the other multiple counter heroic cards in Theros could grow to become quite powerful they tended to start from a more significant initial point than 1/1. If you top deck this it doesn’t do anything, If you play it on turn three you need to wait another turn before it can really impact the board. It’s not terrible but you really need the right cards to make it work.

Setessan Starbreaker – 5
Common
Considering the power of bestow in the set this is the card you want to deal with it. If it destroyed an enchantment I’d by super excited but only being able to handle auras limits the uses significantly. But it does rip an arm or a leg off of Voltron and leaves behind a body to help out afterwards.

Skyreaping– 4S
Uncommon
Green needs ways to deal with flying. This deals with some fliers. I’d probably rather have Plummet which I still wouldn’t main deck.

Snake of the Golden Grove – 5
Common
4/4 for five that gives you four life upon entering the battlefield is pretty handy. You’re paying one more mana for the four life and otherwise getting a Rumbling Baloth. I can’t imagine that your opponent would ever pay tribute. If they do I’d be concerned because they’re probably going to kill you next turn.

Swordwise Centaur – 5
Common
This is not Kalonian Tusker, nor is it Garruk’s Companion, but what it is lacking from either of those two cards isn’t enough to make it a bad card. It’s be better at 3/3 or with trample but it is fine as it is. It will run into problems with 2/4s but for a two drop it’s better than bears.

Unravel the Aether – 4S
Uncommon
This solves bestow problems and god problems. As a simple solution to a god it is actually pretty good, but it doesn’t mean you won’t meet the same problem next turn. I don’t think I’d really run this unless I ran into a problem I just didn’t have an answer for. It seems too risky to main deck since I don’t feel like we have as many enchantments as we did in Theros but you're still probably safe with one.

Green Rare

Courser of Kruphix – 6
Rare
This is a surprisingly strong card. Getting a 2/4 for three is no small gain but being able to play your top deck lands is pretty awesome. The downside of your opponent seeing every card that goes into your hand is less significant when playing big creatures is your real goal. I like the body and cutting you land draws in more than half late game means you get to keep getting value when a 2/4 isn’t that powerful. He also comes down on turn three and stops all those pesky X/1 and X/2s.

Fated Intervention – 5+
Rare
Five mana for 6 total power and toughness is solid, especially if you’re getting it at instant speed. This is actually a lot like Briarpack Alpha with more green and a longer board presence.  The additional advantage of scrying if you just need to drop the card isn’t bad. Triple green scares me a bit in limited in a five drop because all too often I just won’t be able to cast it on turn five.

Hero of Leina Tower - 7
Rare
Heroic X is insane. I don't see how you can ever block this card or attack into it when your opponent has mana open. Just the threat of activation on this is insane. That doesn't even take into account what ever you might be pumping it with. Oddly this makes cheaper pump spells way better than expensive ones. But the ability to grow unstoppably makes this the best one drop in the set.

Hunter’s Prowess – 6+
Rare
Single target Overrun for five mana sounds bad, but considering that it almost guarantees card draw I’m willing to forgive it. This isn’t the cross the board sweep that Overrun is but it’s hard to imagine the downside of dealing a bunch of damage with your creature and getting some cards in return. You’re still looking at a card that does nothing on an open board which means this isn’t Opportunity, but occasionally it may be better.

Nessian Wilds Ravager – 7
Rare
6/6 for six is always ok. ETB that kills another creature always worked well for Shadowborn Demon. Ending up with a 12/12 if they don’t want to lose their best creature is also just fine. The only problem I see here is no evasion. With trample that 12/12 would be a brutal threat but if your opponent can just chump block with 2/1s until they find an answer it’s not as significant. Still, big creatures tend to do well in limited.

Scourge of Skola Vale – 6
Rare
2/2 trample for three is acceptable but unimpressive. The ability to eat other creatures is fantastic. Going to have to chump block anyway, go ahead and much up. They can’t really kill this through direct damage because you’ll probably just eat something else. As you munch up dinner you’ve got trample to move along with. Considering the threat the Blood Bairn ended up being in M14 I can’t imagine this being bad. The only difference is that you don’t have the threat of activation on attack since you have to tap to grow him. I think this is a card that will very quickly demand an answer and be a fantastic blocker until then.