| Best Commons in standard today |
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| Written by Bromf | |||
| Wednesday, 02 July 2008 17:49 | |||
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I have been asked a few times "what makes a good player", and to this I tend to reply "not you" or some other generic hurtful comments. But it is not because I do not know, more I do not think the person asking will understand what I say, and this is a problem I have seen many times over. There is a very common view among newer players that gold is the only way to greatness, this is not true, and if you are reading this small n00bs then try and listen or you shall all get some pain when I see you. So this are my Top Ten commons in standard play at this present time of Wednesday 2nd July 2008. This has cards across all colours and showcases not only raw powerful cards but cards for the more intellectual player. Before I finish these opening paragraphs it should be noted I do not teach any old person, I have to see something that makes me want to teach them since most n00bs anoy me and age me dramatically. Now I shall show you the cards you should try and get your hands on. Number Ten Llanowar Elves - Now this has always been the number one common when I have seen these articles being done, and so as a matter of principal I shall not have it as my number one. Even if I do think it is well deserved though not always worthy in some polls. This card has been with us since before cards were good and artists could draw and so is and was always a great card in a sea of shit that has been Green's past. Anyone who doubts this e-mail me and I'll teach you the true power of a one drop 1/1 that adds mana, and my that will leave you with a very sore ass. Number Nine Counsel of the Soratami - Two cards for three mana is stupid even at the best of times, this card is just a great accelerator for a blue deck and the best part is, unlike other blue spells which let you draw a lot of little mana input there is no catch. Zero, nada, nothing, you can play this card and not need to drop the other cards you have been squirreling away for the rest of the game. Why is it so low on the list? Firstly it is a sorcery and secondly it is not as powerful as the draw engine a bit higher in the list. Don't go peeking down there to see what it is, there is still plenty more to happen before then. Number Eight Manaforge Cinder - This is the best one drop black and red card because it fixes the age long black and red mana problem. The downsides to this card? It is only a 1/1 and does not make great use of other cinder magics. But it does not have a limit to its shots per turn, it is not locked in soccer time, and works great with the Smokebraider if you want to cast red or black spells without them having the sub type of elemental. Number Seven Faultgrinder - This is the dudiset ladybird in magic, the huge mana cost may seem a mountain to climb but with some smoke braiders and other red mana makers like Seething Song this is not an issue. It can appear early enough to mess with mana pools and the fact it is not limeted to non-basic land is a godsend in the casual environment. More so is the fact it has a 4/4 body and if worst comes to worst there is always envoke in the back. Number Six Chill to the Bone - I beilve hand on heart this is the best mono black kill spell in standard today, there are so few snow creatures that a four mana instant will be able to ruin most other big game cards. Also in the world of Shadowmoor and Eventide since 40% of creatures are likely to be black the box standard terror does not cut the mustard. However the cost of four is often too steep for some decks since this is when you wish to start laying the cards to help you to win. Number Five Nameless Inversion - This seems to be a tornoment staple and rightly so I am dyslexic which may have something to do with the fact I can spell Royally Raped from the letters <and rightly so>. The fact it is changeling helps with casting it and making it more accessable to tribal decks. But to the average tribal hating Joe on the street it is just a cheap black kill spell that can rid you of some nasty early creatures, and is 100% gold if you mix it up with Haakon, I am sure you can work that out children for yourselves. Well done if you have gotten half way down this list without reading ahead, have a pat on the back on me. Number Four Fortify - White swarm needs this card more than I need bacon right now. If you have ever picked the +0/+2 option you need to have some sense smacked into you, and do not use the club of frozen stupid you used before, that got you in this mess to begin with. +2/+0 to everything you possess is a great way to have a token run go into overdrive without too much effort on your own part. As long as two creatures get the bonus it is an investment of mana well spent. Number Three Steel of the Godhead - I hate this card with a passion it was printed in the same block<ish> as Milita's pride and an unblockable token maker is too over powered in this world. But then that is the way the game is going these days I suppose and there is nothing I can do about it except dish out my old decks at more and more new levels. I will let you decide about this card and it's power levels. Number Two Ponder - This card is so good it makes other blue cards look bad, it is that god-send of a one mana draw spell with some pimpage of rearanging the top of the libary, if you do not like what you get, do not cry there is the shuffle option too. Now you are wondering what delights I have for the first place (if you did not already look ahead, feel bad if that was you). Well wait no longer. Number One Terramorphic Expanse - Yes it is a land. Disappointed? Well you should not be, this card has so much going for it. Though it looks terrible at first glance it really is not. This card is not for people who do not do casual play, since you will not have basic land to a great enough extent. However in a two or more colour deck this land should be put in very quickly to give some of the best mana fixing in standard. I would also like to draw two final points from this card. Firstly it was good enough to be printed into tenth, and if it is good enough for core it's good enough for casual players. Secondly this can sit in a mono green deck with Baru to give that extra suprise +1/+1 and trample. think about it ok? I would like to end with some notable mentions; firstly to Ponder who is in tenth but I did not want two one mana draws and ponder was slightly better to me. I do not belive Peek is worse than ponder they are on par, I just like ponder slightly better. Also I excluded basic lands from this, do not forget you would not cast anything without them. Also Scar, Shock and Terror should be in the list somewhere but I chose other things for these slots, still they are worth obtaining for your standard games. Maybe sometime soon people will learn the value of the commons if you still seek gold then I suggest you wait a bit and maybe I'll do this for uncommons and rares. But a quote from Lord of the Rings will leave it in a good place, "all that is gold does not glisten" and the same is true of magic.
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 03 July 2008 18:58 ) |
Seal of Fire is a modified Shock, which was never great in the first place. It's got the advantage of being able to be delayed as long as possible but conversely it has no surprise element which is a big negative. Rakdos Ickspitter is sort-of okay, good for Black/Red, but not worth splashing in anything else.