Check out today’s article for your fast-paced, quick-moving, rundown of Worldwake spoilers with an eye towards Magic Online’s oldest format. Without wasting any more time, let’s get started!
White
Admonition Angel provides a ridiculously powerful effect… that takes some land to get going and is completely undone by a single Swords to Plowshares. Her six-mana cost is almost completely prohibitive in Classic, and if she gets into play it probably won’t be the traditional way – and if you’re cheating an Angel into play, then Iona clearly has Admonition Angel trumped. Iona is bigger, stronger, and knows how to protect herself.
This guy is basically an indestructible, 2/2 Warmth against Burn that’s slightly more difficult to cast. You don’t gain as much life per Red spell cast as Warmth, but the Firewalker blocks all day to make up for this life difference. If you’ve ever considered playing Silver Knight in your sideboard, then chances are Firewalker fills your need better. The main downside is that Silver Knight takes down Mutavault/Mishra’s Factory without going down himself.
Kird Ape used to be an unbelievable superstar, but nowadays it fights for slots with many other powerful one-drops: Wild Nacatl, Steppe Lynx, Figure of Destiny, Grim Lavamancer, etc. This new colorshifted Kird Ape may offer Zoo the ability to lean more towards white, but to be realistic… Zoo hasn’t seen any serious play in Classic for a very, very long time. Loam Lion definitely is not going to change that fact.
On the other hand, which would you rather fetch up on turn one in Zoo: Savannah or Taiga? Sure it depends on your build, but Taiga generally offers more options in the early game.
Honorable Passage is very rarely played as sideboard tech against Red, but if you’re interested in this type of effect then Refraction Trap is probably worth considering. It’s generally better against spells, while Passage is better against creatures.
Mystic may not seem strong enough for Eternal formats, but this little 1/2 has a lot going for him. He tutors for Umezawas Jitte or Sword of Fire and Ice/Light and Shadow, makes toolbox equipment more appealing, provides some card advantage, and brings your equipment of choice into play without the fear of counter-magic. This card isn’t amazing, but there are potentially decks out there that could use this suite of functionality.
It’s also worth noting that with Aether Vial and Stoneforge Mystic, you can bring a Jitte-wielding creature into the Red Zone without actually casting a single spell!
In Legacy there’s a strong deck called 43 Land (or just Land) that hasn’t seen any play in Classic yet due to the absence of Exploration and the very recent arrival of Manabond. Here’s a quick link to a sample list if you want to check it out.
If this deck ever makes the leap to Classic, then Terra Eternal is a potential include. It’s certainly powerful, since it basically makes your entire deck indestructible – but there are some alternate options that may be better. Sacred Ground is the most obvious example, and doesn’t currently see much play. While Sacred Ground doesn’t save your manlands from combat, is one mana cheaper, doesn’t help your opponent’s lands (with Terra Eternal your Wastelands are dead), and fights Pox/Smallpox/Devastating Dreams.
Crucible of Worlds is the other alternative that jumps to mind.
Blue
I don’t think that this card will see much play in Classic, mainly because there are lots of solid one-mana counter-magic. It’s hard to imagine ever playing Dispel over Spell Pierce, for example, given the current Classic metagame. Spell Snare is very good also.
The new Jace is very expensive at 2UU, but provides some reusable and solid abilities. Casting Jace off of Mana Drain into one Brainstorm per turn for the rest of the game seems like a strong play. There might be some hope of fitting this new planeswalker into Oath as a one-of, but it will take a lot of testing to determine if this is strategy is valid or not.
Submerge sees some decent play in Legacy as a sideboard option in Canadian Threshold and occasionally Merfolk. Permafrost Trap is an alternate option for this slot in Classic until Nemesis hits the scene – which isn’t for quite some time now.
Let’s fast forward and assume that both options are available in Classic – which one is better? Personally I think that Submerge is far superior. Submerge is cheaper, denies your opponent a draw, taps down their mana for another turn to recast their Tarmogoyf, gives you another opportunity to counter their threat, and is easier to hardcast in the nightmare scenario. Permafrost is slightly better if you’re going on the offense and your opponent is board committed, but it’s also more difficult to cast effectively as a trap defensively – since most solid players will cast their threats post combat. I guess Bloodbraid Elf is the exception, but there’s not much in Classic.
The flavor on this card is awesome, but Ula’s Temple is not really a place where Classic players will want to venture. Sure you could build a deck completely around this one – but it really just looks like a miserable Aether Vial variant to me. Although if you do build around this one I’d recommend Standstill, Senseis Divining Top, Counterbalance, Simic Sky Swallower, and Inkwell Leviathan.
Merfolk lists are currently tuned up and very efficient, so it’s really hard for new options to break into the archetype. Splashing White in Merfolk is a technique that has been used in the past to improve matchups such as Goblins and Zoo, and I guess Sejiri Merfolk is another option with this strategy. 2/1 or 3/2 (alongside a lord) with lifelink and first strike is an absolute nightmare for any Aggo matchup, but the White splash weakens other matchups and requires a less-solid manabase.
This guy will definitely not be replacing Silvergill Adept any time soon, but Sejiri Merfolk may find a home in certain templated lists.
Speaking of Merfolk, here’s one that was obviously created for Vintage with Time Vault in mind. Currently in Classic however, there just aren’t a whole lot of targets worth stealing this way. Jitte is pretty sweet, and Senseis Divining Top is decent – but that’s about it. The other potential targets just aren’t as exciting: Pithing Needle, Mox Diamond, Chrome Mox, Tormods Crypt, Crucible of Worlds, Relic of Progenitus, etc. Sure these are okay, but it seems most of the time Cold-Eyed Selkie connections are just better.
Keep in mind that Thada Adel can remove things like Platinum Angel, Grindstone, or Painters Servant from your opponent’s deck in order to screw up their combos.
Treasure Hunt is not playable in the majority of Classic decks, due to the low land count. When Exploration hits the scene, it may be playable in something like Lands – although it’s hard to tell if this card is better than Mulch, which doesn’t really see much play.
Initially Wind Zendikon may seem underpowered for Classic, but it does have two decent applications. The most obvious use is to get double duty out of a fetchland, Strip Mine, or Wasteland. The less obvious use is in an Oath deck to give your opponent a creature in situations where Forbidden Orchard is nowhere to be found.
Black
Persecutor may be huge at 6/6 with double evasion, but this Demon costs four mana and is competing with some strong existing options for his slot in any deck. Tombstalker, for example, serves a comparable function, is more consistent, and opens you up to more deck flexibility – without a gigantic drawback.
This drawback necessitates that you run some sort of sacrifice outlets in your deck, which means that Persecutor will always be (on some level) one part of a combo. If you’re interested in running a Black combo that results in a huge creature, then Dark Depths/Vampire Hexmage is a pretty tough measuring stick.
Persecutor is definitely cool and flavorful, but I’ll be really surprised if it ends up being strong in Classic. At BBB there may have been a chance, but at four mana he can’t come down off of a Turn 1 Dark Ritual.
The final problem is that Abyssal Persecutor costs more than Yawgmoth’s Will, which is going to be coming out soon and supercharging Combo decks in Classic. The Persecutor is absolutely terrible against Ad Nauseum unless you have an instant-speed sacrifice outlet.
This guy is awesome with Donate though!
Let’s say you were going to play some sort of mono-Black Stax-ish deck and were considering either Magus of the Abyss or The Abyss – there’s a good chance that Anowon is better. Unfortunately the Ruin Sage dies to Lightning Bolt.
When it was announced that there was a 13/13 for one mana in Worldwake, Eternal players everywhere became excited at the potential for a new Phyrexian Dreadnought. That obviously didn’t end up working out, since Deaths Shadow doesn’t have a Stifle-able ability. This one will not make a splash in Classic.
It’s worth noting that Deaths Shadow can grow beyond 13/13 if you bring your life total down into the negative numbers somehow (Platinum Angel). So theoretically it can grow bigger then 13/13 (see Worldwake FAQ on Wizards website).
Quest for the Nihil Stone is not a good card in Classic, and is much worse than The Rack. 5 life may seem like a lot, but this card is way too conditional. The main problem here is that Quest for the Nihil Stone suffers from Megrim syndrome: If you play it out after you’ve stripped away your opponent’s hand, it does nothing at all. In addition to this problem, the card is completely blanked by your opponent holding onto just one land or something, anything in their hand.
Red
This guy will never be used in competitive Classic, but Donate isn’t currently available online… so if you want to play a Casual deck with that effect then currently Bazaar Trader is probably your best bet. Unfortunately you can’t use this one to Donate Delusions of Grandeur for some reason, which is the card that you really want to donate.
I guess this is the ideal way to get rid of Abyssal Persecutor, and there’s always Pucas Mischief.
Initially I wouldn’t have ever thought to mention Chain Reaction in this article, but I saw some discussion about it being a Red Wrath of God. Maybe I’m missing something, but Chain Reaction seems terrible to me. Firespout, Volcanic Fallout, and Pyroclasm all seem to be much better in Classic. I mean Chain Reaction costs four!
Quest for the Goblin Lord may see some play in Standard, but it’s not playable in Classic. Goblin decks want to drop Lackey on Turn 1 and then another threat on Turn 2. Passing up an early turn (plus a card) to hopefully get some benefit five turns later isn’t really in the game plan for Goblins.
Ricochet Trap is a really exciting card, but in Classic the vast majority of the time it’s just better to have Pyroblast. Not only does Pyroblast take care of a much wider class of spells, but it also acts as a situational Vindicate. Sure it’s awesome when your opponent Brainstorms for Swords to Plowshares and you turn it back around onto his own creature, but this opportunity doesn’t come up very often. The vast majority of the time Ricochet Trap will functionally be: Counter target counterspell for one Red mana.
Maybe it’s worthwhile as Pyroblast redundancy since Red Elemental Blast is still now in Classic… but just remember that there’s a reason why Force of Will is more prevalent than Misdirection.
Searing Blaze has some major problems as an option for Classic Burn decks. This one requires double Red, requires that your opponent has a creature in play, and is a poor late game topdeck. Taking out Merfolk Sovereign while doming your opponent for 3 is pretty exciting, but this situation won’t happen too often.
Green
This is an awesome Elf – if that’s what you’re looking for. It’s superior to Llanowar Elves in the majority of situations, although it’s worse under Blood Moon or if your opponent has a land destruction draw.
Explore is a Rampant Growth variant that sacrifices consistency for variant draw potential. I don’t have a deck for Explore currently, but I love the name and flavor and wouldn’t be completely surprised if this card found its way into a Combo deck somewhere down the line. It’s probably just not good enough for Classic though.
The Elves deck has fallen out of favor in Classic lately, and to be honest I don’t think that Warcaller fits in well anyway. It seems like a deck that generates a billion mana and a billion Elves would love Joraga, but that’s not really the case. Elves generally tries to either win immediately on the turn it goes off with Grapeshot or Brain Freeze or attack the next turn with functionally infinite creatures, generally aided by the Squirrel Nest/Earthcraft combo. It doesn’t really matter much if those creatures are 1/1 or 10/10, since there are so many.
Tarmogoyf is really good because it’s basically a 4/5 for 1G. GGG is obviously way harder to get together, but if Tarmogoyf is not in your budget then the Baloth may be something to take a look at.
Claim is an incredibly versatile anti-hate card, and will likely see play as a replacement for Seal of Primordium, Emerald Charm, Naturalize, etc.
Omnath is another card with some awesome flavor, but it’s hard to see where this one fits into competitive Classic. As a creature, Omnath also suffers from the “it’s not Tarmogoyf” problem. Sure he/she/it can potentially grow larger than a ‘Goyf, but it requires more mana and more effort. Omnath basically requires 2GGGGG before growing to a decent size.
The attached Upwelling ability is pretty interesting, but it’s hard to see how this fits into Classic. Maybe in some sort of Survival of the Fittest build?
Terastodon follows in the footsteps of Woodfall Primus, with a strange ability to stomp down noncreature permanents. You’d think that these gigantic monsters would be really good at taking down other creatures, but I guess not – they can only handle stuff like enchantments.
The most interesting part of Terastodon is that you can sacrifice your own permanents in order to load up your side of the board with Elephants. This one card brings 18 potential power worth of creatures into play, which is obviously a lot for any deck to deal with. Sure this is pretty much going ‘all in,’ but traditional removal used in Classic can’t really take down a 9/9 and three 3/3s.
The main problem with this card is that the only Classic deck he fits into is Oath, which is already packed tight with strong creature selections. If you put this guy into play with Oath, then your opponent is already getting some Spirit tokens – he’s also getting the next Oath activation… or two, or three, or more. Your Terastodon and tokens don’t have trample, so it could be tough to punch through for lethal damage while you’re constantly providing your opponent with blockers.
Terastodon is much more suited to a reanimator strategy (as opposed to Oath), but that deck is currently splash damaged out of Classic due to the power of Dredge.
Artifacts
I highly recommend picking up a playset of this card once Worldwake hits the shelves. I absolutely love the design of it, and some day it will be very powerful. Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow – but one day it will be awesome. The price is right, the effect is unique, and it doesn’t enable anything on your opponent’s side of the board.
Right off the bat there are some strong ideas. Root Maze combos to provide a ridiculous tempo advantage, Ravnica’s Karoo lands provide mana right off the bat, and Thawing Glaciers fetches untapped lands. Multiple copies of Amulet of Vigor work very well together, since you will be able to stack the effects and re-tap the permanent in between resolutions. Time Vault becomes a colorless Time Walk, and multiple copies of Amulet of Vigor produce additional turns.
If you’re looking for some aggressive equipment to search up with Trinket Mage, then Collar is probably the best current option other than Skullclamp. It certainly beats out Sigil of Distinction and Trusty Machete, but that isn’t saying too much since these cards do not currently see very much Classic play. I think Basilisk Collar will be much more important in Legacy than in Classic.
Whenever there’s a zero mana artifact, it’s always potentially exciting for Classic – but Everflowing Chalice does not cut the mustard in MTGO’s Eternal formats. It’s either a bad storm count +1, an under-featured Mind Stone, a bad Sol Ring, or a bad Thran Dynamo. There’s a lot of “bad” in that previous sentence.
Lodestone Golem is much more exciting in Vintage than it is in Classic, due to the availability of Mishra’s Workshop. I’d personally be very surprised if Workshop wasn’t in MED4, so here’s a deck that will almost definitely make the transition over to Classic:
Nine Sphere Aggro by spg
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Click the arrow to download the above deck in .txt formatYep that’s a competitive Vintage deck that runs a full playset of Juggernaut and Karn, Silver Golem! Lodestone Golem is basically a strict upgrade of Juggernaut, especially in this strategy. This list brings some powerful prison aspects to play including Chalice of the Void, Sphere of Resistance, Tangle Wire, Thorn of Amethyst, and Trinisphere – so Lodestone Golem just fits in here perfectly.
Lands
Bog is a strong option for many strategies in Classic, a format that relies on the graveyard heavily. The most obvious application for graveyard-hate in modern day Classic is to battle Dredge.
Bojuka Bog is instant-speed graveyard hate, which is kind of a bummer against Dredge – it’s so much easier for Dredge to dodge sorcery speed graveyard hate than instant speed. One the positive side, Bog dodges Cabal Therapy, Ancient Grudge, Pithing Needle, Reverant Silence, Force of Will, and pretty much everything else that Dredge would bring to the table as a solution. Due to this ability, it’s much better post-sideboard against Dredge than it is in Game 1, where Dredge does not really fear sorcery speed graveyard removal… but it’s a lot scarier post-board when Dredge is packed with hate cards, none of which can really deal with this land.
Probably the most important thing to keep in mind with Bojuka Bog is that it helps against much more than Dredge. Any deck playing Tarmogoyf, Nimble Mongoose, Cabal Ritual, Knight of the Reliquary, Life from the Loam, or similar are all hurt badly by losing their graveyard – without requiring a devoted card to do so, such as in the case of Tormods Crypt, Leyline of the Void, or even Relic of Progenitus (which cantrips – so it’s not so bad).
Note that there are also some different ways to turn Bog into instant speed hate – Knight of the Reliquary is the most obvious option, and Crop Rotation will be coming out in the near future. The Bog can also be recurred with Crucible of Worlds, and brought back from the graveyard with Life from the Loam. This card has a lot going for it, even though it’s weaker in other areas – it’ll be interesting to see how Bojuka Bog plays out.
Celestial Colonnade, Lavaclaw Reaches, Raging Ravine, Creeping Tar Pits, and Stirring Brush
The new cycle of Worldwake manlands have two main differences from the cycle in Urza’s Legacy:
1. Each one produces two different types of mana, in the friendly colors.
2. Each one requires more mana to activate in exchange for a stronger effect.
I don’t think that any of these cards will see play much in Classic. Comes-into-play-tapped lands are pretty frowned upon in the Eternal formats, and the activation costs are pretty difficult to put together – especially when compared to cards like Mishra’s Factory and Mutavault. I guess there may be some potential for Creeping Tar Pits or Celestial Colonnade if Landstill-style Control decks move back into favor… but the odds are not good. Creeping Tar Pits may also make an impact if Faeries jumps into Classic, but I’d say that all each of these lands have a much higher chance of breaking into Legacy — not Classic.
Sanctuary doesn’t suffer from the “comes into play tapped” issue of Celestial Colonnade and the like, but it does cost a bunch of mana to activate. There’s no real reason to pay 4 for a 4/2 when you can pay just 1 for a 2/2 or a 3/3 on defense
There were longtime rumors of a Wasteland variant in Worldwake, and here it is. Tectonic Edge is not good in Classic. The whole point of land destruction is to lock your opponent down on lands, and four lands is not exactly ‘locked down’ in a format like Classic. At least it doesn’t come into play tapped.
That’s a Wrap
So that’s the rundown of Worldwake. I covered a whole bunch of cards, but unfortunately I found myself covering mainly why they WON’T be played in Classic. It’s hard to break into a format with so many options, so this is pretty much par for the course. Who knows though, we’ll see how things work out — maybe I missed on a few cards!
Thanks for reading,
Steve Gargolinski
spgmtg@gmail.com
twitter.com/spgmtg
Nice article! If you did do an article on how the cards WOULD impact classic, I’m sure it could be summed up in one sentence (:
I agree completely on every card. I was originally excited for Lodestone Golem, Amulet of Vigor, and Abyssal Persecutor. But now much less so for the Persecutor. We’ll see. Well, and Explore. Explore rocks.
“Bojuka Bog is instant-speed graveyard hate… Note that there are also some different ways to turn Bog into instant speed hate”. Oops. But I know what you meant.
Standstill is Ula’s Temple – of course! Top was obvious.