Darkness falls, good to evil. Everything changes for the worse—but wait, what's happening? Blue has been looked at as one of the most evil colors for being so controlling. What happens when Blue goes more evil? Will we be so terrified we forfeit the game once that Island hits play? Or will we sit there and laugh at how pathetic Blue has become? Join me and we'll find out together. Try to keep up; the Dusk Urchins like to come out at this time of night, and you wouldn't want to meet one in person, I assure you...

We have arrived, now let's take a look at the new shade of Blue. I myself am a Blue fanatic so I am itching to get into them. Let's not waste anymore time, and delve right into it!

Advice from the Fae (2/U)(2/U)(2/U)
Sorcery (U)
((2/U) can be paid with any two mana or with U. This card's converted mana cost is 6.)
Look at the top five cards of your library. If you control more creatures than any other player, put two of those cards into your hand. Otherwise, put one of them into your hand. Then put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.

The Blue version of the mono-colored hybrids, and I must say it's fairly boring and an obvious choice for Blue. For six mana, I wouldn't play this in a deck, especially just to get one or maybe two cards from the top five of my library. For UUU, well I'll think about it, but you only get the best out of this card if you have more creatures AND play this for UUU. Even then I'm not very impressed.

D — Expensive and hard to get slight card advantage. No thank you.

Biting Tether 4U
Enchantment - Aura (U)
Enchant creature
You control enchanted creature.
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a -1/-1 counter on enchanted creature.

Creature stealing is always fun; I like it even more so than the next Control player. So for five mana we get a creature. The downside: It gets progressively weaker, though that's not bad because it's easily splash-able, but watch the water and don't splash me!

B+ — At worst it's removing a creature, at best it's good at changing the tables on your opponent.

Briarberry Cohort 1U
Creature - Faerie Soldier (C)
Flying
Briarberry Cohort gets +1/+1 as long as you control another blue creature.
1/1

Another cycle, and the Blue one is a simple 1/1 flier for two, which gets an extra boost if there's another Blue creature you control. At worst, a 1/1 flier for two, at best a 2/2 flier. It's average and cheap but that's about it.

C — Average card, average score.

Cerulean Wisps U
Instant (C)
Target creature becomes Blue until end of turn. Untap that creature.
Draw a card.

Simple effect, turns it Blue and untaps it. This could be handy for a block, or when color matters, but that doesn't seem too important. It does draw you a card as to not make it completely worthless.

D — I'm not seeing it as useful enough to use though.

Consign to Dream 2U
Instant (C)
Return target permanent to its owner's hand. If that permanent is Red or Green, put it on top of its owner's library instead.

Simple Unsummon for an extra two mana, but if it's Red or Green you put it on their library? That's not too bad; it's a decent bounce with a chance for returning it farther.

B- — It can be pretty handy on the right creature, and with power-creep in creatures this will be handy.

Counterbore 3UU
Instant (R)
Counter target spell. Search its controller's graveyard, hand, and library for all cards with the same name as that spell and remove them from the game. Then that player shuffles his or her library.

Expensive counterspell but it removes all other copies as well. Not as useful in Limited as it is in Constructed. You also get to see their deck, which is a plus if you didn't know what was in it already.

C+ — Still expensive, but can be useful.

Cursecatcher U
Creature - Merfolk Wizard (U)
Sacrifice Cursecatcher: Counter target instant or sorcery spell unless its controller pays 1.
1/1

A 1/1 for one, well it's a cheap Merfolk for Merfolk shenanigans, but there are better Merfolk to use instead. Its ability isn't exactly amazing, so I see no use for it.

D- — Better Merfolk with better abilities, sorry Cursecatcher.

Deepchannel Mentor 5U
Creature - Merfolk Rogue (U)
Blue creatures you control are unblockable.
2/2

Whoa, what is this? This is rather expensive for a 2/2 body. Making all your creatures unblockable? That could end games if you have enough creatures, but it's going to be focused on the moment it hits play. Still it has potential.

C+ — If you can keep it alive, it'll destroy your opponent, but if you can't, you just got rid of a burn spell.

Drowner Initiate U
Creature - Merfolk Wizard (C)
Whenever a player plays a Blue spell, you may pay 1. If you do, target player puts the top two cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
1/1

Another 1/1 for one Merfolk Wizard. WHOA, what's this? It's ability is far superior than the last one. For a simple one mana, whenever you play a Blue spell (remember, ANY Blue spell) you mill two cards. It adds up; this will see play in many a Mill deck I'm sure.

A — I like this guy, he screams potential.

Faerie Swarm 3U
Creature - Faerie (U)
Flying
Faerie Swarm's power and toughness are each equal to the number of blue permanents you control.
*/*

This is one of the color matters cards in the set, and I must do the scenarios again. At worst, a 1/1 flier for four, at best it can get pretty big. If the deck has more permanents, this creature has higher potential to get bigger.

B — I see there will be a deck for this finisher.

Flow of Ideas 5U
Sorcery (U)
Draw a card for each Island you control.

Here we go, back all the way from Ravnica, it's Flow of Ideas! It's expensive card drawing; most likely you'll have six Islands out when you play it, netting you six cards. Of course, it's expensive, so it's not exactly fun to use.

D — I'll pass for something better, thanks anyways.

Ghastly Discovery 2U
Sorcery (C)
Draw two cards, then discard a card.
Conspire (As you play this spell, you may tap two untapped creatures you control that share a color with it. When you do, copy it.)

Oh, here we go; the first Blue conspire card. Draw two cards, then discard one? Only for three mana? Now here's a card drawing spell! It can be copied by tapping two Blue creatures; draw two cards, discard, draw two cards, discard. Nice.

B+ — THIS is card drawing.

Isleback Spawn 5UU
Creature - Kraken (R)
Shroud
Isleback Spawn gets +4/+8 as long as a library has twenty or fewer cards in it.
4/8

Kraken? I love Krakens, who doesn't? It doesn't matter, we forget about those people, whoever they are... moving on! A 4/8 for seven? Okay, shroud? Oh, you're getting better. Turns into an 8/16 if ANY library has fewer than twenty cards in it? Scenario time! Worst: 4/8 shroud for seven, 8/16 shroud for seven.

B+ — Limited loves this guy, I love this guy. Yay Krakens!

Kinscaer Harpoonist 3U
Creature - Kithkin Soldier (C)
Flying
Whenever Kinscaer Harpoonist attacks, you may have target creature lose flying until end of turn.
2/2

Lions, and tigers, and flying Kithkin?! Oh my! Now I've said in my last First Impressions that a 2/2 flier for three is great; this is a 2/2 flier for four. It does have a peculiar ability to knock out a flier your opponent has though. Is it worth the extra mana? It is if your opponent has fliers, but the chances of that seem less than 50%.

D+ — It's not horrible, but it's not good.

Knacksaw Clique 3U
Creature - Faerie Rogue (R)
Flying
1U, Q: Target opponent removes the top card of his or her library from the game. Until end of turn, you may play that card. (Q is the untap symbol.)
1/4

A weak-powered flier. It's meant to attack to untap later. Milling your opponent is nice, and that's what you do; the bright side is if you can actually play the card. Note!: This doesn't say play it without paying its mana cost. If you don't have Red mana you can't play their [Insert shiny Red card that requires Red mana here]. But you can play their lands, if you get any.

B- — Slight mill, and if you can play their card it's happy time!

Leech Bonder 2U
Creature - Merfolk Soldier (U)
Leech Bonder comes into play with two -1/-1 counters on it.
U, Q: Move a counter from target creature onto another target creature. (Q is the untap symbol.)
3/3

Comes into play as a 1/1 for three. Get it tapped, and the shenanigans may begin! It'll become a 2/2, then later a 3/3. Also, its ability lets you move ANY counters. Eat your heart out Simic Guildmage... wait, you probably don't have a heart and evolved... ewww....

A — Moving counters is fun; moving any counters? You got yourself a deal!

Merrow Wavebreakers 4U
Creature - Merfolk Soldier (C)
1U, Q: Merrow Wavebreakers gains flying until end of turn. (Q is the untap symbol.)
3/3

What's this? Flying Merfolk? I knew it would happen one day. Free Willy! Wait... that's not Willy! Ahhhh!

Is he gone? Okay, well a nice aggressive Merfolk Soldier who attacks with flying and untaps to block the smaller creatures. It's great for five mana.

B — Merfolk Soldiers are tough; flying Merfolk Soldiers... scare me.

Parapet Watchers 2U
Creature - Kithkin Soldier (C)
W/U: Parapet Watchers gets +0/+1 until end of turn.
2/2

Another day, another Solider with a 2/2 body for three. It pumps toughness so you might be leaving him to block. Blockers don't win games! As the saying goes, somehow... I think? Not sure.

D — This is not Sparta, and this is not that great.

Prismwake Merrow 2U
Creature - Merfolk Wizard (C)
Flash
When Prismwake Merrow comes into play, target permanent becomes the color or colors of your choice until end of turn.
2/1

When color matters, this guy is your friend. Flash is very nice for a chump block or surprise creature for next turn. Changing any permanent into a color can be useful in this set but I still don't think it's that useful.

C — Flash was what raised the grade this high, a 2/1 for three is minimal, as the ability seems to be.

Puca's Mischief 3U
Enchantment (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may exchange control of target nonland permanent you control and target nonland permanent an opponent controls with an equal or lesser converted mana cost.

This is interesting. Exchanging control of permanents every upkeep. Not sure how this is helpful or usable. Well, I'm not sure what to say on it....

D — Not sure, but it doesn't seem useful in my eyes.

Put Away 2UU
Instant (C)
Counter target spell. You may shuffle up to one target card from your graveyard into your library.

Oh here we go, a decent cost for a counterspell. It lets you shuffle up to one card back from your graveyard, which is always a nice thing. You can even target a second Put Away and shuffle that back and continue!

B — Returning cards back is great.

River Kelpie 3UU
Creature - Beast (R)
Whenever River Kelpie or another permanent is put into play from a graveyard, draw a card.
Whenever a spell is played from a graveyard, draw a card.
Persist (When this creature is put into a graveyard from play, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to play under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
3/3

Persist, it's rather annoying. So when any permanent is put into PLAY from a graveyard, draw a card. So when you get some persist creature returning you get to draw. When a spell is played from a graveyard, draw a card. Not too bad, and with a 3/3 body it'll become a 2/2 when it persists back.

B — Card drawing is useful, and this will help fight persist.

Savor the Moment 1UU
Sorcery (R)
Take an extra turn after this one. Skip the untap step of that turn.

Time walk? Is that really... no, of course not. This isn't as bad as some might think. You get to draw, and get an upkeep. You get to attack, and do other shenanigans. With cards/creatures that untap other things, it might as well be a Time Walk! Very useful with the right cards.

A — I see them making good use of this new extra turn spell.

Sinking Feeling 2U
Enchantment - Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature doesn't untap during its controller's untap step.
Enchanted creature has "1, Put a -1/-1 counter on this creature: Untap this creature."

It might help you with creatures that like tapping, or that use -1/-1 counters.

D — Not that great to me.

Spell Syphon 1U
Instant (C)
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 1 for each blue permanent you control.

A relatively cheap counter, this looks like Mana Leak. Is it as good as Mana Leak though? You'll need three Blue permanents just for it to be a Mana Leak.

C — Cheap, but need Blue permanents to be effective.

Thought Reflection 4UUU
Enchantment (R)
If you would draw a card, draw two cards instead.

That's one way to abuse card drawing, but this seems to overdo it. Well you do draw two every turn just like Phyrexian Arena, but this is heavy-costed, heavy-Blue. Although it works on every card you draw, it's still expensive.

D — Nice effect, but too expensive.

Whimwader 4U
Creature - Elemental (C)
Whimwader can't attack unless defending player controls a Blue permanent.
6/4

A 6/4 for five is not bad, if you're Streetbreaker Wurm. This requires the opponent to have a Blue permanent, and the chances of that aren't that high on average. A nice blocker sure, but for the last time someone, somewhere said blockers don't win games.

D- — I say good day sir, good day!

Lets tally the scores.

A - 3
B - 9
C - 5
D - 10
F -

An odd curve, almost half good, almost half bad, some in the middle and a select few amazing. Blue has some real winners here, and some real losers. I expected more from Blue and hope Eventide fixes this problem. Blue still seems like an evil color to fear, let's hope that doesn't change anytime soon.

Until then, I will see you in Eventide.

L out.

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

[ Back ] [ Home ] [ Up ] [ Next ]

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