Hello spellcasters! It's time again for the review of a new set. Changes in reminder text, combat rules, and release schedules have some in a tizzy, but the excitement of crisp, new cards remains constant. Also constant, or hopefully so, is the flavor behind Red spells and Wizards' dedication to strengthening single colors with each core set. Though our multi-color appetites were fed with giant shovelfuls of gold cards and uber-powerful hybrids during the Shards block, M10 is bringing Magic back to its roots, or so they say.

Today we'll be looking at Red and gauging whether the excitement it's generating in the rumor mill with reprints like Lightning Bolt is really all that.

Act of Treason 2R
Sorcery
Gain control of target creature until end of turn. Untap that creature. It gains haste until end of turn. (It can attack and {T} this turn.)

hamsandwich: C
Hm. Bit of a lame start to this one, but it's basically a sexier version of Threaten. Not quite as attractive as the art on Word of Seizing, but seeing as how I don't play either of those, this will most likely be traded away.

They should have just named it Threaten to save the budget Standard players a dollar.

Coldstone: C+
Eh.. well as you put it, Ham, I think most of us can recognize that old red stealing favorite, Threaten. The name and artwork update aren’t bad ones, though, so at least I can applaud that. I’m not sure how much play Threaten saw in Standard, but for Limited purposes, stealing your opponent’s biggest dude and attacking with it or getting a Wall out of the way to clear a path is always a plus. If you can find room for this in Limited, I’d certainly recommend taking it for a spin. I think we’ll have to wait and see what this does for Standard over time.

Berserkers of Blood Ridge 4R
Creature - Human Berserker
Berserkers of Blood Ridge attacks each turn if able.
4/4

hamsandwich: D
Not good. It's a 4/4 with a drawback for five mana. Pretty par for the course with Red, but I was hoping for something a little more useful in the Berserker category.

Coldstone: D
Agreed with the "not good" statement you made, Ham. Big Red guys with drawbacks are a fave for Red, but I would at least expect something like this to have Haste or something. Heck, I might’ve taken a 3/3 with Double Strike for the same cost. But sadly, that’s not the case here. Run him in Limited only if you really need the extra body.

Burning Inquiry R
Sorcery
Each player draws three cards, then discards three cards at random.

hamsandwich: B+
I like it, mainly because it adds to the randomness of the game, and when you boil it down, that's what MTG is, a game of chance. You can tune your deck, playtest it for weeks, invest hundreds of dollars in a mana base, and still mulligan down to five cards in your first match on Friday night. You can have four Cloudthreshers hidden away in your library, but pull a Forest instead on that crucial turn. Burning Inquiry can hurt you just as much as help, but it will most certainly be fun when it helps. Of course, in the right deck, everything can be helpful.

Art and flavor fit, but they're not perfect. It should be a Tribal sorcery for Elementals. Then it would be an A.

Coldstone: B
Not bad here, I think. Mono-Red doesn’t always let us draw cards, so seeing this (even with the drawback) is always welcome.
This little number will have many more Constructed applications then Limited ones, I reckon. I can see a few nasty little burn decks that can run this alongside things like Megrim, Kederekt Parasite, and Underworld Dreams (I’d definitely would love to see such a deck do well in the tournament scene). Limited wise, it's still good, though a lot more risky (as Ham suggested), since you have to play around the discard half of the effect.

Burst of Speed R
Sorcery
Creatures you control gain haste until end of turn. (They can attack and {T} even if they just came under your control.)

hamsandwich: D
Meh. Back to the ordinary. Red creatures have plenty of Haste as it is, and if you throw this in a multi-color deck you'll probably only pull it when you don't need it.

I don't like spells that grant creature abilities. Does that make sense?

Coldstone: C-
Well... I do like this a bit more than Ham did, although it's really better off for Constructed, in my opinion, as there are many more effects that let you spam creatures into play and use this for one giant alpha strike. You can do the same in Limited of course, but it requires you to get a very usable pool of low cost creatures alongside this.

In the end though, I think people are just going to prefer guys just have Haste in general.

Capricious Efreet 4RR
Creature - Efreet
At the beginning of your upkeep, choose target nonland permanent you control and up to two target nonland permanents you don't control. Destroy one of them at random.
6/4

hamsandwich: C
Overcosted casual card here. Maybe it's a bit of a contradiction, seeing as I raved about random card drawing and discarding, but that card cost one mana. This will be fun at the kitchen table, but I'm guessing most of us will have this in our trade binders and be praying someone else wants it.

Coldstone: D
Eww... just eww. I didn’t like this when they spoiled it, and I still don’t. I don’t care if the percentage to hit one of your opponent’s cards is higher than your own, there IS still a chance of destroying your own card for no reason at all. Agree with you 100% Ham on this card’s casualness (at best).

Fiery Hellhound 1RR
Creature - Elemental Hound
{R}: Fiery Hellhound gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
2/2

hamsandwich: D
Typical red creature here. I'll take Pyre Charger over this.

Coldstone: C-
Well, this guy can work okay for Limited. Cheap firebreathers are usually worth a second look, so he gets some points there. Constructed wise of course, you’ll pass, as there are insanely better firebreathers than this thing.

Goblin Artillery 1RR
Creature - Goblin Warrior
{T}: Goblin Artillery deals 2 damage to target creature or player and 3 damage to you.
1/3

hamsandwich: F
No. Though this card may work in some crazy combo deck where you redirect all your damage, it still pales in comparison to, oh, I don't know... Tarfire? Lightning Bolt? Shock? Prodigal Pyromancer? Oh, but wait, it's a 1/3. Yes, that's me being sarcastic. This card sucks.

Coldstone: C-
Half of these so-called "new" cards seem to have been Wizards’ lazy way of reprinting old cards with new names. Very lame in my book. Orcish, I’m sorry... GOBLIN Artillery is another Limited Red fodder creature I’d only run if I had no other options. Reusable burn on a creature isn’t terrible (even if this does hit you for a sizable chunk of damage), so he doesn’t immediately get thrown to the back of the pile. In Constructed... yeah I think I’m just gonna avoid saying anything there.

Goblin Chieftain 1RR
Creature - Goblin
Haste (This creature can attack and {T} as soon as it comes under your control.)
Other Goblin creatures you control get +1/+1 and have haste.
2/2

hamsandwich: B
On the other hand, here we have an awesome Tribal boost and a 2/2 body for three mana. It shouldn't ever be hard to play, and though many red creatures have Haste, it doesn't hurt to spread it around.

Not an A because the art and flavor could be better. Much better.

Coldstone: A
I think this tops Goblin Warchief a little, actually, due to him having a lord effect AND hasting your other gobbies. Combine it with Goblin Banneret, and I think Goblins could get a bit of a resurgence in the current tournament metagame. How well they will do still remains in question, but hey, they've got a shot again.

Inferno Elemental 4RR
Creature - Elemental
Whenever Inferno Elemental blocks or becomes blocked by a creature, Inferno Elemental deals 3 damage to that creature.
4/4

hamsandwich: F
I'd rather play Spitebellows. This should be bigger. I really don't like cards like this in the uncommon slot. I feel ripped off when I pull them, and Lord knows, I will probably pull four of these, if not more.

Coldstone: B+
Not bad, not bad. Much better than that darned Efreet at this cost, at any rate. Most times this will trade for any of the big fatties your opponent will have on the board, and even knock off a first striker or two. Expensive mana-wise, but that's alright, given what sort of creature you're getting. I'm not sure where this can fit in in Constructed yet, but I'll keep an eye on it just in case. In Limited of course, if you get a decent Red pool with it, definitely try to find room for it.

Jackal Familiar R
Creature - Hound
Jackal Familiar can't attack or block alone.
2/2

hamsandwich: B
I would have liked to have seen better art on one of the best Red commons I've seen in a long time. As far as his drawback, something tells me this guy isn't going to be doing much blocking anyways, and the odds of him being on the table alone are probably going to be limited to turn one.

Coldstone: D
Well, I've been on the fence several times about this thing. On the plus side, you get a very cheap, large body for a color that doesn't usually get such things. But the downside is that the drawback to it is substantial enough that you may not even WANT to run it. Take things like Ashenmoor Gouger or Shambling Remains. Though those cannot block either, their P/T (power and toughness) are big enough so that you don't have to worry so much about that part, and instead just swing for the fences with them. Jackal here, well, he needs a buddy in order to do either of those things (the flavor of that being that he needs a "handler" to keep him in line).

I suppose if you get a decent pool of low-costed creatures you can possibly get the drawback to work in your favor, but in Limited that's not always easy to pull off, so there's a shot of him not even making the cut. Constructed wise, I think there are much better options (those options of course being able to attack AND block on their own) for this converted mana cost (CMC).

Magma Phoenix 3RR
Creature - Phoenix
Flying
When Magma Phoenix is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, it deals 3 damage to each creature and each player.
{3}{R}{R}: Return Magma Phoenix from your graveyard to your hand.
3/3

hamsandwich: C
I am on the fence with these Phoenix cards. I love the board sweep effect and the direct damage, but Phoenix just seem so expensive. I have friends with burn decks that win with five mana on the board, so the idea of doing anything with this guy just seems a waste of time. Tribal Phoenix may be interesting at the kitchen table, and seeing as how I will most likely pull a playset of these, you can bet your foily Mulldrifter that I'll run them.

Coldstone: A
I really like this guy here, and not just for its amazing artwork (bravo, Mr. Swanland). Board sweepers on a stick are usually worth taking a second look at, and Magma Phoenix is no exception. I especially like that he hits all creatures, not just ground dudes. Similar to most other Phoenix, he can "rebirth" himself from the graveyard to your hand, and at instant speed no less (I know a few of his brethren have a restriction on when you can do that). Magma's still under the radar for the moment, but if I were you, I'd certainly keep an eye out on it.

Seismic Strike 2R
Instant
Seismic Strike deals damage to target creature equal to the number of Mountains you control.

hamsandwich: C
I can see this helping a bit in a Limited deck, but for Casual I'd rather be running Skred. Until it rotates out, I'd most likely run something more like Jaws of Stone. Though this only costs three, it seems there are better creature removal spells out there.

Coldstone: C
I wasn't horribly impressed with this thing when I first read it. Most removal in Limited is good removal, so that's what keeps me from just skipping over this completely. So long as you're not just splashing Red for this (which would be a little stupid, IMO), it can work out for you. Constructed-wise I think you'll just run something much more damaging for this CMC (i.e. Flame Javelin, Puncture Blast, etc.).

Viashino Spearhunter 2R
Creature - Viashino Warrior
First strike (This creature deals combat damage before creatures without first strike.)
2/1

hamsandwich: *Yawn*

Coldstone: D
Eh.. I think this is a tad over-costed for what it does. I'd have preferred maybe a 3/1 for that cost, but eh, this is what we got. This guy's mostly a Limited filler creature for your Red pool if you don't have much to go at that curve point. In Constructed you'll just say no, of course.

Yawning Fissure 4R
Sorcery
Each opponent sacrifices a land.

hamsandwich: A
Art and flavor on this card are excellent. Though it's limited land destruction at five mana, I see this card as a wonderful addition to the Casual multi-player card pool, as well as to the Elder Dragon Highlander format. Well done, Wizards.

Coldstone: D
Why couldn't this have been an instant? I mean really, five mana to just SACRIFICE a land? Why can't I just outright destroy it? I mean maybe you'll catch your opponent mana-tight, and this could work them into a fuss, but I doubt that's going to happen all that often. Land Destruction decks MIGHT use this as they don't have much choice in terms of L/D spells right now.

I can't say I'm on the fence at all here. Red is back with a bang, and with reprints like Ball Lightning, not only are these cards going to be fun for the casual format, but I think Red will be making a splash in the Standard pool as well. I, for one, will be delving into the Mountain mana for quite some time. Hope you enjoyed the reviews and don't forget to sound off in the forums!
~hamsandwich

Well, that just about wraps us up this look at new Red stuff in M10. As Ham said above, Red is indeed back with a big BANG, so expect to see a lot of it in the coming months.
- Coldstone

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

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