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Let me be straight with you. I'm not a multiplayer maven or a Pauper perfectionist, but it would be a crime if Magic Deck Vortex (What the Casual Players Use!) missed out on the opportunity to look at Magic 2010 (M10) from a Casual player's point of view. M10 is bursting with flavor for the Casual player, but what cards are really going to make a difference when you play some of those Casual and budget formats with your friends? I'll get right down to business with my top ten multiplayer favorites from M10, considering only new cards from that set.
I never did like Lord of the Pit. I own a few, but I've never even built a deck with them, because I don't feel like Lord of the Pit is a good card. Cue M10, and along comes yet another incarnation of Lord of the Pit. This time though, something's different. This time around, I get some value out of that creature I just threw away! Plus, I get to share the love with every opponent at the table! I approve of Xathrid Demon, plus the art is pretty sweet! 9. Open the Vaults
If you've read FI: Magic 2010 - White, then you already know I like Open the Vaults for its combo potential. In multiplayer, I like both its combo potential and its ability to suddenly and drastically change the face of the game! I wonder if it will fit in my Sharuum the Hegemon Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH) deck?
I had to include Hive Mind , just because it's ridiculous how much havoc you can wreak with it. From something as sinister as Pacting everyone to death, to something as magnanimous as gifting everyone with a Counsel of the Soratami, Hive Mind has major consequences for any multiplayer game. 7. Mold Adder
You'll note that I tend to highlight more of the big game-altering spells in this top ten, but Mold Adder and it's paltry 1/1 stats still made the list. At a multiplayer table, you can be pretty sure that somebody will be playing Blue or Black, so drop this early, and let it feed off of your opponents. Eventually, it will become a big enough threat that someone will have to deal with it, but in the meantime, you're swinging away with a happy little Fungus Snake. When you play it, I suggest some sort of quip about the "fungus among us," or possibly how Mold Adder is a "fun guy" (fungi).
Because of the long-term nature of the multiplayer format, many players run a significant amount of life gain to keep themselves in the game. Why not take down an opponent or two while you are keeping yourself in the game? 5. Silence
Silence has one extremely important purpose: multiplayer combo! If you can get Silence to resolve the turn you are ready to go off, it will be extremely difficult for anyone to stop you. 4. Planar Cleansing
Clear the board. No, I mean clear the board of everything! While it can't take down a Darksteel Colossus or a Mossbridge Troll, it takes out pretty much everything else, and that makes it "some good" in multiplayer, especially since six mana is often not a burdensome casting cost in multiplayer environments.
In multiplayer, you are almost always going to have someone you can attack from the air, and that opponent is almost always going to have a deck full of creatures. Sphinx Ambassador seems like it should be especially good in EDH, where the singleton nature of the format makes it nigh impossible to guess which creature card you choose! However, the big blue yabbos in the art are a bit much, even for MTG... 2. Magma Phoenix
Recurring creatures are always good in multiplayer. In addition, Magma Phoenix comes with a built-in token control system! It also works to ward off would-be aggressors whose life points are getting low, because the three damage also gets dealt to players! 1. Lurking Predators
Now on to the budget portion of the article: Pauper! Before I get lots of hate mail, let me say that I know Pauper is not necessarily "Casual," but its budget format makes it very accessible and attractive to the average Casual player. Pauper is a simple format with all the normal deck construction rules except one: only Commons are allowed. Pauper can come in many flavors, like Standard Pauper or Extended Pauper. Basically, take any format, ban all the Uncommons, Rares, and Mythic Rares, and you get the Pauper variant of that format. (For a real challenge, try making a Pauper EDH deck. The only Common Legends are Joven and Chandler from Homelands!) For this top ten, I'll be taking a look at the new M10 Commons and choosing which ones I think will have the most impact on Pauper as a whole. Note that some of the functional reprints wont make my list, even though they may be widely played in Pauper formats. For example, Borderland Ranger will almost certainly be played in several Pauper formats, since good mana fixing is hard to find. However, Borderland Ranger won't make my list, since Pauper formats have had this card all along, in the form of Civic Wayfinder. Thus, its impact on the format is minimal, even though its presence will be undeniable. Another example of this is Divination replacing Counsel of the Soratami. While admittedly, some Pauper decks will now appreciate being able to play five or more of these "Draw two cards." spells, it still isn't quite the impact I'm looking for.
Child of Night just barely squeaks onto the list, since Lifelink is fairly rare in Black Commons. This has potential to be part of an aggressive early attack or as a delaying blocker to help you survive into the later turns. 9. Ice Cage
Blue gets these pseudo-Pacifisms at Common every so often, such as Lost in Thought from Judgment and Volrath's Curse from Tempest. While Ice Cage is not always a permanent solution to a problem creature, it will usually require the opponent to waste a card and some mana to get the creature free. Unfortunately, against Common Equipments, Ice Cage is practically a blank.
Deadly Recluse has a close counterpart in Thornweald Archer, so it's a little redundant, but choosing between the two toughness of Recluse versus the two power of Archer will depend on what kind of deck you are building and how many one-power attackers you are likely to see. In any case, Reach and Deathtouch on a two mana creature combine to make an excellent Green Common removal spell. 7. Doom Blade
The ability to take out artifact creatures makes this "new" enough to make the list. The fact that Doom Blade allows creatures to Regenerate can be troubling in some Pauper formats, but in Standard Pauper, there is only one non-Black Common Regenerating creature, Viashino Skeleton. If your opponent is playing Viashino Skeleton, then you are already winning!
Palace Guard is a quality speed bump for White in Pauper formats. The tricky part is deciding what your big finish is going to be after you've held the opposing army in check for a few turns. 5. Safe Passage
If you ask me, a one-sided Fog is pretty good, because Pauper conflicts are often resolved on the battlefield. Being able to save all of your White speed bumps in anticipation of your big counterattack is good times. 4. Veteran Armorsmith and Veteran Swordsmith
With many Soldiers available at Common, this duo could be the start of a fairly powerful Tribal Pauper deck, especially in newer formats where Slivers are either absent or not common enough to be the Tribal deck of choice.
You get a 3/4 flier for just three mana, and you're complaining because it can be killed by a Giant Growth? I expect Illusionary Servant to make a strong showing, so it better not disappoint! 2. Sign in Blood
Sign in Blood is good enough for the full-on Mythic-Rare-toting Standard format, so it's definitely a hit for Pauper. It's cheaper, if less splashable, than Divination, and it also has the unusual ability to deliver either of two killing blows to an opponent! (You can either force them lose their last two life, or force them to draw from an empty library.) Before I get to my number one M10 Pauper card, do you notice anything missing from this Pauper top ten? That's right, there are no Red cards on my list so far. I suspect that's because most of the "Common Red power" for the set went into allowing this next card into the set: 1. Lightning Bolt
I admit it. I cheated a bit and picked a reprint for my top ten, but what a reprint! Since Lightning Bolt hasn't really been available for a while, its impact on Extended Pauper and Standard Pauper formats should be significant. Lightning Bolts will also be easier to acquire now, making them more budget-friendly for all Pauper formats. I have a sneaking suspicion that Lightning Bolt just might be a good card...
So there you have it, one man's opinion on the cream of the crop for the Casual player in all of us. I know some of you EDH fans and Pauper aficionados are disagreeing with me right now, so log onto the forums and school me in the ways of the Casual and the Budget!
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Articles
Spotlights from 2009: |
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10.
Xathrid Demon
8.
Hive Mind
6.
Sanguine Bond
3.
Sphinx Ambassador
Don't
expect this enchantment to survive very long at your multiplayer table. However,
if it does last a turn or two, you're going to be dropping fatties into play
like you were cheating! Only you're not cheating, you're lurking... I figure if
Lurking Predators drops just one monster into play for you, it's done its job,
and anything else is gravy!
10.
Child of Night
8.
Deadly Recluse
6.
Palace Guard
3.
Illusionary Servant