Hi there. Remember me? I'm the guy that wrote about Zendikar Black a few days ago. I was awestruck by its magnificence, and I am hoping that Zendikar White will be a match for its evil counterpart. Just like Black, Zendikar White has a new tribe too: the Kor. Sure, they've been around for a while, but they haven't had a Kor lord until now, and I have to say he's pretty sweet. Check it out, he's the first card on my list, then check back in with me at the end to see how White did in the epic battle of good versus evil.

Armament Master WW
Creature - Kor Soldier
Other Kor creatures you control get +2/+2 for each Equipment attached to Armament Master.
2/2

Grade: A
Zendikar White starts with a bang! The Armament Master is cheap, has great stats, and can be online the turn you play him if you use some silly 0 mana equipments like Paradise Mantle or Bone Saw (or a one mana equipment with a 0 mana equip cost). If you play a turn 1 Kor creature, turn two Kor creature, and then turn three Armament Master with equip, you can potentially attack with a 3/3 and 4/4 on turn three. The only problem now is the scarcity of Kor creatures in Magic at the moment, but I feel they will be something quite big in the rest of Zendikar block, so grab a playset of these guys while they're still cheap! Mark my words, Armament Master is going to revolutionize White Weenie.

Arrow Volley Trap 3WW
Instant - Trap
If four or more creatures are attacking, you may pay {1}{W} rather than pay Arrow Volley Trap's mana cost.
Arrow Volley Trap deals 5 damage divided as you choose among any number of target attacking creatures.

Grade: B
If four or more creatures are attacking, chances are you're in trouble. Good news is, if you have a couple of blockers, this trap works out quite strongly in your favor. If you kill one attacker, then inflict enough damage on the others with your defensive team, you can probably take out all of your opponent's creatures.

Bold Defense 2W
Instant
Kicker {3}{W} (You may pay an additional {3}{W} as you cast this spell.)
Creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn. If Bold Defense was kicked, instead creatures you control get +2/+2 and gain first strike until end of turn.

Grade: B
I don't know, this thing seems a little expensive. There is a ridiculous amount of White Instant cards that cost two mana to give all your guys +1/+1, so why would I want to spend three mana to do it with this spell? The kicker is really good, but it's SEVEN MANA, two mana more than Overrun, and First Strike is definitely not as strong as Trample as far as abilities go. If it cost one mana less, I'd give it an A, but as it is, it's slightly above average.

Brave the Elements W
Instant
Choose a color. White creatures you control gain protection from the chosen color until end of turn.

Grade: B
This is pretty good, solely because it only costs one mana and will most likely be used as a one-sided fog.

Note from Streetz: Let's not forget about this card's amazing artwork!

Caravan Hurda 4W
Creature - Giant
Lifelink (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.)
1/5

Grade: D
Ugh, really? Five mana to play a guy that has one power? Lifelink is not a substitute for two points of attack power. I'd rather play Serra Angel, and she got demoted in rarity to uncommon a while back. If you really want a high toughness guy, just spring for Kami of Old Stone.

Celestial Mantle 3WWW
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +3/+3.
Whenever enchanted creature deals combat damage to a player, double its controller's life total.

Grade: C
This card is mediocre. It won't be effective unless you have a creature with great evasion and protection, and that seems like too much to ask for when you're already paying six mana for the enchantment. Still, if you have ways to cheat this into play (hint: Sovereigns of Lost Alara), then it's not so bad.

Cliff Threader 1W
Creature - Kor Scout
Mountainwalk
2/1

Grade: D
White has such good weenies that it seems like a crime to print this guy. The only thing he has going for him is the Kor creature type.

Conqueror's Pledge 2WWW
Sorcery
Kicker {6} (You may pay an additional {6} as you cast this spell.)
Put six 1/1 white Kor Soldier creature tokens onto the battlefield. If Conqueror's Pledge was kicked, put twelve of those tokens onto the battlefield instead.

Grade: B+
Now this I like! Cloudgoat Ranger has a new replacement, and it's pretty snazzy. I doubt anyone will ever use the kicker (11 mana is way too much), but the six tokens from the regular version will definitely see some play in my group. Honestly, in a White Weenie deck with some kind of pump, you're getting probably going to get 12 points of power from this spell instead of 6. Did anyone else notice the tokens are Kor?

Day of Judgment 2WW
Sorcery
Destroy all creatures.

Grade: A-
Uh-oh, Wrath of God is back! I thought we'd seen the last of this craziness, and just a few short months later, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) prints a new version. The only reason it gets an A- instead of a full A is because of the missing line "They can't be regenerated". True, it gives you the option to play with creatures that regenerate, but then again, so can your opponent. I prefer the original.

Devout Lightcaster WWW
Creature - Kor Cleric
Protection from black
When Devout Lightcaster enters the battlefield, exile target black permanent.
2/2

Grade: D
Right, you're charging me three White mana for a 2/2 that removes ONE very specific permanent from the game. I don't think so. Devout Lightcaster, meet your new roommates, Tivadar of Thorn and Halo Hunter. I'm sure you'll have lots to talk about in your "useless creatures" room. Cheers.

Emeria Angel 2WW
Creature - Angel
Flying
Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you may put a 1/1 white Bird creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
3/3

Grade: B+
I LOVE this creature. As a 3/3 for four mana, her stats are slightly under what is considered "strong", but her ability is just so damn sexy. Essentially, once she's in play, every land you play is a free 1/1 flying. True, you can only play one land a turn, but assuming that's all you do, she is basically a Luminous Angel with one less power/toughness and THREE MANA CHEAPER. Pretty good bargain I'd say. Now, if you're anything at all like me, you're thinking about how to drop multiple lands in play to take advantage of her Landfall ability, so you'll be netting 1-3 tokens every turn while fetching lands. The reason she's not getting an A is because of the insanity that is Ob Nixilis. For one mana more, he gets three counters and makes your opponent lose three life, and I can't justify giving him an A and giving her one as well, hence the B+.

Felidar Sovereign 4WW
Creature - Cat Beast
Vigilance, lifelink
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you have 40 or more life, you win the game.
4/6

Grade: A
Now this guy I can give an A too! Vigilance + Lifelink has always been a lethal combination, because it allows you to gain life on defense and offense. In this case, it's especially potent seeing as his toughness is quite high. If you play him in a deck with lots of White, combine him with Martyr of Sands and a couple of annoying Lifelink guys, and you'll be seeing a lot of quick and silly victories. Beware of the multiplayer games though: as soon as you hit 40 life, you're going to get swarmed by the other players, so maybe add some Mother of Runes and Story Circle to ensure maximum survival.

Iona, Shield of Emeria 6WWW
Legendary Creature - Angel
Flying
As Iona, Shield of Emeria enters the battlefield, choose a color.
Your opponents can't cast spells of the chosen color.
7/7

Grade: A-
Iona is incredibly powerful. She's got great P/T and an insane ability that allows you to shut down many decks by itself. Imagine this: I am playing a reanimator deck, and my opponent is playing Mono Black Control. I reanimate her on turn 3, and name Black. My opponent can't play a single spell for the rest of the game and concedes. Do you understand why she's so strong? Her only weakness is the fact that she has to be reanimated, as nine mana is way too much to try to cast her properly. Oh, and colorless artifacts render her useless, as she'll "only" be a 7/7 Flying against them.

Journey to Nowhere 1W
Enchantment
When Journey to Nowhere enters the battlefield, exile target creature.
When Journey to Nowhere leaves the battlefield, return the exiled card to the battlefield under its owner's control.

Grade: B
Well, my first impulse is to give this card a terrible grade. It's a sorcery speed removal spell that can be disenchanted, and even Terror is better than that. However, I do recall thinking Oblivion Ring might not be so good, and then using it in three of my decks, so I don't want to slag Journey to Nowhere just yet. Also, it can be fetched with Zur the Enchanter, and that's always a good thing.

Kabira Evangel 2W
Creature - Human Cleric Ally
Whenever Kabira Evangel or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control, you may choose a color. If you do, Allies you control gain protection from the chosen color until end of turn.
2/3

Grade: A-
Wow, now THIS is a strong Ally. It's got a decent sized body and an ability that is too good! If you play an Ally every turn, you basically have unblockable creatures for the rest of the game, and that's just wrong. At this point I'm really hoping that WotC prints an Ally with Flash so that you can abuse this guy's ability on defense as well.

Kazandu Blademaster WW
Creature - Human Soldier Ally
First strike, vigilance
Whenever Kazandu Blademaster or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Kazandu Blademaster.
1/1

Grade: A
Again, another great ally! This guy is amazing by himself as a standalone two mana 2/2 with First Strike and Vigilance, but as an Ally, he's sure to get even better. Play Kazandu Blademaster on turn two, and then play Kabira Evangel on turn three to attack for three unblockable damage! I guess White is where all the good (pun intended) Allies have been hiding.

Kor Aeronaut WW
Creature - Kor Soldier
Kicker {1}{W} (You may pay an additional {1}{W} as you cast this spell.)
Flying
When Kor Aeronaut enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, target creature gains flying until end of turn.
2/2

Grade: A
Well, I'm running out of ways to say White Weenie is going to be awesome in Zendikar, so I'm just going to say it again: White Weenie is going to be AWESOME in Zendikar. I remember when Gaea's Skyfolk was first printed in Apocalypse, my friends and I all thought "a 2/2 flying for two mana? That's so strong!". Then Leonin Skyhunter came out in Mirrodin, and it was even stronger, thanks to its WW casting cost. Now, finally, we have Kor Aeronaut, who is strictly better than the other two, thanks to his kicker ability. If ever there was a great time for someone to be converted into a White Weenie player, it would be right now.

Kor Cartographer 3W
Creature - Kor Scout
When Kor Cartographer enters the battlefield, you may search your library for a Plains card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library.
2/2

Grade: B
This guy is the White mage's budget alternative to Solemn Simulacrum. It's not amazing, because it can only fetch a Plains, but the benefit is that you can search out any of the Ravnica shocklands with a Plains subtype. Still, I'd much rather use Jens Thoren (a common nickname for the aforementioned Solemn Simulacrum), because of the extra card he draws you when he dies...

Kor Duelist W
Creature - Kor Soldier
As long as Kor Duelist is equipped, it has double strike. (It deals both first-strike and regular combat damage.)
1/1

Grade: B+
Hmmm, I seem to recall a one mana equipment that gave a creature +2/+0. Now what was it called? Oh yea, Bonesplitter! Play Kor Duelist on turn one, Bonesplitter and equip on turn two, attack with a 3/1 double strike for SIX DAMAGE if your opponent has no blockers. Did I mention White Weenie is making a comeback? I did? Good. Do you believe me yet?

Kor Hookmaster 2W
Creature - Kor Soldier
When Kor Hookmaster enters the battlefield, tap target creature an opponent controls. That creature doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.
2/2

Grade: B
Kor Hookmaster reminds me of the Snakes from Kamigawa, because of their venom tapping ability. Just like the Snakes, he can potentially knock out your opponent's biggest blocker for two turns or prevent you from dying to your opponent's biggest attacker for one turn. Unlike the Snakes, he can do it just by entering the battlefield, which makes him more versatile and reusable without putting him in as much danger. Combine with Crystal Shard for maximum annoyance.

Kor Outfitter WW
Creature - Kor Soldier
When Kor Outfitter enters the battlefield, you may attach target Equipment you control to target creature you control.
2/2

Grade: B
There are many Equipment cards out there that have great abilities and casting costs, but prohibitively expensive equip costs. For instance, Heartseeker, Sword/Shield of Kaldra, and even the new Grappling Hook are all groovy equipments, but no one wants to pay FOUR to FIVE mana to put any of them on a creature, and that's where Kor Outfitter comes in. In addition to his excellent ability, he's also got a decent 2/2 body for two mana, and is thus highly recommended in an equipment heavy deck.

Kor Sanctifiers 2W
Creature - Kor Cleric
Kicker {W} (You may pay an additional {W} as you cast this spell.)
When Kor Sanctifiers enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, destroy target artifact or enchantment.
2/3

Grade: B
I've always been a fan of Disenchant guys. Being a casual player without a sideboard, I am always loathe to take up a slot in my deck just for pure Disenchant/Naturalize cards, because I'll occasionally face players without any artifacts or enchantments in their decks and dead cards in my hand. Disenchant guys solve this problem, because even without a target, they're still decent as creatures. My favorite has always been Viridian Zealot, but Kor Sanctifiers is a pretty good alternative, especially when you don't feel like playing green.

Kor Skyfisher 1W
Creature - Kor Soldier
Flying
When Kor Skyfisher enters the battlefield, return a permanent you control to its owner's hand.
2/3

Grade: B
There are many ways to play this guy. He can be combined with cheap equipments or Ornithopter to drop him on turn 2 without losing tempo. He can abuse Landfall abilities by (duh) returning a land to your hand so you can reuse it. I'd rather not be set back a turn, so if you're going to target a land, save him for the turns when you don't have a land to play, cast him to return one of your tapped lands to your hand, activate Landfall, lose no tempo, AND gain a mana.

Landbind Ritual 3WW
Sorcery
You gain  2 life for each Plains you control.

Grade: D
Really guys? Five mana for around 10 life? No. Just stick with Life Burst or one of the classics, this card is terrible.

Luminarch Ascension 1W
Enchantment
At the beginning of each opponent's end step, if you didn't lose life this turn, you may put a quest counter on Luminarch Ascension. (Damage causes loss of life.)
{1}{W}: Put a 4/4 white Angel creature token with flying onto the battlefield. Activate this ability only if Luminarch Ascension has four or more quest counters on it.

Grade: A
I'm going to assume that when WotC printed this card, they didn't think about multiplayer. If there are four players at the table, you can have this card up and running by one of your opponents' second turn. This is one of the few cards that I would consider getting a Mox for (preferably Chrome Mox/Mox Diamond for the wallet's sake - YIKES are those things expensive!) simply because you desperately want this in play by turn 1. The reason Luminarch Ascension is so amazing is that once it's online, you can activate the ability without removing any counters from it, which means that you can make as many angels as you want! Cheap alternatives to the turn 1 Mox include Clockspinning and Gilder Bairn.

Makindi Shieldmate 2W
Creature - Kor Soldier Ally
Defender
Whenever Makindi Shieldmate or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Makindi Shieldmate.
0/3

Grade: F
This guy is worse than useless. No one should ever pay three mana for a wall unless it does something amazing. Sadly, Makindi Shieldmate does not.

Narrow Escape 2W
Instant
Return target permanent you control to its owner's hand. You gain 4 life.

Grade: B
This card is great with Landfall, enter the battlefield abilities, and Eternal Witness shenanigans. In a recent match between two of my friends, an attrition war was dragged out with one of them casting Eternal Witness and Narrow Escape EVERY SINGLE TURN. Together they basically read:

Narrow Witness 1GG
Creature - Human Shaman
1WW: Return Narrow Witness to its owner's hand. You gain 4 life.

It wasn't a very strong combo, but it was hilarious and intensely annoying.

Nimbus Wings 1W
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+2 and has flying.

Grade: C
Ya, alright. Holy Strength + Flying. Meh.

Noble Vestige 2W
Creature - Spirit
Flying
{T}: Prevent the next 1 damage that would be dealt to target player this turn.
1/2

Grade: D
I've never liked the "prevent the next X damage" creatures, and Noble Vestige is no exception. Weak stats and a weak ability makes me wonder why this card was printed. It can't even prevent damage to creatures!

Ondu Cleric 1W
Creature - Kor Cleric Ally
Whenever Ondu Cleric or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control, you may gain life equal to the number of Allies you control.
1/1

Grade: B+
This is going to be so cheap and annoying to play against when more Allies get printed! Just like the classic Soul Warden/Auriok Champion, Ondu Cleric needs to be taken out fast. The good news is if he gains you two life and chump blocks once, he's done his job. Also, he's a Kor AND an Ally. Pretty groovy I'd say.

Pillarfield Ox 3W
Creature - Ox
2/4

Grade: F-
Other cards with the exact same mana cost, rarity and stats include Pallid Mycoderm, Oaken Brawler, and Rhox Meditant, all of which are strictly better than this waste of paper. I think when they wrote the name down, it was misspelled. Its original name was actually Pitiful Ox, and as such it should never ever EVER be played. Other uses for Pitiful Ox include but are not limited to papier maché, a bookmark, and kindling for when you REALLY need to light that fire but just can't seem to get those branches going.

Pitfall Trap 2W
Instant - Trap
If exactly one creature is attacking, you may pay {W} rather than pay Pitfall Trap's mana cost.
Destroy target attacking creature without flying.

Grade: C
If exactly one creature is attacking, you can probably block it if it doesn't have Flying. I guess this card is pretty good against Exalted decks, but not much else.

Quest for the Holy Relic W
Enchantment
Whenever you cast a creature spell, you may put a quest counter on Quest for the Holy Relic.
Remove five quest counters from Quest for the Holy Relic and sacrifice it: Search your library for an Equipment card, put it onto the battlefield, and attach it to a creature you control. Then shuffle your library.

Grade: A
I can't tell you how much I LOVE this card! Can you imagine searching up a Tatsumasa,the Dragon's Fang and attaching it to a Phantom Warrior? Or better yet, fetching up a General's Kabuto and attaching it to Empyrial Archangel? Figured it out yet? No? Quest for the Holy Relic attaches an equipment to A creature you control, not TARGET creature. In other words, you can stick it on guys with Shroud! Sure, it takes a couple of turns to get online, but think about it: this spell lets you search your library AND equip for the low price of ONE mana. I think it's worth a little patience, but if you don't, combine it with Shrieking Drake to get those Equipments in play fast.

Shepherd of the Lost 4W
Creature - Angel
Flying, first strike, vigilance
3/3

Grade: D
Ugh, this is a bad version of Serra Angel. First Strike is not worth the transition from 4/4 to 3/3. If you really want a budget five mana Angel, stick to the classics.

Shieldmate's Blessing W
Instant
Prevent the next 3 damage that would be dealt to target creature or player this turn.

Grade: C+
Cheap combat tricks are always good, and although this won't make your opponents afraid to let in an unblocked creature, it will make them wary about trading guys in a small fight.

Steppe Lynx W
Creature - Cat
Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, Steppe Lynx gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
0/1

Grade: B+
Cats rule! This one is a great addition to the family, as he's basically going to be a one mana 2/3 on the attack. Not quite Savannah Lions, but close enough for a common.

Sunspring Expedition W
Enchantment
Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you may put a quest counter on Sunspring Expedition.
Remove three quest counters from Sunspring Expedition and sacrifice it: You gain 8 life.

Grade: B
It's one mana for eight life, which is a bargain in my book. If you really want to play lifegain cards from Zendikar, take this one and skip Landbind Ritual.

Windborne Charge 2WW
Sorcery
Two target creatures you control each get +2/+2 and gain flying until end of turn.

Grade: B-
Think of Windborne Charge as a mini Overrun. It's one mana less, and it's WHITE, and that's pretty darned good for an Uncommon. If your opponent has no fliers, this spell is basically giving you at least six points of unblockable damage.

World Queller 3WW
Creature - Avatar
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may choose a card type. If you do, each player sacrifices a permanent of that type.
4/4

Grade: C
Although I dearly want to make this card good, the truth of it is he's really just mediocre. If you combine him with Paradox Haze, you get double the effect, but it also means you'll have to suffer double the effect too. He's good if you have no enchantments/artifacts/planeswalkers, and are naming those types, but otherwise, he's kind of a waste for five mana. The least WotC could've done was given him some kind of evasion.

Checking in with me? Good, it's about time. My personal and humble opinion is that Zendikar White is not quite as good as Zendikar Black. The weenies are strong, but there are just a lot of B's this time around, whereas Black had a ton of really powerful A's. Also, having had the chance to review both colors, I really feel like the abilities on the Black cards were much more interesting, whereas White was merely rehashing the same old ideas of protection and lifegain.

But maybe I'm just biased because I'm madly in love with Ob Nixilis and Vampire Nighthawk, and White just didn't have anything that beautiful. Do you disagree? Fight me for it in the forums! I'm warning you though, I've got Vampires and Demons on my side, but the strongest thing you'll have is a freaky Cat Beast Sovereign thingy...

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