Maybe Wizard’s assumes he’s always equipped with his shield 😂

One of my all time favorite cards and artworks! This is one of the cards that got me into the game back in the late 90s, love this and DiTerlizzi!

Loving this one:

Ward – Get five poison counters

They’ve really leaned into Ward in their card design and I think it’s pretty good to be honest. I realize we’re not going back to Shroud and this is their “fixed” version but at least the designs are interesting.

That’s so cool! Do you know Mark Winters as well?

Love this art and absolutely love Tempest-block era slivers

I don’t understand the reasoning on Lotus Field, and the complete lack of discussion about Stormchaser’s Talent. The later was one I really wanted to see hit, regardless of UR’s position in the meta. It just creates really unfun play patterns that I’m super tired of seeing.

Lotus Field getting removed because of worries about Amulet Titan after the Phlage ban seems kind of premature too.

That would be my main consideration because I KNOW my friends would secretly run Thermokarst!

The mountain makes me think of Batman/Gotham too.

Island is amazing, he nailed that one in particular. Would be so cool if these were actual cards.

Yeah very good question, my gut says that the UR decks just don’t want her sadly. She doesn’t seem to help the prowess or lessons game plan but maybe out of the sideboard.

If the Jeskai control decks lean into red more with that new artifact I could definitely see her in that deck. That may even get me to play standard again!

I think there is essentially no downside and actually some slight upside, even more so if you mix them with regular basics. I actually wish Wizards would make more random downside so you had to make a decision but I think they’re totally fine to use and not worry about.

There are some random hate cards from Magic’s past (like Thermokarst) but you’re just never going to encounter that. Maybe if you’re playing casually and your friend wants to be annoying! But that’s probably it.

I know in Legacy for instance players will split their basics to make cards like Predict worse. Also any surgical extraction effect wouldn’t get all your basics if you split them, and any time you play something that lets you pick cards of different names it would let you get 2 forests etc (like Intuition). Playing all snow gets you cards like Skred for free.

Love this card, always seemed like a really well balanced planeswalker to me if not a bit on the high powered side.

While I think Standard’s power level is way too high (with no end in sight), I’ve found I do enjoy watching it again. It just seems like some of the matches quickly get to the point of no return with all these value engines and high power cards.

Splitting UR into 3 archetypes is pretty helpful for WotC getting the UR % down… Adding Izzet Prowess, Spellementals, and Lessons gets a whopping 37% of the field.

Plains - Corona Park Queens
Island - Statue of Liberty
Swamp - Pier 1
Mountains - Midtown Manhattan
Forest - New York Botanical Gardens
Artist proofs in various card frames

I guess Prepared is more than just a Strixhaven ability? Ancestral Craving is nuts.

Wow a color-shifted Snapcaster Mage? I wonder if this sees a home in burn decks.

Art is cool but honestly makes it hard to read the card.

Exactly, and add on top the straight up lying that it was print to demand!

Couldn’t even discount the extras instead of destroying them because they need to maintain the high price at all times. Crazy.

This is how they get us back in 😜

Yeah it’s confusing and classic Wizards to make something like this so difficult to figure out. Both of them are good ways to get promos if you’re into that, but probably very dependent on your LGS and what they’re running.

As I understand them, the Store Champs are more competitive but everyone gets a promo for participating. They also only run for a few weeks I believe. Showdowns are just regular standard events that run through the duration of the current set, and I think only the winner gets the promo.

Big caveat on the promos though, I’m not sure how stores are handing them out these days. They could be giving them to everyone now but I think it’s store to store.

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