Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat is up nerds, we are back with another Type 4 set review, this time looking at The Brother’s War and its associated Commander decks. Which I wrote 3 months ago and just... never posted. Whoops! But it’s here now.
I know that there’s some expensive artifacts, as well as some with alternate costs, so I’m excited to jump in and see what we’ve got.
Calamity’s Wake: Do you need to stop your opponent from casting a Cruel Ultimatum or something? I guess this will do. It also exiles graveyards, but not replacing itself or doing much else makes it an iffy choice. Graveyard hate is good, but there’s better out there.
Disenchant: A classic, play it if you need the effect, but there’s superior versions all over.
Defabricate: There’s some flexibility here, but I prefer my Voidslimes to be able to counter, well, anything. Not entirely forgettable, but not going to make waves in high power stacks.
Hurkyl’s Final Meditation: A mass bounce spell that’s also a Time Stop. This is an instant staple, though understand that this does fit a slightly different niche than the OG Time Stop does. Still, incredibly powerful card and probably the best of the set.
One with the Multiverse: A Future Sight that also gives you a free spell every turn. Certainly playable, likely strong, and you can cash in immediately.
Urza’s Rebuff: A Cancel that also has some other text that might save your bacon. Certainly better than Cancel, though not sure where to rank it compared to other Cancel+ cards. Probably one of the better ones, would be my guess. Playable regardless.
Arcane Proxy: 7 mana 4/3 that casts a spell you already cast. The best case is probably something like Cruel Ultimatum, but capping out at 7 is awkward, and the alt cost only lets you go up to 3. Potentially good enough, but be ready for disappointment.
Depth Charge Colossus: 9/9 with vigilance. Pretty generic fatty that can also be a free 6/6 which is not nothing. Still, there are better fatties out there, so choose accordingly.
Surge Engine: 5/4 unblockable that draws you 3 cards is pretty swell. I’m a big fan of the Fact or Fiction Sphinx, and this is pretty much that on steroids. Worth considering.
Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor: They had to fit a Praetor in this set, and damn is he a doozy. The first ability can be pretty dangerous, since it lets your opponents draw cards, but hot damn that 2nd ability can mess people up. Just watch out for ability countering, but discarding 4-7 cards to cast that many from someone’s deck is likely to be pretty strong, and if you hit any card draw? GG, it’s all over from there. An awesome card that’s going to end a lot of games, both for you but occasionally for your opponents.
Hostile Negotiations: I’m a sucker for this sort of effect. There’s a lot of text, so let’s sum it up: there’s an instant speed draw 3 with a mind game attached, that also sends 3 cards to the graveyard. There are a lot of Draw 3s out there, so pick which ones you like and play those. Me, I like this one.
Overwhelming Remorse: This card seems like it’s printed in every set now. Do I just stop reviewing it? Is Swords to Plowshares actually bad in the format now? I think the answer to both questions might be yes, which is kinda crazy. Regardless, this is an effect you want some amount of and this does the job very well.
Phyrexian Fleshgorger: a 7/5 Meance Lifelink is pretty cool, and it’s not easy to kill with targeted removal which is cool. Again, another fatty, so pick the ones you like.
Razorlash Transmorgrant: Most notably, the ability does not indicate anything like on your turn only, sorcery speed, whatever, so there’s probably some real gross combos out there. Plus, if you support aggro, a 4/2 recursive threat isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Over the Top: Lets you create an army out of nowhere, but you need setup first. Also, it says those most dangerous of words: “Each Player”. This can easily backfire for you. Probably more trouble than its worth.
Skitterbeam Battalion: 12 power of haste and trample across three bodies can be pretty terrifying. With anthems, it can get even worse. Imagine alt casting this, then casting Titanic Ultimatum. Obviously a lot of best-case scenario thinking here, but the card has some interesting power that’s worth considering.
Rootwire Amalgam: a 5/5 that turns into a 15/15, which you’re going to consider as a 15/15 haste like, 90% of the time given its sorcery speed only. There are a LOT of movie pieces and places to disrupt this, but 15 power is not a joke.
Rust Goliath: Similarly, a 10/10 reach trample: not a joke. Very big man that can do good work.
Cityscape Leveler: It’s no OG Leveler. That’s a good thing. But this guy is again, not a joke. 8/8 trample that kills something on cast and attack. Definitely worth considering.
Portal to Phyrexia: A mass removal spell that hits only opponents, then it sits around and gets you any dead stuff. I’ll take “reason we play artifact hate” for 200, Alex. Card is absurd.
And now, let’s check out those EDH decks
Blast-Furnace Hellkite: 5/5 double strike flying isn’t the most exciting ability, but giving EVERYTHING that attacks your opponents double strike? Without any downside for you? Now this is some fun stuff.
Wondrous Crucible: The ward ability does nothing, but getting a free random spell every turn while also filling your graveyard is pretty nice. Of course, they can kill it, and you might get a Counterspell or something, so not the best, but still worth considering.
And there’s a bunch of transformers cards. I will never play these.
And that wraps us up! A lot of real big dudes you’ll be casting for retail, and several sweet utility spells. Come back soon for the All Will Be One review (which is written and just needs to be posted).
