Visions from Beyond- Khans Legends

Visions from Beyond! - Khans Legends

with Samuel Wells

**Samuel Wells, the writer who brought us the column "Metagame Check" is back from a break and brings us a new column. Visions from Beyond!**

Greetings readers! I am back from the dead. Before I get into any and all things magic, I would like to explain where I am and why I haven’t been writing as much. For the past three weeks and for the next several months, I have been in Vietnam studying abroad. I am finding this an amazing opportunity to study and grow as a human.

Unfortunately, this has prevented me from interacting with magic the same way that I was over this summer. I feel like I can not be an authoritative voice on the meta-game check. So for now I will be sidelining my usual article. I also am limited in the amount of play-testing that I am able to do. That being said, I will be continue to bring more decks to you in the future. In the mean time, I will be looking at magic in broader strokes and hopefully some new insight. Without further ado, let’s talk some magic.

I picked one remarkable time to leave. Since my last article there have been huge shake ups in magic. Tom Ross won the invitational, again. This is astounding and cements him near the top for current players. We will be getting a new standard format lasting 18 months and will be spanning 3 2-set blocks. This completely warps the standard environment. It prevents decks from dominating as long, it lets wizards more aggressively reprint reprint cards, and breathes new life into a format that seemed to be reaching a low point in the overall pacing of its metagame. Did I mention more aggressive reprints? Because wizards started out with some very aggressive reprints coming in Khans. The onslaught fetches are back with a vengeance. This isn't just for standard though, we will be seeing these fetches hit modern for the first time ever. This is huge! Are we going to see an esper or grixis deck take over as the control slot in modern or will UWR still be the control deck to beat. My mind is spinning with these reprints.

But I’m not bringing you another article covering these topics, because by now everyone and their mother has covered these topics. Instead, I’m going to be covering some cards near and dear to me because to some degree they were what brought me back into magic. I will be discussing the legends from Khans of Tarkir.

Like seemingly most long term magic players, my interest had waned at points. The second time this happened I was about to begin college and was losing my playgroup that I had been with all of college. I was all but out, until other members of my dorm bought the duel deck, Golgari vs Izzet. This quickly ramped up up to buying more decks on their part and before long, EDH was suggested by my new group. I was hesitant to jump back into magic, having sold most of my collection I was not interested in reinvesting. Ultimately the draw of a new format drew me back in. I fallen back in love with the competitive formats. This is how I am writing for you today.

This is all a round about and poor way to say, whenever a new set comes out, one of the things that I follow closely are the new legendary creatures. For the rest of the article I will cover each of the new legends and their EDH and competitive play-ability potential.

The first legend that I will discuss is the one that I was most interested in once it was spoiled that Khans was a wedge set. Narset, Enlightened Master. UWR or America has always been one of my favorite color combinations. I always feel so powerful when I get to pilot a deck in these colors. I have tried EDH decks in these colors, but they have never felt right. So a new general for me was an exciting prospect.

Looking at the card, a 5 mana 3/2 first strike, hexproof guy is not good enough in any format. So the ability must be powerful. Narset has the ability that whenever he attacks exile the top 4 cards and you are able to cast any non-creature spells without paying the mana cost for the rest of the turn. For free is one of the most terrifying phrases on a magic card. So in a vacuum this looks like a powerful ability. But let’s put this into context. Given her color combination I would see her as a finisher in a control deck as the only creature. I question that a deck like that can be good when the new standard will be full of mid-range green decks centered around courser of kruphix, as most people seem to be predicting. For the sake of argument let’s say that we will be able to field this deck though, will Narset even be good enough. We coming down on turn 5 and attacking on turn 6 she will most likely suicide into a bigger dude on the opponents side. So you will be making a bad attack when you are behind on board most likely, not a good thing. So I would say she is too slow off the bat. So is there a way to speed her up? There is one ramp spell that also provides haste in these colors, that is Generator Servant. So he could make her come down at a relevant time, but then you are running a creature that tells you to run more creatures in a deck that should be almost all spells. So that isn't the answer. The synergy between the two creatures is not strong enough to be priced into running them together. So Narset will just be slow and you will try to get value from the one attack.

Let’s discuss if that is enough. Since her ability is random, you will naturally blank on some attacks naturally, that just means you wasted 5 mana, a turn, and a card in a control deck. That is terrible. But living the dream and hitting what you most want to hit doesn’t look too much better. The best thing to hit in the deck would be Elspeth and then you would just be casting an Elspeth on turn 6 with mana up for a counter. I don’t know about you, but that is not enough for me to play her. Then there is the issue of the cards you will likely be flipping, most likely you will be getting a lot of reactive cards. Flipping a counterspell or removal on an empty board really hurt. That will be happening. Overall, Narset is a big no for standard, there are so many better control finishers in these colors if you want to go this direction. I would keep Narset out of standard for now.

Now on the topic of edh, Narset is another story. She seems tailor made for edh. She let’s you cast things for free in a format defined by big spells. This is big game, I should know I have a very successful Jeleva deck. Narset’s downsides are all but mitigated. Five mana is perfectly fast enough to not worry about a card that takes a turn to start generating value. She also will be less likely to be forced to wait until turn 6 though, you have options that speed her up. There are things like Sol Ring and mana rocks that are brutal and there is also the option to run haste options like Lightning Greaves. In both ways that makes her much more viable. Then the fact that she is random does not really hurt in the same way in EDH. You will have more chances to get to cast spell with her, and you have the opportunity to have topdeck shenanigans anyway. Topdeck tutors and Scroll Rack be common. Finally, you aren't limited to playing control, there is a viable midrange to be built with her at the helm. Possibly one where she is the only creature. Narset is perfect for EDH, the only that has stopped me from already having a deck with her is that she is too similar to my current Jeleva deck.

The second legend is the one that started the hype train off, Zurgo Helmsmasher. And that’s what he does, smash. The mardu colors were another color combination that I was hoping to find a general with. Although he was not my dream general, I was happy to see him. Looking at the card, he is a 7/2 haste and he is indestructible on your turn. That last ability is really big, no getting blown out by the hero’s downfall your opponent was sandbagging.

These abilities really scream standard potential to me. He will get to attack at least once without having to set up much. I think he is the perfect mana cost, being the same cost as what will be the white board wipe of standard means that your opponent will tap out to cast End Hostilities and you are free to cast him and dome your opponent for 7. Given that fact I could see him in a bigger aggro deck as the curve topper. Fitting into the curve in this way is really nice and is what draws me to him. I can imagine many situations where the control opponent thought he had stabilized and you get to get in there for lethal with Zurgo because the opponent had tapped out. I could also see him fitting into a rock type deck and filling the role of Desecration Demon. He puts a very quick cost for the opponent to respond to. Now I do have to talk about his drawbacks, because he does have them. There is one glaring issue that I see with him, despite being indestructible there are still removal spells that will be run that kill him. Bile Blight being the biggest issue for me. With Ultimate Price and Doom Blade rotating out, Bile Blight becomes the best two mana black removal spell in standard and will see more play because of that. It turns out that Bile Blight very easily handles Zurgo the turn he comes out. The other removal spell I see being an issue is the new spell Utter End. I think every deck in BW will be running at least one in the 75 for its entire time in standard. These two spells really hold Zurgo back. The other issue I have can be applied to any of the legends, but it stands out for Zurgo in my mind. I question how good the mana will be, and if it will be consistent enough to run a card like Zurgo. Both of the decks that I outlined for Zurgo really rely on consistency and three color decks often stumble on mana. This is very open for discussion and I am waiting to see if this will even be an issue. It is ultimately a minor critique compared to the first problem that I outlined.

For EDH, I see Zurgo being played a lot completely on the merits that he is a legendary creature in colors that are under supported. He is just a generally good card unlike the only truly playable legend in these colors and that will draw of EDH players to him. I do not think the most interesting decks will be made around him, but he definitely deserves to be played.

Now for Anafenza, the foremost, the Abzan general. Three mana 4/4, sweet. Done. Oh wait, there’s text. Put a +1/+1 counter on another tapped creature you control. Awesome, get in the red zone. Nasty graveyard shenanigans got you down, not anymore.

I only joke around because, this guy is made for constructed play. Being three mana and being a relevant body is often enough in aggressive strategies. But then you give him two extra sources of in colors that want to abuse incremental value from creatures. It is not a question of if he will see play, it is a question of how much he will be played and what will be played around him. He is already getting talk for modern and I wouldn’t be surprised if he made it there. The synergies so well with the persisting creatures in Pod and he is hate in the mirror. Be on the watch for him on the top tables for a long time.

Now for EDH. This is where the downsides for him start to come out. The value that he creates is just so small. Aggressively costed generals are rarely key for playability, so being a 4/4 for three just means he may get to attack for a couple turns before your opponent drops a titan or something equally scary. A +1/+1 counter is hardly anything at an EDH table. And the graveyard hate may be helpful, but it is no where near the best option. Finally, there are so many powerful and genuinely interesting generals in these colors already. I can not recommend him as a general in any situation.

Next up is Sidisi, Blood Tyrant. Looking at her, four mana for 2/2 is pretty small game. So I am expecting a powerful ability. So what’s the upside you ask? Whenever one or more creatures are put into your graveyard from your library, put a 2/2 zombie into play. And when Sidisi attacks or when she enters the battlefield mill three. That’s not… bad.

So I will say that there is potential  for Sidisi, however underwhelming the ability looks on the surface. I could see her making it into an updated version of the GB dredge deck that has been going around standard this season. She is an enabler and helps to provide a threat with cards like Satyr Wayfinder. This does seem to work on the surface, even if it seems a bit cute. She does fill the hole that is being left in the deck, but the question is if the deck will be good enough in the new environment. Outside of this deck, I don’t think Sidisi will be good enough to be played.

Similarly in EDH, Sidisi is just too cute. It is hard to beat opponent down with an army of 2/2s when you are only able to make one a turn. My best guess is that Sidisi is just too cute to be a top tier deck. I could see her making it in a more casual group where the mimeoplasm would not be appreciated.

So I will admit that I was much more positive about the card when it was first spoiled. But that was when I misread the card. Three times. Yeah, I really wanted it to be better. I thought you got a zombie whenever a creature card was put into the graveyard, including the battlefield. I thought you got a zombie for each creature put into the graveyard. And I thought you milled four cards. So I misread the card in every way imaginable. As I write this, I realize that the card I described would have been WAY TOO powerful. This does not stop me from being woefully disappointed by the actual card, much cuter, card.

Last, but not least, we have Surrak Dragonclaw, the Temur legend. He is easily the most straightforward of the legendary creatures. This does not mean that he weakest in the slightest though. He starts out as a 6/6 for five and he has flash. That is a good starting point on a creature. But he also has the “Cannot be countered clause” and gives that clause to all of you other creatures. Finally he also gives all your other trample. That is a lot of value on a creature that seems pretty much free.

I think he comes with enough control hate and raw power that he could be an absolute house. He is good against the blue control lists and the green creature decks. When I saw him, I immediately saw him going into a monsters list. He does a lot of what the deck is trying to do. Like Zurgo, he is likely to get in at least once before your opponent can respond to him. He is also just big enough to go over the top other creatures lists and helps your other creatures avoid being chumped by other random creatures. The only real issue I see is that he might not be good enough to go over the top other five drops. That is likely what will hold him back in this standard. Besides this big if, we could see him get there in standard.

Like Abzan, Temur is a wedge that is absolutely stacked with powerful legends. So I do not see him making a big splash on the format. Between Animar, Riku, and Maelstrom Wanderer he will never be the best Temur legend to sleeve up. He just isn’t strong enough. What he does have going for him is that he could be the “fair” Temur legend to play. He even lends himself to a themed deck. I look forward to the all creatures decks that he will be leading. Getting to cast an uncounterable Mystic Snake is really appealing and there are enough utility creatures running around to make this possible. So the final verdict is perfectly playable, but not the optimal selection.

Thank you for bearing with me on my long and ponderous return. This has been Samuel Wells, bringing you the first ever Visions of Beyond!