Here we are at the third pack from the Khans of Tarkir block! Time travel and reality warps have transformed the world from the first set into a world of dragons and other great powers. If you want the full story behind this block, check the MTG Wiki.
As has become my routine now, we'llcheck out the Common-rarity cards first, andthen look at the uncommons, rares, foils, etc. I will also link each card to Gatherer for more details on rules and mechanics.
Shambling Goblin: B for a 1/1 creature that also imposes -1/-1 for a turn on traget creature on death? This is good value! There isn't a lot of goblin tribal in black, but it's not unheard-of. The zombie aspect could work well with a lot of decks, though. Good value in many decks? Yes!
Dragon Fodder: 1R for two 1/1 goblin tokens? This is in my Krenko deck, since it is a good card for red hordes, and superb for goblins.
Mystic Meditation: 3U to draw three cards is nice. Discard two unless you discard one creature card? There's always a cost to pay for card advantage... I'm not sure how good the value is here in play though.
Ainok Artillerist: 2G for a 4/1 isn't the best value, but if your deck already includes +1/+1 counters, the ability to get better and gain Reach might make it suddenly a good value.
Segmented Krotiq: meh. 5G for a 6/5 isn't a great value, and the Megamorph bit is just overcomplicated nonsense unless you get morph benefits elsewhere too.
Tail Slash is an instant for 2R (3 CMC) that can allow one of your creatures to take a free shot at an opponent's creature. This might be a good way to remove a potential blocker, or eliminate some creature that is being used for other abilities. I don't know how good it is in general though.
Defeat: Pay 1B to destroy an opponent's creature... if it has strength 2 or less. Limited utility, but like the card above, it might remove something nasty. Deathtouch creatures are usually weak, as are many creatures used for utility abilities.
Glint: 1U to make one of your creatures tougher and make it impossible to target with spells and abilities? Here's an answer to the previous two cards.
Artful Maneuver is a double dose of boost. 1W gives a creature +2/+2, and most of the time, you'll get to use it a second time next turn for free! I see value here.
[Revealing Wind:] Fog meets Lens of Clarity from a couple weeks ago. Situational.
Enduring Scalelord: a dragon card in a set about dragons! 4GW for a 4/4, even with flying, is a poor value, but the ability to synergize with +1/+1 counters makes it jump in value for the right deck. Price-wise, though, it remains unimpressive.
Encase in Ice freezes an opponent's creature for up to two turns, but it can only target red or green creatures. It's only 1U, but I'd personally still pass.
Self-Inflicted Wound is also limited to targeting two colors, this time green or white, and while it allows the opponent to choose their victim, it also causes loss of 2 life. Still bland in my opinion.
Arashin Foremaost also suffers from low price, but 1WW for a 2/2 with double strike that also boosts another Warrior creature is still a decent inclusion in decks that rely on white creatures or Warrior tribal, especially with support from cards like Artful Maneuver above. It has a place in a white Commander deck I have, so I'm happy with this pull.
Our basic land card is a Mountain, and the insert includes a blurb about the set story.
What do you think of these cards? Do you have any favorite combos from these? Am I overlooking some staple with more utility than I think? Comment below!
Well, that looks like a fine addition to a white commander deck. I bet it's full of warriors. Also, it would be best in a Nayela commander as many of the creatures in that deck are warriors.
I'm also tempted to build a Boros deck with all the red warriors too.
That sounds nice! Who'd be the commander?
Probably this dude from my collection