Khans of Tarkir
Today, let's open a pack from the first set of this block, both named Khans of Tarkir! If you want the story behind this block, check the MTG Wiki. I have a pack from all three sets to open, so I'm gonna dive straight in to the first one this week! You know the usual routine by now, I'm sure. Commons first, then uncommons, rares, foils, etc. with links to Gatherer.
Alabaster Kirin: 3W for a 2/3 flyer. Meh. but it does also have Vigilance.
Tormenting Voice: 1R & discard a card to draw two. I need to experiment with this. Good for decks that like graveyard shenanigans for sure.
Scaldkin: 3U for a 2/2 with Flying. Meh. 2R & sacrifice to deal 2 damage to any target. Double meh.
Krumar Bond-Kin: 3BB for a 5/3. Meh. Morph ability: situational? Meh.
Leaping Master: 1R for a 2/1. Meh. 2W to gain Flying? extra meh at that cost.
Scout the Borders: 2G for a chance to add a land or creature card to your hand, and toss the rest in the graveyard. Maybe?
Bloodfell Caves: B/R dual land, enters tapped, but you gain a life. Not bad in a B/R deck. Not as good as the dual lands that can enter un-tapped if you pay a life, though.
Jeskai Windscout: 2U for a 2/1 is bad, but in the right deck, the Prowess ability might be useful.
Lens of Clarity: 1 for the ability to check your deck and what other players have face-down is good against a morph-focused deck, but otherwise, not all that great.
Bring Low: 3R for a way over-costed creature-only Lightning Bolt unless it has +1/+1 counters, in which case it is a slightly cheaper Lava Axe for creatures. Meh.
Abzan Battle Priest: 3W for a 3/2 is way over-costed, but you can add +1/+1 counters for W without tapping, and all creatures with +1/+1 counters gain Lifelink. I see potential.
Opulent Palace: This land enters tapped, but it offers three colors. If you need those three, run this land!
Sultai Soothsayer: 2BGU for a 2/5 is bland, but you also get to choose a card from the top 4 in your library and stock your graveyard with the rest. I'll add it to my Sultai deck WIP.
Jeskai Ascendancy: URW for pseudo-Vigilance when you cast a noncreature spell, and the option to draw and discard. Hmmm... Not a high-price rare, though.
And rounding this pack out is an Island basic land card and an insert with a story blurb.
What do you think? What would you draft? This first set really focuses on the three-color wedges, so there is an intent for three-color synergy here that may influence what cards work best together.
I have a sealed booster box of each of these sets. Hoarding them a little longer, though they were printed into oblivion. That Time Spiral new set is tempting.., but again... millions of cards printed.
I played in a store tournament when the Fate Reforged packs came out. Pulled Ugin from a prize pack. Traded him a bit later. Regretting it now.