Zendikar Rising A Review of What I Like Best

 In an effort to prepare prepare for the upcoming Standard rotation, I have compiled my thoughts on Zendikar Rising.  These are the cards I'm looking forward to playing.  And since we're losing a lot of the cards that we've grown accustomed to playing, such as Parhelion II, it's probably a good idea to have this discussion now.  This isn't a discussion of power....just a discussion of fun.  

Also, nobody but me plays Parhelion II.

Let's start with white.  What cards caught my attention?  

Any card that has the term "loses the game" or "win the game" in it always grabs my attention.  With double strike and flying, Angel of Destiny is a decent creature on it's own.  It's an Angel Cleric that can make it part of a tribal strategy and it can be mutated...I'm talking to you Cubwarden.

Archon of Emeria is sure to become a staple in many formats.  It combines multiple effects to slow down your opponents.

I think Felidar Retreat has a lot of potential in Standard.  Coupled with some ramp, you can quickly build a fairly powerful board state quickly.

Any creature that puts another creature in your hand...especial if that creature is coming from outside the game is straight value. Legion Angel brings forth more Legion Angels.  It gives you a 63 card deck without the statistical drawbacks.

Moving onto black.  Agadeem's Awakening is one of those two sided cards...land on one side...sorcery on the other.  With so many ways to retrieve a land from the battlefield in Zendikar Rising, I see this as a perfect way to store a spell in plain sight while not losing your momentum.

Drana, the Last Bloodchief is just good entertainment. Even if your opponent selects another Drana from your graveyard, you get an added counter on it.  This isn't a perfect card, but it's high on my 'cards that make me smile' list.

Feed the Swarm is a blatant color pie violation.  I'm putting a playset in every black deck I own.

Shadow's Verdict is an aggro eater...the graveyard defeater...  A great sideboard card.

Let's talk green.

Ashaya.....dear dear dear Ashaya.  It turns all of your nontoken creatures into forests.  The applications for this are endless.  It's potentially a huge body that can enable anything from landfall strategies to higher ramp strategies.  

So, this is one of those Carnage Tyrant wannabes....okay.  But in the late game...this is what you want.  It's what you need.  It's what green players crave....it's got electrolytes.

One Lotus Cobra on the battlefield can smooth your mana base unlike any other creature in standard.  It's immediate, and it's a snake....so there's that.

You ever need a 1/1 counter, an additional land on the battlefield and card draw...yeah...me too. Scale of Heights is what we get as a more reasonable version of Growth Spiral.

Here's another 2-sided card that is fantastic turn 1 or turn 7.  Turntimber Symbiosis is an overpriced sorcery card.  But when you draw it on turn 7, it's what you need to get back in the game.  

Moving on to red.

Leyline Tyrant is a full on game changer.   You can build a winning strategy around this card easily.  Stockpiling mana is gross.  Stockpiling red mana makes gross look pretty.

Who did this?  Moraug is my choice for "most likely to get banned first".  It buffs for each combat phase....and it lets you stack up combat phases like 12 layer lasagna.  This is the win condition.  Scroll no further.

I don't know who got hurt, but Roiling Vortex is a response to a serious beat down that some card designer got from Fires of Invention or Bolas' Citadel.  Fires, Citadel....meet Vortex.

Shatterskull Smashing....I mean...why not.  It can come in untapped if you need it to.  

Valakut Awakening...did you hear me talking to Shatterskull Smashing?   Also, wheel with no discard?  Yes please.

Valakut Exploration might be one of my favorites in the set.  This is a real value engine with some serious build around potential.  Just by playing a few lands...cracking your Evolving Wilds or Fabled Passage, you can rack up some real damage straight to the face of EACH opponent.  And you don't lose the card to exile.  Which means you can get it back if so choose.

Thieving Skydiver would have been good enough if it just stole an artifact, but to have it attach that artifact, if it's an equipment, to itself....how messed up is that?  Can you imagine playing this in EDH?  Just think of all the swords.   

Turn 1 landfall mill is a disgusting thing.  Ruin Crab, you are a stinky nasty crab.  Bad crab! Bad crab!

Maddening Cacaphony is only 6 mana to kick and mill half of your opponents library...and this is key here....rounded up.  And if you don't kick it....it mills 8.  I'm going to mainboard for defense against mill forever.  The milling is coming!  The milling is coming!

And after you're doing milling your opponent for 8, you can just steal whatever creature they managed to get onto the battlefield with Lullmage's Domination. (cue whip crack).

I don't know about you, but I love copying Brash Taunter.  That's just me.  Glasspool Mimic is my kind of Rogue.  

There aren't many creatures that do on turn 3 what Grakmaw, Skyclave Ravager can do.  It enters with 3 counters on it, with the option of gaining additional counters.  When dies it replaces itself with a token.  Transitioning from turn 3 to turn 4 is the perfect place for a creature like this to stay on curve and to keep pressure on your opponent.

Yes, it's in 4 colors.  And you're definitely thinking of EDH....right?  I mean, is there an Omnath that doesn't do something cool?  This one is no different and gives you a 4th color....white...which makes this one of the best EDH cards in the set.

Turn 6 populate the battlefield with a bunch of 0/1 plant tokens.  Now you can double up this effect with Avenger of Zendikar. Meet Phylath, World Sculptor.

Yasharn, Implacable Earth shuts down any sacrifice decks.  I don't even need to tell how timely this is.  I hate that cat.

Zareth San, the Trickster does ninjitsu...right?  Then you steal something out of their graveyard.  Standard playable, in dimir....it wreaks of evil.

What the what??   I would explain everything that Lithoform Engine does, but it would be easier to just say...everything you want.   If you are playing anything, this can help.

Relic Amulet doubles up your instant and sorcery damage saving it up and directing it toward creatures.  While the 2 mana spot is a competitive place to put it, I think it can do a lot of work for you.

Skyclave Relic is one of the best mana rocks ever created at 3 cmc.  I'm going to ALWAYS put it in my deck.

So....with the Party mechanic, you need an enabler.   Stonework Packbeast is that enabler.  It is the party.

Nissa of Shadowed Boughs is hands down the best planeswalker in the set.  I know there's that Jace that makes more Jaces, but you can really do stuff with this one.  Landfall for loyalty...love it.  Putting creatures from the graveyard or hand onto the battlefield....love it.  Turning a land into something that can attack...like it.   I'm not saying this is OKO level....it's seriously not....but it has a ton of value.  And it well priced at 4 cmc.   

Alright, I'm all out of quips.   What do you like?  What are you going to build around?