I'm getting ahead of myself. Apocalypse has barely cut its baby teeth (teeth that promise to grow into enormous fangs…), and already I'm anticipating Odyssey. I know it's too much to hope that Wizards will return to a literary theme, a la Arabian Nights. I had visions of playing Odysseus himself:
Odysseus, the Wanderer
4WU
Creature – Legend
3/4
When Odysseus, the Wanderer comes into play, draw three cards, then choose and discard two cards.
If Odysseus, the Wanderer would be put into a graveyard from play, instead shuffle it into your library.
"Tell me, O Muse, of the man of many devices, who wandered full many ways after he had sacked the sacred citadel of Troy." -- Homer
Yeah, it's safe to say I'll never get to see that. Nevertheless, I'm excited to find out what we will see. Will Dark Ritual finally be given the boot? Will the rumored return of Incinerate be true? What new mechanics can we look forward to?
As my thoughts run in that direction, I'm forced to think about what we'll be losing when Masques Block rotates out. Don't worry; this is not going to be a wail of lament that Magic will be ruined when I can no longer play with Blastoderm in Standard. Rather, it's an exercise preparing me to think differently in both the coming IBC season and when Odyssey rotates in.
In that vein, I've compiled a list of cards I won't miss in Masques block, to remind me of how much the environment is going to change.
Top Ten Cards I Won't Miss
10. Rootwater Thief
He's annoying. Not Lobotomy annoying, but more like a little pinprick. Doh! Quit it.
9. Dominate
I hate having my stuff stolen.
8. Bribery
Ditto
7. Parallax Wave
Once I cast my creatures, I don't like ‘em being in limbo.
6. Misdirection
Dammit, take the Rage and like it!
5. Blinding Angel
I really like to attack when I have the creatures. She's only number 5 because she dies quite handily to Flametongue Kavu.
4. Nether Spirit
The dead ought to stay dead. I'm also mostly annoyed that I never really got a chance to play with this guy.
3. Rishadan Port
I'm ambivalent on the Port. I hate facing ‘em, but now that I have some I kind of like playing them. All in all, I'm glad they're leaving.
2. Saproling Burst
Hah! Your Fires deck ain't so good anymore, Chief.
1. Rebels
Good riddance to Lin Sivvi and all her ilk. I hate creatures I can't counter or kill.
Now, in the interest of fairness, here are the cards I'm sorry to see go:
Top Ten Cards I Will Miss:
10. Bribery
Yeah, I know what I said before — but if I had these, I'd be playing them 'til they crumbled to dust in my hands.
9. Avatar of Will
The mainstay and beatstick of a U/B deck I played for many months. Sigh…
8. Ivory Mask
O Mask, I hardly knew ye. Another card I wish I could have played the bejeezus out of.
7. Brainstorm
My favorite searcher. I guess it'll be Opt now.
6. Flowstone Overseer
A late addition to my build of Thundercats, I found out just how much I like his ugly mug.
5. Scoria Cat
Gotta love the 6/6 for five. I'd been looking for a deck for the Big Kitty for months and finally found it in Thundercats. I love that deck.
4. Spontaneous Generation
I love Saprolings, and this card is one of the best ways to get them. I even have my own Saproling tokens, with an illustration of Kodamas from Princess Mononoke. They're much cuter than Wizards' toothy slugs.
3. Blastoderm
Do I really need to explain?
2. Afterlife
One of the very best answers to Spiritmonger. Play ‘em while you can!
1. Chimeric Idol
One of the most versatile cards in the whole block, the Idol can fit into almost every deck. Efficient, resilient and fast; this is the card that will make me cry when it goes away.
All in all, there's more I'll be happy to see go than cards I'll miss. Invasion block cards have been my bread and butter for several months now, and I think there's enough in the set to keep me in decks for the rest of the year.
That's not to say that I won't be reloading the Odyssey spoilers over and over again as October approaches…
Thanks for reading,
Ariel
(thetis@onebox.com)
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