Avacyn Restored Limited Review: Black

Hello everyone and welcome to the review of Avacyn Restored in limited, prerelease time is over and it's time to check out how i think Avacyn Restored limited will do as a stand alone draft format, much similar to Rise of the Eldrazi from 2 years prior, i will explain the ratings down below as always and give my utmost thoughts on each color of the set, remember this limited review will only cover Uncommons and Commons in the set, rares will be a seperate entity and covered in one article.

A - Very Good, draft this at all times in this color.
B - Easily playable, focuses heavily on the color in question
C - Middle of the Road, splashable and semi playable.
D - Sideboard Material, for tough matchups only.
F - Never play this, ever.

Without further ado let's begin

#84) Appetite for Brains - C, Discard normally in limited is very hard to come by, considering most sets only have 1 or 2 discard outlets, but the potential of always hitting a 4 or greater power creature in your opponent's hand is kinda half and half here, don't always expect this to work, even against a Blue player.

#85) Barter in Blood - B, it is so nice to have this back in limited again, removal that is hard to come by since like discard outlets they are few and far bewteen, but when you got no creatures and your opponent has 2, well play this and no one has any creatures, a very welcome piece of removal for this format.

#86) Blood Artist - A, how can i not give a A, first it's a 1/1 for 2, plus when stuff dies and a lot of stuff is going to die in this format, target player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life, black loves this kind of stuff to say screw you, i'm winning.

#87) Bloodflow Connoisseur - B, a very respectable black vampire that is pretty balanced i feel a 1/1 for 3 mana but you can sacrifice stuff to give it +1/+1 counters each time, it can be done as a instant ability while responding to damage via other spells.

#88) Bone Splinters - A, 1 drop removal that has been seriously missed in this format, so you sacrifice a creature, i'd just sacrifice a token and be done with it, can be a answer to every creature in the format in the early game, most limited players run at least 2 of these.

#89) Butcher Ghoul - B, With undying it gets a B, without undying it gets a C, but thank god for undying, you can most certainly use this as a sacrifice outlet for a turn, bring it back as a 2/2 and go nuts.

#90) Corpse Traders - B, Discard on a body, hell yes, 3/3 for 4 mana, yes 3/3 for 4, it's not often flavor and balance wise there is some balance here, but in this case i would say that isn't true anymore at least.

#91) Crypt Creeper - C, This is your standard run of the mill dude that flavor wise in the set got a reprint, sure it costs 2 mana for a 2/1 but when you sacrifice it you get to exile a card from a graveyard, a interesting choice here but still lack luster for limited, good as a body, but it's ability is meh.

#93) Death Wind - D, Removal that costs a whole load of mana to use is truly sideboard material here, you may sideboard this in maybe once to see how it performs, but usually removal that costs X and a specific color doesn't see that much play in limited, Black Sun's Zenith being the only exception to this rule.

#95) Demonic Taskmaster - A, how can i not rate this as a A rank card in limited, a 4/3 flier that you have to sacrifce a creature at the beginning of your upkeep but if you cannot that's ok it still stays, there is no negative drawback with this guy, draft him high in black.

#99) Driver of the Dead - B, usually when it comes to returning stuff, most players don't expect a mini Reveillark in this format, this is the case, say hello to Driver of the Dead, sure a 3/2 for 4 mana but hey i'll just return my Butcher Ghoul and swing with them next turn.

#100) Essence Harvest - B, Usually with big creatures you expect to have some big finisher in the 2nd main phase of a turn, this is the cast, 4 mana for a X spell where X is the greatest power creature you control, player loses X life and you gain X life, yeah, this is one of those cards most players find unattractive at first, but it grows on you.

#101) Evernight Shade - B, Honestly if you got a creature like this, sure just dump a whole ton of black mana into him, pump him to heights unknown and swing, even for 4 mana and with undying he will just come back again and continue to be a pest, so for the mana cost it's pretty decent here.

#103) Ghoulflesh - C, So a aura that costs 1, gives that creature that is enchanted -1/-1 and makes it a black zombie, hmm interesting but middle of the road material here i would feel.

#105) Grave Exchange - D, it's not often your going to be using a 6 mana return spell that also forces a player to sacrifice a creature, sure it may be late game material but having this in the first turn opener hand is not really going to go well, considering that slot could be used for something else.

#108) Homicidal Seclusion - B, most of the time when you think enchantments, you think something along this line, sure it only triggers when you got 1 creature, but when that one creature is your biggest dude, it gets +3/+1 and lifelink, hello here, busted much.

#109) Human Frailty - B, Black removal that hits humans in this format, i like it, since there are going to be lots of humans in this particular format, this is going to be a sought after piece of removal by black players here.

#110) Hunted Ghoul - B, I like the fact it's a 1/2 plus it's a great attacker that really can't block half the stuff in the format, but for 1 black your going to be attacking with this guy, plus he's a common, plus he's easy to draft, expect to see a few of these on limited tables.

#112) Maalfeld Twins - C, So one of the bombs of this format, a 6 mana 4/4 that when it dies it replaces itself with 2 2/2's, a interesting choice here, it's a middle of the road bomb that needs a look over i would feel for black players.

#113) Marrow Bats - D, Personally i'm not a big fan of a 4/1 flyer that costs 5 mana, considering it's secondary ability is to pay 4 life and it regenerates, it may be good in limited but the toughness factor means it gets shot down too easily.

#114) Mental Agony - C, Spells like this are really interesting for black players, since it always hits directly where it counts, the life total and the hand, for 4 mana you are getting what you pay for, this could potentially be a kill spell too as a end game finisher.

#115) Necrobite - D, i'm not a big fan of deathtouch giving spells, considering when the creature given deathtouch dies it regenerates, but still it's tapped for a single turn, which could cost the game in this format, who knows i gotta look at this one a bit more closely.

#116) Polluted Dead - B, Sure go ahead and kill this, but your losing a land if you do, Stone Rain on a stick is the best term here for this guy, 5 for a 3/3 is also quite nice, i like it more for the after effects of the creature dying still though.

#117) Predator's Gambit - C, A 1 mana aura that grants +2/+1 to a creature is nice, but when you control no other creatures it gets intimidate, interesting this could make or break a match if played correctly.

#118) Renegade Demon - B, I don't care if it is a vanilla 5/3, a beater is still a beater in this format, he's 5 mana, he's balanced to the point where your going to play at least 1 in your deck if you are black.

#119) Searchlight Geist - C, 3 drop fliers that are 2/1's that you need to pay mana for to gain deathtouch aren't that high on my list of cards to draft, still it's a 2/1 beater in the air, i like it but the mana ability turns me off from giving it a B.

#120) Soulcage Fiend - B, You know demons in this set are way cooler then the previous two, sure it's 3 to cast, a 3/2 that when it dies each player loses 3 life, as well as being a common, this is a high draft rating card here folks.

#122) Triumph of Cruelty - B, 3 mana enchantment that triggers at each of your upkeeps and forces a player to discard a card if you control the greatest power creature or are tied for it, sure i have a 7/7 Griselbrand, discard a card please dear opponent, this sounds like a fun card honestly.

#123) Undead Executioner - B, removal on a stick, yeah when it dies target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn, but if it has 2 toughness bye bye, plus it's a 2/2 beater for 4, gee black has some good removal and beaters this set.

#124) Unhallowed Pact - C, Since this is a aura you can enchant other creatures, steal it when it dies and use it against em, a neat little way to do business in black, a good aura and good cost i feel at least.

Alright so that's black for Avacyn Restored, stay tuned tommorow for Red.

Avacyn Restored Limited Review: Blue

Hello everyone and welcome to the review of Avacyn Restored in limited, prerelease time is over and it's time to check out how i think Avacyn Restored limited will do as a stand alone draft format, much similar to Rise of the Eldrazi from 2 years prior, i will explain the ratings down below as always and give my utmost thoughts on each color of the set, remember this limited review will only cover Uncommons and Commons in the set, rares will be a seperate entity and covered in one article.

A - Very Good, draft this at all times in this color.
B - Easily playable, focuses heavily on the color in question
C - Middle of the Road, splashable and semi playable.
D - Sideboard Material, for tough matchups only.
F - Never play this, ever.

Without further ado let's begin.

#42) Alchemist's Apprentice - C, the first card in this color and it's showing it's a middle of the road material card, sure it's a 1/1 for 1 and a blue, but you can sacrifice as a response to removal and get a card out of it, not a bad deal honestly.

#43) Amass the Components - B, Being able to draw three cards and effectively place a useless card from the hand onto the bottom of the library is key here, but something to keep in mind is if your going to be using Miracle cards, it only applies to the first card of the turn, still a good draw spell.

#46) Crippling Chill - C, 3 mana for a instant speed lock down for a full 2 turns, plus you get a free card to replace it, something blue is quite good at doing in limited this time around, though the rarity is a little off balance since it's a common, should have been uncommon instead.

#49) Dreadwaters - D, In this format a mill spell like this is only good if you got a deck focused around it, but for X where X is the number of lands you control is not bad, considering most of the time you'll have about 6 lands when you cast it, so X will usually be about 4 to 6, keeps it out of the F range.

#50) Elgaud Shieldmate - C, one of the better soulbond dudes, 2/3 four mana and a hexproofer, not bad considering this is blue, but again soulbond is iffy since of course it relies on 2 creatures instead of just the one.

#51) Favorable Winds - B, Heavy blue players are going to love this enchantment, considering it gives all your fliers +1/+1 for a mere 2 mana, if i didn't know better i swear this was the replacement for Intangible Virtue.

#52) Fettergeist - D, 3/4 for a 2 and a blue, but you gotta pay 1 mana for each creature you control, sure it is good alone, but what if you control 7 creatures, then you gotta basically pay all resources just to keep it alive, this is kinda bad honestly for a uncommon.

#53) Fleeting Distraction - C, giving a creature -1/-0 until end of turn and being able to replace itself are nice, this is a interesting reprint since the last time we saw this was 2 years ago in Rise of the Eldrazi, how fitting this comes back for another limited format.

#54) Galvanic Alchemist - C, being a 1/4 body with soul bond is kinda nice, since you can throw this up as a brick wall for a few turns, but the trick is soul bond you instantly pair this and gets somewhat better, since at any time you can pay 2 and a blue for either creature and untap it, however being said i'm not favoring this new mechanic at all.

#55) Geist Snatch - B, Being a counter spell which costs 4 mana is ok i suppose, but when you get to put a 1/1 blue spirit as well on the battlefield, it makes it a little more desirable as a counter spell, the only problem is it counters creatures only, otherwise it'd be the perfect counter spell for this format.

#56) Ghostform - B, having a 2 mana spell that makes 2 creatures unblockable is kinda nice, even if they are 2/2's in this format, you still get 4 points of free damage if they are 2 power, minimum damage dealt with this is mostly 2, since there are a few 1/1's in this format.

#57) Ghostly Flicker - C, Honestly with this i'm not exactly sure why i gave it a C on my rankings scale, sure it's good for abusing enter the battlefield effects like the new one soul bond, which is somewhat good, but other then that, maybe it has it's uses in limited as a potential addition for this color.

#58) Ghostly Touch - B, Lock down effects in limited are superb here, with this being no exception of course, 2 mana enchantment that when the creature enchanted with this attacks it taps or untaps target creature, so making synergy seem more valuable here for something.

#59) Gryff Vanguard - D, Honestly i would expect more of a 3/2 with flying, enter the battlefield you can trip of course, but that i feel is one of the only things that save this particular card from the F rating, is the replacement effect, sideboard this if you are having troubles with flyers in limited.

#60) Havengul Skaab - C, for a bomb it's pretty good, when it attacks you bounce something you control, a creature anyways and you get a chance to abuse it's enter the battlefield effect if it has one, but for a 4/5 for 6, it's quite a limited material bomb.

#62) Into the Void - D, 4 mana Unsummon that hits two creatures at sorcery speed, not good enough, this is so sideboard material, blue is starting to feel like a more support color in this set.

#63) Latch Seeker - B, This particular format is going to have a lot of 3 drops, this is one of those excellent 3 drop dudes, 3/1 unblockable, throw a piece of equipment on this and you are golden.

#66) Mass Appeal - C, Honestly something that works with only humans for this particular format is going to get a middle of the road rating, sure it costs 3 mana, but it's a Divination at sorcery speed only for a specific creature type, maybe in limited you'll get to play this once.

#67) Mist Raven - B, Abuse of entering the battlefield effects in this set seems to be very apparent, 4 mana for a 2/2 flyer that bounces a creature when it enters the battlefield, not a bad thing, since this format seems to be a quick format, based upon what's been seen so far.

#69) Nephalia Smuggler - A, it's a piece of late game material waiting to happen, sure it may be a 1 drop 1/1 but when it comes down to it, most players are going to be using this guy for his ability more so then anything, considering soul bond is around.

#70) Outwit - B, A very specific counter spell which hits spells that target a player, but it's a counter spell regardless for 1 blue, yeah most blue players are going to always keep a mana open in case of a Miracle spell like Thunderous Wrath pops up.

#71) Peel from Reality - C, there are way too many bounce effects in this set, is this the bounce abuse set or something, besides this being a reprint, it's a instant speed 2 drop spell that hits a target creature you control and a target creature a opponent controls, it's a decent combat trick at least.

#72) Rotcrown Ghoul - B, 5 drops that hit for 1/8th of a library in limited are huge, considering when they are common as well, the only reason it didn't get a A on this scale is due to the simple fact it only triggers when it dies.

#73) Scrapskin Drake - D, 2/3 flyer that can only block flyers is the reason that this is a D on the scale, sorry but when your not able to block little 1/1's on the ground by turn 3, you got something wrong here, sure it's a great sideboard card, but other then that don't expect too much outta it.

#74) Second Guess - B, Late game counter spells anyone, this is what blue is known for in limited a lot of the time, being able to drag the game out to a near halt while controlling the board, plus this counters the second spell cast this turn, so you can essentially put this on the stack and go nuts.

#75) Spectral Prison - B, Lock down auras in here are very nice, considering it forces the opponent to waste a spell to get rid of it, meaning you'll be able to open up much faster and easier even if you are facing a blue player in this format, still a great aura for limited.

#77) Stern Mentor - B, A decent soul bond effect where it mills, is a good 4 drop that's a 2/2 and it both creatures consistently hit 4 cards at a time, if both are paired, a creature that's really good in limited and i gotta examine this guy further someday.

#80) Tandem Lookout - B, Soul bond with a Jon Finkel effect is very nice, considering there is no Black to  worry about in the mana cost for this guy, being able to attack, get a card or two and have a slight advantage is always nice, blue seems to have the better of the soul bond guys.

#82) Vanishment - A, the only Miracle card that's a uncommon in this color, 5 mana for it's base casting cost but 1 blue for it's Miracle cost and it's at instant speed, the new Unsummon of the set, truly there hasn't been a better unsummon till now.

#83) Wingcrafter - B, Being able to throw flying in the early game is super exciting, with this being a 1 drop card and a 1/1 at that, makes it so that you can effectively play this and play your next creature, attack for 1 in the air and go nuts in the very early game in this color.

Well that's it for this edition of the Limited Review, Black is next on the list, as always i will take a look at the Rares and Mythic Rares in another article.

Avacyn Restored Event Deck Lists

Hello everyone and welcome to yet another edition of the emporium, in today's edition i'll be talking about the Avacyn Restored deck lists which were spoiled via Wizards of the Coast, as per the norm with the lists i'll be talking about the money cards in each build and perhaps what to expect as a whole, so without further ado let's begin.

Humanity's Vengeance - Blue/White


Lands


2 Glacial Fortress
1 Moorland Haunt
9 Island
12 Plains

Spells


2 Dismember
1 Divine Deflection
2 Mental Misstep
3 Oblivion Ring
3 Righteous Blow

Creatures


1 Blade Splicer
4 Fiend Hunter
4 Gideon's Lawkeeper
1 Mirran Crusader
3 Nearheath Pilgrim
2 Nephalia Smuggler
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Porcelain Legionnaire
3 Tandem Lookout
2 Wingcrafter

Sideboard


3 Cathedral Sanctifier
2 Cloudshift
2 Inquisitor Exarch
4 Mana Leak
3 Negate
1 Pacifism

So it appears with this first list we have 4 good rares to look forward to in here, 2 Glacial Fortress, A single copy of both Mirran Crusader and Phyrexian Metamorph since those are the highest value in the decks, with the metamorph being about 7 to 8 dollars these days, roughly but my question is if there are more then enough humans in Innistrad to warrant this deck, why aren't they in here, instead we have a bunch of Phyrexian's and Mirrans fighting along side each other, with stuff like Tandem Lookout which grants the ability to draw a card each time damage is dealt, strange list but moving on, here is the 2nd list which is called Death's Encroach.

Death's Encroach - Mono Black


Lands


24 Swamp

Spells


3 Altar's Reap
3 Despise
2 Dismember
2 Doom Blade
3 Go for the Throat
2 Lashwrithe

Creatures


1 Cemetery Reaper
2 Crypt Creeper
4 Diregraf Ghoul
1 Geralf's Messenger
3 Ghoulraiser
1 Gloom Surgeon
1 Gravecrawler
4 Highborn Ghoul
4 Skinrender

Sideboard


2 Appetite for Brains
2 Crypt Creeper
3 Deathmark
1 Despise
2 Distress
1 Ghoulraiser
1 Surgical Extraction
3 Triumph of Cruelty

Ok so this list is much better honestly, you have both a copy of Gravecrawler and Geralf's Messenger which are both part of the highly popular Blue/Black zombies build, as well as a Surgical Extraction, 2 Lashwrithe and 7 pieces of removal inside the main deck. The real money cards as i said are the Crawler, the Messenger and the Extraction in this deck, each one pretty much pays for the entire thing as a whole, plus what's so bad about 24 extra swamp, just replace them with Zendikar swamps and you are golden, overall i'm more impressed with the mono black list then i am the Blue/White list but i'm going to defintely pick up both as soon as i can get my hands on them and give them a once over as well as a few other things, but for now this is vergil signing off.

Avacyn Restored Limited Review: White

Hello everyone and welcome to the review of Avacyn Restored in limited, prerelease time is over and it's time to check out how i think Avacyn Restored limited will do as a stand alone draft format, much similar to Rise of the Eldrazi from 2 years prior, i will explain the ratings down below as always and give my utmost thoughts on each color of the set, remember this limited review will only cover Uncommons and Commons in the set, rares will be a seperate entity and covered in one article.

A - Very Good, draft this at all times in this color.
B - Easily playable, focuses heavily on the color in question
C - Middle of the Road, splashable and semi playable.
D - Sideboard Material, for tough matchups only.
F - Never play this, ever.

Without further ado let's begin.

#3) Angel's Mercy - C, in this format reprints like this are highly under valued, sure it gives 7 life for 4 mana, but it's a splashable card that kinda requires a little too much for what it does, but it goes and keeps you alive for a few more turns at least, unless your facing down Griselbrand.

#4) Angelic Wall - B, How often in this format are we going to play a 2 drop, lots of times, 2 mana basically say no damage for me, for at least 3 turns, allows you to pretty much set up and is easily playable for it's cost and it flies.

#5) Archangel - A, A serious bomb in this format, got a down grade from rare to uncommon as a reprint, 7 mana 5/5 flying vigilance is going to get you there, fits with the theme of the set, plus having some angelic back up is always kinda nice.

#7) Banishing Stroke - B, Some serious tuck effects in limited, it gets this particular grade due to it's Miracle cost, got a threat staring you down, draw this and play it for 1 white mana and boom threat is gone, it's going to come in real handy in this limited format.

#8) Builder's Blessing - D, if you are having some serious survival problems with big creatures always staring you down, maybe this enchantment is for you, but only giving untapped creatures a +0/+2 boost is sorta like saying here's maybe a extra turn, even for 2 mana, but it goes great with Angelic Wall.

#9) Call to Serve - C, Due to this being a aura i'm a little skeptical here for what it does, sure it gives a boost, flying and turns it into a angel along with it's other types, but there is usually a answer for everything in this format, even this.

#11) Cathedral Sanctifier - A, Ok so who thought on this one, a 1 drop 1/1 that when it hits the field it's basically saying i've got 23 life and you've got 20, deal with it, a serious threat in white, probably one of the better commons you can draft, always take this one.

#12) Cloudshift - B, Instant speed blink effects like this one are going without saying one of the better combat tricks in the format, allowing you to essentially abuse enter the battlefield effects for a single white mana, it goes without saying, no white deck should go without at least 2 of these.

#13) Commander's Authority - B, A aura that's actually pretty good for 5 mana, it churns out those 1/1's every upkeep and having a small army here is kinda nice, goes without saying it's still a decent aura for what it does.

#14) Cursebreak - A. one of the better pieces of enchantment removal in this set, it's highly valued and probably the best thing you get for 2 mana, gaining 2 life as well is nothing to scoff at for what it does.

#15) Defang - D, A situational piece of lock down, only really good for most big heavy damage dealers, of which there is a few in the format, but not as many threats as one would anticipate at all, even for a large set such as this, still a great piece for the sideboard for what it does.

#16) Defy Death - C, recursion here is very rare in limited, maybe 2 or 3 cards do the job well enough, this is one of those spur of the moment cards in the set, fitting with the angelic theme here, sure it returns stuff but the bonus applies to angels, of which there is enough in this set to at least justify one copy of this in the deck.

#17) Devout Chaplain - B, How good is this you ask, well if you got lots of humans to play with, consider this removal on a stick against any artifacts or enchantments in this set, one of the better forms of removal here, sure it's requirement is a little steep but in limited this guy is highly valued.

#19) Emancipation Angel - A, best uncommon angel of the set, period, 3/3 flier, returns stuff so you can abuse enter the battlefield effects again and again, is a serious 3 drop threat and basically is perhaps the best uncommon in white

#21) Farbog Explorer - B, 2/3 swamp walkers are nothing to scoff at for limited, so your facing a black player, i'll just hit you direct to the face, non black players, i'll just attack, great 3 drop in this set, goes without saying white is showing why it's highly valued in a large set such as this.

#22) Goldnight Commander - B, One of the better non flying uncommons in this set, 2/2 and whenever a creature enters the battlefield all creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn, ok really this is like the ultimate pump, great material here.

#23) Goldnight Redeemer - A, Second best uncommon in white for this set, due to the sheer fact it gains you 2 life for each creature you control, 6 mana, basically negate all damage and gain back a serious crap ton of life, for a 4/4 body with flying too, oh joy.

#25) Holy Justicar - D, there really isn't enough zombies in this format for this guy to be effective, a 2/1 for 4 mana is lack luster, considering it's main effect is dealing with zombies here, if there were then it's say run him but again not enough to justify him.

#26) Leap of Faith - B, a instant that's a mini Fog, gives that creature flying and prevents all damage to it, can you say combat trick much, i like this and it's cost is balanced enough to make me wanna play it for limited in white.

#27) Midnight Duelist - B, pro vampires and a being a 1/2 for 1 white is pretty good, it hits well, it blocks little guys at will, provides a nice comfort zone against vampires and allows for perhaps a easy going time in white.

#28) Midvast Protector - B, A mini Sejiri Steppe here on a body is not bad honestly, protection from the color of your choice when it enters the battlefield, plus being a 2/3 for 4 mana is kinda nice.

#29) Moonlight Geist - D, this guy is serious sideboard material, 3 drop for a 2/1 flyer that has a mana ability to prevent all damage done to it and by it, but it flies, so at least that makes it non F worthy here.

#30) Moorland Inquisitor - A, 2 drop 2/2's that have first strike potential is serious business here for white, sure it costs 3 mana to give it first strike but it's a instant speed ability which you can use as a blocker ability.

#31) Nearheath Pilgrim - B, Lifelink in this format, along with set mechanics is kinda nice i suppose, considering it is a 2/1 body for 2 mana.

#34) Righteous Blow - B, Being able to Shock other creatures that are blockers or attackers is a very nice thing indeed, since white kinda needed this instant speed removal, it's a nice welcome limited addition.

#35) Seraph of Dawn - C, 2/4 that flies and has lifelink for 4, the imbalance of power and toughness makes it a C for obvious reasons.

#37) Spectral Gateguards - D, Soulbond is not all it's cracked up to be for this format, all the good ones are rare, for a reason, 2/5 vigilance granter that can be easily dealt with since it's ability requires another creature, so in a sense this is kinda lack luster.

#39) Thraben Valiant - B, 2/1's with vigilance are very good on my list of limited material cards, considering this only costs 2 mana, makes it a very nice attacker and blocker

#40) Voice of the Provinces - C, 6 mana for 4 power worth of creatures is great in the late game, but only 4 power worth is middle of the road material here, itself being a 3/3 and it puts a 1/1 white human into play.

#41) Zealous Strike - B, Combat tricks like this are highly valued, considering 20% of your deck is going to be spells most of the time, having this in hand with a bomb creature in the format is nothing to scoff at all.

And that was white for this set, blue will be tommorow and it will continue till this set is fully reviewed, till maybe next week, until tommorow stay tuned, this is vergil signing off.

Avacyn Restored Prerelease Primer

Hello everyone and welcome back, after a exciting spoiler season with the latest set Avacyn Restored, it's that time again with the prerelease action that it normally brings, so let's bring everyone up to speed here.

First most local game stores are going to have something called the Helvault this weekend where you will receive a checklist card with achievements on it, something a little like this.

A two sided checklist and achievement card, which will help you understand what needs to be done to break the locks on the Helvault, which the contents of were spoiled, but i'm not going to run the risk of showing the spoils of that particular thing.

Another thing to keep in mind is all players will receive a promo card just for entry into the prerelease, some stores may have limited supplies but most will have a abundant supply of the promo cards, for a reminder here's the prerelease card for the event.

Moonsilver Spear with alternate art can be yours just for entering the event, plus the 6 packs to build your deck with as well, which are also provided as the event begins, remember the format for this prerelease as always is Sealed Deck, 6 boosters are provided to you for the entry fee and you are to build your deck from them, you cannot include your prerelease card with the deck you build and it is inadvisable to do so otherwise you may be banned from the event.

If you have already signed up for the Avacyn Restored prerelease this weekend, then good luck, for those wanting to play in the Helvault event, contact your local game store and see if they still have spots open for the event, but a bit of advice if you are paying more then the price of the regular cost of prereleases then it is advisable to contact wizards and report your store for that because most stores will not do that, but there are a few out there that are known to do that, you should be paying roughly around 25 dollars for the event for the cost of the 6 packs provided, the promo card and if you are playing in the Helvault event, the prizes for unlocking the vault, other then that have fun this weekend at your local game store or hobby store and enjoying cracking the Helvault, hopefully wizards does this kind of stuff more often then not cause the excitement leading to the event was exceptional in my opinion, until next time this is vergil signing off.

Avacyn Restored Spoiler Part 7: Artifacts

Last but most certainly not least this set is the many artifacts being brought in for Avacyn Restored, so let's see the final bits of the set, in terms of the artifacts.

#211) Angel's Tomb - Wow, is this a functional reprint of Glint Hawk Idol, while the idol is in standard still, sheesh, but for angels this time i can respect that, she turns into a 3/3 white angel artifact creature when a creature hits the battlefield under your control, not bad since it only lasts for a turn, same as the idol and it costs a mere 3 mana as well, not bad for a uncommon

#212) Angelic Armaments - 3 mana artifact equipment that you can pay 4 mana to equip and it grants the creature +2/+2 flying and is a white angel along with it's other types, a impressive uncommon for limited.

#213) Bladed Bracers - 1 drop equip that pay 2 mana to equip and grant the target creature +1/+1 and if it is a angel or human it has vigilance.

#214) Conjurer's Closet - 5 mana artifact that at the beginning of your end step you may exile a target creature you control then return it to the battlefield under your control.

#215) Gallows at Willow Hill - So a 3 mana rare, that you tap and pay 3 mana, as well as tap 3 humans and you get to destroy a target creature and put a 1/1 white spirit in it's place with flying, very good removal but hefty and you gotta be in deep humans in this set.

#216) Haunted Guardian - 2 drop 2/1 defender, first striker, well as long as he makes it easier to survive in limited he sounds alright

#217) Moonsilver Spear - Alright so this bad boy is our prerelease card for the set, 4 mana for a equip that grants a creature first strike when equipped and also costs 4 mana to equip onto a creature, but here is the kicker, it generates a 4/4 white angel token on the battlefield when the equipped creature attacks, not bad huh?

#218) Narstad Scrapper - 3/3 for 5 mana, you pay 1 mana and you give him a +1/+0 until end of turn, his cost is kinda hefty here, late pick in limited much.

#219) Otherworld Atlas - Ok so something that works with Charge counters in this format, way too slow, but it's built for group hug i guess, i dunno here.

#220) Scroll of Avacyn - 1 drop artifact you can pay 1 and sacrifice if you control a angel you gain 5 life, if not just draw a card, hmm it's alright i suppose.

#221) Scroll of Griselbrand - 1 drop like the previous scroll, you pay 1 and sacrifice this, target player discards a card, if you control a demon that player loses 3 life, wow much here.


#222) Tormentor's Trident - 2 mana for a 3 equip cost equipment that gives +3/+0 and forces the equipped creature to attack each, great on a double striker in limited.

#223) Vanguard's Shield - 2 mana for a 3 equip cost equipment that grants +0/+3 so it's the opposite of the trident, but the equipped creature can block a additional creature as well, very nice here as well.

#224) Vessel of Endless Rest - So for 3 mana you get to put a target card on the bottom of it's owner library from the graveyard when it hits the battlefield, then you tap it to add 1 mana of any color to your mana pool, interesting fixer here.

Well that's it for Avacyn Restored, enjoy your prerelease this weekend and hope you have fun all my readers, cracking that illustrious Helvault with it's contents, till next time this is vergil signing off.

Avacyn Restored Spoiler Part 6: Multicolor and Lands

Well it's the Multicolor and lands turn to see what is in Avacyn Restored, let's see what is being brought to the table in terms of these.

#208) Bruna, Light of Alabaster - Blue/White legendary angel for the set, meaning this is perhaps the first of the three, in all respects and probably the best of the three, she has Flying, Vigilance and she is a 5/5 for 3, White, White, Blue and a mythic rare in the set, she works around auras and them enchanting her, so technically i could see this girl being a new Voltron general for EDH, as well as being a major bomb in limited, provided there are some decent auras for the set.

#209) Gisela, Blade of Goldnight - White/Red legendary angel, ok this is good, at least the color pie is being filled with angels this set, i respect that, but for 7 mana and a mythic to boot, ok seriously pushing the bar here wizards, a flying, first striker with the ability of "If a source would deal damage to a permanent a opponent controls or to a opponent, it deals double that damage instead" "If a source would deal damage to a permanent you control or you, prevent half that damage rounded up" say what and she's a 5/5, nice way to balance her wizards.

#210) Sigarda, Host of Herons - Another Legendary angel eh, interesting, this one is Green/White though and flies, has hexproof and spells or abilites opponents control don't cause you to sacrifice permanents, so the Eldrazi are useless against her, as well as specific other sacrifice abilites, she costs 2, green, white, white and is a 5/5 a very balanced and potentially good general here wizards for EDH, limited is loving her too even if she is Mythic.

#225) Alchemist's Refuge - First of the rare land cycle, it's add 1 mana to your mana pool for it's first ability and it's second ability you pay 1 green and 1 blue mana, tap it and all non land cards in your hand have flash, talk about impressive here folks, i like this land already.

#226) Cavern of Souls - A very impressive land here, as it enters the battlefield you get to choose a creature type,  it's first ability is add 1 mana to your mana pool but it's second ability is where it shines, add one mana of any color of your choice to your pool, spend this mana only to cast the chosen creature type, if you spend it on a spell, that spell cannot be countered, holy crap that's broken much, uncounterable spells, say what here, best land of the set perhaps?

#227) Desolate Lighthouse - The Blue/Red ultity land, it is essentially a Merfolk Looter wrapped up in a land, it generates 1 colorless as always and for 1, Blue, Red you get to draw a card and then discard a card, it's a rare to boot.

#228) Seraph Sanctuary - So when this enters the battlefield you gain 1 life, as well as when a angel enters the battlefield you also gain 1 life, not bad, plus it generates 1 colorless as well but it's a common.

#229) Slayers Stronghold - Last of the cycle it seems, this one works with White/Red and adds 1 to your mana pool as well as being a rare, pay 1 red, 1 white and tap it and it gives +2/+0 to a creature as well as haste and vigilance until the end of turn, not a bad land honestly.

And that covers Multicolor and Lands for the set, final part, artifacts next.

Avacyn Restored Spoiler Part 5: Green

So finally last of the colors of this set, green gets it's time in the spotlight, let's see what Avacyn Restored has for this color.

#167) Abundant Growth - So for 1 mana, you get a aura that enchants a land, then you tap it to add any one color of mana to your mana pool, plus you draw a card, a very nice common to start off green for this set.

#168) Blessing of Nature - 4 and a green mana for a sorcery speed spell with Miracle, it's miracle cost is 1 green mana and this allows you to distribute 4 +1/+1 counters among creatures as a uncommon, can you say pump spell.

#169) Borderland Ranger - We all know the deal with this guy, 2/2 for 3 mana and when he enters the battlefield search for a basic land, reveal it and put it into your hand then shuffle your library, a very nice reprint if you ask me

#170) Bower Passage - 2 mana enchantment that makes creatures you control unable to be blocked by fliers, um fun times much here.

#171) Champion of Lambholt - 3 mana for a 1/1 that gets bigger each time that a creature enters the battlefield under your control, plus it prevents creatures with less then champion's power from blocking all creatures you control, and it's rare to boot.

#172) Craterhoof Behemoth - Um, holy fricking batman much here, 8 mana for a mythic rare 5/5 that has haste, grants all creatures you control +X/+X where X is the number of creatures you control, as well as trample, is a damn fine goliath on a stick i might add as well as being a killing blow, gonna see some crazy Asuza deck running this bad boy as a finisher.

#173) Descendants Path - So a rare enchantment for 3 mana that allows you to cheat into play anything with the same creature type as a creature you control, wait what 3 mana for this, how about i control a Eldrazi Spawn and cheat in Emrakul, the Aeons Torn on my next upkeep, casting it and getting the extra turn, oh, look i control a Shapeshifter, boom i'll throw out Progenitus, people the next version of Sneak Attack has arrived, without the haste.
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#174) Diregraf Escort - 1 green mana for a 1/1 with soulbound and while this is bound with something, both creatures have protection from zombies, fitting for this set.

#175) Druid's Familiar - 4 drop for a 2/2 that is a uncommon and has soul bound which grants both creatures +2/+2 as long as the two creatures are paired, this and another of course.

#176) Druids Repository - Well 1, green, green for a rare enchantment that whenever a creature you control attacks, add a charge counter to this, remove one to add one mana of any color to your mana pool, rare mana fixer much.

#177) Eaten by Spiders - 3 mana for a destroy target creature with flying as well as destroy all equipment with it, um how broken is that here.

#178) Flowering Lumberknot - 4 drop that is dependent on attacking or blocking with soul bound, otherwise it's useless outside of that, it's a 5/5 body too, way to make this suck wizards.

#179) Geist Trappers - 4 and a green for a 3/5 with soulbound and while it is paired with a creature, both creatures have reach, ok limited material much.

#180) Gloomwidow - 3 drop 3/3 with reach, can only block fliers, reprint obviously, nice reprint for limited.

#181) Grounded - 2 mana aura that makes enchanted creature lose flying, great in limited.

#182) Howlgeist - 6 mana 4/2 with undying, eh, interesting and to boot creatures with power less then Howlgeist's cannot block it, so unblockable dude with undying, good way to show this particular mechanic.

#183) Joint Assault - A pump spell that works with the new mechanic Soulbound, interesting, so if the target is a soulbounded creature, ala Silverblade Paladin, both he and the creature he is bound with get +2/+2 otherwise it only effects the 1, way to use this mechanic to your advantage wizards, did i mention it only costs 1 green mana.

#184) Lair Delve - 3 mana sorcery that lets you reveal the top two cards of your library, if they are creatures or lands they go into your hand, if not to the bottom of the library they go, interesting.

#185) Natural End - 2 and a green mana for a instant speed, enchantment and artfact removal where when you blow up a enchantment or artifact, you gain 3 life, pretty sick tech.

#186) Nettle Swing - 4 mana for a 4/3 body that's a vanilla body, limited only.

#187) Nightshade Peddler - Ok another soul bound dude, a 1/1 for 2 mana, it grants deathtouch to itself and another creature you control, great, as a common this is just solid honestly for limited.

#188) Pathbreaker Wurm - 4, green, green for a 6/4 with soul bound and both creatures that are bound get trample, and it's a common, nice way to continue showing off soul bound.

#189) Primal Surge - 10 mana, nothing in this set costs more then 8 mana mostly but a sorcery mythic that costs 10 mana, that's unheard of, 8, Green, Green for a mythic rare that you exile the top card of your library, if it's a permanent you can put it into play, if you do repeat the process, a creative way to cheat in a lot of very heavy casting cost cards in green, with the amount of ramp in green in the past few years, this is sure to be a nice EDH mythic.

#190) Rain of Thorns - 6 mana for a sorcery that you either get to blow up a artifact, blow up a enchantment or blow up a land, yeah limited fodder removal.

#191) Revenge of the Hunted - A miracle pump spell, all for 6 mana, but it's a single green mana in it's miracle cost, it grants +6/+6 and gains trample, all creatures able to block it do so, to a single creature at that, it's also a rare to boot, at sorcery speed, ugh i'll pass on this.

#192) Sheltering Word - So one would think giving a creature Hexproof is good right, as well as gaining life equal to that creature's toughness, i'm not too sure about this one, i mean instant speed spells are always nice, considering most instants that are good are 2 mana, so we will see on this one.

#193) Snare the Skies - 1 mana instant that gives +1/+1 and reach to target creature until end of turn, great combat trick in limited.

#194) Somberwald Sage - I had wondered if wizards was going to print something this stupidly awesome and well here it is, 3 mana for a 0/1 that is a rare and you can tap to add 3 mana of any color to your pool, but the restriction is you can only use this to cast creature spells, can anyone say turn 3 titan in standard?

#195) Soul of the Harvest - Holy crap, 5/4 with trample, costing 4, green, green, which is the same as a titan, but whenever a non token creature enters the battlefield under your control, you draw a card that is a sick limited bomb waiting to happen and with the Sage i just talked about this guy is Turn 3 potential

#196) Terrifying Presence - 1 and a green mana for a instant speed spell that prevents combat damage except by one, it's a slightly worse Fog here folks

#197) Timberland Guide - 2 mana 1/1 where when it enters the battlefield, you get to put a +1/+1 counter on a target creature, abusable much in limited and it's a common.

#198) Triumph of Ferocity - 3 mana for a enchantment that at the beginning of your upkeep, if you control the greatest power creature or is tied for the greatest power, you draw a card, think about it, 3 mana, 2 and a green for a uncommon enchantment that dies to pretty much all enchantment removal, limited material.

#199) Trusted Forcemage - 2 and a green for a 2/2 that has soul bound and grants both creatures +1/+1 when both are bound, as well as being a common this is pretty good

#200) Ulvenwald Tracker - 1 mana, for a 1/1 that you can pay 1 and a green to have 2 creatures fight one another, outside of combat, it's a rare so expect this to be hard to get in draft, great limited rare.

#201) Vorstclaw - 7 mana, vanilla 7/7 and it's common, great body, don't like the lack of abilites, limited material.

#202) Wandering Wolf - 1 and a green for a 2/1 that makes creatures with less then it's power unable to block it, a very nice beater in the long run for limited.

#203) Wild Defiance - 3 mana rare enchantment that makes it whenever a target creature you control becomes the target of a instant or sorcery it gets +3/+3 until end of turn, aka a new form of Giant Growth on a stick

#204) Wildwood Geist - 5 drop 3/3 that when it is your turn it gets +2/+2 and it is common so expect to see this a lot in green in limited.

#205) Wolfir Avenger - 1, green, green for a 2/3 with Flash and you can pay 1 and a green to regenerate him when he dies, a very nice way to show off the new wolves.

#206) Wolfir Silverheart - Last of our intro pack rares of the set, has soul bound and grants both he and another creature +4/+4, this and Silverblade Paladin love each other right now.

#207) Yew Spirit - 5 mana for a 3/3 that you can pay 2, green, green and it gets +X/+X where X is equal to it's power, it's a new Chameleon Colossus in limited, holy crap much

Well that's it for all 5 main colors of the set, stay tuned tommorow for the remaining 2, multicolor and lands, then artifacts, until tommorow this is vergil signing off.

Avacyn Restored Spoiler Part 3: Black

It's time to take a look at black for this set, we've seen Blue and White, now let's see how well Black does in Avacyn Restored.

#84) Appetite for Brains - Gee brain, what are we going to do tonight, the same thing we do every night pinky, try to get rid of opponents's big spells, yes a 1 mana black spell that hits all 4 cmc and higher cards in your opponent's hand, at sorcery speed i might add.

#85) Barter in Blood - So everyone remembers this card right, way back then in Mirrodin block when it was legit and was reprinted in Divine vs Demonic for 4 mana it's a force all players to sacrifice 2 creatures for a uncommon which back then was pretty good, but now it's limited material only.

#86) Blood Artist - 2 mana for a 0/1 with the ability whenever it or another creature dies, target player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life, great with the undying mechanic honestly but a low tier card.

#87) Bloodflow Connoisseur - 3 drop 1/1 vampire that you can sacrifice creatures to to give it +1/+1 counters not in my constructed, but limited sure.

#88) Bone Splinters - Shards block reprint, 1 mana sorcery that you gotta also sacrifice a creature to, then you get to destroy target creature, a great piece of limited removal

#89) Butcher Ghoul - 2 mana 1/1 undying, not a good thing, but not a bad thing either.

#90) Corpse Traders - 4 mana for a 3/3 that you can pay 2 and a black for, target player reveals his/her hand and you get to choose a card, that player discards that card, but it can only be done at sorcery speed, again more limited material in this set.

#91) Crypt Creeper - Yet another reprint for the set, Odyssey's Crypt creeper is back and he's just as bad ass as he was back then, for a 2/1 for 2 mana, you sacrifice it to exile a card from a graveyard, this i feel is going to affect limited more so then anything.

#92) Dark Impostor - 3 drop 2/2 with a 6 mana ability that exiles a target creature and you get a +1/+1 counter on it, while also getting it's activated abilites, a interesting notion honestly for a rare but seriously a limited bomb waiting to happen.

#93) Death Wind - Another X spell, but with it in it's mana cost, a target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn, where of course X is the cost paid, but it's a instant to boot so it's pretty balanced for limited.

#94) Demonic Rising - Normally i don't say this is a good card, but for 5 mana and a rare you get a 5/5 if you control one creature and one creature only, this goes so well with the next card i'm talking about, a extra body to block with while you attack with something.

#95) Demonic Taskmaster - Is this correct here wizards, 2 and a black for a 4/3 that flies, and at the beginning of your upkeep sacrifice a creature other then Demonic Taskmaster, wait nothing bad happens, he doesn't die or some stuff, so he stays even if you can't sacrifice a creature, insane much.

#96) Demonlord of Ashmouth - Right a 5/4 for 4 mana, is a rare and it flies, as one would expect a demon to do, has Undying so this confirms undying is returning for this set, as well as the fact you gotta sacrifice a creature when this enters the battlefield or it is exiled, interesting, way to give some flavor to the new set.

#97) Descent into Madness - So this is our bulk mythic of the set, a enchantment that forces players to sacrifice cards and creatures at your upkeep, equal to the number of counters on this particular card, can you say, not for 5 mana.

#98) Dread Slaver - 5 mana for a 3/5 that whenever a creature dealt damage by this dies, return it into player under your control and it is also a black zombie, a great limited card here.

#99) Driver of the Dead - 4 mana for a 3/2 with a mini Revillark attached to it, it's a vampire to boot, so it's decent and allows you to return a 2 power creature back to the battlefield in it's place, not bad.

#100) Essence Harvest - Good god, a new life loss spell, target player loses X life and you gain that much life, where X is the highest power creature you control to boot, wow this is a 3 mana spell as a common as well, consider me sold here

#101) Evernight Shade - 4 drop 1/1 with undying and it has pay 1 black mana and give it +1/+1 until end of turn, a interesting card, but kinda lack luster.

#102) Exquisite Blood - Most people remember Sanguine Bond, well this is the reverse of that, instead of opponents losing life when you gain life, whenever a opponent loses life, you gain that much life, same mana cost too 3, Black, Black and a rare enchantment nice wizards.

#103) Ghoulflesh - 1 drop auras aren't really that good and this shows why, the creature with this gets -1/-1 and is a black zombie as well as it's other types, a decent way to get rid of a token here and there, but not really a desirable pick in limited.

#104) Gloom Surgeon - 2 drop 2/1 that when it is dealt damage you exile that many cards from your library, great with a specific rare from a previous set of this block.


#105) Grave Exchange - 6 mana for a return spell, but it also forces a creature to be sacrificed on your opponent's side of the board, a very nice exchange honestly.

#106) Griselbrand - My god, seriously a 7/7 that flies, has lifelink, costs 4, Black, Black, Black, Black, you pay 7 life and draw 7 cards, holy crap much, did i mention he's a legendary, did i mention he's a mythic, no well now you know, EDH is going to love this guy.

#107) Harvester of Souls - Black intro pack rare for the set, 4, Black, Black for a 5/5 deathtouch creature that cantrips whenever a creature dies, note it doesn't say creature you control dies, it says when a creature dies, which makes it sweet.

#108) Homicidal Seclusion - 4 mana for a enchantment that only works if you control exactly one creature, Demonic Taskmaster, plus this, you get +3/+1 and lifelink if you control exactly one creature, nice way to say casual players get a lot of good stuff here.

#109) Human Frailty - Finally a 1 mana kill spell, it's about time, so for 1 mana you get to kill any human, all except for Mirran Crusader, such is the joy of having both this and Tragic Slip in the same block.

#110) Hunted Ghoul - 1/2 1 mana that can't block humans, good early game attacker.

#111) Killing Wave - Our top 8 card for the game day event, you pay X mana and 1 black and it's a sorcery that's a rare too. For each creature it's controller sacriifces it unless he or she pays X life, where X is the mana cost paid, holy fricking wrath of god batman, this is better then Damnation 


#112) Maalfeld Twins - 6 drop 4/4 that when it dies you get 2 2/2 black zombie tokens in it's place, Moan of the Unhallowed on a stick basically

#113) Marrow Bats - 5 drop 4/1 that has flying, you can pay 4 life to regenerate it, way late limited pick here.

#114) Mental Agony - 4 drop that is a sorcery and target player discards 2 cards and loses 2 life, not bad honestly

#115) Necrobite - 3 drop instant speed, ok but giving it deathtouch and regenerating it, a nice combat trick here in limited.

#116) Polluted Dead - 5 mana for a Stone Rain on a body, which is also a 3/2, but the trigger happens when it dies, a very unique flavor here.

#117) Predator's Gambit - 1 drop aura, that looks to see if you control only 1 creature it gets +2/+1 and if you control a single creature it gets Intimidate as well, nice way to kick ass here.

#118) Renegade Demon - 5 drop vanilla 5/3 no thanks

#119) Searchlight Geist - 3 drop 2/1 that flies and has pay 3 and a black and it gains deathtouch till end of turn, a nice effect in limited but kinda costly, another late game black pick.

#120) Soulcage Fiend - 3 drop 3/2 when it dies each player loses 3 life, a interesting common in this set, high early pick in black.


#121) Treacherous Pit-Dweller - 2 black mana for a 4/3 with undying, when it dies target opponent gains control of it, say what and this is a rare for crying out loud, come on wizards, you can do better then this.

#122) Triumph of Cruelty - A 3 mana enchantment that checks at the beginning of your upkeep on who has the greatest power creature or is tied for the greatest power creature, if you do target player discards a card, this isn't half bad honestly for a uncommon.

#123) Undead Executioner - 4 mana for a 2/2 that when it hits the graveyard a target creature gets -2/-2, great limited removal here wizards, even as a common.

#124) Unhallowed Pact - 3 drop aura that allows the creature enchanted with this when it dies to return to the battlefield under your control, nice limited material here.

Anyways that's black for this set, stay tuned for red.

Avacyn Restored Spoiler Part 1: White

Hello everyone and welcome to yet another season of spoilers here at the emporium, in this spoiler i'll be covering Avacyn Restored, Set 3 of 3 of the Innistrad Block, in this first edition of the spoilers though i'll be talking about all the white cards that we saw over the course of the season of spoilers, so without further ado let's begin.

#1) Angel of Glory's Rise - 7 mana 4/6's are something that are less to be desired, if they were 7 mana 7/7's then it's a whole new ball game here, it flies as expected of a angel, it has what i call Reverse syndrome where it basically makes a moot point of a specific card in a previous set, IE: for this one it's Zombie Apocalypse which is for zombies, but she returns all humans and exiles all zombies, not a bad way to counter a card made last set.

#2) Angel of Jubilation - 4 mana for a 3/3 that grants all non other black creatures you control +1/+1, life can't be used to pay for mana costs or sacrifice abilites cannot be used and it flies as all angels should, this is really stupidly good.

#3) Angel's Mercy - First reprint of the set, 2, white, white for a instant that gains you 7 life, common and great limited material.

#4) Angelic Wall - 1 and a white for a 0/4 with defender and flying, fitting common.

#5) Archangel - 5, white, white for a 5/5 with flying, uncommon and it also has vigilance, plus it's a neat fitting reprint for the set too.

#6) Avacyn, Angel of Hope - What the hell, legendary creature that costs 8 mana, is a 8/8 that flies and has vigilance as well as giving your permanents invincibility basically, along with the fact she is a great general by the sounds of it, she also can be cheated into play in the current meta with stuff like Unburial Rites, etc. Dear god is this card good, or what.

#7) Banishing Stroke - Ok, first bit of Miracle in this set, it's basically the new Condemn but without gaining them life or anything, it shoves a artifact/enchantment or creature to the bottom of the library for 5 and a white originally, but it's miracle cost is 1 white mana, meaning if you draw this you can play it for 1 white mana.

#8) Builder's Blessing - So a enchantment that grants all untapped creatures you control +0/+2 and is a uncommon to boot, costing a mere 4 mana, a strange card that's for sure.

#9) Call To Serve - Touche wizards, you went and printed yet another bad aura, 2 mana nets a aura that turns one of your creatures into a angel, plus give it +1/+2 and flying, can you say i'll respond to that with Break the Curse in limited.

#10) Cathar's Crusade - Another 5 drop enchantment, that is everyone's first thought on this one, but wait there's a lot more where that came from, it grants +1/+1 counters for each creature that enters the battlefield to your entire team, as well as being a rare, i expect this to go great things in both limited and edh.

#11) Cathedral Sanctifier - Our first 1 drop of the set, a 1/1 that when it enters the battlefield you gain 3 life, i can see some serious abuse of this.

#12) Cloudshift - I absolutely adore Momentary Blink from Time Spiral and am glad to see this reprinted under a new name. cloudshift does exactly the same thing as blink, but for a mana cheaper and it doesn't have flashback, that would have been sweet to reprinted both it and have this in this block honestly.

#13) Commander's Authority - 5 drop auras like this need to stop being printed, even if it is for limited, it's not very good, though during upkeep you get a free dude, a 1/1 human, it just cannot compare to Three Dudes aka Spectral Procession or even the new kid on the block Lingering Souls


#14) Cursebreak - Not often do i call enchantment removal good, the only really cool enchantment removal as of late is Revoke Existence and that itself is pretty solid, but at instant speed, you get to blow up a enchantment and gain 2 life out of it, talk about good here, expect this to see constructed play.

#15) Defang - A 2 drop aura that sounds lame, is lame because it prevents all combat damage by enchanted creature, but limited will be enchanting opponent's creatures instead.

#16) Defy Death - Ok so a return spell, but with angels in mind, if a angel was returned with this you get 2 +1/+1 counters on said angel, for 5 mana not my cup of tea honestly.

#17) Devoted Chaplain - 2, white for a 2/2 that you can tap it to exile target artifact or enchantment but you gotta control 2 humans before you can use it's effect, cool limited material.

#18) Divine Deflection - A instant that prevents X damage where X is the paid cost that is either dealt to you or permanents you control, if damage is prevented this way deal that much damage to target player or creature, it only is a rare and costs X and 1 white mana folks, wow.

#19) Emancipation Angel - Ok, more angels here, 1, White, White for the casting cost and a 3/3 flier to boot, pretty good, here's the kicker, when this one enters the battlefield you get to bounce something back to your hand again, to me this sounds like a solid 3/3 evader.

#20) Entreat the Angels - Lots of white, means lots of angels, did they just make a new form of Decree of Justice here with miracle, i'm sure they just did, mythic rare, XX, White, White for it's base mana cost, it has the set mechanic Miracle where it's only X plus white, X of course being the number of 4/4 angels you can place onto the battlefield under your control, pretty sweet honestly and i love decree a lot, so i'm going to love this.

#21) Farbog Explorer - 2 and a white for a 2/3 with swampwalk, very nice limited material here.

#22) Goldnight Commander - 2/2 for a 4 drop that when a creature enters the battlefield all creatures get +1/+1 until end of turn, interesting limited material here for white.

#23) Goldnight Redeemer - Well if you can't make a 8 drop sorcery work from the last set with the exact same thing, except no shuffling of the graveyard and that, why not make it a body and a 4/4 for 6 mana instead, but as a uncommon, that's exactly the way to do it, this is a massive limited bomb waiting to go off, you get a 4/4 body plus 2 life for each creature you control, a excellent way to recover in white.

#24) Herald of War - 5 mana 3/3 fliers are not always that good, but in this case since it works with +1/+1 counters, i'm giving it a chance, it makes humans and angels cost 1 less for each +1/+1 counter on it, as well as the fact it's a intro pack rare, i expect this to be decent at least.

#25) Holy Justicar - 4 drop 2/1, a 4 drop 2/1, ok this better be good, for 3 mana and tapping it you get to tap target creature, if it's a zombie exile it, ok so zombies are dealt with in white, a good way to ensure limited has some decent removal.

#26) Leap of Faith - 2 and a white mana for a instant that gives a target creature flying and prevent all damage that would be dealt to target creature this turn, so in other words semi invincibility.

#27) Midnight Duelist - You knew it was coming a 1 drop 2/1 that can block vampires all day long, is that your Stromkirk Captain i see, i'll chump it with this, take 0 damage and yeah, limited is going to love him, as he's the best 1 drop of the set, besides Sanctifier

#28) Midvast Protector - 3 and a white for a 2/3 that is a Sejiri Steppe on a body, very nice limited material for white honestly.

#29) Moonlight Geist - 2 and a white for a spirit that is a 2/1 and flies as well as for 3 and a white you get to prevent all combat damage to it and by the creature who blocks it during the turn it is used, a nice way to say i'll take 0 and you take 2 for 4 mana it's a very nice combat trick.

#30) Moorland Inquisitor - 1 and a white for a 2/2 that you pay 2 and a white to give it first strike until end of turn, the mana ability alone turns me off here.

#31) Nearheath Pilgrim - So soulbound granting lifelinkers and a 2/1 for 2 mana is pretty good honestly, but this is very fragile.

#32) Restoration Angel - Ok, so here we have the classic 3/4 with flash and flying, ala Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir except this doesn't grant flash to all other creatures cast under your control, but when it enters the battlefield you can blink a non angel and use it's enter the battlefield effect again, at 4 mana to boot and is a rare, well it's nice to see enter the battlefield effects have a way of being reused again.

#33) Riders of Gavony - 2, white, white for a 3/3 that grants all humans protection from the named type of creature as it enters the battlefield, it also has vigilance and is a rare for the set, not bad.

#34) Righteous Blow - 1 drop Shock anyone to target attacker or blocker, in white, can you say i'll take a playset.

#35) Seraph of Dawn - 4 drop 2/4, an 4 drop 2/4 with flying and lifelink, i'd much rather play Hero of Bladehold in constructed, limited wise though it's a nice 4 drop

#36) Silverblade Paladin - Ok so this is our Buy-a-Box promotion card for this set, is a 2/2 for 1, white, white and is a rare as one would expect a Buy a box card to be, it also shows off the new mechanic Soulbound, which is a new form of banding, but when it pairs with another creature, both creatures have double strike, say what this sounds like fun then honestly, i'm starting to fall in love with this set.

#37) Spectral Gateguards - 4 and a white mana for a 2/5 with soul bound, when it's bound both creatures have vigilance, way to show off the color of each specific soul bound ability.

#38) Terminus - 4, white, white for a sorcery that is also a rare which puts all creatures on the bottom of their owner's libraries, it also has the set mechanic of miracle which makes it cost 1 white mana instead.

#39) Thraben Stalwart - Not often do i call 2 drop 2/1's not good, this is one of those occasions i am afraid to say, for 2 mana you get a 2/1 vigilance, yes that's it, can i say limited fodder much

#40) Voice of the Provinces - 4, white, white for a 3/3 that when it enters the battlefield you get to put a 1/1 white human creature token on the field alongside it, it also has flying and is a common.

#41) Zealous Strike - Instant speed, white and 1 mana spell that grants all creatures you control +2/+2 and first strike until end of turn, a nice way to end off the color.

Anyways that's white for you folks, onto blue's cards next.

Avacyn Restored - Avacyn, Angel of Hope

Well it seems while i was gone yesterday the first of the preview cards for Avacyn Restored showed up on the web, you wanna see it, here it is Avacyn, Angel of Hope

Holy crap, that's a table turner, mythic rare, Legendary Creature, Flying, Vigilance and she makes all your other permanents plus her indestructible as well for a 8/8 that costs 8 mana, holy moly the timmy is in full nuts mode, the spike in me is like how i can break her and the johnny in me wants to combo her badly, for information purposes she is #6 in this set, so there are 5 cards that come before her, hmm i guess this set isn't going to be so bad after all, anyways that's it for now, by the way this was previewed by wizards official facebook page on Avacyn Restored, anyways this is vergil signing off.

Magic the Gathering News Vol 16: Avacyn Restored Rumors, GP Results, New FNM Promo and More

Hello everyone and welcome to the 16th edition of the monthly news, i'm vergil with a sharp tongue and a twitchy eye. Not really but you get the idea here, anyways here's what's being covered this month in the usual monthly edition here at the emporium. Avacyn Restored rumors abound with a new card rumored to be in the set, some GP results as per always and a new FNM promo again, yes from now on FNM promos will be covered in this particular monthly article as always, so let's go.

Avacyn Restored apparently is rumored to have a reprint of a very old card but with a new name, cheaper mana cost and all that called Asphyxiating Blast which of course i will list below

Asphyxiating Blast 1UU
Instant
You may pay 2 life and remove a card in your hand from the game instead of paying Asphyxiating Blast's mana cost, Counter target spell with 3 mana cost or less.

If this is legit then what the hell is Mental Misstep doing in standard anymore, a year later and they decided to let this float around, the source of this rumor is Twitter and Mana Drain of course, but the rumor popped up on MTGSalvation earlier this month, i mean if this turns out to be real then this easily replaces Force of Will in Legacy, though it's sounds like if it is real they would print it as a Rare solely due to the power level of the card honestly, anyways i will keep you updated on future editions on this particular card if it turns out to be real of course.

Moving right along with everything another Friday Night Magic promo card was revealed again and for those wondering it's New Phyrexia's Dismember yeah, dismember the only removal spell that can be put into any deck period. Costs literally 1 mana most times, making itself the best piece of removal in the game, bar none, i am most pleased to see they actually decided on putting this as a promo not even 7 months before it rotates honestly, can't wait to see what May's promo is honestly, picture of course will be down below.

How about them GP's eh, yeah another month, another impressive set of Grand Prix's in the form of Seattle-Tacoma, Lille, Indianapolis, Nashville, Kuala-Lumpur and of course Mexico City, Congrats go out to Robert Smith, Richard Parker, Tom Martell, Reid Duke, Yuuya Watanabe and Paul Rietzl for winning their respective events for the month of march, way to qualify for Pro Tour Avacyn Restored.

So if anyone saw the release of a specific video entailing the next set, Avacyn Restored, which i will post a link to at the end of this article, you may remember that for the prerelease there are going to be these things called the "Helvaults" which are supposed to weigh 50 pounds and some stores as i said previously last edition will be getting more then one for events, the contents of these are still unknown but here's what a few salvation users think will be in there, warning this isn't for the humor either.

Angels vs Demons Duel Decks, Alternate Art cards, Ultrapro Products, Avacyn Restored Packs and Content, Promo Cards, Keyrings, Tattoos.

Yeah for a lot of these it's seems ok, i guess realistic wise i expect maybe promotional cards and something else i don't know, anyways i think i'm going to pop down to my local game store and play in this, just to get a idea of what is in there since wizards is keeping their traps shut on this one.

Video Link ----> Avacyn Restored Trailer

Well it's been quite a month here for magic, next month we will be knee deep in Avacyn Restored spoilers for sure and i look forward to seeing exactly what the set holds for us all, until April this is vergil signing off.

Banned and Restricted List Update: March 20th, 2012

Well hello everyone and welcome to this quarterly edition of the Banned and Restricted List update, now every 3 months the DCI contemplates what needs to be banned, restricted and such from formats and this particular edition covers the upcoming Pro Tour Avacyn Restored which is Block Constructed, 2 cards from this format got banned let's talk about em.

Block Constructed Bannings


Lingering Souls and Intangible Virtue Banned in Block constructed

See the announcement below for the full explanation as to why.

Announcement ----> Banned and Restricted List Explanation

This basically puts a hinder into any token deck in this format, Souls was just way too powerful it seems, it's not even 2 months old and already got banned from one format, what's next, who knows. Virtue also got the ban hammer due to the fact it's enabler was very over powered, for a 2 drop enchantment that plays mostly white, this plus Honor of the Pure basically meant 3/3 flying, vigilance tokens would always hit, no matter what and it was driving people mad i suppose.

The Effective Date this starts is April 2nd, 2012 and it starts on Magic Online on March 28th, 2012 so enjoy playing those tokens on MTGO for a little while longer, you've got 8 days to play, well that's it for this edition of the emporium, so until next time this is vergil signing off.

Avacyn Restored Rumor - Avacyn Card Fake or Real

Hello folks and welcome to yet another edition of the emporium, today I figured it is best to break down the latest rumor floating around the MTGSalvation boards, in which a card popped up called Avacyn, Archangel of Innistrad but in today's edition i'll be breaking the card down in bits and pieces, examining each spot of it, so without further ado let's begin.

Now first off with this particular card, yes i know this particular art is done by Jason Chan, that's legitimate in my eyes, that's all that's legitimate here, since this was the preview piece floating around when Avacyn Restored was officially announced here ---> Avacyn Restored.

I'd like to bring your attention first to the mana cost of the card, story line wise Avacyn was created by Sorin and we all know sorin is White/Black, wouldn't that put her in those colors as well to start with, since she was his creation, so already one piece of the puzzle has been shattered.

My next piece of evidence supporting the White/Black theory comes in at the title, it is way too small for a real card, the way each letter is printed is not the regular basis of a magic card period, you can look at pretty much every card printed to confirm this factor.

Her abilites alone are lack luster, no periods at the end of each ability also give me reason to believe this is a fake card, since apparently this was just presented to MTGSalvation, however this has been floating around the web for a week now, according to a source on the site, I mean Flying and Protection from Demons, copy pasta much here, let's see how many angels have that particular ability in my memory, Baneslayer Angel, etc.

Besides her last ability is also lame as hell, Humans you control have protection from Non Humans, gee that's lame, there's no cards that do that in this block, yet, still it's very lame, very lack luster and shows that people will show off anything, including the fact this art in the card above is for the booster boxes for the set, thanks to someone at sally for pointing it, they know who they are.

Anyways final judgment on this particular card is a big fat FAKE and if anyone has any convincing evidence otherwise, let me know in the comments below, but until next time this is vergil signing off.

Avacyn Restored Ultrapro Products

Oh boy it's that time again, time again to learn what products Ultrapro those magnificent folks have created for the upcoming set Avacyn Restored and what kind of sleeves, deckboxes and of course playmats to expect released alongside the new set, so without further ado let's see what's cooking doc.

Our first candidates are the new playmats, the angel is obviously Avacyn herself and the demon with the kick butt horns has gotta be Griselbrand, looks like the two pieces of Avacyn art are going to be on cards, as previously realized by other sets, usually playmat art is also card art in this case, the demon though i feel is the best one, personally.

Play mat art set #2 has 3 angels, much like the three amigos, except angelic, each angel has it's specific art and specific color feel to it, no one really knows what these three will do in the upcoming set, but i suspect them to be a part of Avacyn Restored in some fashion.

As per usual however, we also get new sleeves for the set, one of them is Avacyn and the other is the Griselbrand art we saw previously, both look extremely good and such, cannot wait to pick up a set of each.

Last but most certainly not least for the set is the Deckboxes/Binders for the set, one of them has Avacyn's first revealed art and the other deck box has Griselbrand's mug on it, while the binder itself has the second Avacyn art it would appear on it, for all the information on these and more, see the arcana link below as per always.

Ultra Pro ---> Ultra Pro Product Arcana

That should do it for this edition of the emporium, it's been quite a march break full of magic news honestly and i cannot wait to see what else is in store of course in terms of magic for the upcoming set, but first we gotta get through Venser vs Koth before that can happen, so hopefully next time there will be some venser vs koth updates honestly, until next time however this is vergil signing off.

Magic the Gathering News: Vol 13, Avacyn Restored, GP Promos, Magic Comics and More

Hello everyone and welcome to this edition of the emporium, in this edition we will look at the latest Grand Prix Promotion Card, some news on the next installment of the Magic Comic Book series due to hit store shelves soon, as well as the news on Avacyn Restored's big secret and SCG's big Invitational Scandal, so let's get going.

First on the chopping block for this month's news is the recent suspension of Invitational Winner Alex Bertonici whom was caught cheating several times on camera during this year's invite run, now this lead the DCI to suspend him for a full 18 months, but he's not going to be playing magic since his twitter account @amentalmisstep basically stated he's no longer playing period after this year's invitational. However it also means he's basically also been stripped of his prize winnings and the power nine he received for winning the second invitational in a row, grats to you star city for making the proper decision in this closed matter.

For next year's Grand Prix's you will end up receiving a sweet promotion card, much like Malestrom Pulse was for this year, next year's big card of choice is a old zendikar favorite in the form of Goblin Guide which has yet to be made a promotion card in any sense, it suits the current Grand Prix choice however with Mono Red being dominant in standard these days or so i would think, let's take a look at the promotion card.

Wow that is one heck of a good promotion card, if you read Brian David Marshall's the Week that was last week you would have already seen this particular card, not a bad promo card for those who are going to the GP's next year, but onto other news.

Magic's 4th edition of the magic comic book starring the mysterious Dack Fayden is scheduled to launch sometime next year with this edition being shrouded in mystery, let's see the pretense for this edition of the comic.

So he finds the mage whom slaughtered his home village, but will he fail prey to the same spell which is draining hundred's of life forces, we will see, for the full news on this see the link below

Info on Comic ---> Magic Comic #4

Last but most certainly not least is the information on Avacyn Restored we've all been wanting to know is it going to have Double Faced Cards like Dark Ascension and Innistrad, the answer is no thanks to the following tweet on Mark Rosewater's official twitter account.

@maro254: I've gotten a lot of people inquiring, so let me set the record straight #mtgdka will have some cool new DFC's, #MTGAVR will have none

Yes another inciteful piece of information from one Mark Rosewater, we basically know DFC's are a judging nightmare and one of the many reasons why i didn't attend Innistrad Prereleases or Release Event's considering the rules for them were only issued a few days prior to the prerelease and no one is quite clear on what Opaque sleeves are in my area at least, anyways that's it for this edition, i guess you can consider the December Wrap Up for 2011, so until next time this is vergil signing off.

Arcana Announcement: "Roll" is known as Avacyn Restored

Yes hello everyone and welcome to this edition of the emporium, today's edition covers the announcement of the 3rd set of Innistrad block being called "Avacyn Restored" which is quite a large set, so let's take a look at the details for the set first.

Set Size: 244 Cards

Yes you read that correctly it is a large set compared to New Phyrexia last time around with it matching the first sets of the new blocks usually by a single card which isn't that bad, it also beats out Rise of the Eldrazi by 11 cards as a large third set of choice, since rise ended up being 233 cards total so i cannot wait to see how this one influences the next while.

Prerelease Events: April 28th and 29th, 2012

Release Events: May 4th, 5th and 6th, 2012

Release Date: May 4th, 2012

Magic Game Day Dates: May 25th and 26th, 2012

Pro Tour Date: May 11th, 12th and 13th, 2012 at Pro Tour Barcelona

So we know the release date is about the same time as a usual third set, somewhere in the first week of may as well as the fact the game day for this set is being held on the last official weekend of May meaning it will be a pretty busy year starting next year with Dark Ascension in like a month and a half, this coming out in May and Planechase 2012 coming out just a week or two after the game day for the event.

There is a piece of art which goes along with this, let's take a look at it.

Wow, if that's not a cool art i don't know what is, for full details of the set and the designers behind it as well as the set symbol check the following arcana listed below

3rd set announcement ---> Avacyn Restored Arcana

Well that's about it for this edition of the emporium, since i'm out of things to talk about again, this is vergil signing off.