MTG Set Review #6 Mirrodin Besieged

So as per usual of any set usually about 3 or 4 weeks after it's release it is time to review the second set of the scars of mirrodin block, Mirrodin Besieged, 155 cards with 10 basic lands, two rare lands and over 40 different artifacts to choose from in this set, Mirrodin Besieged is the small set of this year's fall block with the third set to be just a tad larger at 175 cards. So as always it is time to take a look at the mechanics of this new set and see what it brings to the table, so let us begin.

The first brand new mechanic of the set is Battle Cry, now battle cry is very simple to understand when a creature with this ability attacks every other attacking creature gains a +1/+0 bonus and each battle cry does stack, so if you had 4 creatures with battle cry everything would get a +4/+0 for none battle cry creatures and battle cry creatures would get a +3/+0 bonus, it is a very simplistic ability and a nice combat trick to understand however there is one slight problem if battle cry gave a bonus to toughness it would make things a little easier to manage but not to complain this is a decent Mirran ability and is a nice change to the usual metalcraft or anything of that nature, but again so few cards in this set got this ability, there were a total of 7 cards in this set which recieved this ability two mythics, Hero of Oxid Ridge, Hero of Bladehold, Accorder Paladin, Kuldotha Ringleader, Goblin Wardriver, Loxodon Partisan and Signal Pest. Each one of these cards is good do not get me wrong but battle cry is a weak ability compared to the next one i am going to speak of and that is Living Weapon.

Living Weapon is a phyrexian based ability which applies to all phyrexian equipment pretty much, when a equipment with this ability hits the battlefield, it generates a 0/0 germ token and the equipment attaches itself to that germ token, giving it whatever abilites the equipment has, plus when the token dies from a removal spell or anything in general the equipment remains on the field and is then able to be attached to something else a bigger better creature.Only 5 cards from this set received this new ability and they are Bonehoard, Flayer Husk, Mortarpod. Skinwing and Strandwalker. This ability was pretty good for mostly anything and Bonehoard has turned out to be a very decent equipment since it determines the number of creatures in all graveyards then it gives a +X/+X where X is the number of creatures in all graveyards along with generating a 0/0 ooze token, so in essence i say phyrexia got the better of the two new abilites for this set.

Of course since this is a scars block set, Infect, proliferate and Metalcraft have returned for a second go around, we all know their specifics by now do we not so let's not dwell on that and move straight into the mythics of the set, shall we?

10 mythic rares, that's how many were in this set, Hero of Bladehold, Hero of Oxid Ridge, Tezzert, Agent of Bolas, Glissa the Traitor, Blightsteel Colossus, Consecrated Sphinx, Massacre Wurm, Thrun, the Last Troll, Sword of Feast and Famine and of course Praetor's Council. Each one of these were interesting to say the least, we got 2 new legends out of this set, a new walker in the form of Tezzert and a bunch of interesting mythics including the Hero of Bladehold and the Hero of Oxid Ridge which i intend to discuss, Each color at least got one mythic rare since there were only 19 cards per color so it did not get shafted that badly however some mythics were less appealing to others, including Glissa and Praetor's Council which has hardly seen a lot of play these days in major events like the pro tour or even a Grand Prix. Some of these mythics though like the sword and Tezzert have some prices rise from a instant showing off in a tournament to winning tournaments, as we've seen already in the first 3 weeks since mirrodin besieged first came out. While most of these mythics are powerful some are just broken including Blightsteel Colossus which i've talked about before and Massacre Wurm, he's just nuts the instant he enters the battlefield, overall it makes the mythic rares more interesting for a smaller set then say a big set like Scars of Mirrodin since there are fewer but there are a lot more things to say bout these mythic rare cards.

The rest of the breakdown for the block was pretty much similar with commons receiving a total of 60 commons, 40 uncommons and 35 rares for the set, making this one of the heaviest small set rare blocks in a while, 10 basic lands with 2 other lands, one for each side made this seem a tad more interesting, i am partially glad i decided to review this set after all, since of course i am enjoying seeing how things turn out in the next while, well that's all she wrote for this one and remember kiddies, if someone comes knocking on your door and they are part machine smack them in the face with a stick, only kidding till next time this is vergil signing off.

Mirrodin Besieged Event Decks

So a lot of people already know about this but i figured it should be talked about by me today, since the most recent MTG arcana has shown the lists for these event decks, the decklist names are Into the Breach which is the mono red list name and Infect and Defile which is the Blue/Black list so let's see what those lists are shall we?


2 Goblin Bushwhacker
2 Goblin Guide
4 Goblin Wardriver
1 Iron Myr
4 Memnite
4 Ornithopter
4 Signal Pest
1 Spikeshot Elder

2 Darksteel Axe
2 Devastating Summons
2 Galvanic Blast
4 Kuldotha Rebirth
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Panic Spellbomb

21 Mountain
1 Contested War Zone

SIDEBOARD
2 Act of Treason
4 Goblin Ruinblaster
2 Into the Core
1 Leyline of Punishment
4 Searing Blaze
2 Unstable Footing

This is the mono red list and it's a real doozy of a list, it has basically all of Kuldotha red's list in it and features almost all of the cards in that original list, did i mention these decks were going to be slated at 24.99 per deck so you get what you pay for and precons no longer suck thank you wizards for desigining this deck at least, moving onto the second one and it's also pretty good.


4 Corpse Cur
4 Necropede
2 Phyrexian Vatmother
4 Plague Myr

2 Consuming Vapors
2 Contagion Clasp
4 Corrupted Conscience
2 Deprive
1 Doom Blade
4 Foresee
1 Hand of the Praetors
2 Mana Leak
3 Preordain
2 Smother

10 Island
7 Swamp
2 Drowned Catacomb
4 Jwar Isle Refuge

SIDEBOARD
3 Deathmark
1 Doom Blade
3 Flashfreeze
2 Go for the Throat
4 Negate
2 Smother

Yes you see that right, 2 phyrexian vatmother and a Hand of the Praetors included in this list, perhaps the best two infect cards to come out yet, i mean this precon is also pretty damned good it's got doom blades go for the throat in the sideboard and even 2 of the M11 dual lands overall making it a pretty forseeable force in the future for precons to be good again like they were in the old days.

Now let's go over the lists for them as a examiner, there could be some slight changes to the 2nd list by moving out a smother for like another Preordain but that's just me, the 1st list is perfect in my eyes, it's interchangeable and even has a overall feel for magic players to be decent again, if you're looking to get back into the game i think this is a good starting point for those whom want to play again anyhoo another shorty today cause really this was the only thing worth talking about, plus i'm trying to find a lot more subjects to write bout for here, till next time this is vergil signing off.

Tezzert, Agent of Bolas: Why are you so good in standard

That's right for this article tezzert agent of bolas will get a feature and believe me it's quite a long one, in the article i intend to discuss the fact he's popping up in every blue/black control build regardless, as well as the fact he's getting more expensive as the days go by, plus even give a little insight on what things may shape up to be like with another broken walker like him on the fields of the standard scene, so let's begin this little hell hole.

First i want to go over the price of this particular planeswalker, which recently has seen high rises of the 50 dollar mark for one copy of this card, it is that insane, for a card that has not seen a lot of tournament play except for perhaps the most recent stuff it sure is overpriced i mean the general idea of this card is it works with artifacts and what's better then artifacts, control and control as we may recall is slightly overpowered for it's time. Though i must admit seeing another small set walker like this take the standard field so quickly not even 2 weeks after it's official release date is quite surprising though kind of expected, plus most online retailers are settling for selling him at 50 to 60 dollars per copy these days, as was proven by starcitygames and channel fireball

I mean the list he's featured in is so broken, plenty of 1 or 2 drop artifacts leading into him ramping on turn 3 with cards like Sphere of the Suns or Prophetic Prism to get that extra card, then turn things into 5/5 attackers/blockers and sit back and let the rest get done, even digging in with his +1 ability to fetch extra artifacts when you've got enough to do the job, usually though 1 or 2 animated artifacts is enough to do the job in most cases so why do people play him, just to be competitve in most tournaments for crying out loud, he's gotta be the most broken walker besides Jace, the Mind Sculptor to even hit the standard scene, thank god jace is rotating out in 8 more months though. but to drop 200-250 bucks on a playset of these boys is ridiclous, standard is becoming the most expensive format to play in, thank god though for decks like White weenie and Kuldotha Red to balance out the field for those cheap builds otherwise this would end up being a game no one plays aside from competitve tournaments.

So i ask you people is it worth it to spend 200-250 bucks on a playset of Tezzert, Agent of Bolas when you could essentially make 3 really better aggro decks for that price, the answer is no not in my eyes when he drops and or if he drops in price to a cheap walker he might be worth it, but to those whom have him good luck, hold onto those copies and when september comes round sell em at a high price you'll make a decent buck, that's all for now on this little rant of the latest walker to come off wizard's of the coast's print line till next time this is vergil signing off.

Mirrodin Besieged Spoilers Part 8: Final Thoughts on the Set

Well this one is going to be short since the spoilers were started since October of last year, it's been a long spoiler season and i look forward to see the fruit of the writings i do for it not go to waste, 155 cards with two of those cards being multicolored and 2 of them being regular old lands and not basics with 10 basics to go with this set, it's a small one, but it has shown to be a good one, we've got a old friend returning to the standard enviroment, some brand new legendaries making a appearance and even some Timmy and Johnny cards for you casual players.

I thank you for reading my articles as per every spoiler season i look forward to writing on the 3rd set of this fall block which is codenamed "Action" and see where that takes us, till next time this is vergil signing off and have fun at your local prerelease event.

Mirrodin Besieged Spoilers Part 7 [Artifacts]

With this set rumoured to feature half of it in the artifact phase let's see what mirrodin and phyrexia bring out in terms of their weapons of war for this set, perhaps we will end up seeing something different i would think, anyhoo let's go on and see what the artifacts are for the set.

#98) Bladed Sentinel - A decent 2/4 that makes vigilance possible a good defense for those pesky infecters but it's also a good attacker

#99) Blightsteel Colossus - You have to be kidding me, 11/11 for a 12 mana cost beast, with trample and infect, this is a serious threat in itself right here, i mean infect is bad enough but this guy can one shot players literally, also he can be cheated into play, did i mention this is a mythic rare so looks like this may be the answer to everything.

#100) Bonehoard - Living weapon has just gotten better, i mean graveyards are sure to have at least 6 different creatures in the bin when this comes out and as a equipment this shows off the power that i think phyrexia might have to win the war, i'd like to see this in future decks.

#101) Brass Squire - Another myr that throws equips onto other artifacts for a 1/3 it's decent but could be better and a uncommon to boot, seriously a underwhelming card

#102) Copper Carapace - A equip that prevents blocking, not bad but not good either.

#103) Core Prowler - Wow infect and proliferate on one card, for a 2/2 for 4 mana, this is so limited filler, next please.

#104) Darksteel Plate - Another rare that gives indestrucibilty on anything it equips, good for Kor decks but that's it, limited it's just another equipment

#105) Decimator Web - Wow something that does three things, life loss, milling and poison, this is bonkers for a rare in my book and i want to pick up a playset of these for a deck i've got and use those instead since they are cheaper then Keening Stone.

#106) Dross Ripper - Eh is all i can say in regards to this, it's your standard pumper without flying it makes it just a regular old attacker but in a limited format it's good.

#107) Flayer Husk - A new mechanic is also introduced with this card called Living Weapon which brings in a creature token as this enters play and the equipment enters the battlefield attached to this creature for a 1 drop equipment not bad, as it also introduces a 0/0 ooze token with this particular equipment, with all due respect this mechanic may prove to be a broken one me thinks.

#108) Gust Skimmer - Well well well, a potential flyer for a artifact this time round it's good 2/1 for a 2 drop that you pay a blue mana to give it flying, it's a nice evader i'll give it that.

#109) Hexplate Golem - Well i cannot say anything bout it's rarity however for a 7 drop that's a 5/7 it's a late game finisher

#110) Ichor Wellspring - Card draw is simplified in this set now, for 2 mana it's basically a 1 for 1 effect and when it gets blown to pieces you get another card, for sure good for activating metalcraft and has a replacement effect going on, very interesting to say the least.

#111) Knowledge Pool - A new imprint control mechanic has arrived and wow, if you recall Grimoire Thief from Morningtide you'll know when he taps you take the top 3 of the opponent's library and exile it, well this is a board wide effect hitting all players, when a player plays a spell that gets exiled and you'll be given a chance to play a spell exiled with this card for free, that's right for free.

#112) Lumengrid Gargoyle - Wow for 6 it's a 4/4 flyer next

#113) Magnetic Mine - 4 for this, wow this is perhaps the last rare of the set it's good whenever a artifact goes to the bin the controller is dealt 2 damage it can screw you over but it can also hurt your opponents

#114) Mirrorworks - A token generator at it's finest, ramp decks love this stuff and everything else well is just annoying to deal with, even 11/11's in this format, since it produces a token when a nontoken artifact by paying 2 mana i think this will be the way to avoid Elspeth Tirel's ultimate.

#115) Mortarpod - Um what to say another living weapon equip that pings for 1 damage perhaps the worst use of living weapon yet.

#116) Myr Sire - Wow a replacement body for 2 mana for a 1/1 myr it's decent.

#117) Myr Turbine - Wow this makes myr probably possible in a standard enviroment it makes dudes and it even fetches other myr, such as Myr Battlesphere dear god this is good for 5 mana it's a slot card that can be ramped so fast, with artifact hate in this set there is always a way to protect this thing.

#118) Myr Welder - Oh em gee, another necrotic ooze effect like we have not seen this before, imprint as well to go along with this, i know imprint wasn't too hot the last set but come on here, it's not going to work in real casual or standard but limited has possiblites even as a 1/4 body it's decent.

#119) Peace Strider - Ok this one was sorta spoiled at the scars of mirrodin game day, for those whom have this card already, good for you for those whom don't well you may want to listen up, this is a 4 drop for a 3/3 that gives you 3 life, it's a mirran card so it was expected to give back something for your troubles, at the uncommon level it's a nice addition to this set.

#120) Phyrexian Digester - Another phyrexian with infect as common as they are now it's getting old, it's a 2/1 that dies on one hit and is limited fodder.

#121) Phyrexian Juggernaut - The counter to the darksteel juggernaut with infect and it's a 5/5 to boot, this is just insane in the membrane, treasure mage loves to fetch these high powered cards.

#122) Phyrexian Revoker - Now this is the business here, pithing needle 2.0 in creature form, for a mere 2 mana it's a pithing needle for a 2/1 oh wait it can die to a non landfall searing blaze, wait it can stop that card in general, nice indeed.

#123) Pierce Strider - The phyrexian one for those whom aligned with phyrexia in the scars of mirrodin game day this past october and believe me it's a perfect metal eating beast, a 3/3 and it has the ability to make someone lose some life, interesting very interesting.

#124) Piston Sledge - Think Obsidian Battle Axe but better another equip that equips itself right away as it enters the battlefield, for 3 mana it's a nice finisher.

#125) Plague Myr - Another infecter for a cheap cost, also it's still a 1/1 infecter come on wizards where's the 2/2 infecters for the myrs?

#126) Rusted Slasher - 4 for a regenerater, that forces you to sacrifice artifacts to do so as  4/1 body i don't think so, next please

#127) Psychosis Crawler - Wow something that bases it's power and toughness off the cards in your hand, plus when you draw cards you deal direct damage, this is very interesting for a rare that is for sure.

#128) Razorfield Rhino - Another rhino that is a 4/4 and has metalcraft that pumps it to a 6/6 when it triggers, ezuri's brigade anyone is all i can say also it's pretty much a decent common

#129) Shimmer Myr - Another myr, another day though i must admit it's a junk rare at best since flash is kind of underwhelming but i'll take what i can get from this set.

#130) Shriekhorn - A mill card that forces charge counters, proliferate may love it but i don't

#131) Signal Pest - Battle cry with a 0/1 yeah right, oh wait it cannot be blocked by ground that's the decent part and it has only got a 1 mana cost to it, this and perhaps pump spells work well together

#132) Silverskin Armor - So this is a equipment eh, well it's decent to say the least as it only costs 2 mana to bring out and turns on metalcraft that much easier by making things into artifacts and itself is a artifact i think this isn't half bad from a drafting perspective.

#133) Skinwing - Another living weapon thing that equips flying and gives a +2/+2 bonus when it's equipped to a creature, not bad but not good as limited fodder seems to be more apparent as i write these spoilers.

#134) Sphere of the Suns - Another mana generation card that focuses on charge counters, though it's a decent mana fixer you'll run out quickly in it's ability, though it works well with Veldaken Infuser me thinks for a mere 2 mana it's pretty good.

#135) Spin Engine - Well finally something that forces no blockers onto it well one anyways, but as a 3/1 Hellspark Elemental is still better in every respect since it has trample and haste need i say more.

#136) Spine of Ish Sah - Wow something that blows up other permanents when it hits the board, then pops back to your hand when it's destroyed itself, talk about mass removal for a rare 7 mana nets you this card and it's pretty good, the ramp variants will love this card to death, the aggro players will hate it and the control variants whom love to fiddle around will go goofy over this one.

#137) Strandwalker - Another living weapon card but it gives reach and a +2/+4 bonus to the creature it attachs itself to, not bad, it's a uncommon as well

#138) Sword of Feast and Famine - Well the sword cycle continues in this set and we are getting a pro black and green sword this time, when the equipped creature deals damage that defending player discards a card and the attacking player untaps all their lands great for EDH and standard it seems as this is the 2nd sword of the block thus far, i'd like to see a third and final one for the next set if possible.

#139) Tangle Hulk - One more regenerater for a 5/3 5 drop, like we've seen this before note the sarcasm.

#140) Thopter Assembly - Another card that churns out tokens at will almost everytime you control no other thopters then this card and make 5 1/1 flyers, also did i mention this was a 5/5 with flying for 6?, not a damn bad rare if i may say so, also this is the release promo card for this particular set.

#141) Titan Forge - Well, well well lookie what we got here, a artifact that uses charge counters, churns out 9/9 titan tokens when you remove 3 of em, then starts the process all over, proliferate and anything that produces charge counters will love this card, i'm serious did i mention it's a rare.

#142) Training Drone - A utterly terrible limited card as he has to be equipped to even be useful, though with the right combo of stuff this dude is deadly, oh he's 4/4 and costs 3 mana to bring out pretty decent but then again artifact hate can suck this guy into oblivion..

#143) Viridian Claw - Wow this thing is a equipment in this set, not bad, but not good either, though it does give first strike i'll give it props for that at least

Mirrodin Besieged Spoilers Part 6 [Multicolored and Lands]

So again i'll just combine the basics of two articles into one to save you the reader a bunch of time and that, so this way you can skim over the cards, figure out what you want to do with em when the time comes and take it from there, this article will contain the multicolored cards and of course the lands featured in mirrodin besieged.

#96) Glissa, The Traitor: Oh dear god she's back from the original and this time she's on the phryexian side of the war, it makes sense though due to the corruption she experienced back in the good old days of past sets, she's a 3/3 first striker with deathtouch, if she didn't have first strike though she'd kinda suck since a easy 4 power creature could clash with her and exchange it, also did i mention this was the prerelease card and that it brings back artifacts from the graveyard.

#97) Tezzert, Agent of Bolas - He's back, let's go over his neat abilites shall we, +1) you get to look at the top five cards of your library and put a artifact from them into your hand. putting the rest on the bottom of your library in any order. -1) An artifact of your choice becomes a 5/5 artifact creature till end of turn. -4) Target player loses x life and you gain X life when X is twice the number of artifacts you control, seriously this guy is this dangerous for a 2, blue and a black you get this guy on the field and it's a three turn clock literally, he makes artifacts that much more dangerous and is expected to be a high priced card in the end.

#144) Contested War Zone - Something that isn't really good even as a land, if  you deal combat damage it's done, it goes to your opponent and all that, though it does give a bonus it's not that good really.

#145) Inkmoth Nexus - Another functional reprint of Blinkmoth Nexus from Darksteel,  for 1 mana you get a 1/1 infecter with flying and it adds 1 to your mana pool when it taps, i must admit i've not seen this kind of card in a while since the man lands of Worldwake.

Well that calls it for this, since the rest of the 10 remaining cards are basic lands, see you in part 7 for the artifacts of this set.

Mirrodin Besieged Spoilers Part 5 [Green]

Green's turn and such i hope to find some decently colored cards like the last set, there were quite a few good bombshells from this particular color in the last set including a legendary elven warrior and even some good metalcrafters, let's see what green brings to the table for this edition of the spoilers

#77) Blightwidow - Another infecter for a heavy cost of 4 mana it also has reach and is a 2/4 decent as it may be it's probably a last pick material for limited and nothing else since infect has Cystbearer and even Putrefax.

#78) Creeping Corrosion - Another sweeper spell but for green, it's not like green needs these bomb rares since green is getting nicely taken care of to start with this particular card, this is wrath of god for artifacts in a nutshell.

#79) Fangren Marauder - A 5/5 that gives life when artifacts are sent to the graveyard, this is new, i like it, solid card though it's mana cost is a bit high but it's great for limited and provides that last few points of necessary damage in the end.

#80) Glissa's Courier - The counterpart to Koth's courier in a sense and this one is decent to say the least, mountainwalk on a 2/3, do i sense a mirrored thing going on here or what

#81) Green Sun's Zenith - Oh my god this is genesis wave for green creatures, it brings out things like primeval titan, gaea's revenge, even vengevine for literally the same cost if it is not in your hand, i can see this being used for decks like Pyromancer's Ascension or something of that nature.

#82) Lead the Stampede - Green is more then likely the best colour of the set, this fetches creatures from the top 5 cards of your library and it's a uncommon at that with sorcery speed for 3 mana, did i mention this was only 3 mana to cast, wow this is good indeed.

#83) Melira's Keepers - Our first green card to talk about and wow it's a nice one, 4/4 for a 5 drop that cannot have counters placed on it at all, so it remains as is a 4/4 that withstands infect, mirran's answer to the phyrexian plague it would seem, a solid limited bomb against infect decks.

#84) Mirran Mettle - A simple pump spell, for 1 mana that works off metalcraft, though i don't seen green going into much metalcraft in this format, since green's been infect most of the time.

#85) Phyrexian Hydra - Wow hydra's don't get much bigger or better, 7/7 for a infecter and it costs 5 mana to bring out, though it dies in like two turns, it's good for clearing paths, wish it had trample then it would be perfect.

#86) Pistus Strike - Well at least it's a removal spell for infect, nuff said it costs 3 mana and it deals with those pesky flyers, pretty good for a infect deck.

#87) Plaguemaw Beast - 4/3 body on a 5 drop that has proliferate if you sacrifice a creature and tap it, dies to bolt, anything that dies to bolt straight off sucks.

#88) Praetor's Council - Wowzers it's a mythic rare that isn't a creature for a change when you play this you get a unlimited hand size for the rest of the game and all your graveyard cards go back to your hand seriously just mind boggling, i've fallen in love with this one folks.

#89) Quilled Slagwurm - Another non ability body for a 7 drop that's a 8/8 when it hits, it can easily par with Gaea's Revenge and the Titans easily, though it seems like it's just a regular old beatstick but we've got better beatsticks.

#90) Rot Wolf - Decent infecter that nets cards when it deals damage, love the fact it's a 2/2 and not a 2/1 or a 1/2 for a 3 drop and a common it's sure to be a first pick in any draft format for infect players and the fact it also doesn't die right away is a plus.

#91) Tangle Mantis - A 3/4 body with trample for 4 mana, it's good enough without ruining the moment.

#92) Thrun, the Last Troll - I knew it, i knew he was going to be in this set, as a Mythic Rare and a 4/4 wow i was way off in speculation, but still something that cannot be countered and targeted by spells, and regenerates seriously a bad ass card if i must say so.

#93) Unnatural Predation - A pump spell for cheap, Giant growth is more effective then this but at least it gives trample to it's target.

#94) Viridian Corrupter - Wow a new bloody useful artifact destruction spell, for 3 and is a 2/2 when it drops onto the board, well this sure makes things better also did i mention this has infect.

#95) Viridian Emissary - Ok civic wayfinder, move over there's a new sheriff in town and his name is Viridian Emissary and he's a 2/1 for 2 mana, also a standard common, let's see this set's mana fixer check, a 2/1 body for 2 check do i sense a theme here.

Green is finally finished, 19 cards of interest in this format and believe me it's been a long time coming, next the longest form of card in this set, the artifacts and Multicolor cards and lands

Mirrodin Besieged Spoilers Part 4 [Red]

So red's turn on the chopping block for this prerelease and i hope to god it is a good decent red set as there were maybe 3 cards last set to bring out in standard and not anywhere else, perhaps who knows we will see when the time comes as obvious as that sounds.

#58) Blisterstick Shaman - A decent pinger for a mere 3 mana, huh ok fodder next

#59) Burn the Impure - Simple and easy removal of infect dudes, for 2 mana you get a 3 damage burn spell, but if the creature dealt damage has infect the controller receives 3 points of damage, limited fodder in all it's respects, i expect to at least see this at drafts

#60) Concussive Bolt - 5 mana for a 4 point damage burn spell, but it has metalcraft where have i seen this one before, oh yes i've seen it in the form of Galvanic Blast, but metalcraft activates the ability that creatures that player controls that was dealt damage cannot block, a serious finisher for most decks and will be a nice kick finish for drafters.

#61) Crush - Simple artifact destruction at it's finest, doesn't target creatures that is the only drawback to this card, but for one mana you get a decent removal spell in limited for sure.

#62) Galvanoth - A rare that is a 3/3 hah yeah right i think this is a filler rare even though it allows for instants and sorceries to be cast off the top of your library during your upkeep, still decent but not good enough

#63) Gnathosaur - 6 mana for a 5/4 body with trample being part of it's ability, really decent and red hardly has trample these days, it's nice to see wizards finally taking my advice on making red guys have trample again, just kidding.

#64) Goblin Wardriver - It's about time we learned what this guy can do 2/2 for a battle cry and he only costs  2 red mana to summon, seems pretty great he's a uncommon, hmm well at least i don't have to worry bout rare drafting.

#65) Hellkite Igniter - Another dragon, another firebreathing effect or is it, this one does +X/+0 until end of turn where X is the number of artifacts you control, with flying and haste this seems like a decent card, if only it had trample.

#66) Hero of Oxid Ridge - This is supposed to be a mythic, yeah right for a 4/2 that's right a 4/2 for 4 mana with Haste and Battle cry, i think this will get sent down to the limited filler bin where all the other 2 dollar mythics are at currently.

#67) Into the Core - Now this is a good artifact removal spell but if there was a "You may" Clause in the text i would consider it a decent one but not really as much as i had hoped, for 2 mana, and 2 red mana you get a instant speed removal spell that exiles two artifacts but it does have it's advantages, at least it can take down a 11/11 artifact golem.

#68) Koth's Courier - We were expecting this one and it's dissapointing to say the least she only has forestwalk and is a 2/3, this right here is the defintion of a filler card for drafting.

#69) Kuldotha Flamefiend - Another generic 4/4 uncommon that is only as good as limited allows, maybe it might see some minor sideboard play for Red Decks but that's it and the effect of dealing damage divided kinda sucks if i may say so.

#70) Kuldotha Ringleader - Wow battle cry on a even power/toughness creature, that is forced to attack each turn i can see this being a different ball game now.

#71) Metallic Mastery - Another act of treason in standard, again do we need more of the same crap seriously but this one's for artifacts.

#72) Ogre Resister - Hmm well at least this one is decent a 4/3 body for 4 at the common level, you get a dude with this one that doesn't die right away at least right?

#73) Rally the Forces - Another non useful spell, it's basically a battle cry without a creature, stupid i knew they would print this kind of filler next please

#74) Red Sun's Zenith - Seriously another Heat Ray type of effect with a twist, it has recursion oh wow, big deal i've got better spells for you that do more damage then this stupid thing, Lightning Bolt, Searing Blaze, Punishing Fire get the picture, limited only nuff said.

#75) Slagstorm - Finally something that isn't volcanic fallout for a change, and it doesn't have a stupid "Deal this damage to flyers" on it at all you get to deal 3 damage to players or creatures for a mere 3 mana it's worth it to sweep the board of those nasty infecters.

#76) Spiraling Duelist - 4 mana for a metalcrafter that gives itself double strike when metalcraft is active, 3/1 as well hmm lemme think for a minute here, he dies to any combat damage, infect is a huge threat in this set, need i continue?

Mirrodin Besieged Spoilers Part 3 [Black]

Black is bound to have some decent cards for this spoiler season, i think i should be sufficently surprised when it all comes down to it, let's hope there are some good enough cards to warrant the change in drafting order which i discussed in a previous article look back to find it.

#39) Black Sun's Zenith - Well this is a decent sweeper, much better then infest as it has X mana in it's cost and it deals it in the form of -1/-1 counters, sounds to me this is just another phyrexian way of saying we will win the war.

#40) Caustic Hound - Wow a 4/4 for 6, common filler next

#41) Flensermite - Another decent common for the set, 1/1 for a lifelink/infecter and it only costs 2 it's decent for limited and that, but not really much else going on here.

#42) Flesh-Eater Imp - Flying and infect, with a pump effect for sacrificing a creature, decent, late game material and all that, for 4 mana it's a decent common for black and perhaps beats out a little 1/1 infecter for a pick.

#43) Go for the Throat - Uh doom blade guy, your buddy called he wants his card back, this is essentially the new doom blade for standard rather 5-8 for main decks that run removal or sideboard for removal, uncommon, instant speed 2 mana and it blows up non artifact creatures including other black cards. wait it's better then Doom Blade.

#44) Gruesome Encore - Basically it's a act of treason for graveyards and it's a quick one but it is great for stealing other people's creatures and dealing combat damage to them for a mere 3 mana, expect this to be a limited pick only.

#45) Horrifying Revelation - A decent 1 drop spell that is kind of slow in limited or any other format, it makes you discard and mill a card, so a 2 for 1 isn't bad really but not good either.

#46) Massacre Wurm - Oh dear lord this is the 10th mythic of the set, it sweeps the board of all the weaklings when it hits the board, whenever something dies that isn't under your control, it's controller loses 2 life it's a 6/5 body for 6 mana need i say more, where can i get me some of this.

#47) Morbid Plunder - Think rise from the grave except no zombie sub type is added to this one, a decent 3 drop spell but overall a tad limited material only

#48) Nested Ghoul - Ok then let's see from mythics to this it's effect is not that useful but it does put out replacement tokens, here's our token generator that is for sure, not bad but not good.

#49) Phyresis - A enchantment that brings a infect deck to new heights for a cheap 2 mana 1 and a black it makes a non infecter a infect creature, good for corruption and brings together that last piece of the puzzle i feel.

#50) Phyrexian Crusader - Another rare slot filled, but wow, pro white, pro red, this is the Black Knight but better and it has infect and first strike which means this is just a big enough body to take on things that are twice as large as it, i hope though it turns out to be played more then just once or twice to warrant being a good or decent rare for the set, but then again we will see when it comes time for prerelease.

#51) Phyrexian Rager - It's good to see a old favorite back in the mix, the rager has been severly missed in standard as of this point and it's most welcome in the phyrexian armadas, 2/2 for a standard 3 drop that draws a card and forces a loss of 1 life when it hits the battlefield, as usual sign in blood cut in half, card draw is nice too.

#52) Phyrexian Vatmother - Wow something that poisons the player that controls this, not bad for a 4/5 beatstick it's also good, wish it had evasion or something else though but a good rare nonetheless.

#53) Sangromancer - 4 mana for this rare, sheesh this is weird to see a 3/3 with flying in this set, however let's break this one down, when a opponent's creature dies you get 3 life, when a opponent discards a card you get 3 life need i say more, also need i mention this is a rare?

#54) Scourge Servant - Another infecter for a high cost, 5 mana for a 3/3 infecter at a common level, might be limited material but Skittles is still far superior, also this has no special abilites other then infect next!

#55) Septic Rats - A rat that has a effect with poison counters, for a 2/2 this is not that bad and it has infect as well seriously oh did i mention it's the same cost as Relentless Rats, a 1, black and a black. so yeah it's pretty good me thinks, so far anyways.

#56) Spread the Sickness - Finally a creature destruction spell that is not 3 or lower, has proliferate the mechanic from the last set and is a sorcery, drafting seems like it would favour phyrexia now and that, but no one can truly say.

#57) Virulent Wound - Another decent spell for 1 mana, it's different to say the least and not really standard material unless a infect deck is the route you choose, though it's nice as a interrupt.

Mirrodin Besieged Spoilers Part 2 [Blue]

Blue's turn for the usual spoiler list for the season i'm expecting great things and i'm sure we won't be too dissapointed, stay tuned as always as things are about to get interesting for the small set of the season.

#20) Blue Sun's Zenith - Well i expected this card to be totally honest and we weren't dissapointed, this is literally the new mind spring except it does not go to the graveyard when it's finished, sounds to me wizards actually made a functional reprint possible for this set.

#21) Consecrated Sphinx - Say what, sphinxes with double card draw in my MBS, hell yeah also it's a 4/6 out of bolt range and pretty much any other spells, did i mention it was a mythic.

#22) Corrupted Conscience - Well another thing that makes things into infecters, but it's a control spell, not bad, but not too good really as this may end up being countered and it costs 5 mana, i'd rather play Mind Control then this.

#23) Cryptoplasm - Another weird as hell rare, a shapshifter that's a 3/3 and has a Clone effect each turn as you can shift it into different creatures during your upkeep, he only costs 1 and 2 blue, really interesting here

#24) Distant Memories - This is blue's version for browbeat, wow this isn't half bad as a rare really, it's a decent brainstorm and it costs less then a actual brainstorm provided the effect isn't used, if it is you still get a card out of it, not bad.

#25) Fuel for the Cause - Counter spell that is a 4 drop, let's see there are better, proliferation doesn't even save this for a fact, it's a limited cannon fodder in my eyes, perhaps like 2nd last pick fodder

#26) Mirran Spy - It's a spy, no it's just a goddamned drone, nothing more, nothing less for a common at a 1/3 balance that flys and untaps things, yikes this is going to show something else entirely.

#27) Mitotic Manipulation - I don't really know what to say about this particular card is it good, is it bad, is it so so, i cannot give my honest opinions as the text of the card kind of confuses me i mean "Look at the top seven cards of your library, You may put one of those cards onto the battlefield if it has the same name as a permanent you control, Put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order." 1) The second line of text is downright confusing, what if you control a 6/6 Carnifex demon, you're allowed to put another one provided it is in the next seven cards, i'm sorry i cannot say much more bout this.

#28) Neurok Commando - Another shroud creature, wait a second 2/1 shroud only costs 3 mana and it gives card draw when it deals damage, will this replace sea gate oracle i think so but no one can be too certain.

#29) Oculus - A really weird creature type i must admit, but it is a 1/1 when it drops for 2 mana, it nets a card when it dies and all that neat stuff, decent limited material.

#30) Quicksilver Geyser - Another bounce spell, next

#31) Serum Raker - Wow discard at it's best when this dies off, as a 3/2 body for a mere 4 mana this is decent enough to want to draft blue, because it goes over with flying and pretty much is a difficult to deal with threat and the fact we've had this kind of thing in this set for a while, not bad.

#32) Spire Serpent - Another defender but with a serious twist, 3/5 with metalcraft that turns off defender and gives it a +2/+2 boost, late game material that is for sure, though i cannot say how good it is

#33) Steel Sabotage - Recursion/ counterspell for one blue mana, one blue mana, um am i seeing things here or is it true that there is a artifact counterspell for 1 blue mana, wizards come on!

#34) Treasure Mage - It's about damned time we get something that can fetch wurmcoil engines and darksteel colossus, great in conjunction with another card i'll spoil in part 7 of this series

#35) Turn the Tide - Wow limited filler, i've seen better disarming spells then this next!

#36) Vedalken Anatomist - Limited control at it's finest, great for proliferate which is a returning mechanic to the set, though it does have a few drawbacks, blue might actually have some fun with this set.

#37) Vedalken Infuser - Well well well, a veldaken and a decent one at that, it puts charge counters on things, for a 1/4 out of bolt range, i love it already, is a decent body to block, love it even more and did i mention it puts charge counters on things.

#38) Vivisection - Sorcery speed for another brainstorm effect, but you gotta sacrifice a creature to do it, sorry it's not really my cup of tea so to speak, there is a lot better sorcery's out there including Preordian and that but this might see limited play.

Well that's all she wrote for blue in this set, 19 cards of interest including some serious overpowered cards, next stop black in the hell hole that is spoiler season.

Mirrodin Besieged Spoilers Part 1 [White]

So it's that time of year when mirrodin besieged spoilers start to come out and i figured this is a perfect chance to talk about some of them starting as per usual with white, since it's in numerical order as of this point, note this is a small set so there isn't going to be a lot of cards colored wise i would think, instead i believe they intend to go with the standard make the set half full of artifacts and such, who the heck knows but let us begin yet another spoiler season in the form of Mirrodin Besieged's Spoiler for White.

#1) Accorder Paladin - Are you kidding me a 3/1 for 2 that has battle cry as a mechanic seriously this is decent and it's a uncommon in this set, wow much is all i gotta say for a card this brutal early on most of these cards though are really brutal to say the least.

#2) Ardent Recruit - You must be joking a 1 drop for metalcraft and it's a 1/1 when it hits, very good in limited espically since there are 0 costing artifacts in Scars of Mirrodin.

#3) Banishment Decree - Another removal spell for 5 mana please it's not really useful outside of limited and all that neat stuff, next please.

#4) Choking Fumes - Another phyrexian spell that places -1/-1 counters on things for 2 mana, it's decent but outside of a limited format such as a draft it's not gonna see much play even in sideboards.

#5) Divine Offering - A reprint that is actually functional to be quite honest, i've wanted to see this card come back so many times as of this point, it's not even funny 1 and a white net a instant that destroys target artifact and you gain life equal to it's converted mana cost.

#6) Frantic Salvage - This seems like a solid recursion card, it returns artifacts to your library which is great, it has a decent casting cost for a late game play, excellent and even nets a card in the process pretty solid and will see a lot of play in limited.

#7) Gore Vassal - For a 2/1 this isn't half bad in all honesty and i think one of these days, this is going to make sense because you get to put a -1/-1 counter on something then if it's toughness is 1 or greater regenerate it, so it can target anything really, strange but a cool effect in all honesty.

#8) Hero of Bladehold - This is a mythic in this small set, seriously this is awesome you get a brand new ability called battle cry previewed and a mythic that makes soldier dudes and is out of bolt range for a 4 drop, hello white weenie i say. Anyways onto the card itself it sure looks solid for a card that has itself out of bolt range and gives all attacking creatures other then it a +1/+0 boost when it attacks, it's also not a legendary so there can be 4's of this in a white deck it would appear bringing up weenie's overall curve to about 2.65 roughly these days it's still not that bad a mythic in my eyes.

#9) Kemba's Legion - A 4/6 that can block as many equal to the number of equips put on this dude, a serious bad ass body for such a high casting cost dude, he's slow and limited loves slow but steady stuff, standard don't

#10) Leonin Relic-Warder - Wow much, blinker for a 2 white cost and believe it or not it's a strong body of a 2/2 to boot and it blinks in the exiled permanent when it dies, talk about wrath of god evasion.

#11) Leonin Skyhunter - First official reprint of the set, for a 2/2 flyer for 2 it's pretty decent, this shows the raw potential of mirrodin for sure and has some decent qualities in it, though i'd like to see lifelink on a flyer for a change.

#12) Loxodon Partisan - A 5 drop for a 3/4 body with battle cry, certainly not the best but not the worst either, if you were looking for some form of decent body this is it, if not then sorry to dissapoint you but this one is a good draft pick but no other format may pick this up, i say MAY for a reason.

#13) Master's Call - A instant that makes dudes for real, think join the ranks but better as it triggers metalcraft really quickly by making two artifact myrs, for a 3 drop instant it's a decent dude maker to say the least and all that nice stuff to go along with it.

#14) Mirran Crusader - So a pro black, pro green double striker and it's a rare, i was expecting this card but i wasn't expecting a damn good white card it's a Paladin En-Vec on steroids for this standard enviroment which is just bonkers to be honest, also the fact this is a knight and has so much potential for White weenie say hello to the new ass kicker of mirrodin.

#15) Phyrexian Rebirth - Wow, total annhilation plus token generation at it's finest it brings out a X/X horror creature token where the X equals the number of creatures destroyed for 6 mana, MBS is throwing all kinds of bombs our way it seems.

#16) Priests of Norn - A phyrexian white card, in this set it's rare to see these but with infect and vigilance at 1/4 as a common yeah it's a wall of death basically but more mechanical then anything, if i was a phyrexian player i'd most certainly draft this.

#17) Tine Shrike - Weird name for a infecter with flying, a 2/1 body for a mere 4 mana if it were like 2 mana it's gonna be like a first pick in a infect deck since infect now has all five colours.

#18) Victory's Herald - True conviction just got a battle partner, 4/4 flying with lifelink and flying to other creatures when it attacks, evasion much, i'm thinking this is a limited winner right here.

#19) White Sun's Zenith - Not bad for a rare that produces mass tokens and goes back into your library when it's done, giving you the chance to do it all over again 2/2 tokens are nice to have too for target for equipment, white weenie perhaps has a new best friend.

That is all 19 cards of white, stay tuned for blue

Mirrodin Besieged Prerelease Information [Where to go for your local prerelease]

Now this article i've decided to dedicate to the fact there is a prerelease coming up and i felt it necessary to address this thing, your local card shop/collectibles store usually has these things going on in your local area, of course provided there are wizards's of the coast's official retailers for their products as well, most stores in my general area have these events scheduled for this weekend at 12 pm, depending on your time zone/area you live in of course. If you wish to learn which stores host these events i would recommend looking at this useful little tool called the Wizard's Play Network Store Finder which will be linked at the end of this article.

For each prerelease you are given one card that signifys you've been in the event and particpated in a fashion that is acustomed for a magic the gathering player, for those new to the format let me break it down for you, usually for the second set of a fall block, you are given 3 booster packs of the previous set, in this case Scars of Mirrodin and three booster packs of the latest set or in this case Mirrodin Besieged however things are a tad different this time, since of course you will be given 3 special faction packs of your choice to go either phyrexian or mirran for your draft which have various cards from that particular side, also if you choose to go mirran you will receive a Hero of Bladehold Prerelease Card and if you choose to go Phyrexian you will receive a Glissa, The Traitor prerelease card, though this is the only prerelease to have factions thus far, it probably will not be the last at all.

Each location may vary in the number of players however the normal limit for most stores i've known about is about 64 players per event, sometimes the store owner even decides to hold two events of a prerelease in one weekend though you would have to check with your local retailer or card shop for more information. Prereleases always consist of 6 rounds of sealed deck booster drafting where you make the best deck possible of the 6 packs provided, you are NOT allowed to use the prerelease card you were given at all otherwise the store owner may disqualify you at his/her own discretion and you will more then likely be banned from events at your local store/card shop. Before the event usually you are allowed free time to chat and that before assigned seating most of the time, provided the number of players is large which it normally is in the cases of most stores. You are normally given 1 hour to build your deck which is plenty of time, land is always provided by the retailer and is usually plentiful, there is always usually a judge/certified rules manager at these events so if you have questions or concerns regarding a card or two feel free to ask the judge/rules manager present at the event and ask for a ruling clarifying how the card interacts with various things.

Other then that it's have fun, door prizes are normally given away during rounds and is always random so your chance of getting a prize is always the same regardless of how many people attend since the randomness of the door prizes may vary on what the owner has in stock at the time. So go out this weekend and have a blast at your local prerelease and kick some serious butt, but remember it's just a game and not to be taken too seriously this is vergil signing off.

Store and Event Locator

Mirrodin Besieged Rares Breakdown Part 2: Artifacts and Lands

So over the course of this article i will be going over the rares that are featured in artifacts and of course lands, starting with the first rare artifact wise and working my way down the list in numerical order, so let us begin part 2.

Bonehoard was the 2nd featured card with the new mechanic living weapon, where you put out a 0/0 black germ token and attach the equipment that brought it out to it, granting it all the equipment bonuses when it is attached, it is still a equipment after the germ token dies and can be attached to anything else as per usual, but what is different about this one is this particular equipment relies on the amount of creatures in the graveyards not just one, all graveyards making this overpowered and just nasty to deal with, it's equip and summoning costs are really intruging as well as it costs 4 mana to bring out and 2 mana to equip to something else.

Where do i begin, mill, life loss and poison counters a 3 for 1 card with a cheap 4 mana cost to activate it's abilites and summon it, Decimator web is sure to take the place of various milling stones like Keening Stone or even some other things, as this is a lot better and it's really a lot easier to obtain this ability in the long run.

Knowledge pool is basically the new way to cheat things into play, imprint is just nasty on this as it exiles the top 3 cards of every player's library, plus whenever someone casts a spell it gets exiled, if it does you get to play any of the exiled cards for free, this right here will make ramp decks obsolete since Knowledge pool is just broken in any sense of the word did i mention it costs 6 mana to use.

Myr Welder is basically the new form of Necrotic Ooze for exile and let me tell you some of the abilites you can give it with this are just insane, flying, raising power/toughness etc, but it only works for other artifacts in general so be careful what is used with it.

New Pithing Needle anyone, that's basically what this dude is a pithing needle for a rare and it's nasty, it names anything like Meddling Mage does and makes them unplayable till it dies, but stilll a 2/1 for 2 mana is a nice change i wish it was 1 though.

Phyresis Crawler is something else entirely it depends on the amount of cards in your hand for it's power/toughness and it has a secondary ability of when a opponent draws a card, they lose 1 life so it's useful for you, not so much your opponent.

Shimmer Myr i feel is a junk rare, it's flash may be useful in late game but that's it, though it's a 2/2 for 3 and it grants flash to other artifact cards, i think this one may only be draft worthy.

A really expensive artifact removal spell such as this should be kept at the way side, unless your playing some serious ramp decks it's not worth a slot in your deck at all, this one might be a 2 dollar junk rare like Shimmer Myr then again i've been known to be wrong before 90% of the time.

Thopter assembly or as i now call it a mass token generator is perhaps the greatest release card in the past year or so, it makes dudes when this is alone, it repeats the process infintely and just is a 5/5 beatstick for 6 with flying, i am so willing to go out right now and place a order for 4 of these things, foil wise of course because they are that damned good.

Titan Forge is the last artifact i get to speak of right now, as there are no other artifacts confirmed, this thing loves proliferate as it uses charge counters, it makes 9/9 titans dude 9/9 beatsticks of awesome, this is defintely not a pass if you get your hands on one in draft, with a massive proliferate strategy this is a viable engine.

Lastly Inkmoth Nexus is just nuts, it's a mana generator that makes itself into a dude which is a 1/1 flyer with infect until end of turn for 1 mana, it's not a legendary land either so it means 4 of these is legit for infect, as infect seems like this was the key piece of the puzzle for the format to be viable in any sense of the word, well that about wraps up the rare breakdown for this set and stay tuned as we've not seen the last of the rares for the set, till next time this is vergil signing off.

Mirrodin Besieged Rares Breakdown Part 1: Main Five Colors

So seeing as how i've got nothing better to do at this point i should probably go over the rares on the set of mirrodin besieged, considering there are quite a few and there is even a cycle or two for the set, i think this should turn out to be a good little set, provided of course we get some decent rares, but these are the rares known to us at this point and the following article represents my thoughts on them as a general whole so let's begin this long as heck article, also be sure to follow my twitter if you need a more general idea of what i do on here the link is here ---->  Twitter

Mirran Crusader has been known to us for quite some time and i though since he's first on the candidate list to talk bout him, he's a 2/2 with pro black and pro green, also having double strike as his first ability, for a 3 mana drop knight too, there is also a alternate art form of this card for the release of the set in stores Feburary 4th as well, i'll feature it at the end of the article.

Phyrexian Rebirth or Wrath of god's 5-8 as i like to refer to it has another effect where it generates a token that is a artifact creature on the battlefield and X is the number of creatures destroyed in this manner, so this thing could generate 7/7's or higher when it's activated, a nice counter to those mirran cards espically myr's.

Victory's Herald or as i like to refer to it is another Serra Angel basically for it's casting cost of 6, though it gives lifelink and flying when it attacks it barely warrants any format of play besides limited and can cause a great deal of headaches when the time comes espically for 6 mana

My next card though has no confirmed image and i'm betting it's real but we cannot say for certain as White Sun's Zenith is what i am referring to, it's a mass token generator only good for EDH and even Limited, since of course it has X in it's casting cost with 3 white mana needed to cast the thing, though it generates 2/2 cat tokens no one can say for certain.

Blue Sun's Zenith though is just nice to have, card draw in X form it's another mind spring but a lot more expensive, ramp decks may enjoy this but i think it might end up being a 2 dollar rare.

It's a Browbeat for Blue you're joking right, wow you either get 1 card or 3 with this rare and it's just nuts in the long run as your hand will not get taken down to one or two cards, instantly one of my favorite rares from the set thus far.

Phyrexian Crusader as seen here is the counterpart to Mirran Crusader and it is very nice indeed, first strike, pro red and white, Infect and it's a 2/2 for 3 mana, the other half of the first two worlds cards spoiled all those weeks ago.

The Vatmother here is just awesome, 4/5 infect, you get a poison counter which is the only drawback and she's a 4 drop to boot so the earlier you power her out the better, as a friend said it's  Duzam Jinn on steroids.

Another mirran vampire, that gives nothing but good things back it's a 3/3 for 4, it's flying and basically when anything dies or is discarded you get 3 life from it's effect if you choose but i do not know why you wouldn't want to have this effect it's just so damned good.

Hellkite Igniter, one of the most recent spoiled rares is a deadly dragon as good as they come, you basically can pump it to do as much damage as humanly possible when it attacks, it has flying and haste, beats anything in the air easily and perhaps may become one of my top 5 dragons for artifacts of all time.

Red Sun's Zenith is just bonkers in the end of the day it deals damage, it exiles things and it goes back into the library to do it all over again did i mention you could power this out on turn 2 or 3 if you choose to.

Wow slagstorm is just insane as a burn spell for 3 mana you basically get a field sweeper that deals 3 damage to everything on the field or each player, god i think this will replace Volcanic Fallout for sure in the extended decks Fallout is in.

Green Sun's Zenith aka Genesis Wave 5-8 for green decks is just insane, it gets anything that is X or less when you pay it, you can easily ramp to it on turn 6, fetch a titan and go to work again, seriously i think out of all the rares so far this hits the top 3 list in my book.

Yeah a wrath of god for all artifacts is so sick, though i wish they would have waited for this since we have too many wrath effects in standard but overall a very good card for a 4 mana drop sorcery, it's just a thing to see this kind of stuff in a current deck these days, green looks like it's gonna have fun for the Release and Prerelease parties.

Last but not least is Phyrexian Hydra, yes another bloody hydra that is huge, it has infect it's a 7/7 and it prevents damage by adding -1/-1 counters onto itself for a five drop too, is it good maybe, it is tournament worthy, perhaps in draft as bombs like these can be easily attained, is infect a now probable strategy, yes it is, anyhoo that calls it for this long article, tommorow i'll go over part 2 of this set of articles in the form of Artifacts and Lands spoiled up to this point, this is vergil signing off.

Mirrodin Besieged Mythics And What i Think of them

So as the title says since most of the mythic rares have been spoiled up to this point i figured it was time to start talking bout the mythic rares for the new set of mirrodin besieged, alongside the usual spoilers that will be posted one week from now, as per usual, so let us begin.

Since i've already discussed tezzert at this time i don't really need to go into detail, however i will say this, his current price is ridicilous and is the reason i feel mythic rarity should never have been made starting with Shards of Alara which he was also featured in, however still he's perhaps the best small set walker to come out, besides Jace, The Mind Sculptor of course.

Oh this guy again i've spoken of him and how ridicilous he is in terms of power/toughness and abilites as well, 11/11 and he's like a Eldrazi, seriously awesome as of this article his price and i am not kidding is 11.11 that's 11 dollars and 11 cents american, yeah i know it's a joke price.

Hero of Oxid Ridge is the first of the two more recent mythics spoiled, a human knight that costs 2, and 2 red mana, that gives haste, Battle cry and has the ability that when it attacks, creatures with power 1 or lower cannot block this turn, he's also a 4/2 when he arrives, this i think perhaps may be the worst of the mythics so far, he can get easily bolted and is just wrecked by tons of removal including infect, he's not worth the time to bring out to be honest and i expect this to be the 2 dollar mythic of the set for this reason.

You know when evan erwin of the magic show spoils a card like this it's bonkers usually, IE engulfing Slagwurm from Scars of Mirrodin, it gives +2/+2 and it's pro black and pro green, major infect colors and when it deals combat damage that player discards a card and you get to untap all lands you control, maddening i tell you the casual player in me is going nuts over this bad boy and it's sure to be at least a good 12 dollars since it's 2nd abilites are nuts, this i think is the single greatest sword in existence even better then Sword of Light and Shadow.

You recall how i like to speak good of blue, well here's another reason why i am a blue player, sphinxes or as i like to call them, flying mother jammers of doom, this one is a 4/6 and as always has flying, but it's a secondary ability that catches my eye, whenever a opponent draws a card, you get to draw 2 cards, wow card draw advantage is so useful in any format, EDH, Limited you name it's bonkers and makes the timmy in me go crazy, expect to see this bad boy on tournament floors sometime soon.

Thrun has basically become the new Great Sable Stag for trolls and it's even got a day of judgement dodging effect, you must be kidding me, removal doesn't phase this dude and it's a nasty thing since it's basically got shroud for everything your opponent's throw it can be equipped though with a earlier mythic to make ridiculous levels happen, i personally think this is the 2nd greatest mythic yet, the 1st being the best walker in green Garruk Wildspeaker.

Hero of Bladehold is a card i spoke of nearly 4 times at this point and it's not getting old, 3/4 with Battle cry, brings out dudes when it attacks and they are attacking as well, costs 4 mana and is a human knight, seriously ridiclous in all respects since the hero is the mirran prerelease card for the set and is perhaps the single card that might see the Knights vs Dragons Duel deck as i mentioned before, Now Glissa the Traitor you all remember from a previous article and i don't really need to go over her since the fact of the matter is she is just nuts and is the Phyrexian Card for the Prerelease plus the fact of the matter she's just badass, that about wraps it up since i've been rambling long enough as of this article, see you guys next time.

Mirrodin Besieged Tokens

 Alrighty so this article is devoted to the tokens of Mirrodin Besieged and the fact they are so darn cool to look at let's see there is five in all and each one is a different one that spawns off various cards so let us begin

 The thopter dude here spawns off Thopter Assembly and it's a 1/1 flyer for a token, which is not bad if i must admit, tokens don't often have flying and in this case it's entirely nice to see flying back on tokens even if it has only been like a year since the last time this evergreen keyword was used on this kind of card.

 The horror dude here spawns straight outta the card Phyrexian Rebirth and it's as deadly as they come, this could end up being a 6/6 most occasions on par with some powerful mythics like Wurmcoil Engine and even the Titans but no one can say for certain.

No one knows what this black zombie spawns off of yet, however it's safe to say it's gotta be a phyrexian card since the art and that looks like it's pretty dang creepy to be honest, though i'd like to see this card in the next while wizards.

Ah the golem token, this one spawns off of Titan Forge and each one of these bad boys are a 9/9 when they hit the board meaning they are hard to deal with, but artifact removal is very apparent in this set, so we could see these guys being removed rather effciently.

Lastly we have our 0/0 germ token that spawns off the mechanic Living Weapon, whatever power this thing is it is nasty and can be easily destroyed, however the equipment attached to this cannot be destroyed unless it's done by things like Shatter or some thing, so it's a benefit to having this as a target for a removal spell, that is all she wrote today, i just wanted to give you guys a heads up on the tokens for the set as a whole and as a token collector these interest me greatly who knows what these may bring when the time comes, till next time this is vergil signing off.

Mirrodin Besieged Newest Mythic - Blightsteel Colossus

So remember how i used to talk about darksteel being the best, not anymore in fact it's second rate when the phyrexians bring out their next weapon known as Blightsteel, yeah not very inventive i know but it gets the job done, since there is 4 hits of this in the orb there are two cards for phyrexia and one of them, oh god this is a beatstick on steroids mixed with a bit of raw flavour, that's right Blightsteel Colossus aka what's up i'm smacking your face in with 11 points of infect damage yeah this guy is a 1 turn kill when he comes online, nothing short of a Revoke Existence of perhaps a arrest will get rid of this guy, Let's see what he's got shall we?

Well, well well, copying the best beatstick in the game currently eh phyrexia, as they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and this is no exception to that rule of course, 11/11 for a trample, infect and indestructible, my god oh did i mention it goes back into the library when it goes to the graveyard, yeah i didn't mention that but dear god, oh it's a 12 mana drop as well for a mythic, but check out the artwork nice, very nice indeed me thinks.

It appears we may end up having a new phyrexia after all is said and done since mirrodin is so done for, till next article this is vergil signing off.

Mirrodin Besieged Updates -Warning Major Spoiler Alert-

So as of this point we have seen 46 out of a possible 155 cards of mirrodin besieged, this set though it is small has a decent number of cards, more so then worldwake which came out around this time last year, again though we only have one planeswalker and here he is in all his glory, Tezzert, Agent of Bolas

This right here is the real deal, let's take a look at what he can do, first thing first is his loyalty it is 3 for a 4 drop that is awesome, jace beleren starts at 3 for a 3 drop that's pretty awesome too, His +1 ability though is intruging since it fetches artifacts from your library and makes them go into your hand, meaning the more artifacts you have, the more useful this becomes, His -1 ability is even better it makes non creature artifacts into creatures and attackers in general which ends the game even faster and in a heavy artifact set such as Mirrodin Besieged he is more useful in this manner, His -4 ability does direct damage to target players in the amount of artifacts you control times 2 and gives that much back in life to you the player whom controls him, who wants to bet this will start at 25 dollars US and go up because of his 2nd and 3rd abilites, huh well that's all she wrote for this one, i just wanted to give a major alert to you all for the fact i've been conducting spoilers for magic now since 2011's core set came out and i am loving every minute of it, till next time this is vergil signing off.

Mirrodin Besieged Orbs of Insight

Now the orb of insight is a widely useful tool which gives away various secrets in the upcoming sets now there is two orbs, one for each faction, one phyrexian, one mirran but they are reversed in the order as the phyrexian one reveals mirran secrets and the mirran orb reveals phyrexian secrets. This is a tad confusing for most at the first glance but when you get used to the confusion there is a lot to be revealed.

Both orbs can be found here ----> Mirran Orb and Phyrexian Orb meaning each one side has a various array of new things to look for, IE: new mechanics, old mechanics and even evergreen keywords in general which is sure to entertain even the most hardcore of magic players, though the orb has been out since wednesday as of this posting i wanted to make it known for those whom not have yet had the chance to experience this wonderful tool of insight.

This is another short article though since i don't really think anything else warrants your attention at this point, so till next article, spoiler season begins in 2 days and that, so till next time this is vergil signing off.