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by Kevin McLaughlin, Senior Editor
Fifth Edition Strategy Analysis Fifth edition has arrived, and Magic will never be the same. Elements which we once thought of as "key" are missing from the set. Old spells and creatures we thought lost are returned to us with a vengeance. And the grand metagame of Magic has changed. I've prepared an initial analysis of the set, and tried to predict how it will change game play. Some new decks will become dominant, I suspect. And some old ones are back in force.
Black Black has lost less than almost any other color, having lost only two key cards - Hypnotic Specter and Sengir Vampire. These have been replaced by the Abysmal - sorry, I mean Abyssal - Specter, and the Fallen Angel. Both of these replacements are a serious blow to black; gone is the easy turn one specter, and Fallen Angel is incinerate bait in the wrong deck. However... Black has also gained more than any other color. Cards to return to us include pump knights (with no Serrated Arrows to oppose them, this time!), the Breeding Pit (Pillar Tombs, anyone?), Derelor (strong!), Hecatomb, Mind Warp, Pox, and - Necropotence. That's right, Necro has returned, along with many of the key elements to the old necrodecks. However, with the loss of Ivory Tower and Zuran Orb, and the entrance of Anvil of Bogarden, Necro has taken a few hits. Illumination and the sheer force of Type 2 burn spells will also take their toll. Expect to see Necro back, but as a new breed of Necro - either ultra speed with red, or slower control with blue or green.
Blue Blue has lost more than it gained. The Mahamoti Djinn and Ghost Ship are gone, replaced partly by Sibilant Spirit. More damaging was the loss of Control Magic. Binding Grasp has replaced this staple card, and the one blue upkeep will hamper its effectiveness and use in tourney play. Blue picked up two more counterspells with Deflection and Force Spike, and the Sea Sprite was nice to see back, especially considering how strong red is likely to be over the next six months. Zur's Weirding rounds out these new cards, providing the possibility once more to experiement with the fascinating Weirding decks. I have yet to be defeated by a T2 deck with a weirding in it, but the card is just waiting for a solid deck. Blue is more about what is still here than what has left or arrived. The counters are still intact, and two spells some thought in danger - Recall and Stasis - are still in the set. Overall, blue has remained about the same. Green Green has been changed the least by the rotation. The hardest hit was the loss of the Ernham Djinn (wince). This creature has been dropped without an adequate replacement. Also gone are concordant crossroads, Gaea's Leige, and a few other cards. Force of Nature, Elvish Archers, Birds of Paradise, Titania's Song, and most of the other "key" spells are still there. New additions include Hungry Mist, Johtull Wurn, Nature's Lore, and Primal Order. Lhurgoyf is back! But green did not recieve either of two key cards is needed - Stunted Growth and Thermokarst. This has left green with only two spells for disruption - Fallow Earth and Creeping Mold. The first is questionable in value, and the second is too high a casting cost for a fast disruption spell. Hopefully we will see some new green disruption from Weatherlight. Red Red's worst loss was the removal of Lightning Bolt. Long considered a red staple, the bolt is finally gone. It's been replaced by the more reasonably costed Incinerate. While this slows down red defense a small amount, it might also curb the ultra-bolt decks we are starting to see in the environment. Red also lost Power Surge and Goblin Balloon Brigade. However - it gained a frightening array of powerful cards: Atog, Conquer (Outposts???), Jokulhaups (!!!), Orgg, and Shatterstorm! That's right, seeds wasn't enough, now we have shatterstorm, too. Artifact based decks are so very dead. And red has really not changed from being the dominant color - there were simply to many gains for the loss of the bolt to make much difference. White White has lost a great deal. Most notably, Swords to Plowshares and Serra Angel are gone. Also history are Conversion and Savannah Lions. While the Serra has been replaced by both Abbey Gargoyles and Seraph, and Conversion with Justice, both the other two spells have been dropped without replacements. White also picked up some spells which might offset these losses, however. Back again is the Blinking Spirit, which will likely replace the Icy in defensive decks. Also arrived are Caribou Range, white pump knights and - Dust to Dust and Greater Realm of Preservation! These two unanticipated returns mark a major change. First, artifact decks are even more dead. Second, when combined with Justice and the Gargoyle, red might actually have a worthy opponent in white still, and even the speed-kill r/b necro might have problems without an early gloom. Still available to white are Armageddon and Wrath of God, two spells many thought were sure to be gone. Land and Artifacts Artifacts were barely touched. The Rack is gone, and the Icy has not returned as many hoped and some feared. The Jester's Cap is back - together with Recall, Feldon's Cane, and tutors this could be a strong recursion deck now. Lands are another story. The base set has gone from having 5 land types to many! The pain lands from Ice Age are back, as is the City of Brass and the Fallen Empires lands. Overall result? We will see the return of two and three color decks in force. Mono color decks have had their day, and although they will not disappear, they will show up in reduced numbers. Analysis Necro will most certainly be back, but not in as much force as during the Black Summer (summer '96). Too many people are prepared against it now. Stasis is still possible, although hurt by the strength of red. Ernham-geddon is dead; long live Maro-geddon. With the loss of the ernham, players will look to the Maro, Bull Elephant, and other cards to assist this deck. White weenie, especially swarm style weenie, is still very strong. With the loss of both plow and bolt, any speed weenie creature deck will be viable and a threat. Red burn is still alive, but may meet problems when faced by decks with Greater Realm in the main deck. I believe many white decks will take this step when they see how dominant red and black will become. Green will remain primarily a support color for red, black, and white. Big fast creature decks no longer have to worry about and early Swords, and are half as likely to have creatures double bolted. Watch for Exiles, Terrors, and Pacifisms to become very popular, very fast. Overall, the creature-based environment will be very strong. Creatureless or low-creature decks will be harder than ever before. Offense will matter more than defense in most cases, and the general speed of the games will increase. Fare thee well, Sorcerer, in the realms of Fifth Edition!
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