Topics

Well, not HL related, but still it will affect us all...

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/42a

I really don't like some of the rules changes... Specially combat damage: RIP mogg fanatic.

I think it will be very hard for long time players to get used...

And once again, my review of the new set - Alara Reborn - in the point of a Highlander player.
Here goes:

Ardent plea - Cascade is a very interesting ability. It lets you play a free spell, even it the cascade spell was countered, really interesting. It may well see some play in UW builds.

Aven Mimeomancer - I think this has a lot of potential, the "may" clause is what makes this good, you can pump (+ evasion) your weaker creatures (tokens...) and even remove threats/fatties

Mask of riddles - This set brought us loads of (good) equipments. This one isn't the best, but good nonthless, UB aren't the most used colors (specially with a heavy creature component)

Time Sieve - well, wotc, did a good job not building a broken artifact, instead they left us with a interesting design, but useless (IMO) card.

Anathemancer - I think i'll hate this card... =/ repeateable PoP? Althouhg the unearth is very expensive, this card is a bomb. Ohh, why WOTC, why??

Demonspine whip - Another great equipment. Fire breathing for colorless? Ouch... very powerful. And it's in the colors of good aggro decks.

Blitz hellion - well, i´m not sure about this one, but it might see some play.. 5CMC is a bit, though for RG beatz

Bloodbraid elf - this one is very good, 3/2 haste that lets you play another 3 cmc (or less) spell? Quite good.

Mage slayer - Another good equipment, doesn't give evasion nor pump, but all you need to do is tap (attak) and (some) damage goes through.

Predatory advantage - this one could have been such a good anti-aggro card, instead they did an anti control card.. oh, well.

Spellbreaker behemoth - Not the best ability, but the 5/5 body is nice for its cost

Behemoth sledge - IMO, one of the best cards in the set. This equipment is a bomb, pump, evasion (sort of) and lifegain. A good CMC,and a good equip cost. This will sure see play.

Quasali Pridemage - Common? Sometimes i just don't understand cards rarity... this should be uncommon, minimum. Excellent card, specially for aggro (nice early drop, nice late drop vs moat)

Necromancers covenant - Interesting card, too high CMC. So, won't see play probably.

Spellbound dragon - Is an interesting card. it lets you "cycle" cards while pumping the dragon, too bad UR combination isnt very used.

Lord of extinction - Screams to be broken (oath?), but since it doesnt have any protection nor evasion it makes it not as good as other options, however i won't be surprised to see this one in decks.

Maelstrom pulse - well, i was more excited about this one when it came out, now i really don't know (for my 5cc), it isnt instant, doesnt hit lands, the "same name" isnt a big deal in Highlander (unless facing tokens). But will definitely see play. One of the chase rares of the set.

Cerodon yearling - Another great card aggro card (like they needed it )

Lorescale Coatl  - Well, this one will definitely see play, i´m willing to test it. Great with brainstorm.

Etherwrought Page - For me, this card could have been better (lower cmc, better "black" part) but even like this, i feel like testing it. Good vs aggro (lifegain) good vs control (blue part) and sort of finisher. I really don't know what to cut, but i really wanted to test this one.

Sen triplets - A lot of buzz about this one, however i feel it's too weak in our format. Doesn't have an immediate impact on the game, its a bit expensive, vs aggro isn't very good, easily dealt with (lightning bolt, removal, etc)

Sphinx of the steel wind - Another fattie for oath? don't think so, the lack of haste and it's protections doesnt make it an akroma. I'd prefer to run an empiryal archangel over this.

Madrush cyclops - The colors aren't very usual in highlander, but other than that good card.

Jenara - Absolutely bomb card. cheap, good body, relevant ability + evasion. Excellent.

Maelstrom Nexus - ANother card that screams to be broken.. but i dont think that it will work.

Esper stormblade - Good in UW builds that use lots of multicolor

Slave of bolas - Such a beatiful art wasted on an ordinary card... =/

Well, i think that sums it all... Any comments? ANy cards i left out?

[free]

This topic is meant, mainly for new players/members, but it is advised to be read by all Highlander online league (HLL) participants.

The HLL is an absolutely free online league with symbolic prizes (donated mostly by Vazdru, thks Vazdru ). You'll need an online platform to play (usually MWS) here you can find a summary of the HLL rules:

1) Our league follows the basic rules from Highlander matches, you can find more about these rules here.
1.1) HLL - Season XIV uses enlarged card pool (all cards unbanned + all cards on unban-watchlist)

If your deck fails to check this list, you'll lose your match, but you'll stay in the league. (Remember to alter it for the next match, if this happens to you).

1.2) And uses this "special" mulligan rule:
[spoiler]For one of the starting hands during each game only, each player may "reject" any number of cards from his or her hand. They set these cards aside, draw the corresponding number of cards from their deck and, after that, reshuffle the set-aside cards back into their library. The opponent cuts the deck afterwards (mandatory). Note that this is a slight change as of 04/15/2007 since you can now choose the hand from which you reject cards, e.g. with a very bad initial hand of 7 you may decide to take a normal mulligan without rejecting any cards. You may then apply the new mulligan to your 6-card-hand.[/spoiler]

2) Every week, Vazdru makes new pairings. This pairings allows you to see whom you have to play your matches against. When and "where" you play is your (both players) decision.

3) A match is composed of the best of 3 games. The time limit for the 3 games (1 match) is 1 hour, however, if BOTH players agree, you may play without time limit. Always ask before starting a match.

4) During a match you cannot change your deck. However you may choose a different deck (or make modifications to your deck) for every match.

5) There is no date limit to when you can play your matches, you can even play half of your match on a day and the rest on another day (if both players agree). If you do so, remember to save both security codes.
However you must abide to a minimum matches calendar, which is posted by Vazdru. (Keep in mind that, you don't need to play your pairings by order of announcement, you can stay in the league even if you have matches from Pairings 1 still to play, as long as you keep the minimum matches requirement)

6) Scoring in the league is as follow:
Win = 3 points
Losing = 0 points
Drawing = 1 point

7) After playing a full match, please go to the scoreboard of the current league and report your score. A brief report of the match and decks is very welcomed, although not obligatory.

Remember to play fair and honest. This league is all about having a good time and playing an awesome format/game.  


after 10 [HLL]Seasons it is time for some change  

New rules effective for Season XI

> Season XI lasts from Jan, 1st to Mar 31st

> Season XI will have three stages:

Stage 1 (January)
Participants will be split up in two groups based on [HLL]Ladder (Group 1 upper half, Group 2 lower half rather new players)
Groupmembers are free to play vs eachother once, there won't be any specified pairings.
Participants have to play min. 2 and max. 7 matches in stage 1
Participants who do not reach the minimum of 2 matches will be excluded as inactive members.

Stage 2 (February)
Active participants will be split up in two groups based on their Season XI Ranking (upper/lower half)
Groupmembers are free to play vs eachother once (as clarification: participants do not have to play vs opponents of previous stages)
Participants have to play min. 2 and max. 7 matches in stage 2
Participants do not reach the minimum of 7 matches till the end of stage 2 will be excluded as inactive members.

Stage 3 (March)
There will be pairings for active players based on Season XI Ranking at the beginning of stage 3.
Participants do not have to play vs opponents of previous stages.
Every participant may have a maximum of 15 matches.


> Only players who have ever made a contribution to price pool may win any prices at the end of season XI, players who haven’t contributed anything will play for fun.
Registered contributors for [HLL] actually are

~Fenry~
coldcrow
derStefan82
-jfk-
marchhare
Mythrandir
Nastaboi
Tabris
Vazdru
Maggot
Geth29
Goblinpiledriver
Helle

If anyone is missing plz PM. List will be updated continuously.

> We will obviously use at any one time the updated banned list. In other respects the rules stated above by Mythrandir are still valid.

[White:]

And we have already the full spoiler for [con], so like i usually do, here´s my review of the set for our Highlander format (and one or other tidbit about limited/constructed):
Here we go:

White:

Aven Squire - This looks like a good card to insert in WW, great in you can only attack with a single creature (shadow/flyer) due to board situation (moat/restraint/creatures, etc) however i have no idea of what to cut in the 2 CMC slot.

Celestial purge - Seems like a good removal and even though it can remove PW, etc it´s a bit situational, so metagame depending. (i believe there is better removal), but interesting.

Court homunculus - this one will probably find a place in consctructed.

Lapse of certainty - Well, white is getting better and better counterspells  This one not only "buys" you one turn but gains you tempo. Interesting to play in WW to avoid those WOGs

Martial coup - I think this is a must-in in staxx with W. good removal with the built in wining condition

Path to exile - Now we get to the probably most chase-uncommon of the set. This will probably be worth good money. And although in our format there are inumerous removal i think this will see play, especially in aggro since, IMO it´s better to give a land than to give life. (but very situational) As for control this as an early removal kind of sucks, since it ramps your opponnent, so at least i won´t be playing with it. good card.

Sigil of the empty throne - For those you like to play enchantress deck, here's a new enchantment for you to play. Good finisher in this deck.

Blue

Brackback water - well, i could see this playing in skies if it had some sort of evasion. But since it doesnt it will probably remain limited fodder.

Esperzoa - This is another very talked about card. It isnt a sea drake, but its drawback in the right deck can be an advantage. Very interesting card.

Faerie mechanist - It's no trinket, but it's a medium card for affinity/stax deck.

Master transmuter - Combo card, now it only needs another card to combo with. interesting card, no tinker, but it can save herself and put a darksteel colossus into play. I have no idea why staxx decks aren't around. they sure have very good cards even though academy is banned.

Telemin performance - Anti-oath tech just kidding. moving along 

Traumatic visions - (i just had to talk about this) So we get a set where blue and white have the same number of counterspells =/ ok... this may be good in limited or block, but it kind of sucks, even though it provides blue with an ability it usually doesnt have. Very disappointed. Where's blue draw and counter in this set?!  

Black

Rotting rats - seems interesting, although you still hae to discard the unearth ability provides a future discard.

Salvage slasher - it´s no ravager or disciple, but really interesting in affinity since it has flying.

wrecthed banquet - even though it's very situationl it can still be a good removal, but in our format ther are probably better options.

Banefire - One of the chase rares of the set. Really good, although, IMO, counters aren´t really a huge problem , Otherwise every player would run a boseiju. I play with a demonfire in my 5CC and i will be staying with it. the RFG ability is very important and even though hellbent is more situational tha the X=5 i think it´s not worth it.

Bloodhall ooze - well, there is much hype about this one. "sleeper rare" "new tarmo", etc. in my opinion it isnt any good even in constructed formats. you have to build the deck around it and in middle/late game it just sucks. But i have been wrong before.

Dragonsoul knight - This (and the rest of the "cycle", minus black which is meh) is kind of interesting. They are good early drops 3 for a 2/2 first strik isnt awful but in middle/late game with all 5 colors they get huge. it´s no figure of destiny, but until i get one IRL, this (or white, haven´t decided yet) will have to do. 

Goblin razor runners - In RDW this might even see some play, especially when RDW is facing a moat or restraint, they can just sit back and relax while this pings the opponnent.

Hellspark elemental - If i saw ppl playing with the R 3/1 "mini-ball lightning" this just might as well see some action. Unearth is a very interesting ability. Which i think (like other abilities) haven´t been explored to the maximum (probably in fear of creating unbalanced/broken cards)

Quenchable fire - doesnt seem too bad (at least if U isnt very played in your meta). But burn is one thing that R doesnt lacks...

Volcanic fallout - Anti-fae card. Might as well see some play in Highlander since it's better than pyroclam (in aggro) since it deals 2 damage to the players plus its instant.

Voracious dragon - Pure vorthos card. Would love to see someone playing this and then a patriarch bidding. lol. RDW/gobos? better finishers out there, IMO.

Worldheart phoenix - When i first heard rumours about this one it came with landcyle (it doesnt), oh, well.. this way it probably wont see play even though it´s one nasty creature to get rid of.

Green:

Glutonous slimes - This is mentioned here, only because of the flash + devour.

Might of alara - Another goodie for zoo

Noble hierarch - Another of the set's chase rare. This one is awesome in aggro decks, specially those that run mana acceleration (birds, etc). really great card. They really pushed exalted IMO. Another goodie for zoo (and others)

Scattershot archer - LOL, BB hoser (a bit like volcanic fallout). Might just see play in elfs deck at worst its a 1/2 for G vanilla creature.

Shard convergence - I dont know if i will be testing this one( in stead of darksteel ingot). This (provided it isnt countered) would provide 5CC with a land drop on the next 4 turns and totally avoids color screw, since it can fetch duals. However the 4 CMC factor in a deck that doesnt use any mana acceleration is a bit heavy. Late game is better than ingot since it thins the deck. What's your opinion on this one?

Soul majesty - Oath card, overlord (or progenitus) in play and then this. combo!!! lol  kidding.

Spores burst - From all the (new) domain card this one seems like it could see play in tokenmania. Even on only 3 color, it´s 3 tokens for 4 CMC, not very bad.

Thornling - Probably a chase mythic, ppl are saying this is the new chameleon (once it rotates out of T2). As for highlander, i have no idea. In MGA it's too expensive, in other decks they may be better options. BTW, activated haste? and in green? 

Tukatongue thallid - 1 drop for tokenmania? i think it´s suboptimal.

Multicolor:

Child of alara - it would have been great if this had been a domain powerful creature, oh well, i might even try it as a wog on a stick, but dont know. 5 for a trample 6/6 isnt very bad. btw, have you seen its picture? creepy!

Conflux - Combo with dreamhalls. Problem CMC. will it see play? IMO, no. (unless you´re comboing, and we all know how's combo in Highlander). but, heck, i have been wrong before. Although i would have loved (timmy part) to play this, perhaps one day when meta shifts toward less aggro.

Countersquall - nice fae card. It might just see play in our format too.

Fusion elemental - 5 CMC for a 8/8 WOW, oh wait.. it doesnt have any evasion. move along (i guess..)

The outlander cycle - Formely known as protection bears. will they se play? perhaps, but only the valeron (Pro from black) and vedalken (pro from red) IMO.

Gwafa hazid - Another perfect vorthos card. Good in multuplayer formats. Might have been good too if the clause "you don´t control" wasnt there.

Knight of the reliquary - My number 1 card from conflux. Cheap, nice body, Great (activated) ability, sinergy with its other ability. Will definitely see play, IMO on those LD decks that run these colors. Can thin your deck, search for tech lands while in the process getting huge. i´m looking at you Vazdru  great card.

Maelstrom archangel - if only it had shroud. if i´m going to test a WUBRG creaute it will be child of alara for its wog effect. Interesting card, but i guess it wont see play.

Malfegor - Apparently this is great in EDH, in our highlander i guess not. looks like Mortal kombat bosses.

Meglonoth - Talk about defensive creature. Too bad it´s a bit costy. but what can you expect from fatties.

Nicol bolas - The uber powerful PW, pity it costs 4UBBR. +3 counters makes him a bit hard to kill (glad for that CMC). i think all PW have seen some highlander games, and they are game breakers. will this see play. My tymmy part want to use, but the CMC is just a killer, i think i would prefer a cruel ultimatum.

Progenitus - Oath auto-included. If it dies (wog) it returns to the library, it´s unblockable, untargetable and it puts a 2 turn clock. If this hits the table, you can´t really do much, besides beating your opponnent before he beats you. Excellent card for oath, oath has been getting some goodies since mythic cards came out.

Scarland thrinax - it´s no ravager, but i think it can see some play in tokenmania.

Artifacts:

Bone saw - i think shuko is better than this one, but he might see play in addition to shuko. The reason this is better it´s because once it's in play you dont need to spend any mana.

Font of mythos - combo deck? owl mine? probably not any good.

Kaleidstone - Since it has a cantrip it can see some play in combo/staxx.

Manaforce mace - if this was cheaper it would be zoo paradise. but for 4 + 3 to equip it wont´see play

Obelisk of Alara - very versatile card, works wonder in staxx, IMO. As for my 5CC unless i change it and add some mana acceleration i wont make my decklit, aggro i my main problem and for this to work i need 6 + 1X mana, and that's a bit expensive, but even then... Very interesting, i think it deserves a couples of tests.

Lands:

Ancient ziggurat - good in zoo? its nice to have non-expensive mana bases to attract more players.

Exotic orchard - there´s a lot of fuss about this one. in our format there are far better things

Rupture spire - again non-expensive mana base might attract new players.

Unstable frontier - again, the same as above.

Well, that's it for this set. Have i miss any card that's worth mentioning? Feel free to comment and add suggestions. What cards will you be testing from the set?
Cheers.




EDITED: Added the rest.

Just to wish a merry xmas to all members and players. Hope you get all you want

Here´s a treat (for those who dont use rumour forums), conflux rumoured card:

Obelisk of alara
6
Artifact (rare)

1W,tap : You gain 5 life.
1U,tap : Draw a card, then discard a card.
1B,tap : Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn.
1R,tap : Obelisk of Alara deals 3 damage to target player.
1G,tap : Target creature gets +4/+4 until end of turn.

Feel free to discuss or add other rumored cards


Merry xmas or like we say in portuguese "bom natal"

From the recent B&R announcement there were some interesting things said about our format, here´s the link:

http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/ld/17

"In all three cases, we looked at corresponding paper formats when constructing the new banned lists. There were two popular versions of Pauper in existence before we created ours: one that banned Cranial Plating, and one that banned Cranial Plating and the artifact lands. We agreed that Cranial Plating was too good, but it is our belief that the format can handle an Affinity deck without it, so we chose to leave the artifact lands alone. For 100 Card Singleton, we looked at German Highlander, a casual format that is popular in (surprise) Germany and also happens to use 100-card singleton decks. Our decisions were very similar to theirs with a few exceptions. It is not our goal that the 100 Card Singleton format contain no combo decks whatsoever, so we have chosen to ban the most powerful tutors like Intuition and Gifts Ungiven and super-efficient combo cards like Flash and Grindstone, but leave some cards like Worldgorger Dragon and Dread Return alone."


I decided to copy paste the interesting parts, but essentially they say they prefer not to cut combo and leave cards like worldgorger dragon and dread return alone, instead they banned gifts, intuition.
Also since its online MTG they dont have to deal with cards like worhshop, library, P3.

Any comments?

this might bring new info to vazdru questionnaire.

Hey. i´ve already seen that the top8 were made of:
6 aggro decks
2 control decks

And Maxime Lemaitre has won (congrats to him).

If anyone else has any news/reports/decklists i would love to read

I think this was another successfull GP, congrats to all players and organisation

The videos of the semifinal and final are already available. Despite some of the sleeves making some of the cards hard to see, i think they are worth viewing. Steady cam (tripod is always good  ). Good work organization.

Here are the links:

Semifinal:
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=OjVRyg0v1UI
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=1tSj188GH0Q
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=VWuSmqQM2LM
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=hIrC7n0LyGw
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=HgwEs_p0WtE
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=O45j5h_Csio

Finale Spiel 1:
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=mhdbR4qdA6k Finale 1/3
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=wHPDKPzsy_I Finale 2/3
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=SpuM3RDS_eo Finale 3/3

Finale Spiel 2:
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=vPajgFIlxPw


EDITED: Added the video links.

Hey everyone.

I was just hanging on another site and saw this spectacular idea from one of the moderators. Each person alters one (or more cards) and sends them to the moderator, he then (randomly) sends a person who sent a card one of the altered cards. Just like xmas gifts.

What´s your opinion? great or stupid? Anyone here want to participate?
Any comments? or is everyone too busy because of the upcoming GP?

I dont mind being the receptor (although, i´m in Portugal)

I was wondering what your opinions are concerning this new rarity.

I think that its a bit to soon to say, but in terms of prices, [ALA] didnt bring any mythic bomb (perhaps except Sarkhan vol; And lich mirror and tezzeret if anyone breaks them).

In Portugal, at online MTG stores we have sarkhan at 35â,¬, emyprial angel and lich mirror at 6â,¬, tezzeret at 19â,¬ and overlord at 10â,¬. so with the exception of sarkhan (which is also a timmy card because of the dragons) i think the cards are in "normal" range of prices.

My only concern is if someone "breaks" (without having the need to ban it) some mythic rare or if wotc in the next sets makes a stupid mythic like the tarmagoyf, which was underrated when it came out (even by wotc), and suddenly we have a 3/4â,¬ (like goyf) to a 33â,¬ (price of goyf in the store) or even higher, of course.

[white:]

Once again we have a new expansion and once again here goes my review of the cards, concerning HL.
well, here goes:

white:

Battlegrace Angel - nice control card, if it attacks alone its an improved exalted angel, its CMC is quite fair and i dont think the exalted "thingy" is a huge problem for control.

Elspeth, Knight Errant - Like all PW, they seem playable. The fact that it has 2 +1 is quite interesting. The last ability isnt game winning, but having a horde of indestructible knights (and other permanents) is quite good.

Ethersworn canonist - good in stax decks and other artifact oriented decks. (will probably see play in t2, and extendend)

Knight of the white orchid - nice weenie creature.

Ranger of Eos - search for figure of destiny? of course i will... nice card. might just see some play.

Blue:

Couriers capsule - i prefer something like tidings, stroke of genius, etc... however this in staxx and similar decks (academy ruins) might be quite powerful.

Etherium Sculptor - quite good, and at common? will definitely see play in t2 and extended.. as for HL its hard to say, i like it but its too "killable"

Master of etherium - very good as as finisher creature in the right deck, too bad it has no evasion. (will probably be one of the chase rares of the set)

Mindlock orb - this upsets me a little bit... aven mindcensor was a bit harsh.. this is quite worse.. no fetchs, no demonic. i´. glad it costs 4.
will it be any good with Maralen?

Tezzeret the Seeker - well, one the best cards in the set. someone will probably find a way to brake this card. its quit elegant (and powerful), specially with artifact lands. I also like it quite a lot because its last ability is a game winner, unlike other PW. Very powerful card.

Black:

Ad Nausem - well in vintage and legacy this will probably see some play, as for HL i really dont know, IMO there are better things. but nice card, specially with top in play.

well, i´m quite disappointed with black. i dont see that many good black cards in this set... perhaps some with Unearth might see play in dredge decks, otherwise nothing very intresting.

Red:

Goblin assault - well, its no bitterblossom, but also quite good, might see play in tokenmania?!

Hell's thunder - balanced card. i like it for RDW and similar, the unearth lets u play in those mid/late games where u hope to draw a burn and draw a land instead..

Jund battlemage - the only battlemage worth of putting here. quite good, a must in limited.

Green:

Green didnt bring anything very exciting or new.
Wild nacatl - seems playable in a zoo like deck.

druid of the anima - mana fixer, might see play, just because its an elf.

Does anyone else see a good/interesting card here?! or its just me?! :S

Multicolor:

Ajani the vengeant - another PW, i like it, its good in aggro/control. will personally test it ou in my 5CC.

charms - nothing new here... some versatile cards. wont play with any of them, though.

Blightning - well, i´ve been playing versus a BR deck. this might just see play in that one.

Ultimatum(s) - hmmmm.. there is only 1 i´d play, the cruel ultimatum, its such a game turning card, however their costs seem really bad... specially for my 5cc, which is having (the most) problems with aggro/fast decks. so this wont help at all.. however in a more control metagame, this acts more or less like a win condition.

Broodmate dragon - Really good card. the 1st time i read it, i thought it was haste + EOT and said Meh.. my mistake. 6 mana for 2 4/4 flyers seems really, really interesting. even for aggro decks 6 mana isnt that much. i think the biggest problem is the mana combination. not many BRG decks around.

Empyrial Archangel - i havent made up my mind with this 1. the fact that it has shroud really attracts me and the 5/8 body is quite good making it bit out of reach for burn spells (targeting me..) but the 8 CMC is a huge "auch...". what do u think about this 1.. i probably test it out only to see it wont help against fast decks and will cut it out.. :S (BTW, timmy card... lol)

Hellkite Overlord - might just see some play in oath/reanimation decks. i like it a lot. better (in some situations) than akroma. a must, IMO, in an oath deck.

Hindering light - the only decent counter of the set. Cantrips are always nice and welcome. good for Vazdru UW skies. vindicate on BTB, i think not

Realm razer (aka: worldgorger dragon v 2.0) - its a bit pricy, but a walking "geddon" seems nice. even if it doesnt see play

rip clan crasher - aggro creature. nothing fancy.. move along.

Sarkhan vol - probably one of the most expensive cards in the set (thks a lot for mythic, Wotc). nice card. first ability definitly aggro (too bad...) the 2nd is useful in aggro and control and the last leaves your opponent in a 1 turn death clock (unless u have Anger in grave ). very powerful card.

Sedraxis specter - like it alot because of the unearth. color combination arent the most current ones playing, though.

Stoic Angel - my favorite card for this set. nice art, nice abilities, nice 3/4 body. nice control creature. way better than lighning angel (for my 5cc). its a flyer (which i was searching to add more in my deck), it stops mass attacks. i "always" get the upper hand, cause i can attack with her + another.. as soon as a patch is avalaible i´m putting it in.

wooly thoctar - nice card in zoo. zoo gets some nice creature cards in this set.

Artifacts

Lich's mirror - another card that screams to be broken, probably not in HL, though.

Minion reflector - interesting card. specially with come into play abilities. biggest problem "you control", otherwise good.

Quietus spike - shadow, fear, islandwalk, flying, unblockable.. well.. scary. and it even has deathtouch.. (this + Jhessian Infiltrator  in a draft... auch)

Obelisks are nice, but i think i prefer talismans and signet.

Lands:
Hurray for Wotc for making common and uncommon mana fixers. not that it will make a huge difference in HL.
they could have least made (1??! not even 1??) some interesting lands (with nice abilities).

Well, any comments? any card i forgot? any card that u strongly disagree?!
Hope to see some posts here.

well, we´ve already got 1 card from the next expansion:

Hellkite Overlord
4BRRG
Creature - Dragon
Flying, trample, haste
R: Hellkite Overlord gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
BG: Regenerate Hellkite Overlord.
8/8

"The dragon has no pretense of compassion, no false mask of civilization -- just hunger, heat, and need."
- Sarkhan Vol


well.. not that good.. unless u drop it via oath/reanimation.. timmy card, me think. better than akroma in oath if u have 2 R available -> kills in 2 attack (if it doesnt get blocked..) but akroma has more protection.

Eventide has become legal in t2 and other formats since its release date (25th) so i when will it be legal for the HL league? (i´m just asking because i didnt find any official patch for MWS and i dont know about the stability/correctness of non-official patches.)

thks

Once again, we have the full spoiler of a new edition, and here i go to make a new review of the cards for HL decks, specially for 5C control

WHITE:

- cenn´s enlistment as with "all" the cards with retrace they just might see some play. i think its one of the best mechanics in a long time. being able to play the same card several times is great, specially with only the drawback of discading a land (LFTL anyone?). its just a pity, that they didnt do any really powerfull, they were probably afraid that it would be too broken...

- endless horizons i think its a great card for WW, not only you get to have a great deal of mana available but, and more importantly you get to thin your deck.

- hallowed burial, nice WOG for for block, but i think there are better options in HL.

BLUE:

- Glen Elendra Archmage. 4mana 2/2 flyer with a cheap couter incorporated is just great, specially with persist, really nice card, if only it had flash.. , will definitely test this one out in my 5c control. even for 4 mana, this might see some play in the UW/UR skies...

-oonas grace, another card with retrace. this time its just 1 for 1.. but in late games, it might just be the card that might give you the edge, specially if you have a LFTL in play. The instant factor is probably enough for me to give it a go.

BLACK:

- necroskitter is really interesting, but i really dont see a deck where this could see play.. perhaps a rock-a-like deck.

- raven´s crime. for me the best retrace card. cheap, efficient. really well balanced. this one in a necro deck (not HL), would be really awesome.

- syphon life, another retrace card. if it was only could damage creatures too.. the BB will probably stop me from testing it. but in a more blackish deck, it could see some play.

RED:

- flame jab i think will see play in RDW, if lava dart is there, so could this. too bad its not at instant speed.

- rekindled flame once again for RDW or similar decks, this might be good. its a bit expensive, its probably better that hammer of bogardan.

- stigma lasher -> this just sucks for 5CC, turn 1, mountain, mox, ~this~. next turn swing, no mroe loxodon ,exalted, zuran orb, etc that can get us out of the red zone... =/ well, good card for RDW.

- thunderblast -> wont see play, probably, but nice twist on the ball lightning..

GREEN:

- helix pinnacle -> weird card. if u have 5 lands in play, you need 20 turns to win, if you have 10 lands you need 10 turns... unles someone makes a very controllish/enchantmente themed deck. this wont see play. at least it has shroud.. this one is in the list for the weird/different card factor..

- savage conception.. i´ve been thinking about this one for some time. (because i play call of the herd). call is cheaper, and can get some early pressure/defence which is essential, but this is a best (in some versions of my deck i´ve played ravenous baloth) which might be a plus. in a long term this is probably way better, but i´ve only been having trouble in the early (aggro decks) games. so, what do you think? is this worth it? VS call of the herd? let me know..

HYBRID:

- cauldron haze, well this is a good anti-wog card. also it might give you an upper hand in combat. itneresting card for WW and alikes.

- divinity of pride - another card that i´ll probably give it a go, not because of the +4/+4/ if you have 25lft.. but 5 mana 4/4 flying, lifelink, this is exalted-like.. probably better than brion?! (brion has that neat fling ability). its worth a try.

- unmake good t2 spot removal, not HL worthy, my opinion.

- call of the skybreaker, way too expensive... too bad =/

- dominus of fealty is quite interesting, i would really like to see a RU LD/counter deck that abuses this, with zuran orb + claws of gix. interestin concept, well designed card

-mirror sheen, could have been a good card, too bad its too restrictive and mana-intensive..

-nucklavee, if it werent for its CMC i would try it out. good combo card.

-sapling of colfenor i can see it in a survival deck. interesting card, no need for damage just atacking and indestructible is also neat.

- stalker hag - nice aggro creature with nice evasions

- worm harvest - again too expensive and needs the lands in the grave. tokenmania worth?

-balefire liege - nice card for R decks, play lightning bolt 6 damage, play fireblast 7 damage, nice. dunno if it CMC is worth, though..

- figure of destiny. this is a very intersting card (for 5cc), emergency blocker? early pressure? mid game beater? late game winner? is has potencial. you can even turn it a 2/2 from a 8/8 (in case of gilded drake?? ), very interesting card, will give it a test for sure. even in aggro decks i can see this play, early games: 1/1 OR 2/2 mid games for 5 mana a 4/4, very nice indeed.

- cold-eyed selkie - it isnt the best evasion, but the "draw that MANY cards" might be worth in a deck that plays some nice equipment (i´m looking at you U/X skies )

- gilder bairn - great combo with helix pinnacle.. you only need 50 countes this way.. lool.. just kidding. moving on..

-spitting image - again too expensive.. i would really have love to see some 3/4 CMC retrace spells.. well, lets hope this will be a recurring keyword.

ARTIFACTS:

- scarecrone -> combo card? i dont see many artifacts creature that are worth it...

-ward of bones -> well, interesting to say the least. too bad its 6CMC, perhaps in a stax deck. i would run it to, but i dont think by the time this comes into play, that those abilities will be of any help against aggro decks.

LANDS:
well, apart for the goat land, "normal lands here". as for the goad land (one of the weirdest card i´ve seen) its quite interesting. it activates reflecting pool, which is not too bad. it puts goats into play, which is always fun and it can give you some quite some mana, after a large number of turns. for 5cc, the 4,TAP its too expensive. but in other decks (tokenmania??) i think it can actually see some play.


well, this is my review. lets here some opinions

The spoiler is half way and it promises to be a good expansion, at least for limited.
there are already some neat cards that i would like to test, most of them being cards with retrace

(Retrace (You may play this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)

what do you think of this ability? will it see play in HL (specially with LFTL).
is oona grace good enough?

also figure of destiny seems quite good: in early, mid/late games.

Hey, has anyone here played in the V HL GP?, if sou would you mind making some comments/reports/decklists here? i´ve already took a glance at the main site, but my german isnt that great. =/

congrats to the winner and all other players.

well, we´ve got all the cards for this set. let's start discussing which cards will be good for Highlander, to which decks and why..

Here´s my opinion,

Once again for 5c control isnt any really relevant, "OMG that card is freaky awesome" card, however there are some cards i would like to test:
- firespout - seems like a nice card, versatile. seems rplayable

- oona, queen of the fae - a good finisher 6 mana 5/5 flying seems balanced, also it has a good ability (removing) which doesnt need tapping, plus the tokenn, it seems really playble, will certainly test it.

- augury adept - seems really powerful if it werent for its non-evasion (unlike shadowmage) and its 2 thoughness, but even though, 3 mana for a 2/2 which buys and lets you gain life sounds very tempting. (also good for UW control or variants)

- knollspine invocation - also a very interesting card, it can act as both a finisher and as a creature removal, and it isnt that mana expensive. the fact that one doesnt need R to play its ability (at instant, which is great) seems reaaly powerful. even for R aggro decks, it can see some play.

- faerie macabre -is good too, perhaps not for 5c control, but its discard ability at 0 mana, instant time to remove two cards is absolutely great. will probably seem some games

- dusk urchins - seems interesting too, nice cheap creature that gets some blocks/kill and some damage to players, with the bonus (possiblity) of drawing some cards. what do you think of this VS wall of blossoms? also good in BG "survival of fittest" deck and other decks

- twilight shepherd - is a nice timmy card, but for 6 mana 5/5 flying, vigilance it almost seems playable, specially for its PERSIST mechanic. as for its triggered ability for 5c control isnt that interesting, as for WW, is a very good card against WOG's. it probably doesnt worth the slot, but who knows.

- runed halo - it isnt very versatile but it can certainly stop stuffy doll combo, or other damage combo, and it can act as circle of protection: "insert name creature here"

- as for the avatar cycle i dont know.. good of awe seems fine, but i dont know if they are worthy, perhaps in some other decks.

well, this is it for 5c control, if you have any other suggestions or commentaries, feel free to post.

as for other decks, some cards i´ve alrady talked back there. but here are a few more good (in my opinion) cards for other decks:

- armored ascension - in a WW this is just powerful

- order of the whiteclay - good card for WW as well.

- river kelpie - good combo card? its bit mana expensive...

- there are some good cards for MBC, puppeter clique, polluted bonds, seem very control like. probably not good enough, but very interesting.

- smash to smitherens is good in RDW

- the aura cycle cards of the avatars semm quite playable too, specially in zoo like decks.

- dire undercurrents - very good card in a UB deck

- fulminator mage - probably one of the chase rares, and a really annoyance for 5c control.

- fossil find in a RDW seems good too, there isnt many cards in a RDW graveyard that one would like to play again.. so the random effect isnt that awful.

- tattermunge maniac - another on of the chase cards (uncommon) reaaly good for aggro decks.

- vexing shusher is interesting too - 2 mana for 2/2 isnt bad and the abilities are very good against heavy-counter decks

as for the lands, those basic-nonbasic lands are really awful.. =/

well, this is a very quick list after a very quick glance.

hope to see some opinions here.

I´m searching for some playmats, does anyone here know any good (online) european sites that have them? it can be any country, but it would be nice if the sites were or have english language.

Thanks

Full spoiler is up.

Well, i dont see that many potencial cards (at least for my 5cc), kinship and prowl aint that good in a control deck.
however the white tutor, the "forest painland",the draw card with "buyback clash".
also these cards might be good: negate, offalsnout, titans revenge, reach of branches and mutavault.


what do u think?

ok, i´ve seen a topic saying that 2008 judge promo will be a force of will, if this is true, every Highlander player will definitely want one (or two, or a playset for that matter )
i sure hope that it will be true and that the pic is good.

Hi, can ayone post/translate a report from the GP?
as small as it is, i would love to read it.
thks in advance