Anyone ready for “forecast”?  Looks interesting, but expensive - guess you can burn some mana at least.  So Pride of Clouds has forecast (reveal card, pay 2WU and get a 1/1 WU flying token) then with Pride of Clouds being a 1/1 for WU and having +1/+1 for every other flying creature....interesting

so the quick and easy definition of forecase - each forecast card has an ability you can play once per turn during your upkeep by revealing it from your hand and paying a cost. It’s like each card has its own buyback spell built right in!

Dang - it would be so cool if this guy would work with Guerrilla Tactics but the wording doesn’t seem to fit ....  When a spell or ability an opponent controls causes you to discard Guerrilla Tactics, Guerrilla Tactics deals 4 damage to target creature or player.  (since it is your own ability causing the discard, guess its not going to go off)

So we get a 3/2 first strike with an interesting, but limited ability, anyone see any potential or did Wizards pretty much make another one of Christians 25 cent rares?

Pride of the Clouds I think will be junk. The fact that you can only play it in your upkeep will be the limiting factor. That really does hurt. I can’t imagine some W/U weenie deck coming about (seriously… W/R or W/B is much better suited for this) and long term control… meh this is the color that has meloku.

The Augermage is pretty nice. Too bad you have to decide between using the ability and attacking. IMO I think you’d want to use the ability once in a while, and just beat otherwise. Since it’s a good attacker anyways, I think it will find a nice home in Rakdos aggro.

I hope it’s true that every snowflake is unique, because I never want to see one like this again.

A lot of people have seemed not to like the Augermage but I think he is sick. Against controll, he wears away at thier deck quick enough. I think it will fit nicely with a lot of other cards out there. The only problem is to go b/w/r or w/r/g.

"Some have said there is no subtlety to destruction. You know what? They’re dead.” -Jaya Ballard, task mage

Augermage seems fine.  Rip apart your opponent’s hand, while getting you closer to Hellbent at the same time.  Plus, if you have Hellbent already, your opponent gets nothing. 

It might be relevant that he can steal lands, which most discard spells protect against.  I’m assuming RB will have a landkill spell as well, since both colors can do it, but I’m interested to see how it’s different from Wreak Havoc.

Flyer is interesting - Forecast ability is good, I think.  Make a flyer every turn for 4 mana.  Vitu-Ghazi gives you saps, just at 1 more mana and they lose flying but gain instant speed (which can certainly be relevant).  I can see myself drafting this pretty highly.  Not sure about Constructed. 

But more than that - why is an Elemental Cat making bird tokens?

[quote=Blake]I can see myself drafting this pretty highly.  Not sure about Constructed. But more than that - why is an Elemental Cat making bird tokens?

Yeah...that’s a little weird.  This mechanic makes me wonder if it was inspired by Infernal Spawn of Evil, which essentially now has Forecast.  If you can support the colors at all, I would say Pride is a first pick easily, unless there’s some truly ridiculous uncommon or common we haven’t seen yet.

Terry Soh is my hero, though I doubt I will expend the resources to be able to play with him.  I’ve sort of already made my B/G/W and R/G beds at this point, and unless I open triple Blood Crypt at the pre-release, I kind of doubt I’ll actually be playing Rakdos.

Also, I suppose that soft weeping sound must be Christian upon seeing Pride of the Clouds.  My sincere condolences.

ibrac - 13 April 2006 10:24 PM

...anyone see any potential or did Wizards pretty much make another one of Christians 25 cent rares?

I think these are almost certainly the two best Dissension cards previewed so far.  The Augermage is quite good (though significantly toned down from Terry Soh’s original concept), particularly in Hellbender decks for all the reasons that Blake has already stated, but also because Hellbenders probably will not be running a lot of surprises in their decks, so it doesn’t hurt them to allow their opponent to see what they’re holding, while it may be an immense help to see what kind of sneakiness that Azorious player is sitting on.  It also allows you to draw out your opponent’s Wrath the turn before they could play it (assuming you are playing first and cast the mage on turn 3), which would cause fits for B/R. 

Everyone knows I like kitties, so I am rather partial to the Pride.  The U/W keyword ability is fantastic, and I couldn’t be happier about Forecast so long as they’re not all this overcosted to activate.  I really wish it was only 2 or 3 to put in a bird token during your upkeep.  I’d even prefer that it cost 5 to activate, but could be used at instant speed.  It’s certainly not amazing, but still, it’s slightly playable in U/W control decks (possibly) and U/W aggro (definitely) should such a thing ever arise.  I love the keyword, and look how happy those big kitties look while playing with the little birds!  Cute!!!

I’m kinda hoping Simic gets a Plow Under variant. 

1UUG
Return target land to it’s owner’s hand.  Then choose another land that player controls and that player puts it on top of his/her library.  (I suck at wording templates, obv.)

That would be kinda fun.  Mmmm...tempo-licious. 

as much as I am a fan of the Izzet, I love me some blue all around - so I’m really excited about the set with 2 blue guilds!!

and the guy whose Forecast ability taps 2 blue/white creatures now untaps all creatures when he comes into play (per the spoiler).  Seems a bit better with that feature....(if it did that before, my apologies, I didn’t see it when I read it the first time)

But also, the Pride will be a STAPLE if the format shows a U/W aggro variant.  You can have your boring old Watchwolf swinging for 3 on turn 3....I’ll swing with my flying Watchwolf on the same turn, thank you very much…

Turn 1 Lantern Kami
Turn 2 Pride
Turn 3 anything with flying or Glorious Azorious Anthem. 

I think Pride has some interesting play choices if nothing else.  If you top-deck Pride late game, do you cast it, or do you keep it to Forecast instead?  Kinda cool, like how Terry has to choose to attack or discard.

Speaking of discard, I’m in love with Vessel of the Muse.  It’s like Disrupting Scepter and Ornate Kanzashi had a kid.

I like condemn a lot.

W put target attacking creature on the bottom of it’s owner’s library, they gain life equal to it’s toughness.

mmm tunnel vision in sealed/draft.

“Wasn’t our plan just to get to 900 life and f***’em?”

Coldsnap Sealed: who cares
Coldsnap Draft: who cares

blake - 14 April 2006 11:02 AM

I’m kinda hoping Simic gets a Plow Under variant. 

1UUG
Return target land to it’s owner’s hand.  Then choose another land that player controls and that player puts it on top of his/her library.  (I suck at wording templates, obv.)

That would be kinda fun.  Mmmm...tempo-licious. 

KINDA??? Yeah, all I gotta say about something like that is MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM, Yummy!

---

Current Decks:
UG Aggro
Mono-Green Turbo-Allosaurus!
Mono-Red BURN

RGD Draft: 25-7-2
RGD Sealed: ***Censored***

Hmm, Rakdos Augermage seems like it would be a good card in a Hellbent deck, helping to make up for its poor card advantage. It would also be useful to see what kind of control your opponent is left with, and if you dont need any of that, swing for 3 aint bad. Plus, he aint legendary, so you could have 2 or 3 of these guys out easy, and watch his hand vaporize. Not sure if hellbent is going to be good or not yet, still havent seen enough of the cards in the set. Im thinking, from what ive seen, it wont be too bad in Limited, but will suck in constructed. Just have to wait and see I guess.

I will point out that no one mechanic was good all the way through. Cards like Infernal tutor will already be big money rares right off the bat untill they ban the card out right. So Hellbent will have it’s big cards and not so big cards. The only one mechanic that has nothing to offer in constucted is radiance.

"Some have said there is no subtlety to destruction. You know what? They’re dead.” -Jaya Ballard, task mage

I seriously doubt Infernal Tutor is so good that it will be banned. Although, you are right in that Rakdos will have several money rares (Blood Witch, anyone?) and a lot of stinkers.

And since when was convoke constructed playable? (Besides Sundering Vitae...)

devouring light and chord of calling are both constructed playable convoke cards.

bathe in light and leave no trace are both constructed playable radiance cards.

Kevin

“Wasn’t our plan just to get to 900 life and f***’em?”

Coldsnap Sealed: who cares
Coldsnap Draft: who cares