New Essentials

[kerbythepurplecow]

Well I guess it's time for the newest update.
I've left the last round of changes in green. New changes are in blue. Explanations follow. There's a couple old changes still in blue because I need to acquire the cards still.

Name

Bosh, Iron Golem
Chrome Mox
Citanul Flute<font color="blue">-&gt; Cauldron of Souls</font>
Darksteel Colossus
Engineered Explosives
Etched Oracle
Fellwar Stone
Gilded Lotus
Masticore
Memory Jar
Mind's Eye
Mox Crystal
Mox Diamond
Nevinyrral's Disk
Planar Portal
Scroll Rack
Sensei's Divining Top
Skullclamp
Sol Ring
Solemn Simulacrum
Sunforger
Tawnos's Coffin
Umezawa's Jitte
Vedalken Orrery


Academy Ruins
Adarkar Wastes
Badlands
Battlefield Forge
Bayou
Bloodstained Mire
Brushland
Caves of Kolios
City of Brass
Dakmor Salvage
Flagstones of Trokair
Flooded Strand
Forest x11
Grand Coliseum
Island x8
Karakas
Karpulsan Forest
Kor Haven
Krosan Verge
Llanowar Reborn
Llanowar Wastes
Maze of Ith
Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
Mountain x5
Nimbus Maze
Plains x9
Plateau
Polluted Delta
Reflecting Pool
Savannah
Scrubland
Shivan Reef
Stomping Ground
Strip Mine
Sulfurous Springs
Swamp x8
Taiga
Terramorphic Expanse
Tolaria Reborn
Tropical Island
Tundra
Undergroud River
Underground Sea
Urborg
Volcanic Island
Volrath's Stronghold
Wasteland
Windswept Heath
Wooded Foothills
Yavimaya Coast
Zoetic Cavern

Avatar of Woe
Bane of the Living
Chainer's Edict
Damnation
Demonic Collusion
Demonic Tutor
Diabolic Tutor
Expunge<font color="blue">-&gt; Eyeblight's Ending</font>
Guiltfeeder
Kokusho, the Evening Star
Living Death
Mortivore
Oversold Cemetary
Recurring Nightmare
Rend Flesh
Sudden Death
Tainted Pact<font color="blue">-&gt; Memory Plunder</font>
Tortured Existence

Allied Strategies
Ancestral Vision
Arcanis the Omnipotent
Bribery
Bringer of the Blue Dawn
Court Hussar<font color="green">-&gt; Doran</font>
Cunning Wish
Drift of Phantasms
Fabricate
Fact or Fiction
Forbid
Future Sight
Magus of the Jar
Mystical Teachings
Stroke of Genius
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Tidespout Tyrant
Time Spiral
Tradewind Rider
Treachery
Willbender
Windfall
Wonder<font color="blue">-&gt; Brion Stongarm</font>

Dimir Infiltrator<font color="green">-&gt; Liliana Vess</font>
Eladamri's Call
Hull Breach
Intet, the Dreamer
Kaervek the Merciless
Loxodon Hierarch<font color="green">-&gt; Chameleon Colossus</font>
Mirari's Wake
Mystic Enforcer
Oros, the Avenger
Pernicious Deed
Perplex
Putrefy
Shadowmage Infiltrator
Simic Sky Swallower
Sol'kanar the Swamp King
Spiritmonger
Sterling Grove
Teneb, the Harvester
Terminate
Vhati il-Dal
Vindicate
Vulturous Zombie

Fire/Ice
Spite/Malice
Supply/Demand

All Suns' Dawn
Birds of Paradise
Civic Wayfinder<font color="green">-&gt; Treefolk Harbinger</font>
Crop Rotation
Defense of the Heart
Eternal Witness
Farseek
Genesis
Hibernation's End<font color="blue">-&gt; Raking Canopy</font>
Hermit Druid
Joiner Adept
Journey of Discovery
Kodama's Reach
Krosan Tusker
Living Wish
Nantuko Vigilante
Nostalgic Dreams
Pattern of Rebirth
Protean Hulk
Recollect
Regrowth
Restock
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Search for Tomorrow<font color="green">-&gt; Scapeshift</font>
Silklash Spider
Silvos, Rogue Elemental
Skyshroud Elf
Spike Weaver
Sylvan Library
Sylvan Scrying
Thornscape Battlemage
Tooth and Nail
Wall of Blossoms
Yavimaya Elder

Akroma, Angel of Fury
Ancient Grudge
Anger
Arc-slogger
Avatar of Fury
Burning Wish
Chartooth Cougar
Firestorm
Flametounge Kavu
Fledgling Dragon<font color="blue">-&gt; Knollspine Dragon</font>
Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
Rakavolver
Recoup
Wheel of Fortune

Academy Rector
Akroma, Angel of Wrath
Akroma's Vengeance
Balance
Commander Eesha
Decree of Justice
Dismantling Blow
Enlightened Tutor
Eternal Dragon
Exalted Angel
Glory
Indomitable Ancients
Land Tax
Lieutenant Kirtar
Magus of the Disc
Oblation
Orim's Thunder
Pristine Angel
Ray of Revelation
Reya, Dawnbringer
Rout
Swords to Plowshares
Temple Acolyte<font color="green">-&gt; Stonehewer Giant</font>
Tithe
Vengeful Dreams<font color="green">-&gt; Crib Swap</font>
Weathered Wayfarer
Wing Shards
Wrath of God

As listed I still need an Eyeblight's Ending and a Brion Strongarm. I'm still having a hard time with the Wonder to Brion change, but Brion is sooooo damn good.

Anyway, new changes:
Citanul Flute is out. It's been on the cusp for a while and it's time for a change. In it's place comes the wonderful wrath dodge of the cauldron. Same mana cost crazy cool ability.

Easy change = Fledgling for Knollspine. Explanation really shouldn't be necessary for that.

Now, the harder stuff. Hibernation's End is exchanging with Raking Canopy. Admittedly, HE is the shit. It's amazing. However, keeping it around to get anything higher than 2cc is rare. The real goods don't start until around 3 and up, so I think it's reasonable. Raking Canopy is amazing and helps to mitigate the loss of Wonder.

Lastly, Memory Plunder. This was another difficult one. I think Tainted Pact is a last ditch effort. It's a dig for anything that could help. Tainted Pact is instant, so this may not be a wise decision. Yet, Memory Plunder is instant and has a lot of potential. If it fails to pan out, then I'll likely try Beseech the Queen. However, I'm not sure that BtQ is better than Tainted Pact. I suppose time will tell?

Thoughts?

<font color="#C0C0C0" size="1">[ May 23, 2008 10:12 AM: Message edited by: kerbythepurplecow ]</font>

[cmorndorf]

I agree with everything. For the year and a half I've been coming to magic night I have seen the Flute used maybe twice. So taking that out is wise. I also feel that Memory Plunder is awesome. It can save you in those last ditch efforts and also has potential to win you games. Good Essentials update!

[templar087]

After looking at the list I only noticed one spell I rarely ever see used and could be better to take out than wonder, Perplex. I really don't see this used very often. It has a good effect but nothing really huge. Most of the time the person is only discarding excess lands and possible incarnations and reanimation fodder. I think that this would be a better choice to pull out for Brion than Wonder. Overall I think Wonder has a more pertinent and lasting effect than Perplex.

[kerbythepurplecow]

Great observation! I think that might be the way to go.