facebook

CoolStuffInc.com

Destination Unknown Sale ends Sunday!
   Sign In
Create Account

Scampering into the Bushes

Reddit

Hello, my name is Dan Paskins. Many of you don't know me, but ages ago I was a pretty good Magic player. I have returned because I believe that many of you have forgotten Why Red Is the Best Color. You see, Goblin Guide is currently the best card in Standard, but he is sadly being oppressed by this Jace, the Mind Sculptor guy and his flying companions. As general advocate of oppressed goblins everywhere, I believe that it is my duty to remind you of that fact.

New Phyrexia is awesome, but no one realizes it. See, everyone looks at cards like Mental Misstep, Karn, and Phyrexian Obliterator. But that's not where the real action is. See, Phyrexian mana is awesome for Red, because every time your opponent uses it, he's just done 1/10 of your job for you! I love it when my opponents do that! See, the best cards in New Phyrexia are actually Red.

Here they are:

New Phyrexia - Furnace ScampNew Phyrexia - Dismember

"But, Dan, Dismember isn't Red!" But of course it is! You just have to look closer. See, it only costs 1 to cast, and it blows up all the little guys, and a bunch of the bigger ones, too. Sounds Red to me!

While having Goblin Guide around has been great, something's always been missing. Goblin Guide's always needed a wingman, and he's never had one. See, Goblins aren't very good when they are on their own. They rely on getting together to do their thing; but Goblin Guide has been very lonely, since the evil people at Wizards R&D decided that he didn't need any friends. What cruelty! So, the Goblins did what they always do when R&D's cruelty becomes too much—they take over R&D.

See, the goblin slaves over at R&D have gotten better at designing "Red" cards over the years. This time, they got their hands on New Phyrexia and designed Phyrexian mana. It's something blue mages like: discounted spells! Paying life for spells was good! Of course, when Wizards eventually crushed the rebellion, they took a look at New Phyrexia and liked it, so they left it.

Ahhhh, but the goblins have tricked you, Wizards!

But they didn't stop there, how could they? After all, how could they forget one of their own, perhaps the most accomplished goblin? Fear not, Goblin Guide, "R&D" has rescued you! The Phyrexians brought you a new friend, one that you can play with for the next few months. While you and Furnace Scamp won't have much time together, your relationship will surely be filled with much intense burning. Although it would be wonderful to be able to be together longer, I am sure the three of us will enjoy our short time together.

Without further ado, I announce your new, Red overlord:

This is mostly just an initial list. Of course, there are many different ways to set your opponent on fire, and this is just one approach. This deck doesn't do anything really degenerate; it just kills your opponent really fast. I want to talk about the cards that New Phyrexia is bringing to the table.

Furnace ScampDue to the predictable nature of games in Standard, this will almost invariably get in for at least 4. When it doesn't get in for 4, it's because your opponent is forced to block it, allowing you to get in with your other guys (which is extra damage for you). All in all a solid, but not spectacular, 1-drop.

Priest of UrabraskThis, combined with Furnace Scamp, puts Goblin Bushwhacker over the edge. The explosive draws that this card enables in conjunction with Scamp, Bushwhacker, and Devastating Summons can be very difficult to handle. It's really only 3 extra damage with a Bushwhacker, but that can escalate very quickly when you are simply dumping a bunch of creatures on the table and forcing your opponent to block. Often, just having another warm body is worth 5 to 6 more damage on top of the 3 it Hasted for. There are times when this card is underwhelming, but I believe they are far outweighed by the times this card is very good.

Shrine of Burning RageA strong addition, for obvious reasons. This card climbs into the 5+ damage range very quickly, which automatically makes it fine. However, the problem with it is that it does require a significant mana investment (2 to cast, 3 to activate), but it doesn't affect the board. I'm not yet sure where I am on this card. It will win games on its own, but like Hero of Oxid Ridge, it may end up simply being too mana-intensive.

DismemberAn awesome removal spell for a deck that is looking to kill you quickly. The fact that it deals with Batterskull and most guys carrying a Sword of War and Peace is nice.

It's very likely that Goblin Bushwhacker is about to take his place next to Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Stoneforge Mystic as one of the lords of Standard. The card is absolutely incredible right now. The threat it represents when combined with Devastating Summons, Kuldotha Rebirth, Furnace Scamp, Goblin Guide, Shrine of Burning Rage, Signal Pest, Plated Geopede, and Goblin Wardriver can no longer be dismissed. Even with Kor Firewalker around, I'm pretty sure Goblin Bushwhacker is due for a few breakthrough events, probably in the hands of Patrick Sullivan, who I hereby name Honorary Protector of Mountains and Goblins.

Of course, there are other ways to set your opponent on fire (the combination of Kiln Fiend, Immolating Souleater, and Assault Strobe is another interesting place to start), and I am pretty sure many planeswalkers will be swarmed under by goblins during the upcoming Standard season. Watch out—the goblins are coming!

Until next time, may all your 1-drops hit for 4.

Chingsung Chang

Conelead most everywhere and on MTGO

khan32k5 at gmail dot com


Bonus Section: Talking about New Phyrexia

This set is incredibly boring. It's powerful, but there are so few interesting cards in it that the set makes me very sad. It doesn't really open up many new interactions so much as it brings old strategies back to the surface. It will definitely shake up Standard, but only because the set as a whole gives previously underpowered strategies a whole bunch of powerful tools.

On Exarch-Twin

This combo won't be a Tier 1 deck, but it will be relevant. It's vulnerable to way too much disruption—Mana Leak, Dismember, Go for the Throat, Dispatch. Sure, that list isn't very large (in terms of quantity), but remember that Dismember is colorless, and thus will be everywhere.

On Batterskull

Sword of War and Peace is just better in almost every conceivable situation. Against aggro, this card will cost 10 to get any use out of it (your Mystic will die, then your opponent will kill the germ, probably with Dismember). Against midrange (read: Caw-Blade), Sword of War and Peace hits harder and still gains life, while giving your dude protection for Squadron Hawk and Gideon Jura). It's also half the cost, so you'll probably get more value out of it. Sure, I guess if your opponent is playing a B/U/G Vengevine deck, you might want Batterskull, but then why aren't you just getting Sword of Feast and Famine?

Finally, against control—well, when has control ever really cared about a 4/4 Lifelinker, even if it does cost 3? There are a million ways of dealing with it, probably after taking a couple hits. Once again, Sword of War and Peace hits extraordinarily hard against control (8 to 9 damage off the Sword), which is exactly where you want to be.

On Mental Misstep

Ari Lax (premium) and Matt Elias pretty much covered my position on this over on StarCityGames.

Without further ado:

Top 10 NPH cards for Standard/Extended

8–10 (tie). Beast Within

8–10 (tie). Tezzeret's Gambit

8–10 (tie). Dispatch

7. Hex Parasite

6. Furnace Scamp

5. Deceiver Exarch

4. Spellskite

3. Despise

2. Sword of War and Peace

1. Dismember

That's a pretty boring Top 10.

Top 5 Most Overrated NPH Cards

5. Mental Misstep

4. Batterskull

3. Batterskull

2. Batterskull

1. Batterskull

Limited time 30% buy trade in bonus buylist