Coming back from vacation to find the second half of Scars of Mirrodin had been revealed, was like coming downstairs and finding each of my Christmas presents already opened.  Each card has already been revealed, judged, and put aside by the masses.  That made choosing a Top 5 interesting to say the least.  On one hand, my ratings are easier to decide because the hype that surrounds a card like Semblance Anvil was lost on me.  I can decide for myself the five best cards.  On the other hand, choosing a Top 5 without a little help from ‘the Cloud’, leaves me feeling like I might miss something.  Either way, here goes:

1. Elspeth Tirel – Elspeth has a built-in following from her strong showing on Alara (Elspeth, Knight Errant was considered the best Planeswalker printed to date), so hopes were high when it was rumored she would be making a return to MTG through the World of Mirrodin.  Elspeth 2.0 met and exceeded those lofty goals in every way.  Like BSA before her, E-2.0 can win matches by herself, within any context and in any scenario.  In the soon-to-be control dominated Standard, the threat level of this new Walker is almost unparalleled.  When E-1.0 rotates out, any deck losing her will have an easy replacement waiting.

2. Koth of the Hammer – Putting two Planeswalkers in the same Top 5 might not be original (Reinhart managed to avoid this taboo last week), but with the highest level of PW power in one set since the Lorwyn Five were released in 2007, it had to be done.  Deciding who should be number one, Koth or Elpseth, was like choosing between Santa Claus and Superman.  It was a tough choice.  Koth’s power level is ridiculous, and his casting cost has proven to be popular (Ajani 1.0, Garruk, Elspeth 1.0, Jace 2.0).  However, the nod finally went to E-2.0 for one reason: Koth needs mountains to reach his full potential.  This represents a snag for many competitive players who don’t feel like dumbing down their entire mana base for one card.  So he’ll have to settle for being only the second best card in SoM.

3. Mox Opal – Playing with a watered-down version of a Power 9 card is still playing with a Power 9 card.  Even with the two seemingly difficult restrictions placed upon it (Metalcraft, and Legendary status) the Mox Opal still shines through.  Perhaps not quite as versatile as the Chrome Mox from Mirrodin Original, MO has a higher ceiling and is Standard legal now.  In this, the BNWOMDMFing (Brave New World of More Difficult Mana Fixing) a rainbow-mana provider and accelerator will be useful to any artifact-leaning deck out there.  Meanwhile, in other formats the potential for breaking looms large with this SoM Mythic.  Ancestral Vision was worth the wait, and Mox Opal is worth the hassle.  Just remember they were named the Power 9 for a reason.

4. Ratchet Bomb – Another new, but weaker version of a Mirrodin Original print, this time Engineered Explosives, Ratchet Bomb does one thing really well – destroy tokens.  For the same casting cost and sorcery-speed, what makes RB any better than numerous other anti-token spells like Echoing Truth?  For starters, the Bomb is colorless and thus fits into any deck needing a quick token sweep.  In addition, with a few extra turns (or a Proliferate effect or two) and you’re taking out much bigger game than 1/1 elves.  However, no amount of tinkering or comboing will keep Ratchet Bomb from being sideboard-only.  Truthfully, it’s not any better than Pithing Needle, but still good enough for 4^th place in a rather cumbersome expansion full of giant creatures, and even larger artifacts.

5. Semblance Anvil – While not entirely sold on SA because of the loss in card advantage, and higher than necessary casting cost (this could easily have been made mythic at two mana), there is no denying this card’s potential.  Keeping it off the Top 5 would have been like picking Silence as the best card in M10.  Oh wait, I did that.  Never mind.  This artifact is too dynamic, and too powerful in Constructed play to exclude.  The obvious build involves artifacts, but this gem can squeeze into anything – beast decks, PW decks, enchantment decks, etc.  Looking past Standard, into the murky realm of Legacy/Vintage/Casual, it not hard to imagine this card being abused in many different ways.

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Again, if you haven’t already checked out the full visual spoiler for Scars of Mirrodin be sure to give it a look.  And don't forget to comment here with your own Top Five list!

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