No small talk this week. We have spoilers to discuss. They've been steadily flowing in all week, so I'm going to dive right into discussing the rares and mythics.

Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas - I discussed his utlility elsewhere, at length, but I'll summarize for my ManaNation readers. There are two interesting ways to play with the new Planeswalker. The first is to use Myr to build an aggressive package with mana ramp to speed out Tezzeret, turn your dudes into 5/5s, and kill ‘em with the long gun (his -4). A critical mass of artifacts ensures that your +1 draws will always be live, and each artifact gets you closer to massive damage by using either of his minus abilities. This guy is the real deal, and I'm encouraging people to trade for them aggressively at the pre-release. Dropping him on turn 3 using a Myr, Mox or Chalice can spell a quick death for your opponent.

Phyrexian Revoker - I love me some Pithing Needle, and I love me some Value Bears! The Revoker will be a crucial card in many strategies, not the least of which is the aforementioned Tezzeret deck. Rares haven't shown that they can pass $5 with any regularity, so I'm going to put my target on him in the $3-4 range, which is where playable rares have settled lately.

Consecrated Sphinx - Man, why is this not an artifact creature? It's not really that relevant, but it would be a very flavorful touch. The ability is hilarious, since it will become an automatic EDH staple. Multiple Sphinxes along with Mind's Eye and assorted global "draw" effects like Howling Mine, Mikokoro, Center of the Sea and Trade Secrets will ensure hilarity. It's probably too expensive for Standard play, since the Titans all outclass it rather decisively, so it should end up as a mid-range $5 Mythic or thereabouts.

Myr Welder - I'm going to let someone else break this card, because I'm just not seeing it. The fact that it's a Myr helps a ton, and the four toughness is crucial to keeping it alive against red decks. It blocks well, too. I haven't seen an activated ability that I really want to copy yet, but there's sure to be one or two. Keep an eye on this little guy for potential broken interactions, but don't get to excited just yet.

Phyrexian Vatmother was meant to be my exclusive preview on Quiet Speculation, but we got scooped by the WotC Visual Spoiler! C'est la Vie. It's not too exciting at first, but the 4 drop slot in Infect needed a workhorse and this behemoth surely counts. It can hold down the fort against faster decks if you hit a slow start, and a 4-power Infect creature will be really, really tough to block effectively. Condemn keeps this card from being a real terror, and will probably be one of the hardest cards for Infect to beat. Vines of Vastwood really help in that battle, but GGBB is a bit much to ask for.

Phyrexian Hydra is well-designed, but it probably falls short of what a 5-drop Infect creature needs to be. It's competing against Skithiryx, who has regeneration and evasion as well as Putrefax, who comes out of nowhere like a pack of spider-monkeys. The Hydra just doesn't feel like it will make a big impression in the Infect deck, but will be a popular "kiddie card" since, well, poisonous hydras are cool.

Thrun, the Last Troll is not going to make the cut over Vengevine, but I can see him finding his way into Stompy type green decks. We're really spoiled with Green cards right now, but he's very, very hard to kill if you leave mana up. It seems dangerous to run him into open white mana on turn 4, but so many decks aren't playing Day of Judgment right now. If DOJ gets popular, he'll get less impressive even though he can regenerate through it. Leaving up that extra mana is just a killer. I can't see decks playing 4x, so the presale prices of $20 are probably way too high. I'd trade these off at the prerelease if at all possible. They'll be good, sure, but I really don't have faith that a random, non-haste 4-drop will get there.

Shimmer Myr is not getting any love, but I think we should be focusing on it a bit more. There's no other card like it in Magic, since it can sneak in at the end of their turn and act like a Leyline of Anticipation in the right deck. It's hard to say where this will end up once the full set is spoiled, but early favorites are Myr Aggro with Tezzeret and a Semblance Anvil combo deck of sorts. I'll be very surprised if this card doesn't find a home somewhere, but it may not be in a Tier 1 Standard deck.

Red Sun's Zenith - This card is straight up Disintegrate with the "Beacon Clause" attached. Beacon, not bacon. Close your mouth. I can't believe this thing is a rare. Make it an instant, for crying out loud! Let me spend 4 mana to wipe out a Vengevine without needing to let it beat on me for a turn first. This is not a very exciting card, and it was a discontinued common from the core set until they decided to slap an SAT word in the title and make it a rare. Sigh. Come on, man.

Mitotic Manipulation - I straight up admit, i have no idea what to do with the card. I just know I'll not be casting it in Commander any time soon. Really, what the heck is this card for? Killing Jaces on a lucky whim? A 3 mana blue Rampant Growth? I don't get it, but I'm sure someone out there will.

Bonehorde - Love the Living Weapon mechanic. Those little 0/0 germs are so cute! Careful, they bite. I'm not excited about a 4-drop like this, so I'm relegating it to bulk rare status. It's probably fantastic in limited, but you'd best be winning with it because you won't be selling it for much.

Phyrexian Crusader - Wow, this is the kind of 3-drop Infect needed. Protection from Boros means that there's not much removal in the format that beats this guy. Condemn, Burn and Doom Blade all miss. If poison gets popular, Day of Judgment will get a lot more play. First Strike makes him really hard to beat in combat too. Remember that the creature it's beating on will have -2/-2 when it gets its turn to smack back, so it's effectively a 4/4 in combat. I love the card, and it should be one of the higher-end rares in the set.

Mirran Crusader - It's funny that these two Crusaders fly past each other in the red zone, since neither can block the other. If not for the protection, they'd just kill each other anyway. Mirran Crusader gets a bonus from being a Knight, so if the Knight Exemplar deck ever becomes real, this guy will be leading the charge for sure. Not an instant hit like the Phyrexian counterpart, but a powerful, solid card.

Glissa, The Traitor will have a very niche role in whatever deck she resides. I'm disinclined to put much stock in her off the bat, since niche cards always need time to develop into real players. If you're getting bites at $10, I'd ship them off. My prediction is that she'll start strong, fade when no one plays her, and shoot up once the niche is found. Keep tabs on the price and start loading up when they hit rock bottom in case the discovery comes faster than you realize.

Hero of Bladehold makes me want to invest in Ajani Goldmane. Free soldiers, synergy with Knight Exemplar and the rest of the Knight tribe and Battle Cry galore makes White Weenie look very appetizing right now. The lack of another good Lord hurts, but makeshifts Lords like Battle Cry creatures and Ajani fill the gaps nicely. Again, I want to see the full set before discussing deck lists, but a white Aggro deck with Knights as a focus could be a dominant force. In Extended, the options go much deeper, and Battle Cry with Spectral Procession and the other token deck cards sounds phenomenal. Don't forget Zealous Persecution exists.

Mirrodin Besieged is shaping up to be one hell of a set. I'm not sure what the Mirrans plan to do about the ridiculous stuff that Phyrexia is cooking up, and I'm inclined to say that Mirrodin is screwed. Go Team Phyrexia! Whichever way this goes, it's going to be a really fun fight to watch. I'll be hosting a prerelease in my store and I wonder how people are going to align themselves. It'll be a wild weekend for certain.