The Zendikar spoiler cup runneth over. Each day more and more of the next Magic set is revealed, viewed and processed by fans all over the internet. Lately it is as much of a task to keep updated on each new card as to figure out which card(s) to be excited about. In simple terms the workload at Gathering Magic is getting a little heavy. The decision was made to bring in a guest columnist to check out some of the new Zendikar previews. One problem, with so many cards released recently an article detailing each would be approximately 123,000 words. Or more to the point, way longer than anyone would care to read. After a semi-exhausting search we found the perfect critic: Timmy, Power-Gamer. A hard-core duelist who doesn't take long going back and forth on each card, instead he passes his judgment quickly.

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Hello all and thanks to the guys at Gathering Magic for giving me a quick window to voice my excitement. You heard that right, excitement! After WotC announced it was re-printing Darksteel Colossus in M10 I thought I might pass out. So bring on Zendikar! Before I get into that I need a moment to explain my criteria. Magic is a numbers game, each digit guiding us through the game like a Sherpa leading up Mount Everest. Players spend hours doing math, calculating odds and figuring complicated combos. With me there is only one rule with numbers or anything else: the bigger the better! And I'm not alone. When you see a card for the first time where does you eye go? Right, casting cost on a spell and power/toughness on a creature. Even if you never end up playing them the need to appraise those giants always exists. Point made. Let the review commence, Clint Eastwood style.

- The Good -

There is a lot for me to love in Zendikar so let us start with the most loved. Elemental Appeal made my jaw drop so far I'm picking carpet fibers out of my teeth. Sure the 7/1 Ball Lightning on steroids is nice, but that wasn't what caught my eye. The opportunity to plow a 14/1 hasted trampler into my opponent's face is a bargain at just about any cost.  I'll gladly pay nine if that is all it takes. And for those trivia lovers out there MTG has never featured a creature card with higher power . Ever. (Ed Note: Dark Depths creates a larger token, that is all.) Of course that isn't the only thing nine mana buys you come October. You can also play a 7/7 flying angel named Iona, Shield of Emeria. And did I mention you can cut a full color out of your opponent's deck? Well you can. If angel's arent' for you then Zendikar offers a more sinister approach with a pair of Demons: Ob Nixilis, the Fallen and the slightly less flavorful Halo Hunter. Unchecked both of these nasties can win you a game outright. Sure, the Halo Hunter can't kill the most fearsome angel (Baneslayer Angel) when it comes into play, but she can't block him. We'll call it even. Unfortunately everything in Zendikar isn't roses and 14/1 tramplers. There are some cards I regretfully dub:

- The Bad -

Not every card is a winner in my book especially those that rely on economy for there niche. Maybe a 2/2 with haste sounds great to you, but with the drawback Goblin Guide is toting that damage isn't really worth it. By the time GG's damage begins to add up your opponent probably has enough lands in play to retaliate in kind. A little too much give and take for me. However if you plan on sticking around until 2 damage per turn might win you the game, WotC offers you another option in Archmage Ascension. One problem here, aside from stealing the name of a favorite of mine: Armored Ascension. You have to earn the right to draw a card that may win you the game instead of just playing that card in the first place. Finally one last 'bad' card that might be a shocker to those who know me: Electropotence. Normally I'm all for one-sided devastation, especially creature-based devastation. But in this case I would rather save my mana for larger, nastier effects. I mean I could be spending that mana on Elemental Appeal!

- The, Um. . . Confusing -

This final group is just what the title infers, cards I not quite sure what to make of. I'm not a big fan of qualifiers, most notably ones that are hard to attain. A card either does something or it doesn't. Therefore kicker and trap costs normally aren't my friends. So the question then, when should I even cast a spell like Mindbreak Trap? Do you counter the third spell of a turn, or wait until they string together four or more? Apologies for the flood of question marks but this one has me stumped. So too does the Scythe Tiger. On one hand I love 3/2 creatures with shroud, especially ones that cost a single mana. On the other, land is valuable to me more so than the average planeswalker. I need every drop of mana to play cards like Progenitus and Cloudthresher. This is a tough decision and I hate those! For example Roil Elemental could afford me the chance to steal something truly awesome. But, why not pay the six mana for sure thing bombs like Guile, or Oona, Queen of the Fae. That answer, and what to do with any of these cards, currently alludes me.

There you have it. The newest Zendikar cards reviewed how they should be: briskly. In my rush to make snap judgments I may have left out a card or two. That being the case, be sure to keep checking the Gathering Magic spoiler page for everything Zendikar. Thanks for reading, and remember: "If it isn't huge then it isn't worth playing!"