Welcome to the Daily Dose of Shadows Over Innistrad! Today we will be taking our first look at some of the new cards from the exciting new set. Five years ago, the Innistrad block was released and was very well received for both it's story and it's card content. Fast forward to 2016, and we are back in Innistrad on April 8th with Shadows Over Innistrad. Coming in at 297 cards, this will be the largest expansion in Magic since Shadowmoor had 301 cards in 2008. Even Eldritch Moon, the second set in this block will have 205 cards, making it the largest small expansion that Magic has ever seen. This means more and more cards coming our way in the next four months.
Now let’s look at some of the new cards that will be coming our way in the new set. Particularly a nice new card called Eerie Interlude.
Here are some of the many uses for this card:
- Save all of your creatures when someone attempts any sort of removal including board clears like Planar Outburst and Radiant Flames
- Allows you to block with all of your creatures, then use this to save them all
- Allows you to put an all out attack with all of your creatures and than save any creatures that would be dying due to blocks and have them available to block their attack the following turn
- Allows you to trigger any number of enter the battlefield abilities such as those from Bounding Krasis and Reflector Mage
Any card that can be so versatile and have so much value will make sure this is a card we see in the months to come.
Let’s now have a look at a reprint of a card that will be sure to destroy many a creature come April, Lightning Axe.
This Time Spiral reprint is going to work very well with Shadow Over Innistrad’s “graveyard matters” theme. Most of the time you will be using this card before you have six mana, so you will be discarding a card. This will work well with the returning Madness mechanic which we will talk about in more detail in an upcoming article. Lightning Axe is also great in that it doesn’t limit you like Roast to only non-flying creatures.
The last card I’ll look at today is a draw card that has some potential. Here is Pieces of the Puzzle:
Like a lot of blue draw spells, you are able to get two cards for three mana. Where it gains value is in the ability to pick and choose and make sure you are getting two spells that you want, rather than some lands you might not need later in the game. It also allows all non-chosen cards to be placed in your graveyard. This looks to be something of great importance for this set, only time will tell how important it will be. It can be a disadvantage like Collected Company where there is a chance that you will not hit any cards and be left with three less mana and nothing to show for it.
Thanks for reading the Daily Dose of Shadows Over Innistrad! I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow for some more preview action. With one of the largest sets in years, look for there to be some must see cards coming out in the next couple of weeks.
