Welcome to this Friday edition of the 'Daily Dose of Kaladesh' and by the time you read this, we will be nearing the end of one of the best times in Magic, preview season. I’ve talked about Gearhulks, new Planeswalkers, old Planeswalkers, and new mechanics. Today I’m going to go over the rest of some of my favourite new cards from Kaladesh.
It’s always great to see new Planeswalkers in sets, and Dovin Baan doesn’t disappoint. It kind of reminds me of many of different Jace abilities all rolled up into one Planeswalker. This will be a control lover’s dream, and it might not be too long until we see a Blue/White or Esper control deck with Dovin Baan playing a prominent part. Playing Dovin Baan on turn four followed by a turn five Planar Outburst will make it very hard for them to kill this Planeswalker. I’m not sure how pertinent the turning off of activated abilities will be, but giving a creature -3/-0 will definitely slow down any attacks coming your way. Gaining 2 life for its second ability is a bonus as you are mainly looking for the card advantage.
I’m falling more and more in love with cards involving Energy. Aetherstorm Roc can provide you a way to get tons of Energy, while itself is a great outlet for all of that Energy. This creature will only get bigger and bigger as the game gets on and since it can also tap creatures, it will make it very hard to defend. Most time you will have a 4/4 or a 5/5 Flying creature, but most of the times that’s all you will need to get in some major damage in the air.
Once again we get a new Hydra in Kaladesh, but this one works well thanks to a sweet ability. First off, you get three Energy when it enters the battlefield, which you will be able to use for all sorts of fun. Bristling Hydra comes with its only built-in removal hate. If you don’t need the Energy for some sort of super Energy output, you can feed it in to [Bristling Hydra[/c] to make it stronger and stronger while also protecting itself from any spell that tries to target it.
I’m sorry, did you just give us a possible 3/2 creature for one mana when attacking. Yes, you did! Toolcraft Exemplar should see some play in an aggressive deck that makes great use of some artifacts such as Lupine Prototype. There is the odd time that it will have first strike, but most of the time you will want to just empty your hand, and start getting in three damage over and over again.
Come on, a 3/3 Flying Vehicle for two mana, that only takes a Crew 1 to activate. Expect this card to be played in
aggressive decks that want to get in some quick damage. It works quite well with the card we just talked about. Toolcraft Exemplar. Going turn one Toolcraft Exemplar, turn two Smuggler’s Copter in to a turn three Reflector Mage will make it near impossible to come back from dealing 9 damage after turn three, with three threats on the battlefield.
This is the sweeper that players have been waiting for from Kaladesh. Players now have the choice between Planar Outburst, Descent of the Sinful, and Fumigate. Fumigate appears to be a much better alternative to Planar Outburst in most cases, and the life gained from the spell will help control decks significantly. There will still be some Archangel Avacyn and Selfless Spirit’s being played. If there are prominent in the format, you could see players switching to Descent of the Sinful.
Lately they have been making certain cards cost less when certain conditions are met, such as Emrakul, the Promised End. Metalwork Colossus if put into a specific deck build can easily be cast on turn five. If you are able to play a Hedron Archive on turn four, with a land you will able to cast Metalwork Colossus the next turn! Having a menacing 10/10 creature on the battlefield will definitely cause panic in your opponent’s eyes.
This card has a lot of levels to it. It can be used as a Madness enabler to get off a cheap Fiery Temper. It can be used to make one of your creatures unblockable so that you can push through some needed damage. It can be used as a card looter to cycle through your library at a faster rate. I like cards that will be help me smooth out my draws and get me the cards I need quickly.
What are some of your favourite Kaladesh cards? Thanks for joining me this week for some amazing preview action on the 'Daily Dose of Kaladesh'. Next week I’ll be going over some sweet Deck Techs for the new Standard season as well as talk about the top cards that you want to be playing in the Kaladesh Limited format.
See you next time on the 'Daily Dose of Kaladesh'!
