Subject: Sleeper hits of Stronghold Date: Sun, 1 Mar 1998 22:27:00 -0800 From: "Idoh Gersten" To: "Frank Kusumoto--The Dojo" I have been pretty good at predicting strong cards for sets, so I'll give my few cents worth for Stronghold. The grading lists so far have always seemed a little off in my opinion, so here is my take on the new set, a top three from each color: Black: Bottomless Pit 1BB Enchantment Uncommon Not really a sleeper hit, but oh well. This card looks like it will be in every black deck, or at least make a cameo appearence in the sideboard. I'm not sure how well it will do in Necro, as Necro is really a control deck, but other decks which don't have a problem playing all their cards will love this. Lab Rats B Sorcery Common Buyback 4 This is a very cool card. I could easily see it in necro as a cheep chump blocker, and maybe in Cursed Poxed late game. It is a nice late game way of dumping late game mana, and can easily be used 1st turn too. Tortured Existence B Enchantment Common This is also a cool card. I can see all sorts of possibilities with this, like getting back a gravedigger from the graveyard, and it may finally make a good reanimator deck. Also, a deck can run lots of weenies, and later in the game, cycle those early game critters for more fat critters. On a funny note, maybe a Verduran Enchantress deck -could- become viable, as the Enchantress could never really be killed. I don't know...maybe Blue: Mana Leak 1U Interrupt Common Easy choice. Any deck which can play blue will probably run these guys. They will almost certainly replace memory lapse in most decks. It is just devastating early game, and against some players, it could shake them up - they may slow down and wait until they can have 3 open to avoid this card, but even then it will serve it's purpose. Tidal Warrior U Summon Merfolk Common This card will replace Rootwater divers in Fish, and may make fish a lot better. A few of these guys on a lucky draw can easily mana screw an opponent, and they are merfolk, so the Lord of Atlantis boosts them. But mainly they have the potential to mana screw. Wall of Tears 1U Summon Wall Uncommon This card can just stop a creature deck cold. Most decks have trouble dealeing with the toughness, and it will give Blue cheap stalling power. This really slows down Sligh. I don't think that Sligh in it's current form can thrive - the walls are just too good. Green: Hermit Druid 1G Summon Druid Rare This card begs for Gaea's Blessing, and with a few in your deck, this dude will pull out all the land in your deck. Combo with Qurion Ranger. Combo with Horn of Greed. Combo with Burgeoning. A solid, but not on the surface broken card for green. Skyshroud Archer G Summon Elf Common This card is iffy. It will really harm 5cg - killing all the BoP's. Maybe it will be staple, maybe not. I think it will though, as it is at worst a 1/1 for G, and at best it can dismantle some decks completely, mainly blue. No Manta Riders, no Cloud Spirits or Spindrift Drakes, etc... Wall of Blossoms 1G Summon Wall Uncommon This is the best creature in the set. Every green deck should run 4 of these - they can hose some decks outright, like Sligh, and definitly slow down the vast majority of creature decks. Against a creatureless deck, it is ok, as it at least replaces itself. This card will be like Impulse of Man-O-War was, a staple for green. Red: Mob Justice 1R Sorcery Common The use is pretty obvious - play in a Red swarm deck. Could usually do perhaps 5 points of damage, depending on the style of deck. Mogg Flunkies 1R Summon Goblins Common This guy is big. In a deck that would use Mob Justice, this guy will definitely find a place. It isn't too hard anyway for it to attack. Picture this: 1st turn something. Second turn Flunkies. 3rd turn Ball lightning, Lancer or Stalker. To stop the Flunkies, they need to kill 2 critters - all by turn 3. I don't think that that will happen often. Heat of Battle 1R Enchantment Uncommon In a deck which uses Mogg Flunkies and Mob Justice, Heat of Battle looks pretty strong. Picture this: Attack with a bunch of low power weenies - do they take the damage, or do they block and take damage? A nice way to get around walls. White: Nomads en-Kor W Summon Soldiers Common Looks like a perfect critter for WW. Looks pretty nice w/ cards that are staple any way to WW, like Crusade, White Knight, things like that. Play Soltari Monks and Priests, and then these guys effectively have token protection from Red or Black - just dump the damage to the pro whatever guys. A creature, solid but not broken. Shaman en-Kor 1W Summon Cleric Rare Uh, why wouldn't you want this guy in your deck? With say 4-6 mana out, this guy is unstoppable, and so are all your critters. And it is unboltable, so it will just give burn fits. A top pick in any format. Pursuit of Knowledge 3W Enchantment Rare While this card is not my style, there are so many ways to abuse it. Let's count - Sylvan Library, Meditate, Brainstorm...and all those cards could be in the same deck. I can see a deck which is just cantrips, counters, this card, and Contemplation. Throw in a few ways to win, and viola - a deck! Honorable mention: Wall of Essence. Pretty good, kills sligh, kills a lot of other decks out there. Gold Cards: Uh, Slivers are lame. They may be strong in the tempest block or in maybe in sealed, but in anything else they are pretty weak. Let's see - Wrath of God, Extinction, lots of cards really kill those slivers. Having said that, the Acidic and Spined Sliver seem to be the best, but I wouldn't try one out. Queen Sliver seems like trade bait - no one plays in tourneys cards over 4cc usually anyway, and the URGWB casting cost makes it a late game card at best. It is, however, a great fun card, and I hope all the little kiddies have fun playing with it. Artifact: Horn Of Greed 3 Artifact Rare I can think of a few ways to break this card. The best way is to have multiple Horns out, and have like half land in deck. Play Constant mists, and poof...a critter lock. Maybe create some engine with Mulch, Gaea's Blessing, Mists, and Horn, and just sit there fogging away and drawing away. Shifting Wall X Artifact Creature Uncommon Ok, this is kinda iffy. But I can see it in some decks, and it could easily become a 5/5 or 6/6, which is good enough to give any speed deck pause. Maybe play it in the same type of deck that I talked about above... Ensnaring Bridge 3 Artifact Rare Hmm, how many ways are there to break this card? I'm thinking a B/U shadow weenie deck perhaps with some back up walls to just lock them up. Or maybe flat out burn - you don't even have to worry about burning out the critters anymore. Works nice with cursed scroll too. Uktabi Orangutans seem pretty strong righ about now... Volraths Stronghold Legendary Land Rare Raise your hand if you would skip your draw to play your Ball Lightning out of the graveyard. Raise your hand if you would skip your draw to play your Nekrataal out of the graveyard. How about Bottle Gnomes in a Necropotence deck? The only problem is if they play their Stronghold before you play yours, but otherwise, I like, I like alot. This set seems pretty good, and contrary to popular belief, a good portion of the cards aren't rare - they are common or uncommon.