It’s nearly that time again. Time to speculate on what mythic’ will be chase, what cards will see eternal play, and what will be the next break out deck in Standard. Yes, it is nearly preview season again and we here at Master of Magics are keen to see what the future of Magic has in store for us all. But Wizards of the Coast weren’t content with waiting one more week, and so last Monday they gave us a sneak peek at a whole bunch of cards from the upcoming Core Set.
Now while most of these cards will see only see play in intro decks and limited, there where a few cards that stood out as potential candidates for the upcoming Standard season. Some are old reprints, some are new and exciting Rares. Today I am going to take you through three cards I believe could make a splash and see play in the upcoming Standard meta. So hold on to your hats, its time to predict the future.
Ixalan: The Lost World
Anyone you who thought that Wizards of the Coast would stop printing dinosaurs after Ixalan were a) wrong, and b) don’t understand how cool thunder lizards are. We have already seen dinosaurs on Dominaria in the form of Territorial Allosaurus, and now it time for Core Set 2019 to get involved with Gigantosaurus.
A vanilla creature rarely deserves hype (unless your Yargle) but Gigantosaurus shows some promise as a key creature in Steel Leaf Stompy decks. Five green isn’t too much of an ask for a mono coloured deck, and you get a 10/10 for your trouble. This makes for a great turn four play thanks to Llanowar Elves, and reduces the cost of Ghalta, Primal Hunger to a ludicrous two mana all on its own. The only down side is that it doesn’t naturally have trample. However, giving creatures trample in a green deck shouldn’t be two difficult and will certainly be worth the effort.
What would you trade for Power?
Wizards has a long history of printed under costed Black Demons. Some of them are utter failures (see Hellcarver Demon), while others have shown tournament level pedigree. Demon of Catastrophes falls firmly in the latter category. Four mana for a 6/6 with flying and trample certainly makes sure it pass the vanilla test, and there is very little that can challenge it for air dominance in the current meta. But of course, it has to have a drawback. So let’s see what it is.
Sacrifice a creature when you cast it. Please give me a moment while I channel my inner John McEnroe.
YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS!
Not every turn. Not in order to attack. Just when you can it. That is so little of a cost it is laughable. And what you are left with is a 6/6 with flying and trample. If your opponent doesn’t have the removal spell in their hand if this resolve, then I don’t see them holding out until they can find one. If I was a pie betting man, this would be one of my picks.
Burn, Baby, Burn.
The last card I want to talk about isn’t a new card. It isn’t even a Rare. But I can really see this making its way to the top of the tournament tables in a few months’ time. That card is of course, Guttersnipe. Originally seeing print back in Return to Ravnica, this little Goblin Shaman is a favourite pick for spell heavy decks. Adding two damage on to all your burn spells, or even rubbing salt onto the wound when you counter something is very powerful. Believe me, I have lost many a cube match to this creature.
Now I don’t believe that the Chainwhirler decks will necessarily want this card, but there could be a more burn-based deck already in the works. With cards like The Flame of Keld and Ghitu Lavarunner forming the initial building block of the brew, it isn’t too hard to image a direct damage red deck making waves in Standard. And if all else fails he is a goblin, a tribe which has had some great support in recent months. Guess we will have to wait and see.
Well that is my two cents on the few cards we have seen from Core Set 2019. In all honesty I’m quite impressed with the power level so far, and I look forward to seeing what else will get previewed next week. But what do you think? Are you looking forward to Magic 2019? And have you also started brewing? Why not tell us about it in the comments down below. If you have enjoyed todays article why not like and share, it is a great way for you to help support and growth the site. But until next time remember Good Luck and Have Fun.
