Mercadian Masques, Part Nine

Gary Wise

The following installment continuing my series dissecting Mercadian Masques booster draft will take a look at the set's blue uncommons...

But first, I missed Sabre Ants in my Green Analysis:

Sabre Ants - This guy combines so well with the green cards in this environment that I'll often take it over Snorting Gahr. Played with Lure, Collective Unconcious, Rushwood Herbalist, Spidersilk Armor etc, this card becomes an absolute beast, and even without those cards it is extremely difficult to deal with. I'd place this third on the green list behind Hunted Wumpus.
A few thoughts...

As with Green, Blue finds itself weakest amongst the uncommon slots. Where there are seven blue commons that one could refer to as very good, the uncommon list goes down three or four slots at most. Where most uncommon sets provide the blue player with a number of evasion creatures, this set only provides 2, and one is somewhat risky to use.
Uncommons

Coastal Piracy - Without a doubt, no color's uncommons have as wide a disparity between its top two cards as blue. While I was originally wrong by saying Piracy was the best uncommon in the set when Masques premiered, it is an absolutely outstanding card that one can build their deck around. Cards like Cloud Sprite actually become good when this thing hits play; what more can I say? An excellent first pick.

Saprazzan Legate - What a drop. Not as good as the Drake Hatchling and Rishadan Airship, the Legate is nevertheless a strong card that belongs in every blue deck. With its toughness of three, it controls the air effectively, stopping Gliders in their tracks, and in a control deck, it can eventually do the final few points of damage once the ground has been locked up.

Thwart - Better than Counterspell in a heavy blue deck, this card's stock goes up with each Waterfront Bouncer you get your hands on. Generally speaking, you never really need more than two Islands in play, so pitching the Islands that you've returned to your hand should be beneficial. This card should almost always make your deck if you pick it, but you shouldn't pick it unless blue is your base color, or unless there's absolutely nothing else.

Saprazzan Breaker - The "Game" Breaker at first looks to be a powerhouse, but in fact ends up being nothing more than a Bubbling Beeble. At 3/3 for 5, this guy is expensive, but in a slow control deck, he can put your finishing moves on, if you can avoid decking yourself. The Breaker becomes a much better card if played with Soothsaying and Brainstorm, which allow the controller to know when the top card of their library is a land.

Soothsaying - A very strong card, the only reason it doesn't reflect higher here is because of its ineffectiveness in the short game. Fitting nicely into the mana curve at 1 mana, Soothsaying gives you quality control, allowing you to pick and choose the cards you'd like to draw. When you've thinned out the top of your deck leaving only mediocrity, you can shuffle that mediocrity away for a fresh start. Very strong with cheaper methods of shuffling one's deck, Soothsaying is usually best in UW. A 4th-5th pick caliber card.

Shoving Match - Probably the most interesting card on this list, Shoving Match is great in either a control deck where it waits until the late game to kill in one stroke, or an aggressive deck that does 10-12 points early and then uses the Shove to get in that one final unblocked attack. It's also good in tandem with other cards that want one's opposing creatures tapped like Brawl or Dehydration.

Rishadan Footpad - I've heard a number of players refer to this as "the Blue Darwin". While I don't think it's as good as Avalanche Riders, it will usually be good enough to make your deck. Unlike its diminutive cousin the Cutpurse, this guy's ability leaves behind a substantial enough body at 2/2 to trade with an opposing creature.

Diplomatic Escort - An interesting card, but my opinion on this guy wavers a lot. It seems like it's best in an aggressive UG deck where it serves to protect your creatures as they finish an opponent off, but those decks generally don't want to leave mana open. It's pretty good in a control deck, but they will almost always be able to maneuver around it. I look at this as a pretty good 23rd card.

Indentured Djinn - One of the most discussed cards in the set, the interest stems from the power of the effects for both sides of the table. My personal opinion is that if a deck can't handle the Djinn after drawing three cards, it isn't too likely to win anyway, so I almost never start it. The one exception is when I know my deck is horrible, because that's when I'm willing to take chances in desperate victory attempts.

Chambered Nautilus - A blue Alley Grifter you can't search for, this card is good filler as the 22nd or 23rd card in your deck when you need a warm body.

War Tax - In my opinion, the most overrated card in the set, this probably stems from my personal strategy of not going blue unless I get a bomb like Waterfront Bouncer to start my deck off. When you have any spellshapers of worth, this card becomes useless, as your excess mana will be tossed away. On top of that the card weighs you down, putting you in a position where you are unable to cast any other spells out of your need for Tax mana.

Glowing Anemone - A mediocre 23rd card, the Anemone makes a decent blocker against black and white decks, either slowing their development early or providing your spellshapers with a discardable land later in the game.

Timid Drake - Horrible as a defensive card; in an extremely efficient control deck without a way to win, you might want to think about it.

Chameleon Spirit - Too much mana, not enough effect. Okay sideboard vs. rebels/mercenary's if your deck is really weak.

False Demise - Desperation may make it viable in a UB deck with an abundance of kill

Customs Depot - REALLY desperate here, this card could be playable in a deck with multiple Darting Merfolk.

High Seas - Could this have been less drastic?

Energy Flux - Sideboard vs. Tinker