Mercadian Masques, Part Fourteen Gary Wise The following is a look at the Blue rares in Mercadian Masques, continuing my series looking at the set for purposes of booster draft. A few thoughts... Blue seems to always get the rare bombs, and Mercadian Masques is no exception. Despite having the two strongest commons in the set, There are a number of blue rares that are worth taking over either. As always, you'll find the huge fliers here, as well as incredibly manipulative little guys who dominate the field of play, not to mention card drawers that will eventually net you huge card advantage. Rares Aerial Caravan - R & D figured that in case you hadn't figured out that 4/3 fliers were good, they'd give us a collective wake up call in the form of the Caravan's 'Elkin Bottle' ability, which makes this an obviously grotesque card. That the bottle ability isn't a tap ability is insane, letting you use it multiple times in the late game. Extravagant Spirit - Like Megatherium, it isn't too likely that you'll cast this card before turn 6-7, but unlike the Green fatty, you have the option of casting this monster turn 4. Let me spell it out for you guys: 4/4 f-l-y-e-r-s-a-r-e-g-o-o-d. Simple as that. They'd better have a black kill spell or a creature suppressant; otherwise they'll die pretty quickly. Sandsquid - And yet another obscene blue rare hits the page. Like Heavy Ballista, this card is topped only because of its susceptibility to Maggot Therapy and Lunge, but ignoring them, the abilities on this thing are insane. Better than any Blue common or uncommon, the Squid acts as an Amber Prison with no activation cost, and can even run over with some Islandwalking damage in dire situations. Overtaker - A little overrated, this card's high activation cost puts it a notch below Barrier and Bouncer, albeit a small notch. Once you've hit the mid/late game, this card is dominant, but at 1/1 it's pretty easy to kill. Bribery - At first glance, Bribery makes one's jaw drop, but upon further reflection, we realize it isn't nearly as good as the Control Magic style cards we must compare it to. There are very few creatures that are worth more than 5 mana, and quite often the best creatures in an opponent's deck are only truly effective with that player's mana (Thrashing Wumpus, for example). That said, Bribery gives you a number of options while eliminating one threat your opponent could draw, a solid card. Tidal Kraken - Very simply, if you cast this creature, the game is going to be over really soon, but in that statement we find the problem: you have to be able to cast it. Eight mana is a lot in an environment with Spellshapers, Gush returning lands to one's hand and the like, so when you're drafting, be sure to ask yourself whether you'll be able to cast this beast. Rishadan Brigand - Another notch down we find one of the weaker 3 power flyers for 5 mana ever printed. An offensive weapon, the Brigand's inability to block ground creature leaves it lacking in the versatility department. Add to this the fact that any of the lower casting cost common fliers (excepting 1/1s) can trade with it, and the fact that by the time you cast it, your opponent will generally have no problem sacrificing a land to its ability, and you have an OK card that ranks below a number of commons. It only ranks this high because large Flyers are a commodity. Misdirection - Sometimes this card wins the game. Others it sits in your hand while Snorting Gahr beat you to a pulp. A strong concept, the limitations on Misdirection relegate it to 3rd-5th-pick status. Be careful to not cast this spell when your opponent Lunges, as its strength comes in the surprise factor. Trade Routes - Who needs to spell-shape when every card you draw is effectively a spell? Trade Routes is a strong card that not only improves the quality of your draws, but allows you to play lands with reckless abandon, protects you from land destruction and helps you find the cards you need in a given situation. Especially cool with Spellshapers as you can go down to 0 cards in hand, tricking your opponent into playing as if you couldn't shape. Cowardice - The single most underrated card in the set, the trick with Cowardice is to build a deck with otherwise solid cards that function well with it, like Alabaster Wall and Panacea. If you do this and draw the Cowardice, you'll just win the draft, and on top of that, sometimes you'll get to draft this card the second time you see it. Charisma - If you have the 2-3 Stinging Barriers you need to make this card really effective, you should probably be able to win anyway, but it definitely doesn't hurt. Karn's Touch - Desperate times call for desperate measures. If you have lots of creature kill and can't stop a powerful artifact any other way, maybe you can kill it with this. Sideboard only. Squeeze - Matt Vienneau's special sideboard tech against multiple Volcanic Winds Statecraft - Furious Assault + Darting Merfolk!!! Saprazzan Bailiff - If it got rid of Highway Robbers, MAYBE it would be sideboardable. Embargo - Get this down with a Staminaed, Ancestral Masked fatty and...it still sucks.