Planeshift Limited Review: White Gary Wise Unlike the base set of each block, taking a look at Planeshift will require a look at how its existence effects changes in the draft environment for which it is meant, so keep that in mind when thinking about each card. No Planeshift card should be examined as a Planeshift-only entity in that when the set was developed, it was done with Invasion in mind. Each card in Planeshift shows up in more than twice as many packs as each card in Invasion, but with two Invasion packs being drafted for each Planeshift pack, these cards are collectively no more or less important to know than their Invasion counterparts. That is to say that they're each equally important, so those of you who do your homework early should clean up at PTQs. Before we get to today's segment, something needs to be said for your benefit. My opinions are far from infallible and are only been provided here as an initial guide from which the Sideboard hopes you'll benefit. Like you, I learn with each drafting experience, and that means that not only am I still learning about Planeshift, but that I'm still learning about Invasion, and if you think you know everything there is to know about these sets, you're wrong. You can read every article available on the subject, but unless you get out there and apply what you've learned, over and over, you won't be ready to take on those you have, so once you finish reading these articles, go draft. Then, draft some more. Figure out what works for you and what doesn't and continue to make alterations. Through that experience, you will truly learn from what I've started here. WHITE Metagaming is a concept almost solely connected to Constructed play, but we start this series with the metagame color of choice. Remember how in Invasion-only sealed, everyone and their brother was playing UBR because the cards were strictly superior? Well, throw a few Terminates and Magma Bursts into the equation and it gets worse. At one point on Day 1 of GP Boston, the top 9 tables consisted of 18 decks playing Mountains and Swamps, so white must be absolutely unplayable, right? Not exactly. While the white commons in Planeshift don't exactly measure up to their red and black counterparts individually, they can be used to create a strong metagamed countermeasure to the BR and UB power decks that every draft table will have. With Acolytes being joined by Planeshift's strong damage prevention alternatives, your WG, GW or 3-color deck may be the obstacle that the burn/banish toting mage can't overcome. Here's a look at the cards that can make that possible. Commons Aura Blast Aura Blast is one of those cards you'll definitely want as a sideboard option, but how high you take it will depend on a couple of things: did you see any Armadillo Cloaks go by you? Do you already have another efficient piece of enchantment kill like Aura Shards, Dismantling Blow or Aura Mutation? Aura Blast is the best enchantment kill a UW deck can have (Aura Mutation is better for GW), but how necessary it is to have is negligible. That said, drawing a card and destroying Armadillo Cloak mid-combat before blocking their now 2/2 with your 2/4 is pretty good. Don't pick it early; you'll get one late. Aurora Griffin With so many decks concerning themselves with the acquisition of bears, 2/2 flyers for 4 mana need to have a solid ability to go with them to be viable. While the Griffin's is an interesting function, when compared to its white counterparts Glimmering Angel and Razorfoot Griffin, it comes up somewhat lacking, but that isn't to say that it isn't playable. While the Griffin's ability may appear to be limited in its applications at first, considering the environment its in, it does prove to be useful, especially in manipulations involving gating, where it can allow your off-color gaters to come into play by making them white when you don't have any creatures to gate, or preventing opposing gaters from coming into play by making all legitimate gaters white. You'll find yourself cutting these from decks that just have too many 4-drops, but they're playable. Disciple of Kangee In some ways, I actually like the Disciple better than the Griffin, though I generally take the flier. The ability to change its own color can be a big deal, while its special ability comes at an efficient price. Get it in a deck with Slingshot Goblin and your have some major combo action going, but more realistically, it'll protect your green creatures from Hunting Drake and Slay, and your black or red creatures from Acolytes, all the while making opposing Black creatures Banishable. Again, not a high pick, but its more playable than a lot of people are making it out to be. Heroic Defiance Okay, here's the problem. Splashing a white card of this power level just isn't worth it, while playing this in your base colors should nullify its effect. Not so good. I'm sure you'll see the occasional player running this card with some degree of success, but more often than not it'll boost your creature up +0/+0. Hobble This could be the best white common in Planeshift, but it would be so much better if it were being played in a format without gating. That Hobble replaces itself regardless of what your opponent does after the fact takes some of the sting off, but any card that enchants an opposing creature has its effectiveness limited by the possibility that creature gets itself gated. This said, for a relatively cheap cost, Hobble is solid against just about any deck and really good against those black powerhouses, so you should find yourself taking it pretty high up. Honorable Scout There aren't too many 1-casting cost creatures without tap abilities that are worth playing in a main deck, and this is not an exception, but you may find yourself wanting a Scout in your sideboard in decks that have gaters against aggressive RB decks. Gaining four life and trading with an Urborg Phantom for one mana with your 13th pick isn't too shabby, so don't completely dismiss this as a sideboard option. Pollen Remedy One of my favorite cards in the set, I've been shocked at how late I've seen this go in some of the drafts I've done. Remedy was one of the best cards in MirViLight draft eons ago, and this card could conceivably be better, with a lower mana requirement and higher ceiling. Whether it's fighting off Simoon or Magma Burst, killing a few creatures as a surprise combat move or just preventing 6 points of damage to the caster, the price of just one mana is too good to ignore. Granted you probably don't want more than two in your deck, but you definitely want one. Samite Pilgrim One of the more playable cards on this list, the Pilgrim holds down the fort while your more evasive creatures go in for the kill. Don't make the mistake of thinking it can prevent damage to you, because it can't, but that doesn't mean this card doesn't earn its keep. Usually preventing 2-3 damage per tapping, that more often than not is enough to allow your creatures to break through on the mere threat of activation and then allows your defense to hold down your side of the table. Again, you don't want too many of these as you actually need something to break through with, but you'll probably find yourself wanting one or two for most white decks. Sunscape Familiar More than any other sub-section of cards, the value of the Familiars depends on the cards you've already drafted for your deck. If your pile of cards is full of Hunting Drakes or Serpentine Kavu, this card is obviously great, but if all you have are Llanowar Knights and Angelic Shield, it's little more than an overcosted Wall of Wood. As for this particular card's function, it doesn't only serve to speed up your deck and improver your curve, it also helps hold off opposing 2/2s and the like, preventing valuable points of otherwise crippling damage until you get out your larger, more powerful creatures. In some decks you absolutely need one of these, in others you absolutely don't. Make your choices accordingly. Uncommons Guard Dogs Is it just me, or did this card get placed in the wrong set? Reminiscent of Homelands, Guard Dogs costs too much with regards to both casting cost and activation cost considering that it's a 2/2 for 4 that is best against, well, you. The Dogs would be a very interesting sideboard card if its activated ability required Tap instead of 2 ManaWhite Mana, Tap but it doesn't, so you'll probably only want it in the slower mirror matches. Lashknife Barrier Its possible the single most asked question with regards to Planeshift goes something like 'Holy crap, you draw a card?' A three-mana cantrip, the Barrier's effect on the field of battle is profound enough that it would be a high pick even if it weren't a cantrip, but let's stop with the hypothetical. The simple fact is that you do draw the card, so treat the card as it should be: as an awesome card. Suddenly your 2/2 creatures can attack into your opponent's like-sized creatures with no fear, cards like Simoon, Reckless Assault and Plague Spitter are useless and direct damage just isn't what it used to be. The only thing better than a Barrier is two Barriers, and if you can make that dream a reality, start counting your winnings. Sunscape Battlemage Okay, there may be one thing better: killing a Dragon while drawing two cards and getting a 2/2 body for your troubles. My favorite Battlemage, I don't think I'd ever take another white card in Planeshift over this one if I had the mana for both abilities. The versatility that the 5, 6 and 8 casting cost options provide and the sheer power of each kicker ability make the card insanely strong, and that's before you consider the ramifications of gating. The Battlemage is 1st pick caliber if you're playing UW or GW. Don't even think about your other options if you're playing all three colors. Surprise Deployment Things were going so well until this. Expensive card disadvantage with limited applications that rule out the color its in just aren't what you want them to be. Maybe if you have 3-4 non-white Dragons this'll be viable, but otherwise you don't want to go there. Voice of All Remember how I said that a 2/2 flyer needs a solid ability to be anything more than mediocre? This card is definitely not mediocre. The five original Voices were all very solid, but they didn't come close to this little girl. The Voice will give fits to whoever you play it against as long as you hold it until you know what your best option is, and when you've been able to shore up your defenses, you know who will be there to break through for those last few points of damage for the win. I'd probably take the three color Battlemage over it, but there isn't much else. Rares Dominaria's Judgment The Judgment could make for a very interesting sideboard card in a mirror match, especially one that is likely to go to a creature lock, but it gets really interesting in those five color decks with a couple of Harrows. If that's the situation, the Judgment can do anything from effectively counter a Distorting Wake to make your opponent's Breath of Darigaaz a really bad Flame Rift to allow your creatures to go unblocked by anything short of an artifact creature. A powerful but hard to apply card, the Judgment should only be included in decks that seem built to play it, meaning that you should leave it for a late pick as no one else should want it. March of Souls This card is a little disappointing. At first glance, it appears to be a Wrath of God, but it leaves you with the same problems Afterlife did, only multiplied many times over. That said, the March is playable, but hard to work around. The key is to get out and keep out a couple of hard to circumvent creatures that will allow you to build up your hand while your opponent tries to build up an offense to get around those creatures. The best creature to play here has to be Benalish Heralds, who will allow you to build up your hand in a way that doesn't seem suspicious. This will leave your opponent will considerably more 1/1s than you, but you should be able to recover fast by playing larger creatures from your hand. The best card in the set to play with the March however has to be Lashknife Barrier. If you have one, the March's value climbs considerably. Orim's Chant As big a deal as this is in Constructed, the Chant is little more than a Holy Day in Limited. Take it if you need one for your collection, but don't take it if you want to win. Planeswalker's Mirth If you somehow get this in the same pack as the Chant, it may be a lot more viable to take the Chant. It costs a lot of mana to get into play, a lot more to activate, and at the end of all that, you aren't assured that it'll do anything. When it does something, the Mirth doesn't do enough, gaining your first life points after your opponent has played 2 or more creatures. Don't waste your time with this one. Samite Elder Now this card is interesting one. On its own, it only seems viable against decks that mirror yours, but with certain other cards, it suddenly becomes really good. Tidal Visionary is good, but Rainbow Crow is better, and Metathran Transport and Aurora Griffin get pretty insane. The Elder can stop creature kill, make your creatures hard to block or destroy opposing creature enchantments, all if the situation is right. This is one of those cards where you'll have to use your best judgment, but know that in the right deck, it can dominate. That's it for white. Next I'll take a look at the blue cards in the set and their ramifications on the format. Feel free to send questions to JgaryWise@yahoo.com. Good drafting.