Instant Speed MTG

Instant Speed and 2018!

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 23:50:00 +0000

2018 is a new year, with new goals and new efforts!

InstantSpeedMTG is being reorganized as a part of InstantSpeedLive, as viewed at twitch.tv/instantspeedlive! Also, thanks to a fun lapse in memory on our part, instantspeedmtg.com has lapsed and we are back to a blogspot address until further notice, but if you are reading this message, you may have already figured that out.

Exciting growth has come to InstantSpeedLive streaming content! We have announced a tentative schedule including Thursday night MTG streams, with occasional Monday Arena action.

InstantSpeed Retro will be a Saturday night stream for retro rpg's and nostalgic gaming. We are live with industry standard tools and equipment, a fresh new look, and of course, a witty host.

The biggest development in InstantSpeedMTG is the adoption of 3DH as our home and native format. 3DH is a form of budget form Commander, as played on MTGO. Love for EDH has kept us quite busy for a couple years, collecting cards and chasing league championships. We have found a format that gives us access to the full power of Magic across it's whole life, is accessible to all across the world, and does it all without costing more than a $3.00 investment on a budget deck of digital cards. We have the desire to use our platform to champion Magic and it's digital forms, and we believe 3DH will represent one of the finest and most accessible experiences to offer. We will be posting more commentary and analysis on 3DH as a format in the coming months, as we become more immersed.

With that in mind, we are adding a Thursday night stream to the schedule, likely a late evening/late night show of 3DH players in the community facing off after the Head streamers of the community, Jeremy Noell and PraetorMagic (and others). Visitors at twitch.tv/instantspeedlive will often be treated to the weeks antics of the 3DH community, as we will be hosting 3DH channels exclusively.

Check out our initial stream, a three-way deathmatch against mono-black shenanigans and jeskai control!

EDH DECKTREK: Rehyan // Ravvos

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 20:54:00 +0000

The editors at InstantSpeedMTG have been doing work with a couple new partner-led decks and wish to bring you a deck-tech that goes big AND wide!

Reyhan, Last of the Abzan // Ravos, Soultender

Reyhan, Last of the Abzan, brings the Abzanity no matter what zone he is headed to. Akin to Skullbriar, Reyhan helps to conserve counters, working against your opponents removal efforts. The difference is that Reyhan spreads those counters around your board. Reyhan is a cheap commander that can come down early game and avoid notice until it is too late, while opponents have their eyes diverted to your bigger guns and flashy artifacts

Ravvos, Soultender is a triple threat. His anthem affect is only slightly relevant, yet being a flyer to stack counters onto that deals commander damage can be a sneaky aristocrat-style one-shot kill for players stuck on the ground. His recursion ability is strong, and when combined with Meren of Clan Nel Toth, your graveyard will become a house for you to live in.

DISCLAIMER: If you build this deck, you might want to purchase MORE DICE because you will need them to pile on top of your huge creatures before crushing your opponents. This deck is a +1/+1 counter machine that stops your opponents from advantageously killing your creatures while you scale up exponentially and trample over everyone.

Great staples for this archetype are Cathar's Crusade and Hardened Scales, though both of these enchantments are highly noticeable by opponents. Creatures like Forgotten Ancient and Juniper Order Ranger can give you big benefits just by showing up. Add in a Corpsejack Menace and a Kalonain Hydra and you will probably be reaching for more dice than you've brought.

B Team Countercorp cards are Death's Presence, Grave Betrayal, Cauldron of Souls, Abzan Falconer, Mikaeus the Lunarch. Several recent releases have cropped up in our build, including Winding Constrictor, which is exactly what the deck wants - a two-drop play that builds your counter's momentum early and confuses your opponents threat-analysis.

Win conditions in this game include similar features of Meren's deck, i.e. Mycoloth, Bloodspore Thrinax, and Avenger of Zendikar. These creatures coupled with a sack outlet such as Ashnod's Altar or Perilous Forays can give you the flexibility to smash with earned counters. This interaction can save you against most Red board clears, any -x/-x affects, and with any of the auxiliary pieces available, could make you stronger for it.

Triskelion and Walking Ballista are two single-card wincons. The inevitable board-wipe will attempt
to calm down your board-state, which will certainly backfire and create a giant Tommy Gun to shoot down the opponent that dare attack you. Paired with a sack outlet and a couple counters on the board already, one of these Tommy's is your fastest, and only non-combat, win condition.

Ramp in our deck is a beautiful thing. Besides a basic Wood Elves and Sakura Tribe Elder for early game value, Gyre Sage and either version of Selvala can be played, depending on how benevolent you want to be. Ranger's Path is the best turn two play you can imagine. Midgame, Fertilid can give you something non-aggressive to do with your counters, while hoping a Zendikar Resurgent can stick to the board. Card Quality choices such as Sylvan Library and Lifecrafter's Bestiary also make the deck.

One thing this deck has over Meren and Skullbriar decks is access to sweet, sweet white removal. Swords to Plowshares, Mortify, Utter End, Anguished Unmaking, Return to Dust, and Path to Exile all vie for a spot on the team, with Krosan Grip and Beast Within always great options as well. Depending on your local metagame, you may want seven of the above-mentioned spells, but five is a basic minimum that this deck has no problem meeting.

Aura Shards is a powerhouse of an enchantment that is pure value with only 2 triggers, and will likely draw out enchantment removal that could hurt your counters strategy. Best case scenario: Aura Shards with a Mycoloth and Cathar's crusade on the board at the same time. Pure. Counter. Christmasland.

Board wipes for this deck has one tailor-made auto-includes. The deck is resilient to board wipes, but doesn't bounce back reflexively. The Abzan colored board wipe like Duneblast could be just what the Khan ordered. Step One: Choose one of your creatures, perhaps one like Ravos, being a flyer with a recursion ability. Step two: destroy all creatures, and flood your Ravos with counters thanks to Reyhan's ability. Step Three: Attack.

Generic board wipes like Mass Calcify and Wrath of God are called for as well as a Supreme Verdict. While you seldom wish to exile any of your creatures, if you are behind and have only a Reyhan and some enchantments on the board, the drawback will be acceptable. Conversely, if you build your creatures, and find yourself against enchantment or artifact heavy decks, Supreme Verdict could be the card that evens the playing field. Bane of Progress is included for the same reason, bringing our build to five board-wipes.

Panharmonicon and Blade of Selves are included, though are considered diversionary cards. They are way too powerful to be allowed to live, and should be dismissed. If removed, you are freer to make other plays, and if not, every play you make is doubled or quadrupled in effect. These cards might want to come down before your Aura Shards, Hardened Scales, or Meren of Clan Nel Toth for this reason.

HAIL HYDRA! Hydras have a great synergy with Reyhan, providing instant counters for you to float around your board, given the right sack outlets. Use Hydra's like a multitool and include four or five that serve your needs in your meta. Scourge of Skola Vale is a great staple, as it is a low costed creature and a free, albeit slow sacrifice outlet that can turn into big multipliers mid-game. Imagine sacking a Lifeblood Hyrda with five counters on to Scourge, with Reyhan alone on the board; Scourge gets five counters, Reyhan allows you to put five counters wherever you want, and you draw five cards from Lifeblood Hydra.

Kalonian Hydra is another staple, and is certainly an aggressive way to get big, fast. Inclusions like reveillark and karmic guide can target hydras that enter with counters on them, while Ravvos can let you recast hydras with X in the cost for even bigger hydras, all without losing any of your total power!

Recursion comes to us through our commander Ravos and his bff Meren, but in order to be truly resilient we will need more. We also include Obzedat's Aid and Victimize for direct-to-battlefield effects. We have Reveillark and Karmic Guide. Creeping Rennaisance can be a sudden shift in your favor, should your hand be empty, and can even be flashed back.

In our land base, there are two inclusions worth mentioning. Khalni Garden is a turn one that will provide you with a 0/1 Plant token that can help make other plays down the line, especially with Sidisi, Undead Vizier, Mycoloth, or Bloodspore Thrinax. This is useful when you mulligan down to five cards looking for Sol Ring into Swiftoot boots, but don't find it.

We also play Krosan Verge, because of the flexibility to get any plains AND any forest card right to the battlefield. We can grab duals and get our bases covered while actually multiplying our current land base, thinning our deck of lands by a further 3%. Every little bit counts, right?

An alternate build to this deck would focus on the color black's ability to make people sacrifice permanents along with you. Butcher of Malakir, Fleshbag Marauder, Mazirek, and Vulturous Zombie are all auto-includes if you're interested in a little more tit-for-tat in your game. Smothering Abomination and Grim Haruspex can fuel your hand while Meren and Ravos hand out second and third chances to your graveyard, all while counters are raining down. This version looks a lot like Mazirek and Jarad decks already do, with an added win-con of going big on one creature. Because Golgari aristocrat decks don't focus much on combat beyond that, we feel it's a direction OUR Abzanity deck doesn't want to go down, instead preferring to reap rewards within combat.

While similar to other Golgari and Abzan colored decks, this partner pair gives you a dynamic machine that puts big bodies on the ground. This deck becomes strong in the mid-game and builds on its own momentum. Recursion and Removal are strengths of ours while we carve out a path through the battlefield, practically throwing dice on the table. Like the noble Abzan, we march on through danger and ill-weather for the values of counters, counters, and more counters!

Special Report: Lone Rider // It That Rides As One

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Fri, 05 Aug 2016 18:10:00 +0000

Eldritch Moon has waxed over us. Amid price spikes and and pro tours, the booster draft format for EMN is young, impressionable and complex as the common spell slinger continues to explore.

One shadow is being cast long over the format, one looming figure instilling fear in drafters.

I like to refer to him as The Saint of Killers.

Lone Rider // It That Rides As One

The fact that this card is found at uncommon rarity shakes me to my bones. Without the ability to flip, this card is still an interesting, pesky creature likely to draw your opponents removal. The flip side is a veritable win condition. Life gain is a trivial matter for Lone Rider, as it will be diving into enemy ranks before any board state is truly established. Spells like Blessed Alliance and simple battle tricks like Shadow's Over Innistrad's Strength of Arms and Aim High can be found easily late. If not dealt with on turn three, maybe four, Lone Rider is very likely to become It That Rides As One, a concession is likely to follow (unless playing a Black deck -- this player may try to draw Murder before conceding).

"Aha! A reason to play me!"

With an equipment or Aura attached, a la Lunarch Mantle (or Senseless Rage or True Faith Censor), It That Rides As One will be a titan on the battlefield, representing a game winning threat as well as a lifelinking wall, something no one wants to attack into.

Lone Rider is held back by its one toughness, whereas First Strike will allow it to attack into plenty of early board states, this is a format with plenty of one damage spells. There are few 1/1 creatures in Eldritch Moon, and with the emergence of spells like Make Mischief, Galvanic Bombardment, the pinging ability of Weaver of Lightning, and Borrowed Malevolence all seemingly designed to stop the Saint of Killers in mid-gallop.

The Natural Enemy of the Saint

Blue/Red is shaping up to be the most sought after deck in the format, but this dark horse easily fits the saddle of an underdog. White/Green Humans had a presence in the previous SOI format, and the synergies to be found there are only deeper, keeping the archetype pinned to #3, if not #2. B/R is likely to have multiple drafters at a table, so never fear to take this card very early in the draft, and start looking for incidental lifegain. It is also a great signal card, so if you see this passed to you beyond the third pick, you can assume either your opponent opened Thalia (if its Bruna or Gisela, you'll be able to see) or, much more likely, white is a wide open plain awaiting the hooves of righteous horror.

Shadows Over Innistrad Booster Box Opening!

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Tue, 12 Apr 2016 22:55:00 +0000

We got our hands on a booster box, and we open it for you!

Stay tuned for more openings!

Limited Attention -- Shadows Over Innistrad's Most Wanted -- Green!

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Fri, 08 Apr 2016 17:21:00 +0000

Keep eyes peeled and diligent in search of these draft picks, and pursue with extreme prejudice!

AUTUMNAL GLOOM // ANCIENT OF THE EQUINOX

Green is heavy into Delirium. Green/Black is good, and is very delirious. This card is good before it transforms, enabling your delirium with a cheap effect that only requires you to have some black mana to make cards fall like dead leaves into your graveyard. Once you have a 4/4 trample/hexproof Treefolk on the board, you are way ahead.

Preferred Draft Pick: 2-5

CRAWLING SENSATION

This is another Delirium enabler, and one that will fit into more decks. This card can reliably give you 1/1 tokens starting on turn 4. This is a deceptive enchantment that may escape your opponents notice at first, but after two turns on the board, one is likely to have Delirium activated for your other cards, and you've taken 5-7 less damage thanks to your chump blocking insects. Graveyard hijinks decks will go crazy with this deck, gaining value from plenty of creature cards as they hit the graveyard.

Preferred Draft Pick: 4-6

INTREPID PROVISIONER

Human tribal synergy may not be the most flavorful in the set, but it shall not be denied. Intrepid Provisioner is a solid body that passes the vanilla test thanks to a Trample ability that will keep it relevant after it's Entrance ability has resolved. In most color combinations, you will find Human creatures for your deck, not least of which being Green/White.

Preferred Draft Pick: 4-6

WATCHER IN THE WEB

When I think of this card, I think of a Command & Conquer RTS game where you click a spot on the map and out pops a bunker, ready to be your defensive rock as well as take down a bunch of bad guys. If you play this card, defense is no longer what you have to worry about. It survives against most threats and removal spells, and locks down any flyers that might come your way (most of which having 1-2 power). Conversely, seeing an opponent drop this will seriously challenge one's gameplan.

Preferred Draft Pick: 4-6

PACK GUARDIAN

We all are going to be very accustomed to discarding lands during this set. Putting 6 power onto the ground on turn four is very nearly ridiculous. Even should you play this late game, you will still very likely get a great block or a very punishing attack in with this card. Getting full value from it is not a far shot to make, and will have double the effect on the board (if not your opponent's life total) than a card like Goldknight Castigator, a fellow four-drop. This card could almost deter players from laying a 5th land. At Uncommon, this could very well be THE reason to play Green.

Preferred Draft Pick: 2-4

More bulletins as they develop! Stay tuned to InstantSpeedMTG.com!

DRAFT AWARE!

Shadows Over Innistrad Most Wanted: BLUE

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 19:11:00 +0000

Alert Level Rising! PreRelease events are imminent!

The populace must be informed!

Be on the lookout for these five blue cards, in Common or Uncommon, considered armed and dangerous in Limited formats. If these cards are spotted, we recommend drafting with appropriate prejudice.

ABERRANT RESEARCHER // PERFECTED FORM

Holy mad insect scientist!

Who doesn't mind playing a 3/2 flyer for 4 mana? This is a common prospect in Blue. How about a 5/4 flyer? Playing Blue means you will probably have plenty of spells to hit on, but the tension will be palpable for your opponent each upkeep of yours. And if you miss? In a deck where you are trying to achieve Delirium, which Blue decks will often want to do, the researcher will help you get there.

PREFERRED PICK: 2-4

MANIC SCRIBE

Achieving Delirium will feel very good with this guy on the board. A 2-drop with 3 toughness is nothing to shake a stick at, and will essentially all but deliver you delirium. Once your opponent is only drawing one out of every 4 cards in their deck, odds are definitely stacked in your favor. (note: board out against other heavy delirium decks)

PREFERRED PICK: 4-6

RECKLESS SCHOLAR

This three-drop can make sure you have card quality advantage moving into the mid-game. It won't have a great affect on the board and doesn't totally trade up, but if your hand is full of cards that say "Madness," this overachiever will be your best friend.

PREFERRED PICK: 3-5

PRESS FOR ANSWERS

Who says a little detective work doesn't pay off?

This card presents some of the nicest economy in the color. The tap-and-stay-tapped effect has cost as little as one mana in the past, so you are essentially getting an investigate for one mana, which is about as cheap as one can be bought. Simply running this card helps delirium, tempo, and card draw. Heck, it might even help you do some damage.

PREFERRED PICK: 5-7

STORMRIDER SPIRIT

A Common rarity flash flyer already has our vote for President. Make it a 3/3 and next stop, the world. The versatility this card brings to a deck can easily create huge game swings. This card will be a star on defense, and still a 3/3 flyer on offense. If your deck has any spirit synergies at all, you will be riding this storm towards prize packs.

PREFERRED PICK: 3-5

Stay tuned to InstantSpeedMTG.com for more installments of

Shadows Over Innistrad: Most Wanted!

Evolving Wilds: Changes for Magic Online Prerelease

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 18:32:00 +0000

Art: Willian Murrai

Most of us are super jazzed this week. Prerelease, for the InstantSpeedMTG crew, is this Friday at midnight, Saturday for others, all weekend for some. We all have our entries and boxes pre-ordered and all we have to do is wait until the time comes to enjoy the fruits of our anticipation. For our most unfortunate and under-served brothers and sisters, those without access to the live-giving force of a local game store, Prerelease is only alive on Magic: The Gathering Online (henceforth, MTGO). Those players, as well as the rest of us, will enjoy the changes coming to MTGO.

In the past MTGO mirrored real life MTG, in particular when it came to Prereleases, only the whole schedule was delayed two weeks. In an article on Magic.wizards.com today, Digital Project Manager for MTGO Lee Sharpe announced several upgrades to the online pre-release experience.

"Prereleases are like Christmas, where you get to unwrap your presents and play with them right then and there."

"Why must I wait another week to draft? WHYYYYY?!"
Art: James Ryman

While the two week stagger remains in place, several other traditional elements have been removed, namely, the week afterwards wherein players had to wait to begin drafting and purchasing packs. This time around, on MTGO at least, players will enter the new season on the Monday following Prerelease.

Prerelease events will include special Shadows Over Innistrad Sealed Leagues. Sharpe states that "Sealed League technology is awesome." We agree, and can't wait to play! These leagues will continue to offer a foil promo rare or mythic rare card for your purchase. Players will have until April 20th to complete their league.

Also on the docket are Prerelease Swiss Drafts. These will be pack-per-win only.

Players in both types of events will receive an Avacyn avatar.

Release events are also canceled along with the week of hiatus between prerelease and Release. So, essentially, Pre-release has become Release, and the only real difference between what you play on Saturday the 16th and Monday the 18th is the Foil Promo that will come with your online cards.

While we appreciate that Wizards is spending time crafting unforgettable experiences in MTGO, these are minor efforts to streamline the schedule, and don't really get down to increasing the draw and payoff for competing on MTGO on that particular weekend. We look forward to more changes as the next couple of prereleases roll around.

Tweet at Lee Sharpe at @mtg_lee with suggestions for further upgrades. MTGO Shadows Over Innistrad Prerelease events open April 15th!

Limited Attention -- Shadows Over Innistrad Draft Primer #001 Investigate!

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 04:04:00 +0000

Only two weeks away from pre-release weekend for Shadows Over Innistrad, the speculative deck techs have begun. Possible time traveler Owen Turtenwald dropped a Red/Black Madness deck tech onto Channel Fireball that made us itch to jump into a draft, though knowing we must wait another three weeks to sit down with the actual cards, why not brainstorm?

"Investigate" is a new mechanic built into the design of Shadows Over Innistrad. Big Man Mark Rosewater took the time to explain the process of designing of the mechanic on Magic.wizards.com, and that got us thinking. Here we discuss draft combos, entry points, and execution of an "Investigate" themed deck.

What is our objective? "Investigate" gives us a number of artifacts that stay around for the late game, giving us something to do with our mana down the line. Therefore we prioritize control and mid-game spirited cards. The colors we will inhabit will be Blue, Green, and to a lesser degree, White.

How To End Up Here

A good place to start off talking about this draft achetype is the legendary artifact, Tamiyo's Journal. This will give you an Investigate each turn, and allow you to search up whatever win condition you were able to grab. At rare, the Journal is a huge card to pull into any deck. This also means if you pick up another bomb that isn't totally on-theme, the Journal will play right into it, without even sacrificing itself. In this format we will likely not have 8, 9, or 10 powered creatures, but if you happen to open a Jace, Avacyn, or more likely, Sigurda, you will be much closer to these bombs. Artifacts see much less removal in Limited as well, so this card is likely to stick for the whole game. If you are able to play this and sacrifice three clues immediately, it becomes a 5 mana tutor instead of the 6 mana, draw three that the three clues represents. This card is versatile enough to thoroughly enjoy drafting it pack one, pick one every time.

Sage of Ancient Lore/ Werewolf of Ancient Hunger will be as powerful late-game as you are successful in working the Investigate machine you pull together. Keep 5 or 6 cards in hand, and you will have a powerful hitter that has the possibility of doubling his power and effectiveness if things peter out. You will also be able to sacrifice clues at instant speed in order to pump Sage, which will drive your opponent crazy in the best possible way.

We are taking it for granted that investigating will be an easy proposition for most decks. Even so, Daring Sleuth and Bearer of Overwhelming Truths is going to be a card to pick up early. Taking one first pick won't necessarily limit you to the deck we are discussing, but at uncommon, you can easily have one or two. Not only can this easily be a 4 or 5 damage threat in the mid-game, but it also furthers your Investigation goals.

As Mr. Rosewater personally spoiled, Tireless Tracker is a card you might you might open, and if the pack has no removal, you could end up picking this up and feeling strongly pulled towards an investigate deck (we would suggest staying open, but there could be worse first picks). The value of this card is obvious. You will arrive at the late-game with more clues that you can shake a scepter at, and as soon as you start cashing them in, Tracker will be a threat your opponent has to deal with, if not sooner.

Also Look For

One of the best enablers for your "investigate" theme will be Briarbridge Patrol. He has the added benefit of making any creature in your hand a six drop that says "draw three cards". Imagine you end up with a bomb rare like Sigurda or a Geralf's Masterpiece, you've tutored it up with Tamiyo's Journal, you play it for almost better than free (I digress). The Patrol has a big enough body to stick around, do some damage, and earn you a clue each time he does. At uncommon, you could see these late, will probably only see one per pack, and should consider taking 5-10th pick.

We've been shown several Enchantments that seem to be build-around's for these decks. As the various oaths in Oath of the Gatewatch proved, an enchantment is rarely going to be first-pick worthy, and these cards are no exception.

Trail of Evidence will be better in a deck with lots of spells (obviously) which means if you are leaning towards stronger creatures than spells, you may find yourself not playing this card. This will work great if you are able to find lots of counterspells. A better and cheaper option is Ongoing Investigation, more likely to make an impact if you have more green cards and creature cards than counter-spells or removal.

Ulvenwald Mysteries will be more useful for its second ability, capitalizing off of other sources of clues to flood your board with 1/1 tokens. The first ability will likely provide one or two clues per game, but certainly far fewer than either of the blue archetypes.

White has several options for an investigate-heavy deck as well, such as the quick-play Thraben Inspector, starting you off with a clue on turn one. Expose Evil is also a common instant that will make Trail of Evidence better, and is cheap enough to consider playing as a battle trick when trying to sneak your Bearer of Overwhelming Truths in for extra special damage.

The idea is to build a curve of lower-powered creatures, investigate as often as possible, and draw cards at triple the rate of your opponent. This will always keep your hand full, your options more plentiful, and your attacks more effective. We are certain there will be several pieces to the puzzle at common rarity released at the end of the week, but with what we have there is already an archetype to be considered.

Otherwise, just grab all the vampires.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE DRAFT ARCHETYPES AND SEALED DECK DISCUSSIONS ON INSTANTSPEEDMTG.COM!

Planeswalkers Invade Innistrad!

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Fri, 18 Mar 2016 18:40:00 +0000

It's a Planeswalker Extravaganza! Spoiler season rolls onward in leaps and bounds with a new Planeswalker released each day this week! Wizards has been putting it's top personalities to task with such names as lovable pro player Luis Scott Vargas and streamer Gaby Spartz responsible for officially introducing us to these cards. The hype is real and InstantSpeedMTG brings you an in-depth analysis of our new favorite cards.

Large questions have loomed over Magic: The Gathering, players wondering ubiquitously where Nahiri was and when she would re-enter the lore. Now we know, not only where she is (here), but that hell follows her.

4 mana, 4 loyalty
Nahiri, The Harbinger is a practical, balanced Planeswalker at its 4 mana cost. It is cheap enough to curve into and still have cards one might be able to discard. Nahiri is vulnerable, as she doesn't quite protect herself and can be rattled pretty easily at 4 loyalty.

+2
A "blind loot" ability is usable with tons of Madness cards in hand, but it remains to be seen how often Madness will show up in any format. The upside of this ability is that it is a +2, and not a +1, so although you will have to discard cards to build her up, you still may happily do so twice if it means getting to her third ability. The value of this card will not be in card value. however.

-2
Your opponent will be less enthused about attacking Nahiri unless confident in being able to overcome her. This ability falls short of counting as protection, yet its range of targets gives her more versatility. Shadows Over Innistrad is also shaping up to be an enchantment heavy set, so this ability may prove more useful than it might have been in previous sets.

-8
Nahiri's third ability, typically not entered into the discussion of a Planeswalker card, is actually slightly more relevant given that, in a board stall, or with no cards in hand, one may simply +2 her, and decline to discard a card, thereby doing nothing, and building her up to becoming a deadly tutor.

InstantSpeedMTG broke this story for you as soon as the hints dropped. We made puerile predictions for this card that were mostly off, but we can be happy to stand corrected while checking out our newest Planeswalker in the pantheon, Arlinn Kord/Arlinn, Embraced by the Moon.

4 mana, 3 Loyalty
She is a young Planeswalker, as shown by her 3 loyalty points, yet can have a profound affect on the mid-game. She has a total of 5 planeswalker abilities, so 4 mana might be undervaluing Arlinn.

Arlinn Kord

+1
While necessary for strengthening her loyalty count and carrying her into the late game, this ability is actually on the short end of the effectiveness stick. You will be able to create one advantageous attack with this ability, which can sneak through 4-5 damage. This will be unlikely to create any change in the board state.

0
Arlinn's transform ability is extra special, being the mode in which she protects herself as well. InstantSpeedMTG's preview of the card predicted some 2/2 beasts would be summoned, and boy are we happy to be right about that one. One will likely use this ability right off and transform Arlinn, starting a very comforting cycle that will be one of pain for your opponent.

Arlinn, Embraced by the Moon

+1
Storywise, we learn that because of her Planeswalker spark, she is able to retain the same consciousness (and power) in both of her forms. On the card, this means not only the ability to transform back and forth between forms, which is a first in Magic, but also means she can share with her team and grow as a Werewolf. This means great things for a player's board state, as using this ability will quickly, if not immediately, force chump blocks our of your opponent and get you very close to a lethal strike. This ability will likely be the main win condition for any deck Arlinn is in.

-1
The turn after being played, you have a choice to lightning bolt a creature, sending Arlinn back to human form and opening the way for more 2/2 protectors. While not as versatile as some burn-style Planeswalker abilities, this does have the important caveat of saying "or player." Getting your opponent close enough will do for Arlinn's deck, or even doing six damage before attacking with 3-4 creatures being pumped by her. This is the Pain part of the aforementioned cycle for your opponent.

-6
We appreciate the effort, but really, do we need more abilities here? If played extremely late, Arlinn can create a "Gruesome Slaughter" on your opponents side of the battlefield. This ability is notably cheap and notably does not require your creatures to take damage (side note, they do tap, so watch out for Reality Smashers). This is a medium powered ability that one would likely not wish to sacrifice Arlinn for, opposed to continuing the wolf-bolt cycle that she is so well suited for.

He has produced some of the most astronomical prices in Standard history; he is one of the most recognized names in Magic: The Gathering today; he is the Living Guildpact, and he is back -- It's Jace!

5 mana, 5 loyalty

Jace isn't going to be helping anyone in the early game, but shows he is the master of control and the epitome of a mono-blue Planeswalker in the sheer domination he will have over the mid-and late- game. On curve, he should be easy enough to protect long enough protect himself, and once he starts drawing you cards at a higher quality percentage, victory is in hand.

+1

Card quality is effective, and Jace is card quality incarnate. His is the purest card draw ability we've seen in Shadows Over Innistrad, if not the most imposing. A wise opponent, however, will know not to undervalue the threat that the Scry 1 portion presents, and if that opponent is being mana flooded at the same time, a concession typically follows.

-2

Jace is able to protect himself in a limited fashion by bouncing any specific threat to him. This will mean evasive creatures or tramplers, but will only mean one of them. Played on curve, this can set a player up for a slow but certain victory. Played late game, this ability loses a bit of value, as you are most likely to either have the blockers necessary or have far fewer.

-8
While just short of a total game-ender, this sure is a fun ability that does not seem too tough to achieve. Decks playing this card are likely to have blockers, counter-spells, and tempo spells to protect Jace, while the card itself helps you draw three cards at higher quality to help get there. Once achieved, Opponent's will likely lose hope, especially without card draw sources of their own.

It being a week of startling Planeswalker spoilers, why not add in a real jolt of madness? Hints to a certain vampire Planeswalker's presence have been dropped, as we explored Markhov Manor at GP Bologna and saw the pervasive madness tearing it apart. Perhaps, thought we, Sorin Markhov would be visiting us in the next set, Eldritch Moon. Wizards has upped the number of Planeswalkers (by at least one) by including the following card in Shadow's Over Innistrad.

6 Mana, 6 Loyalty
Sorin is now the most expensive Planeswalker revealed to us (seated in a color combination that in the last couple formats has wanted to play quicker, with less expensive creatures). Each besides, Arlinn, has a starting loyalty equal to its mana cost. In Sorin's case, this is a boon and makes him into a removal spell as well. Planeswalker cards this expensive rarely break into formats beyond Limited, as well. That being said, Sorin might be the one to change that trend (though he won't be too happy about it, or anything really).

+1
Sorin has a great card draw ability, which is something that both the new Nahiri and Jace cards wish to do as well. One will likely do 5-6 damage to one's opponent while building loyalty counters. Revealing your draw to your opponents may be a drawback for some, but in a black/white deck, one will likely be playing zombies, vampires, and clerics, so the element of surprise typically has much less affect than, say, a blue/black control deck. And, you are drawing cards!

-X
Easily his most useful ability, this middle section of text makes Sorin a removal spell worth 4-5 damage immediately, and if one has blockers, he will stick around and help draw cards for a while. This is quite powerful, quite versatile, and gets rid of pretty much every creature your opponent might be playing. If he is to see any use in Standard, this would be the way.

-9
This is definitely the kind of ultimate power that makes you guffaw once or twice, and everyone definitely will want to end a game in this manner. It's the most game-ending ability we've seen from this week's new Planeswalkers. It does seem like one could use the ability to make a huge comeback, however successfully blocking when you need such a comeback is an extreme rarity. You will get this off when you are already at a board stall or better, when you will most likely drop the card, lightning bolt something big, and start drawing cards and dealing damage. For this reason we believe this ability will not be used as often as guffawed at.

Spoilers over Innistrad: Odric, the Ridiculous

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 19:47:00 +0000

Ahh, nostalgia! Avacyn won't be the only card attempting to purify her name. Odric, the master tactician of Innistrad, will see reiteration as Odric, Lunarch Marshal, a 3/3 for 4 mana that has a ridiculous ability.

Honored Magic community member and podcaster Meghan Wolff was given the official duty of spoiling the card in an article from the Mothership.

Of course, Commander fans will be racing to cram all the value they can find down the throats of opponents and yes, "White Weenie" will be a phrase spoken three times more often in the coming days.

Standard will likely remain aloof to Odric, though several Eldrazi themes could be bolstered with his inclusion, piggy backing off of the existing Eldrazi Mimic/Reality Smasher combo. Abzan builds might hold one Odric in the sideboard, though without Siege Rhino, they will be relying on mostly black cards for synergy.

In limited, this card will really shine. At RARE(!?), this card will appear once every other pod or so, and immediately pull a player VERY hard towards white. Even better for that drafter, the pick leaves one fairly open -- simply follow the trail of creature abilities.

The Limited meta-game is likely to undergo a complete overhaul once we arrive on Innistrad, yet it is already safe to say several draft decks will remain empowered. Relevant to the player who first picks Odric, White/black will continue to be a great choice. Elusive Tormentor, albeit a rare as well, will be a bomb next to Odric.

With Odric as your enabler, low-power cards become game swinging, ability-sharing champions (even if they are zombies) like Farbog Revenant.

Opponent attacking with flyers? A single Watcher of the Web has eyes a'plenty, and alongside Odric, one will never worry for protection in the skies!

We expect more red cards to be spoiled soon, giving us more double-stike, trample, and maybe even menace for the pool. Long story made short, Odric allows you take medium value creatures alongside strong creatures with no abilities, and come out with a finely tuned, synergistic, elusive and advantaged phalanx.

Any drafted deck that can possibly play Odric, Lunarch Marshall will want to do so. It's basically a deck unto itself. It is notable that Odric only showers your forces with goodies during combat, leaving himself and any other key players very destructible and hexable during main phases. In a twist of dark flavor, Invasive Surgery could become Odric's best friend, easily drafted late.

Art by Chase Stone

The possibilities will continue to make themselves available to us as our month of Shadows Over Innistrad spoilers continues, and we hope to be more than ready to rock a draft with Odric!

Wizards Confirms Shadows Over Innistrad Leaks Spoiled

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 21:19:00 +0000

On Monday, Shadows Over Innistrad Buy-a-Box promo and Event Decks were leaked onto Reddit, preceding the official promotional delivery by a full week. In the March 8th Daily Magic Update, writer Blake Rasmussen confirmed that indeed, some over at Wizards pressed a button too soon, thereby spoiling the spoilers planned for the following Monday. Rasmussen comments, "Oops."

What we see is five rare powerhouse cards. Markov Dreadnight, Flameblade Angel, and Soul Swallower are each intelligible, yet the text contained within Drogskul Cavalry and Nephalia Moondrakes remains a mystery. Also, who knows what the flip-side of Elusive Tormentor actually looks like?

The official spoiler will be released Monday, March 14th. Stay tuned to InstantSpeedMTG and Wizards for updates!

Wizards' World of Marketing Opportunities

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 23:38:00 +0000

We live in an age of spoilers, but Wizards has taken the offensive against the pervasive and hungry spoiler culture that has gripped us all. Unofficial spoilers have often garnered as much attention as any official marketing push. In response, Wizards has stepped up their marketing tactics by utilizing the worldwide online sphere of influence to maximum affect.

This past weekend Magic players worldwide gathered to compete in Detroit, Bologne, and Melbourne. In a promotional push truly spanning the globe, and in conjunction with Magic's online platform, we were treated to official spoilers in a manner and shape that truly incited a frenzy.

It began, as great things do, with the story. Three scenes from within Innistrad were elucidated, namely:

Sorin Markov's ancestral manor, now a ruin of antiquity,pulled into fractal pieces by the strange forces affecting Innistrad;

The lab of the Stitcher Geralf, a gory boudoir where a helping hand is never too hard to find;

The Thraben Cathedral, central for the Avacynian church, and perhaps a roost for the fearsome, snarling angels of Innistrad.

Each of these fictional locations was made real in one of the convention cities, where players would be able to experience a portion of the lore made real, complete with puzzles to solve and cosplayers spoiling new cards for the first time.

Meanwhile, the twitterverse kept in the conversation, earning it's own spoilers --

If you solved the social media puzzle for the Cathedral you'll get a card! When enough solutions are in we'll reveal ANOTHER card!
— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) March 5, 2016

You did it! The Cathedral puzzle was solved enough times for us to reveal THE LAST CARD FOR THE CATHEDRAL! #MTGSOI pic.twitter.com/30A5jJNi4Z
— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) March 5, 2016

The star of the weekend?

Oh, only the craziest, mythic-rariest, angriest, angeliest card to enter Standard, ever.

(Don't worry, we know it's hard to read anything after reading Archangel Avacyn/Avacyn, The Purifier, and that you're probably reading the card over and over, whispering to yourself, shaking your head. We are still doing this, as well.)

The "kickoff weekend" was a successful, engaging, nuanced event that ended in reveals that lit the community on fire. No amount of internet spoiling could have achieved the hype this promotion did while also providing an interesting hook for coverage and follower-ship. We hope future promotional events are equally immersive, nuanced, and widely accessible.

Questions we are left with:

Will we have a new Jace card?

Will we see the Werewolf Planeswalker Arlinn Kord?

Will Avacyn work out her tension and be less angry?

Here's the official list of spoiled cards released over the weekend.

Shadows Over Innistrad pre-release weekend begins April 2nd. May the madness continue!

A New Werewolf Planeswalker!

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 20:11:00 +0000

Today begins the official countdown for Shadows Over Innistrad and their official marketing push. At the bottom of the page there is a simple introduction for one Arlinn Kord, and here's a tidbit about her --

"Arlinn Kord is a tormented werewolf, originally from Avabruck, who has a gift unique among her kind: she is a Planeswalker."

Not only is the lore introducing a new Planewswalker, but we are simultaneously being given gentle spoilers for a new Planeswalker card. Not only will this be a new Planeswalker card, but most likely will be a flip-style, werewolf card! It remains to be seen whether Arlinn will enter the story immediately and be playable for us on April 2nd, or if she will be join the Superfriend's ranks in the second set in the block, The Eldritch Moon.

What colors will Arlinn inhabit? Her obvious predecessor, Garruk Relentless (not technically or officially a werewolf, but we always wondered), was heavy into Black and Green. Both of these colors would be a safe bet. However, her wistful smile and reminiscence to Amy Poehler tell us Arlinn, while "tormented", is far from a ravenous, murderous lunatic. We are hoping a certain blue-aligned Planeswalker will show up and help her toward her light side. We predict Arlinn will be a Black/White card -- meaning it is unlikely for other black/white Planeswalkers to arrive in the upcoming Block (Still don't know where Sorin is...)

What abilities will Arlinn have? While our preceding comparable Planeswalker card used such words as "has deathtouch", "summon beast", and "destroy target Planeswalker," we have a feeling Arlinn will be a little less edgy at first. Summoning beast tokens is a pretty sure bet for a middle ability. Taking from Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, we also predict her first ability will be a self-morphing one, where Arlinn herself will take to the field, gaining perhaps indestructibility and/or deathtouch as a 4/4 creature. As for her ultimate ability, we are predicting a board-changing affect, something that would read, "Target Player receives an emblem that says 'during combat, each creature this player controls becomes a black 3/3 beast with deathtouch and loses all other abilities."

Here is a quick mock up of what Arlinn might look like.

Shadows Over Innistrad will feature 297 cards, a boost from Battle For Zendikar's 274. Pre-Release begins April 2nd.

Stay in touch with InstantSpeedMTG and Wizards for all the new info!

Green's Comeback

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 22:56:00 +0000

Zendikar: Where the bears are Eldrazi, and they can pump to become 3/4's.

Battle for Zendikar, as a draft format, was known for one nefarious fact: Green was an unplayable color. Good rares, like Oran-Reif Hydra, got passed often, and were not happy first picks. It was said that Unnatural Aggression was the worst of the green "fight" cards, and that even the green Eldrazi were expensive and not very impactful. Over the course of the format, that estimation did not change very heavily, and one of the questions for Oath of the Gatewatch was, simply, "Will Green Make a Comeback?"

Now we find that, indeed, it has. Several green cards have come down that have shifted the landscape back towards relative balance. While we still await the official statistics from Magic Online, we can see the effects of Green's resurgence.

Green has gone from having next to no removal to having a very effective removal spell in Nissa's Judgement. Using the support ability and dealing 5-9 damage to a creature can end up being a 2-for-1 in your favor. This isn't a "fight" card, its a "gang attack" card. Even Unnatural Aggression itself, previously unplayable, can receive new consideration in a deck with support abilities.

White has great removal and also has support cards, making White and Green a natural match in this format. With this pairing, a deck with green can have access to some of the best removal available, such as Isolation Zone and Stasis Snare, as well as Gideon's Reproach come pack three. This association inherently raises the value of Green in general, and, as it happens, Green/White IS one of the top tier draft archetypes, second only to Black/White (which often has two or three drafters at the table). Green also pairs well with Black and Red, where the other good removal is.

The mascot of the Green Machine this time around is Saddleback Lagac, the supporting four-drop that makes your smaller creatures into medium sized creatures. A "Lagac Attack" forces your opponent to use removal early, make less fortunate trades, or take damage you otherwise would not have been able to squeeze through.

Having access to these cards in the first couple packs means the big green bombs you always seem to open in pack three, such as Undergrowth Champion or Greenwarden of Murasa, they will find a much happier home and be allowed to earn the bomb status they were designed for.

Suffice to say, Green is no longer the least desirable drafting color. It presents power and punch, just like Green should.

Instant Deck Tech: Inverter Mayhem!

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Sat, 27 Feb 2016 23:45:00 +0000

Another Twist!

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Sat, 27 Feb 2016 23:03:00 +0000

WotC has had fun announcing this summer's supplemental Conspiracy set.

First, we thought it was The Reign of Brago. Then, a day later, photos were released showing the spirit king being murdered via a stabbing of the neck. The set was then announced as The Empty Throne.

Now, it appears the throne has been taken up -- there's even a 221st card again. There's still hope for each player to attain the throne, though. With that idea in mind, Wizards of the Coast announced...

Wizards says there's no joke this time, and although we might have to wait until August to find out who exactly is sitting on the throne, we can be certain the set will present those who love multiplayer formats with no end of intrigue, mayhem, and general delight. The set is designed for eight-player drafts followed by free-for-all games of three to five players each. Each draft will be different, and new Conspiracy cards will make sure each player must work with unique tactics to take the crown.

Check out the official announcements HERE, and stay tuned for spoilers!

It's a Twist!

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 20:15:00 +0000

After an apparent homicide, King Brago (the spirit) reigns no longer.

Wizards actually reports one fewer cards to the Conspiracy set, now entitled....

The stakes are heightened, the stage is set, and a truly unique drafting experience is headed our way at the end of the summer.

Check out the official report, including crime scene photos, HERE.

Instant Speed Gazette #003

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 17:00:00 +0000

Columns for the Control-Oriented!

New sets! Old Cards! CRAZY Draft Experiences!

In the past week, Magic players across the world have been blessed with back-to-back announcements of this years upcoming supplemental sets.

Eternal Masters will be a no-holds-barred royal reprint rumble. Modern Masters has enjoyed two incarnations thus far, and has resulted in modes like Commander and Modern becoming more accessible in card availability and value, while also creating a premium draft experience. We can assume these successes have led to Eternal Masters, reprinting cards from all the way back to even before the Ice Age that we here at Instant Speed began our magic career with. While the exact lists are only speculation for some, safe to say that this entire set will be worth having for any player who deviates from standard!

Conspiracy: the Reign of Brago will be coming at us in August, promising even more premium draft experiences. While EDH-heads will have less to dance in circles over, and Legacy legionnaires will need not gnash their teeth at their cube losing a couple percent of value, each of us will enjoy a set specifically designed to be drafted " with new cards that affect the draft itself and new Conspiracies that twist the rules against your foes -- Trade votes and spread your attacks to manipulate the game in your favor".

What can we expect? Take this example from the first Conspiracy set, Cogwork Librarian.

Check out the official announcements HERE and HERE.

Competition is Fierce!

While the Eldrazi may be crushing dreams on playmats everywhere, Pro Magic Players world-wide are getting ready to start grinding out pro points in preparation for Pro Tour: Shadows Over Innistrad. Meanwhile, Twitch viewers will have all the competition to watch an analyze that we can handle!

For a comfortable warm up, Star City Games Philly is coming up coming up next weekend, February 27th and 28th. These are always great events spanning multiple formats, so be sure to join twitch.tv/scglive for a weekend full of Eldrazi and counter-Eldrazi debates!

GP Detroit hits March 4th, giving us another taste of Modern in the competitive circuit. GP Washington DC follows only one weekend after, bringing us exciting, pro-packed Team Sealed events. Check out the official streams at twitch.tv/magic!

Spoilers! Shadows Over Innistrad has made its way to the hands of a very select few, and we have several spoilers to discuss!

Compelling Deterrence is a compelling reason to look forward to playing Dimir Zombies. Also, this card is easily a front-runner for "Most Comic Artwork."

Watcher in the Web will be a popular body in the drafts to come. If you are someone who depends on flyers to get damage in, start practicing other tactics!

WereWolves! More flip-cards makes for more fun, and more interesting brews, so bring them on!

Stay up to date with MythicSpoiler for the latest leaks, and get hyped!

This is been Instant Speed MTG, always bringing you speedy reads with the latest updates for MTG!

C-C-C-C-COMBO! #001

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 20:02:00 +0000

Instant Speed MTG brings to you a special bulletin--

Be on the lookout during your weekly draft for this armed, and possibly dangerous combination play.

If sighted, approach with caution.

Processor SMASH

a.k.a.

I thought, Therefore I SMASH

Thought-Knot Seer is a bomb, it's worth more than the packs you bought to draft with, and no one will ever not first pick it. If you have ever done this, please report yourself to the proper Judging body, and pay the appropriate fines.

Processor Assault, to all appearances, should be a less powerful, less often played card in the Oath of the Gatewatch draft format, since Eldrazi with "Ingest" are fewer and farther between. Right?

One defining characteristic of the OGW draft format is the common stalling of boards, where two players find themselves unwilling to attack and are topdecking, hoping for a threat to arrive.

Processor Assault is a card that will sit in your hand until you are able to play it -- until you have exiled an opponents card. It's likely to be swinging around the draft circle more often than its Common counterpart, Boulder Salvo, making it a perfect candidate for a surprise smash.

Sure, your Oblivion Strike and Isolation Zone will allow you to make a powerful punch as well, but the unique abilities of the

Thought-Knot-Seer, you will create a THREE-FOR-ONE situation: Kill a spell before it's cast, kill a big creature, and drop a big creature of your own.

C-C-C-C-COMBO!

The Ringers:

Blue Devoid strategies are easy to fall into, and Thought Harvester is a low power, high impact Eldrazi enabler. Besides Processor Assaults, many blue processors become viable with one in your deck.

World Breaker is made for destroying board stalls, but with a Processor Assault in your (presumably) Red/Green deck, you will again gain the

element of surprise, and use your superior planning to grind out a concession from your opponent.

Mindmelter is a champion of Eldrazi synergy, and if you can make the colors work, would be a great addition next to any of these other options, as well as creating a noticeable threat by itself.

This has been an Instant Speed MTG Special Bulletin! We now rejoin your regularly scheduled program....

Draft Traps #002

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 05:14:00 +0000

Draft aware! Don't let friends fall into these draft traps!

Blue Green

With a heightened power level in Oath of the Gatewatch green cards, it may seem like this pairing would be a good route to go through. Blue, typically one of the most sought-after colors, has dropped off in power, and besides the usual spat of flyers that remain viable, has few spells that are very compelling to play. Much of the design of the set went to empowering Surge cards, and many of the most-played cards of the color will be these surge cards. The ability makes a color more efficient, but in the color blue, the power level of non-creature spells has noticeably dropped. When your best bet is Containment Membrane, which is double-pseudo removal,

If you are going to play Blue Green, you want to be playing devoid. If you see plenty of Stalking Drones, open a Dimensional Infiltrator, or stumble across some blinding drones, you might fall into this lane. You want all of these cards, you will want Nissa's Judgement, one of the best removal cards in the set, and you will want lots of colorless mana. You will be looking for Eldrazi Skyspawner in pack three, but there will not be a lot of removal for you in this deck. Sweep Away and similar effects would be better off as a late Murk Strider.

Reflector Mage

Blue/White Skies has been a widely recognized draft strategy. White is a very fortified color in the current draft format. Picking White cards can allow you to end up in one of any of the the three best color pairings. Where you do NOT want to end up, however, is in Blue/White. As previously discussed, the power of blue has been shifted to the devoid side.

You may be tempted by the appearance of Reflector Mage to head towards a control deck of this ilk. We would encourage you not to do this. You may still find flyers to attack with, and you may fill your deck with counterspells that will cause you to over-strategize, leave mana unused, and allow your opponent to dictate the pace of the game. Reflector Mage is a great play in limited, but the deck has very little synergy without devoid, blue creatures. You may also be able to build a curve with white creatures, but you are still playing a polarizing deck dependent on a single tempo play to keep flyers in the sky.

Until next time, keep drafting, and keep your head up!

Draft Traps #1 Black/White Lifegain

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 20:50:00 +0000

Everyone says Black/White is the most deadly color combination in the current draft format. It's built-in lifegain abilities and 4-toughness creatures simply give it the edge in many situations, and are always hard to work around during combat.

Does that make it the best draft strategy? Should one always try to head towards Black/White if possible?

The answer is most often "No". While you may often find yourself first-picking one of the following cards, both of them are at common level, so chances are more than two players at the table will try to go into this top tier pairing for the exact same reason. This stigma inherently lowers the value of the pairing for the savvy player. This public service announcement will help you make responsible second-and-third picks in your next draft.

"I immediately regret this decision."

Portal #1 - Isolation Zone
Say you First Pick Isolation Zone.
Second pick, you have the choice of a Havoc Sower or a Seed Guardian. Take the Seed Guardian.
Third pick. Vampire Envoy or Nissa's judgement? Opt for removal.

Whatever you are sending to your left, you will see less of in pack two. You can only cut one color hard enough to get any back in pack two, yet if you cut hard white, chances are you can get lots of green cards in pack two along with your white payoffs. Big green cards in Battle for Zendikar often go around the table, so finding an Oran-Reif Hydra or even a Plated Crusher is a reliable proposition.

Portal #2 - Oblivion Strike

"I said, 'NO COLDPLAY'!"

Trying to work your way into white is going to be harder than working your way into black. If you end up with one or two top picks in black, it could be better to look to pick up some Flayer Drones early and stake a claim in Black/Red (a.k.a. Grixis). You can be set up for an aggro build whether you find devoid or non-devoid cards in later picks. If you see Zada's Commandos, scoop them up, as it is the card most likely to convince someone of a red signal. This pairing has great cards in pack three, with Grip of Desolation, Touch of the Void, and Complete Disregard for removal. Hopefully you have plenty of 2 and 3 drops, but if not, you can probably find a Culling Drone or two late.

THE RESCUE TEAM

These are the cards that will lead you onto a better path, having first-picked either Oblivion Strike or Isolation Zone. Each of these cards will send strong signals to the left of you, so picking them will ensure your second pack will be more bountiful. Besides Saddleback Lagac, you are likely to see these cards pick 2-4, but less likely beyond that.

Don't fall in to the Black/White Lifegain trap!

Be aware of your alternatives!

Draft Responsibly!

This message brought to you by INSTANT SPEED MTG!

Instant Speed Deck Tech: Eldrazi Blinkstorm!

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 18:38:00 +0000

The Eldrazi Continue To Rise!

Hot off the giant, dominating appearance of Eldrazi decks at Pro Tour: Oath of the Gatewatch, we at INSTANT SPEED MTG bring to you a fun, interactive Eldrazi themed deck.

Who's the most flavorful creature in Oath of the Gatewatch? Eldrazi Displacer, of course! This deck builds an army of un-reality around your Displacer! You'll be able to go wide AND tall on your opponent with this deck, and with some of the best renewal in the format, you already have the competitive edge!

Starting with Eldrazi Mimics and Stalking Drones will give you an aggressive edge in the early game and late game alike. On Turn Three you play Displacer, and on turn Four you start having fun!

Eyeless watcher gives you an instant army of Scions. Sideboard in Scion Summoner against Aggro decks.

Pull a Conduit of Ruin and bring forth either one of your multiple Birthing Hulks (if you have multiple Mimics down) or your Deceiver of Form (to possibly make all your Stalking Drone's into 5/5's!).

Greenwarden of Murasa is the one Non-Eldrazi creature we have. Blink this big guy away and bring any card from your graveyard right back!

Feel free to use Evolutionary Leap to churn up bigger, badder, and fatter creatures! With plenty of scions floating around, profitably sacrificing creatures will be a snap!

In the sideboard are several removal spells that will adjust your removal suite towards lower curved, Aggro decks. Lower Curve options for both colorless mana production and scion spawning synergy include Scion Summoner (in for Eyeless Watcher) and Warden of Geometries (in for Kozilek's Channeler). And why not include a copy of Ulamog, The Ceaseless Hunger? With Conduit of Ruin and only three scions, Ulamog can be a turn 7 win.

Not only is this deck fun, it is also in a comfortable sub-$100 dollar range for new players looking to jump in!

Ratings:

Power - 6-7
Synergy - 9
Speed - 5

Special Report: The Loneliest Eldrazi

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 19:59:00 +0000

The Loneliest Eldrazi
By S.P.B.

There once was a tide of horrendous hunger and consumption called the Eldrazi. The eldrazi consumed and were strengthened by each of the colors of mana -- all except white. There was only one little Eldrazi (still bigger than a house) that enjoyed the purity of white mana, and his name was Displacer.

Little Displacer had a mild temperament, and didn't crave consumption of the entire plane like the other Eldrazi. Displacer was content to travel the beautiful plane of Zendikar, see the sights, and blink any pesky creatures encountered into the space between planes (they always blink back after he leaves).

For a whole season little Displacer wandered the plane, blinking beasts and dragons away. He saw the mountain of Valekut crying molten tears into the sky. He stood before the great ocean and witnessed it's fury at the destruction of Sea Gate at the hands of the Titans. He felt the sadness he had only just discovered once he found the great forests of Zendikar transmuted to wastes. He began to be ashamed of the destruction his broodmates and their masters wrought upon this plane of planes.

Suddenly Displacer was transported to a whole different realm, a place where friendly competition between creatures was the way of life. Here he was surrounded by creatures with incredible, kind, giving abilities. No one begrudged him the use of his powers, and he soon had made friends and was gleefully blinking away and back these willing friends.

"Where...Am I?"

Sun Titan was a big teddy bear, who giggled every time he was blinked away. Displacer never figured out why he always came back with a female human in tow.

Displacer enjoyed blinking Reflector Mage in and out of the cafeteria, because when the mage blinked back, another creature blinked away as well, which made Displacer laugh and spit milk from his respiration holes!

Displacer got to work with a Snapcaster mage that was too busy casting spells to ever introduce himself. Still, it was always fun seeing what spells he would endlessly rattle off when he blinked back.

There was the Phantasmal Image, that always blinked back in a different form, as another one of their rivals, and caused much enjoyable confusion.

And also there were the giant Siege Rhinos, always traveling in packs of four and always with a couple Wingmate Roc's circling the skies above them. Both of those creatures loved being blinked, and since neither were very hygienic species, it was nearly the only bath they ever got!

Before too long Eldrazi Displacer was one of the most popular blinkers, and found himself called upon in not only several teams, most often the "Abzan" team and but also whole different leagues, such as the arcane "Modern" league, where others tried to teach lessons on death and taxes. He never quite understand, and only wanted to blink his friends away and back, and clap his tentacles when they did cool things.

Though he never discovered who it was that had kidnapped him from Zendikar, Displacer was happy to have found a home. He was happy, and was no longer the loneliest Eldrazi.

Instant Speed Gazette #002

instantspeedmtg@gmail.com (S.P. Brinksman) — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 22:09:00 +0000

INSTANT SPEED GAZETTE!

Your place to catch evasive updates!

Grand Prix Vancouver was this weekend! Players descended on the city known for beautiful views and amazing hiking, and proceeded to mash cards in the Limited format all weekend!

Top Honors went to Adam Jansen, who drafted a Blue/Red deck that was slightly Aggro in build, yet took full advantage of the Surge Mechanic. In particular, Jori En, Ruin Diver game Jansen became Santa Claus in the late game for late-game dominance. Adam showed the world how to take a niche rare and build an unbeatable dream curve. The world then watched him execute that Christmasland scenario in Game One of the Finals

His opponent at the final table was Eric Severson, bringing a W/R deck heavy laden with creatures meant to out-step and out-flank the opponent, which was exactly what he did in Game 2 of the finals, using the Oath of the Gatewatch card Allied Reinforcements to great effect.

In the end, it came to a topdecking race, with none other than Valekut Invoker taking over the board, and essentially winning the game, and $10,000, for Jansen!

"[ERIC] BETTA HAVE MAH MONEY!"

Check out the entire tournament on Youtube!

THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE!

If anyone has ever tried to convince you that Unidentified Infinite Combo's exist, we at INSTANT SPEED MTG! are here to tell you that those whackjobs may be correct. UIC's do exist, and we fell victim to one in a recent Commander match.

It started out innocently: a humble MTG journalist visiting his childhood store, only to become swept up in a Commander battle with a single thought: "Well, I do have this Goblin Tribal deck I've been developing..."

So there is our humble journalist, pitting his Krenko, Mob Boss and all the goblins he can bring to the board against 3 foreign armies. One opponent in particular,Grenzo, Dungeon Warden, seemed to pose no threat. Who would fear someone playing random cards from the bottom of they're deck?

Later in the game, this opponent had Ashnod's Altar and Reito Lantern, allowing him to put cards from his graveyard onto the bottom, after having been sacked for colorless mana by Ashnod's Altar. Then, Siege-gang Commander went through an ultimate time warp, and suddenly a million goblin tokens flooded the board, while a disinterested voice chortled from somewhere nearby, "I've never really been able to do this," as card after card began to hit the battlefield from the bottom of the opponents deck while the rest of us watched in abject horror. He could have, with unlimited goblin sacrifices giving him ammunition and the cost to launch it, simply declared us all dead. Instead we watched as he cycled through 70 or so cards, choosing targets for each Enter-The-Battlefield ability and picking off our lands and creatures one by one (Krenko standing alone amid the destruction, surrounded by 24 fallen goblin tokens bodies).

And then as soon as it had begun, it was over. The Unidentified Infinite Combo was gone, and the game was either over, or locked in some dimension wherein an ending simply will never arrive...

If anyone is near Time Travelers in Berkley, Michigan, perhaps visiting the green prophet, as I was, be sure to inquire about the event.

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