Fate Reforged Spoilers and Impressions Volume #2
Hello everyone, Chaz here. Back with Volume #2 of my series for Fate Reforged. As of 1/9/2015 we have the entire Fate Reforged spoiler. Which can be found here. In today's article I'll be giving you more thoughts and financial tid-bits on specific cards, and in the next article we'll have a broader look at the set as well as talk about a few decks to test for the new Standard format. Before we jump into some specific cards, I want point you to some coverage and background on Fate Reforged:
Now let's get to business and dissect some specific cards!
Four-Drops: Brutal Hordechief and Shaman of the Great Hunt
Now, those are some four drops! Let's compare them to mythics we've seen in previous Standard formats: Hero of Oxid Ridge, and Hero of Bladehold. We have to remember how much of a crucial roll Hero of Bladehold had during its time in Standard. This was a time where Dismember was seeing heavy play and the premier sweeper was Day of Judgment. Even under those conditions, Hero of Bladehold was still able to find its way into decklists as the “kill me now or die” target. Of these mythics, I think Brutal Hordechief can warp decks into having to be able to deal with it or lose. The ability is that powerful. As good as Hero of Bladehold was and to a lesser extent, Hero of Oxid Ridge, I don’t think they can compare to these new mythics. Especially with how Standard is right now, these new mythics don’t have to compete against super efficient sweepers, or even cheap single target removal.
Financial Tid-bit: While one can certainly look at these four small set mythics and try to make a price trajectory based on historical data, I don’t think that’s doing Brutal Hordechief and Shaman of the Great Hunt justice. These are different times, in both player-base and the current Standard format. I can see both of these being able to muscle their way into Standard. They will only get better as time goes on, and will have a second chance once Theros leaves Standard. Between the two, I think Brutal Hordechief will command a higher price. Like I mentioned on the podcast, Brutal Hordechief’s ability is just too strong.
Prediction: Shaman of the Great Hunt maintains $4.00. Brutal Hordechief maintains $7.00. They will mimic Hellrider's price trajectory if they are used as a 4-of.
Three-Drops: Alesha, Mardu Strike Leader, Yasova
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death
I really like this card. The fact that it’s Legendary is unfortunate, but I think it can still make its way into some interesting strategies. Hornet Queen / Alesha, Who Smiles at Death combo can very well be a real thing. While there are a plethora of good cards competing at the 3-CMC slot, I think playing a single copy or two could be great. Re-using old Goblin Rabblemasters, and Monastery Mentor from the graveyard seems like a great way to keeping the battlefield stocked with threats.
Financial tid-bit: Non-foils most likely will end up under $1.00. Foils will largely depends on the continued success of Tiny Leaders. Probably not EDH playable.
Yasova Dragonclaw
Yeah, I know you’re all probably thinking this really isn’t worth mentioning anywhere. I still think it’s fairly solid. Despite again being a Legendary, Yasova Dragonclaw is still highly efficient for its mana cost. While I always will like Boon Satyr, that doesn’t mean they both can’t live harmoniously in Standard. I think it could be really a solid play to be able to steal opposing Goblin Rabblemasters, or even a Mantis Rider, and create a very effective combat step. While you won’t be advancing your board, it can still be worthwhile to force your opponent into making decisions or awkward combat.
Financial tid-bit: Again, while unfortunate, I don’t see these rares pushing past $1.00. There’s just too many other cards what will keep rares in Fate Reforged depressed. Boon Satyr is a powerful card, and even in a set like Theros, couldn’t maintain any sort of relevant price tag. I see a very similar trend here. Foils on the other hand could be great cheap pick-ups, again for Tiny Leaders.
Mardu Strike Leader
This is my favorite rare from the set, hands down. I really enjoy this card and am super excited to see how it integrates into Standard. I feel it has a powerful effect, and the fact it has Dash really pushes towards viability. I enjoy playing aggressive decks, and I love creatures that are great at every phase of the game. I mean, who doesn’t right? Mardu Strike Leader is just great for every aggressive strategy, and there are so many synergies available (Butcher of the Horde immediately comes to mind). There are certainly more possibilities, and I think we will see these on camera soon.
Financial tid-bit: Not being a legendary helps its cause for pushing to be a 4-of in a deck. This may be one of the very small number of rares that actually can maintain a respectable price. I say this settles at $2.00 - $3.00 and stays there. If a card like Master of the Feast (also 3-CMC) can sit at a price tag of $1.85, I think Mardu Strike Leader can too.
The Wildcat: Tasigur, the Golden Fang
I will end this article with Tasigur, the Golden Fang. I was going to talk about Warden of the First tree, but I want to save that for the next article because I wanted to showcase some decklists I’ve been brewing up.
I’m going to get this out of the way first: this card is NOT [[Hooting Mandrills] okay? Can we stop the comparisons please? I get it, it’s funny and all, but we have to stop. Thank you. That being said, the fact that this card is repeatedly being bought out baffles me. It just doesn’t make sense to me. I get the pre-order hype and no one wants to lose out on the next Goblin Rabblemaster, but I’m just not seeing it here. If anything, I would be skipping regular copies and going right for foils. It seems great for EDH, because as a general, this is very solid.
As an aside, I think it also makes my previous optimism of Soulflayer a lot dimmer. Oh well, sometimes that happens. I guess that’s why I waited this time for the entire spoiler. I don’t know if Tasigur, the Golden Fang will directly insert itself into Standard. While it can be delved into play very quickly, it still has no evasion and its ability probably won’t be activated many times.
Financial tid-bit: I really like foils. If this is a pre-release foiled, I would consider scooping up several copies as many of the new legendary creatures from recent sets like Khans of Tarkir have fit right into the casual metgames. I can see Tasigur, the Golden Fang doing the same thing. I predicted the non-foil price to settle at $1.75.
Conclusion
I hope you all enjoyed the second volume of this series. If you have any comments or criticisms please, feel free to comment below as I do enjoy the dialog with readers.
Also, check out the new Official MTGGoldfish Podcast if you haven't already! Leave any questions you want covered at our hashtag #mtgfishmail
Thanks for reading,
Chaz
@BoltsnapBolt
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