Since our usual man is having technical issues I propose that we spend the next 6 days looking at the cards for each color (+colorless/multicolor/land on day 6) from the new set. I'll put a handy list in the first post and you can copy and paste it along with your score and thoughts for each card. I think if we all put in a little time we can give this set the closer scrutiny that it deserves!

Day 6 : Multicolor, Colorless & Land

Multicolor

Ahn-Crop Champion
Aven Wind Guide
Bounty of the Luxa
Cut // Ribbons
Decimator Beetle
Destined // Lead
Enigma Drake
Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons
Heaven // Earth
Honored Crop-Champion
Khenra Charioteer
Merciless Javelineer
Neheb, the Worthy
Nissa, Steward of Elements
Onward // Victory
Prepare // Fight
Rags // Riches
Reduce // Rubble
Samut, Voice of Dissent
Shadowstorm Vizier
Spring // Mind
Start // Finish
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun
Wayward Servant
Weaver of Currents

Colorless

Bontu's Monument
Hazoret's Monument
Kefnet's Monument
Luxa River Shrine
Oketra's Monument
Oracle's Vault
Pyramid of the Pantheon
Rhonas's Monument
Throne of the God-Pharaoh
Watchers of the Dead

Land

Cradle of the Accursed
Grasping Dunes
Sunscorched Desert

White

Blue

Black

Red

Green


Enjoy, happy rating!

I'll go first, my rating system is simple, I like everything!

Anointed Procession : I like this card a lot!
Anointer Priest : I like this card!
Binding Mummy : I like this card!
Cartouche of Solidarity : I like this card!
Cast Out : I like this card a lot!
Compulsory Rest : I like this card a lot!
Devoted Crop-Mate : I like this card!
Djeru's Resolve : I like this card!
Dusk // Dawn : I like this card a lot!
Fan Bearer : I like this card!
Gideon of the Trials : I like this card a lot!
Glory-Bound Initiate : I like this card!
In Oketra's Name : I like this card!
Oketra's Attendant : I like this card!
Oketra the True : I like this card!
Regal Caracal : I like this card a lot!
Renewed Faith : I like this card!
Rhet-Crop Spearmaster : I like this card!
Sacred Cat : I like this card!
Sparring Mummy : I like this card!
Tah-Crop Elite : I like this card!
Those Who Serve : I like this card!
Time to Reflect : I like this card!
Trueheart Duelist : I like this card!
Unwavering Initiate : I like this card!

Double card format is [name] // [name] I believe.

Test:

Never // Return

ETA: Yep.

Dusk
Like that, I think

Hmm, I don't think it works that way...


Thanks!

GoAs link links the card correctly but leads to an empty gatherer page, mine doesn't correctly link the card but goes to the correct gather page /shrug

Good point, maybe I'll add a section with Gatherer links...

I might use this to do some quick notes about specific cards during the weekend (probably after the podcast).

Anointed Procession - 1.0

Sigil of the Empty Throne just got a new friend. I don't expect this to make waves in Constructed, but some fun decks will like it.

Anointer Priest - 0.0

1/3 for 2 is not a great stat-line, the effect is narrow and not very powerful and the Embalm cost is too expensive.

Binding Mummy - 1.0

The only deck that's interested in these is Orzhov Zombies; and even there it will have to prove its chops.

Cartouche of Solidarity - 1.0

The duet of Cartouche/Trial of Solidarity might see some play in go-wide strategies; but I assume these are still fringe.

Cast Out - 4.0

Instant-speed Oblivion Ring that you can cycle away in case of manascrew? Count me impressed. All but the most aggressive Whie decks have to strongly consider playing this card.

Compulsory Rest - 0.0

We have better removal options in White than a Pacifism with downside.

Devoted Crop-Mate - 1.0

There are some decks that might be interested in the effect, but overall I think the average power level of the Crop-Mate is a tad too low to see play in the top-meta decks. Getting a high-impact 2-drop back from the yard is a powerful effect, but if it can't do that a 3/2 for 3 is not particularly exciting.

Djeru's Resolve - 2.0

An otherwise situational combat trick that gets valued up a lot by the fact that it has cycling. Some aggressive White decks will definitely consider playing this in small numbers.

Dusk // Dawn - 3.0

Interesting take on a sweeper - killing big things while leaving smaller things alive, with a flip side to match. This is definitely more narrow than, say, Planar Outburst or Languish, but some strategies (Tokens for example) love the heck out of both sides on this.

Fan Bearer - 1.0

Maybe sees play in a dedicated Zombie deck; other than that I'm not a huge fan of tappers in Constructed.

Gideon of the Trials - 5.0

I was on the fence between giving this a 4.0 and a 5.0; as there are some decks Gideon doesn't really fit into at first glance. However, he will never be a completely horrible inclusion and will be awesome in some decks; overall netting him the 5.0.

Glory-Bound Initiate - 3.0

Any aggressive deck loves the heck out of this. 3/1 is not a bad baseline here, and if that's not enough to break through the board, doing so as a 4/4 Lifelik every other turn (potentially more often) is a vey high ceiling for a 2-drop. The relevant creature type is a nice bonus.

Gust Walker - 1.0

At first I just wanted to give this a 0.0 and move on - but with enough ways to gain Vigilance or untap it, this is more of a threat than I wanted to give it credit for. A 3-power flier is something most aggressive decks would kill for, and while this does take some work to get there, I probably should not write it off too hastily.

In Oketra's Name - 1.0

Maybe sees play in Zombies, other than that there are better team-pumps though.

Oketra's Attendant - 0.0

Great for limited card pools, but in general a 3/3 flier for 5 is not what we're in the market for; even if it can cycle it and flash it back.

Oketra the True - 3.0

Oketra needs a deck that can go wide, to which she contributes as both a finisher and a manasink. It remains to be seen how good these decks are, but Oketra should be considered a staple in them.

Regal Caracal - 1.0

7/7 over 3 bodies for 5 mana is a decent rate for decks that want to go wide; even if it is a tad on the expensive side.

Renewed Faith - 2.0

Could see play in control decks as an insurance against Aggro. Again, cycling makes an otherwise situatinal card maindeckable in small numbers.

Rhet-Crop Spearmaster - 0.0

We have better 3-drops (and even some better 2-drops) than this.

Sacred Cat - 0.0

As long as Cat Tribal isn't a thing, this isn't either.

Sparring Mummy - 0.0

Hill Giants with marginal upside? I'll pass, thank you.

Tah-Crop Elite - 0.0

2/2 fliers for 4 are not particularly exciting, and the Exert trigger is not strong enough for me to consider this anywhere near Duels playable.

Those Who Serve - 0.0

Vanilla 2/4s for 3 are not what I'd call amazing either.

Time to Reflect - 1.0

I think the card is a lot more narrow than people give it credit for. The creature you want to hit with it has to enter combat on her will; you need a Zombie that can block her (or it blocks a Zombie) and then you can remove it for 1 mana. The effect is powerful, no questions asked, but I think it's too unreliable to be a truly great card outside of Limited.

Trial of Solidarity - 1.0

Same rating as Cartouche for pretty much the same reason listed above. White's Trial and Cartouche go hand-in-hand.

Trueheart Duelist - 1.0

Reasonably costed creature, reasonably costed Embalm. I'm not ecstatic to play the card and think its power level is a tad too low to see Duels play, but it is a lot closer than many other cards here.

Unwavering Initiate - 0.0

Both the creature and the Embalm are too expensive.



Top 5:
1) Gideon of the Trials
2) Cast Out
3) Glory-Bound Initiate
4) Oketra the True
5) Dusk // Dawn


EDIT: Updated for D cards

Interesting topic Psychatog. Perhaps it's useful to include colorless cards with colored affinities in the actual color.

This means, white would also get Oketra's Monument: More (but still not very) useful in the midrange or combo deck with Anointed Procession compared to the pure white aggro as aggro doesn't need the spell discount that much and the free 1/1s get eaten along with your other creatures by the sweeper of your opponent that he/she will need anyways. It doesn't solve mono white's typical problem of running out of gas, which is better addressed by Devoted Crop-Mate, so at least in mono white aggro, I think I'd want to cast a more useful 3 drop than this most of the time.

@Modulo: Didn't we get Trial of Solidarity?

Also, Glory-Bound Initiate + Lone Rider = BFF.

A top 10 would be a good idea. Anyone who has ever purchased a fat pack with a player guide they list the cards (With checklist) but have a write up of their top 10.

Here's an excerpt from Khans of Tarkir and the no 1 card we have a different version.

1. Sorin, Solemn Visitor
As if a constant supply of 2/2 fliers wasn't enough, the power bonus and life gain from Sorin's first ability will give you a big advantage in damage races. If you manage to use Sorin's ultimate ability, your opponent definitely won't be able to keep up.

Oh yes, we did. I just copied the cards from the OP (where the Trial is also missing).
My rating Off the top of my head is 1.0; will edit the post later.

What's good about the card decisions is we got the full set pretty much of the core story cards, the gods, the cartouches, the trials. We got all the multi coloured pretty much and I think all Barr 1 of the split aftermath cards. Some of the omissions were either for balance or programming reasons or we have similar cards already.

Or for Stainless to include PW hate now that PWs are dead, and not including artifact hate becuase that's the meta

Is it just me, or is the wording on Time to Reflect ambiguous? If the target was blocked, it has to be blocked by a Zombie. But if it blocked, did it have to block a Zombie or not?

In other words, should it be interpreted as "Exile target creature that blocked ... this turn", or "Exile target creature that blocked ... a Zombie this turn"?

I assume the intent is probably that it has to block a Zombie, but it seems like poor wording.

Since there is no "Oxford Comma" before the word 'or' I think in both cases a Zombie needs to be involved, purely linguistically speaking. I think the rulings on gatherer agree:

Rulings
4/18/2017 Time to Reflect can target a creature that’s currently blocking or being blocked by a Zombie, or one that blocked or was blocked by a Zombie earlier in the turn.
4/18/2017 Time to Reflect only cares that the second creature was a Zombie at the moment it blocked or became blocked by the target creature. If that Zombie has become a non-Zombie creature or left the battlefield, Time to Reflect can still target the first creature.

Sorry about that. I forgot to check for D cards when I put the list together, I will fix it right away!

Edit: The white D cards for Amonkhet have been added to the OP, Trial of Solidarity and Gust Walker!

Anointed Procession 2.0 - should do good in token.dec and embalm.dec. I'm not sold on the value of white's embalm though

Anointer Priest 1.0 - Might work in flicker.dec. Will be useful is more Burn decks show up. 1/3 survives blocking most 1 and 2 drops and a bunch of 3 drops.

Binding Mummy 1.5 - Not quite sold. It appears to me that many AKH decks are gonna want to go with the "go wide" strategy. This means sweepers will be more of a thing than they already are. And we're getting more. Playing dudes every single turn just seems like a recipe for getting blown out. Will work with creatures that bring multiple tokens into play with them though (fabricate, Thopters ect)

Cartouche of Solidarity 1.5 - Not a fan of Auras myself. At least it brings a dude with it, so if the dude you put it on (and you must have one ALREADY in play, can't put it on the token) dies, atleast it's only a 1.5-for-1 instead of a 2-for-1.

Cast Out 3.0 - Strict upgrade for other similar exile effects due to FLASH, or goes in a deck in addition to the others. Cycling is nice when facing control.

Compulsory Rest 0.5 - Worse than Arrest. Do we play with Arrest?

Devoted Crop-Mate 4.0 - One of the best cards in AKH white. Key to the City loves this card. We have tons of great creatures at 2 spread across the many sets we have. This card will be played.

Djeru's Resolve 2.0? - I'm not sure on this one. I see this being played on a fragile trampler (something like the 6/1 Trample Haste Vehicle) to get you within 1 turn of lethal.

Dusk // Dawn 3.0 - Sweepers are good. Getting a bunch of creatures out of your GY is also good. Probably played in the same deck as Devoted Crop-Mate in which you're trying to get value out of cheap creatures, however, it also probably kills everything in that deck.

Fan Bearer 0.5 - Goes in boredom.dec in which you are trying to bore your opponent so much that he concedes.

Gideon of the Trials 5.0 - What do we need to say about this that hasn't been said in the other thread. Put it in a deck with other Gideons obv.

Glory-Bound Initiate 2.0 - About the best thing this can do is flip the 1/1 Lifelink 1 drop that transforms into a 4/4. Never been to excited about Lifelink but this could be good. A 4/4 on T3 is gonna usually gonna survive, so it's probably worth 8 life if played on curve.

Quick question; Can your opponent respond to Exert, or is it like Stensia Masquerade where the creatures just GAIN first strike without it going on the stack? Just wondering if your opponent would have to Shock the Initiate before Combat, or if he could wait until you decide to exert it or not.

One line in Gatherer includes this: "Any abilities that trigger on exerting an attacking creature will resolve before blockers are declared." Which seems to indicate it's a triggered ability and triggered abilities DO go on the stack.

Gust Walker 2 - A 3/3 flyer on T3. This is not your smuggler's copter little brother though. Could go in Humans.dec but not sure it makes the cut. In fact, I'm pretty sure it doesn't. Not an overly exciting Exert, but not great either. (Not this card was added to the list AFTER I made my other EXERT comments regarding how there were no good white exert cards)

In Oketra's Name 2.0 - Blow out when your opponent thinks he has lethal on the back swing and lets everything through unblocked. Not 2.5 because it's not that good in anything but Zombies. It CAN be used defensively, but that's not it's intention. Will probably just delay your loss more often than it will turn the tides. Use it more like an Instant Speed Overrun.

Oketra's Attendant 1.5 - meh. 3/3 flyer for 5. At least it takes 2 removal spells from your opponent. Can be cycled when you need that 1 card in your deck to win the game.

Oketra the True 4.0 - OH MY GOD BECKY, LOOK AT HER BUT. Why does an Indestructable Doublestriker need 6 toughness? Token maker on a BIG stick. Doesn't seem hard to activate to attack with. I wouldn't expect to block with her often though. But that's why she can spit out tokens at instant speed.

Regal Caracal 1.5 - Overcosted Lord for an unrepresented tribe. Someone will use Stonework Pumas and we will laugh at them.

Renewed Faith .5 - Lifegain. What a disgusting card.

Rhet-Crop Spearmaster .5 - Fragile. Takes a turn off. Is there any exciting Exert in white?

Sacred Cat .5 - At best this kills a Bomat Courier for you. 90% of the time it'll only be a minor roadblock for your opponent. Maybe you like minor roadblocks. Pair this up with Stonework Puma for a fun deck.

Sparring Mummy 1.5 - Maybe goes in flicker.dec. We have several creatures with tap abilities that someone is going to want to use this card to abuse. Bounce for more abuse.

Tah-Crop Elite 2.5 - OK, here it is, the one exciting exert creature in white. It's got evasion, so it'll probably survive for 2, maybe 3 attacks. It does suffer from the same problem that Binding Mummy does. You need to be playing dudes every turn for this to get really good. Do you want to be blown out? Cuz that's how you get blown out.

Those Who Serve .5

Time to Reflect 3.0 - Exile a blocked or has been blocked creature for 1? WHAT? Only reason this isn't a 4 is because of the Zombie limitation.

Trial of Solidarity 1.0 - Not an Overrun. Not an Instant. Not a surprise. Not a blowout.

Trueheart Duelist 1.0 - Who gives a **** about that ability?

Unwavering Initiate 1.0 - No.