Zendikar Spoilers: Article 4

Welcome back readers! We've got a bunch of new cards to analyse, so let's delve right in.

Blood Tribute
Sorcery
Kicker - Tap an untapped Vampire you control. (You may tap a Vampire you control in addition to any other costs as you cast this spell.) Target player loses half his or her life, rounded up. If Blood Tribute was kicked, you gain life equal to the life lost this way.
Illus. Alex Horley-Orlandelli

Pretty situational for Limited: pretty expensive for Constructed. I don't think this will see much play.

Roil Elemental
Creature - Elemental
Flying Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you may gain control of target creature for as long as you control Roil Elemental.
Illus. Raymond Swanland	3/2

Limited or Sealed bomb. With all the removal in Standard, I don't think this'll be played in Constructed though.

Guul Draz Specter
Creature - Specter
Flying Gull Draz Specter gets +3/+3 as long as an opponent has no cards in hand. Whenever Gull Draz Specter deals combat damage to a player, that player discards a card.
Illus. Mark Tedin	2/2

This, I could see being played in the eternal Tier-2 black discard deck alongside Nyxathid. As for Limited: watch out for this guy. Fragile though.

Nissa Revane
Planeswalker - Nissa
[+1] Search your library for a card named Nissa's Chosen and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library. [+1] You gain 2 life for each Elf you control. [-7] Search your library for any number of Elf creature cards and put them onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library.
Illus. Jaime Jones	2

At first glance, worst Planeswalker yet printed. The -7 is good, but by the time you get to it, an Elf deck's already won.

Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
Legendary Creature - Demon
Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you may have target player lose 3 life. If you do, put three +1/+1 counters on Ob Nixilis, the Fallen.
	3/3

How many Limited bombs must they spoil as a group? Give us some Constructed cards, damnit. I'm starting to sound like a broken record.

Archmage Ascension
Enchantment
At the beginning of each end step, if you drew two or more cards this turn, you may put a quest counter on Archmage Ascension. As long as Archmage Ascension has six or more quest counters on it, if you would draw a card, you may instead search your library for a card, put that card into your hand, then shuffle your library.
Illus. Christopher Moeller

EPIC Johnny card here. I could see this being played in EDH as well, as a 'why not?' card, since so much card draw is packed into them anyway. I look forward to seeing someone break it.

Verdant Marsh*
Land
, Pay 1 Life, Sacrifice Verdant Marsh: Search your library for a Swamp or Forest card and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library.

There it is. The card I pray to open at the Prerelease. That, or any fetchland I can trade for this with. Sal needs his playset!

Obsidian Flats*
Land
, Pay 1 Life, Sacrifice Obsidian Flats: Search your library for a Plains or Swamp card and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library.

I can seriously see W/B control being a viable archetype in Zendikar. Day of Judgement, Quest of the Gravelord, Luminarch's Ascension, various removal, perhaps another Wrath effect...


Combined with this to fix mana, it could be good.

Unstable Geyser*
Land
, Pay 1 Life, Sacrifice Unstable Geyser: Search your library for a Island or Mountain card and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library.

Awesome card, uninteresting to talk about. NEXT!

Luminarch Ascension
Enchantment
At the beginning of each opponent's end step, if you didn't lose life this turn, you may put a quest counter on Luminarch Ascension. (Damage causes loss of life) : Put a 4/4 white Angel creature token with flying onto the battlefield. Activate this ability only if Luminarch Ascension has four or more quest counters on it.
Illus. Michael Comarck #25/249

Sweet. Either awesome for Multiplayer, or the next thing to be broken in Standard. How about Turbo-Fog with this as a win condition? Or the aforementioned B/W Control deck. I love subgames in Magic, and this one has it on both sides of the table: Quest for the Angels vs. Quest to Ping The Opponent Every Turn.

Misty Rainforest
Land
, Pay 1 Life, Sacrifice Misty Rainforest: Search your library for a Forest or Island card and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library.
Illus. Shelly Wan #220/249

Lastly, the U/G fetchland.


Well, that's all the cards spoiled so far. Let's sneak some strategy articles in before 10 more cards show up!


See you tomorrow!