Zendikar Spoilers + Bonus Extended Decklist

Hello, readers! Let's cut to the chase, shall we? We have plenty more Zendikar cards to analyse, so let's get analysing! For those who just showed up for the decklist, it's at the end of the post. Okay, for the 3% still with me, let's go!

*Mind Sludge
Sorcery
Target player discards a card for each Swamp you control.

This could prove quite useful in MBC, obviously. I don't know if it'll be enough to bring it to Tier 1, but I know one friend of mine who will be very, VERY happy with this card.

Turntimber Ranger
Creature - Elf Druid Ally
Whenever Turntimber Ranger or another Ally enters the battlefield, you may put a 2/2 green Wolf creature token onto the battlefield. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on Turntimber Ranger.
Illus. Wayne Reynolds	2/2

Another one to watch out for. Could an R/G midrange Ally deck be possible when Worldwake comes out? Food for thought...


Also, this will kill you in Limited in any deck that plays 2 allies after it plays this.

Celestial Mantle
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets +3/+3. Whenever enchanted creature deals combat damage to a player, double its controller's life total.
Illus. Steve Argyle

Another ULTIMATE UBER AURA, this card will see play in EDH for certain. Zur decks and away! Similar to Elder Mastery, this card will get played for the sheer awesome factor. Best played on an evasive dude though. If it connects a couple of times, you'll find it near impossible to lose. Sealed will find this guy on a flier or a trampler to be a game-winner.

Carnage Altar
Artifact
3, Sacrifice a creature: Draw a card.
Illus. James Paick

This is the kind of card people try to break, and never will. Especially with M10 rules. NEXT!

Felidar Sovereign
Creature - Cat Beast
Vigilance, lifelink At the beginning of your upkeep, if you have 40 or more life, you win the game.
	4/6

Hmm. How to describe this guy. In Sealed, he's obviously a beating, with a 4/6 vigilance lifelink just winning games even without his 'you win the game' text. In EDH he'd see play if there was ANY chance he'd survive a turn. Maybe with Teferi.


Naturally, he'll be featured as a win condition in a casual Beacon of Immortality deck. But I don't see this guy played competitively.

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

The U/R fetchland is officially named Scalding Tarn. What the hell is a tarn? Google defines Tarn as:


a mountain lake (especially one formed by glaciers) 

Well, that makes sense then. So we have a scalding mountain lake. Makes perfect sense. Good name.

Oh! The card! Yeah. U/R Storm got a bit better. Yeah... Grixis Control too...let's move on to some interesting cards. Powerful does not equal interesting all the time.

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

Moving on. Nothing to see here. Yep, it's great. Yep, it'll cost 15-20 bucks. NEXT!

Khalni Heart Expedition
Enchantment
Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you may put a quest counter on Khalni Heart Expedition. Remove three quest counters from Khalni Heart Expedition and sacrifice it: Search your library for up to two basic land cards, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library.
Illus. Jason Chan

A Limited fixer, but how good? This has to reach 5 land before it can be used, assuming a Turn 2 play. Otherwise, it's basically dead. I don't think this'll see much play except in a dedicated Landfall deck: but they should be able to pick up 2-3 of these in a draft.

Lorthos, the Tidemaker
Legendary Creature - Octopus
Whenever Lorthos, the Tidemaker attacks, you may pay . If you do, tap up to eight permanents. Those permanents don't untap during their controllers' next untap steps.
When Lorthos emerges from his deepwater realm, the tide bows to his will and the coastline cowers in his presence.
Illus. Kekai Kotaki #53/249	8/8

Lorthos, the Tidemaker
Lorthos, Winner of Sealed Games
Lorthos, First Pick of Drafts
Lorthos, The Should We Reanimate This Guy? Probably Not.
Lorthos, the NEXT!


Oh. That's it. Okay. I present to you, the deck I would play in Extended if I played Extended. Although I do intend to dabble in it online some more. I present:


Dark Zoo


Lands (20)


4 Arid Mesa
1 Forest
2 Marsh Flats
1 Mountain
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Plains
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
4 Verdant Marsh


Creatures ()


2 Bloodbraid Elf
3 Dark Confidant
3 Kird Ape
3 Plated Geopede
2 Scute Mob
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Woolly Thoctar


Spells ()


4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
3 Path to Exile
2 Quest for the Gravelord
2 Umezawa's Jitte


Sideboard:


1 Ancient Grudge
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Krosan Grip
2 Ranger of Eos
1 Sulfuric Vortex
3 Volcanic Fallout




Features: The deck runs 10 fetchlands. This is to allow it to abuse Plated Geopede more often. The deck also runs some new cards. Let's go through each.


Bloodbraid Elf: This is just incredible. The ability to have a 3/2 haste and cascade into any of Zoo's devastating spells is amazing. 2 is just a trial: I would like more.


Plated Geopede: a 5/5 as often as not, and if not, it's generally a 3/3 in the first 4-5 turns: and by then, the opponent should be dead.


Scute Mob: A rare LATE-GAME plan for Zoo, Scute Mob can become a 5/5 for one in the lategame: a super Wild Nacatl. It gets bigger and bigger, too. And all for one mana.


Quest for the Gravelord: With lots of creatures dying, how better to bust the game back open after Blue gains control than with an uncounterable 5/5 creature?


I think this deck is something to watch out for come Extended season: although it will probably be tuned by better hands than mine. Enjoy the decklist!


Until next time, may you not be shy to embrace new tech.