Zendikar Spoilers! First 15 / 229

Greetings everyone! Now that 10 (actually, 15) Zendikar cards have been spoilt, I'm going to go over them with my impressions on how they'll affect the game. I'll be doing this for every card in Zendikar in 10's as they're spoilt (so expect the next one no later than Friday as The Magic Show will be revealing six cards!)

Let's get to it, in the order spoiled.

Kor Sanctifiers
Creature - Kor Cleric
Kicker  (You may pay an additional  as you cast this spell.) When Kor Sanctifiers enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, destroy target artifact or enchantment.
"Why keep such trinkets? They only add weight to your travels."
Illus. Dan Scott	2/3

Let's go with the most obvious first: Kicker is back! Kicker is a great mechanic, with good strategy and gameplay choices in it. I'm sure it'll be used frequently.

As to this particular card, I could see it being a high, third to fifth pick in draft, and a playable in Sealed, since it's artifact/enchantment removal WHEN YOU NEED IT. This kind of removal has historically been very situational, but Kor Sanctifiers is a 2/3 for 3 even if your opponent has nothing. So it's an autoplay if you open it in Sealed and are playing White, and a very solid draft common, especially if Zendikar has a lot of good artifacts or enchantments.

Whiplash Trap
Instant - Trap
If an opponent had two or more creatures enter the battlefield under his or her control this turn, you may pay  rather than pay Whiplash Trap’s casting cost. Return two target creatures to their owner's hand.
Illus. Zoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai

Whiplash Trap, like Kor Sanctifiers, is more a tease of what could come of this rather than a real staple. I don't really see Whiplash Trap being played, except possibly as a sideboard card against Elf Combo and it's ilk, and that's pretty far-fetched.

I do LOVE the Trap mechanic, since it symbolises traps so well. Do the wrong thing, and it'll spring.

I look forward to seeing more.

Hideous End
Instant
Destroy target nonblack creature. That creature’s controller loses 2 life.
"A little dark magic won't stop me. The worse the curse, the better the prize." - Radavi, Joraga relic-hunter, last words
Illus. Zoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai

This is the Terror / Doom Blade / Executioner's Capsule of the set, and a good one, though the BB prevents easy splash. I expect this to be a second to fourth pick in Zendikar draft, and an auto-play in Sealed if you're playing Black. The BB really does hurt it though, and I don't see it being played much in Constructed. People are perfectly willing to pay 2 life for a mana, but almost never the other way round (ala Thoughtseize, Sign in Blood)

Beast Hunt
Sorcery
Reveal the top three cards of your library. Put all creature cards revealed this way into your hand and the rest into your graveyard.
"Surely we could tame something besides hurdas and pillarfield oxen!" - Sheyda, Ondu gamekeeper
Illus. Kieran Yanner

Beast Hunt I can't really see being played. Let's take it mathematically. In Constructed, we can see it simply won't be played: it's not good enough. If you run a full 20 creatures in a 40-card deck, it's still unlikely you'll draw more than two (and two is barely even worth it, and you'll almost never get 20 cards) and usually you'll get one or a complete blank.

I can't see this being played even as filler.

Rampaging Baloths
Creature - Beast
Trample Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you may put a 4/4 green Beast creature token onto the battlefield.
When the land is angry, so are they. - Nissa Revane
Illus. Eric Deschamps #176/249	6/6

WOW. I hate to be sceptical and say this won't be played in Constructed, but this is the Baneslayer Angel of Zendikar Limited. If you untap with this in play, especially with a land in hand, you are BASICALLY GOING TO WIN. This is a beast to play in Sealed or Draft and I can see it being a first-pick every single time unless it's third pack and you're not in green.


Also, it might see play in multiplayer / EDH where these big beasties shine.

Day of Judgment
Sorcery
Destroy all creatures.
"I have seen planes leveled and all life rendered to dust. It brought no pleasure, even to a heart as dark as mine." -Sorin Markov
Illus. Kev Walker #*9/249

Wow. I don't think you need ME to tell you Day of Judgement will be a staple in Standard for the next two years, nor that regeneration might finally become relevant if they print some decent cards with it, nor that this will be one of the chase rares of Zendikar. Hats off to this card. I <3 Day of Judgement.


That said, they better do something damn impressive with regeneration to warrant Wrath of God disappearing.

Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
Land
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle enters the battlefield tapped. Whenever a Mountain enters the battlefield under your control, if you control five other Mountains, Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle deals 3 damage to target creature or player. : Add  to your mana pool.

I can see this being played, certainly, as a 2-of in mono-red decks in case the game goes late to make for an uncounterable win condition to give the deck some reach. Combine it with some other Landfall cards and 25-26 lands starts to sound perfectly reasonable.


Valakut is unlikely to see play outside that narrow axis though.

Sorin Markov
Planeswalker - Sorin
+2 Sorin Markov deals 2 damage to target creature or player and you gain 2 life. -3 Target Opponent's life total becomes 10. -7 You control target player's next turn.
Illus. Michael Comarck#111/249

To be honest, I don't see Sorin getting too much play outside of Mono-Black Control, a historically second-string deck. It might see play in a control deck of some kind like W/B or U/B, but a 6-drop should affect the board immediately, and this doesn't. (well, only barely) A beating to open in Sealed or Draft, but doesn't cut the mustard in Standard. 

Plated Centipede
Creature - Insect
First strike Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, Plated Centipede get +2/+2 until end of turn.
"The Kor-Armorers buy the scales and claws. The Elvish oracles buy the rest." - Nablus, North-Hada Trapper
	1/1

I can see this getting played in Limited as a decent card. Outside Limited, I'm not really seeing it. Maybe if it had haste, it'd be Constructed quality, but as of now it's more draft fodder.

Oran-Reef Survivalist
Creature - Human Warrior Ally
Whenever Oran-Reef Survivalist or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Oran-Reef Survivalist.
"I am strong enough to survive alone. I am smart enough to want companions by my side."

See previous entry. Obviously this hints at a small Ally theme though, and due to it's wording, this guy will always be a 2/2. A casual deck may brew, but unless some truly insane allies are out there, I don't see it in T2, and if there are, this little guy probably won't make the cut.

Blood Extractor
Creature - Vampire Spirit
Blood Abomination can't block. Blood Abomination has haste if an opponent has 10 life or less. Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you may return Blood Abomination from your graveyard onto the battlefield.
	2/1

Interesting card. I could see Mono-Black Aggro making a resurgence, with Black Knight, Specter, Duress, and this. I'll reserve judgement, but this could be a decent card. It's also not bad in Limited if you're heavily in Black.

Tomb Lord's Quest
Enchantment
Whenever a creature is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a quest counter on Tomb Lord's Quest. Remove three quest counters from Tomb Lord's Quest, sacrifice Tomb Lord's Quest: Put a 5/5 black Zombie Giant creature token onto the battlefield.

Interesting. I think there'll be a cycle of these. I actually think this might see Constructed play in a W/B deck with Wrath effects. Wrath the board and drop a 5/5 beastie. Not a bad plan. Not a bad plan at all.

Wavering Peaks*
Land
Wavering Peaks enters the battlefield tapped. When Wavering Peaks enters the battlefield, target creature gains +2/+0 until end of turn. : Add  to your mana pool.

+2/+0 is too situational for the card to warrant coming into play tapped and only tapping for one-color. I predict this as filler.

Lavaball Trap
Instant - Trap
If an opponent had two or more lands enter the battlefield under his or her control this turn, you may pay  rather than pay Lavaball Trap’s casting cost. Destroy two target lands. Lavaball Trap deals 4 damage to each creature.

Wait, WHAT? If an opponent had two or more lands enter the battlefield under his or her control this turn?

Either Wizards is printing a REALLY sucky trap, or there'll be multiple ways to cheat land into play in Zendikar. Even so, I don't think this card will see play, but it's implications are immense.

Predatory Urge*
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature. Enchanted creature has ": This creature deals damage equal to its power to target creature. That creature deals damage equal to its power to this creature."

Another controlling green card to match Master of the Wild Hunt. I could see this as a good Sealed card and passable draft card. Constructed is unlikely, as a 4-mana enchantment should be absolutely crazy for an aura (even Armored Ascension doesn't see play) and this doesn't qualify.

Thanks for reading! In the next few days I'll be posting more as Zendikar cards get spoiled, and I'm looking forward to discussing the set!

Until next time, may your patience pay off.