By popular request, as summary of my RTR tweets today.
SRTRLCYSNFA (Sweet Return to Ravnica Limited Cards You Should Not Forget About)
1. Faerie Imposter: Gives pseudo-vigilance. Buys back Azorius Arresters & Voidwielders. Few common flyers to get in the way. (edit: Also resets unleash)
2. Speaking of which Azorius Arresters is great. The question is whether or not to play on T2. Usually not. Save that detain for later.
3. Thrill-Kill Assassin, Deadly Recluse’s best friend. Stops so many things, is an admirable beater. Can reset with Faerie Imposters.
4. Blustersquall is the blowoustests with the mostest. Ok, that didn’t work but the card does. Ends stalls, buys tempo gains.
5. Gatecreeper Vine + Axebane Guardian as a combo is a real Groan-Test passer. You can play virtually any spell you like T4. Real deal.
6. & speaking of defenders Hover Barrier has the fattest ass you’ve seen in a long time. Stops so much. Not pro-active but decent ‘removal’.
7. Stab Wound: Tricksiest removal in a long time. Best used on 3/3 Scavangers (Korozda Monitor/Zanikev Locust). Pumps Sphere of Safety.
8. Downsize: Sounds terrible, but -4/0 is a lot and overload is v. good. Sets up alphas, breaks stalemate breakers, allows double blocks.
9. Slum Reaper is great with tokens/populate or scavenge. After attrition war is over, may be only thing to deal w/ a bomb.
10. Axebane Stag. It’s vanilla, but the 7 butt is crazy. No other common/uncommon can profitably block it and neither can most rares.
CTACBYAKTBYASP (Cards That Aren’t Cards But You Already Knew That Because You Are Smart People)
1. You do not have the deck to make Urban Burgeoning work. Even if you think you do, you probably don’t.
2. Destroy the Evidence is a nightmare. Don’t give your opponent all those Scavenge cards, please.
3. Tavern Swindler’s ability. It’s a great 2/2 for 2. If you ever tap it to gain six life I will disown you and kick you out of the house.
4. Racecourse Fury is a Fervor that uses up more and more mana. And you ran Fervor how often? Never? Right.
5. Tablet of the Guilds. C’mon, you’re not five anymore. Grow up.
Some Other Thoughts
For Sealed, Azorious is likely best, followed by Golgari, Izzet. Rakdos is hard to get critical mass, Selesnya harder.
Selesnya needs two halves to work; the token makers, and the populate cards. If you just get (a), its ok. If you just get (b) it’s miserable.
Rakdos unleash IS powerful and fast in draft, but sealed tends to be slower. Rakdos Sealed is more likely to kill u with a fatty than a 3/2.
Izzet cards seem to be straight two-for-ones and value. Nothing super powerful, rewards grindier value mages and tempo players.
Golgari has plenty of mid-range beats suited to sealed, and long term scavenge inevitability & value. Can trade early then hit hard later on.
Azorius has the best long-game and finishers and the support cards to get to that point. Detain is a monster that youll either love or hate.
I’ll be listening to @Marshall_LR & @JonLoucks in the car on the way home tonight, will tweet tomorrow what I thought.