Wave 2 Mega Construx Minifigs- SpartanNerd Review

July 7, 2022 by SpartanNerd

I think this is wave 2? It has been awhile since Mattel acquired Mega Bloks and re-branded them, and became aggressive on popular properties and their own IP. I have the key MOTU figures from the “heroes” line, with the sporty orange, gray, silver packages, but have become a completist for the vintage style cardbacks. And I keep most of them MOC…(well, you find them at Wal-Mart and places and look for a package that isn’t too dinged up.). But I have also opened plenty of the characters. For instance, Faker. I have Faker MOC, but have another to display or mess around with. He was common enough.

Like I said, I think this is wave 2 of the vintage cardback. Here’s my review. I am keeping these MOC for the most part.

Here is Tri-Klops in mini comics coloring. I give 3/5 because I think the pink and lime green looks strange on the character. If you have read the old mini-comics, then you know this version of Tri-Klops was more of a bounty hunter type. We got Tri-Klops already with classic toy colors in a the Battle Ram set. I don’t feel the need to open this one. BUT…

Here’s Trap Jaw in filmation colors. 3/5 because it looks like he has a normal face under the jaw. We already got mini-comics colored Trap Jaw in a Skeletor head set. (The one with the improved turret you can put on Castle Grayskull.). And do you see my dilemma now, Hub City Geeks? It is kind of wrong to have minicomics Trap Jaw working with original filmation color Tri-Klops. And it’s wrong to display a mixed pair too. BOO!

At least the rest of these don’t present an issue.

This is Roboto in 200x coloring. 5/5. I like it, but won’t be opening this one because I have another set to review that includes the classic clear body with the classic gears.

OH ME! I want to open it so bad! 5/5! But I am keeping in on card, at least until I find a better example. This package has been marred up pretty bad. Let me mention, when you open these, it is like they are trying to give you “collector friendly” packaging, with a little plastic tab out by the character’s head. I assure you, I have never opened one of these without the bubble ripping the designs off of the card. It is tempting because I want to spin the face around.

And the final one. This one I might open if I find another on card. It is still a 5/5. He really glows. You see, I have the “heroes” printing MOC. It is worth $50! I paid around $30 for mine. This character was very scarce. Everyone wanted it I guess, or it wasn’t packed out like it should have been. Or something. So here is a second printing, this time on vintage explosion card. If he turns up with regularity, I will know this version isn’t worth as much.

As I was re-organizing my peg board, I took these pics for fun.

Notice anything glaring?

WE DON’T HAVE HE-MAN ON THIS CLASSIC CARD BACK! I have everything released so far, including both colorways of Evil-Lyn. The Skeletor we have isn’t classic colors either. (There are alot of variations in color for Skeletor, but this one isn’t classic.)

Now I know we have He-Man on this cardback in a two pack with Beast Man. And we have Skeletor in classic colors with flocked Panthor in a two pack. But we need the single card version.

Just for fun, here is my collection of Mega Construx Heroes. I haven’t been a completist for this line.

What they need to do is re-release He-Man and Skeletor as they are here with a classic explosion back. Also notice this is how you get original toy colors of Evil-lyn. (You good counters out there know that makes three of her on card.)

The only things brand new here in Wave 2 are Man-E-Faces and Roboto, who as I mention, has a different version out there. My average for this set them is 4/5. Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments!

SpartanNerd Review…Mega Construx Slime Pit

July 5, 2022 by SpartanNerd

Back two years ago, when I decided to begin collecting the Mega Construx Masters of the universe, I frantically searched to find everything I could. But the hardest thing to get was this guy.

I’m talking about Battle Bones…Not the Wind Raider. (You can frequently still find the WR in stores.)

When building the Battle Bones (a San Diego Comic Con item), I couldn’t help but think, “They could re-purpose this head into a Slime Pit.). And I thought surely they would.

But that’s not what we got. Keep reading to see my experience!

We got a Skeletor Head Slime Pit.

Now this was an unexpected idea. I suppose I was thinking larger. But in scale, I guess this makes sense in context to the scale and size of Grayskull. But not in respect to the vintage toy, but in respect of the size of the Mega Construx minifigs. On the other hand, the Talon Fighter dwarfs this.

This Skeletor head is the same mold as the others, only this time in slime green. The picture on the package shows us Horde Zombie He-Man, and also the Slime Pit. At first I thought the green behind the mouth was a wall, but I realized that it was just the hollow inside of the Skeletor head. I kind of wish that was different. That it was a proper wall. Oh well! We are talking about something that costs less than $10. And I could build that wall if I really want to.

When you get the package off, this is what you see. The gray brick will be the floor. Here is the instructions with something else in there.

Here are all of the contents. I am thinking, “He-Man must be in the bag with the green stuff, with some other slimy pieces.” Nice extras, you know.

So I opened the instructions next.

It turns out that something extra in the instructions was rubbery slime pieces. The only slime that came with this set. BOO! Here are all of the pieces separated out. This is what I must do when I open a building set. Set them all out, sort them by type and color. But there aren’t many pieces with this Skeletor Head. The package said 70 pieces, but each minifig is around 20 pieces. (When I counted, I counted 73 when including the head and the floor. Am I wrong, Hub City Geeks?)

This is a cool, green slime He-Man. As I assembled, I couldn’t help but think about The Green Goddess, who apparently shattered when people opened her MOTUC package.

No extra slime pieces here. And here is the second thing I would improve about this set. There should be more “sliminess” to it. It isn’t even very gross. I remember the toy as a child really freaking out my mother. And she took that slime away from us and we never got to play with it. (Hope you are reading this now, Mom.). I believe this should have come with more things to make it even more gross-out. Maybe a can of slime. Or just more rubbery pieces. Or even green pieces. OH WELL.

Now on to the assembly. Let me preface this by saying that I prefer building LEGO’s to any other bricks like Mega Blocks/Construx. I have put together plenty of the different kinds over the years between the SpartanNerd and the Spartan Kids. Lego bricks have aesthetic principles and roundly stick to a certain vision of kid friendliness and pop sensibilities. (SpartanNerd takes a bow for that sentence!) It isn’t like Mega Construx doesn’t have this, but the Lego thing never does anything that involves winging a piece on a stud, or other questionable hi-jinx that might compromise the structural integrity or even make a more difficult build. The Mega Construx I suppose is aimed at an older audience, so I guess older customers might not even care. But who am I mostly writing this blog to?

It also is notable that LEGO doesn’t even acknowledge their competition. But right on Mattel’s website, you can see where people post their customs and proudly give the formulas, which mix the Mega Construx blocks with Lego, Kreo, and other brands. It is like Lego is the more serious “fun” brand. And Mega Construx is us casual fans. I just wanted to say this first and get it out of the way. I knew going into this I would encounter some things that feel questionable or are nonintuitive. (I built the largest set ever- Castle Grayskull. I know very well what I might see.)

BACK TO THE BUILD

It began as I expected. Build the bottom first. These red pieces make me wish there was more red here. The Slime Pit is partially a Horde thing. Black, gray, and red are their thing. And with the bone pieces, you really evoke Hordak. (See an upcoming post!)

This connection is one of those that felt kind of janky. But after I snapped them together, it remained firm.

And here it is. Step 9. Notice how the four studs don’t line up with the five. This strictly seems to be the kind of thing Mega Construx does that Lego doesn’t seem to do. The solution works out in the end, but it just seems wrong when you are building it. That piece on top with the two studs and then the three studs is also an unusual piece.

Here are the drawn-on eyes. Tampograft I suppose. I remember when I did the Battle Bones eyes, and the Talon Fighter’s eyes, the eyes just kind of emerged from the build. This is a cheap trick, though. Yes…I know. >$10.

See those pieces that are at the nose? These are the stuff of nightmares sometimes. This time no drama. But when I did the Battle Bones and other sets, it seems like they would flick off, be backwards or hard to tell what to do from the instructions. Also, notice here that one has a different angle than the other. How are we supposed to know which to use? I figured it out, with the instrutions and all. But what if I lose the instructions? What if it is a kid building this? (What would happen would be I would help my kids build it, and then about an hour later all of the pieces would be mixed in to a giant bucket.

I definitely see how I can improve this set. It isn’t terrible, and it is clear what is going on here. But could it have been better? Absolutely. “Horde Zombie He-Man” or “Slime Pit He-Man” is actually kind of obscure, being found only in like one mini-comic, but Mattel has made him ubiquitous as a toy in recent years. He is translucent green. Who doesn’t like that? But the rest of this set. I just feel underwhelmed. I actually said to my kid “I am thinking about getting a few more of these to add the slime pieces. And I could strip down the He-Man figures to make other zombies.”

Here are two other Skeletor Head sets to compare this to. I have them all, but these two are in the most presentable condition. And I’ll tell you why they are better!

He-Man and the Jet Sled. What wasn’t great about this? It completely captures what the original toy was. It even came with the exclusive blue armor. Placing it on a propeller at the top of Skeletor’s head makes for a goofy gimmick, but it makes good use of the real estate, and you can display your Jet Sled flying. I give it a 5/5. NEXT!

Here is something I don’t remember having as a child. But check out the diorama piece that this is! I don’t know why they chose to do Zodac this way. I would have rather had the 200x Zodak, especially since we got a Zodac with the Talon Fighter. (An astute MOTU fan will know the difference!). I guess he looks like he is wearing a scuba mask all the time anyway. Still, I enjoy the diorama. There is fun to be had here. I don’t remember this toy as a child, but it perfectly encapsulates the adventure. I will give this one a 4/5 really only because there aren’t more water features in this line.

But I feel I can only give the Slime Pit a 3/5. It is good to get the green He-Man. But the Slime Pit leaves much to be desired. It isn’t gross enough. MORE SLIME. The build has some weakness to it. I had pictured something like that Battle Bones head on a mighty horror movie wall, perhaps with some green pieces to replicate slime if not a rubber puddle or even actual slime. Instead, we get this sort of soul -less offering.

So. Hub City Geeks. Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments!

SpartanNerd…Catching Up…

July 4, 2022 by SpartanNerd

Has it really been three years since I posted anything?

This means that throughout Corona…throughout the last several MTG releases…Throughout the ending of MOTUC and the new Masters of the Universe lines that have come out. I have written zilch.

Well, it isn’t because I stopped being nerdy. Believe it or not, online teaching and also attending classes took all of my energy out for this project.

So here’s a few new things that have happened.

Masters of the Universe.– As the Classics line ended, I began to realize I just didn’t have enough space anymore. MOTUC items are pretty large. And I got lots of joy especially from my He-Man and Battlecat and also Skeletor and Panthor. But also the Griffin was one of my favorites. Vikor. But some of the others…I decided I could part with them. And then I decided when I saw the price I could fetch to go ahead and sell my core items. All I have left is Vikor and my custom Battleground Teela. I sold it all in May 2020. For $600. I use that money to re-invest in MOTU Mega Construx. I have the Castle Grayskull and basically every item they have released in that line. A downsize in square footage, it is easier to get these just by walking into a store. There are other advantages.

*Sorry about the backdrop-less pic. This is a very large item. Kitchen table will have to do.*

I decided early on that the MOTU Origins figures look too crappy…I don’t like the colors. And the Masterverse figures on first reveal, I thought “That He-Man looks “gutsy.” Meaning, the way the belt is that pale color yellow, it blends in too well with He-Man’s skin color on his belly. It looks like he has a gut. The other figures, the one that came out with the new CGI Anime line, do not appeal to me at all. I hear fans (Scott Neitlich) accepting what is going on apologetically, that this line is meant to appeal to the kids. But kids just don’t watch the cartoons anymore. Trust me. I know. Middle school teacher. So they are messing around with beloved source material and creating something “corrupt.”

I have picked up some of the MOTU Minis, and the Hot Wheels.

Magic the Gathering- For something that took up so much of my life and my children’s time, this has become a much rarer treat. Since the COVID-19 lockdowns, there haven’t been as many tournaments. We pretty much decided that SpellTable pretty much stinks. Arena isn’t a strong alternative. Now some tournaments have returned, but we have to drive a long way to get to them. Mostly these are Commander League events. And we haven’t really paid into the leagues on account we can’t reliably attend. Just the same, we have played EDH some. But the thrill of the old Modern tournaments is gone. I have done a few drafts and sealed. But it is doubtful that we will go and draft Double Masters II this weekend. That is $50 or more. To play maybe three rounds. Which I will have to drive a distance to get to … meaning I can’t stay out late in my old age driving home sleepy.

Oh yes…Secret Lair. At first I bought it all. I bought the super bundle…the one with the cats and the goblins. The Walking Dead. After awhile, I realized that this isn’t sustainable for me. They have churned out so many Secret Lairs, each with an enticing value usually, but then if you start adding all that up, you better be rich if you are a completist. I figure the Wizards/Hasbro weren’t achieving their bread and butter anymore on packs because people stopped playing. And Commander is so popular, but you can play virtually any cards you can find competitively even, that they had to capitalize on that crowd the best they could by dangling lots of shiny, pretty, artsy, and seemingly charitable carrots in front of them. So I certainly had to start pacing myself on this one. The last one I got was the Dracula one. I got my kid the pixel art lands. These things…they take forever to arrive. All the shipping delays and production delays that have plagued the past couple of years…Which brings me to the next big one.

Playstation 5. I got the money together for this…in fact some of the money from my MOTUC collection, plus some gifts, etc. I had the funds in hand right before Christmas 2020. And went to buy it, only to find…THERE WERE NONE. ANYWHERE. When did I finally get mine? OCTOBER 2021. Used! I am grateful…it has performed like a champ! You wouldn’t know. It didn’t come with a proper stand, so I had to get a third party one, which was supposed to charge the controllers and add extra fan-power. But none of that seems to be working. Still, it stands very well. The best two games for me have been Horizon: Zero Dawn, Horizon: Forbidden West, and Gran Tourismo. But I have lots more games. Spider-Man, Terraria, Mortal Kombat. I paid for the streaming services, but haven’t hardly used them…which brings me to

DISNEY+. Since this launched, I bundled with HULU (Which I already watched) and this has been what I have watched on TV. I have hung on to NetFlix for Stranger Things and Masters of the Universe: Revelation. (More on that on a different day.). The Mandalorian has been a terrific show! Obi Wan was pretty good. The Book of Boba Fett might as well have been season 3 of the Mandalorian. I haven’t watched anything else much on the service, though.

Comics- I have moved back into collecting these. I picked up IDW’s “Best of” TMNT books. I am looking to get a frame to display them in.

I have been collecting all of the IDW Transformers books…this was actually how I got back into collecting comics. IDW decided to reboot the franchise, and I felt it was a good “jumping in” place. Highlights of this have been “Shattered Glass” and “King Grimlock.” The main story kind of meandered a little bit. I was introduced to a bunch of characters I didn’t know or had forgotten. I also got into “Beast Wars”… which was admittedly NOT MY CARTOON. Unfortunately, IDW passed on the license, and all of these stories have come to a wrap up, which has seemed very rushed. But my love of getting the covers and important/valuable books has become rooted again. I collected up all of the “Batman/Catwoman” story, got back into Spider-Man and Ghost Rider. But I have dropped DC for the most part. In fact, almost everything they have been publishing in any form is tripe that panders to anyone except the classic fan. I thought “The Batman” was a much slower slog than it needed to be. My next problem is the amount of room this hobby is taking up…

Gundam- I built my first Master Grade…EW EPYON. I am still applying decals. But this has been a terrific project! I eill post pictures when I finish.

It is good to be coming back to the blogosphere…an I hope to have a review tomorrow!

Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony…SpartanNerd’s Music Review

May 11, 2019 by SpartanNerd

Nothing could taint the experience of finally seeing the Ninth Symphony performed live! The Spartanburg Philharmonic absolutely nailed it…It may be the highest art Spartanburg has ever experienced, and this is an artsy place. Worries about three of my students who didn’t arrive couldn’t scar it. Neither the hazardous weather; neither the annoying synthetic buzz of the speakers in Twitchell Auditorium at Converse College: neither the horrible parking situation or record crowd audience. No. Beethoven’s music transcended it all. This is a piece that I have purchased several times over the years, the first of which when I was sixteen years old and had my family scratching their heads. A piece that I have taught about since my career began with glowing reverence. A piece that I have never seen performed except in odd snips and pieces, and never with singers.

The program started with the unconnected Modern piece, Charles Ives’ “The Unanswered Question,” which provided a point of variety and contrast, and set the stage for conductor Stefan Sanders’ remarks about the nature of life…the What, How, When, Why, and Where of life. This piece has a pretty and controlled strings component, and “questioners” who played from the balcony, disconnected from the rest of the players, and playing with differing keys and tempos. He explained that Beethoven strived to give us the answer that Charles Ives was also looking for with his greatest and final symphony. He described the first movement as having an urgency, the second movement as a type of demonic dance, the third movement a tribute to love, and the fourth movement all about brotherly love. I personally have always given deeper explanations of each movement…more technical ones. But Mr. Sanders let his orchestra do the talking…

As the first movement began, the straight sounds of open violin strings, the droning of the winds, the feeling of the orchestra being tuned, (a revolutionary idea in the great master’s day), the power of it all was too much for me. My heart began to race and, yes, I began to cry. How many times have I just sat and listened to recording of big-name orchestras? How many rides from college back to Pacolet have I let this play? (Yes. Years ago.). I remember listening to this to go and pick up a pet rabbit with one of my sons, and I explained each movement and what was going on to him. All of this crashed down on me at once. To me the Spartanburg Philharmonic’s rendition was devastating, powerful, and unashamed to make statements in every way. And the tempo that they played it in was perfect, not dragging at all. And as annoying as that droning synthetic speaker sound in that room was, It was completely washed away by the raw strength of the orchestra.

During the break between the first and second movements, you could hear a torrential downpour as a storm raged outside. This was God smiling at us as we listened…the second movement evokes a tempest, and this heavy rain made a perfect backdrop. As I listened, I noticed how perfectly balanced this orchestra is. I have a few recordings that sometimes when I listen to, and feel like the recording or the players don’t sound as spot on as they could. We had good seats for this concert…it’s true. But the orchestra itself was pristine. Never all night was there a single time that a horn was too loud, a section overpowering, or even a drum too tight. I mention that I have never seen the Ninth Symphony performed live before, but I HAVE seen this movement performed a few times. But the Spartanburg Philharmonic brought the greatest performance tonight.

As there was another break before the third movement, something odd happened that I didn’t understand until later. Four singers entered the stage and took a seat at the front. For this event, the choir that was to sing the Chorale at the end was seated onstage for everyone to see. But these four entered and took a seat up front, undoubtedly the soloists who would sing in the final movement. And suddenly I had a slight panic. There was to be no singing until the fourth movement? Were they skipping the third movement? (Blasphemy!). No. Nothing like that at all. I felt my tension ease as the orchestra began to play the prettiest part of the the Ninth Symphony, the Pastoral movement. I do enjoy the melody of this part…it reminds me of some of Beethoven’s other work. But I will be the first to tell you as a teacher that this is also the least exciting part of the whole work. After listening to the thing several times, you know the real treat is in the fourth movement, and sometimes it feels like some of the extended phrases and sections of the third movement are hoops Beethoven has you jump through to keep you anxious for the end. The orchestra delivered this movement nicely, and then…

So why did those singers come onstage so early? Mr. Sanders had about a fifteen second break in between the third and fourth movement. I don’t even think the players rested their instrument or turned pages. He froze in place, as many times I have done in conducting different groups…and then, with more electricity than the raging storm outside, the fourth movement began, and I jumped to the edge of my seat! And so the conversation began between the low strings and the rest of the orchestra, and it is like every single note is stamped on my soul. I look over at the cellists and bassists at the right, and then back at the other players on the left, anticipating and reveling in it all. Beethoven wrote this when he was COMPLETELY DEAF! And the classic themes of the three movements before, Orchestra Tuning, Thunderstorm, and Pastoral are all shot down, and then the low players begin to play the hymn of the ages, the Ode to Joy, and the rest of the orchestra follows suit. Then on cue. My kinsmen, the singers, they all stand in one accord at the right moment…the same electric music that made me sit up in my chair had me moving again as they all sprang into action. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that wonderful bass singer singing the classic German text as we hear the conversation yet again, with words. And how did this great chorus sound? I was worried about the balance. But it was sparkling and as pure as the greatest recording I have ever listened to. And did I mention that I was glad to hear them singing in German? My wife, sitting beside me the whole time, elbowed me in the side during the Turkish March and asked me if I was alright, and I realized again that I was crying. The quartet delivered part beautifully, and when It was time for the rest of the chorus to come in with those notes…the ones with the droning trumpet…the notes that let you know a cathartic moment is upon you, it was ecstatic. And the coda section of the piece, (should we really call it that?). This terrific group made it the greatest “mad dash” of all time. Literally, the second that it was over, the audience roared in applause and stood to its feet. The clapping went on for…five minutes? And then it kept going! Of course there wouldn’t be an encore, not after all that. But what a rush!

Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony was the closing performance of the 2018-2019 orchestra season for the Spartanburg Philharmonic. I want more. Our city needs more. Please keep this happening Spartanburg!

Draconic Domination Commander 2017 deck- SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

October 16, 2017 by SpartanNerd

Extended review…I should say….

I purchased mine at the Tangled Web in Spartanburg three weeks ago, for $39.99. Most places are marking this up now, so I was grateful to see it on the shelf, and not marked up much.

I have played the deck several times…just at home with the SpartanKid as well as at some tournaments. So how good is it? Is it worth the hype? Keep reading!

The front of the box features that window where we can see the oversized foil commander card. “The Ur-Dragon.” Dumb name. Cool concept. Apparently the Ur-Dragon was the original dragon in the multiverse…making him the most powerful.

Here is the back…

We have a contents list and some encouraging information with some pictures of the cards…conspicuously absent is…”Scion of the Ur Dragon.” The Scion is here alright. But I think the Wizards purposely tried to under-hype him. He is a super popular commander, and it is notable that a foil of him wasn’t included as well.

Why? They are working hard to prevent mass sellouts and major markups on the product after market. “True Name Nemesis” was printed back a few years ago, and it became impossible to find that deck. This is also why Stoneforge Mystic wasn’t reprinted in Nahiri the Lithomancer’s deck.

Foiling out the Scion of the Ur Dragon and featuring him on this box would virtually guarantee the same end result. This deck is ALREADY hard to find. (It has been out for less than a month.) While the others in the series warm the shelves. (Vampires, Cats, and Wizards.)

This box opens like all the others…best from the bottom. Here are the contents. The foil Commander “The Ur-Dragon.” The deck. A poster/guide for playing the deck. A nice box (there was originally a plastic liner). And the Magic the Gathering Quick Reference. (It’s not a guide for Commander.)

Let’s spend a second really looking at that big card.

BIG is the keyword here. Not only is it an oversized card, it is also a large creature, costing nine mana all around, and requiring one of each color.

This is why (so far) I haven’t made him my preferred Commander. You’ll never cast him, and they’ll see him coming a mile away.

What else. Well for all that mana, you do get a 10/10 flyer that gets you card draw and board advantage. And he can make your dragon spells cost one less also, which helps this deck a good bit as far as speed is concerned.

This guy is new. Scion of the Ur-Dragon has been around for awhile. Now we know who he is the Scion for!

Notice anything missing…NO DECKLIST. Instead we get the message, “Learn more about this deck at magic.wizards.com/c17 .

I am calling fail on this one. I keep these little posters specifically for the decklists. Sure, I could always look them up on the internet. But I like having the paper item…it helps me with cataloging what I have. Just saying. BOO!

Let’s open some cards…

First, we get the foil legendary creatures on top. And these are all new guys…designed for the game of Commander.

I have preferred O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami. He is relatively lightweight mana-cost wise. Ramos is lightweight, but the other ability is hard to pull off…(the one that costs ten mana…two of each color.)

O-Kagachi has removal built in. Not only is he huge, with flying and trample, but lets you destroy something else on the field.

Next, the tokens.

Cat Dragons. YES!

As before in my EDH unboxings, this image shows the same token cards, just flipped over. The gold tokens are also notable…King Macaar made these back during the Theros block. This deck makes them another way…(you’ll see.)

Now for some rares…And what an incredible assortment we get! This set of EDH is TRIBAL themed. Meaning that most of the creatures are of the same type. So we get a deck full of DRAGONS!!!

Bladewing the Risen. Crosis the Purger, Dromoka the Eternal. Niv Mizzet. And on and on. Some of these are iconic. Some of them have been staples in the existing Scion of the Ur-Dragon deck. The Wizards opted to go with the “baby” version of the Dragons of Tarkir, I think because the Dragonlords were all mythic rare. The baby ones have been underplayed, so…(Already I have seen builds where these are swapped out for the Dragonlords.)

Wasitora, Nekoru Queen is another new card. This is the one that makes the Cat Dragons.

Taigam isn’t a dragon, but helps you because your dragons get protection from being countered. (He’s really good…more on that later.) There are also some other humans/creatures that help you with the mana costs of dragons.

I’m hoping I’m showing these pictures in the correct order…I took them awhile ago….

Yes. That wierd patch of mountains was in that spot. These cards are some of the staples of Commander. Lightning Greaves, Darksteel Ingot, Sol Ring, and Nihil Spellbomb.

These cards are perfect for this deck! Dragon Tempest…that is a game winner. One of those things that eventually adds up. Palace Siege. Usually use the “dragons” option! Earthquake. Like. almost every creature in this deck flies! Crux of Fate. YES!

Steel Hellkite. This guy makes your opponents think. You can pump him if they don’t block. If they do block, you can pump him and kill their thing. And if he manages to do damage to the opponent, then you can use him to sweep the board.

Fist of Suns. This is a card that I managed to cast early game when I was running slow on mana. Then some jerk destroyed it. I lost that game because of mana problems.

Here are the rest of the lands.

Here are the rest of the lands. Lots of fixing. Tri-Lands. A copy of each Vivid. Make no mistake. This is a slow mana base. It works. But if you get behind, you can be hurting holding useless cards. You do get Command Tower and Opal Palace, and Command Sphere. This deck has Crucible and Haven of the Spirit Dragon, one of which frustratingly mentions Ugin. And there is a new fixer called Path of Ancestry which enters tapped but provides a scry…this land is tribal for a creatures deck.

The Wizards won’t reprint fetches and shocks for Commander, but that is what’s needed here.

HOW DOES THE “DRACONIC DOMINATION” DECK PLAY?

Since my first unboxing, I have played this deck just about exclusively with the stock cards. I wanted to bring a strong review. I have no plans to review the other decks from Commander 2017. Maybe I will…but right now I have to save money…and my Magic budget is going to have to replenish my Standard deck.

I have played this deck casually at home and in “sanctioned tournaments.” I personally have yet to take down a table of four. But this deck rarely comes in last place.

Go back to what I said about the mana base. These lands are too slow to generate the required five colors. You need to get five colors out, and quickly. The best fun I’ve had with this deck is on games where people have slow draws and I have lots of fixing with tap lands to load on the board early game. Then you are just (hopeully) top decking good stuff that you can play. But some of the cards, like Palace Siege, have a double requirement on mana, making those cards even more difficult to play. And you can hang up playing Ramos for his ability.

The dragon tribal theme is very strong. Dragon Tempest makes it out on most every game. And like I said, that is a huge winner. It gives all your flying creatures haste, and deals damage to something equal to the number of dragons on the board. Which if that number is four or five, you can really take out a creature, or send that damage to a player or planeswalker.

Utvara Hellkite makes Dragon tokens. And those trigger Dragon Tempest. You win!

Sometimes it’s a difficult choice for your opponents to figure out what is the worst thing on the board for them to kill. Should they kill the commander or Utvara Hellkite? How about Taigam?

Crux of Fate is incredible. You get to kill everything except for Dragons, leaving you in a board state of total advantage…you are hoping an opponent doesn’t follow up with a sweeper.

I haven’t played Scion of the Ur-Dragon as commander yet. Why? I have been killed by him too many times. This deck didn’t come with it, but Skithiryx (Skittles) is a big black dragon with infect…and people typically make the scion into a copy of Skittles and kill you off quick. I hate infect…and won’t be modding this deck with Skittles. Besides, the Tangled Web league docks you points for using infect. (Yes!)

The dragons are great on the field, but they can also be a liability. People tend to take control of your dragons and use them against you, or reanimate them from the graveyard for the same reason. If they do, though, your games can become super fun!

I like The Ur-Dragon in the graveyard. You can target him with the Scion easily!

Ramos has made it to my hand once. I guess he is slippery with the odds somehow? Someone made me ditch him into the graveyard once. BOO!

MODIFYING THE DECK

So overall, the deck is fun, but needs a few things to make it great. I think Dragonlord Silumgar would be perfect. This deck needs Ugin, the Spirit Dragon and Nicol Bolas. Who would I fire? Originally I thought it would be Taigam. But NO WAY! That guy has protected my dragons so much! Some of those baby dragons can be upgraded or swapped for these. I’m not a big fan of the Bolster mechanic, so probably would get rid of Dromoka the Eternal.

You could add fetches and shocks to this deck! I would probably replace anything that has a double mana requirement. It’s just too hard to reliably pull those cards and abilities off. These have been the cards that sit in my hand the most, waiting on me to get that other black or blue source.

A player could go after Skittles. But most Commander players don’t like infect. It doesn’t feel like a fair way to win the game. The rules committee should consider raising the number of poison counters hare required to kill you from ten to twenty.

SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF “DRACONIC DOMINATION”

Out of the box, this is a playable deck. That is something! In a tournament, it can stand up to other decks. It is a good matchup against Voltron-type decks, and mono-color decks don’t stand a chance. It has taken down Meren of the Nel Toth and Atraxa. People have to pay attention to what you have on the board…big flying monsters with abilities. These are just hard to ignore. Your opponents are probably also playing big hard-to-ignore creatures…so then it comes an evaluation game. What gets killed off first? The fact that the dragons are big flyers make them constant threats. The decks that usually beat this are more control oriented…(This is why Taigam, Ojutai Master is so good…he keeps your dragons from being countered.) Famously, a deck I call, “Force Field” came back from near lethal damage, and locked me down with Sphere of Safety…this person had a TON of enchantments on the battlefield. This deck could remove that with Rain of Thorns or with another “destroy permanent effect.” But I was unable to draw those. This person was extorting every turn as well, so they slowly took me down and dug themselves out.

To make it to the top, this deck will need modifying. Not to complain too much. That mana base needs some speed. My losses have usually come because of mana problems, more than creature or strategy problems.

I wish it had some planeswalkers. Why not Sarkhan Unbroken? Seems like a no-brainer! How about Ugin and Bolas? Here was a chance to reprint creature Bolas. Why didn’t they? Surely not the True-Name Nemesis effect…Bolas as a Commander isn’t really good.(Maybe that’s why…)

As a product, I have to take off for the fact that they didn’t include the decklist. They continue to include the “Quick Reference Guide to Playing Magic” which doesn’t mention the rules of Commander.

But the deck is pretty terrific, loaded up with legendary and excellent dragons. It is fun to play. The mana problems that it has are pretty serious. I am going to mark off there.

So that’s two marks off. The SpartanNerd is going to rate the Commander 2017 “Draconic Domination” deck at 3.75/5. I just want you to see how optimistic I am that this deck could be really great. If you get this, consider upgrading the mana base, and consider other dragons to replace some of the baby Khans dragons.

The SpartanNerd rates “Draconic Domination” at (we’ll say cautious) 4/5. The wizards need to include decklists with every sealed deck. Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments!

Ajani Planeswalker Pack…SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

January 26, 2017 by SpartanNerd

Ajani, Valiant Protector is the foil for Tezzeret, Master of Metal as far as intro decks go for Aether Revolt. I unboxed Tezzeret, and just felt I needed Ajani to complete the duel.

Ajani’s deck came in the exact same packaging as the other Planeswalker Packs have. It is a printed sleeve, which covers plastic tray with a display window.

All the contents are actually inside a deckbox, (an excellent deckbox, by the way.) The only piece that isn’t is the “splashy” planeswalker card. Environmentally concerned MTG players can feel pretty good about the minimal use of packaging with these decks.

Here is the entire contents. The special Ajani, Valiant Protector card, a guide to playing the deck, a quick reference guide, two Aether Revolt booster packs, the nice deckbox, and the deck wrapped in cellophane.

Let’s have a look at the planeswalker.

Right away I can tell you that this card isn’t as good as Tezzeret’s. Tezzeret can reach ultimate after three turns. It is going to take a lot longer for Ajani. The upside is, getting two +1/+1 counters on a creature is not shabby at all. His +1 ability lets you filter up your creatures. If you do happen to get to ultimate, you probably win.

The guide to playing the deck heavily features pictures of Ajani. You also get a decklist. And something I failed to mention about Tezzeret’s deck. This insert kind of tells players what to purchase next if they really like playing MTG.

The Planeswalker Packs are great entry level products. The only way they could really improve the experience is include sleeves…or even better. Go ahead and sleeve the cards, so a person can crack the box and play in a tournament right away! Pre-shuffle it even.

Here are the cards…

It’s pretty clear that Ajani’s deck is supposed to depend on the Revolt mechanic. Basically something canhappen if a permanent left the battlefield this turn. In other words, the deck wants you to be able to bounce, sacrifice, or give up permanents. But if you study the cards carefully, you will see tbat there aren’t that many ways to trigger revolt outside of losing permanents in combat. There are a few exceptions…but not really enough in my opinion.

But am I getting ahead of myself?

There are a few cards that you can’t get anywhere else besides buying this product. Ajani’s Aid is a big one. And enchantment that lets you tutor Ajani out of the your deck or your graveyard. (Hang onto that thought!) You can sacrifice it to prevent damage from a singular creature. Ajani’s Comrade is another, which gets a counter if you control a planeswalker called Ajani. (Opening this card up to the other versions of Ajani out there. Goldmane, Caller of the Pride, Mentor of Heroes, Steadfast, and Vengeant. Did I miss one?) Inspiring Roar is another card exclusive to this deck. AND that card is indispensible for keeping the power level up against Tezzeret. (Which is why there are four copies I’m sure.) The other card is the white and green tapland.

This deck really only has one removal spell. The classic, “Prey Upon.” Everything you do in the deck depends on combat, pretty much.

How does the deck play? It is a weak white-weenie deck. The creatures are typically slow. While Narnham Renegade could be good in Modern if you cracked a fetchland on turn one, most of them aren’t that great. They want Revolt to trigger, which usually means you have to wait until Main Phase 2 after you lost something in combat. Which is a bad deal, typically for a deck whose card advantage rests almost entirely on the battlefield.

So, nope. This deck isn’t as impressive, or effective as Tezzeret’s.

Planeswalker that isn’t as good. Strategy that isn’t as good. Let’s prove it!

Here is the showdown between the two decks, as promised.

Round one. SpartanKid (Tezzeret) vs. SpartanNerd (Ajani).

(Let’s keep in mind, that Tezzeret’s deck has Fatal Push and Tezzeret the Schemer added to it, which is fair because they were pulled from the boosters that came with the deck. But this also means that his deck is 62 cards. I could have added two cards from Ajani’s boosters, but I thought they were too skunky.)

Basically, Tezzeret only drew Islands for lands, giving Ajani the opportunity to get Narnham Renegade onboard and hit them over and over with Inspiring Roar. Yes. Three copies.

Round two.

This time Ajani’s deck began with three forests and drew into a fixer. So a much slower start, made very clear as Tezzeret began to get things on the board. Ajani loses round two to dumb luck. The same way Tezzeret lost round one. I held Solemn Recruit in my opening hand, who requires two whites to play.

Round three. This is why we play the game of Magic!

Basically, Tezzeret, Master of Metal hit the board right on turn six. It was another three turns before I drew into Ajani. I played my Ajani, to a board where I had three creatures, including Solemn Recruit. I +2 Ajani, knowing that Solemn Recruit has double strike, and would get ANOTHER counter because of revolt triggering. This was my strategy to win!

Unfortunately, the SpartanKid had drawn Tezzeeret the Schemer, and went ahead to ultimate Tezzeret Master of Metal. This meant he took control of all of my artifacts and creatures. And then proceeded to swing at Ajani. Keep in mind that Solemn Recruit still had summoning sickness.

I drew the best card I could have drawn in this situation. Ajani’s aid. I had enough mana to play that card, as well as replay Ajani, who I then +1 into nothing really. (Narnham Renegade) The SpartanKid then unwisely sent all of his creatures at Ajani once again. I chump-blocked the biggest thing I could with my deathtoucher, and Ajani hit the graveyard again. But my next draw was the second copy of Ajani’s aid. Still, there was too much momentum going for the SpartanKid. I sacrificed both of the Ajani’s aid for the prevent combat damage effect on the double striker, but that wan’t enough to stave off a loss.

Just some commentary. Sure, this proves the Tezzeret deck is better. But the way that I was able to get Recurrance out of Ajani, that was fun. And that is why this is a great product for a new player. I failed to mention…Tezzeret also got one tutor back out of the graveyard as well along the course of the matches.

I am going to rate the Ajani Planeswalker Deck from Aether Revolt a 4/5. It is a fun deck to play. You get an almost perfect entry level MTG product. You get exclusive cards. I took the point off because it doesn’t seem to be that balanced against Tezzeret from Aether Revolt. If I had to choose one of these to take to a tournament, it would certainly be Tezzeret.

The SpartanNerd rates Ajani’s Planeswalker Pack 4/5. Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments!

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