Today we went out of town, looking for Star Wars miniatures and the like. No luck there. But I DID find something I have been meaning to pick up!
A few years ago. Not that long ago, really, this was a common item. But now you can’t find it anywhere. I heard it was “wildly fun” and decided I wanted to get it. But haven’t been able to find it locally. But this store I went to in Gastonia today, “All Things Collectable” had one of each from the set. I decided to just get one. And why not JUND? Red Green and Black are the SpartanNerd family colors!
Here are some pictures and my review.
Yep. I paid all of the $30 this time.
The back of the box gives lots of details, and shows off the other sets of Planechase as well.
First things first. The most important part of the Planechase deck. THE PLANES!
Each plane has two abilities. One that triggers when you move to the plane and usually at other times, like during your upkeep. The other ability is called the chaos ability. And that ability is usually something pretty powerful.
Here are some pics of each plane.
My favorite so far has been the JUND plane.
You also get this dice. It has only two marks. The Planeswalker symbol and the Chaos symbol.
(Not pictured are the two Phenomenon cards. My photo was too blurry.)
You roll the dice on every turn. It either lands on the Planeswalker, the Chaos, or nothing. This variable can REALLY shake up a game of Magic.
What else do you get? A deck to play with this set. (You can play with any deck you want. This is a suggested deck.)
Inside the deck box I was surprised to find two cellophane wrapped pieces. One is the deck. The other is the instructions and propaganda.
Lets have a look at those cards…
How about a little at a time….
Some of these are insane. The Spider is what one me my first Planechase match. I easily could have used the sorcery beside it though, at one point of the game.
Here are some special lands. Notice. Two Gruul Turf..a bounce land. And notice the other card. Kazandu Refuge. It enters the battlefield and you gain one life. And its a dual land. Not bad! But Skaarg the Ragepit is what won my game.
Of the other cards in this deck, besides basic lands, you get this one card specifically meant for Planechase. Fractured Powerstone.
Playing the Primordial Hunger deck and Planechase
I played my first match against the two SpartanSmurfs. SpartanSmurf #1 played his Red Burn deck. SpartanSmurf #2 played a Golgari deck I recently put together that includes two Deathrite Shamans.
Basically, SpartanSmurf#2 (the youngest) was able to get out “Nemesis of Mortals” early on because of one of the planes, and was able to monstrosity him almost right away. And he was able to make quick work of his sibling, leaving me to deal with him. It didn’t take much, though. I played that giant spider, “Dragonlair Spider,” and the plane gave all new creatures Devour 5, which meant that I could devour stuff and pump him. The Nemesis of Mortals was a 10/10. So I made the spider a 25/25!
How I won the game was by swinging with the spider. He was chump blocked by an Elvish Mystic. Then I activated Skaarg the Ragepit, and it was over!
How would I rate Planechase?
The truth is I wish I had even more of the Planes cards. But it was plenty of fun with just the few that came in this set. I give the “Primordial Hunger” set a 5/5. The deck gets a 4/5. It is a beast! I will mention that to actually get the most out of Planechase, it is suggested that you have at least ten Planes cards per player. But just having the one set between the three of us worked just fine.
So what’s your thoughts on the Planechase set? Let me know. I am itching to give away a prize!
