Selesnya Guild Kit…Guilds of Ravnica…SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

December 5, 2018 by spartannerd

I am continuing my series of reviews on the Guilds of Ravnica Guild Kits. So far have reviewed the Dimir and Golgari Guild Kits. This week I will review the Selesnya guild kit.

The front of the box is another window box, this time featuring a foil alternate art of Trostani, Selesnya’s Voice. You can see the Selesnya pin at the bottom of the box. (This pin looks especially snazzy…The tree looks professional and eye catching.)

The back of the box has three pics that show off some of the product, and some information…and in bold…KNOW THAT YOU FIGHT WITH THE MIGHT OF LIFE UNITED!

In the story of the city-plane of Ravnica, there are ten guilds. The Selesnya Conclave (Green and White) are about working together for the greater good. These cards are known to produce tokens quickly…lots of small creatures that work together to summon larger creatures or do other effects. They also use musical terminology. Like the word “Chorus”

The box opens and a transparent tray slides out…this is useless packaging, by the way, for all the effort that went into it. Here’s what you see.

And here are the contents loosed.

You get, from left to right in a circle…the deck, a “pamphlet” with information and artwork about the guild, as well as the all important decklist, a Selesnya pin, a Selesnya symbol sticker, a deckbox, and the foil featured card.

Here is a closer look at the pamphlet.

I am especially fond of Tolsimir Wolfblood. That is a pretty painting.

The inside of the pamphlet contains a poetic and flavorful description of the guild, and also the decklist.

Here is a look at Trostani.

The important word here is POPULATE. Populate means you can copy a crature token by paying that price, one colorless, one green, and one white. Trostani would make a great commander. But she is going to get jammed into Atraxa commander decks.

So what other cards are there?

Here are some pics, with commentary about the most important cards.

First, the rares.

I am not real familiar with some of these cards. I have a few of them, but have never played them competitively or causally. But there is one standout here that I have seen across the table…Privileged Position. Other permanents you control have HEXPROOF.

So…Black doesn’t easily get rid of enchantments…I generally play black…so guess what this means? The person I was playing against that had this card whipped me bad! My kill spells were useless.

I suppose I should mention Glare of Subdual and Growing Ranks. Growing Ranks produces a copy of a token at every upkeep. 8/8 Grove of the Guardian token with Vigialance…No problem…Have two! But it is Glare of Subdual that is backbreaking. Your opponent works hard to build a big crature base, and other stuff. But you can just tap your saprolings or other creatures, and tap down their big stuff in response to moving to combat…You can really frustrate some opponents this way.

Next, the tokens. Double sided! One side Saprolings. The other…different other creatures. Centaurs are sort of iconic for Green and White.

Next the common and uncommon creatures.

Not bad. I have sided Dryad Militant in a few times when playing White Weenie.

The lands. Four Selesnya Guildgates…duals that enter tapped, Selesnya Sanctuary, Duals that enter tapped AND require you to return another land to your hand, with the upside of producing one of each color when you finally get to tap it. And last…GREEN AND White GUILD LANDS. (Awesome.)

As I said in my last two reviews. The wizards should have reprinted four copies of the shock lands here. Or at least included one copy. They wouldn’t even have broken the market. Those lands are worth about $8.00 apiece. And they are needed in Modern, and currently legal in Standard.

The last pics of the cards are of the other spells.

Everything here is functional. But not outstanding. I am a fan of the charms. Selesnya Signet and the other signets are the best “mana rocks” generally available…(I mean Sol RIng and Black Lotus are better…arguably…Lions Eye Diamond…But those are a different game than Kitchen Table “Guild Kit”)

PLAYING THE DECK

This deck’s record at the SpartanNerd house.

Dimir Guild Kit. (two wins)

Golgari Guild Kit (One Win)

Jace (V. Chandra) duel deck (Two Wins)

Face the Hydra challenge deck. (One win, One loss)

Defeat a God challenge deck. (one win)

Ajani (Vs. Nicol Bolas) Duel deck. (One win, One Loss.)

The Selesnya Deck is selling at some online stores for 50+ dollars. And the secret is Priveledged Position. Some people are buying this deck just for that card. It was a much needed re-print, and was around $25…(That value has tanked because of the reprint about 50%) . And why? You resolve that card…all those tokens you have get hexproof. No fun for your opponents except for when they force you to sacrifice, or when they can match you in battle. The Hydra challenge deck thing…that is what it is…it starts off with creatures before the game even begins. But the combo of quality, efficient cratures, plus token generators, plus populate, plus convoke, plus Priveledged Position…the odds are against other casual decks winning.

But it is th las match that is of the most interest…Ajani’s deck is mostly the same colors with a splash of red. We found this to be a terrific match-up!

SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF THE SELESNYA GUILD KIT.

This deck is amazing as a preconstructed product. BUT…it doesn’t seem to be balanced well against the other decks in the Guild Kit series…at least the other two I own. Which takes the fun out of that Battle Box idea, doesn’t it.

The deckbox is the same as the Dimir and Golgari boxes. Basic card-board with a top loader design. Nothing great, but it can hold sleeved cards plus the tokens.

I rate this one a 4/5 only because of its seeming unbalance. It is great to get a great pre-constructed deck, though.

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

(Remember, the SpartanNerd is gauging whether or not to let SpartanNerd.Com go dark, or not. You feedback is valuable! So far, I think I am hanging on.)

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!

Tezzeret Planeswalker Pack…SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

January 24, 2017 by spartannerd

Aether Revolt snuck up on me this time. I wasn’t able to attend the pre-release, but did draft on release weekend. I went to the draft “cold turkey,” having not researched any of the cards. Believe it or not, I drafted two “Fatal Push,” probably the most important card released in the entire set. In case you didn’t know, “Fatal Push” is a one-drop instant black kill spell. A card that is bound to be useful in Modern, as the only cards that have filled that role until this point have been Path to Exile and Lightning Bolt.

I went through all that, hanging out at the Tangled Web all afternoon, and I never even saw the new Planeswalker decks. Maybe they were there…maybe they were sold out? The first time I even had a clue that such a thing had released was when I saw it at Wal-Mart. I snatched up Tezzeret, and here was my experience.

The Tezzeret Planeswalker Pack came in the same style of packaging as the Nissa and Chandra Planeswalker Packs from Kaledesh. Aether Revolt takes place on the same plane, (is actually an expansion of the set Kaledesh,) and so this deck adds more to the entire experience of the block. Tezzeret is obviously foreshadowing the upcoming “Amonkhet” set, which is going to heavily feature the great villain of Magic the Gathering, Nicol Bolas. (Tezzeret has been something of a henchman for Bolas, along with Sarkahn, at least as far as I understand.)

Not pictured is the plastic case that is the main part of the packaging. It forms a nifty little tray…I just haven’t figured out how to use it yet. The contents of the box are really in this deck box, which prominently features Tezzeret, Master of Metal for its art. This is the same style of box that Nissa and Chandra came with, and it is a great little box to carry sleeved cards in. I personally think the Wizards are hitting a homerun when they make these Planeswalker Packs. New players want planewalker cards, rare cards, and new players want to feel like they fit in when they come to a tournament. Most tournament players have fancy deckboxes, etc. So this is an all around great product for the new player. The only thing lacking is actual sleeves.

Here are all of the contents. Two packs of Aether Revolt. One foil Tezzeret, Master of Metal (which can’t be acquired officially any other way than opening this product.) The deck sealed in cellophane wrap. And two pieces of paper. One is the guide to playing the deck. The other is the Magic the Gathering Quick Reference Guide. If any Wizards product should include the Quick Reference Guide, it is the Planeswalker Packs.

Let’s have a look at this splashy card.

Tezzeret is the strongest Intro Pack planeswalker I have seen. His +1 ability could be a game changer. It is so-so in this deck, but imagine a deck where there were four copies of some incredible artifact. (Here’s a list. Platinum Angel. Sword of Feast and Famine. Elbrus the Binding Blade. Black Lotus. Need I say more?) Tezzeret can plus up and get that in your hand! And all the extra cards you overturned? You just shuffle them and put them on the bottom without consequence!

To -3 Tezzeret on what is likely turn five or six won’t be that great.

But the bottom -8 ability is bonkers. And because the +1 ability, and the starting loyalty is 5, it’s not even that hard ultimate Tezzeret. And then it’s GG.

What else is here?

The guide to playing the deck is a big pretty poster, featuring Tezzeret and giving us some story. We also get the decklist, in case we modify the deck, or want to keep it together. This information is available online, in case you lose it however.

So what cards are here?

There are some cards here that are exclusinve to this set. These are Standard Legal, too, incidentally. They are Submerged Boneyard (the blue and black tap land), Pendulum of Patterns (four copies), Tezzeret’s Simulicrum (which gets a bonus if you control any Tezzeret Planeswalker), and Tezzeret’s Betrayal which lets you kill something and tutor Tezzeret Master of Metal.

I’m a fan of decks like this because the cards have lots of value built in. Many of the artifacts here have card-draw effects attached to them. Notable, when Treasure Keeper dies, you get to cascade! Because tricks like this are built in, Tezzeret doesn’t have to rely so much on cards like Reverse Engineer.

Another feature of the deck is Tezzeret’s Touch. This card is reminiscent of Ensoul Artifact from M15…a card that made the “death scissors” a fringe winning strategy during the Kahns of Tarkir period. This card has an advantage on that one, though, in that it has the ability to return the artifact to your hand if it gets destroyed.

The creatures in this deck are value-types. Tezzeret’s Simulicrum is just good stuff. And even better if you have a Tezzeret on the board. (Lightning Bolt every turn. Ouch!) Augmenting Automaton has the classic pump ability built in. I will say that I don’t get much out of Improvise as a mechanic. It is just bad Convoke. Most artifacts have “tap to activate ability.” If you tap them to pay for a ridiculous creature, then you just lost value.

How does it play out? Well, this deck really works! I have yet to test it against the other Planeswalker Pack, Ajani. And I think that will be the true test. So far the deck has taken out the SpartanKid’s Tron deck, BUT, he did have a bad draw.

I suppose this time I will let you in on what I pulled from the booster packs. Prepare to be JEALOUS.

Yep. The other Tezzeret! And ANOTHER copy of Fatal Push to go with the other two I drafted. (How is it that I drafted 2? I opened one in my first pack. First pack first pick. In second pack, the player to my left must have pulled an incredible rare, because they passed me my second one!)

It might be early to rate this deck because I haven’t played it that much. However, I suspect I will be rating it a 5/5. Like I said, this is my style of deck, with lots of tricks. And it is black and blue, two of my personal best colors.

I will update my rating after I get my hands on the Ajani deck, and have them play each other!

SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review- “Ajani vs. Nicol Bolas” Duel Deck (Vintage Review)

October 9, 2016 by spartannerd

If you can call decks this young “vintage,” that is. It has only been about five years since they were first released. That was around the time I was discovering trading card games. Bolas was THE BEAST back then, and he recieved a reprint in M13 when I began playing in tournaments, and I would see him on my opponents side of the table, and be envious. Good times!

I saw the Ajani vs. Nicol Bolas” duel deck at the Tangled Web behind the counter, and asked about it. I purchased it for $45…let’s remember this is an item you just don’t see on a shelf anymore….I was looking for stuff like this when I went to the Hickory Con, but just couldn’t find anything, at least that I could afford…

Ajani vs. Nicol Bolas comes in this foil box. We get some information about this story…clearly Ajani is outmatched…but at least you can play him on turn four. Bolas is an EIGHT DROP. Bolas destroyed a plane called Alara, and Ajani is mad. That summarizes it.

For this review, I hope to show some of the older elements that I find.

Here is what you get in the box. The deck boxes are pretty, but once again useless for sleeved cards. This time I am going to cut these up and glue them to Dragon Shields boxes…Ivory for Ajani, and Maroon for Bolas.

The artwork here … we see Bolas from a different angle in this art. We see what might be the size difference between the two characters.

Here is the deck list for each deck.

Here’s one of those old elements I was talking about…the guide to playing magic! This poster gives you a lot of information. In fact, I believe when me and the SpartanChildren began to play this game, we kept this same item on hand for reference.

Nowadays the wizards just use a tiny little card that doesn’t explain much.

OK ALREADY. LETS UNWRAP SOME CARDS!

First, Ajani’s deck.

Kird Ape. The poster boy for red-green decks. I was surprised to see green cards…I guess Ajani held is battle on the shard of Naya. Wild Nacatl, a posterboy for Naya (red-green-white.) Wild Nacatl has a legacy of being banned in modern, but recently was taken off of the banlist.

We’ve seen the pridemate printed a few times it seems.

Qasali Pridemage has been printed a few times as well. He is good…with exalted and a control ability.

Lightning Helix…now we’re talking! a great card.

Here we have useful to rediculous cards. Naya Charm…if it’s a charm, it’s good. Titanic Ultimatum…the opposite of Cruel Ultimatun…a spell of rediculous power, that demands intense color loyalty.

Ajani goes after Bolas with lots of different land options. Notice “Evolving Wilds…” The Jungle Shrine is a Tri-Land, one that I didn’t have. Sapseep Forest…is a FOREST. You can tutor for it with a real fetch. (Not with evolving wilds.) I belive I had Vitu-Ghazi, the City Tree already.

Ajani’s deck is a dedicated aggro deck with a few tricks. It yells the colors of Naya. And it does what those colors do. The green makes bigger creatures. The white gains life. The red does damage. All of Ajani’s stuff can impact the game in a big way.

Nicol Bolas’ deck

Bolas’ deck is obviously of Grixis…the shard that represents his evil alignment. From Faerie to Toads to Hounds. Bolas deck looks to be slower right away, and that is because his deck is poised to be a control deck. Each card has a fun controlling effect. The Morgue Toad is a card that scrams “GRIXIS.”

I never owned a Moroii before. Apparently an infamous flyer that hurts you each turn. He has a drawback for all the power he has to offer, similar to the demons in the duel deck with Lord of the Pit. Shriekmaw…this guy belongs in every casual black deck. Blazing Specter unsurpsingly makes someone discard a card. The specter family of cards typically do something with cards in hand.

Vapor Snag. NICE. I have a foil from Modern Masters, and I think I will make my first swap.

More control. Countersquall. Recoil. Undermine. Icy Manipulator. (The manipulator has brought me a few win!) Just more control.

And even more control. Profane Command could only be supplanted by Similagar’s command, which wouldn’t be printed for another five years. Come on guys. Why not Cryptic Command? 🙂 Turn/Burn, Pain/Suffering. Bolas has to cheat. So why not draw two different cards when he was only supposed to draw one!

And then the imfamous Cruel Ultimatum. Wow. The card that won MTG pro finals back in 2011. But like the other Ultimatum in this collection, it is color intensive. You have to have everything lined up just right to get it to work. Cruel is better than Titanic because Titanic is meant to be announced before attackers are declared. Your window of opportunity is wider with Cruel Ultimatum. Take away their life irregardless of blockers. Make them ditch cards, and get one of Bolas’ few but great creatures back from the graveyard.

Bolas doesn’t have as many special lands as Ajani. He gets two Tri-Lands. (That’s only fiar.) He gets two copiews of Terramorphic Expanse (See what they did there. The two cards have opposing flavor but are functional reprints.) And then there’s Rupture Spire, which is a City of Brass with the caveat of entering tapped and having to have a many spent on it. (You don’t have to lose life.)

So who’s better? Playing the decks

I say, Bolas’ deck has a better plan. Deal with whatever Ajani throws at him. That’s what makes this deck fun. But Ajani can “run over” Bolas before he can win. And that means these two are perfectly balanced. So far, I have played eight matches between the two, and both have four wins. GREAT WORK, WIZARDS (Five years later.) The decks are fun. Just remember, AGGRO for Ajani. CONTROL for Bolas. Have small fast creatures in your opeing hand with Ajani. Have fast removal and card draw in Bolas CONTROL deck.

DID THE SPARTANNERD GET A GOOD DEAL.

Here is what some of my readers is asking.

The Duel Deck version of Ajani and of Bolas, in premium foil, are about a $6 value.

Wild Nacatl and Kird Ape get you about $4 (together).

So I’m at $16…

Lightning Helix will get you about $6.00.

So I’m at $21…

Changing tactics. That was TCG player. Lets look at MTGprice.com

Basically, I got a $70 value for about about $45. Not bad!

I rate this great product 5/5. It has wonderful flavor, and I got a great deal. I will happily add this to my Duel Decks collection!

spartannerd

A blog about everything "nerdtainment!"

Tag Archives: Ajani

Selesnya Guild Kit…Guilds of Ravnica…SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

Ajani Planeswalker Pack…SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

Tezzeret Planeswalker Pack…SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review- “Ajani vs. Nicol Bolas” Duel Deck (Vintage Review)