Point Zero: Redefining Otaku

Luminarc Ascension : Where Angels descend

The latest block Zendikar is stirring  up a storm, with a new variety of goodies to crack and the return of a fantastic keyword, Kicker!

URG…. Need more Zendikar Boosters…..

The new toys Zendikar bought for us is not limited to just plainly new plainswalkers, the new set also contains new killer combos where older cards can be chained up to a situation where your friends will just go “WHAT!?!”

several examples :

Case 1 : White Token Deck

In a game where your fighting a white token deck, your friend played a Captain of the Watch, bringing with her is 3 1/1 White Soldier Tokens making them 2/2. You might be thinking that a simple Volcanic Fallout, Infest, Pyroclasm could easily remove this small critters before they can do some serious harm. So you played either of the spell in response after the Captain of the Watch hits the battlefield, taking out the tokens and feeling that you just need to draw a single Lightning Bolt to finish off the Captain, you sit back and waited… Until his turn again where he play a Kor Skyfisher to return his Captain of the Watch and play it again!

What has happen is that with the Kor Skyfisher, you get to return not just creatures, but also lands such as Teetering Peak, Kabira Crossroad or an enchantment such as Journey to Nowhere or Oblivion Ring so that you can cast it again on another target.

Case 2 : Mana Ramp Deck

New cards such as the Mythic Lotus Cobra has spark a new combo with the Enemy Color Fetch lands. Not only that the combo also involves the new Quest Enchantment, the Khalni Heart Expedition plus Harrow to give it a super huge mana advantage way before anything the opposing player can do.

Case 3 : Jund/Grixs Ascension

The Pyromancer Ascension offers many aspects where it can be used in decks, mainly those which play alot of sorcery and instants. Due to this nature its being used in many Jund and Grixs decks, where it can potentially double a painful spell into 2. For Grxis the most desired outcome would be playing a Cruel Ultimatum or Time Warp for 2 extra turn after the Ascension’s criteria has being fulfilled.  For Jund it can be used to further the pain caused when a Blightning is cascaded out by the Bloodbraid Elf or double the fun of a Violent Ultimatum. Speaking of kill condition, try a 11 mana Banefire?

Case 4 : White/Green Weenie Deck

The most damaging factor of this decks is the Mythic rare Artifact, the Eldrazi Monument. Many decks play Eldrazi Monument not just to buff, its main purpose is to totally stop mass destruction spells like the new Day of Judgment, Earthquake and maybe even the effect of Magma Phoenix. In fact players who play this deck can even include Day of Judgment to board wipe their enemies instead. This in combo with spells which generate more creatures (like Conqueror’s pledge or better yet using the new Planeswalker Nissa Revane to wholesale dig for Elves from your deck) will decimate your enemy in no time.

Case 5 : Revive Deck

What about Emeria the Sky Ruin which is a bomb? Its the ability to resurrect a creature which could be sacrifice for a powerful ability, such as Dauntless Escort which can give your whole army indestructibility, or a Sanctum Gargoyle from your graveyard which can return you your destroyed Eldrazi Monument (Since its a High Value Target in most players eyes) and in the event where you seem to have too many creature in hand, feel free to drop them in the graveyard. But the only match up against this card would be Haunting Echos, Identity Crisis, Jund Charm, Ravenous Trap or Relic of Progenitus which clears graveyard.

Each of the above mentioned cases are most decks played around nowadays, its up to more Johnny’s creative inspiration will we see even more combo out.

This is Somat|c Signing Out and Enjoy the Up coming Holidays!