Innistrad Financial Guide - Part 1: White and Blue

Innistrad Financial Guide - Part 1: White and Blue

Welcome to another financial guide article.  If you've never read one of my financial articles, never fear!  I will show you how I break it down right before I start the financial section.  But first, a foreword.

Innistrad has a lot to live up to.  For a while, Magic has been showing a pattern with its block cycle.  The easiest example is our shortly rotating standard:  Zendikar and Scars.  Zendikar is a straight forward awesome block with no real craziness theme going on.  Sure, we had landfall and such, but the goal of the block was to just make awesome cards.  Scars block was extremely different.  It had the goal to shake up the standard enviroment with artifact and infect cards.  Let's go back a little.  Lorwyn was a "Zendikar" block.  Standard stuff, color pie in tact, had a tribal subtheme etc.  After that came Alara, which was very heavily themed in the multicolor theme.  So, if we take that data, we can see that we have a pattern of:

1) Standard block (Lorwyn)
2) Extreme block (Alara)
3) Standard block (Zendikar)
4) Extreme block (Scars)
5) Standard block? (Innistrad)

By the cards spoiled, we do indeed have a standard block shaping up.  Small tribal subtheme, color pie is intact, a few multicolor cards but nothing to shake up the enviroment.  As we can see from Lorywn and Zendikar, Innistrad has a lot to live up to.

But does it hit the mark?

That's hard to answer at this point.  I havent even went to the prerelease, much less worked on constructed decks with Innistrad.  However, I can tell you just by looking at it that this set is solid.  We are taking a step down in power (a feat first set in motion by Scars of Mirrodin) so games will be slower.  We no longer have bolt.  3 toughness is good again.  So some cards that we may be overlooking might actually be a lot better than we give them credit for at first glance.  But this is shaping up to be a great standard format.

Today I'll be going over the white and blue cards of the set and see what value we can expect these cards to hit.

I'm going to be using the same format as I did for the M12 Financial guide, so heres a template of how this will look:

EXAMPLE

Angelic Destiny

Current Price - $X (this is the price this card is currently going for on starcitygames.com)

Short Term Price - $X(this is the price I predict the card will go for within a month or so)

Long Term Price - $X (this is the price I predict the card will go for when the price settles)

Notes: (This is where I will discuss my prediction in detail)

Bottom Line: (This is the thesis of my opinion.)

That's it!  Enjoy the predictions!

MYTHICS

Angelic Overseer

Current Price - $5.99

Short Term Price - $5

Long Term Price - $4-5 

Notes: This card looks like a Baneslayer comparison at first sight, but upon a second glance, it appears to be much different.  The loss of lifelink and first strike make it a lot more iffy to attack.  Conditional Hexproof and Indestructible is nice, but we cant count on it.  At face value, a 5/3 flying for 5 mana is decent. 
Bottom Line: The casual player in me says this card is ground breaking, but the tournament player in me says to pass it up.

Mikaeus, the Lunarch

Current Price - $7.99

Short Term Price - $3-5

Long Term Price - $2-4

Notes: When they announced they were going to have an Innistrad card in the new From the Vault series, I was psyched.  All of the From the Vaults have been awesome, and with Sword of Body and Mind being the the latest one; From the Vault: Relics, I knew it was going to be a solid card.  Not only was I wrong about the card, the whole From the Vault: Legends was a huge dissappointment. 

Bottom Line: I can see it in Commander, and of course limited.  Highly doubt this will see standard play.

Mirror-Mad Phantasm

Current Price - $4.99

Short Term Price - $4-5

Long Term Price - $3-5

Notes: So, you can thank the almighty Richard Garfield for this one.  Now, this is a really fun card.  We dont see effects like this too often.  And in a graveyard block it's actually a cool idea to build around.  However, this seems way too clumsy for anything but kitchen table play.

Bottom Line: Just because Richard Garfield designs it, it doesn't mean it's pure gold.

Skaab Ruinator

Current Price - $22.29

Short Term Price - $20

Long Term Price - $10-20

Notes: Wow, a 5/6 flying for 3 mana?  What is this an allusion to?  If you said Abyssal Persecutor, you win a cookie!  Except I actually think Persecutor is better.  Sure, this is 1 mana cheaper, but how often are you gonna play this on turn 3?  Seriously.  I'm pretty sure this will tank in value but should maintain solid bottom line value as Persecutor once did.

Bottom Line: Trade these off at first, then pick them up once they lower in value.

RARES

Champion of the Parish

Current Price - $2.50

Short Term Price - $2-3

Long Term Price - $1-3

Notes: Pretty much the only thing keeping humans tribal.  Hada Freeblade.  Go go.  Fail rare.

Bottom Line: People will still look for these.  They should'nt change too much in price.

Cackling Counterpart

Current Price - $3

Short Term Price - $2

Long Term Price - $2

Notes: Don't we have enough clone effects?  Compare this to the likes of Spitting Image and Rite of Replication.  The edge on this card is the cheap cost and the flashback ability, which might give it some value.

Bottom Line: Hang on to a playset of this and see where they go.  Pick up from people who believe it to be a bulk rare.

Elite Inquisitor

Current Price - $3.49

Short Term Price - $3-4

Long Term Price - $3-6

Notes: At least as powerful as Kazandu Blademaster.  Sometimes worse, sometimes better.  He's a human, so he's pretty much an autoinclude there.  You obviously cannot count on the protection clause but its nice when it works.

Bottom Line: Solid Rare that has little potential to rise but should maintain its value as it is a good card.

Geist-Honored Monk

Current Price - $1.99

Short Term Price - $1-2

Long Term Price - $1-3

Notes: Everyone's writing this card off as a bulk rare but I think it has some potential.  Sure, 5 mana is a lot but so was Siege-Gang Commander.  The mix of ablities like the tokens having evasion and it having vigilance and the fact that it can grow in size means your foe will probably be taking some damage from this guy.  Also great in Sword decks.

Bottom Line: Underated but will not be groundbreaking.  Solid mid-range card that will be niche choice in blade decks.  Will be better with more spirit support cards in Dark Ascension.

Laboratory Maniac

Current Price - $2.49

Short Term Price - $1-2

Long Term Price - $1

Notes: Instant win cards usually are never good.  But, they always maintain some kind of value.  I have no idea how to safely break this card.  I mean if I mill myself what happens if they shock this guy in response?  That's no good.

Bottom Line: Trade these off to that kid at your shop that just has to build a deck around instant win cards.  Then laugh at him.

Ludevic's Test Subject
Current Price - $1.49

Short Term Price - $1-3

Long Term Price - $2-5

Notes: Promo card.  Another one that others are calling a bulk mythic.  This has potential.  I'd say his power level is close to that of Kargan Dragonlord's.  It's fairly easy to transform, just takes time and a 0/3 for 2 isnt a horrible defender early game.  When it turns into a 13/13 trample it will make short work of your opponent.

Bottom Line: Underrated but not sure where it fits in the meta.  Will play a part in some deck.

Mentor of the Meek

Current Price - $4.99

Short Term Price - $3-6

Long Term Price - $2-5

Notes: Eh.  Very hyped and maybe rightfully so.  I cant put my finger on it but something tells me its not as good as people say.  I do understand it's bonkers with Elspeth and other token generators but I also understand its a shockable 2/2 for 3.

Bottom Line: Very awesome if you can pull it off.  Dies way to easy and costs 1 mana too much.

Mindshrieker

Current Price - $3.99

Short Term Price - $1-3

Long Term Price - $1-2

Notes: Overhyped and ineffective.  1/1 flying for 2 is bad on the curve and doesnt fit into blue strategies.  Activated Ability costs too much and is a hit or miss.  Risky and not worth the gamble.  Also dies in easily in response.

Bottom Line: Trade these away before they plummet.

Nevermore

Current Price - $1.99

Short Term Price - $1-3

Long Term Price - $2-4

Notes: Solid mono-white hoser.  Meddling mage's biggest weakness is that it dies.  This is much harder to remove.  It also costs quite a bit.  Will be an important card to battle any up and coming combo decks.

Bottom Line: Should maintain value.  Big weapon against combo.  Too weak for main deck play.

Snapcaster Mage

Current Price - $29.99

Short Term Price - $20-25

Long Term Price - $15-25

Notes: 30 bucks?  For a rare?  Since mythics came out, its far easier to pull rares.  20 bucks is the unoffical ceiling for any normal standard rare.  Barring a few exceptions (Stoneforge Mystic for 2 weeks) this is the case.  Add to the fact that this set is going to be opened.  A LOT.  More copies = less value.  Using this, we should be able to deduce that this will surely drop. 

HOWEVER, this card is very potent.  Obviously it's power scales with what cards it can be used with.  Generally, the older the format is, the better this card is.  Paying three mana at the end of your foe's turn to flash this in AND flashback brainstorm is insanity.  But it is potent in standard as well.  Doing the same with a ponder or gixitan probe is good advantage as well.  Hell, even getting a shock or a doom blade works too!  But don't be disappointed when it drops to 15 bucks after a month or two.  It's not because it's not a good card, it's because 30 bucks is too high for a normal rare and when a set like this one gets so many packs open its hard to gouge the price on any of the cards.

Bottom Line: Will dip in value.  Will be a huge player in ALL formats.  Trade these early and pick up later on.

Stony Silence

Current Price - $1.99

Short Term Price - $2

Long Term Price - $2-3

Notes: Equipment Hoser.  Nice way to deal with sword decks. Kind of hard to deal with.  Not powerful enough to be a must have, but a solid way to deal with sword decks.

Bottom Line: Will have some value.  Shouldnt change in value much, should always have a purpose.

BULK RARES

Back from the Brink - yeah. not gonna pay 6 mana for that.
Dearly Departed - Nice flavor tho
Divine Reckoning - I'd love to flash this back. Like if I could get it in my graveyard somehow. I'm not willing to risk card advantage for this kind of effect tho.
Rooftop Storm - If we could cheat this into play it would be boss.
Sturmgeist - Too much mana.
Undead Alchemist - Interesting card design. But a horrid card.

UNCOMMONS

Fiend Hunter - $1 - Human, and has built in Journey to Nowhere. Should find a home.
Intangible Virtue - $0.50 - Awesome in token decks. Gotta wait and see if we get more token support.
Dissipate - $1 - Cancel. Except better. Bonus: They reprinted it in a graveyard themed block!
Midnight Haunting - 25 cents - Join the ranks. Except for spirits. Will jump up if spirits get support.
Purify the Grave 50 cents - Need a way to deal with stuff in graveyards? If you play white, this is one of the best ways to do so.
Slayer of the Wicked 25 cents - Solid hoser card if you are playing humans.
Spectral Rider - 50 cents - Sword wielder. Enough said.
Invisible Stalker - $1 - Even better Sword wielder.

COMMONS

Armored Skaab - seems viable.
Bonds of Faith - Better than Pacifism. Not sure if that makes it playable, but its a start.
Forbidden Alchemy - Wow. Amazing card. Great even if it didnt have flashback or being an instant. Instant speed really pushes the power on this.
Frightful Delusion - Might be Magicial Christmas land, but this seems like a slap in the face if you can pull it off.
Lost in the Mist - 5 mana is steep, but it gains you tempo.
Stitched Drake - Easy to meet its requirements, and 3/4 flyer for 3 is tough. Being a Zombie is a plus.
Think Twice - seems like a good cycler. Awesome that its instant. Got play before,should do the same this time around.
Village Bell-Ringer - Deciever Exarch again?  In white?  So Splinter Twins getting reprinted in the next set?  (God I hope not)


Thanks for checking this out. 

Innistrad Spoilers: Transforming the way we play - Part 2

First off, lets go over the spoilers.  Here are all of the transform cards from Innistrad.

How good are the transform cards?

After seeing the entire list of transform cards being spoiled, I have to admit I was expecting at least one really good transform card.  Now, that could be waiting for us in Dark Ascension, but as it stands, Werewolves are going to be on par or weaker than Allies were in Zendikar.  Now that's not an insult, as I have indeed seen allies on top 16 lists for SCG Opens and they always make an apperance at FNM's.  However, I'd be hard pressed to say werewolves have a shot at tier 1 or even tier 2 tournament play.  They do seem like a lot of fun for casual play and FNM's though.  Werewolves did get one very good support card that really pushes their tribal:

The only weakness about this card is that it might help your opponent.  You get to decide when it happens, so this card should always be in your favor. A two mana fog that lets your damage go through is potent enough, but this card pushes that even further by giving you a cheap, instant, reliable way to transform your werewolves.  One other card that helps werewolves is:

Now this card is a solid card, aggresively priced, and versatile.  However, I dont know if all builds will use it.  The effect has to be powerful enough to make up for the tempo loss you get for playing it early. 

Beyond the werewolves, let's take a look at other standard playable transform cards.  Breaking Ludevic's Test Subject will be a fun endeavor for many.  It will be hard to really speed it up too much though.  Proliferate comes to mind, but wait!  The first counter and the last counter have to be put on with its ability.  But the middle three counters can be proliferated.  But using its ability will likely be a cheaper means of adding counters.  Without another way to break it, I think the best application of this card is taking advantage of it's "level up" ability at instant speed.  Hold up counterspells, and at the end of your opponents turn, if you didnt have to counter anything, level that sucker up.  The worst thing about this card is the fact that it is a horrid top deck. 

Bloodline Keeper is another standard playable card.  Take Master of the Wild Hunt and mix in some Captivating Vampire, and you get a really solid addition to vampires.  Sadly, this guy is probably the only powerful vampire out there now, and the rest is either ok, or in most cases, crap.  But keep this guy in mind if there are some more vamps printed, or if you decide to take the red/black vamp route, in which case there was a few cool vamps printed for red (including a red/black vamp lord)

Garruk Relentless is a hard one to figure out.  I'd really have to play around with it to see how it'd do.  There's no denying that the more abilities a walker has the better it is.  He is easy to splash and cost about right at 4 mana.  He protects and attacks, and on the flip side he even tutors.  Even at his worst, he costs 4 mana to put a 2/2 token into play every turn.  I don't think you can go wrong with that. 

I think that would be all of the transform cards worth going over.  Of course in limited transform is going to be just insane.  And apparently every pack will have at least one transform card so thats pretty cool.

How to use transform cards in your deck:
You have a few options using transform cards in your deck.  I'll go over these methods and let you know which one I recommend.

Checklist Card Method:
Using this method, you would use this card:

You would fill in the circle for what card the checklist card represents.  For example, if I had a Kruin Outlaw, I would fill in the circle beside Kruin Outlaw.  Then I would put a Kruin Outlaw with my sideboard, either in a clear sleeve or sleeveless.  Then I would put the checklist card into my deck with the sleeves my deck uses.  If I dont use sleeves, no problem!  Just put the checklist card into the deck.  (Note: When filling the circle, lightly fill it in, if you give to much pressure you will see marks on the other side of the card and it will be considered "marked" and unplayable at events.) When you draw the checklist card, just act like it's the actual Kruin Outlaw in your hand.  When you cast it, get your real copy of Kruin Outlaw from your sideboard (or where ever you placed it) and put onto the battlefield.  If an effect puts Kruin Outlaw back into your hand, put the checklist card that matches Kruin Outlaw back into your hand.  You can put either card into your graveyard, however I'd recommend putting the real copy in your graveyard.

Using the real copy in a solid color sleeved deck:

In this case, I'd just put the real copy of Kruin Outlaw into my sleeved deck.  If you dont use sleeves, you cannot use this method.  When you transform, you'd take it out of the sleeve and flip it over (and then resleeve it?)  Using this method allows some ease of use because when you look at your hand, you'll see the actual card and know what it does.  The downside is all the potential constant flipping Kruin Outlaw may undergo is tedious and time consuming. 

Torio's Method:

My method is a combination of the two.  It is also more expensive.

1) Obtain a duplicate copy of every transform card you will use in your deck.  (If you want 2 Kruin Outlaws in your deck, you'll need 4 all together.)

2) Put the amount you want in the deck. (I put 2 Kruin Outlaws into the deck)

3) Put an equal amount into clear sleeves and put those aside with the sideboard (I put another 2 into the sideboard[note this doesnt count as your sideboard, but its just a place to put these extra cards])

Here's how it will play out.  You have the front side of Kruin Outlaw in your hand from your deck.  You cast it.  Set it aside and get the placeholder from your sideboard and put it into play.  Transforming is simple with the clear sleeves so all you have to do is flip it as opposed to taking it out of the sleeve over and over again.  Again, you'll have to have a bigger budget to do it this way, but I think it is the most simple way of doing this and will make it much easier to do at events.

Yes, this will be a change to the way we play, and it will feel different for a while.  However, I doubt many transform cards will see play outside of werewolves and in limited.  I think its worth the change up to be able to witness this neat mechanic and how fun it will be in limited. 

Prereleases are coming up this weekend, so get out there be the first to start flipping cards in ways we never have before!

Product Review - Booster Battle Packs

Sweet Cover Art of Garruk and
Liliana going at it.

Wizards of the Coast had a new release last week that hit a little under the radar: Booster Battle Packs.  Basically, this is designed to be a way to introduce newer players to the limited format, which is where you battle it out not with a preconstructed deck, but by making a fresh deck when you arrive at the event.  Also, there is a bit of randomness to it, since you'll be making that deck using unopened booster packs.  There are a variety of ways to do this, such as:

Sealed - This is where you will recieve 6 booster packs, and make at least a 40 card deck using only these freshly opened cards and basic land.

Draft - Drafts are probably the most popular limited format.  There is a huge randomness factor to it, but also it is something you can be very skilled at.  You recieve 3 booster packs, and you'll sit in a circle with 7 other guys, and crack one open.  You choose one card from that pack, and then pass the rest to your right (or left, depends on the venue).  Don't worry!   You didnt just give all your cards away for no reason!  The person to the left of you will do the same, and you'll recieve his cards minus the one he chose.  You'll pick one from that pile and pass it as well.  You'll repeat this process until the entire pack is gone.  Then crack your second pack, pick one, then pass in the opposite direction.  Etc.  Then, when you are done passing cards, you'll do the same thing as sealed.  At least a 40 card deck using only the cards you drafted and basic land. 

Pack Battle/Pack War - This is an unofficial play style that varies depending on who's playing.  One version I have played is where you and one opponent each buy a pack, then add 2 of each basic land to that pack and battle it out.  The winner gets the other player's deck.

There are other limited formats, but you get the picture.  They all deal with a 2 part process:

- Building a deck on the spot.
- Not having a choice in what cards you will recieve.

I played this game with my fiancee, April.  Since you
aren't supposed to share infomation, I'll only
be able to show my side of things.  This is what
 I recieved from the Booster Battle Pack.  April
recieved an identical number of these, but in different colors

Booster Battle Packs is an introduction to the limited format.  That said, part of the deck has already been built for you.  It is apparently semi random, and from what I have seen, that means you'll recieve 4 commons, 1 uncommon, and 5 lands per colored pack.  You'll get 1-2 non creature spells per colored pack and the rest will be creatures.  You'll get two colored packs and one sealed M12 booster pack per kit.  You also get two kits per Booster Battle Pack.  So, here's what you will recieve in each Booster Battle Pack you buy:

- 4 Colored packs for a total of 40 cards
- 2 M12 Booster Packs
- 2 Cardboard deck boxes

So once you get your stuff, it's time to crack open some stuff!  First I opened the colored packs of cards.

Theres 5 swamps all together.  These cards are all pretty solid,
but nothing too interesting.

This is more varied.  Not too impressed with Chasm Drake but
I can deal.  Cancel and Azure Mage are a breath of fresh air.

Okay, so once you have your packs open, set them aside.  These cards will be the base of your deck.  You cannot change anything about these cards, you got what you got!  So now we get to crack open the booster pack.  We will be able to pick up to 5 cards from the booster pack and add them directly to our "deck".  Let's see what we crack open:

Rootbound Crag?  Bummer.  Red/Green cards are pretty sweet
in this pack as well.  Oh well, let's sift through this and see
if we can find something worth putting in our deck.

These are the cards I ended up with.

There's a very good chance my opponent will have either green or red, so flashfreeze goes in.  Rusted Sentinel is pretty bad, but its one of the largest bodies my deck will have, plus it's easy to cast.  Wring flesh is sort of removal.  Another Bloodrage helps with the bloodthirst theme my black cards had.  Aether Adept is cheap, and helps me regain tempo as well as maintain board presence.

As far as my thoughts on the actual product, at a MSRP of $9.99, I think it's a great one or two time buy for a newer magic player.  Hell, even I enjoyed it.  But as far as building or adding to your collection, you are pretty much paying 10 bucks for two packs.  The game was fun but I wouldn't play it again.  But I do agree that it is a cool way to get some newer players hooked on the limited format.

Well, that's my take on it.  Let me know if you liked this review.  I might review other Magic products such as Duel Decks, From the Vault, Event Decks, and more if you like this style of review.  If not, look forward to my next articles coming soon(ish):

- Transforming the way we play, Part 2

- Innistrad Financial Guide

- Innistrad Sealed Primer

- Post-Rotation Meta-game (Decklists!)

Innistrad Spoilers: Transforming the way we play - Part 1

Magic is all about innovation, and keeping things fresh. The Scars of Mirrodin block really pushed this idea, but I didn’t really approve of the way they did it. What new stuff did that block bring to the table? Well there has to be different tier levels of innovation, and just making a keyword cannot be a truly game changing concept. Let's break down the block of Scars of Mirrodin, as well as Zendikar, and why Scars truly was innovative.  

New Concepts in Scars of Mirrodin:
Tier 3: New, but does not change the game we know and love

- Battle Cry
- Living Weapon
- Metalcraft
- Proliferate
Tier 2: Changes we the way we play, but not dramatically

- Over a 50% Artifact block - This is important, since some decks are fueled by this concept, such as a Tempered Steel deck. This makes cards such as Go for the Throat situational, when it otherwise would be strictly better than Doom Blade.

- Poison/Infect - The concept is that infect creatures have double the power then normal creatures, and that you will die twice as fast. This is only half true. Most infect creatures have been neutered to where the mana cost is actually a fair price for the power increase these creatures have. Also, they die exactly the same as other creatures. Add to this the fact that very few of these creatures have evasion or shroud effects, leaving them easy targets. The one advantage this concept does flesh out on is ‘pump’ effects. A Giant Growth is truly extra effective on one of these creatures. It is for that effect alone that Infect actually made an impact.

Tier 1: Completely changes the game

- Phyrexian mana - This breaks a LOT of rules. First, it shatters the color pie. I understand that was the whole point, however, Dismember is unfair. Any color can give a creature -5/-5? Black should be the only color with this effect. Also, it allows some spells to be cast for no mana. Things like Gut Shot are not going to break this, and Noxious Revival seems to be fair enough, but Mental Misstep was so broken that it ruined Legacy. (Which in turn allowed Modern to take off. Interesting how it’s banned in Modern….) This is not to say I dislike Phyrexian Mana, I actually like the concept. However, too few cards were well designed like Gitaxian Probe, and they either ended up being limited fodder like Slash Panther or way too good like Dismember.

New Concepts in the Zendikar Block:
Tier 3

- Landfall
- Allies
- Traps
- Multikicker
- Level up
- Rebound
- Annihilator
- Totem Armor
Tier 2

- Man-Lands, Fetchlands, the overall land theme
Tier 1

- Not really a concept, but Jace was a problem that changed the way we played.
Overall, Scars of Mirrodin was much more innovative, however I thought Zendikar was designed better. But what if we take a solid, well designed block that sticks to it’s Magic roots (like Zendikar) and throws some crazy game changing innovation (Scars) in there?

Enter Innistrad.









First, let’s check out the checklist. This is a card that will be available in many Innistrad booster packs. They can be used to represent a transform card by putting this card into your deck (with the correct card checked off in one of the boxes below). However, in this blog, I’m going to use it for something very different. This could very well be all of the transform cards in this set, so let’s look at it and do some speculation.

What’s in a name?
What can we tell about a card we haven’t seen but know the name?
Cards like Fireball and Counterspell are pretty straightforward, but what about cards like Tuk-Tuk the Explorer? Well some of these cards have been spoiled and some not. And we only have one name for one face of the card so its very hard to speculate. However, I’ll go out on a limb and try to outline some of the features of these transforming cards.

WARNING: Pure speculation below.  Indulge at your own risk.

Cloistered Youth 1W

A cheap, weak card. Few if any abilities besides the transform clause. Transforms into a demon/horror creature?

Thraben Sentry 3W

No clue on this one, but I’ll take a stab. Defensive knight, transforms into a Vampire?

Civilized Scholar 2U

Something to do with drawing cards? Weak power and toughness. Transforms into a zombie that makes opponent discard?

Delver of Secrets U

Digs through your deck for something? Ends up digging to deep and gets cursed? Transforms into a ghoul or something of the like by the curse?

Ludevic’s Test Subject 1U

Weak creature that does little? Ends up turning into a huge monstrosity after a lot of effort (or luck)

Bloodline Keeper 2BB

This is a tricky one. Pretty sure it’s a vamp but I have no idea what it would turn into? Maybe its pretty powerful and the transform trigger makes it weaker?

Screeching Bat 2B

The opposite. A weak bat that turns into a powerful vampire.

Hanweir Watchkeep 2R

Hard to call if it’s a werewolf or a vampire. I’m gonna have to say vampire.

Instigator Gang 3R

Gonna have to call werewolf on this one. Maybe it’s a pack of humans that help each other out then transforms into werewolfs that continue to boost each other as well.

Kruin Outlaw 1RR

Gonna say human/werewolf. Maybe unblock able or first strike? Turns into a powerful wolf that doesn’t care about evasion.

Reckless Waif R

Quick/fast human/werewolf. Cannot block?

Tormented Pariah 3R

Starts weak, gets some major power after transform - maybe? Werewolf I’m pretty sure of.

Village Ironsmith 1R

Weak human/werewolf. First strike seems like a good fit. Maybe trample?

Daybreak Ranger 2G

Tap to deal damage to flyers. Turns into a werewolf and taps to deal damage to non flyers?

Garruk Relentless 3G

Ah, garruk. Well I’ve seen the pictures but no clue how it will be done. “Good” Garruk probably makes tokens and helps with mana. “Bad” Garruk might drain life and do a twisted version of overrun.

Gatstaf Shepherd 1G

Werewolf. Weak and timid then huge and unstoppable.

Grizzled Outcasts 4G

Werewolf. No clue.

Mayor of Avabruck 1G

Werewolf. Lord type creature. Pumps allies?

Ulvenwald Mystics 2GG

Powerful Werewolf. Heals life or regenerates.

Villagers of Estwald 2G

Basic Werewolf. Gets more powerful and gains trample.

Again, these are only speculations based on mana costs and card names. Several of these have been spoiled.

EDIT: I have actually seen the spoiled ones as of today and I actually got a few right! To be fair, I was pretty vague, but still pretty cool. Still about half of them have not been spoiled so we can see if I continue the pattern.


Well, I have a ton more to share with you, including:

- How good are transform cards?  (With new spoilers!)
- How to use transform cards in casual play and tournaments
- How will transform change the game we know and love?
- What transform cards will see constructed play?  Which ones are limited bombs?
- And tons more! 
This will all be in my next blog which should hit sometime this weekend.  Thanks again for reading and feel free to share your comments below for discussion.