Hello everyone,

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Robert Hacker. I started playing Magic casually during the original Mirrodin block, and have been playing competitively for a little over a year now. I’ve had great times playing Magic, and have met many people who are now close friends of mine because of it. Now I want to give back to the community by helping teach others what I’ve learned, so they may improve as I have. My goal with this blog is to give my opinion on current events in the Magic community, as well as giving advice on how I would tackle different formats.

As I write articles for this blog, I want to discover my niche, but for now I’ll be covering a variety of topics. For my first blog post, I thought that an evaluation for the color choices for the upcoming Journey into Nyx prerelease, this weekend, would be a great way to start. I’ll give my evaluation for each of the colors after this introduction. First, I’ll go over the power and value of the promo card for each color. I’ll then go over the rares and mythics for that color, since their prominence in sealed deserves attention. To wrap up, I’ll give a brief look at trends in the commons and uncommons for each color instead of the in-depth view I gave the mythics and rares. In sealed commons and uncommons aren’t as game-changing compared to rares and mythics in sealed, but they will still be making up most of your deck so at least some evaluation of them is essential. Thanks for staying with me up to this point and now we’ll start the evaluations with White in Journey in Nyx.

White:

Prerelease Promo: Dawnbringer Charioteers

Now it’s no secret that white has been the one of the strongest color in Theros limited up to this point, if not the strongest, and it doesn’t look that that will be changing anytime soon. Each white player will be guaranteed one of these, so their card pool will start in a good place. Dawnbringer Charioteers is actually incredible and is definitely the strongest of the five different promos going into this prerelease. It is basically a slightly higher cost Wingsteed Rider and has part of a Hopeful Eidolon bestowed onto it. Anyone who has faced that before knows just how unbeatable it is without some sort of powerful removal.

Rares/Mythics:

White is in a very strong position with mythics with every mythic they have access to being is strong enough to be played in pretty much any white deck. On top of this, white is the only color that gains four new mythics in the new set. The white rares are also powerful bombs on their own, with Dawnbringer Charioteers, Dictate of Heliod, and Deicide being powerful enough to be auto-includes in most white decks. Launch the Fleet gets special mention, despite its specific utility, as it is one of the best cards for any aggressive deck and becomes pretty insane with the inclusion of the heroic mechanic.

Commons/Uncommons:

White is not lacking in efficient uncommons and commons to support its plethora of powerful bombs. One thing that sticks out amongst the uncommons and commons is the amount of removal with cards like Banishing Light, Reprisal, Armament of Nyx and even Oppressive Rays, which acts as a pseudo-Pacifism. In addition to the multiple pieces of low-cost removal, white also gains more access to strong aggressive cards, such as Oreskos Swiftclaw, Harvestguide Alseids and Tethmos High Priest. White is also given strong defensive creatures, including Lagonna-Band Trailblazer, Eidolon of Rhetoric and Nyx-Fleece Ram, all of which do a good job of stopping non-evasive aggro. White even gets additional powerful heroic enablers in the form of the new strive mechanic cards which, while costly, will sometimes be the card that swings a game in your favor.

Evaluation:

Based on the sheer power and quality of its cards, I would say that white is a strong contender for the best color at the upcoming prerelease.

Blue:

Prerelease Promo: Scourge of Fleets

Honestly, I’m pretty torn on this guy. On one hand, Scourge of Fleets is a large body that can potentially reset the board on the turn that it comes down. On the other, in a sealed format it is unlikely that you will be able to utilize its ability to its fullest, since you will most likely be playing two colors. Scourge of Fleets is even worse if you aren’t fortunate enough to get enough playables and are forced into three colors. What this means is there will be times where you will play Scourge of Fleets, only to have your opponent kill you on the swing back with their large evasive creature. That being said, most of the time this card will win you the game provided you have any sort of board presence established, which is generally what you want from your bombs.

Rares/Mythics:

One of the greatest benefits that blue players have is the potential to open one of the most powerful gods in their seeded pack. Keranos seems like an absolute house by being one of the strongest sources of inevitability in the format. Blue’s other mythic, Sage of Hours, seems extremely lackluster. There are too few ways to utilize Sage of Hours’s ability, so he is going to almost always be a worse Akroan Skyguard. The blue rares seem to range from pretty strong to kind of awkward. There are some strong rares, such as Daring Thief or Battlefield Thaumaturge which excel in a more aggressive deck, or Hypnotic Siren and Scourge of Fleets for the slower control decks. However, some rares like Polymorphous Rush are possibly too awkward for a sealed deck.

Commons/Uncommons:

Blue’s uncommons and commons seem to be mostly strong or at least playable, with some unplayables. Cards such as Hour of Need, War-Wing Siren, Hubris, Crystalline Nautilus or Sigiled Starfish are all immediate includes in most blue decks. You are unfortunately just as likely to be given cards like Godhunter Octopus, Rise of Eagles or Thassa’s Devourer, which I can’t see myself playing.

Evaluation:

Overall, I would say that the solid base of playable commons and uncommons, combined with the high impact power of the promo, make blue a strong pick for prerelease.

Black:

Prerelease Promo: Doomwake Giant

I’ve actually changed my initial views on Doomwake Giant. When I first saw Doomwake Giant, what stood out to me was its sizeable body and ability to be splashed in other decks. However, I believed its ability just would not be consistent or powerful enough to make it strong. While its ability generally won’t be a blowout, it will make combat way easier for you while sometimes removing a couple of your opponents creatures. This, in combination with how easy it is to splash, makes Doomwake Giant into a great threat that will be able to be used pretty much anywhere.

Rares/Mythics:

Right now, black’s mythics don’t seem incredibly desirable. Black’s seeded packs are able to open Pharika, and while deathtouch snakes are good at stopping most assaults, Pharika herself looks to be on the weaker side. Black is also hurt by the fact that its mono-colored mythic is pretty much unplayable. Aside from its less than amazing mythics, black has some powerful rares that could be opened in the seeded pack. I would certainly play any of the rares, most of which are either powerful removal or Master of the Feast, a 5/5 flier for three mana with a downside that is less relevant in a format where the chances of it getting answered are significantly lower.

Commons/Uncommons:

Choosing black will also give you a nice selection of possible commons and uncommons. While there are a good number of overcosted and clunky cards, black is also given access to a large amount of efficient removal, which is rare in this format. Black is also gaining a number of efficient creatures which, while not always high impact, will work nicely with the removal package.

Evaluation:

In the end, I believe black in Journey into Nyx is one of the stronger colors with many of its rares being quite high powered, a flexible and powerful promo and a good amount of removal especially when compared to some of the other colors.

Red:

Prerelease Promo: Spawn of Thraxes

Spawn of Thraxes is a hard hitting card, when it resolves you know that it will always do something, whether that is removing a key creature or hitting the opponent in the face. It does suffer from the same problem as Scourge of Fleets, with the high likelihood of being forced into multiple colors. It and has a greater potential to be weaker than Scourge of Fleets however, if the damage it deals is not enough to kill a creature or be a significant threat to the opponent. It does have one big upside in the evasion it gains at only the cost of a point of power and toughness, which makes a big difference on creatures that are meant to end the game.

Rares/Mythics:

This section is one where I think red does a good job holding its own. Red players can feel lucky they have a chance to open Iroas in their seeded pack seeing as he is an aggressive bomb that helps red with its aggressive gameplan. The mono-red mythic, Prophetic Flamespeaker, is an absolute bomb and will most likely be a remove or die card, with its incredibly low CMC, ability to hit really hard, and generate massive card advantage. Due to the high impact of red’s creatures combined with tendency to be somewhat fragile, cards such as Harness by Force, Twinflame or even Dictate of the Twin Gods can often act as game-winning bombs that can be pulled off just as an opponent begins to stabilize.

Commons/Uncommons:

What I immediately see in the red commons and uncommons is a theme of strong and efficient creatures, a few good strive cards, and some clunky enchantments and removal. Satyr Hoplite is another card in the trend of Wingsteed Rider effects, and while it is probably the weakest of these, it is still fine due to the strength of that ability. Another strong card, Mogis’s Warhound, is absolutely insane because of its low bestow cost which works well with other aggressive creatures such as Akroan Line Breaker or Sigiled Skink. Following these smaller more aggressive creatures are heavy hitters like Wildfire Cerberus or Cyclops of Eternal Fury. Wildfire Cerberus is great for clearing a path for a finishing blow in a stalled out board state due to its size as well as how difficult it makes blocking for your opponent. Outside of these creatures though, red does have some awkward cards such as Starfall, Lightning Diadem and Knowledge and Power, which appear overcosted in relation to their power level.

Evaluation:

Red looks like it will be a strong aggressive color, but it will require some support from other colors in order to fully utilize its potential due to the awkward nature of many of its non-strive heroic enablers.

Green:

Prerelease Promo: Heroes’ Bane

I cannot say that I am all too impressed with the green promo. While Heroes’ Bane is a big creature, that is generally all that it will be. In addition to this, you will have to put extra mana into its ability at least once just in order to make it worth playing at five mana. It also has a complete lack of evasion problem that may hinder it from ever damaging your opponent. Due to these restrictions, I would say that this is not anywhere near where you want to be with what should be one of the strongest cards in your deck.

Rares/Mythics:

In the same vein as the promo, the green mythics are also unimpressive. While white was able to benefit from Ajani, adding a second possible mythic green uses him as their only mythic slot which does weaken the color a bit. In addition to this, green is the color that has a chance to open Kruphix in their seeded pack and unfortunately he looks to be the only unplayable god in the set. The rares include a good number of nice gems for the green players. Cards like Pheres-Band Warchief, Hydra Broodmaster and Setessan Tactics can all be strong additions to pretty much any green sealed pool. With the exception of Dictate of Karametra, pretty much any green rare would fit well into a sealed format that is most likely going to be slowing down as the decks become less consistent due to the addition of the third set.

Commons/Uncommons:

It shouldn’t be surprising that the first thing that sticks out to me about green is its creatures. Journey into Nyx is bringing us some solid creatures, such as the value generating Nessian Game Warden, another accelerant in the form of Golden Hind, and some decent beaters such as Ravenous Leucrocota. The other major point that green has going for it is its increased number of efficient ramp cards coming with Journey into Nyx, such as Font of Fertility or Market Festival, as well as the already mentioned Golden Hind which allows them to quickly power out their larger threats. However, the biggest downside that green has is its only form of removal is a rare. Chances are that will be something you’ll need to look for in other colors, given its relevance in the format where your options are remove your opponents bomb or just play something bigger.

Evaluation:

Overall green just seems to be slightly too top-heavy to stand on its own due to a lack of protection from either fast or evasive creatures. However, with their high creature quality, I can see green acting as a strong support when used in conjunction with another color to give them a stronger end game where green’s large creatures can shine.

Conclusion:

Here are my choices in order from strongest to weakest color in Journey into Nyx, based on the areas that I have talked about earlier. There is a lot more that goes into analyzing the colors of limited, but this is meant to simply be a starting point.

1. White – With its strong spread of powerful, evasive threats, deadly bombs, efficient removal and arguably the most powerful promo I am picking white as my number one. White has been a power player in the past limited formats of Theros and that doesn’t look like its changing much.

2. Black – With its combination of powerful rares which are supplemented by a good amount of removal and a strong promo I am choosing black as the second best color in Journey into Nyx. Although it does not quite beat white, and does have a good number of awkward cards, black is easily able to make up for this due to the high chance of a strong rare being pulled from its seeded pack.

3. Blue – Much like white, blue has a nice mix of evasive creatures that can finish off an opponent. The blue removal is generally more powerful in a format filled with auras and giant creatures that rely on tempo to win races. One other that benefit that blue has is that its promo is one of the strongest in the set. Blue does lose a few points in terms of its rares, since while they have the potential to be powerful, it fall behind some of the other colors in overall quality.

4. Red – Now we are getting into the bottom territory, but I am choosing red as my fourth pick for best color for the Journey into Nyx prerelease. While red does have some solid rares many of them do rely on putting you further ahead. Red also does gain a good number of strong aggressive creatures and but the number of powerful high cost spells is just too low for it to hold up if the game goes long.

5. Green – Sitting at dead last is green. I might be too hard on green, but the reason that I am putting it in the final position is that it is not gaining enough to keep up with the power levels of the other colors in this set. What it does have is some good mid to late game bombs, but they lack in the ability to protect themselves until they reach a point where they can cast them. This, in conjunction with the low interactivity with evasive creatures, and the low power level of their promo card is what has earned green its place at the bottom of my list.

That just about wraps up my first blog post. Thanks for taking the time to read it, I appreciate it a lot. I know this has been a long post due to the large topic, and I am planning for future posts to be shorter. If you have any comments or questions then feel free to post them and I will do my best to answer them. Also if you have any topics that you are interested in seeing me write about, just leave them in the comments section and maybe I’ll choose to explore one. Thanks again and good luck during prerelease weekend!