Sets AEther Revolt Spoilers

[Onderzeeboot]

I went 2-2-2 at the local prerelease. My pools had good cards across all five colors, but as a result all colors were pretty shallow as well, and I had no mana fixing. Even Heart of Kiran couldn't save my deck. Tried three different decks over the course of five round, then received a bye in the last round :/ Only color I didn't try was blue, maybe I should have?

Lost a close match to a deck containing Ajani, Walking Ballista and other good stuff, my other loss was against a guy who opened a Heart of Kiran of himself, except he also opened two Quicksmith Rebels, which is a pretty sick combo... My draws were against a player that could loop the gain 3 life artifact with defenses up, and against a newer player who had a hard time analyzing complex board states, making a few mistakes here and there that I had to correct and just playing slowly in general once things got crowded. No hard feelings though. The one win was against an opponent who definitely wasn't aggressive enough in the second game. I feel I shouldn't have won that game.

Here's my pool. Rares at the top (of their category), then creatures and noncreatures by cmc. I'ld be happy with some thoughts. What would you have build out of this?

pre-release

 

[Aston]

I think I would build GW and try and take advantage of revolt as much as possible. You have reasonable fixing but I don't think any of the off colour cards are worth splashing.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

I think I would build GW and try and take advantage of revolt as much as possible. You have reasonable fixing but I don't think any of the off colour cards are worth splashing.

That was my first build as well, because green is the best color to trigger the great revolt cards in white. Problem was, that deck was too high on the curve, and sorely lacked removal. Like, really, really sorely. I ended up splashing red for two removal spells, but the deck still felt too slow. Maybe I was just unlucky, but in one of the games I landed both Call for Unity and Lifecrafter's Bestiary, saw half my deck, and still lost to an average Magic cards. I went {b/w} in that second game and won off Hidden Stockpile plus Call for Unity, which is quite an insane combo.

 

[Mondschwein]

yay, AER is already up on magiccards.info, what a nice surprise, and it's on cubetutor.com, too.

 

[Alfonzo Bonzo]

I would probably go for black white Onderzeboot:

Black White

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Haha, that was my second choice The third deck was , playing both copies of Destructive Tampering. By the way, that is a card I am going to include in my cube! I didn't know it before I played with it, but that is exactly the modal option I like on an artifact destruction spell. If you can't blow something up, go face!

Interesting you chose to play Underhanded Designs by the way, I was thinking I didn't have enough artifact spells in my deck, so I left it out. I think you want to play Night Market Guard if you play Designs and Chief of the Foundry? It's also 3 power to crew Heart of Kiran! I also played Prakhata Club Security over Aether Inspector, because 3/4 > 2/3 vigilance at four mana. I left out the Night Market Aeronaut yesterday, and played the 4/6 instead, which was probably a mistake. Flying seems strong in this set, even the Osprey got in for a lot of damage.

I also sleeved up at home, which was surprisingly solid, with the two Implement of Ferocity and Scrounging Bandar buffing the already good defensive stats to something that can actually attack. (Well... solid against the deck from my somewhat lacking pool... )

 

[Alfonzo Bonzo]

Yeah, you're right, you probably want Night Market Guard instead of Alley Strangler. Aether Inspector makes servos, which is another artifact creature for underhanded designs. Underhanded designs is pretty good with hidden stockpile and if it's just a removal spell it's fine.

Yeah, I was thinking about blue/green as well, maybe splashing red. Trophy Mage searching for Lifecrafter's Beastary seems good.

 

[Peter LaCara]

Huh. My build of Onder's pool is completely different from where everyone else went.

Jeskai Artifacts

I feel like I should cut one more card for another plains, but I can't choose which one. This deck probably wants 18 lands.

 

[StormEntity]

Is Call for Unity not just a stone cold bomb? Seems really good, and particularly good in the Maverick Thopterist + Felidar Guardian and Implement of Examination deck.

 

[Peter LaCara]

Is Call for Unity not just a stone cold bomb? Seems really good, and particularly good in the Maverick Thopterist + Felidar Guardian and Implement of Examination deck.

OH right. I forgot to include that, and that was the entire reason I wanted to be white in the first place. Need to find another cut for it. Hazards of building the deck on a computer without being able to lay the cards out on a table like I normally do.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

OH right. I forgot to include that, and that was the entire reason I wanted to be white in the first place. Need to find another cut for it. Hazards of building the deck on a computer without being able to lay the cards out on a table like I normally do.

You probably want to cut Aether Inspector and a three drop for a Plains and a Call for Unity? I think I would cut the Osprey. It's respectable in a more aggressive deck, but I feel you have enough flyers that you don't need the evasion, and the other pieces seem more important. Heart of Kiran is kinda hard to crew in this deck.

 

[StormEntity]

I haven't got to play this format at all, nor did I get to play Kaladesh much, so my only real info about Vehicles has to do with Smuggler's Copter. Is Heart of Kiran even good in limited? Crew 3 is a lot, and you only get a 4/4, not to mention the vigilance isn't worth all *that* much. It seems like a pretty bad deal unless you're paying with a loyalty counter, which will never happen in retail limited.

 

[GiftsForgiven]

Went 4-0 at my prerelease with a UG deck. Green seems obscene in this limited format.

As a side note, I'm trying to build out a U/B artifact theme for a new cube I'm constructing, and sadly it feels janky even with the two artifact sets that we've just had =(

 

[Erik]

Seems fantastic with both revolt and Heart of Kiran.

I'm very tempted to add Quirion ranger and wirewood symbiote. Not only for Revolt but also there's Lifecrafter's bestiary, energy mechanic(theres elves that give both on entering themselves and even one for lands entering now), and the more classic elf builds.

I'm also curious to see if there's room for some sort of incidental ally theme hidden in there too with tajuru warcaller the main guy in green. (I also already run sylvan advocate, and could consider beastcaller savant). It would also tie into GW with humans where running hada freeblade expedition envoy and kazandu blademaster as fairly good early human allies. Lantern scout and relief captain could also provide interesting blink targets that also can be found with recruiter of the guard. There's also captain's claw retreat to emeria and gideon, ally of zendikar as possibilities.

 

[MCMcEmcee]

4-0'd our 2HG prerelease. I'd like to say it was because I Cruel Ultimatum'd every game but it was probably because our GW deck drew the uncommon basically-green-gearhulk every round (also because our opponents constantly punted).

Common vehicles in AER feel very mediocre, nothing on the level of Renegade Freighter or Sky Skiff. Actually a lot of the commons felt interchangeably mediocre, but the uncommons are very strong.

 

[Chris Taylor]

PREPARE FOR MEDIOCRITY:



I'm not sure I've ever seen a deck more on theme: There's about 3 creatures total in this deck that aren't 2/3s, which gave me a decent advantage against the people just kinda fucking about, but any focused aggro deck ran me over before I could do anything. I wish I'd opened the 2/3 that's actually good, but hey.

I went 2-2, conceding the last round to a friend as I had to head to work, which was probably what this deck deserved.

On the plus side, my playgroup did well enough that I'm down to three total cards from this set we don't have yet:

 

[Onderzeeboot]

PREPARE FOR MEDIOCRITY

That's mediocrity? Deck looks miles better than mine!

 

[Chris Taylor]

It's really hard to actually kill someone with just a pile of 2/3s

Rishkar and The pokedex were super sweet when I drew them, and the only time I ever cast herald of anguish it got Failed Inspection'd, a card I thought was stone unplayable.

 

[sigh]

Anybody get some testing in with Treasure Keeper? Chris? How does it play?

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Anybody get some testing in with Treasure Keeper? Chris? How does it play?

I want to sac it in response to some game ending spell, then reveal Dissolve. Just once. Please.

 

[sigh]

I want to sac it in response to some game ending spell, then reveal Dissolve. Just once. Please.

Sacking it to daretti to get a bomb back, and then cascading into a bauble to get back the keeper later would be sweet

 

[Chris Taylor]

Anybody get some testing in with Treasure Keeper? Chris? How does it play?

In the prerelease it was a decent beater, revealed AEther Poisoner on a board I was already winning when it died. Only really drew it once.
*Shrug*

It hasn't seen cube play for me yet, just happened to be in the undrafted cards because I'm too lazy to seed new includes. I'm optimistic.

 

[Peter LaCara]

I haven't got to play this format at all, nor did I get to play Kaladesh much, so my only real info about Vehicles has to do with Smuggler's Copter. Is Heart of Kiran even good in limited? Crew 3 is a lot, and you only get a 4/4, not to mention the vigilance isn't worth all *that* much. It seems like a pretty bad deal unless you're paying with a loyalty counter, which will never happen in retail limited.

I got utterly destroyed by Heart of Kiran in the first game of my prerelease. Dude dropped it on turn 2 into the UG 3/2 that cantrips and gives you energy. Turns out that a turn 3 Serra Angel is pretty busted in sealed. That may be coloring my decision making. It's possible Mobile Garrison is better in this deck.

 

[Aston]

Winding Constrictor has got me excited for standard in a way I haven't been in many seasons. There's so many cool combos with it at the moment - the revolt guys that get counters, Glint-Sleeve Siphoner (not sure that's the name), Walking Ballista, Longtusk Cub, Nissa, Voice of Zendikar, the Bandar which etb with 2 +1/+1 counters and can move them at the beginning of your upkeep, Yahenni, Kalitas, 3/5 flying vehicle that can get lifelink for energy, awaken cards (I think?), Drana, Aether Hub... so much potential!

 

[Kirblinx]

FNM Release Draft
So, as per tradition with our LGS we do a triple pack draft of the new set when it is realeased to help people get more of the new cards. It is always weird doing a draft like this with a small set as there are so many multiples flying around (I remember triple Dragon's Maze where I drafted 6 Rakdos Drake to pass over the gatekeepers, it was weird).

I started out with a Quicksmith Spy and thought I could go down some improvise route until I was getting heavily cut in blue and sweet white uncommons kept going by. I decided to go a little too deep in fixing and ended up with this revolting pile.


It is amazing how much fixing you can get when people don't take it highly
This was like the ultimate durdle deck. Just play middling dudes, cycle through the fixing baubles draw a bunch of cards and hope to find one of the 5 drops to start doing damage.

Illusionist's Stratagem was absolute gold in this deck. Being able to use it on a harpooner to kill a creature during combat, or just draw a bunch of cards with Silkweaver Elite's it was well worth it's slot.

I managed to go 2-1, losing to Kari Zev, dropped on turn 2 in both games. I had slower draws and just couldn't stop that monkey.

Deck was sweet, revolt is a very simple yet sweet mechanic. I am liking the set and hoping to not have to do a triple of this set again

I'll leave you with the 5 cards I drew after I resolved a Rishkar's Expertise with only a Ridgescale Tusker in play: