General (MAT) March of the Machine Aftermath Previews

Maybe a general blaggro problem? It doesn't synergize with muchbesides enchantress stuff, so it's mostly an aggro card as I view it.
 
I kept this in my cube for years without it ever being run maindeck, I just couldn't imagine why people didn't like it.

I still don't :wagg:
I think it's probably the "downside" of losing 1 life every turn. Many players can't get past downside abilities unless they've already been taught the card is good. Herald is fine, but it's not such a slam dunk that people who have never played with it will look past the life loss trigger.
 
blaggro is an extremely acquired taste unless it has big johnny/spike appeal... which usually means it's actually crats (johnny) or deaths shadow (spike) and not straight-up blaggro
 
blaggro is an extremely acquired taste unless it has big johnny/spike appeal... which usually means it's actually crats (johnny) or deaths shadow (spike) and not straight-up blaggro

Which is why it's important to figure out how to differentiate different flavors of Aggro in a cube environment. We didn't have the tools to do so prior to 2014, but since then we've had printings of many cards for B/x and W/x Aggro that have allowed for it to flourish and catch up with (in my opinion surpass) R/x Aggro in terms of gameplay depth. It comes down to curation of your environment to make them appealing to drafters not intimately familiar with your design, but it's easier than ever to highlight the various color combinations that combine to form distinct variations of aggressive decks within a cube.

If you're running all the neat cards we've received the last few years with pushed designs aplenty and many creatures FAR above rate compared to the past, I think it's very important to figure out ways to keep Aggro interesting and engaging as an archetype to maintain a balanced environment.
 
Alright, cards are officially reveal which makes them a lot easier to talk about. I'm not entirely sure what I'm personally interested in yet, but I do think there are some generally interesting cards.


Not sure what's with all the 3-drops in the set.
Vesuvan Drifter is a pretty aggressively statted wind drake that is probably one of the better "topdeck matters" inclusions, and the trigger is pretty solid at baiting removal spells if you could threaten something like a Colossal Skyturtle. Probably requires a relatively niche environment though.
Urborg Scavengers is a 3/3 for 3 that grows each time it attacks, and can easily nab a lot of handy keywords. Can be both a fun little build-around and offer some graveyard hate if you don't want to play with the overly complicated Graveyard Trespasser.
Nissa drawing you an Elf or Elemental every time you crack a fetchland is potentially very powerful, especially with MH2 incarnations. She's otherwise a 3/3 lotus cobra for 3, the card draw isn't a replacement.
Tranquil Frillback is a handy toolbox, a bit boring for my taste, but seems quite solid. Decent blink target. Also the third 3/3 for three, for those counting.
Samut is just an aggressively statted creature. Vigilance and first strike makes her a pain in combat, and it's pretty easy to envision her being a two-for-one. Whether she can draw any more cards will be highly cube-dependant, but she works well with rabblemasters, dash, unearth, and obviously creatures with haste.


This feels like the Boros Thousand-Year Storm in that it can lead to some nutty games, will often be useless, and is a sick design. I'd consider it if your cube design leans more towards chasing those highs instead of more play-skill perfection.
 

Chris Taylor

Contributor
Urborg Scavengers is a 3/3 for 3 that grows each time it attacks, and can easily nab a lot of handy keywords. Can be both a fun little build-around and offer some graveyard hate if you don't want to play with the overly complicated Graveyard Trespasser.
A big part of what makes Tresspasser good is the ward though :(
Deathgorge Scavenger does exist, and certainly didn't wow me when I ran it back in the day. This is better, but I'm not sure it's great.

I think I need to stick with this guy for now:
044 - Gravewarden.jpg
(I need new art though, this looks great on a high brightness monitor but it doesn't translate well to paper)

Edit: Urborg Scavengers does however look MUCH cuter
 
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This feels like the Boros Thousand-Year Storm in that it can lead to some nutty games, will often be useless, and is a sick design. I'd consider it if your cube design leans more towards chasing those highs instead of more play-skill perfection.
I'm confused how this is similar to Thousand–Year Storm. Is it just because you get to do something splashy (a free Yorion trigger) every turn?
 


Didn't expect to even have one interesting card in this, but here I am tempted by a cool (mass) removal variant for blue control decks and a cool landfall card (coming with a retro frame and retro art version!).
 
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