The Really Big M11 EDH Review – Blue

CANNONBALL!

Part two of this M11 EDH review. If you missed part 1 (White), click here. If you’ve never really written a review before, it’s an interesting experience. Sometimes people check these things to see if other people feel the same way about certain cards that they do. Other times, they’re just curious to see how other cards see play in different formats. I don’t rate these cards as people would use them in Sealed or Standard, so people might look at some of these reviews and go, really? Yes, really.

Another thing about reviews is that people want to take a look at the rares and if they should do pick them up. This is pretty obvious since they cost the most money and are harder to get. On format reviews like this where you don’t touch upon every card, it says a whole lot if I don’t talk about a rare since most everything can be used in this format. Sometimes, they won’t even make a dent in this cardpool.

Cards in italics are reprints. At the very end of all the reviews, you’ll get my Top 10 list of EDH cards for M11.

Like any time when I review these cards, most of them can see play in EDH; there’s only one in this set that is absolute trash in EDH (Squadron Hawk). These are just going to be the better cards I would recommend playing.

Blue – 20 Cards (13 New)

• Æther Adept

Hooray! It’s a “fixed” Man-‘o-War. It costs 1UU instead of 2U, but it’s another option for decks that want to use that bouncing ability. Now a Wizard, it would go fittingly in your Azami deck and anyone who doesn’t already have a copy of the Jellyfish in their deck already. Because creatures are becoming more powerful, it’s sometimes more interesting to bounce your guy rather then your opponents. Does deal with Darksteel Colossus however.

• Augury Owl

Will there be a time when this owl is never useful? Maybe when you’re getting your face beat in by a 15/15. Even then, scrying 3 is amazing. With scry, you can put the cards on the bottom of your library if you don’t need them. No longer will you have to sit through three more land drops if you don’t have a way to shuffle your library. Scry is amazing and this little bird (Best bird in the set?) will be one of those creatures you’ll be happy to see when you draw it. Unless you’re being beaten in by a 15/15.

• Call to Mind

A more splash-able Relearn. It’s the ying to Nature’s Spiral‘s yang. Yeah, you can go get that Counterspell or Wrath or most likely Time Warp, and all of those are fine choices. There’s nothing complicated about this spell, it’s just good and solid and will help you win the game in the long run. No tricks, no ultimate combos, just a nice spell.

• Cancel

If you’re playing with this, you don’t have any other counterspells. The list of counterspells at the 1UU casting slot include Forbid, Faerie Trickery, Dissipate, and Hinder. If you have this in your EDH deck you’ve just started out (which is alright) or you’ve got it proxied for one of those other counterspells.

• Clone

Remember these rules: Can copy Generals to kill them (thanks to the Legendary rule). Can copy untargetable creatures since it doesn’t target. Does include enter the battlefield abilities of copied creature.

• Conundrum Sphinx

What’s this? A fun Blue card? Has Wizards lost their minds? First off, a 4/4 flyer for 4 is good. The fact that it triggers when it attacks and not deals damage means everyone gets to benefit from it more times than usual on similar cards. Since you’re playing Blue, with this card in it, I’m assuming you have ways to manipulate your library to take advantage of its ability. Everyone gets a shot at the benefit but if they swing and miss it goes to the bottom where it gets harder to draw (obviously). It’s a must ability not a may (remember that). These seems like a really fun card that will be good to the player and never really have anyone truly hate this card. The only bad thing about it: the art. I’m sorry, it doesn’t look good. – BLUE PRECON RARE FOIL

• Diminish

The only time I can see this being used is a combat trick. The creature still has its abilities. Unsummon might be better.

• Foresee

It’s called Foresee because it has four eyes. Get it? It’s a pun! Not as bad as you think (the card, not the pun).

• Frost Titan

The worst of the Titan cycle. Listen Blue mages: your color is the worst at creatures. In almost any creature cycle your creature is the worst. Just deal with it. It’s still the 6/6 for 6 which isn’t bad, but holy cow he’s worse than all of the other titans. Bad enough to feel sorry for you? Naw, I mean he looks like Glacius from Killer Instinct on Nintendo 64, so you got that going for you, right?

• Ice Cage

Betterish than Pacifism. So that’s not saying a whole lot.

• Jace Beleren

Draw, draw, draw. 20 cards from your library into your graveyard isn’t so scary in EDH. Plus, he gets rid of Steroid Jace. I think people are less likely to attack this Jace in EDH than like Garruk or Elspeth.

• Jace’s Ingenuity

Drawing three cards at instant speed for 5 mana is not that unique in Blue. Also drawing three cards at instant speed: Brainstorm, Mysteries of the Deep, Thirst for Knowledge. Drawing three cards at sorcery speed: Ancestral Vision, Brilliant Plan, Compulsive Research, Concentrate, Dream Cache, Ideas Abound, Probe, Rhystic Scrying, Shared Discovery, and Sift. Just sayin’

• Leyline of Anticipation

This is one you kinda want to see in your opening hand. Other then that it’s an enchantment Vedalken Orrey. Usually people come your way when you play a card like that. And not for cookies and beer.

• Mana Leak

A serviceable counterspell.

• Mass Polymorph

Warp World gets throw out of the Core Set for this card. It works like Polymorph, except, you know, mass. The creatures you control get exiled, so there’s several options you can do. One: use tokens, cast Mass Polymorph, flip fatties onto to the battlefield, stand up and throw your hands up and yell, “King Kong, ain’t got nothing on me!” Or two: cast Insurrection, cast Mass Polymorph, flip fatties onto the battlefield, stand up and throw your hands up and yell, “I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!” Paying 10URRR on one turn might be a little much so expect to see this in Jhoria, which would be the one time I would love to see her as a General.

• Mind Control

This art is the better one of the three.

• Preordain

Way better than Serum Visions since you might be able to control the draw. When I start a Blue EDH deck I usually throw Brainstorm, Ponder and Serum Visions in there to get me going. Out goes Serum Visions and in comes Preordain. Like I said, don’t sleep on scry.

• Redirect

Deflection now costs two. And you can pick spells with more than one target (opens up the possibilities), and for those of you wondering, you can have it counter a counterspell.

• Stormtide Leviathan

This is the Blue fattie of the set. What makes this card so good is it makes everyone’s lands Islands as well. Yes, mana fixing at 8 mana really isn’t mana fixing, but this key because of the second part of the card: Island Sanctuary. Go ahead and click on that link, I’m sure most of you don’t know what that cards does. Suddenly you, with all of your islandwalking creatures, have become unblockable (like your 8/8 Stormtide Leviathan). But it’s a great line of defense against decks that can’t burn or kill a 8/8. Oh, did I mention it works with Quest for Ula’s Temple? You’ll be shaking your head thinking it’s a boring card when you see it for the first time. Then when you can’t attack or can’t block an 8/8, things get downright scary.

• Time Reversal

I have a confession to make: I really don’t like this card. I’m sure I could find use for this, and I can see it as a defense card when people’s graveyards get too full in their reanimator decks, but I’m not looking to put this in anything I have Blue. You can draw seven for five mana, but it’s only good when you have no hand to shuffle away. I’ll be looking to trade these off for whatever I can get for them. I may be in the minority, but I’m ok with that.

That’s it for Blue. Blue gets a lot of draw, bounce, counters which isn’t uncommon for this color to have. But, it does get two game changing creatures for EDH. The funny thing is, I recommend buying the Blue/White intro pack if you don’t buy a whole lot of cards since it does have the two good Blue creatures, and some good Blue/White EDH cards in it (Mind Control, Condemn, Crystal Ball).

What did I get wrong/you totally agree with me?