My Favorite Cards from the Kaladesh Block

This was a tough one. I haven’t played much lately. I only drafted Kaladesh a handful of times and Aether Revolt once. This means these cards don’t resonate with me very strongly, because I haven’t experienced them very much. Another problem is that I just didn’t like Standard during this period, so its hard to have a positive emotional connection to them. While I’m writing this, this feels more like “the cards I hate the least”, but that’s a bit of an exaggeration.

Here’s the previous winners:

You can see a pattern here… It won’t continue this time, although black is still the best represented color on the list. Strangely enough, the top three spots have been taken by another color and its not even blue, even though blue has been strongly presented in the number two spots previously:

So, I guess we’re really breaking new ground today.

Honorable mentions:

This is supposedly a “Johnny/Jenny block” meaning there’s supposedly a lot of build-around cards that can achieve all sorts of interesting interactions and thus combos. While this is true, it has sadly been overshadowed by cards like [cards]Aetherworks Marvel[/cards] that does what it does way too effectively.

The cards above are mostly just this kind of cards. They are cards that are fun to think about.

Don’t worry about the whale. Its just happily floating there in the air.

Once again, this isn’t about powerlevel, although there certainly are powerful cards on the list. Its more about what I find fun or interesting or cool. There’s even several Standard and Modern playable cards on the list this time and that doesn’t happen very much on these lists.

But on to the list…

10. [scryfall]Subtle Strike[/scryfall]

The flexibility on this card is great, which meant I played it whenever I could in limited, but I also like the art. The renegade stealing the blade to kill the guard is nice. Why take your own weapons with you, if your opponent provides them for you?

9. [scryfall]Metallurgic Summonings[/scryfall]

One of those cards I haven’t actually played, but its just fun to think about.

8. [scryfall]Saheeli’s Artistry[/scryfall]

There’s so many stories here. For some reason I opened this rare quite a few times in the limited amount of drafts I played during this format. It was passed to me a quite a few times as well. But lets recount my favorite one.

This was my first draft of the format: Day 2 of GP London. Of course, since I was there to have fun, as are most of the players in 6-3 bracket, I announced this to the table when I sat down. I went with my usual “pick all the cards that have a high ceiling” strategy when I don’t know the format very well, ending up with four-colored deck with something like eight rares, including two [scryfall]Metalwork Colossus[/scryfall]es (maybe Colossi, but I couldn’t tag that properly).

So, I went on to lose the first match quickly, but in the first game of the second match I managed to contain the onslaught long enough to stay in the game. So, I cast the first Colossus. Well, I had read it wrong and tried to cast it by getting the cost reduction from a couple of artifact creatures. After a well-deserved warning, the judge backed us to the point where I hadn’t cast it yet and cast something else.

My opponent now knew I had the thing in my hand and I was already pretty close to casting it for real. They were clearly nervous about it. A few turns later, when I drew the last land I needed, my opponent’s shoulders just slumped. But then, when she drew her card for her next turn, she once again became elated and cast [scryfall]Revoke Privileges[/scryfall] on it, surveyed the board and passed the turn back. So, I just cast the second one. Her shoulders slumped again. Going to her turn, she once again top-decked a removal, this time a [scryfall]Malfunction[/scryfall] and took the Colossus out again.

The problem was, neither of these really got rid of the beasts, so when I top-decked the Artistry on my turn, she didn’t have any more outs when I copied both of my of Colossi.

7. [scryfall]Midnight Oil[/scryfall]

I love the black cards that make you sacrifice something important in order to gain a benefit. I still haven’t found a good home for this one, but maybe some day soon. The problem has usually been that in order to play this card, I’d usually like several cards that discard as well, so it just hasn’t worked out.

6. [scryfall]Glint-Sleeve Siphoner[/scryfall]

Sort of like Bob, but better (not really). Again, I like it when cards aren’t just strictly very powerful, but make you work in order to get the benefit. This card can be very strong, but there are things that have to go right for it to function properly.

5. [scryfall]Metallic Mimic[/scryfall]

This almost feels like cheating, but thusfar I’ve named (outside of limited) at least zombies, vampires, constructs, servos, humans and Aetherborn.

4. [scryfall]Ovalchase Daredevil[/scryfall]

The flavor is just great here. Her attitude towards the nonbelievers is just fun.

3. [scryfall]Cathartic Reunion[/scryfall]

Even I do have emotions, despite popular rumors. Would be even higher if it didn’t feed the Dredge-strategies so well. A deck I, as a 8-Rack player, just can’t enjoy playing against.

2. [scryfall]Chandra, Torch of Defiance[/scryfall]

I sort of like how this went. First, huge hype. Then nothing. Now, everywhere. I generally just like to use her as a burn spell, but each of her abilities is still great even in that context.

1. [scryfall]Kari Zev, Skyship Raider[/scryfall]

Just a fun character. I have way less to say here than I’d like to have, but this is just great. Look at the goggles on the monkey.

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