Planeshift - a Complete Review (white)
1. Aura Blast 1W Instant Destroy target Enchantment. Draw a card. ==> TOUR: 5 - FUN: 4
Especially in type two right now, there aren't a lot of artifacts that have to be gotten rid of. There is no Powder Keg, no Nevinyrral's Disk, no Cursed Scroll and not even a Masticore. The only problematic artifacts I can think of right now are Tangle Wire and Chimeric Idol and they're not that bad. If Planeshift doesn't bring any bad artifacts, I think it's an acceptable risk to play Aura Blast maindeck instead of Disenchant. In extended, it'll probably see plenty of sideboard play. ---
2. Aurora Griffin 3W Creature - Griffin 3/4 Flying. W: Target Permanent becomes white until end of turn. ==> TOUR: 4 - FUN: 4
This casting cost almost seems wrong if you compare it with Herald of Serra from Urza's Saga, which was a 3/4 for 2WW, but had echo. Aurora Griffin is good enough to see play in non-rebel white weenie decks or in white-blue control, I think. It doesn't hurt that it can block and kill creatures like Chimeric Idol and Silt Crawler. I can't think of a tournament quality use for the ability to turn permanents white, but in casual play there's a lot of potential with anti-white color hosers like Anarchy. Turn your opponent's lands white and cast Anarchy for a one-sided Armageddon. You'll lose your Griffin, though. ---
3. Disciple of Kangee 2W Creature - Griffin 2/2 U, T: Target creature gains flying and becomes blue until end of turn. ==> TOUR: 2 - FUN: 3
That creature type is a bit suspicious, because Griffin tend to have flying. The ability is useful in limited and casual play can probably find a use for it as well, with Dizzying Gaze and Grapeshot Catapult. Add a few Pyroblasts to take advantage of the creature becoming blue. ---
4. Dominaria's Judgment 2W Instant Until end of turn, creatures you control gain protection from white if you control a plains, from blue if you control an island, from black if you control a swamp, from red if you control a mountain, and from green if you control a forest. ==> TOUR: 2 - FUN: 3
At first sight, this looks like an impressive card, but in practice, it's mostly just useful against mass removal. Because mass removal doesn't target, it only works against Earthquake-like cards which kill by dealing damage. In limited, it looks like a solid sideboard card, though, especially if you have a Harrow or two. ---
5. Guard Dogs 3W Creature - Hound 2/2 2W, T: Choose a permanent you control. Prevent all combat damage target creature would deal this turn if it shares a color with that permanent. ==> TOUR: 1 - FUN: 2
It's just too expensive, especially since you have to control a permanent of the right color. Compare to Safeguard from Tempest, which never saw play either. ---
6. Heroic Defiance 1W Enchant Creature Enchanted creature gets +3/+3 unless it shares a color with the most common color among all permanents or a color tied for most common. ==> TOUR: 4 - FUN: 4
Two mana for a +3/+3 boost is strong. The only problem is that creature enchantment tend to work best on small creatures and you'll need at least two colors to reliably use Heroic Defiance, so you can cast it on the creature that will get the bonus. Another possibility is using artifact creatures, but good artifact weenies are rare. ---
7. Hobble 1W Enchant Creature When Hobble comes into play, draw a card. Enchanted creature can't attack. Enchanted creature can't block if its black. ==> TOUR: 3 - FUN: 4
In a control deck with Wraths, this is quite a useful card. I've used Cessation in such decks before and this is even cheaper. Plus, you get the card immediately. It might see play in tournaments, but the big drawback is that it doesn't do anything to stop activated abilities, like Arrest does. ---
8. Honorable Scout W Creature - Soldier 1/1 When Honorable Scout comes into play, you gain 2 life for each black and/or red creature target opponent controls. ==> TOUR: 3 - FUN: 4
Both a red and a black hoser in one card. It's too bad red and black creature decks aren't very common in type two at the moment. Fires runs a few red creatures, but not enough to make this work, I think. It could see play in extended, but unlike Soul Warden, it's not a good turn 1 drop and a 1/1 isn't that useful anymore later on. ---
9. Lashknife Barrier 2W Enchantment When Lashknife Barrier comes into play, draw a card. If a source would deal damage to a creature you control, it deals that much damage minus 1 to that creature instead. ==> TOUR: 2 - FUN: 4
It has potential, especially with cards like Plague Spitter and Earthquake. Kind of a cantrip version of Parapet. It's not worth it in tournament decks, because each card should be a business card, but Lashknife Barrier looks better in sealed and casual play, where creature battles are much more common. ---
10. March of Souls 4W Sorcery Destroy all creatures. They cant be regenerated. For each creature destroyed this way, its controller puts a 1/1 white Spirit creature Token into play ==> TOUR: 2 - FUN: 4
Perhaps playable as a fifth Wrath, but on the whole you're paying one mana extra for a lesser effect. I can see it work in a deck that wants the opponent to have lots of creatures and uses March of Souls to get rid of the threatening ones. Perhaps in an Oath of Druids deck. ---
11. Orim's Chant W Instant Kicker: W. Target player can't play spells this turn. If you paid the kicker cost, creatures can't attack this turn. ==> TOUR: 5 - FUN: 2
It's no Abeyance, but it's close enough to be useful in combo decks as a must-counter. The kicker ability is just gravy and can buy an extra turn to set up against aggressive decks. ---
12. Planeswalker's Mirth 2W Enchantment 3W: Target player reveals a card at random from his hand. You gain life equal to the converted mana cost of the revealed card. Play this ability only any time you could play a sorcery. ==> TOUR: 1 - FUN: 2
It's a bit costly for an effect that isn't all that useful. A big drawback is that you have to play it on your own turn, which means you have to choose between keeping mana open and gaining life. Plus, if your opponent is tired of you gaining life, he or she can just start saving up some lands in hand to make your chances of gaining any life a lot less. ---
13. Pollen Remedy W Instant Kicker: sacrifice a land. Prevent the next 3 damage that would be dealt this turn to any number of target creatures and/or players, divided as you choose. If you paid the kicker cost, prevent the next 6 damage this way instead. ==> TOUR: 2 - FUN: 3
The kicker makes it a better card than Healing Salve. You can't gain life with Pollen Remedy directly, but you can prevent damage to players, which is close enough. The potential to prevent 6 damage for just W has possibilities. It can save most, if not all, of your creatures from an Earthquake or Wildfire or severely lessen the life swing of a large Drain Life. ---
14. Samite Elder 2W Creature - Cleric 1/1 T: Creatures you control gain protection from the color(s) of the target permanent you control until end of turn. ==> TOUR: 1 - FUN: 2
Cards like this require you to play with a lot of permanents, which makes you vulnerable to mass removal like Wrath of God or Tranquility. This is not a replacement for Mother of Runes, simply because it's too expensive for a 1/1 to play in a weenie deck. ---
15. Samite Pilgrim 1W Creature - Cleric 1/1 T: Prevent the next X damage that would be dealt to target creature this turn, where X is the number of basic land types among lands you control. ==> TOUR: 1 - FUN: 3
It seems more useful than Samite Healer, because it's not that hard to get two or even three different basic lands out. More if you're playing Harrow. But that doesn't change the fact that damage preventing is rarely any good, especially if it's on a 1/1 creature, which is easy enough to kill before it has a chance to protect itself. ---
16. Sunscape Battlemage 2W Creature - Wizard 2/2 Kicker 1G and/or 2U. When Sunscape Battlemage comes into play, if you paid the 1G kicker cost, destroy target creature with flying. When Sunscape Battlemage comes into play, if you paid the 2U kicker cost, draw two cards. ==> TOUR: 3 - FUN: 5
Oddly enough, I think this has more chance of getting played for the green kicker cost than for the blue one. The green kicker cost makes it a good way of getting rid of dragon legends the way most red or black removal can't, either because it doesn't do enough damage or because it can't target black creatures (and three of the five dragon legends are black). Of course, the potential for two extra cards is always nice, but at six mana that's just too expensive to be reliable. Not to mention that it can't be played as an instant. I love this card for casual play, though, because getting eight mana isn't that hard. Sealed will probably like this card as well. ---
17. Sunscape Familiar 1W Creature - Wall 0/3 Green spells and blue spells you play cost 1 less to play. ==> TOUR: 4 - FUN: 4
The familiars have been compared to the Tempest Medallions, but I don't think the familiars are in that league. They're certainly nice, but they're vulnerable to creature removal and require you to play at least two colors. And one of those colors, the color of the familiar, doesn't get to profit from the familiar. Still, a 0/3 wall is useful against weenies and it gives blue something it normally doesn't have: mana acceleration. ---
18. Surprise Deployment 3W Instant Play Surprise Deployment only during combat. Put a nonwhite creature card from your hand into play. At the end of turn, return that creature to your hand (Return it only if it's in play). ==> TOUR: 1 - FUN: 2
Since the creature still has summoning sickness, it won't work as a one shot Sneak Attack unless you're using Yavimaya Fires. Basically, it only works as a surprise blocker, which isn't very useful, especially not with the non-white restriction and for a massive four mana. It would be better costed at 1W. ---
19. Voice of All 2WW Creature - Angel 2/2 Flying. As Voice of All comes into play, choose a color. Voice of All has protection from the chosen color. ==> TOUR: 3 - FUN: 4
It gets an extra fun point for being part of the Voices series. I'm still waiting for a voice with protection from artifacts now, but I'm not holding my breath. It's not a bad creature, but at four mana, I'd usually want a bit more than a hard to kill 2/2.
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