Apocalypse - a Complete Review (white)
Angelfire Crusader (C) 3W Creature - Soldier 2/3 R: Angelfire Crusader gets +1/+0 until end of turn. ==> FUN: 2
Pretty vanilla. Sure, it's a white creature with firebreathing, but it requires red mana to pump, which forces a heavy commitment to red anyway. ---
Coalition Flag (U) W Enchant Creature Coalition Flag can enchant only a creature you control. Enchanted creature's type is Flagbearer. If an opponent plays a spell or ability that could target a Flagbearer in play, that player chooses at least one Flagbearer as a target. ==> FUN: 4
You can give your opponent fits by playing this on something that can survive a lot of your opponent's removal. Against a red opponent, play it on a regenerator or on a creature with a high toughness. Against black, play it on a color changer like Kavu Chameleon to protect all your creatures from Terrors. You can even play it on your smallest creature in case you're worried about a Control Magic. ---
Coalition Honor Guard (C) 3W Creature - Flagbearer 2/4 If an opponent plays a spell or ability that could target a Flagbearer in play, that player chooses at least one Flagbearer as a target. ==> FUN: 4
It's not as versatile as Coalition Flag (hereafter known as Lightning Rod), but it also doesn't have the potential card disadvantage. Flagbearers have the potential of making decks that depend on a specific creature being in play a lot easier to make. For example, if you want to use Atalya, Samite Master to gain insane amounts of life, you can use Flagbearers to make sure she stays in play long enough to do it. ---
Dega Disciple (C) W Creature - Wizard 1/1 B, T: Target creature gets -2/-0 until end of turn. R, T: Target creature gets +2/+0 until end of turn. ==> FUN: 3
The enemy color version of the Apprentices from Invasion. This one is useful in creature combat, but not that special. The threat of an untapped Dega Disciple will mean your opponent will think twice before blocking your creatures. ---
Dega Sanctuary (U) 2W Enchantment At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control a black or red permanent, you gain 2 life. If you control a black permanent and a red permanent, you gain 4 life instead. ==> FUN: 4
Lifegain with no continued mana investment. Four life per turn looks pretty good, but it's also pretty fragile, because you need to have the permanents in play. If your opponent can keep killing those permanents, Dega Sanctuary will just sit there and do nothing. ---
Degavolver (R) 1W Creature - Volver 1/1 Kicker 1B and/or R. If you paid the 1B kicker cost, Degavolver comes into play with two +1/+1 counters on it and has, "Pay 3 life: Regenerate Degavolver." If you paid the R kicker cost, Degavolver comes into play with a +1/+1 counter on it and has first strike. ==> FUN: 3
I like the idea behind the Volvers. For 2 mana, you get a vanilla 1/1. For 3 mana a 2/2 with first strike. For 4 mana a 3/3 with manaless regeneration and finally, for 5 mana a 4/4 with first strike and regeneration. None of these forms are especially strong, but you don't have to worry about getting enough mana or the right color of mana. Having said that, I'm not sold on them either. I expect more from rares. ---
Diversionary Tactics (U) 3W Enchantment Tap two untapped creatures you control: Tap target creature. ==> FUN: 2
This looks like it's trying to be a balanced version of Opposition, but it turned out so weak it's no fun anymore. At the same total mana cost of Opposition, you now have to tape two creatures and can only tap creatures with it. It may still have some potential as a stalling tactic in Saproling decks. ---
Divine Light (C) W Sorcery Prevent all damage that would be dealt this turn to creatures you control. ==> FUN: 3
Because it's a sorcery, it doesn't play the way white damage prevention usually does. There is no surprise factor and you're pretty much stuck casting Divine Light before a big attack. That's a pretty limited use, but it works well with mass damage spells like Earthquake too, making it somewhat interesting at least. ---
Enlistment Officer (U) 3W Creature - Soldier 2/3 First strike When Enlistment Officer comes into play, reveal the top four cards of your library. Put all Soldier cards revealed this way into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library. ==> FUN: 4
A more balanced version of the rebel mechanic from Mercadian Masques. It's nice for theme decks, where you'll get about two new soldiers when you cast this one, assuming half your deck consists of soldiers. ---
False Dawn (R) 1W Sorcery Colored mana symbols on all permanents you control and on all cards you own that aren't in play become W until end of turn. Draw a card. ==> FUN: 4
A Celestial Dawn for one turn only. I like False Dawn better than Celestial Dawn actually, because Celestial Dawn requires a heavy commitment. It takes 1WW to play it, which means a lot of your lands must be able to provide white mana, which makes it very hard to cast all those multi-colored cards like Sliver Queen and Arcades Sabboth without the Celestial Dawn in play. False Dawn, on the other hand, can help out for a turn if you don't have all the mana colors available yet, but even if you don't need it, it's still a cantrip. ---
Gerrard Capashen (R) 3WW Creature - Legend 3/4 At the beginning of your upkeep, you gain 1 life for each card in target opponent's hand. 3W: Tap target creature. Play this ability only if Gerrard Capashen is attacking. ==> FUN: 5
I think that makes a complete set of the Weatherlight crew. It's fitting as well, because this is supposed to be the last expansion that deals with them. I'm a bit disappointed in the second ability, because it's expensive and can only be done when attacking, but the first ability is very strong. You can get as much as 7 life a turn, especially if you use Armageddon to keep your opponent's hand filled. ---
Haunted Angel (U) 2W Creature - Angel 3/3 Flying When Haunted Angel is put into a graveyard from play, remove Haunted Angel from the game and each other player puts a 3/3 black Angel token with flying into play. ==> FUN: 3
Generally, it's too risky. A 3/3 isn't that hard to kill and giving your opponent a 3/3 for free isn't a good idea. It does have some possibility when used with flying creatures with protection from black, though. Or in decks that want their opponent to have black permanents (for Reap or Pygmy Kavu) or creatures (for Festering Wound). ---
Helionaut (C) 2W Creature - Soldier 1/2 Flying 1, T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. ==> FUN: 2
Mana washing can be useful, especially with all the color cooperation in the Invasion block. Still, it's not a good idea to depend on it, because it can get killed before you have a chance to use it. And when you don't need it for mana washing, a 1/2 flier for 3 mana is pretty bad. ---
Manacles of Decay (C) 1W Enchant Creature Enchanted creature can't attack. B: Enchanted creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn. R: Enchanted creature can't block this turn. ==> FUN: 2
A Pacifism with the option of a real kill later on when you have the mana for it. A nice idea, but that doesn't make it a good card. If you're using black and red mana anyway, why not use something easier, like a Terminate? ---
Orim's Thunder (C) 2W Instant Kicker R Destroy target artifact or enchantment. If you paid the kicker cost, Orim's Thunder deals damage equal to that artifact or enchantment's converted mana cost to target creature. ==> FUN: 3
The potential card advantage is tempting, but it's situational as well. Not only does your opponent need to have an artifact or enchantment in play before you can cast Orim's Thunder, but to make the kicker useful, they also need to have a creature in play with equal or less toughness than the artifact or enchantment's casting cost. I prefer Dismantling Blow, because the card advantage it gives is guaranteed. ---
Shield of Duty and Reason (C) W Enchant Creature Enchanted creature has protection from green and from blue. ==> FUN: 2
Mask of Law and Grace gave protection from red and black, which was more useful, because red and black are traditionally the colors with the best creature removal. Still, I've only used Mask of Law and Grace once that I can remember (on a Spirit Linked Crypt Rats... mmm, lots of life!) On the other hand, white doesn't have a lot of creatures with protection from green or blue, so Shield of Duty and Reason has more chance of filling a niche. ---
Spectral Lynx (R) 1W Creature - Cat 2/1 Protection from green B: Regenerate Spectral Lynx. ==> FUN: 2
It's a good card, but I really hope that rarity is wrong. It's comparable to River Boa, a 2/1 for 2 mana with two abilities, one of which is regeneration. I just don't want to pull one as a rare. ---
Standard Bearer (C) 1W Creature - Flagbearer 1/1 If an opponent plays a spell or ability that could target a Flagbearer in play, that player chooses at least one Flagbearer as a target. ==> FUN: 3
A 1/1 is usually small enough to be ignored by an opponent but a Flagbearer is hard to ignore if you're playing with targeted removal.
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