Innistrad Legacy Preview 2

Now at 116/264 spoiled, there's more goodies for Legacy in Innistrad. Let's take a look! (Innistrad Legacy Preview 1 here!)

Champion of the Parish
An aggressive 1 drop for the Human tribal deck, but it suffers from the same weakness as Lorescale Coatl – it needs time to grow. As a pure beater, that really doesn't make the cut anymore. You're better off with Mother of Runes.

As I've previously mentioned a list of good Humans in Legacy, so if you're adamant on building a Human tribal deck to kick some goblin butt, Champion of the Parish can be your premier 1-drop.

Divine Reckoning
A bad Cataclysm.

Cackling Counterpart
Why not spend 1 mana less and have Phantasmal Image? You'll hardly Flashback.

Laboratory Maniac
Leveler, win the game? Go funky with Sundial of the Infinite, Torpor Orb, and other 187 creatures like Phyrexian Dreadnought. Oh, and better get some stuff like Merfolk Looter to draw a card!

Mindshrieker
Worldly Tutor an Emrakul and get in BIG! And there's Erratic Explosion as well as. If you don't like the top of library manipulation, you can just use it alongside Show and Tell/Through the Breach decks with Progenitus and the spaghetti monster. Interesting card that has potential.

Mirror-Mad Phantasm
Other than almost never dying to removal, this is a good way to mill a large chunk of your deck for the Visions of Beyond stuck in your hand. It'll probably make some control deck in Standard, but does that make a good blue based control deck in Legacy? Just play Jace instead.

Skaab Ruinator
Just because this is Patrick Chapin's preview card doesn't mean that it's going to break Legacy wide open. Then again, I'd play 2-3 of this in a “Fish” deck with disruptive bears and counterspells as it can be Vialed out as well as be hard casted while not killing yourself when revealed by Dark Confidant. This, together with Vendilion Clique, may solve the slow clock problem of disruptive bears.dec.

Snapcaster Mage
The Big One! Patrick isn't exaggerating when he thinks it a GOOD card cause this is pure card advantage. Probably translates to end of turn Plow/Brainstorm in Legacy though you can reuse your Mental Misstep for free card advantage.

Though note that it doesn't work with Ancestral Vision as it doesn't have a casting cost (different from having a casting cost of 0). Also doesn't work with Force of Will as the Flashback cost will be 3UU.

And kudos to Allan for alerting me of the Riptide Laboratory combo! Buy your Riptides now!

Stitched Drake
This or Skaab Ruinator? That depends on how often my weenies Dark Confidant, Mother of Runes, Vendilion Clique, Tidehollow Sculler, Snapcaster Mage die. What if I use Voidmage Prodigy to hasten the process? At the very least, this is easier, and cheaper to get!

Liliana of the Veil
Disappointing that this is not the 5 ability Planeswalker.

Anyway, I'd love to make this work in Legacy, as she'll decimate any creature based deck all by itself, that is if her edict ability costs -1 instead. How about using it in a deck with Bloodghast, Life from the Loam, Cabal Therapy? I think it'd be good in Pox as both of you will generally end up with an empty board and hand and Liliana continues to clear your opponent's board and hand while you top-deck other permanents. This prevents the scenario that your opponent top-decks better than you to win the game. Will it make Pox tier 1? I don't know but it really beefs the archetype up a notch.

Oh, and the ultimate sucks. Ever heard anyone decimated by Curse of the Cabal? Seriously, an Armageddon or Wrath of God of your opponent's choice doesn't make the cut. Punisher mechanics are not really terrific.

Garruk Relentless // Garruk, the Veil-Cursed
Let's see... Elspeth costs 4, churns out 1/1 tokens and is played in Legacy. Evil Tezzeret costs 4, makes 5/5 artifact creatures and is played in Legacy. Garruk costs 4, make tokens (that sometimes kill) on both sides, and it mangles a weenie by fighting it. Incremental card advantage engine that I'd play anytime! I expect it to be as good as Elspeth. Now you can play BUG control with Jace and this!

Innistrad brought some interesting toys to Legacy in the form of Snapcaster Mage, Liliana, Garruk, Mindshrieker, Stitched Drake and Skaab Ruinator. With so many cards that fit nicely into established Legacy archetype, Innistrad is bound to shake things up pretty good!

So what do you think of Innistrad? Let me know by commenting below or on my facebook page.

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