Core 2019 Set Review - Planeswalker Decks

The planeswalker decks are designed for newer player as a entry into the game of Magic. These decks give players a sense of what it's like to play a constructed deck with cards like top end bomb creatures with abilities and planeswalkers.

 

All of the following cards are featured in the planeswalker decks. This means that the power level is going to be lower than the set cards, especially In regards to the planeswalkers.

Ajani, Wise Counselor

Ajani, Wise Counselor is a very creature centric planeswalker, in fact he is so creature centric he doesn’t even have an ability to protect himself. Starting at five loyalty for five mana is pretty decent so it does give him a little bit of five against opposing creatures, gaining life is fine though it is creature dependent but it is a +2 ability getting you towards his ultimate quicker. For his next trick he can provide your team a good power and toughness boost. This ability is good when you’re playing a more go-wide deck as it makes it harder for your opponent to block everything and stem the damage. Finally, Ajani, Wise Counselor puts all your eggs in one basket by giving you one huge creature. This is life total dependant but in the right deck that shouldn’t be an issue. This version of Ajani is a good planeswalker deck planeswalker but because of the lack of self protection it won’t see any constructed play outside of casual.

Ajani’s Influence

Four mana for two +1/+1 counters isn’t good. Ajani’s Influence however is part of the new wave of “find your walker” cards, except it doesn’t allow you to find your walker for certain. Instead this four mana spell lets you look at the top five cards and find a white card from them, it could be Ajani or it could be some other, less impressive spell, who knows. Because of the fact that it won’t find Ajani for certain I’m not a fan of this card, it’s good in the walker deck but even then it would’ve been better if it let you search your library for Ajani, Wise Counselor rather than have you sift through the top five cards of your library.

Court Cleric

Forget about the bottom line on this card, I think it’s actually playable just as a one mana 1/1 Lifelink. If you do manage to land an Ajani planeswalker than a Savannah Lions with Lifelink is really good.

Serra’s Guardian

This is your top end creature in the white planeswalker deck. Serra’s Guardian gives you a huge presence in the air while making sure that your opponent has to think twice about attacking and blocking now thanks to all of your creatures having Vigilance.

Silverbeak Griffin

It’s white mana intensive which is why it will only see play in the planeswalker deck, though as a two mana 2/2 flyer it’s not that bad of a creature.

Tezzeret, Cruel Machinist

Six mana for four loyalty is low in my opinion, especially when the first ability is only a +1. +1 to draw a card with no drawbacks or restrictions is good however but that card may need to be pretty good to protect Tezzeret. Turning an artifact into a 5/5 creature for free is aggressive which is weird for a blue deck but powerful none the less and his ultimate is like super morph, though you can never flip the cards over.

Riddlemaster Sphinx

It’s an overcosted Mano-War. Sure, it will pack a punch but six mana for a bounce spell on a 5/5 flyer isn’t that good.

Pendulum of Patterns

This is like a worse version of Fountain of Renewal. It costs twice as much, has less life gain potential and draws you the same amount of cards for more mana and taps while doing it, so you can’t even use Pendulum for any Improvise shenanigans.

Tezzeret’s Gatebreaker

Four mana to find an artifact or blue card is ok, it could allow you find a counterspell, draw spell or vehicle. Though in the planeswalker deck that is less likely to happen and the unblockable ability is very costly.

Tezzeret’s Strider

A three mana 3/1 is aggressive and just about in the curve I guess. If you can give it Menace then the value increases slightly but it’s still very fragile and will die immediately.

Liliana, the Necromancer

This Liliana provides you with some reach as her + ability which is a good start and she kind of has a protection ability with her second ability. Removal and reanimation from any graveyard as her ultimate is pretty powerful especially when you get to take out your opponent’s bomb creatures and then use them for yourself.

Arisen Gorgon

Forget what this card says in the text box, a three mana 3/3 is good.

Gravewaker

I like this card, it’s a good top end bomb creature with evasion and in the late game it jut keeps coming back.

Liliana’s Spoils

It’s worse than Mindrot, it’s more expensive than Mindrot but it does allow you to find a black card from the top five cards. Unless you really need another card Liliana’s Spoils is only really going to be good if you get the last card in your opponent’s hand.

Sarkhan, Dragonsoul

He’s expensive but does kind of protect himself, a little. I like his second ability, it reminds me of Chandra, Torch of Defiance just no where near as good, and his ultimate can give you a huge board position advantage depending on how many dragons there are in your deck. Starting at five loyalty Sarkhan only needs two activations of his first ability to get to his ultimate which isn’t a bad rate, it’s just a shame that’s you may have to throw some creatures in the way to get him there.

Kargan Dragonrider

It’s a bear so it’s ok as things go. If you can land a Sarkhan planeswalker than it increases in value with evasion. It’s nothing special but it does its job.

Sarkhan’s Dragonfire

It’s a bad Lightning Bolt with bad card draw attached, at five mana as well, this isn’t good.

Sarkhan’s Whelp

I actually like this creature. A three mana 2/2 flyer is fine and with the ability to ping anything tracked on this creature becomes kind of playable. Couple Sarkhan’s Whelp with Sarkhan, Dragonsoul’s first ability and you could possible kill something, maybe.

Shivan Dragon

It’s good old Shivan Dragon. Straight up mediocre creature with evasion and Firebreathing. Your top end bomb creature.

Vivien of the Arkbow

This version of Vivien is probably the best of the planeswalker deck planeswalkers. She actually comes with decent-ish protection, in her one sided Fight ability, and can even get a creature big enough to protect her with her first ability. Her ultimate is a worse Overrun but what do you want from a planeswalker deck planeswalker.

Aggressive Mammoth

He sure is aggressive. This Mammoth is above the curve and has Trample but it also give all of your creature Trample, which will make combat very hard for your opponent.

Skalla Wolf

Five mana for a 3/3 draw a card. Seems alright if a little underpowered.

Ursine Champion

It's a bear with upside, as the standard is nowadays, and that upside comes in the form of a late game pump ability. Ursine Champion plays well because it comes down early and is fairly innocuous, this means that it could easily make it to the late game for its ability to pay off. You can only activate the pump ability once per turn but not just on your turn, having a 5/5 back on blocks is hard to get through, so Ursine Champion is useful on both offensive and defensive.

Vivien‘s Jaguar

Another decent mid game creature. Three mana for 3 power and reach are good stats, the conditional recursion ability is a bit meh but it’s great when you do have a Vivien planeswalker out.

Nexus of Fate

This effect has been tried at almost every mana cost, with or without drawbacks and it turns out it’s still way too powerful. Maybe putting it on an instant that shuffles back into your deck is the correct design. I’m being sarcastic and it obviously isn’t so get ready to see a fair bit of this in constructed, I’m thinking more so modern, but the fact that you can’t deck out with Nexus of Fate in your deck is going to be a real sticking point I think. This is the Buy-a-box promo so it’s going to be more sought after than usual because it was in narrower circulation.

That brings us to the end of the Core 2019 Set Review. I hope you guys have enjoyed the journey and maybe these articles have given you a lot to mull over, certain cards to try out or maybe in different ways than you have previously thought. We'll be back soon with Guilds of Ravnica, it feels like the cards just keep coming doesn't it. 

Check us out at @gcgamingtank on twitter to let us know what you're going to be trying out from Core 2019 and if you're after any singles then be sure to hit up www.arcanecardshop.co.uk. 

Let me know if there are any articles that you would like to see in the future or any questions you'd like answered, I'll try my best to answer any and as many as I can. Until then though, keep checking back to Game Changers for more gaming news, updates and set reviews.

Happy gaming guys!