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7 cards from The Brother's War that could change Pioneer and Modern forever!
Hi there!
The Brother's War is upon us and promises to be one of the most revolutionary sets of all time, with tons of potential for multiple formats. In today's article, I'll be mentioning 7 cards that caught my eye for both Pioneer and Modern, and how they might impact their respective formats.
New cards for Karn’s toolbox
In an edition with such a strong focus on artifacts, Karn, the Great Creator obviously is going to get more options to tutor with his ability. Among the many artifacts that were released, I highlight these 3 because I really see a great possibility of them being among the 15 sideboard cards of the Karn decks, especially MonoGreen Devotion.
The Stone Brain
The Stone Brain is one of the great additions and brought up the discussion again if Karn should be banned from the format. Giving a card that has the power of Cranial Extraction and can be used several times thanks to Karn's ability to get cards from exile is something dangerous and that the deck never had access to before.
In a mirror, whoever gets out Karn first has a great chance of winning the game if they tutor this artifact, activate it once, and exile the opponent's Karns, making the play/draw factor even more relevant.
Also, against other decks, you have the possibility of getting key cards that can interfere with your plan, be it removing all Brave the Elements from Monowhite Humans or even Farewell / Extinction Event from control decks.
Cityscape Leveler
A card with less impact, but that can clearly come in as a great update compared to Meteor Golem, which has already been quite used. The fact that it's one more mana is almost irrelevant for a deck that can generate a huge amount of mana in the early turns.
Having trample just makes the card more absurd and the fact that it has unearth is quite relevant, being recursive both by being able to return from the graveyard and by being able to return with Karn's ability after being exiled.
Rootwire Amalgam
This is another card that gives the deck more of a combo feel. Now with just 10 mana, you can fetch this creature, activate the ability, and have a 15/15 surprise attacker that will very likely finish the game.
Even if it doesn't finish off your opponent, they'll still have to deal with a massive creature, because the token isn't sacrificed at the end of the turn.
With so many new options to beef up Karn's ability, it's hard to imagine he won't be at risk of getting banned. Stay tuned for the next chapters.
Soul Partition
As we move away from Mono Green, I want to highlight a card that could cause UW Control to become a tier 1 deck again. The card gains the UW player time, which is something the deck needs to establish itself in the late game and win with the raw power of its cards. In addition, exile is very important in a world with Old Growth Troll and Cavalier of Thorns.
The fact that it can be any permanent that isn't a land also makes the card more versatile than a Fateful Absence, for example, which can't deal with artifacts and enchantments. Even though it's just a small delay, it might be enough to deal with the problem later on in a definitive way.
We haven't had any real impactful additions to white control decks in the past few sets, so let's see if this card can take those decks to the next level.
Diabolic Intent
One of the "bombs" from the set, the card is very eye-catching because it has an effect that's equal to that of Demonic Tutor, one of the best tutors ever printed. Sacrificing a creature makes the card a little bit restricted to certain archetypes, but some decks can make very good use of the effect to steal games.
The most talked-about deck when the card was released was Abzan Greasefang, because tutoring a Greasefang by sacrificing a Stitcher's Supplier seems like the ideal scenario. I see some potential for it to find a home in a Modern list too, maybe in some sort of Reanimator shell with Stitcher's Supplier and Bloodghast.
Tutor effects are historically powerful and this is no different, despite being more restricted. And it only costs two mana. It's a card that I would keep an eye on in the coming months.
Arms Race
This card caught my attention because it has a similar effect to a card that was once one of the most played cards in Legacy: Sneak Attack. Given the right proportions, being able to "steal" at the cost of an artifact, even if only for one turn, can be a powerful effect.
In Pioneer we don't have many options beyond those already present in The Brother’s War, but some of them are very interesting. For example, using Arms Race to put a Woodcaller Automaton hitting 8 with another land hitting 8 due to the ability of the construct. That's 16 power on turn 5! (or even earlier, if for some reason the enchantment was cast on previous turns)
In Modern we have more possibilities, with one that was actually used in Legacy Sneak Attack: Blightsteel Colossus. Having an indestructible colossus, with the ability to finish the game in the same turn thanks to Infect, is something that cannot be ignored.
Arcane Proxy
The new Snapcaster Mage is a card with a very powerful effect. Cards that somehow interact with the graveyard always jump out at me in spoilers, and this one is no different.
In Pioneer, I don't see an ideal shell yet, although it might be that one appears in some UR Prowess of life, but in Modern there are several possibilities and having an ideal home: Temur Rhinos.
I can see some copies being used to recap a Crashing Footfalls that may have been discarded with Fable of the Mirror Breaker or Seasoned Pyromancer. And in other decks, I really don't know if it has the same versatility as a Snapcaster, which is rarely used today, but because of its powerful effect, it is a card that should not be underestimated.
The Brother’s War has just been released, an speculation is already rife in both Modern and Pioneer. Which card will stand out, which will be the disappointment of the edition? Make your bets! Until next week!
If you liked this article maybe you will also find interesting on of the following ones The Impact of March of the Machine on Standard: More than 1467 Decks Analyzed, The Lost Caverns of Ixalan: Best Pioneer and Standard Cards, Mastering Standard: 10 Sideboard Cards to Beat the Metagame
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Hi, my name is Lucas de Almeida Hervás. I'm 31 years old, married, and I live in Indaiatuba/SP, Brazil. I've been playing Magic the Gathering since 2009, but I've been making a living off of it since 2019 through leagues and tournaments on Magic Online. For those who don't know me, I'm 2.17 meters tall, hence the nickname "the tallest Magic player in Brazil."
