Looking at Eldrazi sealed for pre-release

Firstly, any of the Eldrazi cards will get played if they get opened. Even if I have two different (or the same) legendary guys. That said, even the commons and uncommons are really really good. The rare, Eldrazi Conscription, is what I want to open the most. Turn 8 (or less, considering the sac for mana guys readily available) +10/+10 trample, and annihilator 2 as an after thought...Yeah, usually you can put that on anything and swing for the win by turn 8. And if it isn't a win, after combat it looks like a one-sided wrath of god, and then you win next turn. To me it looks like the best Eldrazi card for Sealed or for Drafting, just because it is always playable and you can probably play it before the game is over. Sure, if you actually get an Emrakul, the Aeons Torn into play then you get to win, but 15 mana is more difficult to get to than 8. And watch this, if you have any totem armor, your eldrazi conscription is doubly protected. So Eldrazi cards go without saying.

Anyway, here's cards to play with. If I am undervaluing/overvaluing something let me know. Basically I wanted to do a thorough look at the cards so I'll have a better idea of what to do when I start opening packs at the pre-release, i figured I might as well blog on it.

White commons

Caravan Escort: 1/1 for one that can become a 5/5 first striker with colorless mana.

Dawnglare Invoker: 2/1 evasion for three. For 8 mana you can win the game.

Eland Umbra: Totem armor, +0/+4

Hyena Umbra: one mana, +1/+1 first strike, totem armor

Repel the Darkness: 3 mana, tap 2 creatures, draw a card, instant speed. Looks playable, looks splashable, looks awesome.

Soul's Attendant: if you are playing WG or WB, this soul warden can be abused by the tokens coming into play. Those colors seem to have a lot of them.

Knight of Cliffhaven: 2 to play, 3 colorless to level up. Gains evasion and vigilance

Totem-Guide Hartebeest: a 2/5 for 5 that tutors and aura. Wow, this is a good common, assuming you have a totem armor (or eldrazi conscription) you want to play.

White Uncommons

Kabira Vindicator: 2/4 level upper for 4, pumps your guys slowly, also a good blocker.

Mammoth Umbra: totem armor, +3/+3, vigiliance, for 5

rares//mythic:

deathless angel: evasion, good ability

gideon Jura: yup

Student of Warfare: Kinda reminds me of a not-as-good FOD

Transcendent Master: Kinda reminds me of FOD

White is loaded with great creatures and great enchantments...er...totem armors. It'd be easy to play white with all of these good commons and uncommons. The removal is somewhat limited (usually temporary, or on weak creatures) but it is there and probably playable, if not good. White does have some big-time bomb rares.

Blue Commons

Eel Umbra: 2 to play, flash +1/+1 totem armor. This is an awesome combat trick in a common.

Narcolepsy: acceptable removal

Mnemonic Wall: 0/4 defender that recurs instant or sorcery back to your hand for 5

Regress: 3 mana boomerang. over-costed compared to what we have been used to in the past, but considering into the roil and the like U2 seems right for something that can hit lands.

Sea Gate Oracle: 1/3, reminds me of Court Hussar. Looks good to me.

See Beyond: this is going to be really good for polymorph decks. It seems ok for sealed

Skywatcher Adept: one cost gains evasion and gets big

Venerated Teacher: 3 to play for a grizzly bear that gives all level-up creatures 2 free levels. He isn't a bomb, but if you have five or six level up guys in your deck he is supremely mana-effecient, especially with the level-up commons which seem to take 3-4 mana to level your guys.

Blue uncommons

Crab Umbra: one to play, Horseshoe crab your guy, totem armor

Domestication: this is a bomb uncommon, but it takes double blue so it is limiting in that way, total cost 4 for aura that lets you control a guy as long as his power is 3 or less on your end steps

Drake Umbra: +3/+3 flying totem armor for 5. This is a bomb, and it does splash.

Guard Gomazoa: 1/3 Fog Bank for 3.

Hada Spy Patrol: 2 cost level up, gains evasion and shroud

Merfolk Skyscout: 2/3 evasion for 4, double blue in there, untaps permanent when it attacks or blocks. This is the definition of a blue creature, isn't it? You wouldn't splash for this guy, but its a nice card if you're in blue already.

Reality Spasm: xUU, win the game.

Rares//Mythic:

Coralhelm Commander is double blue, and for 3 more colorless you have a 4/4 merfolk flying lord. Pretty good even without any other merfolk

Lighthouse Chronologist: decent-sized body for cost if nothing else. When he's level 7 (one U per level) you win.

Recurring Insight: This will probably work out to more than 4 cards, with all the level up and/or expensive guys. So pretty much a tidings. It's not a bomb, but it's playable in blue for sure.

Sphinx of Magosi: probably the biggest stand-alone bomb in blue.

Training Grounds: the biggest hypothetical bomb. Makes your common and uncommon level up guys level up quickly.

Blue has a ton of playable uncommons, fewer commons. A couple of the uncommons are bombs. If I had something stupid like Training Grounds, a couple of venerated teachers and some level up guys I'd be easy to choose blue, but too me it seems like blue doesn't have the great commons, so your other color will need to be strong. Blue lacks board removal, but has 1 good counterspell, 1 playable and 2 iffy counters, and the removal is an ice cage kind of effect, so it isn't great.

Black commons

Bloodthrone Vampire: like a cheaper 1/1 version of aristocrat. Looks pretty playable to me. Giving this guy evasion or totem armor or something cool seems good.

Cadaver Imp: a cheaper, smaller, evasion gravedigger. Everything about this card is good.

Dread Drone: expensive 4/1 token makes. Playable if you're light on creatures, or if you ever need tokens or mana to play spells. So, yup, pretty decent.

Essence Feed: life gain, life loss, blah blah blah. Look! Tokens!

Induce Despair: Pretty awesome instant-speed removal.

Last Kiss: playable instant-speed removal.

Uncommons:

Arrogant Bloodlord: a 4/4 for 3 with some silly side effect.

Corpsehatch: destroy non-black, tokens.

Inquistion of Kozilek: thoughseize that doesn't hurt? ok. I like seeing my opponent's hand.

Pawn of Ulamog: this is my favorite black uncommon so far. 3 mana for a grizzly bear, and he has a really good ability. worth the double black.

skeletal wurm: 7/6 for 8, that regenerates for B. Very good in sealed. This guy can block an eldrazi.

suffer the past: I can't quite tell if this is a bomb. And it doesn't really count as removal. And I haven't seen much GY manipulation coming back into play stuff in RoE. So basically it's fireball that only hits a player, but you gain life. When i put it like that it sounds better. I'd play it, but I'm still not sure i could call it a bomb.

Rare//Mythic:

Consume the Meek: good

Consuming Vapors: This looks really good to me.

Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief: this is a black bomb. a 4/4 evasive with built-in creature removal. You gotta play it if you get it.

Guul Draz Assassin: my favorite level-up guy

Nirkana Revenant: bomb, no evasion, can get you to an eldrazi quickly.

Pestilence Demon: a 7/6 flier with built-in pestilence, without the creatures in play clause. If you get this card, and you can play black, you have to play him. Pretty mana intensive, but would be worth it if you have the support.

Thought Gorger: a 2/2 trampler for 4, that is going to make you discard your hand, but then when he leaves (even if exiled) you get to draw your hand back. Yup, I'd play him. Big tramplers are good.

So black has the most rare bombs so far, as well as the best removal in commons (and rares) so far. If I play blue or white, I'll look carefully at making black a second or spalsh color for those common removals. Black also has several playable token generators. Black also has a ton of bad cards. It looks like as bomby as black is, and as solid in removal as it is, it would be much more difficult to play 12 black cards unless you get a great haul.

Red commons

Brood Birthing: tokens! a 3-for-1! This gets you to a Hand of Emrakul really fast.

Emrakul's Hatcher: a 3/3 that makes 3 tokens, for 5. Very mana efficient and card advantageous.

Flame Slash: one little R to deal 4 damage to a creature, sorcery speed.

Goblin Arsonist: 1/1 for one that hits a creature for 1 on the way out. Cool picture, cool flavor text, not a great card for sealed. Probably be better in draft.

Grotag Siege-Runner: a 2/1 for 2, that trades with a Defender for 1. Pretty good.

Heat Ray: x damage to creature, instant speed, very good.

Lagac Lizard: boring but playable

Spawning Breath: instant speed 1 damage, makes a token.

Staggershock: 3 mana to rebound and hit a creature or player for 2. Twice.

Wrap in Flames: I wouldn't say a bomb by any means, but it combines two really bad cards into one playable card. Potential 3-for-1 vs tokens.

Red Uncommons:

Brimstone Mage: a really expensive, bigger-bodied Tim. Looks playable to me, if not great.

Forked Bolt: 2 damage, can hit creatures or players, sorcery speed.

Rapacious One: 5/4 trampler, token generator for 6.

Soulsurge Elemental: with all the tokens red makes, this x/1 first-striker for 4 looks better than i first thought. Pretty dependent on your creature count of your deck, but possibly playable.

Surreal Memoir: red has lots of good instants and sorceries to be getting back

Valakut Fireboar: sits there as a 1/7 until you can find a chance to turn him sideways. Kinda expensive, but playable.

Rares//Mythic


Conquering Manticore: 5/5 flier with a comes-into-play threaten, for 6 mana.

Disaster Radius: bomb removal

Dragonlord: you play red if you get this guy

Lord of Shatterkull Pass: you play red if you get this guy.

Rage Nimbus: pretty awesome 5/3 defender who can make people attack for just 2 mana. This guy would make a nice target for totem armor.

Tuktuk the Explorer: playable.

World at War: this seems really strong, but probably win-more strong. If your opponent has creatures all tapped out this can win the game, so i guess it is red's version of sleep. I would probably play it if i was already in red, but i wouldn't play red just because i saw this card.

Red has lots of really good common removal, like black. Also makes lots of tokens, like black. Also has some good bomb rares, like black. However, the common creatures are barely playable, if at all, and the uncommon creatures are powerful but over-costed. Like black, it looks like you would have a difficult time putting together 12 playable red cards, but it makes a nice splash for removal.

Green Commons

Aura Gnarlid: 2/2 for 3 a decent ability.

Daggerback Basilisk: Really good. Deathtouch Grizzly Bear for 3. If you had three of these guys in your six packs you'd have to feel pretty good about that.

Growth Spasm: Rampant Growth that makes a token and costs an extra mana. Very playable, especially since you are playing GW/r or GW/b, probably.

Haze Frog: He's really expensive and stupid, but I like him. We need more cute animals in magic.

Kozilek's Predator: a 3/3 for 4 that makes two tokens. Are you kidding?

Leaf Arrow: this is pretty funny. Probably maindeckable with lots of evasion creatures in U and B, and a few in R and W. Also, removal is few and far in between except for R and B.

Nest Invader: 2 mana grizzly bear, nice card. Wait, you get a token, too? Are you kidding?

Ondu Giant: more mana fixing in a decent-sized body.

Overgrown Battlement: 0/4 defender for 2, but to make him a llanowar elf you lose out on blocking. But in a format with lots of big expensive spells, very worthwhile. You'd be happy with multiples of this guy.

Snake Umbra: totem armor for 3, +1/+1 and lets you draw cards, maybe.

Spider Umbra: totem armor for 2, gives +1/+1 and reach.

Sporecap Spider: 1/5 reach for...3? Wow.

Stomper Cub: 5/3 trampler for 5.

Wildheart Invoker: the other playable Invoker (the white one was good, the others weren't). a 4/3 for 4, with a nice late game ability.

THERE'S 13 (not counting haze frog) PLAYABLE COMMONS HERE!!! IS ANYONE NOT PLAYING GREEN?

Green uncommons

Beastbreaker of Bala Ged: Grizzly Bear with level up

Boar Umbra: more awesome totem armor, +3/+3 for 3.

Bramblesnap: 1/1 for 2, with tap an untapped creature you control and pump him. Oh and he has trample. Did i mention that there are about twelve playable token generator cards in commons and uncommons?

Broodwarden: 4/4 for 5. Spawns get +2/+1. See the Bramblesnap comments. Very powerful uncommon creature here.

Gravity Well: great card b/c green lacks removal and there are lots of evasion creatures. If you're heavy green this get's MD, if you're heavy on evasion creatures yourself it stays out. Pretty solid ench.

Joraga Treespeaker: expensive llanowar, very nice.

Pelakka Wurm: I thought Skeletal Wurm was good. This guy is amazing.

Look, only 6 playable green uncommons. That means about 20 cards between commons and uncommons will go into any green deck. Again, 95% of the decks will be running green.

Rare//Mythic

Awakening Zone: I'll go ahead and call this a bomb. It kinda depends on what else you pull, but then again it doesn't really. It's virtual card advantage if nothing else.

Bear Umbra: Pretty much the best aura ever. Double green, so not really spalshable, but then again all the decent creatures in common are green, so you're playing green already.

Gelatinous Genesis: Nine mana makes 4 4/4 ooze guys. Seven makes 3 3/3's. I can live with that. Pretty playable in sealed, if you ask me.

Kazanda Tuskcaller: This card looks really awesome, but how are you going to keep a 1/1 guy alive long enough to make a full herd of 3/3 elephants? Hmmmmm....Totem Armor? He's worth putting in your deck, but a 1/1 is a bit weak to get your hopes up. If, for some reason, your opponent can't kill him then you get to win, eventually.

Khalni Hydra: Obviously you can't play this guy. Unless, of course, you can. And if you can then you have an 8/8 tramples for probably less than 8 mana. And if you have that, then you're doing pretty good.

Momentous Fall: Best green card ever. Not great for sealed, I guess, but not bad either.

Mul Daya Channelers: a 2/2 for 3 with cool abilities.

Vengevine: 4/3 haste guy that comes back practically on his own. What's not to like about this guy? I want six of him and I'll be happy.

Green is pretty strong in creatures and bombs, and even produces some tokens. My guess is there will be a lot of GR/b, GB/r, GW/b, GW/r. Pity me, because my best cards will be black and blue, and I won't have the necessary commons and uncommons to have a winning deck. Or I might get twelve Vengevine--6 regular, 6 foil. That'd be something, huh?

The Other Color(less)s

Sarkhan the Mad: turn your turds into dragons. with flying. What's not to like?

Keening Stone: sure, this card can randomly win you the game. Not glamorous, but effective.

The lands look cool. Its like they are all from the same picture.