---

Wonder what gaming conventions are coming up? Check out Convention Corner in our forums, The Vortex. Not all conventions are big time, so please do your part and use our social sharing tools to help promote some of the conventions in your area.

Do you know of any non-listed conventions? Feel free to add it to the forum. All you need to do is register for an account to be able to post a new thread.

---

Taking a detour from my normal commentary and shameless decklisting, I'd like to talk a little about the New Phyrexia Spoilers. Specifically, I think the Phyrexian mana symbol might be the most significant development for the direction of Standard. I know that none of the cards spoiled so far do the job on their own, but I know what similar mechanics have done in the past. Every time we get a mechanic that offers a discount on mana, it winds up playing a huge part in Standard. I can't see this one changing, especially with the recent surge in poison as a win condition. Life totals are becoming less and less relevant, and that bodes well for a mechanic built on trading points of life as mana, much like a fixed Channel.

First up, we're going to talk about Norn's Annex, which is very obviously the newest in a long line of Propaganda variants. This one just packs a little more punch, and actually does something in aggro mirrors, which makes it well worthwhile. Here's the card:

Norn's Annex 3(W/P)(W/P)(W/P)
Artifact Rare
(W/P) may be paid with either W or 2 life.
Creatures can't attack you or planeswalkers you control unless their controller pays (W/P) for each attacking creature.

At first glance, a lot of people think this only goes into a deck like Caw-Blade or the more traditional Blue-White Control, which is a fairly natural fit for it. The card is obviously a beating against a deck like Elves or WW Quest, assuming you kept them from just blowing you out to begin with. However, the card has the ability to come down for three colorless and four life. This opens up a host of other locations for it.

Vampires can easily adopt this card against the same decks, acting as a breaker in the mirror. This allows a deck like Vampires, which has a LOT of reach, to settle down and win the game at its own pace, which is not something it gets to do very often. It also helps against cards like Kuldotha Rebirth. Does a Red player really want to trade six life to get in for three damage? Even with a War Zone or a Goblin Wardriver, is it really worth the trade, especially when you already know you're going to be behind on card and mana development?

Norn's Annex is very obviously a Commander include for decks that can already play Propaganda and Ghostly Prison, and just adds another layer of defense to those decks. It's also an easy card to add into decks that can either ignore or mitigate the loss of life. It's a race breaker, giving your opponent another factor to consider when they think about that alpha strike. And Norn's Annex might be the least exciting of the Phyrexian mana cards.

Second on the list is Hex Parasite, which is very obviously a hoser for the direction the format has taken. More versatile than Annex, and more accessible, thanks to the interaction with Trinket Mage, I can see this card becoming quite a force in the format. Here's the card:

Hex Parasite 1
Artifact Creature-Insect Rare
x(B/P): Remove up to X counters from target permanent. Hex Parasite gets +1/+0 for each counter removed this way.
{(B/P) may be paid with either B or 2 life.}
1/1

Clearly, this card is meant as a "definite" answer to Planeswalkers, although I wish they would just go ahead and give us O-Ring or some universal variant of it and bring some balance back. The fact that this is tutorable via Trinket Mage, as well as capable of being inserted into anything, makes this a very exciting prospect, and it has some interactions that aren't really visible on the surface. Attacking with this guy and a couple of creatures that have been shrunk, courtesy of Contagion Clasp, makes combat math very awkward for the opponent. It also takes counters off of Quest for the Holy Relic, removes charge counters from Tumble Magnet, and gets pumped to attack after the fact. A very exciting card to look forward to.

We also have a new removal magnet for decks looking to avoid getting blown out by spot removal. I present Spellsplitter:

Spellsplitter 2
Artifact Creature-Horror Rare
(U/P): Target spell or ability that only targets a single creature targets Spellsplitter instead.
(U/P) may be paid with either U or 2 life.
0/4

This is another complement to the Sun Titan package for decks like Blue-White Control, and is especially brutal when the opponent's only out to a resolved Baneslayer Angel is to cast Mark of Mutiny and cross their fingers. This takes that plan away, and is valuable in defending that your win conditions against unwanted spot removal. I don't know how "good" this card is, but much like Wall of Omens, it provides a nice spark of utility and just invalidates several cards that opponents will try to throw at you.

Our final discussion revolves around the (obviously) pushed Mono-Black deck and all the new toys it's gotten. Phyrexian Canceller already gave me enough of a reason to consider screwing up a manabase in an aggressive Blue-Black deck, and then they give me no incentive to Islands at all when they print this card:

Screamwhip 4
Artifact-Equipment Rare
Living Weapon
Equip (B/P)(B/P)
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 for each Swamp you control.

In Mono-Black, this is merely another powerful four-drop, and gives the deck a great excuse to play Sphere of the Suns, as it allows cards like this and Canceller to come down on turn three, making them all the more impactful. Mono-Black, while always on players' minds, has not been a "real" contender since the days of Cabal Coffers, thanks to the somewhat linear nature of the deck. It tries to play out like a traditional control deck, but lacks cards like Jace or Foresee to effectively reload, instead leaning on cards like Sign in Blood or Dark Tutelage, which have only been marginally effective. Heavy hitters like Canceller and Screamwhip are a step in the right direction, allowing the deck to volley disruption and removal, then just throw down a threat like this to mop up. When a deck has access to Inquisition, Duress, Mind Sludge, AND these powerful four-drops, it makes it a very good choice in a field that is leaning more and more toward control decks.

I can't wait to see how all these cards play out. As a former opponent of the Mono-Black deck, I really want to see how these cards affect the archetype, and I'm hoping it can be pushed back into viability, as another layer to the format, much like the Destructive Force decks from last summer, might be able to edge out the elephant in the room.

Until next time,

Adam Spain
Roeher on MTGO and the Vortex
Roeher724 everywhere else

---

Are you an MTG Fanboy? Then why not be like Jake and our other MTG guys and Write for Eye of the Vortex?

We are looking for a few good men with a strong voice to speak to the masses about Standard and Limited Formats of Magic. If you are a regular to the FNM scene or simply enjoy the theory behind the game and its meta, then join our staff and help make Eye of the Vortex The place to go to ease your MTG Cravings.

Spoiler Season is just around the corner. Get involved in the chase!

Email the Editor if you are interested!

---

---