Are You Always Watching?
Always Watching is a new card from Shadows Over Innistrad that has already contributed to multiple new strategies.
Always Watching is pretty much a Glorious Anthem with upside.
While the new take doesn’t buff token creatures (something Glorious Anthem did well in some decks), the addition of vigilance gives this card tremendous flexibility and play in Standard.
Consider…
Always Watching with Archangel of Tithes
Archangel Avacyn might be the hot new Archangel on the block, but don’t count out the Magic Origins mythic rare… Especially with this new enchantment. Archangel of Tithes is awesome at holding off “go wide” attack decks, but at some point you usually have to attack to actually win the game. When combined with our new 1WW, Archangel of Tithes can get both sides of its text box… Attacking though still untapped.
Always Watching with Dragonlord Ojutai
Dragonlord Ojutai probably didn’t need much help. While the Dragons of Tarkir headliner has been largely on the bench in recent sets, at no point did it stop being a supremely powerful Magic card.
If Dragonlord Ojutai ever had a vulnerability, it was just that it lost hexproof when tapped… And the “Anticipate” ability only ever hit when you hit the opponent. Enter: Always Watching. When you play these two cards together you can get in with Dragonlord Ojutai… But never surrender hexproof.
Oh, and Archangel of Tithes becomes 4/6 and Dragonlord Ojutai is 6/5 when played in concert with Always Watching.
Boom.
Here’s the thing: Always Watching isn’t even built for midrange control creature decks!
It is actually going to be most effective (probably) with fast creature decks that can take advantage of a “go wide” turn three buff.
MichaelJ and Patrick go over a ton of new decks featuring this card as well as Jim Davis’s Bant Collected Company deck, all from last weekend’s Open… Give it all a listen in “Are You Always Watching”
