Spell Queller is performing exactly AT expectation… If you expected it to completely redefine the format.

When was the last time a new card hit Standard and made such a dramatic impact, across so many archetypes? Spell Queller is “only” a rare but is already outperforming most playable mythic rares in terms of secondary market value. Oh yeah, it is also both headlining and making multiple archetypes; and forcing opposing decks to re-think their basic assets.

Spell Queller versus, um, spells…

Spell Queller is good against cards that cost four or less mana. That’s not a big surprise (that’s kind of just what the card says). Yes, if the Spell Queller is removed, the opponent can get the card back, but there are [at least] two problems with that:

• Spell Queller is a great offensive drop, generally surrounded by other great offensive creatures. This is the big one. Players are cutting their Jaces for Selfless Spirit in order to promote flying, attacking-oriented themes. That means that even though you can potentially get your card back, Spell Queller decks are designed to put you on the back foot. You might not have the time to recover.
• Some cards stink when they come back off of a Spell Queller. Radiant Flames. Painful Truths. Most counterspells, most of the time. Barf, barf, and barf again! Converge spells lose basically all their flavor when they come back. “Deal zero damage. Draw zero cards.” -Spell Queller

Spell Queller with Duskwatch Recruiter

Duskwatch Recruiter was already a good card, generally played as a three-of (if not four-of) in Bant Company decks. Mike speculates that Duskwatch Recruiter will get even better in the coming weeks and months. Can you imagine how hot that three open mana will be after dropping a turn two Duskwatch Recruiter? You can leave it up to Spell Queller the opponent (if he casts a spell); and just draw an extra card (probably a Spell Queller, let’s be honest) if he doesn’t.

Spell Queller and… Noose Constrictor?

One of the most interesting moves of the weekend was the adoption by Andrew Boswell of Noose Constrictor in G/W Tokens. Is Noose Constrictor awesome?

Actually, no.

But it does have reach.

Noose Constrictor is a key role player that G/W now needs just to block Spirits; Spirits, you know, like S—- Q——.

😉

Lots of results, lots of decks in this week’s episode:

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“Good luck killing me with a Profane Prince,” says Eldrazi Displacer

Eldrazi Displacer does an insane number of awesome things. Take note!

1. It is a great hit off of Collected Company. Why? It costs three mana. End. It’s about the same size for about the same mana as Bounding Krassis, but has a stronger long-term impact.
   When combined with Brood Monitor and Zulaport Cutthroat, Eldrazi Displacer can win the game on the spot. The Brood Monitor puts three colorless Eldrazi Scions onto the battlefield, which you can sacrifice to activate the Eldrazi Displacer (to blink the Brood Monitor), which means the opponent will be drained for three life.
2. If you have Catacomb Sifter instead, Brood Monitor and Eldrazi Displacer can help you cycle through your whole deck. Same deal — three tokens for three mana each cycle with the Displacer’s ability — but instead of killing the opponent on the spot you can scry over and over and over again.
3. Other “187” creatures with “enters the battlefield” effects are good duos with Eldrazi Displacer as well (Elvish Visionary, Goblin Dark-Dwellers, take your pick)
4. When the opponent invests a ton of creatures (and a ton of mana) to flip a Westvale Abbey… Eldrazi Displacer can easily punish the seemingly indestructible Profane Prince.
5. Even when it is less flashy than blinking / tapping / even flipping a key threat, Eldrazi Displacer can just defend, Icy Manipulator-style.

So, you know, the boom boom.

Lots and lots of things going on this week.

What deck did Mike play at Grand Prix New York? Where did he get it? What card does “everybody” like but Mike thinks is horrible (or at least was horrible for him this weekend)?Pretty good story, this.

“Getting down” aka going ultimate with Nahiri to get an Elvish Visionary!

… When to side in Clip Wings

The number of Evolving Wilds you should play in your three-color Tireless Tracker deck

“Grixis with no blue” (or as Patrick calls it, “Jund”)

The clean living of Sam Black’s B/G Ramp / Control deck… Patrick doesn’t want to live in a world where this isn’t the deck to play.

And of course our first shout-out to Patreon backers. If you want to support Top Level Podcast on Patreon you can do so at http://patreon.com/toplevelpodcast

All this and tons and tons of deck analysis and discussion on “Eldrazi Displacer is the Boom Boom”:

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Referenced Podcast appearances:

• “AlphaGo, with Patrick Chapin” on The Bayesian Conspiracy
• “Yo! MTG Taps! Episode 36 – Decks and The City, Part 2” (Mike and Patrick back in the day)

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”

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