Locations
The 'Middle Child' Curse is Broken - Since Coldsnap, small sets that have been released in between larger ones have always found a way to disappoint. Coldsnap was terrible, Eventide, while an undeniably powerful set, was nothing more than Shadowmoore 2.0. And Conflux, with 250 votes, tops our poll for "worst expansion in the last three years." Worldwake hopes to snap this streak with thoughtful, compelling cards. It is difficult for a set like this to be much more than "The cards that didn't make it into Zendikar." And while I feel as though this is probably, literally true for a lot of Worldwake's offerings, I think most people were also very happy with Zendikar and wanted more. So many things were left unfinished in Zendikar such as Allies, Vampires and the nature of the Eldrazi, that players won't mind filling out their binders with so-called "Zendikar Leftovers". The nature of Zendikar's new abilities (Landfall, Kickers, Quests, and Traps) were so universal and easy to understand that I don't mind seeing them on another set of cards. Worldwake is set to make a name for itself outside of Zendikar with new, Core Set worthy staples such as Searing Blaze, Treasure Hunt, and Terra Eternal. Worldwake is the new gold standard for those awkward,"in-between" sets that usually seem, at best, tacked-on.
Multicolor, as it should be - I have been pretty harsh on the current state of multicolor in Magic the Gathering. Starting with Lorwyn, moving into Shadowmoor and then continuing with Alara, multicolored cards have become as prevalent as mono-colored cards in today's standard. There was a time when gold cards were a small treat found in every other set. Featuring cards that had a good reason to include both colors and were usually legendary creatures. Recently, it has been very different. Worldwake is set to feature only two gold cards and this is how it should be. Just a taste of clearly defined gold. They've also included Kird Ape-type creatures in every color. This is a great way to encourage multicolor without having to print actual gold bordered cards. I couldn't be happier about Wizards seeing the light on this one. Conservative amounts of gold in every set is the way to go.
These aren't your grandma's Vampires and Allies - Every expansion has it's pet creature types. With Zendikar it was Allies, Vampires, Kor and Elves. Worldwake takes the two most interesting (Vamps and Allies) and makes them tournament viable. Vampires were fairly close to this status last month but now with Anowan the Ruin Sage, Urge to Feed, and Kalastria Highborn, coupled with some of the crazy discarding cards we've seen, there are going to be more than a few nasty Vampire builds haunting standard this year. And Allies? They aren't limited to limited anymore. We've been waiting for a few lower costing allies to hit since Zendikar and we have them now in Agadeem Occultist, Jwari Shapeshifter and Hada Freeblade to name just a few. These cards really complete the mana curve that pre-Worldwake allies had been lacking. They're also just plain-old powerful, too! They should remind you of slivers in a lot of ways... which is a good thing... I think.
Potent Power Level of Individual Cards - Speaking of Power Level, I think we need to take a step back and take a look at some of these cards. I am going to make a bold statement and I do welcome your responses at the bottom of this page - Worldwake looks to be, card for card, one of the most powerful sets of 145 cards ever printed. Thumbing through the spoiler list, it's hard not to gasp at some of these rule bending, CMC-standard-shattering, undeniably powerful cards. Abyssal Persecutor for example - a 6/6 Flying Trampler for four, with the ultimate drawback. I for one do not think this card is broken, but the raw, pristine power of this card is undeniable. This card will be haunting extended with crazy, creature-gifting combos for years to come. Take a look at another one of my favorite WWK cards - Bestial Menace. 6 Power spread out over three creatures for five mana; unheard of. Jace, the Mind Sculptor looks to be one of the most powerful, well-designed planeswalkers yet. The new land cycles include five man-lands and five very playable common lands that should be included in almost every deck possible. And Terastodon allows 18 power to the table for eight green mana! Whew! Now, I'm not calling any of these cards overpowered, but it's hard to deny the sheer amount of game-changes these cards have the potential to make. Card for card, I'd call worldwake one of the most potent, chasable sets in the last three years. Worldwake flirts with the power creep "tipping point" and we can only hope that the playtesters at Wizards of the Coast did their job well. I think this fact makes me just as "nervous" as I am excited. Either way this is one reason to at least pay attention to Worldwake.
High Mana Efficiency OR EDH Bombs for Timmy - Multikicker was made for EDH. In a format where 12-15 mana isn't just common place, it's almost a rule; Multikicker reigns supreme. Even if the repeating effect is minimal, the fact that you can kick it numerous times can really turn a high mana yielding game on its head. Pair that with a bunch of classic bombs, Zendikons and man-lands; Worldwake offers more things to do with your all of that extra mana than we've seen before. Pat Chapin and others have recently written of an MTG "theory of everything". Essentially, the idea is that all Magic games are won and lost based on how effectively you spend your mana. It doesn't matter if you're drawing cards, doing damage, healing, playing creature spells or using affinity. Each of those things have a "cost" but also have a particular potency and you're just trying to do the most effective "stuff" with the smallest amount of mana possible. In other words - "play with 'good' or 'the best available' cards. Take a look at some of these Worldwake cards.. Terastodon allows an EDH player (or a couple of Timmys!) the chance to take care of three permanents, and put out a 9/9 beater for only 8 mana. This is the very definition of mana efficiency (if you've got the mana). Beastial Menace - 6 power for 5 mana divided up perfectly into three creatures.. could you be any more efficient with your mana? These cards not only please the Timmy in all of us, they're bombs that get the job done at a reasonable price. Many of them are only really fit for EDH due to their high costs, but if you can squeak them into your standard decks you'll reap the benefits of these card's high Mana Efficiency levels.
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The Worldwake Spoiler season rolls on, my friends. We're only thirty cards away from the complete spoil so keep it glued to our spoiler page for all of the latest art, correct readings and official spoilers as they arrive.
