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So, we went a little out of order. Yesterday we had the Black set review when we should’ve had the Blue one. It’s okay! We are going to correct ourselves and get back on track. As I’m sure you’ve guessed, today we will be going over the Blue cards. We have some sweet ones in this color so get ready. First, let’s go over my rating process.
0 — Will never see play in this format (0 ratings are not listed).
1 — Unlikely to see play (Hedron Alignment)
2 — Could see fringe play, or occasional sideboard card (Negate)
3 — Commonly played. Staple in a single deck, or frequent play in several decks. (Tireless Tracker)
4 — Format Staple, sees play in multiple decks, one of the best cards in the format. (Heart of Kiran)
5 — Format warping. Every deck plays this, or is built with this card in mind. (Gideon, Ally of Zendikar)
Now that we have that out of the way!
Ancient Crab — 1
Ancient and unplayable. WHEN WILL WE GET A PLAYABLE CRAB DARN IT?!
Angler Drake — 1
Limited sign me up! Standard, you'll need bigger bait to have me play something like this.
As Foretold — 2
Oh man, I love this card! I really want to play it in Standard but right now you can't with the format being so fast. How are you going to play this on turn three when you could die to Saheeli combo the following turn? Even on the play, your opponent will play Heart of Kiran and you'll untap and play As Foretold? That's super risky but I hope someone can break it in Standard. Card is great in older formats since it allows you to cast things like Ancestral Vision, Lotus Bloom, and Restore Balance right away.
Aven Initiate — 1
Don't cast this over Glimmer of Genius in Standard. Just don't do it! It's not worth it, I promise!
Cancel — 1
Come on Blue, get some better cards! Disallow and Void Shatter are better counterspells. No chance to see play over those cards.
Cartouche of Knowledge — 2.5
Solid card in some type of 
tempo/aggro deck. Growing your guy and giving it flying AND drawing a card? Yes, please. It also returns Trials to your hand if you're playing those. This would've been great in the old Heroic deck. It doesn't slide into anything right now, but it's still a powerful card on its own.
Censor — 4
This is a very, very good card. It will force your opponents to play a turn behind if you leave 2 mana open or they'll risk running their card into Censor. Even if they play around it and you do have it, you can just cycle it at end of turn. If you don't have it in hand but represent it, then they will still probably play around it and you can just play something like Anticipate at their end step. This card even allows mind games, cycle your first Censor because your opponent is playing around it and then get ‘em with another one. If all that wasn't enough, it's also great for the cycle decks! A card that will see play for as long as it's legal in Standard.
Compelling Argument — 2
Cheap cycling is the only reason I give this card a two. Otherwise it's pretty unplayable.
Cryptic Serpent — 1.5
Maybe in some fringe 
Fevered Visions deck? Even then is it even good enough? Better than Enigma Drake? Probably not.
Curator of Mysteries — 3.5
Will 100% see play in the cycling deck. Very cheap cycler that is also good on curve. A four mana 4/4 that gives you a benefit when you cycle it is a terrific addition to the U/x cycling control deck. Four power is the sweet spot to pressure Gideon and trade with Heart of Kiran. Hopefully kill that Gideon before it gets out of hand!
Decision Paralysis — 1.5
I'd rather be Glimmering or casting Curator of Mysteries. Four mana to maybe Fog for a turn is a little too much for my tastes.
Drake Haven — 3.5
If I'm right, then this will be in the new control deck. The only question we must ask is, "is it good enough to combat Saheeli and Mardu?" 2/2 fliers are great against Mardu to pressure Gideon or trade with some creatures. You have to take a turn off but I'm hopeful the payoff will be worth it. Don't make the mistake of playing too many two-mana cyclers. Honestly you probably want to just stick to as many one-mana cycling spells as you can since the format is aggressive. One-mana cyclers not only trigger Drake Haven cheaply but also allow you to find your Drake Haven faster.
Essence Scatter — 2.5
This card would've made me excited a long time ago. Not countering Gideon or Heart of Kiran hurts badly. Even if you counter Scrapheap Scrounger, they can still bring it back from the graveyard. Is this better than Horribly Awry? Not currently. If decks become slower and Gearhulks start showing up then sure, otherwise I wouldn't even play this card when Mardu is the number one deck you should be aiming to beat.
Floodwaters — 2
Too slow. Sure, it cycles but for 2 mana I'd rather just cycle Renewed Faith. It's not even great when you do get to cast it. I hate to keep saying this but it's the truth. Not good enough cast Gideon, Heart of Kiran, or Saheeli combo.
Galestrike — 2
Cool card in a different format. Doesn't stop cat combo or return Heart of Kiran. You could play it as a singleton since it does cantrip I guess. Wish this was just Repulse instead because at least that would stop cat combo and bounce Heart of Kiran.
Glyph Keeper — 2
Many people are hyped about this card because it's so hard to kill and you can buy it back. I'm not sold. It's sorcery speed and is just a big body. It's great in control mirror matches but everywhere else you'd rather just have Torrential Gearhulk. Even in the control mirror I would rather have Gearhulk honestly.
Hekma Sentinels — 1
Much better things to play if you want a payoff for cycling cards. Even in the sideboard I'd rather play Shadowstorm Vizier as an alternate win condition over this slow and awful card.
Hieroglyphic Illumination — 2.5
Because of the cycling deck this card will see play. It cycles cheaply and later in the game you can just cast it for value. It's going to be interesting to see the split between this and Glimmer of Genius. I have a feeling people will play this weekend one and two but as time goes on they'll realize that Glimmer is just a better card. Cycling or no cycling, finding what you need in a format where you really need the right answers is very important and Glimmer is a lot more helpful with that than this card is.
Illusroy Wrappings — 1
Nope! Stick with Aether Meltdown if you want this type of affect in your deck. Sorcery speed and three mana is not what you want.
Kefnet the Mindful — 3
I can see Kefnet being a great midrange and control mirror breaker. He's a solid Sideboard and I can see people playing him as a singleton in their control or midrange decks. In my opinion, he's too slow for the main deck now but hopefully that will change in time.
Labyrinth Guardian — 2
If some aggressive deck exists this guy would be decent in it. Maybe a tempo deck with countermagic and Spell Queller? Doesn’t seem good enough , but maybe fringe playable.
Lay Claim — 2.5
So glad this type of card exists. If you can't beat it, then take it! I love Confiscate and Take Possession cards, and this one is no different. It's even more playable since you can just cycle it. I'd play it as a singleton in my seventy-five
Naga Oracle — 1
Better ways to get cards into your graveyard. Was Sea Gate Oracle too much to ask for?
New Perspectives — 3
Basically, the top end for the cycle decks. Would you rather have this or Torrential Gearhulk? I'd personally play some kind of split. This is a catalyst for Drake Havens and Faith of the Devoted. Could blink it with Felidar Guardian but why do that when you have Saheeli?
Open into Wonder — 2.5
Talk about a Blue Overrun. Seems strong as a singleton in Saheeli decks. Giving your thopters and other little creatures unblockable and Curiosity is good. I'd only play one main deck, but it's a possibility for that deck.
Pull from Tomorrow — 4
This is a very good card. Not only does it draw you a bunch of cards but it also triggers Faith of the Devoted and Drake Haven! I'm hopeful this card is good enough to put control back on the map, it's for sure strong enough, there's no doubt about that. We just got to buy the time for it!
River Serpent — 3
I'm giving this a three because of its one-mana cycling cost and it can be brought back with Wander in Death so you can cycle it again. Being able to cast it is a nice perk too but not one I'm leaning on.
Sacred Excavation — 2
Just play Wander in Death. That one cycles and can buyback your cycle cards for just 3 mana instead of four. If you're not playing black then I still wouldn't play this. Play Glimmer of Genius or Hieroglyphic Illumination.
Scribe of the Mindful — 1.5
Way too slow and an awful top deck. This could possibly see play in a world with Sun Titan, but we don't live in that world. We live in a Mardu and Saheeli world where this is unplayable.
Seeker of Insight — 2
Is it too good if this card just looted? I get that Merfolk Looter was powerful, but that was years ago. I think we've come a long way from that. As is this card might be okay, having to cast a non-creature spell every turn is a very big drawback. It is a 1/3 I guess and does trigger Faith of the Devoted and Drake Haven. My gut says no but I'm trying to be hopeful here.
Shimmerscale Drake — 1
Nope! Just play Curator of Mysteries. Better in every way.
Slither Blade — 1
This doesn't slide in anywhere and isn't worth building around. It's no Invisible Stalker and we have no payoff for playing it.
Tah-Crop Skirmisher — 1.5
aggro!!! Without a Naga lord, I don't see it. Even then we'd need a lot more Nagas up in here.
Trial of Knowledge — 2
Man I loved Oath of Jace, probably too much. This does draw you another card but it's so slow. You can't tap out as a control deck. You need to counter Gideon or Saheeli. This card is asking too much from us right now. If you want this type of affect for your graveyard because maybe you're trying to reanimate, then just play Oath of Jace or Red for Cathartic Reunion or Tormenting Voice.
Vizier of Many Faces — 2
We haven't had a good clone since Phantasmal Image and Phyrexian Metamorph. I don't foresee this being any different, even with Embalm.
Vizier of Tumbling Sands — 1
The worst one of this cycle. Black gets a zombie, Green gets a land, Red does damage, and White gains life. Blue . . . Untaps a permanent? It couldn't tap or untap something instead? Yea, better cyclers for your deck.
Winds of Rebuke — 1.5
Disperse with a little more upside? Kind of neat with Commit // Memory but it's still card disadvantage and not what you want to be doing.
Zenith Seeker — 1
Limited only. Doesn't do nearly enough for Constructed.
Commit // Memory — 3
This card is being underrated. Being able to return anything back to your opponent's hand, even a spell, is sweet. Sometimes having countermagic can be a liability because drawing it at the wrong time means you literally just drew a blank. With Commit, though, it's okay to draw it after something has resolved since you can just return it. This alone for four mana wouldn't quite be good enough. However, it has another side in Memory. Memory will allow you to refill your hand later in the game. Against decks that don't have burn this is usually okay. Just be sure to not tap out completely.
Top 5 Blue Cards
Censor and Pull from Tomorrow are great additions to any Blue control deck, so that’s a huge bump to those decks. Drake Haven, Censor, Curator of Mysteries are all powerful cards and they all begged to be played in the same deck. Again, here’s hoping that the cycle deck takes off and we get another competitor in the format!
We will be going over the Red cards tomorrow so make sure to tune in.
Until then, as always thanks for reading,
Ali Aintrazi
@AliEldrazi on Twitter
