Hidden among the announcement of the new rules changes for Magic2010 were seven card announcements, including four brand new cards for 2010 and the return of a classic.  More than enough fodder for another preview column from GatheringMagic.  As always, please keep visiting our M10 Spoiler for all the latest cards announced or confirmed for the upcoming core set.   Without further delay here are the new cards along with reactions and analysis.

Undead Slayer - Almost like a continuation of the Battlemage tradition, an uncommon three-drop 2/2 with an activated ability costing one mana.  However this is no Battlemage.  The Undead Slayer, as you may guess from the name, is a cleric and also unlike a Battlemage is all one color.  This card is a good example of MTG trying to adhere to more basic fantasy.  The 'turn undead' ability has been standard D&D lore since the beginning of the game in the 1970s.  Intended to hose mono-black or ride sideboard in case of a Lich Lord of Unx or Anathemancer.  One question: why not protection from black here?  With the inclusion of Undead Slayer expect to see a great deal of black creatures with these three creature-types.

Child of Night - Speak of the devil, or the vampire in this case.  Here is great example of the basic fantasy themed cards we are sure to see tons of in M10.  Give this guy flying with Vampire Nocturnus and you're good to go with a 4/2 flying, lifelink 2 drop.  Do I smell a Vampire theme deck?  While we acknowledge that Knight of the Meadowgrain set the bar for two-drop lifelinked creatures very high, however CoN is not a bad deal.  First, it is black where lifelink is much less common.  Second, the attack power is the most important aspect of any lifelinked creature, so two for 2 is still solid.   Its benefit in sealed, where 4-6 extra life can make the difference is also noteworthy. Finally, since we can expect many vampire buffing cards like this one, Child of Night could be more potent than its face value.

Acidic Slime - Creeping Mold is one of those cards that never seems to be quite good enough for a main deck.  Acidic Slime offers a CM with staying power in the form of a 2/2 deathtouch creature.  Good times.  Especially with the rules changes for blocking unchanged in regards to deathtouch.  Five mana is a touch intense for a 2/2, but consider this card a Mulldrifter without the option to evoke.  In concert with a Reveillark a card like Acidic Slime could be devastating.  I've always noticed deathtouch to be a deterrent in my multiplayer games as well.  Lastly, in limited formats Acidic Slime could be a second or third pick due to its versatility.

Glacial Fortress - Our first look at the M10 dual lands tells us a great many things about the near future of mana-fixing.  Non-basic lands currently legal in Standard are the most powerful and versatile we have seen since Beta.  In fact, with the gluttony of dual, tri, or even all-colored lands there has never been a more friendly mana-base era in MTG.  For better or worse, that is about to change.  The pendulum swings back and forth in Magic and its currently swung as far towards easy mana fixing as possible, M10 dual land are preparing us for the swing back.  While it is easy to sneer at this trend as another example of watering down our game, the truth is that card choices will now be much more difficult.  The days where a Standard deck could easily play Birds of Paradise into Cryptic Command into Wrath of God into Demigod of Revenge are over for now.  And if that medicine is too bitter, there is always Extended.

Ball Lightning - This is not something we normally do, preview a card that has been around longer than many Magic players.  However this reviewer is making an exception for an old favorite.  Sure, we got a watered-down version in Planar Chaos, but that was only enough to whet the appetite.  Last released in 5th Edition Ball Lightning was an incredible deal even in the days of Lightning Bolts.  Wizards seems intent on making mono-colored decks viable again, and this is reds slice of that pie.  Our inner fanboys are rejoicing!