It's that time again! Heavy Metal Kaldheim is finishing out the run of Modal Double-faced dual lands... But has some powerful cards, on engine and on rate both, that it will be bringing to formats aplenty in the next few weeks. And by formats aplenty, I mostly mean Standard and Historic.

It's through those lenses that I bring you these first few assorted thoughts on the new set:

Has it occurred to you yet that Magda, Brazen Outlaw is herself a Dwarf?

Meaning that, if all else fails, entering The Red Zone herself will produce a Treasure token? No +1/+0 buff, maybe; but pretty cool anyway, says I.

"Take two."

What might you do with a Treasure?

It wasn't so long ago that Standard Red Decks chose to play Treasure Map out of the sideboard, to help regulate their draws for Experimental Frenzy. But losing the Ixalan favorite didn't completely remove Treasure from the Standard landscape. Case in point, we have this:

I kind of like how the Treasures theme runs between catalyst Magda, Brazen Outlaw to Dragon Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge... Who then can continue the thread of Treasures-creation. It is almost like the cards were built to be played together!

Now it might take a second for Magda to get to the requisite Treasures to summon Gadrak (or any other Dragon for that matter) on her lonesome. Luckily one of Standard's most flexible and widely successful creatures happens to be a Dwarf:

And while Rimrock Knight has been carved successful roles in everything from Standard Gruul decks to Pioneer Red Decks, that isn't even the Standard card I'm most excited to bust out next to Magda...

For a Mono-Red deck, at least, Dwarven Mine begs a remarkably low deck-building cost. It's basically free!

In the past I've only seen this card link up with Emrakul, The Aeons Torn in Modern combo decks; but I do think its combination of Dwarf-ish-ness and free-ness is going to come together like peanut butter and chocolate for Magda.

But that's not even close to "all".

Branching out of Standard, have you thought yet about...

• Turn one: Toolcraft Exemplar
• Turn two: Magda, Brazen Outlaw

That is a one-two beatdown that will be hard to match. Toolcraft Exemplar will come down as a 1/1, immediately go to 2/1 thanks to Magda... And then come rumble time, start making its own fuel for future +2/+1 artifact action.

As Toolcraft Exemplar is featured in Kaladesh Remastered, this might help to spawn a new Historic beatdown deck.

Well over a decade ago I was invited to play in the Magic Invitational.

That tournament - played on Magic Online - was chock full of weird formats. There was an auction format, a battle of Block decks from different eras, and a unique Limited event.

The year I played every Limited card had the theme of drawing a card. Ergo, every card had the word "draw" or "hand" on it. Ever since I've daydreamed about making a Cube of all "draw" or "hand" (or maybe extending to "library") cards... Where the fastest beatdown might be Borderland Ranger and Fact or Fiction would be only middling card draw.

Fire Giant's Fury is Giant Growth for that kind of a Cube.

It took me a second to really understand what was going on here.

Think about a year back. Think to the play patterns we had as Red Deck mages. Attack with your 1-drop haster. Don't play a land first! Keep a one-lander and roll the dice.

We warped a lot of our play around the card Light Up the Stage. The problem of course was that Light Up the Stage could be disrupted. If they had a blocker or they removed your 1-drop, Light Up the Stage would go from one mana to very (or at least relatively) expensive. It certainly would cost too much to dig you into your second land.

Fire Giant's Fury costs, effectively one more mana than Light Up the Stage. But along with that extra mana you get [at least] two damage. That is, an Ornithopter will get you two, anything bigger will get you more.

And speaking of more, the bigger the attacker, the more cards you turn over.

I figure we'll have to learn the new play patterns around this card. Maybe you have to hold back on your land drop. Maybe the more likely you are to hit with a bigger guy, the more cognizant you have to be of that.

Fire Giant's Fury will not have the flexibility or leverage of a Light Up the Stage. This one isn't going to inspire the odd gambling man to keep one land and a 1-drop. You had some plausible deniability playing Light Up the Stage; Fire Giant's Fury is the definition of telegraphed. You have to cast it first, then hope your attacker [still] connects.

But if it does?

Rock and roll!

Subtly, I like how the Modal Double-Faced nature of this design is built-in insurance against The Legend Rule.

At first glance all I thought about was what kind of enchantments and equipment I would be using (outside of the already present Sword of the Realms, of course) to best exploit Halvar's double strike.

Then it struck me:

That isn't how you have to build this at all!

One pattern is to just have a creature that exists, and is already enchanted. THEN you play Halvar. Then you splatter them. My mind always goes to a Geist of Saint Traft wearing a Ghostly Wings, but I suppose you can imagine whatever you want. You can get in for three seven flying; and then just get in for thirteen with Halvar.

The other idea is to play a card like Aqueous Form. Not great, maybe; but played due to its low cost and relatively unique contributions to the direction the game will go. Aqueous Form on Halvar himself will turn the game into a two or three turn clock.

Still, if I had to pick a flashy White permanent, it would more likely be:

The middle ability is fine. Very good, even.

It's the third ability I'm in for, though! Hot take: I'm playing the biggest, least cast-able, threats in my sideboard. More than one! And because Kaya actually casts the cards, we have some extra flexibility in how to get full value out of including them. For instance, if you had Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre, you'd get the super-Vindicate on the way in, as opposed to only effects that trigger upon entering the battlefield.

But how do we get there?

The [+1] ability on Kaya is absolute aces with the right creatures.

Imagine a single Skyclave Apparition. This creature (and associated 1/1 Spirits) will offer more than enough time to get Kaya to Ultimate loyalty.

How much worse does this card have to be than Birthing Pod just to avoid being banned? I mean it's cheaper to cast, and has no specific color requirements. Sure, it asks you to pick a team... But there are some pretty good teams already established.

What I really like is how, for instance in a Goblins deck, your mana would be open to do whatever (maybe cycle a Gempalm Incinerator), as your Pyre of Heroes is what's being used to add the actual creatures to the battlefield.

You can chain advantageous creature into advantageous creature - say Goblin Matron into Ringleader into something at five (say a Siege-Gang Commander) into Muxus, Goblin Grandee.

What you can't do is take these sweet actions at instant speed... The chump blocking options would just be too good.

Can't wait for the rest.

LOVE

MIKE