Welcome back for part four of my Gatecrash Review for Boros.
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Constructed Rating
5 – Not only does this card go in every deck that plays those colors but you should warp your deck so that this card is part of it.
4 – If you play these colors this card will appear in your maindeck.
3 – This card will appear in a large portion of the decks across formats that can support it or a guaranteed sideboard staple for years to come.
2 – This card will see moderate play in Standard or Modern or will be a decent sideboard card in all formats.
1 – A moderate sideboard card at best and may see some main deck play.
0 – This should never see any serious constructed play.
Limited Rating
5 – Pack 2, Pick 1. Yeah it’s that good you should warp your deck for after opening this.
4 – This will always see play in if your deck can support it or it will be hate drafted for sure.
3 – A limited deck staple that will push your deck over the top and win games.
2 – The bread and butter of most limited decks.
1 – Cards that will be added to your deck to fill those last slots.
0 – NEVER play this card.
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White
[card]Boros Elite[/card]
Constructed – 1
This won’t be making the cut of any of the current aggro decks, but it will probably see some play in a Human aggro deck that this would be the 1-drop to replace [Card]Doomed Traveler[/Card].
Limited – 2
It’s a 1/1 for 1 with an upside that needs a few turns to become effective. Best left back until Battalion is achieved.
[card]Daring Skyjek[/card]
Constructed – 0
Even on a dare I wouldn’t play this.
Limited – 2
The front end can be imposing at two mana allowing for an early beater and the Battalion is just a bonus.
[card]Frontline Medic[/card]
Constructed – 1
This card will be in a bunch of decks to start off with as a hate card and in some for its Battalion clause but I expect to see this card fall off greatly as it is not efficient in its role.
Limited – 3
The sacrifice clause will be almost entirely irrelevant, the Battalion clause however will be fantastic, attacking without fear of losing a creature will always be good.
[card]Nav Squad Commandos[/card]
Constructed – 0
The most perplexing thing about this card is whether Nav was originally Navigation but they ran out of room in the title or Nav is actually a place in Ravnica.
Limited – 1
[Card]Thraben Purebloods[/Card] was perfectly acceptable as a card and this one has pseudo [card]Vigilance[/card].
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Red
[card]Bomber Corps[/card]
Constructed – 0
This is not better than any of the other two drops in red.
Limited – 1
The Battalion ability on this one is actually relevant being able to ping.
[card]Firefist Striker[/card]
Constructed – 0
Strike this from your deck lists.
Limited – 2
As [Card]Crossway Vampire[/Card] showed this can be a decent effect and having it be repeatable is even better.
[card]Legion Loyalist[/card]
Constructed – 0
This doesn’t replace any of the current one drops in Standard and tokens are not a huge issue. May potentially be a sideboard card, if there is a shift in the metagame.
Limited – 2
The key part of that ability is First Strike. Yes there is certainly a possibility of death for this little guy but giving your team all First Strike, especially since you can hold this guy back for the right moment is a big deal.
[card]Towering Thunderfist[/card]
Constructed – 0
While he may be more splashable than [Card]Thundermaw Hellkite[/Card] the dragon is infinite times better.
Limited – 2
This is a mack truck beating and with [card]Vigilance[/card] for an additional White.
[card]Warmind Infantry[/card]
Constructed – 0
Battalion continues to fail.
Limited – 2
While it may not pass the Vanilla test, the Battalion pushes it above the bar.
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Gold
[card]Assemble the Legion[/card]
Constructed – 1
My rating on this card might be off but where I see this really shining is in the control decks that splash Red in the sideboard. Being able to wipe the board and then produce a steady stream of tokens can be backbreaking for many control mirrors.
Limited – 4
This should never be passed. EVER. Five mana shouldn’t be that hard and the more turns you get the more the board state greatly shifts in your favour.
[card]Aurelia, the Warleader[/card]
Constructed – 2
I might have liked a bigger body on her, but this is the over the top card that will be winning games out of nowhere.
Limited – 5
Opening her in pack two, is worth switching colors for. She beats out of nowhere and provides your team with a second opportunity to beat.
[card]Aurelia’s Fury[/card]
Constructed – 2
Call me crazy but I’m not sold on this. The effect has never been seen before which as we learned with [Card]Angel of Serenity[/Card] usually means it’s awesome but its exact fit in a format with card like [Card]Bonfire of the Damned[/Card] being thrown by the wayside does not inspire much confidence.
Limited – 5
The Limited Oracle text of this card is: “You win the game!”
[card]Boros Charm[/card]
Constructed – 3
This card is insane and going to be a big player in Modern and Standard aggro decks. Unlike the other charms, each of the modes will always be able to be used.
Limited – 3
If we award one point for each mode that will be relevant than this card automatically gets a three. The first mode is your finisher and the other two drastically favour your board over your opponent’s.
[card]Firemane Avenger[/card]
Constructed – 1
Battalion Helix would be very playable if it had haste and would certainly replace [Card]Hellrider[/Card] upon the latter’s rotation. Since it doesn’t however it is very lacklustre.
Limited – 3
A flying [Card]Hill Giant[/Card] is already playable and the [Card]Lightning Helix[/Card] ability just pushes it over the top.
[card]Fortress Cyclops[/card]
Constructed – 0
I sure hope the fortress isn’t under attack or it will be a short siege.
Limited – 2
Beater or Blocker? Yes please.
[card]Foundry Champion[/card]
Constructed – 0
If he’s guarding the foundry I’ll feel safe… as long as no one attacks it.
Limited – 3
Use up all the mana to bully my opponent in combat? Yes Please!
[card]Martial Glory[/card]
Constructed – 0
This card will not lead you to glory.
Limited – 2
I would play a [Card]Giant Growth[/Card] for two mana and since this one is even better it can pack a wallop.
[card]Ordruun Veteran[/card]
Constructed – 0
Not enough of a back end to justify playing this.
Limited – 1
The Battalion clause is very good however without Battalion he is just bad.
Skynight Legionnaire
Constructed – 0
I may be wrong but I believe this is the only card from this set reprinted from original Ravnica block. Unfortunately the card they reprinted is no good.
Limited – 2
2/2 Flyer for three are good and hasty ones are better.
[card]Spark Trooper[/card]
Constructed – 1
[Card]Ball Lightning[/Card] Helix for the win. I certainly see this being played it both Standard and Modern.
Limited – 3
This is the equivalent of throwing the house at your opponent. It won’t necessarily win you games but it will sure represent a nice life swing.
[card]Sunhome Guildmage[/card]
Constructed – 0
Neither of these abilities apply much combo potential and there are better options for the same abilities.
Limited – 3
The closest comparison most people will make is to [Card]Vitu Ghazi Guildmage[/Card] but that comparison is far off. The two less mana for making tokens is actually a big deal, as it triggers Battalion sooner, and after a while the +1/+0 ability can become a huge mana sink later giving you an edge in combat.
[card]Truefire Paladin[/card]
Constructed – 0
Past iterations of this card have always had protection clauses associated with them and they saw a little play as they were able to help counteract a specific strategy. Unfortunately I don’t see this guy getting that chance and two mana for his abilities is too much for this type of card.
Limited – 3
I’m sold on this guy being the nuts. [card]Vigilance[/card] allows him to always be a threat and the First Strike should allow him to win almost any combat he’s engaged in.
[card]Wojek [card]Halberdier[/card]s[/card]
Constructed – 1
While not being overly splashy I wouldn’t fault anyone for playing this. It is undercosted for a 3/2 and in is in colors where it will generally always have First Strike.
Limited – 2
Same argument, 3/2s with a potential upside should not cost 2 and snagging these early will get you a bunch of free wins as they surprise your opponent.
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Hybrid
[card]Arrows of Justice[/card]
Constructed – 0
As someone who loves hybrid cards, Wizards always seems to find a way to crush my joy when I see them.
Limited – 2
4 damage should be enough to kill most things and since it’s hybrid I suspect it will be gone very early.
[card]Boros Reckoner[/card]
Constructed – 1
I reckon this is alright as a card.
Limited – 2
Unlike Ravnica, Gatecrash doesn’t seem to have the magic number of 3, meaning this guy, while still a good card, can take a beating going into late game, without a fatty though this guy should allow you to control the board state.
[card]Shattering Blow[/card]
Constructed – 1
It is an improvement on [Card]Shatter[/Card] but I don’t see it replacing either [Card]Disenchant[/Card] in Modern or [Card]Ancient Grudge[/Card] in Standard unless you have a really bad [Card]Wurmcoil Engine[/Card] matchup in Modern.
Limited – 1
If they have a very pesky Keyrune, I would board this in but I would never play it maindeck.
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Artifact
[card]Boros Keyrune[/card]
Constructed – 0
These are colors that don’t want or need mana ramp and even if they did [Card]Chromatic Lantern[/Card] is the better bet.
Limited – 1
There are a decent number of pump abilities in Boros however having revert back to an Artifact certainly limites it’s potential.
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Coming into Gatecrash, most people were excited/feared Boros because of the precise lethality those colors are known for and Gatecrash didn’t disappoint. While Battalion may not be a great Constructed mechanic across the board, in Limited it is exactly the mechanic that Boros needed from a practical and flavourful standpoint. In limited, they can get some early hits in, till they assemble the legion at which point that Battalion strike is knocking people down to a critical state. From the get go, with people playing rinky-dink stuff and trying to figure out where exactly they want to be, forcing Boros will be the way to go for winning drafts.
As for constructed, I think Boros offers some of the more powerful cards to come out of Gatecrash. The downside though is that while there are individual cards that pack a punch, as a whole, they don’t seem to format a very game breaking deck. That being said you will be seeing the Legion show up at key times to steal games away.
Top 5 Constructed Cards
5. [card]Frontline Medic[/card]
4. [card]Assemble the Legion[/card]
3. [card]Spark Trooper[/card]
2. [card]Aurelia’s Fury[/card]
1. [card]Boros Charm[/card]
Top 5 Limited Commons/Uncommons
5. [card]Martial Glory[/card]
4. [card]Arrows of Justice[/card]
3. [card]Sunhome Guildmage[/card]
2. [card]Boros Charm[/card]
1. [card]Wojek [card]Halberdier[/card]s[/card]
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That wraps up part four of my set review. Once again, thanks for reading and check back later for part five: Dimir. You should also check out the Horde of Notions Podcast, sponsored by Face to Face Games, on MTGCast.
William