My last Smi77y’s Angels was back in New Phyrexia when I had picked [card]Chancellor of the Tangle[/card], [card]Phyrexian Metamorph[/card], and [card]Spellskite[/card] as my early cards to be a part of the meta. I’ll take 2/3 all day. Smi77y’s Angels returns with Innistrad and after testing quite a bit already, I’m extremely excited to see how Standard shapes up.

There is most definitely a power level drop when we go from [card]Lotus Cobra[/card] to [card]Viridian Emissary[/card]. The plus side to this is we lose obnoxious combos, mainly the oppressive Valakut. Another reason a power level drop is exciting is that we will have longer, more interactive games. This isn’t to say there aren’t some very powerful cards in this set…

Well at least one is on the level of cards like [card]Stoneforge Mystic[/card] and [card]Lotus Cobra[/card] to give recent examples:

[card]Snapcaster Mage[/card] is obvious. Maybe not as obvious as it should be. I’m over 50+ matches in the new standard, and every deck has started with 4x [card]Snapcaster Mage[/card]. Let me preface this by stating [card]Snapcaster Mage[/card] is UNDERRATED. Yes, despite all its hype, it’s still not enough to justify the power level of this card. I’m not into the financial aspect of Magic so much, however in the long run; this card will be one of the most expensive rares in recent times. Its preorder prices will most definitely drop due to high supply, but make no mistake – the price of this card has about 0 relation to its power level. It’s by far the best card in the set and it’s not even close. The amount of ridiculous lines of play this card provides will also be hard to master, which makes this a very spiky card that most people will either love or hate. Be prepared to play against decks that play similarly to Exarch/Twin without the insta-win.

I generally don’t want to be picking my angels as obvious picks, but when there is a card this awesome, this fun, and this powerful it must be included. If WOTC produces any instant that is too powerful in the next 2 sets, get ready for a huge outcry on how annoying this card will be to play against. (I personally enjoy the instant speed counter battles).

Now that we got the obvious out of the way, let’s look at a sleeper pick as one of the standout standard cards of the set. By the way, when I’m speaking about sleepers I’m really trying to dig deep on at least one of these choices. There are plenty of power cards that deserve a slot in these picks. The idea isn’t to pick the best 3 cards per se, just some of my favorite choices that will be standard breakouts. Most set reviews are actually too objective, and I aim to show off the fun and competitive by being slightly less objective in my choices for these picks.

Anyways, back to the sleeper Smi77y’s Angel pick:

One of the weaknesses of old white weenie was not surviving wraths. I think that changes now with some of the combat tricks white has received. There are lots of interactions with the new cards, and even some powerful underrated lords like Mikaeus. One of the better cards that make a deck like white weenie work may be [card]Midnight Haunting[/card]. It wouldn’t be Smi77y’s Angels without a Smi77yish card. With [card]Snapcaster Mage[/card], [card]Geist of Saint Traft[/card], and [card]Moorland Haunt[/card], there are quite a few ideas I think will become viable.

My last choice is in between the super obvious and the unseen. It’s a rare and there are few ways to deal with it. I also believe people are looking to pop this into aggro decks. That’s fine. It will work that way too. I think even more, this card will thrive in a midrange/control deck as a finishing card alongside a titan or [card]Snapcaster Mage[/card]. Notice how every card can tie back to Snapcaster being in a deck? Get your set now!

I’ve already slapped this into a RUG Control deck and it shined. Your measly 2/1 [card]Snapcaster Mage[/card] can easily finish an opponent in a turn or two. Trample is even more relevant than usual with so many small creatures in the last couple of sets. The fact that these lands don’t come into play tapped is a huge bonus. Additionally, with [card]Tectonic Edge[/card] gone, adding some to three color decks isn’t impossible.

I’ll wrap up by giving some honorable mentions that I won’t be overlooking anytime soon. Brews will ensue!

[card]Forbidden Alchemy[/card] (truly one of the spiky-est cards in the set)
[card]Mentor of the Meek[/card]
[card]Liliana of the Veil[/card] (too obvious!)
[card]Unburial Rites[/card]
[card]Garruk Relentless[/card] (too obvious!)
[card]Splinterfright[/card]
[card]Past in Flames[/card]
[card]Invisible Stalker[/card]
[card]Think Twice[/card]
[card]Mikaeus, the Lunarch[/card]

Happy brewing!