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With the Onslaught pre-release over and the spoiler out early, everyone from Timmy to Zvi is giving a detailed analysis for the latest expansion of Magic: The Gathering. There are generally two ways to review a card set; the first is to give a detailed card-by-card analysis like Gary Wise has been doing for many years, or you can review it with a general overview by uttering astonishingly insightful comments like 'Hey, this set is pretty good'.

Though the card-by-card approach is definitely the better of the two and most people are already doing it over the Internet, it is often tedious to read. Besides, I know that my fellow columnist Dan Turner is doing the card-by-card discussion, so I'll leave him the harder job.

However, instead of talking about the set in general, on which in my opinion is 'baaah!', I wish to talk about the new Morph mechanic for I think it is one of the more interesting Magic card ideas in a long time.

What is Morph?

Morph X (You may play this card face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)

Here is a question: if your opponent attacks with a face down 2/2 creature that have the capability to Morph, should you block?

Personally, I think you should ALWAYS block when this scenario occurs because you'll have to find out what is on the other side of that card eventually. Sure if you block, you might lose a creature in the process when your opponent flips over his or her Morph creature. But here is what could happen if you don't block.

1) Your opponent will Morph his creature into monstrosities like Grinning Demon or Blistering Firecat that can probably finish your miserable existence.
2) Your opponent might Morph his creature into those nasty Cabal Executioner, Head Hunter or Butcher Orgg, which can cause more damage to your board position then you would like.
3) By not blocking your opponent's Morph creature because you fear that it will kill your blocker, you are essentially letting 2 damage through every turn and give your opponent the time load up on enough mana to Morph some of the bigger guys like Krosan Colossus (not that many people will play that, but just as an example).
4) Well, you'll have to find out what is under that card sooner or later, I rather sooner so I can do the math on the table while I can afford it.

So why should you use Morph creatures? I mean after all, having to pay extra mana to flip over mediocre cards isn't the most efficient way to win games. Well for starters, since the alternate cost in casting Morph creatures is 3 colorless mana, you can minimize the risk of getting color screwed. But there are more reasons why you should use Morph creatures and the following is a list of reasons:

Taking the Heat off Your Important Creatures!

Unlike any creatures in Magic, Morph creatures are an unknown element to your opponent. Sure now we know that we should always block a Morph creature, but what about countering them or removing them with removal spells like Smother? How will your opponent know if it is worth trading counters for something that could be ranging from a Grinning Demon to Skirk Commando? Simply put, Morph creatures can be used to take away some of the firepowers that are used against your more important creatures by playing on your opponent's fear of the unknown.

The problem is of course, who in their right mind will main deck Skirk Commando in constructed?

Put That Angel on Lay-by!

For some creatures with the Morph ability, you can actually bring them in play faster then you could normally by first playing them face down, then pay its Morph cost the next turn to flip it over. One of the best examples for the lay-by Morph is the Exalted Angel, usually a 6th turn creature that you can bring out on 4th turn with haste. The down side of putting creatures on lay-by is that like many things on lay-by, the added cost will cost you more then the actual cost. In addition, since you have to invest more time into paying off one creature, you will essentially loose more momentum if your opponent simply remove the creature or bounce it.

Surprise Your Enemies and Deceive Your Friends!

Creatures with abilities in a disruptive nature in addition to their Morph ability like Voidmage Prodigy, Whipcorder and Disruptive Pitmage can be real nutcrackers that can cause havoc in your game plan. Unlike their fellow Morphing relatives that rely on brawn strength, these guys use their wit instead. They are the Austin Powers who will foil your world domination plan, the traffic jam that will make you late for work or even your girlfriend's father who gives you the 'I know what you're thinking' look right before she invites you in for coffee. Sure these guys usually cost too much to put down and flip over, but their surprise element and the fear they induce in your enemy is often worth the effort.

Making Those Bastards Pay for Not Blocking!

Since it has already been established that it is always better to block face down creatures, Morph creatures that does something nasty if they went unblocked and flips over are pretty lousy. They are usually lacking in the power and toughness department making them easy to kill, cost a fortune to Morph and pretty useless after their cunning ploy has been revealed. This is because if your opponent is stupid enough not to block the first time around, he is definitely going to do it now. It is perhaps the worst of all Morph abilities so is it any surprise that most Red and Black Morph creatures fall in this category?

That's it for this month, incase anyone is wondering, the thesis is coming along fine so I still have a bit of time to write articles. The next article (In November) will be:

Theory Behind Magic IN GP MELBOURNE!

Provided that a cheque that I'm expecting doesn't bounce.

Ciao
Minga

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