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Editor: Audrey C Quan. Saturday 26 October 2002.
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Onslaught Limited Review - White
Onslaught is a big set for white with more soldiers and clerics than
you can poke a stick at. Exalted Angel leads the charge as the best
white card but there are many other contenders including a wrath that
also destroys artifacts and enchantments, an invincible pit fighter and
the new Kjeldoran Outpost.
There are over 18 soldiers in white (8 of which are common) ranging
from the efficient Glory Seeker to the powerful Catapult Master. The
new Gustcloak soldiers allow players to recklessly attack and then pull
them out of combat if the blocks are not favourable ready for a
counterattack on the next turn. It will be interesting to see how white
stacks up against the other colours......
In my final review I will be looking at the lands and artifacts in
Onslaught.
Until then, keep playing them cards
Dan
Akroma's Blessing 2W
Very similar to Mercadian Masques Reverent Mantra, Akroma's Blessing is
one of the more useful tricks for white. The fact it cycles means it
will make the cut of most white draft decks and is a good foil for
bombs such as Starstorm and/or Slice and Dice.
I would always prefer a decent creature to this but otherwise it is a
solid midrange pick, 7th to 10th.
Akroma's Vengeance 4WW
You don't have to be a genius to work out that this card is amazing.
The fact it wipes out enchantments and artifacts is an added bonus, as
you should always gain card advantage from this.
Like Starstorm, it does cycle, so you can always get a card out of it
at the very least if you find yourself short of mana. A first pick
without a doubt, Akroma's Vengeance is one of the better rares and a
damn good reason to start drafting white.
Ancestor's Prophet 4W
Catapult Master and Ancestor's Prophet are the 2 white lords and are
both very good in certain decks. Suited to a B/W archetype, Ancestor's
Prophet will truly shine as there are 31 clerics between both of these
colours (roughly a third of these are common) making 3 digit life
totals a possibility. As a draft pick all of the lords are tough
choices because they depend upon other creatures. Ancestor's Prophet is
an early to mid range pick and best suited to a B/W deck, 4th to 7th.
Astral Slide 2W
Some players in Sydney really like this card as you can put damage on
the stack, cycle, and then remove your creature from the game. It is
good for getting rid of pesky enchantments like Pacifism and
Lavamancer's Skill and is the best cycling dependant enchantment in the
set.
I said before that I don't like cards that rely on other cards but
Astral Slide is an exception. A sleeper card that will slowly creep
into draft players maindecks, it is a mid to late range pick that will
often lap the table, 7th to 12th.
Aura Extraction 1W
I think you would always want to play Demystify as it is cheaper,
easier to draft (ie. a common) and a permanent way of dealing with
enchantments. The only situations where I can see this being used is
with your own creature enchantments (ie. Pacifisms, Mistform Masks,
etc) to target better creatures that have entered play. A late pick,
12th to 15th.
Aurification 2WW
Aurification is a really good reason for players to play main deck
enchantment removal in limited at the moment. If you cannot get rid of
this enchantment it won't take long for your creatures to turn into
stunned muppets whilst your opponent figures out another way to finish
you off.
I don't think this is a first pick card as I would pick a quality
creature over this every time but it is one of the most annoying
enchantments in the set and should not be overlooked. An early pick,
3rd to 5th.
Aven Brigadier
White has 25 birds and soldiers in Onslaught making the Brigadier quite
a powerful card. He makes Dive Bombers and Gustcloak Harriers 4/4
fliers, which is not bad considering they are common!
The triple casting cost means you have to commit to white early if you
open this guy but he does making drafting creatures easy as you can
ignore clerics in favour of soldiers and/or birds. Suited to either an
aggressive U/W deck with lots of fliers or a W/R deck with cheap
removal, Aven Brigadier is an early pick, 1st to 3rd.
Aven Soulgazer 3WW
3/3 fliers for 5 mana are fine in a format that lacks big evasive
creatures. The soulgazers ability will come in handy against common
morphs Spitting Gourna and Ascending Aven, making him a solid early
pick (remember he is a cleric also!), 2nd to 4th.
Battlefield Medic 1W
Another good tribal creature, Battlefield Medic is useful as he can
protect your face down creatures on the third turn. Suited to a B/W
deck where the cleric count can be maximized Battlefield Medic is
worthy of a midrange pick, 6th to 9th.
Catapult Master is one of the strongest lords as his ability to remove
creatures from the game at instant speed is quite good. The fact that
white has 18 soldiers in Onslaught (6 of which are common) makes him a
first draft pick in my opinion. Suited to any archetype the Catapult
Master gives white a good removal option in a set where there is very
little.
Catapult Squad 1W
A good 2-drop for white, Catapult Squad stops face down creatures in
their tracks, as they don't even have to tap to use their ability. They
are quite fragile but their ability is well worth it. An early pick,
3rd to 5th.
Chain of Silence 1W
Let me get this straight, I target one of my opponent's creatures so
that it doesn't deal any damage, they sac a land and target one of mine
as well...
This sounds like a fancy fog to me as your opponent will always have
the option of nullifying its effect. A late range pick unless I am
proved otherwise, 12th to 15th.
Circle of Solace 3W
So we now have COP creatures. In limited this can be mildly frustrating
if your deck is jammed full of goblins and/or zombies and you have no
means of getting rid of enchantments.
Everyone will be playing tribal creatures in Onslaught making this a
"must get rid of" enchantment. Like Aurification, Circle of Solace
should be drafted early 3rd to 5th.
Convalescent Care 1WW
I had this played against me at the prerelease and my opponent used its
ability once before I stormed him down in an alpha strike. There are
better enchantments out there for white life gain, (look at Righteous
Cause). A mid to late pick, 10th to 12th.
Crowd Favorites 6W
Are these guys worth it? 7 mana for a 4/4 is a lot but they do have a
useful ability and should be able to hold off some of the biggest
creatures in the set. The fact they are white means you can't really
take advantage of green's mana acceleration (W/G is a bad combo!)
making them very clunky. The format is slow so they will still remain
popular with the crowd, a mid to late pick, 8th to 12th.
Crown of Awe 1W
Realistically you could play this maindeck as most decks will have
either black or red in them, but other than that it does nothing, nada,
zero. It is hard to compare this to the other crowns, as there is no
stat boost and is very defensive in nature. I think this will be a
sideboard card more often than not and is a late draft pick as a
result, 12th to 15th.
Crude Rampart 3W
A good, solid and cheap blocker, that is what you expect from a white
wall! This thing can block or take down most of the common beasts in
the set and can be hardcast for just 4 mana. These sorts of creatures
should be drafted early, as they will not go around the table, even to
the point of drafting the rampart over a card like Gustcloak Harrier,
if your deck lacks defense. An early pick, Crude Rampart should be
taken 3rd to 6th.
Daru Cavalier 3W
The Daru Lancer is so much better than this guy it is not funny. 4 mana
for a 2/2 first striker is pretty bad; he even makes the Screaming
Seahawk look good! A late pick, 12th to 15th.
Daru Healer 2W
I think the Battlefield Medic is better than Daru Healer only because
you can play the medic on the second turn. Still, this guy is not that
bad, is cheap to morph and has the potential to make a good combat
trick. Suited to the deck of clerics (ie. B/W), Daru Healer is a
midrange pick, 7th to 10th.
Daru Lancer 4WW
Daru Lancer is the best common soldier for white and should always be
played as a face down creature so you can morph and first strike your
opponent's creatures on the next turn. Not as efficient as the Glory
Seeker (manawise) however the Daru Lancer will often stop your
opponent's ground attacks dead in their tracks. An early pick, 3rd to
6th.
Daunting Defender 4W
White's beefiest common cleric is a must have in any cleric based deck.
Daunting Defender will give red decks headaches as he often trades 2
for 1 with their removal spells. Remember this guy prevents 1 damage to
any other cleric you control making blocking decisions that little bit
trickier for your opponent. A solid early to midrange pick, 5th to 7th.
Dawning Purist 2W
Another good cleric, Dawning Purist is similar to the Soltari Visionary
from Exodus. If played as a face down creature the purist will often be
able to take out an enchantment before your opponent can get rid of
him. I wouldn't rely on this guy to be your only enchantment removal
though, so make sure you pick up a Demystify or two. A midrange pick,
7th to 10th.
Defensive Maneuvers 3W
This is too defensive in my opinion and will often end up in the
sideboard. There are only a few cards this is any good against (Kamahl,
Starstorm, Slice and Dice, etc) and even then it is only a short term
answer. Total chaff, 12th to 15th.
Demystify W
Demystify is pretty straightforward cheap enchantment removal. You
should always have at least one of these, as they are a lot of
irritating enchantments around. It should come around late and that is
when to take it, 10th to 15th.
Disciple of Grace 1W
I mentioned in my previous review that the Disciple of Malice was
really bad but now I have different thoughts....
Firstly they are both cheap clerics and great for powering up Profane
Prayers and all those other tribal mechanics. They both cycle, which is
handy especially if your opponent is not playing any black or white
cards. The Disciple of Grace is also a good blocker for Wretched
Anurid, as this guy can dominate the table early if you don't have any
defence. These guys are still late picks though but worth looking out
for, 10th to 12th.
Dive Bomber 3W
This is the second best common flier for white and it is pretty good.
Dual creature types makes the Dive Bomber fit into most tribal
strategies and its ability will often give you 2 for 1 card advantage.
An early pick as evasive creatures are limited (no pun intended) in
Onslaught, 3rd to 5th.
Doubtless One 3W
All of the avatars are quite good and I rank the Doubtless One third
behind Soulless One and Heedless One. The Heedless One just edges out
the white avatar because every green deck will play some elves whereas
white decks are torn between the cleric or soldier route (in most
cases).
Again the B/W archetype is the strongest for the Doubtless One and it
works really well with a Daunting Defender in play. This should be an
early pick but will vary depending upon your deck, 4th to 8th.
Now this is what Onslaught is all about, 4/5 spirit linked fliers that
you can play on the fourth turn! If you cast this as a 2/2 then your
opponent has one turn to deal with it before it reveals it's true self.
Surprise value is key here especially if you play several morph
creatures in your deck as your opponent will never be sure which one is
the angel and try to kill everyone you play.
Six mana is still pretty good anyway for this sort of creature so don't
be afraid of holding back to play it later on in the game. A solid
first pick and one of the best creatures for white in the set.
Foothill Guide W
There are enough goblins in this set to warrant playing this guy. He
also has morph so can be used as a decoy for your better morph
creatures. A good sideboard card, Foothill Guide should only be played
maindeck if you are really lacking creatures or need an extra cleric. A
late pick, 12th to 15th.
Glarecaster 4WW
The Glarecaster really punishes decks that play no or little removal,
as you should be able to win if he comes out in the late game. If your
opponent can't get rid of it (with black removal) then it becomes a 3/3
unblockable flier as long as you keep 6 mana open (unless your opponent
has a whole army of fliers of course). The fact you can redirect damage
from yourself makes attacking difficult for your opponent and they will
often have to waste 2 burn spells or creatures on it. This is one bird
you want to draft 1st to 3rd.
Glory Seeker 1W
In a set where there are a lot of 3 casting cost 2/2's the Glory Seeker
can really put the hurt on your opponent especially if you played
first. The soldier archetype can be played in 2 different builds, the
U/W aggressive, creature heavy, evasive deck with Gustcloak Harriers,
Ascending Avens, Mistform Dreamers etc, or the W/R (or W/B)
soldier/goblin (soldier/zombie) with removal and gamebreakers such as
Wave of Indifference and Dirge of Dread.
A key card to both of these decks is Piety Charm, which is really good
with the Glory Seeker especially if he is played on the second turn as
he can block (and kill) any face down creatures your opponent plays on
the next turn. A mid range pick, 5th to 8th.
Grassland Crusader 5W
I tried this guy out in a soldier heavy deck and didn't like him at
all. 6 mana for a 2/4 is just too much and it will often spend most of
its time languishing in your hand. Ideally he is suited to W/G, but who
is going to play that in this format?
Sorry but the Grassland Crusader has been relegated to the chaff
division, 12th to 15th.
Gravel Slinger 3W
Gravel Slinger is the second best playable common morph creature behind
Daru Lancer. He is great for combat tricks and can be used to wipe out
other face down creatures as he can be morphed after damage has been
put on the stack. Most white decks should have at least one of these
guys and is a solid midrange pick for white, 5th to 8th.
Gustcloak Harrier 1WW
This is the best white common creature in Onslaught. A 2/2 flier for 3
mana is a good deal and it has a useful special ability to boot! All of
the Gustcloaks are very good (with the exception of the runner) as they
can be withdrawn from combat ready to block on the next turn.
The Harrier is an early pick and also benefits from having a dual
creature type. A 1st to 3rd pick.
Gustcloak Runner W
The weakest of the Gustcloak creatures, the Runner is by no means
unplayable but he won't be dominating the table either. He is good
against quick R/B goblin style decks that play a lot of 1 drops. A late
pick though, 12th to 15th.
Gustcloak Savior 4W
The Saviour is the best Gustcloak creature with a very powerful
ability. A 3/4 flier is tough for most decks to deal with and he works
nicely with all of the soldier tribal cards like Piety Charm, Unified
Strike, etc. The fact you can attack without caution makes the
Gustcloak Saviour a first pick in my opinion.
Gustcloak Sentinel 2WW
The Sentinel is strong, come on a 3/3 for 4 mana in white! This guy
would be a lot better if he wasn't in the same set as Daru Lancer as
they can be both played on the 4 turn (although the Sentinel is more
efficient). Like all of the other Gustcloaks he is great on both
offence and defence, although the Sentinel is only a soldier (unlike
the Harrier, Skirmisher and Saviour). An early pick, 2nd to 4th.
Gustcloak Skirmisher 3W
I prefer the Skirmisher to the Sentinel, as evasion is a precious
commodity in Onslaught. It is the 3 toughness that makes this guy stand
out from the rest of the fliers in the set as he can block (and kill)
all of the common ones (except for Ascending Aven and Sage Aven). He is
also a Bird Soldier so combines nicely with tribal cards, (including
Seaside Haven!) making him an early pick, 1st to 3rd.
Harsh Mercy 2W
In a set that is dominated by creature types, Harsh Mercy looks like a
very powerful card as it punishes players who stray away from tribal
strategies. I can see this being used with the Mistform creatures (and
Imagecrafter) to good effect but will fit nicely into any white based
deck that plays with 2 main creature types. An early pick and a card
that will increase in power once players realize how good it is, 1st to
3rd.
From now on I will refer to Improvised Armour as Cycle Pants. Cycle
Pants is one of the better creature enchantments in the set even though
it is an uncommon. Put this on any of the common fliers and your
opponent has a 4/7 creature on their hands! Alternatively a 5/9 first
striking Daru Lancer is pretty good too!
The great thing about Cycle Pants is that, yes you can cycle them if
you don't need them or are slightly manascrewed. A very good card, I
rate the pants highly, 3rd to 5th.
Inspirit 2W
Inspirit is another good combat trick for white that has 2 separate
effects. Obviously useful with creatures like Sparksmith and
Battlefield Medic, Inspirit is great when you are on the offensive to
smash holes in your opponent's defence.
An early pick and one of the better white combat tricks, 3rd to 5th.
Ironfist Crusher 4W
Ironfist Crusher is better played as a face down creature as he is
cheaper to morph. When he is in play slap a Sandskin on him and he
becomes a super blocker! Like the Crude Rampart, Ironfist Crusher is
very defensive but his ability may well save you from an alpha strike.
An early to midrange pick, 4th to 6th.
Jareth is the big 6-mana legend for white and weighs in well compared
to the other colours. His special ability is really handy to squeeze thr
ough 4 damage a turn or alternatively he can become a super blocker and
crunch anything on the ground like a bug. He also shrugs off creature
enchantments and laughs at creature removal.
This is a high pick for white but Exalted Angel edges it out on pure
power. A first pick.
Mobilization 2W
How good is Mobilization? Very good indeed. It is even better if your
deck is packed full of soldiers like Dive Bombers and Gustcloak
Harriers. I had 2 Mobilizations in a draft recently and was amazed at
how quickly this can dominate the table if your opponent's deck is full
of ground creatures.
Another good reason for main deck enchantment removal, Mobilization is
the best white enchantment in Onslaught. Once you hit 6 mana your
opponent will be struggling to keep up with your little factory of
soldiers. It also combos well with cards such as Nantuko Husk, Catapult
Squad/Master and any other of the soldier tribal mechanics. A first
pick.
Nova Cleric W
I like the idea of this little guy in limited, as there are always
pesky enchantments that will have players wringing their hands in
frustration (see Mobilization above). The Supernova Cleric deals with
this and more by eliminating all enchantments in play, even though he
is a bit fragile. Is he better than Dawning Purist? Maybe, as he is
cheaper and will definitely nail those enchantments (including your
own).
Not a high pick by any means, but keep an eye on him if you see a lot
of crazy enchantments going around, 7th to 10th.
Oblation 2W
This is a tough card to call in my opinion, as you don't want your
opponent drawing cards from this if you can help it. It is best cast on
your own permanents (especially on creatures once damage is on the
stack!) as a response to a removal spell. I will go out on a limb here
and say it is an early pick, but I do need to play with it some more,
4th to 6th.
Pacifism 1W
Pacifism has now appeared in 6 magic base sets and is still one of the
best white "removal" spells. It fits into any of the white/tribal
archetypes and should always be drafted highly. An early pick, 1st to
3rd.
Pearlspear Courier 2W
Like all of the couriers, Pearlspear Courier is very fragile and there
are better creatures you want to be playing on the third turn. Still,
if you have a soldier deck you may want to draft this card a little
higher. A midrange pick, 6th to 10th.
Piety Charm W
This is a good charm as it handles all of the common crowns and
annoying stuff like Lavamancer's Skill and Pacifism. If your deck is
laden with soldiers then Piety Charm is a real gem as a +2/+2 boost for
1 mana is really good. A mid to late range pick, Piety Charm may just
go around the table, 9th to 12th.
Renewed Faith 2W
Instant life gain has never been my thing in limited unless it was
something like Death Grasp (yes, I know it is a sorcery but you know
what I mean). Renewed Faith does have cycling so it can't be all bad,
but it does look like deck filler to me, 12th to 15th.
Righteous Cause 3WW
I lost to this at the prerelease so have developed some respect for
Righteous Cause. You gain life whenever a creature attacks (including
your own) and is especially good with the Gustcloak creatures as they
can be removed from combat after being declared as attackers.
This is ideally suited to a deck packing a lot of creatures, to
maximize the life gain but you don't want to sacrifice creature
removal/tricks for it. A mid range pick, 7th to 9th.
Sandskin 2W
So white has a Gaseous Form in Sandskin. It is good to see R & D mixing
things up a bit. Maybe in the next base set black will have enchantment
removal! (that was a joke). Gaseous Form was good back in Tempest block
as there were lots of Shadow creatures around (which could only be
blocked by other shadows). It could shut down these creatures easily
making it quite a useful card.
In Onslaught it is not as good because if you enchant your opponent's
creatures they become superblockers that never deal or receive combat
damage. Still it will see some marginal usage, a late pick, 12th to
15th.
Shared Triumph 1W
This looks pretty good to me, as most decks will be playing 2 solid
creature types. Mistform creatures bend the rules with this card so
watch out or draft them yourself!
Like Divine Sacrament, Crusade and all the other global enhancers,
Shared Triumph is a solid first pick that will always be useful. Just
remember you can't choose face down creatures as a creature type!
Shieldmage Elder 5W
Shieldmage Elder works well in a B/W or U/W deck (like you didn't know
that already) especially if you have Mistform creatures. His first
ability is the strongest as Onslaught is all about creature battles but
you only need one other wizard to prevent damage from spells.
Any creature that aids 2 creature types will be in high demand,
especially if that creature counts as both of those types himself. An
early pick, 2nd to 4th.
Sigil of the New Dawn 3W
This looks like another broken enchantment. I think Mobilization is
better because it is stronger in the late game while the Sigil is
reliant on creatures going to the graveyard. It is still very powerful
however and fits into any white based archetype. A first pick.
Sunfire Balm 2W
Another good trick for white, Sunfire Balm is the Embolden of
Onslaught. It looks like a good W/R card where you can protect your
fragile utility creatures (eg. Sparksmith) from burn spells and the
like. Sunfire Balm should make the cut just because it has cycling, a
mid range pick 6th to 9th.
True Believer WW
This guy is like an Ivory Mask on legs but at half the cost. Being a
creature he is susceptible to the usual array of removal/burn spells
around but he may well buy a turn when those same spells could be aimed
to the dome. Still this does not warrant a high pick but don't expect
this guy to go around the table. A midrange pick, 6th to 9th.
Unified Strike W
I must say that I quite like this card. It is the only cheap instant
removal white has in Onslaught (I'm not counting Oblation here!), even
though it is dependant on the amount of soldiers in play (it also
counts your opponent's soldiers).
It suits the quick U/W deck (with Gustcloak Harriers, Ascending Avens,
etc) and the fast W/R deck with the usual assortment of removal,
goblins and soldiers. Watch out for removal spells in response to
casting Unified Strike, as you don't want to be caught with your pants
down. Better still, make sure you have a couple of Mistform creatures
around waiting to turn into soldiers. An early to midrange pick
depending on your style of deck, 4th to 7th.
Weathered Wayfarer W
Land Tax was banned years ago right? The wayfarer may feel a bit
weathered but you won't be when your library is thinned down by one
land a turn. This strategy only really works if you are drawing but is
also good if you miss a land drop in the early game.
I really think this card is overpowered for 1 mana but time will tell
if I am right or not. The wayfarer is an early pick for white but you
may want to take a solid removal spell (or creature) instead, 4th to
6th.
Whipcorder WW
This is so much better than the Nomad Decoy from Odyssey and it even
has the morph ability to boot (not that you would use it much!)
A 2/2 for 2 mana is a good deal even without this special ability, so
the Whipcorder is going to be in high demand in Onslaught drafts. A
good early pick, 1st to 3rd.
Words of Worship 2W
This has constructed play written all over it but I'm sure it will see
some usage in the limited environment as well. Nowhere near as good as
Words of War, Words of Worship is more of a sideboard card against
quick, aggressive beatdown (ie. B/R). A late pick, 10th to 12th.
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