If you were on forums in the lead-up to Theros,
you no doubt remember that there was some
disappointment when that block's dual land
designs were revealed. Most of those same people
ended up playing Theros' scry lands in decks
they posted publicly on those same forums, which
should have taught us all an important lesson
about the internet. There's a good reason scry
has become an evergreen mechanic - much like a
dual land, it's something that every deck can
make use of, and much like Worldwake's animating
dual lands, combining two good things gives you
something even better. The creative department
also did another good job of using the lands as
worldbuilding; the fact that each of them is a
temple highlights the role of religion and the
gods on Theros. (Actually, considering how much
of the block is inspired by the God of War video
games, I was sort of expecting some climactic
piece from Journey into Nyx that showed Ajani
slashing Heliod to pieces in a backdrop that
resembled but was legally distinct from the
Chamber of the Flame. Perhaps next time . . .)
Until next week, play with lands that come into
play tapped. A lot of them are really, really
good.
Today's cards of the day are the Scry dual
lands from Theros which enter play tapped and
have you Scry 1. While Scry is a nice
benefit and these are obviously better than
generic dual lands, these are only a little
better than the gain one life lands and do not
offer as much potential as the top creature
lands. In a Scry supported deck or one
where filtering is critical these have added
value, but overall they won't see play over
options that can enter play untapped.
These always annoyed me. Sure, scry is good, but
for that peek, you're effectively setting
yourself back that turn. Except on turn 1. Late
game, they're alright, but not scary good. It's
nice that it does something, but i'm personally
wary about lands that ETB tapped.
