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                            New Staples Throughout Magic's history, certain cards appear over
                        and over again in
 decks of the appropriate colors. disenchant for white,
                        counterspell for
 blue, etc.  but recently, what has become more
                        important is the
 environmental staples, due to the constantly changing
                        bans/restrictions and
 due to certain cards just plain rotating out of the
                        environment; such as
 dark ritual and lightning bolt  (soon extended may
                        not even have swords to
 plowshares!).  So I would like to voice my opinion
                        on what I would like to
 see turn up consistently in sets and not get banned, 
                        for I like the idea of
 steady, universal staple cards.
 
 Black:
 Duress-  shores up some of the weaknesses of black,
                        while still remaining in
 flavor.  I was very glad to see it reprinted in
                        7th, and would like to see
 it for a long time to come.
 Dark Ritual- was previously a staple from the old base
                        set's '3 for 1 mana'
 genre, until it recently got banned in extended. 
                        Without dark ritual, black
 becomes almost entirely a 'splash only' card, especially
                        with necropotence
 now being out of the picture.  And, with necro and
                        several other combo types
 gone, black deserves its old standby back.  There
                        is no hypnotic spectre (or
 anything really comparable in power, despite what people
                        say about blazing
 spectre) so just give us back our rit.
 Carnophage/Negator:  one of the powerful creatures
                        for a version of suicide
 black should always be in.  Whipstitch Zombie just
                        doesn't cut it.
 
 Blue:
 Thwart: I like thwart a lot. it really does seem to me
                        like a 'fixed' force
 of will.  You have to be playing a reasonably heavy
                        blue deck,  and you
 can't do it in the first couple of turns,  but it
                        doesn't lose you card
 advantage and is still an excellent emergency or 'I
                        gotta tap lands during
 my main phase sometime' card.  Force of Will was
                        just too splashable.
 generically so as demonstrated in this last extended
                        season,  and didn't
 allow for smart players to really play around it. either
                        your opponent has
 the force or doesn't.
 Mahamoti Djinn: what? I like laying large creatures. 
                        And if blue is
 supposed to be the Flying color, why does it get air
                        elemental when white
 gets serra angel?  While you're at it, reprint
                        spindrift drake.
 
 White:
 Paladin en vec: Not overpowered, in flavor for the
                        color, and a strong card
 without being ultra cheap for its offensive
                        capabilities.  A good defensive
 card, which is what white is supposed to be, a defensive
                        color.
 Swords to plowshares:  or at least something to
                        replace it within reason.
 Last breath? Phaw! Path of Peace?  Seriously guys! 
                        Cheap, instant creature
 kill,  with a reasonable drawback.  It doesn't
                        have to remove from the game,
 it doesn't have to cost only one mana (but preferably
                        not more than 2)  but
 it should at least be playable beyond sealed (or an
                        environment where its
 only real reason for being is nether spirit).
 
 Green:
 2 power 1 drop:  Green is the creature color, and
                        while it does have some
 strong ones, wild dog or pouncing jaguar by itself
                        doesn't completely
 unbalance the game.  As it stands birds and
                        llanowar elves are the only
 truly good green one drop creatures, and they usually
                        aren't combat
 effective.  Since green doesn't have satisfactory
                        creature removal, it
 should at the very least win the ground pounders war.
 Rancor: It belongs in green.  It just does. Period.
 Emerald charm: One of my favorite green cards ever. 
                        Versatile, abilities
 that are in flavor for green, and not environmentally
                        destructive.
 
 Red:
 Lightning bolt: well. maybe not. But quit giving us
                        shock variants.  Arc
 lightning and urza's rage are good cards and do THREE
                        damage while being
 versatile. Please reprint them (or cards like them) more
                        often.  Strafe
 should be intant.  There was nothing wrong with
                        incinerate.  No, I don't
 want singe, cone of flame, or lava axe; or any other
                        mediocre to bad card.
 Just something solid.
 Fireslinger: burning color, balanced, I dunno, he just
                        fits.  And doesn't
 cost 4 or 5 mana to be useful.  It is sad when
                        prodigal is playable in type
 two and red's equivalent (kris mage, which I do like,
                        regardless) is sub par
 because of the loss or at least breaking even of card
                        advantage
 (specifically because you are one for one-ing with birds
                        and elves and with
 the prodigal you are actually gaining ground). Red's
                        direct damage should be
 better than blue's.
 
 There are many more things that I would like to see over
                        and over again,
 these are just a few prime examples I thought I would
                        throw out there for
 consideration.  Bring back rancor NOW.
 
 
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