It's been a very busy few weeks since our launch, so i'm thrilled to finally have the time to get back to writing again. It's been time consuming, it's been stressful, but the feedback from the community is keeping that fire hot and bright. This felt like a great time for the next piece of my Starter Pack series.
A few weeks ago, I talked about some "auto-includes" for any white deck. This week, our focus will be on blue, everybody's favorite color to play against (I say, sarcastically). With that being said, there is a ton of real spicy stuff at our disposal in this format, so it's hard to complain. I'm excited to kick off the second chapter of the Starter Pack series, let me delay no more.
Creatures
It's important for me to make clear, there are plenty more great creatures that blue has to offer. These are simply first choices that are always worth considering. For start, Archaeomancer will always be a difficult card to cut from any 99. Highlander is a singleton format, and a chance to use anything more than once is a blessing. Such a piece is not only attached to several decks, but strong combos as well.
Flying is a dangerous mechanic, and must be addressed in any way. Creatures that give you additional utility must not be ignored. Augury Owl is quite a cheap drop, allowing you to scry 3. That's a fantastic way to sculpt your hand. Mulldrifter is an excellent multi-use tool, especially in decks that are not mono blue. Don't want a creature? That's fine, pay its evoke cost and just draw. The final to note, Peregrine Drake, is just awesome. As long as you have the mana for it, the potential for it to be free exists. Just hope it doesn't get countered.
Enchantments
"Are you gonna pay one" is a phrase you better get used to hearing. However, if you are the one controlling Rhystic Study, those words will be as fine as aged wine. A power house in standard EDH as well, this will be the holy grail of card draw.
Freed from the Real grants a rather unique effect, allowing you the chance to keep things untapped, or repeated activated abilities. This will certainly play a role in several combos. I particularly like Traveler's Cloak for decks that aren't mono blue, for the beefier creatures. However, make no mistake, this is one solid whip of a card. You can draw on entering the battlefield, and essentially target one player. Fantastic!
Non-Permanents
Yes, I am aware that this section is WAY TOO SMALL, especially for blue. Keep in mind, this is meant to give you a starting point in building your deck, and what cards to consider, regardless of what you're building. With that said, let's say hello to Counterspell. I have very little to say about this card, other than "give it respect." I have already talked before about card draw, but it's essential that if you are to make sacrifices when trimming down to your 99, let these be the last two you consider cutting. Deep Analysis is just overloaded with utility, especially for a highlander format. Taigam's Scheming is so spicy, allowing you to trim your deck down, shape your next few draws, or deliberately place things in your graveyard to reanimate.
I felt a bit lazy last time, by not saying very much, so I wanted to make up for that this time, and give some insight as t why I picked these as my choices for a concise starter pack. These cards aren't particularly focused around one strategy. They're just great cards, and should always be appreciated. There's so much more to discover, but these should come to mind first.
Will every one of these cards work in every deck? Not necessarily, but it's a great place to start. Do these cards add power to your decks? Let this be a starting point for any deck you craft, and relieve some of the challenges that come with designing your own techs.
-Kyle
@PDH_Homebase
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