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Cycling Lands and Aven Mindcensor Amonkhet Previews

209 views · Published 1 April 2017 · 6:04 · Indexed 27 September 2026

Channel: MTGOTraders · 2017 · Gaming

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Ok guys Amonkhet preview season has, fortunately, or unfortunately, started a day early? Regardless it’s exciting! 

Unwavering Initiate.  Two colorless and one white mana this 3/2 vigilance creature has one of the sets new mechanics on it. Embalm.  Embalm is an ability that you can activate at sorcery speed when your creature is in your graveyard.  It comes back as a 3/2 vigilance creature once again, but this time it’s a Zombie Warrior. Sweet! For comparison on the power creep of Magic these days, Unwavering Initiate is basically a common, more expensive Call of the Herd.  For those unfamiliar with Call of the Herd it was, and has always been, printed as a Rare since it’s release in Odyssey. Unwavering Initiate has Vigilance as it’s mana trade off, and that makes this card a limited power house.  Being able to deal with threats early, trade up, and then return for extra value.  It’s kind of ridiculous.

Renewed Faith Two colorless and one white mana, you gain 6 life, or you can cycle the card, and when you cycle it, you gain 2 life instead.  While this card isn’t going to see any standard play alongside unwavering initiate, the cycling ability needs to be respected.  Especially in the limited format.  Since decks are so small that card draw can make the difference between victory and defeat.  A logical leap to put it at uncommon, and an interesting reprint that hasn’t seen the light of day since Onslaught. 
Now, let’s get into flavor town, population us!  Prowling Serpopard is one colorless and two green mana for a 4/3 catsnek that has two great control hate abilities.  Prowling Serpopard can’t be countered.  And Creature spells you control can’t be countered.  Ok.  As for the playability of this card? I’m not convinced.  The format that includes green is only doing so for mana ramping and playing bombs and/or winding constrictor.  I see very little room with a card that really on hits one type of deck. 

Moving on to a surprising reprint in the standard block and invocation as well, we’ve got Aven Mindcensor! This card, moving on up from uncommon to rare now, is making its standard debut since future sight, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.  With Traverse the Ulvenwald, Attune with aether, and so many tutor spells out there in different forms in decks all over standard, it makes sense to print a card that restricts it.  While it doesn’t shut down the tutor completely, it can stifle progress on say a 4-color Saheeli deck when they’re needing that third or fourth random one off land. Don’t underestimate the Mindcensor, it saw lots of play in it’s time and continues to see play in Commander and even some fringe Modern decks.  However, I would feel bad for you if you pulled this in Limited, because while it is a fair flyer for the format, it’s ability is way less relevant. 

Let’s talk about them. The Bi-cycle lands!!!!!
Ok I won’t call them that again, I promise.  The allied dual lands with cycling are finally here and boy do they look swell.  From irrigated farmland to sheltered thicket and fetid pools, the art is striking, distinct, and especially flavorful for Amonkhet.  Great work.  The biggest upside to these lands beside cycling is that they’re also dual land TYPES!! That means that they can be tutored with fetch lands in Modern, and that’s a pretty big deal.  You’ll also be happy to not only pull these in limited, but play them as well.  Since Cycling is on it, it’s not just a dead card mid game, as so many lands usually are.  Instead you can cycle, and draw for more value.  I’m unsure of the longevity and price of these in the long run, but I expect them to spike on release day for mana fixing, then ebb and flow during the first pro tour as always, as that’s usually, though not always, the indicator for which allied lands are worth paying for.  My recommendation? Get them as quickly as you can.  Lands usually never drop in price that much, and these are brand new.

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