This is a challenge run by @mtg_ds on twitter and I encourage y’all to check it out!! Details are here. For EOE, the submission form is here

p0p1 challenge description

I’ve been slacking on set reviews lately (hard to wrangle the friend group and everyone, myself included, is just so busy) but I have to redeem my abysmal performance with FIN’s p0p1 (after switching off my gut instinct last minute.) Besides, I’m super excited about this set

My Picks:

  • W: Knight Luminary

Two 1/1s and a 3/2 all in one card is great, and at split costs of 2 and 4 I'm pretty into it. There's incentives for going wide too, and multiple creatures also enables greater flexibility with Station, which is probably good.

  • U: Cryogen Relic

Cryogen Relic obviously looks great in the artifact-sacrifice archetype, but with a very reasonable self sacrifice ability I think I'm pretty happy to run this in most of my blue decks, especially slower ones. Second pick here would probably be Mental Modulation, which is built for two-spells but has plenty of flexibility too

  • B: Virus Beetle

Disruptive two drop that either chumps or gets sacrificed later for extra value. What's not to like?

  • R: Drill Too Deep

Artifact removal, or instant-speed make your Spacecraft into a creature. There are certainly situations where this might be awkward, but I think it's flexible enough and that there are enough artifacts you want to destroy that I'm into it

  • G: Biosynthetic Burst

I recall Gaea's Gift being quite solid in BRO. Biosynthetic Burst trades the hexproof for untapping the creature, which is both good and bad. Worse as a protection special against several pieces of exile removal, but lets you ambush opposing attacks very effectively.

  • bonus common 1: Banishing Light

It's Banishing Light, how bad could it be? You do probably have to be careful not to hit something with a solid ETB (and warp as a mechanic seems to make it so there are mor of those) but it's probably fine

  • bonus common 2: Gravkill

Going for removal again. Getting to exile the card is great, and 4 mana instant is a reasonable rate. Also getting to hit noncreature Spacecraft is a big boon, since some have strong static abilities that your opponent is incentivized to shield by not actually stationing it into a creature

  • 2CUDS: Syr Vondam, the Lucent

A potent curve topper for any go-wide strategy, but also a very reasonable statline on its own at 5 mana 4/4 deathtouch lifelink. The fact that this even has an ETB trigger feels bonkers, and +1/+0 and deathtoch makes it never profitable for your opponent to block, while pushing a significant amount of damage if they don't.

  • Tiebreaker: Syr Vondam, Sunstar Exemplar

I guess Syr Vondam is the star of the set, because his rare also looks incredibly good. A grow threat with great keywords that even trades for a card if your opponent doesn't remove it before he hits 4 power (and that's only 2 triggers!) The question is just if you can enable him yourself well enough, and from what I'm seeing of WB it seems not too hard to kill off a few of your creatures—or, better yet, your opponent's