Homebrew Pick of the Week

So after reviewing my "Card of the Day" posts (or lack there of) I decided to just do a weekly post about a card and then do another post about building a deck around that card. This week's card is one of the most built around cards in the current standard and is probably one of the most fun cards to play in the last few sets. Without further delay I present: Reveilark!

Reveillark is an amazingly versatile card that can be useful and abusable in a hundred different situations. You can pretty much do anything you want to it or with it. Many people will be sad to see it go when the Lorwyn block rotates out of standard in October.

Strengths:

-4/3 Flyer for 5 with a strong ability

-See "Ways to Abuse" section for more

Weakness:

-Used best in decks that don't ramp (however there would be no need to ramp into it because you would have no target for its ability)

-Can only run 4 of these per deck :)

Ways to Abuse:

-Evoke- Can evoke it to instantly gain the advantage of it's ability.

-Beat for 4 until someone blocks or uses a spot removal and then get 2 creatures from the graveyard into play

-Use to Path to Exile to make use of its ability and ramp at the same time

-Use Fulminator Mage to decimate your opponents land and then get him back via lark to do it all over again ( good vs most decks in standard because they all run tons of non-basic land)

-Ranger of Eos to Flamekin Harbinger to Reveillark and equivalent strategies make decks like boat brew insanely powerful/efficient

-Use Turn to Mist to blink your Lark in and out of play to keep it on the field but also gain the advantage of its ability ( this was even better when Momentary Blink was still in standard).

-Brings back Figures of Destiny or equivalant buffable beater and then pump them for an efficient beatdown strategy

-Brings back token producers like Siege-Gang Commander

So basically there are numerous ways to abuse the power of Reveillark making it one of the most used cards in the current standard meta. I think that after Alara Reborn this card has only gotten stronger in blue white decks and possibly green white as well. It will be interesting to see how the meta changes as Alara Reborn starts to be incorporated into current type two decks with the abundance of great lark targets in every color. I'm especially interested in seeing how the meta changes in October when the new set causes the Lorwyn block to phase out. It is definitely going to change the face of standard significantly.

Card of the Day: Path to Exile

So I really didn't get off to a very good start with my daily "Card of the Day" posts but I'm going to attempt to keep up with it better in the future. Anyway, on to today's card: Path to Exile! Arguably one of the most powerful cards in the current standard. For just one white mana you can permanently remove a creature from the game. At instand speed!! In a standard dominated by decks running white as one of their colors I just have one word for this card: Overpowered! While there is the inevitable drawback of letting the creature's controller fetch a basic land and put it into play it is still a rediculously strong card. You can actually use this to your advantage with a card like Knight of the White Orchid. Aggro and control decks are actually having their mana bases altered to include basic lands just because of this one card!

Strengths:

-Low mana cost (W)

-Instant speed

-Creature is removed from game

-White card in a standard dominated by decks running white spells

-Highly Abusable

Weaknesses:

-Gives land advantage to opponent

-Can only run 4 of them per deck :P

Ways to Abuse:

-Knight of the White Orchid: Path their creature and then play the Knight nulling the land advantage of your opponent!

-Tidehollow Sculler: Path your Sculler as it comes into play. It's leaves play ability goes on the stack above its comes into play ability before you even look at your opponents hand. This allows you to permanently remove a non-land card in your opponents hand from the game and get land advantage at the same time!

-Reveillark: Path your own Lark to get it to leave play quickly and gain land advantage at the same time!

(Picture Courtesy of Wizards of the Coast inc.)