I'll get to the Innistrad adds shortly, but first I want to address the cuts from this round of changes, which is largely weeding out the fast mana additions I made earlier this year. This was an interesting experiment and I wanted to report on the results. To quote my goals when adding them:

Frankly, one of the reasons I wanted to include these cards is that they are highly contentious. There is a contingent of good players I know who maintain that fast mana like the lesser Moxen is utterly broken — unpassable by basically any deck and huge power outliers in my list. However, you rarely see this class of fast mana in "fair" lists like mine. They also seemed like very exciting cards to me, which could lead to even more explosive starts and story equity. I figured if they didn't turn out to be power outliers in my cube, maybe those moments of excitement will be all upside.

In all my time playing with the fast mana, I have come to believe pretty firmly that they are not power outliers in this environment. If you forced me to describe it in power level terms, they are being cut for not being good enough, as they are all worse than a basic land pretty much every time they're topdecked. Given that my list does not have any instant-win combos and is very interaction dense, the payoff of early tempo is not worth the risk of a dead card late.

However, the real reason they're getting the axe is because they have really bummed me out in the draft and deckbuilding portions. Most players seem to have strong feelings about these cards, so they're either regarded as unpassable or unplayable most of the time. Neither of which makes for interesting draft decisions. I actually found myself being a little bummed when I opened a Mox Diamond because my pick felt forced. I wasn't excited to draft a powerful card, I was disappointed for not really getting to make a decision and having to pass other more exciting cards. I've gathered from talking to others that some people feel this way about taking high-quality fixing early, which logically makes sense, but has never been the case for me personally. I am much more excited by starting on a Scalding Tarn than a Chrome Mox. More importantly, it felt like none of these cards contributed to your deck's plan, so they didn't really affect past or future picks. You just play them and hope to have them at the right time so you can squeeze the most out of them. Finally, my cube is feeling more cramped by the day, and these were taking up space without adding any texture to the play experience. I would much rather they be any other card that actually pushes and pulls on you in the draft. So, out they come.

The only other cuts (not including replacements) from this batch is Rankle, Master of Pranks and Subtlety. Rankle was just not doing enough to justify his inclusion at the four drop slot, which has a high bar. Subtlety is even narrower than I first imagined — I have found I don't want it in controlling decks, and while it's playable in midrange decks, especially UG, it's far from an appealing card for that deck. In practice, it's really felt just like a dedicated tempo card, where it is admittedly quite strong. However, if I wanted to run a dedicated blue tempo card, I would just run Delver of Secrets instead.

Consider is plainly great given my goals. Only issue is that it's really, really close to breaking my spirit of singleton rule, but what the hell, I am allowed to bend my own rules. Hard Evidence is every bit as fine as I imagined it was, and while it is, to my eye, a smidge better than some other 1 mana value cantrips in a control deck, it's so, so much worse in any kind of proactive blue deck. Consider is just great in both.

I really love everything about Arlinn, the Pack's Hope... except for the fact that she uses the new night/day mechanic which technically requires you to track it even if she leaves play. I'm going to try her nonetheless because I really want her to work. Domri, Anarch of Bolas has always been fine, but the fact that he does nothing on an empty board, and very little if your opponent has an empty board, has made him a very low priority for players.

Cling to Dust is in for testing. I could write a novel about my thoughts on this card, but instead I'll just refer you to Lucky Paper Radio Episode 63, starting just shy of the 45 minute mark.

I love the design on Fateful Absence. Great, efficient removal, but with a real downside. Council's Judgment has some of the most egregious rules text for 1v1 play of all time, and I have already cut almost all of the hexproof and otherwise insusceptible threats from my cube anyway, so this is just the world's most complicated Utter End. On top of that, I've been pretty down on 3mv removal in my environment for awhile given how low my curve has gotten.

Play with Fire is a Shock-but-different, but honestly not one I am super thrilled to play. Obviously on power level I love one mana burn spells, but the upside here is so narrow I don't expect it to affect decisions much. We will see. In theory Lava Dart was supposed to be cute with all the spells-matter payoffs, but I don't think I have seen anyone play it.

I had high hopes for Bone Shards, but I gotta be honest — I was basically never excited to draft it or put it in my deck. Every time I saw it in a pack I just wished it was any other more flexible black spell, and now, with the printing of Infernal Grasp, it is. Grasp is by far my favorite Doom Blade of all time — real downside, but not one that randomly hoses or punishes you.

Primal Adversary is my favorite of the adversary cycle. I am always ready to welcome another scaleable threat to green, and this feels very strong to me at every mode. I also think I like that you are risking your lands by paying the multikicker — I don't think you'll just blindly dump like 14 mana into this guy if you can, which you often do with other scaleable cards. I also like that the wording of its ability works with Green Sun's Zenith.

Bloodthirsty Adversary is my second favorite of the adversary cycle. I am pretty happy with a 2/2 haste for 2, and love having the late game mana sink when relevant.

Field of the Dead is also discussed at length in Lucky Paper Radio Episode 63, but I am excited about the prospect of a low-cost of inclusion, resilient, late-game win condition for control that also gives the lands-matter cards like Golos, Tireless Pilgrim and Knight of the Reliquary more applications. The same can be said of Shelldock Isle, which I have to confess I have missed and am glad to find room for again.