Masters 25 Review

Weeeeellllllllll, the new Masters set has been revealed.

I know you're all itching to know what I think.

Overview:

I really like the inclusion of the original set as the watermark. That's rad. I don't know that it should be done in core sets, since I think that might be confusing and the design for most core sets is meant to include newer players, not to mention be Standard legal and a reprint with an old set symbol might be confusing.

But in sets like these? Approved.

White:
Definitely a couple surprises: Armageddon being the biggest one for me. I have come around to the notion that mass land destruction is unfun, instead I'm all about cards like Stone Rain or nonbasic land destruction.That said, I cannot argue with Armageddon's value as a representative of Magic's old days.

I'm disappointed to see Disenchant, though: moving that effect to Green was a smart move, yet Wizards doesn't seem to be able to let it go from white.

Gods Willing is a nice reprint though, as is Thalia. Valor in Akros is a surprise-I didn't know this card existed-and I feel as though that's a card I should pick up copies of. It seems like a useful ability in any midrange deck and a great card in Commander.

Blue:
Flash is the big surprise: that card got banned for creating a turn 0 kill deck. In a way, I suppose, it's indicative of how many remarkable cards there are in Magic's history to choose from. Everybody has a card they love.

Ghost Ship is a big 'why?' It already had a reprint in Time Spiral and was not, that I know of, beloved. Still, the artwork is pretty cool. Speaking of: the artwork for Arcane Denial I like a lot, too.

The card I'm surprised is missing: Boomerang. It hasn't seen a printing in years and it's just as iconic as Man-o'-War (another excellent reprint).

Black:
Ihsan's Shade is a surprise, as is Ravenous Chupacabra. The Shade because they don't like protection cards anymore (though I suppose they had to pick something from the Homelands set), and the Chupacabra because its ability is just brutal in Limited formats. Black has a lot of murdery cards already.

I'm glad to see Phyrexian Obliterator come around again and I doubt they'll ever be able to print enough Relentless Rats. Plus, the new art for Living Death is every death metal album cover, ever.

Red:
Blood Moon reprint: good. Browbeat? That's a cool surprise. I always thought that card never got its due.

Reprinting of Eidolon of the Great Revel is most welcome, for the same reason as Phyrexian Obliterator: those suckers are expensive!

If I'm reading it right, Zada, Hedron Grinder is an uncommon and that seems really weird for a Legendary creature. Wizards said that uncommon Legendary creatures was a mistake in the Kamigawa block because it really lessened the coolness factor, so I'm curious about their reasoning.

Green:
Seems super meh. Tree of Redemption, while different and weird, is not the mythic I would've liked. Getting a reprint of Master of the Wild Hunt is nice-I've wanted that card for awhile now and its cost was too high to justify for me to get it without having a purpose for it. And I'm never sorry to see Rancor again: That card is just excellent.

Iwamori of the Open Fist-uncommon. This is where I finally notice that all five colors have uncommon legends! That's...really strange, right? I wonder why, unless it's part of the new marketing scheme. Brand synergies might suggest that Dominaria might also have legendary themes going on. That's reach, though, since Masters 25 and Standard are not formats that blend.

Then again, neither was Standard and Commander but they hit the tribal themes in both sets last year.

But moreover: Iwamori isn't that good. Krosan Colossus and Woolly Loxodon too: these big morph creatures that have zero abilities are bad. Summoner's Pact and Protean Hulk getting reprints is nice, I suppose-both those cards are spendy. But only one of them (Pact) is really useful: Protean Hulk slides into Commander decks and after that, doesn't give you much.

I just am not finding a lot to be excited about here.

Multicolor:
There are some definite winners here. Vindicate, Prossh, Pillory of the Sleepless, Boros Charm, Blightning; yeah, that's good.

Nicol Bolas is...sigh. I get why it's included but there are SO many better or more interesting or even more valuable cards to include involving him.

Stangg is equally questionable; six mana for a fragile set of creatures...I just never understood the appeal.

Artifact:
Heavy Arbalest? You're going to pick an artifact from Scars of Mirrodin-an artifact heavy set!-and you pick THAT?

Still, that's the only card I really take issue with. I can't say Ensnaring Bridge or Chalice of the Void make me excited but they definitely are worth reprints and Swiftfoot Boots is great for Commander fans.

Lands:
I'm definitely excited to see the Eventide filter lands reprinted and I wish they'd done all ten. Rishadan Port is also very cool to see again-the card is selling for nearly $60 as a reprint so it's definitely overdue. Myriad Landscape is pretty 'nah' though: Good in Commander, sure, but less awesome in Limited or 60 card constructed. It's not very expensive to acquire too, so I'm just not certain why they'd incorporate it.

All in all, I think this set does a good job appealing to a broad range of tastes, formats, and community needs. It isn't perfect but I think it's pretty accomplished, all things considered.