War of the Spark Overview

The spoiler list is out! If we believe the hype machine,  this is the most exciting set that Wizards has produced in years and it represents the conclusion of the biggest storyline they've ever done.

Who could possibly match that?

Hmmmm...

Snark aside, this is a pretty big deal, especially since they're bringing Planeswalkers down to the uncommon rarity. And I do like how they solved that problem by, essentially, making them enchantments with vanishing.

The next mechanic that runs through this would be Amass and while it's generally executed as "creature stapled to a spell" that is different from the past years of "spell attached to a creature". It's also an effect that is probably long overdue.

The other big mechanical element that seems to run through the set is Proliferate, which makes sense: it was a popular mechanic from Scars of Mirrodin block and it fits perfectly with what players will want to do with the planeswalkers, especially ones with only minus abilities.

I think I prefer this, at least in this set: less broad sweeping mechanics and instead just a focus on a cool card type and a mechanic that really interacts well with it. So let's talk about the set, then.

White
God-Eternal Oketra looks absolutely insane. I suppose the argument could be made that if you make it to five mana, you're in a pretty good space anyway and certainly all of the gods in War are Commander format candy. But getting an extra 4/4 every time I cast a creature? Yike.

Parhelion II is weird, right? Just from a story perspective; it's a flying machine that gives angels rides. But angels can already fly...I don't have a walking machine to do walking for me.

Also, as much as I like Single Combat, I would like more to know who came out on top of that battle, which has been a subplot since Innistrad.

Blue
Here's where I point out that the uncommons seem to have a higher power level than I usually expect. This might be purely because of the existence of Planeswalkers at that rarity. Blue is also where Amass starts to show up and I think giving blue a bit more skin in the game by giving it creatures, as well as providing it with ways to deal with Planeswalkers, is a good thing.

I am not fond of what God-Eternal Kefnet does. Also, the more I look at these gods the less happy I am with them. The only way to prevent them from being a problem is to counter the spell-and Kefnet especially is extremely high value in a color that can both prevent that countermagic from being a problem and maximize the ability. On the other hand, using timely removal spells to maximize your chances is a highly strategic decision, so maybe I'm being a too pessimistic.

The other-other hand is that these cards are nasty in Commander. Is this a new Commander tax? Is this clever? I don't know but I think we're going to find out really, really fast.

I do like that Fblthp is a card, legendary at that, and Narset's Reversal is very cool...if not super useful.

Black
Charity Extractor is probably the creepiest black card I've seen in awhile. Faceless debt collecting machines are a little too on point for modern times. Along those lines, the flavor text for Dreadmalkin is possibly the best representation of cats in Magic.

There isn't a lot else going on here that's interesting. Good, yes. Banehound, Massacre Girl, the art on Deliver Unto Evil. But I can't say I'm seeing any boundaries pushed.

Red
Bolt Bend is a card I'm glad they printed. Big creature decks have needed ways to defend against an opponent's Path to Exile and now they have a pretty nice tool in the toolbox. I've always liked the 'redirection' element in Red so I'm happy to see a spell like this printed.

The rest of it, like much of this set, has cards with "Neat thing you remember" (Wild Guess) "It's back, but in [Amass] form". That doesn't make these cards bad (Honor the God-Pharoh), just the tiniest riff on a theme, instead of a new theme. Given the power level of this set that all the pros are going bonkers over, I suppose I can't fault it.

Green
This is where I notice that at least a solid portion of mythic level rares (Hiya, Finale of Devastation) are meant to be for Commander and that even includes the Gods of the set. This fulfills the idea of what Mythics were initially pitched for and while I know that there aren't ever NOT going to be chase cards, the more accessible the chase cards, the more people who can play the game. Also, nice job naming the Finales after the Hours in Hour of Devastation; that's a great callback.

I'm pretty certain Vivian's Arkbow is going to become a staple of green mana decks.

In the Multicolored and Colorless realm, I'm just not seeing anything to get excited about. Plenty of good role players though, and the cycle of uncommon planeswalkers here will have a massive impact on the game, I think.

Of the Artifacts, I'm surprised to note that there is nothing to note here. Mana Geode will be stronger than people think, especially in Commander.

The Lands, though, these got a push I was not expecting. All of them have useful, interesting and strong-to-great abilities, save Gateway Plaza which does what you need it to do and no more, but works for limited environments. Mobilized District will become a boon for Planeswalkers that didn't have the obvious +1 defensive ability, or don't have a +1 ability at all, Emergence Zone repeats an effect that people have wanted to see again for years, and Karn's Bastion and Blast Zone open up options to decks and colors that wouldn't have access to those abilities.

All in all, my opinions on War of the Spark is that this is a set that wants to show of the power of its toys, not introduce something new and shiny to the mix. And that's just fine. I'm looking forward to seeing how I can improve my own decks with these new set of tools!