Odessey's review over Blue Cards

[Shefer]

Aboshan, Cephalid Emperor – Great for limited, overcosted for constructed, although one of it with Cephalids in OBC might be a good deal.

Aboshan's Desire – Not bad for limited, especially with the Threshold. Second round pick at best and should be the last card you enter your limited deck.

AEther Burst – 4 of these is good in any deck, even as a single Unsummon it’s good for any limited deck. The fact it’s an “up to” card makes it even better.

Amugaba – Mahamoti Djinn costs 1 less for –1/-0 and the other ability really makes no difference. Large fat flier is great in any limited deck.

Aura Graft – Except for the fact it changes the place of the enchantment it doesn’t really do anything. The best target currently is Persuasion.

Aven Fisher – New Kingfisher for limited (see any pattern?).

Aven Smokeweaver – For sideboards I rather splash for white and play Crimson Acolyte or Galina’s Knight in a non-OBC deck. For OBC I suggest you have 3-4 of these in the sideboard, since red is the strongest color in OBC currently.
By the way, in Extended you have a much better creature called Sea Sprite.

Aven Windreader – Rather fat for limited, much like any flier which is greater than any other X/2 flier.

Balshan Beguiler – In short, splash for black and put Shadowmage Infiltrator or don’t play it. I rather have Cephalid Looter instead any time.

Balshan Griffin – Unlike Amugaba this bird’s ability has a reason to use, since most fliers are 2/Xs.

Bamboozle – Could be nice for Millstone decks, though if you are using it on yourself, you better have Careful Study.

Battle of Wits – I don’t comment on cards that need a 250-card deck.

Careful Study – Frantic Search for U, and with Threshold and Roar of the Wurm you can’t say it’s bad, even for constructed. Sleight of Hand in T2 and Brainstorm in Extended/T1 are better though, unless you play with massive graveyard manipulation. Still I suggest you just add Frantic Searches to the cards above.

Cephalid Broker – The fact it’s target player makes it serve like a Millstone when your opponent has no cards in hand. Again, it affects you like Frantic Search, which is quite good. Too bad it costs 3U instead of 1UU.

Cephalid Looter – Even though Merfolk Looter is better, for any non-T2 type this card is really good.

Cephalid Retainer – Missed Flood? Now you have a 2/3 for 4 mana that does the same. Not the same “solidness”, but playable such as Flood. Great for limited anyway.

Cephalid Scout – I love having a 1/1 flier for 2 mana that gives you a good advantage like drawing cards for lands you don’t need. Don’t play it in constructed too much though.

Cephalid Shrine – Nice against red’s land destruction spells, blue’s counterspells and black’s discard. Just kidding, don’t play it.

Chamber of Manipulation – If your opponent has it, just make him discard his hand. He will cast at least 1-2 things and have his hand empty soon enough. At the mean time build your creature base.

Cognivore – See Amugaba, even if you have 30 instants in your deck and 4 of these along with 26 isles in your deck. I barely suggest this card for limited.

Concentrate – I like this card very much even in constructed. It’s a bit slow, but three cards for a 4 mana sorcery is an even deal.

Cultural Exchange – In limited it’ll usually give you 2 better creatures from your opponent. This is because most blue creatures are really good, since they fly and have good abilities. Green’s fat is still very tempting.

Deluge – Flood all creatures. Basically Falter, which must be cast during combat after you declared attackers. If you cast it during your opponent’s turn as he declares attack phase, it basically acts like a blue Fog (unless he has fliers, which you should have as well).

Dematerialize – Don’t play this card, period. 1UU as sorcery would be bad enough, while 3U is worse. The flashback must be overcosted anyway.

Divert – The new answer to Urza’s Rage with kicker. I’m sure your opponent won’t keep 2 mana just for this card. Except Rage it makes any counterspell or burn (for example) cost an additional 2 (will target Divert or other creature or player instead). In short, 2 of this card can be played maindeck in any deck, while 1-2 in sideboard might be unused.

Dreamwinder – Kukemssa Serpent is back and it serves a good cause of having a 4/3 for 4 mana and it’s blue on top of everything else. Even as a wall it’s good to have.

Escape Artist – New Darting Merfolk. Unblockability is quite good, since it simply pings your opponent for 1 each turn. Blocking and discarding helps (as usual) Threshold. Not for non-limited decks.

Extract – 1 card Jester’s Cap for U isn’t too bad, when you talk about Oath or combo deck that uses a specific card no more than two of. Still, Oath dies more easily to Phyrexian Furnace and Rapid Decay, while combos should die to half the decks’ sideboard.

Fervent Denial – Overcosted like hell thus unplayable. One more Counterspell for limited is always worse than a good creature or creature removal, even if it has double effect. It’s worse than Memory Lapse, make the math alone.

Immobilizing Ink – Apathy is back, but this time instead of “<0>, discard a card at random” it has “<1>, choose and discard a card”. This prevents the combo of Tim-Curiosity-Apathy. Still, it helps getting Threshold.

Laquatus's Creativity – Until you play it it’ll serve you as Cephalid’s Colosseum which is better anyway, if not as Careful Study. For limited it’s good when you have too much lands in hand.

Patron Wizard – Goblin Wars blue wizard deck card. No more than that. If you have 2-3 wizards you can use in limited, just play them and leave this to rest.

Pedantic Learning – Sadly, I don’t see a real use to this one, except Bamboozle, Anti-Millstone, etc. Basically – bad combinations.

Peek – Draw a card for U and know what your opponent has in hand. Still I wouldn’t put it unless it’s the last card I should put in.

Persuasion – Control Magic is finally back in a normal way. The original was broken, Treachery was broken, Binding Grasp was bad. Play this card wherever you can, though I don’t see lots of decks in which 4 of these isn’t too much.

Phantom Whelp – Don’t play it. The worst bear of the 5 (Patrol Hound was the first in this set. See Filthy Cur, Mad Dog and Wild Mongrel for the rest of the series of “Bears”).

Predict – Not bad, considering the fact Foreshadow was used as well, and the draw was at the beginning of the next upkeep instead of right away. Using this card along with Memory Lapse is hilarious.

Psionic Gift – I don’t remember a lot of people using Hermetic Study even in limited. The only change is that now there are a lot more X/1s. You might wanna consider playing this once again.

Pulsating Illusion – Bah. I despise cards being killed too many times in response to their activation.

Puppeteer – Mono-blue tapper (unlike Stormscape Apprentice) and tappers are good. Besides its “side-effect” that untaps is good for defense. I still rather tap a fatty that would stop bothering me.

Repel – If Time Ebb is good, this is better if you can handle the fact it costs like Fact or Fiction and use it instead of the FoF. Great limited hoser.

Rites of Refusal – If it costs 2 cards to counter it’s too late to use it anyway, unless the card is broken (which means it costs lots of mana anyway and you need one card anyway). Besides those facts, it’s a card disadvantage.

Scrivener – I liked this card before and you should play 1-2 of it if you have them (with 3-4 good instants).

Shifty Doppelganger – It took me a long time to think how to use this card usefully. Didn’t find one.

Standstill – Good for a situation you control. Even though it doesn’t counter the spell (like Hesitation), I don’t mind Ancestral Recall. I never did.

Syncopate – The only normal counterspell in this set. Power SYNC + O + Dissi PATE. It’s simply good. Fits any deck.

Think Tank – I like this card in constructed very much. In limited use it to get Threshold and getting rid of extra lands.

Thought Nibler – I’m going up-side-down from weak to strong. This Flying Men is bad and helps nothing.

Thought Eater – At least it’s better than the Nibler. 3rd turn drop unless you can discard a card or two easily.

Thought Devourer – Finally a good fat blue rare. Late game winner for blue, and even as 4th turn it’s good. It’s fatter than most playable fliers anyway.

Time Stretch – Twice the cost of Time Warp for double effect and barely a quarter of use. Don’t play it unless both limited decks are equal and get to stale mate easily. Two more turns can reverse the game (but then you’ll get 2 lands according to Murphy’s Law).

Touch of Invisibility – Costs too much to be useful.

Traumatize – In extended I’d probably use it along with Haunting Echoes and free counterspells. Otherwise I wouldn’t play it.

Treetop Sentinel – Ever since Cerulean Wyvern, blue’s only pro-green creature was Vodalian Zombie. This time it has the best use in a long time. Stop Fat green from penetrating.

Unifying Theory – If you wanna play red land destruction with splash for blue, better just play Grafted Skullcap. Still it’s a solid card for constructed, not limited.

Upheaval – 6 mana to Boomerang the game. Give me one reason why to do it and I’ll play this card. Found one – Merfolk decks.

Words of Wisdom – Think about this: At the end of opponent’s turn you cast it. After you drew the card during your turn you basically played Ancestral Recall and your opponent got a card. Good? Wrong. Very good? Yes.


Summary

Blue has enough cards that can make it to type 2. The basic ones that will are:
Scrivner, Persuasion, Careful Study, Repel, Think Tank, Syncopate and Aether Burst along with Divert, which will probably be found in sideboards.

[Djen]

nice work but plese next time copy the cards explenetions and then you critics.
thanks

[Lucivar]

I was just wondering, which would you rather use... upheaval to boomerang the entire game or waterspout elemntal to boomerang all the creatures and then leave you with a nice creature?

[Avenger]

Desolation Giant and Angel at the same turn

[Duppleganger]

Upheaval and Waterspout Elemental are 2 altogether different cards.
The Elemental gives you an incredible advantage. By casting it, you not only gain a flying 3/4 creature, but you also return to the opponent's hand any creature it already had in play. I.e. a wash out of a sort.

Upheaval returns all PERMANENTS - and that's utterly different. It's not a wrath of god. It's not even Armaggedon. It's the blue Jokulhaups - and it affects -=everything=- (even enchantments - which Jokulhapus ignored).
The only idea I could find to use Upheaval is with Nimble Mongoose. You cast the Upheaval, slam down a forest and a 3/3 untouchable Mongoose.
It's too slow, though.

Good luck finding some other use for it.

Dup.

[Nightstalker]

upheavel and confesor nice combo

[Avenger]

נכון - אם אתה מטיל Upheabel ואז שם מנה ו- Confessor. תשיג די הרבה חיים אם הטלת את זה במצב מתקדם
למרות שזה מזיק גם לך...

[Lordanny]

UPHEAVEL
הוא קלף מעולה לחבילות בנויות עם מעט מנה.
הקלף מאפשר לך לצבור יתרון על היריב במכה אחת ואם אתה יודע לנצל זאת אז גם תנצח בשילוב עם הכלבלב אולי או עם WARPED DEVOTION