Apocalypse Limited Review: Blue

Gary Wise

This is the second installment on my Apocalypse Limited review. The first can be found here.

Blue

Well, blue either got the best or worst end of the stick in Apocalypse, depending on how you look at it. On the one hand, blue's gold cards, whether in tandem with green or red, are incredible, with all four gold commons being high picks. On the other hand, the Whirlpool ability is a bit of a gyp in comparison with those of the other colors and, as in sets of the past, blue seems to have more mediocre to poor commons than other colors.

The interesting thing about blue is that it's infringing on green's territory, namely mana diversification. With Dream Thrush, Sea Snidd and the new Reef Shaman available to blue mages looking to splash those awesome Apocalypse gold cards, suddenly they don't have to be quite as shy about drafting a bomb that is only half in their colors. This isn't to say you should be drafting 5-color blue decks, but it does mean that in a white-blue-red deck, a card like Probe becomes a little more viable.

Commons

Ceta Disciple  
With mana diversity a huge issue in the Invasion Block Limited environment, this little critter really goes a long way towards stabilizing your mana base when you're unfortunate enough to miss out on Harrow, Lay of the Land and the other really good stuff. Later in the game, when you've drawn into the mana you need, the Disciple will make your little creatures into big monsters, a threat that will leave them unblocked even in the early game. A 6th- 8th pick.

Coastal Drake
Now this card is good times. 2/1 fliers for three mana are pretty much status quo in the world of 2/2 fliers for four, so any time you get a special ability thrown in, things are looking pretty good. This, though, is no minor special ability. Kavus are everywhere in this format, so the Drake serves either to remove those your opponent controls from play or to use your own Kavus to abuse the stack. By the way, did I mention Flametongue Kavu is a Kavu? Did I mention your opponent is dead? A 2nd - 4th pick.

Index  
Cheap is good, right? Not if it doesn't really do anything. Yes, this card will improve your immediate card quality, but at the cost of card disadvantage, it just isn't worth it. Now, if you could cast it before deciding on your mulligans... A 15th pick.

Jaded Response  
This is a toughie. With everyone and their sister playing at least three colors, you're bound to have something to counter eventually, but if you play it main deck, it really can prove useless at times. Fortunately, with the three sets being used full of cards whose function it is to change the color of assorted permanents, your chances of the Response functioning to its fullest capacity can be improved by the other elements of your deck. Just don't be too enthusiastic about forcing yourself to play it: Jaded Response functions better as a sideboard card. A 7th - 9th pick.

Jilt
Okay, we can all agree that Barrin's Spite is almost an automatic first pick, right? Well, if you happen to be playing both colors, Jilt really is just better. The best common card in Apocalypse, Jilt succeeds where the Spite fails in that it isn't limited by the need to target two creatures owned by the same player and it targets at instant speed. That means that after the stack, you can kill your opponent's creature AND return your own Flametongue Kavu to your hand. On top of that, even if you don't have your red mana, Jilt can be very strong in the early game, returning an enchanted creature to its owner's hand. Pretty good. A 1st pick.

Living Airship  
Well, blue definitely isn't lacking in strong commons. In any non-green deck, the Airship is a very respectable 2/3 flyer for four mana, slowing down 2-power assaults and flying through opposing 2/2 fliers to deal damage to your opponent. Throw in its regeneration ability though and suddenly you have an impenetrable fortress that controls the entire table. Obviously excellent, the Airship, Gaea's Skyfolk, Temporal Spring debate should rage for most of the summer. In the end, it will come down to the needs of your deck. A 2nd - 4th pick.

Reef Shaman  
I think that as you draft this format, you're going to find that sometimes you need to sacrifice quality for synergy. The Shaman is one of those cards that while not very powerful, will make your deck run smoothly, providing you with mana diversity, a quick target for gaters, a possibility of color-hosing your opponent and even an eventual chump blocker in a pinch. Don't pick it too high, but understand sometimes you need this one. A 7th - 9th pick.

Shimmering Mirage  
With so many good blue cards, there has to be something to even out the averages. Shimmering Mirage is a cantrip, so not completely useless, but its ability is so inconsequential that its unlikely you'll want it in your deck. A 12th - 14th pick.

Whirlpool Rider  
I personally don't like this card, but there are those that disagree. Yes, in the mid-to-late game, the Rider allows you to trade lands for random cards, and in the early game, it can let you trade in a weak hand, but really, the 1/1 body is so inconsequential that I don't feel its worth playing. A 9th - 11th pick.

Uncommons

Ceta Sanctuary
Jalum Tome would have been pretty solid if it didn't require mana to activate, so the Sanctuary is obviously pretty good. If you get this thing going with both red and green permanents in play though, all of a sudden you're drawing three cards a turn (presumably discarding a land) and soon you'll have a deceased opponent. Congratulations. A 5th - 7th pick.

Evasive Action  
Cheap, efficient, effective. Evasive Action is a low cost, easy-to-cast counter that may find itself rendered useless in the late game, but will always be strong in the early and mid. Allowing the casting of a 3-casting-cost creature and a counterspell on your turn five, you absolutely should not forfeit your first few turns to cast it. Play the creature on turn two: counter something later. A 5th - 7th pick.

Tidal Courier  
Well, at first look, this card is awful, with the potential for card advantage not worth four mana for a measly 1/2 that requires something like twenty-five mana to fly. That said, Gaea's Skyfolk and Razorfin Hunter are both very strong, so if you get four or five of either or both, you really have to start thinking about playing this card. Even then, if you have your 23 cards, it isn't worth watering your deck down for. A 11th - 13th pick.

Vodalian Mystic  
Tidal Visionary always seems to be useful, so the same should hold true for this thing, right? Not really. With permanents constantly interacting with one another, the Visionary finds its niche, but the Mystic really fails to do so. If you have a bunch of protection creatures and your opponent has a lot of kill, it may be viable, but honestly, it seems really unlikely. An 11th - 13th pick.

Whirlpool Drake  
2/2 flyers for four. Blah. They take a long time to cast, still can't really block anything effectively and they're easy to kill. The Drake's ability definitely makes it playable, but really, I find this to be a boring card, as in, I'm never excited about having it. It should make your deck, but don't so any fist pumping when it does. A 6th - 8th pick.

Rares

Cetavolver
A lot of people have talked about how the Degavolver is the weakest of its kind, but in this card I think it has some competition. Sure, trample is a lot more fun than a poor regeneration ability, but aside from Banish effects, its white cousin is a lot harder to kill. I guess with all of its great commons, blue had to suffer somewhere, and hey, its still a really strong creature. A 3rd - 5th pick

Ice Cave  
A very powerful effect that is very hard to implement in Limited. It is possible that the Cave could be very strong in a blue-green based deck with a lot of mana acceleration and diversity, but it seems unlikely. A 12th - 14th pick until someone breaks it.

Unnatural Selection  
While this will rarely be a card you'll want to play (If you have 4-5 Coastal Drakes, who knows?) there are some neat tricks to be done with this card. Flagbearers aren't too strong when it hits play, as you can make anything a Flagbearer (no, it doesn't acquire the Flagbearer ability, but it means you can target any creature with your spell), and if your opponent has many duplicates, making their creature a Legend can be pretty cool. An interesting utility card for your sideboard. A 11th - 13th pick

Whirlpool Warrior  
The best of the Whirlpool creatures, you've probably already gathered that I don't think much of their kind. The Warrior's activated ability is costly, but it can prove strong with cards like Rushing River, so that's something to think about when it is in play. A 6th - 8th pick.