Revamping My B01 Standard Orzhov Clerics Deck with Lorwyn Eclipsed Additions

April 3, 2026 / Jerome / Leave a comment

I was really happy to return to a Universes Within set. This was after the two Universes Beyond sets (Spider-Man and Avatar: The Last Airbender) that capped off 2025. The original Lorwyn sets precede my involvement with Magic. However, I had heard a lot about it from those who played back in late 2007 into early 2008. I looked forward to this set.

I was also optimistic that there would be a good number of Clerics in the set. My B01 Standard Orzhov Clerics deck has languished in the competition basement when it comes to the power of decks since the last rotation. The last two decks did little to help. There were no clerics in the Marvel’s Spider-Man set. There was only one Orzhov cleric in the Avatar set. Slim pickings!

Lorwyn did not disappoint, bringing with it seven new Clerics. Even better is that they can all work in my Orzhov deck. Let’s take a closer look:

Wanderbrine Preacher could have potential if only because it fits nicely into the lifegain strategy of the deck. The fact that it gains me 2 life every time it taps is not bad. It is very much in the vein of Compassionate Healer but gains an additional life but loses the scry. I may simply need to play it instead of the healer and see which one benefits the deck more.

Moonlit Lamenter is also worthy of consideration but as a card draw engine. Unfortunately, this engine requires counters. It will only work once unless you have a mechanism to add more counters.

Twilight Diviner is a card worthy of a strategy based around your graveyard. Surveil helps drop some options into the graveyard. If you can then play them, you get yourself an additional token copy. Not bad but I don’t see it as a good fit for this clerics deck. It’s a pass for now.

Adept Watershaper is an interesting choice. Giving tapped creatures indestructible, giving them some protection after they attacked or were tapped for something else. I just don’t see what I would pull out to get it in. This may be a case of try it to see if it can deliver but I’m not optimistic.

Reaping Willow fits neatly into the Lorwyn set. However, it doesn’t seem to be a good fit for the current deck. The -1/-1 tokens go against the lifegain strategy.

Sun-Dappled Celebrant could be a threat on the board. Convoke certainly makes it easier to cast but is that enough? Vigilance is always welcome. However, you will likely need additional resources to ensure it stays on the board long enough to have an impact. And the cards I have in the deck now offer more cohesion than I think this will offer.

All in all, there are a few cards to try out but nothing that will again help elevate the deck into a truly competitive one. But the set does come with one creature type that could make a further difference. Lorwyn has 16 Shapeshifters and you know what that means: 16 more potential Clerics! This might be the motherlode!

There are still eight cards to consider when staying within Orzhov colours. Of those, my top three

The one with the most potential is Changeling Wayfinder. Mana fixing is always a good thing. Prideful Feastling fits into the overall lifelink strategy and the hybrid mana certainly helps by improving mana options. Nameless Inversion and Crib Swab are interesting cards – Shapeshifting Instants! Having played Nameless Inversion in some other decks, I’m just not share that Kindred non-creature cards are worth it though.

After all this, here is the deck that I’m going to take for a spin for the next set. Essentially, I’ve replaced the Compassionate Healers with the Wanderbrine Preachers:

Deck:

3 Murder (J25) 467
4 Essence Channeler (BLB) 12
2 Grand Abolisher (BIG) 2
2 Authority of the Consuls (FDN) 137
4 Preacher of the Schism (LCI) 113
3 Rosa, Resolute White Mage (FIN) 555
1 Starscape Cleric (BLB) 116
2 Minwu, White Mage (FIN) 26
3 Aerith Gainsborough (FIN) 4
3 Sheltered by Ghosts (DSK) 30
2 Get Lost (LCI) 14
2 Bitter Triumph (LCI) 91
3 Elegy Acolyte (EOE) 97
2 Wanderbrine Preacher (ECL) 41
9 Plains (THB) 250
7 Swamp (THB) 252
2 Cavern of Souls (LCI) 269
2 Fabled Passage (ELD) 244
3 Scoured Barrens (IKO) 254
1 Valgavoth’s Lair (DSK) 271

Sideboard

1 Enter the Avatar State (TLA) 18
2 Pest Control (BIG) 22
2 Virtue of Persistence (WOE) 115
2 Nowhere to Run (DSK) 111
2 Seam Rip (EOE) 34
2 Roaming Throne (LCI) 258
2 Exorcise (DSK) 8
2 Day of Judgment (FDN) 140

For those looking for this usual review of my B01 Standard Orzhov Clerics, my apologies for the tardiness. Life was a bit crazier than usual and motivation went out the window for a bit… Look at the positives. This means that my assessment of the next set, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, should be out faster. That’s the plan at least!

So long 2025 and welcome 2026: Magic and More

January 25, 2026 / Jerome / Leave a comment

It’s late January 2026 and I’m still thawing myself out after a short jaunt to Montreal at the beginning of the month where it was a lovely -16 degrees (Celsius) on the warmest day that I was there! Not that it’s much warmer here as we await another storm to sweep in.

Before January wraps up, let’s take a look at the last year quickly. 2025 was a year of many firsts, some that were great fun and some not so much.

A lot less Magic than before

First, there was definitely a lot less Magic played in our household in 2025. As much as I could try to blame WOTC’s Universes Beyond, the reality is simply that the boys are all grown up and doing their own thing now! And that’s a lot less Magic – at least with their dad. Throw in the fact that Noah is now studying out of province and our regular Commander games have dwindled to a handful. It was much the same with pre-releases as Christian has not gone to one since Tarkir: Dragonstorm. Noah was in the same boat until he attended the Lorwyn Eclipsed one earlier this month.

Add to that the proliferation of Universes Beyond sets and I deliberately skipped a pre-release, the one for Avatar, for the first time in over 10 years in 2025. And I expect that trend to continue this year with more of those sets than traditional Magic lore ones.

We did not even have time for a much of a Christmas Magic season. All we managed to squeeze in was a Tarkir: Dragonstorm box opening. After selecting our packs, we did a sealed event with six of the packs. Christian handily won that little contest with a fast deck. And sadly, that was all the Magic we had time for as the holidays were packed with lots of other activities. It just went by too fast!

Time for some RPGs

So, what to do with all this free time? Well, 2025 was the year that I got back into Dungeons & Dragons in a more regular way. Not having played in decades, the local group TorontoDND scratched an itch but I still missed the campaign side of things. Lo and behold, I actually joined a group with a number of complete strangers and things are going well enough that we are now several months into a campaign, playing roughly every two to three weeks for several hours. A blast so far!

2025 was also the year I tried the new RPG Daggerheart. I joined an intro game but was not immediately won over. It may have had more with the fact that the DM was not particularly strong as one of my DnD group players absolutely loves it. I expect that I may dip my toe into the game again later but not sure that I need another fantasy RPG in my life.

I also tried another RPG called Outgunned! And that was some serious fun! It may have had something to do with the GM but the 80s action movie setting helped propel the game at a fast clip with plenty of silliness and bad one-liners. I managed to get two games in and both were good fun. It remains to be seen if the game will gain enough traction for more games this year. I did pick up the rulebook for both it and the Adventure add-on in the hopes to play more this year.

A quick look at Genesis: Battle of Champions

As far as other card games go, I still keep an eye on Genesis: Battle of Champions, the “Canadian tactical tactical card game” in the hope that it will finally take off. Sadly, 2025 did not appear to have been a good year for it.

Hints and promises of a digital version of the game came and went but have gone quiet in recent months. I suspect that trying to build a video game of this nature with limited resources is the biggest challenge that the company is facing. Particularly if you’re also trying to grow the game’s exposure and get the next set out at the same time. Unfortunately, the latest Kickstarter campaign failed to meet its goals, leaving players waiting to see where the game goes next. Edge of Exile is now looking to get the new set out by locking in enough pre-orders – We’ll have to see if that approach works.

Back to Magic

2025 was the year that Universes Beyond finally insinuated itself fully into Standard. It was something that many predicted as far back as when the first such cards were announced. While I recognize that many will not agree with me (and some in this family don’t), I still have a fundamental issue with the blending of IPs that is now happening across the format.

Having said that, I recognize that Final Fantasy was a great set in many ways. It is lore that I am not familiar with and while the set was quite good, I did not connect with it from that perspective and perhaps more importantly from a wallet one. These sets are simply too expensive for my taste. But I did have fun at the pre-release with Moogles’ Valor, even if I don’t quite know what a Moogle is.

I can only imagine what Final Fantasy could have been had it been a Universes Within set with art and story in tune with Magic’s own lore. As such, I cannot call it my favourite set of the year. That honour instead goes to Tarkir: Dragonstorm. I know many will disagree but dragons are always a lot of fun and the set had some pretty awesome cards.

As for some of my favourite cards of the year, here are a few that come top of mind in no particular order:

Cori-Steel Cutter was so strong that it got banned in Standard. As for Ouroboroid, it is also a potent card but not completely busted. If I can get my hands on one or two, it will definitely make its way into some of my Commander decks. And Aerith Gainsborough was a fun card to have in my Orzhov B01 Clerics deck for Arena. Not a particularly powerful card but it did help my Clerics pack a stronger punch.

As for my favourite deck of the year, I’ll go with my Crimes Pays deck. I don’t play a lot of Black so this was an unusual deck for me. I enjoyed the combination of the Crime mechanic with one forcing my opponents to discard cards from their hand. It felt somewhat unique and while not a Tier 1 deck, still did relatively well.

All right, enough looking back at 2025. It’s now time to focus on 2026.

Family Tradition Ended by WOTC Buy-a-Box Promo Decision

November 28, 2025 / Jerome / Leave a comment

A family tradition is about to end for us! This sounds dramatic but it’s not quite as momentous as you might think. So, what happened?

WOTC this week announced that it is ending its Buy-a-Box program in early 2026. They announced their decision rather quietly in a Wizards Play Network (WPN) post a few days back. Based on “careful review,” they plan to sunset the program with Lorwyn Eclipsed, the first set to come out next year.

The Buy-a-Box program provided a bonus card with each booster box purchased at an LGS. The cards offered were not always spectacular but there some some pretty desirable ones as well. Both Nexus of Fate and Kenrith, The Returned King spring to mind as good examples of some great card to come through the program.

The program ran for 17 years, longer than the family has been playing Magic. No reason was provided for the decision but WOTC does promise new future promotional initiatives:

We remain focused on investing in promotional programs and incentives that drive long-term growth and repeat play in stores. You will continue to see strong in-store support through initiatives that reward player engagement, spotlight new releases, and help you activate your local audience through in-store experiences. We will also continue testing new event structures, support, and promotions to identify and expand your store’s experiences.

So, how does this announcement end a family tradition? Anyone following our adventures knows that we buy a box with every set. Well, almost every set as we put an end to that tradition with The Last Avatar given our lack of interest in the set.

We gather together at our gaming table and crack open the box. We then go around, one at a time, picking up a pack until the box is empty. The real fun then follows. We all together crack a pack and go through our cards. We reveal the Rare and Mythic pulls. We then repeat until we have gone through all the packs. Surrounded by the empty booster wrappers, the final part of the tradition is to give the Buy-a-Box promo card to the person who pulled the least Mythics. While most of these have little value, it was the consolation prize (and it did work out in a few cases!). Some even became favourites. I’m fond of Firesong and Sunspeaker (despite the fact that Noah has it). And Noah built a cats and dogs deck with Rin and Seri, Inseparable. And while we were not playing when Surgical Extraction was the promo, it might have been a nice card to end the opening tradition with.

It is rare for whatever reason that we end up with equal number of Mythics. There is typically one person who does really well while there is also someone disappointed with their pulls (the trial and tribulations of opening booster packs). Sliding the BaB promo over to that person was essentially with some light-hearted teasing.

With Lorwyn Eclipsed coming up next, the boys and I had already talked about resuming the tradition. We are still discussing the timing given that Noah is now out of the province for university but we are looking forward to the new set. Unfortunately, we’ll have to see if we can come up with an alternative tradition for the compensation prize.

Can The Last Avatar help our B01 Standard Orzhov Cleric Deck?

November 16, 2025 / Jerome / Leave a comment

The record pace at which WOTC releases sets means that we are constantly in preview season. Doing so has eroded the excitement for new sets, especially when you combine this with the proliferation of Universes Beyond sets. Where am I going with this, you ask? Well, previews for Magic’s latest set, The Last Avatar, pretty much went unnoticed here. To the point where none of us here even went to the Pre-Release. We also skipped the usual box purchase.

Having said that, I still took a look to see how I might use the cards in Arena for my decks B01 Standard Orzhov Cleric deck. After the disappointment that Spider-Man was, both as a source of new cleric cards and as a set in general, any clerics in the new set would be a win. Well, there are three new clerics, two of which can be played in Standard and one in Eternal formats.

Let’s take a look. We’re immediately down to only one candidate given that Loyal Fire Sage is not legal in Standard and Fire Sages is a Red card – not exactly a good fit for an Orzhov deck.

We’re down to a simple question: Is there room in my B01 Standard Orzhov Cleric deck for Compassionate Healer?

Here is the current version of my deck:

3 Murder (J25) 467
4 Essence Channeler (BLB) 12
2 Grand Abolisher (BIG) 2
2 Authority of the Consuls (FDN) 137
4 Preacher of the Schism (LCI) 113
3 Rosa, Resolute White Mage (FIN) 555
3 Starscape Cleric (BLB) 116
2 Minwu, White Mage (FIN) 26
3 Aerith Gainsborough (FIN) 4
3 Sheltered by Ghosts (DSK) 30
2 Get Lost (LCI) 14
2 Bitter Triumph (LCI) 91
3 Elegy Acolyte (EOE) 97
2 Cavern of Souls (LCI) 269
2 Fabled Passage (ELD) 244
9 Plains (THB) 250
3 Scoured Barrens (IKO) 254
7 Swamp (THB) 252
1 Valgavoth’s Lair (DSK) 271

Sideboard

1 Sanguine Evangelist (LCI) 34
1 Zoraline, Cosmos Caller (BLB) 242
1 Pest Control (BIG) 22
1 The Witch’s Vanity (WOE) 119
1 Moonrise Cleric (BLB) 226
1 Krumar Initiate (TDM) 84
1 Roaming Throne (LCI) 258
1 Virtue of Persistence (WOE) 115

The simple answer is, yes, there is. I’m going to replace the Starscape Clerics with this card. I’ll lose the flying capability but build lifegain with a scry as a bonus. If things don’t pan out, I can always fall back to Starscape Cleric later.

So, here is the updated version of my deck:

3 Murder (J25) 467
4 Essence Channeler (BLB) 12
2 Grand Abolisher (BIG) 2
2 Authority of the Consuls (FDN) 137
4 Preacher of the Schism (LCI) 113
3 Rosa, Resolute White Mage (FIN) 555
3 Compassionate Healer (TLA) 13
~~3 Starscape Cleric (BLB) 116~~
2 Minwu, White Mage (FIN) 26
3 Aerith Gainsborough (FIN) 4
3 Sheltered by Ghosts (DSK) 30
2 Get Lost (LCI) 14
2 Bitter Triumph (LCI) 91
3 Elegy Acolyte (EOE) 97
2 Cavern of Souls (LCI) 269
2 Fabled Passage (ELD) 244
9 Plains (THB) 250
3 Scoured Barrens (IKO) 254
7 Swamp (THB) 252
1 Valgavoth’s Lair (DSK) 271

Looking at Instant and Sorcery spells, nothing really leaped out but I might try one of these below to see if they prove useful. If not, it will be back to the deck above. More to come on how these cards work out.

Let’s hope that Lorwyn Eclipsed brings with it more Clerics as this deck continues to suffer since rotation. But I won’t hold my breath – The original Lorwyn set only had three clerics.

Reflections on My Spider-Man Pre-Release Event

October 13, 2025 / Jerome / Leave a comment

There is a lot to catch up on since my last post. So let’s dive without further ado.

Edge of Eternities was the first pre-release that I missed in a very long time. Another weekend-long commitment just made it impossible to catch any of the events (it was still a good weekend!). In the meantime, Christian could not make it because of work commitments and other social events. It was down to Noah to defend the family honour. He did so at a Two-headed Giant event where he and his friend went 3-0.

Edge of Eternities was also the last pre-release that we might have been able to attend together as Noah headed off to university out of town at the end of August. I am proud of him for choosing this path forward but I will admit to being sad, knowing that pre-releases that all three of us could attend will now be fewer and farther apart.

The Spider-Man pre-release was upon us quickly after that. Noah skipped his while Christian again missed out due to work commitments. It was up to me this time so I signed up for a Sunday morning event at my LGS. It is still strange to be there without the boys and weirder to attend an unusually quiet pre-release (Sunday morning effect or uninspiring set? Not sure).

I cracked my packs and laid out my cards as I normally do: By colour and separated into creatures and other spells. I also keep my Rares and Mythics separate to see what might be worth building around.

While I pulled no Mythics in my pool, I found that I had enough arachnids to build a spider-loving Gruul deck. I did not think it was a particularly powerful deck but it seemed to have good synergy. Spider-Punk certainly promised to be fun.

In my first game, I got off a good start by winning my first match. I lost the second. In the third, things started evenly but a mana flood sealed my fate as I could no longer keep up with the growing board across from me. Nonetheless, a fun start to the day.

My second game started with a loss. I managed to win the second after my opponent milled down to four cards but it was still too close for comfort. The third was sealed in my favour by the simple fact that my opponent drew nothing but white mana while holding only black spells. That is not a fun way to lose!

My third game reminded me that not all decks need to be built around spiders despite the name of the set. My opponent built a fun deck full of villains and nary a spider. And I found out the hard way that when you pair The Clone Saga with Mysterio, Master of Illusion, you can crank out a lot of 3/3 tokens! And why not throw in a Vulture, Scheming Scavenger to all of them flying? Two quick games and it was a wrap.

When I got home, Christian asked how I did. “1 and 2,” I told him.
“Ah, your usual then!” he responded with a smirk!

Spider-Man shows no love for B01 Standard Orzhov Cleric Decks

September 28, 2025September 28, 2025 / Jerome / Leave a comment

If I needed evidence that the gaming gods sometimes listen, it came through pretty loud and clear with the full reveal of the Marvel’s Spider-Man set for Magic: The Gathering. Remember how I complained that sets were coming out too fast? Well, they have not slowed down any but I will definitely be able to catch my breath when it comes to my B01 Standard Orzhov Cleric deck. Why, you ask. Simply because there are no Clerics at all in the new set. Absolutely none. Nary a one. Zilch.

A quick aside: You may have noticed that posts on this site have slowed down. I can confirm that this is the case because I’ve started playing Dungeons & Dragons and have foolishly agreed to recap each session. It’s taking me longer to do these than I had anticipated. With that, back to our normal programming.

When Edge of Eternities came out (and rotation hit), I landed on the following deck to resume the Standard journey.

Deck

3 Murder (J25) 467
2 Bitter Triumph (LXI) 91
2 Sanguine Savior (MKM) 230
4 Essence Channeler (BLB) 12
2 Grand Abolisher (BIG) 2
2 Authority of the Consuls (FDN) 137
3 Preacher of the Schism (LCI) 113
3 Rosa, Resolute White Mage (FIN) 555
3 Starscape Cleric (BLB) 116
2 Minwu, White Mage (FIN) 26
3 Aerith Gainsborough (FIN) 4
2 Sheltered by Ghosts (DSK) 30
3 Sunstar Chaplain (EOE) 40
2 Get Lost (LCI) 14
8 Plains (THB) 250
6 Swamp (THB) 252
1 Susur Secundi, Void Altar (EOE) 259
1 Adagia, Windswept Bastion (EOE) 250
3 Scoured Barrens (IKO) 254
1 Valgavoth’s Lair (DSK) 271
2 Cavern of Souls (LCI) 269
2 Fabled Passage (ELD) 244

Sideboard

1 Pest Control (BIG) 22
1 The Witch’s Vanity (WOE) 119
1 Starscape Cleric (BLB) 116
1 Krumar Initiate (TDM) 84
1 Sanguine Evangelist (LCI) 34
1 Zoraline, Cosmos Caller (BLB) 242
1 Virtue of Persistence (WOE) 115
1 Moonrise Cleric (BLB) 226
1 Roaming Throne (LCI) 258

Since then, the deck has evolved into the following after some small tweaks, primarily around removal. As for the creatures, Sunstar Chaplain has worked better than I thought but the real star after rotation continues to be Preacher of the Schism and Rosa, Resolute White Mage.

Deck

3 Murder (J25) 467
2 Bitter Triumph (LCI) 91
4 Essence Channeler (BLB) 12
2 Grand Abolisher (BIG) 2
2 Authority of the Consuls (FDN) 137
4 Preacher of the Schism (LCI) 113
3 Rosa, Resolute White Mage (FIN) 555
3 Starscape Cleric (BLB) 116
3 Minwu, White Mage (FIN) 26
3 Aerith Gainsborough (FIN) 4
2 Sheltered by Ghosts (DSK) 30
3 Sunstar Chaplain (EOE) 40
2 Get Lost (LCI) 14
2 Cavern of Souls (LCI) 269
2 Fabled Passage (ELD) 244
9 Plains (THB) 250
7 Swamp (THB) 252
3 Scoured Barrens (IKO) 254
1 Valgavoth’s Lair (DSK) 271

Sideboard

1 Sanguine Evangelist (LCI) 34
1 Zoraline, Cosmos Caller (BLB) 242
1 Pest Control (BIG) 22
1 The Witch’s Vanity (WOE) 119
1 Moonrise Cleric (BLB) 226
1 Krumar Initiate (TDM) 84
1 Roaming Throne (LCI) 258
1 Virtue of Persistence (WOE) 115

Looking through what else the Spider-Man (aka Through the Omenpath) set offers, I’ve not seen anything yet that makes me want to make further alterations to the deck. I did consider the following:

The Soul Stone (The Terminus of Return) – Harnessing it is just too expensive!
Spectacular Tactics – Perhaps instead of Get Lost?
Clandestine Work – Card draw is never a bad thing but what do I give up for it?
Villainous Wrath – I like it until the last sentence: “Then destroy all creatures.” That does not help my creature focused deck.

In the end, I don’t think that there is much that I can do except experiment a bit with these cards and perhaps go back to older sets to see how I can improve the deck a bit but it looks like consistent wins are going to be a while away still.

With Avatar up next, we’ll have to see if there are real improvements to be found. I’m not familiar with the lore so not sure that there are any clerics but I will be disappointed if we have two sets in a row without any.

Navigating Card Rotation: B01 Standard Orzhov Clerics After Edge of Eternities

July 29, 2025 / Jerome / Leave a comment

Is it me or are new sets coming out faster? I just finished enhancing my B01 Standard Orzhov Cleric Deck with the Universes Beyond: Final Fantasy set cards (granted I was late doing so) and here we are with Edge of Eternities just having come around the corner. Previews and pre-releases have wrapped up so it’s time to take a look at new improvements are possible with the new cards.

With Edge of Eternities also comes rotation. With a number of sets dropping out of Standard, I will lose a number of key cards. The question will be what can we rebuild and how will it affect the effectiveness of the deck. It already was not a Tier 1 deck by a long stretch and I expect that rotation will have a significant impact.

Here is the deck that I’ve been playing in recent days. The cards in red will no longer be valid as of August 1st (or July 29th on Arena). 20 cards in the main deck alone! I don’t have a good feeling about this!

Deck
2 Go for the Throat (BRO) 102
3 Evolved Sleeper (DMU) 93
8 Plains (THB) 250
6 Swamp (THB) 252
3 Shadow-Rite Priest (DMU) 106
1 The Fair Basilica (ONE) 252
3 Scoured Barrens (IKO) 254
1 The Dross Pits (ONE) 251
1 Valgavoth’s Lair (DSK) 271
2 Loran’s Escape (BRO) 14
3 Essence Channeler (BLB) 12
3 Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim (DMU) 198
3 Phyrexian Missionary (DMU) 27
2 Authority of the Consuls (FDN) 137
3 Preacher of the Schism (LCI) 113
2 Cavern of Souls (LCI) 269
3 Rosa, Resolute White Mage (FIN) 555
2 Cut Down (DMU) 89
2 Fabled Passage (ELD) 244
2 Minwu, White Mage (FIN) 26
3 Aerith Gainsborough (FIN) 4
2 Sheltered by Ghosts (DSK) 30

Sideboard
1 Grand Abolisher (BIG) 2
1 Skrelv, Defector Mite (ONE) 33
1 Pest Control (BIG) 22
1 Lay Down Arms (BRO) 11
1 The Witch’s Vanity (WOE) 119
1 Starscape Cleric (BLB) 116
1 Krumar Initiate (TDM) 84
1 Sanguine Evangelist (LCI) 34
1 Zoraline, Cosmos Caller (BLB) 242
1 Leyline Binding (DMU) 24
1 Liliana of the Veil (DMU) 97
1 Virtue of Persistence (WOE) 115
1 Moonrise Cleric (BLB) 226
1 Roaming Throne (LCI) 258
1 Anointed Peacekeeper (DMU) 2

Three cards in particular will be tough to replace: Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim, Phyrexian Missionary and Shadow-Rite Priest.

But before we all declare that all is doom and gloom, let’s see what space-faring Clerics we have in Edge of Eternities. There are six in total and five of those could work in our Orzhov deck. That’s not a bad start.

The first, Alpharael, Dreaming Acolyte, will simply not work because of its Dimir colours. Moving right along.

Alpharael, Stonechosen, could be a pretty potent card but would require more emphasis in the deck on the new Warp mechanic. It is not a cheap card though, costing . Looking at the other clerics in the set, none use the mechanic so the only way this would trigger is if a nonland permanent left the battlefield this turn. While possible, I think that this may not trigger often enough to be very effective. But with the deck being so depleted, maybe I will try it and see.

Elegy Acolyte might be a better fit. It is cheaper by a one pip and better fits into the current lifelink focus of the deck. In this case, Void provides an additional 2/2 colorless Robot artifact creature token that could then become the nonland permanents needed to trigger Void effects. Maybe I’ll start with this one in the deck and see how it performs. If it does, I could then try out Alpharael, Stonechosen as well. Then again, there are a few cards I had set aside that I might put into the deck first.

I might add a few copies of Lightless Evangel into the deck if only because it is relatively cheap and can help buff up other clerics around it. But the current deck is not built around sacrificing so there may be little value there. I’ll hold off for now and maybe revisit later.

I’ll start with a few copies of Sunstar Chaplain, to help with the depleted ranks of my deck. Buffing cards up is never a bad thing and the additional ability to tap a target artifact or creature by removing a +1/+1 counter could be an interesting strategy. It is a better fit than the previous cards.

The last new Cleric is Umbral Collar Zealot. It is a cheap creature that plays well with a sacrifice strategy. I’m not sure that this something meant for the deck but I may again not have much of a choice. Sacrificing another creature or artifact to surveil does not sound does not sound particularly appealing. Let’s start instead with some older Clerics and again revisit as needed.

Removal has been updated with a few Murder and Get Lost cards. I don’t have much in terms of combat tricks for now but will see if adjustments are needed.

Lastly, I’ve replaced two lands with the new Planet Lands. Not sure how they will really function in the deck but what have I got to lose at this point?

Deck

3 Murder (J25) 467
2 Bitter Triumph (LXI) 91
2 Sanguine Savior (MKM) 230
4 Essence Channeler (BLB) 12
2 Grand Abolisher (BIG) 2
2 Authority of the Consuls (FDN) 137
3 Preacher of the Schism (LCI) 113
3 Rosa, Resolute White Mage (FIN) 555
3 Starscape Cleric (BLB) 116
2 Minwu, White Mage (FIN) 26
3 Aerith Gainsborough (FIN) 4
2 Sheltered by Ghosts (DSK) 30
3 Sunstar Chaplain (EOE) 40
2 Get Lost (LCI) 14
8 Plains (THB) 250
6 Swamp (THB) 252
1 Susur Secundi, Void Altar (EOE) 259
1 Adagia, Windswept Bastion (EOE) 250
3 Scoured Barrens (IKO) 254
1 Valgavoth’s Lair (DSK) 271
2 Cavern of Souls (LCI) 269
2 Fabled Passage (ELD) 244

Sideboard

1 Pest Control (BIG) 22
1 The Witch’s Vanity (WOE) 119
1 Starscape Cleric (BLB) 116
1 Krumar Initiate (TDM) 84
1 Sanguine Evangelist (LCI) 34
1 Zoraline, Cosmos Caller (BLB) 242
1 Virtue of Persistence (WOE) 115
1 Moonrise Cleric (BLB) 226
1 Roaming Throne (LCI) 258

More to come on the sideboard once I’ve had a chance to take this first version of the new deck out for a spin and I start to make adjustments.

Genesis: Battle of Champions heads to Kickstarter for Metamorphosis set

July 23, 2025July 23, 2025 / Jerome / Leave a comment

Edge of Exile Entertainment (EOE) earlier this week revealed its plans to release its next set for Genesis: Battle of Champions. And that path is taking it back to Kickstarter, this time to hopefully launch its latest set by raising the CA$40,000 needed to get the set printed. The company first teased Metamorphosis last year. EOE’s first attempt to get the set printed through Kickstarter unfortunately came up short and the company took some time to regroup and plan its next move. Whereas last year’s failed campaign tried to raise funds without directly selling booster boxes, this time, the new set is the main attraction.

The Kickstarter campaign is expected to start on Friday, July 25th around 0800 ET. It will offer a number of pledge tiers, all of which will include at least one booster box of the new set. Backers will also get the new cards some six weeks before the set hits stores in early 2026. Let’s take a closer look at the campaign.

The first tier will allow you to buy a Booster Box with 24 packs for CA$95 (plus shipping), a healthy markdown over the $120 MSRP.

The next tier, the Starter Bundle, will include a booster box, a Kickstarter exclusive playmat (your choice of vertical or horizontal orientation) and the five mono-coloured starter decks released last year. It will cost CA$225.

The next tier is geared at local gaming stores who are signed up for the organized play program. It will offer a Booster case (6 booster boxes) for CA$450. Players looking for a booster case will be able to pick one up with the next tier for CA$510 (or CA$85 per box).

The last tier is known as the Mega Bundle. It consists of a case of Metamorphosis as well as a case of Origins, a case of Jaelara: Second Edition, a Kickstarter Exclusive playmat (in the orientation of your choice) and a surprise gift.

Needless to say, the Kickstarter campaign will have some stretch goals. They have so far teased a few of these, starting with one at CA$75,000 and running up to CA$345,022. Why that specific amount for that last tier? Because it is exactly CA$1 more than the first successful Genesis: Battle of Champions Kickstarter campaign back in 2022.

Metamorphosis promises a whole new set of cards along with some new mechanics. So far, we know that there will be a new Equipment card type which will attach itself to champions to give them new or improved capabilities as well as dual-sided transforming cards. With the launch now possibly only a few months away, I expect that we will soon find out more about the set as well.

Quick reminder, the Kickstarter campaign should start around 0800 ET on Friday, July 25th.

Enhancing a B01 Standard Orzhov Cleric Deck with Final Fantasy

June 23, 2025 / Jerome / Leave a comment

Magic’s latest set, Final Fantasy, has now been out for three weeks. As with every other Standard set, let’s take a look and see what new cards I may be able to add to my typal Standard B01 Orzhov Cleric deck in a bid to finally transform it into a first tier deck. The first Universes Beyond set to be Standard legal brings six new Clerics to the table.

As always, a number of them can be immediately skipped over as they don’t fit into the Orzhov colours. That does not mean that they don’t have potential. Yuna, Hope of Spira, in particular, could fit nicely into a Selesnya enchantments deck.

Back to our deck, we have three Clerics that could fit into the deck. Let’s take a closer look at these.

Aerith Gainsborough certainly could be a good fit. Lifelink helps power some of the other Clerics in the deck. Any tokens it gains can be saved when she dies if I have a legendary creature on the board. Without any protection, I have a feeling that Aerith is simply too vulnerable. And the limited number of legendary creatures means that I may not be able to save those counters to make it worthwhile. I may swap out two Annex Sentries to see how she would fare in its place.

Rosa, Resolute White Mage, is another card that seems decent at first glance Giving creatures a +1/+1 counter and lifelink until end of turn fits well into the deck. At a cost of , I’m not sure I want to cut Roaming Throne for this card. Then again, it might be time for some experimentation. Let’s try it!

Finally, here is a card that I have been excited about since I first saw it. Minwu, White Mage, is definitely going into the deck so that I can see if she is as good as she seems to be. Right out of the gate, she comes with vigilance and lifelink. So far, so good but whenever I gain life, she allows me to put a +1/+1 counter on each Cleric I control. That could end some games. The only downside is her cost. At , this is not a cheap card to cast.

Final Fantasy comes with another goodie for Clerics. There are two equipment spells that can turn any creature into a Cleric. While only one fits an Orzhov deck, this is definitely an interesting development. Both White Mage’s Staff and Sage’s Nouliths turn creatures into Clerics while they are equipped. The job select mechanic means that both enter already attached to a Hero Cleric and both have nice upside when they attack.

My first instinct is to not include White Mage’s Staff simply because so many of the other Clerics already have lifelink. But again, this may need to be validated in the lab of gameplay first.

One other change I made to the deck was to remove Fell in favour of Exorcise. Both work at Sorcery speed but the latter gives me more options to target.

One last change: I cut the Krumar Initiates in favour of Authority of the Consuls. It should slow my opponent down a bit and give my Clerics deck a bit more time for the pieces to fall into place and hopefully take control of the game.

Here is the latest version of my Standard B01 Orzhov Cleric deck:

Deck

2 Go for the Throat (BRO) 102
3 Evolved Sleeper (DMU) 93
3 Shadow-Rite Priest (DMU) 106
2 Loran’s Escape (BRO) 14
3 Essence Channeler (BLB) 12
3 Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim (DMU) 198
3 Phyrexian Missionary (DMU) 27
2 Authority of the Consuls (FDN) 137
3 Preacher of the Schism (LCI) 113
2 Rosa, Resolute White Mage (FIN) 555
2 Cut Down (DMU) 89
2 Minwu, White Mage (FIN) 26
2 Anointed Peacekeeper (DMU) 2
2 Exorcise (DSK) 8
2 Aerith Gainsborough (FIN) 4
2 Cavern of Souls (LCI) 269
1 The Dross Pits (ONE) 251
1 Fabled Passage (ELD) 244
1 The Fair Basilica (ONE) 252
8 Plains (THB) 250
3 Scoured Barrens (IKO) 254
6 Swamp (THB) 252
2 Valgavoth’s Lair (DSK) 271

Sideboard (or cards I may want to bring back into the deck later)

1 Grand Abolisher (BIG) 2
1 Skrelv, Defector Mite (ONE) 33
1 Pest Control (BIG) 22
1 Lay Down Arms (BRO) 11
1 The Witch’s Vanity (WOE) 119
1 Starscape Cleric (BLB) 116
1 Krumar Initiate (TDM) 84
1 Sanguine Evangelist (LCI) 34
1 Zoraline, Cosmos Caller (BLB) 242
1 Leyline Binding (DMU) 24
1 Liliana of the Veil (DMU) 97
1 Virtue of Persistence (WOE) 115
1 Moonrise Cleric (BLB) 226
2 Roaming Throne (LCI) 258

Final Fantasy Pre-Release: A New Era in Magic

June 15, 2025 / Jerome / Leave a comment

The Final Fantasy pre-release marked the beginning of a new era in our family. It was the first one where I went alone as Christian was working and Noah decided that he had/has no interest in this set and that it does not exist. “It’s a summer without new Magic sets,” he declared some time back.

I knew from the hype leading to the launch that this would be a huge set. The fact that it was the best-selling set ever even before it officially launched certainly suggested as such. But it really hit home as I listened to players around me talking about playing the video game through all of its different versions. I was definitely in the minority as someone who has never played this game.

And then came the moment to start building!

I cracked my packs and laid out my cards. Three cards immediately stood out for me: Jecht, Reluctant Guardian which flips into a 7/7 creature saga, Clive, Ifrit’s Dominant, my only mythic and another creature saga, and Firion, Wild Rose Warrior. My White was not particularly strong but had some decent removal and had Moogle’s Valor, a card that looked like fun.

I quickly ruled out Blue as it had nothing that called out to me. Green was not much better despite having a few cards, including some saga creatures but none that flipped. I was not convinced that these would be strong enough as they were not long for the board.

I’ve not had much luck in the past with three colours so looked to build a two-colour deck but I had only two spells in that colour and neither was particularly good. Red was strong, particularly with a Suplex as one of the better removal spells in the set. I caved and went three colours to get some white removal and smooth out my curve a little bit. To be honest, I was not exactly feeling my deck. It felt like I was trying to do a lot with it and I wondered how it would all come together.

One card that I had hoped to find was Minwu, White Mage. It was not necessarily for the pre-release but for my Clerics decks. More on that card in an upcoming post.

My first round was against a player who was coming back to Magic because of Final Fantasy. He had stopped playing some years back but the new set drew him back. He played what looked like a Selesnya deck that promised some big creatures.

A few cards came through for me as I won the first game: Mysidian Elder and more importantly, the 0/1 black Wizard token who would ping him for one every time I cast a noncreature spell, Red Mage’s Rapier with the Job select mechanic that would immediately attach the Equipment to a Hero token, and Moogle’s Valor.

The second game went pretty much the same way. It turns out that my opponent was playing three colours but his mana did not cooperate for this first round. I ran into him later and his deck did work better after our games.

For me, it was a first round win – Something that has not happened in a while!

My second round was against an Izzet deck. There was good synergy between the cards of his deck but my deck continued to surprise me. I was able to play Jecht, Reluctant Guardian, but he realized the threat and quickly dealt with it. It did cost him one of his few removal spells, I found out later. The game went long after that but I managed to prevail.

We kicked off the second game and it again went long. The decks were clearly evenly matched and I got to play Clive, Ifrit’s Dominant. Again, my opponent astutely recognized the threat and Clive was quickly removed. Sadly, once more I was not able to transform one of my creature sagas.

This time, it was my opponent who prevailed just as time as called. We had to settle for a draw but I was not unhappy as my deck was fun to play and was continuing to play better than I had expected.

For the third round, I was paired up against someone who had been deckbuilding not far from me. When I saw him sit down across from me, I knew the odds were not going to be in my favour. He had pulled not one but two Vivi Ornitiers, one of the most potent cards in the deck.

In our first round, he mulliganed down to 5 cards. I started feeling a little better about my chances. I held my removal for his Vivi and was able to control the game and chip away slowly again using my 0/1 Wizard tokens. The game went long but I prevailed.

In the second round, it was my turn to mulligan down to five cards. Lands suddenly were scarce and I did not feel like playing with one land hands. This game felt very much like the mirror of the first one. Me starting with five and him consistently inflicting damage in a slow methodical way that I could not answer. At time, we were at one win a piece. A second draw to complete the round.

As usual, our LGS handed out two packs for each match, letting players decide amongst themselves to split the or play for them. We agreed to split them in all three rounds. From them, I pulled the following Rares and Mythics: Lightning, Army of One, a Cecil, Dark Knight, The Darkness Crystal, Triple Triad and Zell Dincht. Some interesting stuff!

I am thinking that I will build a Commander deck around Lightning, Army of One. The Stagger ability could definitely lead to some interesting negotiations at the table.

All in all, I’m pleased with my 1-0-2 record but I do still wish that the boys had been here. Magic is all about the gathering as so many say and I missed our chats during deck building and between games. It is a new era here at Family Magic.