Today I opened my Kickstarter display from the Gamers Guild event last weekend.
There weren’t any standout uniques in terms of power level, but a foil, alt-art Shenlong is always a treat. As always, I’ll give my first impressions of them below.
Kitsune: 2/7
While it’s cute that this card meets all the conditions for its trigger when played from reserve with a Haven, Bravos Bastion on board, this will usually be on par with a textless 2-mana 0/4/1 in practice, which is acceptable. 4 mountain on a 2-drop does mean that this can sometimes perform well if lined up correctly.
Spindle Harvesters: 1/7
Even out of Afanas & Senka, this requires a second spell or a Helping Hand (F) before it starts self-boosting. Its meager base stats and the fact that it only anchors from reserve make this one very weak.
Edit (2024-12-03): 2/7
Costing 1 from hand is a plus, and the spell trigger’s synergy with Helping Hand (F) isn’t nothing.
Inari: 4/7
Sacrificing a permanent is a pretty hefty cost, but I can imagine this being a strong tempo play in a deck with disposable permanents or as a finisher in a Sierra or Haven deck.
Asmodeus: 3/7
I’m not in love with large, expensive characters without protection, but this Asmodeus has just enough stats that I could imagine playing him as a 5-cost character in an Atsadi & Surge deck that’s built such that the card from hand isn’t a cost. It’s solid from reserve, where you have the flexibility to play this as an overstatted 4-drop or use the support ability to get extra value out of a stronger character.
Shenlong: 3/7
On the front side, the above-rate stats on a character with protection make this a solid play if you’re looking for a beefy 4-drop. It’s too bad you won’t get the same rate from reserve. Still, the support ability is a nice buyout, and it’s respectable as a 6-mana 8/8/9 if it’s the last turn of the game and the mana orb doesn’t matter anymore.