Introduction
| Howdy, and welcome to the PostBordem Blog. When I first set this website up I wasn’t sure what it was going to be about, but things have normalized now. Currently I am working on my God, Games, & Ends Meat Initiative, so for the next year or two I’ll be reviewing Magic the Gathering themed booster packs, among other things. If I enjoy the process enough and get some feedback, I’ll continue to review them. So why Magic the Gathering and why themed booster packs you might ask? Good question. It’s been about a year since I started playing Magic, and despite the arguments that the game sometimes inspires, it has been a fun experience. You can’t quite replicate the table talk and short lived alliances that are made in MTG with other card games such as Poker or Rook (think of it as a multiplayer version of chess but with cards). As to why I choose themed booster packs as apposed to Wizards of the Coast’s other range of products (ex. Commander decks, regular boosters, mystery boxes, singles) it’s mostly financial decision (a themed booster is $7.50 for 35 cards as apposed to $40 for a 100 card deck or $4-$5 for a 15 card booster), but don’t write them off too quickly. I think there is some real value hear. For starters, in this very booster pack I scored one of my favorite cards, Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Ashaya turns all your creatures into forest lands in addition to their other types then Ashaya’s power and toughness are equal to the amount of lands you control. If you play Ashaya on round five, you probably have five lands and three creatures so Ashaya becomes an 8/8 while giving you some extra ramp. An all around good card.
Maybe words like “ramp”, as used here, don’t make a lot of sense to you. If that’s you, I’ll assume that you are new to Magic. That’s where my next point comes in. Themed booster packs are good for teaching newcomers different tactics to use and synergies to incorporate into their own constructed decks; however, due to the lack of lands in these packs, (you might luck up and get a single land like I did) themed boosters can’t be played right out of the box and therefore aren’t good for complete beginners. You have to either buy some lands separate to add to these incomplete “decks” to make them playable or have an old deck that you’ve gotten bored with that you want to make into something new. So maybe these are good for experienced players then? Maybe not. If you were to buy a regular booster pack you are guaranteed a rare card, this is the same for the themed boosters as well, but if you buy two regular boosters for just a little most than a themed booster pack ($8-$10 instead of $7.50) you are guaranteed two! rare cards as well as some foils and sometimes token creatures or cards with alternate art. Every now and again you’ll score two rare/mystic rare cards, but most of the time you’ll just get one. Are rares that special? Sort of. You have to have a legendary commander to play in formats like brawl and commander, and in order to score a creature like Ashaya you’ll probably have to open a several booster packs (I opened three packs after this one and only got rare sorceries and enchantments). Themed booster packs do offer an advantage though and it lies in the “themed” part of the name. Regular booster packs contain something of every color so you might be surprised by a great legendary creature but it’s a different color than you need so you’d still have to open several packs before you got something useful. Then after opening several you’d own a rainbow of cards (this might not be such a “bad” thing but is still something to consider). Anyway on to the real review.
Review
Zendikar Rising’s green themed booster pack released around September 2020 and mtg went for a “party” theme. Spells you cast benefited from the amount of Clerics, Rogues, Warriors, and Wizards on the battlefield or “in your party” as Wizards of the Coast liked to put it. This pack also went for a lot of landfall mechanics and kicker spells as well. Welcome additions as the party mechanic often felt lackluster. Only 4 cards in this booster really cared about it, but two of them allowed you to get a high mana cost creature in sooner, kind of like affinity for artifacts did in sets prior. Otherwise, the landfall and kicker mechanics in this deck felt a lot more consistent. Some other cards of note were: Murasa Rootgrazer (great for landfall triggers), Taunting Arbormage (any creature that lets you redirect your opponent’s entire defense is a good card in my opinion), and Adventure Awaits (a sorcery card that let you dig five card deep into your library for a creature card). Additional there’s the simple but effective Tajuru Blightblade (a one mana cost 1/1 creature with deathtouch). There were several fodder creature here as well, but overall a fun mix of cards and with some valuable cards that could pay for the pack if I decided to sell them.
Simplified List
Creatures (23)
×1 – Sea Gate Colossus
×2 – Kazandu Stomper
×1 – Veteran Adventurer
×1 – Ashaya, Soul of the Wild
×1 – Turntimber Ascetic
×1 – Canopy Baloth
×1 – Joraga Visionary
×1 – Taunting Arbormage
×2 – Territorial Scythecat
×2 – Tajuru Snarecaster
×1 – Skyclave Sentinel
×1 – Brushfire Elemental
×1 – Murasa Rootgrazer
×3 – Vine Gecko
×1 – Gnarlid Colony
×2 – Kazandu Nectarpot
×2 – Tajuru Blightblade
Artifacts (3)
×1 – Skyclave Pick-Axe
×1 – Utility Knife
Enchantments (1)
×1 – Nissa’s Zendikon
Instants (1)
×1 – Might of Murasa
Sorcery (8)
×1 – Vastwood Surge
×2 – Scale the Heights
×1 – Adventure Awaits
×1 – Rabid Bite
×2 – Strength of Solidarity
×1 – Reclaim the Waste
Lands (1)
×1 – Windswept Heath
Exapanded List
Creatures (24)
| ×1 – Sea Gate Colossus [Cost: 7 Generic] | Artifact Creature – Golem Warrior (Common) This spell cost 1 Generic man less to cast for each creature in your party. (Your party consist of up to one each Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, and Wizard.) 7/5 |
| ×2 – Kazandu Stomper [Cost: 5 Generic , 1 Forest] | Creature – Beast (Common) Trample When Kazandu Stomper enters the battlefield, return up to two lands you control to their owner’s hand. 6/5 |
| ×1 – Veteran Adventurer [Cost: 5 Generic , 1 Forest] | Creature – Human (Common) Vigilance Veteran Adventurer is also a Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, and Wizard. This spell cost 1 Generic man less to cast for each creature in your party. 5/5 |
| ×1 – Ashaya, Soul of the Wild [Cost: 3 Generic, 2 Forest] | Legendary Creature – Elemental (Mystic Rare) Ashaya, Soul of the Wild’s power and toughness are each equal to the number of lands you control. Nontoken creatures you control are Forest lands in addition to their other types. (They’re still affected by summoning sickness.) */ * |
| ×1 – Turntimber Ascetic [Cost: 4 Generic , 1 Forest] | Creature – Giant Cleric (Common) When Turntimber Ascetic enters the battlefield, you gain 3 life. 5/4 |
| ×1 – Canopy Baloth [Cost: 3 Generic , 1 Forest] | Creature – Beast (Common) Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, Canopy Baloth get +2/+2 untill end of turn. 4/3 |
| ×1 – Joraga Visionary [Cost: 3 Generic , 1 Forest] | Creature – Elf Wizard (Common) When Joraga Visionary enters the battlefield, draw a card. 3/2 |
| ×1 – Taunting Arbormage [Cost: 2 Generic, 1 Forest] | Creature – Elf Wizard (Uncommon) Kicker — You may pay an additional 3 Generic mana as you cast this spell. When Taunting Arbormage enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, all creatures able to block target creature this turn do so. 2/3 |
| ×2 – Territorial Scythecat [Cost: 2 Generic , 1 Forest] | Creature – Cat (Common) Trample Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, put a +1/+1 counter on Territorial Scythecat. |
| ×2 – Tajuru Snarecaster [Cost: 2 Generic , 1 Forest] | Creature – Elf Rogue (Common) Reach 1/4 |
| ×1 – Skyclave Sentinel [Cost: 3 Generic] | Artifact Creature – Gargoyle (Common) Flying, Defender Kicker — You may pay an additional 4 Generic mana as you cast this spell. If Skyclave Sentinel was kicked, it enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it. As long as Skyclave Sentinel has a +1/+1 counter on it, it can attack as though it didn’t have defender. 2/3 |
| ×1 – Brushfire Elemental [Cost: 1 Mountain, 1 Forest] | Creature – Elemental (Uncommon) Haste Brushfire Elemental can’t be blocked by creatures with 2 power or less. Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, Brushfire Elemental gets +2/+2 until end of turn. 1/1 |
| ×1 – Murasa Rootgrazer [Cost: 1 Forest, 1 Plains] | Creature – Beast (Common) Vigilance Tap: You may put a basic land card from your hand onto the battlefield. Tap: Return target basic land you control to its owner’s hands. 2/3 |
| ×3 – Vine Gecko [Cost: 1 Generic, 1 Forest] | Creature – Elemental Lizard (Common) The first kicked spell you cast cost 1 Generic mana less to cast. Whenever you cast a kicked spell, put a +1/+1 Vine Gecko. 2/2 |
| ×1 – Gnarlid Colony Cost: 1 [Generic, 1 Forest] | Creature – Beast (Common) Kicker — You may pay an additional 2 Generic mana & 1 Forest as you cast this spell. If Gnarled Colony was kicked, it enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it. Each creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it has trample. 1/3 |
| ×2 – Kazandu Nectarpot [Cost: 1 Generic, 1] Forest | Creature – Insect (Common) Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you gain 1 life. 1/3 |
| ×2 – Tajuru Blightblade [Cost: 1 Forest] | Creature – Elf Rogue (Common) Deathtouch 1/1 |
Artifacts (2)
| ×1 – Skyclave Pick-Axe [Cost: 1 Forest] | Artifact – Equipment (Uncommon) When Shyclave Pick-Axe enters the battlefield, attach it to target creature you control. Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, equiped creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Pay 2 Generic & 1 Forest: Equip target creature. |
| ×1 – Utility Knife [Cost: 1 Generic] | Artifact – Equipment (Common) When Utility Knife enters the battlefield, attach it to target creature you control. Equipped creature gets +1/+1. Pay 3 Generic mana: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery. |
Enchantments (1)
| ×1 – Nissa’s Zendikon [Cost: 3 Generic, 1 Forest] | Enchantment – Aura (Common) Enchant land. Enchanted land is a 4/4 Elemental creature with reach and haste. It’s still a land. When enchanted land dies, return that card to it’s owner’s hand. |
Instants (1)
| 1 – Might of Murasa [Cost: 1 Generic, 1 Forest] | Instant (Common) Kicker — You may pay an additional 2 Generic mana & 1 Forest as you cast this spell. Target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn. If this spell was kicked, that creature gets +5/+5 until end of turn instead. |
Sorcery (8)
| ×1 – Vastwood Surge [Cost: 3 Generic, 1 Forest] | Sorcery (Uncommon) Kicker — You may pay an additional 4 Generic mana as you cast this spell. Search your library for up to two basic land cards, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library. If this spell was kicked, put two +1/+1 counters on each creature you control. |
| ×2 – Scale the Heights [Cost: 2 Generic, 1 Forest] | Sorcery (Common) Put a +1/+1 counter on up to one target creature. You gain 2 life. You may play an additional land this turn. Draw a card. |
| ×1 – Adventure Awaits Cost: 1 [Generic, 1 Forest] | Sorcery (Common) Look at the top five cards of your library. You may reveal a creature card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. If you didn’t put a card into your hand this way, draw a card. |
| ×1 – Rabid Bite [Cost: 1 Generic, 1 Forest] | Sorcery (Common) Target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to target creature you don’t control. |
| ×2 – Strength of Solidarity [Cost: 1 Forest] | Sorcery (Common) Choose target creature you control. Put a +1/+1 counter on it for each creature in your party. (Your party consist of up to one each a Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, and Wizard. ) |
| ×1 – Reclaim the Waste [Cost: 1 Forest] | Sorcery (Common) Kicker — You may pay an additional 3 Generic mana as you cast this spell. Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library. If this spell was kicked, search your library for two basic land cards instead of one. |
Lands (1)
| ×1 – Windswept Heath [Color: N/A] | Land (Rare) Tap, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice Windswept Heath: Search your library for a Forest or Plains card and put in onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library. |
Also check out https://www.archidekt.com/decks/1350575#Zendikar_Rising_Green_Themed_Booster_(2020) for the Expanded List.
Quick Upgrades
— Author: TBryantS