Magic the Gathering Nicol Bolas the Deceiver - Planeswalker Deck Review

Here it is.  A week early!  (I bought information technology at the pre-release, and the SpartanKid also won a copy!)  So nosotros now have two…

For this unboxing and review…in the interest of saving what little WordPress space I take left, I will merely go downwardly to it.

Yous go the new foil card "Nicol Bolas, the Deceiver."  As Bolas cards go, this one is the worst.  To exist clear, we now have three Bolas planeswalker cards.  The classic version remains the near iconic and powerful.  In that location is a new Nicol Bolas, the God Pharoah, and and so there's this.  His mana cost is more than or less the same.  He has three relevant abilities.  He might be the worst of the three, only he is still quite meaning.  With Intro Packs Planeswalker Packs, the Wizards said they want to give people splashy cards to learn to play with.  If this isn't splashy, I don't know what is.

I assure you…if you've read my other reviews of Planeswalker Packs, then you know what unboxing this is like.  It is exactly the same!  In that location is a plastic chimera and a petty black tray.  All of the other contents are in a deck box.  Hither is the deck box, posing aslope my FUNKO POP! version of Bolas.

Within you get two booster packs, ii pieces of paper, and the deck sealed in cellophane.

I will go ahead and tell you that I didn't become whatsoever important cards in my two packs.

The two pieces of paper are a guide to playing Magic, and a affiche that has strategy for playing this deck.  There is besides a handy decklist.

Now for the cards!

Here are the rares that came with the intro deck.  This makes my fourth copy of the Throne.  Visage of Bolas is new, and I'thousand sure tin simply be gotten past purchasing this deck.

This deck is surprisingly creature-heavy.  Usually, Bolas wants a control deck.  Only here are the creatures.  The Wasp of the Biting Finish is a carte that you tin but go far this deck too, but it notably says "a Nicol Bolas" planeswalker, meaning that it is a carte du jour that can work with the other two versions of Bolas.

These creatures represent something else…apparently the story is that Bolas used the plane of Amonkhet to harvest the strongest warriors and make them into "eternals."

We get a agglomeration of basics, and importantly eight fixers.  Cinder Barrens is one of those intro-deck-only cards.  Catacomb of the Eternals is a clever new Grixis tri-country.

Which means we accept instant and sorcery cards remaining.

Not a whole lot.  Magma Spray is the most competitive here.  Open Burn down is a actually bad lightning  Bolt.  Final Reward.  A five drop removal spell.  BOOO.  (AT LEAST it stops players who might be trying to Eternalize or Embalm.)

Playing the deck.

Normally, you would cancel and destroy everything until you could draw and cast Bolas, pretty much for the win.  In a normal synthetic deck.

This fourth dimension, your strategy is a petty different.  Y'all are going to play creatures, (I will mention that Aerial Guide is probably the best card for this deck, since it flies and draws you cards.)  You lot promise to become the Visage of Bolas, which volition so get him in your hand pretty much guaranteed, then you lot will pretty much guaranteed be able to cast him if you do all of this at the appropriate time.

Now this programme depends on who you are playing against.  Against other intro decks, great!

Only in a serious environment, when you fetch up your Bolas, they will know you lot have him, and either cancel him, concord their impale spell, or do some kind of Thoughtsieze (Liliana) effect and make you lot discard him.  Visage of Bolas is a four drop, meaning you are probably never going to be able to play him on the same plow that you cast it.  (If that were the case with this deck, we would be talking about plow 12 at to the lowest degree!  Competitive Magic decks want a turn four or five kill.

I remember this is a great product to become people interested in playing MTG.  Just information technology is incorrect to call it a Standard deck.  It IS.  Just it isn't competitive.  You lot could just every bit easily discourage people from playing if they bought this, and then played it in a tournament and detect themselves wrecked every game.

I'm not proverb information technology is impossible for yous to win a match or 2.  Merely aren't competitive players going to have a sideboard?  There are now at Least 3 dissimilar inexpensive removal spells for Bolas (the Defeat cycle.)

The packaging is nice.  The box can hold sleeved cards, but has no solution for dice or tokens.  It's still ameliorate than the former intro pack boxes.  I'm even so asserting that if they want people to feel like they should play these decks in a tournament, then they should include sleeves.  I played against a newcomer during the sealed tournament this weekend…and how did I know he was a newcomer?  First impression…no sleeves.  And then they way he played reflected that.

I have played iv matches using this deck, even a few "mirror matches," and I only tin't go excited virtually information technology.  I practise similar the new Bolas card, simply Nicol Bolas, God Pharaoh is better for Standard.  Maybe there is a adept way to exploit the specific cards in this deck that merely come with this production…like Visage of Bolas.  But you better be able to produce a ton of mana early.  The wasp thing is cool, just I recollect it meliorate for a Bolas Tribal commander deck.  It'south just going to net you some extra value for playing Bolas.

So I am going to rate this deck at 2/5.  It's kind of flat.

At present the SpartanKid thinks otherwise.  He believes I am beingness as well harsh, and he likes the thought of an "Eternals" tribal deck.  I volition keep you posted well-nigh what happens…He might even make a standard deck that riffs on the intro deck.

So the SpartanNerd rates Nicol Bolas, The Deceiver Planeswalker Pack 2/five.  Do you lot agree or disagree?  Permit me know in the comments!

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Source: https://spartannerd.com/2017/07/10/nicol-bolas-the-deciever-planeswalker-pack-spartannerd-unboxing-and-review/

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