Innistrad prerelease events are kicking off this weekend, September 24-25. Ghouls, werewolves, vampires and other various monstrosities and horror classics square off with the defiant ranks of humanity under the silver moon of Innistrad. So what strategies should you know going into this prerelease?
Let’s go over some prerelease tournament basics and then we’ll look into what you might want to look for in each color as you crack open your six packs of this gothic horror set. Feel free to skip the first section if you’re familiar with prerelease events and get right into some Limited Innistrad predictions.
Be sure to get to your event with enough time to spare. Your tournament organizers and fellow players will appreciate getting started “close” to on time. Play a round or two of Commander or something while you’re waiting.
Get a solid breakfast – Depending on your rounds and location, you may not have time to head out for a bite during the event and food may not be available on site.
Touch up a bit. You don’t need to wear a suit and tie, but you’ll be really happy if you spruce up with a shower and some comfortable clothes. Tournament environments can be very crowded and all those humans sharing space can lead to a horrific situation that goes far beyond the denizens of Innistrad.
Practice courteous and polite play. Elevate the game to the level it deserves and treat your opponents with respect and courtesy at all times. It’s a prerelease event, and if you’re a regular player you may find yourself up against players who don’t really know the rules too well and might make obvious mistakes. Help them out. You may even make new friends. With all the hoopla regarding “gamers” lately, set an example for your store and community.
Have a great time! There will be side events, so if your pool craps out or you run into the individual who pulled 2 Garruks, there will be plenty of opportunities for Magic fun throughout the course of the day, both competitive and casual.
Things to look for in Innistrad
Most players won’t need any strategy guide to identify powerful rares and mythics to build around, so let’s focus on some of the common and uncommon slots in each color that should make the cut.
White has a potent grab bag of Humans and Spirits at its disposal in Innistrad. With evasive creatures like Spectral Rider, Voiceless Spirit, Chapel Geist and Midnight Haunting available, you should have little problem getting damage in on your opponent. You’ll also want to look for removal spells like Rebuke, Smite the Monstrous, Slayer of the Wicked, Fiend Hunter, and the incredibly versatile Bonds of Faith.
There are combat tricks galore, and a trampling common transformer to boot. White has deep pockets in the slots that count and plenty of ways to outmaneuver the creatures of the night and shut down and destroy the ones too big to handle.
Blue is a little less obvious with its talents than white, but if you’re able to get a few cards in your graveyard you will be able to push out giant threats for bargain mana costs. Armored Skaab, Forbidden Alchemy or Civilized Scholar can throw some bodies in your graveyard to get things going. Then consume some of those corpses to enable Stitched Drake, Makeshift Mauler, and Skaab Goliath.
Silent Departure, Grasp of Phantoms, and Claustrophobia give blue access to removal and bounce, and other excellent evasive options such as Invisible Stalker, Lantern Spirit, Murder of Crows and Moon Heron will get the job done in the sky. Think Twice keeps your deck fluid, Curiosity works wonders with any of your evasive creatures, and multiple copies of Curse of the Bloody Tome can bury your opponent’s library quickly. While you may wish to try it on yourself, do so carefully – You’re only going to be running 40 cards total.
Black brings Zombies, Vampires, and sheer attrition to the table. Diregraf Ghoul offers a 2/2 Zombie for a single point of mana, while Ghoulraiser and Ghoulcaller’s Chant can ensure that you’ll be winning any war of attrition taking place as corpses clash in Innistrad Limited. Markov Patrician is especially dangerous, giving 3 points of lifelink to swing back on your opponents after threats are tapped to attack or removed.
Tribute to Hunger will replenish some of your health while taking out a creature, Dead Weight gives a potent -2/-2 for a single mana, and Typhoid Rats provide a 1 mana solution to anything on the ground, giving your Vampire Interlopers and Screeching Bats room to attack. Victim of Night will take out troubling non-horror tribes, and Morkrut Banshee should provide extreme value every time it hits the table.
Red has aggressive Vampires, Devils, and sparkling removal to play with. Brimstone Volley, Pitchburn Devils, and Geistflame provide your efficient spot removal slots with Into the Maw of Hell available to take out the really big guns.
Aggressive, growing Vampires are available along with the Curse of the Pierced Heart clock – a few of those strapped on an opponent can quickly turn into a very serious problem as “unblockable” damage. To facilitate your Vampires getting in for a bite, red mages also have access to several creatures and spells that make blocking difficult or impossible.
Green has a myriad of serious creature threats and defenses, and new ways to use them as removal. Ambush Viper functions as sort of a ground bound Doom Blade most of the time, Darkthicket Wolf provides a very efficient Rootwalla cousin, and there are plenty of excellent Werewolves you’ll be waiting to transform when your opponent falters.
Woodland Sleuth can snag a fallen comrade, Spidery Grasp and Prey Upon function as removal spells, and Festerhide Boar is a form of Gorehorn Minotaurs with trample. Somberwald Spider is also worth a look, as this Giant Spider may cost extra but the 4/6 potential more than compensates here in Sealed.
Artifacts have some excellent equipment and tools to flesh out whatever colors you end up playing. Butcher’s Cleaver is good on a lot of targets, especially Invisible Stalker. Blazing Torch goes in any deck. Cobbled Wings offer flying at a reasonable price.
Geistcatcher’s Rig offers an expensive but effective 2 for 1, Inquisitor’s Flail lends itself to your evasive creatures, and Mask of Avacyn, Sharpened Pitchfork, Wooden Stake, and Silver-Inlaid Dagger are all very playable. Traveler’s Amulet is something you’ll want to play, as it will help you get the mana you need.
Innistrad is a very dark – but very fun – world. It’s going to take some strategy to get used to having flashback back in the mix and working around Werewolf transformations, but this looks like it’s going to be a fairly robust Limited set to explore. Don’t miss the Magic: The Gathering Innistrad prerelease events this weekend!
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