Let's open my second pack from the Khans of Tarkir block, the Fate Reforged set. If you want the story behind this block, check the MTG Wiki. The three-color wedge theme of the first block starts to shift away from being the main focus here.
You know the usual routine by now, I'm sure. Commons first, then uncommons, rares, foils, etc. with links to Gatherer.
Reach of Shadows: 4B is too much for a creature destruction instant that can't target colorless cards IMHO.
Write Into Being: 2U to look at the top 2 cards, and manifest one as a 2/2 creature, while putting the other at the bottom of your library. Not awful, since a manifested creature card may be turned face up for its mana cost, and this can make something really trivial into something really awesome.
Alesha's Vanguard: 3B for a 3/3 is strictly a bad deal, but the Dash option allows it to be played for only 2B with Haste at the expense of returning to your hand if it survives the subsequent combat phase. This card might have some value in the right deck, like one with cards that have effects when creatures enter or leave the battlefield, and I like the idea of changing up how some cards are played.
Abzan Skycaptain: 3W for a 2/2 with Flying and another interesting ability. Bolster 2 add two +1/+1 counters to the weakest creature in your force. As such, this card is quite the force multiplier, especially if paired in the deck with the Abzan Battle Priest from last week's post. I see synergy potential here.
Enhanced Awareness: 4U to replenish your hand with three new cards is not bad, even at the cost of a discard, by turn 5 or 6 when this is most likely to be feasible and very useful.
Lightning Shrieker: 4R for a 5/5 with Flying, Haste, and Trample? AWESOME! Oh, it gets shuffled back into your library at the end of your turn? Less awesome. Still, it's quite the aggressive card. I might be able to make it work in a deck I have in mind, but have not yet actually built.
Great-Horn Krushok: 4W for a 3/5. Pass.
Hunt the Weak: I think I had this card in a previous pack from another set. 3G to put a +1/+1 counter on a creature you control, and then make it fight another target creature. Again, good synergy with Abzan Battle Priest from last week.
Formless Nurturing: Another 3G Sorcery, but playing with the Manifest rule instead of starting a fight. Maybe good? Probably not.
Defiant Ogre: 5R for a 3/5 that either enters with a +1/+1 counter (meh) or destroys target artifact (Maybe OK?). A 4/6 for CMC 6 is just a bad deal. a 3/5 that also destroys something on entry might be worthwhile depending on the opponent.
Abzan Beastmaster: 2G for a 2/1 would be bad... except you get to draw an extra card if you control the biggest beastie on the battlefield, and Green is really good at getting big beasties, and this block has a few white cards that can also boost your beasties. This could be useful.
Pyrotechnics: 4R to deal 4 damage isn't all that great, except you can divide that however you like among up to four creatures and/or players.Versatility has value, and this card might not be all that bad in casual play.
Sibsig Muckdragger: 8B for a 3/6? WHAT? But if you've been stocking your graveyard, you could exile up to eight cards and theoretically only pay B. Hmm...
Ghastly Conscription is not a high-value rare, but it does add a lot of graveyard fun, including the option to steal all the creatures out of an opponent's graveyard and stop their shenanigans. I will include this in a deck I am building. Should it be in the one that mills my opponents, or the one where I mill myself, though?
We also got a Swiftwater Cliffs dual land that enters tapped but grants one life, and a 1/1 Spirit token with Flying.
What do you think? There are good cards in this set, but nothing here strikes me as spectacular today. Are these cards mostly just bad, or is there inspiration for creative deckbuilding?
