"Khans of Tarkir PR: Exploiting Each Clan Mechanic Weakness"

"Khans of Tarkir PR: Exploiting Each Clan Mechanic Weakness"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

While you are out and about in the Khans of Tarkir Pre Release there are a couple of things that you might want to read about , mainly the weakness of each mechanic that belongs to the particular clans.

And since I love the Sultai and have been discussing cards from this particular clan the most I would like to start off with their mechanic.

The Sultai and Delve

- Delve relies on the amount of cards in a players graveyard and though it could produce wonderful effects or summon powerful creatures for very cheap prices the inherent weakness is that the Sultai could run out of things to exile from the grave. This mechanic and the decks that run it are particularly vulnerable to a grave emptying strategy which in the PR seems none existent(except for Burnaway and Cranial Archive). I mean casting creatures without any mana for cards that are already useless or used up since they are already in the graveyard. The best time to counter a Sultai spell is when a player has already committed or exiled a lot of cards. The cards do not come back and the spell is countered. Or if a Delve creature lands on the battlefield , you could just remove it from the game outright. So use those removals sparingly in the early games.

The Abzan and Outlast

- Yes Outlast makes a creature tougher, certain cards give bonuses or First strike , trample or Deathtouch. When facing outlast creatures though you need to realize that this is a wedge that has no blue creatures , no hexproof ones as well. Outlast also seems to slow down creatures at least one turn before they attack because Outlast can only be used as a sorcery add to the fact that this mechanic also needs a mana commitment. Use speed here because once the Abzan stand up(untap) and you have done nothing in that turn that they have slowed down , they are going to be way harder to kill.

Mardu and Raid

- Mardu is a clan of aggression and it makes sense that Raid is their mechanic. Players are going to be pushed to attack because this is how they will maximize Raid.The key is to kill the aggressor and deal with whatever they try to put on the battlefield. You will not always be able to deal with both of those threats but the greatest weakness here lies in the fact that when the board is stabilized and Mardu creatures cannot attack , you would be able to frustrate your opponents enough to take advantage of their indecisiveness. A strong defender is needed against Mardu and a handy creature removal for Ankle Shanker and Zurgo Helmsmasher.

Temur and Ferocious

- Temur is a more dangerous lot than Mardu and Abzan , simply because they have both the defensive capabilities of Blue and the power of Denial from blue. However they have one weakness, they have to always have a creature with a power 4 or greater in the battlefield. Take that creature away all the time and the power of their spells are halved. So the trick to beat them is when they over commit mana on a large creature. When opponents have Surrak Dragonclaw every creature becomes uncounterable.However they are not hexproof and all you need to do is to destroy or exile any creature with power 4 and up. Sucks to be that creature on the side of Temur. I mean you just got summoned and here is a spot removal heading toward your face.

The Jeskai and Prowess

- These high flying monks have one thing no other clan has. Prowess in battle. You need to cast a non-creature spell to make a particular Monk or Wizard powerful in the form of +1/+1 counters until the end of turn. They basically thrive on magic. So even when they counter your spells they are automatically being pumped up. So the trick to win against them is to not stop the spells as they are being cast. The trick is stop the creature before it attacks.One is easy enough to deal with , but two or three would easily escalate to a an aggression that you might not survive. So take care of the Prowess creatures early or spot remove them while they attack you.

Of course these are just my opinions in dealing with the mechanics of each clan.Timing and other tactics would also come into play. Luck is also a player here.What I say does not guarantee victory because I am also going to battle test them this Saturday as well but I think that psychologically this should up your chances quite a bit in the PR especially if you encounter a particularly tricky situation. Until then keep on brewing.Keep on playing.