"3(+2) pack experiment:Rivals of Ixalan edition"

"3(+2) pack experiment:Rivals of Ixalan edition"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I did not regret not being able to play in the Rivals of Ixalan PR last week. The experience I had was a much more rewarding one with my family but it did not diminish my need to rip through some packs like a hungry dinosaur. So as I drove to my first duty of the week I stopped by Spiral Valenzuela and I wanted to just check if maybe they might have 3 Rival of Ixalan packs available for this blog entry. Just maybe. 

So when I was informed that there was actually 5 available I was so ecstatic that I pulled out my wallet and just asked them to take my money. Oh and I will be taking that Teferi , Mage of Zhalfir from the store stand too thank you very much.

The drive was like a blur as I felt that urge to just open the packs and see what I had. It can be a bunch of winners or the exact opposite. Then again I was an EDH player and my friends know that there is no "patapon" cards in my book.

I wasn't able to hear the music piping from my headphone as I scissored the top of the packs one by one. 

Pack #1

Slippery Scoundrel , Forerunner of the Empire , Silvergill Adept....Warkite Marauder.

It was the pirate with built in Humility when it attacked. It got me excited. The Forerunner of the Empire also made my day as my Gishath EDH deck would need  this Dino fetcher.

At Common was a Mist-cloaked Herald too...And I imagined it to be embalmed becoming a 4/4 unblockable merfolk. That is just me though.

Pack #2

Stone Quarry , Dire fleet Neckbreaker  , Pirates Pillage and Seafloor Oracle.

Dire fleet Neckbreaker and Pirates Pillage will be perfect in my Admiral Beckett Brass EDH deck. And Seafloor Oracle? I can just imagine drawing a card with Mist-cloaked Herald now. Time to dig for those merfolk in the closet.

Pack #3

I slowly opened this one to reveal a Reckless Rage , Legion Lieutenant , Sadistic Skymarcher and the Golden Dino himself! Zacama Primal Calamity. I just knew it when I saw that 9/9 at the bottom! Yes!

The Uncommons will find a home in my Licia Mardu Vampires. Yeah! Zacama? Well like I said in my preview article Zacama and Gishath will fxxk up some players really bad.

At this point I was so happy that I stopped and then realized that I had 2 more packs! Oh the joy!

Pack #4

See Red , Baffling End....Path of Discovery.

I knew that this rare might end up in some bargain bin somewhere but I cannot help but wonder how this will interact with Snek or Hardened scales. I like how this was going.

Pack #5 

And unto the last one. Still not expected what to get. Still bewildered from Zacama.

Arterial flow , Charging Tuskodon , Merfolk Mist Binder...Trapjaw Tyrant!!!

Yeah. This was my 2nd mythic in just 5 packs! What were the odds that I would get this Oblivion Ring on a stick! You attack , it gets blocked and dealt damage , it exiles an opponents creature! Yeah!

Charging Tuskodon is a sure bet to damage someone. Trample and then double strike...of sorts. He has a place.

And that new Merfolk Lord everyone was clamoring about. Merfolk Mistbinder is sure to be in a lot of standard decks soon. The Simic Merfolk build seems to be catching a lot of peoples interests now that Ramunap Red and Energy decks have been savaged in the last bannings.

Well this is it for this weeks Pack experiments. Keep on playing. Keep on brewing.