COMMANDER! Review: Planechase 2012 and Maelstrom Wanderer

Hey guys! So of course, the Commander product review ended once we covered all 10 of the new wedge colored generals. But WotC just announced the new Planechase 2012 product coming out on June 1, 2012! So this means this segment is open again and ready to talk about the new cards spoiled.

First off, if you haven't had a chance to checkout Planechase a couple years ago, you're definitely missing out. It's one of the most entertaining formats out there and can speed games up to the most unpredictable and chaotic board states in casual magic. I'm planning on busting out my own set in the Orlando playgroup very soon. For all you Orlando folk, get ready! Here's a set of Rules for the format for everyone wanting to jump in head first.

For older fans, the new product will add a new layer to the game, where it's not just running into Otaria and taking 4 extra turns (I've seen it happen). The most fun thing our smaller playgroup in Gainesville had was the Goat Token Race. Once you land a Goldmeadow plane, each player has a race to have as many Goat tokens as possible before we planeswalk away. The winner of this challenge always gets bragging rights of winning the subgame.

The great thing about this format is it's completely versatile. You can do so much with the format and it incorporates the flavor of being a planeswalker very well. You can compete with other planeswalkers and 'teleport' to different realms that are governed by very out of the box rules that enrich the experience of playing casual magic. Even moreso in EDH/Commander. A format that is notorious for being slow in multiplayer, planechase can help speed EDH games up by giving everyone free spells or soft locks the board. Sometimes you're working with your opponents to planeswalk away from the grief planes or when one player is abusing the awesomeness of another plane. I think the format has a lot design space for R&D to be creative and for players to interact with it.

Now onto Planechase 2012. The first spoiler we get from Planechase was the introduction to phenomenon. The first phenomenon unveiled to us is Time Distortion.

Time Distortion is very similar to Reverse from Uno, but has a very significant impact on the game. Reversing the turn order is very similar to Time Walk for the player that's right before you in turn order. Not only does it speed up their tempo by giving them an immediate turn afterwards, it gives them another set of upkeep triggers and another draw phase. Whoa! It completely hoses down the players after you in turn order, so it's a very dangerous card. Now, when sitting down to play with your friends, you'll have to subconsciously figure out how you want to sit to avoid screwing over a potential ally. The phenomenon, so far, are very interesting and gives Planechase a lot of flexibility in what it can do. Now that we can truly see the influence of the Aether in a match, I wouldn't be surprised to see more bizarre things happen with a roll of the die.

Now to the real meat of the spoiler. WotC casually spoiled this sweet legendary creature on the announcement for Planechase.

Maelstrom Wander is an awesome legend in R/U/G colors and gives the team haste and has Gaea's Revenge-like stats. Along with it's hefty 8 mana cost, he brings along with him two cascade triggers. Wait. You mean; TWO FREE SPELLS? This guy is crazy! Not only is he a 7 power beatstick with haste that can end a player's game with 3 hits for 21 Commander damage, he brings along with him two potentially game altering spells. The applications can be incredible when you manipulate your library in response to the cascade triggers being put on the stack. Using Mystical Tutor to find a Tooth and Nail and leaving 2 mana up to entwine the spell can be insane, especially since you're new found army will all have haste. Remember the Titans? (pun intended). Or how about hunting out a Blatant Thievery and taking a permanent from each of your opponents and getting another spell! What about using Worldly Tutor to find any 7 mana or less creature you want and cast it for free! There's also Sensei's Divining Top, Crystal Ball, Brainstorm, and Scroll Rack to help you find exactly what you want to cast. I'm really excited for this guy and he'll be an auto-include in my Intet, the Dreamer EDH deck.

That's all the spoilers I have for you guys today. As more information comes out about Planechase and the potentially amazing EDH/Commander cards, I'll be here to talk about them. Until the next spoiler, Magic players!

Interested in more Magic content? Check out every series on the MTG Casual Network Archive!

-David J.

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