Time Spiral First Look

The Time Spiral spoiler has just been posted on gatherer on Friday night before the Saturday pre-release. I have kept up with the spoilers over the past month but most of the updating took place within in the last week during which time I would read over some cards but didn't keep up comprehensive scrutiny. I have just hastily read over the spoiler focusing mostly on the commons with a quick glance at the uncommons and paying little attention to the rares. What follows is my initial reaction.

My initial judgment of the set, especially in regards to playing in the pre-release, is that it is a fast, tempo-oriented format. This is based partly on my quick read-through and partly the general chatter I have heard various knowledgeable and unknowledgeable sources during the time when officially no one who knew about the set could really talk about it. Below is my categoratization of all commons in Time Spiral as either "Definitely", "No", or "Workable". "Definitely" means splash for this if it has one off-color requirement that you can handle and play it if it's in your color. If you have alot of these in one color, that is your color. "No" means I think you're safe putting this one face down and forgetting about it while building your sealed deck. "Workable" is mostly for roleplayers and safety cards such as artifact and enchantment removal which is not very valuable in limited but your opponent's deck could make it worthwhile. This category also includes some creatures and spells which fall below the curve but could fill a curve slot or be boosted by other supporting creatures (mainly this refers to the weaker slivers and thallids). Some of these evaluations could of course be way off the mark. Some standard card mechanics could change in value in the new environment. One of the most obvious examples is that bounce could become much more powerful against a suspend heavy deck.

I also included "Notable Uncommons" which I think are eminently playable or have large enough effects that you should be aware of the possibility of your opponent playing on of them against you.

Red

Definitely:

Blazing Blade Askari
Empty the Warrens
Flamecore Elemental
Goblin Skycutter
Grapeshot
Ironclaw Buzzardiers
Lightning Axe
Orcish Cannonade
Rift Bolt
Viashino Bladescout



No:

Ground Rift
Plunder
Two-Headed Sliver

Workable:

Ætherflame Wall
Ancient Grudge
Bonesplitter Sliver
Coal Stoker
Bogardan Rager
Ghitu Firebreathing
Keldon Halberdier
Mogg War Marshal
Subterranean Shambler



Notable Uncommons:

Sudden Shock
Sulfurous Blast


Black

Definitely:

Assassinate
Basal Sliver
Corpulent Corpse
Feebleness
Gorgon Recluse
Pit Keeper
Strangling Soot
Tendrils of Corruption
Urborg Syphon-Mage
Viscid Lemures

No:

Mindstab
Skulking Knight
Traitor's Clutch

Workable:

Call to the Netherworld
Cyclopean Giant
Deathspore Thallid
Drudge Reavers
Mana Skimmer
Mindlash Sliver
Psychotic Episode
Sangrophage
Trespasser il-Vec

Notable Uncommons:

Evil Eye of Urborg
Premature Burial

Green

Definitely:

Ashcoat Bear
Durkwood Baloth
Gemhide Sliver
Greenseeker
Herd Gnarr
Penumbra Spider
Scarwood Treefolk
Scryb Ranger
Search for Tomorrow
Spinneret Sliver
Thallid Germinator
Thrill of the Hunt


No:

Chameleon Blur


Workable:

Æther Web
Glass Asp
Havenwood Wurm
Molder
Mwonvuli Acid-Moss
Savage Thallid
Sprout
Strength in Numbers
Thallid Shell-Dweller
Wormwood Dryad


Notable Uncommons:

Blue

Definitely:

Clockspinning *** highly conditional, but seems appealing ***
Coral Trickster
Crookclaw Transmuter
Drifter il-Dal
Errant Ephemeron
Looter il-Kor
Mystical Teachings
Sage of Epityr
Screeching Sliver
Slipstream Serpent ** I think grey ogre is playable **
Snapback ** unsure how good bounce is in Time Spiral... **
Spiketail Drakeling
Temporal Eddy

No:

Bewilder
Cancel
Dream Stalker
Eternity Snare
Think Twice (unless your deck is short a playable)


Workable:

Shadow Sliver
Tolarian Sentinel
Viscerid Deepwalker



Notable Uncommons:

Brine Elemental
Telekinetic Sliver


White

Definitely:

Amrou Scout
Amrou Seekers
Benalish Cavalry
Castle Raptors
Children of Korlis
Cloudchaser Kestrel
D'Avenant Healer
Flickering Spirit
Fortify
Gaze of Justice
Sidewinder Sliver

No:

Foriysian Interceptor

Workable:

Detainment Spell
Errant Doomsayers
Griffin Guide
Icatian Crier
Ivory Giant
Jedit's Dragoons
Momentary Blink
Pentarch Ward
Temporal Isolation
Watcher Sliver
Zealot il-Vec

Notable Uncommons:

Cavalry Master
Celestial Crusader
Knight of the Holy Nimbus