Thunder Junction has already proven itself as one of the most influential sets released in recent memory. It only is fitting that we have some digital-only cards released in the new Alchemy Version of that set that change the game a good bit in their own regard. Right off the bat, there appear to be some cards that should make a splash in the format, and there is even a new mechanic brought to the alchemy world that goes along with the overall theme of Thunder Junction very nicely. We will take a look at some of the fun new cards, and I'll even share a deck with you that I've made!
Mono Black Discard: is it Good?
First we will go over the two new alchemy cards that were added to this deck to and two cards that I'm excited to try out.
Rankle is back! And he is up to his normal antics that affect all players, not just the opponent. It will give us an opportunity to get some value out of both sacrificing a creature, and discarding a card. We automatically get value from discarding a card when Rankle is on the board, but we also have some other early aristocrat-like creatures to ensure that we get good death triggers without putting too many resources into it. We also use Kaervek to ensure that we can continue to cast any other spells that we put into our graveyard. Rankle also puts the opponent in a tough spot, because generally speaking, Kaervek is an auto-remove creature once it is on the board. If they choose to remove Kaervek, and the rest of our deck does it's thing, Rankle will take over the game and not allow the opponent to have any cards in hand!
This is a fun one that I believe has it's best place in a sideboard. I believe it will solidify itself as the Alchemy version of Cling To Dust. What this card also does, is allows us to Heist our opponent's deck if we do not choose to exile cards from their graveyard. Heisting an opponent's library means that we get to look at three random cards from their library and choose one to exile face down. Then, we can cast the spell for as long as it remains exiled. It's nice that the opponent doesn't get to see the card, and it is also great information for us, as three cards in the opponent's library can give us good insight as to what they're playing. Since this mechanic could become pretty relevant in the format, I also chose to include a card that can help un-heist a card so to speak. Binding Negotiation can un-plot, un-exile an adventure, and now can un-heist. It was already a powerhouse of a two mana discard card, and it gets even stronger with the new ability, thus easily finding a home in our deck. Most of the other cards in the deck are general staples to the discard archetype, and some stuff could be swapped out.
Other New Alchemy Cards that Impress
The cactus is a ridiculous card. Some may remember when Alchemy first came out and there was a dragon that allowed each dragon to cost one less at each end step. This card saw a nerf within one to two months. Although that card was two mana and the cactus is five mana, I imagine that something similar might happen to this card. Since it is green, it is easier to ramp into the creature and begin to get ridiculous amounts of value. The fact that it says all nonland cards is borderline cheating in my opinion. It also works on spree cards, so the hefty abilities of a card like Smuggler's Surprise get even cheaper, thus increasing the already ridiculous value. I think it's only a matter of time before this puzzle piece gets thrown into an absolutely broken deck and may even earn itself a nerf.
As much as I dislike counterspells, I believe that this one is going to be a powerhouse in Dimir and Grixis decks. Heisting is considered a crime, and it only lights it up even more for the outlaw/crime decks to be incentivized. It is somewhat of an ode to Bind To Secrecy, which was a very strong counter spell on it's own in Alchemy, but I believe it is a little more fair of a card since this one costs three mana instead of two. The fact that it allows for crimes in any mode almost makes it too powerful not to play. Noteably, this one is also an uncommon instead of a rare like Bind To Secrecy was.
This card is also an ode to another card that had rotated out of Alchemy. A few of you might remember Citystalker Connooisseur. That one also allowed us to force the opponent to discard the highest mana value card in their hand, thus giving us great information. Intruder also allows us to commit a crime on the opponent, while removing a creature as well. This can create an easy two for one, while citystalker was a three for one, it also costed four mana instead of two mana. Getting a two for one on a two mana spell is often great value. If Rankle is out, it also can turn into a three for one. It lights up a Rakdos Discard archetype that could be really useful as well.
Expectation for Alchemy
I believe that these new cards will refresh the format and bring some more excitement to the meta. I think that the bombs were delivered with a similar level of quality to the Thunder Junction Standard Cards. Adding a Heist ability was the cherry on top of the very well-put together set in terms of both card style, and thematics in general. It appears that a lot of content creators are streaming Alchemy on the first day of these new cards, so that could be a sign of the format becoming more playable.
