I’m quite sure everyone is trying their best to exploit every possible angle to solve Aether Revolt along with the other standard legal sets after the recent banning of Emrakul, the Promised End, Smuggler’s Copter and Reflector Mage. Some can easily check what card is hot and what is not and so as per my personal opinion, here are some underrated cards that you might have already considered including to your deck and some that may just shine when a professional player use it on Pro Tour Aether Revolt. Without any fuss or delay, here’s your top 15 most underrated cards from Aether Revolt.
Release the Gremlins
This might see fringe play in Standard, mostly included in the sideboard as we are currently in a set where a lot of artifacts matter. If I have the chance to recreate the card, the cost will be the same but will create X 1/1 gremlins and deals 1 damage for every destroyed artifact. Sounds cool, right?
Battle at the Bridge
You’ve just killed a creature and gained a certain amount of life. This is exactly the card most control decks would love to use. It’s pretty efficient specially at times where you’ll be facing a couple of Vehicle decks. I know, Fatal Push is the prime removal right now but it won’t be that bad to pair with one or two Battle at the Bridge.
Natural Obsolescence
In an era where Artifacts matter a lot, you’d probably need to pack up some anti-Artifact cards such as this. It has no restrictions at all unlike Natural State and Appetite for the Unnatural, and with its cost, I can see it replacing most, if not all Artifact hates in the sideboard. Just a tip: you don’t usually want to destroy a Metalwork Colossus but putting it back into its owner’s library seems much harder for the opponent to get it back than to return it from their graveyard by sacrificing three artifacts.
Spire of Industry
It sounds like another Corrupted Crossroads that a lot of people might have already forgotten but let me tell you that if the card doesn’t see much play in Standard, it will probably end up in Modern, EDH and to an artifact heavy cube. Lantern Control decks will definitely love to include a couple of it, even Affinity might try one or two of it just to avoid a devastating blowout from Glimmervoid.
Bastion Inventor
The card might see some play on a UB Artifact Control deck or even with the Metalwork Colossus deck. Anything with hexproof is a little bit hard to deal with especially when it is in blue, always having a back-up counterspell or spot removal. The power and toughness are also quite good despite having a high cost, with the new mechanic Improvise it will no longer be that much.
#10 Winding Constrictor
Yes, I know. It will probably compete with Grim Flayer on turn two in a GB Delirium shell but there are some differences on where you might put it.
Reverse Engineer
Another card from Aether Revolt with the new mechanic, Improvise. Who wouldn’t want to draw three cards for the price of two mana? In a control shell with a lot of Artifacts, I am probably sure that this will be an auto-include. Another upgrade for Metalwork Colossus.
Shock
Some people might not notice but aside from being the best burn spell right now due to the fact that we might no longer see Lightning Bolt in Standard ever again, this is the card Dynavolt Tower decks are missing. A card that can deal direct damage to a player while accumulating energy for some extra damage is something you don’t want to miss. This is far way better than Galvanic Bombardment where most UR decks are currently using, I can definitely see them replacing it with Shock despite the fact that it can’t kill a turn two Sylvan Advocate. Dynavolt Tower will deal with it anyway. Aside from that, Shock will definitely keep the Saheeli Rai and Felidar Guardian combo in check.
Rishkar, Peema Renegade
A lot of people are still under shock and probably didn’t notice that Rishkar, Peema Renegade is one hell of a card. If you love tokens deck, I highly suggest you include the card on your list. A turn one Oath of Nissa to fix your land, specially if you don’t have Plains in your hard yet because your turn two should be Servo Exhibition to maximize the ability of a turn three Rishkar, Peema Renegade. Guess what’s next, a turn four Ajani of whatever you prefer or any card that cost six mana to play. Interesting, isn’t?
Walking Ballista
It doesn’t really matter when you cast the card. A turn-two 1/1 Walking Ballista into a turn three Rishkar, Peema Renegade seems to be good enough. Granting +1/+1 on Walking Ballista and the other one to Rishkar himself. Swing for two damage and sacrifice it for additional two damage, quite a lot for a turn. Topdecking a Walking Ballista a few turns later means a larger problem to your opponent. Oh, I almost forgot… Verdurous Gearhulk seems to be very very compatible with it.
Heroic Intervention
Why is it almost on the top of my list? It’s because the card is quite insane, absolutely evading most sweepers and every spot removal! I no longer have to explain deeper, the card already states how powerful it is.
Kari Zev’s Expertise
A two-for-one card, why show no love for this card? Any aggressive deck will definitely put a couple of it on their decks, mostly in their sideboards but some might try to include a piece of it on their main deck. I can see a scenario where you steal an opponent’s Fleetwheel Cruiser, cast Speedway Fanatic from your hand for free, crew it and attack for 5 damage! If it’s not enough and you’re not happy with it, try stealing a Metalwork Colossus and have fun. There’s a lot of possibility with this card, underestimating an upgraded version of Act of Treason will cause you trouble, a lot of it.
Tezzeret the Schemer
I know most of the players are not that quite sold to the new Tezzeret we got from Aether Revolt but since we are in an era of heavy Artifacts, I think he is undeniably incredible. All skills are related to Artifacts, he can speed up a little bit of your plans with his +1 ability. He can defend himself with his +X/–X ability or pump up a creature of your own to maximize the damage it can deal and with his ultimate, not as explosive as we wanted it to be but a consistent stream of 5/5 artifact creatures attacking your opponent while defending yourself is a huge tempo advantage.
Baral’s Expertise
The only card that could possibly stop the scenario I made from Sram’s Expertise. You’d probably want to cast Baral’s Expertise to bounce two 4/4 Servo tokens and cast Yahenni’s Expertise for free to clear the rest of it, chaining a free Ruinous Path or To the Slaughter to eventually kill Nissa, Voice of Zendikar. On a different shell, casting Gideon, Ally of Zendikar for free after bouncing your creatures is a little bit hard to deal with.
Sram’s Expertise
It’s not yet under the spotlight and still up for grabs for a few dollars but might spike up once the decks that are planning to utilize it became tier 1 decks in the current set up of Standard. See how it works below. . .
Turn 1: Cast Oath of Nissa, find a Plains.
Turn 2: Cast Servo Exhibition.
Turn 3: Cast Nissa, Voice of Zendikar. Use her ability to put +1/+1 to your Servo tokens.
Turn 4: Use Nissa, Voice of Zendikar’s ability to once again put +1/+1 counters on your Servo tokens. Cast Sram’s Expertise, cast another Nissa, Voice of Zendikar for free and use the same ability. You get to attack with two 4/4 Servo tokens with a back-up defense of three 2/2 Servo’s behind to defend Nissa, Voice of Zendikar. At that rate, Yahenni’s Expertise won’t be able kill two out of the five Servo’s you have. On your next turn, if the opponent won’t be able to put up some defense then a possibility of taking 19 damage is inevitable
There you go, your top 15 most underrated cards from Aether Revolt!