First Thoughts on Theros

Although the entire set of Theros has yet to be officially spoiled, images of the entire set were leaked to the web once the Magic Online beta testers were given early access to the set. Thus, like many others I already have taken the time to get an early look at the entire spoiler. Overall, I'm pleased with the set. It looks like this will be an interesting metagame once the set is released online. And a good thing too, since the Standard pool is about to shrink from its largest set (two Core sets plus two Expansion sets) down to its smallest set (one Core set plus one Expansion Set and one additional Block).

So, while I begin work on an official review for Standard Pauper for Theros, here are some of my early thoughts:

1. I am quite pleased that the "Enchantment-Creature" theme was deemed simple enough to be included at Common. The Common cycle of "Nymphs," while not amazing, seem pretty good. They are all marginally playable even without their Bestow ability, and once that is taken into account, they range from fair to good, with my favorite being Nimbus Naiad.
   
2. Similarly, the Heroic mechanic seems pretty strong, and seems like it will contribute to some of the best creatures in the new format. Wingsteed Rider, Wavecrash Titon, and Staunch-Hearted Warrior all seem well worth consideration.
   
3. As I mentioned previously, Scry is quite good, and the addition of that keyword ability to so many different spells is going to add quite a bit of value to the set as a whole.
   
4. Even the "Devotion" mechanic managed to make its way into Common, albeit only in Green and Black. But all three of these Commons look playable, particularly Gray Merchant of Asphodel. The fact that this mechanic is so minimal probably also means that the "mono-color matters" theme of Theros is pretty muted, at least for now.

Like I said, the set is shaping up pretty nicely. I can't wait to see what it means for the Standard Pauper metagame.

How about you? What are your thoughts on the set?