Dec 28, 2012 -- 2:21PM, BelangiaJo wrote:

Nivmagus Elemental , Blistercoil Weird , Lobber Crew , and Izzet Staticaster (among others) should go up in value (once Dragon's Maze is released and it is the DGM, GTC, RTR draft format). Cipher allows you to cast the instant or sorcery spell (activating the former two, and potentially activating the latter two). Unless I'm reading this incorrectly.

It seems like you are reading it correctly, but I can't see what interaction it has with Izzet Staticaster .  Perhaps you were thinking of Guttersnipe ?  Pyroconvergence may also have a use in that deck.

Cheers

Yeah. I meant Guttersnipe.
I'm not sure how Staticaster got added to the list. Hah. 

I'm gonna go through the spoilers:

Burning-tree emissary:  Solid card.  Curving out with 2 drop 3 drop 4 drop is usually game.  Curving out with 2 drop 2 drop 3 drop 4 drop, backed up with combat tricks if they drop an annoying blocker is really hard to beat.  Its value will obviously vary by the number of 2 drops in those colors, but I think you play it every time in gruul.

Call of the nightwing:  bitterblossom!  I mean, even at 4 cmc and vulnerable to removal, it's still going to kill your opponent by turn 10 if they can't race you, and you can always slow yourself down a bit by chumping or just trading 2 of them for their bear.  I could see p1p1ing this in a weak pack, and I'll always play it.

Murder investigation:  this is bringing back bad tmemories of that 3cmc black aura from AVR that got back your guy from the 'yard.  That thing was terrible.  I would play a basic land over this.

Illusionist's bracers:  EDH jank.

Zurr-taa swine:  This is exactly what you want.  It's good early-game to smash through their biggest blocker, or lategame as a golgari longlegs or lava axe to make your alpha strike lethal.  There's going to have to be something pretty good to make this not the best gruul common.

Deathpact angel:  I don't think I really need to say anything about this. 

Experiment one:  I like this card, although it makes me wish damage still stacked.  I can't say how good it is without playing it, but I think you play it every time you pick it, it's a pretty nasty aggro guy if you can follow it up.

Basilica guards:  This is exactly what you want in an extort creature.  It creates board stalls, it blocks without trading, and it makes the game go long.

Tin-street market:  Rummaging goblin was pretty good, but I'd rather not have to tap a land to loot, or not be able to start until turn 6.

cloudfin raptor:  see experiment one.  I think these are a bit like anti-miracles, as in they become a lot worse when you topdeck them.  Simic seems to actually be an aggro deck.  Still, dropping this turn 1 is a great way to start a game.

Gridlock:  reminds me of blustersquall and wave of indifference , and its quality will depend greatly on the aggressiveness of the blue guilds and the number of board stalls.

Viashino shanktail:  This is another solid bloodrush creature, with both sides being playable, though meh cards on their own.  Put them together though, and you get a pretty solid card.

Gateway shade:  not that much better than looming shade, although looming shade is a card that varies in power level by format.  I can't really rate this until seeing it in play.  It becomes better in stalled boards, but sucks at creating them, decreasing its worth in orzhov, and it's worth noting that the threat of pump makes it pseudo-evasive, so it might work well with dimir.

Boros elite:  It's too bad this is uncommon.  Regardless, its power depends on the ability to enable batallion.  I can't say much now.

Drakewing Krasis:  3 power evasive beater for 3.  Pretty strong.

Finally, I'd like to say that rubblehulk just isn't good enough to see constructed play.  Decks that get 6 mana will pretty much never care about its bloodrush, and other than that, it's just a big vanilla beatstick.