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Hello and howdy, Magic players! I’m Conner Morrison – if you’ve played Magic: the Gathering here at Bel Air Games, I’m sure you know me. I’m a huge MtG fan; I’ve been playing for 13+ years and I’ve since received my level one judge certification, as well as working on my level 2! I’m mostly a limited and Commander player, although I try to keep a playable deck together for every popular format in case someone is looking to play!

Cardwatch is the first of my two new weekly columns here on the Bel Air Games site. Here, I’ll be talking about cards that you might find in your sealed pool that you’ll want to track the values on and hold onto. It’s all part of making sure our gamers here have a leg up on the competition!

The card we’ll be watching this week is Pharika, God of Affliction. Pharika is a mythic rare in Journey into Nyx, and one of the Gods, powerful enchantments that become creatures when you’ve proven your devotion to them. If you open a Pharika during our Sealed League, you’re in luck!

Pharika is one of the gods that has seen the heaviest play in Theros Block Constructed, a format many players look at to figure out upcoming standard seasons. She’s more than proven her worth there, and she’s more than prepared to see standard play after Magic 2015 and Khans of Tarkir hit stores. Green as a color is super strong right now – Courser of Kruphix and Polukranos are common sights in standard tournaments. Black is up there too, with both Thoughtseize and Hero’s Downfall making plenty of appearances.

What makes Pharika notable among these colors is how strong she is poised to be after rotation. Decks like Blue/White control or Esper control are losing a lot of important tools in their kit: Sphinx’s Revelation, Supreme Verdict, and Detention Sphere are all part of Return to Ravnica block, the sets that will be rotating out of Standard in the fall. However, cards that are strong in Green/Black builds, such as the aforementioned Courser and Thoughtseize, will still remain. The power of these cards combined with some of the upcoming cards in Magic 2015, such as Nissa, Worldwaker, Llanowar Wastes, and Garruk, Apex Predator mean that Green/Black decks are in a position to take over the metagame, and Pharika will be leading the charge!

Many people have dismissed Pharika as a weak card by herself, saying that she is only as strong as you have creatures in your graveyard. However, I disagree. A similar card, Moorland Haunt, was insanely strong during Scars of Mirrodin/Innistrad standard, and Pharika performs a similar job: turning your dead dudes into powerful blockers!

All in all, I’d say hold on to the Pharikas you have right now. She’s strong already, and her place in the metagame is only going to get stronger!

Note on CardWatch:

CardWatch is a weekly column wherein our local Magic judge, Conner Morrison, talks about which cards to keep your eye on. This week: Pharika, God of Affliction! Cardwatch and all content are TM & Copyright Bel Air Games and Conner Morrison.