Narset Transcendent Spoiler Review — An Idiot’s Perspective

Once again it is spoiler season, and Wizards has gone ahead and spoiled another planeswalker for Dragons of Tarkir: Narset Transcendent.

What I have seen a lot of so far in discussions are people talking about Narset’s implications in a control deck or against a control deck.  For those of you who are not familiar with Magic: The Gathering: a “control deck” is a deck played exclusively by people who still own slaves.

While Narset is certainly a huge problem for a Control deck (that can’t immediately Downfall it or Banishing Light it), she is not a controlling card.  When cast she does not do anything other than potentially draw a card or create a target for your opponent that isn’t you.

This is not a bad thing, but it is not where a control deck wants to be on turn 4, a turn traditionally when control begins to turn the tide with a board sweep.  However, as Domri Rade has shown in the past: potentially drawing an extra card each turn in a well constructed deck while working towards the ultimate is not something decks can ignore.  And as Ashiok has shown: having a damage magnet that doesn’t do anything the turn it lands is not without value, either.

It goes without saying that any card with specific clauses needs to be built around, and I feel like the deck for Narset is an aggressive token strategy with very minimal creatures.  Utilizing cards as threats that not only can she draw with her + ability, but double-cast with her – ability.  Examples:

• Raise the Alarm
• Hordeling Outburst
• Triplicate Spirits

These cards can be supported by other cards that are just generally good, and some that have bonus synergy with Narset:

• Magma Jet
• Stoke the Flames
• Jeskai Charm

Pick your poison with creatures to pair, but keep them minimum since you want to be able to get value from Narset’s + ability:

• Soulfire Grandmaster (suddenly his re-buy isn’t so expensive if you’re Rebounding a burn spell) EDIT: A friend of mine called to my attention that you can only re-buy when cast from your hand.  Still though: SFGP is a good card here.
• Seeker of the Way
• Monastery Mentor

All of these things, especially tokens, go well with Jeskai Ascendency.  Rebounding with Narset lets you trigger Ascendency every turn.  Narset herself triggers Ascendency and plays on curve with it.  You don’t have to play tokens either, it is just an example.  You could also run a Jeskai shell with Obelisk of Urd and Monk/Human Tribal.

Even if you’re playing against another aggressive deck: Narset comes in at essentially 7 loyalty.  If you have so much as one blocker she will not be easy to kill.  At worst she will draw an attack phase, ideally she will get a sub-optimal attack followed by them burning a damage spell on her.  If you play vs midrange or control the opponent needs removal for your threats and for her.

Now I’m not saying she is or necessarily will be a format breaking card, or that she should see play.  Only that the aforementioned sort of shell is what I see her doing well in.  I mean, aside from being sideboard vs control decks.  She may not even slot into anything–all I’m saying is I see potential.

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