Standard Set Review - March of the Machine: The Aftermath

March of the Machine: The Aftermath (MAT) is a fifty card set that expands March of the Machine (MOM), being the first expansion to fulfill this role in the game.

The set brings some already known mechanics, such as Convoke, Madness and Landfall, but the highlight is in the legends, which, following the lore, is composed of several Planeswalkers who lost their spark and reappear in The Aftermath as creatures.

There are some pretty interesting cards for Standard. Let's analyze the highlights in each color and assess how much MAT will impact the format.

Opening the review, we have Coppercoat Vanguard, a Human Soldier that gives Ward 1 and +1/+0 to other Human creatures you control. A creature with a good body for combat and ideal mana cost for its color, being able to act as a kind of Lord while protecting the Humans on your board

Both Azorius Soldiers and Mono-White Aggro can incorporate this card into their lists. Despite not adding toughness, the ward can end making up for this lack due to the "protection" provided by it.

A creature with flying and vigilance that protects you can be interesting in some situations. Maybe Metropolis Reformer could play on the side of some decks as a resource against Burn and cards like Invoke Despair.

Vesuvan Drifter has a good body that can make life easier for Delver of Secrets, allowing you to look at the top card of your library at any time and, moreover, that you can still transform into a copy of a creature on top.

This card can play well in Mono U Tempo and can even find space in other strategies.

A bounce that can remove all Planeswalkers, Artifacts, Enchantments and Battles from the board for three mana.

Maybe it doesn't seem that strong at first glance, but considering that Mono U Tempo is a deck present in the format that doesn't have effective removals, and Reckoner Bankbuster and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker are very present, I believe that Filter Out should be explored.

A creature-shaped graveyard hate that grows stronger as its ability exiles creature cards from graveyards. Urborg Scavengers may seem bad since the format has Graveyard Trespasser, but I see potential in the new card, mainly because it is much stronger than Trespasser and costs one mana less - but nothing prevents a deck of running both, especially against Atraxa decks.

Still speaking of Humans, Ayara's Oathsworn seems to be another suitable option to compose this tribe in Standard. It has acceptable evasion, cost, power and resistance and has a very interesting ability that can turn it into a tutor in the later stages of the game.

It's also important to note that its ability works alongside Hopeful Initiate, which can be very useful in many matchups.

In red, we have this creature with an intriguing ability. Arni Metalbrow can put creatures in play attacking with its triggered ability and still has synergy with Squee, Dubious Monarch, making it an excellent addition to Mono-Red Aggro and who knows some list of Boros or Izzet Aggro, as its ability also matches Baral and Kari Zev.

The format features Urabrask, the strongest version of the red praetor ever printed.

Casting spells without paying the mana cost is pretty strong in many formats. Perhaps there could be a build in Standard by combining these two cards.

A very versatile creature that has an ability that works almost like a Multikicker, being able to act as an enchantment hate, graveyard hate or even gain a little life and even do it all at once. All of this in a 3/3 creature that can easily be added to green decks.

I see Gold-Forged Thopteryx having a possible slot in Esper Legends. It has evasion, lifelink, good mana cost, but the biggest advantage is its ability to grant ward 2 to legendary permanents you control. It's a good two-drop to the archetype.

Another great addition for humans and a good justification for using every arsenal that black has on an Orzhov Humans.

Jirina, Dauntless General is a very strong card, being a serious hate and still acting as a protection for other humans when being sacrificed. The fact that it is a legendary creature can also put it on Esper Legends lists.

Another very interesting card for Legends. There are some four-color versions using Thalia and the Gitrog Monster. Nashi, Moon's Legacy can copy legendary cards from your graveyard and cast the copies, allowing you to reuse basically anything in the deck. In addition, it is a creature with an excellent body for combat that protects itself and has evasion.

A very strong creature for three mana that can become a powerful engine in a deck with creatures like Monastery Swiftspear and Bloodthirsty Adversary, granting card advantage while attacking the opponent. With the amount of good creatures the format has in these colors, Gruul Aggro might start to see more play.

In my review of March of the Machine for the Standard, I mentioned Monastery Mentor and the possibility of a deck focused on prowess.

The new Narset, Enlightened Exile is a nice boost for those who share my thoughts and its ability is very reminiscent of Dreadhorde Arcanist, but Narset has a higher mana cost and its ability can copy spells in any graveyard, in addition to giving Prowess to all your creatures. This might be one of the best cards in the set.

Rakdos Sacrifice gains an important piece with this card. This new Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin fits like a glove in the archetype, also allowing the existence of a infinite damage combo in the format along with All Will Be One and Oni-Cult Anvil.

It's too early to say that this could break Standard or anything like that, but such an interaction with the weapons these colors have sure looks pretty strong. Let's wait and see if it will be viable.

Karn returns in this set as a legendary creature possessing great synergy with artifacts. I don't see him playing any of the decks that make up the current meta, but his ability can open up other strategies.

The format is full of powerful artifacts like Portal to Phyrexia and Cityscape Leveler. Maybe Encroaching Mycosynth can find a home in the format. There are several possibilities to try to create something competitive for the new Karn, Legacy Reforged.

The Aftermath is a set with few cards that are seemingly playable in Standard, but those few have a lot of potential, filling gaps in the format and allowing for a renewal for archetypes beyond Black Midranges.

I believe that new Human rosters can emerge and that the archetype has received a lot of help. Rakdos Sacrifice could also make a comeback with the new Ob Nixilis. Now we can only wait to see if the set will change something in the format.

Another article coming to an end, I hope you enjoyed it. March of the Machine: The Aftermath launches on May 12th, and you can check out all about it here on Cards Realm.

Leave your doubts in the comments and tell me what you expect from the new collection for Standard. I will try to answer everyone. Until the next time!