Standard Set Review: March of the Machine

With the new set revealed, we finally got to know what a Battle is, the new type of card in the game. March of the Machine has 36 Battles, each with different effects. If you want more details about the new card type and how it works, just click here!

It's still hard to measure the impact of new cards in constructed, Battles will need to be tested for us to understand their pros and cons, but I'll highlight some that caught my attention and that may see play in Standard.

Invasion of Fiora is a perfect sweeper for Esper Legends, clearing the opponent's board while keeping yours intact with the clear path to attack the Battle.

The other face of the card is a creature that can remove all counters from a permanent and generate card advantage.

Invasion of Gobakhan has potential in Aggro decks, where it delays the opponent while transforming into a powerful support for attacking creatures.

Invasion of Tolvada can see play on some Reanimator build with Atraxa, reanimating Atraxa one turn and attacking the Battle with it the next.

The other face has synergy with tokens, which makes room for a deck that has them as engine, and Standard has good cards with this theme.

Archangel Elspeth has divided opinions. Some find it weak, as the format already has The Wandering Emperor, but I see potential in her, especially in Azorius Soldiers.

Despite not having flash, all of the new Elspeth's abilities fit well with Soldiers and I believe she will be a great addition to the deck. If you want a more detailed analysis, just click here.

The new Mother of Machines card, Elesh Norn is excellent against many decks and its transformed side is very strong. I believe there is a lot of potential for a new version of Mono-White Midrange running this card.

The format already has Monastery Swiftspear and other creatures with Prowess, and Monastery Mentor is worth mentioning just for the fact that it allows a deck focused on prowess in the format.

Even if it's not one of the best cards in the set, it's certainly one of the most fun, and I'm really looking forward to trying it out.

Phyrexian Censor will definitely make it onto the Selesnya Toxic lists. A good body for combat and has an ability that locks the opponent. Combined with Skrelv, Defector Mite, the opponent will have a hard time dealing with it.

Seal From Existence is an Oblivion Ring with extra protection. A great removal for the color.

White had some of the best cards in the set, and Surge of Salvation is further proof of that. A necessary answer to Invoke Despair, which is a very troublesome card to deal with, and it can be applied to many situations.

Let's start talking about blue with the "new Shark Typhoon", Chrome Host Seedshark.

A 2/4 flying creature that is a token engine. We still can't say for sure how playable the incubation mechanic will be in the format, but I can imagine this shark teaming up with Monastery Mentor in a Jeskai Prowess.

Faerie Mastermind is the card that honors one of the World Champions, Yuta Takahashi. A great creature for Mono Blue Tempo that can be an answer to cards like Reckoner Bankbuster and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker.

In black, we have a Phyrexian Lord: Grafted Butcher. I was really excited about this card during Spoiler Season, and I believe it could be a good addition to Toxic decks, which can easily add a splash to black on their curve.

Its ability to grant Menace to all Phyrexian creatures under your control is strong in aggressive decks, and its second ability pairs perfectly with the first.

Glistening Deluge is a board wipe to be used specifically against black and green decks. It can easily counter the tokens generated by Skrelv's Hive and Wedding Announcement, and can deal with some troublesome creatures against Azorius Soldiers.

Bloodfeather Phoenix is an interesting card for Mono Red Aggro that can work well with Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, allowing for a new approach to red aggro strategies.

Rampaging Raptor is a creature that closely resembles the Questing Beast, from Throne of Eldraine. 4 mana, 4/4, trample and haste, that alone deserves a highlight in this color, but it can still deal the same damage it did to an opponent to an opposing Planeswalker or Battle protected by them.

Mono Red gains another important piece in its strategy with Stoke the Flames. 4 damage to any target for two mana or, in an ideal situation, for free, is excellent for aiding the red aggro's game plan, whether it be removing an opposing threat, or dealing lethal damage.

Three mana planeswalkers are often a concern for Standard players. The new Wrenn and Realmbreaker brings manafixing, can protect itself and provides recursion with a strong ultimate, showing that it does have a lot of potential in the format, but it is still soon to claim it is a new Oko.

Convoke has returned in MOM on some very interesting cards, like Ancient Imperiosaur. A 6/6 creature with trample and ward 2 and that hits the board even bigger for each creature that was used to pay the convoke cost.

This and other creatures in green can help at building a Mono Green Aggro or Gruul Aggro in the format.

Doomskar Warrior is yet another interesting creature for a possible Gruul or Mono Green in the format. A good body for combat and an ability that keeps the gas running is good enough on its own.

Polukranos Reborn has an excellent body for three mana and an ability that makes this creature even stronger when transformed. Triple value on a single card.

Atraxa's Fall is good hate for a format full of valuable artifacts and enchantments, as well as killing opposing Atraxas, but the difference here is the possibility of interacting with Battles, which can make it have its place on Sideboards.

The set didn't bring relevant colorless cards, but I could be wrong about that.

I could mention here the new sword, Sword of Once and Future, but this card seems too slow for the format. The other colorless cards seem even less viable, for that reason, I believe that MOM didn't bring significant changes in this topic.

If the colorless cards look weak, the multicolored ones are the opposite. Kroxa and Kunoros, one of the teamed up cards in the set, is an example of this, and might see play in Atraxa Reanimator.

Another duo that seems quite strong, Thalia and the Gitrog Monster arrives combining ramp, stax and token synergy in a single card. It will definitely be a headache for many players.

Still talking about the duos, we have Baral and Kari Zev, another card that can enable an Izzet or Jeskai Spells in the format. They have evasion, a good body for combat, and allow casting spells for free or putting one more creature on the board.

Omnath returns to Standard, now complete - or should I say compleated?

Keeping the same cost as its previous version and the same power and toughness, Omnath, Locus of All brings an interesting ability to the format that may help decks with four or more colors.

It may not be comparable to Omnath, Locus of Creation, but it's still worth exploring.

Curiously, this was the first set since New Phyrexia that didn't have a single rare land, just the reprint of the lifel ands at common, which are already Standard-legal.

March of the Machine promises to rock Standard, bringing good cards and old and new keywords. I look forward to seeing Battles in action and if they really make an impact on the format, as well as the duo creatures. You can check all the revealed cards here.

Another article coming to an end. I hope you enjoyed it.

Leave your doubts in the comments and tell me what you expect from the new set for Standard. I will try to answer everyone.

Until next time!