This is the first installment of my series analyzing the cards in Arabian Nights for the purposes of limited play.

WHITE

In all the years I’ve been writing these reviews, I’ve never advocated the idea of forcing a mono color deck, but that all changes right now. Given the cards involved and the environment they lie in, Arabian Whites are best served by solidarity, with off color cards only slowing down the engine.

White weenie is very capable of killing in five turns, thanks to cards like Army of Allah and Jihad and a number of otherwise unimpressive one and two casting cost creatures. If your opponent can survive this kind of onslaught, then the banding nightmares begin, and your opponents will more often than not be confused into submission.

Keep in mind that with only eight cards a pack, you won’t have much time to hate draft. If you’re drafting straight Arabians, I recommend you use six packs in order to create a fair environment. Sure this will cost you around $1000 each, but if you really love the game, you’ll know it’s worth it.

The Cards

Abu Ja’far
This little guy can be annoying for a moment or two, but let’s be honest here: at 0/1 he’s too easy to kill to do any real damage. If you have a bunch of Army of Allah’s, or your opponent has a bunch of Juzam’s, he could be main deck or sideboard worthy, but in limited, you really want your attackers to do some damage. A 5th – 7th pick.

Army of Allah
How does white get an Overrun??? For three mana, your little army turns into the legions of doom, spreading pain and death to all who oppose. With six packs of Arabian’s this is the card that makes white weenie worthwhile. Draft them, high, hard and often. A 2nd – 4th pick.

Camel
OK, joke if you want to, but the simple fact here is that desert is one of white weenie’s real problem cards. Camel doesn’t do much on offence (Unless you double Army of Allah…), but your other guys suddenly die to the most annoying land in the format, and that can be big. Banding may be a little confusing for some of you, seeing as to how it died with the dodo, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll see what made it so good. A 5th – 7th pick

Eye for an Eye
Now this card is ass. If you could redirect the damage to a target of choice, Eye for an Eye would be great, but as it stands, it doesn’t interact enough for the limited environment. Leave this one in the board. A 7th – 8th pick.

Jihad
The second best white card in the set, Jihad does what Army of Allah does, but sticks around. Yes, the triple white casting cost is a bit of a problem, but like I mentioned earlier, mono white is a viable option, so if you see it, grab it and keep picking every white creature you see. A 1st – 3rd pick.

King Suleiman
Here’s number one. On the surface, Suleiman looks like a bit of a pile, but in the context of the environment he’s absolutely nuts. Juzam, Ehrnam, Serendibs of all kinds…this little guy takes them all down, all the while administering justice in a fair and unbiased fashion. Splashable, Suleiman is one of the top handful of cards in the set. Just don’t attack with him into Desert on turn three. A 1st pick.

Moorish Cavalry
While four mana can buy you a lot more in this set, as far as white creatures go, this is as good as you’ll find. The Cavalry tramples over everything in its path, all the while banded with Elephants so it won’t die. Don’t take this over the rare bombs, but there will be times when you’ll have to nab it over Army of Allah thanks to a low creature count. A 1st – 3rd pick

Piety
A cute little trick, my problem with Piety is that it’s a purely defensive card in an environment where you really want to be attacking. If your deck is low on playables, you can do worse than this, but I’d suggest you’ll want it in the board if at all possible. A 5th – 7th pick.

Repentant Blacksmith
Beggars can’t be choosers, and white mage, you’re a beggar. The creature quality for white in this set is such that you have to grab every warm body you can so you can fuel your Armys and Jihads, and my definition of warm is any creature with a power greater than zero. That means that the Blacksmith is playable. Hopefully you play all the red mages. Hopefully they won’t have Ali. A 3rd- 5th pick.

Shahrazad
I love this card, but frankly it just isn’t a limited one. Shahrazad is a great story and I suggest you give it a read some time, but most of the stories you tell about the card are about wasting your opponent’s time and the resulting draw you’ll get in every match. Play it in your basement, not in sanctioned events. An 8th pick.

War Elephant
Wow this card is annoying. The Elephant bands with Cavalrys and more Elephants and more Cavalrys to create this 8/8 trampling mass that just can’t be killed by conventional means. Yes it’s a 2/2 for four, but this is the glue that holds the white deck together. Once you start playing them, you’ll see what I mean. A 2nd – 4th pick.

Discuss this article in the Magic: the Gathering Forums!

This is the first installment of my series analyzing the cards in Arabian Nights for the purposes of limited play.

WHITE

In all the years I’ve been writing these reviews, I’ve never advocated the idea of forcing a mono color deck, but that all changes right now. Given the cards involved and the environment they lie in, Arabian Whites are best served by solidarity, with off color cards only slowing down the engine.

White weenie is very capable of killing in five turns, thanks to cards like Army of Allah and Jihad and a number of otherwise unimpressive one and two casting cost creatures. If your opponent can survive this kind of onslaught, then the banding nightmares begin, and your opponents will more often than not be confused into submission.

Keep in mind that with only eight cards a pack, you won’t have much time to hate draft. If you’re drafting straight Arabians, I recommend you use six packs in order to create a fair environment. Sure this will cost you around $1000 each, but if you really love the game, you’ll know it’s worth it.

The Cards

Abu Ja’far
This little guy can be annoying for a moment or two, but let’s be honest here: at 0/1 he’s too easy to kill to do any real damage. If you have a bunch of Army of Allah’s, or your opponent has a bunch of Juzam’s, he could be main deck or sideboard worthy, but in limited, you really want your attackers to do some damage. A 5th – 7th pick.

Army of Allah
How does white get an Overrun??? For three mana, your little army turns into the legions of doom, spreading pain and death to all who oppose. With six packs of Arabian’s this is the card that makes white weenie worthwhile. Draft them, high, hard and often. A 2nd – 4th pick.

Camel
OK, joke if you want to, but the simple fact here is that desert is one of white weenie’s real problem cards. Camel doesn’t do much on offence (Unless you double Army of Allah…), but your other guys suddenly die to the most annoying land in the format, and that can be big. Banding may be a little confusing for some of you, seeing as to how it died with the dodo, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll see what made it so good. A 5th – 7th pick

Eye for an Eye
Now this card is ass. If you could redirect the damage to a target of choice, Eye for an Eye would be great, but as it stands, it doesn’t interact enough for the limited environment. Leave this one in the board. A 7th – 8th pick.

Jihad
The second best white card in the set, Jihad does what Army of Allah does, but sticks around. Yes, the triple white casting cost is a bit of a problem, but like I mentioned earlier, mono white is a viable option, so if you see it, grab it and keep picking every white creature you see. A 1st – 3rd pick.

King Suleiman
Here’s number one. On the surface, Suleiman looks like a bit of a pile, but in the context of the environment he’s absolutely nuts. Juzam, Ehrnam, Serendibs of all kinds…this little guy takes them all down, all the while administering justice in a fair and unbiased fashion. Splashable, Suleiman is one of the top handful of cards in the set. Just don’t attack with him into Desert on turn three. A 1st pick.

Moorish Cavalry
While four mana can buy you a lot more in this set, as far as white creatures go, this is as good as you’ll find. The Cavalry tramples over everything in its path, all the while banded with Elephants so it won’t die. Don’t take this over the rare bombs, but there will be times when you’ll have to nab it over Army of Allah thanks to a low creature count. A 1st – 3rd pick

Piety
A cute little trick, my problem with Piety is that it’s a purely defensive card in an environment where you really want to be attacking. If your deck is low on playables, you can do worse than this, but I’d suggest you’ll want it in the board if at all possible. A 5th – 7th pick.

Repentant Blacksmith
Beggars can’t be choosers, and white mage, you’re a beggar. The creature quality for white in this set is such that you have to grab every warm body you can so you can fuel your Armys and Jihads, and my definition of warm is any creature with a power greater than zero. That means that the Blacksmith is playable. Hopefully you play all the red mages. Hopefully they won’t have Ali. A 3rd- 5th pick.

Shahrazad
I love this card, but frankly it just isn’t a limited one. Shahrazad is a great story and I suggest you give it a read some time, but most of the stories you tell about the card are about wasting your opponent’s time and the resulting draw you’ll get in every match. Play it in your basement, not in sanctioned events. An 8th pick.

War Elephant
Wow this card is annoying. The Elephant bands with Cavalrys and more Elephants and more Cavalrys to create this 8/8 trampling mass that just can’t be killed by conventional means. Yes it’s a 2/2 for four, but this is the glue that holds the white deck together. Once you start playing them, you’ll see what I mean. A 2nd – 4th pick.

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