The New Kid on the Block: Cori-Steel Cutter Is a Token-Generating Machine

Tarkir: Dragonstorm is debuting a handful of interesting mechanics that looked like they’ll play out really well.

Tarkir: Dragonstorm is debuting a handful of interesting mechanics that looked like they’ll play out really well. Harmonize, for instance, is a neat take on flashback that rewards you for having big creatures. We’ve already seen multiple cards with harmonize that are poised to make an impact, such as Nature’s Rhythm.

One of the strongest mechanics in Tarkir: Dragonstorm is undoubtedly flurry, in part because it’s the simplest. Casting two spells in one turn just isn’t that hard if you build your deck right.

Recently, a new equipment featuring the potent keyword was spoiled, and it looks like it could be one of the best cards in the set. The reward for casting two spells in the same turn is massive, and your opponent will be left in the dust. Let’s dive in and see all that Cori-Steel Cutter has to offer.

Cori-Steel Cutter is a cheap equipment, but it doesn’t actually play out like a traditional piece of equipment. This is because Cori-Steel Cutter both provides you with creature tokens to equip and also equips to those creatures for free whenever you generate them.

As long as you can continue to trigger flurry, Cori-Steel Cutter will pay you off in a big way. The consistent flow of tokens this artifact provides means that unlike most equipment, Cori-Steel Cutter lines up exceptionally well against removal spells. The key is that you need to be playing a high density of cheap spells to trigger flurry and make your prowess creatures as threatening as possible.

In a Standard setting, Izzet Prowess feels like the most natural home for Cori-Steel Cutter. This deck is chock-full of one-mana plays. With Stormchaser’s Talent, Monastery Swiftspear, and Emberheart Challenger in the mix, you’re already incentivized to play multiple noncreature spells on the same turn.

What really sets Izzet Prowess apart from other red aggro variants, though, is the presence of cantrips. Sleight of Hand and Opt do a great job helping you trigger flurry. Not only are they cheap spells, but because they replace themselves, they also ensure that you’ll have enough resources to continue to trigger flurry on future turns. While a bit clunkier, Stock Up pulls you ahead on resources and makes it trivial to trigger flurry on follow-up turns.

It’s also worth mentioning that cards with plot (most importantly, Slickshot Show-Off) synergize nicely with Cori-Steel Cutter. You can plot Slickshot Show-Off on turn two, and on a future turn, you have a spell you can cast for free lined up after jamming Cori-Steel Cutter. Cori-Steel Cutter gives this deck a better shot winning grindy games against Dimir midrange shells and the like, which is an area of weakness currently.

Beyond the typical prowess and spell-slinging shells where Cori-Steel Cutter shines brightest, it is worth mentioning that the token production works exceptionally well alongside Caretaker’s Talent and Enduring Innocence.

Mono-white tokens in its current form may have trouble triggering Flurry. Moving forward, though, it’s plausible players will look to red as well for Cori-Steel Cutter, cheap removal like Torch the Tower, and Urabrask’s Forge as another mass token producer. Some decklists have already featured a red splash for Imodane’s Recruiter as a finisher out of the sideboard, so this doesn’t seem too far-fetched.

Moving on to another format where Cori-Steel Cutter looks ready to be dropped, there are a number of Commanders that should welcome the new equipment as an addition. Veyran, Voice of Destiny is a great example. Veyran decks want to play lots of spells alongside perman انسجام