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Magic: the Gathering - Battle for Zendikar |OT| Lands matter (but nothing else does)
- Thread starter SigmasonicX
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ThLunarian
Member
I don't think Siege Rhino even caught on at first. I heard a lot of people saying "Why bother with this when Polukranos trumps it and is only one color?"
My point is that we don't know how anything in this set is going to stack up in Standard.
I will say that Parting the Waterveil seems like a possible lynchpin. I've also heard that Ulamog is insane. Oblivion Sower has a lot of potential too. Drana seems really good.
If you're specifically talking about the 4cc creature slot, the Converge elephant that can be a 6/6 vigiliance trample for 4 mana could get there.
You could call Ice Age "Winter World" too, for all I care. It's the same damned thing.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
I don't know that I agree.
I remember pre-release being on MTGS in a thread that was centered around building a deck around Siege Rhino (it was called"Junk Midrange.") I think the deck at that point was something like:
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Sylvan Caryatid
3 Courser of Kruphix
3 Anafenza, the Foremost
4 Siege Rhino
2 Wingmate Roc
2 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1 Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
4 Hero's Downfall
4 Thoughtseize
(Land)
I played the deck at the first FNM after I got the cards and went like 4-1. Ari Lax won a PT with a really similar deck a couple weeks later.
I think I even posted this version in OT3 pre-KTK release.
"God's Beard!"
Member
Hell, even I was playing junk midrange with rhinos elspeths and ajani right around when the full spoiler dropped. A week or so into release I swapped to abzan whip.
There were some sticklers for polyk for sure, but they changed their minds pretty quick.
There were some sticklers for polyk for sure, but they changed their minds pretty quick.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
[QUOTE="God's Beard!";179174378]Hell, even I was playing junk midrange with rhinos elspeths and ajani right around when the full spoiler dropped. A week or so into release I swapped to abzan whip.
There were some sticklers for polyk for sure, but they changed their minds pretty quick.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, we had a big multi-page debate about whether Elvish Mystic is good in Junk midrange (I was advocating hard for the only 1 drop to be Thoughtseize). I don't think Siege Rhino being dumb good flew under the radar because at the time WBG just had the best cards in general with Rhino, Anafenza, Courser, Elspeth.
I'm probably just gonna run Dranathopter unless and until it proves to be too shitty to win matches.
There were some sticklers for polyk for sure, but they changed their minds pretty quick.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, we had a big multi-page debate about whether Elvish Mystic is good in Junk midrange (I was advocating hard for the only 1 drop to be Thoughtseize). I don't think Siege Rhino being dumb good flew under the radar because at the time WBG just had the best cards in general with Rhino, Anafenza, Courser, Elspeth.
I'm probably just gonna run Dranathopter unless and until it proves to be too shitty to win matches.
Yeah as a recommendation I think what you said makes sense (I think AoT is super overrated but doesn't change the fact that its appealing to a lot of people who don't tend to watch a lot of anime). I think I may have misread your initial proclamation of "not for everybody" as "niche" (when both shows are still more popular and well known than AoT) when you're just stating a fact - "not everything appeals to everybody".
As an aside, I'd argue Dragon Ball is undergoing a renaissance right now though I'd agree it doesn't have the ironclad grip on children now as it did in the past solely due to the delivery method and how the TV landscape has changed.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Cycle of 5 Legendary creature DFCs: Sailor Dominaria, Sailor Kamigawa, Sailor Ravnica, Sailor Zendikar, Sailor Mirrodin
Sailor Chibi Theros, Tuxedo Muraganda
Missed opportunity with Tuxedo Masques
SigmasonicX
Member
The issue in 1v1 is that your opponent can just choose to hold off playing lands, which won't be too terrible for him or her if that player has five or six lands out, and if he or she needs another land to cast a spell before he or she can destroy the Sire, then that player can risk you drawing two cards once.
With Consecrated Sphinx, your opponent can't choose not to draw a card, so you benefit no matter what.
Mind, Sire is still great in Commander, and not quite as obnoxious as the Sphinx.
FreedomFrisbee
Member
This is something me and mine have noticed. I distinctly remember Boros Reckoner being among less than 10 cards that were spoiled by the time Gatecrash was done spoiler week. Or something like that.
Really, the whole process has been strangely bungled, imo. Not doing any spoilers at SDCC seems like a huge advertising misstep to me, regardless of launches that were occurring that weekend. It's created this weird backup where A) we don't know half the set and people are kind of eh about it and B) people don't even know commander 2015 is coming. Seriously, 2 months till that! I mentioned it in my group and they had completely forgotten about it or assumed it wasn't happening this year. I find it baffling that we only got acknowledgment about commander after product info had leaked out from vendors.
Damn it!
Joe Molotov
Member
Siege Eldrazi to be the final mythic.
Familienoberhauptvogel
Banned
So I rebuild my kitchen table artifact ramp deck, which was pretty pointless, into a version more akin to affinity but there are zero restrictions for that table
So not only did I get to use tinker but I could also play all artifact lands. The third match I played Seat of the Synod, ornithopter, 2 mox opals, floated a mana tinkered my thopter and got Darksteel Colossus.
Next turn I drew another tinker and got Cranial plating.
I had a Brainstorm in hand which I never even got to use.
So not only did I get to use tinker but I could also play all artifact lands. The third match I played Seat of the Synod, ornithopter, 2 mox opals, floated a mana tinkered my thopter and got Darksteel Colossus.
Next turn I drew another tinker and got Cranial plating.
I had a Brainstorm in hand which I never even got to use.
I should take out tinker.
Kitchen table magic is just EDH now , I realized the other day I have enough excess cards from just playing since theros to make a 3rd halfway decent edh deck. The problem with edh is I hate losing and know that the deck would be better with x card that is 25 bux and don't want to do it
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
There is no final mythic. We have all of them.
Keru_Shiri
Member
Went ahead and pulled the plug on finishing my set of Piledrivers at ~$4.50. While I doubt Guide is getting a reprinted, on the slight chance it is, or something similar is spoiled, Piledriver will likely spike, and I don't see them going much lower than $4, honestly.
blindrocket
Member
I did the same thing. I'm skeptical I'll get to play with it any time soon but maybe someday I can play a Goblin deck.
I really have no idea how to review these cards. I missed on Den Protector and Hangarback walker along with Jace and Nissa.
My best guesses on just the mythics are
Gideon, Ob Nixilis, Ulamog , Drana, and Greenwarden will all see standard play as 2 ofs at least.
Oblivion Sower, Void Winnower , Quarantine Field , and Undergrowth Champion have a shot of seeing play if an archetype for them shows up.
Sire of stagnation, Dragonmaster outcast , Akoum Firebird, Part the Waterveil , Kiora, and Omnath will be bulk mythics by the end of standard.
The 3 rares I think could breakout that aren't obvious (Ruinous Path, Scatter the winds , Ugins Insight, and Planar outburst seem like no Brainers)
1. From Beyond
2. Woodland Wanderer
3. Smothering Abomination
charlequin
Banned
Yep. That was the original alpha Volcanic Island, when it came in Garfield designed BoP on the spot to use the art up.
Evolve first showed up in GDS2 as winner Ethan Fleischer's mechanic for his Dinosaur world so....
Egypt haters to the left.
My world that didn't get me through from the round of 100 in GDS2 was Egyptian-themed.... ;_;
I feel like you're real close here. Every time they make a setting like this work it's by drawing heavily on the real-world material, so: make it an archipelago world, so it can be Caribbean themed, lots of different small islands joined together by seas. Put the islands' locals in red and green, merfolk who live in the seas and control krakens and shit blue/black, and then four pirate outfits like you say in red/green/blue/black -- then have white's whole faction be the giant fancy-schmancy navy sailing in from some unknown, distant solid land.
Joe Molotov
Member
Okay, final uncommon then.
I would love -- LOVE -- if they did this with white and had them be the bad guys. I'm so sick of Rosewater telling us white and black aren't tied to good and evil respectively on the spectrum then designing them the exact opposite way. A pirate world would be the PERFECT way to do a black hero set and a white villain set. You have the pirates -- the "heroes" -- be the black characters, and the Armada -- the "villains" -- be the law coming in to bust up their adventures and fun.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Gideon, Kiora and Ob are all Standard playable. Drana is a ~$5-10 card, it depends; not as obviously powerful as Brimaz, but similarly generically good. Lands should all be $5-10 (max). Ulamog will be worth a ton because he has a lot of abilities.
manipulate
Member
I'm confused, that seems kind of terrible to me.
I think she could bring herself back if someone killed her in response to the ability, but if you fetched a plains in response to a kill spell it would resolve before she died, right?
No. You choose targets when the spell or ability is added to the stack.
Wow, I was not expecting to be impressed with any cards from this cycle, but this is pretty hot.
(From Elaine Chase's twitter)
Shit this just reminded me how awesome Zendikar's angels are. Love the halos over the eyes
SigmasonicX
Member
Repeatable reanimation is pretty nice, and it can hit artifacts, enchantments, and planeswalkers.
Anyway, I suppose this is the time for final predictions. My guesses:
Rockslide - 3R
Sorcery
Destroy target land.
Awaken 3 - 6R
Lava Floor - 2R
Sorcery
Deal 5 damage to target creature without flying.
Awaken 5 - 7R
Rarely Not Awakened - U
Sorcery
Scry 3
Awaken 3 - 4U
Lay Claim - R
Sorcery
Gain control of target land an opponent controls until end of turn. Untap that land. It gains haste until end of turn.
Extract Impulse - 2R
Sorcery
Devoid
Exile the top three cards of target opponent's library. Until end of turn, you may play cards exiled this way.
Reprint of Cremate.
And unlikely but it would be neat:
Faulty Summoning - 1R
Instant
Gain control of target creature spell until the end of your next turn. (The creature enters the battlefield under your control. Its owner gains control of it at the end of your next turn.)
Anyway, I suppose this is the time for final predictions. My guesses:
Rockslide - 3R
Sorcery
Destroy target land.
Awaken 3 - 6R
Lava Floor - 2R
Sorcery
Deal 5 damage to target creature without flying.
Awaken 5 - 7R
Rarely Not Awakened - U
Sorcery
Scry 3
Awaken 3 - 4U
Lay Claim - R
Sorcery
Gain control of target land an opponent controls until end of turn. Untap that land. It gains haste until end of turn.
Extract Impulse - 2R
Sorcery
Devoid
Exile the top three cards of target opponent's library. Until end of turn, you may play cards exiled this way.
Reprint of Cremate.
And unlikely but it would be neat:
Faulty Summoning - 1R
Instant
Gain control of target creature spell until the end of your next turn. (The creature enters the battlefield under your control. Its owner gains control of it at the end of your next turn.)
Wow, I was not expecting to be impressed with any cards from this cycle, but this is pretty hot.
(From Elaine Chase's twitter)
Pricey, but it can cheat in Ulamog for slightly cheaper and any plains triggers it. Might be too expensive to see standard play but dang that landfall ability is strong. Abzan has plenty of choices as far as cards that gets things back from the graveyard from.
A Serious Man
Member
Wow, I was not expecting to be impressed with any cards from this cycle, but this is pretty hot.
(From Elaine Chase's twitter)
This might be a sideboard option for mono-white but other than that, I don't really see it.
To be fair, the same applies to every other Blue fatty not named Consecrated Sphinx.
Fuck that card. Nothing worse than seeing someone clone a Consecrated Sphinx.
This seems unlikely. The flavor of awaken is that Zendikar itself is fighting back against the Eldrazi. This would just be Zendikar fight against itself, which wouldn't make much sense.
charlequin
Banned
Right, certainly more logical than doing that twist in the Japanese mythology block, anyway.
I think it's easy to have the antagonists be white and the lead hero be black in this context, although probably a lot harder to have a sympathetic faction of black pirates.
Bothers me a little since they made a point in ROE to show that the angels had lost their halos. :/
Huh never noticed that, that is a little inconsistent. Though I started back in Scars so didn't play too much with ROE. There were only two (Linvala and Deathless Angel) maybe it was just the art direction? Or did they give a lore reason having to do with people realizing their gods were actually the Titans?
Edit: yep it's the latterhttp://archive.wizards.com/Magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/stf/86,
"God's Beard!"
Member
it's the best. triggers forever.
Wonder if we will see real graveyard hate in this set. Den Protector, Greenwarden, now the Angel and Jace all use the graveyard for shenanigans, not to mention March from the tomb, will be interesting what they put in, If anything.
Also see where they go with artifact hate. We lose back to nature, unravel the aether, reclamation sage, revoke existence and artisans sorrow from theros/m15.
Also , I love that Angel , but she's probably too High a mana cost. That ability with fetches though..... Play a fetch, return a card to hand, crack fetch play a dual land, return something to the battlefield.
Also see where they go with artifact hate. We lose back to nature, unravel the aether, reclamation sage, revoke existence and artisans sorrow from theros/m15.
Also , I love that Angel , but she's probably too High a mana cost. That ability with fetches though..... Play a fetch, return a card to hand, crack fetch play a dual land, return something to the battlefield.
So I tried my GW Hardened Scales deck for the second time yesterday in standard. Went 2-2 but I felt like the deck could beat any one of them. Won against some UWB control and Abzan control and lost to another Abzan control and some RG devotionish thing. BfZ looks pretty bad for now, but at least some new lands are nice and I'll probably get a playset of Undergrowth Champions. I am however looking forward to the rotation because I'm losing only a few cards. Not sure what I'm gonna do the block after with Hardened Scales rotating out.
Hopefuly the 4 flickerwisps I bought arrive sometime next week so I can finaly try out Death & Taxes in modern. Shouls be pretty solid in local meta.
My brother plays almost exclusively goblins (standard, modern and edh) and while he started out with 3 or 4 piledrivers (in modern), he now uses only 1. He did pretty good with 1 or 2 of then, he won a PPTQ in Italy and placed top4 in the Slovenian WMCQ (plus first place at a few FNMs). He did mention that every now and then he actualy hits for 20+.
I believe he still uses a few in standard, but doesn't play much so I have no information there.
Hopefuly the 4 flickerwisps I bought arrive sometime next week so I can finaly try out Death & Taxes in modern. Shouls be pretty solid in local meta.
My brother plays almost exclusively goblins (standard, modern and edh) and while he started out with 3 or 4 piledrivers (in modern), he now uses only 1. He did pretty good with 1 or 2 of then, he won a PPTQ in Italy and placed top4 in the Slovenian WMCQ (plus first place at a few FNMs). He did mention that every now and then he actualy hits for 20+.
I believe he still uses a few in standard, but doesn't play much so I have no information there.
Familienoberhauptvogel
Banned
I found a modern Deck I really want the new Drana for. BW tokens. Looking up decklists though I'm surprised Rally the ancestors plays Teysa but BW tokens doesn't.
Only need a sac outlet for Bitterblossom and you're getting doubly value.
Only need a sac outlet for Bitterblossom and you're getting doubly value.
I still have my Modern B/W Token/Polymorph build that I tinker with from time to time. I'm starting to think I need to replace the Sorins with BfZ Gideons, so I'm hoping he gets kinda cheap at some point in the future. He's just overall better I think in every way. I'm thinking I might switch up my plan, and Game 1 just go straight tokens, and game 2 go for the Polymorph/Emrakul package, instead of it being reversed like it is now. Game 1 usually goes great for me, but it's a little more nebulous after that. Then again, I don't play Modern as much as I'd like, so I haven't done enough real testing.
He's talking abt modern tokens
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