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Magic: the Gathering - Battle for Zendikar |OT| Lands matter (but nothing else does)

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Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
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This seems awesome, up to 4 lands removed from the deck for only 4 mana, and possibly taking multiples out in play. And it hits duals/trilands.

It doesn't hit multiples in play
 
Marginally better than Sowing Salt anyway, although exiling has a completely different context here.

Sure, but it's still difficult to get your own cards back from exile, or even get your lands back from the graveyard, so the opponent will be out those lands regardless.

Edit: Grimace, true enough I didn't read it close enough. Still pretty good I think
 

Crocodile

Member
Processors I like:

Blight Herder
Ulamog's Reclaimer
Wasteland Strangler
Ulamog's Nullifier

That's not a lot of payoff. I mean I know cards like Murk Strider are good but I've been playing cards like those in limited formats without having to jump through hoops for years now. Having to work so much for it here isn't something I'm really looking forward to.

It doesn't hit multiples in play

Neither does Sowing Salt........
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
My preorder list is pretty short.

I picked up the manlands at $5 a piece, a couple Ob Nix and a couple Kiora. Planeswalkers in a new set shouldn't drop much more than $5 for a while if I hold onto them, and I will probably be able to trade them up in the first few weeks. Gideon seems good but he's gonna drop quite a bit.

Processors I like:

Blight Herder
Ulamog's Reclaimer
Wasteland Strangler
Ulamog's Nullifier

That's not a lot of payoff. I mean I know cards like Murk Strider are good but I've been playing cards like those in limited formats without having to jump through hoops for years now. Having to work so much for it here isn't something I'm really looking forward to.



Neither does Sowing Salt........
Uh, yeah? I used it for a while in Jund before I got smart and switched to actual good card Fulminator Mage.

I was just pointing out to Pyke it doesn't work that way.

Blight Herder is a powerful card that I don't find likely to see a ton of play unless Suspension Field/Silkwrap are way better than I am imagining.
 

Crocodile

Member
The card text on Crumble to Dust and the card text on Sowing Salt are the same except Dust says "any number" and Salt says "all". Salt in no way or form hits multiple permanents on the battlefield at the same time.

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vs

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My preorder list is pretty short.

I picked up the manlands at $5 a piece, a couple Ob Nix and a couple Kiora. Planeswalkers in a new set shouldn't drop much more than $5 for a while if I hold onto them, and I will probably be able to trade them up in the first few weeks. Gideon seems good but he's gonna drop quite a bit.

Interesting to see Gideon's price rising and Ob Nixilis and Kiora's falling, just with the reveals. Will pick up a couple too.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
The card text on Crumble to Dust and the card text on Sowing Salt are the same except Dust says "any number" and Salt says "all". Salt in no way or form hits multiple permanents on the battlefield at the same time.

Image.ashx


vs

en_Hzi6YovcZn.png

I have no idea who you are trying to convince. I already knew this, which is what I just said lmao
 

hort

Neo Member
Interesting thing I saw on reddit:
There are no cards with prowess in BFZ.


Kind of disappointing. I really like that mechanic.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Interesting thing I saw on reddit:
There are no cards with prowess in BFZ.


Kind of disappointing. I really like that mechanic.

They didn't make it evergreen until Origins, so my guess is that design on BFZ was done by the time that decision came down (although it was obviously before typesetting since Menace is in)
 

pigeon

Banned
Kor Castigator is a terrible design.

I hate the fact that they abandoned instant names being verbs. When did that happen? Like a long time ago I guess.

Why does Ruination Guide cost U?

Silent Skimmer is a fun card. Smothering Abomination is great fun.

Zulaport Cutthroat's sword is too big for cutting throats.

Why do Eldrazi have three different mechanics fighting for dominance? Colorless spells matter, Scions, and exile consumption. Two would probably work, three seems like too many for one theme. Should've ditched Scions now that there are actually small Eldrazi.

Jaddi Offshoot is surprisingly good.

I feel like making a 2/1 mana dork is just rude.

Swell of Growth is great.

Man, there are a lot of mechanical offshoots in this set where there are like three or four cards that suggest a design direction but then they stop worrying about it after that.
 

Crocodile

Member
I have no idea who you are trying to convince. I already knew this, which is what I just said lmao

I'm having like four conversations between the internet and IRL and GAF just acted up a bit for me so either I misread what you said or flipped who said what in my head. Nevermind.
 

hort

Neo Member
Evergreen doesn't mean "appears in every set."

Sure, but you look at other evergreen keywords (http://mtgsalvation.gamepedia.com/Evergreen) and almost all of the are represented here except prowess (it might actually be all of them, I'm too lazy to check right now).


I never said it had to be in here, but as someone who likes the mechanic, its a little disappointing to see it get the shaft one set after it became evergreen.
 

alternade

Member
Is it just me are are there not enough ingest/exiling effects for all the processor and exile matters cards?

Overall, i'm not that excited by this set. I thought going back to Zendikar would up the power level of cards but it seems as stale as ever. There are a few cards that tickle my EDH fancy but standard looks to be slooooooow.
 
It feels a bit like Exile and the Scions are competing to be the resource focus

I think ideally this kind of works out as a multi-stage engine -- a couple cards (I think?) turn exile cards into scions, scions can turn into eldrazi, eldrazi can exile shit. I didn't get the sense from the spoiler that this was the spot these mechanics would get hinky in practice, but I'll have to look it over again.

The most important take away I got from the full spoiler is that the worn out Evolving Wilds that dude found in a parking lot months ago was legit. The fuck was up with that?

Every set for a while a couple years ago we were getting random commons from the next set in packs of the current one. I dunno if they're doing that on purpose or it's just the result of having to print stuff six months in advance.

He probably didn't find it in a parking lot BTW.

Interesting thing I saw on reddit:
There are no cards with prowess in BFZ.

This happens every time they do new evergreen mechanics, the first few sets afterwards have them at weirdly low volume.
 

pigeon

Banned
Every set for a while a couple years ago we were getting random commons from the next set in packs of the current one. I dunno if they're doing that on purpose or it's just the result of having to print stuff six months in advance.

If they were doing it on purpose MaRo would've said something by now. It's just because printing is not an exact science. One of the things they tell you when you print a book is that your print run is going to be off by up to a few hundred in either direction because printing is hard. I'm sure this is exactly the same thing except with collation mistakes.
 
If they were doing it on purpose MaRo would've said something by now.

You say that but for like five consecutive sets it was exactly one common card that showed off a mechanic or theme for the next set that made sense without context, and it was a few years after they discontinued their old "hand out a common for the next set at stores" preview plan. I don't think the result really looked like what you'd get picking a completely random common out of each set.
 

Hero

Member
You say that but for like five consecutive sets it was exactly one common card that showed off a mechanic or theme for the next set that made sense without context, and it was a few years after they discontinued their old "hand out a common for the next set at stores" preview plan. I don't think the result really looked like what you'd get picking a completely random common out of each set.

I think when it was a mistake with Rootborn Defenses but could've sworn MaRo said it was such a 'hit' that they have done similar things since so yeah.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Random comments:
* I have to say, I'm surprised at the amount of instant land destruction in this set.
* They actually put an instant Act of Treason in red?
* All of the token focus in blue is unusual. Someone was wondering about the blue Eldrazi that boosts power, but it makes sense when blue is the color that cares most about the Scions, and it also helps artifacts, which blue has always helped.
* Still more menace in red than black. No prowess is odd, but I suppose it makes sense with so many things that care about colorless things being cast. Prowess is unusual is an evergreen mechanic that way. In any case, with blue's focus on tokens in this set, it didn't really need that mechanic here. We might still see it in Oath, though, particularly on the blue-red manland.
* Swell of Growth (+2/+2, put land on battlefield) makes the red spellland pretty good.
* No 2-or-less burn spell that can hit the face is surprising.
* Glad with Sure Strike (+3/+0 first strike for 1R) that they realize they can do better than Thunder Strike.
* Limited at least looks fairly interesting.
 

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!";179259610]Well, tokens is insane now that the full spoiler is out. I can't believe that they printed Bone Splinters and an improved Tukatongue Thallid.[/QUOTE]

Virulent Plague still exists to ruin everything because reasons
 

Yeef

Member
Looks like this is it for artifact and enchantment hate:

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Also, not much good burn. Origins was lacking in both of those categories as well.


Strictly Better Thunder Strike / Rise to the Challenge / Slaughter Cry is nice.
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Set looks like it should be fun in limited; hard to say how it'll affect constructed.

I think these will be the key cards for GU converge, so make sure to pick them more highly if you're on that plan:
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Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
I think he means limited? Because Bonesplinters and Thallids are terrible in constructed.
Yeah, probably right. I used both of those a lot in MM2015 but that deck kinda sucked when you drafted it. I played a guy who had about a billion of each. And Creakwood Liege.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Set looks like it should be fun in limited; hard to say how it'll affect constructed.

Good removal to be replaced by bad removal. My guess is that Converge is probably just a huge fucken trap in limited.

Also, the art in this entire set is terribad for no apparent reason. Is this just the new art direction for Magic because both Origins and this have sucked
 

Kid Ska

I Was There! Official L Receiver 2/12/2016
I guess I could play Bone Splinters in Dranathopter, but yeah probably not, Ultimate Price is still pretty damn good as long as Eldrazi aren't a thing. I just wish there was a better three drop around.

I like it. Looks like a fun list.
 

ultron87

Member
I'm very surprised that Sylvan Scrying art is real. Something about it just doesn't look like modern Magic art at all. Especially in being a non land.
 

Firemind

Member
Good removal to be replaced by bad removal. My guess is that Converge is probably just a huge fucken trap in limited.

Also, the art in this entire set is terribad for no apparent reason. Is this just the new art direction for Magic because both Origins and this have sucked
Mantis Rider is going to be so good. Dodges all removal lower than cmc 3.

Also, CG shading is the future!
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Mantis Rider is going to be so good. Dodges all removal lower than cmc 3.

Also, CG shading is the future!

I had a Jeskai Midrange thing cooked up and puca'd extra Atarka/Ojutai earlier, which seems like it was a good idea. I have a playset of each, I doubt I need them but they're both just too good to not see even more play with a very weak constructed set rotating in.
 

Firemind

Member
I had a Jeskai Midrange thing cooked up and puca'd extra Atarka/Ojutai earlier, which seems like it was a good idea. I have a playset of each, I doubt I need them but they're both just too good to not see even more play with a very weak constructed set rotating in.
The problem will be acquiring the Jaces. Not that I'll be able to attend any standard events.
 

Jhriad

Member
The problem will be acquiring the Jaces. Not that I'll be able to attend any standard events.

His price is pretty much the only thing keeping me from playing Jeskai or any other Blue deck where he'd be included. I'm not paying $40 for any in print Standard card.
 
* All of the token focus in blue is unusual. Someone was wondering about the blue Eldrazi that boosts power, but it makes sense when blue is the color that cares most about the Scions, and it also helps artifacts, which blue has always helped.

Yeah this is one of those nice development touches I was talking about. Scions are a good mechanical focus for blue since colorless mana is a long-time minor blue theme; pumping colorless stuff is a great blue theme since it usually plays as artifact love.
 

Firemind

Member
Oh, right. I forgot about Draconic Roar. Soulfire Grandmaster seems sick, especially with Ojutai's Command. Makes Draconic Roar into a roided up Lightning Helix.
 

Socat

Member
Still debating on jumping into standard with a naya flavored weenie deck with prowess, pump spells and zada to make it extra tasty? Please tell me why this is a frivolous waste of time that I could be using to test modern.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Oh, right. I forgot about Draconic Roar. Soulfire Grandmaster seems sick, especially with Ojutai's Command. Makes Draconic Roar into a roided up Lightning Helix.

The mentor is probably unnecessary, but he is a relatively cheap threat that wins the game on his own if your opponent doesn't do anything to it.
 
lmao WOTC

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Don't care wut you say, that's cool. Loving "stole ya girl" Kiora.

In fact, gonna get at least two of her, unsure of the third unless I run a Sultai tempo/control deck with her. Throwing in a Brood Tyrant could be fun.

Are there any cards within the new standard that have self-milling ability to activate Sidisi's zombie generator?
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Its just funny because there was a big thing where nobody could understand why flavorwise Pin to the Earth didn't remove flying
 

Firemind

Member
I wouldn't get Kiora immediately for $20. I think she's incredibly overrated. In creature-heavy decks, you'd rather have CoCo. In ramp decks, the impulse is going to wiff xx% of the time. Rather have Sarkhan Unbroken 9 out of 10 times.
 
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