Grillo_Parlante
Contributor
I know we are retreading ground here, but the power of renowned is that it creates must block threats. Being able to leverage that threat to narrow an opponents lines, and hopefully force them to select inferior ones, is powerful.
However, if the renowned card is designed in a way where its not a must block threat, a lot of its power is taken away. While ( as you all know) i think acolyte falls into the must block camp, i'm not sure hierarch does. In addition its small body means its a nullity in scenarios that larger renowned creatures can keep on swinging in, shredding boards, or at least trade on defense.
I also am not sure a large volume of renowned creatures is desirable, as a bunch of must block creatures leads to people wanting to sit back on defense.
Hierarch is maybe better compared reckless waif, but i feel that waif is a much better designed card if you are looking for a tool to encourage velocity, or tempo based gameplay. While waif punishes stumbles and inefficent midrange decks, it also provides a mechanism for those players to mitigate the effect: just cast several spells in a turn. I've long considered it one of the best designed cards for its ability to shape a format around that mutual risk and reward with a big potential payoff for either player.
Not that everyone should be running either card, but I think they have their place.
However, if the renowned card is designed in a way where its not a must block threat, a lot of its power is taken away. While ( as you all know) i think acolyte falls into the must block camp, i'm not sure hierarch does. In addition its small body means its a nullity in scenarios that larger renowned creatures can keep on swinging in, shredding boards, or at least trade on defense.
I also am not sure a large volume of renowned creatures is desirable, as a bunch of must block creatures leads to people wanting to sit back on defense.
Hierarch is maybe better compared reckless waif, but i feel that waif is a much better designed card if you are looking for a tool to encourage velocity, or tempo based gameplay. While waif punishes stumbles and inefficent midrange decks, it also provides a mechanism for those players to mitigate the effect: just cast several spells in a turn. I've long considered it one of the best designed cards for its ability to shape a format around that mutual risk and reward with a big potential payoff for either player.
Not that everyone should be running either card, but I think they have their place.
