This seems interesting as a Reanimator payoff, but I know the lack of ETB is a huge problem.
This reminds me of
The Capitoline Triad, which I quite like but have struggled to get my drafters interested in.
Maybe I finally take out
Emrakul, the Promised End for
The Dawning Archaic because, again, no one seems jazzed to try for Eldrazi titans these days when 4 and 5 drops are absurd engines on their own. I wish the Archaic had either an ETB or a better combat mechanic like trample, but it's still cool enough to merit consideration.
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holy wow
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I loved
History of Benalia but it eventually felt too slow. This is much closer to what a 2026 version of the card would look like.
I don't like the art though, and don't want to use these particular tokens if I can get away with it.
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This is
very cool.
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I like this around the same as many of the ETB damage dealers. For example, I'd recently removed
Flametongue Yearling from this slot, and I struggle to think of which one of the two I prefer. If this ends up being the only "prepared" card I'm interested in, yeah, it's out, but I don't hate the mechanic even if I hate the natural confusion that comes with the frame considering how much design space they've used in this form/format lately.
Would I rather have this or
Dragonkin Berserker? Well, one of these I feel like I'm going to win the game eventually with. The Emeritus, not so much. Three spells in one turn is a lot, as I saw with
Captain Ripley Vance.
Cool card all the same.
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Duel Tactics is an excellent name and I earnestly like this more than
Firebolt...mechanically. Like Firebolt, though, I can't stand the art. I've never used the phrase "soyface" without a massive dose of irony, but is that not what's happening here? It looks so bad and dumb and like it was drawn in front of a volume screen. Where's the sense of place here? What's
happening? This kind of card makes me feel like complaining
less about UB.
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Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer is obviously much weaker than
Liliana of the Veil but I'm not looking it like that and I think that comparison is missing the bigger picture.
He's black's
Pre-War Formalwear. Would you rather have a +2/+2 plus vigilance equipment or a whole 'walker left behind after your
Unearth? Honestly, both are fine. I've been obsessed with Pre-War Formalwear and it's over-performed for us. With changes to creature quality,
Unearth has only gone up and up and up in recent years. It's an effect I don't mind paying 3 for in many cases. I've loved
Lively Dirge and think
No One Left Behind is perfectly playable in Cubes even at my power level and beyond.
This card is going to be great for me, I predict.
