I wonder if we're even getting any common or uncommon fixing to support it?
Sets Battle for Zendikar Spoilers
- Thread starter Eric Chan
- Start date
I wonder if we're even getting any common or uncommon fixing to support it?
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
They have to, don't they, otherwise you simply can't play the cards in limited. Is there room in the number crunch for Ancient Ziggurat? That would make a lot of sense with all these allies.
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
I think I might try out this one. Ripping away an opponents wrath seems okay:
That is one disturbed picture...
Curious to see if they will finish the cycle with an emrakul hand disruption card.
Appetite for Brains costs
if wraths are the main point of interest. 3 and greater is much better, though.
Prism Network
Converge - ~ ETBs with prism counters = the number of colors spent to cast ~.
Remove a hedron counter: Tap target creature
: Scry 3Sylvan scrying pretty much confirms the death of rampant growth/farseek-style early ramp cards, doesn't it?
I think it's neat
makes for much more flexible and interesting drafts IME.
I second the love for common/uncommon fixing and gold subthemes, I've never enjoyed a limited format where there was basically no fixing and everyone was playing a 2 color deck. Limited is so much richer with the tradeoff of picking lands instead of spells to splash more colors. I can't imagine pulling the fixing out of a cube.
As far as the power level of ramp, Sylvan Caryatid makes it clear that green still essentially gets Farseek, so I'm sure Rampant Growths are fair game to come back. Its possible that they want to hold off on those until after fetches rotate so there isn't an overload of shuffling in standard perhaps?
As far as the power level of ramp, Sylvan Caryatid makes it clear that green still essentially gets Farseek, so I'm sure Rampant Growths are fair game to come back. Its possible that they want to hold off on those until after fetches rotate so there isn't an overload of shuffling in standard perhaps?
Chris Taylor
Contributor
Eh.
RTR: Yes
Theros: No
M15: No
Khans: Yes (for half)
Origins: No
I guess it makes sense if you count Dragons/FRF as "Gold Sets" (And just dismiss core sets altogether) but they basically have a few gold cards to push people into allied color pairs. There's no fixing, no "guild identity", no color matters mechanic, just a bit of identity tying a color pair together. I wouldn't call them Gold Sets because the UW deck in dragons was spells matter instead of Skies like every limited format ever.
I think you might be overestimating what makes something a "Gold Set", or at least over-applying it. Converge is a cool mechanic, for sure, but here I think it's in to emphasize the longer game length rather than "Jam as many colors as possible" like sunburst did. Most of these cards feel more like they have a scaling lategamey kicker rather than Tribal Flames in modern thing.
"A Gold Subtheme" is a bit nebulous on it's own. Just having gold cards isn't really an indicator, since as we've seen from magic origins, Strong 2 color cards at uncommon make drafting interesting, as nice rewards for when you're in that color pair with tension based on how early you want to move in. (For Eg, something weaker but more open like Topan Freeblade is usually more of a first pick).
Pushing people into color pairs isn't a big indicator either, since even 8th edition does that shit. Take a limited set at random and on average I think UW Skies is going to be stronger than BW midragey...whatever the hell that usually ends up being.
I think if you try and grab the essence of blocks, what they're really about at their core, "Color" is less common than you think. Theros is about building a giant creature, khans is about the Clan Identity, Zenikar is about lands, Innistrad is about Synergy, etc. Including surface elements of the color themed blocks because gold cards are cool and work well doesn't seem like something to begrudge: we wouldn't be pissed if wotc included interesting nonbasics at common and uncommon every set and be like "Ugh, I've had enough of these land blocks! Zendikar can go fuck itself!"
Probably means it isn't in this set, but gone forever?
Until we see literal rampant growth at 3 or WotC tells us it's gone, I'd hold out
Chris Taylor
Contributor
Huh, looks like the correct cost for painless bitterblossom is 4ish:
FlowerSunRain
Contributor
The phoenix is pretty likable. Doesn't have the OMG ASSKICKING factor of Thundermaw, but its always nice to have a wincon you can safely loot away while you are trying to hit early land drops/find removal. Plays well in all of the dumb stormbind-driven decks I love to build.
Chris Taylor
Contributor
yeah
nothing personally i never included protection creatures or when i did i customed it out
it's just a general desire to see that awful mechanic get deleted
Chris Taylor
Contributor
Well, they have said they're going to use it sparingly from now on
(Which to me sounds like baneslayer angel style protections) I dunno, you could red-con it so that Protection as a mechanic works like Fiendslayer Paladin, but that seems unlikely
Okay, so here's the thing about Brutal Expulsion. It costs 4.
Now, I am super hyped about the card and I really want to run it.
But when I look at my Izzet section, I see that my favorite two cards (Ral and Dack's Dupe) also cost 4.
I mean, I guess I can cut Gelectrode? But then I've got three 4-drops in Izzet, which a) is pretty expensive for the average UR aggressive deck and b) means that I've got 3 four-drops in a 5-card section. So, I'm torn.
What are y'all thinking about Expulsion? On MTGS every other post about it is something like "looks super fun but it's not as unfair as Dack so pass" so I got all of zero useful insight from that board.
EDIT: After remembering that I run Gelectrode I already know I'm cutting that for Expulsion, but I still don't like that many 4-drops, so I guess my question is more about how many 4-drops is too many? Idk.
Now, I am super hyped about the card and I really want to run it.
But when I look at my Izzet section, I see that my favorite two cards (Ral and Dack's Dupe) also cost 4.
I mean, I guess I can cut Gelectrode? But then I've got three 4-drops in Izzet, which a) is pretty expensive for the average UR aggressive deck and b) means that I've got 3 four-drops in a 5-card section. So, I'm torn.
What are y'all thinking about Expulsion? On MTGS every other post about it is something like "looks super fun but it's not as unfair as Dack so pass" so I got all of zero useful insight from that board.
EDIT: After remembering that I run Gelectrode I already know I'm cutting that for Expulsion, but I still don't like that many 4-drops, so I guess my question is more about how many 4-drops is too many? Idk.
That is true regarding Appetite for Brains. Hitting 3s is big though (most of our cubes have the action spells starting around there).
I like this weird counterspell, it's definitely interesting. I wish it had cost one less though since it's more like a weird remand variant than anything. I'll try it out, but I don't know if it's worth it to keep up 4 for bounce + shock.
I like this weird counterspell, it's definitely interesting. I wish it had cost one less though since it's more like a weird remand variant than anything. I'll try it out, but I don't know if it's worth it to keep up 4 for bounce + shock.
Chris Taylor
Contributor
is the main point of comparison. I'm always down for more pillar of flames, but I'm not sure this is where I want it. I know it's kind of a command, but I feel it lacks some punch
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
I feel like there's some kind of fun thematic cube waiting to be made that's centered around this set's gold cards. By and large the guild cards from this set are really cool. Maybe that's just the newness and Eldrazi-ness of the cards talking though.
I checked my own cube list, and I was surprised to find that Inquisition of Kozilek hits more spells (217) than Transgress the Mind (165), so it's debatable whether that effect's worth one more mana to try and snatch a higher-impact spell, though it's nice to have the option. Appetite for Brains has too few targets (97) and has too high a chance of whiffing, for me.
Dom Harvey
Contributor
Morphs count as colourless for Herald right?