General Companions, Yay or nay?

[Rasmus Källqvist]

Here's an interesting development. New banned and restricted announcement just added this:

New Companion Rule:

Once per game, any time you could cast a sorcery (during your main phase when the stack is empty), you can pay 3 generic mana to put your companion from your sideboard into your hand. This is a special action, not an activated ability.

https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/june-1-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement

The companion isn't always available to be cast anymore, you actually have to take a tempo hit to do it. Don't know if it is enough, but it certainly makes it less "for free".

 

[XRS]

Here's an interesting development. New banned and restricted announcement just added this:
https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/june-1-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement

The companion isn't always available to be cast anymore, you actually have to take a tempo hit to do it. Don't know if it is enough, but it certainly makes it less "for free".

Interesting indeed. I will need some time to formulate my thoughts on whether to include them or not. I have already been on the verge of including Yorion but disregarding the companion mechanic. I will have to re-visit the others too for my historic and shards cube.

 

[shamizy]

This should help a ton for other constructed formats, don't really think it matters for Cube. The ones that were interesting (like Yorion or Lurrus) are still good enough to include, the ones that were only attractive as a free 8th card probably weren't worth a cube slot in the first place.

 

[japahn]

I really dislike the arbitrary 3 generic mana. It's like morph without reminder text, while it's in standard everyone know how it works, but in 5 years it feel really bad when someone new tries to cast Keruga without putting it in their hand first. Especially since the printed reminder text reads:

(If this card is your chosen companion, you may cast it once from outside the game.)

And the remedy is not the unaware player losing a pick and removing it from their deck. They drafted around the companion.

Not a dealbreaker for experienced groups, but this sadly strikes them off from my lists forever.

 

[Erik Twice]

That's a very ugly way of solving the problem, but it's clear putting it on your hand any other way would still be broken. Oh well.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Really unelegant solution considering the reminder text, but I think there wasn't really a way around that without them still being broken. Mind you, starting the game with an 8th card that's a 3 mana tutor for a specific card (your chosen companion) still seems really, really good.

 

[Peter LaCara]

I mean, the good companions are going to be played in Eternal formats basically forever. If you're playing with any sort of enfranchised players (which cube players generally are) they'll know or be able to explain how companions work.

 

[Velrun]

https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/june-1-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement
The companion isn't always available to be cast anymore, you actually have to take a tempo hit to do it. Don't know if it is enough, but it certainly makes it less "for free".

..but in 5 years it feel really bad when someone new tries to cast Keruga without putting it in their hand first. Especially since the printed reminder text reads: (If this card is your chosen companion, you may cast it once from outside the game.).

Really unelegant solution considering the reminder text

So I pre-ordered 7 expensive Companions in foil with the normal template to get them into my cube right away. I chose the normal template over the fun-template with less text because I specifically wanted the correct reminder text.

You all know the difference but for good measure's sake, behold the difference: (Left is normal. Right is fun)


Can I ask Wizards for a refund?
I feel like the fun template companions are still describing the mechanic correct after the rule change. The one I ordered no longer works.

 

[Chris Taylor]

No hurt in asking....Starcity?

 

[shamizy]

So I pre-ordered 7 expensive Companions in foil with the normal template to get them into my cube right away. I chose the normal template over the fun-template with less text because I specifically wanted the correct reminder text.

You all know the difference but for good measure's sake, behold the difference: (Left is normal. Right is fun)
View attachment 3216View attachment 3218

Oh damn it, I just had a copy of Yorion arrive yesterday and completely glossed over that fact. I really dislike having confusing cards in my cube and while most of my drafters are experienced, this is still an annoying thing to clarify and correct before playing. I'm going to have to pick up a replacement at some point.

 

[Brad]

Maybe they can add these into the next Commander product with proper text.

I was hoping they'd do some sort of Errata Spellbook to re-release a lot of popular burn spells with the newer wording. Bothers me having stuff say something that it doesn't do.

 

[Velrun]

Maybe they can add these into the next Commander product with proper text.

I was hoping they'd do some sort of Errata Spellbook to re-release a lot of popular burn spells with the newer wording. Bothers me having stuff say something that it doesn't do.

This!
Especially since the rules changed twice since most burn spells were last (re)printed. Just put one into every supplement product and in two years we’ll be over that hump.

 

[Velrun]

No hurt in asking....Starcity?

Four different individual sellers on Cardmarket.com.

It is not their fault so I cannot blame them.