I agree. So far the Kaladesh arc has been good. I am curious how Aether Revolt is going to play out considering it should lead into the next block. Watching Bolas scheme should be interesting - I am guessing that there is some connection between Tezzeret's manipulation of the inventor's fair and Bolas.
Sets [KLD] Kaladesh Spoilers Thread
- Thread starter Rasmus Källqvist
- Start date
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Opened my firsts box tonight, not a bad haul! Smuggler's Copter, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, Verdurous Gearhulk, Fumigate, foil Blooming Marsh, Concealed Courtyard, Botanical Garden, a lot of fun bulk rares, and a cool night of sealed play with a friend 
Early returns from the Pro Tour: Torrential Gearhulk looking pretty nuts in the hands of Shoota Yasooka. Flashing back counterspells, cantrips, and the occasional Glimmer of Genius is more than enough alongside the 5/6 flash body. It pretty much enables every control deck in the room singlehandedly.
Bristling Hydra in the pump spell/double strike deck with Electrostatic Pummeler looks pretty nice too. Longtusk Cub has also been easily a 5/5 every time it's been played so far which is nuts. I hope by the time this block is through, energy is in a place to get some cubes playing large energy themes. Pretty much every Standard deck uses the energy counter in some capacity.
Bristling Hydra in the pump spell/double strike deck with Electrostatic Pummeler looks pretty nice too. Longtusk Cub has also been easily a 5/5 every time it's been played so far which is nuts. I hope by the time this block is through, energy is in a place to get some cubes playing large energy themes. Pretty much every Standard deck uses the energy counter in some capacity.
I hope to see the mechanic in some of the supplemental products, like commander 2016 decks. WotC leaves too many mechanics by the wayside. (Arcane, I'm looking at you!)
Grillo_Parlante
Contributor
Energy is a brilliant way to solve the decades long problem of creature pump, as well as how to make non-interactive mechanics more acceptable (hexproof, shroud, protection).
Really hope it goes evergreen, as the game overall really wants it i.m.o.
Really hope it goes evergreen, as the game overall really wants it i.m.o.
There was also a grand total of 1 copy of Chandra, Torch of Defiance in the top 8... in a sideboard.
I guess I was wrong about her after all. I'll go get the dunce cap.
I guess I was wrong about her after all. I'll go get the dunce cap.
She's really badly positioned in the current meta. You can't really take a turn off to play her on curve when you're getting beat down by hyper aggro RW or facing down an Aetherworks Marvel flipping up a game-ending Emrakul or Ulamog. I think she's a good card, just not busted enough to warp a standard format around her.
Also, did anyone else watch the finals of the PT? Shota Yasooka just gave a master class in playing control.
Also, did anyone else watch the finals of the PT? Shota Yasooka just gave a master class in playing control.
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Romao was playing a very tight match as well, though I don't think ultimating Dovin was the right call.
Agree with this. She's obviously not a bad card, she just doesn't have a home or environment yet. I might trade for a couple after she bottoms out to hold onto for Amonkhet standard/whatever the block after that is standard.
Too bad I didn't pick up a playset of the Torrential Gearhulks before thus weekend.... I knew the card was bomb
My friends and I were watching the tournament and started rooting for Shota in round 4 as soon as we saw that sweet, sweet Grixis control. Pretty awesome watching him take it down after that. All I could think at the end of both games 1 and 2 is that Shota is an absolute master.
This is my biggest regret. I usually pick up foils early for cube and I had the U/B/R Gearhulks on my short list. I was busy Friday/Saturday and forgot about the PT till Saturday afternoon. By then it was too late, already spiked up to $45+.
Hopefully they dip back down in a month to a reasonable price, I'd expect that to be the case with KLD being the only draft set for months and people trying to crack masterpieces as well.
Dom Harvey
Contributor
Gonti has been surprisingly good for me in Standard in ways that should carry over to Cube. We talk a lot about an awkward pincer movement that affects design nowadays: ETB spam is obnoxious but creatures need to be very good by themselves or leave something behind to keep up. Gonti offers that without leading to repetitive gameplay; instead, you get a cool hidden-info subgame that has some fun variance to it. It's a strong effect too: giving your BW deck Counterspell or sniping an off-colour planeswalker opens up lots of new lines. Against low-curve decks you want cheap cards, against high-curve decks you want haymakers, and their own curve is naturally set up to ensure you get that.
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Woah! My second booster box contained...
and a foil Blooming Marsh
... and some other stuff. I don't usually like foils, but those inventions are sooooo pretty!
and a foil Blooming Marsh
... and some other stuff. I don't usually like foils, but those inventions are sooooo pretty!
Chris Taylor
Contributor
how has she been for people? I feel like I was so worried I was adding another Jace TMS to red, and she hasn't impacted me at all over here.
I slammed a proxy, but like all mono red planeswalkers, she's been received pretty poorly- as more of a "well I guess I have to win the game SOMEhow" for Rx control decks and such than anything else.
I honestly think they designed her without the mode, struggled to find a way to make her more desirable without being powerful (like destroying artifacts...) and settled on adding mana, making her a direct replacement for the freshly-rotated explosive vegetation in GR ramp decks. It doesn't seem to have worked.
As a curve-topper in an aggro deck, I'm not actually sure if ToD or Pyromaster is the better card... ToD wallups a single larger threat or shocks face, but pyromaster can ping face and remove an x/1 (or blocker) at the same time... I suppose her measure of cubeworthiness is if decks would use her mode or not- cube seems to be a spicier draw on that ability than constructed has been, anyways.
I honestly think they designed her without the
mode, struggled to find a way to make her more desirable without being powerful (like destroying artifacts...) and settled on adding mana, making her a direct replacement for the freshly-rotated explosive vegetation in GR ramp decks. It doesn't seem to have worked.As a curve-topper in an aggro deck, I'm not actually sure if ToD or Pyromaster is the better card... ToD wallups a single larger threat or shocks face, but pyromaster can ping face and remove an x/1 (or blocker) at the same time... I suppose her measure of cubeworthiness is if decks would use her
mode or not- cube seems to be a spicier draw on that ability than constructed has been, anyways.I have tested ToD over Pyromaster a little, but ended up back at Pyromaster. Pyromaster's +1 ability was the deciding factor as it had the ability to break through the opposing team (for WR Battalion in particular) was the primary reason for me switching back. ToD is terrible against x/5s and multiple walls. The +0 ability also lends itself better to combat tricks of all sorts due to differences in timing restrictions. (Landfall also appreciates this.)
I find that ToD needs a slower format that appreciates her ramping ability or better reach. I am very much in agreement with Goldenpineapple's comment here. Alternatively, she would also appreciate a creature light format where she can get rid of the opponent's relevant threat.
I find that ToD needs a slower format that appreciates her ramping ability or better reach. I am very much in agreement with Goldenpineapple's comment here. Alternatively, she would also appreciate a creature light format where she can get rid of the opponent's relevant threat.
how has she been for people? I feel like I was so worried I was adding another Jace TMS to red, and she hasn't impacted me at all over here.
I actually found her to be pretty strong. We tend to do U/R control or similar and obviously she shines there. I found she also helps give aggro some reach or helps punch through, in those games where control or midrange has managed to unfortunately stabilize. I'm keeping her in at this stage.
Disclaimer: we aren't pro players and there are only 3-4 of us.
Dom Harvey
Contributor
Maybe the key is to have enough stuff to use the mana ability on? Chandra -> Devastating Dreams is sick
That thought is going to give me recurring nightmares.
On a more serious note: I think you may be onto something there. Chandra, Torch of Defiance may be a very interesting addition to the Wildfire Archetype. One of the worst parts of it for me was always the lack of interaction and how the game was prolonged.
I think Chandra would be good in wildfire not because of anything specific she offers but solely because she's a planeswalker. She's in the base color of the wildfire deck but I feel like Wildfire into Elspeth, Knight Errant, Garruk Wildspeaker, or Tamiyo, the Moon Sage would be game ending as well. (Not that you necessarily run those cards, just trying to point out that planeswalkers are strong in wildfire since they dodge wildfire) Chandra let's you play an early wildfire and have a planeswalker left over but so do Garruk, Wildspeaker and Nissa, Worldwaker. I don't know. I'm just rambling. Chandra seems good in wildfire.
Very solid point - planeswalkers tend to be very good in archetypes where they can accrue value over the course of a few turns unless you are using them for something different. ( Examples of this are using [Chandra Nalaar[/c] as a way for red to deal with large creatures or Gideon, Ally of Zendikar as an anthem.) Wildfire is a version of this that takes out the opponent's lands and most creatures, in my opinion. The reason I like Chandra, Torch of Defiance in particular is her ability to bring out Wildfire a turn early and help you recover afterwards with her second and first abilities. On this point you brought up a great example of using Garruk Wildspeaker, Nissa, Worldwaker, and Koth of the Hammer as viable alternatives that also work well.
I would love to get the opinion of someone who runs these cards in their cube as my knowledge only extends to a failed BR land destruction archetype in a friend's cube.
Thank you for the food for thought.
Very solid point - planeswalkers tend to be very good in archetypes where they can accrue value over the course of a few turns unless you are using them for something different. ( Examples of this are using [Chandra Nalaar[/c] as a way for red to deal with large creatures or Gideon, Ally of Zendikar as an anthem.) Wildfire is a version of this that takes out the opponent's lands and most creatures, in my opinion. The reason I like Chandra, Torch of Defiance in particular is her ability to bring out Wildfire a turn early and help you recover afterwards with her second and first abilities. On this point you brought up a great example of using Garruk Wildspeaker, Nissa, Worldwaker, and Koth of the Hammer as viable alternatives that also work well.
I would love to get the opinion of someone who runs these cards in their cube as my knowledge only extends to a failed BR land destruction archetype in a friend's cube.
Thank you for the food for thought.
I run the Wildfire Archetype in my Cube. It contains both wildfire and burning of Xinye. The Wildfire archetype is an interesting one, and often includes mana rocks just as much planeswalkers, as a way of keeping your lead. Signets/etc. are all excellent in Wildifre as 'mana dorks' that don't die to your own wrath effect.
In power-max cubes (such as mine), Wildfire decks will tend to stay away from Green, and move towards white if they can, in the hopes of picking up [[balance]], which also happens to synergize incredibly well with both mana rocks and planeswalkers.
[[garruk wildspeaker]] and co. do not help you recover as well as you think they do. Well... it's less that, and more that if you've drafted a proper Wildfire deck, you won't need them due to mana rocks. I will say that [[chandra, torch of defiance]] is very good for the archetype, although the inability to play lands from her first ability tampers it somewhat. Imo, the best planeswalker currently for the archetype is the recently printed [[nahiri, the harbinger]] as she provides card selection to get you out of the screw, and a shockingly fast clock on an empty board. She also happens to be in [[balance]] colors, which is another bonus.
Bringing out Wildfire early isn't something that is going to happen very often. You typically want to wait until you can hit a maximum threshold of value on your wildfire/burning, so ramping it early isn't really all that valuable if you're doing it to mutually destroy lands.
If you're doing it because your opponent's boardstate has gotten ridiculous and you need a wrath, I imagine your Chandra won't survive a turn to help with that...