I like this card. Being able to counter any non-creature spell for U even if the Hermit is tapped will be annoying for opponents. Also the Hermit having two power on the front and back and always being able to block basically guarantees you a two for one.
Immediately swinging as a 3/3 and the inevitability of it becoming a 4/4 makes it very hard to deal with on the battlefield. Putting this much pressure on the ground while also providing card advantage is a very unique set of skills and I'm going to find space for it.
Yeah, I'm definitely going to test this. It's been really good in my standard decks and it's a unique ability for Boros that can fit into almost any deck with the possible exception of hyper-aggro.
I like this card. It can give a drafter I bit of direction without being an all in build around. There's a lot of Angels in white now so it's not crazy to think you could get some pretty good value off the second stage and it curves nicely after the new Starnheim Unleashed. Lyra Dawnbringer tribal here we go!
That could well be the case. Crew 4 is a heavy ask no question about it and that why I'm kinda thinking of this as a hidden selesnya card. Chariot curving into an Angel of Invention or Trostani Discordant are both string plays. You also have green only options like Deranged Hermit or cast a Verdurous Gearhulk to attack for 12! It's definitely an "archetype" card more than a pure "power" one.
I think you only need 1 activation off this to pull ahead. Its alresdy 8 p/t over 2.5 bodies for 4 mana. It depends on what you can copy as well. A 3/3 wurm coil token or 4/4 shark? Or a 1/1 human token
I actually think this green four drop is pretty good. It adds a lot of board presence, power and toughness, and synergizes well with token/go wide strategies. Green 4's are pretty weak overall and this one is very unique in what it does. I think I'm gonna try it out.
The threat of activation on this card makes Tibalt very hard to block especially if the exiled creature is undercosted/ overstatted (Uro anyone?). Couple that with the late game planeswalker and I think we have a winner here. Will definitely test.
What a great set for cubes of all types and sizes. Lots of powerful cards at rare, mythic and uncommon! Not only does this set contain the clearly amazing MDFC's but it also has a a great compliment of two drops that span nearly the color spectrum. After the disappointing M21, I am really excited for these inclusions.
WWW Emeria's Call - A game winning effect on a land. Yes Please. Luminarch Aspirant - A great two drop that can play different roles depending on the board state.
UUU Jace, Mirror MAge - An excellent planeswalker with a unique play style. Thieving Skydiver - Looks to be a future cube all star. A great card that is even better in powered cubes.
BBB Agadeem's Awakening - This card is going to win a lot of games in very memorable and silly ways. Oh, and it's also a land lol. Nighthawk Scavenger - A three drop that can just run away with the game. Skyclave Shade - A nice aggressive and recursive two drop. Can fit into a few different archetypes. Nullpriest of Oblivion - A two drop that is good early and late. Probably the weakest card I'm including from this update. Bloodchief's Thirst - A good removal spell that can help recoup some tempo from my cube's swath of good low cmc creatures and planeswalkers.
RRR Shatterskull Smashing - X burn spells are always fun cards and here's one that red decks can include for free. Kargan Intimidator - A solid aggro 2 drop that will make blocking hard for your opponent.
GGG Turntimber Symbiosis - I love that this spell gives +1/+1 counters to low cmc creatures in case you can't find the beef. I also love that it's a free spell. Bala Ged Recovery - I'm a big fan of Regrowth and getting another copy of the effect on a card that's possibly better is very exciting. Kazandu Mammoth - A 3cmc beater was needed in green and this one comes with added versatility.
In terms of ranking the mythic MDFCs, my initial take is this:
- Red above all else since it's the most flexible. Any deck playing red as a primary color should maindeck this, period.
- Green / White / Black are pretty equal, IMO. The white one has the best overall effect, the green one benefits from green's natural ability to ramp, and the black one is scalable.
- Blue one the worst of the bunch, IMO.
I would rank them Green = Black > Red > White >> Blue
I think the Green and Black spells are actively good in their respective colors and fit my cubes' themes very well. The Red ones best attribute is that it's an extremely flexible card that can be played basically at any point in the game. The White land is still excellent and had a solid "close the game" effect but I think it will be played as a land more often than not. I'm not a fan of the blue one because it needs too much set up, too much mana and it's sorcery speed.
Okay, the kids are in bed so lets try to put a proper thought together.
At this point everyone understands these MDFC's will almost always make the decks of their respective colors and that they will prevent non-games by helping prevent flood/screw. As well, everyone hopefully understands that the cost of including these cards comes at cutting another card from you Cube not your deck. Cube real estate is hard to break into these days with so many archetypes and generic high powered cards. That means even though each of the MDFC's would be played, does not mean they are auto-includes in a Cube.
So, where is the line drawn? How often does the card need to be played on it's front to be worth the inclusion? If it's a tapped land 75% of the time then it's almost certainly not worth it. What if it's a tapped land only 50% of the time. Is it worth it then? As well, the impact of the card needs to play into the equation. The mythic cycle for example are high-cost high-powered effects. Yes, they'll be cast less often but when they are, they'll have a large effect on the game.
I don't know where the line is drawn, but my instincts tell me that the players should WANT TO cast the spell, only using it as a land as the fail safe. I don't want players to include a card in their decks that will be a tapped land nearly every game with the off chance it might be something else a fraction of the time. Glasspool Mimic would get played in a lot of blue decks, but I feel would be a tapped land far too often for it to be worth an inclusion in my cube. I played Cackling Counterpart for a long time because the card looked to be so broken. Two creatures at instant speed for one card. This has to be good! Well, it turned out to be a trap. It just sat in players hands far too often or ended up copying something inconsequential just to be played.
That experience told me I'm not looking for this effect in my Cube. Putting a land on the back makes it playable in decks but I don't want to cut a card that has a role in my cube for a card that I feel will be a tapped land most of the time.
WWW
Emeria's Call - A game winning effect on a land. Yes Please.
Luminarch Aspirant - A great two drop that can play different roles depending on the board state.
UUU
Jace, Mirror MAge - An excellent planeswalker with a unique play style.
Thieving Skydiver - Looks to be a future cube all star. A great card that is even better in powered cubes.
BBB
Agadeem's Awakening - This card is going to win a lot of games in very memorable and silly ways. Oh, and it's also a land lol.
Nighthawk Scavenger - A three drop that can just run away with the game.
Skyclave Shade - A nice aggressive and recursive two drop. Can fit into a few different archetypes.
Nullpriest of Oblivion - A two drop that is good early and late. Probably the weakest card I'm including from this update.
Bloodchief's Thirst - A good removal spell that can help recoup some tempo from my cube's swath of good low cmc creatures and planeswalkers.
RRR
Shatterskull Smashing - X burn spells are always fun cards and here's one that red decks can include for free.
Kargan Intimidator - A solid aggro 2 drop that will make blocking hard for your opponent.
GGG
Turntimber Symbiosis - I love that this spell gives +1/+1 counters to low cmc creatures in case you can't find the beef. I also love that it's a free spell.
Bala Ged Recovery - I'm a big fan of Regrowth and getting another copy of the effect on a card that's possibly better is very exciting.
Kazandu Mammoth - A 3cmc beater was needed in green and this one comes with added versatility.
I think the Green and Black spells are actively good in their respective colors and fit my cubes' themes very well. The Red ones best attribute is that it's an extremely flexible card that can be played basically at any point in the game. The White land is still excellent and had a solid "close the game" effect but I think it will be played as a land more often than not. I'm not a fan of the blue one because it needs too much set up, too much mana and it's sorcery speed.
At this point everyone understands these MDFC's will almost always make the decks of their respective colors and that they will prevent non-games by helping prevent flood/screw. As well, everyone hopefully understands that the cost of including these cards comes at cutting another card from you Cube not your deck. Cube real estate is hard to break into these days with so many archetypes and generic high powered cards. That means even though each of the MDFC's would be played, does not mean they are auto-includes in a Cube.
So, where is the line drawn? How often does the card need to be played on it's front to be worth the inclusion? If it's a tapped land 75% of the time then it's almost certainly not worth it. What if it's a tapped land only 50% of the time. Is it worth it then? As well, the impact of the card needs to play into the equation. The mythic cycle for example are high-cost high-powered effects. Yes, they'll be cast less often but when they are, they'll have a large effect on the game.
I don't know where the line is drawn, but my instincts tell me that the players should WANT TO cast the spell, only using it as a land as the fail safe. I don't want players to include a card in their decks that will be a tapped land nearly every game with the off chance it might be something else a fraction of the time. Glasspool Mimic would get played in a lot of blue decks, but I feel would be a tapped land far too often for it to be worth an inclusion in my cube. I played Cackling Counterpart for a long time because the card looked to be so broken. Two creatures at instant speed for one card. This has to be good! Well, it turned out to be a trap. It just sat in players hands far too often or ended up copying something inconsequential just to be played.
That experience told me I'm not looking for this effect in my Cube. Putting a land on the back makes it playable in decks but I don't want to cut a card that has a role in my cube for a card that I feel will be a tapped land most of the time.