Akroan skyguard is situational I think. If you don't have enough stuff to enable heroic, a 1/1 flier for two is bad. as compared to wingsteed rider which is fine on it's own, and quite a deal if you target it.
given that we only get him in our first pack, we don't know for sure that we'll get enough stuff to support him.
The uncommon Eidolon cycles seem pretty insane, as well as the Uncommon Tribute fliers (especially the white/blue ones).
Some individual responses.
Acolyte's Reward - Kor Chant/Shining Shoal effects are always pretty bomby in limited.
Ghostblade Eidolon - Maybe a bit expensive, but Double Strike is always a terrifying ability.
Glimpse the Sun God - This one is more speculative, but this format leads to board stalls a decent amount of the time. Far less powerful than Sea God's Revenge, but I think this might be a sleeper.
Ornitharch - One of the best Tribute cards. Neither side is ever dead (like the removal tributes).
Eternity Snare - VERY expensive, but handles a massive 3-4 bestow guy exceptionally.
Flitterstep Eidolon - Good at carrying Bestows and obviously a great finisher
Floodtide Serpent - Super interesting and possibly very powerful/hard to play against.
Oracle's Insight - Slow but pretty impossible to beat after a couple turns. Not always good.
Siren of the Fanged Coast - Very strong. Its pretty small if they don't pay, which makes it pretty bad on an empty board (unlike Ornitharch)
Asphyxiate - Really strong. Very cheap and not super conditional. Especially good against vigilance (obviously)
Bile Blight - Obviously good, but 3 isn't always enough in this format.
Charm of Erebos - This whole cycle is interesting to me. With the right inspired cards I'd consider this.
Forlorn Pseudamma - Expensive but creates a good advantage over time.
Stormcaller of Kerenos - If you're in R/U, this card can be a pretty great late-game mana sink.
Mischief and Mayhem - Thats a lot of power and heroic triggers.
Noble Quarry - Two or more turns of Lure is really good.
Raised by Wolves - This card is good but it gives small removal late-game value.
All of the gold uncommons appear to be very strong
Siren Song Lyre - Really strong card. Slow, but another more or less hard removal for a Bestowed guy that doesn't give them their enchantment back. Also obviously an inspired enabler.
While writing this - There is a lot to do with your mana. Lots of incremental advantages and lots of ways to get extra cards over time.
I can't believe anyone is excited about this card. It is absolutely unplayable. I wouldn't even play her in LIMITED. Easily the worst walker printed since the green elf one. Absolutely terrible.
I'm just curious after seeing the commons and uncommons available in BNG whether anyone is changing their pick of which seeded pack they're going to take?
Personally, I think that seeing red and blue's commons makes me want to pick between them. Red's critters don't seem as good, but their spells are nice, whereas Blue's critters are all decent, but the spells aren't quite as awesome as Theros ones were.
I may just end up flipping a coin, but I'd love to see what people think they're going to choose now that they've seen the whole set.
--Jed
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L5R or MTG, if it's got Samurai, Knights or Soldiers, it's all good as far as I'm concerned.
Hoo boy. I don't think we need to bring out lists of power uncommons to talk about Thunder Brute. Thunder Brute is better than Tenement Crasher, but it's closer to that filler common than it is to the various Flametongue Kavus and such that are being discussed.
For 6 mana, I think you usually get a 5/5 with haste and trample. That would be a perfectly fine card, but it honestly wouldn't be that exciting. You're still not going to spend really early picks on not-really-evasive 6-drops that just attack and block.
But, and I keep stressing this about all the Tribute evaluations, it's worse than that. You only ever get a haste creature when a haste creature doesn't kill your opponent.
You can imagine scenarios where your opponent is dead to a hasty Thunder Brute so they're forced into paying tribute even though they can't deal with an 8/8 (or kill you past it). But if your opponent is really that screwed either against either version, that means you were winning anyway and any random fatty would likely have done as much.
It's a 6-mana 5/5 with haste, trample, and a drawback. It's not that great.
Yeah, the biggest thing people need to remember about Tribute cards is that they are strictly, undebatably worse than whichever option is typically least desirable, because you'll always be playing against an opponent, with an actual brain, who can make decisions based on context. There are no niche situations where it overperforms, because in all such scenarios, the opponent gets to choose to make that not happen.
Wit's End is the PERFECT answer to your opponent's Monomania however.
Just hold on to your Wit's End when they Monomania, so you can Wit's End them on your next turn!!!
I think this is fairly reminiscent of the "Jace Battles" we have seen in past standards.. My guess is we will soon witness the great Monomania-Wit's End battles.
I'm actually liking the utility of Black this time around. Let's look just at commons:
Asphyxiate: Worse than Murder, but it does at least give you an opportunity to kill a threat after it's cast (provided that threat has no haste)
Claim of Erebos: I'd watch this one in draft; it enables too much good stuff
Marshmist Titan: I think this will be a 4/5 for 5 most of the time, which is not terrible
Necrobite: Nice combat trick
Servant of Tymaret: Pretty good if you ask me; it holds off all the early drops
Weight of the Underworld: Pretty good
In addition to Bale Blight and Drown in Sorrow, let's look at some other Uncommons of Note:
Black Oak of Odunos: Another card that stems the damage from opposing early drops (it's the kind of thing black needs)
Odunos River Trawler: Good bestow recursion
Sanguimancy: It will require timing but when the boards stabilize it could put the game away for you
I'm taking the black promo and going to try for a B/W build. All the neat white early drops plus the powerful late game of black. Not that I want a Triad of Fates, though.
I think that both Asphyxiate and its white counterpart Excoriate are going to be way worse than people are thinking. This whole set has a theme of tapping and untapping creatures at instant speed. Both of those spells are at far higher risk than normal of just doing absolutely nothing.
Assassinate has been printed a couple times, and while its power has been decent in Core sets, its one foray into an expert level expansion wasn't a shining example of usefulness. Time Spiral decks usually maindecked it, but it was slow, predictable, easy to play around, and just largely disappointing.
Asphyxiate is essentially the same card, but with a mana cost that will make it even harder to avoid telegraphing it, and in a set that is specifically built to make it have even less of an impact.
Wit's End is the PERFECT answer to your opponent's Monomania however.
Just hold on to your Wit's End when they Monomania, so you can Wit's End them on your next turn!!!
I think this is fairly reminiscent of the "Jace Battles" we have seen in past standards.. My guess is we will soon witness the great Monomania-Wit's End battles.
Yeah, the biggest thing people need to remember about Tribute cards is that they are strictly, undebatably worse than whichever option is typically least desirable, because you'll always be playing against an opponent, with an actual brain, who can make decisions based on context. There are no niche situations where it overperforms, because in all such scenarios, the opponent gets to choose to make that not happen.
First of all, giving your opponent more chances to make mistakes is a good thing, especially if your opponents aren't the best players in the world.
Secondly, Magic is not a game of perfect information. Even with an opponent who plays perfectly, you can get the better mode in situations where the worse mode seems better based on the information your opponent has. So there are situations where it overperforms.
White: Tough call on the common; Akroan Skygaurd is a far cry from Wingsteed Rider, but it doesn't have much competition in the common slot. Excoriate is decent removal, but sorcery speed hurts a lot. Uncommons, on the other hand, are deep; Glimpse the Sun God is gonna steal games, and some decks will find Ornitharch unbeatable (some decks, however, will simply have Scrymeras.) However, I'm giving the prize to Archetype of Courage. It's cheap, and it'll allow you to decide the course of the rest of the game more often than not.
Blue: Gonna have to give it to Retraction Helix, too. Cheap enabler plus instant bounce... good thing there's no easy way to properly break it. There are also a number of tokens in the set, so it'll be a proper kill spell frequently. For Uncommon, it's gonna be awful hard to beat an Aerie Worshippers, especially one that may be, say, aqueous in form? Wind Drake Generator is mighty mighty.
Black is a bit trickier- its cards seem weak on their own, and powerful in the right build. All in all I think Marshmist Titan is the strongest black common; it will be coming down earlier than Nemesis of Mortals was, and will outclass the board for a few turns... not to mention its butt evades that 4-toughness benchmark for removal, making it a keen Bestow target. Uncommon: Bile Blight. Drown in Sorrow may be better than it, and I love Spiteful Returned, but instant-speed targeted removal which may be a 2-for-1 and costs two mana? Sounds like an upgraded Pharika's Cure, and I love Pharika's Cure.
Red: Easy Fall of the Hammer. I think Scouring Sands may be undervalued, but one-sided fights are sweet, and there are ways to abuse it. Uncommon: Tough call. At first I thought I would pick Everflame Eidolon, but Lightning Volley looks like it's going to lead to crazy blowouts and take a game or two out of nowhere.
Green doesn't excite me too much; I like Karametra's Favor a lot, though. It enables Heroic and Inspired, and it ramps, and it cantrips? Yes'm. Get 'em while they're hot. Other commons are fairly replaceable. As far as an Uncommon, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say Noble Quarry. Two Lures in a row will likely be able to finish out the game.
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I think Akroan Phalanx is flying a little under the radar right now. A vigilant hill giant isn't great but it's not awful, either. It's second ability, though, will close out a lot of games, I think. Especially if paired up with Archetype of Courage or evasion.
I think Akroan Phalanx is flying a little under the radar right now. A vigilant hill giant isn't great but it's not awful, either. It's second ability, though, will close out a lot of games, I think. Especially if paired up with Archetype of Courage or evasion.
It is, but only because it has such stiff competition in the Uncommon slot.
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Playing this on turn four is not going to happen often, since it basically means you have to curve perfectly with one-drop, two-drop, three-drop all in black. The black two- and three-drops with BB in their mana cost are so rare. That means it comes down on turn five if you have two black creatures to cast before then, and they're still alive.
True story, and I was entirely unclear in what I meant. I was referring to Titan's cost benefiting from board presence rather than binning creatures- which, admittedly, was not communicated whatsoever in my post. Perhaps I should have said "it will be coming down at the same time or earlier than Nemesis of Mortals was without having to sacrifice board presence."
Its real strength, IMO, isn't even playing it on curve; it's being able to drop it for four mana turn 7-8 and leave mana up. Regardless, second place goes to Warcaller of Mogis, a 3/3 for 5 which Inspires intimidate... I think they're close, but not very.
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So just my two cents, because I believe people are missing some important points:
White: I think Akroan Skygaurd is hard to evaluate... on one hand its just a 1/1 flyer, but on the other it gets suited up with an ordeal or combat trick a turn earlier. Against Green's reach creatures or blues fliers this plummets in value, but against the other colors this may be better than Wingsteed Rider. I think Loyal Pegasus will be the sleeper common for white aggressive decks, much likeCavalry Pegasus was in triple Theros. It would actually be a good card if it wasn't so awkward to cast.. I also agree that Archetype of Courage is both the best white uncommon and best archetype. It makes combat a nightmare for your opponent, especially with the number of combat tricks in this block. I'm betting God-Favored General will be the best inspired summoner. He costs the least, and he is in the color with the best support to keep him attacking. Honorable mention to Ornitharch; this card seems like ridiculous value as it ends up putting 5 flying power for 5cmc on the board no matter what.
Blue: As most people are saying, blue looks strong in BNG. Chorus of the Tides and Nyborn Triton are just solid, on-curve creatures with upside, which is something a lot of the other colors just seems to be missing at common in BNG. While I don't think Retraction Helix is bad at all, I don't think there's many decks I'd rather have it over Voyage's End (maybe UW heroic). So my pick for best common in blue is Sudden Storm. Frost Breath seems very good in this set because of how powerful top end creatures are and how much certain decks rely on just one or two fatties. Blue drops a little at uncommon in my mind, but its still quite solid. Aerie Worshippers is certainly serviceable as a 2/4 for 4cmc, and with a little help to push thru some attacks in can wind up as a strong finisher. Vortex Elemental is really cool; you basically get a deathtouch creature in blue for only UU that can turn into a straight up kill spell in a long game.
Black: Unfortunately it looks like black took a hit in power from Theros (and its promo card did too). People are way overrating Marshmist Titan. There is almost no way to cast this earlier than turn 5, and in situations where you are casting it later in the game for 3 or 4 mana are you really going to have anything else in hand to use the rest of your mana on? He should be evaluated as a 4/5 for 5cmc; ok but not the best common by far. While Asphyxiate isn't bad, I think Weight of the Underworld is going to be better in most situations, as it kills the majority of aggressive 2 and 3 drops or makes almost anything it doesn't kill not a threat. Black looks a lot more appealing in the uncommon slot. Bile Blight is obviously good, Shrike Harpy seems quite solid (if you have nothing to sacrifice then I'm winning anyways?), and Spiteful Returned is imo the best common/uncommon bestow card in the set. People seem to be leaving Spiteful Returned of their list of good black cards, which seems like a similar mistake people made with Hopeful Eidolon at the start of Theros. T3 Blood-Toll Harpy T4 bestow Spiteful Returned presents a serious threat, and I don't think this sequence is at all magical christmasland.
Red: I'm going to agree with everybody else in saying that Fall of the Hammer is the best Red common. That card is going to be insane. I think the red commons as a whole, for example Kragma Butcher and Pheragax Giant, are quite good, however i'm disappointed that theres not a powerful 2-drop as thats what red really needed. At uncommon nothing really stands out as first-pickable, however I like the utility of Lighntning Volley and Searing Blood in aggressive decks. Thunder Brute seems fine; he's actually a very powerful effect, but at 6 mana he is probably not going to hit the table very often.
Green: Green seems to be trading a raw power for more utility cards in BNG. The Pheres-Band Tromper seems by far the best green common and fits in nicely to greens usual curve. Its probably matchup dependent on whether this card or Nylea's Disciple is better at 4cmc. Snake of the Golden Grove is actually a very good card and would probably the best 5cmc common in another limited environment, but we have Nessian Asp in Theros. Dat Asp. At uncommon I like Raised by Wolves the best, because altho it does open you up to a blowout, its probably one of the best cards you can resolve at uncommon (plus instant speed removal is pretty weak in this set). I think Culling Mark is a huge trap; this card is nowhere near a Prey upon type effect.
Overall I think creature quality (especially bestow creatures) has gone down a lot in BNG. However, BNG has added a much more diverse and dangerous removal suite, especially for the early game. The multicolor uncommons are also fairly notable too, especially the UB and RG ones. I think players will mostly be trying to pick up strong removal and uncommons in BNG and would be a lot better served filling their creature base in THS.
Am I correct in assuming one can declare blockers, cast Retraction helix before the damage step, tap one of the blocking creatures (still avoiding damage to come through) and bounce some other creature?
Your blocking creature would still take damage in this scenario, but you could stop two attackers with a single creature.
Also, I think people are overrating Asphyxiate. Sorcery speed + untapped creature restriction is pretty bad. Your opponent's most dangerous creatures will seldom be untapped on your turn, and there are a variety of instant-speed tap effects that will counter your removal (retraction helix being a good example).
There's an uncommon artifact that any deck can play which reads "tap to counter Asphyxiate and add one mana of any color to your mana pool."
Also, I think people are overrating Asphyxiate. Sorcery speed + untapped creature restriction is pretty bad. Your opponent's most dangerous creatures will seldom be untapped on your turn, and there are a variety of instant-speed tap effects that will counter your removal (retraction helix being a good example).
There's an uncommon artifact that any deck can play which reads "tap to counter Asphyxiate and add one mana of any color to your mana pool."
This is a good point. Helix might not be as good as Voyage's End in a vacuum, but it stones an otherwise fine removal spell AND provides tempo. Also, bounce becomes a lot better now that we're getting one fewer pack of Lightning Strikes and are replacing them with Fall of the Hammer.
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Here's my take on the top 3 commons for each colour:
White
Name: Akroan Skyguard
Cost: 1w
Type: Creature — Human Soldier
Pow/Tgh: 1/1
Rules Text: Flying
Heroic — Whenever you cast a spell that targets Akroan Skyguard, put a +1/+1 counter on Akroan Skyguard.
Name: Crypsis
Cost: 1u
Type: Instant
Rules Text: Target creature you control gains protection from creatures your opponents control until end of turn. Untap it.
Name: Sudden Storm
Cost: 3U
Type: Instant
Rules Text: Tap up to two target creatures. Those creatures don't untap during their controllers' next untap steps. Scry 1.
Name: Chorus of the Tides
Cost: 3u
Type: Creature — Siren
Pow/Tgh: 3/2
Rules Text: Flying
Heroic — Whenever you cast a spell that targets Chorus of the Tides, scry 1.
Name: Mortal's Resolve
Cost: 1G
Type: Instant
Rules Text: Target creature gets +1/+1 and gains indestructible until end of turn.
Name: Pheres-Band Tromper
Cost: 3G
Type: Creature — Centaur Warrior
Pow/Tgh: 3/3
Rules Text: Inspired — Whenever Pheres-Band Tromper becomes untapped, put a +1/+1 counter on it.
Name: Snake of the Golden Grove
Cost: 4G
Type: Creature — Snake
Pow/Tgh: 4/4
Rules Text: Tribute 3 (As this creature enters the battlefield, an opponent of your choice may place three +1/+1 counters on it.)
When Snake of the Golden Grove enters the battlefield, if tribute wasn't paid, you gain 4 life.
The top commons as a whole seem worse than those of Theros.
I love that we're all over the place with these evaluations.
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First of all, giving your opponent more chances to make mistakes is a good thing, especially if your opponents aren't the best players in the world.
Secondly, Magic is not a game of perfect information. Even with an opponent who plays perfectly, you can get the better mode in situations where the worse mode seems better based on the information your opponent has. So there are situations where it overperforms.
Giving your opponents more chances to make mistakes is a good thing? Um, I disagree. Giving your opponent choices is bad. Like, unequivocally bad. I mean, sure, maybe it's awesome when your opponent actually makes mistakes, but I don't want to have to inefficiently invest resources to allow for the mere possibility of having that happen. Ideally the toughest choices my opponent will have to make are the ones where I'm playing stuff he can't deal with in the first place. Tribute halves the chances of that happening.
That's some kind of supervillain thinking there. "I'm going to give the hero a terrible choice and watch him suffer! Oh no! He had a solution I didn't account for which makes the choice I offered trivial, and now I'm drowning in acid!"
Wit's End is the PERFECT answer to your opponent's Monomania however.
Just hold on to your Wit's End when they Monomania, so you can Wit's End them on your next turn!!!
I think this is fairly reminiscent of the "Jace Battles" we have seen in past standards.. My guess is we will soon witness the great Monomania-Wit's End battles.
Giving your opponents more chances to make mistakes is a good thing?
Well, actually, I think that this is correct.
However, given that the context is the tribute cards, you are correct that you're always going to get the worst of the options, making the cards worse than if EITHER of the effects were the single mode.
Until I can see tribute in action, the only ones I'm going to put in my decks are the ones that are acceptable without any of the tribute text, like Thunder Brute. I don't feel bad playing a 5/5 trampler for 6, so no matter what they choose it's only upside at that point.
However, given that the context is the tribute cards, you are correct that you're always going to get the worst of the options, making the cards worse than if EITHER of the effects were the single mode.
That would be true if this were a game of perfect information. But it's not, so it isn't.
Oracle of Bones is a good example of this. Which choice is better depends on what is in your hand, which your opponent generally doesn't know. So you will get the better option sometimes.
That would be true if this were a game of perfect information. But it's not, so it isn't.
Oracle of Bones is a good example of this. Which choice is better depends on what is in your hand, which your opponent generally doesn't know. So you will get the better option sometimes.
I think that's going to be a 5/3 haste guy most of the time, which is decent but not amazing in limited, since it dies to Lagonna-Band Elder et al and is trumped by voltron all day long. And even when you have something like a Lightning Strike in your hand, AND the opponent refuses tribute, you effectively get a 3/1 haste for 1R, and are forced to cast your lightning strike on the spot. Plus of course, it tempts you to misbuild your deck with a number of wildly overcosted instants and sorceries....
On the whole I think that most of the opportunities for mistakes come from the side of the person playingOracle of Bones, not their opponent.
given that we only get him in our first pack, we don't know for sure that we'll get enough stuff to support him.
Some individual responses.
Acolyte's Reward - Kor Chant/Shining Shoal effects are always pretty bomby in limited.
Ghostblade Eidolon - Maybe a bit expensive, but Double Strike is always a terrifying ability.
Glimpse the Sun God - This one is more speculative, but this format leads to board stalls a decent amount of the time. Far less powerful than Sea God's Revenge, but I think this might be a sleeper.
Ornitharch - One of the best Tribute cards. Neither side is ever dead (like the removal tributes).
Eternity Snare - VERY expensive, but handles a massive 3-4 bestow guy exceptionally.
Flitterstep Eidolon - Good at carrying Bestows and obviously a great finisher
Floodtide Serpent - Super interesting and possibly very powerful/hard to play against.
Oracle's Insight - Slow but pretty impossible to beat after a couple turns. Not always good.
Siren of the Fanged Coast - Very strong. Its pretty small if they don't pay, which makes it pretty bad on an empty board (unlike Ornitharch)
Asphyxiate - Really strong. Very cheap and not super conditional. Especially good against vigilance (obviously)
Bile Blight - Obviously good, but 3 isn't always enough in this format.
Charm of Erebos - This whole cycle is interesting to me. With the right inspired cards I'd consider this.
Forlorn Pseudamma - Expensive but creates a good advantage over time.
Stormcaller of Kerenos - If you're in R/U, this card can be a pretty great late-game mana sink.
Mischief and Mayhem - Thats a lot of power and heroic triggers.
Noble Quarry - Two or more turns of Lure is really good.
Raised by Wolves - This card is good but it gives small removal late-game value.
All of the gold uncommons appear to be very strong
Siren Song Lyre - Really strong card. Slow, but another more or less hard removal for a Bestowed guy that doesn't give them their enchantment back. Also obviously an inspired enabler.
While writing this - There is a lot to do with your mana. Lots of incremental advantages and lots of ways to get extra cards over time.
Lol ok, Grab the Reins is still better. Perhaps I should have said "creature bomb".
Oxidda Scrapmelter is the only other uncommon creature in recent memory that comes close.
Personally, I think that seeing red and blue's commons makes me want to pick between them. Red's critters don't seem as good, but their spells are nice, whereas Blue's critters are all decent, but the spells aren't quite as awesome as Theros ones were.
I may just end up flipping a coin, but I'd love to see what people think they're going to choose now that they've seen the whole set.
--Jed
L5R or MTG, if it's got Samurai, Knights or Soldiers, it's all good as far as I'm concerned.
For 6 mana, I think you usually get a 5/5 with haste and trample. That would be a perfectly fine card, but it honestly wouldn't be that exciting. You're still not going to spend really early picks on not-really-evasive 6-drops that just attack and block.
But, and I keep stressing this about all the Tribute evaluations, it's worse than that. You only ever get a haste creature when a haste creature doesn't kill your opponent.
You can imagine scenarios where your opponent is dead to a hasty Thunder Brute so they're forced into paying tribute even though they can't deal with an 8/8 (or kill you past it). But if your opponent is really that screwed either against either version, that means you were winning anyway and any random fatty would likely have done as much.
It's a 6-mana 5/5 with haste, trample, and a drawback. It's not that great.
Asphyxiate: Worse than Murder, but it does at least give you an opportunity to kill a threat after it's cast (provided that threat has no haste)
Claim of Erebos: I'd watch this one in draft; it enables too much good stuff
Marshmist Titan: I think this will be a 4/5 for 5 most of the time, which is not terrible
Necrobite: Nice combat trick
Servant of Tymaret: Pretty good if you ask me; it holds off all the early drops
Weight of the Underworld: Pretty good
In addition to Bale Blight and Drown in Sorrow, let's look at some other Uncommons of Note:
Black Oak of Odunos: Another card that stems the damage from opposing early drops (it's the kind of thing black needs)
Odunos River Trawler: Good bestow recursion
Sanguimancy: It will require timing but when the boards stabilize it could put the game away for you
I'm taking the black promo and going to try for a B/W build. All the neat white early drops plus the powerful late game of black. Not that I want a Triad of Fates, though.
Assassinate has been printed a couple times, and while its power has been decent in Core sets, its one foray into an expert level expansion wasn't a shining example of usefulness. Time Spiral decks usually maindecked it, but it was slow, predictable, easy to play around, and just largely disappointing.
Asphyxiate is essentially the same card, but with a mana cost that will make it even harder to avoid telegraphing it, and in a set that is specifically built to make it have even less of an impact.
First of all, giving your opponent more chances to make mistakes is a good thing, especially if your opponents aren't the best players in the world.
Secondly, Magic is not a game of perfect information. Even with an opponent who plays perfectly, you can get the better mode in situations where the worse mode seems better based on the information your opponent has. So there are situations where it overperforms.
Practice for Khans of Tarkir Limited:
Draft: (#1) (#2) (#3) (#4) (#5)
White: Tough call on the common; Akroan Skygaurd is a far cry from Wingsteed Rider, but it doesn't have much competition in the common slot. Excoriate is decent removal, but sorcery speed hurts a lot. Uncommons, on the other hand, are deep; Glimpse the Sun God is gonna steal games, and some decks will find Ornitharch unbeatable (some decks, however, will simply have Scrymeras.) However, I'm giving the prize to Archetype of Courage. It's cheap, and it'll allow you to decide the course of the rest of the game more often than not.
Blue: Gonna have to give it to Retraction Helix, too. Cheap enabler plus instant bounce... good thing there's no easy way to properly break it. There are also a number of tokens in the set, so it'll be a proper kill spell frequently. For Uncommon, it's gonna be awful hard to beat an Aerie Worshippers, especially one that may be, say, aqueous in form? Wind Drake Generator is mighty mighty.
Black is a bit trickier- its cards seem weak on their own, and powerful in the right build. All in all I think Marshmist Titan is the strongest black common; it will be coming down earlier than Nemesis of Mortals was, and will outclass the board for a few turns... not to mention its butt evades that 4-toughness benchmark for removal, making it a keen Bestow target. Uncommon: Bile Blight. Drown in Sorrow may be better than it, and I love Spiteful Returned, but instant-speed targeted removal which may be a 2-for-1 and costs two mana? Sounds like an upgraded Pharika's Cure, and I love Pharika's Cure.
Red: Easy Fall of the Hammer. I think Scouring Sands may be undervalued, but one-sided fights are sweet, and there are ways to abuse it. Uncommon: Tough call. At first I thought I would pick Everflame Eidolon, but Lightning Volley looks like it's going to lead to crazy blowouts and take a game or two out of nowhere.
Green doesn't excite me too much; I like Karametra's Favor a lot, though. It enables Heroic and Inspired, and it ramps, and it cantrips? Yes'm. Get 'em while they're hot. Other commons are fairly replaceable. As far as an Uncommon, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say Noble Quarry. Two Lures in a row will likely be able to finish out the game.
My Decks:
EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn
Modern: Polytokes
IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
Just a friendly reminder that I will drive this car off a bridge
It is, but only because it has such stiff competition in the Uncommon slot.
My Decks:
EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn
Modern: Polytokes
IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
Just a friendly reminder that I will drive this car off a bridge
True story, and I was entirely unclear in what I meant. I was referring to Titan's cost benefiting from board presence rather than binning creatures- which, admittedly, was not communicated whatsoever in my post. Perhaps I should have said "it will be coming down at the same time or earlier than Nemesis of Mortals was without having to sacrifice board presence."
Its real strength, IMO, isn't even playing it on curve; it's being able to drop it for four mana turn 7-8 and leave mana up. Regardless, second place goes to Warcaller of Mogis, a 3/3 for 5 which Inspires intimidate... I think they're close, but not very.
My Decks:
EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn
Modern: Polytokes
IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
Just a friendly reminder that I will drive this car off a bridge
White: I think Akroan Skygaurd is hard to evaluate... on one hand its just a 1/1 flyer, but on the other it gets suited up with an ordeal or combat trick a turn earlier. Against Green's reach creatures or blues fliers this plummets in value, but against the other colors this may be better than Wingsteed Rider. I think Loyal Pegasus will be the sleeper common for white aggressive decks, much likeCavalry Pegasus was in triple Theros. It would actually be a good card if it wasn't so awkward to cast.. I also agree that Archetype of Courage is both the best white uncommon and best archetype. It makes combat a nightmare for your opponent, especially with the number of combat tricks in this block. I'm betting God-Favored General will be the best inspired summoner. He costs the least, and he is in the color with the best support to keep him attacking. Honorable mention to Ornitharch; this card seems like ridiculous value as it ends up putting 5 flying power for 5cmc on the board no matter what.
Blue: As most people are saying, blue looks strong in BNG. Chorus of the Tides and Nyborn Triton are just solid, on-curve creatures with upside, which is something a lot of the other colors just seems to be missing at common in BNG. While I don't think Retraction Helix is bad at all, I don't think there's many decks I'd rather have it over Voyage's End (maybe UW heroic). So my pick for best common in blue is Sudden Storm. Frost Breath seems very good in this set because of how powerful top end creatures are and how much certain decks rely on just one or two fatties. Blue drops a little at uncommon in my mind, but its still quite solid. Aerie Worshippers is certainly serviceable as a 2/4 for 4cmc, and with a little help to push thru some attacks in can wind up as a strong finisher. Vortex Elemental is really cool; you basically get a deathtouch creature in blue for only UU that can turn into a straight up kill spell in a long game.
Black: Unfortunately it looks like black took a hit in power from Theros (and its promo card did too). People are way overrating Marshmist Titan. There is almost no way to cast this earlier than turn 5, and in situations where you are casting it later in the game for 3 or 4 mana are you really going to have anything else in hand to use the rest of your mana on? He should be evaluated as a 4/5 for 5cmc; ok but not the best common by far. While Asphyxiate isn't bad, I think Weight of the Underworld is going to be better in most situations, as it kills the majority of aggressive 2 and 3 drops or makes almost anything it doesn't kill not a threat. Black looks a lot more appealing in the uncommon slot. Bile Blight is obviously good, Shrike Harpy seems quite solid (if you have nothing to sacrifice then I'm winning anyways?), and Spiteful Returned is imo the best common/uncommon bestow card in the set. People seem to be leaving Spiteful Returned of their list of good black cards, which seems like a similar mistake people made with Hopeful Eidolon at the start of Theros. T3 Blood-Toll Harpy T4 bestow Spiteful Returned presents a serious threat, and I don't think this sequence is at all magical christmasland.
Red: I'm going to agree with everybody else in saying that Fall of the Hammer is the best Red common. That card is going to be insane. I think the red commons as a whole, for example Kragma Butcher and Pheragax Giant, are quite good, however i'm disappointed that theres not a powerful 2-drop as thats what red really needed. At uncommon nothing really stands out as first-pickable, however I like the utility of Lighntning Volley and Searing Blood in aggressive decks. Thunder Brute seems fine; he's actually a very powerful effect, but at 6 mana he is probably not going to hit the table very often.
Green: Green seems to be trading a raw power for more utility cards in BNG. The Pheres-Band Tromper seems by far the best green common and fits in nicely to greens usual curve. Its probably matchup dependent on whether this card or Nylea's Disciple is better at 4cmc. Snake of the Golden Grove is actually a very good card and would probably the best 5cmc common in another limited environment, but we have Nessian Asp in Theros. Dat Asp. At uncommon I like Raised by Wolves the best, because altho it does open you up to a blowout, its probably one of the best cards you can resolve at uncommon (plus instant speed removal is pretty weak in this set). I think Culling Mark is a huge trap; this card is nowhere near a Prey upon type effect.
Overall I think creature quality (especially bestow creatures) has gone down a lot in BNG. However, BNG has added a much more diverse and dangerous removal suite, especially for the early game. The multicolor uncommons are also fairly notable too, especially the UB and RG ones. I think players will mostly be trying to pick up strong removal and uncommons in BNG and would be a lot better served filling their creature base in THS.
Your blocking creature would still take damage in this scenario, but you could stop two attackers with a single creature.
Also, I think people are overrating Asphyxiate. Sorcery speed + untapped creature restriction is pretty bad. Your opponent's most dangerous creatures will seldom be untapped on your turn, and there are a variety of instant-speed tap effects that will counter your removal (retraction helix being a good example).
There's an uncommon artifact that any deck can play which reads "tap to counter Asphyxiate and add one mana of any color to your mana pool."
Rancored Elf will cancel your order if prices go up. Read about him and other shady vendors here.
My Trade Thread!
This is a good point. Helix might not be as good as Voyage's End in a vacuum, but it stones an otherwise fine removal spell AND provides tempo. Also, bounce becomes a lot better now that we're getting one fewer pack of Lightning Strikes and are replacing them with Fall of the Hammer.
:dance:Fact or Fiction of the [Limited] Clan:dance:
White
Name: Akroan Skyguard
Cost: 1w
Type: Creature — Human Soldier
Pow/Tgh: 1/1
Rules Text: Flying
Heroic — Whenever you cast a spell that targets Akroan Skyguard, put a +1/+1 counter on Akroan Skyguard.
Name: Excoriate
Cost: 3w
Type: Sorcery
Rules Text: Exile target tapped creature.
Name: Nyxborn Shieldmate
Cost: W
Type: Enchantment Creature — Human Soldier
Pow/Tgh: 1/2
Rules Text: Bestow {2}{W}
Enchanted creature gets +1/+2.
Blue
Name: Crypsis
Cost: 1u
Type: Instant
Rules Text: Target creature you control gains protection from creatures your opponents control until end of turn. Untap it.
Name: Sudden Storm
Cost: 3U
Type: Instant
Rules Text: Tap up to two target creatures. Those creatures don't untap during their controllers' next untap steps. Scry 1.
Name: Chorus of the Tides
Cost: 3u
Type: Creature — Siren
Pow/Tgh: 3/2
Rules Text: Flying
Heroic — Whenever you cast a spell that targets Chorus of the Tides, scry 1.
Black
Name: Asphyxiate
Cost: 1bb
Type: Sorcery
Rules Text: Destroy target untapped creature.
Name: Grisly Transformation
Cost: 2b
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Rules Text: Enchant creature
When Grisly Transformation enters the battlefield, draw a card.
Enchanted creature has intimidate.
Name: Necrobite
Cost: 2b
Type: Instant
Rules Text: Target creature gains deathtouch until end of turn. Regenerate it.
Red (not sure whether Fearsome Temper or Nyxborn Rollicker is better)
Name: Bolt of Keranos
Cost: 1RR
Type: Sorcery
Rules Text: Bolt of Keranos deals 3 damage to target creature or player. Scry 1.
Name: Fall of the Hammer
Cost: 1r
Type: Instant
Rules Text: Target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to another target creature.
Name: Fearsome Temper
Cost: 2r
Type: Enchantment — Aura
Rules Text: Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has "{2}{R}: Target creature can't block this creature this turn."
Name: Nyxborn Rollicker
Cost: r
Type: Enchantment Creature — Satyr
Pow/Tgh: 1/1
Rules Text: Bestow {1}{R}
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1.
Green (only really 2 good green commons)
Name: Mortal's Resolve
Cost: 1G
Type: Instant
Rules Text: Target creature gets +1/+1 and gains indestructible until end of turn.
Name: Pheres-Band Tromper
Cost: 3G
Type: Creature — Centaur Warrior
Pow/Tgh: 3/3
Rules Text: Inspired — Whenever Pheres-Band Tromper becomes untapped, put a +1/+1 counter on it.
Name: Snake of the Golden Grove
Cost: 4G
Type: Creature — Snake
Pow/Tgh: 4/4
Rules Text: Tribute 3 (As this creature enters the battlefield, an opponent of your choice may place three +1/+1 counters on it.)
When Snake of the Golden Grove enters the battlefield, if tribute wasn't paid, you gain 4 life.
The top commons as a whole seem worse than those of Theros.
My Decks:
EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn
Modern: Polytokes
IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
Just a friendly reminder that I will drive this car off a bridge
Giving your opponents more chances to make mistakes is a good thing? Um, I disagree. Giving your opponent choices is bad. Like, unequivocally bad. I mean, sure, maybe it's awesome when your opponent actually makes mistakes, but I don't want to have to inefficiently invest resources to allow for the mere possibility of having that happen. Ideally the toughest choices my opponent will have to make are the ones where I'm playing stuff he can't deal with in the first place. Tribute halves the chances of that happening.
That's some kind of supervillain thinking there. "I'm going to give the hero a terrible choice and watch him suffer! Oh no! He had a solution I didn't account for which makes the choice I offered trivial, and now I'm drowning in acid!"
Well, actually, I think that this is correct.
However, given that the context is the tribute cards, you are correct that you're always going to get the worst of the options, making the cards worse than if EITHER of the effects were the single mode.
That would be true if this were a game of perfect information. But it's not, so it isn't.
Oracle of Bones is a good example of this. Which choice is better depends on what is in your hand, which your opponent generally doesn't know. So you will get the better option sometimes.
Practice for Khans of Tarkir Limited:
Draft: (#1) (#2) (#3) (#4) (#5)
I think that's going to be a 5/3 haste guy most of the time, which is decent but not amazing in limited, since it dies to Lagonna-Band Elder et al and is trumped by voltron all day long. And even when you have something like a Lightning Strike in your hand, AND the opponent refuses tribute, you effectively get a 3/1 haste for 1R, and are forced to cast your lightning strike on the spot. Plus of course, it tempts you to misbuild your deck with a number of wildly overcosted instants and sorceries....
On the whole I think that most of the opportunities for mistakes come from the side of the person playing Oracle of Bones, not their opponent.