Have we seen anything so far to lead us to believe that they wont print both swords in Besieged? If this set is about war, then shouldn't both sides be armed?
On topic: I really like this sword. Mostly for EDH, but definitely for standard too. With stoneforge mystic to get it out early enough, the discard may put your opponent into topdeck mode before you. Winning is usually easier at that point.
Except provide a power and toughness boost and give it protection from two very relevant colors in Standard right now. Seems good to me.
Okay, yes. It provides +2/+2 and pro two-colors. But if I were to play any of the other three currently-released swords (from a legacy perspective, obviously), I'd get +2/+2, pro two-colors, and one or two relevant abilities to boot. As far as the abilities themselves go, I would argue that these are the weakest yet. The other three guarantee you card advantage every turn, through Raise Dead, Drawing a card, or making a Bear. This can ensure that you continue to have threats, so that if your opponent can kill your sword-wielder, you can simply equip another one and continue to wail on them.
I like the colors that this protects against, I'm just sad to see that both abilities are so conditional.
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Okay, yes. It provides +2/+2 and pro two-colors. But if I were to play any of the other three currently-released swords (from a legacy perspective, obviously), I'd get +2/+2, pro two-colors, and one or two relevant abilities to boot. As far as the abilities themselves go, I would argue that these are the weakest yet. The other three guarantee you card advantage every turn, through Raise Dead, Drawing a card, or making a Bear. This can ensure that you continue to have threats, so that if your opponent can kill your sword-wielder, you can simply equip another one and continue to wail on them.
I like the colors that this protects against, I'm just sad to see that both abilities are so conditional.
It's hard for an opponent to do much of anything when they are losing card advantage w/ every swing. Also, untapping lands is the Zenith-cycle's BFF.
They expect the swords to push product for casual and edh.
Makes sense. Still saddens me a bit, though. I really liked the prospect of Stoneforge fetching up a RW sword to throw on Mirran Crusader. I guess I'll have to wait three more months.
if the sword is real it's pretty good. I like it. Card advantage and untapping is good. Black has the best removal right now thus making this automatically good.
I'm usually not this guy, but I'm calling fake until I see it confirmed. This just doesn't seem Mythic.
Don't do it! What value is your post? This is guaranteed to be real just based on past data from rumour seasons.
You haven't even backed yourself, you've called fake however when we get the visual spoiler you'll backtrack and say "oh I said it was until it was confirmed". What does that even mean?
If this is true, which seems likely the sword is okay without being amazing. After Sword of Body and Mind had 2 abilities both worth 2 mana(Glimpse the Unthinkable + Grizzly Bears) I was hoping that the rest would too, instead we get "discard a card" which has always come with an extra ability for B (Raven's Crime, Mind Peel etc.) and a sort of Early Harvest which while costing 1GG was most useful for the ability to float mana and then untap producing a large amount of mana in one go, this on the other hand forces you to have a play before you attack and after you attack to be worthwhile.
The one interesting interaction that I can see for this sword is with manlands, since it allows you to animate, equip, attack and then untap all your lands and be able to cast spells, that's pretty cool.
Surprised by land untapping. Pleasantly, anyway. Most of my decks love this, especially my slew of mid-range aggro. This on doublestrike with instant burn/removal? I kinda wanna build Blue/Red with this and see what chaos ensues. Usual control prep running small haste/evasion/utility critters could be nuts with this. This with bounce is douchebaggery at it's finest, leaving mana to answer a topdeck.
It's hard for an opponent to do much of anything when they are losing card advantage w/ every swing. Also, untapping lands is the Zenith-cycle's BFF.
However, they are only losing card advantage conditionally. Considering the very earliest this could swing would be turn four, and more reasonably on turn five, hands are often empty or near empty by that point. While fire/ice and body/mind have an immediate effect on the board (killing/creating a creature) and always provide card advantage (drawing a card, making a guy), this one does not. It has no board effect, it has one conditional card advantage ability that depends on your opponent having cards in hand, and one ability that provides no card advantage, and in order to provide any advantage requires that you have at least two cards in hand.
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Grafted Exoskeleton wasn't in beseiged. Phyrexians are dynamic, and living weapon is their direction. Equally, there's a big flavor gap between an exoskeleton and a sword. Phyrexians don't arm, they modify. Expect equipment to reflect that, and expect every sword to be Mirran.
I definitely like the "untap" all lands you control part. This will make Big Eldrazi Green even more of a menace, as well as any other heavy mana intensive decks.
Also, slapping this on an artifact creatures pulls the artifact hate onto the sword & away from the artifact creature.
I'm usually not this guy, but I'm calling fake until I see it confirmed. This just doesn't seem Mythic.
Calling fake because I would've expected them to round out enemy colors with the Sword cycle, with green being the relative spectator color. But eh, we'll see. It's very likely true. And I suppose Green/Black + Red/White work okay too, as the flagstone faction colors of sorts.
I don't even think this sword is as good as B&M. Pushing damage past Grave Titan? That's about it, as the Green/Blue protection is a lot more relevant in an environment currently dominated by Jaces and Primeval Titans. The same control decks that pro-Black lets you swing past their Grave Titan, B&M also stops Jace bounce and doesn't get tapped down by (+ swings past) Frost Titan. Works against all them UW and RUG decks that can't play Grave Titan either. Even the mill, as janky as it feels sometimes, is better than the untap trigger and the extra bear (okay, Wolf) is just a different form of CA. Usually better, I'd say, since discard can very well be nullified by virtue of your opponent having no cards.
Only the blue one, so you can actually blow twice the amount of mana on that X! But there aren't a whole lot of blue-based aggro decks that would be using this thing and if they were, they also don't want a clunky, mana-intensive draw spell either.
Much more playable in Commander than SoBaM. I like it. I, for one, want to find a way to play this effectively with Blue Sun's Zenith.
I'm wondering of this might see play in Standard in some sort of midrange deck. It allows tap-downs much more easily. I'm assuming this is Phyrexian? Edit: nvm
orb says no.
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Okay, yes. It provides +2/+2 and pro two-colors. But if I were to play any of the other three currently-released swords (from a legacy perspective, obviously), I'd get +2/+2, pro two-colors, and one or two relevant abilities to boot. As far as the abilities themselves go, I would argue that these are the weakest yet. The other three guarantee you card advantage every turn, through Raise Dead, Drawing a card, or making a Bear. This can ensure that you continue to have threats, so that if your opponent can kill your sword-wielder, you can simply equip another one and continue to wail on them.
I like the colors that this protects against, I'm just sad to see that both abilities are so conditional.
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Gotcha. Sorry I missed that.
They expect the swords to push product for casual and edh.
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It's hard for an opponent to do much of anything when they are losing card advantage w/ every swing. Also, untapping lands is the Zenith-cycle's BFF.
Makes sense. Still saddens me a bit, though. I really liked the prospect of Stoneforge fetching up a RW sword to throw on Mirran Crusader. I guess I'll have to wait three more months.
Don't do it! What value is your post? This is guaranteed to be real just based on past data from rumour seasons.
You haven't even backed yourself, you've called fake however when we get the visual spoiler you'll backtrack and say "oh I said it was until it was confirmed". What does that even mean?
"Today will be sunny unless it rains". Cheers!
The one interesting interaction that I can see for this sword is with manlands, since it allows you to animate, equip, attack and then untap all your lands and be able to cast spells, that's pretty cool.
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Even for dreaming.
It'd be kinda fun if they had something for if you get all 5 swords in play at once.
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However, they are only losing card advantage conditionally. Considering the very earliest this could swing would be turn four, and more reasonably on turn five, hands are often empty or near empty by that point. While fire/ice and body/mind have an immediate effect on the board (killing/creating a creature) and always provide card advantage (drawing a card, making a guy), this one does not. It has no board effect, it has one conditional card advantage ability that depends on your opponent having cards in hand, and one ability that provides no card advantage, and in order to provide any advantage requires that you have at least two cards in hand.
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Do you believe the RW sword will be phyrexian?
Grafted Exoskeleton wasn't in beseiged. Phyrexians are dynamic, and living weapon is their direction. Equally, there's a big flavor gap between an exoskeleton and a sword. Phyrexians don't arm, they modify. Expect equipment to reflect that, and expect every sword to be Mirran.
Even for dreaming.
It would have been cooler of if the famine part made your opponent sac a creature.
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Also, slapping this on an artifact creatures pulls the artifact hate onto the sword & away from the artifact creature.
Calling fake because I would've expected them to round out enemy colors with the Sword cycle, with green being the relative spectator color. But eh, we'll see. It's very likely true. And I suppose Green/Black + Red/White work okay too, as the flagstone faction colors of sorts.
I don't even think this sword is as good as B&M. Pushing damage past Grave Titan? That's about it, as the Green/Blue protection is a lot more relevant in an environment currently dominated by Jaces and Primeval Titans. The same control decks that pro-Black lets you swing past their Grave Titan, B&M also stops Jace bounce and doesn't get tapped down by (+ swings past) Frost Titan. Works against all them UW and RUG decks that can't play Grave Titan either. Even the mill, as janky as it feels sometimes, is better than the untap trigger and the extra bear (okay, Wolf) is just a different form of CA. Usually better, I'd say, since discard can very well be nullified by virtue of your opponent having no cards.
Only the blue one, so you can actually blow twice the amount of mana on that X! But there aren't a whole lot of blue-based aggro decks that would be using this thing and if they were, they also don't want a clunky, mana-intensive draw spell either.
I'm wondering of this might see play in Standard in some sort of midrange deck. It allows tap-downs much more easily. I'm assuming this is Phyrexian? Edit: nvm