There are 6 commons with 5 power or more in DTK. Two of them have 1 thoughness, 1 has defender and one must attack each turn if able. The two good ones are both green (Segmented Krotiq and Stampeding Elk Herd.) IOW, ukud cobra is pretty good against non-green decks.
Edit: Dirk, dragonspeaker is rated higher than dromoka and kolaghan themselves? IOW, you'd pick it in a pack where both re present?!? This is just one example of relative pointing I've found weird.
I guess a 2/4 is mediocre, and a 2/5 is above the curve, and an extra ability on top of that is OP. Most of the cards that beat it are rated 2.5 or higher, which is probably a sign of the cobras relative strength. I've moved it up.
I agree that the cobra is very good in a non-aggro deck. Deathtouch on a high toughness creature is extremely powerful, and the 2 power makes it an okay attacker if it isn't going to be blocking.
Edit: Dirk, dragonspeaker is rated higher than dromoka and kolaghan themselves? IOW, you'd pick it in a pack where both re present?!? This is just one example of relative pointing I've found weird.
dragonspeaker isn't a card. Do you mean dragon whisperer? I mean yeah, I think he's really strong, at least if you're heavily red. He's a 2-drop that runs away with the game if he's not killed. Any of those 3 cards can win the game if not removed, but only one of them costs 2 mana. Also only one of them is mono-colored. Sure, he's heavily mono-colored, but since you don't need to hit him on-curve, I don't think it's much of a commitment.
Also those ratings are mostly irrelevant since it's not like you'll ever realistically have a choice between two mythics. Both of them are way beyond the power of any common or uncommon.
Problem is whisperer dies to most removal in the format. As long as you're not dumb enough to block with Dromoka about all it dies to is a couple green spells, reach and pacifism. I think whisperer is fine, but the fact that it takes all your mana and dies so easily makes it worse than any dragon lord.
Edit: Dirk, dragonspeaker is rated higher than dromoka and kolaghan themselves? IOW, you'd pick it in a pack where both re present?!? This is just one example of relative pointing I've found weird.
dragonspeaker isn't a card. Do you mean dragon whisperer? I mean yeah, I think he's really strong, at least if you're heavily red. He's a 2-drop that runs away with the game if he's not killed. Any of those 3 cards can win the game if not removed, but only one of them costs 2 mana. Also only one of them is mono-colored. Sure, he's heavily mono-colored, but since you don't need to hit him on-curve, I don't think it's much of a commitment.
Also those ratings are mostly irrelevant since it's not like you'll ever realistically have a choice between two mythics. Both of them are way beyond the power of any common or uncommon.
Problem is whisperer dies to most removal in the format. As long as you're not dumb enough to block with Dromoka about all it dies to is a couple green spells, reach and pacifism. I think whisperer is fine, but the fact that it takes all your mana and dies so easily makes it worse than any dragon lord.
Dromoka also dies to not having enough mana to cast it. Dragon whisperer is much more reliable to cast. And it doesn't put you in 2 colors. I could see Dromoka as an A- too, she's certainly a good card, but I definitely don't put her above dragon whisperer.
The mana difference doesn't matter because for whisperer to do anything useful you need a ton of mana (which means not developing your board) or a huge stalled board state and a lot of mana at which point Dromoka is better since you can just swing with her for huge life gain swings. There are a few situations that whisperer could be better but they're pretty few and far between. Not like it matters since both won't be in the same pack, but LSV did rate Dromoka as 4 to whisperer at 3.5.
Wait...the Dragon Whisperer who's a 2-drop, can fly and make 4/4 dragons? How is making 4/4 dragons not developing your board? Sure, you don't want to pump his power every turn coz that's not efficient but he's a 2 drop that's amazing in the late game.
The mana difference doesn't matter because for whisperer to do anything useful you need a ton of mana (which means not developing your board) or a huge stalled board state and a lot of mana at which point Dromoka is better since you can just swing with her for huge life gain swings. There are a few situations that whisperer could be better but they're pretty few and far between. Not like it matters since both won't be in the same pack, but LSV did rate Dromoka as 4 to whisperer at 3.5.
LSV isn't the lord thy god. He rated ancestral vengeance over mastery of the unseen, he's not perfect.
There's plenty of situations where dragon whisperer is superior. If you never get to 6 mana, dragon whisperer is a bear. It's a potentially flying, expensively-fire-breathing bear, which would still be a solid card without that last ability. Without 6 mana, Dromoka is but a glint in your eye. Dragon whisperer is also just one color, so if it's p1p1 (which it will be, 50% of the time) it's easier to run (although admittedly this will depend a bit on how easy it is to splash dromoka into a G or W deck, with significantly fewer fixing lands). Dromoka's biggest advantage imo is that she's got lifelink, so she'll keep you alive in circumstances where lethal is coming in next turn, whereas dragon whisperer is probably just trading at best if you can't make dragons. I think they're both pretty even, and both pretty insane.
Even I could see because of the color committing factor, I just disagreed to whisperer being clearly better which was the original argument. I do think the fact that whisperer dies to literally every removal spell in the format hurts a lot, but you do get to cast her earlier. And maybe since you're in red means it's less likely to play against red, which has a ton of ways at common to kill her. I view her as similar to soulfire grand master, a bear that can be very powerful late game but is very fragile.
I'm sorry, but p1p1 there's no way a 2/2 flyer, albiet a very good one that is pumpable and can help you win board stalls, but still a 2/2 that dies to literally every removal spell in the format is better than a 6 mana 6/5 haste flyer that wins the game in 2 turns a lot of the time. Just no way. If you are RG and it's pack 2, maybe this is better, but again you will never have to make that choice (unless you're the .1% of the population that ever sees these two specific mythics in the foil mythic pack). Even if I was faces with that choice, I STILL would take the 6/5 and figure out how to splash rather than the very good aggro* creature that you still probably can't case on t2 that often.
*Yes, sometimes this thing will make you dragons, but finding a game where you are in a board stall and your opponent has no way to kill a 2 toughness creature will not be a common occurrence.
Yeah that's sort of my issue with it. The board state that this beats the mythic dragons is very narrow. Board stall with opponent on no removal. Until you have formidable the card isn't that good. I'm happy if my opponent is paying mana on early turns making this flying and pumping it instead of developing the board.
Well, after playing the pre-release, I have to say that the monuments were much better than i rated them, although you'd expect them to be better in sealed than in draft.
I think that Butcher's Glee should be ranked higher than a 1.6. It's a card that if you pick you should be running because at worst its like a 3 mana kill spell, but at best it can blowout your opponent or save your biggest threat with the regenerate. I got blown out by it when my opponent was playing fast RB and killed my only blocker. Last night I used it to turn 2 games around by killing their biggest threat while gaining enough life for a safe cushion at the same time. I wouldn't rate it as a bomb, but I think it deserves to be better than "fringe playable"
I guess a 2/4 is mediocre, and a 2/5 is above the curve, and an extra ability on top of that is OP. Most of the cards that beat it are rated 2.5 or higher, which is probably a sign of the cobras relative strength. I've moved it up.
Problem is whisperer dies to most removal in the format. As long as you're not dumb enough to block with Dromoka about all it dies to is a couple green spells, reach and pacifism. I think whisperer is fine, but the fact that it takes all your mana and dies so easily makes it worse than any dragon lord.
EDH Primers
Phelddagrif - Zirilan
EDH
Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif 4 - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif 3 - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6
There's plenty of situations where dragon whisperer is superior. If you never get to 6 mana, dragon whisperer is a bear. It's a potentially flying, expensively-fire-breathing bear, which would still be a solid card without that last ability. Without 6 mana, Dromoka is but a glint in your eye. Dragon whisperer is also just one color, so if it's p1p1 (which it will be, 50% of the time) it's easier to run (although admittedly this will depend a bit on how easy it is to splash dromoka into a G or W deck, with significantly fewer fixing lands). Dromoka's biggest advantage imo is that she's got lifelink, so she'll keep you alive in circumstances where lethal is coming in next turn, whereas dragon whisperer is probably just trading at best if you can't make dragons. I think they're both pretty even, and both pretty insane.
EDH Primers
Phelddagrif - Zirilan
EDH
Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif 4 - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif 3 - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6
*Yes, sometimes this thing will make you dragons, but finding a game where you are in a board stall and your opponent has no way to kill a 2 toughness creature will not be a common occurrence.
375 unpowered cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/601ac624832cdf1039947588