Nissa, Vastwood Seer 2G
Legendary Creature - Elf Scout (M)
When Nissa, Vastwood Seer enters the battlefield, you may search your library for a basic Forest card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, if you control seven or more lands, exile Nissa, then return her to the battlefield transformed under her owner's control.
2/2
#189
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Nissa, Sage Animist
Planeswalker - Nissa (M)
+1: Reveal the top card of your library. If it's a land card, put it onto the battlefield. Otherwise, put it into your hand.
-2: Put a legendary 4/4 green Elemental creature token named Ashaya, the Awoken World onto the battlefield.
-7: Untap up to six target lands. They become 6/6 Elemental creatures. They're still lands.
3
+1: draw a card is pretty great, but unless you're doing some serious shenanigans it's probably going to be too little, too late most games. Really wish she put that Forest she grabbed you into play instead of hand.
7 lands just feels like 10 million. Why is her flip condition so hard compared to any of the other flip walkers? Probably standard in BFZ being super rampy.
It seems pretty close to being a reasonable card. Borderland Ranger is a decent dude, and this gives you most of the functionality (albeit no fixing). And then it turns into a Coiling Oracle trigger every turn with some solid threat production as well.
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I can't make a hard-and-fast decision about her. I like her initial value because she has that potential once on board and ensures a land drop the following turn. My assumption of a best-case scenario is that the soonest she drops is turn two after having played a Llanowar Elves-variant, which would mean we have five more turns of her on the board before seeing her flip. On the other hand, Exploration, Fastbond, Oracle of Mul Daya, Cultivate, Kodama's Reach, Rampant Growth, Farseek, Search for Tomorrow, etc, all accelerate her flip and create incentive in running them in tandem.
The thing I like about my suite of green planeswalkers is how they provide inevitability and answers. Nissa, Sage Animist, at best, does not become a planeswalker until mid-game who does not develop an answer, herself, until late game. In my cube a green planeswalker that impacts the board that late is a quite out of place. But, her +1 is really great (sort of a green take on Keranos, God of Storms) and digs through your deck when, at that mid-game point, green really starts to lose steam.
Also, it's quite possible that you can flip her a lot in the Eureka deck.
Bummer. I like Borderland Ranger, especially with blink but this thing is more limited and soooooo slow. I would rather have to spend 6 or 7 mana to flip it than 7 lands.
And unless it is a super late game stall, the +1 is very underwhelming for all the build up. And the minus is legendary? No thanks
The problem with these black foils is that you need to make a decision on their playability rather quickly, or risk their prices skyrocketing. So far, I'll be going for Jace and Liliana.
Well, that's disappointing. There's several things that could have pushed this over the edge into cubeable territory. First and foremost, less lands required to flip. The difference between six and seven can be huge. If you do manage to get to seven actual lands in play and flip her, the abilities are fine at best. +1 Ramp or draw a card is great on a green card. I like that one a lot. -2 Make a legendary 4/4, though? Legendary? I guess there's probably some flavor there from her story, but I don't want to only be able to crank out one 4/4.
This DFC planeswalker cycle is all over the place in playability. This one requires seven lands to gain a 4-loyalty planeswalker with no extra defense to itself, or a 1-loyalty one with a 4/4 token.
If you want to ultimate her, you need to keep drawing cards for four turns when you're already at 7+ lands. You can't just +1 her once to use the -2 twice, because the token is legendary, as if the most late-game of the planeswalkers needed another such restriction on her effects.
I don't think she's so bad. Hitting only basic forests is very serious knock against her, but she's still a 2-for-1, and once you hit 6 lands in play, she flips herself immediately and nets you an immediate 3-for-1 with more to follow. I'll give her a test run.
The wording of basic Forest is so odd in the context of Standard. It makes me wonder if we'll be seeing more Sapseep Forest-esque cards in the near future.
I'll be testing her solely because I'm in love with the flavor of these cards, but I don't have high hopes for her.
Her creature side is meh but her PW side is quite desirable in green. Especially in ramp decks that don't draw cards very well. But 3 loyalty? That sounds unreasonably low for such a steep/late flip cost.
Maybe she's better than she looks, but I'm skeptical. A 2/3 body, putting the land directly into play, a 6 land requirement OR the ability to grab forest duals (or just basic lands) instead of only basic forests would've made her much more desirable.
I'm not seeing this one winning you games or being some kind of a gamebreaker unless you play her turn 7 (or turn 6 with land ramp), drop her forest immediatly and then flip her right away. You'll then have a 4/4 creature and a walker that's going to draw you a card every turn. Unless it gets played like that, this card's going to have a hard time on the battlefield for few turns before neting you somtimes that worth it. Also, the loyalties are pure joke IMO. So much that it seems almost unreal.
I think that Wizard wanted her to act like a must-answer over time creature. But the fact that it let like 4 turns to your opponent to accomplish the job is so dumb. Until then, she's pretty much nothing. She remember me a bit of Dragonmaster Outcast. For that reason, I think she needs to be cast late as possible.
It's not a terrible card, but it's worse than Civic Wayfinder in most decks... and that's hardly something we're clamoring to get in. At five (even 6, maybe) lands, I'd be very interested, since the 'walker side is pretty phenomenal for a low initial investment. That, or being a 3/2 or 2/3. Or getting a non-basic Forest, perhaps. Near yet so far. Even our 'super-ramp' decks often don't get to seven lands since the mana is coming from dudes, or just cheating stuff in.
I think this is great. Even if Civic Wayfinder may be a little underpowerd to make a cube section, it's not a card you're going to be disappointed to draw if it's in your deck. This serves that role as well, while having the huge upside of turning into a giant planeswalker. This can hold swords, ensures you hit land drops, can trade with aggro dorks.
She gets worse every time I read her. I wish the whole cycle was easily cubeable but it looks like Nissa and Chandra will be lucky to make it into the on deck binder. Let's hope Gideon gets redemption after his last walker card.
I am quite disappointed that Nissa and Chandra are so obviously weaker than Jace and Liliana. You'd think that Wizards would like to get the power level of the cards in one of their highest profile cycles ever as close as possible...
I am mainly annoyed by the word "basic" on her creature side. Seems like a very artificial and unnecessary restriction. Her starting loyalty is a bit on the low side, too.
Btw, I think we should look at her a bit like a modal/split/kicker card: On turn 3, she is like a slightly worse Civic Wayfinder. She can trade with an early attacker while netting you a card. Not great and not cubable on her own, but not totally embarrassing either. However, s he has a second "mode" if you draw/play her later in the game: At that point, the Wayfinder comes with a pretty decent planeswalker attached.
Nobody would cube with Shock, but most cube with Firebolt and Burst Lightning, which are similar in this way. The front side is not worth it, but the added value later in the game and the resulting flexibility makes the whole package worth it.
I think the comparisons to Scute Mob and Dragonmaster Outcast are bad, since those are nothing but 1/1s up front, while Nissa is a 2/2 that nets you a card right away. That makes her underpowered instead of completely useless.
Lastly, real ramp decks in my cube are land-based and not creature-based. We can easily build green decks that hit 7 lands on turn 6 or 7.
Our ramp decks end up with quite a number of mana rocks too though. I think at 5 lands she'd be a reasonably good include. Being able to play her and flip her on the same turn would be awesome... but 7 lands is quite steep. Perhaps for cubes that include a good number of land ramp she'd be easier to justify.
I'm still going to keep my eye out for her as her + ability is still desirable (though it'd be much more attractive at 5 lands).
Our ramp decks have a lot of mana creatures and a lot of mana artifacts; 7 lands is a lot, even for our ramp decks.
I do think she's probably better than she looks at first glance, because the WCS isn't that bad, and the BCS is pretty high. But I'm afraid her average performance will be underwhelming.
Nissa, Vastwood Seer 2G
Legendary Creature - Elf Scout (M)
When Nissa, Vastwood Seer enters the battlefield, you may search your library for a basic Forest card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, if you control seven or more lands, exile Nissa, then return her to the battlefield transformed under her owner's control.
2/2
#189
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Nissa, Sage Animist
Planeswalker - Nissa (M)
+1: Reveal the top card of your library. If it's a land card, put it onto the battlefield. Otherwise, put it into your hand.
-2: Put a legendary 4/4 green Elemental creature token named Ashaya, the Awoken World onto the battlefield.
-7: Untap up to six target lands. They become 6/6 Elemental creatures. They're still lands.
3
I wish the land tutoring ability wasn't limited to basic forests, and 7 lands is steep. Think it needed to be 6.
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The thing I like about my suite of green planeswalkers is how they provide inevitability and answers. Nissa, Sage Animist, at best, does not become a planeswalker until mid-game who does not develop an answer, herself, until late game. In my cube a green planeswalker that impacts the board that late is a quite out of place. But, her +1 is really great (sort of a green take on Keranos, God of Storms) and digs through your deck when, at that mid-game point, green really starts to lose steam.
Also, it's quite possible that you can flip her a lot in the Eureka deck.
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And unless it is a super late game stall, the +1 is very underwhelming for all the build up. And the minus is legendary? No thanks
3 Loyalty is also a joke, maybe if it was 6.
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If you want to ultimate her, you need to keep drawing cards for four turns when you're already at 7+ lands. You can't just +1 her once to use the -2 twice, because the token is legendary, as if the most late-game of the planeswalkers needed another such restriction on her effects.
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I'll be testing her solely because I'm in love with the flavor of these cards, but I don't have high hopes for her.
Maybe she's better than she looks, but I'm skeptical. A 2/3 body, putting the land directly into play, a 6 land requirement OR the ability to grab forest duals (or just basic lands) instead of only basic forests would've made her much more desirable.
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I think that Wizard wanted her to act like a must-answer over time creature. But the fact that it let like 4 turns to your opponent to accomplish the job is so dumb. Until then, she's pretty much nothing. She remember me a bit of Dragonmaster Outcast. For that reason, I think she needs to be cast late as possible.
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Plus her walker is great, but that not THAT great, considering how underpowered she is in her non-flip form.
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On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
I am mainly annoyed by the word "basic" on her creature side. Seems like a very artificial and unnecessary restriction. Her starting loyalty is a bit on the low side, too.
Btw, I think we should look at her a bit like a modal/split/kicker card: On turn 3, she is like a slightly worse Civic Wayfinder. She can trade with an early attacker while netting you a card. Not great and not cubable on her own, but not totally embarrassing either. However, s he has a second "mode" if you draw/play her later in the game: At that point, the Wayfinder comes with a pretty decent planeswalker attached.
Nobody would cube with Shock, but most cube with Firebolt and Burst Lightning, which are similar in this way. The front side is not worth it, but the added value later in the game and the resulting flexibility makes the whole package worth it.
I think the comparisons to Scute Mob and Dragonmaster Outcast are bad, since those are nothing but 1/1s up front, while Nissa is a 2/2 that nets you a card right away. That makes her underpowered instead of completely useless.
Lastly, real ramp decks in my cube are land-based and not creature-based. We can easily build green decks that hit 7 lands on turn 6 or 7.
Uril, the Miststalker RGW -- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre C -- Vhati il-Dal BG -- Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer RW -- Animar, Soul of Elements URG
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker R -- Maga, Traitor to Mortals B -- Ghave, Guru of Spores BGW -- Sliver Hivelord WUBRG
I'm still going to keep my eye out for her as her + ability is still desirable (though it'd be much more attractive at 5 lands).
I do think she's probably better than she looks at first glance, because the WCS isn't that bad, and the BCS is pretty high. But I'm afraid her average performance will be underwhelming.
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