If only this costed 3 mana… only, they would probably have to add a black mana symbol for that, and that would be too good in current standard. There is just something that's… 'ugly' about a 3/4 for 3B
Agreed. Restoration Angel pulls it off okay (flash and flying help tremendously), but it just makes this guy feel... clunky.
I mostly play Modern and Legacy these days, and every time I try to get back into Standard, I end up being like, "but how can you ever draw enough lands for that??? Surely you'll be dead before then!"
And then I try to build a bunch of sneaky tempo decks that just end up getting crushed by the clunky decks before finally coming to the conclusion that maybe clunky is better than I thought.
Strictly worse than Notion Thief, which sees 0 play in younger formats. Spoilers the last two days have been awful (except for RG. Thanks, Obama!)
Okay, I see this all the time, and instead of just saying "that's not what that phrase means," I'm going to do a demonstration. Because that's friendlier and more informative.
In order to be considered "strictly worse" than Notion Thief, every variable of a card needs to be able to be compared to the variables of Notion Thief (casting cost, power/toughness, abilities, etc.) And they ALL either need to be exactly the same or worse in every reasonable situation. That's the only way that an that an accurate comparison can be made (the term "strictly" implies that the card will be worse in every situation).
For example, here are some cards that are strictly worse than Notion Thief:
Potion Thief3UB
Flash
If an opponent would draw a card except the first one he or she draws in each of his or her draw steps, instead that player skips that draw and you draw a card.
3/1
Lotion Thief2UB
Flash
If an opponent would draw a card except the first one he or she draws in each of his or her draw steps, instead that player skips that draw and you draw a card.
2/1
Motion Thief2UB
If an opponent would draw a card except the first one he or she draws in each of his or her draw steps, instead that player skips that draw and you draw a card.
3/1
Worst Thief3UB
If an opponent would draw a card except the first one he or she draws in each of his or her draw steps, instead that player skips that draw.
1/1
All of those cards can be compared straight up to Notion Thief. None of them could be considered situationally better in any reasonable way.
Here are some cards that are comparable to Notion Thief, but aren't strictly better or worse because the changed variables cannot ALL be said to be worse:
Nation Thief3UB
Flash
If an opponent would draw a card except the first one he or she draws in each of his or her draw steps, instead that player skips that draw and you draw a card.
4/1
Nution Thief1UB
Flash
If an opponent would draw a card except the first one he or she draws in each of his or her draw steps, instead that player skips that draw and you draw a card.
1/1
Nition Thief1UB
If an opponent would draw a card except the first one he or she draws in each of his or her draw steps, instead that player skips that draw and you draw a card.
1/4
All of those cards could be considered worse in certain situations, but in others, they could be considered better. So they can't be "strictly" worse or "strictly" better even if some of them would be consider better or worse in most situations.
It gets even more difficult to compare cards when the variables don't even line up at all (for example, when a card has a completely different ability).
What I'm getting at is that Fate Unraveler cannot be said to be "strictly worse" than Notion Thief because the variables don't line up and there's no definitive way to compare them.
But for further education, here are some examples of cards Fate Unraveler could be said to be strictly worse than:
Plate Unraveler2B
Enchantment Creature - Hag (R)
Whenever an opponent draws a card, Fate Unreveler deals 1 damage to that player.
3/4
Crate Unraveler3B
Enchantment Creature - Hag (R)
Whenever an opponent draws a card, Fate Unreveler deals 1 damage to that player.
4/4
Date Unraveler3B
Enchantment Creature - Hag (R)
Whenever an opponent draws a card, Fate Unreveler deals 2 damage to that player.
3/4
This has been a friendly lesson from your friendly neighborhood pedant!
Pfffffff.... 1U
Instant
Return target creature to its owner's hand. "What is that even supposed to be? Get it out of here."
//
Chhhhhhh... 2U
Instant
Return target spell to its owner's hand. "Seriously, though — you're embarrassing yourself."
YO 1B
Sorcery
Name a card, then reveal the top card of your library. If it isn't the named card, lose life equal to its converted mana cost and put it on the bottom of your library. You may repeat this process any number of times. "Yo, card, get in my hand."
//
LO 1W
Sorcery
Until end of turn, if your life total is exactly 0, you win the game instead. "Lower... lowwwer.... dangit."
Pump 1G
Instant
Target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn. "Look how big it is!"
//
Dump 2B
Instant
Sacrifice a creature. "Why would I pay mana to do that?" "Because that's the only way the joke works."
No 1UU
Instant
Counter target spell. "I spit on your puny spell! Ptuu!"
//
Yes 0
Instant
Allow target spell to resolve. "I'll allow it."
Grin W
Instant
Force target player to smile. Even if that player does not want to smile, he or she must smile. "Suck it up, Tammy."
//
Bear It 1G
Instant
Target bear you control fights target creature. "What happened to it?" "It got bear'd."
I hope they'll print some more BR minotaurs so we can get full value off this guy more often (as it stands, the only BR minotaurs in Magic are this guy and Kragma Warcaller).
I think the triple red in the casting may be a sign that a spell based devotion mechanic may be raising its head in this set, because honestly that is a lot of red for the effects on its own.
Cards that care about a spells devotion could be interesting though.
That's an intriguing idea...
How would they implement it, though? Count the colored mana symbols on instants and sorceries in the graveyard? Remove a counter from the god card for every colored mana symbol on the spells you cast after it (sort of like removing ice counters from Dark Depths or hatchling counters from Ludevic's Test Subject, but instead of an activated ability, it's a triggered ability)?
Then no one would buy it, and they won't make another due to poor sales.
Honestly this deck pretty much has to be a Pod deck, or something similar like Gifts... only a couple cards that are needed in playset, and a bunch of 1-ofs that will make for interesting play and increase value without being too over the top. Saught after commons and uncommons, and easy to add additional value or keep as a casual deck.
I'm guessing these will be budget versions of popular Modern decks, with one or two of the expensive staple cards from the archetype included to increase availability (and give new players a base from which to build).
So, for example, the "Jund" event deck might have one Liliana of the Veil , a Thoughtseize and then a bunch of commons and uncommons from the Standard and Extended versions of the deck, like Sprouting Thrinax, Putrid Leech, Inquisition of Kozilek, etc. The idea is that the deck can be improved over time with the "real" Jund cards.
I certainly don't imagine there will be anything with a playset of anything expensive. So whichever archetypes they choose will need to be able to be built without 4x [an expensive card] or with one expensive card and three substitutes sort of like the expensive card.
EDIT: Oh, I guess it's only one deck, then. It seems difficult to pick one deck to represent all of Modern....
Changes are always a little weird to accept at first, but bigger art? Sign me up.
And this is a tiny, personal victory, but I enjoy that there will be slightly less of the awful texture/color they chose for the green card frame. The other textures are fine, green just turned out too... jungle-y. Magic doesn't feel like it takes place in a jungle. And the color is really jarring next to the beautiful, more natural-looking greens in the art of the cards (for reference: Dungrove Elder and Hunter's Insight)
More like:
"Unravel the GOD MURDERER"
"Karametra, EDH Mana Baron"
"Bile Kill Your Burgeoning Army of Pack Rats Before They Burgeon Any Further"
Chin up, guy.
Karametra probably seems exciting if you're an EDH player!
And Unravel the Aether is a welcome addition to sideboards everywhere.
Agreed. Restoration Angel pulls it off okay (flash and flying help tremendously), but it just makes this guy feel... clunky.
I mostly play Modern and Legacy these days, and every time I try to get back into Standard, I end up being like, "but how can you ever draw enough lands for that??? Surely you'll be dead before then!"
And then I try to build a bunch of sneaky tempo decks that just end up getting crushed by the clunky decks before finally coming to the conclusion that maybe clunky is better than I thought.
I just want to go faaaaaaaaaaaast.... :c
Okay, I see this all the time, and instead of just saying "that's not what that phrase means," I'm going to do a demonstration. Because that's friendlier and more informative.
In order to be considered "strictly worse" than Notion Thief, every variable of a card needs to be able to be compared to the variables of Notion Thief (casting cost, power/toughness, abilities, etc.) And they ALL either need to be exactly the same or worse in every reasonable situation. That's the only way that an that an accurate comparison can be made (the term "strictly" implies that the card will be worse in every situation).
For example, here are some cards that are strictly worse than Notion Thief:
Potion Thief3UB
Flash
If an opponent would draw a card except the first one he or she draws in each of his or her draw steps, instead that player skips that draw and you draw a card.
3/1
Lotion Thief2UB
Flash
If an opponent would draw a card except the first one he or she draws in each of his or her draw steps, instead that player skips that draw and you draw a card.
2/1
Motion Thief2UB
If an opponent would draw a card except the first one he or she draws in each of his or her draw steps, instead that player skips that draw and you draw a card.
3/1
Worst Thief3UB
If an opponent would draw a card except the first one he or she draws in each of his or her draw steps, instead that player skips that draw.
1/1
All of those cards can be compared straight up to Notion Thief. None of them could be considered situationally better in any reasonable way.
Here are some cards that are comparable to Notion Thief, but aren't strictly better or worse because the changed variables cannot ALL be said to be worse:
Nation Thief3UB
Flash
If an opponent would draw a card except the first one he or she draws in each of his or her draw steps, instead that player skips that draw and you draw a card.
4/1
Nution Thief1UB
Flash
If an opponent would draw a card except the first one he or she draws in each of his or her draw steps, instead that player skips that draw and you draw a card.
1/1
Nition Thief1UB
If an opponent would draw a card except the first one he or she draws in each of his or her draw steps, instead that player skips that draw and you draw a card.
1/4
All of those cards could be considered worse in certain situations, but in others, they could be considered better. So they can't be "strictly" worse or "strictly" better even if some of them would be consider better or worse in most situations.
It gets even more difficult to compare cards when the variables don't even line up at all (for example, when a card has a completely different ability).
What I'm getting at is that Fate Unraveler cannot be said to be "strictly worse" than Notion Thief because the variables don't line up and there's no definitive way to compare them.
But for further education, here are some examples of cards Fate Unraveler could be said to be strictly worse than:
Plate Unraveler 2B
Enchantment Creature - Hag (R)
Whenever an opponent draws a card, Fate Unreveler deals 1 damage to that player.
3/4
Crate Unraveler 3B
Enchantment Creature - Hag (R)
Whenever an opponent draws a card, Fate Unreveler deals 1 damage to that player.
4/4
Date Unraveler 3B
Enchantment Creature - Hag (R)
Whenever an opponent draws a card, Fate Unreveler deals 2 damage to that player.
3/4
This has been a friendly lesson from your friendly neighborhood pedant!
Instant
Return target creature to its owner's hand.
"What is that even supposed to be? Get it out of here."
//
Chhhhhhh... 2U
Instant
Return target spell to its owner's hand.
"Seriously, though — you're embarrassing yourself."
Sorcery
Name a card, then reveal the top card of your library. If it isn't the named card, lose life equal to its converted mana cost and put it on the bottom of your library. You may repeat this process any number of times.
"Yo, card, get in my hand."
//
LO 1W
Sorcery
Until end of turn, if your life total is exactly 0, you win the game instead.
"Lower... lowwwer.... dangit."
Pump 1G
Instant
Target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
"Look how big it is!"
//
Dump 2B
Instant
Sacrifice a creature.
"Why would I pay mana to do that?" "Because that's the only way the joke works."
No 1UU
Instant
Counter target spell.
"I spit on your puny spell! Ptuu!"
//
Yes 0
Instant
Allow target spell to resolve.
"I'll allow it."
Grin W
Instant
Force target player to smile. Even if that player does not want to smile, he or she must smile.
"Suck it up, Tammy."
//
Bear It 1G
Instant
Target bear you control fights target creature.
"What happened to it?" "It got bear'd."
I hope they'll print some more BR minotaurs so we can get full value off this guy more often (as it stands, the only BR minotaurs in Magic are this guy and Kragma Warcaller).
Magic could be nothing but utility bears and I wouldn't even be that disappointed.
If you wouldn't mind, I'd love to see your list!
EDIT: I found the primer, for anyone else who is interested: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=555495
That's an intriguing idea...
How would they implement it, though? Count the colored mana symbols on instants and sorceries in the graveyard? Remove a counter from the god card for every colored mana symbol on the spells you cast after it (sort of like removing ice counters from Dark Depths or hatchling counters from Ludevic's Test Subject, but instead of an activated ability, it's a triggered ability)?
I was thinking the same thing. But I don't imagine them including 4x Birthing Pod, so maybe 2x Pod, 1x Chord of Calling, and something silly like Congregation at Dawn? Then fill out the deck with a few Kitchen Finks, Strangleroot Geists (standing in for Voice), some toolbox guys, and combo pieces.
So, for example, the "Jund" event deck might have one Liliana of the Veil , a Thoughtseize and then a bunch of commons and uncommons from the Standard and Extended versions of the deck, like Sprouting Thrinax, Putrid Leech, Inquisition of Kozilek, etc. The idea is that the deck can be improved over time with the "real" Jund cards.
I certainly don't imagine there will be anything with a playset of anything expensive. So whichever archetypes they choose will need to be able to be built without 4x [an expensive card] or with one expensive card and three substitutes sort of like the expensive card.
EDIT: Oh, I guess it's only one deck, then. It seems difficult to pick one deck to represent all of Modern....
And this is a tiny, personal victory, but I enjoy that there will be slightly less of the awful texture/color they chose for the green card frame. The other textures are fine, green just turned out too... jungle-y. Magic doesn't feel like it takes place in a jungle. And the color is really jarring next to the beautiful, more natural-looking greens in the art of the cards (for reference: Dungrove Elder and Hunter's Insight)
I do hope they keep the narrow, dual-colored inner border on gold cards, though. I've always loved that little touch (for reference: Counterflux, Olivia Voldaren, Kingpin's Pet, Coiling Oracle, Rip-Clan Crasher).