For a french vanilla creature I spent far too much time reading Charging Monstrosaur. I kept looking for the downside ability and it just wasn't there. Not even glorified reminder text like "attacks each turn if able". Amazing.
Weird that the enchantment side can put stuff in your gy to support reanimator schenanigans but the flip side puts it on the bottom of your library.
Not everything that says graveyard on it is about reanimator (maybe it is if you play commander?). It's clearly supporting a spells matter deck, which tends to fill up the graveyard with the spells it casts (and thus is using the graveyard as a proxy for the number of spells cast). Such a deck is generally not interested in running out its library 5 cards at a time.
The comments of how the recent sets are dedicating more and more slots to commander decks start to have basis in reality. This card is completely tailored for multiplayer commander. Sure, maybe someone can find a way to make this work in 1v1 constructed, but doesn't seem great giving your opponent two free blockers. And you would need the land for a ramp deck, but then you need a creature to attack with it, etc. In short, card is all over the place, but will be funny in commander.
Plants don't have reach and Birds of Paradise has flying. Having trouble thinking of other mana dorks with evasion but this has enough potential to get out of hand when you start untapping it with Garruk Wildspeaker that it might be worth the trouble.
Better? Yes. Strictly better? No. Please learn your MtG vocabulary.
+2 p/t WITH Flash for 1 more mana = strictly better.
OK, let me explain this. X is strictly better than Y if every aspect of X is equal or better than Y. Disallow is strictly better than Voidslime because it does not require the third mana to be G, but it is not strictly better than Traumatic Visions because it can't be cycled. Thundermaw Hellkite is strictly better than Fire Elemental because it has an extra point of toughness, flying, haste, and an upside ETB ability, but not strictly better than Tenement Crasher because it requires a second R to cast. Baneslayer Angel is not strictly better than Serra Angel because, despite getting more abilities and stats for the same cost, it does not have vigilance. Lightning Bolt is strictly better than Shock (more damage for same cost), Lightning Strike (same damage for less cost), and Chain Lightning (Instant vs Sorcery and no downside ability), but not strictly better than Pillar of Flame (can't exile). Underground Sea is not strictly better than Island because it's not basic, but is strictly better than Sunken Hollow because it never comes in tapped.
So we see that Snapping Sailback is not strictly better than Fungusaur, because it costs 1 more. It is strictly better than Durkwood Boars, because the boar does not have flash or enrage.
Note that this generally ignores specific card interactions unless those interactions are particularly relevant to the format. Lightning Bolt is considered strictly better than Lightning Strike in Legacy even though the latter is a lot less likely to be named for a blind Cabal Therapy. Treasure Cruise is arguably not strictly worse than Ancestral Recall in Vintage because it can't be Misdirected and can be cast for U even under Trinisphere. Watery Grave is not strictly worse than Underground Sea because it can make your Death's Shadow bigger.
These sorts of cards always screw up my evaluation. Since it's an enchantment, my mind tries to evaluate it within the build-around enchantment framework. But I should be evaluating it within the creature framework as "1/1 lifelink for W with upside".
I like my basic lands to say "Basic Land - [land type]. I'll be passing on these. It's too bad, as I like the frames here better than the Zendikar ones. Just needed those few words somewhere.
I'm actually mistified as to why they need to have the name up there at all when the exact same design with the Zendikar/Amonkhet Basic Land - Type typeline and mana symbol on the bottom gives you all the info you need and is miles more aesthetic.
Tournament rules (and possibly the game rules) require a card to have the card's name on it. You can cover up the rest of the card, but the name is needed so that the card's text can be determined.
I can't help but notice that this rules change will have particularly little effect on standard after rotation. Ignoring the planeswalker deck ones because they're not meant to be playable, the only two planeswalkers with the same type in standard will be Nissa, Vital Force and Nissa, Steward of Elements. I suspect that this, combined with their claim of decreased gatewatch emphasis going forward, will mean that standard will usually have only one planeswalker card of each type. So there's probably little worry of planeswalker overload in standard.
Outside of standard, Modern Gideons is looking mighty fine.
(1) Tap Izzet Chemister to exile card in graveyard.
(2) Discard card to Mind Over Matter in order to untap Izzet Chemister.
(3) Tap Izzet Chemister to exile card you just discarded.
(4) repeat steps 2 and 3 as many times as you have the resources.
Just make sure you have a card in hand and two mana left so you can untap and activate his last ability and play all those cards you just discarded and exiled.
Such an elegant combo. It's potentially powerful, yet is very fragile and requires effort and investment.
A better order is to activate Mind Over Matter targeting Izzet Chemister, then activate the chemister's first ability in response. This lets you exile the card you discarded.
I'd say the only real randomness problem is mana screw in limited. Unlike constructed, limited decks generally don't have the luxury of high synergy or efficiency that can get you back into the game when behind. Nor do they have as good of mana. Mulligans help, but they run into the problem that a N-1 card hand has on average fewer lands than an N-card hand, as well as that card advantage means more in limited. Even a mull to 5 is often disastrous, as your lack of cards will likely either get you stuck on lands or out of gas.
I liked the idea of the mulligan rule where you draw 7 each time you mulligan, but once you decide to keep, you shuffle a card from your hand back into your deck for each time you mulliganed. This means you always see 7 cards to find those 3 lands which are really essential in an opening hand in limited, while still having a downside to mulling.
On a different note, what are people's thoughts on the idea that if both players mulligan, they both go up to 7 instead of both going to 6?
Origins- fantastic
M10 brilliant- the ones in between- not so much.
I'd say M13 was just as good as these. Exalted is a nice mechanic and the 5 rare legends were all straightforward.
Core sets definitely do need to return, both to have a return to resonant high fantasy every so often and to have a more flavor-neutral setting to reprint cards. Also a way to ensure each color in standard has access to its core mechanics and a reasonable set of answers. Using the core set to ensure cards like Banishing Light or Hero's Downfall remain in standard regardless of whatever the blocks are doing should help the "oh crap, we forgot to print enough answers. Ban ******* everything." problem they recently had.
I know "Myriarch" should be interpreted as "lord of variety" but in Magic terms it sounds like the king Myr.
Prowess is, for whatever reason, off the list of gained evergreen abilities.
Prowess has always been left off the list of abilities like this, largely because it doesn't work well with being granted at the beginning of combat.
I think more accurately, Prowess is a triggered ability, whereas all the rest are static abilities. Prowess seems to be "left out" because it's currently the only evergreen keyword that isn't a static ability.
Not everything that says graveyard on it is about reanimator (maybe it is if you play commander?). It's clearly supporting a spells matter deck, which tends to fill up the graveyard with the spells it casts (and thus is using the graveyard as a proxy for the number of spells cast). Such a deck is generally not interested in running out its library 5 cards at a time.
The transform is optional.
Plants don't have reach and Birds of Paradise has flying. Having trouble thinking of other mana dorks with evasion but this has enough potential to get out of hand when you start untapping it with Garruk Wildspeaker that it might be worth the trouble.
OK, let me explain this. X is strictly better than Y if every aspect of X is equal or better than Y. Disallow is strictly better than Voidslime because it does not require the third mana to be G, but it is not strictly better than Traumatic Visions because it can't be cycled. Thundermaw Hellkite is strictly better than Fire Elemental because it has an extra point of toughness, flying, haste, and an upside ETB ability, but not strictly better than Tenement Crasher because it requires a second R to cast. Baneslayer Angel is not strictly better than Serra Angel because, despite getting more abilities and stats for the same cost, it does not have vigilance. Lightning Bolt is strictly better than Shock (more damage for same cost), Lightning Strike (same damage for less cost), and Chain Lightning (Instant vs Sorcery and no downside ability), but not strictly better than Pillar of Flame (can't exile). Underground Sea is not strictly better than Island because it's not basic, but is strictly better than Sunken Hollow because it never comes in tapped.
So we see that Snapping Sailback is not strictly better than Fungusaur, because it costs 1 more. It is strictly better than Durkwood Boars, because the boar does not have flash or enrage.
Note that this generally ignores specific card interactions unless those interactions are particularly relevant to the format. Lightning Bolt is considered strictly better than Lightning Strike in Legacy even though the latter is a lot less likely to be named for a blind Cabal Therapy. Treasure Cruise is arguably not strictly worse than Ancestral Recall in Vintage because it can't be Misdirected and can be cast for U even under Trinisphere. Watery Grave is not strictly worse than Underground Sea because it can make your Death's Shadow bigger.
Tournament rules (and possibly the game rules) require a card to have the card's name on it. You can cover up the rest of the card, but the name is needed so that the card's text can be determined.
Outside of standard, Modern Gideons is looking mighty fine.
A better order is to activate Mind Over Matter targeting Izzet Chemister, then activate the chemister's first ability in response. This lets you exile the card you discarded.
I liked the idea of the mulligan rule where you draw 7 each time you mulligan, but once you decide to keep, you shuffle a card from your hand back into your deck for each time you mulliganed. This means you always see 7 cards to find those 3 lands which are really essential in an opening hand in limited, while still having a downside to mulling.
On a different note, what are people's thoughts on the idea that if both players mulligan, they both go up to 7 instead of both going to 6?
I'd say M13 was just as good as these. Exalted is a nice mechanic and the 5 rare legends were all straightforward.
Core sets definitely do need to return, both to have a return to resonant high fantasy every so often and to have a more flavor-neutral setting to reprint cards. Also a way to ensure each color in standard has access to its core mechanics and a reasonable set of answers. Using the core set to ensure cards like Banishing Light or Hero's Downfall remain in standard regardless of whatever the blocks are doing should help the "oh crap, we forgot to print enough answers. Ban ******* everything." problem they recently had.
That reminder text is incorrect. The Rats can deal damage, but protection prevents it. This is relevant because of cards like Skullcrack.
I think more accurately, Prowess is a triggered ability, whereas all the rest are static abilities. Prowess seems to be "left out" because it's currently the only evergreen keyword that isn't a static ability.