There's virtually no reason you'd want to play a 2/2 for 3 in this format, no matter what kind of upside you get flipping it up. The morph creature has to be played more for the face up side than the face down at the very least.
It really depends on the deck. In a more proactive deck like a monsters deck, Stormbreath is far far better. Most importantly in this shell, Stormbreath doesn't die to your opponent's attacking creatures, meaning you can be more proactive.
In a removal shell like a mardu planeswalkers deck Sarkhan is better because he is more versatile and your goal is to keep your opponent's board clear to protect your 'walkers.
In a vacuum Sarkhan is definitely better. In the current meta though Stormbreath I feel is better positioned. Stormbreath dodges Abzan Charm, Utter End, Jeskai Charm, and Banishing Light where Sarkhan doesn't, and while Sarkhan can easily -3 away threats like Mantis Rider and Butcher of the Horde, he matches up poorly against Seige Rhino and Wingmate Roc, both of which Stormbreath Dragon is great against in both the attacking and blocking positions against Roc, Rhino, Rider, and Butcher.
The meta right now is very good for Stormbreath in proactive decks. If you have Sarkhan's sleeved up in your Jeskai Wins deck, I highly recommend swapping them out for Stormbreaths.
Echoing what everyone else has said, and another point, this is the only card that ties up your mana instead of giving you a mana sink. If you're opponent isn't doing anything the ability doesn't do anything, and if you are doing things (which you should be as a midrange deck) you can't activate the ability because it costs so much.
As much as people seem to like the indestructable text, it won't actually do anything in a midrange shell. If any of these sees play, its going to be Soul of Shandalar, relevant keyword ability and a relevant, powerful mana sink.
At this point I'm pretty positive that the unique block structure toted for this block is Large and Small Tarkir sets followed by a large set for a different plane. Would do wonders to keep limited fresh.
It was most likely "{T}: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. Mana Confluence deals 1 damage to you."
It's "fixed" in that it doesn't create a trigger and it doesn't damage you when is tapped by something like Rishadan Port.
That said, the templating for this card was extremely obvious. It sometimes seems like Design and Development are willfully ignorant of proper templating. At least, that's the impression I get from these articles.
Alright so its on. I like the look so far. The Sarkhan art is especially good.
I'm still speculating that this is a "combat matters" block, they started with combat, thought "a mongolian like setting would fit well" and decided to make it Sarkhan's plane. It could be Bizzaralara though, there is a lot of white and red and black in that pic (pls no).
Like most of you I'm hoping that the returning thing is fetchlands.
Also, speculation on the block at large, I think its going to be Khans of Tarkir -> Dragons of Tarkir -> New Plane. Like they wanted to for Innistrad and then they realized Innistrad was too strong.
Font of Fortunes I think is the big pick up for the set. Its essentially a curve-filling, fast Divination which is exactly what the leaner, more efficient straight UW wants. Banishing Light is also cool, all of the Oblivion Rings.
No Elspeth, which is still suprising me. I'm choosing Aetherling instead because GR is kind of dying off and Aetherling is better against monoblack (I think). He is also much faster which is very good for paper magic.
I'm having lots of problems finding space in the list, I'd like to play a 1-of Fated Retribution in the main but I just can't find room, even with the leaner Elixirling wincon package. My least favorite card in the deck right now is the Syncopate, but its flexible enough that I can't cut it.
Here's my opinion on green, green is good right now, but its a faulty good. Green is good because we have some of the best bigger creatures ever printed right now, and creatures have always been the best card type. The problem is green has basically no depth beyond that. It gets big creatures. And big creatures are good. But to do basically anything else worthwhile you have to run another color.
As for our trample argument? Bleh. It'd be nice if something big and green and playable had trample so people have more ways to actually kill Elspeths, but it seems pretty obvious to me development underestimated our sixth Titan here.
I was curious about this because I missed the finals, but the finals of GP Detroit was UW Control vs Mono Black (and UW won.)
There was a GW Aggro player in 10th, but none in top8. Maybe you misremembered? Sounds like an interesting game. Kinda want to see it.
EDIT: I think I found it. Was it the Dallas Open? Found Jason Blackmor came in second with GW.
EDIT: I watched em. He got a ton of rats out G1, but that whole game was won mostly on Blackmor missing his third land drop, which left him with two Advent of the Wurm stranded in his hand. G3 is the one you want to point me to, Schoolcraft basically drops two Desecration Demons and wins. Either way, these games are pretty good IMO, little bit of misfortune on Blackmor's side, but the underdog can't always win I guess.
Lifebane Zombie happens to see more play than the others because it happens to be in the color of the mono-colored deck that is the top deck in standard right now, but they aren't going to ban it for doing exactly what they meant for it to do. they'd rather just wait it out for the minimal amount of time it will be in standard and honestly so would i.
You're right that they'll just wait it out like they usually do for standard bannings, but Lifebane isn't played just because black happens to be good. Lifebane is far and away the best card in the cycle. It gives you relevant information regardless of what you are playing against, it is unblockable against most decks, and it is power efficient. Then after all that you count in the hoser ability is ALSO the best by far, immediately exiling a card of your choice, exiling a creature card (the best card type in standard), representing an immediate card for card trade that also plops down the efficient body I just talked about? Insane. Meanwhile Witchstalker can sometimes get a little bit bigger, but not really because of how easy it is to play around, Tidebinder Mage has a mediocre body and an effect that dies to a removal spell, Mindsparker has a decent body but a middling and narrow damage effect, which leaves us Fiendslayer which really only blanks removal spells (which is good), but doesn't have the protection it actually needs to block effectively or attack through Demons.
As for my other rating, if WotC bans any card this cycle, its Supreme Verdict. WotC has a very long and established history of hating on the UW strategy ever since Sphinx's Revelation was printed. It is finally doing well, mostly because of how powerful Supreme Verdict is. It actually is having an effect on the meta, IMO, decks that don't have a way to beat Supreme Verdict generally end at the drawing board. But honestly, there is no way WotC bans a card in this relatively healthy standard season.
Playing against decks that just stalls until it Sphinx's Rev for like a million is not fun. Playing against a deck that can thoughtseize, pack rat, lifebane zombie, desecration demon, and gary, in the first 5 turns in that order, is not fun. What's worse if you have all those netdeckers just jumping on the bandwagon. I admit, U/W/x control does take skill, but mono-black hardly takes any skill to play.
I play UW control and I disagree. Monoblack has been much harder for me to play than UW. Thoughtseize can often be difficult to play correctly, so can saving your removal for the threats that count. I always feel like I run out of removal or the threats I have don't matter. People really do overrate how difficult it is to play control decks.
I actually think Supreme Verdict is to blame. Not Sphinx's Revelation, Supreme Verdict.
Think about it this way. You come up with a neat deck that can do well against a lot of the format. "But how does it beat Supreme Verdict?" you ask yourself. If it can't then its back to the drawing board.
Courser of Kruphix, Hero's Downfall, Goblin Rabblemaster, Banishing Light, Abzan Charm, Brimaz, Mantis Rider, Crackling Doom...
There's virtually no reason you'd want to play a 2/2 for 3 in this format, no matter what kind of upside you get flipping it up. The morph creature has to be played more for the face up side than the face down at the very least.
In a removal shell like a mardu planeswalkers deck Sarkhan is better because he is more versatile and your goal is to keep your opponent's board clear to protect your 'walkers.
In a vacuum Sarkhan is definitely better. In the current meta though Stormbreath I feel is better positioned. Stormbreath dodges Abzan Charm, Utter End, Jeskai Charm, and Banishing Light where Sarkhan doesn't, and while Sarkhan can easily -3 away threats like Mantis Rider and Butcher of the Horde, he matches up poorly against Seige Rhino and Wingmate Roc, both of which Stormbreath Dragon is great against in both the attacking and blocking positions against Roc, Rhino, Rider, and Butcher.
The meta right now is very good for Stormbreath in proactive decks. If you have Sarkhan's sleeved up in your Jeskai Wins deck, I highly recommend swapping them out for Stormbreaths.
As much as people seem to like the indestructable text, it won't actually do anything in a midrange shell. If any of these sees play, its going to be Soul of Shandalar, relevant keyword ability and a relevant, powerful mana sink.
It's "fixed" in that it doesn't create a trigger and it doesn't damage you when is tapped by something like Rishadan Port.
That said, the templating for this card was extremely obvious. It sometimes seems like Design and Development are willfully ignorant of proper templating. At least, that's the impression I get from these articles.
Paragon of Open Graves's activated ability is definitely either 1B or 2B. I think its 1B, but its definitely not B
Ulcerize is an uncommon (Unfortunately...)
Hot Soup is 1 mana.
I'm still speculating that this is a "combat matters" block, they started with combat, thought "a mongolian like setting would fit well" and decided to make it Sarkhan's plane. It could be Bizzaralara though, there is a lot of white and red and black in that pic (pls no).
Like most of you I'm hoping that the returning thing is fetchlands.
Also, speculation on the block at large, I think its going to be Khans of Tarkir -> Dragons of Tarkir -> New Plane. Like they wanted to for Innistrad and then they realized Innistrad was too strong.
Also, are those orcs?
2 Azorius Guildgate
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Temple of Enlightenment
4 Mutavault
7 Island
5 Plains
Creatures
1 Aetherling
Planeswalkers
4 Jace, Architect of Thought
Spells
3 Font of Fortunes
4 Detention Sphere
2 Banishing Light
3 Last Breath
2 Celestial Flare
1 Deicide
1 Syncopate
4 Dissolve
4 Sphinx's Revelation
4 Supreme Verdict
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Aetherling
1 Opportunity
1 Dispel
4 Negate
2 Gainsay
2 Fated Retribution
2 Reprisal
1 Deicide
1 Pithing Needle
Font of Fortunes I think is the big pick up for the set. Its essentially a curve-filling, fast Divination which is exactly what the leaner, more efficient straight UW wants. Banishing Light is also cool, all of the Oblivion Rings.
No Elspeth, which is still suprising me. I'm choosing Aetherling instead because GR is kind of dying off and Aetherling is better against monoblack (I think). He is also much faster which is very good for paper magic.
I'm having lots of problems finding space in the list, I'd like to play a 1-of Fated Retribution in the main but I just can't find room, even with the leaner Elixirling wincon package. My least favorite card in the deck right now is the Syncopate, but its flexible enough that I can't cut it.
Thoughts?
As for our trample argument? Bleh. It'd be nice if something big and green and playable had trample so people have more ways to actually kill Elspeths, but it seems pretty obvious to me development underestimated our sixth Titan here.
There was a GW Aggro player in 10th, but none in top8. Maybe you misremembered? Sounds like an interesting game. Kinda want to see it.
EDIT: I think I found it. Was it the Dallas Open? Found Jason Blackmor came in second with GW.
EDIT: I watched em. He got a ton of rats out G1, but that whole game was won mostly on Blackmor missing his third land drop, which left him with two Advent of the Wurm stranded in his hand. G3 is the one you want to point me to, Schoolcraft basically drops two Desecration Demons and wins. Either way, these games are pretty good IMO, little bit of misfortune on Blackmor's side, but the underdog can't always win I guess.
You're right that they'll just wait it out like they usually do for standard bannings, but Lifebane isn't played just because black happens to be good. Lifebane is far and away the best card in the cycle. It gives you relevant information regardless of what you are playing against, it is unblockable against most decks, and it is power efficient. Then after all that you count in the hoser ability is ALSO the best by far, immediately exiling a card of your choice, exiling a creature card (the best card type in standard), representing an immediate card for card trade that also plops down the efficient body I just talked about? Insane. Meanwhile Witchstalker can sometimes get a little bit bigger, but not really because of how easy it is to play around, Tidebinder Mage has a mediocre body and an effect that dies to a removal spell, Mindsparker has a decent body but a middling and narrow damage effect, which leaves us Fiendslayer which really only blanks removal spells (which is good), but doesn't have the protection it actually needs to block effectively or attack through Demons.
As for my other rating, if WotC bans any card this cycle, its Supreme Verdict. WotC has a very long and established history of hating on the UW strategy ever since Sphinx's Revelation was printed. It is finally doing well, mostly because of how powerful Supreme Verdict is. It actually is having an effect on the meta, IMO, decks that don't have a way to beat Supreme Verdict generally end at the drawing board. But honestly, there is no way WotC bans a card in this relatively healthy standard season.
I play UW control and I disagree. Monoblack has been much harder for me to play than UW. Thoughtseize can often be difficult to play correctly, so can saving your removal for the threats that count. I always feel like I run out of removal or the threats I have don't matter. People really do overrate how difficult it is to play control decks.
Assuming of course, Renounce becomes a good option again. It could be if Domri decks get popular again for some reason.
Think about it this way. You come up with a neat deck that can do well against a lot of the format. "But how does it beat Supreme Verdict?" you ask yourself. If it can't then its back to the drawing board.