I’m pretty sure it has been revealed that a phyrexian jump-start pack is a thing. The thought that they’d print another mythic in phyrexian like they did for the Elesh Norn promo doesn’t seem too impossible.
I’m also a little skeptical on the Un-set as I’m pretty sure that one or two of the three emails he received were from before Unsanctioned was officially announced.
I will say that I can imagine a fantasy situation with this and Torrential Gearhulk that makes me drool.
counter a spell, bounce a permanent, draw a card, and make another gearhulk... which bounces the original gearhulk, draws a card, and makes another copy of the token gearhulk...
Not enough for an inclusion but darn if that wouldn’t be impressive.
Suspending Rift Bolt on Turn 2 before casting it turn 3 is cool. A Turn 2 play after fireblast would be risky as hell but kind of stylish. Bolt and Chain are pretty decent and either browbeat or Brimstone Volley could theoretically get this card out on turn 4 (if you're using either card), as does a turn 3 sulfuric Vortex.
Ultimately, though, I don't think that most cubes use enough burn to the face for this care to be worth testing.
I was pretty down on this card for a bit but I think that I might like really like this guy. Playing this to bounce your Brazen Borrower or Murderous Rider back to your hand and gain 3 life is pretty decent. Being able to save your own creatures from the Banishing Light, Prison Realm, or Shatter the Sky effects control decks are relying on without giving up net board position seems pretty decent. The fact that extra copies you draw can be recycled into extra cards is just gravy.
...I could also imagine Esper Humans potentailly emerging in the future as this card is an instant-speed indestructible speed bump with General's Enforcer who can trigger General Kudro of Drannith at instant speed to nail Uro and discard extra Kudros for value. Of course, that is probably wishful thinking.
In this card’s defense, I’d rather have this card over most of the Hasty dragons against instant speed kill.
If my opponent is about to dismember, path, or trophy any 5-cost dragon I play, I’d rather deal them 3 damage than deal their fliers 1 damage and tap them in most situations.
This is an odd one. The stats are amazing, the ability is great, and the protection is notable...
...except that banishing light can swallow this guy whole (note that the 3 life only protects against spells, not abilities).
Still think that this card is an amazing dragon that will make a big splash in commander but it lacks the immediate of something like glorybringer so I’m not sure how it will do elsewhere. Crossing my fingers, though.
Looks like you wrote down the wrong mana cost in the transcript. Wouldn’t normally complain but that incorrect mana cost is also printed on the main page now.
The fact that the standard bearer doesn't make you lose X life (which I was half-expecting, honestly) and doesn't say "nontoken" makes me feel pretty good about it. Sacrifice a bunch of tokens with woe strider to dig for an answer and draw it with the bearer. Seems pretty nice (and works nicely with living death, oddly enough).
Out of idle curiosity, what's MTGA's policy regarding intentional creation of infinite loops? If I enter a deck whose entire point is vulpikeet-ing these hydras to technically never lose a game, would I bet kicked off for unsportsmanlike behavior? I remember someone getting in trouble for slow play relating to Nexus on MTGA but that was a super lengthy process whereas an infinite loop would be immediately established.
If a cube ever reaches a critical density of weaker creatures that want to attack (like robber of the rich, stromkirk noble,Geist of Saint Traft, Trygon Predator, etc.), something like this might be interesting. Until then, though, I'm kind of lukewarm on this card. I will say that it looks like a decent token supplement in red, which may be nice for some larger cubes.
Hmmm... Rankle, Chevill, Robber, and Borrower are all rogues. Rather than using this for tribal synergies, however, I imagine that it will be seen as a one-mana kill spell that mills 2 in the late-game. Seems pretty decent.
I’m also a little skeptical on the Un-set as I’m pretty sure that one or two of the three emails he received were from before Unsanctioned was officially announced.
counter a spell, bounce a permanent, draw a card, and make another gearhulk... which bounces the original gearhulk, draws a card, and makes another copy of the token gearhulk...
Not enough for an inclusion but darn if that wouldn’t be impressive.
Also just realized where this fits in an extended cycle of sorts:
3: archmage’s charm
4: Cryptic Command
5: Mystic Confluence
6: Sublime Epiphany
I can’t wait until the 7-CMC version lets us take an extra turn (jk).
Suspending Rift Bolt on Turn 2 before casting it turn 3 is cool. A Turn 2 play after fireblast would be risky as hell but kind of stylish. Bolt and Chain are pretty decent and either browbeat or Brimstone Volley could theoretically get this card out on turn 4 (if you're using either card), as does a turn 3 sulfuric Vortex.
Ultimately, though, I don't think that most cubes use enough burn to the face for this care to be worth testing.
...I could also imagine Esper Humans potentailly emerging in the future as this card is an instant-speed indestructible speed bump with General's Enforcer who can trigger General Kudro of Drannith at instant speed to nail Uro and discard extra Kudros for value. Of course, that is probably wishful thinking.
If my opponent is about to dismember, path, or trophy any 5-cost dragon I play, I’d rather deal them 3 damage than deal their fliers 1 damage and tap them in most situations.
...except that banishing light can swallow this guy whole (note that the 3 life only protects against spells, not abilities).
Still think that this card is an amazing dragon that will make a big splash in commander but it lacks the immediate of something like glorybringer so I’m not sure how it will do elsewhere. Crossing my fingers, though.
Polymorph works the same way, of course, but red has a decent number of threaten effects.