Note that you don't have to get something 2cmc higher. Its X or less, so you can go from a 3 drop into a 4 drop. So there are a lot more options opened up because of that.
Maybe my rules understanding is a little iffy. But sacrificing a kitchen finks to fetch an archangel of thune seems like it might be a bit good? Would the finks trigger after the spell had resolved, therefore triggering archangel, therefore resetting finks? For me, that seems reasonable enough to warrant playing archangel in azban coco, which was a marginally playable card anyway.
I'm not sure its good enough as a non-creature spell in coco decks (for modern), but I think it has potential!
Maybe not in CoCo but Kiki-Chord and other creature toolbox decks are gonna have a field day with this.
I've been extremely outspoken on blogatog about my disappointment in the legendary werewolf they gave us. Apparently while asking for years for this card, we somehow weren't specific enough with what we wanted. I had issue with that statement because 1: I have been VERY particular about what I wanted in a legendary werewolf through blogatog and other outlets. And 2: if they can't look at unsolicited designs, how are we to effectively communicate what we specifically want? I directly asked MaRo to admit they dropped the ball with this, and to his credit, he did. He didn't have to do that, he didn't have to reply at all. 99% of other companies would have basically said f off. However badly they missed on this, I have to give them credit for owning it. And I can see how they might not have exactly known what we are looking for. You would think though, that with the majority of people who wanted this card want it for werewolf tribal in most likely commander, they would be more aware of some sort of tribal synergy, any pay off at all for playing werewolves. Maybe they just weren't aware of how big a disadvantage having to skip turns and rely on your opponents not playing anything or not playing too many things is to werewolves. If that is the oversight, then I can understand. A lot of people are getting the idea that we just 100% hate Ulrich. I've said before, when I look at this card and ignore its creature types, I see a very strong and powerful card. Not the right pick for every deck, but still strong. My disappointment is not with the strength of this individual card, but rather that we used the one space in a set for a legendary werewolf until who knows when, and that space was not used to its fullest potential
My main problem is the fact of the disconnect. Wizards knew that this was a highly requested card, but, they gave us something that really doesn't satisfy anyone. Commander players will still play Ruric or Xenagos. In standard it just doesn't do enough to make it at the moment. I satisfies no one. Now fans of WW will have to wait another couple years until we comeback to Innistrad to get a better WW legend. Its just bad publicity as a whole. It shows that Wizards isn't listening very well to the requests from the player base.
Okay, so I began testing this card as soon as it came out. I tested it in standard and in modern WW. So due note that I won't be making unfounded statements of this card is bad or whatever. My conclusion about Ulrich is that he is ok. However, allow me to heir some grievances about him.
1. This card needed some type of keyword. Even if Ulrich had trample it would make it so much better. Something to make this a better beatstick than other creatures in standard. Everything else that is 5cmc right now is just better. Trample or Hexproof I feel would make sense for this type of card. However it doesn't have anything.
2. This is a card that feels like it would be printed in Theros. Something like Ulrich's ability feels like it would make sense back when actually midrange decks that played 4 or 5cmc cards were good. This would be a fine card back when RG monsters were the best deck. It just feels like something that should have been printed 2 years ago.
3. Ulrich is not in the right meta. This is a very similar situation to Arlinn Kord. RG is not situated very well in this meta where hyper aggressive decks are the way to go. If gruul was a better color combination then this card could be somewhat good. Maybe when the meta shifts this fall with Kaladesh then it could see play but we'll see.
4. It doesn't change anything. When it comes to big mythics like this I look for 2 things. Is it a powerful but splashy card and is it going to shift or change something in the meta. Ulrich does neither of these things. It can't stand its ground against GW tokens or humans so whats the point of playing the card.
5. This just wasn't a great reveal in general. Ulrich as a whole just doesn't satisfy anyone. It doesn't satisfy who wanted a constructed playable werewolf similar to Huntmaster. It doesn't satisfy commander players. It is a card that has no effect whatsoever.
6. Where are the tribal synergies? This speaks for itself.
In conclusion Ulrich is a card that does stone-cold nothing. It satisfies no one. It can't be good in this meta. All around it seems okay on paper but it is so bland and generic that it will stick out in people's minds. Wizards essentially just showed that they have no idea what werewolf players want and that's not good. This is gonna be one of the things that Eldritch Moon will be remembered for. Ulrich is a mess Wizards will eventually HAVE to clean up.
Well he's like Arlin Kord. Looks impressive but will do jack ***** in a real constructed format. He doesn't have any evasion whatsoever. Will be chumped all day by tokens. For a werewolf lord, he's all flash no bite.
I feel like there is a reason Ulrich is at the power-level he is. Its weird that a card people have been wanting for 5 years would be this boring and unimpressive. I do still like him due to my bias towards werewolves but he doesn't really change much. It may be a weird theory but maybe we'll see another alpha. Tovolar is a character that is still mostly a mystery and we still have not seen any sign of the Leeraug alpha Skaharra. Maybe we get those. I mean Tovolar could be mono red and Skaharra could be mono green. I dunno, I just feel there is something missing that will make up for Ulrich's blandness. I still stand by that he is an okay card but somethings up.
It does concern me that the other alphas could be monocolored. Tovolar especially - unless I am mistaken, the only cards that refer back to him are monored. Scares me that our only legitimate opportunity for a werewolf outside of Innistrad is mono-colored.
True, but they would probably have to be monocolored. They usually will only have 1 to 2 multicolored mythics and I highly doubt they would both be werewolves. They could be rares though. I dunno, I just want a something that pushes werewolves over the edge and Ulrich isn't really it. He's okay but not enough to make werewolves actually good.
Well he's like Arlin Kord. Looks impressive but will do jack ***** in a real constructed format. He doesn't have any evasion whatsoever. Will be chumped all day by tokens. For a werewolf lord, he's all flash no bite.
I feel like there is a reason Ulrich is at the power-level he is. Its weird that a card people have been wanting for 5 years would be this boring and unimpressive. I do still like him due to my bias towards werewolves but he doesn't really change much. It may be a weird theory but maybe we'll see another alpha. Tovolar is a character that is still mostly a mystery and we still have not seen any sign of the Leeraug alpha Skaharra. Maybe we get those. I mean Tovolar could be mono red and Skaharra could be mono green. I dunno, I just feel there is something missing that will make up for Ulrich's blandness. I still stand by that he is an okay card but somethings up.
As someone who is tired of eldrazi I'm actually hype for this card. Its a unique eldrazi and not just another wiggly monster. Also, if the front side is good this card could potentially be the nuts.
I gotta say, Tarmogoyf's new art has it looking freaky enough to tangle with Emrakul's abominations.
I mean, after the tease that is baby 'Goyf Moldgraf Scavenger and the revelation of Emrakul having delirium plus - this would be the most appropriate set for Tarmogoyf.
Edit: Y'know, unveiling Tarmogoyf for this set would be like the unveiling of the T-Rex in Jurrasic World to fight against the Indominous Rex.
We did see Nissa in the trailer btw. She could be the one who summons Tarmogoyf(s) in desperation.
It would be utterly, undeniably badass.
A Tarmogoyf-esque card maybe but actual Tarmogoyf? I'm 99.9% sure that wizards would not do that.
I wonder if they just skipped the part where wizards said this will be a powered down standard.
We didn't miss anything. We just think it's bull***** and continue to be upset about it.
Well if you wanted a format that had a consistent power level then standard isn't it. You can't expect Shadows or Eldritch Moon to be the same power as previous sets. That's not how Wizards does things. There are spikes and there are points where the power is low. You have to learn to live with that. You can be as upset with the power of standard as you want. However, standard will always be a format with high and low points. If you want a format with a consistently high power level play modern or legacy or something.
Yeah... and the power level has *been* this low since Theros (arguably since Gatecrash).
They temporarily forgot to print as many *****ty cards during Tarkir block,
but the fact remains that this "lull" in power has gone on quite long enough.
It's time to swing the pendulum back in the other direction.
While I do agree the power-level has been low for a while with some exceptions (Voice of Resurgence) I don't see the point in complaining about it. People need patience. The pendulum always swings back eventually.
Oh noes, the niche standard tribe isn't one of the average of three cards per set that break into the power fest that is Modern! WHATEVER SHALL WE DO!!!!
You know what, he should have given +8/+8, Annihilator 10, Trample, Infect, Flying, and cost RG. That would have been Modern playable!
People just seem so easily disappointed these days. Everyone is bashing this and the new Emrakul. I wonder if they just skipped the part where wizards said this will be a powered down standard. I think this card is perfectly fine. Not insane but not bad. It will probably show up in standard every so often and I'm gonna test it in modern werewolves. People need to stop expecting the power level of the old Innistrad.
Emrakul and Ulrich don't even match the power level of current standard. Emrakul is an absurdly worse ramp target than Newlamog and compare Ulrich to Avacyn. Wotc dropped the ball of these two legendaries and you know it.
I know what? I don't have to give in to anything and say "Oh, Ulrich and Emrakul are bad cause they don't live up to the hype." They are fine cards. I just don't understand the mentality of anything not as powerful as X card is bad. The idea of saying a card is bad and YOU know it is just not a good mindset to be in. I can like this card. You don't have to.
So you're only argument is "I think the cards are fine and that's my opinion."? Got it.
Not really. What I said is yes an opinion but what I was getting at was the "You know it" line. Essentially the person was saying that I should just accept that a card is bad because he said it was. I still stand by not judging a card based on the past. Standard is a format that has shifts so you can't expect every card to be as powerful as something before it. That's all I'm saying.
I feel that this standard is really interesting right now. Khans of Tarkir and Fate Reforged rotating got rid of the 4 colour good stuff. deck format it was
I feel that Nestalim is right and CoCo and Secure the Wastes are problem cards right now, which will be gone next rotation.
Secure is defiantly a problem but in the most recent open Humans and GW tokens were about 62% of the top 32. CoCo is still a problem card but when it leaves I don't feel much will change. The format is already moving slowly away from CoCo. I just feel the format is getting to that point like with Siege Rhino. It's the best so why try to defeat it. If you can't beat 'em (or don't want to in this case) then you join them. Hopefully Eldritch Moon will change something but I'm not so sure at this point.
Something I like to do at the tail end of a standard season is discuss whether or not a standard environment was a hit or miss. Now that Eldritch Moon spoilers are about to start and Shadows standard is winding down it's time to start this discussion.
For me this standard was very interesting. Khans rotated out which was a huge change. Standard changed quite a bit. Yes CoCo was still a tier 1/1.5 deck but we got some very interesting builds at the start of the format. However, after the pro tour is when I thought standard started to lose its momentum. The format turned into a slogfest of humans and GW tokens matches. The format became quite boring with the same deck making a showing every single tournament. Standard did pick up a bit at the most recent SCG open. Naya got second and some other decks showed up. This was a welcome change even though humans still won.
Overall, personally I think this standard was a rollercoster. It had a lot of ups and downs. The decks for me have been quite uninteresting. It's all aggro and token stratagies. As a whole I personally think this standard was more of a miss than a hit. Humans and GW token had the Seige Rhino effect. Its the best thing so why play anything else? In the end Shadows standard was a miss for me.
I wonder if they just skipped the part where wizards said this will be a powered down standard.
We didn't miss anything. We just think it's bull***** and continue to be upset about it.
Well if you wanted a format that had a consistent power level then standard isn't it. You can't expect Shadows or Eldritch Moon to be the same power as previous sets. That's not how Wizards does things. There are spikes and there are points where the power is low. You have to learn to live with that. You can be as upset with the power of standard as you want. However, standard will always be a format with high and low points. If you want a format with a consistently high power level play modern or legacy or something.
Maybe not in CoCo but Kiki-Chord and other creature toolbox decks are gonna have a field day with this.
My main problem is the fact of the disconnect. Wizards knew that this was a highly requested card, but, they gave us something that really doesn't satisfy anyone. Commander players will still play Ruric or Xenagos. In standard it just doesn't do enough to make it at the moment. I satisfies no one. Now fans of WW will have to wait another couple years until we comeback to Innistrad to get a better WW legend. Its just bad publicity as a whole. It shows that Wizards isn't listening very well to the requests from the player base.
1. This card needed some type of keyword. Even if Ulrich had trample it would make it so much better. Something to make this a better beatstick than other creatures in standard. Everything else that is 5cmc right now is just better. Trample or Hexproof I feel would make sense for this type of card. However it doesn't have anything.
2. This is a card that feels like it would be printed in Theros. Something like Ulrich's ability feels like it would make sense back when actually midrange decks that played 4 or 5cmc cards were good. This would be a fine card back when RG monsters were the best deck. It just feels like something that should have been printed 2 years ago.
3. Ulrich is not in the right meta. This is a very similar situation to Arlinn Kord. RG is not situated very well in this meta where hyper aggressive decks are the way to go. If gruul was a better color combination then this card could be somewhat good. Maybe when the meta shifts this fall with Kaladesh then it could see play but we'll see.
4. It doesn't change anything. When it comes to big mythics like this I look for 2 things. Is it a powerful but splashy card and is it going to shift or change something in the meta. Ulrich does neither of these things. It can't stand its ground against GW tokens or humans so whats the point of playing the card.
5. This just wasn't a great reveal in general. Ulrich as a whole just doesn't satisfy anyone. It doesn't satisfy who wanted a constructed playable werewolf similar to Huntmaster. It doesn't satisfy commander players. It is a card that has no effect whatsoever.
6. Where are the tribal synergies? This speaks for itself.
In conclusion Ulrich is a card that does stone-cold nothing. It satisfies no one. It can't be good in this meta. All around it seems okay on paper but it is so bland and generic that it will stick out in people's minds. Wizards essentially just showed that they have no idea what werewolf players want and that's not good. This is gonna be one of the things that Eldritch Moon will be remembered for. Ulrich is a mess Wizards will eventually HAVE to clean up.
True, but they would probably have to be monocolored. They usually will only have 1 to 2 multicolored mythics and I highly doubt they would both be werewolves. They could be rares though. I dunno, I just want a something that pushes werewolves over the edge and Ulrich isn't really it. He's okay but not enough to make werewolves actually good.
I feel like there is a reason Ulrich is at the power-level he is. Its weird that a card people have been wanting for 5 years would be this boring and unimpressive. I do still like him due to my bias towards werewolves but he doesn't really change much. It may be a weird theory but maybe we'll see another alpha. Tovolar is a character that is still mostly a mystery and we still have not seen any sign of the Leeraug alpha Skaharra. Maybe we get those. I mean Tovolar could be mono red and Skaharra could be mono green. I dunno, I just feel there is something missing that will make up for Ulrich's blandness. I still stand by that he is an okay card but somethings up.
A Tarmogoyf-esque card maybe but actual Tarmogoyf? I'm 99.9% sure that wizards would not do that.
While I do agree the power-level has been low for a while with some exceptions (Voice of Resurgence) I don't see the point in complaining about it. People need patience. The pendulum always swings back eventually.
Not really. What I said is yes an opinion but what I was getting at was the "You know it" line. Essentially the person was saying that I should just accept that a card is bad because he said it was. I still stand by not judging a card based on the past. Standard is a format that has shifts so you can't expect every card to be as powerful as something before it. That's all I'm saying.
Secure is defiantly a problem but in the most recent open Humans and GW tokens were about 62% of the top 32. CoCo is still a problem card but when it leaves I don't feel much will change. The format is already moving slowly away from CoCo. I just feel the format is getting to that point like with Siege Rhino. It's the best so why try to defeat it. If you can't beat 'em (or don't want to in this case) then you join them. Hopefully Eldritch Moon will change something but I'm not so sure at this point.
For me this standard was very interesting. Khans rotated out which was a huge change. Standard changed quite a bit. Yes CoCo was still a tier 1/1.5 deck but we got some very interesting builds at the start of the format. However, after the pro tour is when I thought standard started to lose its momentum. The format turned into a slogfest of humans and GW tokens matches. The format became quite boring with the same deck making a showing every single tournament. Standard did pick up a bit at the most recent SCG open. Naya got second and some other decks showed up. This was a welcome change even though humans still won.
Overall, personally I think this standard was a rollercoster. It had a lot of ups and downs. The decks for me have been quite uninteresting. It's all aggro and token stratagies. As a whole I personally think this standard was more of a miss than a hit. Humans and GW token had the Seige Rhino effect. Its the best thing so why play anything else? In the end Shadows standard was a miss for me.
Well if you wanted a format that had a consistent power level then standard isn't it. You can't expect Shadows or Eldritch Moon to be the same power as previous sets. That's not how Wizards does things. There are spikes and there are points where the power is low. You have to learn to live with that. You can be as upset with the power of standard as you want. However, standard will always be a format with high and low points. If you want a format with a consistently high power level play modern or legacy or something.