you hit the nail on the head regarding this card. especially the part about how pros will love the deck and how it'll be over represented at top tables because of it.
anywho, i know its not really a "delay," but i had an inkling of hope that the "delay" is because they're actually testing how the impact of unbans. then i laughed and remembered its Wizards..
As much as I hope this is the case. I think it was always planned for the 3rd, and we (the players) got the date wrong.
Everything else seems ok to me. Right now the format seems to need a shake and introducing many new players would likely allow it to evolve into a more open field.
As I've pointed out before. Artifact lands would make affinity the undisputed king. What many people that say these should be unbanned need to realize is that the current artifact based aggro deck is robots. It has only 1 affinity card in the lot. Being able to spit out a plethora of 1/1 2/2 and 4/4s on turn 1-2 is too powerful. The standard version of affinity didn't need to run cards like spring leaf drum for ramp. Or signal pest for pump. Look at the following list of cards that would become instant 4 ofs with art land unbanned and tell me how it would be fair. Even with cranial plating and MOX opal banned.
Its a completely different deck then its current iteration. I agree the art lands would not break current robot builds, but who would play that over old school ravager affinity?
Some witty blue card name~
UU
Sorcery
Scry 2. Fateseal 2.
Some more witty blue card name~~
2UU
Counter target spell.
Cycling U
When you cycle ~ counter target instant or sorcery spell unless its controller pays 1.
Those would be enough to make a decent Boros Slide deck. Lightning Rift would be icing on the cake though... The more I think about it, a UW slide deck would be very fun w/ Brine elemental and vesuvan shapeshifter. Can get pickles combo going faster. "free un-morph" may even make it fast enough to stand up to existing modern decks.
For those of you saying Delver is seeing play... think again. P&P would help the decks out as well as push merfolk up a % or two.
Twin Exarch 13 %
Scapeshift 3 %
UR Storm 2 %
It would make UR storm a more playable arctype... without seething song they could use the extra cantrips. Scapeshift may even use it as well. True Twin Exarch will get more played, but as stated by many other posters it doesn't increase its power level, just it's consistency. Seeing 4 other decks increase in popularity due to a Unban is well worth the minor boost to an already tier 1 deck type.
If they don't unban something I'm quitting modern forever in favor of legacy or, xenagos forbid, standard
I wouldn't go that far. But if something dumb like DRS gets banned... that's time to jump ship. I enjoy modern for having a higher PL then standard... maybe legacy is the format for me
Valkut is not a one card combo. Its a like a 10 card combo because you have to count it, scapeshift, and all the lands you fetch up to kill them.
Just because you have tested it and say affinity and infect are horrible matchups doesnt make it a safe unban. The card itself may not be "overpowered" but what it can accomplish and the decks it can create make it overpowered.
The thing is, the majority of players that say "its too powerful" haven't tested it. I was stating the affinity/infect matchups because my playgroup has tested it and it is not as overpowered as we thought. We've even gone lengths to test is along side JTMS and AV in the same deck. Current itterations or decks w/ a few tweaks eaisly handle the Fae build.
We've tested BB in jund/junk/bw tokens as well. Jund its too slow for what it provides, junk its great with hero of bladehold version but otherwise proved to be more then a burden then what you get. BW tokens was nice to have, and frankly that deck deserves BB.
Please test the cards out yourself before claiming "the potential for it to be broken is too high." The potential for Valakut was too high, thats why it was originally on the banlist... and that is not dominating the format.
BB is no more broken then Birthing Pod or Kiki-Jiki
Decay, pulse, pridemate, beast within, etc all over the place theres alot more MD enchantment removal then people give credit for. Abrupt decay being the best.
That discard that they would run will be run against them as well. Iok/Duress/Thoughtseize all ping the card before its cast. There is plenty of answers to this card. Valkut is a 1 card "combo" and gets backed up by counters, WotC thought it was too powerful for the format as well... look where its at now. Just because BB was great in extended/Standard doesn't mean it will be broken here too... hell JTMS isnt broken enough for modern due to lack of other blue to back it up... but thats a different argument.
BB is safe, the people who think its not should do some testing. My playgroup has tested the piss out of BUG and UB Fae w/ BB... its not nearly as powerful as you all give it credit for. Any fast deck can outrace Fae. Affinity and infect are horrible matchups.
I would say safe unbannes are:
Wild Nactl
Bloodbraid Elf (only if the unban Jace)
Jace TMS (only if they unban BBE)
I will also say I would not be surprised if they banned Deathrite Shaman, but I dont think its needed. If they want to unban BBE Deathrite should go.
All in all Wild Nactl is easily the safest unban along with Visions
Bitterblossom is a safe card to unban now... the amount of MD removal for it is absurd, and fae can only run 4 copies of scion of oona... a 1/1 dies to pyroclasm as well as the rest of the deck. Fae is not nearly as strong as it would have been in standard/extended... Abrupt Decay says hello.
AF didnt talk any where near as much about Kut as he did BB.
This is partially correct. Certain builds are very bogle dependent. Some 3 color versions run abundant growth. Turn 1 bogle into a turn 2 abundant growth into keen sense and ethereal armor is usually a rough start for people to over come.
A turn 2 Lily usually kills the game plan right then and there. With most bogle decks only running 12 creatures, its difficult to get a flow of creatures on board to sac every turn.
Mana tithe usually puts people on tilt. Hit an early spell game one and most times all you have to do is leave white mana open and people balk at trying to tap out to hit any thing. It seriously changes how people play for the entire match. I run them main and side them out for game 2. The fear of the tithe usually gets me the match.
Turn 1 Land > Boggle... ok
Turn 2 Land > abundant growth ... ok > keen sense ok > etherial armor? where did u get this magical 3rd mana?
Again it's very slow still, but an active bloodchief + zur's = auto lock
As much as I hope this is the case. I think it was always planned for the 3rd, and we (the players) got the date wrong.
As I've pointed out before. Artifact lands would make affinity the undisputed king. What many people that say these should be unbanned need to realize is that the current artifact based aggro deck is robots. It has only 1 affinity card in the lot. Being able to spit out a plethora of 1/1 2/2 and 4/4s on turn 1-2 is too powerful. The standard version of affinity didn't need to run cards like spring leaf drum for ramp. Or signal pest for pump. Look at the following list of cards that would become instant 4 ofs with art land unbanned and tell me how it would be fair. Even with cranial plating and MOX opal banned.
Its a completely different deck then its current iteration. I agree the art lands would not break current robot builds, but who would play that over old school ravager affinity?
UU
Sorcery
Scry 2. Fateseal 2.
Some more witty blue card name~~
2UU
Counter target spell.
Cycling U
When you cycle ~ counter target instant or sorcery spell unless its controller pays 1.
Those would be enough to make a decent Boros Slide deck. Lightning Rift would be icing on the cake though... The more I think about it, a UW slide deck would be very fun w/ Brine elemental and vesuvan shapeshifter. Can get pickles combo going faster. "free un-morph" may even make it fast enough to stand up to existing modern decks.
Jund 12 %
Affinity 11 %
Merfolk 6 %
Junk 4 %
UR Aggro 3 %
RUG Aggro 0 %
For those of you saying Delver is seeing play... think again. P&P would help the decks out as well as push merfolk up a % or two.
Twin Exarch 13 %
Scapeshift 3 %
UR Storm 2 %
It would make UR storm a more playable arctype... without seething song they could use the extra cantrips. Scapeshift may even use it as well. True Twin Exarch will get more played, but as stated by many other posters it doesn't increase its power level, just it's consistency. Seeing 4 other decks increase in popularity due to a Unban is well worth the minor boost to an already tier 1 deck type.
I wouldn't go that far. But if something dumb like DRS gets banned... that's time to jump ship. I enjoy modern for having a higher PL then standard... maybe legacy is the format for me
A good scape shift player wouldn't go off with 7 lands with a text edge out. This matchup is rough without enough discard effects
The thing is, the majority of players that say "its too powerful" haven't tested it. I was stating the affinity/infect matchups because my playgroup has tested it and it is not as overpowered as we thought. We've even gone lengths to test is along side JTMS and AV in the same deck. Current itterations or decks w/ a few tweaks eaisly handle the Fae build.
We've tested BB in jund/junk/bw tokens as well. Jund its too slow for what it provides, junk its great with hero of bladehold version but otherwise proved to be more then a burden then what you get. BW tokens was nice to have, and frankly that deck deserves BB.
Please test the cards out yourself before claiming "the potential for it to be broken is too high." The potential for Valakut was too high, thats why it was originally on the banlist... and that is not dominating the format.
BB is no more broken then Birthing Pod or Kiki-Jiki
That discard that they would run will be run against them as well. Iok/Duress/Thoughtseize all ping the card before its cast. There is plenty of answers to this card. Valkut is a 1 card "combo" and gets backed up by counters, WotC thought it was too powerful for the format as well... look where its at now. Just because BB was great in extended/Standard doesn't mean it will be broken here too... hell JTMS isnt broken enough for modern due to lack of other blue to back it up... but thats a different argument.
BB is safe, the people who think its not should do some testing. My playgroup has tested the piss out of BUG and UB Fae w/ BB... its not nearly as powerful as you all give it credit for. Any fast deck can outrace Fae. Affinity and infect are horrible matchups.
Bitterblossom is a safe card to unban now... the amount of MD removal for it is absurd, and fae can only run 4 copies of scion of oona... a 1/1 dies to pyroclasm as well as the rest of the deck. Fae is not nearly as strong as it would have been in standard/extended... Abrupt Decay says hello.
Wild Nacatl
Golgari-Grave Troll
Sword of the Meek
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Seething Song
Bitterblossom
Ancestral Visions
Preordain
Bloodbraid Elf
This list I feel would up some arc types without pushing any existing decks out. It will even add new lists entirely.
What I expect:
No change. WoTC has no nuts to do the above.
Turn 1 Land > Boggle... ok
Turn 2 Land > abundant growth ... ok > keen sense ok > etherial armor? where did u get this magical 3rd mana?