Cantrips are good, boring effects that win games. Cantrips that get you what you need when you need them are premium. They ensure you have less nongames by smoothing out your hand and preventing awkward stall outs.
If your cube is one dominated by synergistic archetypes, you probably play less "air" and are uninterested in a card like this. If your cube is more cutthroat, faster (topping out at 4cmc) and interaction heavy, 1cmc spells and cantrips are very desirable and this card is incredible.
It's my personal favorite green 4. I think it's probably behind Questing Beast and Thrun on power alone, but only by a little. It is a downright good card.
For what it's worth, I do think Showdown fits in a lot more decks than your average aggro topper though! Currently a lot of Yorion lists are running Showdown because blinking it even once is disgusting. Shepherd of the Flock is actually even better with it, cuz it's two spells.
Two other lesser considered cards that have stood out to me so far:
Esika's Chariot. Card runs a value train on them. Frequently worth 12 power for four mana. Everybody likes to talk about how the opponent can cast a removal spell on the token you're targeting to "blow you out" but they forget that you still have a 4/4 body, another 2/2 cat, and anything else you did that turn with all of your untapped lands. I have often had my opponent spend two removal spells on the tokens Chariot creates, later wrath the board, and still have Chariot be relevant in the game. Also plays extremely well with Starnheim Unleashed in your opening hand. I think this card will give life to Selesnya token strategies while also being a very good card in it's own right. It is, still, a fair card and probably doesnt fit cutthroat powered lists.
Clarion Spirit. Pretty impressed with this in limited. Turn three this and a one drop or bolt make it a 2mana Pia Nalaar right off the bat. Two activations and you've got Whirler Rogue stats. The flying has mattered quite a bit. I like that this works equally well in a low to the ground aggro weenie deck and a Jeskai prowess tempo deck since it doesnt care about what type of spells you are casting. Bonus points for working so well with Showdown of the Skalds. Not certain how long it'll last, but it fills a void in my white section atm and I am currently optimistic.
Been playing it for two days in Standard, and Showdown of the Skalds feels busted. Like potentially the best card in standard, but certainly the best card in the aggro deck I'm playing. Turns out four cards is a *lot* and an average of three +1/+1 counters goes a hell of a long way toward closing out the game. Most people would play a 2RW 3/3 that draws two cards on etb. 2RW for a 3/3 that draws four cards is absurd. This card often plays like that.
If you're looking for a new Boros card that packs a punch outside of Winota, I sincerely recommend testing it.
This feels both highly flexible and good on rate. The kinda card I would love to see in my opening hand, and could flex around an evolving board state/curve.
Weirdly enough, the mode I'm most excited about is T2 Foretell > T3 4/4 Angel. It's certainly not the best case scenario for the card, but I love that it's there and I know I'm going to have hands where I'm stuck on mana and it's the right call.
I also think this is a sweet Selesnya card. Scales higher with ramp, plays well with Rhonas/Kiora/Surrak, makes tokens for populate. Curves off that new Cat Chariot well too.
I think this is a winner. Shame about the art though.
I've been more frustrated than impressed with snow this set so far. Didn't do much to make it 1. interesting or 2. not just objectively better than basic lands. Feels like they were brought back based on expectation/hype without new solutions or gameplay patterns.
I'm sure there'll be good ones by the time the sets fully out, but I'm not so sure they'll excite me.
I feel like a crucial element that makes Gisella work is the first strike. This Angel is likely to die in combat the same amount as Rankle but without haste, two less abilities, and the one ability it does have costs mana. It's a miss for me I think.
I do think crew 4 is prohibitive, and it's a bit optimistic to assume you'll be able to keep using the tokens to crew it. Nevertheless, the value in this is much more wrapped up in the ETB trigger than with Skysovereign. 5 for a weaker lightning bolt is much worse than 3G for 2 2/2s. This card absolutely dominates that comparison.
That said, I don't think this is a small-cube staple or anything. It's never really going to be broken.
This is where I'm at. I don't think it's *nuts*, but I think it's quite good.
The Skysovereign comparison is super weird because Skysovereign doesn't create a 3/3 on etb. I think we can all agree Skysovereign would be a very different card if it crewed itself on an empty board instead of sitting there waiting for your topdeck. This on an empty board is activated and grows in value every turn. That's why I think it is wrong to evaluate this as any other vehicle.
This competes with Trumpeting Herd, Wicked Wolf, Nightpack Ambusher, Thrun, Polukranos, Questing Beast, Huntmaster, and Wolfbriar Elemental. Beefy unga bunga value creatures that noticeably all *die to wrath of god* without leaving any vehicle behind like these cat tokens do.
If your cube doesn't want the above listed creatures, it probably doesn't want this imo. If it does, this card trades up with a LOT more interaction than the average 4drop does.
I think calling it 8 p/t is a stretch since you need 4 power to tap to make the 4 power on the actual card work.
Sure, but creatures are commonly valued by how they trade with an opponent's resources. If you're using 4 power to crew this and throwing it in to the red zone, when it dies you will be left with... 4 power. If it doesn't die, it makes more cats until you have 8 power to use simultaneously (and another 4 power hidden behind the chariot).
If a 4/4 body is considered "a card" then trading with the Chariot itself is a 2 for 1. I think its easy to evaluate this as any other vehicle, but I don't think it will play like any other vehicle we've had before. I think this is a lot closer to a Batterskull variant than a Heart of Kiran for instance.
As my play group loves gold cards and I am (foolishly) playing a full set of tricolors...
Eve, the Golden Hour
Legendary Creature - Angel
Flash
Flying, First Strike
When ~ enters the battlefield, choose one:
-Return target creature with cmc 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
-Put two +1/+1 counters on target creature.
-Return target permanent you own to your hand.
2/1
(Selesnya needs the help too)
also
Song of Winter's End 1URG
Enchantment
You may look at the top card of your library at any time, and you may play lands and creature spells from the top of your library.
You may play an additional land on each of your turns.
Creatures you control with power 4 or greater have haste.
and
Paragon Frame 1W
Artifact - Equipment
Living Weapon
Equipped creature gets +2/+1
Sacrifice a creature: Put an oil counter on Paragon Frame. , Remove two oil counters from Paragon Frame: Put a 1/1 construct artifact creature token in to play and attach Paragon Frame to it.
Equip 1
Gonna be the eternal "This card is more busted than you think it is" voice and recommend Nissa, Who Shakes the World if you're looking to support proliferate/counters with cards that do more than just that. She is definitely the most powerful draw (tied with Yawgmoth, though in slightly different directions) toward proliferate/counters strategies in my cube. After those two, it probably drops to Sword of Truth and Justice and Curse of Predation.
If your cube is one dominated by synergistic archetypes, you probably play less "air" and are uninterested in a card like this. If your cube is more cutthroat, faster (topping out at 4cmc) and interaction heavy, 1cmc spells and cantrips are very desirable and this card is incredible.
Two other lesser considered cards that have stood out to me so far:
Esika's Chariot. Card runs a value train on them. Frequently worth 12 power for four mana. Everybody likes to talk about how the opponent can cast a removal spell on the token you're targeting to "blow you out" but they forget that you still have a 4/4 body, another 2/2 cat, and anything else you did that turn with all of your untapped lands. I have often had my opponent spend two removal spells on the tokens Chariot creates, later wrath the board, and still have Chariot be relevant in the game. Also plays extremely well with Starnheim Unleashed in your opening hand. I think this card will give life to Selesnya token strategies while also being a very good card in it's own right. It is, still, a fair card and probably doesnt fit cutthroat powered lists.
Clarion Spirit. Pretty impressed with this in limited. Turn three this and a one drop or bolt make it a 2mana Pia Nalaar right off the bat. Two activations and you've got Whirler Rogue stats. The flying has mattered quite a bit. I like that this works equally well in a low to the ground aggro weenie deck and a Jeskai prowess tempo deck since it doesnt care about what type of spells you are casting. Bonus points for working so well with Showdown of the Skalds. Not certain how long it'll last, but it fills a void in my white section atm and I am currently optimistic.
If you're looking for a new Boros card that packs a punch outside of Winota, I sincerely recommend testing it.
Weirdly enough, the mode I'm most excited about is T2 Foretell > T3 4/4 Angel. It's certainly not the best case scenario for the card, but I love that it's there and I know I'm going to have hands where I'm stuck on mana and it's the right call.
I also think this is a sweet Selesnya card. Scales higher with ramp, plays well with Rhonas/Kiora/Surrak, makes tokens for populate. Curves off that new Cat Chariot well too.
I think this is a winner. Shame about the art though.
I'm sure there'll be good ones by the time the sets fully out, but I'm not so sure they'll excite me.
This is where I'm at. I don't think it's *nuts*, but I think it's quite good.
The Skysovereign comparison is super weird because Skysovereign doesn't create a 3/3 on etb. I think we can all agree Skysovereign would be a very different card if it crewed itself on an empty board instead of sitting there waiting for your topdeck. This on an empty board is activated and grows in value every turn. That's why I think it is wrong to evaluate this as any other vehicle.
This competes with Trumpeting Herd, Wicked Wolf, Nightpack Ambusher, Thrun, Polukranos, Questing Beast, Huntmaster, and Wolfbriar Elemental. Beefy unga bunga value creatures that noticeably all *die to wrath of god* without leaving any vehicle behind like these cat tokens do.
If your cube doesn't want the above listed creatures, it probably doesn't want this imo. If it does, this card trades up with a LOT more interaction than the average 4drop does.
Sure, but creatures are commonly valued by how they trade with an opponent's resources. If you're using 4 power to crew this and throwing it in to the red zone, when it dies you will be left with... 4 power. If it doesn't die, it makes more cats until you have 8 power to use simultaneously (and another 4 power hidden behind the chariot).
If a 4/4 body is considered "a card" then trading with the Chariot itself is a 2 for 1. I think its easy to evaluate this as any other vehicle, but I don't think it will play like any other vehicle we've had before. I think this is a lot closer to a Batterskull variant than a Heart of Kiran for instance.
Eve, the Golden Hour
Legendary Creature - Angel
Flash
Flying, First Strike
When ~ enters the battlefield, choose one:
-Return target creature with cmc 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
-Put two +1/+1 counters on target creature.
-Return target permanent you own to your hand.
2/1
(Selesnya needs the help too)
also
Song of Winter's End
1URG
Enchantment
You may look at the top card of your library at any time, and you may play lands and creature spells from the top of your library.
You may play an additional land on each of your turns.
Creatures you control with power 4 or greater have haste.
and
Paragon Frame
1W
Artifact - Equipment
Living Weapon
Equipped creature gets +2/+1
Sacrifice a creature: Put an oil counter on Paragon Frame.
Equip 1
Rankle seems dope and I wasn't loving both Yawgmoth and Kalitas dumpstering aggro in my black 4s. Will certainly test, and likely over Kalitas.
Gonna be the eternal "This card is more busted than you think it is" voice and recommend Nissa, Who Shakes the World if you're looking to support proliferate/counters with cards that do more than just that. She is definitely the most powerful draw (tied with Yawgmoth, though in slightly different directions) toward proliferate/counters strategies in my cube. After those two, it probably drops to Sword of Truth and Justice and Curse of Predation.