Yeekh. I have zero interest in this. It's just a giant dude that wins the game by accident. Nothing here screams "fun games of Magic".
This x1000. Hate protection/hexproof and can't be countered cards, and this one has it all in one overly powerful package. I prefer to play Magic, not let one person play while the other helplessly/frustratingly watches. Will happily pass on this guy!
How has this guy been as a replacement for Manic Vandal? I am scared to cut vandal as his ETB effect is potent in some fun synergy ways. And is the 2/1 vs 2/2 toughness a bigger deal than is discussed here? Maybe not in red since that 2 power is all that red cares about?
How many people do you think adhere to the singleton rule not because that's how they want to play, but rather that's how you are "supposed" to play?
Nobody. Everybody's cube is exactly the format they want it to be, and nothing more. People don't run cards or impose design restrictions because they're supposed to, they do it because that's how they want to design and play their cube.
How many versions of incinerate are needed for a 540 cube? Currently I run Incinerate, Lightning Strike and Searing Spear, but I am trying to make some hard cuts to get more good red spells in and am considering cutting one of these guys (probably Searing Spear). Thoughts on that situation?
Is Militant really going to survive to the point where he is impacting the game against your opponent's Jace, Gearhulk, Delve, flashback cards anyway?
Any time you exile a single spell, you're effecting the quality of their Snappy/Delve/Etc. kinds of cards ...you don't have to shut them off completely for it to still have made a positive impact on the game. But we're talking about a marginal upside on a flexible 2-power 1-drop. Rarely do any of these abilities come up on any of these creatures. The point was to measure how effective they are when they do come up. And the spell disruption is relevant when it does show up, even if it's not all that often. It matters a lot more than protection from multicolor or pro dragons or any of those other fringe abilities. Particularly against spell-based combo decks that are already going to be light on removal. Needing to aim a kill spell at a 1-drop because it's invalidating your Yawgmoth's Will or Past in Flames is a more significant upside than whatever the other fringe 1-drops bring to the table.
But that's all besides the point. The important upside is the hybrid mana cost. That's the big factor that separates the card from the pack. In any deck utilizing both of its colors of mana, it's a tremendous boon. Enough so to catapult it into being one of the best 2-power 1-drop in its respective colors. I think it's dramatically undervalued here how much better that casting cost actually is in a selesnya, naya or abzan aggro deck. Not to mention that it's also playable in green decks without white! Like Metamind says above, that increases the total number of decks that can play the card, which is a significant advantage.
Thank you for the thoughtful responses and discussion. It is awesome to have a game like Magic that can allow for such complex discussions and the disagreements are what help make each person's cube their own experience in the end. Will definitely take it into consideration, but I still at this time do not believe I can find a spot for Militant without cutting something that would hurt more to be without.
This should never see play in a non-black deck, and I would not classify a card for the cases that my drafters draft a trainwreck of a deck that plays this without black mana.
Also... How is black tighter than colorless? That also hasn’t been my experience. However, I think this perception of your list is the real reason you are probably willing to do some mental gymnastics to consider this card good in non-black decks.
I suppose everyone's list is subjective to some extent. For me, black is near impossible to make a cut at the moment. Colorless for me has some older fluff like the masticores and other fringe cards like Aether Vial and Isochron Scepter that would be easier to replace.
I also think this is being severely over-exaggerated to state that someone would need to have drafted a "trainwreck of a deck" to play this card outside of black. But that's why I am here, for some valuable analysis with a splash of hyperbole so I can make the best decision for my cube and playgroup!
Kytheon is better, and Bodyguard is better in some decks. Student has the edge over it in mono white. Militant is better than all of those other cards though IMO ...even when the green mana is irrelevant. Which it's not, because in every deck that has access to both green and white mana, Militant is better than every card on that list and by a significant margin too. The spell disruption is a big deal when applicable. It injures combo decks, weakens cards like Snappy, Gearhulk, and Jace, makes the opponent's delve cards less consistent, kills all flashback spells ...that's a lot of disruptive utility to strap to a 2-power creature for 1 mana. Far more relevant than protection from multicolored, for example.
Finks and maybe Knight of Autumn are the only two cards on that list I would include ahead of Militant on the list you posted.
I think we just have to agree to disagree. I don't run planeswalkers so Jace is not a consideration for me, but even still, the reach of Militant's ability would be so insignificant that it's hard to imagine it being viewed as anymore than a 2/1 for 1. Is Militant really going to survive to the point where he is impacting the game against your opponent's Jace, Gearhulk, Delve, flashback cards anyway? He's a pretty easy kill in a variety of ways and in an aggro deck will be attacking and dying fairly quickly I imagine...
Seems like his ability is being severely overhyped, but I'd be curious to hear if people really have that positive of experience with him in practice. For us he was super vanilla and boring and an easy cut compared to the other Selesnya cards mentioned.
Militant is great. It's better than most 2-power 1-drops in either of its respective colors, and the hybrid mana cost is a HUGE deal. Card's fantastic.
Is it really better? My green 1 drops are mostly about ramping (mana dorks), but let's look at the options in white:
Dauntless Bodyguard (better than dryad militant IMO)
Isamaru, Hound of Konda (better than dryad militant IMO)
Kytheon, Hero of Akros (better than dryad militant IMO)
Mardu Woe-Reaper (better than dryad militant IMO)
Skymarcher Aspirant (better than dryad militant IMO)
Soldier of the Pantheon (better than dryad militant IMO)
Student of Warfare (not a 2/1 but better by turn 2 than dryad militant IMO)
I don't think it's a BAD card, probably #6 or #7 in Selesnya IMO, but I just think there are more interesting options in GW, such as:
Qasali Pridemage
Voice of Resurgence
Kitchen Finks
Knight of Autumn
Knight of the Reliquary
It will? I don't think I'd ever play this in a deck without access to black mana unless something went horribly wrong during the draft.
As opterown said, I could see this making a lot of aggro decks as a 3/2 for 2 colorless. Pretty easy to cast and comes in hot n fast with some other creatures.
It's a great card, but it just doesn't make my top 5 Selesnya cards. I rank Militant, Knight of Autumn, Finks, Pridemage, and Chant above it (although, you likely don't need both Chant and Pridemage in a small to middle sized cube). If you push a lands matter theme, Knight of the Reliquary is more important. So while VoR is awesome, I can see lots of cubes just not having the space for it.
Cheers,
rant
I am surprised that Dryad Militant is so highly regarded. To me it is a bland 2/1 1-drop that is outclassed by any other 1 drop that would be ran in the decks that might want it (white or green).
How do we feel about the Masticores in 2020? I currently run all 3 (original, Moltentail and Razormane) but considering cutting at least the Razormane.
This x1000. Hate protection/hexproof and can't be countered cards, and this one has it all in one overly powerful package. I prefer to play Magic, not let one person play while the other helplessly/frustratingly watches. Will happily pass on this guy!
You really think he's better than Orcish Artillery?
=O)
How many versions of incinerate are needed for a 540 cube? Currently I run Incinerate, Lightning Strike and Searing Spear, but I am trying to make some hard cuts to get more good red spells in and am considering cutting one of these guys (probably Searing Spear). Thoughts on that situation?
Thank you for the thoughtful responses and discussion. It is awesome to have a game like Magic that can allow for such complex discussions and the disagreements are what help make each person's cube their own experience in the end. Will definitely take it into consideration, but I still at this time do not believe I can find a spot for Militant without cutting something that would hurt more to be without.
I suppose everyone's list is subjective to some extent. For me, black is near impossible to make a cut at the moment. Colorless for me has some older fluff like the masticores and other fringe cards like Aether Vial and Isochron Scepter that would be easier to replace.
I also think this is being severely over-exaggerated to state that someone would need to have drafted a "trainwreck of a deck" to play this card outside of black. But that's why I am here, for some valuable analysis with a splash of hyperbole so I can make the best decision for my cube and playgroup!
I think we just have to agree to disagree. I don't run planeswalkers so Jace is not a consideration for me, but even still, the reach of Militant's ability would be so insignificant that it's hard to imagine it being viewed as anymore than a 2/1 for 1. Is Militant really going to survive to the point where he is impacting the game against your opponent's Jace, Gearhulk, Delve, flashback cards anyway? He's a pretty easy kill in a variety of ways and in an aggro deck will be attacking and dying fairly quickly I imagine...
Seems like his ability is being severely overhyped, but I'd be curious to hear if people really have that positive of experience with him in practice. For us he was super vanilla and boring and an easy cut compared to the other Selesnya cards mentioned.
Is it really better? My green 1 drops are mostly about ramping (mana dorks), but let's look at the options in white:
Dauntless Bodyguard (better than dryad militant IMO)
Isamaru, Hound of Konda (better than dryad militant IMO)
Kytheon, Hero of Akros (better than dryad militant IMO)
Mardu Woe-Reaper (better than dryad militant IMO)
Skymarcher Aspirant (better than dryad militant IMO)
Soldier of the Pantheon (better than dryad militant IMO)
Student of Warfare (not a 2/1 but better by turn 2 than dryad militant IMO)
I don't think it's a BAD card, probably #6 or #7 in Selesnya IMO, but I just think there are more interesting options in GW, such as:
Qasali Pridemage
Voice of Resurgence
Kitchen Finks
Knight of Autumn
Knight of the Reliquary
As opterown said, I could see this making a lot of aggro decks as a 3/2 for 2 colorless. Pretty easy to cast and comes in hot n fast with some other creatures.
I am surprised that Dryad Militant is so highly regarded. To me it is a bland 2/1 1-drop that is outclassed by any other 1 drop that would be ran in the decks that might want it (white or green).