I have very fond memories of Wild Mongrel and this is arguably better than Wild Mongrel (on the basis that there are very few things that care about color in standard (no Terror, no strong Green hoser like Hibernation, no annoying protection from green creature etc.) and there are a number of important flyers you would be happy to be able to block (RU spirits, WU Spirits etc.)).
That said a few things need to be remembered about Wild Mongrel - it was released alongside much stronger madness cards (Basking Rootwalla and Circular Logic in particular lack a good contemporary counterpart) and better happy to be in the graveyard cards (Wonder, Roar of the Wurm, Deep Analysis etc.). And it was above the standard power curve for 2 drops at the time (it's competition was things like White Knight, Nantuko Shade etc.) and creatures in general have been hugely power creeped in the years since (Goyf, Pyromancer, Ravager etc.).
Basically it's great to have it in standard/modern but don't expect it to be what Wild Mongrel was to the formats it starred in.
Unsubstantiate is one of my favorite cards revealed so far, it's nothing flashy but the value of the utility it gives can't be underestimated. As a cantrip-less Remand it still might have seen some play in aggro/tempo decks but with the option to also Unsummon it becomes a good option for almost any deck using blue.
Emrakul makes a lot of sense. This set has a very Lovecraftian horror feel to it and the Eldrazi were also designed as references to the Great Old Ones like Cthulu from that mythos. Emrakul is also characterised by tentacle like appendages which is a recurring theme in Shadows. Plus Emrakul was also re-conceptualised on Zendikar as the Goddess Emeria (an Angelic being) which fits well with all the Angels on Innistrad.
Compared with other options from magic's history this is aggressively mediocre, it comes into play tapped, it can only generate mana if you have a colored card in your graveyard and because of that outside of self mill and discard (not very reliable) it can never generate mana that you didn't already have access to (no mana fixing).
However when you take into account that wizards has been steadily neutering mana ramp so that mana creatures now average at 2+ and mana rocks / land fetching spells now average at 3+ getting any sort of 2cc mana rock even a mediocre one like this is amazing.
However unless things turn around soon there's also going to be a lack of good 1cc instant/sorceries (particularly of the cantrip/discard variety) in the new standard meaning that 1st turn land + spell, 2nd turn land + tombstone, 3rd turn land + 4cc creature/planeswalker etc. is unlikely and given that is the general strategy for using a mana rock like this it's more than a little disappointing. Also disappointing is the rarity, it's simply not powerful, interesting or complex enough to justify being a rare and it also doesn't seem strong enough in limited to justify being bumped up from uncommon (especially when guaranteeing it can activate early game is much harder to do in limited).
Very interesting. If nothing else i'm going to need to find a foil copy for my Captain Sisay EDH deck. Protecting both Sisay and me as well as other incidental humans and also providing a minor token engine is great value.
Cool card is cool. Very efficient and a pure value creature in a zombie deck. Yes it's a bit weird as a Mythic but Wizards haven't been doing a very good job with that from the start, this is just another instance like with Vengevine, Dragon Whisperer etc. where the link is very tenuous, cheap non-legendary/planeswalker cards just don't have a very mythic feel regardless of their power or flavour.
I like this a lot just like i've liked Nekrataal and most of it's successors including Gatekeeper of Malakir creatures with kill spells attached are great and a 2/1 flying body is a legitimate threat and i'm sure it'll see some play (probably in a B/x aggro deck of some sort).
All that said there is one thing that I don't like and that's the fact that unlike most of it's predecessors it can't block - with Gatekeeper etc. a lot of the time you would be ahead/tied and use them as a great tempo play getting rid of a potential blocker or threat while further developing your own board and Bearer works fine in this regard. However there was always the other use, where you are the one behind and Gatekeeper/Nekrataal etc. would let you take out a threat and then block (hopefully killing/trading with) another threat and in those situations Bearer is lackluster. It's still solid removal and an okay threat but the 2 for 1 value is much weaker when you rely on your opponent killing/trading with Bearer to produce it instead of having the option to block.
Hmmm... Not loving or hating this card. At the very least it is a lot better than Last Word (admittedly a piece of garbage that saw no play).
Casting to protect your own spells is obviously the best use (still not amazing), casting it following another instant (particularly after drawing it using an instant like Dig through Time or Anticipate) is also solid (if a bit lacking thanks to the dearth of good cheap instants in standard) and of course at a pinch you can cast it for the full cost. None of those options are overly good but altogether they add up to something almost playable (or at least worth considering as a 1-2 of in the sideboard against control mirrors).
Nice! I've always been a big fan of these OP 4cc black creatures with huge drawbacks (Juzam Djinn, KezzerdrixGrinning Demon, Abyssal Persecutor, Desecration Demon etc.) The drawback is pretty unique but the power level is definitely there, if you can load your graveyard with power cards of your choice (or even just a bunch of cheap burn) and then play this you gain a solid threat and the ability to draw nothing but gas for a while. Not sure if it'll be good enough but it's definitely worth trying out and keeping an eye on.
Horrible stats for the cost (4 for a 2/2), an ability that literally does nothing without a 2nd ally in play and a payoff that is unimpressive to say the least (all that effort for a 2/2 zombie token and it doesn't even come into play untapped?!?).
At common or even uncommon I could have accepted this but as a rare this is beyond bad.
The exact same thing but changing the cost to 1B could have been almost decent or the exact same thing but changing the payoff to be something decent (reanimating a creature or maybe even just an ally creature? tapped even? or making 2 2/2 zombie tokens) would have been okay but neither of those would have approached being OP (in fact they'd still only barely be playable thanks to requiring a deck heavy with ally creatures).
My bigger issue with it, as much as I like the card mechanically, is that the Eldrazi are literally chaos incarnate, so I don't understand how one of them can embody the aspects of White. I think this just has to be accepted as a case of mechanics before flavor and we have to move on
Very much this. I have no issue with white having a more sinister aspect on occasion. White = Order and Order can easily be portrayed in a negative oppressive light as they did with white Phyrexians like Elesh Norn. However the Eldrazi are not the Phyrexians, the Eldrazi are about "endless hunger" they are chaotic by nature and that's about as far from the concept of Order as you can get.
The problem also lies with the concept of flickering which despite being a part of white's slice of the color pie has very weak conceptual ties with what White represents. Semi-permanent exile like Oblivion Ring makes thematic sense as imprisonment and even short term exile like Flickerwisp (until the end of turn) makes thematic sense as short term custody/being detained but instant return exile just doesn't work for me thematically as white.
Strangely though the addition of a tapped clause to the returned creatures makes it feel more white for me but it still feels very strange for an Eldrazi. What's the concept here - a fussy eater Eldrazi that eats and then spits it's victims back out all exhausted? Even if that joke of a concept worked for an Eldrazi (and it really doesn't) it still doesn't feel remotely white.
The one thing that would fix the card for me - make the creatures exiled by displacer gain devoid. That way it could be themed as eating the color from it's victims and also would feel somewhat white thanks to the (admittedly tenuous) concept of - creating a orderly universe devoid of color.
Oath of Nissa - This is amazing green card selection. It's not a green Ponder but instead a green Anticipate (which is usually a better thing). Some people keep saying that this will miss way more often than you think and to them I say - what kind of stupid deck are you trying to use this in where you can't find a land, creature or planeswalker in the top 3 cards? Even control decks usually have more than half their cards split amongst those types (IE. 26+ lands 4 Jace/Snapcaster 2-4 creature/planeswalker finishers) and aggro/midrange decks usually have at least 2/3 of their cards split amongst those types. Obviously it can miss but the chances in any reasonable deck are very very low. Real drawbacks for the card include - having to take a land/creature instead of a removal spell you needed, the inability to chain Oaths (cantrip into a cantrip is not a thing with Oath), the fact that the 1st copy doesn't go to the graveyard (doesn't add to delve/goyf etc.) and the fact that Oath is an enchantment (occasionally nice for goyf etc. but no synergy with things like Delver, Snapcaster, Jace etc.). None of those drawbacks however are big enough to stop it seeing play but unlike the "it'll miss" one they are realistic concerns.
UR Manland - it's okay, the whole bolt in response thing really hurts it though, as does the 4 cost, it'll probably see a bit of play mainly in standard (where we have no real options) but in modern unless i'm playing Izzet twin i'd much rather be using Colonnade or Tarpit (and jeskai/grixis are better decks for the most part anyway).
General Tazri - amazing ally commander is amazing, rainbow colour identity, inbuilt tutor advantage and a repeatable mass pump ability. I doubt allys can be a thing in standard and whatever ally potential there is for modern is in fast aggro or combo but i'm still very happy to see this made.
Oath of Jace - it's Compulsive Research trading the discard a land instead of 2 cards for the ability to stick around as an enchantment with a planeswalker reliant repeatable scry ability. It's not amazing but the ability to dig and fill the graveyard is solid and the synergy with a U/x superfriends control style of deck is potentially worthwhile. I'm interested to see what the White and Green ones are (if this does turn out to be a semi-cycle thing) because they have potential for my Captain Sisay EDH deck
The thing that bugs me most about this (even beyond the lackluster stats and keyword) is that one of it's "better" features - the ability to be used as a 4 mana (3 + quagmire) and sacrifice to destroy a non evasive attacking creature (which is only so-so anyway) is made inherently worse because of the standard enters tapped clause which makes it a worthless topdeck. I accept the other manlands being worthless topdecks because they are designed with some level of aggression in mind but this one is clearly defensive in nature.
It would have been a lot more interesting and playable if they had added an untap clause to the activation (even at the cost of an extra mana).
When coupled with cheap powerful (if possible cantripping) spells (particularly in modern/legacy) she can become a very solid draw engine (and one that can easily fit into established decks like delver and merfolk). The only thing I don't like about Jori is the casting cost for that body. 3 for a 2/3 with no immediate impact is decidedly subpar, if she had costed just UR or had a 2/4 body (aka survives a bolt) the amount of love and hype she'd be getting would be insane.
That said a few things need to be remembered about Wild Mongrel - it was released alongside much stronger madness cards (Basking Rootwalla and Circular Logic in particular lack a good contemporary counterpart) and better happy to be in the graveyard cards (Wonder, Roar of the Wurm, Deep Analysis etc.). And it was above the standard power curve for 2 drops at the time (it's competition was things like White Knight, Nantuko Shade etc.) and creatures in general have been hugely power creeped in the years since (Goyf, Pyromancer, Ravager etc.).
Basically it's great to have it in standard/modern but don't expect it to be what Wild Mongrel was to the formats it starred in.
However when you take into account that wizards has been steadily neutering mana ramp so that mana creatures now average at 2+ and mana rocks / land fetching spells now average at 3+ getting any sort of 2cc mana rock even a mediocre one like this is amazing.
However unless things turn around soon there's also going to be a lack of good 1cc instant/sorceries (particularly of the cantrip/discard variety) in the new standard meaning that 1st turn land + spell, 2nd turn land + tombstone, 3rd turn land + 4cc creature/planeswalker etc. is unlikely and given that is the general strategy for using a mana rock like this it's more than a little disappointing. Also disappointing is the rarity, it's simply not powerful, interesting or complex enough to justify being a rare and it also doesn't seem strong enough in limited to justify being bumped up from uncommon (especially when guaranteeing it can activate early game is much harder to do in limited).
All that said there is one thing that I don't like and that's the fact that unlike most of it's predecessors it can't block - with Gatekeeper etc. a lot of the time you would be ahead/tied and use them as a great tempo play getting rid of a potential blocker or threat while further developing your own board and Bearer works fine in this regard. However there was always the other use, where you are the one behind and Gatekeeper/Nekrataal etc. would let you take out a threat and then block (hopefully killing/trading with) another threat and in those situations Bearer is lackluster. It's still solid removal and an okay threat but the 2 for 1 value is much weaker when you rely on your opponent killing/trading with Bearer to produce it instead of having the option to block.
Casting to protect your own spells is obviously the best use (still not amazing), casting it following another instant (particularly after drawing it using an instant like Dig through Time or Anticipate) is also solid (if a bit lacking thanks to the dearth of good cheap instants in standard) and of course at a pinch you can cast it for the full cost. None of those options are overly good but altogether they add up to something almost playable (or at least worth considering as a 1-2 of in the sideboard against control mirrors).
Horrible stats for the cost (4 for a 2/2), an ability that literally does nothing without a 2nd ally in play and a payoff that is unimpressive to say the least (all that effort for a 2/2 zombie token and it doesn't even come into play untapped?!?).
At common or even uncommon I could have accepted this but as a rare this is beyond bad.
The exact same thing but changing the cost to 1B could have been almost decent or the exact same thing but changing the payoff to be something decent (reanimating a creature or maybe even just an ally creature? tapped even? or making 2 2/2 zombie tokens) would have been okay but neither of those would have approached being OP (in fact they'd still only barely be playable thanks to requiring a deck heavy with ally creatures).
Very much this. I have no issue with white having a more sinister aspect on occasion. White = Order and Order can easily be portrayed in a negative oppressive light as they did with white Phyrexians like Elesh Norn. However the Eldrazi are not the Phyrexians, the Eldrazi are about "endless hunger" they are chaotic by nature and that's about as far from the concept of Order as you can get.
The problem also lies with the concept of flickering which despite being a part of white's slice of the color pie has very weak conceptual ties with what White represents. Semi-permanent exile like Oblivion Ring makes thematic sense as imprisonment and even short term exile like Flickerwisp (until the end of turn) makes thematic sense as short term custody/being detained but instant return exile just doesn't work for me thematically as white.
Strangely though the addition of a tapped clause to the returned creatures makes it feel more white for me but it still feels very strange for an Eldrazi. What's the concept here - a fussy eater Eldrazi that eats and then spits it's victims back out all exhausted? Even if that joke of a concept worked for an Eldrazi (and it really doesn't) it still doesn't feel remotely white.
The one thing that would fix the card for me - make the creatures exiled by displacer gain devoid. That way it could be themed as eating the color from it's victims and also would feel somewhat white thanks to the (admittedly tenuous) concept of - creating a orderly universe devoid of color.
UR Manland - it's okay, the whole bolt in response thing really hurts it though, as does the 4 cost, it'll probably see a bit of play mainly in standard (where we have no real options) but in modern unless i'm playing Izzet twin i'd much rather be using Colonnade or Tarpit (and jeskai/grixis are better decks for the most part anyway).
Oath of Jace - it's Compulsive Research trading the discard a land instead of 2 cards for the ability to stick around as an enchantment with a planeswalker reliant repeatable scry ability. It's not amazing but the ability to dig and fill the graveyard is solid and the synergy with a U/x superfriends control style of deck is potentially worthwhile. I'm interested to see what the White and Green ones are (if this does turn out to be a semi-cycle thing) because they have potential for my Captain Sisay EDH deck
It would have been a lot more interesting and playable if they had added an untap clause to the activation (even at the cost of an extra mana).