1. Uncommons are super strong, especially for draft. Draft may potentially be even more bomb-driven unless the removal is better than it looks at first sight.
2. All the strong decks seemed to get even better. R/G, mono-black, and mono-blue seemed to get some amazing tools. I was anticipating (or maybe hoping) that new decks types would emerge from BNG, but the old decks might all be too strong now.
1. Uncommons are super strong, especially for draft. Draft may potentially be even more bomb-driven unless the removal is better than it looks at first sight.
2. All the strong decks seemed to get even better. R/G, mono-black, and mono-blue seemed to get some amazing tools. I was anticipating (or maybe hoping) that new decks types would emerge from BNG, but the old decks might all be too strong now.
Other than those two cards, Mono-U Devotion got squat.
White got a few goodies too in Brimaz, Reward, Hero of Iroas and Spirit of the Labyrinth. Whether it'll be enough to place it higher in the devotion-ranking I do not know. I think it all tanked when Heliod turned out to not really be best mates with the White Wheenie-crowd.
Other than those two cards, Mono-U Devotion got squat.
White got a few goodies too in Brimaz, Reward, Hero of Iroas and Spirit of the Labyrinth. Whether it'll be enough to place it higher in the devotion-ranking I do not know. I think it all tanked when Heliod turned out to not really be best mates with the White Wheenie-crowd.
Agreed. Fated Infatuation will likely see play simply because it is versatile in the deck. It can be Nightveil if you need to reach Devotion for Thassa, or Master of Waves for huge boons at instant speed. It's a trick to screw up people trying to ruin your devotion. Instant speed is pretty much the thing about it that will make it relevant, although giving token +1/+1 on your turn for an immediate win isn't out of the question, or the scry out of nowhere.
Rebuff may see some useage, but frankly I'm not sure how much. Mono-U works as well as it does due to a critical mass of devotion enablers. Reducing it by even a little severely hurts it.
That said, the color that got a lot of goodies is Mono-B. It's slightly hyperbolic to say it'll be a black holocaust coming up, but frankly no other color has received as much (White has received some very good cards, but Mono-B has gotten everything it needs to deal with its worst MUs now).
Basically, this is what has happened:
1. Mono-U has gotten a few tricks, but nothing overly exciting or over the top. Which I think is good.
2. White has gotten some exceptionally good cards, and may push it into viability at higher levels over just being control archetypes. G/W may see a resurgence as it has tools now that it didn't have before. Not a huge amount helps out U/W or Esper, and the Firedancer may prove useful in Boros Burn.
3. Green has gotten much it doesn't already have; it's main issues are largely still going to be present (Mono-G devotion and G/R have the big problem of consistency over power; they get plenty of power but very little to actually help the consistency; if you disrupt them at all they tend to fold).
4. Black has gotten a lot of damn-strong hosers and utility cards, and some very good creatures in interesting places on the curve. They have also receieved two cards that severely help them in their worst MU (Bile Blight and Drown in Sorry). I don't think black honestly needed everything it received, and I think this will be a black-dominant format until Journey. Just that decklists may show a bit more variety than nearly being a copy-paste of each other. They have a ton of viable options at all parts of their deck building decision tree now. I think Mono-Black will be reinforced more heavily, leaving very little reason to branch out.
5. Red has received some interesting tricks and the like. It suffers significantly from Bile Blight and Drown in Sorrow, so RDW will likely suffer in the short term. If the meta becomes less aggro, the sideboard will change and RDW is poised to take advantage of that. For the first few weeks, however, it'll be painful to run with all of the removal Black gets (And the sweepers, as the major means of winning against Mono-B is to overload their ability to use their removal right now and getting under them). That said, the Phoenix may have some time to work, as I'm seeing general spot-removal reducing in favor of the strong sweepers. There's only limited room in the 75, and you have get to winning at some point. And the Phoenix more or less dodges the removal (Although still gets eaten by Desecration Demon).
So the big thing I'm taking away from BNG is that mono-Black will likely surge in popularity, as everything printed just reinforces it's dominant position right now. None of the colors were really given much that it has any difficulty dealing with, and it has been given tools to help against the MUs that keep it in check. Which isn't good. White based decks gained a lot of interesting tools, but aggro still suffers horrendously from Bile Blight and Drown in Sorrow. So I'm not sure how it'll sit. G/W is poised pretty well, however, and has Brimaz as a new 3-drop. When coupled with everything else, he could help maintain the archetype (As a good deal they run dodges the new tools Mono-Black gets). G/R and Mono-G will still be around, but that's because the archetype hasn't changed at all and nothing hoses it particularly well; it still has its same problems so although it remains strong, it is also not going to dominate anything. Red will likely go into Big Red for a while and we won't see RDW doing well or the like for a few weeks/months. Mono-U gains a few things, but suffers from not gaining anything particularly relevant or amazing. It could well see itself outclassed.
Biggest surprise was the removal suite which is probably the set's only saving grace. Revoke existence, unravel the aether, bile blight, drown in sorrow. Wonder how many Mono U and RDW players are gonna take a break from standard since wizards gave them next to nothing.
I'm going 2nd the green & white removal.
Revoke existence gives white gets an efficient disenchant effect which also doubles as a swords to plowshares vs. the Indestructible gods.
Meanwhile, Unravel the Aether is just beginning to blowout - at instant speed nontheless - any opponent trying to bestow bonuses to their creatures. Can't wait to hear about all the 2-for-1 stories involving this card.
Pretty good analysis thememan. Can't disagree with much at all. Mono-Black went from one of several top tier decks to standing on its own on top of everyone. Would love to see someone find a deck to match the mono-black or black with splash color. I expect Rakdos (splash red Rakdos to be precise) to join the top tier with their scry-land and overall versatility. I expect Mono-White (Brimaz and Acolyte's) and GW (with scry lands which will help them HUGELY) to also have several competitive decks place top 8 in big tournaments.
But, in summary, Black is gonna be painfully strong, and the white based colors will definitely see more play. Green (specifically G/U) will have to wait maybe one more set, not because they haven't improved, but because the black/white colors are just that good.
Agreed. Fated Infatuation will likely see play simply because it is versatile in the deck. It can be Nightveil if you need to reach Devotion for Thassa, or Master of Waves for huge boons at instant speed. It's a trick to screw up people trying to ruin your devotion. Instant speed is pretty much the thing about it that will make it relevant, although giving token +1/+1 on your turn for an immediate win isn't out of the question, or the scry out of nowhere.
Rebuff may see some useage, but frankly I'm not sure how much. Mono-U works as well as it does due to a critical mass of devotion enablers. Reducing it by even a little severely hurts it.
That said, the color that got a lot of goodies is Mono-B. It's slightly hyperbolic to say it'll be a black holocaust coming up, but frankly no other color has received as much (White has received some very good cards, but Mono-B has gotten everything it needs to deal with its worst MUs now).
Basically, this is what has happened:
1. Mono-U has gotten a few tricks, but nothing overly exciting or over the top. Which I think is good.
2. White has gotten some exceptionally good cards, and may push it into viability at higher levels over just being control archetypes. G/W may see a resurgence as it has tools now that it didn't have before. Not a huge amount helps out U/W or Esper, and the Firedancer may prove useful in Boros Burn.
3. Green has gotten much it doesn't already have; it's main issues are largely still going to be present (Mono-G devotion and G/R have the big problem of consistency over power; they get plenty of power but very little to actually help the consistency; if you disrupt them at all they tend to fold).
4. Black has gotten a lot of damn-strong hosers and utility cards, and some very good creatures in interesting places on the curve. They have also receieved two cards that severely help them in their worst MU (Bile Blight and Drown in Sorry). I don't think black honestly needed everything it received, and I think this will be a black-dominant format until Journey. Just that decklists may show a bit more variety than nearly being a copy-paste of each other. They have a ton of viable options at all parts of their deck building decision tree now. I think Mono-Black will be reinforced more heavily, leaving very little reason to branch out.
5. Red has received some interesting tricks and the like. It suffers significantly from Bile Blight and Drown in Sorrow, so RDW will likely suffer in the short term. If the meta becomes less aggro, the sideboard will change and RDW is poised to take advantage of that. For the first few weeks, however, it'll be painful to run with all of the removal Black gets (And the sweepers, as the major means of winning against Mono-B is to overload their ability to use their removal right now and getting under them). That said, the Phoenix may have some time to work, as I'm seeing general spot-removal reducing in favor of the strong sweepers. There's only limited room in the 75, and you have get to winning at some point. And the Phoenix more or less dodges the removal (Although still gets eaten by Desecration Demon).
So the big thing I'm taking away from BNG is that mono-Black will likely surge in popularity, as everything printed just reinforces it's dominant position right now. None of the colors were really given much that it has any difficulty dealing with, and it has been given tools to help against the MUs that keep it in check. Which isn't good. White based decks gained a lot of interesting tools, but aggro still suffers horrendously from Bile Blight and Drown in Sorrow. So I'm not sure how it'll sit. G/W is poised pretty well, however, and has Brimaz as a new 3-drop. When coupled with everything else, he could help maintain the archetype (As a good deal they run dodges the new tools Mono-Black gets). G/R and Mono-G will still be around, but that's because the archetype hasn't changed at all and nothing hoses it particularly well; it still has its same problems so although it remains strong, it is also not going to dominate anything. Red will likely go into Big Red for a while and we won't see RDW doing well or the like for a few weeks/months. Mono-U gains a few things, but suffers from not gaining anything particularly relevant or amazing. It could well see itself outclassed.
A good analysis I must say.
Black will certainly rise even more in popularity but lets not forget that there is a deck that keeps it in check and that is UW Control. The matchup is even and Black(and pretty much every deck) cannot beat Sphinx's Revelation and UW wins game 1 a majority of time since Black has so many dead cards and needs the 8 discard spells to effectively fight against it.
I have the feeling we will see those two clash a lot in the upcoming Standard.
Three UW Control decks in the top 8 of GP Vancouver as an example.
And I think the will be a down tick in Blue because it just doesnt match up that well against those other two decks. And the tools it got dont seem enough to change that. I mean Thassa's Rebuff and Fated Infatuation are just downright bad against Control because of how poorly they line up against Supreme Verdict and Detention Sphere.
The redeeming quality it has is just how good it is against the Green and Red decks and how it keeps them down in the meta.
Pretty good analysis thememan. Can't disagree with much at all. Mono-Black went from one of several top tier decks to standing on its own on top of everyone. Would love to see someone find a deck to match the mono-black or black with splash color. I expect Rakdos (splash red Rakdos to be precise) to join the top tier with their scry-land and overall versatility. I expect Mono-White (Brimaz and Acolyte's) and GW (with scry lands which will help them HUGELY) to also have several competitive decks place top 8 in big tournaments.
The silver lining here, however, is that black has enough strong tools at all levels that the archetype actually has some room to branch out from its current lists. I imagine that in short order Mono and Mostly Black decks will start to cannibalize itself in the sideboard and even in the mainboard. Meaning that other archetypes may take hold in force. So it's possible to see quite a bit of variation in Mono-B, where any given Mono-Black is only barely recognizable when compared to others. Time will tell, however, and Mono-Black has been given all the tools it needs to just adapt to any given meta. It has a little bit of everything, and for the most part it's pretty good at it. Which is the major problem methinks. Wizards was a little too good to the color, particularly when compared to other colors.
I'm actually uncertain at how well Mono-White will fair with Drown in Sorrow in the meta; there's just no good way the color can combat it. Brimaz is just amazing, but that's all the game they have against the color. Brave the Elements doesn't save them against it. G/W has some very interesting things going for it, however, not the least of which is many of their creatures avoiding the sweepers. I wonder if it's time for Advent of the Wurm to really shine, as it will dodge the two biggest removal spells black has (Which they will likely sideboard for the sweepers, taking out spotted removal).
So basically, for a while at least, Weenie-aggro is probably going to have too much of a rough game to work.
But, in summary, Black is gonna be painfully strong, and the white based colors will definitely see more play. Green (specifically G/U) will have to wait maybe one more set, not because they haven't improved, but because the black/white colors are just that good.
I will say Mono-G and G/R monsters isn't going anywhere. Not because of anything in particular printed in Born of the Gods making it better. There are probably 2 cards that will see significant play, and they aren't changing the deck in a meaningful way; those being Fanatic of X and Xenagos. Out of those two, I'm betting Fanatic will see far more play simply because it fills a gaping hole in the curve; the deck has plenty of 2 drops and plenty of 4+ drops to consider, but the good 3-cost beats are lacking. This gives it some ability to push through significant damage if the "Get a ton of devotion, spit out planeswalkers and doodz, wash and repeat" plan doesn't work. So that's good. It's a good beater that fits well in the curve.
Frankly, I don't see Xenagos warping the game plan nearly at all. Just speeding it up somewhat. He fits with what the deck does, but he's going to be a 1-2 of. The deck simply doesn't want to make more creatures arbritarily large. It does make certain other things threats (BTE a big example), but given it's godly status I just don't see it being more than two copies. If even that. So really, their game hasn't changed at all. But they will remain relevant simply because nothing in BNG makes their life more difficult, nor does it improve any particular game's deck in a significant manner against them (Bile Blight stop BTE and Mystic shenanigans, but that's about it-which while good doesn't necessarily wreck the deck).
GU has some incredibly interesting pieces, however. I think it is poised quite well to prey on the change in the meta, particularly the Courser dodges a significant amount of removal and giving more or less card advantage. Kiora also plays nicely with Prophet and Courser, and I've seen the deck do some incredibly things already. From what I know, it's not specifically hurt by anything specific in a major way, so it could start popping up.
Black's major boons, after all, is that it's getting two incredibly relevant pseudo-sweeper to deal with its worst match-up (Aggro), as well as some good beaters. UG has only gotten good things-and Black hasn't gotten much that is necessarily amazing against them that didn't already exist. So UG is certainly possible, although I'm uncertain.
It'll be interesting, to say the least. Not sure what I would do in a Mono-black dominated meta quite yet as the aggro plan just falters hard to what they'll be running.
A good analysis I must say.
Black will certainly rise even more in popularity but lets not forget that there is a deck that keeps it in check and that is UW Control. The matchup is even and Black(and pretty much every deck) cannot beat Sphinx's Revelation and UW wins game 1 a majority of time since Black has so many dead cards and needs the 8 discard spells to effectively fight against it.
I have the feeling we will see those two clash a lot in the upcoming Standard.
Three UW Control decks in the top 8 of GP Vancouver as an example.
Quite a good point, actually. I didn't consider UW, and although it doesn't gain any real game changer, it does have two things:
1. Revoke Existence, which just does horrible things to Mono-Black's CA engines(Lets them save their D-Spheres for other things or just gives them more ways to take care of problems). The singleton Whips and Erebos also become less problematic.
2. I've seen people consider Brimaz for the anti-aggro plan. It seems solid enough, certainly, but with aggro really getting hurt I don't think it'll be amazing.
Considering also that Mono-Black didn't really gain anything particularly relevant against UW control, the match-up will probably favor UW a bit more than it currently does by virtue of UW gaining something while black stays the same. The best thing Black got against UW is Fate Unraveler, which I just don't see working well against UW, particularly if it runs Revoke Existence. It's so easily played around in the MU. It's an interesting means of hosing Bident in the Mono-U match-up, but I think black has enough tools to make it less important.
And I think the will be a down tick in Blue because it just doesnt match up that well against those other two decks. And the tools it got dont seem enough to change that. I mean Thassa's Rebuff and Fated Infatuation are just downright bad against Control because of how poorly they line up against Supreme Verdict and Detention Sphere.
Pretty much. Blue has gained some tools against Mono-Black and a few other MUs, but nothing as strong as what Mono-B is gaining in comparison for the MU. I wouldn't say Mono-U is gone, but it suffers immensely from not getting anything particularly strong tools for its worst match-ups.
The redeeming quality it has is just how good it is against the Green and Red decks and how it keeps them down in the meta.
Which might mean that Green and Red become stronger. The best thing Red has going for it is that Mono-U is just going to suffer more against Mono-Black. Red's gameplan in game 1 against Mono-Black isn't hurt overly significantly, as only Bile Blight will likely see mainboard play (As it is phenomenal in almost every match-up, and passable in the others). It's game against UW and Mono-Green hasn't changed significantly one way or the other, so there is that. I think White Weenie just doesn't have the reach to push damage through, however. It suffers more than mono-red from what I see.
I think once things settle, Red aggro will come back again; it's favorable MU against Mono-B is becoming far less favorable, but mostly out of the sideboard it seems. So we'll see on this one, but I think RDW and other similar game plans will suffer immensely immediately after BNG. Once the Mono-B(And other black-based decks) sideboards start sideboarding more efficiently for other MUs, however, it'll likely change.
So, all things considered, I wouldn't be shocked if the first few major event top 8s are mostly U/W and Mono-B. Both are well positioned, and neither really gained huge footing against the other. There are other archetypes that will likely make the top 8, but not nearly in the same numbers.
The card I expect to have the biggest impact that isn't really being talked about right now is Retraction Helix because I expect G/U/x to become a competitive, if not necessarily top tier deck like Human Reanimator was. With a way to go infinite as early as turn 4, it is just begging to be abused.
Besides the completely weird Chromanticore (I thought Manticores were supposed to be 3/3 to 5/5 mono-red fliers!) I really like Peregrination and Snake of the Golden Grove. I was not expecting Cultivate and Thragtusk wannabes and hopped with joy when I saw them.
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The card I expect to have the biggest impact that isn't really being talked about right now is Retraction Helix because I expect G/U/x to become a competitive, if not necessarily top tier deck like Human Reanimator was. With a way to go infinite as early as turn 4, it is just begging to be abused.
GU certainly gains a lot with BNG, with the two biggest tools for the deck being Kiora and Courser. The two work just amazingly well together, and can lead into some incredible card advantage extremely fast. Considering a deck with Prophet, the ramp, card advantage, and life gain should help to overload Black's removal (As Prophet is the only relevant thing that gets hits by Blight). I would say that if I were playing UG list, I'd use Arbiter of the Ideal somewhere in the list, simply because of how amazingly well it works with Prophet and Courser. The card and board advantage conferred by it if you can find a way to easily tap it down is just phenomenal (Springleaf Drum, I'm looking at you!). The deck basically has a means of effectively drawing 3 cards for every one the opponent draws with relative ease, and the Arbiter even without Prophet is more. With Prophet things just get shenaniganny in the deck, and it can leave opponents drowning in board presence. Against decks that generally don't interact much with the board state such as aggro, Midrange, and G/x devotion, you can quickly outpace them with more creatures than they can realistically get through. Against decks like Mono-B or even B/x variants, you should be able to overload their removal. The main contender against it is UW, which both can interupt your incremental advantages easily and take advantage of the long game far better. It also suffers from not being to easily or effectively interact with the board very well, meaning that turn 2 pack rat just runs you over.
Still, every deck has its weakness and I think GU is strong enough to bring a showing. Tier 1? Eh... might not be the right time for it. But I wouldn't be surprised if it popped up.
So, I have no interest in standard, but there are 2 cards in this set that I like.
1. Spirit of the Labyrinth - In legacy this thing is disgusting. Flash in on Aether Vial: No, you will not brainstorm, you'll just put 2 cards back instead.
2. Perplexing Chimera - 5 mana almost completely eliminates this from legacy, but for modern. Play alongside with flickerform and Galepowder Mage and your opponent can't really do anything about it. No, you will not cast Emrakul this game. (this is also great interaction for casual)
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2. Perplexing Chimera - 5 mana almost completely eliminates this from legacy, but for modern. Play alongside with flickerform and Galepowder Mage and your opponent can't really do anything about it. No, you will not cast Emrakul this game. (this is also great interaction for casual)
Concerning the Chimera, I'm actually very much intrigued by it. It's got some incredible utility. Yes, it relies on your opponent casting good things, but if they aren't casting good things then their deck sucks. When every thing they cast needs to be answered with "Will you take it from me", it's really quite a good creature.
Not sure where it goes, but it seems damn powerful.
I'm surprised Gorgon's Head didn't either cost 1 to Equip, or give Lifelink as well (since gorgon blood can be poison or antidote) or give +1/+1 as well.
As a WW player I dread Drown in Sorrow. Until I can land a Spear of Heliod I'm dead to that. Even post-Spear, some of the best weenies are Soldier of the Pantheon, Dryad Militant, Judge's Familiar, and Imposing Sovereign and Drown just poops all over them. It's gonna be all Brimaz, all the time.
I might switch to a more heroic-heavy build with Favored Hoplite, Fabled Hero, Hero of Iroas and Phalanx Leader, because building dudes to that magic 3 toughness mark is going to be so important.
I'm surprised Gorgon's Head didn't either cost 1 to Equip, or give Lifelink as well (since gorgon blood can be poison or antidote) or give +1/+1 as well.
In Limited or at the prerelease, that plus Forgestoker Dragon is going to be good times.
I'm surprised Gorgon's Head didn't either cost 1 to Equip, or give Lifelink as well (since gorgon blood can be poison or antidote) or give +1/+1 as well.
I'm surprised they didn't just reprint Gorgon Flail. While the severed head is awesome, a creature wielding said head seems off flavorwise. "Who needs a sword or an axe? I've got this head right here."
Chromanticore is surprisingly fine. Like everyone else, I was expecting this to unplayable because it is not great and it really does not work with other cards (what with devotion and everything); however, it has been shown that it is better than it seems.
I'm surprised they didn't just reprint Gorgon Flail. While the severed head is awesome, a creature wielding said head seems off flavorwise. "Who needs a sword or an axe? I've got this head right here."
Flavourwise it is spot on. Perseus didn't need a schtick to whack people with the head.
Chromanticore is surprisingly fine. Like everyone else, I was expecting this to unplayable because it is not great and it really does not work with other cards (what with devotion and everything); however, it has been shown that it is better than it seems.
Concerning the Chimera, I'm actually very much intrigued by it. It's got some incredible utility. Yes, it relies on your opponent casting good things, but if they aren't casting good things then their deck sucks. When every thing they cast needs to be answered with "Will you take it from me", it's really quite a good creature.
Not sure where it goes, but it seems damn powerful.
The best advocate against it, is however that once you snatch one of your opponent's spells, they get the chance to do the same to you.
So you have to trade a 3/3 (close by "Commandeer" on legs) for something better AND make sure you cannot be screwed by that switch later.
However it being in Blue and the access to something like Spellskite makes it a lot better (not that Spellskite cannot be used in other decks). Also it's essentially useless to attempt to use Chimera against counter spells - again a plus point for being blue.
I'm surprised they didn't just reprint Gorgon Flail. While the severed head is awesome, a creature wielding said head seems off flavorwise. "Who needs a sword or an axe? I've got this head right here."
Indeed I didn't get why they made a close-by functional reprint, especially since we have Basilisk Collar, which is this one + lifelink and at rare.
However flavorwise it's still a hit. Perseus should have sought out and cut off Medusa's head, which he kept as a weapon to turn people to stone, whomsoever looked upon its eyes. He used it a couple of times and then handed it to Athena who prided the shield she carries (Zeus') with it.
Definitely the most interesting card in the set is Perplexing Chimera. There is a HUGE potential for this card because it straight up locks you out of your next great play. And the ability even protects itself from removal... sort of.
I bought this card in bulk pre-sale when it was $0.50. Seems VERY low - even if it just ends up as a sideboard card in Modern. If it doesn't pan out, that's not a huge loss though.
I think that the card that is undervalued right now is the interaction of: aspect of the hydra with hero of leina tower.
I can't believe that this one drop rare is still under $1 pre-order. The fact that WotC releases a +X/+X devotion to green instant while making a 1/1 that gets X +1/+1 counters is amazing to me.
A nominal turn 1-3 play would be:
T1: Forest then Hero of leina tower
T2: Land into Burning-Tree Emissary into Sylvan Carytid or even a Voyaging Satyr. Swing for 1 damage.
T3: Nykthos, shrine to nyx, swing. Cast Aspect of the Hydra onto the hero. Tap Nykthos to add 4 Green. If you played the satyr, then tap for 2 more green. Pay 4 or 6 (depending on scenario) to give 4 counters or 6 counters. Swing for 11 or 13 (total of 12 or 14).
DISCLAIMER: I've preorder 50 of the heros at 90 cents each.
This is great if your opening hand contains, Hero, Aspect, Nykthos, Tree and Caryatid. He will probably end up more than a dollar if green devotion becomes more popular (it should). The hero's problem, to me, is he is an early game creature (1/1 for 1) with a late game ability. It'll be hard for him to survive to that point unless you get that great opening hand.
I think that the card that is undervalued right now is the interaction of: aspect of the hydra with hero of leina tower.
I can't believe that this one drop rare is still under $1 pre-order. The fact that WotC releases a +X/+X devotion to green instant while making a 1/1 that gets X +1/+1 counters is amazing to me.
A nominal turn 1-3 play would be:
T1: Forest then Hero of leina tower
T2: Land into Burning-Tree Emissary into Sylvan Carytid or even a Voyaging Satyr. Swing for 1 damage.
T3: Nykthos, shrine to nyx, swing. Cast Aspect of the Hydra onto the hero. Tap Nykthos to add 4 Green. If you played the satyr, then tap for 2 more green. Pay 4 or 6 (depending on scenario) to give 4 counters or 6 counters. Swing for 11 or 13 (total of 12 or 14).
DISCLAIMER: I've preorder 50 of the heros at 90 cents each.
If you're relying so much on devotion, why not just play Reverent Hunter? You don't even need Nykthos because you get the +1/+1 counters for free. T1 Elf, T2 BTE, Reverent Hunter is a much stronger play, way easier to pull off, and yet people are STILL not playing Reverent Hunter.
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1. Uncommons are super strong, especially for draft. Draft may potentially be even more bomb-driven unless the removal is better than it looks at first sight.
2. All the strong decks seemed to get even better. R/G, mono-black, and mono-blue seemed to get some amazing tools. I was anticipating (or maybe hoping) that new decks types would emerge from BNG, but the old decks might all be too strong now.
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Indeed so many good uncommons.
I strongly disagree that mono-blue got amazing tools.
Fated Infatuation may see some play if Mono-U really need a 5-8 of Master of Waves or Nightveil Specter or in a tight pinch a Tidebinder Mage.
Thassa's Rebuff seems like the only other addition as it's basically a Mana Leak.
Other than those two cards, Mono-U Devotion got squat.
White got a few goodies too in Brimaz, Reward, Hero of Iroas and Spirit of the Labyrinth. Whether it'll be enough to place it higher in the devotion-ranking I do not know. I think it all tanked when Heliod turned out to not really be best mates with the White Wheenie-crowd.
Agreed. Fated Infatuation will likely see play simply because it is versatile in the deck. It can be Nightveil if you need to reach Devotion for Thassa, or Master of Waves for huge boons at instant speed. It's a trick to screw up people trying to ruin your devotion. Instant speed is pretty much the thing about it that will make it relevant, although giving token +1/+1 on your turn for an immediate win isn't out of the question, or the scry out of nowhere.
Rebuff may see some useage, but frankly I'm not sure how much. Mono-U works as well as it does due to a critical mass of devotion enablers. Reducing it by even a little severely hurts it.
That said, the color that got a lot of goodies is Mono-B. It's slightly hyperbolic to say it'll be a black holocaust coming up, but frankly no other color has received as much (White has received some very good cards, but Mono-B has gotten everything it needs to deal with its worst MUs now).
Basically, this is what has happened:
1. Mono-U has gotten a few tricks, but nothing overly exciting or over the top. Which I think is good.
2. White has gotten some exceptionally good cards, and may push it into viability at higher levels over just being control archetypes. G/W may see a resurgence as it has tools now that it didn't have before. Not a huge amount helps out U/W or Esper, and the Firedancer may prove useful in Boros Burn.
3. Green has gotten much it doesn't already have; it's main issues are largely still going to be present (Mono-G devotion and G/R have the big problem of consistency over power; they get plenty of power but very little to actually help the consistency; if you disrupt them at all they tend to fold).
4. Black has gotten a lot of damn-strong hosers and utility cards, and some very good creatures in interesting places on the curve. They have also receieved two cards that severely help them in their worst MU (Bile Blight and Drown in Sorry). I don't think black honestly needed everything it received, and I think this will be a black-dominant format until Journey. Just that decklists may show a bit more variety than nearly being a copy-paste of each other. They have a ton of viable options at all parts of their deck building decision tree now. I think Mono-Black will be reinforced more heavily, leaving very little reason to branch out.
5. Red has received some interesting tricks and the like. It suffers significantly from Bile Blight and Drown in Sorrow, so RDW will likely suffer in the short term. If the meta becomes less aggro, the sideboard will change and RDW is poised to take advantage of that. For the first few weeks, however, it'll be painful to run with all of the removal Black gets (And the sweepers, as the major means of winning against Mono-B is to overload their ability to use their removal right now and getting under them). That said, the Phoenix may have some time to work, as I'm seeing general spot-removal reducing in favor of the strong sweepers. There's only limited room in the 75, and you have get to winning at some point. And the Phoenix more or less dodges the removal (Although still gets eaten by Desecration Demon).
So the big thing I'm taking away from BNG is that mono-Black will likely surge in popularity, as everything printed just reinforces it's dominant position right now. None of the colors were really given much that it has any difficulty dealing with, and it has been given tools to help against the MUs that keep it in check. Which isn't good. White based decks gained a lot of interesting tools, but aggro still suffers horrendously from Bile Blight and Drown in Sorrow. So I'm not sure how it'll sit. G/W is poised pretty well, however, and has Brimaz as a new 3-drop. When coupled with everything else, he could help maintain the archetype (As a good deal they run dodges the new tools Mono-Black gets). G/R and Mono-G will still be around, but that's because the archetype hasn't changed at all and nothing hoses it particularly well; it still has its same problems so although it remains strong, it is also not going to dominate anything. Red will likely go into Big Red for a while and we won't see RDW doing well or the like for a few weeks/months. Mono-U gains a few things, but suffers from not gaining anything particularly relevant or amazing. It could well see itself outclassed.
I'm going 2nd the green & white removal.
Revoke existence gives white gets an efficient disenchant effect which also doubles as a swords to plowshares vs. the Indestructible gods.
Meanwhile, Unravel the Aether is just beginning to blowout - at instant speed nontheless - any opponent trying to bestow bonuses to their creatures. Can't wait to hear about all the 2-for-1 stories involving this card.
"Serious question, why are the people in the mtgsal thread so ****ing stupid?"
What Magic Color are You, MORON ?
But, in summary, Black is gonna be painfully strong, and the white based colors will definitely see more play. Green (specifically G/U) will have to wait maybe one more set, not because they haven't improved, but because the black/white colors are just that good.
A good analysis I must say.
Black will certainly rise even more in popularity but lets not forget that there is a deck that keeps it in check and that is UW Control. The matchup is even and Black(and pretty much every deck) cannot beat Sphinx's Revelation and UW wins game 1 a majority of time since Black has so many dead cards and needs the 8 discard spells to effectively fight against it.
I have the feeling we will see those two clash a lot in the upcoming Standard.
Three UW Control decks in the top 8 of GP Vancouver as an example.
And I think the will be a down tick in Blue because it just doesnt match up that well against those other two decks. And the tools it got dont seem enough to change that. I mean Thassa's Rebuff and Fated Infatuation are just downright bad against Control because of how poorly they line up against Supreme Verdict and Detention Sphere.
The redeeming quality it has is just how good it is against the Green and Red decks and how it keeps them down in the meta.
The silver lining here, however, is that black has enough strong tools at all levels that the archetype actually has some room to branch out from its current lists. I imagine that in short order Mono and Mostly Black decks will start to cannibalize itself in the sideboard and even in the mainboard. Meaning that other archetypes may take hold in force. So it's possible to see quite a bit of variation in Mono-B, where any given Mono-Black is only barely recognizable when compared to others. Time will tell, however, and Mono-Black has been given all the tools it needs to just adapt to any given meta. It has a little bit of everything, and for the most part it's pretty good at it. Which is the major problem methinks. Wizards was a little too good to the color, particularly when compared to other colors.
I'm actually uncertain at how well Mono-White will fair with Drown in Sorrow in the meta; there's just no good way the color can combat it. Brimaz is just amazing, but that's all the game they have against the color. Brave the Elements doesn't save them against it. G/W has some very interesting things going for it, however, not the least of which is many of their creatures avoiding the sweepers. I wonder if it's time for Advent of the Wurm to really shine, as it will dodge the two biggest removal spells black has (Which they will likely sideboard for the sweepers, taking out spotted removal).
So basically, for a while at least, Weenie-aggro is probably going to have too much of a rough game to work.
I will say Mono-G and G/R monsters isn't going anywhere. Not because of anything in particular printed in Born of the Gods making it better. There are probably 2 cards that will see significant play, and they aren't changing the deck in a meaningful way; those being Fanatic of X and Xenagos. Out of those two, I'm betting Fanatic will see far more play simply because it fills a gaping hole in the curve; the deck has plenty of 2 drops and plenty of 4+ drops to consider, but the good 3-cost beats are lacking. This gives it some ability to push through significant damage if the "Get a ton of devotion, spit out planeswalkers and doodz, wash and repeat" plan doesn't work. So that's good. It's a good beater that fits well in the curve.
Frankly, I don't see Xenagos warping the game plan nearly at all. Just speeding it up somewhat. He fits with what the deck does, but he's going to be a 1-2 of. The deck simply doesn't want to make more creatures arbritarily large. It does make certain other things threats (BTE a big example), but given it's godly status I just don't see it being more than two copies. If even that. So really, their game hasn't changed at all. But they will remain relevant simply because nothing in BNG makes their life more difficult, nor does it improve any particular game's deck in a significant manner against them (Bile Blight stop BTE and Mystic shenanigans, but that's about it-which while good doesn't necessarily wreck the deck).
GU has some incredibly interesting pieces, however. I think it is poised quite well to prey on the change in the meta, particularly the Courser dodges a significant amount of removal and giving more or less card advantage. Kiora also plays nicely with Prophet and Courser, and I've seen the deck do some incredibly things already. From what I know, it's not specifically hurt by anything specific in a major way, so it could start popping up.
Black's major boons, after all, is that it's getting two incredibly relevant pseudo-sweeper to deal with its worst match-up (Aggro), as well as some good beaters. UG has only gotten good things-and Black hasn't gotten much that is necessarily amazing against them that didn't already exist. So UG is certainly possible, although I'm uncertain.
It'll be interesting, to say the least. Not sure what I would do in a Mono-black dominated meta quite yet as the aggro plan just falters hard to what they'll be running.
Quite a good point, actually. I didn't consider UW, and although it doesn't gain any real game changer, it does have two things:
1. Revoke Existence, which just does horrible things to Mono-Black's CA engines(Lets them save their D-Spheres for other things or just gives them more ways to take care of problems). The singleton Whips and Erebos also become less problematic.
2. I've seen people consider Brimaz for the anti-aggro plan. It seems solid enough, certainly, but with aggro really getting hurt I don't think it'll be amazing.
Considering also that Mono-Black didn't really gain anything particularly relevant against UW control, the match-up will probably favor UW a bit more than it currently does by virtue of UW gaining something while black stays the same. The best thing Black got against UW is Fate Unraveler, which I just don't see working well against UW, particularly if it runs Revoke Existence. It's so easily played around in the MU. It's an interesting means of hosing Bident in the Mono-U match-up, but I think black has enough tools to make it less important.
Pretty much. Blue has gained some tools against Mono-Black and a few other MUs, but nothing as strong as what Mono-B is gaining in comparison for the MU. I wouldn't say Mono-U is gone, but it suffers immensely from not getting anything particularly strong tools for its worst match-ups.
Which might mean that Green and Red become stronger. The best thing Red has going for it is that Mono-U is just going to suffer more against Mono-Black. Red's gameplan in game 1 against Mono-Black isn't hurt overly significantly, as only Bile Blight will likely see mainboard play (As it is phenomenal in almost every match-up, and passable in the others). It's game against UW and Mono-Green hasn't changed significantly one way or the other, so there is that. I think White Weenie just doesn't have the reach to push damage through, however. It suffers more than mono-red from what I see.
I think once things settle, Red aggro will come back again; it's favorable MU against Mono-B is becoming far less favorable, but mostly out of the sideboard it seems. So we'll see on this one, but I think RDW and other similar game plans will suffer immensely immediately after BNG. Once the Mono-B(And other black-based decks) sideboards start sideboarding more efficiently for other MUs, however, it'll likely change.
So, all things considered, I wouldn't be shocked if the first few major event top 8s are mostly U/W and Mono-B. Both are well positioned, and neither really gained huge footing against the other. There are other archetypes that will likely make the top 8, but not nearly in the same numbers.
I hope we get more Chimeras on JIN
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GU certainly gains a lot with BNG, with the two biggest tools for the deck being Kiora and Courser. The two work just amazingly well together, and can lead into some incredible card advantage extremely fast. Considering a deck with Prophet, the ramp, card advantage, and life gain should help to overload Black's removal (As Prophet is the only relevant thing that gets hits by Blight). I would say that if I were playing UG list, I'd use Arbiter of the Ideal somewhere in the list, simply because of how amazingly well it works with Prophet and Courser. The card and board advantage conferred by it if you can find a way to easily tap it down is just phenomenal (Springleaf Drum, I'm looking at you!). The deck basically has a means of effectively drawing 3 cards for every one the opponent draws with relative ease, and the Arbiter even without Prophet is more. With Prophet things just get shenaniganny in the deck, and it can leave opponents drowning in board presence. Against decks that generally don't interact much with the board state such as aggro, Midrange, and G/x devotion, you can quickly outpace them with more creatures than they can realistically get through. Against decks like Mono-B or even B/x variants, you should be able to overload their removal. The main contender against it is UW, which both can interupt your incremental advantages easily and take advantage of the long game far better. It also suffers from not being to easily or effectively interact with the board very well, meaning that turn 2 pack rat just runs you over.
Still, every deck has its weakness and I think GU is strong enough to bring a showing. Tier 1? Eh... might not be the right time for it. But I wouldn't be surprised if it popped up.
1. Spirit of the Labyrinth - In legacy this thing is disgusting. Flash in on Aether Vial: No, you will not brainstorm, you'll just put 2 cards back instead.
2. Perplexing Chimera - 5 mana almost completely eliminates this from legacy, but for modern. Play alongside with flickerform and Galepowder Mage and your opponent can't really do anything about it. No, you will not cast Emrakul this game. (this is also great interaction for casual)
If you hate the deck, I'm probably playing it!
Concerning the Chimera, I'm actually very much intrigued by it. It's got some incredible utility. Yes, it relies on your opponent casting good things, but if they aren't casting good things then their deck sucks. When every thing they cast needs to be answered with "Will you take it from me", it's really quite a good creature.
Not sure where it goes, but it seems damn powerful.
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
I might switch to a more heroic-heavy build with Favored Hoplite, Fabled Hero, Hero of Iroas and Phalanx Leader, because building dudes to that magic 3 toughness mark is going to be so important.
In Limited or at the prerelease, that plus Forgestoker Dragon is going to be good times.
Suddenly that little Phoenix becomes a huge threat and a possible finisher.
Reusable unlike aspect of hydra which is a one shot.
Flavourwise it is spot on. Perseus didn't need a schtick to whack people with the head.
Has been shown to be better where/how?
The biggest surprise would be Perplexing Chimera. Very unique effect.
So you have to trade a 3/3 (close by "Commandeer" on legs) for something better AND make sure you cannot be screwed by that switch later.
However it being in Blue and the access to something like Spellskite makes it a lot better (not that Spellskite cannot be used in other decks). Also it's essentially useless to attempt to use Chimera against counter spells - again a plus point for being blue.
Indeed I didn't get why they made a close-by functional reprint, especially since we have Basilisk Collar, which is this one + lifelink and at rare.
However flavorwise it's still a hit. Perseus should have sought out and cut off Medusa's head, which he kept as a weapon to turn people to stone, whomsoever looked upon its eyes. He used it a couple of times and then handed it to Athena who prided the shield she carries (Zeus') with it.
I bought this card in bulk pre-sale when it was $0.50. Seems VERY low - even if it just ends up as a sideboard card in Modern. If it doesn't pan out, that's not a huge loss though.
This is great if your opening hand contains, Hero, Aspect, Nykthos, Tree and Caryatid. He will probably end up more than a dollar if green devotion becomes more popular (it should). The hero's problem, to me, is he is an early game creature (1/1 for 1) with a late game ability. It'll be hard for him to survive to that point unless you get that great opening hand.
If you're relying so much on devotion, why not just play Reverent Hunter? You don't even need Nykthos because you get the +1/+1 counters for free. T1 Elf, T2 BTE, Reverent Hunter is a much stronger play, way easier to pull off, and yet people are STILL not playing Reverent Hunter.