I couldn't care less whether people play "bad" cards in main or side. What saddens me is a format where this is seen as acceptable or even logical. Basically, I don't care if you want to run the Ox, Exava, or Isperia in your Standard deck. I'm not a card elitist in that sense. But if bad cards are being deemed more playable in today's Standard, how horrible must the format be for that to happen?
Have you played with Theros? It's surprisingly well balanced so far; and the fact that the format overall is allowing cards like this to be occasionally viable does not mean the format is bad; it might actually mean the format is moving closer to where it should be with all of the cards having a use when played properly
I've played a few draft games so far with theros and the overwhelming response after every pack is opened is "wow, so many good cards to choose from" unlike some other sets where you instantly zero in on the only ok card in the pack and pass the junk away. I've had packs go all the way around the table and come back to me and still have a decent card left in them; I've never seen that kind of consistency in another set before
That Ox's Traps are Yoked, breh! His supps regimine must be stacked.
I love joking around with lifting terms. Go look through a lifting mag one day and you'll laugh your tuckus off with some of the names of the products.
On topic: I enjoy the discussion this Ox is bringing up. Such a polarizing Beast of Burden.
Yeah, I've never heard the slang term usage of the word before. I've only been familiar with the wooden crossbar definition. I got to learn something new today too :).
Is this just fantasy?
Blocked by a Yoked Ox
No escape from reality
Open your eyes
Look up to the sky and seeeeee....
I'm just a poor boy
I need no sympathy
Because I play Yoked Ox, yes Yoked Ox
A Little high, little low
Anyway the aggro goes, doesn't really matter...to me...to me.
Mama...just played Yoked Ox
Put him in front of a Satyr, then Bestowed him now it's dead...
Mama...aggro has just begun...
But now I've gone and blocked it all with Ox
Mama...Ooohoohoo...
Didn't mean to make aggro cry
If it's not back this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on, as if Yoked Ox really matters...
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
Its not chump blocking, its a stop sign. It even stops boros reckoner, and since it has no power, Reckoner can't finish it!
Ban it.
So what if one card can't finish it? If you run a Boros deck, put in some Dynacharges to deal with this. Or some wonky white control that destroys blockers, like Divine Verdict or Celestial Flare.
Just because a single card in a deck can't handle another card in a deck is no reason for either of them to have anything done to them. Playstyles will have to evolve to solve problems, that's all.
I was thinking he would be awesome in Naya, in at least a sideboard option. Elvish Mystic can be just awful against aggro, or RDW and the Ox could be a great idea.
Also, I think Dragon Mantle plus this guy could be a thing.
So what if one card can't finish it? If you run a Boros deck, put in some Dynacharges to deal with this. Or some wonky white control that destroys blockers, like Divine Verdict or Celestial Flare.
Are you really suggesting boarding into unplayable conditional removal to fight Kraken Hatchling? I would love to have sligh blow their fourth turn using Verdict on an Ox. I've already blunted a bunch of attacks, I've forced you to waste a key turn killing a 0/4, I probably get to hold off on Verdict unless you've over committed to get around the Ox. It's like the best case scenario.
It's not a good card. Standard isn't always about playing good cards though. It's about doing the best with what you have. Post Gatecrash was an example of this. On occasion a number of good cards make their way into the same deck and the format warps around it. See Cawblade, Faeries and Jund is the most recent version of this. That isn't happening right now. Ox has a use in Standard and so its used. Don't think about it too much lol.
EDIT: PS Weird dies when it blocks Boros Reckoner while Ox survives.
So what if one card can't finish it? If you run a Boros deck, put in some Dynacharges to deal with this. Or some wonky white control that destroys blockers, like Divine Verdict or Celestial Flare.
Just because a single card in a deck can't handle another card in a deck is no reason for either of them to have anything done to them. Playstyles will have to evolve to solve problems, that's all.
you just proved why ox has a reason to be played. you are suggesting exactly what they want:
you had to waste an attack and another card to get rid of it
it lets them control the board by forcing you to play a certain way, in the mean time how many attacks did it block before you got around to killing it?
thats the beauty of using so called "bad cards", if they are in the deck for a reason the other player wont even understand what you are doing until they play into your strategy
It kind of feels like Standard is become limited-plus. We all know a 0/4 for 1 beats a 3/3 for 2, but its kind of a shame people cant do anything synergistic in standard anymore. Dumbed-down trash honestly.
It's sad to see it being used, but chump blocking is chump blocking. Whatever spares you from damage can't possibly be a bad thing.
Still, this is outclassed by commons such as Palace Guard, or even other walls.
1 mana >>>>> 3 mana
By the time palace Guard comes down it's an irrelevant blocker. It is amusing that people would compare this card to a card that costs 3 times as much mana though.
It's not a good card. Standard isn't always about playing good cards though. It's about doing the best with what you have. Post Gatecrash was an example of this. On occasion a number of good cards make their way into the same deck and the format warps around it. See Cawblade, Faeries and Jund is the most recent version of this. That isn't happening right now. Ox has a use in Standard and so its used. Don't think about it too much lol.
EDIT: PS Weird dies when it blocks Boros Reckoner while Ox survives.
Good is always relative to the format, right now a 0/4 is quite good. Good doesn't always mean it's so strong that it's playable in a t1 legacy or modern deck.
Weird dies to Boros Reckoner but can kill most other creatures it's blocking. It's a tradeoff but not a bad one to be making.
By the time palace Guard comes down it's an irrelevant blocker. It is amusing that people would compare this card to a card that costs 3 times as much mana though.
The Guard can block an infinite number of creatures, even if their combined attacks would destroy it - I'll admit that it would make more sense to run a Fog or something similar, but for three mana I could see uses for it. The Ox, on the other hand, can only block one attacker, and it has to be a non-evasive threat that it blocks. Only decks that would have to worry about Oxen would be Rakdos, Gruul, and Boros, although Boros could always be built in a non-Battalion fashion with Red and White fliers. Selesnya would get slowed down for a couple turns but then they'd still kill you with all the tokens they'd be making. Gruul could always just use Pit Fight or something to wipe your Ox off the board before swinging at your face.
It's a stall card. It's frustrating to try and navigate around, but if you're a good player it shouldn't completely cripple any deck you fancy playing.
Have you played with Theros? It's surprisingly well balanced so far; and the fact that the format overall is allowing cards like this to be occasionally viable does not mean the format is bad; it might actually mean the format is moving closer to where it should be with all of the cards having a use when played properly
I've played a few draft games so far with theros and the overwhelming response after every pack is opened is "wow, so many good cards to choose from" unlike some other sets where you instantly zero in on the only ok card in the pack and pass the junk away. I've had packs go all the way around the table and come back to me and still have a decent card left in them; I've never seen that kind of consistency in another set before
welcome to magic general?
I love joking around with lifting terms. Go look through a lifting mag one day and you'll laugh your tuckus off with some of the names of the products.
On topic: I enjoy the discussion this Ox is bringing up. Such a polarizing Beast of Burden.
What?
I honestly don't know what you're referring to, I've only ever heard the term yoke in reference to it being used to hitch beasts of burden...
this. there are some serious card elitists posting here upset their $15 staples cant break through a fifteen cent common.
GB [Primer][Competitive][Stax][Combo] Meren of Clan Nel Toth 95% RETIRED
UW [Primer][Competitive][Combo][Stax] Brago, King Eternal RETIRED
BR Rakdos, Lord of Riots (75%)
G Titania - 75%
W SRAM - Welcome to the cheeri0s jam 95%
U Teferi - stax 100%
R Neheb - janky mono red eggs combo 90%
B Gonti - 50% valuetown
I think we're getting some mixed messages here.
Wow is this real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Blocked by a Yoked Ox
No escape from reality
Open your eyes
Look up to the sky and seeeeee....
I'm just a poor boy
I need no sympathy
Because I play Yoked Ox, yes Yoked Ox
A Little high, little low
Anyway the aggro goes, doesn't really matter...to me...to me.
Mama...just played Yoked Ox
Put him in front of a Satyr, then Bestowed him now it's dead...
Mama...aggro has just begun...
But now I've gone and blocked it all with Ox
Mama...Ooohoohoo...
Didn't mean to make aggro cry
If it's not back this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on, as if Yoked Ox really matters...
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
Still, this is outclassed by commons such as Palace Guard, or even other walls.
Its not chump blocking, its a stop sign. It even stops boros reckoner, and since it has no power, Reckoner can't finish it!
Ban it.
Are you kidding me? This is one my favorite parts of this game!
"I can't believe I lost to X!"
"Well, luckily we have this sheet of paper here to document the whole affair. Sign here please... starting to believe it now?"
So what if one card can't finish it? If you run a Boros deck, put in some Dynacharges to deal with this. Or some wonky white control that destroys blockers, like Divine Verdict or Celestial Flare.
Just because a single card in a deck can't handle another card in a deck is no reason for either of them to have anything done to them. Playstyles will have to evolve to solve problems, that's all.
Actually, I never got to play with it in Standard, but I wish I could.
Though seeing Yoked Ox being played did bring a smile to my face.
However, it really is sad when that is the best anti-aggro option available for control decks...
I was thinking he would be awesome in Naya, in at least a sideboard option. Elvish Mystic can be just awful against aggro, or RDW and the Ox could be a great idea.
Also, I think Dragon Mantle plus this guy could be a thing.
Are you really suggesting boarding into unplayable conditional removal to fight Kraken Hatchling? I would love to have sligh blow their fourth turn using Verdict on an Ox. I've already blunted a bunch of attacks, I've forced you to waste a key turn killing a 0/4, I probably get to hold off on Verdict unless you've over committed to get around the Ox. It's like the best case scenario.
It really isn't.
EDIT: PS Weird dies when it blocks Boros Reckoner while Ox survives.
you just proved why ox has a reason to be played. you are suggesting exactly what they want:
you had to waste an attack and another card to get rid of it
it lets them control the board by forcing you to play a certain way, in the mean time how many attacks did it block before you got around to killing it?
thats the beauty of using so called "bad cards", if they are in the deck for a reason the other player wont even understand what you are doing until they play into your strategy
Takes a cow to beat a cow.
1 mana >>>>> 3 mana
By the time palace Guard comes down it's an irrelevant blocker. It is amusing that people would compare this card to a card that costs 3 times as much mana though.
Feel free to bid on my cards here!
Good is always relative to the format, right now a 0/4 is quite good. Good doesn't always mean it's so strong that it's playable in a t1 legacy or modern deck.
Weird dies to Boros Reckoner but can kill most other creatures it's blocking. It's a tradeoff but not a bad one to be making.
I think the ox has an edge over both, by being two cheaper than palace guard, and by not actually being a wall.
The Guard can block an infinite number of creatures, even if their combined attacks would destroy it - I'll admit that it would make more sense to run a Fog or something similar, but for three mana I could see uses for it. The Ox, on the other hand, can only block one attacker, and it has to be a non-evasive threat that it blocks. Only decks that would have to worry about Oxen would be Rakdos, Gruul, and Boros, although Boros could always be built in a non-Battalion fashion with Red and White fliers. Selesnya would get slowed down for a couple turns but then they'd still kill you with all the tokens they'd be making. Gruul could always just use Pit Fight or something to wipe your Ox off the board before swinging at your face.
It's a stall card. It's frustrating to try and navigate around, but if you're a good player it shouldn't completely cripple any deck you fancy playing.
Man, imagine if Guardians of Meletis cost 2 mana...