I was replying to a thread about drafting and realized that there seems to be fewer bombs for red in nearly every set. Just think about it, how many truly broken cards are red? Or even just really good? Like Baneslayer Angel good or even Lotus Cobra good.
What's the most powerful red card recently released? I'm going to go with Lightning Bolt and it's far from game breaking. The most powerful red card I can think of right now is in the Mirrodin block (not sure what set), which allows you to give your creatures double strike and/or take an additional combat phase with entwine. I'm sure I'm about to get my ass handed to me on that one, I only put a second's thought into it, but I'll be glad when I'm proven wrong.
(goblin guide actually, still not $20 good though)
I was going to make a terrible pum about red not having the bombs but surely having the booms, but decided it was to terrible... so I posted it anyway, in smaller size.
Mono Red strategies doesn't usually depends on a single card, much to the contrary - Mono Red decks usually depends on some kind of redundancy. This makes "bombs" a little less needed.
The new Warren Instigator could have the potential to be bomb-y in some environment, but I don't think that's going to happen. Demigod of Revenge was a recent red bomb (not only red, but still).
Depending on the format {and the cards that are provided for it} I would say red is just not as powerful by it self.
You make a splash then maybe those friends will come out to the party:rolleyes:.
I really never understood the WHY red is crap {outside a few cards in vintage}, but my thoughts are coming from just that a Vintage player.......but there's always time for wizards to make a bomb or two to change that scene.........keep your fingers crossed because you never know.
S.M.
Red is the #2 most played color in Legacy after Blue, and a significant part of Extended, and it is also a significant player of tier 1 decks in Standard. I have no idea why you think it's underpowered. As for cards like Baneslayer and Lotus Cobra, Lightning Bolt has proven much more playable than either of them in the various magic formats (according to deckcheck, it's the 22nd most played card in 1.5, sandwiched between Mishra's Factory and Aether Vial, and there are 10 lands that only produce mana/fetches above it).
The only format that red isn't really great in is Vintage. Otherwise, it's no surprise that the colors of card advantage and tempo are the most competitive tourney colors in magic, with green coming in #3, black at 4, and Swords to Plowshares at 5.
Edit: A list of red/part red cards that see tier 1 tournament play is shockingly large. Pyroclasm, Bolt, and Bloodbraided Elf, and that's hardly a comprehensive list of red stuff in Standard.
Red is easiest to balance because it occupies a very narrow slice of the pie (like green) but the piece that it has (burn, land destruction, artifact destruction, nonbasic hate, fast aggro) isn't generally underpowered (the problem with green whenever it is bad in a format).
Blue and Black are hard to balance because they get a whole lot of different things that are good.
White schizophrenically flips between having very few things that it can do or being able to do as much as well as black and blue.
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Think about it this way: If I had said "Do you think blue is generally underpowered," every single vote would be for "it's one of the stronger colors"/"it's the best color," and this thread would be a joke.... It might not be much of a laughing stock if I had said white but surely there would be a bunch of "2 words: baneslayer angel," and if I said green tarmogoyf and lotus cobra alone would give people enough ammo to defend it. Red though and people are going back to the urza block for defense.... I guess it is a good secondary color, but that's the point.
It might not be much of a laughing stock if I had said white but surely there would be a bunch of "2 words: baneslayer angel," and if I said green tarmogoyf and lotus cobra alone would give people enough ammo to defend it.
But keep in mind that back during Time Spiral block, there were multiple threads about how White was useless and pointless. And generally it was agreed that White was indeed quite weak at that time.
The same was true for Green a few years before that.
Red Decks are rarely considered overpowered (Dragonstorm and Goblins are the examples that come to mind) - but they usually aren't considered underpowered either. Red is, ironically, pretty constant and reliable.
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What's the most powerful red card recently released? I'm going to go with Lightning Bolt and it's far from game breaking. The most powerful red card I can think of right now is in the Mirrodin block (not sure what set), which allows you to give your creatures double strike and/or take an additional combat phase with entwine. I'm sure I'm about to get my ass handed to me on that one, I only put a second's thought into it, but I'll be glad when I'm proven wrong.
(goblin guide actually, still not $20 good though)
From around here? Cheap booster boxes!
BANNED for posting, "mind your own business please" to a mod.
PTQ Top 8: 11/21/2009 Zendikar Sealed 4th
Mono Red strategies doesn't usually depends on a single card, much to the contrary - Mono Red decks usually depends on some kind of redundancy. This makes "bombs" a little less needed.
The new Warren Instigator could have the potential to be bomb-y in some environment, but I don't think that's going to happen. Demigod of Revenge was a recent red bomb (not only red, but still).
Avalanche Riders
Worldgorger Dragon
Gamble
and Lightning Bolt all say hi
they could have brought more friends along but Blood Moon Price of Progress and all of their friends were busy in various formats.
"That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die."
- H.P. Lovecraft
You make a splash then maybe those friends will come out to the party:rolleyes:.
I really never understood the WHY red is crap {outside a few cards in vintage}, but my thoughts are coming from just that a Vintage player.......but there's always time for wizards to make a bomb or two to change that scene.........keep your fingers crossed because you never know.
S.M.
Red is powerful check out goblins.
The only format that red isn't really great in is Vintage. Otherwise, it's no surprise that the colors of card advantage and tempo are the most competitive tourney colors in magic, with green coming in #3, black at 4, and Swords to Plowshares at 5.
Edit: A list of red/part red cards that see tier 1 tournament play is shockingly large. Pyroclasm, Bolt, and Bloodbraided Elf, and that's hardly a comprehensive list of red stuff in Standard.
Blue and Black are hard to balance because they get a whole lot of different things that are good.
White schizophrenically flips between having very few things that it can do or being able to do as much as well as black and blue.
"That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die."
- H.P. Lovecraft
From around here? Cheap booster boxes!
BANNED for posting, "mind your own business please" to a mod.
The same was true for Green a few years before that.
Red Decks are rarely considered overpowered (Dragonstorm and Goblins are the examples that come to mind) - but they usually aren't considered underpowered either. Red is, ironically, pretty constant and reliable.