This Ajani seems very... safe to me. Slightly better than Goldmane, perhaps. Is it too much to ask for a new Ajani that isn't just a glorified aura/anthem? At least Mentor could provide some CA. I doubt he'll see much, if any, Standard play, and he's pretty underwhelming for EDH, too. Just a very mediocre 'walker that doesn't really add anything to a character we've seen a lot of already.
So we have an a-Bant-ance of planeswalkers in white-blue-green, different versions of them etc
While red and black are cornered because "too strong for standard" and other lousy excuses.
I don't like that. Control will stack up superfriends and red/black will have to go super aggro to win before they lock the game down.
So what happens next? You have to play 4 of Hero's Downfall maindeck or go with a superfriends deck?
Need more planeswalker hate or PW balance on all colors and strategies
/rant
Planeswalkers have become a control/midrange based card because of their cost and flexible options. It is just how the card is designed, and putting out aggressive planeswalkers makes them more of a liability when it comes to balancing.
unless they completely redesigning how the card type functions, you might as well just learn to accept that these are the types of cards that control and midrange benefit from simply because of how the card type actually functions - regardless of cost or abilities.
I don't see it making any sort of 'superfriends' deck as you need too many creatures for this to be useful.
I think the superfriends deck still works because a bunch of the friends will make tokens. Even the new nissa makes your forests into big elemetals. Ajani-nissa-elspeth seems nasty to me.
My Superfriends deck runs four Caryatids, four Courser of Kruphix, and three Advent of the Wurm. I would love to +1 a Wurm token and gain 6 life WHILE having it available to defend next turn thanks to vigilance.
Why so much concern with not being able to directly protect himself? If you're not running him with a good amount of creatures(the he can give vigilance to.. You know... PROTECT him) you're probably not making the most out of his potential.
I love this Ajani, and think he nods at expanded design space for PW that don't have to be the win con themselves but are still more than capable of propelling you to victory. Only making PW that win you games by themselves is limited, awful, lazy design.
This. People are making way too big a deal out of the "can't protect itself". Ajani is built for specific, creature heavy deck, and he is amazing in that deck. Heck, I hope people underestimate him so he's more affordable to me.
Also, with Ajani being objectively the coolest planeswalker, I don't think you could ever have too many Ajanis. The more the merrier!
Yeah. The best planeswalkers all have ways to interact with your opponent and thus everyone immediately looks for one on each new planeswalker. However planeswalkers can still be good without such an ability, like Garruk caller of beasts, though admittedly they'll never be the best of the best. Also yay my first post! Go me.
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Casual Decks WRBoros Aggro (Glorious knights of badassery) RBRakdos Bloodthirst (Undercosted waves of fat s***) URIzzet Talrand/Pyromancer (b/c I hate you) GRGruul Ramp and Stomp (SO FAT. SO FAST. RAWRRR) GBGolgari Birthing Pod (b/c you wanted a challenge. I did warn you this BS is banned though) BWOrzhov Lifegain Aggro (Removal for dayzzz) WGSelesnya Tribal Golem-splicers/token (meh. Needs more upgrades. Perhaps switching to bant?) WUAzorius Flicker (b/c I wanna annoy the f*** outta you) GUSimic Evolve Aggro (Aggro takes a journey to the weird side of the color pie) BUDimir Control (b/c I wanna peel your skin off and flay you within an inch of life before I kill you) URWJeskai Ascendency Tokens (MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA) RWBMardu Warriors (Butcher is da bomb) GU Simic Morph (slow as s*** but oh so fun) WBGAbzan Dredge-animator (PURE EVIL) GWHexproof Aggro (Deal with it. Lemme guess, you cant?)
EDH Decks UBRNekusar (Multiplayer MONSTA. 1v1 Klutz) GRB Prossh (Set up engines. WRECK FACE) GEzuri (Hey so I heard you liked Elves...) UTalrand (Counter. Cantrip. Counter. Cantrip. Repeat till opponents die-- possibly of boredom)
Tiny leaders WUDaxos (basic 3/1 fliers do basic s***. Also Daxos) RWAnax and Cymede (Heroic weenie beats)
Standard RRMONO RED AGGRO (RAWWWRRRR!!!!) WUHeroic Aggro (Easy mode beatstick)
The design on the new Ajani is pretty interesting, his +1 makes any creature into a Baneslayer (with vigilance replacing flying). The -2 can be good in a token deck or Planeswalker Deck, although we already had proliferate in the past, but giving loyalty counters from a planeswalker is a very different matter altogether. As for the ultimate, having an auto Forcefield on all types of damage to you or your walker is very hard to gauge, it won't win you the game but you won't lose the game from large beaters.
As for the "It can't protect itself" test it loses on many accounts, since this Ajani works ONLY with other creatures and/or walkers thus it needs a specific board state to fully utilize him. But once it is in that board state it can further certain game plans to your advantage like putting a certain walker nearer to his/her ultimate ability or even make your army of creatures better or even a single creature much more relevant (First Strike, Vigilance and Lifelink is still pretty good). This doesn't make it necessarily good, but it is not bad either since he adds a new dimension of play which was never available before.
#1 - What's the dumbest idea you ever had?
#2 - 15/15 for 15?
#1 - Make it dumber
#2 - Give it protection from removal and counter?
#1 - DUMBER!
#2 - Add Timewalk?
#1 - DAMN IT MAN, I SAID DUMB!! DUMB !!!
#2 - It destroys everything when it attacks.... And wait, I have a friend who plays mill decks... I want to beat him too.
#1 - Excellent! Recess is over, go back and learn sex-ed with the other 6th graders.
"A card is considered functionally identical to another card if it has the same card type, subtypes, abilities, mana cost, power, and toughness." - Wizards of the Coast Official Reprint Policy
The biggest problem with this card is that it's subtype is Ajani.
Ajani, Mentor of Heroes + Ajani Steadfast + Elspeth + creatures = great GW Midrange/superfriends shell. Not that you couldn't still make it, but have 2 Ajanis is pretty awkward.
Add blue for Kiora funtimes.
Hoping new Jace only needs one in the CC...
I'm not sure about that -2. If you're playing white planeswalkers (and you sort of have to with this guy), you probably want at least one other Ajani in the deck, as 40% of all white PWs have that subtype. This would probably keep him out of Modern.
While ultimate abilities are irrelevant in gameplay, this Ajani's is particularly bad, as it doesn't help you win at all- you simply lose more slowly.
The +1 is very powerful and the only real reason to play him.
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These days, some wizards are finding they have a little too much deck left at the end of their $$$.
MTG finance guy- follow me on Twitter@RichArschmann or RichardArschmann on Reddit
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Planeswalkers have become a control/midrange based card because of their cost and flexible options. It is just how the card is designed, and putting out aggressive planeswalkers makes them more of a liability when it comes to balancing.
unless they completely redesigning how the card type functions, you might as well just learn to accept that these are the types of cards that control and midrange benefit from simply because of how the card type actually functions - regardless of cost or abilities.
The art for this card is incredible!
prevention
My Superfriends deck runs four Caryatids, four Courser of Kruphix, and three Advent of the Wurm. I would love to +1 a Wurm token and gain 6 life WHILE having it available to defend next turn thanks to vigilance.
Well we don't have the same definition of the word "good"
Anyways, I really like this version of Ajani. He's worth it just to try out Bant Superfriends. Caryatid, Courser, Ajani, Kiora, Jace, Elspeth....
I like the sound of that!!
"There are no two words in the English language more harmful than 'good job'." -Terrance Fletcher, Whiplash (2014)
If that was intentional by R&D, then it is OOZING WITH FLAVORY GOODNESS and I'm not even a Vorthos.
This. People are making way too big a deal out of the "can't protect itself". Ajani is built for specific, creature heavy deck, and he is amazing in that deck. Heck, I hope people underestimate him so he's more affordable to me.
Also, with Ajani being objectively the coolest planeswalker, I don't think you could ever have too many Ajanis. The more the merrier!
probably to let you pump his loyalty even if you don't control a creature.
WRBoros Aggro (Glorious knights of badassery)
RBRakdos Bloodthirst (Undercosted waves of fat s***)
URIzzet Talrand/Pyromancer (b/c I hate you)
GRGruul Ramp and Stomp (SO FAT. SO FAST. RAWRRR)
GBGolgari Birthing Pod (b/c you wanted a challenge. I did warn you this BS is banned though)
BWOrzhov Lifegain Aggro (Removal for dayzzz)
WGSelesnya Tribal Golem-splicers/token (meh. Needs more upgrades. Perhaps switching to bant?)
WUAzorius Flicker (b/c I wanna annoy the f*** outta you)
GUSimic Evolve Aggro (Aggro takes a journey to the weird side of the color pie)
BUDimir Control (b/c I wanna peel your skin off and flay you within an inch of life before I kill you)
URWJeskai Ascendency Tokens (MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA)
RWBMardu Warriors (Butcher is da bomb)
GU Simic Morph (slow as s*** but oh so fun)
WBGAbzan Dredge-animator (PURE EVIL)
GWHexproof Aggro (Deal with it. Lemme guess, you cant?)
EDH Decks
UBRNekusar (Multiplayer MONSTA. 1v1 Klutz)
GRB Prossh (Set up engines. WRECK FACE)
GEzuri (Hey so I heard you liked Elves...)
UTalrand (Counter. Cantrip. Counter. Cantrip. Repeat till opponents die-- possibly of boredom)
Tiny leaders
WUDaxos (basic 3/1 fliers do basic s***. Also Daxos)
RWAnax and Cymede (Heroic weenie beats)
Standard
RRMONO RED AGGRO (RAWWWRRRR!!!!)
WUHeroic Aggro (Easy mode beatstick)
As for the "It can't protect itself" test it loses on many accounts, since this Ajani works ONLY with other creatures and/or walkers thus it needs a specific board state to fully utilize him. But once it is in that board state it can further certain game plans to your advantage like putting a certain walker nearer to his/her ultimate ability or even make your army of creatures better or even a single creature much more relevant (First Strike, Vigilance and Lifelink is still pretty good). This doesn't make it necessarily good, but it is not bad either since he adds a new dimension of play which was never available before.
Ajani, Mentor of Heroes + Ajani Steadfast + Elspeth + creatures = great GW Midrange/superfriends shell. Not that you couldn't still make it, but have 2 Ajanis is pretty awkward.
Add blue for Kiora funtimes.
Hoping new Jace only needs one in the CC...
I think more like: "we made this pretty lackluster, let's make it a little better somehow".
While ultimate abilities are irrelevant in gameplay, this Ajani's is particularly bad, as it doesn't help you win at all- you simply lose more slowly.
The +1 is very powerful and the only real reason to play him.
MTG finance guy- follow me on Twitter@RichArschmann or RichardArschmann on Reddit