I bet this has a standard life cycle of playability similar to what Vengevine had.
We don't have a Fauna Shaman though, but we have ways to self mill, and Whisperwood Elemental. Surprise deathtouch that can appear on the battle at anytime is pretty nuts. It's like a green stompy deck that doesn't die to wrath, but takes setting up like Vengevine did (in standard not the crazy stuff it does/could in modern or other eternal formats).
It's a much more complex set-up than Vengevine, and the payoff for a lucky 'nuts draw' isn't there - at the very earliest you'll get this when you could have cast it anyway, rather than spawning a hasty 4/3 out of nowhere on turn 2.
I still consider Risen Executioner the better comparison with Vengevine - although it has a mana outlay and, like Raptor, won't be coming out any sooner than it would naturally however you push it, its recursion is essentially unconditional as long as you have 2BB spare.
Think RUG. There is an assortment of ways to put cards into the graveyard. There is playable morph cards. There is Elvish Mystic and Rattleclaw Mystic for mana. There is the new morph/counter that is a 3/2 flier. You make it a tempo deck with the ability to resurrect these late game. a 3/3 deathtouch for 3 isn't a bad creature, you don't need to go full combo mode when evaluating it. Temur decks run the 2/2 deathdouch with ferious +1/+1 anyways.
EDIT: Just to clarify I think it's lifecycle is like Vengevine, where it's a desired card depending on the meta. Vengevine was great when you needed the 4 mana haste creature that kills jtms$100, this seems like a good meta call if a control deck is the heavy favorite meta wise as a 3/3 deathtoucher that can come back post/wipe off morph triggers (which mess with targeted removal) seems like a major meta card to me.
All of the morph cards cost 3 to play morphed. This costs 3. That's what I mean when I say you won't be getting it any sooner than you would naturally. All of the manifest-generators also cost at least 3 to set up - except Soul Summons, which isn't Standard-playable. This will only add value if you can reliably get more than one into the graveyard so you can trigger them all simultaneously, and in a format without Buried Alive or an equivalent that's just not reliably going to happen.
You're absolutely right that a 3/3 deathtouch for 3 isn't a bad creature, and I said as much. But it's also not quite as good as what we already have available - if it were slightly better, it could be evaluated on its own merits more and on its potential in an unlikely combo less. But it isn't slightly better. 3/3 over 2/2 is irrelevant on defence for a creature with deathtouch and Heir of the Wilds is reliably a 3/3 when it attacks, so I'd rather have that and not have to compete for the 1GG slot with Courser.
Is this card The odd one out that foreshadows what's to come in the next block? Dinosaur theme incoming?
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Huey, Dewey and Louie are always dressed in RUG. it is CLEARLY going to be the wedges block Pioneer: WURFaerie fires BRGDragons ModernBGElves WRBurn UR Fires Turns URGift Storm UG Twiddle Storm
I think the design of this card along with being a raptor is really cool. I don't understand the flavor. As I said with the Innistrad zombie that was spoiled yesterday, it doesn't bother me that it isn't a dragon. What bothers me is that the flavor doesn't match the set. Why is there suddenly a raptor on tarkir? Why do we have Innistrad zombies? I don't mind a zombie lord or raptor but make the art and flavor match the set. The power level of these mythic is weird too but I can't complain too much. Fringe playable mythics and playable rares are great in my eyes!
I think the design of this card along with being a raptor is really cool. I don't understand the flavor. As I said with the Innistrad zombie that was spoiled yesterday, it doesn't bother me that it isn't a dragon. What bothers me is that the flavor doesn't match the set. Why is there suddenly a raptor on tarkir? Why do we have Innistrad zombies? I don't mind a zombie lord or raptor but make the art and flavor match the set. The power level of these mythic is weird too but I can't complain too much. Fringe playable mythics and playable rares are great in my eyes!
The zombie seems Innistradi i agree, but can be a zombie controlled by Silumgar. The deathtouch on a raptor i don't get. Why is he poisonous? Or does he simply eviscerate his prey 100% accuratly? I do get his reccurssion abbility. When you unmorph him, or some other creature, the whole pack comes in to ambush the creature/player. Flavorfull for a raptor/packhunter.
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Thanks to SpiderBoy4 @ High-Light Studio's for the awesome banner
“I once had an entire race killed just to listen to the rattling of their dried bones as I waded through them.” —Volrath
I think the design of this card along with being a raptor is really cool. I don't understand the flavor. As I said with the Innistrad zombie that was spoiled yesterday, it doesn't bother me that it isn't a dragon. What bothers me is that the flavor doesn't match the set. Why is there suddenly a raptor on tarkir? Why do we have Innistrad zombies? I don't mind a zombie lord or raptor but make the art and flavor match the set. The power level of these mythic is weird too but I can't complain too much. Fringe playable mythics and playable rares are great in my eyes!
The zombie seems Innistradi i agree, but can be a zombie controlled by Silumgar. The deathtouch on a raptor i don't get. Why is he poisonous? Or does he simply eviscerate his prey 100% accuratly? I do get his reccurssion abbility. When you unmorph him, or some other creature, the whole pack comes in to ambush the creature/player. Flavorfull for a raptor/packhunter.
Yeah I can see how both of them could work flavorfully, but it takes a stretch, especially with that zombie picture. I like their individual flavor, but they don't seem to match the set/block. It should have been Silumgar's executioner. The raptor I just don't get. Why are there raptors on tarkir? Was there a precedent for dinosaurs that I missed somewhere? I LOVE dinosaurs. They just don't match the set.
What a peculiar card.I don't understand why is a lizard tough,so random
For God knows what reason, Wizards of the Coast thinks dinosaurs are lizards and is too lazy to give them their own creature type.
Not too lazy - they actually did print Pygmy Allosaurus with the phrase "Summon dinosaur" - then they downgraded it to a lizard because they didn't want the dinosaur creature type. Old Fogey was a callback to that, as well.
What a peculiar card.I don't understand why is a lizard tough,so random
For God knows what reason, Wizards of the Coast thinks dinosaurs are lizards and is too lazy to give them their own creature type.
Someone already mentioned this, but yea, they're saving Dinosaur creature type for Muraganda.
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I fear I won't have much time to play Magic these days.
I get to watch worlds develop around me.
I get to watch great leaders, terrible oppressors, and trend setters rise and fall.
Limited, Standard, Modern, everything is a different playing field I feel I can observe, but will not actually touch.
I look forward to the stories I will hear.
And more so to the ones I will watch unfold first hand.
Isn't the unknown exciting?
I might also point out, for those who think that this a 'plant' for Muraganda, that Muraganda's theme is already rather well known: Vanilla Matters.
Now, when you note that all Morphs are Vanilla creatures, it stands to reason that Muraganda should either have Morph in it, or be in the same Standard as a block that has Morph.
Storywise, dunno, Garruk might go there to cleanse himself?
I might also point out, for those who think that this a 'plant' for Muraganda, that Muraganda's theme is already rather well known: Vanilla Matters.
MaRo has said multiple times that a "vanilla matters" theme has much less design space than people think. I really doubt it could support a set.
What we do know about Muraganda is that it has intelligent dinosaur-people called saurids, and that's reason enough to go there.
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Quote from Nirvava »
you can generally tell the easiest road to victory by how many players congregate on it; and the road of counterspells/control has been the freeway of choice in magic for quite some time.
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What I find offensive is not that Wizards is endeavoring to make the game more accessible, but the attitudes of elitists who act as though no one of any age should show their face in the Magic public without first having mastery over the complexities of the game.
I might also point out, for those who think that this a 'plant' for Muraganda, that Muraganda's theme is already rather well known: Vanilla Matters.
Now, when you note that all Morphs are Vanilla creatures, it stands to reason that Muraganda should either have Morph in it, or be in the same Standard as a block that has Morph.
Storywise, dunno, Garruk might go there to cleanse himself?
Going by the Muraganda Planechase card, the theme could also be +1/+1 counters matter. Which would also slot nicely into the khans of tarkir block.
I might also point out, for those who think that this a 'plant' for Muraganda, that Muraganda's theme is already rather well known: Vanilla Matters.
Now, when you note that all Morphs are Vanilla creatures, it stands to reason that Muraganda should either have Morph in it, or be in the same Standard as a block that has Morph.
Storywise, dunno, Garruk might go there to cleanse himself?
Going by the Muraganda Planechase card, the theme could also be +1/+1 counters matter. Which would also slot nicely into the khans of tarkir block.
The only theme Muraganda needs is DINOSAUR TRIBAL.
What a peculiar card.I don't understand why is a lizard tough,so random
For God knows what reason, Wizards of the Coast thinks dinosaurs are lizards and is too lazy to give them their own creature type.
Meh, this is speaking as a naturalist who worked in two dinosaur museums in college: lizards (Order Squamata) branched off earlier reptiles so close to dinosaurs that, at least cladistically, there's no need to create a new tribe. Heck, I don't even think "Lizard Beast" is necessary. That screams Therapsids to me (early lizard-like mammals: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapsida).
So, there any chance R&D will come around to changing dinosaurs to not be lizards? Not saying they should be birds, but dinosaurs are closer to them than they are to lizards and I think it'd be really cool to see some feathers on our dinos when/if we finally get to Muraganda.
Genetically they're very close to lizards. Far closer, in my opinion, than the "resolution" of MtG's tribal divisions can "detect", if I'm clear.
Heh, thanks, but you caught me while I was editing my post. I did some quick research in the last few minutes and was surprised how close they actually are. I mean, dinosaurs still weren't entirely cold-blooded and many were feathered and not scaley, but the entire group that we call "dinosaurs" takes up a lot more space in the tree than I thought.
For God knows what reason, Wizards of the Coast thinks dinosaurs are lizards and is too lazy to give them their own creature type.
Tthat's why it's a Lizard Beast.
All of the morph cards cost 3 to play morphed. This costs 3. That's what I mean when I say you won't be getting it any sooner than you would naturally. All of the manifest-generators also cost at least 3 to set up - except Soul Summons, which isn't Standard-playable. This will only add value if you can reliably get more than one into the graveyard so you can trigger them all simultaneously, and in a format without Buried Alive or an equivalent that's just not reliably going to happen.
You're absolutely right that a 3/3 deathtouch for 3 isn't a bad creature, and I said as much. But it's also not quite as good as what we already have available - if it were slightly better, it could be evaluated on its own merits more and on its potential in an unlikely combo less. But it isn't slightly better. 3/3 over 2/2 is irrelevant on defence for a creature with deathtouch and Heir of the Wilds is reliably a 3/3 when it attacks, so I'd rather have that and not have to compete for the 1GG slot with Courser.
It should have been a Thunder Lizard.
Only if it was terrible.
I love the card and hope it will be constructed playable, but why is this green? Mechanicly i get it, but all raptors have been red until now.
“I once had an entire race killed just to listen to the rattling of their dried bones as I waded through them.”
—Volrath
Pioneer: WURFaerie fires BRGDragons
ModernBGElves WRBurn UR Fires Turns URGift Storm UG Twiddle Storm
The zombie seems Innistradi i agree, but can be a zombie controlled by Silumgar. The deathtouch on a raptor i don't get. Why is he poisonous? Or does he simply eviscerate his prey 100% accuratly? I do get his reccurssion abbility. When you unmorph him, or some other creature, the whole pack comes in to ambush the creature/player. Flavorfull for a raptor/packhunter.
“I once had an entire race killed just to listen to the rattling of their dried bones as I waded through them.”
—Volrath
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Someone already mentioned this, but yea, they're saving Dinosaur creature type for Muraganda.
I get to watch great leaders, terrible oppressors, and trend setters rise and fall.
Limited, Standard, Modern, everything is a different playing field I feel I can observe, but will not actually touch.
I look forward to the stories I will hear.
And more so to the ones I will watch unfold first hand.
Isn't the unknown exciting?
Now, when you note that all Morphs are Vanilla creatures, it stands to reason that Muraganda should either have Morph in it, or be in the same Standard as a block that has Morph.
Storywise, dunno, Garruk might go there to cleanse himself?
I can't wait until I return 4 of these bad boys at instant speed! Also plays well with Commune with the Gods etc.
Finally this guy is a lizard because dinosaurs are great terrible lizards, this guy is just great
The mythics do feel like plants.
MaRo has said multiple times that a "vanilla matters" theme has much less design space than people think. I really doubt it could support a set.
What we do know about Muraganda is that it has intelligent dinosaur-people called saurids, and that's reason enough to go there.
Going by the Muraganda Planechase card, the theme could also be +1/+1 counters matter. Which would also slot nicely into the khans of tarkir block.
The only theme Muraganda needs is DINOSAUR TRIBAL.
Meh, this is speaking as a naturalist who worked in two dinosaur museums in college: lizards (Order Squamata) branched off earlier reptiles so close to dinosaurs that, at least cladistically, there's no need to create a new tribe. Heck, I don't even think "Lizard Beast" is necessary. That screams Therapsids to me (early lizard-like mammals: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapsida).
Playtesting | Karador, Ghost Chieftain | Narset, Enlightened Master | Ephara, God of the Polis
Established | Gahiji, Honored One | Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker | Opal-Eye, Konda's Yojimbo | Rubinia Soulsinger
Retired | Medomai the Ageless | Diaochan, Artful Beauty
Playtesting | Karador, Ghost Chieftain | Narset, Enlightened Master | Ephara, God of the Polis
Established | Gahiji, Honored One | Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker | Opal-Eye, Konda's Yojimbo | Rubinia Soulsinger
Retired | Medomai the Ageless | Diaochan, Artful Beauty