To me the Commands were big expensive sorceries (Cryptic being the exception), not piddly little instants.
They feel more like Charms to me.
As much as I like these Commands, I do agree that the cheap ones feel almost too much like charms. I was kinda hoping they'd all have 4cmc when Ojutai's Command was introduced, and I'm not convinced that wouldn't have given them a more solid identity.
The big question I have is: Will Dromoka's Command trigger Heroic once or twice if the +1/+1 Counter and Fight are both targeted on the same creature with Heroic? I want to say even if it's a modal card, the single spell makes it really only trigger once. But, I could be wrong.
The big question I have is: Will Dromoka's Command trigger Heroic once or twice if the +1/+1 Counter and Fight are both targeted on the same creature with Heroic? I want to say even if it's a modal card, the single spell makes it really only target once. But, I could be wrong.
Heroic reads "When you cast a spell that targets...", right? So I would say once.
To me the Commands were big expensive sorceries (Cryptic being the exception), not piddly little instants.
They feel more like Charms to me.
This is what I hate about preview season. All of the expensive commands had people saying "Too expensive for modern. Unplayable. Game over." and then when they are cheap, people say "These aren't expensive enough! They might as well be charms!"
I know it's different people in each case, but still.
Momir Vig, Simic Visionary
Melek, Izzet Paragon
Oona, Queen of the Fae
Bruna, Light of Alabaster
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
Rhys the Redeemed
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Sen Triplets
The Mimeoplasm WUBRGSliver OverlordGRBUW WUBRGSliver Hivelord(Superfriends)GRBUW
Say your opponent has a courser in play and a whip of erebos, and you have siege rhino. You play this with 'sac an enchant' and 'fight'. Which happens first? If the fight happens before the sac, that would be ideal, but if it doesn't... then, boo!
I get what youre saying, but I think the two groups come from very different point of views. The first group will always comment on modern, standard, edh or w/e their format is. That's just the inherent nature of spoiler season. The latter isnt referring to playability, formats, or how pushed any one command may be, but its more of the Magical type A personality where you like nice clean definitions and consistency. Atarka's command and dromoka's command muddle the lines between charm and command to some people.
I personally tend to agree with the "theyre like charms" crowd. There had seemed to be a prescedent that commands were whatever color(s) with at least in the mana cost and charms simply cost 1 of each necessary color. The overlap just bothers me. Now the only difference between charms and commands is choose 1 of 3 vs. choose 2 of 4.
I get what youre saying, but I think the two groups come from very different point of views. The first group will always comment on modern, standard, edh or w/e their format is. That's just the inherent nature of spoiler season. The latter isnt referring to playability, formats, or how pushed any one command may be, but its more of the Magical type A personality where you like nice clean definitions and consistency. Atarka's command and dromoka's command muddle the lines between charm and command to some people.
I personally tend to agree with the "theyre like charms" crowd. There had seemed to be a prescedent that commands were whatever color(s) with at least in the mana cost and charms simply cost 1 of each necessary color. The overlap just bothers me. Now the only difference between charms and commands is choose 1 of 3 vs. choose 2 of 4.
I agree with this and would like to add that those two groups aren't mutually exclusive. One argument is based on mechanics/playability and the other is more of a flavor/semantics issue. I can think a command isn't pushed enough and think it's too much like a charm. If they made them cost more and gave them stronger effects for the cost, they could potentially meet both criteria, but they didn't think that was a good idea.
I often play cards I don't like and vice versa. It just goes to show how hard it is to design a cards that fits players' expectations/desires AND is competitively costed for the effect.
Say your opponent has a courser in play and a whip of erebos, and you have siege rhino. You play this with 'sac an enchant' and 'fight'. Which happens first? If the fight happens before the sac, that would be ideal, but if it doesn't... then, boo!
Spell effects happen in the order they are written. So sac and then fight.
I agree, I would've preferred that they push the GW and RG commands a bit more and make them cost at least 3 (of course, I'm not so sure that Atarka's Command should get that much better seeing as it's already the best of the commands).
Flavor-wise, I don't really think Dromoka's Command lines up with Dromoka's values. The +1/+1 counter certainly does match the flavor, as does the preventing damage from an instant or sorcery. But making another player sacrifice something seems incredibly black, and for a brood that defined itself last set by purging all black elements from Abzan, that doesn't make a ton of flavor sense. Should have just been "exile target enchantment."
The fight mode of the command also seems like it belongs with Atarka, not Dromoka. It's a little to proactive for the brood. I'm actually surprised that there's nothing in there about gaining life or giving lifelink or protecting your own board besides with the +1/+1 counter. Tapping out one or more of an opponent's creatures would have made more sense. Heck, even making a token or two would have been a better flavor fit for the Dromoka.
Wow, Clone Legion is a giant pile of horse crap. For those saying it goes right into their CMDR decks, are you not playing Rite of Replication which is 1,000 times better than this thing? I can think of exactly 1 mythic rare worse than this thing (considering only mythic rarity cards), Lich's Mirror. Think of all the other things you could be doing in Commander for 9 mana at sorcery speed. Playing one of the bad time walks would be better than this thing. How about drawing 7 cards from Mind Spring? Or waiting one more turn for Omniscience?
Yeah for *****ty Dollar Mythics!
For 9 mana I want my cards to be guaranteed to do something and this will whiff more often than not. At least they could have made it an instant for that much.
EDIT: Oh wait.... this bad boy is going straight into my T4 Stack. In there it has the potential to be a workhorse.
Flavor-wise, I don't really think Dromoka's Command lines up with Dromoka's values. The +1/+1 counter certainly does match the flavor, as does the preventing damage from an instant or sorcery. But making another player sacrifice something seems incredibly black, and for a brood that defined itself last set by purging all black elements from Abzan, that doesn't make a ton of flavor sense. Should have just been "exile target enchantment."
But that purging of the was at Dromoka's command and was symbolized by the sacrifice of the evil ancestral mace, or whatever it was. She didn't exile it, she gave the Abzan khan the option of sacrificing it, lest there be a fight.
My issue with this set is that they have wasted the creative design space of a dragon set by making the namesakes of set weak and bland. Starting from the Dragonlord's themselves, you have expensive legendaries that clearly weren't designed with standard but are also crappy EDH commanders. The design of those cards seems to be pure flavor, with absolutely no intent to push the cards towards seeing play in any format.
Then you have the other cycles, of which only ONE dragon so far is even playable (Thunderbeak Regent). The rare monocolor cycle is sort of alright but is just way too expensive except for red's 2RR dragon. The rest are limited fodder just because they are 5+ mana with no protection or instant impact (outside of Deathbringer Regent, which is so expensive the board wipe isn't worth it). Then you have the uncommon megamorph cycle, which is a crappy as feasibly possible. The rare cycle of multi-color dragons is again too expensive. The uncommons multi-color cards are more interesting, but again too expensive.
There are cards in this set that will see Modern and even legacy play. But the vast majority of the design seems to have been focused on making a limited format with a diverse set of bombs. It could have done that and still have make playable dragons for standard, low cost dragons for tribal decks (pauper/edh/casual), and interesting EDH commanders. It is a shame that in a set named after Dragons will be defined almost exclusively by the non-Dragon cards that could have been printed in any set. I think that this set is a massive design failure as a whole, even though the individual card power levels are fine.
ok, this might not end up being the worst set since I started, but it is the first that we have all the mythics and they all bore me. and no full art lands on top of that just means I have cash for MM2. seriously, 1/2 commands will be decent and the rest doesn't mean jack to me.
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As much as I like these Commands, I do agree that the cheap ones feel almost too much like charms. I was kinda hoping they'd all have 4cmc when Ojutai's Command was introduced, and I'm not convinced that wouldn't have given them a more solid identity.
oh well, i'll find a spot for this on my deck anyway
Heroic reads "When you cast a spell that targets...", right? So I would say once.
UR Blue-Red Control
Modern:
UBR Grixis Control
UWR Jeskai Control
This is what I hate about preview season. All of the expensive commands had people saying "Too expensive for modern. Unplayable. Game over." and then when they are cheap, people say "These aren't expensive enough! They might as well be charms!"
I know it's different people in each case, but still.
Are you people rich?
Even when I had a job and made good money,
I would *never* consider spending $100+ on a set this bad.
Reprint Stasis!
Control needs more love.
EDH:
Momir Vig, Simic Visionary
Melek, Izzet Paragon
Oona, Queen of the Fae
Bruna, Light of Alabaster
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
Rhys the Redeemed
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Sen Triplets
The Mimeoplasm
WUBRGSliver OverlordGRBUW
WUBRGSliver Hivelord(Superfriends)GRBUW
I personally tend to agree with the "theyre like charms" crowd. There had seemed to be a prescedent that commands were whatever color(s) with at least in the mana cost and charms simply cost 1 of each necessary color. The overlap just bothers me. Now the only difference between charms and commands is choose 1 of 3 vs. choose 2 of 4.
No, it is the second command that will definitely see constructed play. Atarka's Command is a guaranteed playable too.
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
I agree with this and would like to add that those two groups aren't mutually exclusive. One argument is based on mechanics/playability and the other is more of a flavor/semantics issue. I can think a command isn't pushed enough and think it's too much like a charm. If they made them cost more and gave them stronger effects for the cost, they could potentially meet both criteria, but they didn't think that was a good idea.
I often play cards I don't like and vice versa. It just goes to show how hard it is to design a cards that fits players' expectations/desires AND is competitively costed for the effect.
Spell effects happen in the order they are written. So sac and then fight.
Flavor-wise, I don't really think Dromoka's Command lines up with Dromoka's values. The +1/+1 counter certainly does match the flavor, as does the preventing damage from an instant or sorcery. But making another player sacrifice something seems incredibly black, and for a brood that defined itself last set by purging all black elements from Abzan, that doesn't make a ton of flavor sense. Should have just been "exile target enchantment."
The fight mode of the command also seems like it belongs with Atarka, not Dromoka. It's a little to proactive for the brood. I'm actually surprised that there's nothing in there about gaining life or giving lifelink or protecting your own board besides with the +1/+1 counter. Tapping out one or more of an opponent's creatures would have made more sense. Heck, even making a token or two would have been a better flavor fit for the Dromoka.
The clone card is fun. Maybe I'll make that another win con in my Riku deck that seems to completely rely on my opponent for me to win the game.
The dragon art basics are lame, too. You can barely even see the dragons in them. They look more like drakes or birds.
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This set contains pure power, guess some people are just unable to properly evaluate cards at facevalue.
Give irony and sarcasm, when ignorance and stupidity is found.
The whip is kept for special occasions
Standard
W.I.P.
EDH
WNorn Tokens
For 9 mana I want my cards to be guaranteed to do something and this will whiff more often than not. At least they could have made it an instant for that much.
EDIT: Oh wait.... this bad boy is going straight into my T4 Stack. In there it has the potential to be a workhorse.
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
My Decks:
All my Decks are budget
EDH:GRWHazezon TamarGRW, RKazuul, Tyrant of the CliffsR, BMikaeus, the UnhallowedB, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GRXenagos, God of RevelsGR, BGPharika, God of AfflictionBG
Standard:BMono Black Control(devotion)B- retired
Casual:UWHeroicUW, UGWall tribalUG, BPhylactery LichB
Modern:UBAbyssal PersecutorUB, WKnight TribalW
I'm officially proposing we retire the word "insane" from the MtG vocabulary.
"The best way to be different is to be better" - Gene Muir
Cubes:
Modern Banlist Cube
Monocolor Budget Cube
But that purging of the was at Dromoka's command and was symbolized by the sacrifice of the evil ancestral mace, or whatever it was. She didn't exile it, she gave the Abzan khan the option of sacrificing it, lest there be a fight.
Commander Decks
WDarien, King of KjeldorW - WYomiji, Who Bars the WayW - UIxidor, Reality SculptorU
BPhage the UntouchableB - BShirei,
Shadowborn Ap-Shizo's CaretakerB - RZirilan of the ClawR(W/U)Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper(W/U) - (2/G)Phelddagrif Politics(W/U) - (U/B)Mishra, Artificer Prodigy(U/R) - Karona, God of Voltron
Then you have the other cycles, of which only ONE dragon so far is even playable (Thunderbeak Regent). The rare monocolor cycle is sort of alright but is just way too expensive except for red's 2RR dragon. The rest are limited fodder just because they are 5+ mana with no protection or instant impact (outside of Deathbringer Regent, which is so expensive the board wipe isn't worth it). Then you have the uncommon megamorph cycle, which is a crappy as feasibly possible. The rare cycle of multi-color dragons is again too expensive. The uncommons multi-color cards are more interesting, but again too expensive.
There are cards in this set that will see Modern and even legacy play. But the vast majority of the design seems to have been focused on making a limited format with a diverse set of bombs. It could have done that and still have make playable dragons for standard, low cost dragons for tribal decks (pauper/edh/casual), and interesting EDH commanders. It is a shame that in a set named after Dragons will be defined almost exclusively by the non-Dragon cards that could have been printed in any set. I think that this set is a massive design failure as a whole, even though the individual card power levels are fine.
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