Gurmag Angler has become the Pauper format's Tarmogoyf. Dump enough cards in your graveyard, you can get it out turn three.
And Y'all need to quit hating on Frosty. 4 power for 2 mana, for a card you get just for showing up, and nobody's happy. You know blue doesn't usually get that kind of efficiency in critters.
Sure. First, here's the deck I was running pre-DTK for about a month. It consistently went 4-0, 3-0-1, or 3-1 at FNM:
Your deck runs it as a ferocious enabler which is odd because Savage Knucklbeblade and Boon Satyr are already in there. Do you really need 21 ferocious enablers? Not to mention why are you running lightning strike? Might as well swap that for atarka's command instead and Ashcloud phoenix is a better enabler than Frost Walker.
Frost Walker is not just a Ferocious enabler. He also attacks very well. Usually, they either block with a valuable creature, or waste a removal spell. It's a fantastic creature for the deck.
As for Strike, I use it for instant speed removal, a role it works fine in.
Sure. First, here's the deck I was running pre-DTK for about a month. It consistently went 4-0, 3-0-1, or 3-1 at FNM:
Your deck runs it as a ferocious enabler which is odd because Savage Knucklbeblade and Boon Satyr are already in there. Do you really need 21 ferocious enablers? Not to mention why are you running lightning strike? Might as well swap that for atarka's command instead and Ashcloud phoenix is a better enabler than Frost Walker.
Frost Walker is not just a Ferocious enabler. He also attacks very well. Usually, they either block with a valuable creature, or waste a removal spell. It's a fantastic creature for the deck.
As for Strike, I use it for instant speed removal, a role it works fine in.
4 power is a pretty solid source of damage.
Cards obvisiously sucks a lot against token.dec , but beside that, you allways get in for some damage and value , while the cards can totally go for the chain of 2 drop, 3 drop, 4 drop, all 4 power, all demand answers or hit hard.
Certainly not bad, but theres plenty of local metas that simply have too much token.dec around, and then you really will never see why the card can be good (blinded my meta that is).
I remember when Fate was coming ou,t everyone was hyped about frost walker. Go back and check the reveal thread if you don't believe me. In the end, no significant number of people are playing in standard, or anywhere else, but it's day might yet come, if only when khans rotates out.
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My decks
Standard - RIP Cat
Modern - Death & Taxes
Commander - Mazirek, Trostani, Angry Omnath
Sure. First, here's the deck I was running pre-DTK for about a month. It consistently went 4-0, 3-0-1, or 3-1 at FNM:
Your deck runs it as a ferocious enabler which is odd because Savage Knucklbeblade and Boon Satyr are already in there. Do you really need 21 ferocious enablers? Not to mention why are you running lightning strike? Might as well swap that for atarka's command instead and Ashcloud phoenix is a better enabler than Frost Walker.
Frost Walker is not just a Ferocious enabler. He also attacks very well. Usually, they either block with a valuable creature, or waste a removal spell. It's a fantastic creature for the deck.
As for Strike, I use it for instant speed removal, a role it works fine in.
I could kill your frost walker by blocking another creature with Shambling Goblin or just give it a +1/+1 counter using Dromoka's Command. Yeah but your playing RUG, I'd expect better removal at 2 mana.
If you're wasting a Command on my 2 mana creature, I feel like that's perfectly okay.
Also, Shambling Goblin? Is that something that will actually see considerable play?
The card is really cool It might have its time to shine after Theros rotate.People thought that Pack Rat and Nightveil Specter were a junk rare for contructed and then Devotion entered...
It's a 2 drop that must be killed. It dies easily, but that's not overly relevant here. They still need to spend a card to deal with it.
Some of the best threats in standard are 3 CMC; I don't think Crystalline Nautilus is all that comparable. Frost Walker is just a solid way to fill out your curve if you're a UR or Temur Aggro deck. It hasn't seen much play because RG aggro decks do the same thing, better.
It's a 2 drop that must be killed. It dies easily, but that's not overly relevant here. They still need to spend a card to deal with it.
Some of the best threats in standard are 3 CMC; I don't think Crystalline Nautilus is all that comparable. Frost Walker is just a solid way to fill out your curve if you're a UR or Temur Aggro deck. It hasn't seen much play because RG aggro decks do the same thing, better.
Basically this, though I've yet to come across a Gruul Aggro deck in Standard, unless you mean Monsters?
It's a 2 drop that must be killed. It dies easily, but that's not overly relevant here. They still need to spend a card to deal with it.
Some of the best threats in standard are 3 CMC; I don't think Crystalline Nautilus is all that comparable. Frost Walker is just a solid way to fill out your curve if you're a UR or Temur Aggro deck. It hasn't seen much play because RG aggro decks do the same thing, better.
Basically this, though I've yet to come across a Gruul Aggro deck in Standard, unless you mean Monsters?
Yes, RG Monsters/Aggro. Haven't heard it called Monsters in a long time.
Isn't that more of a mid-range deck than an Aggro deck?
In this midrange format, a lot of the labels do seem a bit off. It wants to be attacking with large and/or hasty creatures each turn, so I guess that's why it's been given the aggro label.
The promos in the past used to be very good. We would get cards that weren't even in standard. Now they only print standard cards. They could use FNM promos to reprint modern commons and uncommons.
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Standard
none
Modern UBG B/U/G control BBB MBC WUR Control WWW Prison RRR Goblins
Legacy BBB Pox UBG B/U/G Control UWU StoneBlade UW Miracle Control
The promos in the past used to be very good. We would get cards that weren't even in standard. Now they only print standard cards. They could use FNM promos to reprint modern commons and uncommons.
Modern Masters is probably taking up that role now. Maybe some vintage, legacy, and commander cards could come up though. The commander products could be where they want that I suppose.
I just don't think it has a place in standard because of how easy it is to die. Why does it have 1 toughness when it has the fatal flaw of having the illusion ability. I don't remember people clamouring about Crystalline Nautilus because that card also never saw play and is only one mana more. Also Dromoka's command isn't great but for I could give one of my creatures a +1/+1 counter and kill your elemental with the final ability without the fear of losing my creature when fighting. Also Festering Goblin saw play so I assume it's reprint might.
Actually, the fact that it has the illusion ability is good at times. Bile Blight isn't a blow-out, Cure doesn't give life, etc. Removal and dying easily isn't much of an issue most of the time. It's likely never going to be blocked in combat by most relevant creatures, even the Rhino as it can much more easily trade, or you have more ready threats to worry about.
The issue with it is that it's a bit of a dog to tokens. And that's about the only issue I've found for it. The fact that it can be easily blocked and killed (Which is where low toughness matters) isn't mch of an issue when all my opponent has out at any given time is a Sylvan Caryatid[/b](Which just can't block it profitably) or a Courser of Kruphix (Which I'm more than happy to trade with). Against control, clocking them for 4 by turn 3 puts them in a bind very quickly. Put two out and still hold up counter magic (Such as Stubborn Denial) for the sweepers ends the game quickly. It's a very potent tempo oriented card.
Nautillus didn't see play becase it cost all too much. The issue with Illusions isn't that they can't survive in combat. You want to be jamming those illusions every turn, and little should be able to block them. Rather it's that all burn kills them. An illusion with 4 toughness is virtually no different than one with 1 toughness a good many times. They both die the same to Bile Blight, Lightning Strike, or Wild Slash. The difference between attacking for four on turn three and for the same amount on turn for is huge. Casting a four power creatre on turn four lets you have two mana left open; doing the same with Nautilis gives you one mana.
I feel that the only thing stopping the Walker from seeing play is the fact that tokens is fairly prevalent in the meta game (And Drown in Sorrow makes things awkward for any two toughness creature). Once Theros rotates, and Chained to the Rocks/Stoke the Flames/Raise the Alarms rotates, the format looks to be very midrangy. And that's where the good ol' walker shines the best. When the card you cast on turn 2 can trade with most everything they cast turns 4-5, there is something to be said about it.
As for Shambling Goblin, look to Festering Newt and how it did in Standard. Goblin was a good card at a time where 2/1s for 1 were unheard of; we are in a format with a plethora of 2/1s that don't ever see play. A card like Siege Rhino wouldn't just be format dominating or warping, it would be absolutely format decimating. Creatures have gotten significantly better, and a Bear with abilities may not ever see play currently. Call of the Conclave would have easily pushed G/W into a top-tier deck at that time of Legions almost by itself, and that didn't even see play in its standard because it just wasn't good enough. On top of that, spot removal was pretty much terrible all around at the time. It was practically non-existent. Festering Goblin filled a void that allowed you to interact very favorably with any deck attempting to go aggro on you. These days? It's just not needed or is inneffective. The current power creep of creatures makes something like Festering Goblin rather anachronistic. It's just not good enough to do anything anymore.
It's also a way to turn on your opponent's removal. I've played Temur a fair deal and one of the strongest advantages of the deck I played was that it completely blanked Bile Blight, Wild Slash and Lightning Strike - unless it was targeting a Rattleclaw Mystic. Frost Walker turned all of those cards back on.
The card may well have performed in the FFL where U/B Control was allegedly seeing much more play. In a format with Sultai Control, R/G Monsters and any Jeskai deck sees play it's pretty much a blank however.
If your Frost Walker is killing an Elvish Mystic or eating a Bile Blight or Lightning Strike, that's really darn good, honestly.
It's also a way to turn on your opponent's removal. I've played Temur a fair deal and one of the strongest advantages of the deck I played was that it completely blanked Bile Blight, Wild Slash and Lightning Strike - unless it was targeting a Rattleclaw Mystic. Frost Walker turned all of those cards back on.
The card may well have performed in the FFL where U/B Control was allegedly seeing much more play. In a format with Sultai Control, R/G Monsters and any Jeskai deck sees play it's pretty much a blank however.
I've never played Temur, but I thought it typically had many 2 toughness creatures? Are you not running some number of Elvish Mystic, Rattleclaw Mystic, Heir of the Wilds, Ashcloud Phoenix, Shaman of the Great Hunt, Boon Satyr, Goblin Rabblemaster, Flamewake Phoenix?
I always think that FNM Promos are interesting, especially ones like these. Since we know that they don't want to release crappy promos, we're seeing a card that R&D expected to be more popular or more playable than it is. It makes me wonder what decks people were playing in the FFL to make them believe Frost Walker was good enough for people to want a promo.
If I remember the articles correctly, it was a case where U/B control was a huge player early on in the FFL. This led to Temur being well positioned against it, with the ability to run Stubborn Denial and Surrak Dragonclaw, in addition to Savage Knuckleblade's ability to dodge removal being huge. So I think FFL expected the meta to be a rock paper scissors of Abzan beating Temur which beats UB which beats Abzan. At least, that's my speculation.
Frost walker is a perfectly fine card, the only thing it is bad against is tokens. A 2-drop is expected to die to removal, and trading with 1-drops is actually fairly common, and outweighed by having 4 power. It's real problem is that Temur isn't very good right now and there is no other other blue aggro deck. Who knows, maybe Origins has a UU 2-drop and a UUU 3-drop and MUD becomes a dominant deck until rotation (I know it's unlikely, but you get my point) walker is a decent card in a meta that is hostile to it. Savage knuckleblade is a fantastic card and sees little play cause Temur isn't good at right now.
Yes, I do miss some of the old promos where you got titans or other rares/mythics, but there's no reason to complain about free stuff (especially when it has nice art)
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
And Y'all need to quit hating on Frosty. 4 power for 2 mana, for a card you get just for showing up, and nobody's happy. You know blue doesn't usually get that kind of efficiency in critters.
Frost Walker is not just a Ferocious enabler. He also attacks very well. Usually, they either block with a valuable creature, or waste a removal spell. It's a fantastic creature for the deck.
As for Strike, I use it for instant speed removal, a role it works fine in.
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4 power is a pretty solid source of damage.
Cards obvisiously sucks a lot against token.dec , but beside that, you allways get in for some damage and value , while the cards can totally go for the chain of 2 drop, 3 drop, 4 drop, all 4 power, all demand answers or hit hard.
Certainly not bad, but theres plenty of local metas that simply have too much token.dec around, and then you really will never see why the card can be good (blinded my meta that is).
WUBRG#BlackLotusMatterWUBRG
👮👮👮 #BlueLivesMatter 👮👮👮
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Standard - RIP Cat
Modern - Death & Taxes
Commander - Mazirek, Trostani, Angry Omnath
If you're wasting a Command on my 2 mana creature, I feel like that's perfectly okay.
Also, Shambling Goblin? Is that something that will actually see considerable play?
What is a better instant speed removal spell?
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UR Blue-Red Control
Modern:
UBR Grixis Control
UWR Jeskai Control
Some of the best threats in standard are 3 CMC; I don't think Crystalline Nautilus is all that comparable. Frost Walker is just a solid way to fill out your curve if you're a UR or Temur Aggro deck. It hasn't seen much play because RG aggro decks do the same thing, better.
UR Blue-Red Control
Modern:
UBR Grixis Control
UWR Jeskai Control
Basically this, though I've yet to come across a Gruul Aggro deck in Standard, unless you mean Monsters?
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Yes, RG Monsters/Aggro. Haven't heard it called Monsters in a long time.
UR Blue-Red Control
Modern:
UBR Grixis Control
UWR Jeskai Control
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In this midrange format, a lot of the labels do seem a bit off. It wants to be attacking with large and/or hasty creatures each turn, so I guess that's why it's been given the aggro label.
UR Blue-Red Control
Modern:
UBR Grixis Control
UWR Jeskai Control
none
Modern
UBG B/U/G control
BBB MBC
WUR Control
WWW Prison
RRR Goblins
Legacy
BBB Pox
UBG B/U/G Control
UWU StoneBlade
UW Miracle Control
Modern Masters is probably taking up that role now. Maybe some vintage, legacy, and commander cards could come up though. The commander products could be where they want that I suppose.
Actually, the fact that it has the illusion ability is good at times. Bile Blight isn't a blow-out, Cure doesn't give life, etc. Removal and dying easily isn't much of an issue most of the time. It's likely never going to be blocked in combat by most relevant creatures, even the Rhino as it can much more easily trade, or you have more ready threats to worry about.
The issue with it is that it's a bit of a dog to tokens. And that's about the only issue I've found for it. The fact that it can be easily blocked and killed (Which is where low toughness matters) isn't mch of an issue when all my opponent has out at any given time is a Sylvan Caryatid[/b](Which just can't block it profitably) or a Courser of Kruphix (Which I'm more than happy to trade with). Against control, clocking them for 4 by turn 3 puts them in a bind very quickly. Put two out and still hold up counter magic (Such as Stubborn Denial) for the sweepers ends the game quickly. It's a very potent tempo oriented card.
Nautillus didn't see play becase it cost all too much. The issue with Illusions isn't that they can't survive in combat. You want to be jamming those illusions every turn, and little should be able to block them. Rather it's that all burn kills them. An illusion with 4 toughness is virtually no different than one with 1 toughness a good many times. They both die the same to Bile Blight, Lightning Strike, or Wild Slash. The difference between attacking for four on turn three and for the same amount on turn for is huge. Casting a four power creatre on turn four lets you have two mana left open; doing the same with Nautilis gives you one mana.
I feel that the only thing stopping the Walker from seeing play is the fact that tokens is fairly prevalent in the meta game (And Drown in Sorrow makes things awkward for any two toughness creature). Once Theros rotates, and Chained to the Rocks/Stoke the Flames/Raise the Alarms rotates, the format looks to be very midrangy. And that's where the good ol' walker shines the best. When the card you cast on turn 2 can trade with most everything they cast turns 4-5, there is something to be said about it.
As for Shambling Goblin, look to Festering Newt and how it did in Standard. Goblin was a good card at a time where 2/1s for 1 were unheard of; we are in a format with a plethora of 2/1s that don't ever see play. A card like Siege Rhino wouldn't just be format dominating or warping, it would be absolutely format decimating. Creatures have gotten significantly better, and a Bear with abilities may not ever see play currently. Call of the Conclave would have easily pushed G/W into a top-tier deck at that time of Legions almost by itself, and that didn't even see play in its standard because it just wasn't good enough. On top of that, spot removal was pretty much terrible all around at the time. It was practically non-existent. Festering Goblin filled a void that allowed you to interact very favorably with any deck attempting to go aggro on you. These days? It's just not needed or is inneffective. The current power creep of creatures makes something like Festering Goblin rather anachronistic. It's just not good enough to do anything anymore.
If your Frost Walker is killing an Elvish Mystic or eating a Bile Blight or Lightning Strike, that's really darn good, honestly.
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Rattleclaw Mystic fits that description. Is it awful?
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I've never played Temur, but I thought it typically had many 2 toughness creatures? Are you not running some number of Elvish Mystic, Rattleclaw Mystic, Heir of the Wilds, Ashcloud Phoenix, Shaman of the Great Hunt, Boon Satyr, Goblin Rabblemaster, Flamewake Phoenix?
It's definitely bad against token decks.
UR Blue-Red Control
Modern:
UBR Grixis Control
UWR Jeskai Control
Yes, I do miss some of the old promos where you got titans or other rares/mythics, but there's no reason to complain about free stuff (especially when it has nice art)
That is actually not quite true:
Dandân, Imaginary Pet
But Frost Walker has the least downside of the 3