Excellent planeswalker. But does this mean we aren't getting a legendary Werewolf for EDH? I'm pretty sure that's a secret common thought behind everyone excited we got a werewolf walker
Their is eldritch moon still, just like how we didn't get a WUBRG legendary ally until Oath.
I wonder if it will be an already named Werewolf (Tovolar, Skaharra, Ulrich) or if it will be someone completely new and unexpected like how they dropped Arlinn on us.
Reminds me of the criticism of Baby Jace. She isn't gonna be that stupidly priced or used but she will sit better than Nahiri and Narset PW in the long run. She protects herself better than any PW for the theme.
Oh and the cheapest - for a lightning bolt from a PW? Okay I'll pick these up when people can't fit these in the Jund deck that people are gonna try to make.
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"The essence of every world, every spell and every thought is power. Nothing else matters, because nothing else exists."
utility box design for this walker i would say, although the transform abilities make her wacky. She can self protect and pump your creatures, so she is good, however slow it will be to build an army with her.
Do you guys think that getting a werewolf planeswalker decreases the chance of seeing a werewolf legend?
They gotta do it...right? I think that is probably the one most requested thing that was 'missing' in the original innistrad
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The true mind can weather all the lies and illusions without being lost. The true heart can tough the poison of hatred without being harmed. Since beginning-less time, darkness thrives in the void but always yields to purifying light.
I invision a future where one is not mighty when he can silence a crowd with brutality,
but when he leaves them speechless with wisdom.
I assume you can only do each side only once right? Like you can't just full lightning damage to the face for 6 and make 2 wolf tokens? Yeah probably not... would be busted rofl. Card is awesome. Love the throw back to Huntmaster of the fells.
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To the people that say that a card needs to be a higher rarity because of Limited... I hate you guys so much. I present to you with this.
Difficult Walker to evaluate. Honestly I think Garruk Relentless was a more interesting design, but she doesn't lag too far behind. The problem I see in her is that, albeit versatile, it is difficult to have access all the time to all her tricks, since she will be flipping back and forth. Her +1 on both sides is pretty mediocre, but the Wolf mode and bolt mode are good. I predict that basically this is what she will do most of the time, rendering her a little bit predictable, but still strong if uncontested. I don't think the ultimate will come up.
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Would you like to read Commander stories? Check my latest stories, coming from Lorwyn and Innistrad: Ghoulcaller Gisa and Doran, The Siege Tower! If you like my writing, ask me to write something for your commander as well!
Only 3 cards in the whole of MTG can grant a creature Vigilance and Haste. As a vigilance, haste buffer with a respectable +2+2 boost she is already good, what I was needing for one of my EDH decks. Her +1+1 trample also fits in greatly and her ultimate will be not quite a game ender in my deck but a good thing. As for the bolt and the token it's mileage will vary in commander, but at least with the bolt she can hunt other planeswalker. I am very satisfied with the art rendition on the card. As for the big toolbox of abilities this gives my EDH deck, it is a nice enough card and as good a haste enabler as any in commander.
well, if anything, + 1 give my Ulamog +2/+2 Vigilance, trample and Haste, and I get to exile your top 20. That sounds fun for me, maybe not for my opponent, yeah, someone should try this
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Standard Arena: Eh? Gruul or Die
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now: G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record) C Eldrazi Tron (9-5) UG Infect RW Burn
This card is lore breaking because in the story when she transforms back into a human she's naked (since she destroyed her clothes by turning into a werewolf). Whereas in the game when she transforms back into a human she still has her clothes in tact. Pfffft, look at that smile on her face. She knows what's up.
The anthem effect and the token generation has synergy with Gideon and Nissa. Three color decks might be a little tough post rotation but Oath of Nissa could do a really good job of mitigating that. Naya walkers, anyone?
She's really good. The reason people are finding her boring is because she's just like every other RG walked out there. She's like Domri and Xenagos had a baby that was raised by Huntmaster. And I'm sure they built her to feel that way. And just like every other RG walker she'll play while in standard and then be forgotten about because she's not good enough for modern.
It is a shame that playing GRW will be significantly more difficult after rotation because Oath of Gideon to give her an extra loyalty counter means that she cannot get to her ultimate until turn 7. Even if we use Leaf Gilder and we get her out by turn 3 it is still turn 7 until she can ultimate. Still...a lot of inexpensive creatures being pumped by Nissa, Voice of Zendikar could result in keeping the board clear, should Arlinn, Embraced by the Moon be able to ultimate.
In my opinion, Arlinn's Human +1 is probably the most essential part of utilizing her ultimate. +2/+2 Vigilance (and haste if needed) is a brutal damage-enforcer while protecting her.
Her Werewolf +1 encourages aggro and without Vigilance, leaves her open to counter attacks, so like Overrun, it is more of a finisher than an ability used for adding loyalty counters.
Her Human +0 ability is pretty much the generic transformation, but at least it provides a 2/2 body for protection (so that her werewolf form survives to use those abilities). Similarly her Werewolf -1 does that, except it does it through removal. Her Ultimate needs little explanation.
To summarize, her Human side is her more "defensive side", solely because of the +1 ability. Her Werewolf side is her "aggressive side". The transformation abilities look like they correspond to the side they are on, but in reality are just failsafes to ensure Arlinn doesn't perish via transformation (The wolf is defensive to ensure the aggressive side does something next turn, whereas the bolt is aggressive most likely as removal to convert Arlinn to her defensive mode) and in a way, each ability sort of belongs to the other side as well.
At the end of the day, while there many hoops to jump through and each side may not be optimal depending on the situation, it is still effectively a 5-ability planeswalker (because her transformation is largely options that are consciously made, even if it tied to an ability), so there's a good chance Arlinn is going to be a powerhouse somewhere.
It is a shame that playing GRW will be significantly more difficult after rotation because Oath of Gideon to give her an extra loyalty counter means that she cannot get to her ultimate until turn 7. Even if we use Leaf Gilder and we get her out by turn 3 it is still turn 7 until she can ultimate. Still...a lot of inexpensive creatures being pumped by Nissa, Voice of Zendikar could result in keeping the board clear, should Arlinn, Embraced by the Moon be able to ultimate.
I wonder if it will be an already named Werewolf (Tovolar, Skaharra, Ulrich) or if it will be someone completely new and unexpected like how they dropped Arlinn on us.
Or either of her +1's for harder hitting damage?
Oh and the cheapest - for a lightning bolt from a PW? Okay I'll pick these up when people can't fit these in the Jund deck that people are gonna try to make.
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn
UBBreya's Toybox (Competitive, Combo)WR
RGodzilla, King of the MonstersG
-Retired Decks-
UBLazav, Dimir Mastermind (Competitive, UB Voltron/Control)UB
"Knowledge is such a burden. Release it. Release all your fears to me."
—Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
They gotta do it...right? I think that is probably the one most requested thing that was 'missing' in the original innistrad
I invision a future where one is not mighty when he can silence a crowd with brutality,
but when he leaves them speechless with wisdom.
Like if you want to try and get a CA stream its hard without flipping and minusing. You just get stuck antheming
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY8h2vp5Xis
Read my other stories as well (some ongoing):
Reaper King (a horror story), Kaalia of the Vast (an origin story), Sequels for Innistrad (Alternative sequels for Inn), Grey Areas (Odric's fanfic), Royal Succession (goblins),The Tracker's Message (eldrazi on Innistrad) and Ugin and his Eye (the end of OGW).
Loving her, though!
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn
It's Magic, she doesn't have to explain *****.
In many ways she's better than Sarkhan Vol.
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
Modern: Mono-Red Control, Lantern Control, Eldrazi Taxes, Skred Infect
Pauper: Affinity
EDH: Gaddock Teeg Kithkin Tribal, Meren
Legacy: 8 Rack, Omnitell (Both in progress)
~Modern~
BGURWhiteless Death's ShadowRUGB
GWRUSaheeli BlinkURWG
RGBUGood Ole' DredgeUBGR
~Commander~
URWNarset, Enlightened Time-TravelerWRU
UBRWBreya, Etherium ArchitectWRBU
A Prolific Loser To Blood Moon
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450-Card "Artificer's Cube" https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/artificer
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Her Werewolf +1 encourages aggro and without Vigilance, leaves her open to counter attacks, so like Overrun, it is more of a finisher than an ability used for adding loyalty counters.
Her Human +0 ability is pretty much the generic transformation, but at least it provides a 2/2 body for protection (so that her werewolf form survives to use those abilities). Similarly her Werewolf -1 does that, except it does it through removal. Her Ultimate needs little explanation.
To summarize, her Human side is her more "defensive side", solely because of the +1 ability. Her Werewolf side is her "aggressive side". The transformation abilities look like they correspond to the side they are on, but in reality are just failsafes to ensure Arlinn doesn't perish via transformation (The wolf is defensive to ensure the aggressive side does something next turn, whereas the bolt is aggressive most likely as removal to convert Arlinn to her defensive mode) and in a way, each ability sort of belongs to the other side as well.
At the end of the day, while there many hoops to jump through and each side may not be optimal depending on the situation, it is still effectively a 5-ability planeswalker (because her transformation is largely options that are consciously made, even if it tied to an ability), so there's a good chance Arlinn is going to be a powerhouse somewhere.
Honored Hierarch will be good for standard PWs beside Oath of Nissa.