Sure it does. Your Unleashed creatures are bigger and hit harder. Flailer can hit for 10 off one attack plus his sac ability.
But you could say that about virtually any creature, its not like a 2/2 with 2× +1/+1 counters is any more synergistic then a 3/3 with 1× +1/+1 counter.
The fact that Olivia turns them into Vampires allows for tribal synergies. Stromkirk Captain can now give all your Unleashers first strike, the Unleashers that don't already have it anyway. A 6/4 that can't block may not sound like much, but what about a 6/4 with first strike and haste?
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MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
The fact that Olivia turns them into Vampires allows for tribal synergies. Stromkirk Captain can now give all your Unleashers first strike, the Unleashers that don't already have it anyway.
Are you referring to creatures touched by her ability as Unleashers, or just cards with Unleash? Because if you don't use her ability, the creature doesn't become a vampire, regardless of it getting a counter some other way or not.
The fact that Olivia turns them into Vampires allows for tribal synergies. Stromkirk Captain can now give all your Unleashers first strike, the Unleashers that don't already have it anyway.
Are you referring to creatures touched by her ability as Unleashers, or just cards with Unleash? Because if you don't use her ability, the creature doesn't become a vampire, regardless of it getting a counter some other way or not.
He's referring to using Olivia's ability on a creature with unleash.
The fact that Olivia turns them into Vampires allows for tribal synergies. Stromkirk Captain can now give all your Unleashers first strike, the Unleashers that don't already have it anyway. A 6/4 that can't block may not sound like much, but what about a 6/4 with first strike and haste?
I'm not saying it's not powerful, just that I wouldn't consider it a synergy. Stromkirk Captian + Olivia I would consider a synergy
Well it seems pretty likely Jace will find a home in standard. Can't see him appearing elsewhere. Guess he'd have been too broken if he cost 2UU or even 1UUU.
Pretty sure Kalitas is miles ahead of the other contenders here. Drana and Olivia are pretty focused on one task and if you aren't already in a winning position, it's really hard to capitalize on what they do. Kalitas has more potential to be good when you're ahead and when you're behind. Backed up with removal, he generates excellent board presence and can help a deck ease the costs of playing cards like Painful Truths and/or Anguished Unmaking. Additionally, he's the kind of card that any sort of aggressive or burn-based deck hates to see hit the table.
Kalitas just seems to allow more deck building options, so I give him my vote here. Plus, I'd wager to say that his exiling clause will still have some use in the upcoming format. If people want to roll on the Relentless Dead train, I'm down to throw a stick in their spokes with Kalitas. All day.
On topic: Jace is... well, he's a card advantage machine. Simple, no hoops to jump through. I think he will compete with Ob Nixilis since they are remarkably similar, but I could see a world where you have a split of the two and build a game state where you have the duo in play, burying your opponent in cards. This probably won't happen until the fall set, though, 'cause Vryn's Prodigy probably ain't shippin' out any time soon.
Pretty sure Kalitas is miles ahead of the other contenders here. Drana and Olivia are pretty focused on one task and if you aren't already in a winning position, it's really hard to capitalize on what they do. Kalitas has more potential to be good when you're ahead and when you're behind. Backed up with removal, he generates excellent board presence and can help a deck ease the costs of playing cards like Painful Truths and/or Anguished Unmaking. Additionally, he's the kind of card that any sort of aggressive or burn-based deck hates to see hit the table.
I think Kalitas is better in more decks, but Olivia and Drana are much better in the same shell. This shell has official formed(if we get something like fast ally lands) as of the latest cards. Olivia and Drana do wonders in Flying Vampire Aggro. Olivia and her Bloodsworn give haste all over the place, Drana and Indulgent Aristocrat boost all your creatures, and Black has removal or trickery for key situations in the form of Grasp of Darkness and Visions of Brutality. I've been testing the deck(assuming we have fast lands), and it does quite well at hitting fast and in the air with plenty of options for situations.
Yeah, I suppose available mana is going to play a pretty big role in things as well. Personally, I can't wait until everyone has to reel it in a bit on their manabase and play a more reasonable 1 or 2 color deck. Maybe a light splash of a third color if you want to sacrifice some speed for it. I have no idea if this set is going to have rare duals that come into play untapped, but I suppose we'll just have to see. If we end up not getting any and folks have to make do with a bunch of tapped lands and basics... that may not be ideal for aggressive decks.
We shall find out soon enough, though!
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Post Ravnica Allegiance Type 2 - WUB Control
States '09: 14th place. Aiming for better next year.
States '10: 12th place. Aiming for better next year.
Yea. I wouldn't mind if the first ability says: Scry 1, then Investigate.
And the 2nd ability reads: Sacrifice an artifact. If you do, return target creature to its owner's hand and you draw a card.
The fact that Olivia turns them into Vampires allows for tribal synergies. Stromkirk Captain can now give all your Unleashers first strike, the Unleashers that don't already have it anyway. A 6/4 that can't block may not sound like much, but what about a 6/4 with first strike and haste?
7/5 with first strike and haste.
Olivia can swap out Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch for opening a Vampire route or those who want to connect to Hellbent.
Ya, you're probably right. If it has to be BW then plz don't be 4 mana. we already have two orzhov 4cmc Sorin's.
Its too bad because mono black really needs a better 4cmc walker
Since we already have 4cmc Nahiri and Arlinn, Sorin at something else makes a lot of sense.
If I were a betting man, I would bet on 4WB.
They seem to have at least one "expensive" PW per block now.
Just to make sure I'm understanding this right, Olivia + River Kelpie + sac effect = infinite, right? In fact, assuming you have a sac outlet, you can repeat any persist trigger for as many cards as you're holding, correct? i.e. Gain 2 life for every card with Kitchen Finks or nuke a noncreature for each card with Woodfall Primus.
Not really speaking for the viability of such nonsense, more just trying to wrap my head around how she could interact with creatures that are entering the BF without being cast. You could make 2/2 haste fairies with Bitterblossom...not saying you necessarily would, but I can envision a world where the right combination of cards could make that kind of enabling enticing.
Yea exactly. Would love him though if his Unsummon would just be -1 instead. How boring d:( Abilities are generally useful, but i dont know . . . Do you know the Feeling of Cards you played so many times, that you already get annoyed by it, even if ist good ? This Jace just feels like that. i just cant look Forward to such Cards d:( For 5 Mana i personally woulda done this with thim.
Jace, Unraveler of Secrets 3UU - 5 Loyality
Jace, Unraveler of Secrets enters the battlefield with an Emblem with: Sacrifice this Emblem; Exile target spell
[+1] Draw a Card, then investigate.
[-X] Gain Control of target creature with manacost of X.
[-8] Put 3 Shapeshifter Creature Tokens onto the battlefield with:
You may have this Creature enter the battlefield as a copy of any nonland permanent on the battlefield.
Very creative, and very "Jacey" as well. He does use illusions, Im suprised his PW cards dont use them more often. I can just see others saying "Nope. Too powerful". It is, but I love seeing new ideas.
Olivia + Madness or Oona's Blackguard are synergies.
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Are you referring to creatures touched by her ability as Unleashers, or just cards with Unleash? Because if you don't use her ability, the creature doesn't become a vampire, regardless of it getting a counter some other way or not.
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
Drana, Olivia, or Kalitas?
Kalitas just seems to allow more deck building options, so I give him my vote here. Plus, I'd wager to say that his exiling clause will still have some use in the upcoming format. If people want to roll on the Relentless Dead train, I'm down to throw a stick in their spokes with Kalitas. All day.
On topic: Jace is... well, he's a card advantage machine. Simple, no hoops to jump through. I think he will compete with Ob Nixilis since they are remarkably similar, but I could see a world where you have a split of the two and build a game state where you have the duo in play, burying your opponent in cards. This probably won't happen until the fall set, though, 'cause Vryn's Prodigy probably ain't shippin' out any time soon.
States '09: 14th place. Aiming for better next year.
States '10: 12th place. Aiming for better next year.
Idaho State Champ: 2011
States '12: 5th place.
I think Kalitas is better in more decks, but Olivia and Drana are much better in the same shell. This shell has official formed(if we get something like fast ally lands) as of the latest cards. Olivia and Drana do wonders in Flying Vampire Aggro. Olivia and her Bloodsworn give haste all over the place, Drana and Indulgent Aristocrat boost all your creatures, and Black has removal or trickery for key situations in the form of Grasp of Darkness and Visions of Brutality. I've been testing the deck(assuming we have fast lands), and it does quite well at hitting fast and in the air with plenty of options for situations.
We shall find out soon enough, though!
States '09: 14th place. Aiming for better next year.
States '10: 12th place. Aiming for better next year.
Idaho State Champ: 2011
States '12: 5th place.
And the 2nd ability reads: Sacrifice an artifact. If you do, return target creature to its owner's hand and you draw a card.
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
7/5 with first strike and haste.
Olivia can swap out Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch for opening a Vampire route or those who want to connect to Hellbent.
Bloodfray Giant (6/5) and Chaos Imps (8/7) are also good since they have trample.
Creature type support like Cover of Darkness and Obelisk of Urd.
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
Reanimate sucks cause it needs cards like Entomb to work.
Not really speaking for the viability of such nonsense, more just trying to wrap my head around how she could interact with creatures that are entering the BF without being cast. You could make 2/2 haste fairies with Bitterblossom...not saying you necessarily would, but I can envision a world where the right combination of cards could make that kind of enabling enticing.
Very creative, and very "Jacey" as well. He does use illusions, Im suprised his PW cards dont use them more often. I can just see others saying "Nope. Too powerful". It is, but I love seeing new ideas.