Well well, there are you are my other favorite ridiculous cascade card. Sad to see it bumped to rare, but let's be real, this card will be nuts in Limited, and like Strix, would be way worse at uncommon.
Edit note: Also really glad they didn't change the crazy jester art. It's just too good.
This is BS, why would this be rare and Bloodbraid Elf still uncommon?
There's two reasons. Price is one. The other reason is that its a lot easier to play a 3cc+ draft deck and turn the Agent into a specific tutor for a 1-2 cc card, than to play a 4cc+ draft deck and turn the bloodbraid into a specific tutor for a 1-2-3 cc card.
Yeah man this set is like a love letter to Old School Magic, loving it a ton right now. Great to get cheapter foils of this.
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The "Crazy One", playing casual magic and occasionally dipping his toes into regular play since 1994.
Currently focusing on Pre-Modern (Mono-Black Discard Control) and Modern (Azorious Control, Temur Rhinos).
Find me at the Wizard's Tower in Ottawa every second Saturday afternoons.
URGImperial AnimarGRU BRGProssh, Tokenmaker of KherGRB WURNarset NostalgicRUW UBR"I like your deck better" JelevaRBU UBlue BraidsU GAzusa, Lost but RampingG
WUHanna, Pillowfort's NavigatorUW WBRAleshacratsBRW UBRGrixis Pew PewRBU URGYasova the ThreateningGRU BGGlissa the ArticiferGB WUSygg MerfolkUW RSquee, Value NabobR
if anything this is making me more angry about the anthology price regardless im am loving how this set is turning out. Cant wait to see what other stuff is at common and uncommon
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SonofaBith - Wizards was so excited about making the packaging for Modern Masters 2 recyclable, they decided to make most of the rares and all but 1 of the UC's recycle-bin ready too. Convenient!
Only Magic players could simultaneously and unironically complain about inexpensive cards being printed at rare, and expensive cards being printed at rare.
This is BS, why would this be rare and Bloodbraid Elf still uncommon?
The Lord ways are imperscrutable my dear friend.
Jokes aside, even if the rarities are just for limited it's pretty strange that Shardless Agent is rare when Bloodbraid Elf it's uncommon, I find that Bloodbraid Elf it's more powerfull.
Playing since 1994: Currently MAGS (HomeBrew),Standard & Pauper (Pioneer and Modern are degenerate trash formats)
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
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Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
No I have the planechase deck they are in but aside from one in an exhaustive deck I don't use the others. I am fine with process dropping I almost never sell cards and only trade for cards I want to play. But it does enter in the calculations for wotc. But the second point is valuable. When you can guarantee a 2 drop will hit after you play the agent you can do potentially dangerous things. It's way harder to leave out 3 drops.
People, the rarity on cards that appeared ONLY in supplemental product means literally nothing. Have you ever opened a pack and found a Shardless Agent or Baleful Strix at uncommon?
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My Commander decks:
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras. Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power. Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza. Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall. Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana. Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die. Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
People, the rarity on cards that appeared ONLY in supplemental product means literally nothing. Have you ever opened a pack and found a Shardless Agent or Baleful Strix at uncommon?
Difference is we have opened a similar card, in Bloodbraid Elf, and this is comparable to it. This is about the same power level as BBE and we can see that it really shouldn't be rare when something around the same power level is uncommon. That would be like seeing Swords to Plowshares at rare and Path to Exile at uncommon, they are comparable and about the same level of power and wouldn't make sense to see one higher than the other.
Difference is we have opened a similar card, in Bloodbraid Elf, and this is comparable to it. This is about the same power level as BBE and we can see that it really shouldn't be rare when something around the same power level is uncommon. That would be like seeing Swords to Plowshares at rare and Path to Exile at uncommon, they are comparable and about the same level of power and wouldn't make sense to see one higher than the other.
not completely true, you are comparing 2 similar spell in the same color.
BBE and SA are comparable in effects but they are 2 multicolored cards of different color, and this can have an impact on rarity. Considering their shared G part wizards maybe values cascade a stronger efect for blue than for red.
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"The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again"
Maybe SA is more valuable because it's blue and cost 1 less mana, but what broken cards can it cascade into in blue, apart from Baleful Strix that also requires black so we already have 3color deck? We need to see the full set to determine this.
The second market price comparison is kinda meh, BBE is banned in Modern so it lost its value and it probably got printed a bit more than SA, which is used in Legacy mostly. Still, they are reprinting the Planechase 2012 soon and SA together with it so the price can't be the issue here.
Difference is we have opened a similar card, in Bloodbraid Elf, and this is comparable to it. This is about the same power level as BBE and we can see that it really shouldn't be rare when something around the same power level is uncommon. That would be like seeing Swords to Plowshares at rare and Path to Exile at uncommon, they are comparable and about the same level of power and wouldn't make sense to see one higher than the other.
The reason for the rarity disparity lies, just as Yamahako said, in the fundamental nature of the Cascade keyword and its power level at different costs. The fact of the matter is Cascade cards with a CMC of 3 are more powerful than CMC of 4. Bloodbraid is still a bomb, but Shadeless Agent is simply better. I'm sure the price and availability is a factor as well.
BGW Junk Nic Fit BGW
EDH
UBR Nekusar, the Mindrazer UBR
BGW [Duel] Karador, Ghost Chieftain [Goodstuff] BGW
BGW [Duel] Karador, Ghost Chieftain [Shadowborn Apostle Combo] BGW
WUB Oloro, Ageless Ascetic WUB
UB Grimgin, Corpse-Born UB
BR Rakdos the Defiler BR
BG [Duel] Sisters of Stone Death BG
R Norin the Wary R
B [Pauper] Vampire Nighthawk B
WIP
EDH
WUBRG Sliver Overlord [Sliver Surge] WUBRG
RWU Zedruu the Greathearted RWU
U Thassa, God of the Sea [Sea Monsters] U
Edit note: Also really glad they didn't change the crazy jester art. It's just too good.
There's two reasons. Price is one. The other reason is that its a lot easier to play a 3cc+ draft deck and turn the Agent into a specific tutor for a 1-2 cc card, than to play a 4cc+ draft deck and turn the bloodbraid into a specific tutor for a 1-2-3 cc card.
Custom Set
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hu9uNBSUt92PwGhvexYlwFvsh6_SJBlEEIUV3H9_XyU/edit?usp=sharing
Yeah man this set is like a love letter to Old School Magic, loving it a ton right now. Great to get cheapter foils of this.
Currently focusing on Pre-Modern (Mono-Black Discard Control) and Modern (Azorious Control, Temur Rhinos).
Find me at the Wizard's Tower in Ottawa every second Saturday afternoons.
Because he's blue and he's an artifact. Like strix
Yea BS for sure.
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
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Modern: BRGLiving EndGRB
Legacy: UBGShardless BUGGBU
BRGProssh, Tokenmaker of KherGRB
WURNarset NostalgicRUW
UBR"I like your deck better" JelevaRBU
UBlue BraidsU
GAzusa, Lost but RampingG
WBRAleshacratsBRW
UBRGrixis Pew PewRBU
URGYasova the ThreateningGRU
BGGlissa the ArticiferGB
WUSygg MerfolkUW
RSquee, Value NabobR
GW Rhys the Redeemed EDH
RUGAnimar, Soul of Elements EDH
WBRAlesha, Who Smiles at Death EDH
The Lord ways are imperscrutable my dear friend.
Jokes aside, even if the rarities are just for limited it's pretty strange that Shardless Agent is rare when Bloodbraid Elf it's uncommon, I find that Bloodbraid Elf it's more powerfull.
Modern: UB Zombie hunt UB - WR Boros tokens WR - BGW Treefolk tribal BGW
Commander: UR Mizzix, a Storm of spells UR (Decklist)
In before "limited"
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
Hmmm, are you one of the investors?
Custom Set
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hu9uNBSUt92PwGhvexYlwFvsh6_SJBlEEIUV3H9_XyU/edit?usp=sharing
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
Difference is we have opened a similar card, in Bloodbraid Elf, and this is comparable to it. This is about the same power level as BBE and we can see that it really shouldn't be rare when something around the same power level is uncommon. That would be like seeing Swords to Plowshares at rare and Path to Exile at uncommon, they are comparable and about the same level of power and wouldn't make sense to see one higher than the other.
not completely true, you are comparing 2 similar spell in the same color.
BBE and SA are comparable in effects but they are 2 multicolored cards of different color, and this can have an impact on rarity. Considering their shared G part wizards maybe values cascade a stronger efect for blue than for red.
The second market price comparison is kinda meh, BBE is banned in Modern so it lost its value and it probably got printed a bit more than SA, which is used in Legacy mostly. Still, they are reprinting the Planechase 2012 soon and SA together with it so the price can't be the issue here.
The reason for the rarity disparity lies, just as Yamahako said, in the fundamental nature of the Cascade keyword and its power level at different costs. The fact of the matter is Cascade cards with a CMC of 3 are more powerful than CMC of 4. Bloodbraid is still a bomb, but Shadeless Agent is simply better. I'm sure the price and availability is a factor as well.
WGDeath & TaxesGW
UWSpiritsWU
Shardless Agent cascades easier in the on-color Giant Tortoise.
The horror.
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!