Well, that's kinda bland and something mono-W has done before in many permutations,
but it heavily indicates that all four decks will have new commanders that are only some of that deck's colors.
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
Works great in equipment themed decks & knight decks. I love when the "new" cards in the Commander sets can be used outside of Commander. Versatility is a must for playability.
Have mixed feelings on the "attach all equipment" effect. Good for combat tricks, but then it'll be a pain in the rear when you try to move all of the equipment back to other creatures (unless one is smart & playing w/ a creature that reduces equip costs to zero).
One thing that is kind of obvious, there might/must be a decent amount of equipment in the cat tribal deck, or that ability will be a bit of a waste. Then that leads to another thought, some of the reprints might just be Mirrodin cats that have equipment-based effects.
Having first strike and double strike on the same creature really offends me as a melvin
Its also clumsy from a meta standpoint because his equipment vacuum ability lets him quickly reset each time he's recast, but to benefit fully from this you want equipment that gives haste, and the most widely used haste equipments in commander happen to have 0 or 1 equip cost anyway so they don't care about his ability.
Ok so my first thought was Balin from LotR. Then I noticed the ugly cmc. Then his poofy head.
The head is the worst. The official style guide for cat people, several years ago, usually suggests that the spine connects closer to the back of the skull than into the bottom like humans. Ultimately leonin heads blend a little bit more into the shoulders. There are some exceptions, for instance female leonin tend to have a more humanoid skull neck profile. This just looks like the artist stuck their house cat's head on a fuzzy orange human.
This worked with Amonkhet gods as the juxtapostion was startling and highlighted the divinity.
Finally, I agree, the card is lackluster. Will he get played, sure, but he doesn't do anything that hasn't been done before.
Ok so my first thought was Balin from LotR. Then I noticed the ugly cmc. Then his poofy head.
The head is the worst. The official style guide for cat people, several years ago, usually suggests that the spine connects closer to the back of the skull than into the bottom like humans. Ultimately leonin heads blend a little bit more into the shoulders. There are some exceptions, for instance female leonin tend to have a more humanoid skull neck profile. This just looks like the artist stuck their house cat's head on a fuzzy orange human.
This worked with Amonkhet gods as the juxtapostion was startling and highlighted the divinity.
Finally, I agree, the card is lackluster. Will he get played, sure, but he doesn't do anything that hasn't been done before.
It's four mana, what the **** is wrong with four mana?
The head is fine. You're just blind and confuse his cape with his torso.
It's not lack-luster, it is a better equipment general than the other options. That would make it a great card.
Kemba just makes tokens and is only used because there is nothing better and Sram is just 'meeh'.
But hey, it wouldn't be magic if the spoiler season didn't start with a bunch of whining!
Yea, called the equipment subtheme before. Won't surprise me to see reprints of Kemba and Raksha as well. More interesting this could also mean a reprint of Leonin Shikari which had been getting pricier lately. And maybe even Puresteel Paladin as we've seen from the Dragons deck that not all creatures will be of that specific type, though that one is more of a longshot.
Private Mod Note
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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.
Ok so my first thought was Balin from LotR. Then I noticed the ugly cmc. Then his poofy head.
The head is the worst. The official style guide for cat people, several years ago, usually suggests that the spine connects closer to the back of the skull than into the bottom like humans. Ultimately leonin heads blend a little bit more into the shoulders. There are some exceptions, for instance female leonin tend to have a more humanoid skull neck profile. This just looks like the artist stuck their house cat's head on a fuzzy orange human.
This worked with Amonkhet gods as the juxtapostion was startling and highlighted the divinity.
Finally, I agree, the card is lackluster. Will he get played, sure, but he doesn't do anything that hasn't been done before.
It's four mana, what the **** is wrong with four mana?
The head is fine. You're just blind and confuse his cape with his torso.
It's not lack-luster, it is a better equipment general than the other options. That would make it a great card.
Kemba just makes tokens and is only used because there is nothing better and Sram is just 'meeh'.
But hey, it wouldn't be magic if the spoiler season didn't start with a bunch of whining!
I too find the art very jarring and its entirely due to the head being such a change from the established style
As for what he does?
...well he's not very inspiring, he doesnt really do anything new to monowhite, and doesnt really push any envelopes to make it more playable as a color
You vomit out equipment... somehow, and he'll die to spot removal as no one had targets due to low creature density, you up your creature density and drop your equipment density and you end up with an equip all ability that isnt necessary since youre not running a huge amount... and this is ignoring completely that youre in monowhite and still have to deal with all those shortcomings
Not really what ive been looking for in a voltron commander
Of course he is voltron, of course he is good with equipment. But a single creature voltron style is like a glass cannon. Sure you can recast, but answers to voltron abound. For instance Sheoldred, Whispering One can lock you.
I'm much more interested in Eminence, like Arahbo, Roar of the World. He pushes voltron but allows you to play wide as well, since any creature can be upgraded for free.
First strike and double strike on the same card bothers mee, too. But aside from that the card is pretty alright, if a bit boring. If I ever wanted to build Mono-W Voltron, he probably would be my first choice. Dropping some Equipments early and then being able to equip it all at once for only 1W at instant speed seems really useful.
He doesn't bring much to the table besides declaring to your opponents, "Hey, I'm going to swing at you and I'm going to swing at you hard!" He's bad politics since he's a huge threat your opponents see from leagues away and he doesn't generate any real value. I do like the insta-equip and he may be good in the 99 in equipment decks but he's bad in the Command Zone for multiplayer.
I always enjoyed the equipment subtheme, and this card gives an incentive to play janky equipment that you would rarely play otherwise, such as sword of vengeance.
EDIT: actually, the way the card is worded, he can be pretty resilient to removal. If you have greaves out, for instance, you can try to equip it, someone answers with removal, you pay 1W in response to equip it anyway. And for each 1W that you have out you can give him protection from spot removal (depending on the equipment you have on board, of course).
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!
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
but it heavily indicates that all four decks will have new commanders that are only some of that deck's colors.
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
The visuals are clearly and undeniably Theros, though.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
He will form the head!
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest WUR Voltron Control
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun WU Unblockable Mirror Trickery
Ra's al Ghul (Sidar Kondo) and Face-Down Ninjas
Brudiclad, Token Engineer
Vaevictis (VV2) the Dire Lantern
Rona, Disciple of Gix
Tiana the Auror
Hallar
Ulrich the Politician
Zur the Rebel
Scorpion, Locust, Scarab, Egyptian Gods
O-Kagachi, Mathas, Mairsil
"Non-Tribal" Tribal Generals, Eggs
Have mixed feelings on the "attach all equipment" effect. Good for combat tricks, but then it'll be a pain in the rear when you try to move all of the equipment back to other creatures (unless one is smart & playing w/ a creature that reduces equip costs to zero).
One thing that is kind of obvious, there might/must be a decent amount of equipment in the cat tribal deck, or that ability will be a bit of a waste. Then that leads to another thought, some of the reprints might just be Mirrodin cats that have equipment-based effects.
Its also clumsy from a meta standpoint because his equipment vacuum ability lets him quickly reset each time he's recast, but to benefit fully from this you want equipment that gives haste, and the most widely used haste equipments in commander happen to have 0 or 1 equip cost anyway so they don't care about his ability.
The head is the worst. The official style guide for cat people, several years ago, usually suggests that the spine connects closer to the back of the skull than into the bottom like humans. Ultimately leonin heads blend a little bit more into the shoulders. There are some exceptions, for instance female leonin tend to have a more humanoid skull neck profile. This just looks like the artist stuck their house cat's head on a fuzzy orange human.
This worked with Amonkhet gods as the juxtapostion was startling and highlighted the divinity.
Finally, I agree, the card is lackluster. Will he get played, sure, but he doesn't do anything that hasn't been done before.
It's four mana, what the **** is wrong with four mana?
The head is fine. You're just blind and confuse his cape with his torso.
It's not lack-luster, it is a better equipment general than the other options. That would make it a great card.
Kemba just makes tokens and is only used because there is nothing better and Sram is just 'meeh'.
But hey, it wouldn't be magic if the spoiler season didn't start with a bunch of whining!
I think we could all see an equipment subtheme being in this deck as that is part of what cats are.
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.
These cards all strongly follow the style guide for cat humanoids and highlight what I am referring to about the shoulder/head/neck profile.
Also I was imagining him either for Duel or a two color deck, as a general his cmc is fine but he is only ok as a general.
I still like Kemba better (which will probably a reprint in the set - given the theme).
But you cannot see how the neck is attached, because he is wearing a cape around the neck.
Only ok? He's already the best equipment-voltron option out there.
BRGKresh the BloodbraidedBRG, A box of lands and ideas.
Modern:
RG Titanshift. A deck made of cards too stupid for EDH.
Retired: Lots. More than I feel you should suffer through or I should type out.
Other than those flavor fails, he's just another uninteresting equipment commander
Yeah, warrior would probaby be better but knught is generic enough that its fine. Also knight does not inherently mean mounted.
As for what he does?
...well he's not very inspiring, he doesnt really do anything new to monowhite, and doesnt really push any envelopes to make it more playable as a color
You vomit out equipment... somehow, and he'll die to spot removal as no one had targets due to low creature density, you up your creature density and drop your equipment density and you end up with an equip all ability that isnt necessary since youre not running a huge amount... and this is ignoring completely that youre in monowhite and still have to deal with all those shortcomings
Not really what ive been looking for in a voltron commander
I'm much more interested in Eminence, like Arahbo, Roar of the World. He pushes voltron but allows you to play wide as well, since any creature can be upgraded for free.
I always enjoyed the equipment subtheme, and this card gives an incentive to play janky equipment that you would rarely play otherwise, such as sword of vengeance.
EDIT: actually, the way the card is worded, he can be pretty resilient to removal. If you have greaves out, for instance, you can try to equip it, someone answers with removal, you pay 1W in response to equip it anyway. And for each 1W that you have out you can give him protection from spot removal (depending on the equipment you have on board, of course).
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).