It's hard to compare them since they're vastly different cards that fulfill completely different roles.
"Xenagod" is an enabler that makes all of your other creatures much stronger, Stormbreath Dragon is an already strong creature that doesn't neccessarily need an enabler.
Never forget that you can use "Xenagod's" ability on the turn you cast him - you just have to do so before combat (so usually in your first main phase).
No, the roles are actually much more similar than you realize.
Play Xenagos, give Fanatic +4/+4 and attack with 8/8 trample for 8 damage.
or
Play Strombreath, attack with 4/4 trample and 4/4 flyer for 8 damage.
The thing about Xenagos is that he relies on having other cards in play to work properly. Stormbreath will always be pretty good no matter what the circumstance. Admittedly, further down the road Xenagos gets to be much better, but is that worth the tradeoff of sometimes not having the right creatures in play to make use of him?
It's a small investment, so I don't neccessarily disagree because there isn't much to lose.
However, I'm not sure if there are slots for the Raiders in a deck that wants to run "Xenagod". The 4 CMC slot is already really crowded with 4 Goreclan Rampagers and (probably) 2 Xenagos walkers, so I don't really see more 4 drops fitting in. Maybe as a 2-off.
I agree completely. I haven't playtested them at all, but at $1 for a playset, it was a no brainer to pick them up just in case.
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Currently playing:
Standard: I, for one, welcome our new rhinoceros overlords
Modern: Pod's dead, Bob's back.
Legacy: Lands, Deathblade, Death and Taxes, Elves, MUD
Retired Legacy: Merfolk, Goblins, Jund, Delver, Reanimator
No, the roles are actually much more similar than you realize.
Play Xenagos, give Fanatic +4/+4 and attack with 8/8 trample for 8 damage.
or
Play Strombreath, attack with 4/4 trample and 4/4 flyer for 8 damage.
The thing about Xenagos is that he relies on having other cards in play to work properly. Stormbreath will always be pretty good no matter what the circumstance. Admittedly, further down the road Xenagos gets to be much better, but is that worth the tradeoff of sometimes not having the right creatures in play to make use of him?
The primary difference is how strong the removal currently is. Stormbreath is a very dangerous creature, but you can only have four of them. Xenagod turns anything you play into a decent facepunch. Xenagod is, by and large, a lot more problematic to remove from the board. Especially if you space yourself and don't over-extend so he never hits creature unless you're ready to end the game right then.
As long as Removal is good (and outside of White), Xenagod has a place at the table.
Just throwing this into the mix, but what are thoughts on awaken the ancient as a devotion enabler? Kalonian hydra or aurelia are still awesome sounding with Xenagod imo
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No, the roles are actually much more similar than you realize.
Play Xenagos, give Fanatic +4/+4 and attack with 8/8 trample for 8 damage.
or
Play Strombreath, attack with 4/4 trample and 4/4 flyer for 8 damage.
The thing about Xenagos is that he relies on having other cards in play to work properly. Stormbreath will always be pretty good no matter what the circumstance. Admittedly, further down the road Xenagos gets to be much better, but is that worth the tradeoff of sometimes not having the right creatures in play to make use of him?
I agree completely. I haven't playtested them at all, but at $1 for a playset, it was a no brainer to pick them up just in case.
Standard: I, for one, welcome our new rhinoceros overlords
Modern: Pod's dead, Bob's back.
Legacy: Lands, Deathblade, Death and Taxes, Elves, MUD
Retired Legacy: Merfolk, Goblins, Jund, Delver, Reanimator
The primary difference is how strong the removal currently is. Stormbreath is a very dangerous creature, but you can only have four of them. Xenagod turns anything you play into a decent facepunch. Xenagod is, by and large, a lot more problematic to remove from the board. Especially if you space yourself and don't over-extend so he never hits creature unless you're ready to end the game right then.
As long as Removal is good (and outside of White), Xenagod has a place at the table.