Ugin, the Spirit Dragon 8
Planeswalker - Ugin
+2: ~ deals 3 damage to target creature or player.
-X: Exile each permanent with converted mana cost X or less that's one or more colors.
-10: You gain 7 life, draw seven cards, then put up to seven permanent cards from your hand onto the battlefield.
7
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.
im almost sure this card will affect T2 like Elspeth, Suns Champion did.
Its just sooooooo insanely good at controlling the board.
-X is what makes this card soooooooooo good i think.
im almost sure this card will affect T2 like Elspeth, Suns Champion did.
Its just sooooooo insanely good at controlling the board.
-X is what makes this card soooooooooo good i think.
Quite possibly. This Standard format is very permanent-based in the tier 1 (even Jeskai with its Prowess). Aside from 4 color Dictate (Conley Woods) and UW Control (Melissa DeTora), I think it won't have too many homes in Standard as more than a 1-of. I think some people may also attempt it in Tron, although I'm not sure its as good as Karn. In EDH, beyond the obvious use in artifact-based decks, I think it could see play in Brago, King Eternal due to its ultimate putting 7 free permanents onto the battlefield before a Brago swing. It's very controlling, doesn't go to 0 on ultimate, and gets reset after ultimate to 7 counters. And if you're behind on board, it can probably bring you back. Wraths tokens for free, oh man this is juicy. Must have foil
I somehow find it tragic when an attacking Traveling Philosopher gets blocked by another Traveling Philosopher, which normally results in two dead philosophers. Shouldn't they just sit aside and start discussing?
"This is really exciting, so much to find out about, so much to look forward to, I'm quite dizzy with anticipation . . . Or is it the wind? There really is a lot of that now, isn't there? And wow! Hey! What's this thing suddenly coming toward me very fast? Very, very fast. So big and flat and round, it needs a big wide-sounding name like . . . ow . . . ound . . . round . . . ground! That's it! That's a good name- ground! I wonder if it will be friends with me? Hello Ground!"
Curiously enough, the only thing that went through the mind of the Sprouting Phytohydra as it fell was Oh no, not again.
I woke up to see this card spoiled and rolled my eyes. It is way too powerful. Okay, the +2 is fine, but the other two abilities? Straight up, pure advantage. Where is the lenticular design wizards often speaks of as so important to magic? In the fact that the card costs a 'whopping' 8 colorless mana? Yeah, right. Any deck that can ramp semi-decently can get this card out with no trouble. I'm most concerned about what it could do to EDH, but it could mess up modern pretty well too. If I put this thing in my Kruphix EDH is would be able to serve two purposes that do nothing more than ruin my opponent's having a fun game - wipe their board of any non-colorless permanents without caring about hexproof/shroud, or if I ultimate it, put out any one of my permanent based instant-win conditions. It takes 1 turn to ultimate. Karn by comparison takes 2 turns to ultimate, and Karn actually targets what it exiles. Any deck with time magic and a counter-spell suite to protect it up will have won the game simply by playing it.
Look, I get that wizards wanted to give us a powerful-as-hell card rather like a Christmas gift, but this card isn't interesting at all. It's just straight upside for whomever plays it, and that isn't fun. I wonder how expensive it'll get...
Tron got a new toy(except that CMC 8 means that casting it on T3 in Modern won't be very possible)!
Seems good against aggro, especially that -X, which is pernicious deed that only hits colored permanents.
Between Mystic, Carytid, Rattleclaw, Xenawalker, and Nissa, Ugin wil be insane in standard. Thank god for Downfall. Naya superfriends could be quite nasty with Elspeth, both Ajanis, Ugin, Chandra, maybe Xenagos....
Actually, I might take it all back. I didn't read into the second ability far enough. It's a two-edged sword. I imagine someone will put this in their superfriends deck thinking 'haha! I'll wipe everyone's boards!' and in fact they'll just exile all of their other planeswalkers too. Card isn't so bad now that I noticed that. There's the lenticular design I was wanting to see in it.
I fell like this is what U/B control was missing. All of his abilities are relevant. The + gives us reach while the - is a good answer to nissa manlands as this exiles any permanent if it has at least 1 color. And the ultimate is great as it gives life and cards! This with the new boardwipe will probably give U/B the edge it needs over the abzan and jeskai decks.
Cool thing for me that Nissa manlandas are colorless
I somehow find it tragic when an attacking Traveling Philosopher gets blocked by another Traveling Philosopher, which normally results in two dead philosophers. Shouldn't they just sit aside and start discussing?
"This is really exciting, so much to find out about, so much to look forward to, I'm quite dizzy with anticipation . . . Or is it the wind? There really is a lot of that now, isn't there? And wow! Hey! What's this thing suddenly coming toward me very fast? Very, very fast. So big and flat and round, it needs a big wide-sounding name like . . . ow . . . ound . . . round . . . ground! That's it! That's a good name- ground! I wonder if it will be friends with me? Hello Ground!"
Curiously enough, the only thing that went through the mind of the Sprouting Phytohydra as it fell was Oh no, not again.
It's oddly appropriate that he is, in fact, not very good at countering Nicol Bolas.
That being said, this card is totally awesome. It's expensive, but is likely to take control of any game in which it resolves. At worst, it'll cost your opponent a card while likely wiping their board. Not a lot of decks will want this, but it might breath some new life into some control shells. It'll also get considerably better if more good Artifact mana ramp comes into existence. Astral Cornucopia at 6 mana means you don't need to hit a land drop on the subsequent to cast Ugin... 5 colour control?
A lot of cubes might snap him. Pretty damn devastating -X. Will probably see play in modern, but I dont play the forma so what the hell I know. All I know is I will add him to my cube for sure.
As far as Standard goes, this is amazing. I can't imagine losing a game once this hits the board. You want to +2 if you can protect him, or he wrecks the board and you can catch up again. I definitely want to play this. Stops Whip of Erebos pretty well.
Actually, I might take it all back. I didn't read into the second ability far enough. It's a two-edged sword. I imagine someone will put this in their superfriends deck thinking 'haha! I'll wipe everyone's boards!' and in fact they'll just exile all of their other planeswalkers too. Card isn't so bad now that I noticed that. There's the lenticular design I was wanting to see in it.
Yep, with the corollary also being that you can't nuke your opponents' annoying artifacts. Also flavourfully dodges your morphed dudes. This card's a home run in all ways, for sure.
Hmmmm... I have a hard time pondering if this could replace Karn in my cube...
Ugin does more evil things at once with -X, but Karn costs 1 mana less and doesn't wipe your board. Oh I am glad wizards gives us more options
He's definitely going to see play in EDH. Any deck that runs All Is Dust is going to want to run him. He's a similar effect, only he exiles and you have more control over it since you can choose the CMC cap of what goes away. Or he very likely lightning bolts multiple times.
A lot of cubes might snap him. Pretty damn devastating -X. Will probably see play in modern, but I dont play the forma so what the hell I know. All I know is I will add him to my cube for sure.
The problem is that he is 8, not 7 That is a huge difference for tron decks (all 3 tron lands give 7 mana), but I guess he will surely be tried in those decks. I would guess instead of replacing Karn they might play both together... We'll see if he finds a place.
Where I'm more excited for Ugin is legacy. I just build myself a 12-post MUD deck (which can easily reach 8+ mana) and I think I'll replace an All is dust with Ugin...
Wow, I am very impressed with Ugin. First, I especially like how he requires only colorless mana to summon, and that he also does not have the morph mechanic, meaning that he can be placed in nearly any deck. He also has the same converted mana cost as Bolas, helping to draw parallels between the two of them, which is nice.
Second, I especially like how his third ability is the mirror opposite of Bolas' ability, but all three of his abilities are awesome. However, his first ability does seem to be slightly too powerful, especially considering that it increases his loyalty by 2; perhaps if it increased his loyalty by only 1, it would not be too powerful.
Third, I barely even recognized that artwork as being by Raymond Swanland; I am so glad that he is diversifying his art style, and not simply drawing masses of flames and spikes constantly (although I certainly have no objection to that, and hope that he does not abandon his "fire-and-spikes" style entirely).
Ugin is now the second colorless planeswalker in the game, and I notice that both of them are very powerful; is that a deliberate decision by WotC? I do hope that I find a copy of him in a booster pack during the Fate Reforged prerelease!
It may be too early to ask, but does anyone here have an estimate of how much he may cost as a single? I imagine that he shall not be inexpensive, given how powerful he is.
It takes 1 turn to ultimate. Karn by comparison takes 2 turns to ultimate,
Ugin
turn he comes out: 9
next turn: 11
turn after that: ult
Karn
turn he comes out: 10
next turn: 14
turn after that: ult
They take the exact same amount of time to hit their ultimate.
Math or no math, I tend to agree with the rest of his post. This card is excessively over the top. It will not surprise me if Ugin completely warps Standard/EDH.
Well, I was wrong on the math and I don't think it's over the top now that I've really thought about how it would play out. It's too much of a double-edged sword for a lot of decks. I seriously doubt it could warp any formats.
Ugin, the Spirit Dragon 8
Planeswalker - Ugin
+2: ~ deals 3 damage to target creature or player.
-X: Exile each permanent with converted mana cost X or less that's one or more colors.
-10: You gain 7 life, draw seven cards, then put up to seven permanent cards from your hand onto the battlefield.
7
Source: Mothership
Hol-ee, what a way to kick off the previews.
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.
Emille, Seven-Sting Dancer Shalin Nariya
C Kozilek C
GB Gitrog GB
G Titania G
WU Brago WU
GB MerenGB
Duel Commander Decks
UR Keranos UR
BRG Jund BRG
GR Tron GR GW Tron GW
C Eldrazi Tron (SB) C
BG Lantern Control BG
UW Control (SB) UW
Its just sooooooo insanely good at controlling the board.
-X is what makes this card soooooooooo good i think.
Quite possibly. This Standard format is very permanent-based in the tier 1 (even Jeskai with its Prowess). Aside from 4 color Dictate (Conley Woods) and UW Control (Melissa DeTora), I think it won't have too many homes in Standard as more than a 1-of. I think some people may also attempt it in Tron, although I'm not sure its as good as Karn. In EDH, beyond the obvious use in artifact-based decks, I think it could see play in Brago, King Eternal due to its ultimate putting 7 free permanents onto the battlefield before a Brago swing. It's very controlling, doesn't go to 0 on ultimate, and gets reset after ultimate to 7 counters. And if you're behind on board, it can probably bring you back. Wraths tokens for free, oh man this is juicy. Must have foil
C Kozilek C
GB Gitrog GB
G Titania G
WU Brago WU
GB MerenGB
Duel Commander Decks
UR Keranos UR
BRG Jund BRG
GR Tron GR GW Tron GW
C Eldrazi Tron (SB) C
BG Lantern Control BG
UW Control (SB) UW
RIP Batman guy. I hope somebody picks up the slack now that you are gone. Sick children need their Batman.
4 Nissa
4 Ugin
4 Courser
4 Elvish M.
+6 dorks (Cariatid and Satyr)
3-4 Chord of Calling
Varios 1-of utility
3-4 Arbor Colossus, Polukranos, Genesis Hydra, Hornet Quenn
Nykthos, Forests and fetchs are the mana base (23 in total)
It will be beatifull:D
Look, I get that wizards wanted to give us a powerful-as-hell card rather like a Christmas gift, but this card isn't interesting at all. It's just straight upside for whomever plays it, and that isn't fun. I wonder how expensive it'll get...
Seems good against aggro, especially that -X, which is pernicious deed that only hits colored permanents.
Thanks Argentleman;)
WB Teysa token aggroBW (retired)
MAKING (Onmath, Numot, maybe something in Esper)
Cool thing for me that Nissa manlandas are colorless
That being said, this card is totally awesome. It's expensive, but is likely to take control of any game in which it resolves. At worst, it'll cost your opponent a card while likely wiping their board. Not a lot of decks will want this, but it might breath some new life into some control shells. It'll also get considerably better if more good Artifact mana ramp comes into existence. Astral Cornucopia at 6 mana means you don't need to hit a land drop on the subsequent to cast Ugin... 5 colour control?
I can see him playing well with Pearl Lake Ancient.
8.RG Green Devotion Ramp/Combo 9.UR Draw Triggers 10.WUR Group stalling 11.WUR Voltron Spellslinger 12.WB Sacrificial Shenanigans
13.BR Creatureless Panharmonicon 14.BR Pingers and Eldrazi 15.URG Untapped Cascading
16.Reyhan, last of the Abzan's WUBG +1/+1 Counter Craziness 17.WUBRG Dragons aka Why did I make this?
Building: The Gitrog Monster lands, Glissa the Traitor stax, Muldrotha, the Gravetide Planeswalker Combo, Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix + Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa Clues, and Tribal Scarecrow Planeswalkers
Yep, with the corollary also being that you can't nuke your opponents' annoying artifacts. Also flavourfully dodges your morphed dudes. This card's a home run in all ways, for sure.
Playtesting | Karador, Ghost Chieftain | Narset, Enlightened Master | Ephara, God of the Polis
Established | Gahiji, Honored One | Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker | Opal-Eye, Konda's Yojimbo | Rubinia Soulsinger
Retired | Medomai the Ageless | Diaochan, Artful Beauty
Ugin does more evil things at once with -X, but Karn costs 1 mana less and doesn't wipe your board. Oh I am glad wizards gives us more options
Ugin
turn he comes out: 9
next turn: 11
turn after that: ult
Karn
turn he comes out: 10
next turn: 14
turn after that: ult
They take the exact same amount of time to hit their ultimate.
The problem is that he is 8, not 7 That is a huge difference for tron decks (all 3 tron lands give 7 mana), but I guess he will surely be tried in those decks. I would guess instead of replacing Karn they might play both together... We'll see if he finds a place.
Where I'm more excited for Ugin is legacy. I just build myself a 12-post MUD deck (which can easily reach 8+ mana) and I think I'll replace an All is dust with Ugin...
Second, I especially like how his third ability is the mirror opposite of Bolas' ability, but all three of his abilities are awesome. However, his first ability does seem to be slightly too powerful, especially considering that it increases his loyalty by 2; perhaps if it increased his loyalty by only 1, it would not be too powerful.
Third, I barely even recognized that artwork as being by Raymond Swanland; I am so glad that he is diversifying his art style, and not simply drawing masses of flames and spikes constantly (although I certainly have no objection to that, and hope that he does not abandon his "fire-and-spikes" style entirely).
Ugin is now the second colorless planeswalker in the game, and I notice that both of them are very powerful; is that a deliberate decision by WotC? I do hope that I find a copy of him in a booster pack during the Fate Reforged prerelease!
It may be too early to ask, but does anyone here have an estimate of how much he may cost as a single? I imagine that he shall not be inexpensive, given how powerful he is.
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
Your T1-2 play elf and another mana dork
Your T3 morphed rattleclaw
Your T4 unmoph rattle + 2 more lands + 2 dorks -- Ugin
Them: be a deck with a counter open or running heroes downfall or lose to that
With Ugin and Blind Seer out, you have the option of exiling multiple lands for two mana each! Should probably look into running him now...
Well, I was wrong on the math and I don't think it's over the top now that I've really thought about how it would play out. It's too much of a double-edged sword for a lot of decks. I seriously doubt it could warp any formats.