Seems to me like a one card way to cause your opponents a lot of grief and clear the way for your dudes. I love the idea of it so much I grabbed 2 copies when it came out and put them into decks and have proceeded to not ever draw them in a game with more than 1 opponent since. That's just bad luck, though.
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Zedruu: "This deck is not only able to go crazy - it also needs to do so."
Seems to me like a one card way to cause your opponents a lot of grief and clear the way for your dudes. I love the idea of it so much I grabbed 2 copies when it came out and put them into decks and have proceeded to not ever draw them in a game with more than 1 opponent since. That's just bad luck, though.
Alongside "impulse draw" (like Act on Impulse), Goad is one of the most flavorful red abilities, forcing opponents to fight each other or force your one opponent to attack you are both tactical advantages.
Goad should be deciduous. I'd even push for evergreen, but it does nothing in 1v1. As deciduous it would be available for any multiplayer themed product even if it isn't a feature keyword. It should be available for any conspiracy, planechase, unset, or commander product.
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The Meaning of Life: "M-hmm. Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations"
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
Goad should be deciduous. I'd even push for evergreen, but it does nothing in 1v1. As deciduous it would be available for any multiplayer themed product even if it isn't a feature keyword. It should be available for any conspiracy, planechase, unset, or commander product.
Goad doesn't have that many cards available:
Goad target creature. It gets +2/+0 on its controller's turn.
Goad all creatures target player controls.
Goad target creature and put a +1/+1 counter on it.
Goad target creature. It deals and receives double damage until your next upkeep.
Goad target creature. It loses all activated abilities with t in their activation cost until your next upkeep.
Anyway, this card can be good, unless opponents are clever and start bringing out things like Cryptolith Rite in which case it just becomes a bad Fog.
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Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
This costs too much mana for such a situational one-shot effect. It might occasionally be quite good, though, so if you've got a burning wishboard, consider it.
Boots, of course, the counterpart to greaves, offers your commander both haste and protection. Many creatures benefit greatly from both haste and hexproof, and essentially no creatures want neither haste nor hexproof, so the only commanders that aren't happy to boot up are the ones that arealreadytooprotected to wear them.
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Zedruu: "This deck is not only able to go crazy - it also needs to do so."
Greaves are usually better, but these are better for voltron as well as non voltron creature decks that run decent equipment.
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The Meaning of Life: "M-hmm. Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations"
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
Usually a standard add. I'll be honest, there are a lot of times I resent saving a slot for them. It seems silly, but these and the greaves have become that stock standard that you might as well consider your deck options in terms of 98 slots.
Great card, just, you know. A bit too staple to be an enjoyable card to run.
Sure, it's no Lightning Greaves, but i love to run them in decks that need to be able to target its carrier. Best example: Zada, Hedron Grinder. Would fold to Shroud, is vastly improved by both haste and hexproof. Mother of Runes, Reconnaissance, Auras, Enchantments, other Equipments, untap and blink things, ... if you can't (risk to) equip them to another creature these are an upgrade.
Every now and then i see Lightning Greaves as an obstacle, because a player lacks options for un- and re-equiping. Just a few days ago i saw an early Rafiq of the Many that was intentionally held down as the only creature on that players board, for the same reason.
Overall i'd say they are a tad underrated for above reasons.
Sometimes the extra 1 makes all the difference in the world. There's a reason we've gotten many swiftfoot reprints, and only invention/fnm of greaves...
I think most of the time you either want both or neither, but there are times when Lightning Greaves is just a cheaper Fervor with benefits. Boots does a rather poor imitation of that
I run a good number of commanders that are hard to kill (or hard to kill permanently) so I value the haste more than the targeting protection. Other players however might get more use out of these cards.
I have 14 decks. I do not play Greaves or Boots in 5 - Karador, Ghost Chieftain and Maelstrom Wanderer. Karador basically always costs 3, I have sac outlets and recursion... so I don't ever need to protect anything that badly.
Maelstrom Wanderer - you kinda want it to die as much as possible. The other three decks play indestructible gods (Kefnet, Erebos and Mogis). I also have a Phenax, which I believe plays greaves but not boots. Mainly to enable mass haste when I make tokens.
Swiftfoot boots is better than greaves in voltron decks. Greaves is clearly better most of the rest of the time. The two cards are not auto-includes but are so important when you need them. I am even playing Champion's helm in one deck.
Honestly I think both boots and greaves are over valued. They don't really protect your commander from removal and are basically "do nothing" -cards when you draw them. I'm not saying they are totally useless but people like to jam them into every random deck.
I used to run Swiftfoot Boots and Lightning Greaves in almost every deck. These days I'm finding myself putting them in less and less decks. I think the only decks I run them in are those that need the haste for the commander - either they need to be swinging ASAP or have tap abilities, and in the latter case, Greaves are much better than Boots and I usually don't really need a second copy. The Hexproof/Shroud is nice to have, but I don't really consider the cards worth running just for it as more often than not, it's board wipes that kill my stuff.
That's not to say I think this is a bad card - it's not, in the right deck it's very useful - just that I don't consider it the near auto-include staple many people do.
Isperia doesn't really care about attacking immediately and has other forms of protection in the deck. Grimgrin might appreciate Boots (not greaves because Minamo) for being able to try being removal when cast, but considering quite often I lumber him out tapped without a sacrifice until the next turn, I don't think it's as practical yet. Karador is meant to be cheap-to-cast late-game, so removal is less problematic and he doesn't need to attack. Freyalise... did I mention it has no creature cards? (and Tokens make better friends with Skullclamp). Animar... haste is Urabrask's job for the masses when the deck successfully explodes and while the protection might be useful in the occasional game involving quick damage early game, most games it involves waiting a couple of turns and a wrath instead anyway. Horde... built in haste and was intended as a late-game reanimator for the game-plan than anything else, really.
Alesha (who needs haste for obvious reasons) gets Boots because I figured by the time I cast Alesha (which isn't early game), 1 extra mana isn't as costly. Also helps that's the deck with the most equipments, so it's also less punishing if I screwed up the order (or was forced by circumstance / mana to put it on first).
Ryusei, while costing more, wants instant protection when he does get out (and is more flexibly open to being cast when available to pay the mana for), because I don't really want to pay 8 mana for a second round. It's from the upcoming set, but it really helps that Etali is headed towards that deck as well.
So yeah, when I worked backwards to figure out which decks didn't need Greaves/Boots in the attempt to try not to have non-mana-producing/expanding artifacts overlap across my decks, it turned out to be quite obvious they aren't the staples some think of them to be (I would say many, but nowadays I think a lot of people have the same viewpoint already). Even if I didn't abide by that restriction I think the only additional pair of footwear would be Boots for Grimgrin and that's about it.
Sometimes the extra 1 makes all the difference in the world. There's a reason we've gotten many swiftfoot reprints, and only invention/fnm of greaves...
It's more to do with Wizards not wanting to print shroud any more than the equip cost difference.
Seems to me like a one card way to cause your opponents a lot of grief and clear the way for your dudes. I love the idea of it so much I grabbed 2 copies when it came out and put them into decks and have proceeded to not ever draw them in a game with more than 1 opponent since. That's just bad luck, though.
Of course, if your meta is full of board wipes, then this is about as useful as mass threaten effects... which is to say that they aren't.
The Unidentified Fantastic Flying Girl.
EDH
Xenagos, the God of Stompy
The Gitrog Monster: Oppressive Value.
Marchesa, Marionette Master - Undying Robots
Yuriko, the Hydra Omnivore
I make dolls as a hobby.
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
Alongside "impulse draw" (like Act on Impulse), Goad is one of the most flavorful red abilities, forcing opponents to fight each other or force your one opponent to attack you are both tactical advantages.
And the flavor/art are perfect.
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
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
That I must bow so low?
Only a cat of a different coat
That's all the truth I know
Goad doesn't have that many cards available:
Goad target creature. It gets +2/+0 on its controller's turn.
Goad all creatures target player controls.
Goad target creature and put a +1/+1 counter on it.
Goad target creature. It deals and receives double damage until your next upkeep.
Goad target creature. It loses all activated abilities with t in their activation cost until your next upkeep.
Anyway, this card can be good, unless opponents are clever and start bringing out things like Cryptolith Rite in which case it just becomes a bad Fog.
On phasing:
Boots, of course, the counterpart to greaves, offers your commander both haste and protection. Many creatures benefit greatly from both haste and hexproof, and essentially no creatures want neither haste nor hexproof, so the only commanders that aren't happy to boot up are the ones that are already too protected to wear them.
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
EDH decks: 1. RGWMayael's Big BeatsRETIRED!
2. BUWMerieke Ri Berit and the 40 Thieves
3. URNiv's Wheeling and Dealing!
4. BURThe Walking Dead
5. GWSisay's Legends of Tomorrow
6. RWBRise of Markov
7. GElvez and stuffz(W)
8. RCrush your enemies(W)
9. BSign right here...(W)
Great card, just, you know. A bit too staple to be an enjoyable card to run.
Mother of Runes, Reconnaissance, Auras, Enchantments, other Equipments, untap and blink things, ... if you can't (risk to) equip them to another creature these are an upgrade.
Every now and then i see Lightning Greaves as an obstacle, because a player lacks options for un- and re-equiping. Just a few days ago i saw an early Rafiq of the Many that was intentionally held down as the only creature on that players board, for the same reason.
Overall i'd say they are a tad underrated for above reasons.
WBGGhave Sisters
BUG Sidisi, Brood Tyrant Reanimator
BBBSheoldred, Whispering One Swamps-matter ramp
Standard
UR Drake
Pauper
GW Bogle
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
This is the clear #2 behind Greaves. Full stop.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
(U/B)(U/B)(U/B) JUMP IN THE LINE, ROCK YOUR BODY IN TIME
(R/W)(R/W)(R/W) RISING FROM THE NEON GLOOM, SHINING LIKE A CRAZY MOON
(U/R)(R/G)(G/U) STEALIN' WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUYIN'
The Unidentified Fantastic Flying Girl.
EDH
Xenagos, the God of Stompy
The Gitrog Monster: Oppressive Value.
Marchesa, Marionette Master - Undying Robots
Yuriko, the Hydra Omnivore
I make dolls as a hobby.
EDH: Xenagos, God of Revels.
Maelstrom Wanderer - you kinda want it to die as much as possible. The other three decks play indestructible gods (Kefnet, Erebos and Mogis). I also have a Phenax, which I believe plays greaves but not boots. Mainly to enable mass haste when I make tokens.
Swiftfoot boots is better than greaves in voltron decks. Greaves is clearly better most of the rest of the time. The two cards are not auto-includes but are so important when you need them. I am even playing Champion's helm in one deck.
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
That's not to say I think this is a bad card - it's not, in the right deck it's very useful - just that I don't consider it the near auto-include staple many people do.
Isperia doesn't really care about attacking immediately and has other forms of protection in the deck.
Grimgrin might appreciate Boots (not greaves because Minamo) for being able to try being removal when cast, but considering quite often I lumber him out tapped without a sacrifice until the next turn, I don't think it's as practical yet.
Karador is meant to be cheap-to-cast late-game, so removal is less problematic and he doesn't need to attack.
Freyalise... did I mention it has no creature cards? (and Tokens make better friends with Skullclamp).
Animar... haste is Urabrask's job for the masses when the deck successfully explodes and while the protection might be useful in the occasional game involving quick damage early game, most games it involves waiting a couple of turns and a wrath instead anyway.
Horde... built in haste and was intended as a late-game reanimator for the game-plan than anything else, really.
Alesha (who needs haste for obvious reasons) gets Boots because I figured by the time I cast Alesha (which isn't early game), 1 extra mana isn't as costly. Also helps that's the deck with the most equipments, so it's also less punishing if I screwed up the order (or was forced by circumstance / mana to put it on first).
Ryusei, while costing more, wants instant protection when he does get out (and is more flexibly open to being cast when available to pay the mana for), because I don't really want to pay 8 mana for a second round. It's from the upcoming set, but it really helps that Etali is headed towards that deck as well.
So yeah, when I worked backwards to figure out which decks didn't need Greaves/Boots in the attempt to try not to have non-mana-producing/expanding artifacts overlap across my decks, it turned out to be quite obvious they aren't the staples some think of them to be (I would say many, but nowadays I think a lot of people have the same viewpoint already). Even if I didn't abide by that restriction I think the only additional pair of footwear would be Boots for Grimgrin and that's about it.
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
(Image by totallynotabrony)