It certainly won't be broken in EDH. In legacy and modern, perhaps.
It's a 3 drop with a conditional can't play lands ability that emphasises basics, AND is stapled to a 2/1 body that's pretty easy to kill (note that territorial dispute, limited resources and worms of the earth are all enchantments which are harder to deal with).
It would be banned before it even saw play. There are so many casual edh decks that run almost no basic lands.
Simply: Land, chrome mox, simian spirit guide, general, you can't play lands for the rest of the game because I was on the play.
The card would be broken in half for casual and competitive play in the worst way, denying people the ability to play their decks.
I think a combination of the Thalia’s would be better:
Angry Thalia
2RW
3/2
Double strike
Creatures, non-basic lands, and artifacts your opponents control enter the battlefield tapped.
Noncreature spells cost 1 more to cast.
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Modern
JundBGR
RW Blood MoonRW
Pauper
Delver U
Elves G
Control B
Commander
Edgar Markov BRW
Captain Sisay GW
Niv-Mizzet, Parun UR
Tymna and Ravos WB
In order for a boros commander to be strong it probably needs to fix one of the two problems with that combination that are the worst (difficult card draw, difficulty ramping).
A legendary Boreas Charger (1WR) would be very strong and yet not overpowering, and present multiple build options.
Other popular effects in those colors
* wheel
* gamble
* weathered wayfarer (RW Lands anyone??)
* mentor of the meek / Bygone bishop effects
* rituals (a commander that paid for its own mana cost on ETB or most of it might be strong)
* equipment tutoring
* cheap creature tutoring/reanimation
Using tax effects is just a good way to make the new commander very hated (see GAAIV).
Other very simple but strong options:
* Legendary RW Reveillark without Evoke that
* Legendary Bygone Bishop
* Legendary veteran motorist with something else instead of the vehicle rider
* Deepala but for humans
* Legendary RW Knollspine dragon but with vigilance or something
Tons of options. Just fix the mana or fix the card draw. Or both.
Boros is the weakest two color combination. However, the last couple of years some of the weak areas have definitely been strengthened. Overall I think it is only a question of the raw power level of commanders that relegate Boros to the sidelines, and that a commander does not necessarily need to alleviate the weaknesses but can also play to the colors’ strengths.
Boros has no commanders close to the power of Muldrotha, Tymna, Azami, Edgar Markov, Derevi, Vannifar and probably dozens more across color combinations.
If Adriana had been a 1/1 for three mana with haste instead, it would have given Boros a commander on par with Edgar Markov for aggro.
A voltron commander with four power, haste and evasion for three mana could make for a viable voltron commander.
Firesong and Sunspeaker could have been 2-3 mana instead with few changes.
Gisela could have also been five mana. Tiana could have been 3.
Overall a lot of the Boros commanders would have been much more suitable for commander if their mana cost had been lower. Boros does suffer in that from standard balancing, as most of these commanders would then be too strong for standard. However this does not apply to commanders printed in supplemental sets/commander, where Boros generals are similarly over costed.
I fully agree that Boros has few interesting options as generals. However, if they print interesting commanders with a 6cmc as with Firesong, this does not actually help at all. EDH scaled power level at low mana cost is the key.
I'm sure this is broken, but if they could find some sort of "When you deal combat damage to a player, deal that much damage to each other player"... that would be amazing. Still combat, but would make winning through combat damage actually somewhat more possible.
As usual when this topic comes up... there's a lot of good ideas of what the color combination can do, but for some reason almost all of the legendaries tend to be 'yeah, let's do some combat'.
Would not even necessarily need that much direct mana or card-advantage fixing... IF the commander itself felt like something to build around. They've certainly gotten better at it, at least. My current Boros is Firesong and Sunspeaker, and they have the right direction even if that 6CMC + very desirable removal target kind of shoots me down more often than not.
I feel like they are sort of trying to make more interesting Boros legendaries, but are afraid to create anything actually resource-denying in standard/limited environment. And if you cut down 'stopping others from doing their stuff', you cut down a fair amount of the color combination's strenghts.
(Tangentially related: My current thought process for the Boros slot, if I grow tired of FS&SS, is Basandra, Battle Seraph. Mostly because that gorgeous Terese Nielsen art and an ability you can at least sort of build around a bit.)
Private Mod Note
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X Hope of Ghirapur Swordpile W Ghosty Blinky Anafenza U Nezahal- Big, Blue and HERE! B Gonti Can Afford It R Etali, Primal 'Whatjusthappened?' G Polukranos Wants More Mana WU The Exalted Vizier Temmet WB Home, Athreos WR Basandra, Recursive Aggression WG Karametra, Momma of Lands UB Wrexial Eats Your Brains UR Arjun, the Mad Flame UG The Fable of Prime Speaker BR Hellbent, Malfegor Style BG Jarad, Death is Served RG Running Thromok WUB Varina and ALL the Zombies WUBYennett, the Odd Pain-Train WUR Zedruu the Furyhearted WUG Arcades' Strategy, Shmategy, Sausage and Spam WBR A Case of Mathas' Persistent F*ckery WBRLicia's League of Legendary Lifegain Layabouts WBG The Karador Advantage PackageWRG Gahiji Rattlesnake Collection UBR Jeleva... does... things UBG Damia's Just Deserts URG Yasova's Has More Power Than Sense BRG Wasitora, Bad Kitty WUBRBreya, Eggs, Breya'd Eggs WUBG Tymna and Kydele, Extended Borrowing WURG Kynaios and Tiro, Landfall Impersonations WBRG Saskia Pet Card EnchantressUBRG Yidris of the Chi-Ting Corporation WUBRG Tazri's Amazing Allies
Aggro/weenie strategies are bad in multiplayer EDH. Everyone has 40 Life and in most cases there are 3 other players out there.
That’s not really true. Krenko is super powerful, Rhys the Redeemed is super powerful, the new Emmara is super strong... token/weenie/aggro decks can be very good when done right. Boris has some very good weenie cards, too, like anointed procession and the new Tajic. It’s all a matter of building the deck right.
Aggro/weenie strategies are bad in multiplayer EDH. Everyone has 40 Life and in most cases there are 3 other players out there.
That’s not really true. Krenko is super powerful, Rhys the Redeemed is super powerful, the new Emmara is super strong... token/weenie/aggro decks can be very good when done right. Boris has some very good weenie cards, too, like anointed procession and the new Tajic. It’s all a matter of building the deck right.
Well the mentioned creatures are more token based. In fact they all produce the tokens. They are the engine. There isn't a single Boros commander which produce tokens. A few that support tokens by increasing the damage like both Aurelia (they are suboptimal in small tokens you want anthem effects), Gisela, Andriana, Argus Kos and Ironas. But still you playing the payoff as commander and you have to find and play the engine from 99 cards. Tokens aren't boros strengths. Aggressiv creatures are but you can't hold the pace with just 1-3 mana creatures (this depends on you group).
In addition at least Krenko and Rhys have explosive effects that can scale stupidly in a game. They are engine and payoff in one card. And they produce the token without paying a ton of mana (excluding Rhys which is in green). Not like Oketra the True or Heliod, God of the Sun.
I don't know what new Tajic is giving you? 4 additional damage for each combat phase? You don't want one +1/+1 counter in a go wide strategy. Speaking of Mentor. Mentor is extremely weak in EDH because it scale so bad. Do you mean the damage protection? Is that so impressive? I don't know he is kind of a soft target. Wrath and -1/-1 effects are still working. He isn't protecting your bord against anything EDH relevant... oh wait maybe some decks with Pyrohemia or Blasphemous Act I guess. He could work in a combo deck with Repercussion but other than that.
Gisela, newvacyn, and oldrelia are pretty good stuff commanders but they suffer from a lack of good stuff to fit in.
Lifegain has no commander and as such no obvious payoff making it hard to decide on this color combo as opposed to others.
Burn had an expensive commander and little strategies besides board wipes and damage multipliers.
Aggro is weak to board wipes and with a lack of good stuff to make it all easier this idea remains very risky. My main criticism here is that all the commanders, excluding oldrelia, are fairly mediocre cards that I probably wouldn't include in my 100 anyways.
2 r/w r/w r/w
Shopon Craftsplicer
Elemental
Haste doublestrike
When this creature deals Combat damage to a player, create a token that is a copy of this card.
2/2
Oh god, why does that come to mind? I don't think I've ever played that card, or seen anyone play it, hell I don't know if any living human has played that card. Yet it came to mind in seconds.
I swear, if I could figure out how wotc made magic cards so easy to remember I'd be able to memorize the library of congress in a week.
I play it in my Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis deck. Wanted a way to break parity (well to a point) and this card fitted the theme of that. Works really well when you have also cast a Realm Razer
Magic has a caste system, and it's Boros job to be at the butt end of the spectrum.
Funny, that's what we used to say about green. In the early days of Magic, before your Stompy decks, green was Channel. Stompy changed that, but you were still playing in a decidedly un-green way, Winter Orb aggro-control. All green brought to Stompy that, say, white couldn't do, was untap lands, bounce lands, and mana dorks. (Okay, blue can do two of those things.) Green got another good option in Mirage block, in the form of a couple gold cards used in ProsBloom. (Cadaverous Bloom and Squandered Resources, for reference) Tempest block gave black mages Verdant Force. Green was subtly getting better in Urza's block, you now had Yavimaya Wurm and Thorn Elemental, but nobody noticed for obvious reasons. More importantly, green card draw was evolving; this was the era of Greater Good and Collective Unconscious. (I still encounter players who complain that green shouldn't get card draw for some reason.) Finally, Nemesis gave us Blastoderm, then Odyssey gave us Wild Mongrel, then the most broken mechanic since storm is exclusive to black and green, and suddenly green isn't looking so bad. It's still no blue, but it's not so bad.
We need the cool kids in the class to be able to bully and jock the color pie, and if you have even one decent Boros commander come onto the scene, then that model goes straight out the window. It won't be Magic as we know it.
Jock, sure. But the nerd and the goth are also bullies? What John Hughes movie did you star in?
Stone-thrower the strong 2RW
legendary creature - Giant R, tap an artifact you control: Stone-trower the strong deals damage equal to the CMC of the tapped artifact to any target. That player or the target's controller gains control of the tapped artifact. W, tap another creature you control: Gain control of target artifact you own and don't control, then flip a coin. If you lose the flip, sacrifice the tapped creature.
4/5
White is off-color, so that's a nonstarter. Unless you want to use Preacher or Seraph or Evangelize as preference, the proper response to which is, old, old, and Time Spiral card referencing Preacher.
Red is bonkers. Compare Bosh, Iron Golem. Bosh costs 8, another 3R for each activation, and sacrifices the artifact for the same effect. That +2/+2 isn't enough to justify the difference.
I don't know what new Tajic is giving you? 4 additional damage for each combat phase? You don't want one +1/+1 counter in a go wide strategy. Speaking of Mentor. Mentor is extremely weak in EDH because it scale so bad. Do you mean the damage protection? Is that so impressive? I don't know he is kind of a soft target. Wrath and -1/-1 effects are still working. He isn't protecting your bord against anything EDH relevant... oh wait maybe some decks with Pyrohemia or Blasphemous Act I guess. He could work in a combo deck with Repercussion but other than that.
True. Mentor is really only acceptable if you're using +1/+1 counters as a sort of currency. Even then, Cathars' Crusade or Curse of Stalked Prey is what you're looking for in +1/+1 counters. Actually, that gives me an idea:
Simon Belmont2RW
Legendary Creature—Human Warrior
When a creature you control deals combat damage to an opponent, put a +1/+1 counter on it.
If Simon Belmont would deal combat damage, it deals double that damage instead. If Simon Belmont would receive combat damage, it receives double that damage instead. 2/3
"What a horrible night to have a curse."
(The second ability, by the way, is Inquisitor's Flail, in case you missed it.)
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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!
We need the cool kids in the class to be able to bully and jock the color pie, and if you have even one decent Boros commander come onto the scene, then that model goes straight out the window. It won't be Magic as we know it.
Jock, sure. But the nerd and the goth are also bullies? What John Hughes movie did you star in?
Oh don't even think that the Emo kids didn't have a little laugh at the person playing Boros at the commander table. Nerds simply did the math on Boros and decided that there were better odds at winning the lottery than a game of Magic. Goth's simply enjoy the fact that it's better to be in black.
I was Kelly LeBrock body double in Weird Science, but I'm not sure how you knew that?
Magic has a caste system, and it's Boros job to be at the butt end of the spectrum.
Funny, that's what we used to say about green. In the early days of Magic, before your Stompy decks, green was Channel. Stompy changed that, but you were still playing in a decidedly un-green way, Winter Orb aggro-control. All green brought to Stompy that, say, white couldn't do, was untap lands, bounce lands, and mana dorks. (Okay, blue can do two of those things.) Green got another good option in Mirage block, in the form of a couple gold cards used in ProsBloom. (Cadaverous Bloom and Squandered Resources, for reference) Tempest block gave black mages Verdant Force. Green was subtly getting better in Urza's block, you now had Yavimaya Wurm and Thorn Elemental, but nobody noticed for obvious reasons. More importantly, green card draw was evolving; this was the era of Greater Good and Collective Unconscious. (I still encounter players who complain that green shouldn't get card draw for some reason.) Finally, Nemesis gave us Blastoderm, then Odyssey gave us Wild Mongrel, then the most broken mechanic since storm is exclusive to black and green, and suddenly green isn't looking so bad. It's still no blue, but it's not so bad.
We need the cool kids in the class to be able to bully and jock the color pie, and if you have even one decent Boros commander come onto the scene, then that model goes straight out the window. It won't be Magic as we know it.
Jock, sure. But the nerd and the goth are also bullies? What John Hughes movie did you star in?
Stone-thrower the strong 2RW
legendary creature - Giant R, tap an artifact you control: Stone-trower the strong deals damage equal to the CMC of the tapped artifact to any target. That player or the target's controller gains control of the tapped artifact. W, tap another creature you control: Gain control of target artifact you own and don't control, then flip a coin. If you lose the flip, sacrifice the tapped creature.
4/5
White is off-color, so that's a nonstarter. Unless you want to use Preacher or Seraph or Evangelize as preference, the proper response to which is, old, old, and Time Spiral card referencing Preacher.
Red is bonkers. Compare Bosh, Iron Golem. Bosh costs 8, another 3R for each activation, and sacrifices the artifact for the same effect. That +2/+2 isn't enough to justify the difference.
I don't know what new Tajic is giving you? 4 additional damage for each combat phase? You don't want one +1/+1 counter in a go wide strategy. Speaking of Mentor. Mentor is extremely weak in EDH because it scale so bad. Do you mean the damage protection? Is that so impressive? I don't know he is kind of a soft target. Wrath and -1/-1 effects are still working. He isn't protecting your bord against anything EDH relevant... oh wait maybe some decks with Pyrohemia or Blasphemous Act I guess. He could work in a combo deck with Repercussion but other than that.
True. Mentor is really only acceptable if you're using +1/+1 counters as a sort of currency. Even then, Cathars' Crusade or Curse of Stalked Prey is what you're looking for in +1/+1 counters. Actually, that gives me an idea:
Simon Belmont2RW
Legendary Creature—Human Warrior
When a creature you control deals combat damage to an opponent, put a +1/+1 counter on it.
If Simon Belmont would deal combat damage, it deals double that damage instead. If Simon Belmont would receive combat damage, it receives double that damage instead. 2/3
"What a horrible night to have a curse."
(The second ability, by the way, is Inquisitor's Flail, in case you missed it.)
Cathars' Crusade is bonkers one of the best things happend to white because it leads to explosive turns, which white lacks. I remember having Crusade and Assemble the Legion on the field.
I prefer the Gleam of Battle version of the +1/+1 counter effect on attack and not damage done.
What Boros needs imo is a powerful tutor effect in the command zone that lets you do cool stuff with more consistency. Even at a cost. Maybe something like:
Zoya, Stoneforge Master - 2RW
Legendary Creature - Kor Monk Warrior
When Zoya enters the battlefield, search your library for an equipment card and put it into your hand, then shuffle your library. 1RW, discard a card: Return target equipment from your graveyard to the battlefield equipped to target creature you control.
2/4
I would argue that this isn't broken, but is still very boros. You get to tutor, use recursion, and utilize the graveyard as a resource with minimal built in card advantage. You still have to play creatures and attack to get the full effectiveness, but at least you don't just lose to a board wipe.
Stone-thrower the strong 2RW
legendary creature - Giant R, tap an artifact you control: Stone-trower the strong deals damage equal to the CMC of the tapped artifact to any target. That player or the target's controller gains control of the tapped artifact. W, tap another creature you control: Gain control of target artifact you own and don't control, then flip a coin. If you lose the flip, sacrifice the tapped creature.
4/5
White is off-color, so that's a nonstarter. Unless you want to use Preacher or Seraph or Evangelize as preference, the proper response to which is, old, old, and Time Spiral card referencing Preacher.
Red is bonkers. Compare Bosh, Iron Golem. Bosh costs 8, another 3R for each activation, and sacrifices the artifact for the same effect. That +2/+2 isn't enough to justify the difference.
It's not THAT overpowered, i think. there are a lot of loops to go through to make it work, and that player gains control of the artifact you chuck (albeit tapped). you might be able to do cute things like howling mine, but you can't do stuff like spine of ish sah. you gotta at least have a guy and tap it with mana to get it back, at the risk of losing it. I figured it's a white bend, under the theme of "balance" (i.e. i gain control of the things i own). Maybe it's too hard a bend, but it was just a nuts idea i had at that time. Maybe each individual activation is undercosted.. maybe 1R and 1W would be better, and give a good symmetry to the guy's casting cost.
I think something that's a highly unused area of interaction in both magic generally and EDH especially is the combat trick. Maybe we could do something like:
Razia, vengeance-seeker 2RW
legendary creature - angel
Flying
During your combat step, you may cast sorcery spells that target creatures whenever you can cast an instant.
Your opponents can't cast spells during your combat step.
3/4
act of treason mid-combat seems fun. And would make a LOT of previously unplayable sorceries playable (or at least a lot better). Still uses the combat step and turning creatures sideways though.
Could we do something like:
Denzel the equaliser RW
Legendary creature - human cleric
Whenever a player taps a nonbasic land, Denzel deals one damage to that player.
Whenever a land would come into play and the player who controls it has 5 or more lands, Denzel deals 2 damage to that player.
2/2
To be honest, i don't actually have a boros deck, though i have a mono-red and a mono-white deck. Both ends up drawing more cards than everyone else, and can kill the table via a lock or massive combat damage, or even mill to death. And if that's possible in mono-colours, then it's surely not THAT bad if you have access to both colours.
For those peeps who don't want to use the combat step and want to play boros, what sort of wincons were you thinking of using? mill/draw? grinding heartless hidetsugu-style? lock/concession? tax/stax?
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Whenever a player taps a land for mana, if it's not that player's turn, destroy that land. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Your opponents can't search their libraries.
If an opponent would begin an extra turn, that player skips that turn instead. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
When ~ enters the battlefield, choose odd or even. (Zero is even.)
Each creature with converted mana cost of the chosen value has haste.
Each creature without converted mana cost of the chosen value enters the battlefield tapped. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Whenever an opponent taps a land for mana, ~ deals 1 damage to them. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
When you cast ~, choose a basic land type.
When ~ enters the battlefield, tap all lands of the chosen type.
Lands of the chosen type don't untap during their controllers' untap steps. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
At the beginning of your end step, target enchantment deals damage equal to its converted mana cost to its controller unless that player sacrifices it. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
When ~ enters the battlefield under your control, flip a coin until you lose a flip. For each flip you won, create a token that's a copy of ~ except its not legendary. Those tokens gain haste. Exile them at the beginning of the next end step. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Whenever a player casts a spell from their hand, that player exiles it, then exiles cards from the top of their library until they exile a card that shares a card type with it. That player may cast that card without paying its mana cost. Then they put all cards exiled with ~ on the bottom of their library in a random order. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
At the beginning of your upkeep, exile the top card of each opponent's library. Until end of turn, you may cast nonland cards from among those exiled cards, and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast those spells. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Whenever a land enters the battlefield, tap all lands its controller controls. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Whenever you cast a spell from your hand, reveal the top X cards of your library, where X is that spell's converted mana cost. You may cast a card revealed this way with converted mana cost X or less without paying its mana cost. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice a land.
Players can't play lands. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Discard a land card: ~ deals 2 damage to any target. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance R: You may put a creature card from your hand onto the battlefield. That creature gains haste. Sacrifice the creature at the beginning of the next end step. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
At the beginning of combat on your turn, separate all creatures defending player controls into two piles. Only creatures in the pile of that player's choice can block this turn. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Players can't untap more than one creature during their untap steps. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
At the beginning of your upkeep, ~ deals X damage to target opponent, where X is the number of cards in your hand minus the number of cards in that player's hand. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Cumulative upkeep—Add R. (At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice it unless you pay its upkeep cost for each age counter on it.) 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
When ~ enters the battlefield, choose a player.
The chosen player can't cast creature spells while ~ is on the battlefield. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Each noncreature, non-Equipment artifact is an Equipment with equip X and "Equipped creature gets +X/+0," where X is that artifact's converted mana cost. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Creatures your opponents control can't block. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
As ~ enters the battlefield, choose a creature type.
Creatures of the chosen type don't untap during their controllers' untap steps. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
You may look at the top card of your library any time.
You may play the top card of your library.
You can't play cards from your hand. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance T: Create X 1/1 red Elemental creature tokens with haste, where X is ~'s power. Exile them at the beginning of the next end step." 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Whenever a player casts a spell with converted mana cost 3 or less, ~ deals 2 damage to that player. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Whenever a creature dies, that creature's controller sacrifices a land. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Whenever you win a coin flip, put a luck counter on ~.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if ~ has ten or more luck counters on it, you win the game. 4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator4WR Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Whenever an artifact, creature, or enchantment enters the battlefield, its controller chooses target permanent another player controls that shares a card type with it that isn't ~. Exchange control of those permanents. 4/4
It would be nice to have a card that disrupts the parity of the game. Destroying lands, increasing mana costs, something which gives you the edge over the enemy.
Whenever a player casts a spell, [cardname] deals 1 damage to that player.
2/3
Enables a defence against combo, okay early combat, lifegain strats like Karlov, effectively slows the game for yourself (gives you more time) and speeds it up for your opponents (they are on a clock).
Lucille McCoy, Tejas SheriffWR Legendary Creature - Human Gunslinger (MR)
Reach, vigilance
When ~ enters the battlefield or attacks, return target noncreature card in your graveyard with a convereted mana of 2 or less to your hand. 1, Discard a card: ~ gains grit until end of turn. 3/1
Grit(The next time this card would be destroyed by lethal damage this turn, prevent it instead.)
Lucille McCoy, Tejas SheriffWR Legendary Creature - Human Gunslinger (MR)
Reach, vigilance
When ~ enters the battlefield or attacks, return target noncreature card in your graveyard with a convereted mana of 2 or less to your hand. 1, Discard a card: ~ gains grit until end of turn. 3/1
Grit(The next time this card would be destroyed by lethal damage this turn, prevent it instead.)
Why has this got red in its cost? Looks like a mono-white card to me.
Similar, forgot he existed. Differences in that it technically deals damage on your spells too(you also gain life) and triggers on all spells. But I cede that apparently black got the effect, and recently too. It does strike me though, if that is WotC's design decision, we are not going to see Lightning Helix the commander then. Red and black both deal damage (effectively) so if drain is considered primarily or exclusively wb (although, hey it happens in mono black too) then lifelink on burn igoing to be edged out.
The card is straight up bad if it is based on other triggers - lands means a total of 10 damage many games, creatures etb is often a subset of spells, card draw isn't nearly good enough, maybe tapping a land a la manabarbs but that might be too good.
What Boros really needs is better ways to ramp mana and draw cards.
Boros Commander1WR
Legendary Creature - Human Soldier
First Strike
Whenever a Mountain enters the battlefield under your control, exile the top card of your library. Until end of turn, you may play that card as if it were in your hand.
Whenever a Plains enters the battlefield under your control, if an opponent has more lands in play than you you may search your library for a Plains and put it into play tapped.
3/3
You can otherwise get really crazy with one or the other
Boros Freewheeler2WR
Legendary Creature - Human Renegade
Haste
When Boros Freewheeler enters the battlefield, each player discards their hand and draws seven cards.
4/3
Boros Freemason1WR
Legendary Creature - Human Shaman
Vigilance
When Boros Freemason enters the battlefield, choose an opponent;
If that opponent has one or more lands in play than you, search your library for a Plains, put it onto the battlefield, and shuffle your library.
If that opponent has three or more lands in play than you, you may search your library for two lands instead.
If that opponent has five or more lands in play than you, you may search your library for three lands instead and destroy target non-basic land that player controls.
2/3
I think that would be the kinds of lengths you would need to go to in order to "solve" R/W's problems in EDH. The issue really isn't that RW hasn't been getting some powerful effects in its Commanders, it is more that the commanders with the powerful effects just cost so much damn mana.
Here’s my take on a unique Boros commander that sures up some of the color combo’s weaknesses, while playing into some of its strengths:
Gofwerd, Stoic Equalizer, 1RW
Legendary Creature - Dwarf Advisor
Haste, Vigilance
R, T, Discard a card: Draw two cards. Use this ability only if an opponent has more cards in hand than you.
W, T: Search your library for a basic Mountain or Plains and put in onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library. Use this ability only if an opponent controls more lands than you.
1(R/W): Another target permanent gains indestructible until end of turn. Use this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
2/2
His first ability helps with CA, but in a very white way.
His second ability helps with ramp, but in a (somewhat) white way. We have seen this ability on a few white cards before.
The last ability help mitigate the damage from things like sweepers and MLD (both of which are in red and white’s slices of the color pie).
A few things I couldn’t fully decide on:
Casting cost - I figured a Boros commander should come down early, but this guy may be a bit strong at only three mana CMC. Maybe up it to four (2RW), but if so...
Power/Toughness - I thought about making him 2/3, 2/4, 3/2 or 3/3. 2/2 seemed the highest I should go without upping the CMC.
Card draw ability - I thought about controlling at least three other creatures as the requirement to activate this ability.
“Another target permanent” - I thought about allowing him to target himself, but consider a CMC bump or some other nerfing to justify it.
What do you all think? Would you play a commander like this? Is it acceptably within the color combo’s territory? Is it balanced well enough?
I think a combination of the Thalia’s would be better:
Angry Thalia
2RW
3/2
Double strike
Creatures, non-basic lands, and artifacts your opponents control enter the battlefield tapped.
Noncreature spells cost 1 more to cast.
JundBGR
RW Blood MoonRW
Pauper
Delver U
Elves G
Control B
Commander
Edgar Markov BRW
Captain Sisay GW
Niv-Mizzet, Parun UR
Tymna and Ravos WB
A legendary Boreas Charger (1WR) would be very strong and yet not overpowering, and present multiple build options.
Other popular effects in those colors
* wheel
* gamble
* weathered wayfarer (RW Lands anyone??)
* mentor of the meek / Bygone bishop effects
* rituals (a commander that paid for its own mana cost on ETB or most of it might be strong)
* equipment tutoring
* cheap creature tutoring/reanimation
Using tax effects is just a good way to make the new commander very hated (see GAAIV).
Other very simple but strong options:
* Legendary RW Reveillark without Evoke that
* Legendary Bygone Bishop
* Legendary veteran motorist with something else instead of the vehicle rider
* Deepala but for humans
* Legendary RW Knollspine dragon but with vigilance or something
Tons of options. Just fix the mana or fix the card draw. Or both.
UW Ephara Hatebears [Primer], GB Gitrog Lands, BRU Inalla Combo-Control, URG Maelstrom Wanderer Landfall
Boros has no commanders close to the power of Muldrotha, Tymna, Azami, Edgar Markov, Derevi, Vannifar and probably dozens more across color combinations.
If Adriana had been a 1/1 for three mana with haste instead, it would have given Boros a commander on par with Edgar Markov for aggro.
A voltron commander with four power, haste and evasion for three mana could make for a viable voltron commander.
Firesong and Sunspeaker could have been 2-3 mana instead with few changes.
Gisela could have also been five mana. Tiana could have been 3.
Overall a lot of the Boros commanders would have been much more suitable for commander if their mana cost had been lower. Boros does suffer in that from standard balancing, as most of these commanders would then be too strong for standard. However this does not apply to commanders printed in supplemental sets/commander, where Boros generals are similarly over costed.
I fully agree that Boros has few interesting options as generals. However, if they print interesting commanders with a 6cmc as with Firesong, this does not actually help at all. EDH scaled power level at low mana cost is the key.
BRWC Mardu Shops - Tymna and Akiri Artifacts BRWC
Club Flamingo Wins: 1!
Would not even necessarily need that much direct mana or card-advantage fixing... IF the commander itself felt like something to build around. They've certainly gotten better at it, at least. My current Boros is Firesong and Sunspeaker, and they have the right direction even if that 6CMC + very desirable removal target kind of shoots me down more often than not.
I feel like they are sort of trying to make more interesting Boros legendaries, but are afraid to create anything actually resource-denying in standard/limited environment. And if you cut down 'stopping others from doing their stuff', you cut down a fair amount of the color combination's strenghts.
(Tangentially related: My current thought process for the Boros slot, if I grow tired of FS&SS, is Basandra, Battle Seraph. Mostly because that gorgeous Terese Nielsen art and an ability you can at least sort of build around a bit.)
That’s not really true. Krenko is super powerful, Rhys the Redeemed is super powerful, the new Emmara is super strong... token/weenie/aggro decks can be very good when done right. Boris has some very good weenie cards, too, like anointed procession and the new Tajic. It’s all a matter of building the deck right.
Well the mentioned creatures are more token based. In fact they all produce the tokens. They are the engine. There isn't a single Boros commander which produce tokens. A few that support tokens by increasing the damage like both Aurelia (they are suboptimal in small tokens you want anthem effects), Gisela, Andriana, Argus Kos and Ironas. But still you playing the payoff as commander and you have to find and play the engine from 99 cards. Tokens aren't boros strengths. Aggressiv creatures are but you can't hold the pace with just 1-3 mana creatures (this depends on you group).
In addition at least Krenko and Rhys have explosive effects that can scale stupidly in a game. They are engine and payoff in one card. And they produce the token without paying a ton of mana (excluding Rhys which is in green). Not like Oketra the True or Heliod, God of the Sun.
I don't know what new Tajic is giving you? 4 additional damage for each combat phase? You don't want one +1/+1 counter in a go wide strategy. Speaking of Mentor. Mentor is extremely weak in EDH because it scale so bad. Do you mean the damage protection? Is that so impressive? I don't know he is kind of a soft target. Wrath and -1/-1 effects are still working. He isn't protecting your bord against anything EDH relevant... oh wait maybe some decks with Pyrohemia or Blasphemous Act I guess. He could work in a combo deck with Repercussion but other than that.
Gisela, newvacyn, and oldrelia are pretty good stuff commanders but they suffer from a lack of good stuff to fit in.
Lifegain has no commander and as such no obvious payoff making it hard to decide on this color combo as opposed to others.
Burn had an expensive commander and little strategies besides board wipes and damage multipliers.
Aggro is weak to board wipes and with a lack of good stuff to make it all easier this idea remains very risky. My main criticism here is that all the commanders, excluding oldrelia, are fairly mediocre cards that I probably wouldn't include in my 100 anyways.
2 r/w r/w r/w
Shopon Craftsplicer
Elemental
Haste doublestrike
When this creature deals Combat damage to a player, create a token that is a copy of this card.
2/2
I play it in my Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis deck. Wanted a way to break parity (well to a point) and this card fitted the theme of that. Works really well when you have also cast a Realm Razer
Funny, that's what we used to say about green. In the early days of Magic, before your Stompy decks, green was Channel. Stompy changed that, but you were still playing in a decidedly un-green way, Winter Orb aggro-control. All green brought to Stompy that, say, white couldn't do, was untap lands, bounce lands, and mana dorks. (Okay, blue can do two of those things.) Green got another good option in Mirage block, in the form of a couple gold cards used in ProsBloom. (Cadaverous Bloom and Squandered Resources, for reference) Tempest block gave black mages Verdant Force. Green was subtly getting better in Urza's block, you now had Yavimaya Wurm and Thorn Elemental, but nobody noticed for obvious reasons. More importantly, green card draw was evolving; this was the era of Greater Good and Collective Unconscious. (I still encounter players who complain that green shouldn't get card draw for some reason.) Finally, Nemesis gave us Blastoderm, then Odyssey gave us Wild Mongrel, then the most broken mechanic since storm is exclusive to black and green, and suddenly green isn't looking so bad. It's still no blue, but it's not so bad.
Jock, sure. But the nerd and the goth are also bullies? What John Hughes movie did you star in?
White is off-color, so that's a nonstarter. Unless you want to use Preacher or Seraph or Evangelize as preference, the proper response to which is, old, old, and Time Spiral card referencing Preacher.
Red is bonkers. Compare Bosh, Iron Golem. Bosh costs 8, another 3R for each activation, and sacrifices the artifact for the same effect. That +2/+2 isn't enough to justify the difference.
Searing Meditation would be somewhere I'd like to experiment with. We saw a bit of that with Firesong and Sunspeaker.
True. Mentor is really only acceptable if you're using +1/+1 counters as a sort of currency. Even then, Cathars' Crusade or Curse of Stalked Prey is what you're looking for in +1/+1 counters. Actually, that gives me an idea:
Simon Belmont 2RW
Legendary Creature—Human Warrior
When a creature you control deals combat damage to an opponent, put a +1/+1 counter on it.
If Simon Belmont would deal combat damage, it deals double that damage instead. If Simon Belmont would receive combat damage, it receives double that damage instead. 2/3
"What a horrible night to have a curse."
(The second ability, by the way, is Inquisitor's Flail, in case you missed it.)
On phasing:
I was Kelly LeBrock body double in Weird Science, but I'm not sure how you knew that?
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
Feather, the Redeemed
Estrid, the Masked
Teshar
Tymna/Ravos
Najeela, Blade-Blossom
Firesong & Sunspeaker
Zur the Enchanter
Lazav, the Multifarious
Ishai+Reyhan
Click images for decks->
-Prime Speaker Vannifar
---------------------Will & Rowan Kenrith
Cathars' Crusade is bonkers one of the best things happend to white because it leads to explosive turns, which white lacks. I remember having Crusade and Assemble the Legion on the field.
I prefer the Gleam of Battle version of the +1/+1 counter effect on attack and not damage done.
Zoya, Stoneforge Master - 2RW
Legendary Creature - Kor Monk Warrior
When Zoya enters the battlefield, search your library for an equipment card and put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
1RW, discard a card: Return target equipment from your graveyard to the battlefield equipped to target creature you control.
2/4
I would argue that this isn't broken, but is still very boros. You get to tutor, use recursion, and utilize the graveyard as a resource with minimal built in card advantage. You still have to play creatures and attack to get the full effectiveness, but at least you don't just lose to a board wipe.
It's not THAT overpowered, i think. there are a lot of loops to go through to make it work, and that player gains control of the artifact you chuck (albeit tapped). you might be able to do cute things like howling mine, but you can't do stuff like spine of ish sah. you gotta at least have a guy and tap it with mana to get it back, at the risk of losing it. I figured it's a white bend, under the theme of "balance" (i.e. i gain control of the things i own). Maybe it's too hard a bend, but it was just a nuts idea i had at that time. Maybe each individual activation is undercosted.. maybe 1R and 1W would be better, and give a good symmetry to the guy's casting cost.
I think something that's a highly unused area of interaction in both magic generally and EDH especially is the combat trick. Maybe we could do something like:
Razia, vengeance-seeker 2RW
legendary creature - angel
Flying
During your combat step, you may cast sorcery spells that target creatures whenever you can cast an instant.
Your opponents can't cast spells during your combat step.
3/4
act of treason mid-combat seems fun. And would make a LOT of previously unplayable sorceries playable (or at least a lot better). Still uses the combat step and turning creatures sideways though.
Could we do something like:
Denzel the equaliser RW
Legendary creature - human cleric
Whenever a player taps a nonbasic land, Denzel deals one damage to that player.
Whenever a land would come into play and the player who controls it has 5 or more lands, Denzel deals 2 damage to that player.
2/2
To be honest, i don't actually have a boros deck, though i have a mono-red and a mono-white deck. Both ends up drawing more cards than everyone else, and can kill the table via a lock or massive combat damage, or even mill to death. And if that's possible in mono-colours, then it's surely not THAT bad if you have access to both colours.
For those peeps who don't want to use the combat step and want to play boros, what sort of wincons were you thinking of using? mill/draw? grinding heartless hidetsugu-style? lock/concession? tax/stax?
Also, for you guys who are complaining that white doesn't have draw, land tax/oath of lieges+scroll rack is amazing.
Legacy - Solidarity - mono U aggro - burn - Imperial Painter - Strawberry Shortcake - Bluuzards - bom
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Whenever a player taps a land for mana, if it's not that player's turn, destroy that land.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Your opponents can't search their libraries.
If an opponent would begin an extra turn, that player skips that turn instead.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
When ~ enters the battlefield, choose odd or even. (Zero is even.)
Each creature with converted mana cost of the chosen value has haste.
Each creature without converted mana cost of the chosen value enters the battlefield tapped.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Whenever an opponent taps a land for mana, ~ deals 1 damage to them.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
When you cast ~, choose a basic land type.
When ~ enters the battlefield, tap all lands of the chosen type.
Lands of the chosen type don't untap during their controllers' untap steps.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
At the beginning of your end step, target enchantment deals damage equal to its converted mana cost to its controller unless that player sacrifices it.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
When ~ enters the battlefield under your control, flip a coin until you lose a flip. For each flip you won, create a token that's a copy of ~ except its not legendary. Those tokens gain haste. Exile them at the beginning of the next end step.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Whenever a player casts a spell from their hand, that player exiles it, then exiles cards from the top of their library until they exile a card that shares a card type with it. That player may cast that card without paying its mana cost. Then they put all cards exiled with ~ on the bottom of their library in a random order.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
At the beginning of your upkeep, exile the top card of each opponent's library. Until end of turn, you may cast nonland cards from among those exiled cards, and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast those spells.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Whenever a land enters the battlefield, tap all lands its controller controls.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Whenever you cast a spell from your hand, reveal the top X cards of your library, where X is that spell's converted mana cost. You may cast a card revealed this way with converted mana cost X or less without paying its mana cost. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice a land.
Players can't play lands.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Discard a land card: ~ deals 2 damage to any target.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
R: You may put a creature card from your hand onto the battlefield. That creature gains haste. Sacrifice the creature at the beginning of the next end step.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
At the beginning of combat on your turn, separate all creatures defending player controls into two piles. Only creatures in the pile of that player's choice can block this turn.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Players can't untap more than one creature during their untap steps.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
At the beginning of your upkeep, ~ deals X damage to target opponent, where X is the number of cards in your hand minus the number of cards in that player's hand.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Cumulative upkeep—Add R. (At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice it unless you pay its upkeep cost for each age counter on it.)
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
When ~ enters the battlefield, choose a player.
The chosen player can't cast creature spells while ~ is on the battlefield.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Each noncreature, non-Equipment artifact is an Equipment with equip X and "Equipped creature gets +X/+0," where X is that artifact's converted mana cost.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Creatures your opponents control can't block.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
As ~ enters the battlefield, choose a creature type.
Creatures of the chosen type don't untap during their controllers' untap steps.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
You may look at the top card of your library any time.
You may play the top card of your library.
You can't play cards from your hand.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
T: Create X 1/1 red Elemental creature tokens with haste, where X is ~'s power. Exile them at the beginning of the next end step."
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Whenever a player casts a spell with converted mana cost 3 or less, ~ deals 2 damage to that player.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Whenever a creature dies, that creature's controller sacrifices a land.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Whenever you win a coin flip, put a luck counter on ~.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if ~ has ten or more luck counters on it, you win the game.
4/4
Grumpy Greg, Grizzled Gladiator 4WR
Legendary Creature - Giant Barbarian (MR)
Undaunted, vigilance
Whenever an artifact, creature, or enchantment enters the battlefield, its controller chooses target permanent another player controls that shares a card type with it that isn't ~. Exchange control of those permanents.
4/4
At least I hope it is not.
Enables a defence against combo, okay early combat, lifegain strats like Karlov, effectively slows the game for yourself (gives you more time) and speeds it up for your opponents (they are on a clock).
Legendary Creature - Human Gunslinger (MR)
Reach, vigilance
When ~ enters the battlefield or attacks, return target noncreature card in your graveyard with a convereted mana of 2 or less to your hand.
1, Discard a card: ~ gains grit until end of turn.
3/1
Why has this got red in its cost? Looks like a mono-white card to me.
Similar, forgot he existed. Differences in that it technically deals damage on your spells too(you also gain life) and triggers on all spells. But I cede that apparently black got the effect, and recently too. It does strike me though, if that is WotC's design decision, we are not going to see Lightning Helix the commander then. Red and black both deal damage (effectively) so if drain is considered primarily or exclusively wb (although, hey it happens in mono black too) then lifelink on burn igoing to be edged out.
The card is straight up bad if it is based on other triggers - lands means a total of 10 damage many games, creatures etb is often a subset of spells, card draw isn't nearly good enough, maybe tapping a land a la manabarbs but that might be too good.
Boros Commander 1WR
Legendary Creature - Human Soldier
First Strike
Whenever a Mountain enters the battlefield under your control, exile the top card of your library. Until end of turn, you may play that card as if it were in your hand.
Whenever a Plains enters the battlefield under your control, if an opponent has more lands in play than you you may search your library for a Plains and put it into play tapped.
3/3
You can otherwise get really crazy with one or the other
Boros Freewheeler 2WR
Legendary Creature - Human Renegade
Haste
When Boros Freewheeler enters the battlefield, each player discards their hand and draws seven cards.
4/3
Boros Freemason 1WR
Legendary Creature - Human Shaman
Vigilance
When Boros Freemason enters the battlefield, choose an opponent;
I think that would be the kinds of lengths you would need to go to in order to "solve" R/W's problems in EDH. The issue really isn't that RW hasn't been getting some powerful effects in its Commanders, it is more that the commanders with the powerful effects just cost so much damn mana.
Jalira, Master Polymorphist | Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder | Bosh, Iron Golem | Ezuri, Renegade Leader
Brago, King Eternal | Oona, Queen of the Fae | Wort, Boggart Auntie | Wort, the Raidmother
Captain Sisay | Rhys, the Redeemed | Trostani, Selesnya's Voice | Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight | Obzedat, Ghost Council | Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind | Vorel of the Hull Clade
Uril, the Miststalker | Prossh, Skyraider of Kher | Nicol Bolas | Progenitus
Ghave, Guru of Spores | Zedruu the Greathearted | Damia, Sage of Stone | Riku of Two Reflections
Gofwerd, Stoic Equalizer, 1RW
Legendary Creature - Dwarf Advisor
Haste, Vigilance
R, T, Discard a card: Draw two cards. Use this ability only if an opponent has more cards in hand than you.
W, T: Search your library for a basic Mountain or Plains and put in onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library. Use this ability only if an opponent controls more lands than you.
1(R/W): Another target permanent gains indestructible until end of turn. Use this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
2/2
His first ability helps with CA, but in a very white way.
His second ability helps with ramp, but in a (somewhat) white way. We have seen this ability on a few white cards before.
The last ability help mitigate the damage from things like sweepers and MLD (both of which are in red and white’s slices of the color pie).
A few things I couldn’t fully decide on:
Casting cost - I figured a Boros commander should come down early, but this guy may be a bit strong at only three mana CMC. Maybe up it to four (2RW), but if so...
Power/Toughness - I thought about making him 2/3, 2/4, 3/2 or 3/3. 2/2 seemed the highest I should go without upping the CMC.
Card draw ability - I thought about controlling at least three other creatures as the requirement to activate this ability.
“Another target permanent” - I thought about allowing him to target himself, but consider a CMC bump or some other nerfing to justify it.
What do you all think? Would you play a commander like this? Is it acceptably within the color combo’s territory? Is it balanced well enough?
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