Correction: Two Whips. That weird combo deck was so fun... I miss it.
Another argument in favor of the Whip: Keepsake Gorgon, while very, very good, is replaceable. Baleful Eidolon and Sip of Hemlock are both cards you will likely get for your deck that have similar effects (albeit spread across two cards.)
As far as what else I'd pick over Keepsake (in black,) the list is short. Agent of Fates. Hero's Downfall, maybe, if it's still worth tix. That's about it. Really, though, my choice might be more about seeing what sort of deck I can draft. I'm not sure; Whip is too fun to think clearly.
That deck was such a beating.
My deck was good in my opinion... but I don't think I stood a chance.
Clearly the Gorgon provides an instant board presence against virtually anything other than flying.dec. The Whip, however, provides late-game reach while also allowing you to out-race an opponent in a race-centric format. It's the type of card that demands an answer unless the opponent is far enough ahead that he's going to win anyway.
So p1p1, and assuming nothing else noteworthy in the pack, I want the Whip. There's still a possibility that I'll get passed a Gary out of a strong pack, and the two combined makes for really stupid games. In addition, I can try to craft my picks to the point where Whip is bonkers and, as others have mentioned, we should still be able to pick up a Baleful Eidolon later in the draft. It may not be as good as Gorgon, but can still deal with two opposing creatures when bestowed.
Gorgon, and I really don't think it's that close. I mean, it's close enough that you could justify taking Whip if you really liked the card and wanted to play with it, but it's distant enough that I yelled at the screen when TomM screwed it up. Granted, the Whip was worse than average in his deck at that point, but "worse than average" meant that it didn't even make his main deck.
Does it really make sense to first-pick a card that, even if you can cast it, might not end up in your main deck?
Yeah, of course it is theoretically possible that you should first-pick a card over something as solid as Keepsake Gorgon despite it being correct to cut it from 25-30% of the decks that can cast it, but I don't think I've ever seen that actually happen outside of Cube.
Let's see which is more likely: Ben Stark, LSV and Tom Martell (belatedly) all being mistaken about Gorgon being the pick, or little old me thinking the pick is the rare I haven't played with enough?
It doesn't have to be one or the other. One key difference between (say) me and Ben Stark, LSV, and Tom Martell is that I don't draft with players like Ben Stark, LSV, and Tom Martell. I draft with the people who show up to play limited at FNM.
I don't have evidence to argue that this is necessarily true, but I do think it is possible that different spreads and compositions of experience and skill level in different drafts may have an effect on this sort of thing. Newbie drafters, players unfamiliar with the set, rare-drafting -- there are plenty of things that impact the average draft that professional players don't encounter in the same way.
Again, I'm not saying this must be the case, but it's certainly possible that pro players could be correct that they should have taken Gorgon first-pick without having to conclude that this is always the stronger pick every single time.
If I'm behind, the Gorgon will give me a single blocker right away, and possibly a single kill effect later, while the Whip will give me a source of life gain to help me claw my way back, if I can get a creature into combat. It'll also give me creatures back from my graveyard, but it's best when I already have something on the board. I'd call it a wash between them-- Gorgon is more reliable but Whip can generate more advanatage.
If the board is fairly even, the Whip will tilt the balance heavily in my favor, as I can attack with near-impunity and not care about his attackers getting through. The Gorgon is one more creature for me, and later one less creature for them, but it's not a very offensive creature and it'll take time to make a big impact. Effectively, the Gorgon favors a "stall" kind of balance while the Whip encourages its controller to race. Point goes to Whip.
If I'm ahead on the board, I'd rather see the Whip since I'm attacking and the lifelink will give me a better advantage immediately, whereas the Gorgon is basically just a piece of insurance in case my opponent produces a creature that can stabilize.
I think if it was a late pick, I might agree with the gorgon argument. But p1p1, that's when I can go into the draft knowing to look for the stuff that will make a sick reanimation or "bounce the gary" deck.
Id bet money that before GP Sacramento, the Poll would be reversed.
FWIW, Tom Martell said that in retrospect, taking Whip over Keepsake Gorgon was "really bad."
I think lim's point is that it's hard to separate your own experiences with the cards from what several talented pros, including the eventual winner, said about this pick after the fact. You don't lose much by agreeing with the "pro" pick, even if beforehand you would have made the opposite pick and believe it to be correct. (Of course, it doesn't help this particular discussion that Martell's pick came P3P3.)
Now, while I think that Martell's pick was demonstrably wrong, my instinct in general would be to take the Whip P1P1. While the power level varies more than it does with Keepsake Gorgon, it's going to be harder to deal with in general and has the potential to provide much longer-term card advantage. Way less seriously, Gorgon is also markedly worse in the U/B mirror you'll likely be facing in the finals.
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Goes to show how close of a pick this is.
That deck was such a beating.
My deck was good in my opinion... but I don't think I stood a chance.
So p1p1, and assuming nothing else noteworthy in the pack, I want the Whip. There's still a possibility that I'll get passed a Gary out of a strong pack, and the two combined makes for really stupid games. In addition, I can try to craft my picks to the point where Whip is bonkers and, as others have mentioned, we should still be able to pick up a Baleful Eidolon later in the draft. It may not be as good as Gorgon, but can still deal with two opposing creatures when bestowed.
Does it really make sense to first-pick a card that, even if you can cast it, might not end up in your main deck?
Absolutely.
It's your job win every game of Magic where you're not.
It doesn't have to be one or the other. One key difference between (say) me and Ben Stark, LSV, and Tom Martell is that I don't draft with players like Ben Stark, LSV, and Tom Martell. I draft with the people who show up to play limited at FNM.
I don't have evidence to argue that this is necessarily true, but I do think it is possible that different spreads and compositions of experience and skill level in different drafts may have an effect on this sort of thing. Newbie drafters, players unfamiliar with the set, rare-drafting -- there are plenty of things that impact the average draft that professional players don't encounter in the same way.
Again, I'm not saying this must be the case, but it's certainly possible that pro players could be correct that they should have taken Gorgon first-pick without having to conclude that this is always the stronger pick every single time.
If the board is fairly even, the Whip will tilt the balance heavily in my favor, as I can attack with near-impunity and not care about his attackers getting through. The Gorgon is one more creature for me, and later one less creature for them, but it's not a very offensive creature and it'll take time to make a big impact. Effectively, the Gorgon favors a "stall" kind of balance while the Whip encourages its controller to race. Point goes to Whip.
If I'm ahead on the board, I'd rather see the Whip since I'm attacking and the lifelink will give me a better advantage immediately, whereas the Gorgon is basically just a piece of insurance in case my opponent produces a creature that can stabilize.
Roon of the Pod People (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
Sydri, Super Genius (Sydri, Galvanic Genius)
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Retired:
Grimgrin's Corpse-Beats (Grimgrin, Corpse-Born) | Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge | Varolz, the Scar-Striped (1v1) | Glissa, the Traitor
I think lim's point is that it's hard to separate your own experiences with the cards from what several talented pros, including the eventual winner, said about this pick after the fact. You don't lose much by agreeing with the "pro" pick, even if beforehand you would have made the opposite pick and believe it to be correct. (Of course, it doesn't help this particular discussion that Martell's pick came P3P3.)
Now, while I think that Martell's pick was demonstrably wrong, my instinct in general would be to take the Whip P1P1. While the power level varies more than it does with Keepsake Gorgon, it's going to be harder to deal with in general and has the potential to provide much longer-term card advantage. Way less seriously, Gorgon is also markedly worse in the U/B mirror you'll likely be facing in the finals.