This card reminds me of nimble mongoose. I don't know if it's playable but it's easier to get to a 3/3 so there is that. (although everything under the sun kills it)
For me this is the most interesting card. Everything does kill it but at 1 mana that doesn't really matter. It buys you time vs aggro decks and becomes a decent beater itself pretty fast in the right deck. And it's almost guaranteed to trade up or even (unless it trades with a memnite ).
Well this is a thing. Not playable in this format but it's cute.
Bruna is playable in reanimator sets. You reanimate her, bring back a different angel like Iona, and effectively won the game, it might be win more, but I'm sure there's some other angel or human that can lock things out. Probably better in Legacy, but who knows. someone might make an Unburial Rites and Goryo's Vengence deck
Bruna won't work with either, she's got a cast trigger.
Well this is a thing. Not playable in this format but it's cute.
Mmm. Some W/x Tron deck might want it. There's a chance it'll see some play - the meld is practically a hard lock against modern decks that aren't Tron, Jeskai Control, or Scapeshift. Can't cast Path, Decay, Terminate, Maelstrom Pulse, Lili, Geth's Verdict, etc. so it's hard to remove.
Maybe Jeskai Nahiri will play some number of Gisela with a Brunela in the board for the mirror.
Actually, Gisela is a pretty decent creature alone but cheating out Brunela will be the only way to make it playable. Reanimator might play it... Might be decent in Dredge with Rites too. Cast Rites for Brunela with Gisela in GY. Get both cards on T4, if your opponent can't answer them before your end step that's pretty much game.
Blessed Alliance - 1W
Uncommon
Instant
Escalate (2)
Choose one or more
- Target Player gains 4 life
- Untap up to two target creatures
- Target opponent sacrifices an attacking creature
This card reminds me of nimble mongoose. I don't know if it's playable but it's easier to get to a 3/3 so there is that. (although everything under the sun kills it)
I think having deathtouch and being a 1/1 for g beforehand really helps. Plus, in a delierium deck you may actually want it to suicidally charge in (hopefully taking out something else thanks to deathtouch in the process) in order to add 'creature' to the types in the graveyard for your other cards.
lol, we have LEGEND cards in Magic now. Chittering Host isn't too strong, but what can you expect from a common?
Hanweir Garrison is like a red Hero of Bladehold for one less mana, but ever-so-annoyingly dies to Bolt. Hanweir Battlements is one of the few ways of giving haste to a creature via a land, but with Bloom banned there isn't much use for it that I can see. Now that we know how Hanweir, the Writhing Township is made, it seems pretty lackluster. You need to spend a total of 8 mana (in addition to tapping Hanweir Garrison) and two cards to get a bigger Grave Titan.
Emerge seems like a breakable mechanic. Affinity creatures (as in, literal Affinity, like Frogmite) and delve creatures can be hardcasted for less than their CMCs with some setup. Though if you just dropped a 4/4 Myr Enforcer or 4/5 Tasigur, there isn't much point in saccing it to get a 3/4 Wretched Gryff with flying, even if it draws a card on cast. There could be better emerge creatures, we'll have to wait for more of the set to be spoiled.
5 seems like a nice emerge cost. That way you can lead T2 2-drop into T3 emerge guy, without requiring affinity or delve shenanigans. Nest Invader also plays pretty nicely with emerge, letting you cast a 6-emerge guy on turn 3.
I'll point out that the old offering and champion mechanic didn't go anywhere, but they required a specific creature type. Champion also didn't reward you for getting some huge CMC dude into play.
Gnarlwood Dryad is the token 1/1 that turns into a 3/3 based on a set mechanic (see: Ardent Recruit, Boros Elite), except in green instead of white. I thought it could be useful in Suicide Zoo, since they play a ton of fetches to shock themselves down for Death's Shadow, and Gitaxian Probe + Mishra's Bauble gets two other card types into the graveyard, but losing your graveyard to Become Immense shrinks Dryad. On the other hand, the Temur prowess deck by Chapin uses Probe + Bauble but not Become Immense. Maybe it could be used there instead.
Cryptolith Fragment reminds me of Zhur-Taa Druid. It's a card that feels very conflicted; it's a ramp spell, but it wants both players to be at 10 or less life. If you're playing ramp, you probably don't want to be hanging out at such a dangerous life total. On top of that, you can't get your opponent below 11 life until you cast your bomby ramp targets, at which point Aurora of Emrakul is just win-more. If you're playing aggro instead of ramp, a 3-mana pinger is a terrible rate.
Bruna costs too much (and has a cast trigger), and Gisela dies to Bolt. Both are unplayable.
Blessed Alliance's first mode is crap unless tacked on as an escalate bonus, second mode has combo potential but is worse than To Arms!, last mode is half of Celestial Flare. None of the modes break even on card advantage except the last. Overall it feels like a sideboard card at best, unplayable at worst. I seem to recall some deck, I think it was Ad Nauseam, playing Dispense Justice as anti-Infect tech, so there's that.
Bruna and Gisela might make a decent Gifts package with Rites + Goryo's Vengeance but I think it's still too expensive. Worst cases are they give you both angels, you cast Gisela then she eats removal and you cast Brunela to get her back, or they give you Gisela + Rites and you pay 9 to get both.
At a quick glance, the Meld cards revealed actually challenge the assertion that they're jank thanks to putting synergistic text on one card that supports the other.
That said the Hanweir pair seem the best so far in that by themselves they do a thing (Garrison does a Hero of Bladehold impression, Battlements is a third of a Slayers' Stronghold, and so you can pursue generic strategies with either one without being required to build Writhing Township out of them). Otherwise the cards so far seem to favor one of the pair by giving them the synergy text that enables Meld but is not obligated to combo into Meld, while the other is shackled with the Meld trigger proper.
It's a bit more thought out than it first looks.
Though, I feel like if there's a Meld pair to try and work in Modern, it's the (COULDN'T THEY COME UP WITH A LESS GROANWORTHY NAME) Brisela pair, since the payoff might as well be a quick "whoops, no Magic for you!" All it takes is living the dream and hardcasting Bruna to reanimate Gisela... for 7 mana. Wx-Tron, anyone?
Blessed Alliance - 1W
Uncommon
Instant
Escalate (2)
Choose one or more
- Target Player gains 4 life
- Untap up to two target creatures
- Target opponent sacrifices an attacking creature
How about this card?
\
Celestial Flare is already the best edict in the format, this is easier to cast, nearly as versatile, and has some other modes. I would be shocked if it doesn't see play.
If Gisela wasn't 3 toughness, she'd be Modern playable. She's basically just a cheaper Baneslayer Angel, but all the matchups you'd want to play Gisela in already run Lightning Bolt, which makes things really awkward. As it stands I know I'll be trying out some really jank UW Angel list that has 2 Gisela, 1 Bruna, and 2 Baneslayer backed by card draw and counters for the sheer hilarity of it.
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EDH GWSelvala and the Return to HumanityGW UWDragonlord Ojutai, Control's Elder DragonUW UBGTasigur, the God-Pharaoh's Gift to EDHUBG UBRNicol Bolas and his SuperfriendsPawnsUBR
Modern UWUW Control/Midrange/Bad JundUW WUBRGHumansWUBRG BGMidrangeBG
I am super nervous about emerge. Gryff isn't busted, but others could be really scary with Temple and the Eldrazi who make Spawns or Scions.
Matter Reshaper makes Emerge pretty damn good, even that Gryff looks pretty good at 3 mana on turn 3; getting you a card off of the Reshaper trigger then another off of its own cast trigger.
If the Meld trigger were an activated ability for the angels Id be brave enough to try them in something, but at present I think they are 11 mana and 2 cards that just have nice art lol.
Excited for Hanweir Garrison and Gnarlwood Dryad though. might be a good beatstick for Temur Prowess like izzetmage had said before...but is a 2/2 Split of Tarfire/Seal of Fire good enough
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Decks I have in my bag of tricks- Needless to say, someone who wants to play will probably have a deck UB/x Faeries UR Storm XURWB Affinity G Elves UW control
Hanweir Garrison is a pretty close approximation to Goblin Rabblemaster. They're preordering on SCG for $3 right now, but if right after set release they're around $1 or $2 each I'm going to buy MANY of them.
Hanweir Garrison is a pretty close approximation to Goblin Rabblemaster. They're preordering on SCG for $3 right now, but if right after set release they're around $1 or $2 each I'm going to buy MANY of them.
They are similar but hanweir does not kill as quickly on an empty board. Hanweir goes 0 damage, 4 damage, 6 damage, 8 damage, etc... by itself. Rabblemaster goes 1 damage, 6 damage, 8 damage, 10 damage. It may end up being decent but I hardly expect it to be the second coming of rabblemaster.
Rabblemaster was good in Standard but not Modern. I expect Garrison to have a similar fate.
In Standard Bant Humans is a proven deck. The main question Garrison would pose is if you'd rather splash blue for Reflector Mage or red for Garrison (it has synergy with Thalia's Lieutenant). In Modern there have been human decks, but they're not as successful as Standard's. Besides, if you need more triggers for Champion of the Parish or Thalia's Lieutenant, there's Thatcher Revolt.
I'm liking escalate and emerge as mechanics that could push a couple cards into modern, we'll see if any of them are solid enough though
I'm worried about emerge because a) Wizards just screwed up with Eldrazi less than six months ago, and b) as pizzap pointed out on the last page, cost reduction mechanics have a troubled Modern history.
That said, I'm optimistic we'll get at least one playable escalate card. I think of them like mini Commands and am hopeful we get one decent option.
Rabblemaster was good in Standard but not Modern. I expect Garrison to have a similar fate.
Oh for sure. I don't expect it to see any reasonably competitive Modern play. My post was more one of price speculation, so probably not for this thread.
Anyone else think Cryptolith Fragment has some play with Burn? It helps ping the enemy to death 1 (I typically see burn players knocking the enemy down to 4-6 life then they're around 15) or even create essentially a 4/4 creature that has some defensive capabilities.
Hey, I was toying around with some of the new cards in my UW giftstron. Coax from the Blind Eternities seems so good. It gives you a good midgame card fixing that lets you grab from a toolbox of at least Newlamog, TKS, and All is dust for midrange, control, and aggo matchups. Then the feldon's cane effect of old emrakul in the maindeck lets you shuffle that card back in for further gifts packages along with being able to continue your coax from the blind eternities. It is nice in long games to be able to increase the amount of gas/game winning draws in the deck. In addition, it helps you get your emrakul back into your hand if they exile it in response to the shuffle. Also lowkey testing new emrakul in the toolbox cause its nifty.
Unrelated to that, new thalia looks fun in my kikichord. Its pretty good in some matchups and t2 it off bird on the play seems brutal.
Anyone else think Cryptolith Fragment has some play with Burn? It helps ping the enemy to death 1 (I typically see burn players knocking the enemy down to 4-6 life then they're around 15) or even create essentially a 4/4 creature that has some defensive capabilities.
Not really since it comes into play tapped and takes 3 turns to deal at least 3 damage. I think it'd have to have a better flip threshold to be played, like just the opponent at less than 10.
For me this is the most interesting card. Everything does kill it but at 1 mana that doesn't really matter. It buys you time vs aggro decks and becomes a decent beater itself pretty fast in the right deck. And it's almost guaranteed to trade up or even (unless it trades with a memnite ).
Well then. Now she's useless.
Maybe Jeskai Nahiri will play some number of Gisela with a Brunela in the board for the mirror.
Could you use escalate if you stick this on a isochron scepter?
Also I'm hoping for a new madness payoff card - please!
Hanweir Garrison is like a red Hero of Bladehold for one less mana, but ever-so-annoyingly dies to Bolt. Hanweir Battlements is one of the few ways of giving haste to a creature via a land, but with Bloom banned there isn't much use for it that I can see. Now that we know how Hanweir, the Writhing Township is made, it seems pretty lackluster. You need to spend a total of 8 mana (in addition to tapping Hanweir Garrison) and two cards to get a bigger Grave Titan.
Emerge seems like a breakable mechanic. Affinity creatures (as in, literal Affinity, like Frogmite) and delve creatures can be hardcasted for less than their CMCs with some setup. Though if you just dropped a 4/4 Myr Enforcer or 4/5 Tasigur, there isn't much point in saccing it to get a 3/4 Wretched Gryff with flying, even if it draws a card on cast. There could be better emerge creatures, we'll have to wait for more of the set to be spoiled.
5 seems like a nice emerge cost. That way you can lead T2 2-drop into T3 emerge guy, without requiring affinity or delve shenanigans. Nest Invader also plays pretty nicely with emerge, letting you cast a 6-emerge guy on turn 3.
I'll point out that the old offering and champion mechanic didn't go anywhere, but they required a specific creature type. Champion also didn't reward you for getting some huge CMC dude into play.
Gnarlwood Dryad is the token 1/1 that turns into a 3/3 based on a set mechanic (see: Ardent Recruit, Boros Elite), except in green instead of white. I thought it could be useful in Suicide Zoo, since they play a ton of fetches to shock themselves down for Death's Shadow, and Gitaxian Probe + Mishra's Bauble gets two other card types into the graveyard, but losing your graveyard to Become Immense shrinks Dryad. On the other hand, the Temur prowess deck by Chapin uses Probe + Bauble but not Become Immense. Maybe it could be used there instead.
Cryptolith Fragment reminds me of Zhur-Taa Druid. It's a card that feels very conflicted; it's a ramp spell, but it wants both players to be at 10 or less life. If you're playing ramp, you probably don't want to be hanging out at such a dangerous life total. On top of that, you can't get your opponent below 11 life until you cast your bomby ramp targets, at which point Aurora of Emrakul is just win-more. If you're playing aggro instead of ramp, a 3-mana pinger is a terrible rate.
Bruna costs too much (and has a cast trigger), and Gisela dies to Bolt. Both are unplayable.
Blessed Alliance's first mode is crap unless tacked on as an escalate bonus, second mode has combo potential but is worse than To Arms!, last mode is half of Celestial Flare. None of the modes break even on card advantage except the last. Overall it feels like a sideboard card at best, unplayable at worst. I seem to recall some deck, I think it was Ad Nauseam, playing Dispense Justice as anti-Infect tech, so there's that.
| Ad Nauseam
| Infect
Big Johnny.
That said the Hanweir pair seem the best so far in that by themselves they do a thing (Garrison does a Hero of Bladehold impression, Battlements is a third of a Slayers' Stronghold, and so you can pursue generic strategies with either one without being required to build Writhing Township out of them). Otherwise the cards so far seem to favor one of the pair by giving them the synergy text that enables Meld but is not obligated to combo into Meld, while the other is shackled with the Meld trigger proper.
It's a bit more thought out than it first looks.
Though, I feel like if there's a Meld pair to try and work in Modern, it's the (COULDN'T THEY COME UP WITH A LESS GROANWORTHY NAME) Brisela pair, since the payoff might as well be a quick "whoops, no Magic for you!" All it takes is living the dream and hardcasting Bruna to reanimate Gisela... for 7 mana. Wx-Tron, anyone?
Celestial Flare is already the best edict in the format, this is easier to cast, nearly as versatile, and has some other modes. I would be shocked if it doesn't see play.
GWSelvala and the Return to HumanityGW
UWDragonlord Ojutai, Control's Elder DragonUW
UBGTasigur, the God-Pharaoh's Gift to EDHUBG
UBRNicol Bolas and his Super
friendsPawnsUBRModern
UWUW Control/Midrange/Bad JundUW
WUBRGHumansWUBRG
BGMidrangeBG
Matter Reshaper makes Emerge pretty damn good, even that Gryff looks pretty good at 3 mana on turn 3; getting you a card off of the Reshaper trigger then another off of its own cast trigger.
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Standard Deck:
BUPirates
Modern Deck:
B8-Rack
Excited for Hanweir Garrison and Gnarlwood Dryad though. might be a good beatstick for Temur Prowess like izzetmage had said before...but is a 2/2 Split of Tarfire/Seal of Fire good enough
UB/x Faeries
UR Storm
XURWB Affinity
G Elves
UW control
Standard: lol no
Modern: BG/x, UR/x, Burn, Merfolk, Zoo, Storm
Legacy: Shardless BUG, Delver (BUG, RUG, Grixis), Landstill, Depths Combo, Merfolk
Vintage: Dark Times, BUG Fish, Merfolk
EDH: Teysa, Orzhov Scion / Krenko, Mob Boss / Stonebrow, Krosan Hero
They are similar but hanweir does not kill as quickly on an empty board. Hanweir goes 0 damage, 4 damage, 6 damage, 8 damage, etc... by itself. Rabblemaster goes 1 damage, 6 damage, 8 damage, 10 damage. It may end up being decent but I hardly expect it to be the second coming of rabblemaster.
In Standard Bant Humans is a proven deck. The main question Garrison would pose is if you'd rather splash blue for Reflector Mage or red for Garrison (it has synergy with Thalia's Lieutenant). In Modern there have been human decks, but they're not as successful as Standard's. Besides, if you need more triggers for Champion of the Parish or Thalia's Lieutenant, there's Thatcher Revolt.
| Ad Nauseam
| Infect
Big Johnny.
RG 8-Whack
BWG Abzan midrange
GRB Living End
UWB Spirit Control
GU Kruphix's "Hug Assassin"
RW Kalemne's "Play Fatties and Hope for the Best!"
BUGW Atraxa's "All counters, all the time"
I'm worried about emerge because a) Wizards just screwed up with Eldrazi less than six months ago, and b) as pizzap pointed out on the last page, cost reduction mechanics have a troubled Modern history.
That said, I'm optimistic we'll get at least one playable escalate card. I think of them like mini Commands and am hopeful we get one decent option.
Standard: lol no
Modern: BG/x, UR/x, Burn, Merfolk, Zoo, Storm
Legacy: Shardless BUG, Delver (BUG, RUG, Grixis), Landstill, Depths Combo, Merfolk
Vintage: Dark Times, BUG Fish, Merfolk
EDH: Teysa, Orzhov Scion / Krenko, Mob Boss / Stonebrow, Krosan Hero
Unrelated to that, new thalia looks fun in my kikichord. Its pretty good in some matchups and t2 it off bird on the play seems brutal.
MTGO/MTGA: Tyclone
My Primers ~ GWx Vizier Company ~ Knightfall ~ RG Eldrazi ~ Green's Sun's Zenith
More Brews ~ Modern Four Horsemen ~ Gitrog Dredge
Decks I'm playing in Modern right now:
URB Grixis Reveler (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-grixis-reveler/)
UB Faeries (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/ub-fae-2/)
UW Azorious Control (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-ojutai-control-2/)