The more and more I look at it, the more and more I see Akoum Firebird working fairly well in a control deck. So long as you have a way to get it into the graveyard like Jace, you can play a fetchland and leave all your lands untapped to respond to whatever your opponent may play on their turn, then if you have the mana at the end of their turn, you can crack the fetchland and bring the bird back.
Works fairly well with the draw-go strategy.
Did you test it? 6 mana + landfall required to bring it back is way too high a price for what it is.
I normally would agree with you, but there isn't anything I see that quite fills this uncounterable creature with flash role in the new standard format other than Pearl Lake Ancient, which costs 1 mana more. Also, I've seen control sit on several fetchlands until they need the mana before using them. So waiting to draw a fetchland to bring back the firebird doesn't nessisarily have to be an issue. Though I admit that it needs testing.
On a slightly related note, I think the combination of Ojutai's Command and Dragonmaster Outcast could be pretty crazy in standard for control as well.
Sorry guys, but undergrowth champion is definitely not over rated. Who said we have bad red burn removal?? Did you forget about wild slash and exquisite firecraft I think people have been spoiled from convoke burn spells and 3 damage cheap spells that they find good burn cards, not good enough anymore. For craps sake they printed a strictly better shock, yet this is a format with no good red burn?? I think at SCG's price of $19.99 it is correctly valued.
You just made your own point invalid. Wild Slash and Fiery Impulse are both instants. They can kill the Undergrowth Champion for one mana before a land even enters the battlefield (or in response to his ability going off if one does.) If he was a 3/3 or even a 2/3, he'd be worth $20. Right now, he doesn't dodge any black removal, and red has two easy ways to deal with him before he gets a counter as long as they have a Mountain untapped. It's gonna feel pretty bad for green players when they tap out for him on turn 4 expecting to drop a land, only to get blown out by Wild Slash.
I know its' weakness, and I wasn't defending the card from burn, I was more or less admitting its weakness actually. The red burn spell comments should have been a separate paragraph in hindsight. I was simply saying that the comment of there being no good red burn was incorrect in my opinion.
I'm not going to make any predictions on how powerful Gideon actually is until he sees play, but this just seems flat out wrong. As long as you aren't losing spectacularly, Gideon can provide three very different types of value:
He can get the beatdown going as a 5/5 if their board can't handle that
He can start putting out blockers/attackers for free. While they don't have haste like Xenagos's tokens did, they do trigger Rally if that's your thing. Remember that a lot of decks played Xenagos purely for his 0; it was only the Green Devotion decks that every used his + ability at all.
He can pump your whole team permanently, which can be game over in an aggressive shell.
I'm not going to make any predictions on how powerful Gideon actually is until he sees play, but this just seems flat out wrong. As long as you aren't losing spectacularly, Gideon can provide three very different types of value:
He can get the beatdown going as a 5/5 if their board can't handle that
He can start putting out blockers/attackers for free. While they don't have haste like Xenagos's tokens did, they do trigger Rally if that's your thing. Remember that a lot of decks played Xenagos purely for his 0; it was only the Green Devotion decks that every used his + ability at all.
He can pump your whole team permanently, which can be game over in an aggressive shell.
I think the Gideon hate is coming mostly from the U/W/x control crowd who was looking to him a potential replacement for Elspeth. I think he is good. He may even be playable in U/W/x control. Maybe he isn't the Walker we deserve but he's the walker we need...? I think coming down potentially 2 turns earlier than Elsepth (with protection even) does count for quite a bit and his tokens are 2/2s which are at least half as good as what Elspeth could create (2/3s the power but 1/3 the versatility). He's not super easy to burn out either with Stoke rotating out as well. I think he will end up being better in U/W control after testing than most people are assuming. He's not Elspeth who was straight beast but he has some very considerable upsides.
Oh, and if Allies is a thing its all Gideon's fault. The Ally creatures and engines (such as the land) that we have so far are constructed fringe at best and limited playable at worst. Gideon being able to hit the field and trigger Rally that turn and then gain incremental benefits from Rally later on are what its going to take.
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Underrated: Ruinous Path and Transgress the Mind. Being generally but conditionally worse than extremely good cards is not terrible. Hero's Downfall couldn't keep planeswalkers from being activated at instant speed anyway. Even the most aggressive decks have three drops that Transgress can hit and it doesn't try to kill you.
When I checked TCGPlayer prices I was blown away to find Drana and Undergrowth Champion going for so much. I'd say those are on my over rated list.
For under rated cards I'd say Planar Outburst, Scatter to the Winds, and Horribly Awry. Scatter is Cancel, which is acceptable. Think about it this way: How many threats/creatures does control typically run? Like 6? How many versions of Cancel might it run? Like 3-4? Now control is running like 9 creatures and didn't cut any counter spells? Come on now. Couple that up with Planar Outburst and now those 2-3 sweepers are creatures too? So now control is packing 12 creatures and hasn't diluted their control options at all. That's powerful. Control thrives on options and they've just gained 6 new ones.
Horribly Awry is my honorable mention here because I'm not sure how good its going to be in standard but I definitely see it having a place in Modern. There are only two or three competitive decks that run cards that Awry can't hit. Heck, it hits the entirety of Infect, Burn, and Affinity. It hits everything in Grixis except Tasigur and Gurmag. The exile clause slows down Delve and Snapcaster. Against most modern decks it hits every card in your opponent's deck except maybe 3-4 cards with Tron being the notable exception. IMO, pick up your copies now because this is the Counterspell replacement Modern has been waiting for because we all know we aren't going to get the actual Counterspell. If blue based control decks exist they will be running Horribly Awry. It just does too much work against too much of modern to not see play.
Essence Scatter is in the format and sees 0 play in modern, and hits any creature. Not sure how a 2 mana Dissipate some creatures would see play when this does not.
the amount of people that haven't realised yet that awry hits only creatures is pretty big...
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Huey, Dewey and Louie are always dressed in RUG. it is CLEARLY going to be the wedges block Pioneer: WURFaerie fires BRGDragons ModernBGElves WRBurn UR Fires Turns URGift Storm UG Twiddle Storm
Overrated- I actually feel like Ugin's Insight is being overhyped right now. Sorcery speed makes it painfully unflexible and the scry tacked on seems pretty 'win more' to me because if you've got a card with a 5 or 6 cmc on the board, and you're playing control, how are you not already in a good place?
Underrated-Exert Influence. Simple as that. Even just cast for 3 colors it can steal a host of creatures. 4 or more colors makes it absurd. Add to that the fact that its a sorcery and goes right along with what you want to be doing with Jace, Vryn's Prodigy and I think its going to be a significant player in the format. Zulaport Cutthroat is also flying beneath the radar right now. He may not be blood artist, but he still provides incremental advantage and possibly a straight up win-con outside of combat.
Converge - After building mana bases this last week, I can tell you 4/5 color is very very easy. All converge spells are much much better than they look at first blush: except Prism Array, use that as a coaster.
Smothering Abomination
Greenwarden
Note on Drana - This card slots into several archetypes both existing and emerging. (Abz Aggro, Mardu Mid, tokens, counters, Allies)
I'm not saying it's underrated, but I do expect it to go over 20 bucks and stay there while in standard. 12 bucks is a bargain.
I'm not going to make any predictions on how powerful Gideon actually is until he sees play, but this just seems flat out wrong. As long as you aren't losing spectacularly, Gideon can provide three very different types of value:
He can get the beatdown going as a 5/5 if their board can't handle that
He can start putting out blockers/attackers for free. While they don't have haste like Xenagos's tokens did, they do trigger Rally if that's your thing. Remember that a lot of decks played Xenagos purely for his 0; it was only the Green Devotion decks that every used his + ability at all.
He can pump your whole team permanently, which can be game over in an aggressive shell.
I think the Gideon hate is coming mostly from the U/W/x control crowd who was looking to him a potential replacement for Elspeth. I think he is good. He may even be playable in U/W/x control. Maybe he isn't the Walker we deserve but he's the walker we need...? I think coming down potentially 2 turns earlier than Elsepth (with protection even) does count for quite a bit and his tokens are 2/2s which are at least half as good as what Elspeth could create (2/3s the power but 1/3 the versatility). He's not super easy to burn out either with Stoke rotating out as well. I think he will end up being better in U/W control after testing than most people are assuming. He's not Elspeth who was straight beast but he has some very considerable upsides.
Oh, and if Allies is a thing its all Gideon's fault. The Ally creatures and engines (such as the land) that we have so far are constructed fringe at best and limited playable at worst. Gideon being able to hit the field and trigger Rally that turn and then gain incremental benefits from Rally later on are what its going to take.
I'm just generally not impressed with a Planeswalker that simply adds creatures one at a time to the table. Sorin, Solemn Visitor is somewhat similar, but he at least could threaten a gamebreaking Emblem, granting Lifelink swung matches drastically, and his tokens were evasive, if less-efficiently generated.
All three of Gideon's abilities are chump-blockable at best and able to be ignored at worst. He's literally shut down on all fronts by a From Beyond, at least for several turns of churning out 2/2s. The comparison to Elspeth isn't entirely fair, and I didn't mean to bring her into it, because she's entirely different. She could actually go wide efficiently, she could kill creatures, and her emblem was a straight up win most of the time.
Gideon isn't really a Planeswalker. He's a big, dumb creature that's difficult to remove. He's strong on the offensive, but defensively the most he can offer is a chump blocker each turn. I honestly think Abzan is fine on 4-drops, control will prefer Nixilis or Ojutai for their big permanents, and aggro strategies might very well just stick to the flipwalker version.
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Using TCGPlayer's prices as my guide to what is getting rated where:
Overrated - Undergrowth Champion by a mile. Currently sitting at just under $20, I honestly don't see where it is going to see play. For straight beaters to see play, they have to be mana efficient. The spot it would occupy in Hardened Scales decks is already occupied by the easier to grow and trampling Managorger Hydra. Its biggest selling point has been its resistance to burn spells, which is hardly well earned. The Phantom Effect worked well because every phantom came preloaded with counters. This dies to Wild Slash or Fiery Impulse unless you play it on turn 4 followed by a Fetchland. If there is a deck that wants to be doing that. that's fine, but I don't think it will be top tier.
Honorable Mention - Sire of Stagnation. Hovering around $10, there is a chance that this becomes the stifling top-end in U/B/X control, but I have serious doubts. Unless you are running land control, this card seems relatively easy to play around and it doesn't actively protect itself. I have seen some fun-looking, but not competitive looking, Grixis shells that might want this, but not at $10 apiece.
Underrated - Planar Outburst. Currently sitting a hair over $1, the set's premiere board wipe will fight for space with End Hostilities while they share standard. I believe it is better than End Hostilities because of its additional utility, and if Halimar Tidecaller does make an Awaken control deck a thing, this will likely be a big reason why.
Honorable Mention - Exert Influence. At $0.50 each, this would be my penny stock bet of the set. Those that bought Hardened Scales when they were around this price are looking pretty smart right now (I predicted it, but didn't buy, making it bittersweet for me) and I think this has the same kind of potential. Stealing for more than a turn has been broken in the past, and if 5-Color decks turn out as easy and powerful as predicted, this card could do serious damage.
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar feels overrated. He was strong in my testing but not game breaking like Elspeth and generally wasn't enough to pull ahead if you were too far behind.
Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper is going to do something in standard. Every time he came down the game ended in a turn or two and I feel like the shell I was playing him in was total garbage. I may be totally over-hyping him but he was insane for me and at a little over a dollar a copy it was totally worth pre-ordering a few.
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Using TCGPlayer's prices as my guide to what is getting rated where:
Overrated - Undergrowth Champion by a mile. Currently sitting at just under $20, I honestly don't see where it is going to see play. For straight beaters to see play, they have to be mana efficient. The spot it would occupy in Hardened Scales decks is already occupied by the easier to grow and trampling Managorger Hydra. Its biggest selling point has been its resistance to burn spells, which is hardly well earned. The Phantom Effect worked well because every phantom came preloaded with counters. This dies to Wild Slash or Fiery Impulse unless you play it on turn 4 followed by a Fetchland. If there is a deck that wants to be doing that. that's fine, but I don't think it will be top tier.
Honorable Mention - Sire of Stagnation. Hovering around $10, there is a chance that this becomes the stifling top-end in U/B/X control, but I have serious doubts. Unless you are running land control, this card seems relatively easy to play around and it doesn't actively protect itself. I have seen some fun-looking, but not competitive looking, Grixis shells that might want this, but not at $10 apiece.
Underrated - Planar Outburst. Currently sitting a hair over $1, the set's premiere board wipe will fight for space with End Hostilities while they share standard. I believe it is better than End Hostilities because of its additional utility, and if Halimar Tidecaller does make an Awaken control deck a thing, this will likely be a big reason why.
Honorable Mention - Exert Influence. At $0.50 each, this would be my penny stock bet of the set. Those that bought Hardened Scales when they were around this price are looking pretty smart right now (I predicted it, but didn't buy, making it bittersweet for me) and I think this has the same kind of potential. Stealing for more than a turn has been broken in the past, and if 5-Color decks turn out as easy and powerful as predicted, this card could do serious damage.
Yeah I agree completely on both Undergrowth Champion and Sire of Stagnation. I personally am running Grixis Dragons in testing and Undergrowth pretty much comes down turn 3 and dies to my Fiery Impulse or gets exiled via Horribly Awry. I also would not want Sire even sideboard.
Planar Outburst and Exert Influence really just depend on if decks for them appear. If awaken becomes big in Wx shells then I agree Planar Outburst is good, and Exert Influence is only good in a 4-5c deck that wants to do something big with their opponents creatures.
Underrated: Radiant Flames. It is one of major mass removals in standard. Each time you build an agro deck, you have to ask yourself "Can it beat through t3 Radiant Flames"? Transgress the Mind. Compare it with Castigate, not Thoughtseize. Still good enough to apply pressure to control decks. Retreat to Valakut. Monored stops drawing blanks. Just combine it with haste creatures. And you know with which haste creature it plays really well? Flamewake Phoenix! Now almost any creature in your deck can return phoenix with landdrop.
Guys, why will Exert Influence see play? It's basically bad Mind Control that only fits into a single specific deck, and that deck may or may not exist and/or want its effect. Mind Control has been out of standard for a while, but I don't recall it seeing much play. And Bring to Light is probably the most explosive Converge spell, and it doesn't work with Exert.
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the amount of people that haven't realised yet that awry hits only creatures is pretty big...
This. I read that card a kajillion times assuming I had to be missing something and it wasn't until now that I saw it only hits creatures. That's freaking terrible. It could hit everything under 4cmc and not be broken, powerful yes but totally acceptable. I'm actually really disappointed in wizards now.
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the amount of people that haven't realised yet that awry hits only creatures is pretty big...
This. I read that card a kajillion times assuming I had to be missing something and it wasn't until now that I saw it only hits creatures. That's freaking terrible. It could hit everything under 4cmc and not be broken, powerful yes but totally acceptable. I'm actually really disappointed in wizards now.
Actually, a 1U counter for any spell CMC 4 or less, while not necessarily broken, would be the best counter we've seen in a long time. It would certainly hit Modern hard. And that's not even considering the Exile effect.
Anyway, I've tested it, and it's a solid sideboard card in the few games I've used it in. It's a good answer to any creature threat up to and including Siege Rhino and Thunderbreak Regent in Standard, and it shuts down recursion strategies.
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I really like New Drana but I think people are overestimating her. People are saying she is the black equivalent to Goblin Rabblemaster...her ability is only good IF she isn' t blocked and IF there is at least 1 other creature attacking otherwise there are probably better 3 drops. Rabblemasters abilities are a lot easier to trigger and he makes an impact the turn he enters play. Its a big difference in power.
Horribly away is gutter trash
Gideon is TITS(This Is The Sh!t)
Radiant Flames really really makes me want to play red. Format warping potential. You play around me aggro son!
Undergrowth Champion you have PRETENDERS and you have CONTENDERS and against my deck it is a PRETENDER!
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Horribly away is gutter trash
Gideon is TITS(This Is The Sh!t)
Radiant Flames really really makes me want to play red. Format warping potential. You play around me aggro son!
Undergrowth Champion you have PRETENDERS and you have CONTENDERS and against my deck it is a PRETENDER!
We're having a pretty productive thread of analysis and critiquing. You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but perhaps you'd like to back up some of these assertions with some more in-depth evaluations?
I wasn't happy that we got Horribly Awry over the broader Essence Scatter, either, but it does seem to have a solid spot in this metagame. Evaluating it in a vacuum rather than in the context of the current Standard environment is a mistake.
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Horribly away is gutter trash
Gideon is TITS(This Is The Sh!t)
Radiant Flames really really makes me want to play red. Format warping potential. You play around me aggro son!
Undergrowth Champion you have PRETENDERS and you have CONTENDERS and against my deck it is a PRETENDER!
We're having a pretty productive thread of analysis and critiquing. You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but perhaps you'd like to back up some of these assertions with some more in-depth evaluations?
I wasn't happy that we got Horribly Awry over the broader Essence Scatter, either, but it does seem to have a solid spot in this metagame. Evaluating it in a vacuum rather than in the context of the current Standard environment is a mistake.
Yo, marsupial, I'm really happy for you, I'ma let you finish, but Silumgar's Scorn and Clash of Wills are two of the best counters of all time! (standard) Two of the best counters of all time! (standard)
Horrible goaway! is as situational as they come. When I finish my deckbuilding,I look at situational cards that are 1-2 ofs that can give my deck a boost. Being on the draw kills this card early game. 2 mana removal is so much better and more consistent. I'm likely playing some sort of blue control which features Scorn or Clash which do the same thing early game when they tap out but also deal with all other cards. Sure I'd love to stay ahead on tempo just countering everything until I get to 4+ mana, but it just doesn't work with the dice roll and everything. 2 cmc removal or even situational removal is miles better. Only deck I can see this doing work in is mono blue control which sadly is gutter trash just like this card
True, true. Then again, Scorn doesn't function in non-dragon decks, and Clash is dead if the game drags out, which ideally it will if we're Control and winning. If my Abzan Midrange opponent is trying to get back into the game with a morph Raptor/Den Protector on turn 8, would I rather have Clash or Awry in hand? Clash might work. Awry will work, and will exile the offending card to boot, further reducing the potential of their next raptor/protector to save them.
Plus, RG Landfall looks like it'll be a thing, and it runs more than your average land count for an aggro deck. It would be pretty embarassing for your aggro opponent to play around your Clash.
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Marsupial it's quite simple really, it's simply just a cross coagulation of the acten tanjo.
I'm not playing dragons I'm playing Clash for EARLY game and Scatter for late game
I am playing dragons I'm playing Scorn for EARLY and LATE game.
We're looking at the words EARLY here.
When I look at Horrible Goaway! Turn 8 Raptor doesn't quite come to mind... If I'm alive by turn 8 and they're dropping velosals, I think I'm doin ok. It's not like I don't run other cards like sweepers and Clash will counter that play every time for the record.
Rg landfall will not even come close to threatening my deck. I'd be embarrassed if it thought itself a chance.
Marsupial it's quite simple really, it's simply just a cross coagulation of the acten tanjo.
What?
velosals
Huh?
I'm not playing dragons I'm playing Clash for EARLY game and Scatter for late game
I am playing dragons I'm playing Scorn for EARLY and LATE game.
We're looking at the words EARLY here.
When I look at Horrible Goaway! Turn 8 Raptor doesn't quite come to mind... If I'm alive by turn 8 and they're dropping velosals, I think I'm doin ok. It's not like I don't run other cards like sweepers and Clash will counter that play every time for the record.
Rg landfall will not even come close to threatening my deck. I'd be embarrassed if it thought itself a chance.
I don't think Awry is a maindeck choice, but it's a solid sideboard option. Much stronger than Scorn against an aggro matchup, for example.
Discounting RG Landfall this early strikes me as fairly foolish.
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I normally would agree with you, but there isn't anything I see that quite fills this uncounterable creature with flash role in the new standard format other than Pearl Lake Ancient, which costs 1 mana more. Also, I've seen control sit on several fetchlands until they need the mana before using them. So waiting to draw a fetchland to bring back the firebird doesn't nessisarily have to be an issue. Though I admit that it needs testing.
On a slightly related note, I think the combination of Ojutai's Command and Dragonmaster Outcast could be pretty crazy in standard for control as well.
I know its' weakness, and I wasn't defending the card from burn, I was more or less admitting its weakness actually. The red burn spell comments should have been a separate paragraph in hindsight. I was simply saying that the comment of there being no good red burn was incorrect in my opinion.
I'm not going to make any predictions on how powerful Gideon actually is until he sees play, but this just seems flat out wrong. As long as you aren't losing spectacularly, Gideon can provide three very different types of value:
URW Control
WBG Abzan
GRW Burn
EDH
GR Rosheen Meanderer
I think the Gideon hate is coming mostly from the U/W/x control crowd who was looking to him a potential replacement for Elspeth. I think he is good. He may even be playable in U/W/x control. Maybe he isn't the Walker we deserve but he's the walker we need...? I think coming down potentially 2 turns earlier than Elsepth (with protection even) does count for quite a bit and his tokens are 2/2s which are at least half as good as what Elspeth could create (2/3s the power but 1/3 the versatility). He's not super easy to burn out either with Stoke rotating out as well. I think he will end up being better in U/W control after testing than most people are assuming. He's not Elspeth who was straight beast but he has some very considerable upsides.
Oh, and if Allies is a thing its all Gideon's fault. The Ally creatures and engines (such as the land) that we have so far are constructed fringe at best and limited playable at worst. Gideon being able to hit the field and trigger Rally that turn and then gain incremental benefits from Rally later on are what its going to take.
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RNA Standard: Grixis Midrange, Jund Deathwhirler, Sultai Vannifar
GRN Standard: Red Midrange, Mono-Blue Tempo, Wr Aggro, Gruul Experimental Dinosaurs, Sultai Midrange, Jeskai Midrange
Modern: Bant Spirits
Forcing a single archetype in all formats: too many colors, bad mana.
Essence Scatter is in the format and sees 0 play in modern, and hits any creature. Not sure how a 2 mana Dissipate some creatures would see play when this does not.
Pioneer: WURFaerie fires BRGDragons
ModernBGElves WRBurn UR Fires Turns URGift Storm UG Twiddle Storm
Underrated-Exert Influence. Simple as that. Even just cast for 3 colors it can steal a host of creatures. 4 or more colors makes it absurd. Add to that the fact that its a sorcery and goes right along with what you want to be doing with Jace, Vryn's Prodigy and I think its going to be a significant player in the format. Zulaport Cutthroat is also flying beneath the radar right now. He may not be blood artist, but he still provides incremental advantage and possibly a straight up win-con outside of combat.
Gideon & the walkers in general.
Underrated
(Lots of cards, but here are a few.)
Converge - After building mana bases this last week, I can tell you 4/5 color is very very easy. All converge spells are much much better than they look at first blush: except Prism Array, use that as a coaster.
Smothering Abomination
Greenwarden
Note on Drana - This card slots into several archetypes both existing and emerging. (Abz Aggro, Mardu Mid, tokens, counters, Allies)
I'm not saying it's underrated, but I do expect it to go over 20 bucks and stay there while in standard. 12 bucks is a bargain.
I'm just generally not impressed with a Planeswalker that simply adds creatures one at a time to the table. Sorin, Solemn Visitor is somewhat similar, but he at least could threaten a gamebreaking Emblem, granting Lifelink swung matches drastically, and his tokens were evasive, if less-efficiently generated.
All three of Gideon's abilities are chump-blockable at best and able to be ignored at worst. He's literally shut down on all fronts by a From Beyond, at least for several turns of churning out 2/2s. The comparison to Elspeth isn't entirely fair, and I didn't mean to bring her into it, because she's entirely different. She could actually go wide efficiently, she could kill creatures, and her emblem was a straight up win most of the time.
Gideon isn't really a Planeswalker. He's a big, dumb creature that's difficult to remove. He's strong on the offensive, but defensively the most he can offer is a chump blocker each turn. I honestly think Abzan is fine on 4-drops, control will prefer Nixilis or Ojutai for their big permanents, and aggro strategies might very well just stick to the flipwalker version.
Overrated - Undergrowth Champion by a mile. Currently sitting at just under $20, I honestly don't see where it is going to see play. For straight beaters to see play, they have to be mana efficient. The spot it would occupy in Hardened Scales decks is already occupied by the easier to grow and trampling Managorger Hydra. Its biggest selling point has been its resistance to burn spells, which is hardly well earned. The Phantom Effect worked well because every phantom came preloaded with counters. This dies to Wild Slash or Fiery Impulse unless you play it on turn 4 followed by a Fetchland. If there is a deck that wants to be doing that. that's fine, but I don't think it will be top tier.
Honorable Mention - Sire of Stagnation. Hovering around $10, there is a chance that this becomes the stifling top-end in U/B/X control, but I have serious doubts. Unless you are running land control, this card seems relatively easy to play around and it doesn't actively protect itself. I have seen some fun-looking, but not competitive looking, Grixis shells that might want this, but not at $10 apiece.
Underrated - Planar Outburst. Currently sitting a hair over $1, the set's premiere board wipe will fight for space with End Hostilities while they share standard. I believe it is better than End Hostilities because of its additional utility, and if Halimar Tidecaller does make an Awaken control deck a thing, this will likely be a big reason why.
Honorable Mention - Exert Influence. At $0.50 each, this would be my penny stock bet of the set. Those that bought Hardened Scales when they were around this price are looking pretty smart right now (I predicted it, but didn't buy, making it bittersweet for me) and I think this has the same kind of potential. Stealing for more than a turn has been broken in the past, and if 5-Color decks turn out as easy and powerful as predicted, this card could do serious damage.
Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper is going to do something in standard. Every time he came down the game ended in a turn or two and I feel like the shell I was playing him in was total garbage. I may be totally over-hyping him but he was insane for me and at a little over a dollar a copy it was totally worth pre-ordering a few.
Yeah I agree completely on both Undergrowth Champion and Sire of Stagnation. I personally am running Grixis Dragons in testing and Undergrowth pretty much comes down turn 3 and dies to my Fiery Impulse or gets exiled via Horribly Awry. I also would not want Sire even sideboard.
Planar Outburst and Exert Influence really just depend on if decks for them appear. If awaken becomes big in Wx shells then I agree Planar Outburst is good, and Exert Influence is only good in a 4-5c deck that wants to do something big with their opponents creatures.
Radiant Flames. It is one of major mass removals in standard. Each time you build an agro deck, you have to ask yourself "Can it beat through t3 Radiant Flames"?
Transgress the Mind. Compare it with Castigate, not Thoughtseize. Still good enough to apply pressure to control decks.
Retreat to Valakut. Monored stops drawing blanks. Just combine it with haste creatures. And you know with which haste creature it plays really well? Flamewake Phoenix! Now almost any creature in your deck can return phoenix with landdrop.
This. I read that card a kajillion times assuming I had to be missing something and it wasn't until now that I saw it only hits creatures. That's freaking terrible. It could hit everything under 4cmc and not be broken, powerful yes but totally acceptable. I'm actually really disappointed in wizards now.
https://pucatrade.com/invite/gift/86097
Actually, a 1U counter for any spell CMC 4 or less, while not necessarily broken, would be the best counter we've seen in a long time. It would certainly hit Modern hard. And that's not even considering the Exile effect.
Anyway, I've tested it, and it's a solid sideboard card in the few games I've used it in. It's a good answer to any creature threat up to and including Siege Rhino and Thunderbreak Regent in Standard, and it shuts down recursion strategies.
I really like New Drana but I think people are overestimating her. People are saying she is the black equivalent to Goblin Rabblemaster...her ability is only good IF she isn' t blocked and IF there is at least 1 other creature attacking otherwise there are probably better 3 drops. Rabblemasters abilities are a lot easier to trigger and he makes an impact the turn he enters play. Its a big difference in power.
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
Gideon is TITS(This Is The Sh!t)
Radiant Flames really really makes me want to play red. Format warping potential. You play around me aggro son!
Undergrowth Champion you have PRETENDERS and you have CONTENDERS and against my deck it is a PRETENDER!
We're having a pretty productive thread of analysis and critiquing. You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but perhaps you'd like to back up some of these assertions with some more in-depth evaluations?
I wasn't happy that we got Horribly Awry over the broader Essence Scatter, either, but it does seem to have a solid spot in this metagame. Evaluating it in a vacuum rather than in the context of the current Standard environment is a mistake.
Yo, marsupial, I'm really happy for you, I'ma let you finish, but Silumgar's Scorn and Clash of Wills are two of the best counters of all time! (standard) Two of the best counters of all time! (standard)
Horrible goaway! is as situational as they come. When I finish my deckbuilding,I look at situational cards that are 1-2 ofs that can give my deck a boost. Being on the draw kills this card early game. 2 mana removal is so much better and more consistent. I'm likely playing some sort of blue control which features Scorn or Clash which do the same thing early game when they tap out but also deal with all other cards. Sure I'd love to stay ahead on tempo just countering everything until I get to 4+ mana, but it just doesn't work with the dice roll and everything. 2 cmc removal or even situational removal is miles better. Only deck I can see this doing work in is mono blue control which sadly is gutter trash just like this card
Plus, RG Landfall looks like it'll be a thing, and it runs more than your average land count for an aggro deck. It would be pretty embarassing for your aggro opponent to play around your Clash.
I'm not playing dragons I'm playing Clash for EARLY game and Scatter for late game
I am playing dragons I'm playing Scorn for EARLY and LATE game.
We're looking at the words EARLY here.
When I look at Horrible Goaway! Turn 8 Raptor doesn't quite come to mind... If I'm alive by turn 8 and they're dropping velosals, I think I'm doin ok. It's not like I don't run other cards like sweepers and Clash will counter that play every time for the record.
Rg landfall will not even come close to threatening my deck. I'd be embarrassed if it thought itself a chance.
What?
Huh?
I don't think Awry is a maindeck choice, but it's a solid sideboard option. Much stronger than Scorn against an aggro matchup, for example.
Discounting RG Landfall this early strikes me as fairly foolish.