You're trading off a lot with Beast Within just to avoid the 3/3 beast: Instant speed, giving your opponent the ability to answer it, the ability to mana screw your opponent, and a reason to use it on your own permanents. This is much more Oblivion Ring than Vindicate.
That said, Green totally wants Oblivion Ring, even with a drawback. I'll play this at 540 for sure.
I like this card more than Beast Within (which I don't run). A forest is a lot less scary than a 3/3 beast. The success of O-ring effects in cube also proves that enchantment removal works just fine. I'm going to happily cut Deglamer for this card, assuming it isn't priced through the roof. I'm guessing it will be an expen$ive card though, due the price history of Chaos Warp...
Cuttups, remember the custom cube contest many years ago on the Wizards forums? It was later talked about here: http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/190223-the-custom-cube. The card Woodform from that cube, which is essentially this card (with poorer phrasing) was my design, though I apparently wasn't aggressive enough with the costing (I had it at 3G, thinking that in green it had to cost more that O-ring, even if it gave you a forest). I've always liked that design and I'm glad they finally got around to printing it
Interesting card. When compared to Oblivion Ring, it has disadvantages (ramps the opponent), but also avantages (doesn't trigger etb and ltb effects). As for Beast Within, giving the opponent a forest is a lot less threatening than giving him a 3/3, even though the loss of instant speed and the ability to reverse the effect sucks.
I don't think giving an opponent a land is less threatening than giving them a beast. In fact, a lot of times, I think it might be worse. It depends on the timing for sure, but basically anything before turn 4ish better be a hell of a threat if you're thinking of donating a colorless mana to your opponent. That's my take on it. However, this IS a strong effect in a color with very few removal options, so at the very least this is testable across the board.
On a side note, I made a fantasy green card a while ago that turned a creature into a Forest.
This is pretty cool. I wish it was a sorcery instead of an aura (so it would basically work like a Vindicate with a Path drawback) because now it basically has two drawbacks. However, it's still flexible removal, and it's green creature removal, so I may very well test it in my cube.
Beast Within was not great, so I am cautious about this card too. I like that it won't retrigger ETB effects in the event it's removed, though, and it's not a bad Ring impression even if it does ramp the opponent.
This is the best Utopia Vow ever, which itself is a ridiculous statement but really this card seems great. Giving my opponent a forest will be bad at times, but I am so much happier facing a forest than just about everything that this card could hit. While it is fragile, one of the main enchantment-destroying colors is green, so it is more likely in drafts that you'll face less of those effects. I like this a lot better than Beast Within too because giving them a forest forces them to have a follow up, whereas often the 3/3 beast acts as a free follow up to whatever you destroyed and can sometimes win the game or do serious work.
On a side note, I can't afford each of these decks, so I hope all these awesome cards won't break the bank.
I'm preordered all the singles I want (barring Song of the Dryads), which were Ob Nixilis, Feldon, Flesh Carver and Malicious Affliction. Came out to less than a Commander deck, shipping included.
EDIT: Just preordered a Song of the Dryads; total still came under $35.
Hmmm... Guess I am less enthusastic about this card.
Ramping your opponent is not a negligible draw back at all.
O-ring is a great card, but this is o-ring with a significant draw back (the drawback is much worse than the advantage over o-ring). O-ring is not busted either.
Path to exile has an absurd rate and effect for it's draw back.. This doesn't.
Think it's totally fine, but I am skeptical it's good enough for medium or small cubes.
This card is worse than Oblivion Ring, but Oblivion Ring is a 360 staple. If this is a 360 borderline card, it'll still make every cube that isn't 360. It's also in a color that (somewhat arguably) needs the effect much more.
The disadvantages are offset by the color Song of the Dryad is in; Green desperately wants more removal. The card also gets better the longer a game goes on, provided your opponent isn't looking for his 7th or 8th land.
What I don't get is why people think this is better than Beast within.
If you are super heavy green, dealing with a 3/3 doesn't seem extremely difficult. Beast within is awful against agressive decks, but this card also seems weak against agressive decks (a lot better tho). Instant speed is so much better than sorcery, and you can use it on your own lands for blow outs.
If you aren't super heavy green, removal is not that hard to come by and you don't really want to play either of these cards over another colors quality removal (imo).
Fairly cool idea we haven't really seen before and basically the green vindicate. Worth playing?
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That said, Green totally wants Oblivion Ring, even with a drawback. I'll play this at 540 for sure.
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This is testable at 360.
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Slam dunk auto-include.
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On a side note, I made a fantasy green card a while ago that turned a creature into a Forest.
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Against some decks it's straight up removal, like against black.
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
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Ramping your opponent is not a negligible draw back at all.
O-ring is a great card, but this is o-ring with a significant draw back (the drawback is much worse than the advantage over o-ring). O-ring is not busted either.
Path to exile has an absurd rate and effect for it's draw back.. This doesn't.
Think it's totally fine, but I am skeptical it's good enough for medium or small cubes.
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If you are super heavy green, dealing with a 3/3 doesn't seem extremely difficult. Beast within is awful against agressive decks, but this card also seems weak against agressive decks (a lot better tho). Instant speed is so much better than sorcery, and you can use it on your own lands for blow outs.
If you aren't super heavy green, removal is not that hard to come by and you don't really want to play either of these cards over another colors quality removal (imo).
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