Well, another great green aggro drop I've been waiting for. It's a bit color restrictive for my taste, but I don't think it's going to be a huge problem. It go well with 2 other aggro color, just not red. I'll need to test it.
Pretty phenomenal and loses the colour requirements of Figure of Destiny a little bit. Will regularly be a 3/3 on turn 2 and the level up is much easier to obtain. Both abilities are great. I'm sure to find room for it, it's also decent in midrange so isn't too narrow for a green aggro card.
It has a few advantages over Figure, having a much more splashable mana cost and a bigger first transformation, and the ability to use its last transformation multiple times. Lifelink is also great. I'm not super fond of the fact that the second transformation doesn't buff his P/T though. This may lead to situations where it can get blocked and trade early to mid game, where Figure would be able to become a 4/4 and survive.
This card is definitely strong. Anyone who likes Basking Rootwalla types should definitely love this, as its first ability is basically a Rootwalla activation you only ever have to pay once.
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I can see this being ideally played on turn three and threatening to get bigger later. The mana requirements are serious though, but despite this, I'll happily test this guy out.
You guys remember when we were all like "until green gets more good one and two drops..." ?
Well, this guy helps a lot.
I know, I love it. Green Aggro is always borderline draftable in smaller cube, but this will make it really awesome.
Experiment One, Wild Nacalt, and Warden of the First Tree are all stellar one drop that can serve as 3/3 creature with no drawback. Of course, there is that werewolf as well, but that's a 2/2. Those power are definitely making up for lack of removal that green have, and with creature removal like Song of the Dryads it's ramping green up as a good aggro color that can be run in more cube.
Total side note but I like how people are discussing running this over itself.
Well, it has to be said that Kolaghan is clearly better than Kolaghan. Considering what BR decks usually want and how stiff the competition in this guild is, there is no way that I would run Kolaghan over Kolaghan! Kolaghan might make it in as the sixth guild card or so. Kolaghan on the other hand ranks several places below that.
It was so funny to me when they described this as a downgrade to the original Zurgo during the Pax East panel. I was thinking if this is a downgrade, they should really "downgrade" all legendary creatures. Haha.
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2. Realize this idea is somehow fundamentally similar to another deck I have or that is commonly played in my group
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4. Give up and do nothing
I don't see the point of this new shroud mechanic. It's strictly worse than Hexproof. Threshold is pretty bad too, Delirium is a much better mechanic and probably easier to activate.
Otherwise this card is a pretty neat guy. Dodges removal and grows into a Primal Huntbeast. 3/5
How cute would this be running this with Figure of Destiny and Mirror Entity.
Unlike FoD, though, this requires at least 2 colors of mana.
(At least for FoD you can settle for a 2/2 aggro, or maybe even reach 4/4 if you play Wx or Rx)
Not convinced yet, as this should be the gold section. I think I like what is in my Orzhov and Golgatin sections better. It may replace Lothleth Troll, but the troll enables reanimator.
The current dollar value in these cards is over $150. For a small set this seems pretty nutty. Don't get me wrong, I'll take this any day over another BNG. I just think it's strange that there are so many good mythics in this set. Keep the spoilers coming!
Being a 3/3 in its first form is a huge boost. And the ultimate is really strong (and repeatable). And there's far less color demand in the activated abilities for 3-color aggro decks and/or decks with multiple colorless-producing lands. And it's available to two separate aggro/midrange colors (on top of being a better midrange creature). I agree that Figure's middle form is important and better, and Figure is available to mono-colored decks (big upside) but I think those boosts are mitigated by all the other upsides here. Both cards are insanely good, but I may have to give the nod to this guy (in the cube anyways).
Better first ability, way, way worse second ability, better (because repeatable) 3rd ability. Easier on the color requirements in a 2+ color deck, but obviously unplayable in mono colors, unlike figure. And in a color, unlike RW, that really needs better one-drops. I think this guy is better than figure, but only slightly. But hell, probably slightly better than figure means a shoe-in for testing and probably an auto-include, as I think he would probably make it in either GW or GB sections.
This is definitely an auto-include for me. I've been wanting to up aggro in all non-blue colors, and this helps with green (with support from white or black).
This is definitely an auto-include for me. I've been wanting to up aggro in all non-blue colors, and this helps with green (with support from white or black).
That's clearly the Wedge mythic cycle within this set, but it looks additionally like a clear horizontal cycle with Figure of Destiny as well. I'm thinking it could be a long-term cycle like the 'Lings and Volrath's Stronghold and its ilk.
I'm less optimistic than the thread consensus on this guy.
As an aggro card, not (easily) being usable in an Rx deck is a big strike against it. Another thing that's not been mentioned yet is that it's quite a lot worse than FoD against removal. If you drop this T1 and activate it T2, and he eats a removal spell, your control/midrange opponent has stabilized right there, while Figure's cheaper cost would at least allow you to play another one drop. It also stays in Bolt range until "level 4".
I don't think it's on the level of Wild Nacatl or Experiment One. It is better than the other Green aggro one-drops, so there may be a place for him in lists supporting that archetype. I don't think he'll singlehandedly make that deck viable, however.
As Luffy said, this is much like Wild Nacatl in its requirements, it's like the bastard love child of Nacatl and Figure (they're probably scratching their heads over those black mana symbols).
I'm perfectly happy with the "bastard child" of two of the best aggressive 1-drops ever printed. Plus, this guy is arguably better in midrange decks than any other "aggro" 1-drop out there, no? I mean, all the modes/abilities are relevant for that decktype...
Well, another great green aggro drop I've been waiting for. It's a bit color restrictive for my taste, but I don't think it's going to be a huge problem. It go well with 2 other aggro color, just not red. I'll need to test it.
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This card is definitely strong. Anyone who likes Basking Rootwalla types should definitely love this, as its first ability is basically a Rootwalla activation you only ever have to pay once.
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Well, this guy helps a lot.
What's up with this guy's shoulderpads? Like, why have these ridiculously oversized things that are just gonna get in the way of everything?
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I know, I love it. Green Aggro is always borderline draftable in smaller cube, but this will make it really awesome.
Experiment One, Wild Nacalt, and Warden of the First Tree are all stellar one drop that can serve as 3/3 creature with no drawback.
Of course, there is that werewolf as well, but that's a 2/2.Those power are definitely making up for lack of removal that green have, and with creature removal like Song of the Dryads it's ramping green up as a good aggro color that can be run in more cube.My cube
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Unlike FoD, though, this requires at least 2 colors of mana.
(At least for FoD you can settle for a 2/2 aggro, or maybe even reach 4/4 if you play Wx or Rx)
Not convinced yet, as this should be the gold section. I think I like what is in my Orzhov and Golgatin sections better. It may replace Lothleth Troll, but the troll enables reanimator.
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The current dollar value in these cards is over $150. For a small set this seems pretty nutty. Don't get me wrong, I'll take this any day over another BNG. I just think it's strange that there are so many good mythics in this set. Keep the spoilers coming!
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He can shrug dramatically to entirely enclose his head for protection. Obviously.
Oh, and this card is fantastic--I just hope it doesn't fit into any standard or modern deck, and it's not prohibitively expensive.
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I'm pretty sure the cycle is complete:
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That's clearly the Wedge mythic cycle within this set, but it looks additionally like a clear horizontal cycle with Figure of Destiny as well. I'm thinking it could be a long-term cycle like the 'Lings and Volrath's Stronghold and its ilk.
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
As an aggro card, not (easily) being usable in an Rx deck is a big strike against it. Another thing that's not been mentioned yet is that it's quite a lot worse than FoD against removal. If you drop this T1 and activate it T2, and he eats a removal spell, your control/midrange opponent has stabilized right there, while Figure's cheaper cost would at least allow you to play another one drop. It also stays in Bolt range until "level 4".
I don't think it's on the level of Wild Nacatl or Experiment One. It is better than the other Green aggro one-drops, so there may be a place for him in lists supporting that archetype. I don't think he'll singlehandedly make that deck viable, however.
I think the idea is he'll "grow into" his armor as he becomes bigger, which is neat.
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A rock solid card for green aggro.
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I didn't see them until I read your post... I thought they were mountains in the background.
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