MTG Salvation

For anyone still running stomphowler, we just got a strictly better version that's a may.

Conclave Naturalists 4G
Creature - Dryad (U)
When ~ enters the battlefield, you may destroy target artifact or enchantment.
Your swords and wards have no power here
4/4

Edit - Source - http://magic.wizards.com/articles/archive/arcana/magic-origins-sample-decks-2015-06-08

I noticed the same, I like it, it's better than Stomphowler. It's to Stomphowler what Reclamation Sage was to Uktabi Orangutan.

Same. I cut Stomphowler a while ago, but this would definitely be an easy swap otherwise unless you're relying on it for some weird Beast tribal subtheme(?).

Great replacement for Indrik Stomphowler if you're still running that card. Otherwise, I don't think it's better enough to want to include this if you didn't have the 'howler in before.

I still run Stomphowler at 720. I think its still good at larger sizes. I guess I might as well replace it with this. Nice to see Wizards moving away from forced removal ETBs.

I think the real question is: which card looks better in foil?

Quote from Dandy_Lions »

I think the real question is: which card looks better in foil?

It will all depend on how the foiling looks on the "magic" coming out of dryad's hands. If that looks good, this foil will win hands down.

I still like Stomphowler even though it's kind of outdated/redundant, so I'll probably play this guy. The "may" is pretty huge.

Gorgeous art on that card. I want to run it for that reason alone.

Seeing this probably means we won't get another iteration of Reclamation Sage, which kinda sucks.

I am stoked about this card. I run Stomphowler. Hell, I might even run both when this comes out.

I hope this means red or white will get a shot at the 2-4cmc artifact destruction creature for Origins.

Yea, I'm on the side of "running both". Never can we have enough naturalize effects on a creature.

I just cut Stomphowler for the Megamorph Naturalize guy from DTK.

Might give the dryads a try though. The etb trigger being optional might not matter that often, but when it does, it can be highly frustrating if you must destroy something. So, the Dryad at least feels like a huge upgrade.

Quote from Bolas, the Mindsculptor »

Yea, I'm on the side of "running both". Never can we have enough naturalize effects on a creature.

There is a limit when the card costs 5 mana.

But of course. I think 2 5cmc Naturalize beatsticks is probably the threshold.

Number one 5cmc naturalize on a stick for us is Acidic Slime. This would be no 2 and Indrik Stomphowler a distant third.

I was never a Stomphowler fan. I need more reliable targets for my 5 mana play, so this won't be making the cut for me.

Well I really can't consider Acidic Slime as a "beatstick" as 2/2 is a little small. 4/4s are welcomed.

Quote from ahadabans »

Gorgeous art on that card. I want to run it for that reason alone.

That's cool. I find the art pretty awful. The character placement is terrible - I can't tell if the back dryad is facing us or turning away from us. The foreground dryad looks like she has two left arms. There's nothing eye-catching aside from the front dryad's breasts because they were put front and center with a light source.

Most criminal of all, I can't even tell the card's function from the art because they're not doing anything remotely Disenchanty. They're just waving their glowy hands around like a couple hippies at a rave. To top it off, as a whole it just adds to the generic "plastic fantasy" style which I enjoy sometimes but is super divisive these days.

This stinks of placeholder art from RtR. I'm happy to run the card, but I'll use whatever promo art they print, or make my own

To be fair, the art on stomphowler is not remotely disenchanty either. It's just a big hairless llama flailing around.

Funny thing about art. People tend to have wildly differing opinions on it. Cloudgoat Ranger looks like utter garbage to me (I know many who like it). But from the same set and style, I think Bitterblossom is beautiful. I don't know what to tell you.

I do not think Rebecca Guay's art is the same style as the Cloudgoat Ranger. Maybe some of Adam Rex's earlier art like his Visions Cloud Elemental but not the ranger. What is garbage about the art on Ranger? It just looks like a scene from a kid's picture book but is super detailed. I would use the term garbage for when the art doesn't look like a lot of effort was put into it.

Cloudgoat Ranger to me looks like a 5 year old drew it. Again though, it's all personal preference and you can certainly argue that my tastes lack sophisotication. I don't begrudge anyone who likes it, nor do I care if my taste in art lacks sophistication FWIW.

As far as the newer CG style art... some is good and some is bad. Much like art from back in the day really. It's all a mixed bag IMO. As far as naturalist, I'm digging the vibrant colors and it has a cool fantasy feel to it. The green magic swirl or whatever is the disenchant effect. Works for me.

I think the quality of the art on Cloudgoat Ranger is fine, it's just that the subject itself isn't a cool thing. Given what Cloudgoat is and what it does, there's not much else that it could've looked like. It's just goofy art that matches the goofy card that came from a goofy set. I'm not a fan of it either, but I don't think it looks like a 5-year-old drew it ...it looks like a 5-year-old came up with the idea for it. A giant that makes kithkins that rides a huge flying goat!