Did anyone here play Vizier of the Menagerie? This effect is not as good as it reads. Creatures are about 40% of the cards in a green deck, but not every time you see a creature on the top you will play it and cash in the card advantage. Either because you cannot cast the creature (too expensive, color screw), because you have to cast something else to survive or because you simply have better plays. If you need to choose between casting a two drop from the top or a four+ drop from your hand, it will often be correct to play the four+ drop. It is not like Oracle or Courser where lands are often interchangeable.
Did anyone here play Vizier of the Menagerie? This effect is not as good as it reads. Creatures are about 40% of the cards in a green deck, but not every time you see a creature on the top you will play it and cash in the card advantage. Either because you cannot cast the creature (too expensive, color screw), because you have to cast something else to survive or because you simply have better plays. If you need to choose between casting a two drop from the top or a four+ drop from your hand, it will often be correct to play the four+ drop. It is not like Oracle or Courser where lands are often interchangeable.
I hear you on the Vizier comp, but I think the main difference is that this planeswalker sits there doing value-y planeswalker things, and the top of deck ability plays perfectly into its gameplan. A single creature hit on top feels like you’re cheating with your already solid walker. Vizier, the other hand, was a big miss because it was entirely reliant on the top of deck ability to be worthwhile on an otherwise average bodied creature.
It's one of the cards I'm definitely looking to make room for at 410. All the abilities are great. Low starting loyalty is the only strike against it, but the potential for making reach or vigilance tokens will definitely help.
Agreed with wtwlf. No joke this card looks so far really close to be the best green plabeswalker, period. It generates so much CA for the green decks, it's ridiculus. And of top of that, at the opposite of green CA planeswalker we've seen so far, it creates it mainly for free (with no activation of loyalty ability) while letting you create additionnal defenses. It loses the "I win the game" ultimate, but gains so much more in returns. The card is simply nuts.
I hear you on the Vizier comp, but I think the main difference is that this planeswalker sits there doing value-y planeswalker things, and the top of deck ability plays perfectly into its gameplan. A single creature hit on top feels like you’re cheating with your already solid walker. Vizier, the other hand, was a big miss because it was entirely reliant on the top of deck ability to be worthwhile on an otherwise average bodied creature.
I think Vivien is good, but that particular ability of her is overrated. Drawing a card every few turns adds to her powerlevel, but ultimately the activated abilities will be what makes or breaks the card.
I'm actively maintaining a comprehensive article to help explain to new cube players how some complex vintage level cards work in a cube environment. Vintage Cube Cards Explained
Vivien is a good card with a lot of competition, she's floated in and out of my cube for a while now. For me, other 5-drops like Squirrel Hermits / Thragtusk / Nissa, Who Shakes the World bring more to the table in terms of synergies.
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My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
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I hear you on the Vizier comp, but I think the main difference is that this planeswalker sits there doing value-y planeswalker things, and the top of deck ability plays perfectly into its gameplan. A single creature hit on top feels like you’re cheating with your already solid walker. Vizier, the other hand, was a big miss because it was entirely reliant on the top of deck ability to be worthwhile on an otherwise average bodied creature.
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
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I think Vivien is good, but that particular ability of her is overrated. Drawing a card every few turns adds to her powerlevel, but ultimately the activated abilities will be what makes or breaks the card.
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Seconded from the more casual players too. Card is nuts in many decks, and has elevated U/G creature decks to new levels of shennanigans.
This user has language problems due to their mental health problems and sometimes may not use the best wording to explain their thoughts.
Draft the "'What Is This Nonsense?'" casual cube.
Vivien, Monsters' Advocate
Does anyone know how to correct this?
Vintage Cube Cards Explained
Here are some other articles I've written about fine tuning your cube:
1. Minimum Archetype Support
2. Improving Green Archetypes
3. Improving White Archetypes
4. Matchup Analysis
5. Cube Combos (Work in Progress)
Draft my Cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/d8i
It seems like whatever API MTGSalvation is using positioned the apostrophe wrong: should be Monsters', but the API has it as Monster's.
Vivien, Monster's Advocate works, but again, isn't correct.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
Cheers,
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My Cube
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