Imagine if that card was a common lol not that I think it's overpowered, but it's powerful/annoying enough that having every game involving blue come up with this card would be obnoxious.
For my 360 list, nothing in the set excites me at all. I will be trying a couple of cards out though.
Goblin Trailblazer: I like the evasion on a two power body, he's not exciting but I think it's worth trying out.
Dusk Legion Zealot: A cheaper (albeit smaller) version of Phyrexian Rager. I want to give this guy a try, though the smaller body will probably be relevant.
I don't think the dusk legion will work for cube. There is a reason no one runs elvish visionary outside of tribal cubes: a 1/1 creatures is not worth a card.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Holiday Armadillo... Cloak
My 490 Pauper Cube
Modern frame only- Common on paper only - no functional copies, no strictly-betters - no subtype-matters
all of those cards seem borderline at best. the new card hypetrain is moving.
as usual, toughness one sucks. even random enchantments can kill them now lol.
so, outside of white i almost cut all x/1 creatures because (and i said it often enough) they die to litereally everything and open you to various X-1 effecte that happen to be in every Spikecube, like Desert, Pinger, Crypt Rats and so on. White is a little less vulnerable because it can protect its creatures, in other colors theyre basically unplayable. I also dont think that my evauluations are inconsistent, because I more or less follow the system I started working on in my evaulation thread. Im just too busy or lazy to continue right now Actually I run a lot of Borderline stuff in my T1, because they become better with the right synergies. A 2/1 flying for 1 with virtually no downside is close to staple though.
That said, the black one is pretty close to Pulse Tracker and nobody runs it. yeah its a tiny bit better in offensive combat, but neglectable
A 2/1 menace seems okayish, yet red has lots of better stuff now and 3/2 is almost the baseline for it now. Also I think first strike is more valuable in general, but it depends on the situation. yet, toughness one.
A 2/4 on attack, yeah. It can attack into 3/x, but does it really matter? I dont think so and green is stuffed with better creatures. Id run it if it has the 2/4 on opponents turn.
Welkin Terns are horrible trash and completely overrated on this board.
Welkin Terns are horrible trash and completely overrated on this board.
Yeah 2 power evasion creatures for 2cmc are horrible... /eyeroll
People dont play pulse tracker cause it cant attack into any 2 toughness without dying. IE card disadvantage. Grasping Scoundrel still trades with most 2 drops. Peasant plays a lot of 1cmc, 2/1s. Why wouldn't we?
he does not trade because its a 1/1 on defense and will just die to some random token
Common man, really? If you're blocking with him then he's in the wrong deck. This is an aggro card. Yes in a midrange, combo, or control yes he's bad. But in an aggressive beat-down deck? He's great. Not unlike Steppe Lynx with attacks vs blocks (technically he's better on blocks than the lynx). If I get 2 damage in, and then trade this for a 2 drop, I'm happy. If I get more damage in first, all the better.
the awfulness of tough1 not only comes from various ping effects but also the fact that they cant attack into 1/>2´s, theyre outclassed way to quickly unless they provide some kind of midgame potential. I heavily support RG beatz, yet i did cut Jungle Lion years ago, because it offers no value. Sure you can cut enough counters to them to make them acceptable, but at least in my philosophy that dilutes the overall powerlevel since pingers and so on are overall still good enough(better) against midrange decks.
Anyway, with your statement that you need to build a meta around x/1 to make them viable is the definition of borderline in my book. Its the same as ramp strategies. Sure you can cut on premium removal to make fatties more viable, but thats cutting on powerlevel which evaluation is all about and not the "standard evironment" of many cubes.
Threats will always be more important than answers in evaluation - cards don't suddenly lose value because they die to removal, especially not at one mana. And the pool of X/3s in pauper is not close to high enough to make this guy a liability, although I see Humphrey's cube does run a bit more of those than the average. As always, the game environment would certainly influence the evaluation
As for me, I'm looking forward to this guy terrorizing durdly decks for years to come. A first or second turn Scoundrel followed up by a couple detainers or removal represents a ton of damage while still offering stats that are above the curve.
My personal top 5 for this set:
1. Goblin Trailblazer - oh, boy. More evasive red beaters. In practice, this will most likely be unblockable due to red's high density of burn and detainers, leaving your opponent struggling to field a board that can deal with it.
2. Grasping Scoundrel - yep. This guy and Elite Vanguard have done a lot to improve aggro at pauper level, particularly when paired with red.
3. Hardy Veteran - could help push a Big Black archetype alongside things like Disowned Ancestor and Pestilence. A 2/4 would be better on defence, but I like that this has play to it. Despite sitting at the same stat point as Acridian (which I really like), it feels like a different card. However, I think the primary role of a 2/4 is to hold back your opponent's 2/2s and 3/3s, not run into them
4. Jungleborn Pioneer - surprised more people aren't talking about this one. Maybe because I like this style of design too much, or maybe because it's just another Nessian Courser with bonus, but the bonus helps it fight against dividable burn, one of the few good answers to this type of token generator. And who doesn't like tokens? The more the merrier
5. Kitesail Corsair: Not necessarily a direct upgrade to Welkin Tern, as I think an aerial blocker has slightly more value than a ground blocker. Still a fantastic card to have for blue aggro.
Both Ghazban and Cohorts drawbacks can easily be played around or build around. With enough lowdrops Ogre dont have to be played T1 into an unknown enemy and once youre ahead on the race the drawback doenst matter anymore. The Cohorts basically have no drawback anyway since early game you have enough gas to let them attack and when you got stuck in the midgame they still can block. Also the Dash creatures provide infinite activations. My cube did not got build out of the blue, it was evaluated through a lot of drafts. There is a reason I cut so hard on toughness 1 and kept those.
A key to fast aggro btw is to build the decks like 85%+ in one color and only splash 2 or 3 cards from a second one btw.
How am I getting ahead of the race in an aggro deck when I can't even play my 1 drops into unknown t1 opponents?! Seems sketchy at best. I get you've spent eons on your format, but I'm pretty happy to not see the ogre in lists.
Secrets of the Golden City 1UU sorcery - draw2 or 3 at 10 permanents
Dusk Charger 3B 3/3 - +2+2 at 10 permanents
vampire Champion 3B 3/3 deathtouch
Frilled Deathspitter 2R 3/2 - deals 2 to opp when damaged
Swab Goblin 1R 2/2
Swaggering Corsair 2R 2/2 - etb +1+1 when you attacked the turn
Gleaming Barrier 2 0/4 defender, get a treasure when it dies
nothing too interesting so far. the red 3/3 seems borderline and the 3/2 is interesting when you can ping your own creatures
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
Dusk Legion Zealot 1B 1/1 etb, lose 1 life, draw 1
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
Sun-Collared Raptor 1R 1/2 trample,2R +3+0
Mutiny R sorcery. target opp creature deals dmg to another
Arterial Flow 2B sorcery. opp discards 2 and drains for 2 if you control vampire
Moment of Craving 1B instant. target -2-2, gain 2 life
Disperse in the Wind 2U instant. exile permanent of yours and free recast whenever you want
Deadeye Rig Hauler 3U 3/2. raid-bounce a creature
guess we get our playables in the last batch of spoilers. Disperse in the Wind is an interesting approach to flicker, but overcosted
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
My 490 Pauper Cube
Modern frame only- Common on paper only - no functional copies, no strictly-betters - no subtype-matters
Also, follow us on twitter! @TurnOneMagic
My 490 Pauper Cube
Modern frame only- Common on paper only - no functional copies, no strictly-betters - no subtype-matters
Second Madcap Skills that can be an overcosted removal for x/1s.
My 490 Pauper Cube
Modern frame only- Common on paper only - no functional copies, no strictly-betters - no subtype-matters
Goblin Trailblazer: I like the evasion on a two power body, he's not exciting but I think it's worth trying out.
Dusk Legion Zealot: A cheaper (albeit smaller) version of Phyrexian Rager. I want to give this guy a try, though the smaller body will probably be relevant.
My Pauper Cube
My 490 Pauper Cube
Modern frame only- Common on paper only - no functional copies, no strictly-betters - no subtype-matters
the green token ones might end up in my t2
overall the set is pretty weak
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
Also, follow us on twitter! @TurnOneMagic
My 490 Pauper Cube
Modern frame only- Common on paper only - no functional copies, no strictly-betters - no subtype-matters
as usual, toughness one sucks. even random enchantments can kill them now lol.
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
That said, the black one is pretty close to Pulse Tracker and nobody runs it. yeah its a tiny bit better in offensive combat, but neglectable
A 2/1 menace seems okayish, yet red has lots of better stuff now and 3/2 is almost the baseline for it now. Also I think first strike is more valuable in general, but it depends on the situation. yet, toughness one.
A 2/4 on attack, yeah. It can attack into 3/x, but does it really matter? I dont think so and green is stuffed with better creatures. Id run it if it has the 2/4 on opponents turn.
Welkin Terns are horrible trash and completely overrated on this board.
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
Yeah 2 power evasion creatures for 2cmc are horrible... /eyeroll
People dont play pulse tracker cause it cant attack into any 2 toughness without dying. IE card disadvantage. Grasping Scoundrel still trades with most 2 drops. Peasant plays a lot of 1cmc, 2/1s. Why wouldn't we?
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
Common man, really? If you're blocking with him then he's in the wrong deck. This is an aggro card. Yes in a midrange, combo, or control yes he's bad. But in an aggressive beat-down deck? He's great. Not unlike Steppe Lynx with attacks vs blocks (technically he's better on blocks than the lynx). If I get 2 damage in, and then trade this for a 2 drop, I'm happy. If I get more damage in first, all the better.
How many 1/1 token makers do you think your cube has?
It's SIX. Six! And two of them cost four mana!
in my tier1 this kind of deck will just scoop to turn 1 desert lol
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
Anyway, with your statement that you need to build a meta around x/1 to make them viable is the definition of borderline in my book. Its the same as ramp strategies. Sure you can cut on premium removal to make fatties more viable, but thats cutting on powerlevel which evaluation is all about and not the "standard evironment" of many cubes.
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
As for me, I'm looking forward to this guy terrorizing durdly decks for years to come. A first or second turn Scoundrel followed up by a couple detainers or removal represents a ton of damage while still offering stats that are above the curve.
My personal top 5 for this set:
1. Goblin Trailblazer - oh, boy. More evasive red beaters. In practice, this will most likely be unblockable due to red's high density of burn and detainers, leaving your opponent struggling to field a board that can deal with it.
2. Grasping Scoundrel - yep. This guy and Elite Vanguard have done a lot to improve aggro at pauper level, particularly when paired with red.
3. Hardy Veteran - could help push a Big Black archetype alongside things like Disowned Ancestor and Pestilence. A 2/4 would be better on defence, but I like that this has play to it. Despite sitting at the same stat point as Acridian (which I really like), it feels like a different card. However, I think the primary role of a 2/4 is to hold back your opponent's 2/2s and 3/3s, not run into them
4. Jungleborn Pioneer - surprised more people aren't talking about this one. Maybe because I like this style of design too much, or maybe because it's just another Nessian Courser with bonus, but the bonus helps it fight against dividable burn, one of the few good answers to this type of token generator. And who doesn't like tokens? The more the merrier
5. Kitesail Corsair: Not necessarily a direct upgrade to Welkin Tern, as I think an aerial blocker has slightly more value than a ground blocker. Still a fantastic card to have for blue aggro.
Honorable mention 1: Moment of Craving - A Disfigure with lifelink to basically void an early attack.
Honorable mention 2: the new art on Strider Harness
My Cube (DeckStats)
My Pauper Cube: 540 (CubeTutor link!)
Level 1 Judge
T1: none
T2:
Jungle Weaver < Overgrown Armasaur
Nantuko Shaman < Jungleborn Pioneer
Sigiled Skink < Goblin Trailblazer
Stab Wound < Moment of Craving
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
A key to fast aggro btw is to build the decks like 85%+ in one color and only splash 2 or 3 cards from a second one btw.
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
Also, follow us on twitter! @TurnOneMagic