This card is nothing like Bob. Bob can just sit there and not have to successfully attack or be combo'd with marginal cards in order to fulfill his purpose.
The amount of things that have to go right for pain seer to draw even a single card (and you have to pay life = to cmc, which seems completely unnecessary given how hard it is to get this card online in the first place) is a couple too many hoops to jump through for a marginal effect.
Nothing in standard comes remotely close to the levels of aggravation that the previous standard reached.
Between Thragtusk, Huntmaster of the Fells, Restoration Angel, Unburial Rites, Olivia Voldaren, Bonfire, Kessig Wolf Run, Lingering Souls, Snapcaster Mage etc etc. The format was just so mind numbingly repetitive and obnoxious it was like being stuck in a nightmare loop.
Luckily that standard is dead and buried, may it rot forever.
I came to laugh at the incessant hyperbolic whining. Was not disappointed.
Can't wait to see what all they're including aside from the power 9. Wizards were at the top of their game with the modern masters draft format, hopefully vintage masters follows suit.
Copying merchants is obviously nuts but copying a desecration demon or even a specter is also plenty good enough.
Stolen Identity targeting gray merchant, encode on nightveil, swing, make another gray merchant, total of at least 16 life drained in one turn.
Another good thing about clone effects is that there are plenty of high impact creatures to copy in standard anyways.
It's kind of like going the rescue from the underworld route except it's not vulnerable to scavenging ooze and the clone effects are generally more useful than rescue.
Anyone that says Theros limited is "no removal so hurr durr drop bomb and win" isn't even trying. I ran into multiple people that were convinced of this before they even played their first game and kept that same bad attitude all day and their records reflected it. There was nothing anyone could do or say to change their opinion that Theros is "Avacyn 2.0" even when confronted with a variety of winning decks that didn't rely on bombs.
The depth is through the roof. There's a huge variety of viable color combo's and strategies. It's just a matter of people figuring out how to use the strategies that the cards give you instead of trying to just jam 'good' cards without thinking about the context of the set and the synergies it provides. For instance, aura's have never been this important. Because of this the removal has been toned down enough to facilitate heroic and to a lesser degree devotion.
Some people just refuse to accept the idea that they may have to actually put in some effort and learn how to draft a new format before judging it. It's like they don't know what to do if they don't have cheap brain-dead removal like pacifism and doom blade. The interactivity is there if you actually take the time to look for it.
Literally every set that has ever been spoiled has had infinite "last 100 cards are filler so now I think the set sucks" posts. This. Is. How. Sets. Are. And. Have. Always. Been.
It's as if when a new set comes out people completely forget about the fact that every set that came before it was also filled with a lot of, wait for it... filler.
Again, that's the point of the complaint. They increased the power level of the hexproof legendary creatures to an excessive level. We've had the counter/sweeper/edict suite for a long time, and people still play clones—they're better answers in many circumstances. If you're not going to answer the complaint, well... Like, seriously. Answer the complaint.
I would suggest making the best of the situation. Try approaching it as an intellectual challenge instead of an excuse to play the victim.
This card is nothing like Bob. Bob can just sit there and not have to successfully attack or be combo'd with marginal cards in order to fulfill his purpose.
The amount of things that have to go right for pain seer to draw even a single card (and you have to pay life = to cmc, which seems completely unnecessary given how hard it is to get this card online in the first place) is a couple too many hoops to jump through for a marginal effect.
Between Thragtusk, Huntmaster of the Fells, Restoration Angel, Unburial Rites, Olivia Voldaren, Bonfire, Kessig Wolf Run, Lingering Souls, Snapcaster Mage etc etc. The format was just so mind numbingly repetitive and obnoxious it was like being stuck in a nightmare loop.
Luckily that standard is dead and buried, may it rot forever.
"I can't believe they're not selling me packs of hundred dollar bills for 7$ apiece! Wizards HATES THEIR CUSTOMERS!"
Can't wait to see what all they're including aside from the power 9. Wizards were at the top of their game with the modern masters draft format, hopefully vintage masters follows suit.
Copying merchants is obviously nuts but copying a desecration demon or even a specter is also plenty good enough.
Stolen Identity targeting gray merchant, encode on nightveil, swing, make another gray merchant, total of at least 16 life drained in one turn.
Another good thing about clone effects is that there are plenty of high impact creatures to copy in standard anyways.
It's kind of like going the rescue from the underworld route except it's not vulnerable to scavenging ooze and the clone effects are generally more useful than rescue.
What do you think about this approach?
The depth is through the roof. There's a huge variety of viable color combo's and strategies. It's just a matter of people figuring out how to use the strategies that the cards give you instead of trying to just jam 'good' cards without thinking about the context of the set and the synergies it provides. For instance, aura's have never been this important. Because of this the removal has been toned down enough to facilitate heroic and to a lesser degree devotion.
Some people just refuse to accept the idea that they may have to actually put in some effort and learn how to draft a new format before judging it. It's like they don't know what to do if they don't have cheap brain-dead removal like pacifism and doom blade. The interactivity is there if you actually take the time to look for it.
All image names are verified correct.
Directions: Just unzip the file and put the 'THS' folder in your MWS 'Pics' folder.
Enjoy!
http://www.mediafire.com/?mcti76hanlc9yhs
It's as if when a new set comes out people completely forget about the fact that every set that came before it was also filled with a lot of, wait for it... filler.
I would suggest making the best of the situation. Try approaching it as an intellectual challenge instead of an excuse to play the victim.