My guess is it will be something along the lines of an improved Carven Caryatid. Maybe a reasonably sized defender with hexproof that lets you draw a card at the beginning of your upkeep as long as it's enchanted or buffs enchanted creatures, moves auras around - something like that.
I could actually see Esper control decks running these in their sideboard, it seems like a nice card to use in mirror matches or against UWR control.
It could also see some play in modern, but it is allot of investment... 5 mana for limited LD is allot. Tech edge is easier to activate, and leaves you with mana open to react, so it is a better card. Ghost quarter has very good utility and again should be played over this, but if all you want is a nerf'd Wasteland, this is the way to go.
I think ratchet bomb will also help keep naya blitz decks under control, I mean so many creatures in that deck cost 2 mana, its crazy. But, yeah, definitely printed to keep tokens and other fast aggro strategies in check.
Theros is done, they are already working or finishing up the next set in the block of Theros or they are working on the third. There will be some multicolor cards but it wont dominate the set like ravnica block did. There wont be wedge colors and the ilk. I do see this set as having a lot of legendary permanents and that could be worrisome because i dont ever want to see a legendary enchantments ever again. It just does not sound or feel right. I also really dont want to see legendary uncommon creatures either those just dont quite sound right either.
Wizards admitted that the over saturation of legends in Kamigawa was a mistake. It is unlikely that we'll ever get another "legendary matters" set again. Although, the fact that RtR has 20 legends in it might make this an ideal time to revisit the concept, it is still very unlikely.
The idea that Theros will be a "wedge" set is even more unlikely. Wizards tries to space gold sets out, printing one every 4-6 years. They, again, admitted that it was a mistake to print Alara after Shadowmoor, because they didn't realise that the a hybrid mini-block was a de facto gold block. Theros will likely have a larger number of gold cards than average, but it is unlikely that it will be gold themed. Like Innistrad the main focus of Theros will be to capture the flavour of the world, which I think might be some sort of clash of civilizations type of deal (you know Spartans vs. Athenians; Greeks vs. Trojans; Mortals vs. Monsters, something along those lines).
I'll repeat it simply: This won't see constructed play for the same reasons Primordial Hydra and Protean Hydra didn't see constructed play. (sans EDH)
Double strike and a plethora of cards that interact with +1/+1 counters up this guys chance of being played. I'm not saying he will run straight into the top tier, but if there is an environment where this card could thrive in standard, it will probably be in the next year.
Personally I can see this card running well in a Jund, +1/+1 countered themed deck. Combined with Exava and Corpsejack Menace, running some ramp and Kesig Wolfrun, your gonna have a deck which could be tough to beat, if executed properly.
So another card to make Bant Midrange/Control stronger against control match ups, I like. Seriously, this Plasma Capture and Voice of Resurgence will ruin a lot of people's days. I can't wait to turn my opponents Sphinx's Revelations into my own and then still have a ton of mana open.
If you think Vexing devil is strong with this, what about death's shadow? 13 +1/+1 counters for 1 mana? lelelelelele. seems stupid.
We all knew this kind of card would come around eventually...
Yeah I'm busy working on a modern junk rock deck that runs Varolz with Death's Shadow and a few other relatively cheap big beaters with low costs. Current god hand scenario is attacking on turn 3 with a 28/28 Varolz, resulting from a turn 1 Birds of Paradise, turn 2 Varolz, turn 3 Grisly Salvage, putting two Death's Shadows into the graveyard. Of course, this is a scenario that will probably never play out in real life, but damn, these cards work well together. Of course one of the biggest problems with a deck like this is cards you usually would run like Tarmogoyf and Knight of the Reliquary are less effective, since their power is incredibly low in the graveyard.
In Standard, I can see Varolz making Jund and Junk aggro very playable. He has insane synergy with so many cards. Probably one of the most powerful champions, certainly one of the most playable.
At first I was really angry when this card was spoiled. Like everyone else I expected Teysa to be a small bodied utility creature, not a seven mana monstrosity.
But the more I think about it, the more I see her potential in a broader BW strategy - the whole point of Orzhov is to play a slow game, however they need efficient finishers. Obviously Obzedat provides that card, however Obzedat has one large weakness, it can't block. Admittedly that weakness is covered somewhat by the guaranteed 4 life swing every turn Obzedat is in play, but he can still lose you the game while he is off floating somewhere. Teysa provides you with one of the most solid blockers in the game - even if your Gruulish opponent has dropped a Ruric Thar, Teysa stops him in his tracks and puts your opponent on a clock. Every attack your opponent sends across has to count and every creature that gets through provides you with a new blocker, all the while you are dealing at least 4 damage each turn. In other words, so long a Teysa is on the board, and your opponent needs creatures to kill you, you control the game. Combine that with Orzhov's ability to slow the game down and gain allot of life, you can understand why the design team made this card.
In many ways she is exactly what Orzhov wants, bar one big problem - in order for Orzhov to get the 7 mana it needs to play her, they need to survive for about 9-10 turns. Now if at that point the game has reached a stalemate (which is kind of what BW wants to do) Teysa will win you the game if she resolves/ isn't removed too quickly. However, she's a winmore card if you are already winning, or a useless card if your are losing - your opponent is not going to care if all his creatures are destroyed if he only needs one more attack to kill you.
In terms of playability, I think she might actually be worth testing in a Junk Reanimator/Ramp deck. Thragtusk and Restoration Angel ensure that you can keep a high enough life total to make her second ability relevant, and using Unburial Rites to get her onto the battlefield earlier in the game makes her more relevant. Moreover, the deck does often hard cast Craterhoof Behemoth and Angel of Serenity, so her mana cost is not as problematic as it is in other builds. I'm not saying she should be more that a novel one or two of, or maybe a sideboard cameo, but I could see her winning some games in that deck. People should not underestimate the effect a 4/4 with vigilance and protection from creatures can have on the board, especially in a deck that can easily resurrect her.
As an EDH general, BW already has enough big guys, it really could have used a cheaper general, but I could see her featuring in other panda decks - once again a 4/4 with vigilance and protection from creatures is a card worth playing, if you have a deck which can produce the mana to support her, or cards that can trick her into play. In terms of limited, she is actually quite good, she certainly has the ability to break stalemates - however she wouldn't be a first pick.
Overall I still think that Teysa is a disappointing card, that had a lot of expectations placed upon it that hasn't been met. She's outclassed by many of the other brilliantly designed cards in the last few sets. I would actually call her a card that has been "over designed". Someone had a bright idea, and it ran away with them. However, she might still surprise people. The way I'd describe her is that she's not a "weak" card, but she is a bad card.
This needed 5 toughness to be standard playable I think.
Not really, first strike + death touch means that you'll kill most blockers before they can deal damage. The only burn spell that can deal with it is Mizzium Mortars. Even decks playing Advent of the Wurm will have some trouble dealing with them. Definitely a card worth experimenting with, like people have already said, a perfect card for Grixis or WBR control build.
In my opinion, Vorel is a decent card. He can double a predator ooze, he can easly make Gideon larger, he can make Gyre Sage a big mana source, and even make you win turn 3 of Azor Elocuters being out. He even is hard to hit by burn spells.
The problem is that Vorel relies too heavily on other cards, which makes him relatively unreliable and not a viable contender for competitive decks. He might have place in some combo, or mid range decks, but there are simply more effective creatures at 3 mana right now. That doesn't make him a "bad" card, but for competitive players and wannabees it is a little disappointing.
That said he is great in all casual formats and limited, if you draft the right strategy. He embodies Simic's overall strategy quite well and he will have a place in my "Simic" Ravnica deck. Although it would have been nice if he covered Simic's weaknesses in an interesting way, as opposed to simply playing up there strengths, I still really like him. Definitely going to build a commander deck which abuses him in someway, although he might just be a cameo in a Mimeoplasm or Animar deck.
I think Rakath is right, the source which talked about Exava didn't have any images to back it up and said that she could have been 3BR or 4BR. Moreover, we know that Varolz costs LESS than 4 from TK_421's source, apparently the same who accurately predicted the Dragon's Maze land. Throughout the two Ravnica blocks, the guild leaders and champions have had differing costs (with some overlapping), it makes no sense to make a mana locked cycle now.
He's so big. So awesome but so big....but I see a possibility! This fellow may shine in some sort of Simic/Izzet combo deck. Ramp up, drop him on turn 4,profit. Also makes me wonder if we will be seeing a new red ramp spell. Guess time will tell.
I could see that deck, probably using Clan Defiance or Bonfire of the Damned as a win con. Turn 4 Melek, turn 5 deal 10 damage to target player and each creature he controls... scary... Throw in some Thragtusks to keep you alive, some decent draw and burn and you have your self a pretty cool deck. Not sure if it'll be tier 1, but it should be fun.
My first thought was to use him in a Grixis or UWR control deck. Control the board and then use Bonfire to wipe out your opponent. Definitely not a weak card, but his cost does present a significant draw back and playing with the top card of your library revealed isn't everyone's cup of tea either.
In reality, aggro decks will probably be able to out race him fairly often and control decks should be able to play around him, since they are almost always going to know what is coming next. Moreover this is a card which relies on the other cards you draw to be good, rather than being good in and of itself. This doesn't make Melek inherently bad, but it does make using him decks which are already effective on their own questionable.
Zendikar was the exception as opposed to the rule, Wizards had misjudged the amount of colour fixing provided by Lorwyn/Shadowmoor and the domination of 5 colour control during the LOR/SHA/ALA standard, so they pushed the more mono-coloured-centric nature of Zendikar.
I started playing during Odyssey, which followed the first Invasion and had more gold cards and cards which cared about colour than other non-gold blocks. The same applies to Time Spiral. It might be that the strong mana fixing and the amount of gold cards in Innistrad will mean that Theros is mono-coloured orientated, but my feeling is that Theros will have more gold cards than average, but not necessarily a "multi-coloured theme".
Ruric Thar doesn't interact with bloodrush at all, sure its not playing a spell but you don't take 6 from playing creatures normally either
Technically he does, by attacking each turn Ruric Thar ensures that you have a bloodrush target, he also doesn't punish you for playing bloodrush. But I agree with you, people have taken mild synergy and guild flavour as being design gospel. We only know the full card of one champion, and as far as I know the only information we've received about the champions was from PAX East, which only mentioned that Ruric Thar had some synergy with bloodrush.
If you look at the guild leaders some have the guild key word; some have abilities which synergise with their guild's keyword and others have nothing to do with their guilds keywords - I imagine it will be the same with the guild champions. Today's design philosophy is more about flavour and broader strategies than specific formulas and keywords. In terms of Izzet, overload is not an ability that works well with creatures. I would guess that of all the guild champions Melek would be the most likely to not have anything to do with his guild's keyword.
As for the card, it could be real, but it is unconfirmed and I'll remain skeptical until it is confirmed. Personally I'd be disappointed if the Izzet champion had no interaction with instants and sorceries, which is supposed to be Izzet's thing.
It could also see some play in modern, but it is allot of investment... 5 mana for limited LD is allot. Tech edge is easier to activate, and leaves you with mana open to react, so it is a better card. Ghost quarter has very good utility and again should be played over this, but if all you want is a nerf'd Wasteland, this is the way to go.
Wizards admitted that the over saturation of legends in Kamigawa was a mistake. It is unlikely that we'll ever get another "legendary matters" set again. Although, the fact that RtR has 20 legends in it might make this an ideal time to revisit the concept, it is still very unlikely.
The idea that Theros will be a "wedge" set is even more unlikely. Wizards tries to space gold sets out, printing one every 4-6 years. They, again, admitted that it was a mistake to print Alara after Shadowmoor, because they didn't realise that the a hybrid mini-block was a de facto gold block. Theros will likely have a larger number of gold cards than average, but it is unlikely that it will be gold themed. Like Innistrad the main focus of Theros will be to capture the flavour of the world, which I think might be some sort of clash of civilizations type of deal (you know Spartans vs. Athenians; Greeks vs. Trojans; Mortals vs. Monsters, something along those lines).
Double strike and a plethora of cards that interact with +1/+1 counters up this guys chance of being played. I'm not saying he will run straight into the top tier, but if there is an environment where this card could thrive in standard, it will probably be in the next year.
Personally I can see this card running well in a Jund, +1/+1 countered themed deck. Combined with Exava and Corpsejack Menace, running some ramp and Kesig Wolfrun, your gonna have a deck which could be tough to beat, if executed properly.
Dragon's Maze is going to make standard brutal.
Yeah I'm busy working on a modern junk rock deck that runs Varolz with Death's Shadow and a few other relatively cheap big beaters with low costs. Current god hand scenario is attacking on turn 3 with a 28/28 Varolz, resulting from a turn 1 Birds of Paradise, turn 2 Varolz, turn 3 Grisly Salvage, putting two Death's Shadows into the graveyard. Of course, this is a scenario that will probably never play out in real life, but damn, these cards work well together. Of course one of the biggest problems with a deck like this is cards you usually would run like Tarmogoyf and Knight of the Reliquary are less effective, since their power is incredibly low in the graveyard.
In Standard, I can see Varolz making Jund and Junk aggro very playable. He has insane synergy with so many cards. Probably one of the most powerful champions, certainly one of the most playable.
But the more I think about it, the more I see her potential in a broader BW strategy - the whole point of Orzhov is to play a slow game, however they need efficient finishers. Obviously Obzedat provides that card, however Obzedat has one large weakness, it can't block. Admittedly that weakness is covered somewhat by the guaranteed 4 life swing every turn Obzedat is in play, but he can still lose you the game while he is off floating somewhere. Teysa provides you with one of the most solid blockers in the game - even if your Gruulish opponent has dropped a Ruric Thar, Teysa stops him in his tracks and puts your opponent on a clock. Every attack your opponent sends across has to count and every creature that gets through provides you with a new blocker, all the while you are dealing at least 4 damage each turn. In other words, so long a Teysa is on the board, and your opponent needs creatures to kill you, you control the game. Combine that with Orzhov's ability to slow the game down and gain allot of life, you can understand why the design team made this card.
In many ways she is exactly what Orzhov wants, bar one big problem - in order for Orzhov to get the 7 mana it needs to play her, they need to survive for about 9-10 turns. Now if at that point the game has reached a stalemate (which is kind of what BW wants to do) Teysa will win you the game if she resolves/ isn't removed too quickly. However, she's a winmore card if you are already winning, or a useless card if your are losing - your opponent is not going to care if all his creatures are destroyed if he only needs one more attack to kill you.
In terms of playability, I think she might actually be worth testing in a Junk Reanimator/Ramp deck. Thragtusk and Restoration Angel ensure that you can keep a high enough life total to make her second ability relevant, and using Unburial Rites to get her onto the battlefield earlier in the game makes her more relevant. Moreover, the deck does often hard cast Craterhoof Behemoth and Angel of Serenity, so her mana cost is not as problematic as it is in other builds. I'm not saying she should be more that a novel one or two of, or maybe a sideboard cameo, but I could see her winning some games in that deck. People should not underestimate the effect a 4/4 with vigilance and protection from creatures can have on the board, especially in a deck that can easily resurrect her.
As an EDH general, BW already has enough big guys, it really could have used a cheaper general, but I could see her featuring in other panda decks - once again a 4/4 with vigilance and protection from creatures is a card worth playing, if you have a deck which can produce the mana to support her, or cards that can trick her into play. In terms of limited, she is actually quite good, she certainly has the ability to break stalemates - however she wouldn't be a first pick.
Overall I still think that Teysa is a disappointing card, that had a lot of expectations placed upon it that hasn't been met. She's outclassed by many of the other brilliantly designed cards in the last few sets. I would actually call her a card that has been "over designed". Someone had a bright idea, and it ran away with them. However, she might still surprise people. The way I'd describe her is that she's not a "weak" card, but she is a bad card.
Not really, first strike + death touch means that you'll kill most blockers before they can deal damage. The only burn spell that can deal with it is Mizzium Mortars. Even decks playing Advent of the Wurm will have some trouble dealing with them. Definitely a card worth experimenting with, like people have already said, a perfect card for Grixis or WBR control build.
The problem is that Vorel relies too heavily on other cards, which makes him relatively unreliable and not a viable contender for competitive decks. He might have place in some combo, or mid range decks, but there are simply more effective creatures at 3 mana right now. That doesn't make him a "bad" card, but for competitive players and wannabees it is a little disappointing.
That said he is great in all casual formats and limited, if you draft the right strategy. He embodies Simic's overall strategy quite well and he will have a place in my "Simic" Ravnica deck. Although it would have been nice if he covered Simic's weaknesses in an interesting way, as opposed to simply playing up there strengths, I still really like him. Definitely going to build a commander deck which abuses him in someway, although he might just be a cameo in a Mimeoplasm or Animar deck.
I could see that deck, probably using Clan Defiance or Bonfire of the Damned as a win con. Turn 4 Melek, turn 5 deal 10 damage to target player and each creature he controls... scary... Throw in some Thragtusks to keep you alive, some decent draw and burn and you have your self a pretty cool deck. Not sure if it'll be tier 1, but it should be fun.
My first thought was to use him in a Grixis or UWR control deck. Control the board and then use Bonfire to wipe out your opponent. Definitely not a weak card, but his cost does present a significant draw back and playing with the top card of your library revealed isn't everyone's cup of tea either.
In reality, aggro decks will probably be able to out race him fairly often and control decks should be able to play around him, since they are almost always going to know what is coming next. Moreover this is a card which relies on the other cards you draw to be good, rather than being good in and of itself. This doesn't make Melek inherently bad, but it does make using him decks which are already effective on their own questionable.
I started playing during Odyssey, which followed the first Invasion and had more gold cards and cards which cared about colour than other non-gold blocks. The same applies to Time Spiral. It might be that the strong mana fixing and the amount of gold cards in Innistrad will mean that Theros is mono-coloured orientated, but my feeling is that Theros will have more gold cards than average, but not necessarily a "multi-coloured theme".
Technically he does, by attacking each turn Ruric Thar ensures that you have a bloodrush target, he also doesn't punish you for playing bloodrush. But I agree with you, people have taken mild synergy and guild flavour as being design gospel. We only know the full card of one champion, and as far as I know the only information we've received about the champions was from PAX East, which only mentioned that Ruric Thar had some synergy with bloodrush.
If you look at the guild leaders some have the guild key word; some have abilities which synergise with their guild's keyword and others have nothing to do with their guilds keywords - I imagine it will be the same with the guild champions. Today's design philosophy is more about flavour and broader strategies than specific formulas and keywords. In terms of Izzet, overload is not an ability that works well with creatures. I would guess that of all the guild champions Melek would be the most likely to not have anything to do with his guild's keyword.
As for the card, it could be real, but it is unconfirmed and I'll remain skeptical until it is confirmed. Personally I'd be disappointed if the Izzet champion had no interaction with instants and sorceries, which is supposed to be Izzet's thing.