It's good in different situations than Odric, I don't agree that it's just straight up more powerful. Odric lets you play out all your stuff and get bonuses off of your own creatures, and he buffs your whole team. This card only buffs itself, and is only really good for winning against an opponent who plays a lot of cards with strong keyword abilities, otherwise it is a 5 mana 3/3. It's a lot more reactive and conditional than Odric which I think makes up for the difference in how strong it can be in a best-case scenario.
Odrix, Parasite Queen 3BB
Legendary Creature - Insect (m)
At the beginning of each combat, if your opponents control any creatures with flying, those creatures lose flying until end of turn and Odrix gains flying until end of turn. The same is true for first strike, double strike, deathtouch, haste, hexproof, indestructible, lifelink, menace, reach, trample, and vigilance. Odrix gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each creature that lost any abilities this way.
3/3
I wouldn't go all in unless I didn't expect my opponent to have an answer but I did kill someone from 12 with this combo in Sealed. It's not something I would go all in on early in the game but it can certainly steal games.
Using the average precons as a 5 for comparison, and assuming this is all for multiplayer:
Ulamog, The Ceaseless Hunger: 8.5 This deck is missing Mana Crypt and Metalworker and probably sacrifices optimal cards for some fun huge Eldrazi like Void Winnower, but it can control a table decently and soft-lock people with Eye of Ugin + Kozilek as well as the old Strip Mine + Crucible combo. It mostly comes out quickly with lots of rocks and exiles lands if there's no better target, and Ulamog wins on a stalled board, even if he never connects with combat damage. The lack of cheap tutors, infinite combos, and not a ton of ways to interact at instant speed is what keeps the deck from being rated higher, and it's definitely vulnerable to mass artifact/nonbasic land hate. The deck got a lot better when Wastes and Thought-Knot Seer got printed.
Karlov: 8. Karlov starts playing magic on turn 1 and he can get to killing size by turn 4 or 5 without a problem. The deck packs a lot of removal, but Karlov is vulnerable to spot removal himself, if he dies a bunch of times it can be hard to get going again. It plays attrition surprisingly well, though, and if you get wrecked by wrath or something after a strong start you can often rebuild.
Xenagos: 6.5. Xenagos himself usually doesn't go anywhere, and it's not unusual for someone to die in 1-2 combat steps, but if you don't draw your ramp this deck gets outsped and stomped on hard. I usually either get a stellar draw or don't win with this deck, but it certainly can easily, easily get there if someone sleeps on it.
Scion of the Ur-Dragon: 8.5. This is more of a control combo deck, usually winning with Living Death or Patriarch's Bidding. I rarely win with commander damage. There are a ton of sweepers and a lot of charms. Obviously weak to nonbasic land hate and good graveyard hate, but not much else. Scion really does everything, though I have a tendency to get either mana screwed or flooded almost every time I play it.
Jori En: 7. This deck is stupid, it doesn't do anything until it wins the game with Splinter Twin et al. It's certainly annoying to play against, it steals creatures and has some decent control elements, but has very few ways to deal with resolved artifacts and enchantments, not to mention hexproof creatures, and also runs no tutors that can find Splinter Twin pieces. It runs counterspells so it can rumble with any combo decks that aren't trying too hard, and occasionally will just lock out the table with Patron Wizard, but Jori En is a fairly underwhelming commander.
I run a Karlov lifegain deck that gets Karlov very big very fast, and I had someone use a removal spell on Karlov so that a different person could combo out with Niv-Mizzet/Ophidian Eye because they would rather lose to that than to combat damage from Karlov.
This format is a ton of fun, have done about 5 paper drafts and played a different color combination every time, with about equal success. Every color combination seems viable, though anything with madness feels pretty unfair.
1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
I've done 20-25 paper drafts, with 6-10 people per draft
2) Which common was better than you expected?
I thought Saddleback Lagac would be okay but it's actually very very good. Same with Blinding Drone, I didn't take into account that if you're playing blue you're almost always playing colorless. Honestly this list could be much longer, there were many many commons that played better than expected. Things like Cinder Hellion and Akoum Flameseeker had places, and even something like Dazzling Reflection was a playable trick.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
I thought Affa Protector would have some place because it has synergy with Cohort and Support but it's just incredibly mediocre and never really gets through.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
People at my LGS finally caught on to Saddleback Lagac after like 5 weeks. Makindi Aeronaut is pretty underappreciated IMO. It does everything you could want in this set.
5) What's the worst common that people still play? Sky Scourer is so bad, and losing to it feels worse.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
G/W Support.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
Although I had moderate success with U/R Surge decks, it still wasn't the best archetype.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
White is easily the best because it's not split between Colorless and noncolorless. Blue is the worst because it's only colorless so it commits you to picking lands and the payoff is basically just blinding drone. It's still perfectly playable, especially since it's still good in pack three.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
It was a lot of fun, lots of different archetypes, but Oblivion Strike and Isolation Zone really warped the format. We haven't had such cheap unconditional removal at common in a while and both of them being in what were already the best archetype made it painful to not play B/W. It reminded me of Abzan (really just B/W splashing G)in Khans of Tarkir where I could draft some janky commons and removal and just win anyway. It got to the point that I was glad not to see Oblivion Strike or Isolation Zone early because then I could draft something else that's more interesting.
The biggest issue I had with drafting werewolves IRL is that because all the werewolves are DFCs, everyone else at the table knows you're drafting werewolves and can hatedraft cards from you accordingly. Like, "oh the pack 3 is mediocre for me but there's a Mayor of Avabruck, better hatedraft it so that guy, Jim, I'm passing to who took all the other werewolves doesn't have it," or "oh hey a late Villagers of Estwald/Moonmist, better stop Jim from wheeling that because there's not a lot for me in the pack."
In my experience, actually playing Werewolves is great because when the game goes late your guys are pretty much always Werewolves. This will be exacerbated even more in Shadows over Innistrad because there is nothing similar to Flashback to make it a little easier to cast 2 spells a turn late in the game.
Having played this format a ton, it's easily the best green common. It rewards curving out and it rewards going wide. Both strategies are very strong against a format with 4-mana unconditional 1-for-1 removal. You beat Oblivion Strike and Isolation Zone by having multiple cheap threats, and Saddleback is key to doing that. It comboes well with Scion Summoner, with evasive white allies like Aeronaut, Sky Climber, and the 3/1 that gets first strike, with evasive blue creatures like Skyspawner and Benthic Infiltrator, and with Zada's Commando/ Goblin Freerunner. The best case is that it's a 4-mana common that puts 5 power on the board, 2 of which can attack immediately, and that scenario comes up more often than you would think.
I refused to play Propheet of Kruphix when it was legal because it's a stupid card, I feel vindicated that it got banned.
I just built a R/U deck with Nin (probably changing it to Jori En) and I think I should take out Splinter Twin, I've already won several games with it, one of which I really couldn't have won otherwise, despite only finishing the deck yesterday. Kiki-Jiki is okay, he has lots of other synergies with the deck, but Splinter Twin seems a bit much.
I dislike playing Cyclonic Rift but it's just so good that every blue deck kind of needs to run it.
yeah the power level of a good Sultai colorless deck is through the roof. You get card advantage engines like Mindmelter, Prophet of Distortion, and Balth Null, great removal, great tempo cards, good finishers like Birthing Hulk. B/G/u/c or G/U/b/c are both excellent.
When the set first came out I drafted white every time because no one else had discovered that Ondu War Cleric into a 3-drop Ally into Spawnbinder was really really good. Now its never ever open but I always end up with a cool deck. last night I first picked Jori En and ended up with a great U/R/c Surge control deck.
It's garbage, 0/10, would never play except in extreme corner cases (multiple Containment Membrane/Visions of Brutality/Chitinous Cloak). The list of important cards it doesn't hit (Isolation Zone, Retreat to Emeria, Dampening Pulse) is greater than the list of important cards it does.
I've had success with G/U/C ramp, sometimes splashing black for Baloth Null or Mindmelter or something. I haven't gotten to draft G.W, the're never open together. Green is definitely playable and even good in this set, which is a nice change of pace from BFZ.
It's fine, kills some things that need killing that don't usually get into combat (Prophet of Distortion, Mindmelter, Dragonmaster Outcast, Nettle Drone, Ruination guide), kills the two common white 3 power allies, and is a decent combat trick but I would sure rather have Grasp or Oblivion Strike
Legendary Creature - Insect (m)
At the beginning of each combat, if your opponents control any creatures with flying, those creatures lose flying until end of turn and Odrix gains flying until end of turn. The same is true for first strike, double strike, deathtouch, haste, hexproof, indestructible, lifelink, menace, reach, trample, and vigilance. Odrix gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each creature that lost any abilities this way.
3/3
Ulamog, The Ceaseless Hunger: 8.5 This deck is missing Mana Crypt and Metalworker and probably sacrifices optimal cards for some fun huge Eldrazi like Void Winnower, but it can control a table decently and soft-lock people with Eye of Ugin + Kozilek as well as the old Strip Mine + Crucible combo. It mostly comes out quickly with lots of rocks and exiles lands if there's no better target, and Ulamog wins on a stalled board, even if he never connects with combat damage. The lack of cheap tutors, infinite combos, and not a ton of ways to interact at instant speed is what keeps the deck from being rated higher, and it's definitely vulnerable to mass artifact/nonbasic land hate. The deck got a lot better when Wastes and Thought-Knot Seer got printed.
Karlov: 8. Karlov starts playing magic on turn 1 and he can get to killing size by turn 4 or 5 without a problem. The deck packs a lot of removal, but Karlov is vulnerable to spot removal himself, if he dies a bunch of times it can be hard to get going again. It plays attrition surprisingly well, though, and if you get wrecked by wrath or something after a strong start you can often rebuild.
Xenagos: 6.5. Xenagos himself usually doesn't go anywhere, and it's not unusual for someone to die in 1-2 combat steps, but if you don't draw your ramp this deck gets outsped and stomped on hard. I usually either get a stellar draw or don't win with this deck, but it certainly can easily, easily get there if someone sleeps on it.
Scion of the Ur-Dragon: 8.5. This is more of a control combo deck, usually winning with Living Death or Patriarch's Bidding. I rarely win with commander damage. There are a ton of sweepers and a lot of charms. Obviously weak to nonbasic land hate and good graveyard hate, but not much else. Scion really does everything, though I have a tendency to get either mana screwed or flooded almost every time I play it.
Jori En: 7. This deck is stupid, it doesn't do anything until it wins the game with Splinter Twin et al. It's certainly annoying to play against, it steals creatures and has some decent control elements, but has very few ways to deal with resolved artifacts and enchantments, not to mention hexproof creatures, and also runs no tutors that can find Splinter Twin pieces. It runs counterspells so it can rumble with any combo decks that aren't trying too hard, and occasionally will just lock out the table with Patron Wizard, but Jori En is a fairly underwhelming commander.
I've done 20-25 paper drafts, with 6-10 people per draft
2) Which common was better than you expected?
I thought Saddleback Lagac would be okay but it's actually very very good. Same with Blinding Drone, I didn't take into account that if you're playing blue you're almost always playing colorless. Honestly this list could be much longer, there were many many commons that played better than expected. Things like Cinder Hellion and Akoum Flameseeker had places, and even something like Dazzling Reflection was a playable trick.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
I thought Affa Protector would have some place because it has synergy with Cohort and Support but it's just incredibly mediocre and never really gets through.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
People at my LGS finally caught on to Saddleback Lagac after like 5 weeks. Makindi Aeronaut is pretty underappreciated IMO. It does everything you could want in this set.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Sky Scourer is so bad, and losing to it feels worse.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
G/W Support.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
Although I had moderate success with U/R Surge decks, it still wasn't the best archetype.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
White is easily the best because it's not split between Colorless and noncolorless. Blue is the worst because it's only colorless so it commits you to picking lands and the payoff is basically just blinding drone. It's still perfectly playable, especially since it's still good in pack three.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
It was a lot of fun, lots of different archetypes, but Oblivion Strike and Isolation Zone really warped the format. We haven't had such cheap unconditional removal at common in a while and both of them being in what were already the best archetype made it painful to not play B/W. It reminded me of Abzan (really just B/W splashing G)in Khans of Tarkir where I could draft some janky commons and removal and just win anyway. It got to the point that I was glad not to see Oblivion Strike or Isolation Zone early because then I could draft something else that's more interesting.
In my experience, actually playing Werewolves is great because when the game goes late your guys are pretty much always Werewolves. This will be exacerbated even more in Shadows over Innistrad because there is nothing similar to Flashback to make it a little easier to cast 2 spells a turn late in the game.
I just built a R/U deck with Nin (probably changing it to Jori En) and I think I should take out Splinter Twin, I've already won several games with it, one of which I really couldn't have won otherwise, despite only finishing the deck yesterday. Kiki-Jiki is okay, he has lots of other synergies with the deck, but Splinter Twin seems a bit much.
I dislike playing Cyclonic Rift but it's just so good that every blue deck kind of needs to run it.
When the set first came out I drafted white every time because no one else had discovered that Ondu War Cleric into a 3-drop Ally into Spawnbinder was really really good. Now its never ever open but I always end up with a cool deck. last night I first picked Jori En and ended up with a great U/R/c Surge control deck.