Nissa, Steward of Elements
Oracle Text
+2: Scry 2.
0: Look at the top card of your library. If it's a land card or a creature card with converted mana cost less than or equal to the number of loyalty counters on Nissa, Steward of Elements, you may put that card onto the battlefield.
−6: Untap up to two target lands you control. They become 5/5 Elemental creatures with flying and haste until end of turn. They're still lands.
Card Rulings
4/18/2017 If X is 0, Nissa enters the battlefield with no loyalty and is put into her owner’s graveyard before you can activate her abilities.
4/18/2017 While resolving Nissa’s second ability, if you can’t or don’t put the card onto the battlefield, it remains on top of your library.
4/18/2017 Once Nissa’s second ability begins to resolve, no player may take actions until it’s done. Notably, players can’t try to change Nissa’s loyalty once you look at the card or choose to put it onto the battlefield.
4/18/2017 If Nissa leaves the battlefield while her second ability is on the stack, use her last known loyalty to determine whether you may put the top card of your library onto the battlefield. If Nissa left the battlefield because she took enough damage to reduce her loyalty to 0, then her last known loyalty is 0.
4/18/2017 Nissa’s last ability sets the base power and toughness of the lands to 5/5. Any +1/+1 or -1/-1 counters that were on those lands will apply to those values.
It's pretty good in a more aggressive low curve deck it;s a bit like collected company in that respect that this shines if you play a bunch of low creatures. You can just play this at 3 then, scry and get great value the next turns and onwards. Or you play it at 5 and immediately use it.
I don't see such a deck in standard though and in modern it's not good enough probably. And the question is how good is this if you're not a hyperaggressive low curve deck, I expect not so much so i doubt it will see much play.
But a very cool design. Functions similar to domri rade but having the option to play this for 10 as a fireball to the face is really cool.
Edit: Also, holy moly! One of our big 5 walkers branched into a new color!!!!
I was looking into other options. Like, combos with Harvest Season or Rishkar, Peema Renegade and tokens.
As for bumping up her survivability, Oath of Gideon might not be too bad as a starting point; T4 drop her with 3 counters and some blockers. Oath of Ajani too, since it is effectively a colorless mana dork for planeswalkers in enchantment form.
I would steer away from those creatures because while they forward the planeswalker agenda, they are harder to justify on their own as playables. Maulfist and Hauler could both actually be a liability if your opponent manages to stick you with a -1/-1 counter, since they aren't "may" abilities.
I was looking for ways to bust her out fast with little drawback. Thinking about cards like Maulfist Revolutionary and the new camel, Quarry Hauler, to beef her up and give a bit of protection.
Good card though.