I doubt this is the right place for the question, since 1) this is a flavor-oriented forum, and 2) if flavor was the only consideration, the Eldrazi (and most fatties) would have trample. But this is one of those mechanics-trump-rules issues, and Development obviously thinks big creatures would be too good if they all had trample, and so the flavor suffers again.
They don't have trample because by the time they get to something, it's Annihilated.
I think that's the Flavor behind it, and that's why they don't have it mechanically.
http://magiccards.info/roe/en/162.html
It also has it. But other than a few random eldrazi gifted with it, it seems that is also only on a gift, meaning that if you aren't used to the body of an eldrazi, you might gain their ability to annihilate and still awkwardly trample over stuff.
And in the case of Rapacious One, it's clearly a beast that got assimilated by the drone stuff, i'm not even sure if that works, but it seems to be an anomaly for eldrazi to have trample
Magic has a long history of not giving huge creatures Trample, and there is a good reason for that. And no, it is not becuase "they'd be too good".
I've always thought that there was a good reason (flavorwise) to explain it. And here it is:
Trample: Trample is symbolic of a furious forward push of momentum so that the impact carries through the blocker. Look at the following examples: War elephant and Defiant Elf. They are not big creatures (p/t wise) but they have trample. Why? Becuase of the ferocious nature of their attack. It is well know that Elephants charge when they attack. And look at the elf's flavour. Dude lost his home. He's angry as all hell, you can see it in his eyes.
Fatties:My theory here is that they are lazy and cumbersome. Sure, they are huge, but they just lumber around the wood all day. So, if they were engaged in a battle they'd probably be attacked from all directions by smaller creatures. When I picture these huge creatures fighting they are standing on one spot, holding their ground as they get pelted from all directions. (think king kong or godzilla fighting the army)
Solution: Since giant creatures don't charge as much as they just stand there and be huge I've always thought that there should be a new keyword to represent that. Let's call it Knockback: whenever a creature blocks or is blocked by this creature, tap it. It does not untap during its controllers next upkeep.
Flavorwise this makes perfect since big creatures don't charge, they just toss countless attackers flying in every which direction. The tap is representitive of them attacking said creature and being sent promptly flying into a tree; or trying to block the slow but steady progress of this huge creature and being swatted aside like a fly.
Fatties:My theory here is that they are lazy and cumbersome. Sure, they are huge, but they just lumber around the wood all day. So, if they were engaged in a battle they'd probably be attacked from all directions by smaller creatures. When I picture these huge creatures fighting they are standing on one spot, holding their ground as they get pelted from all directions.
That does not sound like "attacking" to me, and attacking is when trample becomes relevant.
In the end annihilate + Trample is too powerful a combination. The Eldrazi are designed to come down quickly, giving them trample would end the game far too quickly.
Trample represents a fighting stlye. A creature with trample barrels through barriers rather than staying and engaging the enemy.
You have two giants, the green one runs at the opponent, tears through a goblin sent in his way, and smashes the player.
the other giant attacks, sees the goblins, stops, draws his warhammer and smashes the goblin to bits.
This is one way I have always seen it.
Big creatures that could easily trample on but don't either:
1. Lack focus, get drawn into engaging the chump blocker
2. Lack control, take out all their aggression on the 1st thing they encounter
3. Lack endurance, go through the effort of squishing the chump, nap time
4. Lack mindset, for various reasons, don't leave fallen foes behind forgotten
Bane's Reading Suggestions David Eddings: The Belgariad, Mallorean, Elenium and Tamuli Series. The Redemption of Althalus Jim Butcher: The Codex Alera Series
I like my convoluted over-thought explanation better (in general). But as far as the specific example of Eldrazi goes I can agree with MajoraX.
I like it better, too. The examples of the small Tramplers is fairly convincing. Trample could be defined as "momentum." It is assumed that, physically (in Newtonian terms!), larger creatures have more momentum, but in terms of combat effectiveness, momentum is a function of how well they get past a blocker, for whatever reason.
I'm guessing the reason the Eldrazi don't have trample is because their power. Usually, creatures with 10 or 11 toughness with trample have huge drawbacks. Take Jokulmorder for example. He's a 12/12 with trample. You have to sacrifice 5 lands just to get him into play. And to be able to cast him, I'm guessing you might not have enough islands left in your library to succesfully untap him and be able to attack with him. WOTC just didn't have enough room for drawbacks.
As for flavor, since the Eldrazi aren't attacking a particular player/planeswalker, rather they are attacking everything, it justifies annihlator as a handy replacement for trample.
An elephant tramples over a creature and continues on to smack the player.
Eldrazi dont just overrun, they stop and suck up some of the land before killing the blocking creature and dont bother going after the player.
Thats my guess lol
Game balance. Any flavorful justification is just that, a justification, of a game balance issue.
Flavor is good, but Magic: The Gathering is a card game, and gameplay has to take precedence in the big picture, even if it means the flavor doesn't always make sense.
Actually, why the Eldrazi don't have trample can be explained in flavor for them. The Eldrazi are feeding off of the mana of the planet. So they move slowly and take their time eating that mana in a slow moving wake of destruction.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Firm believer that Net-decks are the root of a great number of ills in the game of Magic.
I think that the answer to this question is that trample has absolutely nothing to do with size. In fact, I think of Trample as a deep-seated fury and battlelust that drives a creature to not only damage its opponents, but to be unsatisfied, and have to take out their raw anger on their opponents.
Rancor effectively gives trample, and rancor means bitterness or resentfulness. Trample creatures resent your opponent enough to keep on going.
Defiant Elf is another perfect example of this. It defies any sort of honor for its opponents or opponents' creatures, and won't be satisfied until it has dealt its damage.
I think it's probably because the eldrazi are just slow. I don't picture them as fast moving things, I see them as just trudging along stomping on anything that gets in their way.
As for other big beaters that don't have trample, I think a lot have the mindset of a bull. They might charge and whomp the poor goblin, but it's going to stick around and fling it's dead body around a little bit.
tramply dudes are pissed off and just rampage around smashing through walls and groups of defenders and just keep on movin.
for example: take a look at the art on rampaging baloths. the flavor text specifically talks about them being angry. and plus, their name says they are rampaging. look how pissed off they appear, and they are definitely charging, scoffing at any pitiful walls or puny defenders in their way.
from dictionary.com
ram·page
noun, verb, -paged, -pag·ing.
violent or excited behavior that is reckless, uncontrolled, or destructive.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"I will flay the skin from your flesh and the flesh from your bones and scrape your bones dry. And still you will not have suffered enough." -Greven il-Vec, to Gerrard
What is Trample and why don't the Eldrazi have it? Why doesn't every huge creature have it?
J
I think that answers my question, though. tx.
J
I think that's the Flavor behind it, and that's why they don't have it mechanically.
You have two giants, the green one runs at the opponent, tears through a goblin sent in his way, and smashes the player.
the other giant attacks, sees the goblins, stops, draws his warhammer and smashes the goblin to bits.
Modern:
Affinity
EDH:
Rhys (Tokens)
Karrthus (Dragons)
Bruna (Auras OP)
It also has it. But other than a few random eldrazi gifted with it, it seems that is also only on a gift, meaning that if you aren't used to the body of an eldrazi, you might gain their ability to annihilate and still awkwardly trample over stuff.
And in the case of Rapacious One, it's clearly a beast that got assimilated by the drone stuff, i'm not even sure if that works, but it seems to be an anomaly for eldrazi to have trample
I've always thought that there was a good reason (flavorwise) to explain it. And here it is:
Trample: Trample is symbolic of a furious forward push of momentum so that the impact carries through the blocker. Look at the following examples:
War elephant and Defiant Elf. They are not big creatures (p/t wise) but they have trample. Why? Becuase of the ferocious nature of their attack. It is well know that Elephants charge when they attack. And look at the elf's flavour. Dude lost his home. He's angry as all hell, you can see it in his eyes.
Fatties: My theory here is that they are lazy and cumbersome. Sure, they are huge, but they just lumber around the wood all day. So, if they were engaged in a battle they'd probably be attacked from all directions by smaller creatures. When I picture these huge creatures fighting they are standing on one spot, holding their ground as they get pelted from all directions. (think king kong or godzilla fighting the army)
Solution: Since giant creatures don't charge as much as they just stand there and be huge I've always thought that there should be a new keyword to represent that. Let's call it Knockback: whenever a creature blocks or is blocked by this creature, tap it. It does not untap during its controllers next upkeep.
Flavorwise this makes perfect since big creatures don't charge, they just toss countless attackers flying in every which direction. The tap is representitive of them attacking said creature and being sent promptly flying into a tree; or trying to block the slow but steady progress of this huge creature and being swatted aside like a fly.
Perhaps the power of the Eldrazi drives thing uncontrollably mad?
I think they actually have that ability, usually on white creatures.
yeah, Ghostcloak Cavalier has it, and he has a hoars.
This is one way I have always seen it.
Big creatures that could easily trample on but don't either:
1. Lack focus, get drawn into engaging the chump blocker
2. Lack control, take out all their aggression on the 1st thing they encounter
3. Lack endurance, go through the effort of squishing the chump, nap time
4. Lack mindset, for various reasons, don't leave fallen foes behind forgotten
Under Original Management!
Bane's Reading Suggestions
David Eddings: The Belgariad, Mallorean, Elenium and Tamuli Series. The Redemption of Althalus
Jim Butcher: The Codex Alera Series
I like it better, too. The examples of the small Tramplers is fairly convincing. Trample could be defined as "momentum." It is assumed that, physically (in Newtonian terms!), larger creatures have more momentum, but in terms of combat effectiveness, momentum is a function of how well they get past a blocker, for whatever reason.
J
As for flavor, since the Eldrazi aren't attacking a particular player/planeswalker, rather they are attacking everything, it justifies annihlator as a handy replacement for trample.
The [Pack]
Eldrazi dont just overrun, they stop and suck up some of the land before killing the blocking creature and dont bother going after the player.
Thats my guess lol
Nicol Bolas, a balance of Vorthos and PowerUBR
Nath of the Gilt LeafBG
Others
Squee, Goblin of AwesomenessR
Nekusar, the Mindblazer!UBR
Vela the NightcladUB
I used to be a world champion, but then I took a wolf to the knee. And three Galvanic Blasts to the face.
Concerning when returning to Kamigawa would be acceptable
Game balance. Any flavorful justification is just that, a justification, of a game balance issue.
Flavor is good, but Magic: The Gathering is a card game, and gameplay has to take precedence in the big picture, even if it means the flavor doesn't always make sense.
R Citizen Cane (Feldon of the Third Path)
Firm believer that Net-decks are the root of a great number of ills in the game of Magic.
Rancor effectively gives trample, and rancor means bitterness or resentfulness. Trample creatures resent your opponent enough to keep on going.
Defiant Elf is another perfect example of this. It defies any sort of honor for its opponents or opponents' creatures, and won't be satisfied until it has dealt its damage.
GX Tron XG
UR Phoenix RU
GG Freyalise High Tide GG
UR Parun Counterspells RU
BB Yawgmoth Token Storm BB
WB Pestilence BW
As for other big beaters that don't have trample, I think a lot have the mindset of a bull. They might charge and whomp the poor goblin, but it's going to stick around and fling it's dead body around a little bit.
WRBoros
RKuldotha Red
for example: take a look at the art on rampaging baloths. the flavor text specifically talks about them being angry. and plus, their name says they are rampaging. look how pissed off they appear, and they are definitely charging, scoffing at any pitiful walls or puny defenders in their way.
from dictionary.com
ram·page
noun, verb, -paged, -pag·ing.
violent or excited behavior that is reckless, uncontrolled, or destructive.
EDH
GUBVorosh, the HunterGUB
BRGKarrthus, Tyrant of JundBRG
GMolimo, Maro-SorcererG
UThada Adel, AcquisitorU list soon
BEndrek Sahr, Master BreederB
Oh, and game balance and all and such.