is this sarcasm or you being serious, cuz i can name another playable blue 1 dropp that was printed in this block so far....Kraken Hatchling, which by the way was a solid 5th or 6th pick and usually made it in draft decks. Hell I've even seen it played constructed in extended faeries for the board, against fast zoo decks.... stops their 1-2 drops in their tracks....
this is going to be a typical 5th to 8th pick i think....
Correction, it's 7 MANA, MAX level. You only need to pay 3 MANA for a +1, -1 card draw. Besides you don't have to pay for it all at once; yeah you payed for it's entry, it's single level up, but going past that in the early turns are bad.
I had a math fail, 3x2 is not 8
Bleh.
Well, like I said, I can see this working in limited.
In standard, merfolk looter at least hits for one and costs 1U instead of 1UU.
And the whole thing I really hate is sorcery speed.
Im playing blue.
I want my lands untapped during your turn :/
Honestly, I'll never ever use this in anything but limited.
I mean, theres just better ways to spend mana than leveling this thing up... like leveling the chronologist.
However, an active turn 2 looter, in my Limited? It's more likely than you think, and really freaking bonkers to consider. Most looters require turn 3/4 at the earliest to get started. This one can get to work on turn 2 if you don't have a 2 drop. O.o
Excellent point! For limited, this is EXTREMELY relevant and will make this card a high pick for sure.
Really? I remember a lot of people (myself included) being quite happy about playing Jushi Apprentice. This one only takes the investment of 2 of her activations to become a permanent Archivist and it enters play one turn earlier, acting as a Looter in the meantime. It is a good card and it will see play once some pro includes it in a tight fisted control deck, at which point, everyone will forget having said a word against it and even shamelessly will bash new players when they say that it doesn't seem like a good card.
I'm calling it right now- worst rare in the set. Even good limited players will find better bombs at common and uncommon no sweat. Worst. Episode. Ever.
I really do predict this to be our worst rare in set award winner. I'd be happier opening a jar of eyeballs, so I think anything worse is highly unlikely. This card wont just have zero constructed potential, but not be significantly better than a mass of ghouls in a draft.
This is a good Level Up design. Drop first turn, activate second turn and immediately loot. Once it's at Level 1, you can sink 2UU into it and get a whole card. That means the opponent will have to seriously consider killing it once you have 2UU available, or hold up removal mana all the time. Since they likely have their own Level Up creatures to spend on, this card is properly positioned according to cost and format.
i suppose the best thing about level up is that RoE is seeming much slower for limited....which very well could mean the level won't be so bad...people will pay mana to level up rather than cast their spells....
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Daretti, Scrap Savant
Teneb, The Harvester
Brago, King Eternal
This seems inefficient. For a total of 7 mana, you can start getting +1 CA. As a looter its fine, but if i want the added CA, I'd just go with Archivist.
Figure of Destiny seems inefficient, for a total of 11 mana I get an 8/8 flying first stricker?
Crap like this always makes me want to play some new deck with a wonky Ranger of Eos toolbox. This card seems much better than the other level up guys so far, to me.
i do understand that of course, i'm not saying anything about dumping mana into it on one turn.....i'm just discussing about how level up has the same faults as figure of destiny did.....so mana times you got away with playing FoD, pump it once, but when you pumped it to a 4/4 it always took a magma spray to the face, or an incinerate, and they essentially time walked you cuz you dumped all that mana into something to have it die....figure was instant speed pump....this however is sorcery ...making it much much worse... its easier for your opponent to respond to each activation of level up
GOOD NEWS! You can combo these "Levelers" with Gilder Bairn in other formats as you double their level counters, now all that would be required is to tap the Gilder Bairn. Lets say you got on your side of the board:
Gilder Bairn enchanted with Utopia Vow . Three Islands, a Breeding Pool, and a Lighthouse Chronologist with four level counters. It's the phase before your opponent's End Phase and their turn and you:
You tap the Gilder Bairn for 1 green or blue mana, then untap him by paying 2 mana of any color and the mana you produced off the Gilder Bairn. This way you just generated +4 Level Counters on your Chronologist at Instant Speed and upgraded it to level 8 and you get an extra turn as well because it was at the end of an opponents turn.
Now that is merely an example I can give not the "HOLY OMG IT'S BROKE" combo...
This card is great in limited, possibly even better than Merfolk Looter. Worst case he's a looter that costs U more, but you can pay the extra two mana over two turns. He's active on turn 2, and mid to late game he turns into a card advantage machine. Just awesome.
This seems inefficient. For a total of 7 mana, you can start getting +1 CA. As a looter its fine, but if i want the added CA, I'd just go with Archivist.
You're forgetting that this card is better in a lot of situations than Archivist. It can be a 7 mana Archivist if you want it to be, but it can also be a 3 mana merfolk looter, or it could actually do something if you get mana screwed and only have 2 lands, or hell, it could be a chump blocker for 1 if that's all you really need at the moment. Not to mention you could start drawing cards on turn 4 if you casted it earlier (3 mana for +1 card advantage isn't a terrible deal).
is this sarcasm or you being serious, cuz i can name another playable blue 1 dropp that was printed in this block so far....Kraken Hatchling, which by the way was a solid 5th or 6th pick and usually made it in draft decks. Hell I've even seen it played constructed in extended faeries for the board, against fast zoo decks.... stops their 1-2 drops in their tracks....
this is going to be a typical 5th to 8th pick i think....
You're forgetting that this card is better in a lot of situations than Archivist. It can be a 7 mana Archivist if you want it to be, but it can also be a 3 mana merfolk looter, or it could actually do something if you get mana screwed and only have 2 lands, or hell, it could be a chump blocker for 1 if that's all you really need at the moment. Not to mention you could start drawing cards on turn 4 if you casted it earlier (3 mana for +1 card advantage isn't a terrible deal).
By no means am I saying Archivist is strictly better; its not.
But I would rather play Archivist. Looter is 2cmc, and Archivist is 4cmc. This sits pretty at 3cmc to loot, with the ability to draw later on. Thats literally 1 mana away from either! I realize that versatility costs, but I just dont think its worth it in this case.
Also, yeah, it can start drawing a turn earlier than archivist, which is good, no doubt. But that implies that you havent done anything else for your first 4 turns.
Please dont take my hasty remark to mean i think its a bad card. I just honestly mean what I say. Its not efficient for what it does, and I would rather play Archivist. Admittedly, Archivist isn't in standard, but since its the standard creature based card draw in blue, I always compare to it.
By no means am I saying Archivist is strictly better; its not.
But I would rather play Archivist. Looter is 2cmc, and Archivist is 4cmc. This sits pretty at 3cmc to loot, with the ability to draw later on. Thats literally 1 mana away from either! I realize that versatility costs, but I just dont think its worth it in this case.
Also, yeah, it can start drawing a turn earlier than archivist, which is good, no doubt. But that implies that you havent done anything else for your first 4 turns.
Please dont take my hasty remark to mean i think its a bad card. I just honestly mean what I say. Its not efficient for what it does, and I would rather play Archivist. Admittedly, Archivist isn't in standard, but since its the standard creature based card draw in blue, I always compare to it.
Why would you play archivist over this? For 4 mana you get tempo disadvantage the moment it gets hit by cheap removal, and if by chance you untap with him, you only get his effect from turn 5 on. You can drop this guy in turn 1, dodging counterspelling, sitting ready to chumplock if necessary and looking like a waste of a removal card for the opponent. Then you sink your SPARE mana on it. You have something in your hand you can play? Play it! You have a counterspel in your hand? Pass the turn! But if you have neither, sink your mana onto it. If it bites removal you lost absolutely NOTHING and is very likely you got at least one Looter activation (at turn 2!) generating 0 card disadvantage but card quality advantage, and perhaps tempo advantage if they used a Path or a more expensive spell to destroy it.
And then, if everything goes well, you get +1 CA per turn.
I'm calling it right now- worst rare in the set. Even good limited players will find better bombs at common and uncommon no sweat. Worst. Episode. Ever.
I really do predict this to be our worst rare in set award winner. I'd be happier opening a jar of eyeballs, so I think anything worse is highly unlikely. This card wont just have zero constructed potential, but not be significantly better than a mass of ghouls in a draft.
Why would you play archivist over this? For 4 mana you get tempo disadvantage the moment it gets hit by cheap removal, and if by chance you untap with him, you only get his effect from turn 5 on. You can drop this guy in turn 1, dodging counterspelling, sitting ready to chumplock if necessary and looking like a waste of a removal card for the opponent. Then you sink your SPARE mana on it. You have something in your hand you can play? Play it! You have a counterspel in your hand? Pass the turn! But if you have neither, sink your mana onto it. If it bites removal you lost absolutely NOTHING and is very likely you got at least one Looter activation (at turn 2!) generating 0 card disadvantage but card quality advantage, and perhaps tempo advantage if they used a Path or a more expensive spell to destroy it.
And then, if everything goes well, you get +1 CA per turn.
I agree with you for the most part.
But consider. Its never going to actually do anything but loot. Once you sink 5 or 7 mana into it, no matter what the turn, it'll bite it. Sure, you havent lost anything but spare mana up to that point, but would you really want to run what will likely never amount to more than a looter in standard? C'mon.
I agree with you for the most part.
But consider. Its never going to actually do anything but loot. Once you sink 5 or 7 mana into it, no matter what the turn, it'll bite it. Sure, you havent lost anything but spare mana up to that point, but would you really want to run what will likely never amount to more than a looter in standard? C'mon.
I completely agree with you. On a side note, the moment you sink mana into it, your giving your opponent information, pretty much much telling them "look i have no removal or answer so i'll waste my mana on him now leaving me completely vulnerable for your next turn"...playing blue and tapping out, is a sign of a terrible blue player......showing an opponent that you have a potential answer to whatever they may play is why blue is amazing, the moment you take that potential answer away, your opponent no longer has to play cautiously and can play that big bomb spell they wanted.
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Teneb, The Harvester
Brago, King Eternal
I'm starting to think that a Leveler is "decent" if it "does something" at level 1. Like that red dude that's a 6/6 for 6 at level 1. This guy is like a hasted looter on turn 2, if you dropped it on turn one. I dunno, but some decks like looters.
You don't have to get it to level 3, and depending on what you're up against, you might have enough time, or free mana, to do so.
What is with Wizards taking what could have been a good mechanic and making it complete crap. Seriously a 0/1 that lets you draw a card for 7. The least they could have done was make it a 2/4 for that kind of mana. People keep talking about power creep, these creatures are power crap.
What is with Wizards taking what could have been a good mechanic and making it complete crap. Seriously a 0/1 that lets you draw a card for 7. The least they could have done was make it a 2/4 for that kind of mana. People keep talking about power creep, these creatures are power crap.
Hmm
Maybe but you forget you DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR EVERY LEVEL AND NOT ALL AT ONCE.
At level 0 - A 1cc chump blocker
At level 1 - A 1cc chump blocker that can draw you a card (but you got to discard 1)
At level 1 - A 1cc chump blocker that draws you a card and doesn't make you discard a card.
You have a counterspel in your hand? Pass the turn! But if you have neither, sink your mana onto it.
Telling your opponent that you don't have a counterspell in hand seems like a pretty bad idea. You will only have mana to level up in turn 5 or 6 when you can level and keep counter mana open. By then you can have a jace instead...
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Or an even better blue 1-drop, Hedron Crab!
Modern
Fish
Legacy
Fish
EDH
BGRProssh, Skyraider of Kher BGR
Level 1 Judge
I had a math fail, 3x2 is not 8
Bleh.
Well, like I said, I can see this working in limited.
In standard, merfolk looter at least hits for one and costs 1U instead of 1UU.
And the whole thing I really hate is sorcery speed.
Im playing blue.
I want my lands untapped during your turn :/
Honestly, I'll never ever use this in anything but limited.
I mean, theres just better ways to spend mana than leveling this thing up... like leveling the chronologist.
UWBSharuum the HegemonBWU
UAzami, Lady of ScrollsU
UGMomir Vig, Simic VisionaryGU
GAzusa, Lost but SeekingG
GUEdric, Spymaster of TrestGU
yes!...i actually forgot him...he's really amazing....good call
EDH/Commander
Daretti, Scrap Savant
Teneb, The Harvester
Brago, King Eternal
Excellent point! For limited, this is EXTREMELY relevant and will make this card a high pick for sure.
EDH/Commander
Daretti, Scrap Savant
Teneb, The Harvester
Brago, King Eternal
Figure of Destiny seems inefficient, for a total of 11 mana I get an 8/8 flying first stricker?
GOOD NEWS! You can combo these "Levelers" with Gilder Bairn in other formats as you double their level counters, now all that would be required is to tap the Gilder Bairn. Lets say you got on your side of the board:
Gilder Bairn enchanted with Utopia Vow . Three Islands, a Breeding Pool, and a Lighthouse Chronologist with four level counters. It's the phase before your opponent's End Phase and their turn and you:
You tap the Gilder Bairn for 1 green or blue mana, then untap him by paying 2 mana of any color and the mana you produced off the Gilder Bairn. This way you just generated +4 Level Counters on your Chronologist at Instant Speed and upgraded it to level 8 and you get an extra turn as well because it was at the end of an opponents turn.
Now that is merely an example I can give not the "HOLY OMG IT'S BROKE" combo...
I see what you did there!
But no.
Figure of destiny activates at instant speed and can help dodge removal by pumping its own power and toughness.
This guy does none of that. There's no comparison.
You're forgetting that this card is better in a lot of situations than Archivist. It can be a 7 mana Archivist if you want it to be, but it can also be a 3 mana merfolk looter, or it could actually do something if you get mana screwed and only have 2 lands, or hell, it could be a chump blocker for 1 if that's all you really need at the moment. Not to mention you could start drawing cards on turn 4 if you casted it earlier (3 mana for +1 card advantage isn't a terrible deal).
So that makes three? (Counting the Hedron Crab)
Four! The countering merfolk.
no its only 3 cuz the enclave is not a good 1 drop....its okay....not good....and should not be put on the same level as the other 3
EDH/Commander
Daretti, Scrap Savant
Teneb, The Harvester
Brago, King Eternal
In limited he is really nice because he doesn't take too much mana to make a looter, and late game when you don't have a discard, you don't need one.
On the flip side he's very small, but that doesn't look like it matters much in ROE, so expect to pick him high!
By no means am I saying Archivist is strictly better; its not.
But I would rather play Archivist. Looter is 2cmc, and Archivist is 4cmc. This sits pretty at 3cmc to loot, with the ability to draw later on. Thats literally 1 mana away from either! I realize that versatility costs, but I just dont think its worth it in this case.
Also, yeah, it can start drawing a turn earlier than archivist, which is good, no doubt. But that implies that you havent done anything else for your first 4 turns.
Please dont take my hasty remark to mean i think its a bad card. I just honestly mean what I say. Its not efficient for what it does, and I would rather play Archivist. Admittedly, Archivist isn't in standard, but since its the standard creature based card draw in blue, I always compare to it.
Why would you play archivist over this? For 4 mana you get tempo disadvantage the moment it gets hit by cheap removal, and if by chance you untap with him, you only get his effect from turn 5 on. You can drop this guy in turn 1, dodging counterspelling, sitting ready to chumplock if necessary and looking like a waste of a removal card for the opponent. Then you sink your SPARE mana on it. You have something in your hand you can play? Play it! You have a counterspel in your hand? Pass the turn! But if you have neither, sink your mana onto it. If it bites removal you lost absolutely NOTHING and is very likely you got at least one Looter activation (at turn 2!) generating 0 card disadvantage but card quality advantage, and perhaps tempo advantage if they used a Path or a more expensive spell to destroy it.
And then, if everything goes well, you get +1 CA per turn.
I agree with you for the most part.
But consider. Its never going to actually do anything but loot. Once you sink 5 or 7 mana into it, no matter what the turn, it'll bite it. Sure, you havent lost anything but spare mana up to that point, but would you really want to run what will likely never amount to more than a looter in standard? C'mon.
I completely agree with you. On a side note, the moment you sink mana into it, your giving your opponent information, pretty much much telling them "look i have no removal or answer so i'll waste my mana on him now leaving me completely vulnerable for your next turn"...playing blue and tapping out, is a sign of a terrible blue player......showing an opponent that you have a potential answer to whatever they may play is why blue is amazing, the moment you take that potential answer away, your opponent no longer has to play cautiously and can play that big bomb spell they wanted.
EDH/Commander
Daretti, Scrap Savant
Teneb, The Harvester
Brago, King Eternal
You don't have to get it to level 3, and depending on what you're up against, you might have enough time, or free mana, to do so.
I like this card, it's a decent one drop.
It's strange that so many people choose to be stupid...
Hmm
Maybe but you forget you DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR EVERY LEVEL AND NOT ALL AT ONCE.
At level 0 - A 1cc chump blocker
At level 1 - A 1cc chump blocker that can draw you a card (but you got to discard 1)
At level 1 - A 1cc chump blocker that draws you a card and doesn't make you discard a card.
Telling your opponent that you don't have a counterspell in hand seems like a pretty bad idea. You will only have mana to level up in turn 5 or 6 when you can level and keep counter mana open. By then you can have a jace instead...