Venerated Loxodon4W Creature — Elephant Cleric {R}
Convoke
When Venerated Loxodon enters the battlefield, puta +1/+1 counter on each creature that convoked it.
4/4
Blood Operative1BB Creature — Vampire Assassin {R}
Lifelink
When Blood Operative enters the battlefield, you my exile target card from a graveyard.
Whenever you surveil, if Blood Operative is in your graveyard, you may pay 3 life. If you do, return Blood Operative to your hand.
3/1
Blood Operative looks pretty good. Graveyard hate + mana-free recursion is a pretty solid combo, and he even has Lifelink so he basically pays for his own recursion if he dies in combat.
Blood Operative is literally perfect for Desecrated Tomb. Synergizes with that you want to do in a grave based deck anyway and triggers Tomb whether you cast it or dump it.
That loxodon is a really cool design. I love it when cards synergize so directly with the mechanics they represent.
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"Pop in, find a dragon, roast a dragon."
-Chandra Nalaar
Free anthem plus 4/4 body seems pretty freaking alright, and Blood Operative looks like it could get interesting as part of an engine.
Overall these look like two quite-good rares.
Cue "Can you convoke with more creatures than a spell's mana cost?" rules discussion.
So, Blood Operative is self-recurring (and paying for itself) anti-Izzet/Golgari tech, right?
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Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
I get these "when you surveil" cards are to make Surveil into a distinct limited playstyle or whatever, but "when a card enters your graveyard from your library" would just be so much less parasitic for older formats - plus none yet would be breakable with that clause.
I get these "when you surveil" cards are to make Surveil into a distinct limited playstyle or whatever, but "when a card enters your graveyard from your library" would just be so much less parasitic for older formats - plus none yet would be breakable with that clause.
I'd wager the chances that surveil comes back as a set / block mechanic or even a deciduous scry alternative are pretty close to 100%. So I'm not too displeased by seeing these kinds of abilities. It doesn't seem parasitic to me, it seems like planting seeds for the future.
[quote from="emeticLunch »" url="/forums/magic-fundamentals/the-rumor-mill/798481-venerated-loxodon-blood-operative?comment=9"]I'd wager the chances that surveil comes back as a set / block mechanic or even a deciduous scry alternative are pretty close to 100%. So I'm not too displeased by seeing these kinds of abilities. It doesn't seem parasitic to me, it seems like planting seeds for the future.
They've been looking for a reusable blue/black specific mechanic for ages, surveil might finally be it. Two problems with that - it's potentially really powerful with graveyard strats, and it's not a combat ability like menace is for black/red or double strike for white/red.
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"Masques Block is the worst block ever! There's not one decent card in there! The whole internet say's so, you're literally the only person who ever said it was good!" - random noob in a conversation with an Eldrazi.
I don't think Surveil will become evergreen because it is to similar to Scry. They actually did not include Scry in this set because it is too similar. So they are not willing to have both in a set. I love the mechanic, but I don't think it is here to stay.
I also hope they do more with this kind of Convoke trigger. That is much more clever than anything else they did with Convoke.
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Drop your knees to the floor
Hands to the sky
Give a round of applause
For the great Miss Y!
[quote from="emeticLunch »" url="/forums/magic-fundamentals/the-rumor-mill/798481-venerated-loxodon-blood-operative?comment=9"]I'd wager the chances that surveil comes back as a set / block mechanic or even a deciduous scry alternative are pretty close to 100%. So I'm not too displeased by seeing these kinds of abilities. It doesn't seem parasitic to me, it seems like planting seeds for the future.
They've been looking for a reusable blue/black specific mechanic for ages, surveil might finally be it. Two problems with that - it's potentially really powerful with graveyard strats, and it's not a combat ability like menace is for black/red or double strike for white/red.
Not yet, but it could probably be engineered to do so. Such as Thoughtbound Phantasm or something like Surveil 2, if you place a land in the graveyard, put a +1/+1 counter on ~ or whatever.
For kicks, can anyone think of a way to Convoke out the Loxodon on turn 2 in Modern?
I'm not saying it would be good, but fun for sure.
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Playing since 1994: Currently MAGS (HomeBrew),Standard & Pauper (Pioneer and Modern are degenerate trash formats)
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
I don't think Surveil will become evergreen because it is to similar to Scry. They actually did not include Scry in this set because it is too similar. So they are not willing to have both in a set. I love the mechanic, but I don't think it is here to stay.
I also hope they do more with this kind of Convoke trigger. That is much more clever than anything else they did with Convoke.
I wouldn´t mind surveil taking over for scry to be honest. Surveil can be build around so much better than Scry
Loxodon's flavor is actually very good too. Other creatures venerate and kneel to the Loxodon by tapping, and they get stronger in their faith to him. No need for a flavor text.
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Pioneer - A bunch of stuff Modern - Humans Legacy - Grixis Phoenix / Death & Taxes
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Creature — Elephant Cleric {R}
Convoke
When Venerated Loxodon enters the battlefield, puta +1/+1 counter on each creature that convoked it.
4/4
Creature — Vampire Assassin {R}
Lifelink
When Blood Operative enters the battlefield, you my exile target card from a graveyard.
Whenever you surveil, if Blood Operative is in your graveyard, you may pay 3 life. If you do, return Blood Operative to your hand.
3/1
Overall these look like two quite-good rares.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
The loxodon rewards creatures that convoke it’s cost
And the blood operative is graveyard hate
That loxodon is a really cool design. I love it when cards synergize so directly with the mechanics they represent.
-Chandra Nalaar
Cue "Can you convoke with more creatures than a spell's mana cost?" rules discussion.
So, Blood Operative is self-recurring (and paying for itself) anti-Izzet/Golgari tech, right?
On phasing:
They've been looking for a reusable blue/black specific mechanic for ages, surveil might finally be it. Two problems with that - it's potentially really powerful with graveyard strats, and it's not a combat ability like menace is for black/red or double strike for white/red.
I also hope they do more with this kind of Convoke trigger. That is much more clever than anything else they did with Convoke.
Hands to the sky
Give a round of applause
For the great Miss Y!
Not yet, but it could probably be engineered to do so. Such as Thoughtbound Phantasm or something like Surveil 2, if you place a land in the graveyard, put a +1/+1 counter on ~ or whatever.
these are so good
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I'm not saying it would be good, but fun for sure.
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
With Memnites and Ornithopters it’s possible on T1.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
I wouldn´t mind surveil taking over for scry to be honest. Surveil can be build around so much better than Scry