What are your thoughts on this? Do you think their current base forms are going to be a core set staple from now on, or will they rotate out of standard with M11 and be replaced by something else?
I think that future core sets will have a cycle of them but that they won't always be the same ones. That said, I don't think that they will be all replaced at the same time and that we will end up with some for much longer than others.
I say that they won't allways be the same because it's pretty accepted that some of the planeswalkers were clearly better than others. Chandra for example is hardly played and I susspect that is a major reason why she might be getting redone in the upcoming set. Perhaps this time they can make a mono-red planeswalker that is tourneyment worthy. The very fact that some of them are clearly better/worse than others means that WoTC will have to rebalance them against each other, replacing weaker ones and overly strong ones.
I also don't think they will be all replaced at the same time either. Currently only white and blue (and upcoming red perhaps) have alternate choices for those slots. While I can see Elspeth being reprinted, the same can't be said about Tezzy. Unless the core set he was in had a unusually high number of artifacts or they where going to do a Mirrodin 2, I just don't see him replacing Jace. That means in order to replace all 5 of them WoTC would have to print 4 new monocolored planeswalkers in the Zendikar block. I just don't see them doing that. Even if they did, I would find them reprinting them in a core that would rotate out at the same time more than a little irritating and I know I wouldn't be the only one.
Old PWs will be replaced sometime after their marketability dries up and there is a new face they want to push. Example: Ajani's story arc may be wrapped up, so a new white PW could take his place in M12 or so.
It's an interesting question. I'm actually in favor of keeping a handful of Planeswalkers around and just continually updating their cards as they gain or lose powers and abilities during their travels through the Multiverse, instead of merely expecting a new Planeswalker cycle very block. It kind of reinforces the idea that Planeswalkers are special and not-of-this-world, no matter what block they appear in.
Garruk, the Corrupted
2BG, 3 Loyalty
+1: Untap target land. Whenever it is tapped for mana this turn, it produces B in addition to any other mana it produces.
-1: Destroy all Zombie Beasts you contol, then put a 2/3 Black and Green Zombie Beast with B: Regenerate token into play.
-5: Destroy target nonland Permanent and all Permanents that share a name with it.
It's an interesting question. I'm actually in favor of keeping a handful of Planeswalkers around and just continually updating their cards as they gain or lose powers and abilities during their travels through the Multiverse, instead of merely expecting a new Planeswalker cycle very block. It kind of reinforces the idea that Planeswalkers are special and not-of-this-world, no matter what block they appear in.
Garruk, the Corrupted
2BG, 3 Loyalty
+1: Untap target land. Whenever it is tapped for mana this turn, it produces B in addition to any other mana it produces.
-1: Destroy all Zombie Beasts you contol, then put a 2/3 Black and Green Zombie Beast with B: Regenerate token into play.
-5: Destroy target nonland Permanent and all Permanents that share a name with it.
I think each of the Lorwyn planeswalkers all have abilities characteristic of their color, and therefore, will be reprinted fairly frequently (with the exception of Chandra who could be swapped out for the new one if she is mono colored).
You don't need a first Zombie beast according to that wording. It just destroys the one(s) you may or may not have (note that you can regenerate them) and puts another one into play.
On topic though, I actually do think that the Lorwyn 5 will continue to be used in core sets until a simpler, more on-color PW comes around for that color.
You don't need a first Zombie beast according to that wording. It just destroys the one(s) you may or may not have (note that you can regenerate them) and puts another one into play.
On topic though, I actually do think that the Lorwyn 5 will continue to be used in core sets until a simpler, more on-color PW comes around for that color.
Yeah, probably should've said "sacrifice", but I was just trying to riff on the Vengeant-Goldmane evolution. I'm not really going to worry too much about the templating of my entirely imaginary example.
What we're doing here is akin to taking the text of Moby Dick, locating specific words therein, rearranging them to create a passage from Fight Club, and concluding from this evidence that Tyler Durden is based on Ahab.
I can definitely see the characters of Ajani, Liliana, Jace, Chandra and Garruk appearing A LOT, I just don't see the original Lorwyn printings of them staying. Case in point, if Chandra is remade, we could end up seeing new mono-colored versions of our classic planeswalkers.
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Jace and Garruk I see staying around for a long time. They are iconic and useful for their color's strategies. Ajani feels poorly designed to me. He has one useful ability that is very useful. I could easily see him being dropped for Elspeth or another planeswalker. Liliana is an odd case because she isn't really useful as she is but could be useful in the right deck. I think they should keep the base planeswalker cost 4 mana though, so she needs to be made cheaper and have her abilities reworked. Chandra just needs to have something done to her. She is expensive, doesn't have a game changing effect when she comes down and commonly fits a role that can be done more cheaply and efficiently with a spell.
I say that they won't allways be the same because it's pretty accepted that some of the planeswalkers were clearly better than others. Chandra for example is hardly played and I susspect that is a major reason why she might be getting redone in the upcoming set. Perhaps this time they can make a mono-red planeswalker that is tourneyment worthy. The very fact that some of them are clearly better/worse than others means that WoTC will have to rebalance them against each other, replacing weaker ones and overly strong ones.
I also don't think they will be all replaced at the same time either. Currently only white and blue (and upcoming red perhaps) have alternate choices for those slots. While I can see Elspeth being reprinted, the same can't be said about Tezzy. Unless the core set he was in had a unusually high number of artifacts or they where going to do a Mirrodin 2, I just don't see him replacing Jace. That means in order to replace all 5 of them WoTC would have to print 4 new monocolored planeswalkers in the Zendikar block. I just don't see them doing that. Even if they did, I would find them reprinting them in a core that would rotate out at the same time more than a little irritating and I know I wouldn't be the only one.
In reference to XXWB Mythic Sorcery - Return X creatures from among any graveyards in to play under your control.
Garruk, the Corrupted
2BG, 3 Loyalty
+1: Untap target land. Whenever it is tapped for mana this turn, it produces B in addition to any other mana it produces.
-1: Destroy all Zombie Beasts you contol, then put a 2/3 Black and Green Zombie Beast with B: Regenerate token into play.
-5: Destroy target nonland Permanent and all Permanents that share a name with it.
Where would you get the first zombie beast?
Quotes in blog.
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:symw::symb: Life Gain :symb::symw:
Building (eventually)...
:symb::symr::symg: Dragon-Ramp :symg::symr::symb:
You don't need a first Zombie beast according to that wording. It just destroys the one(s) you may or may not have (note that you can regenerate them) and puts another one into play.
On topic though, I actually do think that the Lorwyn 5 will continue to be used in core sets until a simpler, more on-color PW comes around for that color.
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Yeah, probably should've said "sacrifice", but I was just trying to riff on the Vengeant-Goldmane evolution. I'm not really going to worry too much about the templating of my entirely imaginary example.
(It's a joke.)
Guildmaster Jarad
This.
Of course no rule stops them from being replaced, or not at all printed.
Current EDH Decks:
UR Suspension of Disbelief: Jhoira
W Darien's Kjeldoran Battalion
WR Gisela's Cathedral
GW Tripling Season: Rhys the Redeemed
Cubes:
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