I've found exactly one notably pushed card in dragon's maze: Voice of Resurgence.
The definition of a pushed card is one who's stats and abilities are exceptionally high for its mana cost.
I believe this is indicative of a terrible trend: They admitted to stealing from Emmara to make VoR. They stole from the flavor side of things to make the only pushed 2 cmc card in the set. They admitted to making a pushed card that is designed to fill a need in the meta and they made it mythic.
Snapcaster was clearly pushed, but they left it at rare. In dragon's maze, anything uncommon with a cmc of 2 is left well within normal bounds. Spike jester, for example, is a playable card in many metas. But he is not pushed.
While the prevalence of 4-6 cmc cards should make for an interesting limited format, the trend of wizards only making pushed low cmc spells at mythic is worrying.
What cards did I overlook?
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Whenever a player taps a nonbasic land, [Card] deals 2 damage to them.
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Whenever a player would gain life, flip a coin. If heads, that player loses that much life instead. If tails sacrifice [card] and that player gains that life as per usual.
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Skylasher is the snapcaster mage of this set, if you ask me. Not saying it's nearly as good, or will be as valuable, but it's the flexible, versatile, and most of all, pushed card of the set. I mean, Grizzly bears usually get one or two extra abilities. Four? Nice.
It's an instant speed 5/5 trampler for 4. Wtf do you people want seriously? It has applications in populate/ above the curve beats decks, or in Bant control/ flash. I seriously think anyone mad at this card for any reason other than losing an attacker to instant speed wurm, should go home and make their own awesome card game and leave the rest of us alone.
Skylasher, Voice & Legion's are the three extremely obviously pushed cards here.
You have cards like pontiff of blight which are functionally unplayable, and cards like emmara tandris that would make even homelands cringe and had people insisting it *had* to be fake (not in the good way), and then you have some hyper efficient low cost high impact slots clearly aimed at specific parts of the metagame; a delver killer and two control hosers.
If these cards were made purely to 'help' the metagame, then why the devil is voice a mythic? They even talked in the article about how it was meant to address control as a hatebear, and yet its a cash grab beyond belief.
it technically does against certain decks. no one will cast it without 1 free mana
Uh, duh.
A pseudo 7-drop is very doable in Control especially with Unburial Rites lurking in some lists.
However if it was 7cc plus the 1 for protection, it won't be such a high % of the meta as it's about to be in the coming months. They really pushed the card making it unblockable along with pumping/protection... which is why it should be a 7/8-drop plus abilities.
It's an instant speed 5/5 trampler for 4. Wtf do you people want seriously? It has applications in populate/ above the curve beats decks, or in Bant control/ flash. I seriously think anyone mad at this card for any reason other than losing an attacker to instant speed wurm, should go home and make their own awesome card game and leave the rest of us alone.
Voice of Resurgence is going to end up a 7-8 dollar card soon enough: a versatile 2 drop that is easy to play around is not a "pushed card" whatsoever. I wish people stopped judging cards based on the pre-order price tag!
The standout card of the set in terms of power would have to be Blood Baron of Vizkopa: it is my pic for chase Mythic of the set, that card is going to do a lot of work. Legion's Initiative is another standout but it isn't pushed, it just works very well with ETB triggers and we have plenty of great ones at the moment.
Other power level standouts include
- Advent of the Wurm obviously
- Sire of Insanity has a lot of potential
- Boros Battleshaper is another solid one but only in limited, it will end the game rather quickly
As I said in other threads, the dying clause on VoR is unnecessary. If that were to be taken away, it could be safely demoted to rare and the effect could be put back on Emmara (since the legend rule cannot be exploited via the dying clause), yet retaining its purpose as a control hoser. I see no point in hosing every single deck which runs removal. It's just stupidly pushed just to sell packs. I would be glad see its power level go down a notch if it meant that the rest of the set would bump up a notch, instead of the pile of junk we have right now.
If VoR didn't have the dying clause it would be on par (read: almost strictly lower) in power level to Grand Abolisher, which saw play, but was pretty limited to Humans decks. Now with a dying clause it's kinda like Strangleroot Geist (insofar as it makes a body when it dies) swapping haste with some instant speed hate.
Stangleroot Geist saw lots of play over it's run as a card so I expect VoR to see proportionality the same amount of play as a value creature. However the thing is its not insane and can be played around of. Pillar of Flame works just as well on VoR as it does on Stangleroot Geist. Solid card, but overall I'm disappointed by the mythic bump.
VoR isn't as bad as most see it. Basically, as long as we have Pillar of Flame-esque cards, it will be kept in check. Paying one mana to keep it dead without its ability is very nice. Even after a Supreme Verdict, it is just a 1/1 token that, while it can get bigger, still sets them back.
Don't get me wrong - I think the card is still pretty nuts, and indicative of how Wizards wants to shape Standard, but isn't as crazy as people claim. It'll help keep Flash and Draw-Go in check, but won't utterly annihilate them.
I think Skylasher is actually a bit more pushed. Having so many keywords on a bear seems absurd, especially at its easy casting cost. It gets around Azorius Charm, which is very important, can't be tapped by Tamiyo, and doesn't care about Augur of Bolas. Control really got the hose this go around, with Aetherling being good but not the end all be all. This set felt more like Wizards trying to push Control down because they realized Sphinx's Rev is ridiculous, which is fine.
Oh, also forgot about that Instant 5/5 Trample token generator. That card seems really pushed too. As if Armada Wurm wasn't already a hefty beatstick and Loxodon Smiter wasn't good, this card just lets you hold up Resto Angel mana and then play something even fatter. I think it's a pretty scary card, with Aggro decks now having a lot of flash options.
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Currently playing: Standard: UBRControl
Commander:
White Makes Right (Mikaeus, The Lunarch)
Izzet Fun Yet? (Jhoira of the Ghitu)
The Perfect Storm (Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge)
Dead Grave Walking (Skullbriar, the Walking Grave)
How Could You Be So Heartless? (Heartless Hidetsugu)
May sound odd to some, but Hidden Strings feels very pushed: compare it to Ghostly Touch. For the same cost, you get the spell's effect twice over upon casting, and if your creature gets through (easy to set up on the first turn with this), you get the double effect again. That's an absurdly huge upgrade, especially when it comes to dealing with permanent untapping, already a dangerous ability.
May sound odd to some, but Hidden Strings feels very pushed: compare it to Ghostly Touch. For the same cost, you get the spell's effect twice over upon casting, and if your creature gets through (easy to set up on the first turn with this), you get the double effect again. That's an absurdly huge upgrade, especially when it comes to dealing with permanent untapping, already a dangerous ability.
Hidden Strings will be a limited all-star and might be cheap enough to cast to make it constructed viable since you can get some solid value out of it right away in the right match-up
I definitely agree that it feels pushed in terms of power level, but because it's Dimir and it has cipher it will be overlooked by many people on here as "limited chaff".
In any case, I think their obsession with cycles (in terms of the mana cost of these champions) made them choose against putting Emmara in this spot, which I think is worse from a design standpoint than VoR itself.
MaRo got a lot of mail about Emmara so he researched a bit: The champions were mythic once, but having both Melek and Ral Zarek as mythic was problematic. So all champions got dumped to rare, forcing rework. Thanks, Melek.
I believe that Dragon's Maze as a whole is pushing control decks back into the limelight. Main case in point is Aetherling. That card is a monster and no one can convince me otherwise. Start grabbing a playset of Pithing Needles or him...
Edit: I just read Master of Cruelties...that has to be another pushed card right there. First Strike/Death Touch means blocking is never EVER advantageous to you, unless you happen to have a first striker with 5 power. But not blocking isn't advantageous to you either as your life is reamed down to one.
Question: If I get through with another creature can I choose to have the Master "deal damage" first and then the other creature finish him off? Would be too good I think so proly not. Still, you're at 1 stinking life now and half my deck is RED.
May sound odd to some, but Hidden Strings feels very pushed: compare it to Ghostly Touch. For the same cost, you get the spell's effect twice over upon casting, and if your creature gets through (easy to set up on the first turn with this), you get the double effect again. That's an absurdly huge upgrade, especially when it comes to dealing with permanent untapping, already a dangerous ability.
True!
I just got finished adding a pair of Ghostly Touch to a blue flier/weenie deck, like just in the last 24 hrs, and I noticed the new one on the spoiler this AM and was like "Wait WHAT now?"
Not even kinda funny how much better that new one is.
Also I dont see MaRo saying so much about the VoR vs Emmara thing, is there a specific tweet about that?
Anyway, looking at Emmara's art, and then at the Elemental for VoR, you can clearly see that these two cards were meant to go together, so maybe thats your confirmation. It's such a screw-up :S
I just got finished adding a pair of Ghostly Touch to a blue flier/weenie deck, like just in the last 24 hrs, and I noticed the new one on the spoiler this AM and was like "Wait WHAT now?"
Not even kinda funny how much better that new one is.
Ghostly Touch triggers on attack. Cipher triggers on combat damage to a player. This means Hidden Strings can't tap a potential blocker. Tapping something after combat is over doesn't seem particularly strong to me.
Ghostly Touch triggers on attack. Cipher triggers on combat damage to a player. This means Hidden Strings can't tap a potential blocker. Tapping something after combat is over doesn't seem particularly strong to me.
This seems like a bigger deal for limited than constructed; if you have the option, why would you not play something evasive and hard to target in the first place? I just spent the last couple hours testing a combo deck featuring Invisible Stalker, and I can assure you that this card is bonkers when used right.
This was an actual line of play in testing. We're not looking at a control card here. This is the same kind of tactic that BTE does, and does well. It's kinda scary to see in action.
The definition of a pushed card is one who's stats and abilities are exceptionally high for its mana cost.
I believe this is indicative of a terrible trend: They admitted to stealing from Emmara to make VoR. They stole from the flavor side of things to make the only pushed 2 cmc card in the set. They admitted to making a pushed card that is designed to fill a need in the meta and they made it mythic.
Snapcaster was clearly pushed, but they left it at rare. In dragon's maze, anything uncommon with a cmc of 2 is left well within normal bounds. Spike jester, for example, is a playable card in many metas. But he is not pushed.
While the prevalence of 4-6 cmc cards should make for an interesting limited format, the trend of wizards only making pushed low cmc spells at mythic is worrying.
What cards did I overlook?
Whenever a player taps a nonbasic land, [Card] deals 2 damage to them.
-or-
R
Whenever a player would gain life, flip a coin. If heads, that player loses that much life instead. If tails sacrifice [card] and that player gains that life as per usual.
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with how bad the rest of the set is, you bet thats what they did.
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it technically does against certain decks. no one will cast it without 1 free mana
You have cards like pontiff of blight which are functionally unplayable, and cards like emmara tandris that would make even homelands cringe and had people insisting it *had* to be fake (not in the good way), and then you have some hyper efficient low cost high impact slots clearly aimed at specific parts of the metagame; a delver killer and two control hosers.
If these cards were made purely to 'help' the metagame, then why the devil is voice a mythic? They even talked in the article about how it was meant to address control as a hatebear, and yet its a cash grab beyond belief.
Uh, duh.
A pseudo 7-drop is very doable in Control especially with Unburial Rites lurking in some lists.
However if it was 7cc plus the 1 for protection, it won't be such a high % of the meta as it's about to be in the coming months. They really pushed the card making it unblockable along with pumping/protection... which is why it should be a 7/8-drop plus abilities.
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The standout card of the set in terms of power would have to be Blood Baron of Vizkopa: it is my pic for chase Mythic of the set, that card is going to do a lot of work. Legion's Initiative is another standout but it isn't pushed, it just works very well with ETB triggers and we have plenty of great ones at the moment.
Other power level standouts include
- Advent of the Wurm obviously
- Sire of Insanity has a lot of potential
- Boros Battleshaper is another solid one but only in limited, it will end the game rather quickly
Stangleroot Geist saw lots of play over it's run as a card so I expect VoR to see proportionality the same amount of play as a value creature. However the thing is its not insane and can be played around of. Pillar of Flame works just as well on VoR as it does on Stangleroot Geist. Solid card, but overall I'm disappointed by the mythic bump.
For example, AEtherling, Blood Baron of Vizkopa, Skylasher, Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch (held down by Legendary status), Legion's Initiative, Master of Cruelties, Lavinia of the Tenth, Council of the Absolute, Plasm Capture, Ruric Thar, the Unbowed, Render Silent, Savageborn Hydra, Sire of Insanity, Sin Collector, Tithe Drinker, Varolz, the Scar-Striped, and Voice of Resurgence.
I also think they expect Unflinching Courage to see a ton of play.
Don't get me wrong - I think the card is still pretty nuts, and indicative of how Wizards wants to shape Standard, but isn't as crazy as people claim. It'll help keep Flash and Draw-Go in check, but won't utterly annihilate them.
I think Skylasher is actually a bit more pushed. Having so many keywords on a bear seems absurd, especially at its easy casting cost. It gets around Azorius Charm, which is very important, can't be tapped by Tamiyo, and doesn't care about Augur of Bolas. Control really got the hose this go around, with Aetherling being good but not the end all be all. This set felt more like Wizards trying to push Control down because they realized Sphinx's Rev is ridiculous, which is fine.
Oh, also forgot about that Instant 5/5 Trample token generator. That card seems really pushed too. As if Armada Wurm wasn't already a hefty beatstick and Loxodon Smiter wasn't good, this card just lets you hold up Resto Angel mana and then play something even fatter. I think it's a pretty scary card, with Aggro decks now having a lot of flash options.
Sorry for any grammar/spelling errors, I mostly post from my tablet/smartphone.
Currently playing:
Standard:
UBRControl
Commander:
White Makes Right (Mikaeus, The Lunarch)
Izzet Fun Yet? (Jhoira of the Ghitu)
The Perfect Storm (Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge)
Dead Grave Walking (Skullbriar, the Walking Grave)
How Could You Be So Heartless? (Heartless Hidetsugu)
Cubetutor Link
Hidden Strings will be a limited all-star and might be cheap enough to cast to make it constructed viable since you can get some solid value out of it right away in the right match-up
I definitely agree that it feels pushed in terms of power level, but because it's Dimir and it has cipher it will be overlooked by many people on here as "limited chaff".
MaRo got a lot of mail about Emmara so he researched a bit: The champions were mythic once, but having both Melek and Ral Zarek as mythic was problematic. So all champions got dumped to rare, forcing rework. Thanks, Melek.
http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/
Edit: I just read Master of Cruelties...that has to be another pushed card right there. First Strike/Death Touch means blocking is never EVER advantageous to you, unless you happen to have a first striker with 5 power. But not blocking isn't advantageous to you either as your life is reamed down to one.
Question: If I get through with another creature can I choose to have the Master "deal damage" first and then the other creature finish him off? Would be too good I think so proly not. Still, you're at 1 stinking life now and half my deck is RED.
It will work great against Geist of Saint Traft and Delver of Secrets
True!
I just got finished adding a pair of Ghostly Touch to a blue flier/weenie deck, like just in the last 24 hrs, and I noticed the new one on the spoiler this AM and was like "Wait WHAT now?"
Not even kinda funny how much better that new one is.
edit: Crap.
Fully-powered 600-Card "Dream Cube" https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/dreamcube
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Ghostly Touch triggers on attack. Cipher triggers on combat damage to a player. This means Hidden Strings can't tap a potential blocker. Tapping something after combat is over doesn't seem particularly strong to me.
This seems like a bigger deal for limited than constructed; if you have the option, why would you not play something evasive and hard to target in the first place? I just spent the last couple hours testing a combo deck featuring Invisible Stalker, and I can assure you that this card is bonkers when used right.
T1. Land, Judge's Familiar
T2. Land, Hidden Strings (untap your lands), Blood Scrivener, swing with Familiar, cipher untapping lands again, cast another Hidden Strings on Scrivener, Judge's Familiar #2, Faithless Looting drawing 3 cards and discarding 2.
T3. Land, Liliana of the Veil, activate as needed (keep in mind you have no cards in hand). Swing, untap your lands and flashback Faithless Looting drawing another 3 and discarding 2.
This was an actual line of play in testing. We're not looking at a control card here. This is the same kind of tactic that BTE does, and does well. It's kinda scary to see in action.
Cubetutor Link