...Yep, gonna build that Omnath. With the goal of 'make all the elemental tokens, blink Omnath a few times' as the stupidest, jankiest wincon.
The second ability being mostly gravy that's nice to have by that point in the game.
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i misread omnath as "Omnath, Locus on the roll" and thinking that someone in r&d wasnt done with the unset stuff yet.
that being said, looks like m20 has a focus on tribals that arent that common (elemental, wolf, chandra)
looking forward to seeing what other support they might print for them.
i misread omnath as "Omnath, Locus on the roll" and thinking that someone in r&d wasnt done with the unset stuff yet.
that being said, looks like m20 has a focus on tribals that arent that common (elemental, wolf, chandra)
looking forward to seeing what other support they might print for them.
You are not alone, was expecting there to be another omanth in this set to be called Omnath, Locus of the Rock.
I would disagree with your thought on elemental tribal though. llorwyn gave us a lot of stuff to work with and elementals are in pretty much every set. While they may not always synergize, they have had horde of notions for years.
Honestly, I'm a little bummed at Omnath. Cool that it's celebrating Pride month going for rainbow status and all, but it's easily it's weakest iteration. Not without it's charm, but not something I want to build around.
Vilis is going into Yawgmoth for sure. But my favorite thing is playing him with Spiteful Visions with removal in hand to draw until you have 1 life and most of your deck in hand or playing him with Nekusar and donating him to kill someone.
Also: Those hating on Yarok; that's just like, your opinion man. Some of us like the idea of an effect that has only ever been on one card being strapped to a legendary creature so we can play it as our commander. Personally I'm doing that for Jeskai Ascendency because I'm a terrible person.
You know it's bad when 3 out of 4 multicolour commanders spoiled so far are decks I really want to build. Though, to be fair, I already kinda have them, just with 1 less colour (Jori En will become Kykar, Zegana will become Yarok and Tatyova will become Omnath 3.0) I also quite like Rienne...they're really knocking it out of the park.
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My Commander decks:
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
Have those three cards out. Have Vilis die. Then effectively donate him to an opponent with Endless Whispers. When your opponent draws their first card of the turn, they lose 1 life because of Underworld Dreams, which because they lost life forces them to draw a card because of Vilis, which forces them to keep drawing cards and losing life, repeating ad nauseum because its not a "may" ability.
And that is just a monoblack way of killing someone with Vilis. You could do far better by replacing Underworld Dreams with Nekusar, the Mindrazer and Endless Whispers with Harmless Offering and/or Donate.
Also: Those hating on Yarok; that's just like, your opinion man. Some of us like the idea of an effect that has only ever been on one card being strapped to a legendary creature so we can play it as our commander. Personally I'm doing that for Jeskai Ascendency because I'm a terrible person.
My problem with Yarok is less about the effect and more about the design as a whole, and the number of "must-kill" commanders with really obvious build-arounds they make these days. I mean, Yarok is still powerful even if you don't play a single freaking etb in your whole deck. Because having a fail case for a commander would be too sad.
Tbh I think Golos is the commander that frustrates me the most. Mostly because the first half of his ability is really interesting - we haven't had a commander that can search up nonbasic lands before, and especially in 5c it opens up a lot of interesting possibilities. You could build a mono-black deck that tutors coffers up, you could build a green creature-focused deck that gets cradle, or you could just use it as a toolbox to find powerful situational lands. Either way, 5 to tutor a land is kind of a lot, but you pay extra for having that sort of ability in the command zone. Seems fair and interesting. But you'd be an idiot to just search up a basic or something, right?
Oh wait, no, screw that, screw subtlety, because his second ability makes him a huge must-kill threat, and even if you're playing him like an idiot and searching up a basic it's still fine, because all you have to do to make him obnoxious to play against is jam all the biggest, dumbest bombs into one deck. We just got Jodah, and now we have a different 5c "just play all the stupidest bombs you can!" commander. Why would you play one over the other? I don't even know.
While Omnath doesn't bother me from a power level front, it has kind of the same issue - value on top of value, to obliterate any kind of fail case. You're not playing any other elementals? That's okay, building around elementals is really hard...what would be easier....hmm, are you playing lands? You ARE? What a crazy random happenstance! Have a bunch of free value anyway.
All of these designs annoy me because it basically means that there are no bad commander decks. Totally new players can build powerful decks with very little deckbuilding skill, because the baseline for power is so high. I like formats to reward players for being good at them, and sometimes it feels like commander is trying to do the opposite - a sort of "no child left behind" program for magic players, where even the most thick-headed can build a powerful deck with minimal effort.
The design I like the most, honestly, might be atemsis, all-seeing. Because it actually has a freaking fail-case! Playing a 6-mana 4/5 flyer with a really overpriced loot ability is a pretty crap commander, and assembling 6 different CMCs is not a trivial task. Plus you'll need to connect, and odds are people will be a bit wary to let you do so, so you'd better have evasion and protection. It feels like it actually requires some smart play and smart building to make it good.
3/5 lifelink deathtouch is very respectable stats, especially in a format where deterrents are as powerful as they are here. I'm not saying it would be a popular commander on the basis of that alone, but it could have been a 2/2 with no keywords, so at least it would require some build-around to be good. But tbh in Yarok's case, I probably wouldn't find it interesting regardless of what they did with it, because I don't find etbs as a "tribe" interesting.
Golos is the one I'd rather fix, and for the simplest change I'd rather fix it in the same way I'd like to fix a lot of things - by restricting the CMC of what he's able to cast for free. Sunforger is cool because it can't just go get ANYTHING. You have to work with what you've got. When you don't put any restrictions on it, though, then you're motivated to put all the most obnoxious spells in your deck...expropriate, time stretch, enter the infinite, rise of the dark realms, insurrection, primal surge....blaaaarg. No thank you.
Golos is the one I'd rather fix, and for the simplest change I'd rather fix it in the same way I'd like to fix a lot of things - by restricting the CMC of what he's able to cast for free. Sunforger is cool because it can't just go get ANYTHING. You have to work with what you've got. When you don't put any restrictions on it, though, then you're motivated to put all the most obnoxious spells in your deck...expropriate, time stretch, enter the infinite, rise of the dark realms, insurrection, primal surge....blaaaarg. No thank you.
He is going in my dragons deck. i tested him already and while he did not stay long (Bane of progress) I did get one activation off, Dropped a land and cast two dragons.
The second ability being mostly gravy that's nice to have by that point in the game.
that being said, looks like m20 has a focus on tribals that arent that common (elemental, wolf, chandra)
looking forward to seeing what other support they might print for them.
You are not alone, was expecting there to be another omanth in this set to be called Omnath, Locus of the Rock.
I would disagree with your thought on elemental tribal though. llorwyn gave us a lot of stuff to work with and elementals are in pretty much every set. While they may not always synergize, they have had horde of notions for years.
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest WUR Voltron Control
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun WU Unblockable Mirror Trickery
Ra's al Ghul (Sidar Kondo) and Face-Down Ninjas
Brudiclad, Token Engineer
Vaevictis (VV2) the Dire Lantern
Rona, Disciple of Gix
Tiana the Auror
Hallar
Ulrich the Politician
Zur the Rebel
Scorpion, Locust, Scarab, Egyptian Gods
O-Kagachi, Mathas, Mairsil
"Non-Tribal" Tribal Generals, Eggs
(U/B)(U/B)(U/B) JUMP IN THE LINE, ROCK YOUR BODY IN TIME
(R/W)(R/W)(R/W) RISING FROM THE NEON GLOOM, SHINING LIKE A CRAZY MOON
(U/R)(R/G)(G/U) STEALIN' WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUYIN'
WOW. That's nuts.
[Primer] Erebos, God of the Dead
HONK HONK
(U/B)(U/B)(U/B) JUMP IN THE LINE, ROCK YOUR BODY IN TIME
(R/W)(R/W)(R/W) RISING FROM THE NEON GLOOM, SHINING LIKE A CRAZY MOON
(U/R)(R/G)(G/U) STEALIN' WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUYIN'
Also: Those hating on Yarok; that's just like, your opinion man. Some of us like the idea of an effect that has only ever been on one card being strapped to a legendary creature so we can play it as our commander. Personally I'm doing that for Jeskai Ascendency because I'm a terrible person.
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
Have those three cards out. Have Vilis die. Then effectively donate him to an opponent with Endless Whispers. When your opponent draws their first card of the turn, they lose 1 life because of Underworld Dreams, which because they lost life forces them to draw a card because of Vilis, which forces them to keep drawing cards and losing life, repeating ad nauseum because its not a "may" ability.
And that is just a monoblack way of killing someone with Vilis. You could do far better by replacing Underworld Dreams with Nekusar, the Mindrazer and Endless Whispers with Harmless Offering and/or Donate.
My problem with Yarok is less about the effect and more about the design as a whole, and the number of "must-kill" commanders with really obvious build-arounds they make these days. I mean, Yarok is still powerful even if you don't play a single freaking etb in your whole deck. Because having a fail case for a commander would be too sad.
Tbh I think Golos is the commander that frustrates me the most. Mostly because the first half of his ability is really interesting - we haven't had a commander that can search up nonbasic lands before, and especially in 5c it opens up a lot of interesting possibilities. You could build a mono-black deck that tutors coffers up, you could build a green creature-focused deck that gets cradle, or you could just use it as a toolbox to find powerful situational lands. Either way, 5 to tutor a land is kind of a lot, but you pay extra for having that sort of ability in the command zone. Seems fair and interesting. But you'd be an idiot to just search up a basic or something, right?
Oh wait, no, screw that, screw subtlety, because his second ability makes him a huge must-kill threat, and even if you're playing him like an idiot and searching up a basic it's still fine, because all you have to do to make him obnoxious to play against is jam all the biggest, dumbest bombs into one deck. We just got Jodah, and now we have a different 5c "just play all the stupidest bombs you can!" commander. Why would you play one over the other? I don't even know.
While Omnath doesn't bother me from a power level front, it has kind of the same issue - value on top of value, to obliterate any kind of fail case. You're not playing any other elementals? That's okay, building around elementals is really hard...what would be easier....hmm, are you playing lands? You ARE? What a crazy random happenstance! Have a bunch of free value anyway.
All of these designs annoy me because it basically means that there are no bad commander decks. Totally new players can build powerful decks with very little deckbuilding skill, because the baseline for power is so high. I like formats to reward players for being good at them, and sometimes it feels like commander is trying to do the opposite - a sort of "no child left behind" program for magic players, where even the most thick-headed can build a powerful deck with minimal effort.
The design I like the most, honestly, might be atemsis, all-seeing. Because it actually has a freaking fail-case! Playing a 6-mana 4/5 flyer with a really overpriced loot ability is a pretty crap commander, and assembling 6 different CMCs is not a trivial task. Plus you'll need to connect, and odds are people will be a bit wary to let you do so, so you'd better have evasion and protection. It feels like it actually requires some smart play and smart building to make it good.
EDH Primers
Phelddagrif - Zirilan
EDH
Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif 4 - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif 3 - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
Golos is the one I'd rather fix, and for the simplest change I'd rather fix it in the same way I'd like to fix a lot of things - by restricting the CMC of what he's able to cast for free. Sunforger is cool because it can't just go get ANYTHING. You have to work with what you've got. When you don't put any restrictions on it, though, then you're motivated to put all the most obnoxious spells in your deck...expropriate, time stretch, enter the infinite, rise of the dark realms, insurrection, primal surge....blaaaarg. No thank you.
EDH Primers
Phelddagrif - Zirilan
EDH
Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif 4 - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif 3 - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6
He is going in my dragons deck. i tested him already and while he did not stay long (Bane of progress) I did get one activation off, Dropped a land and cast two dragons.
Being BUG automatically makes it one of the strongest generals you can run, even if it has no text.