A little late again cause of some travelling, but it's ok, cause I don't think people need too much time to discuss Healing Salve. Pretty universally regarded as the weakest boon, it's hard to believe this card made it all the way from Alpha to 8th edition. That being said, I have actually put this into edh decks from time to time because blowing people out in combat with the 3 damage prevention from Healing Salve is like Mana Titheing people but even more shocking, and I live for that sort of thing.
"Dromoka" is not often used to refer to this card. Dragonlord Dromoka is a powerhouse, Dromoka, the Eternal is not. As a general that adds power to your field, just comparing to the other Fate Reforged dragons, it's not going to get you killing people faster than Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury or Atarka, World Render, and it's in possibly the worst color pair for trying to play dragon tribal. You're almost best off playing it as a self-pumping voltron with no other creatures to distract away the counters, but selesnya has some solid voltron targets already.
In the 99, I've seen this pop up in abzan +1/+1 counter decks and 5 color dragon decks on occassion, and in these situations, it can do something by pivoting "going wide" into "going tall," but it's most likely only going to have a chance to shine at a nice, slow (possibly fog-filled) table. Maybe that's the secret tech, just bolster a Spike Weaver every turn.
I like the mechanics but her as a general is a little difficult, W/G has the least number of dragons, by herself she bolsters only one target. She'd fit alright as a 99.
I think Dromoka, the Eternal is impressive enough just as a 7 power attacker from the command zone. It's a niche role that other G/W generals don't present.
I think Dromoka, the Eternal is impressive enough just as a 7 power attacker from the command zone. It's a niche role that other G/W generals don't present.
True, thats a 3 turn clock for the first player, and even shorter for other player
though slightly outside of color, rather use Vorosh, the Hunter , better color and more powerful
I think Dromoka, the Eternal is impressive enough just as a 7 power attacker from the command zone. It's a niche role that other G/W generals don't present.
True, thats a 3 turn clock for the first player, and even shorter for other player
though slightly outside of color, rather use Vorosh, the Hunter , better color and more powerful
Not to mention that you need to have no creatures with less power than her when she attacks to get the bolster on her to boost her to 7. This begs for a control deck with few utility creatures, and I'm not sure what that would look like in GW. Not voltron, because there are better options for that, so she'd have to be a more traditional control finisher, where you expect her to be a three turn clock while the rest of the deck keeps your opponents in check.
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The Meaning of Life: "M-hmm. Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations"
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
I like this card, very much. It's one of those cards that says "nice Pillowfort, it'd be a shame if it got shuffled away. I think what makes this aurora so great though is that all the lands come into play untapped, making the rare situation where everyone has a full grip and open mana.
As far as abusing it, you might be thinking "I can make tokens and explode like a Warp World deck. You might go a step further and think "I'll flicker my Hunted Troll 20 times and make someone mill out!" You might be thinking "that's 9 mana, I'm not paying for that." But personally, I see that 9 mana and know exactly what needs to be done.
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Zedruu: "This deck is not only able to go crazy - it also needs to do so."
Ran this alongside Warp World in Hazezon Tamar, which was a deck exclusively devoted to ramping like mad and then making a million tokens. It usually turned out well for me. This usually goes over a little better than Warp World because it doesn't punish people playing permanent light decks and the self exile means it's less likely to happen multiple times of the course of the game. Fun card all around.
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[Pr]Jaya | Estrid | A rotating cast of decks built out of my box.
As far as abusing it, you might be thinking "I can make tokens and explode like a Warp World deck. You might go a step further and think "I'll flicker my Hunted Troll 20 times and make someone mill out!" You might be thinking "that's 9 mana, I'm not paying for that." But personally, I see that 9 mana and know exactly what needs to be done.
No. Just no. No more chaos cards.....................
The Great Aurora is much less egregious when used as just a chaos card, since it doesn't put any nonland permanents into play and it refills hands. Yeah, it's typically going to be less than beneficial for the control or combo player with no board that's been trying to sculpt a winning hand, but at least it can be feasibly built around, unlike something such as Scrambleverse or Thieves' Auction (which I agree are terrible). It's also perfectly serviceable as just a green board wipe that can draw you into some gas if that's what you need.
I play The Great Aurora in my Child of Alara lands deck since it is very good at breaking the symmetry after Child wipes the board. The deck runs 55 lands, so I'll typically be drawing more cards and putting a higher percentage of my hand into play than my opponents, which also lets me start rebuilding faster than them. I love this card.
I have a hard time seeing The Great Aurora as a "chaos card" since it confers a definite advantage to the deck that is built around it. It rewards decks that run permanent and land heavy and punishes decks that run permanent and land light. Green decks tend to load up on lands and permanents, it's a green card, that all seems to add up. And further, I can't imagine anyone slotting this into a deck whose non-Aurora-related game plan didn't include making a bunch of (token or otherwise) permanents. Commander is even the best format for it since you know at least one or two cards that you'll have available for sure after it resolves.
Really, I think the Aurora as more of a board wipe similar to Planar Cleansing with a Timetwister stapled on.
Anyway, I've had pretty good luck with it. It is usually most fun in my Nath of the Gilt-Leaf token elves deck. Actually, come to think of it, I may have yet to lose a game with that deck after I resolve an Aurora. Also, as a big fan of the Lorwyn/Shadowmoor block, it's a huge flavor win for me. I even have a casual deck whose entire purpose is to generate clues and then cast Aurora, mimicking the "investigate the strange goings-on oops it was the apocalypse" plot of the L/S books.
Would you rather steal someone's dreams or borrow someone's arrows? Either way, this an inconsistent draw spell, ranging between completely useless and mill yourself.
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Zedruu: "This deck is not only able to go crazy - it also needs to do so."
Sounds too inconsistent. I suppose as long as your opponent's not playing a token deck, it might be good with Sleep.
Oh, and it requires you target an opponent, so it's not as good in multiplayer as it might at first seem, and it can be stopped by Ivory Mask and friends.
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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!
A little late again cause of some travelling, but it's ok, cause I don't think people need too much time to discuss Healing Salve. Pretty universally regarded as the weakest boon, it's hard to believe this card made it all the way from Alpha to 8th edition. That being said, I have actually put this into edh decks from time to time because blowing people out in combat with the 3 damage prevention from Healing Salve is like Mana Titheing people but even more shocking, and I live for that sort of thing.
Say what you will about the card's ability, I think it's a fantastic ad for Revlon Nail Colour.
Ran this alongside Warp World in Hazezon TamarWort, the Raidmother, which was a deck exclusively devoted to ramping like mad and then making a million tokens. It usually turned out well for me. This usually goes over a little better than Warp World because it doesn't punish people playing permanent light decks and the self exile means it's less likely to happen multiple times of the course of the game. Fun card all around.
That was a fun deck. It was just too darn easy to conspire my way to victory, though. Wort into a conspired Boundless Realms into conspired The Great Aurora, floating mana in between resolutions, into Purphuros or Comet Storm or Angry Omnath or...
You know what, that deck wasn't very fun after all. Too much math.
Would you rather steal someone's dreams or borrow someone's arrows? Either way, this an inconsistent draw spell, ranging between completely useless and mill yourself.
Yeah, I'm always reluctant to use Tamiyo, the Moon Sage's -2 ability. It never seems worthwhile enough compared to keeping a permanent on ice. Also, the Exodus version has the best art and flavour text.
Woof, that's a stinker. It showed potential when I started reading it and thought it was gonna say enchantment, but then it specified "enchantment creature" and it's usefulness went from Trigon Predator to City in a Bottle.
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Zedruu: "This deck is not only able to go crazy - it also needs to do so."
Woof, that's a stinker. It showed potential when I started reading it and thought it was gonna say enchantment, but then it specified "enchantment creature" and it's usefulness went from Trigon Predator to City in a Bottle.
Iconoclast would still be pretty niche - at best - if it hit any enchantment. Heroic takes a fairly specific EDH deck to do anything at all, much less work well.
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[Pr]Jaya | Estrid | A rotating cast of decks built out of my box.
Whao, quite a limited card to show up. Yeah, I can't think of it being in any deck, consider the most popular enchantment creatures are the Gods, and this can't even kill them.
Honestly I doubt this has any place in EDH, but it does reminds me much of Kamigawa - insular design that doesn’t play well with others, similar to arcane spells, this Leonin probably only plays well in Theros Block EDH, if that even exists.
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EDH Pantheon UBRG Yidris, Eye of the Storm WBR Kaalia, Herald of Apocalypse UBG Damia, Sage of Nightmare WBG Karador, the Bridge Between WU Grand Warden Augustin IV RG Omnath, Locus of Awakening BG Nath Addict UR Niv Mizzet, Brain Aflame B Kokusho, the Mourning Star U Memnarch is All
Woof, that's a stinker. It showed potential when I started reading it and thought it was gonna say enchantment, but then it specified "enchantment creature" and it's usefulness went from Trigon Predator to City in a Bottle.
I thought of Break Open. But the point is the same. A hoser's only as good as what it hoses.
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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!
Well, that's a different sort of graveyard hate. I sort of wish, given the dimir feel of this card, that this 0/4 had been printed in the short era of skulk. That'd be pretty neat.
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Zedruu: "This deck is not only able to go crazy - it also needs to do so."
Unlockable with the enchantment that gives everything skulk. Fear is decent evasion as it is. It's five mana and does nothing but beat face, and needs support to do it, but boy does it hit hard when it does. Nice in mill for advantage decks like Lazhav, and that zero power makes him retrievable by Alesha and unblockable by non fliers with Volraths dad as a commander. So really, some niche uses that make it a fun, somewhat obscure card that will put a smile on older players faces and occasionally one shot someone.
Almost forgot a neat interaction. As it has zero power normally, its ability doesn't trigger off of combat damage but off of not being blocked. This is actually rather relevant as it means that you can get around fogs and damage prevention effects, but it also means that you can trigger its ability AND return it to your hand for Ninjitsu.
Also, it can attack under ensaring bridge when bridges controller has an empty hand.
The Meaning of Life: "M-hmm. Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations"
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
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Christmas spirit.
I like the mechanics but her as a general is a little difficult, W/G has the least number of dragons, by herself she bolsters only one target. She'd fit alright as a 99.
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
True, thats a 3 turn clock for the first player, and even shorter for other player
though slightly outside of color, rather use Vorosh, the Hunter , better color and more powerful
Not to mention that you need to have no creatures with less power than her when she attacks to get the bolster on her to boost her to 7. This begs for a control deck with few utility creatures, and I'm not sure what that would look like in GW. Not voltron, because there are better options for that, so she'd have to be a more traditional control finisher, where you expect her to be a three turn clock while the rest of the deck keeps your opponents in check.
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
I like this card, very much. It's one of those cards that says "nice Pillowfort, it'd be a shame if it got shuffled away. I think what makes this aurora so great though is that all the lands come into play untapped, making the rare situation where everyone has a full grip and open mana.
As far as abusing it, you might be thinking "I can make tokens and explode like a Warp World deck. You might go a step further and think "I'll flicker my Hunted Troll 20 times and make someone mill out!" You might be thinking "that's 9 mana, I'm not paying for that." But personally, I see that 9 mana and know exactly what needs to be done.
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
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Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
The Great Aurora is much less egregious when used as just a chaos card, since it doesn't put any nonland permanents into play and it refills hands. Yeah, it's typically going to be less than beneficial for the control or combo player with no board that's been trying to sculpt a winning hand, but at least it can be feasibly built around, unlike something such as Scrambleverse or Thieves' Auction (which I agree are terrible). It's also perfectly serviceable as just a green board wipe that can draw you into some gas if that's what you need.
I play The Great Aurora in my Child of Alara lands deck since it is very good at breaking the symmetry after Child wipes the board. The deck runs 55 lands, so I'll typically be drawing more cards and putting a higher percentage of my hand into play than my opponents, which also lets me start rebuilding faster than them. I love this card.
Really, I think the Aurora as more of a board wipe similar to Planar Cleansing with a Timetwister stapled on.
Anyway, I've had pretty good luck with it. It is usually most fun in my Nath of the Gilt-Leaf token elves deck. Actually, come to think of it, I may have yet to lose a game with that deck after I resolve an Aurora. Also, as a big fan of the Lorwyn/Shadowmoor block, it's a huge flavor win for me. I even have a casual deck whose entire purpose is to generate clues and then cast Aurora, mimicking the "investigate the strange goings-on oops it was the apocalypse" plot of the L/S books.
Credit to DolZero for this awesome sig!
Would you rather steal someone's dreams or borrow someone's arrows? Either way, this an inconsistent draw spell, ranging between completely useless and mill yourself.
Oh, and it requires you target an opponent, so it's not as good in multiplayer as it might at first seem, and it can be stopped by Ivory Mask and friends.
On phasing:
Say what you will about the card's ability, I think it's a fantastic ad for Revlon Nail Colour.
That was a fun deck. It was just too darn easy to conspire my way to victory, though. Wort into a conspired Boundless Realms into conspired The Great Aurora, floating mana in between resolutions, into Purphuros or Comet Storm or Angry Omnath or...
You know what, that deck wasn't very fun after all. Too much math.
Yeah, I'm always reluctant to use Tamiyo, the Moon Sage's -2 ability. It never seems worthwhile enough compared to keeping a permanent on ice. Also, the Exodus version has the best art and flavour text.
Woof, that's a stinker. It showed potential when I started reading it and thought it was gonna say enchantment, but then it specified "enchantment creature" and it's usefulness went from Trigon Predator to City in a Bottle.
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[Primer] Lord of Tresserhorn - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do[Primer] Roon of the Hidden Realm - Rhino Blink
5 Color Tribal Guide (Slivers, Atogs, Allies, Spirits)
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Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebearsIconoclast would still be pretty niche - at best - if it hit any enchantment. Heroic takes a fairly specific EDH deck to do anything at all, much less work well.
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
UBRG Yidris, Eye of the Storm
WBR Kaalia, Herald of Apocalypse
UBG Damia, Sage of Nightmare
WBG Karador, the Bridge Between
WU Grand Warden Augustin IV
RG Omnath, Locus of Awakening
BG Nath Addict
UR Niv Mizzet, Brain Aflame
B Kokusho, the Mourning Star
U Memnarch is All
I thought of Break Open. But the point is the same. A hoser's only as good as what it hoses.
On phasing:
Well, that's a different sort of graveyard hate. I sort of wish, given the dimir feel of this card, that this 0/4 had been printed in the short era of skulk. That'd be pretty neat.
Almost forgot a neat interaction. As it has zero power normally, its ability doesn't trigger off of combat damage but off of not being blocked. This is actually rather relevant as it means that you can get around fogs and damage prevention effects, but it also means that you can trigger its ability AND return it to your hand for Ninjitsu.
Also, it can attack under ensaring bridge when bridges controller has an empty hand.
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!