I was floored when I rad that the top card (from the top 5 cards) of GP Ngoya was... spawnbinder mage.
Now this was not chosen as the top common. Just top card. Go see this link. I mean the 5th best card is reality smasher. 5/5, haste, trample, hard to kill. Yet, the mage was put as #1. Maybe the fact that you can find one easily, while a rare only comes up... rarely might have weighed in, but it does feel strange.
This was a card that I thought was trash. OK, maybe not trash, a 2/4 for 4 is playable, I guess. But the need to tap two of your guys to tap one of theirs? And your 2nd guy has to be an ally? How can this card be so good? Am I blind to something?
(PS: as for the ' it's a common' argument, oblivion strike is #4 on the list... ?!?)
I am very skeptical of this article. It's fun to read someone's opinions but an article which lists Lead by Example -- a less than average card in my view -- as one of the top cards is not an article I agree with.
This is in my view a very grindy format with huge board stalls. It may be so board stall-y that tapping down one creature may not even be worth as much as it would be in other formats. I like Spawnbinder Mage as part of a defensive ally deck, such as White-Black in which it is in my view very good.
As an attendee of Grand Prix Nagoya, I can say this article is pretty accurate. Lead by Example, at first glance, looks to be a lame combat trick, but it can lead to some very big blowouts for aggressive decks. If they choose not to block or set themselves up for the blowout, simply develop your board with creatures and pass. Either way, it was a trick I ended up learning to fear as it can be difficult to even "play around it" and the counters stay on so your creatures are permanently bigger.
Spawnbinder Mage seems innocuous but has a reasonable body, and not having to pay any mana is a big deal. Much of the time, I would find myself removing it just so I could clear the way or make sure I had a stable enough defense.
I am a bit surprised Essence Depleter did not make this list. I suppose it could be due to the cards that go crazy with it-- Malakir Familiar, Bloodbond Vampire and Cliffhaven Vampire are all also uncommons, but the card can just sit there and win the game if unchecked, which I witnessed happen fairly often. When you combine this with the Spawnbinder Mage, you can defeat your opponent without even having to attack.
These articles are generally the top 5 cards that defined the tournament - NOT the top 5 cards of the format. So a lot of the time it will be cards that made a big impact in the top 8 or were regularly seen in the coverage of the tournament.
I think Spawnbinder Mage is a good card for sure. It shines in the BW allies deck which can sometimes struggle with one big creature. This is definitely the kind of card that you don't just jam as many into your deck as you have. You need it to fit the plan of your deck and you really want to think about how many you want when drafting.
But yeah overall it is a solid card, four toughness is big too.
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Now this was not chosen as the top common. Just top card. Go see this link. I mean the 5th best card is reality smasher. 5/5, haste, trample, hard to kill. Yet, the mage was put as #1. Maybe the fact that you can find one easily, while a rare only comes up... rarely might have weighed in, but it does feel strange.
This was a card that I thought was trash. OK, maybe not trash, a 2/4 for 4 is playable, I guess. But the need to tap two of your guys to tap one of theirs? And your 2nd guy has to be an ally? How can this card be so good? Am I blind to something?
(PS: as for the ' it's a common' argument, oblivion strike is #4 on the list... ?!?)
1) sealed
2) click bait
This is in my view a very grindy format with huge board stalls. It may be so board stall-y that tapping down one creature may not even be worth as much as it would be in other formats. I like Spawnbinder Mage as part of a defensive ally deck, such as White-Black in which it is in my view very good.
Spawnbinder Mage seems innocuous but has a reasonable body, and not having to pay any mana is a big deal. Much of the time, I would find myself removing it just so I could clear the way or make sure I had a stable enough defense.
I am a bit surprised Essence Depleter did not make this list. I suppose it could be due to the cards that go crazy with it-- Malakir Familiar, Bloodbond Vampire and Cliffhaven Vampire are all also uncommons, but the card can just sit there and win the game if unchecked, which I witnessed happen fairly often. When you combine this with the Spawnbinder Mage, you can defeat your opponent without even having to attack.
I think Spawnbinder Mage is a good card for sure. It shines in the BW allies deck which can sometimes struggle with one big creature. This is definitely the kind of card that you don't just jam as many into your deck as you have. You need it to fit the plan of your deck and you really want to think about how many you want when drafting.
But yeah overall it is a solid card, four toughness is big too.