I'm surprised no one else seems to like Norin Swift Survivalist. Are people down on Savannah Lions in red too?
Generally across the board. The bar is much higher than it used to be since every set generally has at least one Savannah Lions or two. I do like Norin much more than Veteran Survivor though since it actually provides a unique effect and contributes to legendary matters critical mass. I currently don't support legendary matters, but might slot in Norin regardless as a test.
From what I see in limited with Norin, Swift Survivalist, it changes combat so much and allows you to swing all out with barely any downside. Norin also enables ETB creatures so much, it's far better than your run-of-mill 2/1's for 1.
Veteran Survivor just feels like another aggro 2/1 for 1 that past turn 1 drops won't affect the game. The survival mechanic is a very "win more" mechanic. If your dude is getting unanswered and unblocked long enough for Veteran Survivor to "pop off" your opponent is bound to lose no matter what you did. In most situations, Veteran Survivor is a 2/1 for 1 that swings once or twice tops then gets blocked and dies at best.
Norin, Swift Survivalist is a better red 1-drop than Veteran Survivor is a white 1-drop. Norin disrupts blocking assignments, unlocks attacks that otherwise wouldn't work, and can be used as a unique avenue to abuse ETB triggers. Veteran Survivor is a filler 1-drop for larger cubes still supporting 2-power 1-drops in white that value the potential graveyard disruption over whatever added text on similarly designed alternatives.
From what I see in limited with Norin, Swift Survivalist, it changes combat so much and allows you to swing all out with barely any downside. Norin also enables ETB creatures so much, it's far better than your run-of-mill 2/1's for 1.
Veteran Survivor just feels like another aggro 2/1 for 1 that past turn 1 drops won't affect the game. The survival mechanic is a very "win more" mechanic. If your dude is getting unanswered and unblocked long enough for Veteran Survivor to "pop off" your opponent is bound to lose no matter what you did. In most situations, Veteran Survivor is a 2/1 for 1 that swings once or twice tops then gets blocked and dies at best.
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