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While Standard has zero cards that use Hybrid mana, there *is* no issue with Hybrid Mana in Brawl.
Yeah, but personally I feel that rulechanges should be kept to a minimum, so it would have been better if they just did it from the start.
Ironically, "rulechanges should be kept to a minimum" is probably exactly why they did not change the rule about Hybrid. In a standard format where it doesn't even matter, adding the "hybrids can be taken" rule would add another rule divergence from base commander, making it harder to explain Brawl in relation to commander.
I agree it would be a bad idea, but it wouldn't surprise me.
Ehhh, given the recent history with the limited cards generally being creatures or PW's, I doubt we'd see one that excluded PW's. I fully expect going forward all we'll see is target creature, target creature or PW, target player, or any target. I'll eat my hat if we ever see another "target creature or player" burn spell.
Firesong and Sunspeaker invite you to start preparing hat recipes. I'm sure they'll put it on a spell eventually.
I don't think it's a crazy idea to try it. There's a couple caveats on that, though. One is that Ascend is slightly harder to turn on early in blue decks, because so much of their interaction wants to be non-permanent. You'll still likely get there, but it might be in the later stages of the game. The other issue I can see is the double blue cost making it much less attractive for 3 color decks.
On the flip side, this is a white card that's flavored specifically as part of a white/black faction, thus having slightly black names on white cards (and probably vice versa) is a way to emphasize the connection of the two colors.
Here's the logic there're using right now... aren't we changing to a single large set for every release? Doesn't that mean that every set will be a block monster? The whole logic of spreading 75% 25% (or 50/50) between releases, especially if flavor and plot are where they start with design, going to naturally gravitate towards 100% per set?
Is this the next Trainwreck we can expect? Every set is it's own block monster?
We need modern cards printed in Standard sets and delete the Modern Masters product line. Get back to the basics of good game.
The issue the article notes with going 100% in the first block is not that the block has 100% of what you need, but that the next set still contributes more to the deck, thus leading to a deck that's at 150% power over where they want it. Going to the 3 and 1 model prevents this, because there is not a next set that has to provide more cards for the deck.
Additionally, they are able to still do seeding to ensure a strategy has to take cards from the previous year's sets, such as their examples of putting pirates and vampires in Kaladesh. Certain mechanics will be more or less difficult to do that for, but that's how the game works, and is something they can compensate for in their designs.
This entire set is just made up of stuff that was needed back in September, basically. Pirates got more tools that make their decks work, merfolk got more options for their mid-game builds, vampires got some boost but are probably still the weakest of the group, and dinosaurs got even more dedicated ramp cards.
Unfortunately, the game is still being pushed into this value train corner of ETB effects and spell / enchantments being stapled to creatures that's been going on for years now. The only thing they haven't reprinted as an effect in an efficient manner yet is strait up creature removal, which is why kill spells are still played at all. Heck, in modern the only kill spells that see a ton of play are the one and two mana ones and in standard they basically have to drag the player base kicking and screaming to the higher CMC spells by basically printing removal only at high CMC values.
Would it kill their design team to make ETB effects at bare minimum kicker style effects?
Kicker style effects (at a level that would be played in constructed) would actually be much stronger than always on ETB effects. The reason is that it would give you the option to play the card either with or without the etb effect, thus making it more versatile than the version that always comes with an etb. For example, if Ravenous Chubacabra was a 1B 2/2 with "when this creature etbs, you may pay 1B to destroy target creature", it would be a lot more versatile than the current version printed, which always costs 4. So "solving" the "problem" of having enter the battlefield predominate would not be accomplished by making them more versatile.
And the set just gets more odd. I get conquistador but, while I haven't played limited with this block, dreadmaw and raptor companion don't exactly seem like limited staples.
Orazca Relic seems like it could be playable in Breya, at least in less competitive builds.
I think Riverwise Augur is a trap. When you think about it 3U seema like a fair rate but fair isn't why brainstorm is good. I think if they had wanted it to see constructed play they would have made it 2U or 1UU.
what baffles me is that the merfolk did not get any reprint. Dreadmaw is just almost autoinclude for each green deck, making it more available is a good idea. Conquistador is clear. Sailor...well...maybe they just had to include more treasure makers. But absolutely NO idea why the Companion.
Because they needed a small, aggressive dinosaur at common for the curve to work out for r/w dino aggro in limited. So they could either print something slightly worse, because they needed it to specifically be at 3/1 for 2 levels of playability, or they can reprint the Companion.
I mean, only if you don't care about his own body. Tendershoot Dryad comes out earlier, and is probably the more powerful card, but also dies to shock, something verdant force rarely needs to worry about. Even with Ascend, Dryad only adds 5 power that can attack to the board by your next turn, Verdant force has 8 power that can attack on your next turn.
Um unless I'm missing something, in a 4 player game, the dryad will have you 11 points of power by the time it comes back to your turn if you have the cities blessing. It makes a 1/1 sap during EACH upkeep. If you have the cities blessing that means you have three 3/3s by the time it comes back to you.
I was presuming a duel. I suppose I should have specified, but I figured it would be pretty clear. Granted, even in that case Verdant isn't far behind (11 power to 10 power), and isn't reliant on Ascend, though that's likely trivial to get. My point was that Verdant Force brings a much larger body, so I feel it's not entirely fair to say this is a case of power creep, so much as this being an effect that is more valuable the earlier you get it out, so of course the cheaper one wins.
Your life total is probably lower than 15 at the beginning of your fifth or sixth turn, so the first condition helps. After that, it counts as a free kill spell every upkeep--there is no downside here, even with the second condition letting the other creature deal damage to you. If you are worried about that damage, though, then just remember that Life Goes On.
I really want to set this up with Soul-Scar Mage and Nest of Scarabs, though--kill a creature (even an indestructible one) and get 15 insects every upkeep? That sounds like a fun plan.
Quick rules question: if you deal damage as -1/-1 counters (as with Soul-Scar Mage) will that reduce the damage the creature does to you? I assume not, but my rules knowledge is not encyclopedic. (Basically, I'm not sure if last-known value is used here and whether it updates.)
As far as I'm aware, it would work that way. Because it's not simultaneous like Fight cards, you deal the 15 damage first (in the form of -1/-1 counters), then check the creature's power to see how much it does back to you. Since the creature's power is now -10 or something like that, it deals zero damage back to you.
soo, Verdant Force got powercreeped, again? in his colors now? rip sweet prince
I mean, only if you don't care about his own body. Tendershoot Dryad comes out earlier, and is probably the more powerful card, but also dies to shock, something verdant force rarely needs to worry about. Even with Ascend, Dryad only adds 5 power that can attack to the board by your next turn, Verdant force has 8 power that can attack on your next turn.
In reference to X specifically, there's nothing preventing you from activating his UBT ability in your opponent's hand. In fact, Maro calls it out in the FAQ as an option.
Frankie Peanuts coercive logic only works if your opponent is limited to answering yes or no. However, nothing on Frankie's card says that they are, simply that your question has to be in yes-or-no form. Maro has repeatedly stated that they're free to do things like say "Negative" or non-verbally disagree or agree. Furthermore, nothing can stop a person from conceding, even having answered Frankie Peanuts in a way that says they wouldn't.
Hey, I know y'all are looking at Baron as a commander, but I did want to mention that, in a differently-colored deck, By Gnome Means, and arguably Ambiguity (ironically, it's unclear) allow you to put multiple doom counters on the Baron. Now, there's no ruling on whether you can immediately drop them on the '1' position, but as far as I'm aware there's also no rules saying you can't put counters anywhere you like on a card, assuming it doesn't say otherwise.
Someone should ask Maro, but the important point is: one of the versions of Everythingamajig and Giant Fan both should let you put multiple doom counters on Baron von Count.
Maro has stated a couple times that proliferating/adding doom counters to Baron Von Count doesn't allow you to place them in the art. They're simply extraneous doom counters on the Baron.
Been thinking about these two a bunch. They're definitely solid, but I value consistency pretty highly in my 5s so I'm afraid the first isn't too appealing. When you're making 3-5 tokens it's pretty awesome, when you're making 0-1/2, it's not great at all. Meanwhile, SGC always does what it does, as does Thunderman, as do all of them.
Just to throw some math at it, your odds of making 0 tokens is 1/6, or ~16.7%. 1 token is 5/18, 2 tokens is 2/9, 3 is 1/6, 4 is 1/9, and 5 is 1/18. So I think the evaluation depends on whether you consider 2 tokens to be sufficent, since the odds of getting at least 2 tokens is ~55.6%. If you don't consider 2 tokens good enough, even with battle cry and the extra power over siege gang, it's not going to get 3 often enough to be good for you. If you do think 2 tokens is good enough, it might be worth running as a coin flip card, since some of the time you'll get the blowout 4-5 tokens.
Additionally, they are able to still do seeding to ensure a strategy has to take cards from the previous year's sets, such as their examples of putting pirates and vampires in Kaladesh. Certain mechanics will be more or less difficult to do that for, but that's how the game works, and is something they can compensate for in their designs.
Frankie Peanuts coercive logic only works if your opponent is limited to answering yes or no. However, nothing on Frankie's card says that they are, simply that your question has to be in yes-or-no form. Maro has repeatedly stated that they're free to do things like say "Negative" or non-verbally disagree or agree. Furthermore, nothing can stop a person from conceding, even having answered Frankie Peanuts in a way that says they wouldn't.