MTG Salvation

Quote from Redlimit »

I like it. Ghor-Clan Rampager this is not, but it is a solid card nonetheless. Elementals have been getting some love again recently.

This can almost make the cut for constructed as a 1 or 2 of in the right decks (even in older formats that have much more insane land-ramp abilties). Four toughness is only "bad" to Stoke the Flames but otherwise is a good toughness to be at.

Edit 1: Also consider that the only other card this really has an analog for is Dakkon Blackblade, which costs 6 CMC, takes an extra colour of mana (and isn't in Green which has most of the good land ramp) and is a Legend. I'll take the 4 toughness for the lower other restrictions.

Edit 2: Rubblehulk is expensive at 6 CMC but you "gain" Bloodrush, and Allosaurus Rider is even more niche...

Quote from Crypt Rat »

Quote from LeluGhost »

Quote from Teysa_Karlov »

1. Liliana
2. Gideon
3. Nissa
4. Chandra
5. Jace

1. Nissa
2. Liliana
3. Gideon
4. Chandra

My list. Scrublord doesn't even deserve a place on this list of great designs.

We're doing lists now?

Nissa
[Gap]
Chandra
Jace
Gideon
[Gap]
Liliana

Regardless of this ordering, I think they all have the potential to be solid role players somewhere.


I like Gideon. He's solid, but boring.

Chandra makes sense for what the deck is trying to do and shoving a planeswalker that is just a damage-to the face without involving combat seems interesting and new given where on the curve she comes in. I have hope for her.

Jace seems like there's a deck or two he would easily slot into and he has a play pattern that makes sense: Hold off 1 creature until a flashback boardwipe becomes a 2-for-1.

Liliana seems all over the place. A 2/3 for 3 with lifelink seems eh? The stats matter, but aren't thrilling. When she flips, you have lost two creatures in the same turn. She can become a copy of the creature that died? I don't respect symmetrical discard enough, but either you lost two creatures, so she's vulnerable to being attacked. I guess the optimal case is that you play and trade off a turn 2 goyf when they attack you on turn 3 and then reanimate the Goyf and protect her with it.

But they could just kill the Goyf and then attack and kill the newly flipped Liliana instead. Their Paths won't flip her and I don't think a 2/3 lifelink is going to make waves in Modern by herself. If she's going to have a home, it will have to be in standard or in some very niche shell. (I suppose this Liliana is good against Liliana of the Veil's sacrifice...?)

To be clear though, I like and prefer it when planeswalkers need niche shells/environment to be good (and specifically that they ARE good in those niche shells/environments).

Quote from FuriousMarsupial »

Quote from Ashiok »

Heh, it is funny to see how the discussion degenerated into people talking about using Jace for milling strategies. When I started playing this game mill was my favorite thing, I really enjoyed the strategy, hell I'm freaking Ashiok here. But mill just isn't good enough. Period. Jace is also not good enough, actually, he is not even good! He is bad, slow, clunky, takes too much to flip for a small payout. Narset Transcedent is a better walker that interact with spells, and she doesn't see play at ALL because she is not impactful enough. Nissa is bad, if it could put the land on the field, it would be playable-ish, but as it stands it is just a BAD card. If I have 7 freaking lands I want to be playing the big monsters, not flipping a small card-advantage walker. Chandra was close to being good, her walker side is reasonable, but at CMC 3 for a 2/2 she became unplayable. Put her at CMC 2 or give her a more decent body and maybe we are talking. As it is, they all suck and will not see play.

Agreed, for the most part. Lots of set up for little payoff seems to be the name of the game for these guys.

I do think Chandra has potential, though. 2/2 for 3 CMC is bad, but if you untap with her, she's probably worth three damage in a burn deck (shoot, spell, shoot, spell, shoot), then she flips and keeps the pressure on for the rest of the game, including two damage right away. I think that's a realistic turn 4 plan in Burn, at least in Standard. For three mana, we get five damage on turn 4, plus two more per turn until she dies.