Sudden Realization1UB
Instant [U]
Target player sacrifices a creature. Creatures that player controls attack this turn if able. Revenge is the hunger you feel after you eat.
Thanks. So, to clarify, it remains a 5/5 artifact creature AND land (meaning it can be tapped for mana), plus it has the ability to change its base power and toughness to 2/2 until end of turn. Right?
If I animate my Mishra's Factory into an assembly worker, then use Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas's second ability to turn it into a 5/5 artifact creature, what happens to the land at the end of the turn / beginning of my opponent's turn? Does it stay a 5/5 artifact creature, or does it cease to be an assembly worker, and hence also a 5/5, at the end of the turn?
Ko, the Winged Flame 1RR
Legendary Creature - Phoenix M
Flying, haste
When Ko, the Winged Flame dies, return it to the battlefield transformed.
2/2
//
Ko's Tailfeather
Legendary Enchantment Red
If damage would reduce your life total to less than 1, instead your life total becomes 1 and transform Ko's Tailfeather.
Quick question: Does anyone have experience playing Duergar Hedge-Mage? I'm thinking of swapping Manic Vandal for it and wonder whether the two-of-a-kind condition on the ETB abilities is too much of a hindrance, despite the flexibility of Hedge-Mage affords.
Xyx -- You make a good point about Gollum. I got the Lithatog idea from an old thread on MTGS -- one that was focused on The Lord of the Rings. I don't disagree with your observation (although the revelation that Gollum was once a hobbit doesn't come in The Hobbit itself). The issue I have is finding something in the same colors as the rest of the deck, especially since this is a teaching deck.
And, are there any significant flavor oversights or flavor fails? I don't like Vandalize's flavor for the heroes, but need some destroy artifact and/or land card for balance.
Hey cool deck idea. I think you captured the flavor of The Hobbit quite well.
You can replace Vandalize with Demolish to keep with the dwarf theme.
My young son, a fan of The Hobbit, is showing an interest in MTG, and I've thought to design and build two 40-card duel decks that draw flavor from the book and help him learn the game mechanics. I've held to the 4-of rule, for now, but do worry there's a fair bit of complexity here that could be reduced by relaxing that rule and increasing the number of vanillas and french vanillas. Removal is a little light, too, especially when both decks have a little unblockability. What do you think?
And, are there any significant flavor oversights or flavor fails? I don't like Vandalize's flavor for the heroes, but need some destroy artifact and/or land card for balance.
The thing I don't understand is why the words "that creature's controller sacrifices it" still apply when the Impersonator is not a creature, but the words "enchant creature put onto the battlefield with Animate Dead" don't apply. Put differently, we treat one reference to "creature" as "that object" but the other reference to "creature" still means "that creature."
What happens if I resolve Animate Dead, targeting a Clever Impersonator in my graveyard, and have it enter the battlefield as a copy of a planeswalker? Do I have to sacrifice the Impersonator?
I think the answer turns on whether Animate Dead can attach to a Clever Impersonator copying a non-creature card. My instinct is that it cannot attach, but I'm not confident of that. The reason for my uncertainty is this: Earlier this year, I asked about how Clever Impersonator interacts with Sneak Attack when the Impersonator enters the battlefield as a noncreature, and I understood the answer to that question to be that the reference to "sacrifice that creature" on Sneak Attack is shorthand for "sacrifice that CARD," whether or not that card is still a creature at end of turn. Does that work for Animate Dead and its (Oracle) reference to "enchant CREATURE put onto the battlefield with Animate Dead"? (It must work for the last sentence of Animate Dead, which is functionally identical to the sacrifice clause of Sneak Attack.) In other words, does Animate Dead effectively say "enchant CARD put onto the battlefield with Animate Dead"? It seems wonky--especially since a planeswalker cannot get -1/-0.
When Animate Dead enters the battlefield, if it's on the battlefield, it loses "enchant creature card in a graveyard" and gains "enchant creature put onto the battlefield with Animate Dead." Return enchanted creature card to the battlefield under your control and attach Animate Dead to it. When Animate Dead leaves the battlefield, that creature's controller sacrifices it.
Enchanted creature gets -1/-0.
After drafting the heck of out FRF/KTK since FRF's release online, I finally had a Qarsi High Priest deck come together last night: it played like a combo deck and it won the 8-4 queue. On paper, the star of the show was not the High Priest, and that's certainly what my opponents believed--they never directed their removal at it. But it was the card that fueled the whole deck. The main elements were:
The cards work well together even without the High Priest. But with it, I could burn through my deck and amass an wide board position pretty easily. Enough to get to a stalemate and win with fliers in the worst case.
WotC randomly awarded alternate art / promo Ugin, The Spirit Dragons during yesterday's downtime. I cannot find a consistent price for these yet; searching the trade room for "promo ugin", I get a range from 13 to 20 tix. Has anyone else seen them for sale? What do you think their short- and long-term trajectory is?
I've been testing the Shaman and have played him in two decks. He hit the board three games. In the first two games, he couldn't attack profitably on turn 4 or 5 -- so the haste was useless -- but his card-draw ability was quite powerful; with another 4-power creature on the board, I drew two extra cards a turn on consecutive turns, and my opponent couldn't handle the card advantage.
I was ready to view the Shaman as a card-drawing engine, which pumps your other creatures to help you draw more cards, until game three, where his haste on an empty board caused my opponent to scoop. I still think of him primarily for his text box, but the fact that he can sometimes attack (say, like Purphoros) is significant upside.
Actually, I think the Purphoros comparison is pretty apt--both can pump your creatures (albeit in different ways), and whereas Purphoros gives you some reach, the Shaman gets you some extra cards. They definitely go into different decks, but they are comparable 4-drops.
Am I correct that the sacrifice clause on Sneak Attack applies even if the creature card that enters the battlefield ceases to be a creature once it has entered the battlefield? So, if I sneak a Clever Impersonator onto the battlefield and copy a planeswalker, I still sac it at the end of turn. Same if I sneak a Theros god (e.g., Purphoros, God of the Forge) but lack devotion to keep it a creature.
Instant [U]
Target player sacrifices a creature. Creatures that player controls attack this turn if able.
Revenge is the hunger you feel after you eat.
Ko, the Winged Flame 1RR
Legendary Creature - Phoenix M
Flying, haste
When Ko, the Winged Flame dies, return it to the battlefield transformed.
2/2
//
Ko's Tailfeather
Legendary Enchantment Red
If damage would reduce your life total to less than 1, instead your life total becomes 1 and transform Ko's Tailfeather.
These are awesome suggestions across the board. So here's where I am:
1 Figure of Destiny
1 Magus of the Scroll
4 Dwarven Grunt
2 Dwarven Berserker
2 Dwarven Nomad
1 Bloodfire Dwarf
1 Dwarven Recruiter
1 Dwarven Vigilantes
1 Dwarven Bloodboiler
1 Dwarven Strike Force
1 Battleflight Eagle
2 Arrows of Justice
1 Dwarven Catapult
1 Demolish
On Theme Items
1 Sword of the Meek
1 Expedition Map
1 Ring of Valkas
2 Forgotten Cave
2 Dwarven Ruins
1 Rogue's Passage
2 Dragon Fodder
2 Hordeling Outburst
1 Goblin Rally
1 Goblin General
1 Rockslide Ambush
1 Goblin War Drums
1 Goblin Burrows
1 Goblin Shrine
1 Goblin Caves
1 Lithatog
1 Game of Chaos
Spiders
2 Grappler Spider
1 Arachnus Web
Trolls
1 Jungle Troll
1 Horned Troll
1 Uthden Troll
1 Smash
1 Hoarding Dragon
1 Bathe in Dragonfire
1 Prophetic Prism
1 Crawlspace
And, are there any significant flavor oversights or flavor fails? I don't like Vandalize's flavor for the heroes, but need some destroy artifact and/or land card for balance.
1 Figure of Destiny
1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch
4 Dwarven Grunt
2 Dwarven Berserker
2 Dwarven Nomad
1 Bloodfire Dwarf
1 Dwarven Recruiter
1 Dwarven Vigilantes
1 Dwarven Bloodboiler
1 Dwarven Strike Force
1 Battleflight Eagle
2 Arrows of Justice
1 Rise to the Challenge
1 Vandalize
On Theme Items
1 Sword of the Meek
1 Expedition Map
1 Ring of Valkas
2 Dragon Fodder
2 Hordeling Outburst
1 Goblin Rally
1 Goblin General
1 Cave Sense
1 Rockslide Ambush
1 Goblin War Drums
1 Goblin Burrows
1 Goblin Shrine
2 Grappler Spider
1 Arachnus Web
Trolls
1 Jungle Troll
1 Horned Troll
1 Uthden Troll
1 Smash
1 Hoarding Dragon
1 Bathe in Dragonfire
1 Fire Diamond
1 Crawlspace
Gollum
1 Lithatog
I think the answer turns on whether Animate Dead can attach to a Clever Impersonator copying a non-creature card. My instinct is that it cannot attach, but I'm not confident of that. The reason for my uncertainty is this: Earlier this year, I asked about how Clever Impersonator interacts with Sneak Attack when the Impersonator enters the battlefield as a noncreature, and I understood the answer to that question to be that the reference to "sacrifice that creature" on Sneak Attack is shorthand for "sacrifice that CARD," whether or not that card is still a creature at end of turn. Does that work for Animate Dead and its (Oracle) reference to "enchant CREATURE put onto the battlefield with Animate Dead"? (It must work for the last sentence of Animate Dead, which is functionally identical to the sacrifice clause of Sneak Attack.) In other words, does Animate Dead effectively say "enchant CARD put onto the battlefield with Animate Dead"? It seems wonky--especially since a planeswalker cannot get -1/-0.
NB: here's the full Oracle text of Animate Dead:
1x Qarsi High Priest
1x Grim Haruspex (draw a card with each High Priest activation)
1x Mastery of the Unseen (life gain, but also generates a sacrificeable creature for the High Priest)
1x Bloodsoaked Champion (generates a manifest creature whenever it attacks)
2x Swarm of Bloodflies
1x Gurmag Angler and 1x Sultai Scavenger (delve, fueled by High Priest)
The cards work well together even without the High Priest. But with it, I could burn through my deck and amass an wide board position pretty easily. Enough to get to a stalemate and win with fliers in the worst case.
I was ready to view the Shaman as a card-drawing engine, which pumps your other creatures to help you draw more cards, until game three, where his haste on an empty board caused my opponent to scoop. I still think of him primarily for his text box, but the fact that he can sometimes attack (say, like Purphoros) is significant upside.
Actually, I think the Purphoros comparison is pretty apt--both can pump your creatures (albeit in different ways), and whereas Purphoros gives you some reach, the Shaman gets you some extra cards. They definitely go into different decks, but they are comparable 4-drops.
Thanks admirableadmiral for hosting.