So green (tertiary in draw after U and B) gets an artifact that adds the word "visionary" to the end of every creature's name and U gets a loot effect? Would it have been too strong to give this just the draw without the discard?
Are you really comparing a mythic to an uncommon?
Given the difference in stregths across the color pie and what else that Mythic does I don't think it's a completely off-base comparison. But it's not just the Henge, green draw in this set seems quite strong while blue is almost all looting
So green (tertiary in draw after U and B) gets an artifact that adds the word "visionary" to the end of every creature's name and U gets a loot effect? Would it have been too strong to give this just the draw without the discard?
Well if you play Kenrith you can actually play a 37 Plains mana base and still get there with W/x Hybrids so in a way it would be mono-white just a new version of 5c at the same time.
And yet, that's not a mono-white deck. That is a multicolor deck. Sure, you can cripple your card choice to run a mono-colored mana-base, but the cards you are playing are more than just white.
No doubt, and I'm certainly not justifying this decision but this is exactly the sort of double-speak we expect from Maro these days. Just like he once called Terastodon 18 power for 6GG
I thought it was hinted that Happily Ever After would be a card to breath new life into mono-white in EDH... this can't be accomplished in a mono-white deck. Maybe I misunderstood.
Well if you play Kenrith you can actually play a 37 Plains mana base and still get there with W/x Hybrids so in a way it would be mono-white just a new version of 5c at the same time.
I mean it's total cost is 8, not 15. With a 3/3 you only need to pay 5
7GG=9
So, 6 rather than 5 but it also immediately recoups you GG and if you are able to use that 2 mana towards a creature you get a card out of the deal 2. I'll take a 4/4 Barkhide Visionary any day, even if the first one does cost 4GG
I love this approach to food. Would have been wild to see a card that let you sac treasure tokens to drain a mana pool or tap a land or something, or a card to sac clue tokens to force a discard.
Red Herring 1B
Creature - Fish Food
When Red Herring ETBs you may sacrifice a clue. If you do, target opponent discards a card
So...I've sorta been having this internal debate. It actually started a couple sets back, but it feels more and more relevant each set. Do you guys feel that, in the modern game of Magic, a 2/2 creature with a +1/+1 counter is just functionally better than a. 3/3? If so, is the difference so relevant that it should be reflected in mana cost? Is it already affecting cost?
In a vacuum, they are functionally equivalent so it comes down to what else is going on around the two cards. Right now we have proliferate in standard so yes a +1/+1 counter is better in standard (marginally) but there have been times when it's been 0 net impact or a negative impact. In either case, in eternal formats there are much bigger cost-reward considerations to think about so this is primarily a standard/limited sort of question and I think the answer is probably "it depends".
There's certainly no lifegain as a strategy in Modern, but as a burn player I can tell you that even inciental lifegain can really set us back - Thragtusk in Tron, Obstinate Baloth, Timely Reinforcements in UW Control, thopter foundry lifegain in Whirza... These are the things that tempo out burn and make us lose. Skullcrack is essential in some of those matchups.
Or, you know, Batterskull from practically every deck right now...
There's a big difference between the cards being legal and the deck being played. I'm all for Sisters becoming a deck but all indications are that it is not, at least right now.
It's worded the way it is to leave room for further ways to play with instant and sorcery subtypes. Maybe they want to print adventure the next time around on a permanent that isn't a creature. Maybe the want to have effects that change the type of an instant or enchantment.
Now there's an argument I can respect. Always best to leave slack in these designs for future space.
T1 Witching Well
T2 Lucky Clover
T3 Adventure on Animating Faerie, attack for 8.
Haha, I think you have just discovered the Mono U Aggro deck:D
I have a lot of respect for the timing of the spoil of this. First we get a great Esper Deck that plays with Adventure and specifically Animating Faerie. Then over a week later, once we are all used to the idea Wizards is like "oh, and Adventures can do this too".
I'm pretty sure you don't even need "Instant or Sorcery" as Adventure is a sub-type of only those two things. The cleanest template is probably "Whenever you cast an Adventure" or for the flavor win, "Whenever you send a creature card on Adventure"
That wording reflects Arcane spells from Kamigawa, "Whenever you cast an Arcane spell"...but then you'd need clarification that you don't copy a creature spell that has an Adventure.
It probably could have been worded to reflect Edgewall Innkeeper, "Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell that has an Adventure, copy that spell..." but then instants and sorceries don't really "have adventures".
Their template is probably the cleanest iteration. "Whenever you cast an Adventure instant or sorcery spell..."
I respect that. It still feels a little verbose but I don't think there's a way to word it that doesn't confuse someone.
Another critter I'm looking forward to Disfigure with the post-rotation UB Control deck I'm building:D So far the best uncomon Knight legend (for Standard) in my opinion, the "another" clause hurts it, but may be fun to try in a Green-based aggro deck, though I'd probably prefer to play Barkhide Troll for the GG slot.
Unfortunately in competitive I think a lot of the set feels this way - there's generally something in GRN/ARN/WAR/M20 that trumps each card in ELD. Card is going to be remembered for flavor but other then Midnight Rider I don't see the top tables looking at it. But it's gonna be hella fun to draft and gives EDH some toys.
I'm pretty sure you don't even need "Instant or Sorcery" as Adventure is a sub-type of only those two things. The cleanest template is probably "Whenever you cast an Adventure" or for the flavor win, "Whenever you send a creature card on Adventure"
Given the difference in stregths across the color pie and what else that Mythic does I don't think it's a completely off-base comparison. But it's not just the Henge, green draw in this set seems quite strong while blue is almost all looting
No doubt, and I'm certainly not justifying this decision but this is exactly the sort of double-speak we expect from Maro these days. Just like he once called Terastodon 18 power for 6GG
Well if you play Kenrith you can actually play a 37 Plains mana base and still get there with W/x Hybrids so in a way it would be mono-white just a new version of 5c at the same time.
This scryfall search is a little greedy but it returns 140+ cards and the majority of them can be played with just W: https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&order=name&q=color>=W is:splitmana Sadly, I don't know how to filter out things like Crystalization effectively.
So, 6 rather than 5 but it also immediately recoups you GG and if you are able to use that 2 mana towards a creature you get a card out of the deal 2. I'll take a 4/4 Barkhide Visionary any day, even if the first one does cost 4GG
Red Herring 1B
Creature - Fish Food
When Red Herring ETBs you may sacrifice a clue. If you do, target opponent discards a card
0/2
I might even go so far as to say it's great.
In a vacuum, they are functionally equivalent so it comes down to what else is going on around the two cards. Right now we have proliferate in standard so yes a +1/+1 counter is better in standard (marginally) but there have been times when it's been 0 net impact or a negative impact. In either case, in eternal formats there are much bigger cost-reward considerations to think about so this is primarily a standard/limited sort of question and I think the answer is probably "it depends".
There's a big difference between the cards being legal and the deck being played. I'm all for Sisters becoming a deck but all indications are that it is not, at least right now.
Now there's an argument I can respect. Always best to leave slack in these designs for future space.
I have a lot of respect for the timing of the spoil of this. First we get a great Esper Deck that plays with Adventure and specifically Animating Faerie. Then over a week later, once we are all used to the idea Wizards is like "oh, and Adventures can do this too".
I respect that. It still feels a little verbose but I don't think there's a way to word it that doesn't confuse someone.
Unfortunately in competitive I think a lot of the set feels this way - there's generally something in GRN/ARN/WAR/M20 that trumps each card in ELD. Card is going to be remembered for flavor but other then Midnight Rider I don't see the top tables looking at it. But it's gonna be hella fun to draft and gives EDH some toys.