Got in some testing with Kefnet today and he's pretty strong. The drafter said a bunch of cool synergies with Condescend and Remand came up, and though it wasn't triggered all that often it was enough to be significant upside. The flying 4/5 body stabilized well. First impression after testing is that the card is very solid, though not insane by any stretch.
It can make it pretty awkward with Upheaval/Wildfire, since you can't float mana in your draw phase and use it in your main phase. Still a great effect though.
It's the beefy floor of the card that makes it most promising. If you described this effect to me and asked me what I thought its P/T was, I'd probably say 3/3 or 4/3 at maximum. 4/5 is very pushed.
This is a very very interesting card to me. Blue is obviously a very stacked color, but this card feels like it has legs. The floor of a 4/5 flyer for 2UU is no joke, and the "protection" tuck is at its best in blue that can dig deeper and hit it earlier (and has ways to prolong the game otherwise). A lot of the card's strength depends on how relevant that triggered ability is. Triggering it even once is great, but it plays very poorly with counterspells (although revealing is a may). It comes with a fairly heavy deck building constraint, which may be its death knell, although it has insane synergy with a number of cards that manipulate the top of the library - Sensei's Divining Top most notably. It also triggers on the first card you draw on your opponent's turn, so it has nice synergy with instant speed draw effects although I don't personally run many cheap instant speed draw effects.
I'll likely be testing it at 450, though I'm unsure of exactly how well it will do. If anything, it is a fun and unique card.
I'm interested in the Gideon! I'm a huge fan of that Gideon art. I have run Gideon of the Trials for many moons and love it a lot. Currently rocking that EWitt and FoF art already (in the process of foiling the cube - it's a rough process).
Old border card I'd like to run again but can't is probably Volcanic Hammer. I love the card, and used to run it, but it got pushed out by better versions of the effect :(. The art is great and plays really well with the old border.
I think this card is quite competitive with Saheeli the Gifted, even in cubes with artifact support. Saheeli the Gifted is obviously better in the artifact deck specifically, but this Saheeli can go in more decks (only requiring a single color is very good). Fundamentally though, they tend to go in different decks. I'll be testing this one alongside Saheeli, the Gifted.
I think this card has legs in cube. Being able to be cast with only blue mana is a big deal, and turning Servos into your larger ramp pieces for a big spell or to effectively give one of your creature finishers haste is a big deal. I'll be testing at 450 and it wouldn't surprise me if she does quite well.
I don't think this card gets there. The floor is incredibly low, and your average deck will have maybe 2 1 cmc spells? This has a lot of potential in constructed, but Young Pyromancer this is not. Happy to be wrong though.
I think this card is pretty much exclusively mono G. I wouldn't play this in a deck that wasn't getting consistent use out of the extra mana, and without the opportunity to trigger her static, she's pretty meh. But if you can even trigger her static ability once, you're off to the races. I did some limited testing with her and she impressed me more than I thought she would. She's obviously insane with things that generate extra mana, which can be common in Mono G (Utopia Sprawl, Cradle, etc). I'll be adding her to my test list, though I don't think she's a slam dunk by any means.
I jammed this into a mono G cube deck (with no discard synergies) and played ~8-10 games with it against a control deck. That's obviously going to be it's best matchup, but whew this card was strong. It was only ever activated for 5-6+, but it would just churn through your deck and dump your 5-8 drops into play once it got going (uncounterable at instant speed to boot). Imo if you're activating this for 3-4, you're just doing it wrong (or you're very desperate/flooded).
In games where I had it, it perfectly solved the "green running out of gas" problem. It also has a really neat play pattern once you start activating it for 6-7; good players can do a lot with knowing the bottom 7 or 14 cards of their library. It becomes easy to predict what you're going to hit and far more consistent.
And I don't even think that's the best deck for it - that's probably a BG reanimator deck that can use the discard to its advantage too. This is obviously a limited sample size in one deck, but I was impressed and will be testing it extensively.
I mean the new Vivien is a house against control. A recurrent source of card advantage that enables you to work around counter spells. Importantly, if she gets removed, you still get access to those face down creatures. Playing this t2 off a dork is a pretty big deal.
Granted, not sure if she's better than our existing 3 cmc options in green. But I definitely think she has potential and I'll test her. I don't really like any of the uncommon walkers. Maybe Kiora is good enough, idk.
I'm unsure how good this is in your average green deck, but it's definitely better than a card like Noose Constrictor in GB reanimator decks. That'll be my cut for testing and I imagine it'll perform well.
Didn't see a thread for this one. This card seems pretty good to me. It's no Sylvan Caryatid, but guarantees that you get to untap with it which is pretty much essential for a 2 mana dork. Providing fixing is obviously quite good, and it can trade with an aggro threat or beat your control opponent down in a pinch. Definitely seems like a card worthy of testing at 450 for me, not sure what will I'll be testing it over.
I think the new Domri gets there. Gruul isn't stacked with amazing options, and even if the static ability is meh in your deck it still greatly helps the -2. He's cheap enough to be playable as a mana engine, and he's actually not a bad topdeck because of that -2. The uncounterability is a nice touch as well.
It's a double post, but wanted to give my thoughts separately:
Domri and Gideon seem like windmill slam dunks to me. Domri is great t2 off an elf, is cheap enough to be a valuable mana engine, and offers late game topdeck value with with the fight ability. Gideon is very very good - a 3 mana creature that almost can't be removed that effects the board immediately, and threatens to exile a threat on t5. Will be cutting Domri, Chaos Bringer for this new Domri and probably some random 3 mana white creature for Gideon.
Teferi also seems good to me, but UW is so competitive. But it straight up wins control mirrors and offers card advantage for interaction. A common play pattern will be t3 Teferi, interact with your opponent's only permanent, then stay ahead with the gain in tempo. I'll probably test it, over what not sure.
The Bolas is also quite good. We've never seen a 5 mana planeswalker that +1's for +2 card advantage. If you're able to play this card, minus on your opponents only threat, then untap and plus, it seems VERY hard to lose. The mana cost is restrictive, but worth it. I'll be testing this over Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh.
The Nissa is interesting to me. It basically only costs three mana because you get 2 mana back on your investment, but that effect is much worse in Mono G than UW (thinking about Teferi). She's mana positive when you have 7 lands, and almost mana neutral on 6. She seems good, but she does only make 3/3s. I'm not sure she's better than any of the plethora of 5 mana walkers. But the mana ramp she grants is insane. I probably will not test but could see her doing well.
Here's a text post of all of these walkers abilities:
Karn, the Great Creator 4
Activated abilities of artifacts your opponents control can't be activated.
+1: Until your next turn, up to one target noncreature artifact you control becomes an artifact creature with base power and toughness equal to it's converted mana cost
-2: You may choose an artifact card you control from outside the game or in exile, reveal that card, and put it into your hand.
Starting Loyalty: 4
-------------------------------------
Gideon Blackblade 1WW
As long as it's your turn, Gideon Blackblade is a 4/4 Human Soldier Creature with Indestructible that's still a planeswalker.
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to Gideon Blackblade during your turn.
+1: Up to one other target creature of your choice gains Vigilance, Lifelink or Indestructible until end of turn.
-6: Exile target nonland permanent
Starting Loyalty: 4(edited)
-------------------------------------
Chandra, Fire Artisan 2RR
Whenever one or more loyalty counters are removed from Chandra, Fire Artisan, she deals that much damage to target opponent or planeswalker.
+1 Exile the top card of your library. You may play it this turn.
-7 Exile the top seven cards of your library. You may play them this turn.
Starting Loyalty: 4(edited)
--------------------------------------
Nissa, Who Shakes the World 3GG
Whenever you tap a Forest for mana, add an additional G.
+1: Put three +1/+1 counters on up to one target noncreature land you control. Untap it, then it becomes a 0/0 elemental creature with vigilance and haste that's still a land.
-8: you get an emblem "Lands you control are indestructible". Search your library for any number of forests, put them on the field tapped, then shuffle your library.
Starting Loyalty: 5(edited)
--------------------------------------------------
Domri, Anarch of Bolas 1RG
Creatures you control get +1/+0
+1: add R or G, creatures spells you cast this turn can't be countered
-2: Target creature you control fights target creature you don't control
Starting Loyalty: 3
-----------------------------------------
Ral, Storm Conduit 2UR
Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, Ral, Storm Conduit deals 1 damage to target opponent or planes walker.
+1: Scry 1
-2: When you cast your next instant or sorcery spell this turn, copy that spell. You may choose new targets for the copy.
Starting Loyalty: 4(edited)
------------------------------------------
Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord 2WB
As long as it’s your turn, creatures and planeswalkers you control have lifelink.
+2: Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord deals 1 damage to target player or planeswalker
-X: Return target creature with CMC X or less from your graveyard to the battlefield. That creature is a Vampire in addition to its other types.
Starting Loyalty: 4(edited)
-----------------------------------------------
Teferi, Time Raveler 1WU
Each opponent can cast spells only at any time they could cast a sorcery
+1: Until your next turn, you may cast sorcery spells as though they had flash
-3: Return up to one target artifact, creature or enchantment to its owner's hand. You draw a card.
Starting Loyalty: 4(edited)
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Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God UBBBR
Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God has all loyalty abilities of all other planeswalkers on the battlefield
+1: You draw a card, each opponent exiles a card from their hand or a permanent they control
-3: Destroy target creature or Planeswalker
-8: Each opponent who doesn't control a legendary creature or planeswalker loses the game.
Starting Loyalty: 4
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Niz-Mizzet Reborn WUBRG
Legendary Creature - Dragon Avatar
Flying
When Niv-Mizzet Reborn enters the battlefield, reveal the top ten cards of your library. For each color pair, choose a card that’s exactly those colors from among them. Put the chosen cards into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
6/6(edited)
-------------------------------------------------
Roalesk, Apex Hybrid 2GGU
Legendary Creature — Human Mutant (M)
Flying, trample
When Roalesk, Apex Hybrid enters the battlefield, put two +1/+1 counters on another target creature you control.
When Roalesk dies, proliferate, then proliferate again.
4/5
It's the beefy floor of the card that makes it most promising. If you described this effect to me and asked me what I thought its P/T was, I'd probably say 3/3 or 4/3 at maximum. 4/5 is very pushed.
This is a very very interesting card to me. Blue is obviously a very stacked color, but this card feels like it has legs. The floor of a 4/5 flyer for 2UU is no joke, and the "protection" tuck is at its best in blue that can dig deeper and hit it earlier (and has ways to prolong the game otherwise). A lot of the card's strength depends on how relevant that triggered ability is. Triggering it even once is great, but it plays very poorly with counterspells (although revealing is a may). It comes with a fairly heavy deck building constraint, which may be its death knell, although it has insane synergy with a number of cards that manipulate the top of the library - Sensei's Divining Top most notably. It also triggers on the first card you draw on your opponent's turn, so it has nice synergy with instant speed draw effects although I don't personally run many cheap instant speed draw effects.
I'll likely be testing it at 450, though I'm unsure of exactly how well it will do. If anything, it is a fun and unique card.
Old border card I'd like to run again but can't is probably Volcanic Hammer. I love the card, and used to run it, but it got pushed out by better versions of the effect :(. The art is great and plays really well with the old border.
In games where I had it, it perfectly solved the "green running out of gas" problem. It also has a really neat play pattern once you start activating it for 6-7; good players can do a lot with knowing the bottom 7 or 14 cards of their library. It becomes easy to predict what you're going to hit and far more consistent.
And I don't even think that's the best deck for it - that's probably a BG reanimator deck that can use the discard to its advantage too. This is obviously a limited sample size in one deck, but I was impressed and will be testing it extensively.
Granted, not sure if she's better than our existing 3 cmc options in green. But I definitely think she has potential and I'll test her. I don't really like any of the uncommon walkers. Maybe Kiora is good enough, idk.
Didn't see a thread for this one. This card seems pretty good to me. It's no Sylvan Caryatid, but guarantees that you get to untap with it which is pretty much essential for a 2 mana dork. Providing fixing is obviously quite good, and it can trade with an aggro threat or beat your control opponent down in a pinch. Definitely seems like a card worthy of testing at 450 for me, not sure what will I'll be testing it over.
[/quote]
I thought you could do this as well, but you can't :(. Her +1 explicitly says "target noncreature land", so no stacking. Feelsbadman.
Domri and Gideon seem like windmill slam dunks to me. Domri is great t2 off an elf, is cheap enough to be a valuable mana engine, and offers late game topdeck value with with the fight ability. Gideon is very very good - a 3 mana creature that almost can't be removed that effects the board immediately, and threatens to exile a threat on t5. Will be cutting Domri, Chaos Bringer for this new Domri and probably some random 3 mana white creature for Gideon.
Teferi also seems good to me, but UW is so competitive. But it straight up wins control mirrors and offers card advantage for interaction. A common play pattern will be t3 Teferi, interact with your opponent's only permanent, then stay ahead with the gain in tempo. I'll probably test it, over what not sure.
The Bolas is also quite good. We've never seen a 5 mana planeswalker that +1's for +2 card advantage. If you're able to play this card, minus on your opponents only threat, then untap and plus, it seems VERY hard to lose. The mana cost is restrictive, but worth it. I'll be testing this over Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh.
The Nissa is interesting to me. It basically only costs three mana because you get 2 mana back on your investment, but that effect is much worse in Mono G than UW (thinking about Teferi). She's mana positive when you have 7 lands, and almost mana neutral on 6. She seems good, but she does only make 3/3s. I'm not sure she's better than any of the plethora of 5 mana walkers. But the mana ramp she grants is insane. I probably will not test but could see her doing well.
Everything else seems meh to me.
Karn, the Great Creator 4
Activated abilities of artifacts your opponents control can't be activated.
+1: Until your next turn, up to one target noncreature artifact you control becomes an artifact creature with base power and toughness equal to it's converted mana cost
-2: You may choose an artifact card you control from outside the game or in exile, reveal that card, and put it into your hand.
Starting Loyalty: 4
-------------------------------------
Gideon Blackblade 1WW
As long as it's your turn, Gideon Blackblade is a 4/4 Human Soldier Creature with Indestructible that's still a planeswalker.
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to Gideon Blackblade during your turn.
+1: Up to one other target creature of your choice gains Vigilance, Lifelink or Indestructible until end of turn.
-6: Exile target nonland permanent
Starting Loyalty: 4(edited)
-------------------------------------
Chandra, Fire Artisan 2RR
Whenever one or more loyalty counters are removed from Chandra, Fire Artisan, she deals that much damage to target opponent or planeswalker.
+1 Exile the top card of your library. You may play it this turn.
-7 Exile the top seven cards of your library. You may play them this turn.
Starting Loyalty: 4(edited)
--------------------------------------
Nissa, Who Shakes the World 3GG
Whenever you tap a Forest for mana, add an additional G.
+1: Put three +1/+1 counters on up to one target noncreature land you control. Untap it, then it becomes a 0/0 elemental creature with vigilance and haste that's still a land.
-8: you get an emblem "Lands you control are indestructible". Search your library for any number of forests, put them on the field tapped, then shuffle your library.
Starting Loyalty: 5(edited)
--------------------------------------------------
Domri, Anarch of Bolas 1RG
Creatures you control get +1/+0
+1: add R or G, creatures spells you cast this turn can't be countered
-2: Target creature you control fights target creature you don't control
Starting Loyalty: 3
-----------------------------------------
Ral, Storm Conduit 2UR
Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, Ral, Storm Conduit deals 1 damage to target opponent or planes walker.
+1: Scry 1
-2: When you cast your next instant or sorcery spell this turn, copy that spell. You may choose new targets for the copy.
Starting Loyalty: 4(edited)
------------------------------------------
Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord 2WB
As long as it’s your turn, creatures and planeswalkers you control have lifelink.
+2: Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord deals 1 damage to target player or planeswalker
-X: Return target creature with CMC X or less from your graveyard to the battlefield. That creature is a Vampire in addition to its other types.
Starting Loyalty: 4(edited)
-----------------------------------------------
Teferi, Time Raveler 1WU
Each opponent can cast spells only at any time they could cast a sorcery
+1: Until your next turn, you may cast sorcery spells as though they had flash
-3: Return up to one target artifact, creature or enchantment to its owner's hand. You draw a card.
Starting Loyalty: 4(edited)
-----------------------------------------------
Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God UBBBR
Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God has all loyalty abilities of all other planeswalkers on the battlefield
+1: You draw a card, each opponent exiles a card from their hand or a permanent they control
-3: Destroy target creature or Planeswalker
-8: Each opponent who doesn't control a legendary creature or planeswalker loses the game.
Starting Loyalty: 4
-----------------------------------------------
Niz-Mizzet Reborn WUBRG
Legendary Creature - Dragon Avatar
Flying
When Niv-Mizzet Reborn enters the battlefield, reveal the top ten cards of your library. For each color pair, choose a card that’s exactly those colors from among them. Put the chosen cards into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
6/6(edited)
-------------------------------------------------
Roalesk, Apex Hybrid 2GGU
Legendary Creature — Human Mutant (M)
Flying, trample
When Roalesk, Apex Hybrid enters the battlefield, put two +1/+1 counters on another target creature you control.
When Roalesk dies, proliferate, then proliferate again.
4/5