And vendor or employee error? Don't matter. They rung up at the register.
It matter to him if he drives around town hoping to find them for sale. All I was saying it that it was more likely an error then an actual store wide early release.
They are obviously great against Combo and pretty meh otherwise, except for Praetor's Grasp which can grab a key card but is more likely to be used to snag a manna rock or other useful artifact.
Actually I think he's popular because Esper doesn't have very many middling generals. There are some brutal combo machines like Sharuum and Zur then some pretty weak ones like Lady Evangela and Halfdane. Oloro has and interesting ability to help guide the deck but at the same time even if you never cast him he has a positive effect on your game so you can use him as a good stuff/misc. deck and not feel terrible about playing him just for the colors. It's not surprising to me that he's popular, although I don't think he's worth whatever premium SCG is charging.
I personally like the Grixis generals the most. Big fan of the Wheel-punisher guy.
I was considering building an Oloro bleeder deck. It seemed like it could be a fun deck to pull out at a more casual table.
The only real cards I would see are things like Burgeoning etc. On turn one it basically equates to the player who cast it taking some four extra turns. While I have no issue with actual extra turns, that amount of ramp that early is insane. Especially if you don't run into any enchantment removal till you play a land, at which point they are already hugely ahead of the curb.
Burgeoning is very nice if you get it out early but it is a terrible topdeck late game and for a lot of decks mid game.
Aside from some folks muttering under their breath about Stasis locks it certainly hasn't been an issue. It isn't as if it is used to mill folks to death like Stasis is in other formats.
I run him as my mono blue General and he works just fine. If you build the deck around him his effect is pretty much one sided and since I don't run many counterspells it is nice to have to not worry much about targeted removal.
You also get a lot less hate with Kira then you do with a lot of the other generals in mono blue.
Slow route is fine, when I am starting to combo off I ask them if they can stop it, and if not do they want to concede. If they choose to every step of the combo then so be it.
As for the game in particular you played, I would have explained to my friend that I had just added the combo and wanted to test it out.
It matter to him if he drives around town hoping to find them for sale. All I was saying it that it was more likely an error then an actual store wide early release.
Obviously it was a nice turn of events for you.
I wouldn't expect to see them today. Likely it was a vendor or employee error that the OP found some.
I have never had much luck with the curse. In my meta giving my opponents sac outlets isn't a good idea much of the time.
I was considering building an Oloro bleeder deck. It seemed like it could be a fun deck to pull out at a more casual table.
Not going to happen if a bunch of guys build him.
The Angel will certainly be going into my Rasputin Blink deck.
And White has Balance and Limited Resources on the ban list. Not house banned, actual ban, right next to Worldfire.
Exiling isn't a hard answer?
Burgeoning is very nice if you get it out early but it is a terrible topdeck late game and for a lot of decks mid game.
I ran Brine in my Animar, Soul of Elements deck (morph theme) and in my Momir Vig deck (could tutor it and Vesuvan Shapeshifter.
Aside from some folks muttering under their breath about Stasis locks it certainly hasn't been an issue. It isn't as if it is used to mill folks to death like Stasis is in other formats.
Of course your playgroup will probably counter by switching to non-targeted GY destruction down the road but this should buy you some time.
You also get a lot less hate with Kira then you do with a lot of the other generals in mono blue.
As for the game in particular you played, I would have explained to my friend that I had just added the combo and wanted to test it out.
I hope you don't mean in black.
Is there an artifact creature that works in a vaguely similar way? If not then that would be interesting.