On the card as a whole. In the name, for many of the bemoaned types. Uncle Istvan is still Uncle Istvan, Ali from Cairo is still Ali from Cairo. In the flavor text. In the illustrations. The type line and rules text? They can augment the flavor very much as well, though their primary purpose is setting the rules.
Look at it this way - if you have chocoloate, adding more chocolate (having the name act as the type as well) won't make the chocolate taste better. Adding another ingredient, however, will impact the taste. Whether you like the new taste, of course, is a matter of opinion.
When I first saw Uncle Istvan, I laughed, as it conjured up the image of someone trying to describe what was reaping things out in the swamp. "No, it's not alive, or dead, or man or beast. It's... Uncle Istvan." It was an Uncle Istvan creature, not a human or a zombie or anything else. His creature type being different meant that he was different, in both flavor and functionality. In my eyes, that card was special, it was unique, and I loved that. Now, it's as if they're redefining the essence of Uncle Istvan to say "oh, wait, he's not some weird, lurking human-like thing in the swamp, he's actually a human. Just some guy in the swamp."
The same goes for El-Hajjaj and Ali-from-Cairo. They weren't human, they were unique. Something about them separated them from other raiders or humans or thieves. I mean, I understand why Wizards has done this, but in my mind it's like putting the arm back on the Venus De Milo - they're making it look like it was intended, but in the process they're removing what made the card great. Those "errors" are the history and the soul of the game, and while this slick reproduction increases functionality and interactiveness between cards, it decreases the cool factor. I know, I'm that old guy grumping about how "things aren't how they used to be," but in my eyes, this is Greedo shooting first. They may look back and want Uncle Istvan that way, but that's not the way they made it, and that's where some of our hearts lie.
Would Uncle Istvan be a human today? Of course. But he wouldn't be nearly as cool as if he was an Uncle Istvan. There aren't making the one-ofs anymore, and I'm kind of sad that the game as a whole has lost that aspect.
Am I the only one that's annoyed by this? I'm still irked that Uncle Istvan isn't a "summon Uncle Istvan" spell.
Yes, it's more functional this way, but where's the flavor? Everything feels so much more generic now, compared to when it was "summon Abomination" or "summon Ali-from-Cairo." Those spells were unique, they were special, and now they've been stomped on. Now it's "creature - horror" or "creature - human." Booooring. What made these things awesome was that it hinted that there was some element of those creatures that were different from similar creatures. I enjoyed that.
I understand if you have a Bureaucrat creature type and want to meld it into human types for functional purposes. But is it really necessary to muck with my Medusas and my Lycanthropes.? They thought of themselves as something other than gorgons or human wolves, and if they didn't want to get +5/+5 from Coat of Arms because they didn't consider themselves a part of that race they were so similar to, more power to them.
Personally, I don't see what the problem is with having weird creature types, other than Engineered Plague not being as awesome (is this really a good reason to do this?). I rather enjoyed making phantasm decks, thank you very much, and count me as one person that doesn't mind one-of creature races. Throw those in once in a while please - you don't have to have a Lord for every race (or go ahead... give me a Jabberwocky Lord! The fact that he doesn't support anyone makes him fun to have around!)
I realize that I'm in the minority, but I don't care. Screw you, WotC. My Uncle Istvan is staying as it is on the card, thank you very much. I believe he would have wanted it that way.
Personally, I think the Arbiter is being underrated. Playing it is essentially saying "you know everything that you've done to me so far? Do it again." This card alone makes constructed fatty decks viable; Goblin decks, for example, often run out of steam via Wrath and often wait a couple turns to draw that last burn spell to finish the other player off. This completely negates that.
I've been lurking on here for awhile now, but it was discussion of some new Lorwyn cards that convinced me to actually join in.
Giants (for admittedly good reason) have been mostly dismissed up until now as a third-tier-at-best tribe, which is all the motivation I need to focus on them as a theme.
It looks as if goblins and kithkin are going to run amok in the new standard, so that inspired me to look at a heavy hitter that could beat them, which inspired this pile.
The idea is to ramp up on mana in the early game, accepting a few hits on the way. Pyrohemia, Austere Command, and Rough and Tumble should suffice as early/mid game creature control.
By the mid-game, the life totals will undoubtedly be heavily in their favor, but the board should be stabilized. At this point, Arbiter of Knollridge (found through draw, Citanul Flute, or Primal Command) can stabilize life totals and leave the deck well situated for a late-game beating. Dropping a Hamletback Goliath with the board clear is some good times.
I think this deck's focus on getting to the endgame is its biggest strength as well as its biggest weakness. Thoughts?
Personally, I think Goblins, Elves, and Kithkin are going to be the first decks out of the gate. Thus, I'm working on a Giant-based deck to beat them into the ground.
The idea is to ramp up on mana in the early game, accepting a few hits on the way. Pyrohemia, Austere Command, and Rough and Tumble should suffice as early/mid game creature control.
By the mid-game, the life totals will undoubtedly be heavily in their favor, but the board should be stabilized. At this point, Arbiter of Knollridge (found through draw, Citanul Flute, or Primal Command) can stabilize life totals and leave the deck well situated for a late-game beating. Dropping a Hamletback Goliath with the board clear is some good times.
I don't foresee elves being a problem. Goblins might be if they get a good draw and blast out of the gate, but there should be enough here to recover from their onslaught. Kithkin, similarly, could be a problem, but Chandra's available to act as a finisher.
When I first saw Uncle Istvan, I laughed, as it conjured up the image of someone trying to describe what was reaping things out in the swamp. "No, it's not alive, or dead, or man or beast. It's... Uncle Istvan." It was an Uncle Istvan creature, not a human or a zombie or anything else. His creature type being different meant that he was different, in both flavor and functionality. In my eyes, that card was special, it was unique, and I loved that. Now, it's as if they're redefining the essence of Uncle Istvan to say "oh, wait, he's not some weird, lurking human-like thing in the swamp, he's actually a human. Just some guy in the swamp."
The same goes for El-Hajjaj and Ali-from-Cairo. They weren't human, they were unique. Something about them separated them from other raiders or humans or thieves. I mean, I understand why Wizards has done this, but in my mind it's like putting the arm back on the Venus De Milo - they're making it look like it was intended, but in the process they're removing what made the card great. Those "errors" are the history and the soul of the game, and while this slick reproduction increases functionality and interactiveness between cards, it decreases the cool factor. I know, I'm that old guy grumping about how "things aren't how they used to be," but in my eyes, this is Greedo shooting first. They may look back and want Uncle Istvan that way, but that's not the way they made it, and that's where some of our hearts lie.
Would Uncle Istvan be a human today? Of course. But he wouldn't be nearly as cool as if he was an Uncle Istvan. There aren't making the one-ofs anymore, and I'm kind of sad that the game as a whole has lost that aspect.
Yes, it's more functional this way, but where's the flavor? Everything feels so much more generic now, compared to when it was "summon Abomination" or "summon Ali-from-Cairo." Those spells were unique, they were special, and now they've been stomped on. Now it's "creature - horror" or "creature - human." Booooring. What made these things awesome was that it hinted that there was some element of those creatures that were different from similar creatures. I enjoyed that.
I understand if you have a Bureaucrat creature type and want to meld it into human types for functional purposes. But is it really necessary to muck with my Medusas and my Lycanthropes.? They thought of themselves as something other than gorgons or human wolves, and if they didn't want to get +5/+5 from Coat of Arms because they didn't consider themselves a part of that race they were so similar to, more power to them.
Personally, I don't see what the problem is with having weird creature types, other than Engineered Plague not being as awesome (is this really a good reason to do this?). I rather enjoyed making phantasm decks, thank you very much, and count me as one person that doesn't mind one-of creature races. Throw those in once in a while please - you don't have to have a Lord for every race (or go ahead... give me a Jabberwocky Lord! The fact that he doesn't support anyone makes him fun to have around!)
I realize that I'm in the minority, but I don't care. Screw you, WotC. My Uncle Istvan is staying as it is on the card, thank you very much. I believe he would have wanted it that way.
Giants (for admittedly good reason) have been mostly dismissed up until now as a third-tier-at-best tribe, which is all the motivation I need to focus on them as a theme.
It looks as if goblins and kithkin are going to run amok in the new standard, so that inspired me to look at a heavy hitter that could beat them, which inspired this pile.
4 Arbiter of Knollridge
4 Hamletback Goliath
3 Brion Stoutarm
PLANESWALKERS (3)
3 Chandra Nalaar
SPELLS (23)
4 Austere Command
4 Rough and Tumble
2 Pyrohemia
4 Rampant Growth
4 Evolution Charm
4 Hunting Wilds
3 Primal Command
2 Citanul Flute
LAND (20)
4 Ancient Ampitheater
4 Terramorphic Expanse
6 Forest
3 Mountains
3 Plains
By the mid-game, the life totals will undoubtedly be heavily in their favor, but the board should be stabilized. At this point, Arbiter of Knollridge (found through draw, Citanul Flute, or Primal Command) can stabilize life totals and leave the deck well situated for a late-game beating. Dropping a Hamletback Goliath with the board clear is some good times.
I think this deck's focus on getting to the endgame is its biggest strength as well as its biggest weakness. Thoughts?
4 Arbiter of Knollridge
4 Hamletback Goliath
3 Brion Stoutarm
PLANESWALKERS (3)
3 Chandra Nalaar
SPELLS (23)
4 Austere Command
4 Rough and Tumble
2 Pyrohemia
4 Rampant Growth
4 Evolution Charm
4 Hunting Wilds
3 Primal Command
2 Citanul Flute
LAND (20)
4 Ancient Ampitheater
4 Terramorphic Expanse
6 Forest
3 Mountains
3 Plains
By the mid-game, the life totals will undoubtedly be heavily in their favor, but the board should be stabilized. At this point, Arbiter of Knollridge (found through draw, Citanul Flute, or Primal Command) can stabilize life totals and leave the deck well situated for a late-game beating. Dropping a Hamletback Goliath with the board clear is some good times.
I don't foresee elves being a problem. Goblins might be if they get a good draw and blast out of the gate, but there should be enough here to recover from their onslaught. Kithkin, similarly, could be a problem, but Chandra's available to act as a finisher.
Thoughts?