For those wondering what other are seeing in this card: maybe you are expecting too much from this. The bar for a hybrid 2-drop shouldn't be too high, and this creature will often be a 3/3 or 4/4 for 2 mana, with additional utility strapped to it. That's plenty good for how easily you can include this card in your deck and how easy it is to cast.
Of course I guess how easy it is to give this card a cube slot depends on how you categorize and/or impose caps on hybrids. If you group hybrids together with true multi-color cards it's going to be *much* tougher to find a slot than if you don't. For us it's very easy as we don't put any caps on hybrids, we basically include them if we think they would add something beneficial to the cube, and then tweak the size of the colored sections to the amount of hybrids each has access to. That works pretty well.
Just a thought
Double hybrid mana requirement is a big jump from single though and is pretty tricky to categorize.
The only point of my calculations was to demonstrate the magnitude of difference access 100% of the time means. If you think the card is actually bad (I don't) then yeah it doesn't matter. But given that I would cube the card in a heartbeat without it in my opening hand, the 100% access makes it seem absurd to me.
Yeah it's quick napkin math, but I think it properly demonstrated my point.
Not sure how you conclude you would cube the card "in a heartbeat" w/o Companion since Dualcaster Mage already exists and can hit opposing spells (important..) and can be blinked for reuse (not as important but notable). Granted this has the upside of 3 power.
FWIW I don't think this card is 40% as good as some of the best cards in unpowered vintage without the companion clause.
There is also the problem that it isn't a straight 40%.
Assuming you get the card (~40% for the sake of argument) there is a cross product of (power when played)(how often played). An extreme example would be very expensive spells in limited. This card's "how often played" factor is going to be lower because you will only be casting it if you don't have something better available. And, because "power when played" is contextual (ie the "when played" matters) there is going to be diminishing returns based on playing this later in the game.
Also, if you take mean "power when played" then consider the following:
Black Lotus 10
Lutri 4
then by the most naive calculation (x .4) they are equal. But Lutri-in-itself (ie not weighting the companion clause) is hard pressed to be a 4 IMO.
Sadly the "whenever this Mutates" mechanic is rather parasitic, so we won't be able to enjoy many of the mutate cards. So far the only mutate card without it is Brokkos, Apex of Forever.
Not sure if I understand what you're saying, but when you cast this for its mutate cost it counts as mutating for the purpose of triggering the ability. The way they chose to template the ability makes the terminology kind of ambiguous to the point where there are almost two instances of the word "mutate" -- one a keyword, one closer to natural language. Its definitely on the "people will get it" end of the clean design spectrum.
So if may companion gets exiled? I could still cast it again? am i right?
It's kinda meh that Mutate isnt for human creatures
I wonder If R&D is thinking that vehicle and equipment should had those kind of condition like mutate is
Nope rules say once and only once
It’s also the first time you can actually have a sideboard in commander (you can have 101 cards just as long as the companion rule complies for your deck)
That’s why they had to do the first ever emergency ban on the otter it’s condition is 100% of commander decks and it’s dualcaster mage
It wouldn't necessarily be 100% if there are competing companion cards in the same colors.
While it certainly seems to be a setup for Ikoria, perhaps that is not where mutate will appear after all? They've conspicuously stopped short of confirming it.
They have actually explicitly stated mutate is Ikoria.
Did not know that, thanks! Weird that merge would be alongside something that seems sure to be similar in theme and execution.
Merge has been done before in some capacity. It's the Licids as a keyword.
'buster
Yeah but Licid-like abilities isn't too bad because if the creature dies, so does the Licid. Assuming you don't, or can't, pay the deactivation costs. This Merge ability automatically turns it back to a creature if it "falls" off.
This Merge ability, if true, really ratchets up the annoying factor quite a bit IMHO. There is virtually ZERO risk to attaching the creature. If the creature dies, your enchantments come back as creatures. This effectively alters board wipes. Cards like Kaya's Wrath would be more one sided. Attach all your creatures to a single token, cast Kaya, boom, you have an army of creatures to attack with. It would also diminish the effectiveness if the opponent uses a Merge strategy, there is that. But I digress, WotC already has crap removal. Remember what was said about Reds solution to removing Oko? Use a Shock and Fry.
The first Merge creature without the reminder text about it returning as a creature is fine. It adds an amount of risk to the mechanic. Should you attach the creature and risk a Murder?
In any case, I'll wait for official word before I get angry with WotC. Then we'll see how this mechanic plays out.
Difference between the licids and merge licids do it instant speed these do not
But if real we don’t even know the rules of merge yet and is merge different from mutate?
While it certainly seems to be a setup for Ikoria, perhaps that is not where mutate will appear after all? They've conspicuously stopped short of confirming it.
Secondly, they may be reappropriating the word "Swarm". Perhaps it will henceforth refer to the faction and will be decoupled from referring to deploying large numbers of creatures.
As far as we can tell with merge, if, at any point, the merge creature that's become an aura stops being attached to a creature, it becomes a creature again. That's the same way bestow works. It just doesn't have the mandatory power/toughness bonus or making you choose while in hand whether you want the aura or want to skip it. This is a mechanic you can actually cost where you can use it before late game. It isn't that bestow wasn't neat when you could actually use it. The way it and merge work, you don't have the card disadvantage of auras. You can also merge repeatedly for only 1-3 mana. It's only sorcery speed, though, other than the aura mover card, so it isn't a combat trick and gives the "shields down" moment,though. It's actually a very well designed mechanic that I think people will really enjoy, if real. It isn't bestow. It's improved bestow that might actually let them print a constructed merge card or two. I think it looks really fun, kind of like bloodrush. It's a creature you can also use for something else, but like cycling, adventure, channel, or reinforce, you can actually use it reasonably because it isn't locked behind 6+ mana. It also fits with the trend of monstrosity improvement, channel that lets you have both at a reasonable cost (adventure), and flashback that can work on any card type (escape). I could actually see it existing along with mutate, especially if mutate is something like monstrosity but you can have a choice of keywords. This is black border host/augment set but without the card disadvantage and the design issues of a+b mechanic. It isn't that contraptions or host/augment weren't good ideas but this improves the latter and food improved the former.
As for designing a card that later saw print, I personally designed the exact card Murder only with a different name. An enemy ultimatum that's practically a ripoff of Violent Ultimatum isn't exactly the pinnacle of innovation. It's spicy and exciting but lets do the opposite of a card in the same cycle isn't going to surprise.
Are you really going to give up a 2/3 reach creature for an aura that does nothing but grant another creature reach, though? Or, similarly, vigilance?
It's also worth noting that as your Cube gets faster it tends toward more heavy single colored decks that lightly splashes a second color just because as you reduce land you also reduce color consistency. 14 lands is actually not that bad if you have a low curve -- but it lessens the guarantee of hitting two colors of mana.
I tend to not go below 15 lands. I guess I could do 14 if I was mono-coloured and had Wild Growth and Llanowar Elves to pad out for additional mana sources.
When I splash for an additional colour I'm often looking for an increase in card quality or I'm looking for some kind of engine to give my deck a few more gears to switch to when the pace of the game changes.
What I was saying is that 16 land sources is actually a lot for decks that aren't going to play 5 drops and only a few fours. In those cases you are running 16 lands just so you can go play enough lands of both colors. So the faster your decks get the more likely there is to be a primary color and a de-emphasized/minor second color -- thereby allowing you to drop lands (by simple math which is not exactly right but close enough 14 lands is ~21 in a 60 card deck)
It's also worth noting that as your Cube gets faster it tends toward more heavy single colored decks that lightly splashes a second color just because as you reduce land you also reduce color consistency. 14 lands is actually not that bad if you have a low curve -- but it lessens the guarantee of hitting two colors of mana.
Double hybrid mana requirement is a big jump from single though and is pretty tricky to categorize.
Not sure how you conclude you would cube the card "in a heartbeat" w/o Companion since Dualcaster Mage already exists and can hit opposing spells (important..) and can be blinked for reuse (not as important but notable). Granted this has the upside of 3 power.
So, best case, if you put this on a 1/1 it is +3/+3, menace, and force a discard for B3.
There is also the problem that it isn't a straight 40%.
Assuming you get the card (~40% for the sake of argument) there is a cross product of (power when played)(how often played). An extreme example would be very expensive spells in limited. This card's "how often played" factor is going to be lower because you will only be casting it if you don't have something better available. And, because "power when played" is contextual (ie the "when played" matters) there is going to be diminishing returns based on playing this later in the game.
Also, if you take mean "power when played" then consider the following:
Black Lotus 10
Lutri 4
then by the most naive calculation (x .4) they are equal. But Lutri-in-itself (ie not weighting the companion clause) is hard pressed to be a 4 IMO.
Not sure if I understand what you're saying, but when you cast this for its mutate cost it counts as mutating for the purpose of triggering the ability. The way they chose to template the ability makes the terminology kind of ambiguous to the point where there are almost two instances of the word "mutate" -- one a keyword, one closer to natural language. Its definitely on the "people will get it" end of the clean design spectrum.
It wouldn't necessarily be 100% if there are competing companion cards in the same colors.
Ah, missed that stipulation and assumed it was exactly the same as Dualcaster
Did not know that, thanks! Weird that merge would be alongside something that seems sure to be similar in theme and execution.
While it certainly seems to be a setup for Ikoria, perhaps that is not where mutate will appear after all? They've conspicuously stopped short of confirming it.
Secondly, they may be reappropriating the word "Swarm". Perhaps it will henceforth refer to the faction and will be decoupled from referring to deploying large numbers of creatures.
Are you really going to give up a 2/3 reach creature for an aura that does nothing but grant another creature reach, though? Or, similarly, vigilance?
If this spoiler is correct you don't get any p/t bonus
What I was saying is that 16 land sources is actually a lot for decks that aren't going to play 5 drops and only a few fours. In those cases you are running 16 lands just so you can go play enough lands of both colors. So the faster your decks get the more likely there is to be a primary color and a de-emphasized/minor second color -- thereby allowing you to drop lands (by simple math which is not exactly right but close enough 14 lands is ~21 in a 60 card deck)