You know I would not have such a problem with this set if they just gave us one thing, a little bit of ramp, so that land fall is not just a once a turn at best effect and big mana cost actually see play outside of limited.
seems like a very swingy card in draft. i'm fine with it at rare. wizards has been printing too many garbage rares and mythics for a long time, now. if youre playing constructed, opening pack has been a losing bet for ages. I wish it werent that way, but the reality is that rarity is going to be determined by the desired limited environment.
zada might not find a deck in standard as it is extremely build-around but it could top the curve in the right RDW shell...just dont know if there's enough support for it in standard. if r/w allies is competitive then I imagine you'd want to run 4 zada and 4 defiant strike in the deck. LOLZ
In modern, it looks really cool. I know nothing about modern but I am going to jump into the format once I get my playset.
IMHO the best thing about fleecemane is its potential to gain indestructible and stick around as you curve up. Undergrowth champion is a decent aggro creature but the two green requirement is iffy in an abzan deck and it cant give itself any kind of evasion....so I dont know. Deathdealer might be better. Works great with abzan charm though.
Not a great deck - but the scenario where you get out Zada out turn 4 or even turn 3 and "combo off" is actually pretty reliable. Also - once you get Zada out - you are immune from removal since you all the cantrips (and pump and snapcaster) are all instant speed.
A turn 3 kill that is probably uncommon but happened once already in a goldfish was
1) Forest - Hierarch
2) Fetch - Sac - Dryad Arbor - Elvish Mystic - Elvish Mystic
3) Fetch - Stomping Ground - Zada - Viridescent Wisps - Draw 5 - Cerulean wisps - Draw 5 - Viridescent Wisps - Draw 5 - Snap Caster mage - flashback Cerulean Wisps - Draw 6 - Crimson Wisps - Draw 6 - repeat till draw deck and cast all snap casters + give them each haste (careful you could kill yourself with draw) and cast become immense once or twice. Attack.
Note: It is still not a good deck - even though it kills at instant speed once Zada is out - your opponenet can always use creature kill on your mana dorks in response to you casting Zada.
[quote from="ummmmerrrr »" url="http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/the-rumor-mill/new-card-discussion/630937-zada-hedron-grinder?comment=5"]
Run a bunch of dorks, snaps, Zada, the red, green, and blue wisps, a 1-of of refocus, and become immense as a finisher. I've been goldfishing it on tappedout, and it pretty much always gets a kill condition on turn 4 (with a small amount of variance between turn 3 and turn 5). It seems really really fun
I originally had it as RUG with hangarback, delver, and cerulean wisps, but I found the deck to be more aggressive and focused without the blue. I think lotus cobra is a better accelerator than the birds.
I'll definitely be looking for a 5-color Converge control deck.
It's really too bad that Sylvan Caryatid is gone when this rotates in. We probably won't have a playable tap-for-any-color effect in Standard for a while.
I think the time is right for a birds of paradise reprint! although i think maro said no more 1-mana dorks.
skyrider elf seems like a great card on its own. if there is an ally deck, that might be the centerpiece. there are a lot of curve-friendly creatures that are going to be in the format, with hangarback, forerunner of slaughter, and sky rider elf being very versatile cards that sort of curve out where you need them to. Pretty cool.
yeah, i was expecting explore.
do people tend to play 6 CMC spells in standard that are not finishers?
hangarback walker
kiora, master of the depths
planar outburst / end hostilities
dragonlord ojutai
In modern, it looks really cool. I know nothing about modern but I am going to jump into the format once I get my playset.
4x Bloodstained Mire
2x Forest
5x Mountain
4x Stomping Ground
4x Windswept Heath
4x Wooded Foothills
4x Lotus Cobra
4x Mogg War Marshal
4x Tarmogoyf
4x Zada, Hedron Grinder
1x Become Immense
2x Crimson Wisps
4x Viridescent Wisps
4x Dragon Fodder
4x Hordeling Outburst
Nice list. Here's my take:
4x Bloodstained Mire
2x Forest
5x Mountain
4x Stomping Ground
4x Windswept Heath
4x Wooded Foothills
2x Fauna Shaman
4x Lotus Cobra
4x Mogg War Marshal
4x Tarmogoyf
4x Zada, Hedron Grinder
4x Aggressive Urge
1x Become Immense
2x Crimson Wisps
4x Viridescent Wisps
Sorcery (8)
4x Dragon Fodder
4x Hordeling Outburst
I originally had it as RUG with hangarback, delver, and cerulean wisps, but I found the deck to be more aggressive and focused without the blue. I think lotus cobra is a better accelerator than the birds.
I think the time is right for a birds of paradise reprint! although i think maro said no more 1-mana dorks.