Reversegoyf
Creature - Lhurgoyf
~'s power is equal to the number of card types among cards that aren't in any graveyards and its toughness is equal to that number plus 1.
T: Remove a card in a graveyard from the game.
*/1+*
Here's a thought: what has been the "best creature in the game" at different points of magic history? The first is arguably Whirling Dervish, then (??), then Morphling, then Exalted Angel, then (?? took a break at magic from this point) then Tarmogoyf. What makes each successful creature better than the first?
Ich bin aueslander und sprechen nicht gut Deutsch
I think Lackey was considered the best creature for a long time actually. But I guess tribal synergies don't count for this.
Psychatog and Wild Mongrel were the best creatures in the game when I got back into Magic around '03. I want to say that Exalted Angel and Piledriver were the next big hits. In fairness, Exalted Angel was a lot better with Mana Drain.
Of course, Worldgorger Dragon was also the shit at the time, but it wasn't really a creature. I would also say that Decree of Justice and Eternal Dragon became the best creatures in control, supplanting Angel, sometime around '04.
As soon as Mirrodin came out, Goblin Welder and Metalworker started becoming really fucking good, and by extension Sundering Titan.
Somewhere around in here Phyrexian Negator, Nantuko Shade, and Hyppie at least started to get some respect, largely through the dedication of people like Anwar, although it wasn't until Red Death that that suite was taken very seriously.
Let's see. Kamigawa didn't change much, although the separating of the 1.5 and Vintage banned lists certainly did. Metalworker and Worlgorger Dragon were a lot worse once they got banned. Losing Recruiter hurt Goblins a lot, which actually ditched the card advantage engine initially to go Goblin-Sligh, with Akki Avalanchers/Raiders bringing in a bit of new presure. Survival decks were the rage for a while, with Wall of Roots probably as the best 4-of, followed by Quirion Ranger, Rofellos, Genesis, Anger, Squee, and Tradewind Rider. Landstill was pretty much the same, with less people playing Anger but DoJ and Dragon still being beatings. Eternal Witness gave several decks, but mostly Survival a shot in the arm.
Watchwolf was supposed to bring Zoo back, but didn't really do too much when Ravnica came out. This era saw more Goblins dominance. Neither Life from the Loam nor Ichorid-Dredge saw much play initially.
Pretty much the strongest creature was Lackey for at least two years. You had to be able to handle first turn Lackey at a real Legacy tournament. Obviously the other goblins played their part, but it's hard to separate any other one goblin out as being particularly more menacing; some decks didn't want to see the fast Warchief-Piledriver hands, while others worried about Ringleaders into Siege-Gangs.
Pretty much the strongest creature was Psychatog -> Worlgorger -> (bannings) -> Wall of Roots/Rofellos care package -> Decree of Justice -> Goblin Lackey -> Tarmogoyf.
For my confessions, they burned me with fire/
And found I was for endurance made
When they print a 5/5 for two with no drawbacks.
As a pure, undercosted beater, nothing will surpass Goyf. He was a mistake and even with this power creep he won't be matched.
There has been a steady increase of the power level of creatures since Odyssey block. There is a good chance there will be new ground to break for powerful creatures. I could not say the same for creature removal or card drawing spells in the last 6 or 7 years.
To be fair, I highly doubt we will see something that is strictly better than Tarmogoyf in raw P/T comparison's. But that alone doesn't determine a card's power. New set mechanics are the wild card here. You only need to look as far as Threshold or Delve.
"We are goblinkind, heirs to the mountain empires of chieftains past. Rest is death to us, and arson is our call to war."
Perhaps a black version of it.
In the limited time I have played magic, best by block:
INV: Flametounge Kavu, Meddling Mage
OD: Psychatog, Wild Mongrel, Nantuko Shade
ONS: Eternal Dragon, Goblin Warchief and/or piledriver
MIR: Arcbound Ravager, Eternal Witness
CHK: Kokusho.
(insert long break here, from ravnica to just after alara reborn release)
LOR: Figure of Destiny, Kitchen Finks
ALA: Wild Nacatl, Wooly thoctar, Bloodbraid elf
Seems like a fair list off the top of my head.
Dark Confidant is just the best creature and you did not mention it. Shame on you.
Whirling Dervish, wtf? The concensus was pretty much Hypnotic Specter, hands down, until sixth edition rules made Morphling the hotness (although there may have been a period in there where Jackal Pup took the lead for a bit). Morphling was top dog pretty much all the way until Tog ate the world, and Tog wasn't properly dislodged until...probably Tarmogoyf, although if you want to say Lackey deserves a spot in between I wouldn't argue. I'm also not sure about Confidant but it's in the running.
Remember, the question is "best in game," not "best in 1.5/Legacy".
This is really an irrelevant and poorly constructed comparison. Spells were the god-damns when Magic was first printed. Wizards realized the spells were too strong and the creatures too weak, and have always been leery of printing overpowered spells since then. Take a look at how many spells vs how many creatures have been on the banned list over the ages. Hell, there may be more banned LANDS than creatures. Wizards has been creeping the power of creatures while limiting the power of spells. I don't think swords is as overpowered as, say, ancestral recall or black lotus, but wizards will never, EVER print anything remotely as powerful as black lotus, arguably the best spell ever printed. Saying the same for any creature is foolish. Take a look at IBA's list - I'm sure when each of those super-efficient creatures was printed, many players must have said "they will NEVER make a creature better than X," well they did, and they will continue to. Attacking with creatures is what makes Magic fun, and creates interactive games that swing back and forth. An environment of turn one combos does not make for a fun or diverse meta, and Wizards will keep that from happening as much as development/bannings will allow. Thus, to continue selling packs, not every set can be a fifth edition, full of power 'fixing' - a nerfed set that attempts to lower power. People like opening new, powerful spells and creatures and excitedly replacing 'inferior' older creatures and spells in their pet decks, but it will always be safer to print increasingly more powerful creatures than it will be to do so with spells, as at least with creatures, they will be running into similarly powerful creatures on the other side of the table. The same is not true for fast combo decks, barring the removal of force and drain from the reserved list. (While infusing the format with more 'unfun,' efficient counterspells and control strategies.)
tldr: goyf will be outclassed eventually, as Wizards insatiable desire for money will drive power creep, and creeping dudes is safer and more fun for the consumer than creeping spells. (While also requiring less work in R&D.)
He was (presumably) pointing out the fact that the original statement had absolutely no point. Certainly at least one of these posts must be a troll, but which one is it?
Anyway, this is to follow Media314r8's argument: Over the years, creatures have seen a great escalation of power and functionality. Spells, on the other hand, have generally been decreasing in power. Path to Exile, Shock, Ponder, Cancel, and others have slowly replaced their original counterparts. Granted, they're still powerful, but they're clearly becoming less powerful. Even Brainstorm could be considered a downgrade of the original Ancestral Recall. Furthermore, Brainstorm and even Ponder have rather recently been restricted in Vintage.
In deck-building, it's common to see the same old spells from many years ago. Creatures are generally replaced much more readily. Many decks utilize newer creatures but the same old spells due to the disparity in the power-creep.
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