[SCD] Edric, Spymaster of Trest *Spoiler*

[Uly Van Hammer]

http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=119033&d=1306383330

This guy seems nuts in legacy. He's like a "Changeling" lord. I'd be tempted to put green in Merfolk, or just run him w/o green to vial him in. Everything is MAGPIE!!!

I can see it causing absolute blowouts in random decks.

What do you guys think of him?

[Koby]

I think he pairs well with such cards as:
Cold-eyed Selkie
Gaea's Skyfolk

In terms of colors and abilities. Adding :g: to merfolk also gives you Tarmogoyf which could solve the Zoo (lol?) problem. Either way, his ability is quite good.

[Julian23]

Although I REALLY like this guy and think the picutre is quite cool, I don't think a deck like Merfolk can actually sustain running a card that doesn't help advance the board and is actually -Tempo.
/edit: especially when it would have to go for its weakest splash colour.

[Infinitium]

I think Elf decks can conceivably splash for this, if only as a 1-of for GSZ. Too bad blue doesn't really give much except Coiling Oracle otherwise unless you're into Intuition/Vengevine shenanigans. Compromising the manabase is probably not worth it, sadly.

Then again it could see play in any deck running GSZ and counters. 3cc Magpies are traditionally unplayable, but making your 1 and 2 drop draw cards immediatly off it might push it over the edge.

[Gheizen64]

I could see this in an elf shell with Taunting Elf for massive hand refill, but going for straight elf combo is probably just better. It's interesting, that's for sure.

[Aggro_zombies]

Clearly, you combine him with Lorescale Coatl. Now that card can finally live up to its brief, post-spoiler hype as a format-wrecker!

[Finn]

I kind of like it with one of those green effects that gives you lots of little pecks...like the ones that make your forests 1/1s for the turn or some such. You should be able to protect him well in blue and green and he can replenish your hand quickly each turn.

[SpikeyMikey]

I know people's initial reaction to this card is "whoa, powerful!" but it should really be "whoa, cool!" The difference is that the former is for cards that will have format-wide impact. The second is for niche cards that lack a niche. This definitely falls into the second category.

Consider for a moment, his impact on a game. If you're swinging with one creature a turn, he's marginally better than Curiosity but worse than Mask of Memory or Mask of Riddles. This is because Curiosity is tied to a single creature and thus subject to the removal of that creature. But either Mask would be better still because they're more difficult to remove.

If you're connecting with multiple creatures for multiple turns, then you get a better benefit out of him than you would out of other cards that are similarly positioned (Standstill, equipment, Dark Confidant, etc.). But how many turns are you going to hit someone with multiple creatures before they die or are so far behind that they couldn't recover anywy? Even if you're just hitting someone with 3 2/2's, that's basically a 3 turn clock in this format, since everyone is taking some damage from fetches, Forces, Missteps, Ancient Tombs, etc.

There are times where I could see this forcing an opponent to hold back blockers rather than try and race you. But when you're in a losing race scenario, your deck isn't doing whatever it was designed to do in the first place. Rather than run a card like this that only functions well when the rest of your deck is functioning incorrectly, run more cards to make your deck function right to begin with.

I think this card is like Captivating Vampire. It's a cool ability, but it's a win-more ability 95+% of the time.

[Final Fortune]

I'll just pay 1 more mana for Jace, no thanks; it needed something like Death Touch to be playable IMO.

[kinda]

Wait, these cards are legal in legacy???

[TorpidNinja]

Yes.


Magic: The Gathering Commander will contain brand-new cards! We've been looking for outlets to create new multiplayer-friendly card designs for years, and this was the perfect place. There are 51 unique new cards spread across the five decks (some cards appear in multiple decks). These are real, black-bordered Magic cards that will be legal in Eternal formats (Vintage and Legacy) as well as casual games the world over. These cards are meant to appeal to many different kinds of Commander and multiplayer players: power gamers, flavor fanatics, and those who approach the game much more politically.

http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/119k

[Tammit67]

Sounds like a great replacement for Selkie in Vintage Fish. I mean goddamn

[Offler]

One friend of mine plays blue/green elf combo deck. However he miss good general... Not anymore :)

[Sims]

One friend of mine plays blue/green elf combo deck. However he miss good general... Not anymore :)

Momir Vig didn't cut it?

[Tammit67]

Momir Vig didn't cut it?

Momir vig is exactly what elfball would want, I don't know what offler's friend is smoking

[Offler]

to Sims:
Edric need creatures to attack and deal damage, while Momir require cards to be cast. The problem is not in Momir, problem is in a way how the deck is meant to work - green blue aggro/combo tribal elf. Sounds funny even to me but it might work really fast. (actual version which includes also black tutoring but no blue tutoring works really fast).

The deck is currently more friendly to Edric, (trample/flying to elves)

[Finn]

I know people's initial reaction to this card is "whoa, powerful!" but it should really be "whoa, cool!" The difference is that the former is for cards that will have format-wide impact. The second is for niche cards that lack a niche. This definitely falls into the second category.

Consider for a moment, his impact on a game. If you're swinging with one creature a turn, he's marginally better than Curiosity but worse than Mask of Memory or Mask of Riddles. This is because Curiosity is tied to a single creature and thus subject to the removal of that creature. But either Mask would be better still because they're more difficult to remove.

If you're connecting with multiple creatures for multiple turns, then you get a better benefit out of him than you would out of other cards that are similarly positioned (Standstill, equipment, Dark Confidant, etc.). But how many turns are you going to hit someone with multiple creatures before they die or are so far behind that they couldn't recover anywy? Even if you're just hitting someone with 3 2/2's, that's basically a 3 turn clock in this format, since everyone is taking some damage from fetches, Forces, Missteps, Ancient Tombs, etc.

There are times where I could see this forcing an opponent to hold back blockers rather than try and race you. But when you're in a losing race scenario, your deck isn't doing whatever it was designed to do in the first place. Rather than run a card like this that only functions well when the rest of your deck is functioning incorrectly, run more cards to make your deck function right to begin with.

I think this card is like Captivating Vampire. It's a cool ability, but it's a win-more ability 95+% of the time.
Why does any card have to fit into an existing niche? And how could you know the percentage of win-more-ness with a card that has not been released yet? It's a complicated game and here we have a creature that has an ability that no creature has had before. Let's explore it rather than trying to pigeon hole it.

I think I like it alongside Glimpse of Nature, though I can't quite see how you would not end up cutting him and end up in a typical Elf combo deck.

[SpikeyMikey]

Finn:

The reason I'm pigeonholing it is because I'm looking at it's function compared to other card drawing engines related to creatures dealing combat damage and this one is coming up short. It's not a unique effect, it's just a Coastal Piracy on legs.

[dahcmai]

It would sure suck to play that guy, then realize you're playing against Belcher as they dump 12 goblin tokens on you and proceed to draw 11 cards as you block one.

[mcfarland]

It would sure suck to play that guy, then realize you're playing against Belcher as they dump 12 goblin tokens on you and proceed to draw 11 cards as you block one.

As worded, it only triggers when a creature deals combat damage to one of your opponents.

The wording is actually fairly interesting and unique. In multiplayer games, it's asymmetrical enough to give you an advantage, but not in a way that paints a huge target on his head.

[SpikeyMikey]

As worded, it only triggers when a creature deals combat damage to one of your opponents.

The wording is actually fairly interesting and unique. In multiplayer games, it's asymmetrical enough to give you an advantage, but not in a way that paints a huge target on his head.

Even if it's the only creature you control, it paints a big target on everyone's head but yours. Nobody wants to swing into him and kill the goose that's laying the golden eggs, but it certainly incites your opponents to attack each other and leave you the hell alone.

[Sims]

to Sims:
Edric need creatures to attack and deal damage, while Momir require cards to be cast. The problem is not in Momir, problem is in a way how the deck is meant to work - green blue aggro/combo tribal elf. Sounds funny even to me but it might work really fast. (actual version which includes also black tutoring but no blue tutoring works really fast).

The deck is currently more friendly to Edric, (trample/flying to elves)

Fair enough. I guess I just auto-assumed when you said Elf Combo that it was an Elf-Ball style combo and not a more aggressive type of deck.

Assumptions being bad, etc.. My mistake.

[TheCramp]

My thought was also as a 1 of in a GSZ deck, but when would it be better than KotR? Good with ink/blinkmoth nexus. Bad in ink/blinkmoth nexus decks. Jace is better, w/ GSZ Fact or Fiction is even better. Def cool though.

[vikram]

Do you think this card will see play in Threshold? Seems like a natural fit.

[DukeDemonKn1ght]

Do you think this card will see play in Threshold? Seems like a natural fit.

I don't see how he would ever replace Vendilion Clique, which isn't even used that much in Threshold these days. So, to give you the easy, dismissive answer: probably not. Doesn't mean he's a bad card though, per se.

[Hanni]

I think if this guy finds a home, it's going to be in an aggro heavy version of Vial Bant.

[Noman Peopled]

I could see him in some deck in the future when pure aggro dies and everything's about aggro-control. I don't see it happening but hey.

T2 Cloud of Faeries and Spiketail Hatchling, T3 Edric with counterbackup, attack, draw 2.
"Sadly", Legacy is not a good fit for Vintage budget Fish from yesteryear.

The biggest trouble I see with it is that in order to do something relevant, you need to have done something relevant already. You need at least two creatures that are in a position to attack unblocked to use it well ... plus, creatures nowadays tend to have enough value just by size or immediate impact.

Maybe Elves? Forestwalk, a high threat density, and a low curve should help but I'd still prefer something that draws card post-Pyroclasm.

[bruizar]

Bitterblossom, Squadron Hawk

[nedleeds]

I think it's a balanced dude, pairs ok with Zenith. Maybe a bant deck that rolls with evaders and flyers (SS Sprite, River Boa, Kira) and plays Relic in the side as a four of. The comparisons to Mask are ok, but he is additionally a man who can attack.

[troopatroop]

I think if this guy finds a home, it's going to be in an aggro heavy version of Vial Bant.

What about Blue Zoo? Kird Ape, Wild Nacatl, and Tarmogoyf love to be attacking on turn 3.

[a-slice-of-cake]

I've been testing him out in Threshold, cutting the 2 Vendillion Cliques for him. All I have to say is -- how did I ever win a game without him? He solves the problem that Thresh always had -- the lack of card advantage. If we've done our job right and knocked the opponent off-balance, we suddenly get an influx of more permission/tricks to keep the pain coming as opposed to the old "Oh God oh God I hope Goyf and Goose get there before the opponent recovers".

Sure, he does little in a losing situation, but Thresh isn't known for its come-from-behind victories anyway. I'll take drawing cards and not dying to any creature ever over flying and flash and some meh-disruption.

[Tao]

Edric is really good. I haven't tested him in Threshold but in forceless Zenith-Bant with Mother of Runes. He is already solid on his own and extremely good with evasive guys like Spellstutter Sprite or Scryb Ranger.

[perm]

What about Blue Zoo?

blue zoo? seriously?

[trivial_matters]

Maybe you should take a look at the New and Developmental Decks subforum before showing off your ignorance. I don't play that deck btw.

As for the this card, I think it's alright. For 3 mana, an extra ability like Shroud or maybe Forestwalk (he is an Elf, and a spy to boot) would have been nice.