That's right Blade decks, no more wasting SB slot on Manriki-Gusari. Now you get to waste that slot on Grip of Phyresis.
Printable View
That's right Blade decks, no more wasting SB slot on Manriki-Gusari. Now you get to waste that slot on Grip of Phyresis.
Nahiri, the Lithomancer becomes playable now in Stoneblade decks?
Yeah, I agree the higher cast and equip costs are drawbacks. But realistically how often does Batterskull get hardcast or re-equipped? It happens in some grindy games, but most of the time it's a 4/4 lifelink vigilance flash creature for 1W. If you expect SFM to get killed or the need to re-equip, you usually get Sword or Jitte instead. Batterskull is for when you expect to untap with SFM and need a blocker or fast clock, and Batterskull backfires too when SFM dies. This does fill that role, with some advantages and some weaknesses.
You lose the bounce ability, but both the token and equipment are indestructible so it's only vulnerable vs white spells (having SFM kind of insulates you vs Edict effects).
"First strike, exile attacking or blocking creature" is relevant text. Marit Lage can't block this without dying. Griselbrand would die without gaining 7 life.
Edit: One of Batterskull's weaknesses was that it could get outclassed by a bigger fair creature like Goyf, Angler, Knight. It could also get chumped to stall, and instant tricks could prevent the lifegain. Trample gets through chumps and the exile ability gets rid of any bigger creatures. Overall this is much harder to stop on the board, at the cost of needing more enabling.
Not to derail, but another new card:
https://i.imgur.com/x1lXekQ.png
Master of Death seems pretty good with Bazaar and Force effects.
Yeah, but why would they block it? Unless they are at exactly 5 life, they'd likely win outright (with Lage) or out race you (with G-Bees). Of course there are mitigating factors, but I'm not sure presuming we have a stacked board is the right way to consider if Kaldra is the "optimal" go to. I think considering the opposite is actually more illuminating, generally speaking.Quote:
Originally Posted by FTW
Not that Batterskull really helps you versus Marit Lage or Griselbrand though, of course.
This is awful (but funny to me):
https://i.imgur.com/hE7Zt1V.jpg
Pretty funny that in the mirror you can't attack the other with a stolen creature (protection from corruption) and you can corrupt the other to get protection from it.Quote:
Originally Posted by H
Kinda tragic this can't steal a PW for a turn (i.e. steal opponent's Dihada and sacrifice it to the legend rule). Oh wait.... :laugh:Quote:
Originally Posted by FTW
Without a bounce and an equip cost of 7 the best answer I've seen is Archmage Charm.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Safety
How bout we just uptick Karn and throw a chump in front of the 7/7 for a turn?Quote:
Originally Posted by FourDogsinaHorseSuit
https://i.imgur.com/IflZ4VI.jpg
So some Green 'yard hate? :confused:
Kaldra and Batterskull serve different purposes.
Batterskull is a defensive powerhouse with its lifelink + vigilance combo.
Kaldra, however, is an offensive powerhouse that will relentlessly beat your ass until you die. The combo of indestructible + haste + first strike + super deathtouch is pretty neat (you still have to assign full combat damage to the target before you can assign trample damage, though, right?). Main problem I see here that it's pretty much dead in the water without SFM or if the token gets bounced/exiled/flickered.
Green got enough powerful cards, it doesn't have to be an amazing pitch card. Still rock-solid, though. 3 mana for a 3/4 with reach and flash is still pretty good to fuck Delvers over.Quote:
Originally Posted by H
Oh, I wasn't saying it was bad, just not the effect I'd have guessed would be on it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barook
Yeah uhh....I don't think 3/4 is supposed to have flash and only cost 1GG lol. Pretty funny you can find this off of OUaT though; rip Faerie Macabre.Quote:
Originally Posted by H
It can act as pseudo-removal against alot of attacking creatures and can be played as early as T2 with a mana dork. Wouldn't be surprised if this becomes a staple of green decks, especially with Uro and Delver running rampant.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox
Edit: Depending on the deck, this could also prevent Oracle from winning.
It's also pretty hilarious against Drown....Grindstone....JTMS ult....mill in modern I guess....and maybe able to kill a Goyf (if the Endurance player can exile their own GY with card like Cling and send trigger at opponent).Quote:
Originally Posted by Barook
Importantly it can be played by non-creature decks who wish Kaheera companion to hand.
http://mythicspoiler.com/mh2/cards/damn.jpg
That's an interesting design.
First half kills Hexdrinker phase 2, second half kills Progenitus-types. To UBw Landstill we go. :laugh:Quote:
Originally Posted by Barook
https://i.imgur.com/8u0Vmjl.jpg
Well, I guess that is one way to hate on 'Walkers...
Long overdue. Blood Moon for PWs is finally here kekekek. Couldn't have happened to a worse card type.Quote:
Originally Posted by H
I kind of wonder if this was developed (at least) partly as Oko hate, but the meta just couldn't hold out long enough.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox
Naw, this was made to give people real option of Dragon Rage 3/3 Delver dude over Ragavan. (Cycling on card type enchant for delirium)Quote:
Originally Posted by H
Probably because wasting your karn activation so you can lose a permanent is worse than gaining control of a 5/5 first strike trample haste exiling machine.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox
It doesn't kill okoQuote:
Originally Posted by H
The thing is, Karn is maindeck playable unlike a stealing effect. You add this sword to a legacy deck and you're dealing with maindeck unequippers. It's also a format with germ-bouncing PWs. This 7 drop is likely to sit there for a long time doing nothing against legacy's most-played PWs.Quote:
Originally Posted by FourDogsinaHorseSuit
Just the existence of this card is important. Honestly, it's a pretty narrow hate card even for a sideboard slot. However, just having it available will have some impact on PW's in several formats. I'm guessing this will have the Veil of Summer syndrome where it will be prevalent for a bit, then people will adjust, then the meta adjusts again where playing more than 2 isn't worth the slots. It's similar to Alpine Moon where it will be a good option, super efficient and effective enough to make people think twice about packing a ton of PW's.Quote:
Originally Posted by H
I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but currently Archmage Charm is more playable than Karn right now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox
I'm pretty sure legacy has more Karn than Archmage Charm - particularly with the banning of Astrolabe.Quote:
Originally Posted by FourDogsinaHorseSuit
If you're going name a non-PW that craps on 7-sword it's Brazen Borrower.
Council's Judgment is also a good answer. Will be interesting to see how having another giant living weapon plays out.
https://i.imgur.com/BBec1cY.jpg
Well, this has a bunch of text on it, at least.
It's a more narrow RIP, but with a body that protects itself against spot removal of those particular decks. Might be fringe playable against the right decks.Quote:
Originally Posted by H
Seems pretty decent versus Punishing Fire, beyond that, at least it does something versus Reanimator, I guess.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barook
This is the rip on a body that d&t needed. It’s rip against basically all degenerate stuff. It misses most gy value in fair decks, but D&T is usually fine there. The only matchup where rip is relevant and the effect or body is not is uro pile essentially.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barook
Stops dread return vs oops.
Stops everything except narcos vs dredge.
Doesn’t stop hogaak or vengevine, but can still do work vs bridges, altar, and gravecrawlers. Blocks zombie tokens well.
Stops Phoenix & worldgorger
Stops griselbrand, faithless looting, and ashen rider: d&t can usually beat chancellor easily.
Stops cabal therapy vs nic fit
Hurts PiF and Cabal ritual out of ANT
Rip is not worth vs TES anyways, so missing echo is irrelevant.
Misses loam, but unkillable by Pfizer or zombie tokens makes the body very relevant.
Misses uro but between plow and skyclave and karakas d&t is fine there.
Vs delver and Death shadow pro red and black is huge, amazing equipment holder.
Edit: mirran crusader has totally been played in the past just for its protections.
Damn is such an absurd upgrade to Wrath of God. You either cast the original spell, OR you get the option to single target it. No downsides either if you're in both black and white. Some of the stuff in this set really makes me think about buying back into MTGO just to build a Drift deck.
Something like:
4x Astral Drift
4x Wrenn and Six
4x Abundant Harvest
3x Damn
1x Greif
1x Solitude
2x Timeless Dragon
2x Eternal Witness
2x Profane Tutor
1x Gaia's Will
4x Flourishing Fox
4x Valiant Rescuer
4x Wilt
2x Realms Uncharted
1x Life from the Loam
3x Edge of Autumn
22x Lands incl Field of the Dead
The only thing really missing there are some great spells to recur if you somehow manage to ult W6. Maybe something like Absorb Vis? Or maybe just some lifegain? Overall, there are a ton of tools here. There's also that new 4 mana black enchantment that does a 1 point drain ping every time you cycle a card. Zenith Flare should definitely be in there somewhere now that I think about it. Eh, it's just a rough draft idea. Lot of potential I think.
You're right that it hits most of the degenerate stuff, minus Uro. But between Karakas, StP, Apparition and the new Solitude, I just don't see it surviving for long.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reeplcheep
Crusader was mainly played for the combination of pro green + double strike memes.
This deck would only be legal in Vintage.Quote:
Originally Posted by morgan_coke
Did not realize Field was banned in modern. My bad, just leave it off them. W6 is legal in Modern, but not Legacy, think everything else is good for modern.Quote:
Originally Posted by Purple Blood
Wow...thats an improvement, with no strings attached.Quote:
Originally Posted by H