Gatecrash Spoilers

[Richard Cheese]

I think charm isn't quite playable because of the cost. Any of those abilities alone for cmc1 would be good, but at ...not really sure what deck wants to hold that mana open to counter a sorcery so the first ability is useless, and the other two just aren't powerful enough. Maybe it can find a place in BUG control, since the last mode can act as a pseudo cantrip or punish someone for hiding cards with Brainstorm. Personally I'd rather have just the last mode at .

[Barook]

In my experience, plenty often. Whenever they aren't the beatdown, for example. Unless your hand is strong as shit for example, there's no way Kirdape.dec is playing the beatdown versus, say, Goblins. That 2 open mana is Incinerate, Magma Jet, any 1R or less burn spell for Lackey, any 1G/R or less artifact hate spell for Vial, and so on.

Still makes me wonder when get to the good RG stuff. I'm still quite fond of my old Extended RG Beats deck.

That reminds, though, why nobody plays Burning-Tree Shaman anymore today? Bolt-proof, pings for fetchlands, Wastelands, equipment activations (--> Jitte), all kinds of crap Maverick has, Top activations and, what's pretty relevant now, Planeswalker (whom he could kill/suppress very easily). DRS (yeah, anti-synergy, but whatever, he is that good) and GSZ into Dryad Arbor could easily accel into it on T2. Keen Sense would be cute with it or Lavamancer, but that would open one way too often for 2-for-1s.

[Aggro_zombies]

I think charm isn't quite playable because of the cost. Any of those abilities alone for cmc1 would be good, but at ...not really sure what deck wants to hold that mana open to counter a sorcery so the first ability is useless, and the other two just aren't powerful enough. Maybe it can find a place in BUG control, since the last mode can act as a pseudo cantrip or punish someone for hiding cards with Brainstorm. Personally I'd rather have just the last mode at .

The last mode isn't worth a card, though. Thought Scour punishes them just as effectively for Brainstorming on top of straight-up drawing you a card and sees no play. Tacking on Swat and Envelop to the card does not push it enough, I think; none of those effects are something for which I'd want to pay two mana of two different colors, and I don't think the option to cast any of them is worth adding an extra mana.

I mean, at two mana, black has Abrupt Decay and Go for the Throat, the latter of which can kill basically 95+% of the creatures in Legacy for the same CMC. Countersquall is better than a two-mana Envelop and is completely unplayable, although it would be very, very strong at one mana.

So yeah. Stapling all of these effects together does not add up to two mana's worth of value.

[SirTylerGalt]

I think charm isn't quite playable because of the cost. Any of those abilities alone for cmc1 would be good, but at ...not really sure what deck wants to hold that mana open to counter a sorcery so the first ability is useless, and the other two just aren't powerful enough. Maybe it can find a place in BUG control, since the last mode can act as a pseudo cantrip or punish someone for hiding cards with Brainstorm. Personally I'd rather have just the last mode at .

I think I prefer Countersquall if I'm going to counter a spell with UB :) (credit to Alix Hatfield for including it in the SB of his Team America deck, and Dan Signorini for mentioning that "Counterspell" was a typo).

[joven]

Still makes me wonder when get to the good RG stuff. I'm still quite fond of my old Extended RG Beats deck.

That reminds, though, why nobody plays Burning-Tree Shaman anymore today? Bolt-proof, pings for fetchlands, Wastelands, equipment activations (--> Jitte), all kinds of crap Maverick has, Top activations and, what's pretty relevant now, Planeswalker (whom he could kill/suppress very easily). DRS (yeah, anti-synergy, but whatever, he is that good) and GSZ into Dryad Arbor could easily accel into it on T2. Keen Sense would be cute with it or Lavamancer, but that would open one way too often for 2-for-1s.

Well, I liked Burning-Tree Shaman a lot a few years ago. But with 3/4 for 3 CC it is just not good enough against a 5/6 Goyf for 2 CC. That is Legacy. And I guess so is Modern, too. It's Goyfs World. :( There are tons of really cool creatures at 3 and 4 CC that don't see play because of broken stuff like Goyf, Delver, KotR and so on. :(

I also wonder if they will print any good Gruul card. Honestly, they can't neglect RG that much and leave it with Rubblehulk and the weak Bloodrush mechanic. Where's the game balancing?

[Barook]

Honestly, they can't neglect RG that much and leave it with Rubblehulk and the weak Bloodrush mechanic. Where's the game balancing?

Rakdos says "Hi!"

It's pretty obvious they're better at designing certain color combos better than others.

I guess one factor for making Signal the Clans random was probably Standard balance. People would flip their shit if it would act like Thragtusk and Restoration Angel 5-8 like Eladamri's Call would. Although it probably won't matter what you fling at your opponent in Standard anyway.

[Greenpoe]

Still makes me wonder when get to the good RG stuff. I'm still quite fond of my old Extended RG Beats deck.

That reminds, though, why nobody plays Burning-Tree Shaman anymore today? Bolt-proof, pings for fetchlands, Wastelands, equipment activations (--> Jitte), all kinds of crap Maverick has, Top activations and, what's pretty relevant now, Planeswalker (whom he could kill/suppress very easily). DRS (yeah, anti-synergy, but whatever, he is that good) and GSZ into Dryad Arbor could easily accel into it on T2. Keen Sense would be cute with it or Lavamancer, but that would open one way too often for 2-for-1s.

I would think that now Burning-Tree Shaman, Rhox War Monk and other 3-drops should be more viable now than ever since KotR gets worse due to Deathrite Shaman and other graveyard hate that has become popular in the MD (RiP, Ooze, etc.).

[Antonius]

I would think that now Burning-Tree Shaman, Rhox War Monk and other 3-drops should be more viable now than ever since KotR gets worse due to Deathrite Shaman and other graveyard hate that has become popular in the MD (RiP, Ooze, etc.).

Creatures that were smaller than Knight in general are much better now. Anyone remember FTK? That guy seems insanely playable right now, especially with Deathrite Shaman.

[rufus]

...
I guess one factor for making Signal the Clans random was probably Standard balance...

The random selection does mean your opponent might not know what you have, though I'm not sure that's useful in any way.

[Gheizen64]

Creatures that were smaller than Knight in general are much better now. Anyone remember FTK? That guy seems insanely playable right now, especially with Deathrite Shaman.

Yeah nice point, but i think i'd prefer bloodbraid or Huntmaster 90% of the times.

[blaat]

Undercity Plague 4BB

Sorcery Rare
Target player loses 1 life, discards a card, then sacrifices a permanent.
Cipher (Then you may exile this spell card encoded on a creature you control. Whenever that creature deals combat damage to a player, its controller may cast a copy of the encoded card without paying its mana cost.)

So, invisible_stalker.deck in legacy?
One sided semi-smallpox for the win!

[edit] oh wait never saw 'THEN' in cipher...


Also funny:

Vizkopa Confessor 3WB

Creature - Human Cleric Uncommon
Extort (Whenever you cast a spell, you may pay {WB}. If you do, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain that much life.)
When Vizkopa Confessor enters the battlefield, pay any amount of life. Target opponent reveals that many cards from his or her hand. You choose one of them and exile it.
Illus. Ryan Pancoast 1/3

[lyracian]

Undercity Plague 4BB
Vizkopa Confessor 3WB

They are both great effects; shame about the casting cost.
Do not think I would pay 3 extra mana for a Tidehollow Sculler who, for the cost of some life, permanently exiles a card. Would be fun with a Blink effect but just seems too slow for Legacy.

Plague being some sort of Ciphered Smallpox is the card I was hoping for in the set. At CMC 6 though it will never make it into my Pox deck. I want to like it so I might try it out in a BUG Control shell but I do not have high hopes...

[kingtk3]

Somehow I don't think it was.. seeing that nothing happens when you reveal 3 creature cards AAA, AAB, or BBB, etc. only if its ABC do you even get a creature and even then its at random. When I first saw this card, the first thought was, wow you can find 3 ESG/SSG with them and its essentially a ritual that nets you one. Then I thought.. better worldly tutor, then it was woah this card is like drawing 3 Tarmogoyfs for RG... then I reread it.. and yeah you don't get any of the three creatures unless you choose one at random because each creature is different. Really weird wording.


Biovisionary works well with Pack Hunt though. And Soul Foundry.

ops... I indeed misread the card... I don't think is useful at all then

[Barook]

They could have at least made it a Elf or something. So the Gruul hybrid rare sucks as well.

[Aggro_zombies]

They could have at least made it a Elf or something. So the Gruul hybrid rare sucks as well.

In Limited, given an attack step or two, that thing will essentially become The Abyss. If you find a way to give it trample it will probably kill them very rapidly.

Actually, I feel like "good in Limited" is becoming a common refrain for Gatecrash.

[trivial_matters]

Rubblebelt Raiders is terrible in Legacy.

They could have given it haste at least.

[Holly]

Rubblebelt Raiders is terrible in Legacy.

They could have given it haste at least.

He has haste since he give's it to all creatures, including himself.
Still sucks for Legacy.

Edit: Nevermind, confused it with Goblin Scrapper.

[Humphrey]

They could have at least made it a Elf or something. So the Gruul hybrid rare sucks as well.

has to be Goblin Elf to be useful

[Lord Seth]

Rakdos says "Hi!"

It's pretty obvious they're better at designing certain color combos better than others.

Enh...really depends on the environment. For example, Rakdos Charm is pretty awful in Legacy, but in Modern it may be the best of the Return to Ravnica charm cards because it hits combo decks pretty well.

[Hanni]

He has haste since he give's it to all creatures, including himself.

Huh? First of all, he has to attack to give counters, and secondly, he only gives counters to himself. So either way you look at it, he still doesn't have psuedo-haste.

It would have been playable at 3cc. At 4cc... meh.