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Welcome, readers, to the third installment of the first impressions for players who shy away from T2 and its restricted card pool. In case you missed the first two articles, I’m going to be giving you my initial impressions on how the Red cards in Morningtide will affect the Casual, 2HG (Two-Headed Giant), Tribal and Highlander formats. Now, like the previous one, this is going to be a rather long read, so I won’t object if you tackle it in blocks and I’ll be seriously impressed if you can read the whole thing in one go.
Casual: Right off the bat, Red delivers a bomb straight
into the lap of Aggro players. Compare this to its predecessor, Hunted Wumpus –
for a slight increase of the color concentration we get +4/+4 and trample! Who
cares that your opponent pulls a creature for free? Just make sure you run some
heavy burn. 2HG: Excuse this outburst, but WTF? This card will be run
with four copies, main deck in most Red-based Aggro decks for this format.
Consider that it’s essentially a five turn clock if unblocked, and usually a six
to seven turn clock when blocked, and that’s only if you play one copy of it. Tribal: Fast for a Giant at only four mana and allows you
to start mounting on the pain whilst you build up into the other Giants with
useful abilities. Now if only there were more Giants like this, the tribe would
become playable. Highlander: B-E-A-UTIFUL! This card is a great choice, a
solid beatstick which will be more than capable of putting the fear of god into
the more tactical of players. I’m actually able to picture the scene – turn five
you drop this Giant and all your opponent can think to grab is the Treefolk
Legend Doran to hold it off; fantastic!
Casual: I’m not too sure about the concept of a Coward
creature type; it’s neither a race nor class but nevertheless the ability is
interesting. I’d like to have seen this on a weaker creature, in truth, the
unwieldy cost and restricted use doesn’t really entice me. 2HG: There is slow, there is painfully slow, and then there
is this – and this format will not forgive you for playing such a slow card.
There are better ways to get this kind of effect – Wave of Indifference for
example. Tribal: One question for you: “Do Giants really need this?”
Consider the average strength and power of a Giant, factor in that they usually
have trample or merely the raw power needed to get through any number of
blockers and you’ll probably come to the same conclusion as I did: this guy is a
“Win More” card. Highlander: Slow as hell, but should he reach play it will
probably result in you winning, as there is just so little removal in this
format and even less cards that can handle a creature change.
Casual: Timmy just fainted and Spike is yelling from the
rooftops. This card is just plain wrong on so many levels and I’m glad to see
that it has such a high converted mana cost. I see tokens, Conspiracy and lots
of Green combos in this guy’s future. 2HG: If you can last out to play this guy you deserve to
win; sheerly based upon the amount of stall you must have played. It’s a slow,
win more card that has no place here, trust me. Tribal: Like so many of his fellow brethren, he’s ponderous
and slow, but should he reach combat you will rule the field, at least until the
Elves manage to pull an Eyeblight’s Ending or some such kill spell. Highlander: Dependency plus Highlander equals bad game, but
you know this already so I’ll leave it at that.
Casual: I’m not really taken on by this card. It has uses
and it will help Elementals get to the bigger cards, but it feels weak compared
to its fellow Bannerets. 2HG: Brightearth Banneret has some use here, especially
with the reinforce mechanic which can really power up some of the more
interesting Elementals out there. Considering the increase in speed as well, you
might want to get a few of these. Tribal: Elementals will run these, simply because they need
the added speed. But again, I feel that they have been a little cheated, though
I suppose it is made up elsewhere. Highlander: Need I say it? This depends upon other
creatures, so it’s already at a disadvantage, but that reinforce ability is VERY
useful here. Remember that Highlander is a format dominated by a mass of small
but effective creatures.
Casual: I see Zuran Orb, Crucible of Worlds and
self-sacrificing lands in this guy’s future for some time to come. Johnny loves
this guy and Timmy will be running him for a long time to come. 2HG: The mana-to- power ratio alone puts this guy in good
standing, but the fact that he gets bigger against Land Destruction decks makes
him even more powerful, assuming he doesn’t get killed. Tribal: Giants are starting to get the cheaper creatures
they needed; it is now conceivable to actually run a pure Giant Tribal deck. It
would be interesting to see, but I feel there is still some room for
improvement. Highlander: He’s a great choice if you run a lot - and I
mean a lot - of extra land in your deck; otherwise this guy is going to ruin
your day and your deck. Great potential as a beatstick and a defender; you
really need to consider this one carefully.
2HG: Since more combat and hence more creatures are
involved in this format, the clash starts to show some promise, but again we
come down to the fact you are giving away free info; only this time two people
are there to see it. Tribal: Goblins have been in need of some form of creature
removal, yet somehow this just doesn’t really fit the bill. The simple reason is
that people will either not block it – a few blows with a 2/2 creature isn’t
that bad in the grand scheme of things – or they’ll burn it out or kill it with
spells. Highlander: Fewer creatures, less blocking, less chance
this guy will ever activate. This format simply does not credit the use of this
creature to that great a degree. However, when you consider that not many people
will block it, then you could consider it as a sort of forced clock.
Casual: Not worth the card it is printed on; seriously,
what the hell was R&D thinking!? Junk; pure, grade ‘A’ junk. Wave of
Indifference, look it up. 2HG: I can’t get away with saying “See above,” so instead
I’ll say this – DON’T PLAY IT! IT IS RUBBISH! Tribal: Maybe, just maybe Giants and Elementals would run
this to aid combat, but if they need this in their deck they need to reconsider
their design. Highlander: Considerably more playable here, since you will
need to attack consistently with smaller creatures and that can take a long of
time if the enemy insists upon blocking. But that’s not saying much.
2HG: The unexpected first strike could be a great little
defensive tactic, but in a format with so many creatures flying around it seems
a little weak. Tribal: Elementals, Goblins and Giants will be running this
simply to buffer their combat ability and give them a little bit of a kick-start
in their defense. Highlander: As a one-shot card it’s pretty pointless; there
is very little use for this card as you could get better results from Equipment
as they hang around for a long time.
Casual: Lightning Bolt is reborn; burn players rejoice! A
solid body, respectable mana cost, and the fact that it’s a creature means there
are so many ways to untap him for reuse and abuse. 2HG: The fact that you don’t get an additional creature for
playing this card since you have to champion an existing creature is bad, but
the fact you gain some fairly decent creature removal and a seven turn clock
cannot be ignored. Tribal: Goblins will benefit from the creature removal and
the ability to deal that amount of direct damage is very rare for them, but
Shamans will view this as a “Win More” card and will probably not run it quite
as often. Highlander: Dependency is a bad thing in this format; you
all know this by now. But the issue that arises here is that three points of
direct damage could potentially kill around 80% of the creatures that regularly
appear in this format.
2HG: Far too slow for this format; by this time you should
be winning by a severe degree or losing so badly that there is no way to claw
yourself back to victory. Tribal: Giants will run this guy, simply on the basis that
it’s entirely possible this guy could be the only one on the field as the cost
of Giants generally means that you only get to play one a turn. Highlander: He’s actually a good choice for this format
since he is fairly strong, and has a high chance of being the only attacking
creature since the format allows for rather slow play.
Casual: For a first drop card, this guy is a fairly decent
play – after all, who can argue with a creature that potentially has a P/T equal
to the turn number? Having said that, you are giving away a lot of free
information right from the start and that’s not a good idea. 2HG: Speed is of the essence and this guy delivers. With a
creeping P/T rating and a very cheap cost this guy makes an excellent choice for
any player with Red in their deck. Tribal: Goblins and Warriors will most definitely run this
guy; the ability to increase in power is greatly increased in this format due to
the high volume of cards that share a type with it. Highlander: Gold; a bomb for this format. The power creep
and the cheap cost just scream out for this card to be used. Sure, you will
probably only see it every once in awhile, but when you do it will scare the
hell out of your opponent.
Casual: Pyroclasm each turn is nice; it could be useful to
take down the meanest of clans: Faeries. But again you’re going to be revealing
cards and after four or five turns of this your opponent will most likely know
your entire deck. 2HG: Far, far too slow, and it will die before it makes too
much noise. Add in the fact that you might disadvantage your ally and you soon
realize that this card is not really worth playing. Tribal: Again this feels more like a “Win More” card then
anything else. After all, most Red Shamans deal damage themselves without this
drawback, and Elementals have bigger creatures than this. Highlander: Dependency is the death of this card in the
format; avoid this card and you’ll do fine.
2HG: Speedy burn in creature form is an incredibly powerful
technique in this fast-paced format. Short of Wraths and Damnations you should
be able to wipe the floor with the opposing team when this guy reaches play. Tribal: Elemental players will utilize this card more than
Shamans, simply because Elementals revel in combat and Shamans shy away from it;
unable to handle the damage and possibility of losing creatures. Highlander: You know what I’m about to say, right? Well
you’d be wrong – since so many Shaman and Elemental creatures have damage- based
abilities or use +1/+1 counters, this card could make the game fly past really
fast.
Casual: Repeatable, cheap burn is nice, but I’m going to
have to bring up the clash issue again – revealing cards to anyone is a bad
thing to do. 2HG: Revealing cards to one player is bad enough, but to do
the same thing to two players is bordering on the dangerous side. Granted, you
see what the opponent has coming, but I’m still against the whole revealing
cards aspect. Tribal: Good against Faeries, useful against Goblins and
Elves, but otherwise pretty useless. Most Elemental creatures are just powerful
enough to survive, Merfolk regain numbers quickly and Giants are just too big. Highlander: The chance to replay a card in this format is
rare, but should not be casually overlooked. Add in the fact that a majority of
creatures in Highlander are X/1 utility creatures such as Birds of Paradise or
Llanowar Elves, and this card could see some use.
Casual: Arena in spell form; not really that good in all
honesty – in fact the land would be a far better use of the space. 2HG: I’d still prefer the land, but on the one hand you
avoid the Land Destruction threat using this while instead placing yourself in
the realm of counterspells – choose which one is the lesser of two evils in your
gaming group and roll with it. Tribal: Good way to get rid of the annoying Legendary
creatures such as Maralen of the Mornsong, but I’m still going to have to vote
for the land on this one. Highlander: Just as a means to increase the chances you can
use this style of ability, it may be worth running a copy in your deck along
with the land.
2HG: If you can build up your number of creatures, this
card could be a very useful tool in a game with forty life, but the issue is
actually being able to get numbers that high. Tribal: Goblins have a better version of this in the form
of Goblin War Strike, but Elementals and Giants could use it to great effect. Highlander: Dependency is bad; I’m sure I said that
somewhere before. But all the same, you should avoid cards like this in the
future.
Casual: First strike is a helpful ability in a format with
Akroma, Angel of Wrath and Krosan Skyscraper running around, and the inbuilt
pump at instant speed is rather handy too. Still, to get much effect out of this
card you’d need a lot of Elementals on the field. 2HG: This guy could be used to great effect as a finisher,
but triggered too early and he’d actually end up stealing your thunder out from
under you. Tribal: Elemental players will love this card; first strike
and pump is the stuff these guys live for: Brutal in combat, deadly on the
defense; the card functions well in any context. Highlander: Since you need other Elementals in your deck to
get this guy to work, I’d tend to say that he’s not really worth the play;
something about dependency should follow this somewhere….
2HG: Doubly useful; able to help both players on your team
and seriously hamper your opponent’s game plan. The only major issue is that
it’s relatively easy to kill off. Tribal: Both tribes would actually benefit from this
ability, and neither has much in the way of card advantage or tutoring. It also
allows you to combat against Control players by getting rid of any answers
they’ve been saving. Highlander: It would be rather nice if you could activate
this from time to time when needed, but in truth you really won’t get to; skip
this one guys.
Casual: Lightning Bolt: The Fixed Version. It has some
interesting concepts that could arise from the drawback, such as using
Flagstones of Trokair and other such lands. 2HG: Sacrificing land means sacrificing speed; something
you can little afford in this format. Then again, there is very little burn
these days that could equal the raw power of this card. Tribal: Giants actually won’t mind this one as they have a
creature that can benefit from the drawback, but beyond that some of the other
tribes might not be so forthcoming with their lands. Highlander: As burn spells go, for a one mana spell this is
actually a great card, but in a slow format like this it might prove to cripple
you out of the game if used in haste.
Casual: Mob justice rules; mass creature creation decks,
AKA Tokens, will enjoy this deck a lot more than your common Aggro deck. 2HG: If you can manage to build up a relevant number of
creatures then this card could work out quite nicely for you; else it becomes a
wasted space in your deck. Tribal: Major love for this card in Tribal; some decks will
probably splash Red in just to run a copy or two of this. But most assuredly,
Goblins will be the one to break this. Highlander: No use, or very little at least – the chances
you will ever have two creatures out of the same type is slim, and the chance
you will have anything more then two is highly improbable.
Casual: With the right amount of support and deck design
this card could prove to be rather useful; but the evoke cost is fairly intense
and the fact it can only hurt another creature isn’t very attractive. 2HG: Three words for you: Far Too Slow. Even played for its
evoke, this card is rather costly and really only useful for taking out
Legendary creatures such as Maralen of the Mornsong, and there are better cards
to do that. Tribal: Creature removal for the Elementals is about the
nicest thing I can say for this card. It’s slow, expensive mana-wise and with
little to no ability to stay around for more then one combat round. Highlander: Another creature removal card is something this
format could always use; the fact that this one actually can function as a
creature and as creature removal makes it even better.
2HG: Far too slow here to make much effect; your best
option really is to use the instants and sorceries that are at your disposal. Tribal: Elementals have the reinforce mechanic, so they
could make better use of this than any other tribe; but I’m still leaning
towards a low grade for this guy simply because it costs so much to activate it. Highlander: This card has no real advantage or disadvantage
here, it’s slow as hell but also slows down the enemy a considerable amount too,
so it’s a fifty-fifty deal here.
Casual: With deck manipulation this card could be great,
but when you consider the probability that you will reveal another copy of this
card, you soon realize it isn’t that great if not unusable. 2HG: If it works, it’s nice, but chances are that it won’t
work or by the time you can manipulate your deck into the correct layout your
opponents will have beaten you up already. Tribal: Not really any effect here, the amount of damage
involved could deal with the bigger creatures such as Giants and so forth, but
that’s really not a good reason to use it. Highlander: Ummm, this is by far the most dependant card in
the entire set; not only does it depend upon another card; it depends on another
card of the same name. Just about as useful as Mirror Gallery; if you see this
card in someone’s deck then feel pity for them.
Casual: Ashes of the Fallen is a card that would work well
with this card, and it could be rather useful as some big burn, but beyond that
it feels a little off centre. 2HG: This format does have a large number of creatures
hitting the graveyard, so this card actually could work up to quite high levels.
The cheap cost helps this choice along too, possibly making this a replacement
for Blaze. Tribal: Elemental players have been in need of some form of
direct damage and this guy delivers. If I had but one complaint it would be that
it kills itself off, but that’s not really that big of an issue. Highlander: Flimsy at best; the chances of multiple
creatures of the same type in a Highlander deck are slim to none.
2HG: Two opponents playing spells means this card could get
obscenely big very quickly; time to grab those Wildsizes out of storage. Tribal: Shapeshifters as a tribe are rather flimsy; they
serve well as a supporting type to another tribe. Giants could make use of this
guy and the Elemental tribe could definitely use an extra bit of power to the
swing. Highlander: Whilst he may not reach the obscene levels of
power he would reach in 2HG games, he would still be worth the play in
Highlander as the game does generally follow a style of draw, play and go, so it
nearly always ensures an increase every turn.
Casual: Repeatable burn of any nature is great, but my god
if this one doesn’t take the gold home. Sure you reveal a card, but later on
this will win the game. 2HG: Still the bomb rare card Casual believes it is; the
only major issue here is that you reveal the card to two players, but I suspect
that by the time you play this card, that won’t really matter. Tribal: Any clan that can mass produce mana will love this
card, and even some those that can, not will, probably want to run it. Highlander: You get it back – or at least get a chance at
getting it back. In a format of one-shots, what more could you ask for?
Casual: A 5/2 for four mana is a solid base, the fire
breathing ability is rather handy and the possibility of haste is a very
appealing option. Overall this card is playable, but nothing to write home
about. 2HG: A competent fighter, and with a higher degree of
lethal damage flying around this card could easily have haste around 80% of the
time. Tribal: Both Elementals and Warriors will enjoy this card
and more likely than not both will find it equally easy to grant this creature
haste. Highlander: There is a dependency issue here; however the
chance that a Warrior will be in your graveyard is far higher than the chance
that another Elemental will be in there. As such, this card might see some
active play among Spikes and Timmy’s.
Casual: There are better creatures out there with first
strike; in truth this card should have been at the mana cost of 2RR and simply
given the ability, poor effort R&D, poor effort indeed. 2HG: Whilst he might outlast Shock, the creature itself is
a bit slow for this format and could really use a set first strike ability
instead of a costly one. Tribal: Acting purely in a defensive capacity, this
creature could perform well as support. Having said all that, I’m still upset
that first strike has not been granted permanently. Highlander: This card is capable of dishing out the damage
in this format simply because it runs much slower than normal games. More of a
filler card than anything else, though.
2HG – Average Grade: D+ Tribal – Average Grade: C- Highlander – Average Grade: D+ Alright then lads and ladies, I’ll be back tomorrow with another review. Hopefully you weren't taken back by the amount of reading involved here and will join me for my later editions. As always I'm happy to talk up any aspect of this or any of my other articles with anyone and I personally promise that I will make every attempt to answer every comment and question thrown my way. A few questions I’d also like to throw your way as well are: “Based upon your playing experience, what alternate formats
would you have written about?” Feel free to contact me through any of the following methods:
Until next time friends this is Luthervamplord, Signing off
You can discuss this article in the MDV forums
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Spotlights from 2008: |
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Casual:
Clash-based rampage is something that looks really juicy upon first inspection,
but in truth is a little unwieldy. Sure I’m basing this upon the fact I hate to
give any information to my opponent, but that one piece of knowledge could give
your opponent all he needs to take you to the cleaner.
Casual:
An improved Fit of Rage, and you know that it works. This card matches up
beautifully with some of the early drops for Goblins and Elementals.
Casual:
So I only get the improved combat skill if I attack alone? Well that is just
wrong; I’d be better off running multiple smaller creatures than one big
creature that only gets bigger when attacking alone.
Casual:
Pinging based upon combat and counters is just too juicy a technique to pass up.
This card has so much potential and combos that could revolve around it, Johnny
players rejoice.
Casual:
Conspiracy is a card that will play along side this for a long time to come;
though now that I consider it, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few Sliver decks
running this, too. *Shudder*
Casual:
Dragon Mage the second; a Goblin this time and a reasonable one at that. Even
though I still don’t like the fact I have to reveal a card, the ability to
“reset the world” for every player is a very nice thing to have; especially with
cards like Underworld Dreams and Megrim around.
Casual:
Abusable for sure, it will be the subject of many infinite combos and
reanimation effects for a few weeks before people start to revert back to the
staples of instants and sorceries.
Casual:
Since it doesn’t have trample itself you might want to give it to this creature;
used against a Control player, this card could really force a large amount of
damage through – if it hits play.
Casual
– Average Grade: C-