Early last week Daily MTG released the first spoiler from their Duel Decks: Izzet vs. Golgari Decks, which featured sweet new alternate art for Niv-Mizzet as well as the first new card for the highly-anticipated Return to Ravnica set which comes out this fall.
I don’t know if you’re excited, but you should be. The original Ravnica block, in my opinion, is home to some of the best guild leaders and cards as well as some of my favorite artwork of all-time. Just look at how pretty Ravnica land is
Alright, I’m getting off topic. So Izzet vs. Golgari. The two leaders are Jarad and Niv-Mizzet. I'll start with Niv. I look forward to him being back in Return to Ravnica. Here's his shiny new art on the right. He's a little more aggressive in this piece than in his previous portrait, which is exciting because we now have one to hang over the mantle, and one to put on the battlefield and be angry with.
Also, if you haven’t seen the Comic-Con panel
yet where they spoiled all the guild leaders, well, then you need to, and
here’s the video. Trust me, it’s worth thirty-eight minutes and twenty-seven
seconds of your day.
Since we know all about Niv and his core of combo-making, combo-breaking friends he likes to go to work with, let’s talk about this new guy on the guild leader block, Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord.
My initial
impressions, I’ll admit, are relatively disappointing. For starters, I think
his casting cost, while very aesthetically cool, seems rather
ridiculous. I’m not citing an inappropriate cost
problem though. Four seems
fair. After all, Knight of the Reliquary was three. And look what that did to the metagame during Alara.
 |
My problem
is that one of those B’s or G’s should be a colorless mana. That’s just for
starters. We’re going top-down on this assessment. Literally.
Next we have the art. Full marks and ten points to Svetlin Velinov for this beautiful display of “King Golgari” (Svetlin sounds like a Slytherin, not a Gryffindor, if you’re keeping track of House Points). He looks awesome and fearsome and that’s how I want to imagine the leader of two of my favorite colors to play in Magic. I like the grimyness. And the purple adds a really neat clash.
The creature
type though, I don’t really get. Why does everything have to be a zombie?
Better yet, why does everything have to be an elf? And why does Jarad have to be
a zombie elf?
To answer my own question, I think Jarad is these two creatures because of what the goals of the Golgari are, which is to find links between the mysteries of life and death. In this perception, elf and zombie do sound like good types to characterize and embody the dichotomy of the living and the undead. I want to wish for a more challenging creature type here, because Glissa and him are creature type twins, but the logic is sound.
Moving on. Abilities.
Ability #1 is great. Takes after the aforementioned Knight of the Reliquary, but in a true Mortivore-style fashion. Pretty good. Well done, design team.
Ability #2 missed my approval by one word. “Another.” Sacrifice another creature. What’s the harm in being able to sacrifice himself? This ability here is my sole problem with its casting cost. From a flavor perspective, it makes sense. He’s recycling, or whatever. But I think a leader of a Guild should be reckless too. Especially one that’s a Golgari and a Zombie, so it’s not that risky.
Ability #3 seems only useful if I can sacrifice Jarad via his previous ability. Since I can’t sacrifice him, I don’t ever see a point in binning him in an EDH game, because it goes against my very principles (Need I remind you I do have a name and reputation to uphold as the Uncle of Landdrops). I can’t go losing two land to bail him out of the yard in a typical game. Doesn’t sound like doing this is going to help you win a game either. Tsk Tsk I say to that.
P and T seems great though. I think 2/2 for a guy that does what the J-Man does is good. I’m glad he’s not stars for P and T, like the son of a Mortivore he tried to be. Again, Zombie of the Creature-quary is much cooler.
As far as overall playability, he gets an okay from me. Not total approval, but hey, none of us are perfect. Jarad's a dude I’d play, but only after you find yourself bored and weary of the other wonderful Generals G/B has to offer. There are, after all, some pretty great G/B-ers already in the game.
Pass Turn.
—Uncle Landdrops.
Next we have the art. Full marks and ten points to Svetlin Velinov for this beautiful display of “King Golgari” (Svetlin sounds like a Slytherin, not a Gryffindor, if you’re keeping track of House Points). He looks awesome and fearsome and that’s how I want to imagine the leader of two of my favorite colors to play in Magic. I like the grimyness. And the purple adds a really neat clash.
To answer my own question, I think Jarad is these two creatures because of what the goals of the Golgari are, which is to find links between the mysteries of life and death. In this perception, elf and zombie do sound like good types to characterize and embody the dichotomy of the living and the undead. I want to wish for a more challenging creature type here, because Glissa and him are creature type twins, but the logic is sound.
Moving on. Abilities.
Ability #1 is great. Takes after the aforementioned Knight of the Reliquary, but in a true Mortivore-style fashion. Pretty good. Well done, design team.
Ability #2 missed my approval by one word. “Another.” Sacrifice another creature. What’s the harm in being able to sacrifice himself? This ability here is my sole problem with its casting cost. From a flavor perspective, it makes sense. He’s recycling, or whatever. But I think a leader of a Guild should be reckless too. Especially one that’s a Golgari and a Zombie, so it’s not that risky.
Ability #3 seems only useful if I can sacrifice Jarad via his previous ability. Since I can’t sacrifice him, I don’t ever see a point in binning him in an EDH game, because it goes against my very principles (Need I remind you I do have a name and reputation to uphold as the Uncle of Landdrops). I can’t go losing two land to bail him out of the yard in a typical game. Doesn’t sound like doing this is going to help you win a game either. Tsk Tsk I say to that.
P and T seems great though. I think 2/2 for a guy that does what the J-Man does is good. I’m glad he’s not stars for P and T, like the son of a Mortivore he tried to be. Again, Zombie of the Creature-quary is much cooler.
As far as overall playability, he gets an okay from me. Not total approval, but hey, none of us are perfect. Jarad's a dude I’d play, but only after you find yourself bored and weary of the other wonderful Generals G/B has to offer. There are, after all, some pretty great G/B-ers already in the game.
Pass Turn.
—Uncle Landdrops.
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