Gatecrash Pre-Judgment: The Legends

Though I know the cards haven't been put out and played yet, the speculation and proxy-ing has already started for Standard and the Pros.

Therefore, I thought it would be a good idea to share some ideas about the new Legends here on TGZ.

Let's break them down then!

Aurelia was one of the first to get spoiled back in November or so, and there's some things to like here.

For starters, her static abilities are pretty great- flying, vigilance, haste are pretty neat.

However, the rest of this design seems hard to imagine. For starters, the extra combat step, though good, forces Aurelia's design to fall flat on its face. I get the flavor- She's a much more interactive leader in Boros than her predecessor, Razia. But is she really less strong?

Being a 3/4 for 6, in my mind, makes her flimsy, and that ability just makes puts a Doom Blade-sized target on her back during pre-combat main phase.

I think what could've been done better here is to either 1) make this more aggressively costed or 2) give her a little more power. 

There's just no way anyone would have incentive to protect her at her current ratios. 

  Borborygmos, now raging, is in a similar state. Though he has improved upon his previous design when we first saw Ravnica, the 7/6 Cyclops has got some better triggered abilities.

I admire the design in the two abilities. I'm not sure how much flavor they have, cause I don't see how even the biggest Cyclops could shape land, but I can definitely see design space for an EDH deck, though I wish he also cost 2 less to cast. Ultimately, that makes him pretty unplayable.

The Obzedat is perhaps one of the most playable of these 5, even though I'm not too impressed with the flavor.

I like the 5 for a 5/5, and I get that they've added new members from the flavor perspective.

What I don't get though, is why they get haste. This seems like a gross violation of the color pie, as well as an unnecessary flavor mechanic that was forced on this card just to make the card more playable. Though it seems good, I just don't like the way it works. 

Lazav, of these new generals, is perhaps the best balance of flavor, design, and fun. I really like his cost and P and T. I like that he protects himself. Above all, I really, really, really like his mill ability.  In my mind, this will inhibit a multitude of strategies and creation space for EDH decks. So well done WotC. You got this one right, and I'm excited to see what people do with this one. 

Lastly, the Prime Speaker. Maybe it's just me, hoping for a good G/U Commander, but boy were my expectations dashed. Grandpa Growth and I talked about this card, and for some twisted reason, he's of the mind that this card is going to be good. I can't believe that this is further from the truth. There's wayy too much commitment that has to be made in order to assure you that Zegana will get value. Big, bulky, hexproof/shroud guys. Seems too risky, especially when your opponents can see the Prime Speaker in the command zone. Optimism probably estimates that you could draw 5-6 cards if you're lucky. However, if your opponents know what they're doing, there's plenty of room on the stack to smash their dreams of winning the card draw lottery. I think paying 6 for a 1/1 and a card is absolutely pathetic, and I find it unacceptable as a Commander. 

That's my thoughts. Be sure to look forward to Grandpa Growth's assessment of the other Gatecrash goodies.

Pass Turn.
-UL