Today though, we're going to take a quick break from GG's review and extend the conversation we had on the Stack last weekend about the Gods, and by extension, the rest of the Legends from Theros.
QUICK OVERVIEW
For those who haven't figured it out yet, I am a rankings slave. I love Top 5 lists almost as much as I love land.
Therefore, we're going to be doing this a little different than GG's card-and-chat style. Continuing in the same vein as last weekend's Stack installment, we've got my real ranks for the Gods, as well as some of the other newer options for Commanders out of Theros.
THE GODS, AND MY RANKINGS
I feel I may be repeating one of my TGZ homies, maybe even myself, when I say that I believe all of these cards are going to be played in Commander.
There are three main reasons why, and they're printed on every single card:
Indestructibility
Pretty self-explanatory, but in case you didn't hear what GG said about Fleecemane Lion on Tuesday, here's the gist. Mass Removal is much more prevalent in this format than the kinds of spot removal required to get these cards out of here.
Aggressive costs
The value is enormous. In general they provide a solid set of card advantage and function at a fraction of the price. We've also talked before about the CMC-to-P & T ratio. Devotion obviously makes this a little more "fair" in terms of these cards being creatures, but it still doesn't make up the difference. EDH is the big game format. Nothing's going to stop people from getting an attack with Devotion if you can help it.
Devotion
I have a feeling most people will be playing a preventative style game around the gods, keeping people off of the Devotion trigger to avoid Commander damage or extra beatings.
Let's be real though. Just the presence of one of these guys is good enough. We don't always play Commanders simply because we want to smash face with them. In fact, I'd argue the better decks in most metagames are probably ones where your Commander isn't smashing face every turn.
Also, remember that in the same way that Devotion may keep your Commander from being a creature, it also keeps your Commander from being exposed to the more commonly used pieces of spot removal in the format- Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile. This makes some of the Gods that need to be creatures a lot worse, but it makes most of them better.
The flexibility makes for some great design space too. The Gods that I ranked higher tended to be useful in either sphere, supporting designs that could manage both sides of devotion.
Gods Ranked as Commanders
5. Nylea, God of the Hunt
Again, this doesn't mean she's terrible, just comparatively not as good when compared to the other Gods. Having a 6/6 indestructible creature is good value- it just doesn't go too much further than that. She's definitely the one I most expect to show up as a creature. Green puts a lot of G's in their converted mana cost, and they tend to have more stuff on the table versus other decks.
As herself, she doesn't pose much of a threat though- even when devotion is activated. Most noticeably, she doesn't give herself Trample, which doesn't sit well with me. Also, opponents will have a field day interacting with her Devotion because of Wrath and having Disk/O-Stone effects sitting up on an opponent's turn. The bottom line is Nylea still needs dudes to win, and that's a plan that can be most easily dealt with if she's your Commander. In terms of Mono-Green, there's just better options for that.
4. Heliod, God of the Sun
Heliod is surprisingly not the worst here. It is a little more expensive for his tokens, but there's also some extra value to be had with some of the better white cards in the format. Serra's Sanctum and Ajani's Chosen provide great support and combo potential, and with access to other tutelage, this is a perfect "enchantment-themed" deck, if you're into that.
This is the one I'm most unsure about. If I'm playing against him, I don't think I care about whether or not he's a creature. His tokens aren't going to turn on Devotion either, and I find it hard pressed to think of a white card with four W's in its cost. That just doesn't exist.
I imagine this one being pretty mediocre overall. There's a Wrath/Tempo game that could be played, but it just involves too many White mana symbols, and it looks like a lot of work. Heliod's probably just another option in White for breaking Skullclamp.
This is actually the card I'm most excited about, but he's gonna be so-so as a Commander. I'm still sure Krenko is a better to have for consistent token generating, but that's what Purphy's going to want to do. Whittle down life totals to enable aggro beats.
The upside is that he probably won't become a creature if all you're doing is making tokens- so removal isn't going to help your opponent so much. The bad news is you're still playing Red, which has a lot more ways to make tokens than it used to, but probably still isn't enough.
Overall, I think Hidetsugu is probably just quicker at doing this same thing- but if you like tokens, and you wanna take a shot, I think the space is there for this deck.
2. Thassa, God of the Sea
Probably going to be the most unfair, due to counterspell access to protect devotion and the ability to get there with Commander damage that you can send unblocked. With her Bident, all the scrying she does is incredibly efficient, and it inhibits an even more definitive mono-U Aggro-Control strategy than Thada Adel.
I really see no downsides. There's no fairness, and no way anyone wins a game against it without some serious battling. Gonna be almost too good. It doesn't have to commit to a serious amount of creatures like Azami does, so it can focus its threats and play a lot of counterspells while also getting damage in. Thassa is going to be featured in a metagame near you. I've already heard it said in mine.
1. Erebos, God of the Dead
Like GG, I'm also excited about this one. Consistent ways to stop incremental life gain is incredibly underrated, and will be great against mirror matches that rely on Exsanguinate. It's not Phyrexian Arena, but card draw is still card draw, and there's plenty of ways to make it up.
Of all the Gods, Erebos is the most equipped to handle the Devotion/Non-Devotion modes I was talking about. Being a 5/7 is sort of irrelevant when you're indestructible, but it's the highest toughness of all of them, so it seems a little better as a chump blocker. I'm guessing that this will be a big function when you tell everyone they can't gain life.
Having this in your Command Zone is a thousand times better than having to waste a tutor on it. The power of having relevant hate that's tough to deal with oozing and flowing out of this card.
Gods Ranked as Support Cards
5. Heliod, God of the Sun
Sure, he's more tutorable- but I can't find a situation where I want to waste a tutor on this. Multicolored decks aren't going to want to be friends with him any more than his home in mono-W. That tutor probably also wants to be another Land Tax, if that's the case.
Again, I'm really unsure how he's going to get played- and I think pre-sale values reflect accurately just how much weaker the card representing "Zeus" really is.
4. Nylea, God of the Hunt
Not being the center of attention helps Nylea's case a little bit. I'm unsure how Trample is going to be though, and here's why. Most Green decks are going to have access to this, so it might be redundant. Also, her chances of getting in for damage increase slightly, being that she's no longer threatening to kill someone with 21 damage.
3. Erebos, God of the Dead
Erebos gets worse as a support card, in my opinion. At four CMC, Erebos is the first card an Erebos EDH is probably going to play unless an opponent plays a relevant threat. He wants to be out and available as early as possible, and putting him in the deck versus making him a Commander doesn't help you much. Drawing cards and paying life are much easier to do early on in the game. Also, drawing into life gain is probably what you want to be doing anyway.
2. Thassa, God of the Sea
Thassa is the most reliable card, which is to be expected. Unlike Nylea and Heliod, Thassa is one of the most useable threats across color lines. Lots of decks would love access to her. She's tutorable with Zur and Transmute-able via Drift of Phantasms. It's stupid how good she is.
1. Purphoros, God of the Forge
So perhaps this is a little biased, but I think he will be one of the most welcomed additions to some of the weirder token and dude-based decks that have come out in the last couple years. Animar, Ruric Thar, Rosheen Meanderer/Wort, Rith, Krenko/Ib Halfheart, and the relatively new Anax and Cymede deck will all seriously value the extra damage. It's a sleeper, and kind of a stretch, but I think it is more of a need for these kinds of decks than Thassa is to whatever deck she fits into.
NOW, FOR THE REST OF THE SET...
Honestly, I'm not a big fan of Boros. Different people mean different things when they make a statement like this. Sometimes it means bias. If you were to hear GG say it, that usually means he wouldn't be caught dead playing it.
For me, saying "I'm not a big fan of Boros," will probably mean, "I'm really bad at playing this color combination. I need to improve."
I actually like A&C. Not sure I'll play it, but I think it's definitely a card people have not fully understood yet.
(Combat) Trick Voltron is much more possible than people realize yet. Several months ago I helped to design a fairly casual but pretty quick Lu Bu deck aimed at playing spells to pump up Lu Bu and give him extra combat phases, etc.
I see a good version of this deck being similar to Lu Bu, possibly quicker.
There's one thing we can like about this card, and none of these things can be found in Anthousa's text box. I really dig this art, and I'm sure someone's going to come up with a real hipster-y deck here, but seriously- don't try. This is extremely unplayable.
I'm even more skeptical about the flavor here. You're telling me that Anthousa, the very hero of Setessa, a woman that can hold two minotaurs in a chokehold, is AT BEST going to turn a few lands into creatures? And Wizards' plan was to PRINT THIS CARD?
This is the exact kind of card that would make me lose all my confidence in Chancellor Valorum, if he existed, and I was part of the Galactic Senate. I get that not all cards are things I'm supposed to like. I don't see why that sometimes means making cards no one wants to play.
Kids, this is the hero we need right now. I will be bringing him to a theater near me shortly after he comes out, and I'm relatively excited about it.
I liken Daxos to a potentially more abusive Thada Adel. Though his ability doesn't give you the opportunity to search for what you want, it's going to be a house against creature-heavy metagames.
The lifegain provides another great dimension for design space too. Equip this guy and go to work. He's going to be a house.
Faith restored. Onto the next lull in this rollercoaster ride.
I just wanted it to be two colors- and I was hoping for some blue. The Mermaid tail had me hopeful. It'd be a whole lot more exciting, even if it was traditional Gorgon Black/Green.
Don't get me wrong. This is a quality threat. Wraths that create advantages for you are always welcome in my decks. Deathtouch furthers its presence as a "rattlesnake" card, either swaying opponents from attacking, or keeping blockers away early. Making her monstrous not only eliminates threats, but also puts your opponents on a short three-turn clock. And if you activate her during attacks, chances are that clock could be even smaller.
This is one I'm not particularly happy about for our cozy little Magic variant. I find it to be more offensive than the Gods.
Someone over at R&D is really pushing these oppressive U/W cards out like a fiend. Render Silent, Lavinia, and now Medomai.
I wish they'd spread the hate around a little. In my playgroup we talk a lot about the Timmy/Johnny/Spike aspect, and there's a working theory that there is a couple hidden player types.
If this theory is true, this is definitely a card for Dave, the "Asshole."
I like powerful cards, but this is just too much.
This is particularly exciting to me. I like a lot of the fight-style cards that Wizards has created, and I'm glad the two of us could find a nice compromise between their insatiable desire to make everything Hydra-powered, and my need for cool creatures that provide removal.
Polukranos also sports a great CMC-to-P/T ratio. I like him both as support card main deck and a Commander. Recasting him in Green seems very likely, and with access to things that give him deathtouch, removal has never been so easy amongst those who favor Forests.
The one thing I don't get- Why this art over the one from Heroes vs. Monsters? This close-up is a little less endearing.
Let's run down the checklist:
Name: Triad of Fates.
Artwork: Has Three People In It.
Abilities: Three.
P/T: 3/3
CMC: 4
Do you see what's wrong with this picture? There's no argument in the 'verse that can convince me this would be so busted at 1WB. It still takes a two turns to create anything. Original Teysa is 1WB, even with all her annoying combos, and it's not encroaching on similar territory at all.
It hurts my heart to see this tragic flavor slip. Normally, I wouldn't be so up in arms about a CMC, but I think this one missed the boat. There's a big difference between 3-cost and 4-cost Commanders in non-green decks, and the Triad really need all the help they can get. Without access to something like Thousand-Year Elixir, Triad will be operating on two-turn blinks, which seems slow to me. And the only other card I can think of that has fate counters is Oblivion Stone, which is even more mana-intensive.
We'll see. I'm definitely interested in trying to prove these initial reactions wrong.
I also like the art. The gold masks really make this piece pop.
I'm mostly worried about the rest of the card. Competing with Lyzolda is no joke. She provides a ton of flexibility (creature or player damage, and drawing cards), including the fact that the change in the sacrifice mechanic hurts Tymaret's chances at edging the Blood Witch out for control of Rakdos beats.
I see Tymaret as a decent support card, acting as a worse Lyzolda in her decks, as well as a mediocre Zombie Tribal deck or an engine-creator for Sedris Unearth builds. Nothing more.
That's what we got for today.
Stay tuned as we continue to talk Theros through the weekend.
Until then, strive to be the Hero we deserve. Not the one we need right now.
-UL
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| All the memes in this post remixed with little success by Uncle Landdrops |
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