Today we get back on track talking about the cards I consider to be "spicy meatballs" for Commander. We talked Blue and Black last time, so let's look at the rest of the color pie today.
Wild Guess was the double-red incarnation of Tormenting Voice, and I think both cards, in this case, benefit the Red deck considerably. A few weeks ago I mentioned the Squee deck as a viable engine deck, and Tormenting Voice does well to help support the strategy of incremental advantage via Squee-throwing.
Additionally, the better Red decks in the format are usually looking for redundant combo pieces anyway. By reinforcing this with redundant card draw, it makes those decks a lot better, perhaps adding incentive to playing a card like Wild Guess where you might not have played it by itself before. It's no Kodma's Reach and Cultivate, but it's a start in the right direction for the oft-shunned mages who prefer Mountains.
Don't get me wrong, I love this card. GG's assessment in the set review felt pretty on point- it's a card that has power, but does it simple and easier than some of the other P-Dubs out there.
Still, I'm not sure how playable it is in our format. I had the luck of opening one up in pack 3 of a draft a few weeks ago. Unfortuantely, Sarkhan didn't get to see play because I'd hard drafted into Sultai with a pack 2 Sagu Mauler.
But I've slotted him into HH, where I think he could do work similar to what my Thundermaw Hellkite does in the deck, so we'll have to see. I don't think we'll ever get an ultimate off, and I don't see any reason to minus loyalty for a midrange threat, so it's all or nothing with our Ugin-chasing buddy.
In my playing of Khans Limited and Sealed, I've gotta admit the mechanics and flow in design have been some of the most natural that I can remember.
Goblinslide is one of the nice little includes in set design that can illustrate what I'm talking about. It's a card that combines Mardu creature-bashing with Jeskai trickery, making it a decent pickup as the packs get passed around in draft. While Mardu is probably less likely to pick it up if there's a decent face-beater, Goblinslide helps to turn some of the mana rocks and overcosted removal into additional chumps or damage as the game goes on.
In Commander, this is going to be another solidcard for mono-Red. Squee, Purphoros, Krenko- these are all Commanders that want to turn their spells into additional value. Bear in mind there's additional tempo incentive, even if you're casting a Goblin Offensive, due to the fact that the token you get off Goblinslide does have haste.
While there will be a lot more removal to point at it in Commander versus a format with 60 cards or less, it's worth playing, if only to force removal so that you can cast a Sun Titan, and get right back to work.
While Tormenting Voice is a great redundant addition to Wild Guess, essentially making both cards more useful, MoP fails to make anything OP.
The main reason is that he is the best morph creature in his colors, which means that immediately this card isn't playable in mono-White if you're looking to surprise someone.
The second reason this card bums me out is that he could've been made relevant, regardless of whether or not he's the best white morph creature, if his morph trigger was "When Master of Pearls is turned face up, other creatures you control get +2/+2," turning the card into a janky half Elesh Norn or Kabira Vindicator, and again, forcing your opponent(s) to come up with an answer.
I get the design choice. The EOT clause was put here to facilitate the eventuality of someone removing MoP, giving you a chance to respond, so you aren't left with nothing. Still, if R&D didn't mind a little awkwardness, they could have their cake and eat it with something like, "When Master of Pearls is turned face up, other creatures you control get +2/+2 until the end of the turn in which Master of Pearls leaves play." Flavor-wise, there might not be enough pearls to make this work, but it would surely make for a cooler card.
I'm a big fan of this card, so I'm probably just going to force the Bird Buddies into Commander, and make it work somehow. Mine's probably going into basic Isperia deck I pull out for newer players.
This probably isn't a good idea, as this is another card GG doesn't believe you should be hanging your hat on, and he's right. The life gain and extra bird isn't even close to the value you're gonna get from the Soul Sisters if you're looking to gain life, and it's not nearly as much value as Captain of the Watch or Knight-Captain of Eos, if you're just looking for pure tokens and value.
If my opinion changes, you'll be the first to know though.
Honestly, it took me longer to decide whether to put this in Melira or Silvos than it did to realize this card is just not gonna work well for me. Although I'm a fan of the easy value granted by the mid-range fatty mechanic Ferocious, it's clear to me See the Unwritten is going to have much better returns in formats where there's access to multiple copies of creatures you want, versus spinning the wheel in a 90+ card deck and hoping you overcommitted to big creatures and have options amongst the top 8 cards of your deck.
Were I not so convinced this is just severely outclassed by Summoning Trap, I would tell you to give it a chance. That said, I don't think that, ironically, this card is the real trap.
This is my super-sleeper Commander pick of the set, for obvious reasons, but let's run through them quickly anyway.
First, the trickiness. It's an instant that turns even your most awkwardly unplayable Elvish Mystic into a dude that can eat a Titan. The scale finally fits our game, making it absurd for the part of the game when we need to turn dudes sideways. And in case you've never played a Forest mana on a turn in your life, this is a big part of the green player's game plan.
And the best part? It's NEVER going to cost 5G. Between cost reduction and the odds that you're probably never going to need most of the nonsense you put into your graveyard anyway, Become Immense is a Giant's Giant Growth. Any green deck dedicated to 21 points of legendary creature damage, and every green deck dedicated to making combat wide and ripe with Overrun effects wants to be getting this card into play- so essentially, it should be huge in mono-Green decks and other splash-colored Stompy variants too. This card allows you to be Beserk without spending $50 to buy your own copy of Beserk. So don't just do it big. Become Immense.
Even though the best part of the card is the artwork, the fact that we're continuing to get fight cards is sweet. Most of them, I'll admit I don't even play, and I'll probably be pulling this card out of Silvos before long, but I do enjoy having the option of pumps and bear-tackling to get damage through. This is a solid card, particularly when combined with the abundance of deathtouch that green has inherited over the last several blocks.
In Limited, I've been doing a lot of Bear Punching with Heir of the Wilds to great result. So if you've got some good stories about fight mechanics, or Bear Punch stories, be sure to share them in the comments below. I love a good Man vs. Wild story.
Pass.
-UL
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