In the interest of being theme-y and fun, I've decided to break up the Legends into two segments- Khans and Dragons. So let's begin the Siege, shall we?
I did some abbreviation because 1) this card isn't worth the extra two syllables that make that word fun and 2) I'm taking the Grandpa Growth road of sheer pessimism and telling you to avoid Old Man Abzan if you know what's good for you.
If we're going by CMC, White Mike can do the stuff we want to do with Daghatar already, and cheaper. If we're going full color identity, there's just Ghave. He rules supreme over all dice bags and accidental combos, and this vigilant 4/4 for 3W is doing nothing to topple his massive throne.
Still, optimistic me wants to tell you to be a hipster and Daghatar up your metagame. The artwork is cool, he's aggressively costed, and he's in some solid coloring that's sure to trip up some people in your playgroup with the way color identity works in Commander. Still, we know the better ways to play these colors, and I think the other legends provide better work for the new color "disguise."
Tasigur combines the coolness of Delve and the creepy aesthetic of former White Stripes frontman, Jack White. Ironically, he might even be engaged in a kinky cross-verse Skype with an equally unamused Teysa. He's probably looking at her like that because she lacks an imagination when it comes to whips.Overall, I'm a huge fan of the Golden Fang for two reasons. First, I've been hoping we'd see some Legendary interaction with Delve, which I think gives design a lot of space to add power to our format and the sanctioned ones without giving anybody the distinct impression that a card was designed for one or the other. In that way, "Sassy Tassy" really does feel like a nice go-between for Commander and Limited, at the very least, even if he didn't have another ability.
I'll tell you I'm only half of a fan of the second ability. It's just one colorless too much or one card short of completing the proverbial Happy Meal for me. What I do like though, is that even if you hit nothing on the mill, your opponent still has to give you a card, and I think a proactive self-mill deck will be able to negate any opportunity your opponent has to feel like they're actually picking a card. You can get rid of the ones you don't want with Delve or straight exile, and assemble a grave-based Gifts Ungiven package every turn.
What I most like about this card is the color palette. Freaking phenomenal, in my opinion, even in spite of it looking like some Jack White erotic art. The shade of Teal really sucks you in, giving this card all kind of elegant dimension, and even the sense that the black border around the card's edge is an extension. Take notes, future Magic card artists- this is what I like to see.
There's a lot to like and a lot to criticize when it comes to the most unafraid Mardu Mauler of 1280 years ago.First, this name is terrible. And by name, I mean name, not title. Maybe you guys can help me in the comments below. Is it Ale-sha? Uh-Lee-Shuh? Ah-Lesh-Ah? Ah-Lay-Sha? Uh-Lesh-Uh? As a general ethos, if I have to do this much work trying to pronounce anyone's name in real life, I ask if they have a nickname. If they don't have one, we move on to last name basis, or until I make one up. Since this is actual cardboard, not a real person, this bitch's name is Smiley, which is derivative of the best part of the card's nomenclature anyway, so I think everyone wins. Even Smiley here.
Because isn't it wonderful to have a post-comma title like this? Reading this the first time made me smile. Actually, just about every time I read it, I'm smiling. Conquering death from a mental standpoint is a sweet achievement.
Alright, enough smiling. I'm not so impressed with this artwork. It's regal, professional, and got some panache, with the streaming direction of the flags and Smiley's iconic, warleader stance. Stylistically, I think it encapsulates our Khan- I just wish it were a little closer, perhaps from an angle 45 degrees to the left, so we could get a little bit more face. As far as legendary creatures go, I think these are the ones people identify with and want to play more. Call me an art snob if you want- that's just me trying to improve on the design.
The theme across all of these Commanders is their generally low, aggressive casting costs, which is meant to reflect the youthfulness of the rivalry on this plane. Smiley here is the best example of this, as he combines a combat-ready body with a sweet combat-reanimator effect. I haven't done the research on Mardu creatures with power 2 or less, but I'm sure there are some good ones. Bloodghast, BS Champ (Bloodsoaked Champion), Figure of Destiny, Serra Ascendant- creatures you've probably already thought about- are just what I can rattle off the top of my head, and they all seem pretty fun to play here. With m15's Return to the Ranks as well as Immortal Servitude from Gatecrash, I'm sure there's some pretty serious room for a nice Aggro deck here. We might still be on the lookout for America's Next Top Aggro deck, but with this cycle of cards, I don't see how anyone can say Wizards isn't trying to juxtapose baby creature beatdown into our 40-life format.
Speaking of Aggro decks- who would've thought we'd be seeing an aggressive card with a BLUE border? I sure as hell didn't, but C is for Cookie, and it's good enough for me.
Other notable alphabet facts about Jeskai Blue Shu:
D is for Double Strike, and it makes Shu Yun a subtle, political powerhouse. Now, not only do your creatures get the bonus, but you have the power to power-up everyone else's beatsticks for lethal damage. For people who already bought Mind Control and Treachery off Amazon, I'd like to refer you to a creature which gives you a threat that requires a lot less work.
P is for Prowess, which makes this an even stronger design combination. A 3-cost Commander with the opportunity to get all "Rafiq of the Many" on Turn 4 should make for quick games.
And last, T is for Trick, as in, "Trick" Voltron- the concept of 21 damage being done via Instant-speed alpha strikes. I'll be talking more about the strategy and concepts of this archetype in a CommanderCast article soon, but I think that when we look at some of the Commanders and mechanics and spells that have come out in the last couple years, we're going to be seeing a lot more of this archetype.
I could be just blowing smoke here, but I like Shu Yun a lot. This is the kind of feel-good card design I expect from Wizards because of their romance with blue mana.
The last Khan was the first spoiled, which gave me a lot of time to think about it. I'll admit, being witty at this point in any article can prove to be challenging. Fortunately for me, we have a card with straight up face-smashing "Gruul Syndrome."Honestly, I'm still a little mesmerized by the color identity going on here, because that shit is exciting. For our Commander table, it will create some double takes and adjustments as we can no longer afford to look at a top right corner and process Devotion. We have to see the card as a whole to understand its color pie possibilities.
This double-taking is what I like about Yasova Dragonclaw. Though a very straightforward, beatdown green creature, almost every ability on here warrants having to re-reference the card, which is an odd experience. He has Trample? He's a 4/2? He can take a creature? This only costs 2G?
Yeah folks, it's all there. The only thing that doesn't make sense, and continues to bug me in terms of the Temurs is their obsession with bears, their namesake connection to Dragons, and now we have what appears to be either a tame or slain giant Sabretooth/Live Cougar in the photo. I just want to know whether I can call Yasova Dragonclaw, "Ricky Bobby."
Well, that's what we got. Be sure to tune in as Grandpa Growth and I get to talking about this super-sweet set.
Pass.
-UL
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