It's Tuesday, Commander 2014 Review week has kicked off, and ya boi Landdrops is here with the Legends and our special guests- the Errated Walkers.
So let's get started talking about what should and should not be allowed into the Command Zone.
Feldon, AKA "Creaky-Jiki," has the most to offer in terms of what it does for its color pie.
A cheap card to cast, Feldon gives Red essentially another copy of Mimic Vat.
While I'm not sure this is one of the major needs for the color in our format, the old man will provide support and improve already good decks like Kiki-Jiki, and support the U/R Pestermite combo that's already being played.
For me, the artwork and flavor text combine to evoke powerful Shakespearean level of classicism. While most players, including myself, weren't playing when Feldon was trying to resurrect Lora by every means necessary, it's always good to see artists and R&D having success transcending the cardboard with Literary allusion and emotion. These are the qualities that make Magic more than just a game.
While there are several issues I have with Gisa, none of them are function or flavor. Coming out of the command zone, Gisa is going to be a nice rattlesnake-style addition to the suite of mono-black generals that add value to the strategy.
It goes without saying that since Wizards changed most of the sacrifice effects to "sacrifice another creature" that we've seen a steep decline in power. However, this is one of the few places where I feel like the blend of fairness and sensibility collide without compromising the integrity of the card.
Additionally, the Ghoulcaller also provides Zombie tokens that happen to all be standing up. Unlike Army of the Damned, you're going to get your dudes quick. And the best part- like Skeletal Vampire, you can start turning your Zombies into more Zombies, should you need the card advantage.
Overall, I love sac outlets, so this will be a card I play. Gisa presents a nice threat, one that can either come from hand or the general zone, and work hard to pressure your opponents into a state of the game where they have to "Wrath, or die."
The only nit-picky thing I have about this card is the way the design team decided to package her and her silly brother Geralf in separate decks. It's a big picture thing, but I find this little sibling side skirmish to be as irrelevant here as it was back in Innistrad. I've always been one to get the CliffNotes because I find that these stories are often too conveniently structured (and usually involving Jace).
Still, I question the importance of these characters, as I was under the impression the best part of Innistrad was Liliana getting darker and White Mike going Black. I don't think Gisa is a bad card, but she's kinda out of nowhere.
All my complaints essentially center around Geralf. Of course, Wizards labeled the Stitcher's work throughout the block, so it wasn't as "out-of-left-field" as finding out that he had a much more powerful sister back when the two were spoiled in August.
Which I guess is the bummer here. For as interesting as this card is, I find to be about as unimpressive as Jalira from this year's core set.
Yet unlike Jalira, I fail to see the value. Geralf is not nearly worth casting, due to the issue of making him and his sister symmetrical in design, and his activated ability is about as bad as the trigger for The Mimeoplasm.
Frankly, I don't condone trying to play this card, unless you've found yourself trying to be ironic, cheeky, or committed to playing an Iron Man format. If the latter is the case, well, then I hope for your sake your opponent plays Doom Blade.
Well, if all this Zombie talk was going to bring something back from the dead, becoming an appropriate segue into the next topic, I'm happy it's AJ's bro, Jazal Goldmane.
Even though his name sounds feminine, and a little less fly for a White lion, this is another nice character I was happy to see included in the new product. It's almost as if Nicol Bolas never killed him, right? RIGHT!?!??!!
As far as homages and elegies go, this is a decent card. Whereas Feldon got heaps of praise for being nostalgic and literary in presentation, Ajani's big bro feels a little more forced in design, making it feel a little more like Gisa and Geralf.
It's clear based on his connection to Ajani and the Zombie-making twins that Wizards feels siblings should all have the same converted mana cost. I know AJ's got a few different ones, but his first and his most recent CMC's are four, so let's stick with those. This is weird to me, not only because I feel like my brother and I would be completely different, but also because it's too "easy" of a technique to use in design.
Mechanically, I think New-Fasa (I called Brimaz "Mufasa," which may or may not be a mistake with this card in circulation soon), is a nice card. I'm a fan of reasonable casting costs, static abilities, and something to do with our mana when the game gets big. Art-wise, I wish this didn't just look like any Cat Warrior. Even the two Mirri's have a "Legendary" quality about them, and that's not my impression, no matter how many pictures of Cat creatures in Magic.
...And now for a creature that looks more like the cards we want to see in Commander products!
In talking with the guys in my local game store, they feel that Wizards' design for Commander product gives the format too many cards created under the intentions of being Commander playable, and I find that to be a fair point. Kaalia, Ghave, Animar- those first cards- really changed the format, and almost not in a good way.
While I believe one of the biggest reasons we still see those cards is because they're the most playable creatures in Enemy colors, these last two commander products have brought us more of these kinds of cards.
Though the attention is flattering, what I want to illustrate is that the most interesting cards Commander players really want to see are the ones we have to "work to make work."
Titania here is a good example of this principle. At face value, she's probably not strong enough by herself to stand up on her 5/3 frame. However, with a little research and a little help, there is a deck here. And no- it's not Elf-Tribal.
Personally, she's my favorite of the bunch, and I think my friends are right.
Now, onto the "Planeswalkers as Commanders" in the room...
First things first, the disclaimers:
1. Never, do I ever, think that it's okay to play Planeswalkers as Commanders. (Argument will be for another time)
2. None of these P-dubs, in my mind, feel like I'd want them in a Command Zone.
Now, let's talk about Daretti, the Goblin that thinks he's the Pope.
I dig it. I have no idea who he is or where Daretti sits in the Multiverse, but I certainly am going to play this card. This is the style of design WotC has created for card advantage in Red decks, aligning itself with artifacts, as well as being able to set up and dig for combos. While GG might cite structural inferiority, I'm more inclined just to learn how to play the hands we get dealt.
Of the P-Dubs aspiring to be from the Command Zone, I'm most likely to play Daretti. That's because this Mono-Red deck is going to most resemble the Bosh Iron Golem or Slobad decks, which can afford to draw into their Commanders, and are more interested in finding janky trinkets to play.
When protected, Daretti feels like a much more solid investment than the rest of the cycle. He's cheap to cast, going to be worth the value, and it's really hard to go wrong when you firmly attach yourself to Artifacts.
Moving in descending order of Commander viability, we have Teferi, which I find says a lot about the power of these cards.
Let's start with just how expensive this card is to cast. Holy frijoles, Batman. Even if I wanted to cast this from the general zone, one of the big problems players are going to run into is the notion that they are going to have to play extremely defensive to keep Magic's favorite Zhalfirian from exiting after the first turn.
This is already blue's M.O., and they are continuing to get the power necessary to achieve this objective. With the addition of Rapid Hybridization, Aetherize, Polymorphist's Jest, and Aetherspouts, there's never been a better time to invest in blue magic.
Additionally, artifact ramp will help to provide the best chance to get Teferi online- because the first turn is going to have to be a -1. I see no way around it if you're trying to be on-curve.
Yet the biggest problem with Teferi, and these walkers with fresh errata, is that they don't actually provide nearly enough advantage to counteract the value you'd be getting from even the lowliest utility Commanders.
There's no better example of just how much these guys barely miss the mark than with Original Obie Nixxx.
The science behind most Walkers is that they design themselves to have some method of protection in their first two abilities. Some are cheeky, like Jace, Architect of Thought, which takes away a point of power to every creature that attacks you or it. Better ones, on the other hand, like Gideon Jura, or most of the versions of Elspeth, either act as removal or spit out more permanents to protect the investment.
I say Obie is a good example of what went wrong because even taking him down on the first turn to get a 5/5 Demon is almost never going to be worth the five mana spent to cast it. Additionally, I think you're wrong too if you +2 and try to gain an eensy-weensy bit of life. That ability is just too on the nose for my taste. P-Dubs innately gain you life, simply by being attacked. I fail to find the advantage in being redundant.
You'll notice I haven't even talked about ultimates. That's because I don't believe anyone will be able to pull off an ultimate that's relevant in a competitive game. Congrats if you get one, but it's probably just going to happen in Magical Christmas Land as part of a "Win More" scenario.
The only reason I think Nahiri is generally worse as a planeswalker than the last two is because she's the Equipment manager, and that's a really niche-yet-common archetype.
I still think this card is significantly better at what it does for its deck than the two above (Mostly because I have no idea where you'd put Teferi walker or Obie), and it's cool.
As a Commander, this surely has a lot more design potential. It's basically unanimous amongst the community when it comes to how much people love their Elspeths, and this blends itself into Commander relevance nicely by being to drag out your overcosted equipment, effectively eliminating half the costs of some really unplayable nonsense. In short, she opens doors, and can keep churning out dudes that can play with all of your stuff.
Again, she doesn't fit into every deck, but she's worth throwing together a quick list for if you want a Planeswalking Commander. And she'll fit right into your white Voltron decks.
It's clear to me that Freyalise is the worst, but that's not entirely terrible. Sure, you'll want to play Acidic Slime over her EVERY SINGLE TIME, but if you're already playing it, and want a little more mileage out of a card than just sleeving up an Indrik Stomphowler and calling it a day, I could understand.
Let's be clear- paying 3GG to get rid of an artifact or enchantment is probably outdated now, considering how much indestructibility is out on the market. Still, I think it's the most common reason Freyalise is going to want to be cast, from the Command Zone or otherwise.
However- what confuses me and bothers me about this card is the fact that this is neither the basic instinct nor what is in your best interest when it comes to Freyalise. And you can blame that ultimate!
Out of the five, she's the one that presents a heavy incentive to get her loyalty big. Fortunately for Green, this is a color that already has Doubling Season, and is a major player if you're looking for Token-based decks. So not only will she be able to protect herself, but you should be able to find some serious draw power here.
Still, I think this walker is the bottom of the totem because of how non-linear the incentives are in its design. It's clear overall that intentions created a lot of rigid-ness in the design of these old players, and it could've been hit better if R&D had taken a little extra time to smooth them out.
For me, the moral of the story is not to wake the dead. While I am a sucker for the nostalgia of simpler days, and interested in hearing the stories of Magic's past, not even the consistent artwork or the inviting faces of old friends could keep me from questioning why these couldn't be just a little bit stronger. With the exception of Geralf, they really did right by the Legends- what happened here?
In the words of Sheriff Rick Grimes- I think they have to go back.
Anywho, that's all I got for today. Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below as we continue spoiler week here on TGZ.
Pass.
-UL
