Magic: The Gathering,GO TEAM MS!

[Sudo_Nym]

I was in favor of reprinting L-Bolt, I just don't think they did it in the right context. L-Bolt is a very useful tool for countering creature-creep. They just needed to back it with decent permission, rather than more burn.

[PeregrineV]

I think lightning bolt reprint was a mistake in the first place, so I'm not too sad about it.

But I also don't get the connection.

It's a 1/1 thing. 1 mana= 1 point of damage.

Cards that provide more are better

Lightning Bolt is 3 damage for one red, cast anytime.
Thunderous Wrath is 5 for one red. Now this is only true if you cast it when you draw it, but it combos like a bitch.



3 red mana= 10 damage.
6 red mana= 15 damage

[PeregrineV]

I was in favor of reprinting L-Bolt, I just don't think they did it in the right context. L-Bolt is a very useful tool for countering creature-creep. They just needed to back it with decent permission, rather than more burn.

I replaced it with Galvanic Blast. Since I like artifacts, it works very well for me (for now, I suppose).

[bv310]

I like the idea of making an Arcane Melee deck, just to be a direct counterpart to my Heartless Summoning deck.

[Thestatusquo]

They should just get it over with and reprint counterspell.

[Sudo_Nym]

If they're going to continue the creature creep, they may as well bring back Counterspell. Hell, bring back Power Sink, for all I care.

[GreyICE]

They should just get it over with and reprint counterspell.

Not going to happen.

[Sudo_Nym]

This is the first time I've really looked at the spoilers. Here's some notes, and I encourage others to do the same:

As a man who likes Anthem effects, I have an irrational liking for Angel of Jubilation.

Avacyn looks really sweet, if you can cheat it out. Otherwise, bleh.

I have a love hate relationship with blink effects, so I'll have to wait for the rest of the set to see what I think about those.

Arcane Melee is a card to build an EDH deck for, but meh in normal play.

Demonic Taskmaster could be neat for UB control, or would be, if Delver wasn't just better.

Griselbrand and Harvester of Souls are interesting creatures for EDH, but terrible for normal play.

Thunderous Wrath is excellent, if you can manipulate your library to draw it when you want. Deck manipulation isn't great in Standard, and even worse for Red. Not convinced it's worth building too, if you don't have Sensei's Divining Top.

The Timmy in me loves Craterhoof Behemoth, but I'm hardpressed to think of a use for it in Standard. Might be a neat tool for Elfball in Legacy, though.

If I get a magic program downloaded again, I'll probably build an EDH deck around Gisela.

Not sure what Sigarda is supposed to be good for. Are there a lot of sac effects after you hit 5 mana?

Angel's Tomb is really neat, if you're a token deck. Moonsilver Spear is too expensive.

[GreyICE]

I mean, game one you're taking a chance that they don't have STP, but I think the pay off is good enough, game 2-3 they probably side out stp since you literally only have one target. Also, I don't know what the number of decks that MD STP is anymore, but I suspect its not that high.

Really? I admit to paying no attention to legacy at this point, but it must really have been overrun by combo if StP isn't making it into maindecks. It's only the best piece of removal ever printed.

[InflatablePie]

I want this for my GB Morbid/Pod deck. :<

[Thestatusquo]

Now theres a good limited card.

[chamber]

Maverick and stoneblade are 2 of the most popular decks right now and tend to have 4 in their 75 (often in the main deck)...

[Sudo_Nym]

A lot of the Soulbond cards strike me as being good for limited. I mean, Wingsplicer is pretty meh in constructed, but an evader who can also give evasion to another creature seems pretty sweet for limited.

[chamber]

Wingsplicer seems really mediocre in a limited context untill you consider other soulbound guys you could pair with it (like the 2/1 ophidian pairer). If there are other good abiltiies that increase the relevance of the 1/1 body it could be a sweet role player type card in the limited format.

[GreyICE]

Now theres a good limited card.

It's a 1/1. For 2. That's only ever going to be a mediocre limited card, even if it's hell on wheels to attack past.

So far I actually haven't seen any windmill slam first picks on the level of Behomoth Sledge/Savage Twister/Pyrohemia. That's probably a good thing, tbh.

[PJ.]

On Miracle: I think the Time Walk miracle could see play in legacy where you have Brainstorm, Ponder, Sensei's divining top, ect and can reliably get that effect. Maybe could bring back a countertop type deck. Miracle in standard won't be consistent enough and top players will quickly dismiss it. Remember the last time they reprinted a power 9 card? I do, it didn't amount to much at all. Time Reversal is poop, Time Twister is power 9. 2 mana big deal. So a card that will be useless occasionally will probably be a big deal.

I wanna build a casual deck around Arcane Melee though lol. Ramping up then playing arcane melee and throwing down huge spells over and over and over.

Browbeat is horrible for exactly why TSQ said. You're gonna get exactly what you don't want. The only time i can work out is like..I have 4 mana, you have 10 life and I have fireblast/lightning bolt in my hand. And you haven't got me on a one turn clock. cause if you take the 5 you're dead and if you give burn 3 cards, they'll get 5 damage out of it. But yeah outside of situations where both the 3 cards and 5 damage win the game, you're gonna lose.

I dig Howlgeist... but 7 mana for a 4 power "unblockable" isn't great. But i like the idea of it. If it was 5 mana it would be really good.


On Jackal Pup: That card hasn't been in legacy for like 7 years

[Glork]

I'm really underwhelmed by Soulbond. :/

[bv310]

Not sure what Sigarda is supposed to be good for. Are there a lot of sac effects after you hit 5 mana?

Sigarda's basically just unkillable in G/B/R/U, outside of a handful of specific cards (BSZ, Blasphemous Act). Most of the Black decks right now run spot removal, and Tribute to Hunger as a way to deal with Hexproofs. this just makes it even more unkillable.

[Thestatusquo]

A 1/1 for 2 with deathtouch that gives another creature deathtouch. You don't think thats good? Do you even play limited. I didn't say it's a bomb, but its very very playable.

[bv310]

I'm really underwhelmed by Soulbond. :/

The 2/2 that gives another guy Double Strike is pretty good as a replacement for Mirran Crusader after rotation.

[Glork]

A 1/1 for 2 with deathtouch that gives another creature deathtouch. You don't think thats good? Do you even play limited. I didn't say it's a bomb, but its very very playable.

Meh. It only keeps its own deathtouch as long as the other guy stays alive, too. Unless the format is removal-starved, most Soulbond guys wind up being overpriced vanilla dorks.

[Sudo_Nym]

A 1/1 for 2 with deathtouch that gives another creature deathtouch. You don't think thats good? Do you even play limited. I didn't say it's a bomb, but its very very playable.

Meh. It only keeps its own deathtouch as long as the other guy stays alive, too. Unless the format is removal-starved, most Soulbond guys wind up being overpriced vanilla dorks.

Remember that a creature with Soulbond can change its bond every time you play a creature. So even if you lose the partner, you can just play a new one.

[Glork]

Oh, okay, I misunderstood. The wording on the ability isn't terribly clear.

[Sudo_Nym]

It's no miracle of clarity as is, to be sure. Current wording is:

You may pair this creature with another unpaired creature when either enters the battlefield. They remain paired for as long as you control both of them.

It's clear that the creature with Soulbond has to pick an unpaired creature when it enters the battlefield; and that the Soulbond creature can bond with a creature just entering the battlefield, if it's previous partner died. What isn't clear is if the Soulbond can only update it's bond if it's currently unbonded. RAW would suggest that it can- note that it doesn't say the Soulbond creature itself must be unbonded to change it's bond when a new creature enters the battlefield, but that clearly seems to be the intent.

There's another weird area, too. The wording seems to prevent two Soulbonds from bonding with each other. If I have an unbound Nightshade Peddler, and then play Wingcrafter, Wingcrafter entering the battlefield triggers Soulbond's partner selection for both creatures, and have them target each other. I get to pick the order they resolve in, so say I have Wingcrafter resolve first. Then both Peddler and Wingcrafter get flying. Then Peddler's Soulbond tries to resolve, but auto-counters on resolution, because Wingcrafter is no longer unbonded, making him an illegal target for Soulbond.

[GreyICE]

A 1/1 for 2 with deathtouch that gives another creature deathtouch. You don't think thats good? Do you even play limited. I didn't say it's a bomb, but its very very playable.

You are such a flaming asshole, TSQ.

Shall we go over the reasons why this isn't a great card?

1) It's a 1/1 for 2. Lets just consider a 1/1 for 2 with deathtouch. Is this a great card? No. Frankly I could end there.
2) It gives another creature deathtouch.

BUT

if either of them die the other loses death touch. So if you give a first striker deathtouch and are like 'muahahaha now I am untouchable!' and they hit the First Strike creature with, say, I dunno, removal, then, well, you've got a nice 1/1. For 2.
3) If your opponent has evasion then you're not blocking anyway.
4) Lets say everything goes right. You play this card. You give a 1/1 human token deathtouch. Your opponent attacks with a 5/5 and you block with your 1/1 human, who kills your opponent's big expensive creature. Cool. You traded one card and a token for... one card.

No, TSQ, that's a 6-8th pick at best, and I'd never run 2 in a green deck. Frankly I'd happily leave it in the board. Soulbound needs BOTH creatures in play to keep working, and that kills most shenanigans that you can do with 2 deathtouch creatures (Your opponent can use the terrifying tech of... attacking with one creature).

Now apparently you can keep grafting death touch onto new creatures, but this requires 2 things:

1) A stream of new creatures.
2) No bad luck.

Mostly I foresee blowouts where people discover mid-combat removal on a 1/1 (that's... everything. Everything kills a 1/1) suddenly made their blocking decisions immensely terrible.