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Come see all our Fate Reforged spoiler coverage
We took a few days' breather off over the weekend and WotC decided to dump on us today. I'll cover the rares here, but the rest of the spoiled cards will get their own detailed breakdown in the comprehensive spoiler coverage page linked at the top. Be sure to check that out as well. Let's get on it.
Warden of the First Tree
I have seen a lot of mixed reviews online. Durdles have said "I need a playset" and the good (condescending) people over at /r/spikes have said "Seems like a really bad Figure of Destiny" and maybe they're both right. Can't this be terrible and appealing to durdles? Let's look at what it actually does.
It comes down as a 1/1 on 1 sometimes, and can be a Watchwolf on turn 2 at the cost of having a second creature. I'm not super impressed so far. For 4 more it becomes a 3/3 Trampler with Lifelink. 6 more mana puts it over the top and makes it a 8/8, briefly, before someone casts Hero's Downfall on it.
Yes, I realize "It dies to removal" is a facile argument, but in the context of the other things that Abzan-colored decks are trying to do, isn't what it takes to make a creature a 8/8 with no hexproof sort of relevant? Until something changes, Abzan decks are on the Whip of Eerebos plan and this is bad on that plan.
Could this be the last weenie a Soldier of the Pantheon, Fleeceman Lion etc deck needs? A 3/3 Trample, Lifelink is formidable. But spending all turn every turn to get this guy there could be too onerous. This is a $10 preorder and I think this likely ends up around $5 based on what Abzan is going now and the format's reluctance to play small creatures that you can't summon unless you tap a Mountain.
Tasigur, the Golden Fang
Ewww.
Standard likely would only run one curve-topper type creature and this has stiff competition from Soulflayer and Necropolis Fiend and common sense. Standard is out, which leaves EDH.
EDH don't want this. This has a few things going for it.
- It's in Sultai colors
- It puts things in the yard
- It can be a political card, allowing an "opponent" let you select a removal spell you need to thwart a third player
- You can pay his commander tax by delving more cards, making him easier to recast
The negatives outweigh the positives, the most important of which is that this is worse than Sidisi, Brood Tyrant, a general people aren't enthusiastic about. Why would you not build The Mimeoplasm and build this instead? This has "bulk rare" written all over it.
Arcbond
I don't doubt this effect is worth 3 mana. The real question is whether this card is worth a slot in your 75.
I have seen a lot of people with "cute" ideas, and I don't know if "cute" cuts the mustard. That said, I remember "cute" plays like "Harvest Pyre targeting Boros Reckoner" getting there for a while.
I think this card will appeal a lot to casual players for whom playing Stuffy Doll is an option. This may see some small (as in not enough to drive its price up) play in EDH but it's hard to make a case for it getting a slot in the deck. But this does the largest percentage of a life total in damage in Standard. Unlike Harvest Pyre, this card isn't good on its own. If they block with a big creatures, you can use that against them, but I think red wants to be doing a set amount of damage. This is a cool card in the same vein as Deflecting Palm, a bulk rare.
This would be sweet if you gave the creature lifelink, though.
I think you’re reading the abilities completely wrong. You don’t need a second creature to activate it’s first ability, it just becomes a 3/3 with 2 creature types. The second ability makes it a 3/3 with trample and life link and 3 creature types, and the 3rd ability let’s you start adding counters based on it having the Spirit creature type.
George, if you activate the first ability, you’re not playing a creature on two. That’s why it’s “at the cost of a second creature”.
Correct. I meant “at the cost of being able to summon a second creature because you’re using your mana to improve the first one you played”
Arcbond doesn’t care about getting lifelink. Arcbond itself doesn’t actually deal any damage, the creature which took the damage does, so Arcbond having lifelink isn’t actually going to gain you anything.
…….I see nothing gets by you…..
Yeah, I realize when I said “this” the “it” later in the sentence makes it seem like I meant the spell not the creature. I knew that but did a shitty job conveying that.
Oof that review on Tasigur. Who writes this crap?
What do you like about it?
First off it says 1 5 14 as the date welcome to 2015 guys also it becomes a 3/3 not a 4/4 I see why these are free I usually enjoy your stuff also not so much this
I personally think that a 1 or 2-of Tasigur is > Soulflayer or Necrofiend
Why it’s worth a 2nd look:
1. Ease of casting – Delve for 5B will often be B – 2B which is quite undercosted for its…
2. Good base stats – 4|5 dodges Stoke, Strike, Blight, and punches through Courser 🙂
3. Repeatable source of card advantage. On a stalled board, this could just sit back and activate for 4cc eot for a free spell (albeit the worst one, assuming your opponent knows what he/she is doing). You don’t even get blown out if you choose to activate the 2nd ability tapped out as you still get a card back regardless.
4. This could either go to U/B control or B/G devo-whip decks (but most likely the former.) In tandem with delve spells in heavy circulation in standard like DTT and Murderous cut, you can sculpt your yard to get back a more relevant card with each activation.
As somebody who’s been playing a lot of U/W Heroic during Khans, I can’t wait (to possibly switch to U/B and…) playtest Tasigur. I think that its one of those cards (along w/ Crux and Ugin) that will push the archetype to the top.
Speaking of Ugin…
5. (The artificially inflated) 6cc on Tasigur dodges X=5 sweeps and below from Ugin 😀
You don’t think the flying and removal (admittedly a nonbo with his delve) on fiend make him a better choice? A 4/5 with no evasion is pretty durdly and you won’t want to draw multiples the way you do with Siege Rhino.
Regardless, if this does see some play, it seems likely it would be in a post-rotation environment. That would actually be an ideal outcome – let the card hit bulk status where people who believe in the card can scoop armloads for nothing.
Evasion on the Fiend is nice, but the casting cost is just too restrictive. 5B vs. 7BB might seem small if you’re on the delve plan, but it’s a difference of getting the card out on the battlefield a turn or two sooner (with less delve setup.) If you get to untap w/ Tasigur on turn 4 (i.e. turn 2 Satyr Wayfinder > turn 3 Tasigur), you can swing for four, or start activating his ability for more cards. If you draw him late game, you can immediately mill for more cards on the same turn (…whereas the Fiend will just see play mid to late game, hoping to blank an opposing attacker and not much else.)