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Welcome readers to the last in the current series of Casually Alternate, the First impressions of a player who favors those formats outside of the mainstream. As ever I am your eternal host, Luthervamplord. Encase some of you have missed the earlier editions to this series, follow the link at the bottom of this page to my article listing and look for them there. As per the previous articles this review will run on for quite some time so my advice is either to settle down for the long haul or tackle this thing in small, digest-sized bits. Alright then, time to get this final review over with.
Casual: Mana-wise this card is balanced for its color, but
the part I dislike is that I get one type of creature from another. Still, this
has its uses and the token could be used for any number of purposes. 2HG: Two creatures in one go is by its very explanation the
definition of speed. In this case, you secure a solid 3/3 creature for attacking
and a 1/1 chump blocker – very useful Tribal: That difference in type does start to prove an
issue here, but I could see both tribes running this fellow; after all he’s a
solid attacker/blocker which ever way you slice it. Highlander: Two creatures in this format off of one card is
quite a useful ability and in a game where type almost becomes irrelevant you
don’t mind the difference in the token and the parent creature.
2HG: A fast blocker which could increase the spell of your
entire deck; pure gold. If you intend to run either tribe I strongly advice you
to grab four copies right away. Tribal: More likely to hang around then he’s counterparts,
this Banneret could be considered the more ‘dependable’ of the lot. With a
strong frame and easy casting cost I seriously like this guy. Highlander: Look at it this way, whilst his ability is
unlikely to see much action, the frame allows him to fill a more supportive role
in a format of 1/1’s and 2/2’s.
Casual: And the winner of the Paragon-cycle goes to this
guy! When you cast your eyes back over the Elf tribe you notice a distinct trend
towards Warriors as well; factor in the relative speed at which their numbers
can be amassed and the added strength this guy provides them and you’ll see the
fighting force many a Timmy has dreamed of. 2HG: Fast, effective creature at 2/2 for two mana; but the
added attack power to other creatures and the Trample are but icing on the cake.
Elves might begin to appear in 2HG decks a lot over the coming months; you have
been warned. Tribal: You need but only look to cards such as Hunting
Triad, Elvish Promenade and Prowess of the Fair to see why this guy will
consistently turn up in Elvish Tribal decks for a long, long time to come. Highlander: A solid creature, with a rather wide
dependency; in the right deck he could work. But I must stress the line ‘right
deck’; the amount of cards you would have to put towards him simply makes the
idea unsuitable for the format.
Casual: Protection from Black means the card is not going
to fall to such things as Dark Banishing and the inbuilt pump means that Burn is
also pretty much out of the equation. This savage beatstick will only really
have to fear White removal, such as Condemn or Swords to Plowshares. 2HG: Although a tad slower then most of us would like, the
increase in power that can be achieved on this creature does suggest he might be
worth a second look. Tribal: Shapeshifter’s are pretty much the ‘supporting’
tribe of MTG; the fact that this one has Changeling as well does allow use to
make great use of him – just consider the potential of this card in an Elvish
Tribal deck along side the Bramblewood Paragon we just reviewed. Highlander: If you can’t get another creature out, you can
simply pump this guy up to ensure that a hefty amount of damage is swinging
across the field towards an enemy whose best bet is to blow this guy.
Casual: What I love is that this card doesn’t specify
‘Non-token’ creatures, Fungal and Squirrel decks have been looking for a way to
improve their chances of top-decking the right card and this card might be the
answer. 2HG: Fast deck sorting; very fast in truth. Based upon
creatures, this ability seems ideal for the 2HG player who must constantly adapt
to two attack plans which occur simultaneously. Tribal: Any tribe with Green will run this one of twice but
I have a feeling that the two Tribes that will mainly benefit from this card in
the future are Elf’s and Treefolk; primarily because these tribes need to hit
their mana curve consistently to stay in the game. Then again, the cost does
allow for it to be splashed into over decks so Elementals and Giants might try
to find some space for this. Highlander: As a one-off it loses a lot of it’s majesty but
still the use of this card could be the deciding factor in many a Highlander
game; a format prone to ‘Draw, Play & Go’ scenarios.
2HG: A speedy answer to a troublesome card and also a means
to attack a UB player’s ability to manipulate his own deck. All in all, I’m
really starting to like this card. Tribal: No real benefit or disadvantage here, have that
most of the effective Enchantments in this format are as Tribal so the chance
your opponent can simply ‘Tutor’ them out of their deck again is actually higher
then in a standard game. Highlander: Mean spirited and quite useful; both a way to
ruin an opponents’ luck draw into a powerful card such as Mirari’s Wake or
a way to save your own Howling Mine. The only issue on that front is that
Tutoring is far less common place here, so use it wisely.
Casual: You have the choice of either an Instant boost of a
quite high +3/+3 or a more permanent +1/+1 counter which could tally up with
some more helpful abilities: Not bad. 2HG: Both sides of this card have their uses, and the fact
this card is rather fast helps you out as well. Granted Giant Growth is faster
but the counter is something that could prove to be more helpfully. Tribal: Its pump and it counters, that alone makes it
useful in this format. But when you then consider the whole new ‘+1/+1 counters
matter’ sub-theme that has arisen from the Lorwyn block, you might start to see
the added benefit of this card here. Highlander: Two uses on one card is something Highlander
players are always looking for; granted the abilities are fairly similar but the
difference is big enough to ensure that it will see some consistent use.
Casual: The pre-runner to Watchwolf has been reprinted, and
in truth it actually is a better card. Allow me to explain, first off GG is far
easier to pay then GW and secondly the creature is an Elf; there are far more
cards that benefit Elves then Wolves. 2HG: A fast blocker who’s toughness is ahead of the mana
curve, this creature is both good for a blocker and an attacker. He survives a
Shock, he falls under a strong Tribe and he has a reasonable power rating; all
in all he’s a pretty decent creature. Tribal: A solid creature for a tribe predominated in the
early drops by 1/1 creatures; easy to drop and a great defensive or aggressive
creature – A must have for this Tribe. Highlander: A great vanilla creature for the format, he
doesn’t really require anything from an outside source and he is be able to beat
most creatures that your opponent will play in those earlier turns.
Casual: Being able to turn dead creatures into lands is
something that I haven’t seen before. This actually has some real benefits as
this allows you to turn those creatures that no longer have any use into lands
which always have a use. The only complaint I have is that this guy won’t really
see the field of play until the mid to late game. 2HG: Slow is not something you can use in this format;
Granted the lands could be helpful but by the time you get this guy out the game
should be over or practically be over at this point. Tribal: Treefolk’s have ways to get this guy out faster,
primarily through their earlier land draws. He’s got a solid base and ability
are both rather cheap for it’s cost in truth, and I can see this card cropping
up from time to time. Highlander: Dependency; you know by now what this means to
the format. Simply put, the chances you will have two to three creatures of the
same race in a deck is rather slim but the chance you will have five or more is
practically impossible.
Casual: If this card doesn’t appear in several combo decks
in the near future I will eat my coffin. This card is a great all round, the P/T
rating makes it a solid attacker and the ability allows you to ramp up to the
bigger beasts of your deck when this guy can’t handle what’s on the play. 2HG: More lands equate to greater speed and that’s exactly
what is called for in this format. Easy to splash and a solid creature overall,
I can see this card being played a fair amount in the near future. Tribal: Slightly outside the normal colors for Elementals
but never the less a helpful little guy, so players may splash him in. Elves and
other Green Tribes might run this as a supporting creature in place of such
things as Rampant Growth. Highlander: A solid creature and a useful ability, it’s
just a shame that he can’t restore his own counters in some manner. Still, in a
format that usefully calls for two to three colored decks the land pull is very
helpful.
2HG: Slow, but still he is right on the cost side of
things; and the fact you would play him with Green means you’d probably have a
means to push out the mana earlier to play this guy. Tribal: Looking across the main stream Green Tribes, none
of them are really lacking in the combat department so I can’t really see him
being used over their own Trampling creatures. Highlander: A average creature, with a reasonable stat to
mana ratio and Changeling. This could be used to some effect with the dependency
issues of Morningtide’s cards but in truth you have better options.
Casual: Green control to the max, this card has incredible
potential in all sorts of decks. With a solid body frame and two open ended
abilities I can’t help but be impressed by this card; Both Spike and Johnny
players will be happy. 2HG: Slow, but if it managed to reach play it will make up
for that fact with card advantage and a powerful form of control. Tribal: When you cast you eye back over the Druid Tribe you
find they haven’t really got the man-power to pull this stunt off on their own –
still with the right number of Changeling creatures and support cards I can’t
see why a Druid deck couldn’t be a mean thing to play every now and then. Highlander: If you build a Druid deck towards this guy then
you will win around 90% of your matches; but in truth this is both impractical
and highly unimaginative. Both of these are not traits frequently found in
Highlander players.
Casual: It’s a pity it states ‘Combat Damage’, else this
card could be a very mean piece of work. Never the less it has some uses and
would certainly make for a flavorsome deck. 2HG: A 2/4 body at five mana is slow, but the two abilities
might just interest enough people for it to turn up from time to time. However,
when all is said and done I can’t really see much play in this format for this
card. Tribal: There are a wide range of Archer creatures out
there but most you would not really throw across the field in an attack but
rather tap them down for the direct damage. Still, the ability does have some
advantages over the ‘ping’ effects and the ‘+1/+1’ aspect does help to keep
these guys alive. Highlander: Wholly dependant, slow as you like and with bad
stats to boost – exactly what you don’t want in your cards for this format.
Casual: Great, more mana acceleration for the only Tribe
that doesn’t really need it. Still this ability has some outside uses that could
be of some help and the ability to generate mana from tokens without sacrificing
them is indeed a nice touch. 2HG: Fast mana acceleration on the one hand, small and weak
frame on the other – this card has both good and bad points which overall seem
to produce a very balanced card. Tribal: As I mentioned before, it’s not really as if the
Elves need any more ways to generate mana but the idea of turning token’s into
Llanowar Elf rip-offs is something many people will be drawn to. Highlander: Weak and dependent, a bad choice all round for
a format with low levels of matching races or class.
2HG: A tad slow, but not so much as that you couldn’t make
use of it. The creatures aren’t really anything to write home about but they
could always serve as chump blockers; but the Reinforce has some interesting
synergy with some cards, including Fertilid. Tribal: looking back at the previous card we reviewed -
Heritage Druid, you can already get a small idea of the uses this card will be
put to. Other fusions become apparent when you look across the Tribe as a whole
– no wonder they ranked second place as the strongest Tribe up until Lorwyn was
released. Highlander: Twin use cards are a prime choice for
Highlander players, and either side of this card is indeed of great help to the
aforementioned player. This number of creatures or indeed the indicated number
of +1/+1 counters could swing the tide for the player.
Casual: Now normally I would rip into this card due to the
Kinship mechanic; but this one has me choking on my own words. Set aside for the
moment that the creature is a 3/5 base for four mana and instead concentrate on
the fact that it potentially could free up your mana for activated abilities and
non-Tribal instants and sorceries. 2HG: Whilst indeed this fellow is slow, he more then makes
up for it if allowed to trigger at least once. Besides; he is a Green creature
so the likelihood is that the player using this card will run enough Land pull
to ensure this guy hits play fast. Tribal: To quote some internet jargon ‘OMG!’. Treefolk’s
have always had the issue of high mana costs to overcome in most cases, but this
guy potentially allows them to keep up with the faster Tribes such as Kithkin or
Goblins. Highlander: A great creature for his cost, but the ability
is rather wasted and not really that useful seeing as there is little to no
chance you will run that many Shaman’s or Treefolk in your deck to trigger this
guy more then once.
Casual: With the potential to net the player a huge amount
of life, this card is both splashable and very easy manipulated into a life-gain
powerhouse. 2HG: The card is very powerful if you can gather the
numbers and that is where the problem lies in this format. With two opponents to
consider, the probability that a Wrath of God or Evacuate is just around the
corner if rather high. Tribal: Built for it; that is the best way to describe this
card right now. Splashable, easy to use and powerful in the right hands this
card is indeed the perfect Green Life-Gain card for the Tribal masses. Highlander: Dependency is the death of this card here. The
card is nice and still could net a careful player four to six life but in truth
there are better and more dependable cards to be using then this.
Casual: Limited but useful, there are probably a few ways
to make this card useful. Taking aside the ability for a moment though, a 2/2
creature with Reach is nothing to sneeze at, all be it Flying itself would have
been better. 2HG: A fast answer to flyers with a sound body and a
reasonable casting cost; I still wish it had Flying but you can’t always get
what we want. Tribal: But sometimes, you get what you need. Flying
creatures are the true bane of the Elves, but this guy is their best answer to
them. Whilst a few Elves in the past have featured reach, this only allows you
to stop one flying creature at a time; this card however could stop an entire
army. Highlander: Whilst the creature itself is a decent play,
the ability will see little to no action: either because you simply don’t have
enough Elves to maximize the ability or that there simply aren’t that many
Flyers about.
2HG: Far, far, far too slow; avoid this guy at all costs.
Consider if you will that by this time a 2HG game is already pretty much decided
then factor in that by the time you can actually play this character around a
third of your deck’s creatures will probably have already been played. Tribal: Ponderously slow, even for Green but the amount of
life you could gain off of this card is incredible when you consider the
relative toughness values of Treefolk. Highlander: Shall we say it together this time reads:
Dependency plus Highlander equals just plain wrong. Slow, hard to cast and
requires other cards to make any use of it; the only nice thing to say about it
is the P?T ratings and even that is stretched by how late he arrives to the
field of play.
Casual: Sosuke Summons for the Treefolk. It’s interesting
to say the least and could probably be used in one combo or another. Still, the
relative speed to output puts this low down the list of cards I would run in a
Treefolk deck. 2HG: You will probably lose the game waiting on this card
to be of any use; concentrate on mana sources and solid creatures rather then
cards such as this. Tribal: Treefolk don’t get that many creatures so numbers
are relatively low but in truth that is fine because they simply don’t need
numbers. The card is slow and as stated before you could very well lose the game
before you see this card make any effect. Highlander: As a one-shot thing it could be nice, the
produced creature could serve amazingly well as a blocker. Still the speed and
the overall power of the card leave me wanting more.
Casual: I don’t like it, simply because I could end up
showing the enemy practically ever card in my library simply to net one land in
play. 2HG: Even worse here, simply on the basis of numbers. As I
have said before and undoubtedly will say again, revealing cards to one opponent
is bad enough but two is rather to steep a cost for my liking. Tribal: Rampant Growth, Harrow, Far Wandering,
Kodama’s Reach – Any and all of these cards are far superior to this one;
skip it and use one of these instead. Highlander: Here it’s not all that bad, seeing as the
chances you will reveal more then three to four cards in your deck with the
average mana base of twenty lands is fairly slim. Still, I’m not all that happy
about having to do that at all – but a repeatable land pull is very rare.
Casual: Impressive, a self recycling Aura that gives a
solid boost in the combat department. Whilst it does push toward a certain style
of deck the fact remains that once cast there is little to no chance that it
won’t work it’s way back onto the field. 2HG: Slightly slower then I’d like but once cast you can
pretty much forget about it until the enemy pulls a Damnation style card on you. Tribal: B-E-A-UTIFUL. Splashable, regenerating pump is
something any Tribe can make use of. The cost is a tad high for my liking but it
balances out the power scale of the card so I can live with it. Highlander: If only it did not rely on creature type,
otherwise this card would become the best choice for pump in the format. As it
is, the card is little more then junk in this format.
2HG: If the deck he resides in is built with him as a
central figure to the battle plan he could shift a lot of power to his player in
the early turns. Otherwise he simply becomes a floundering card that has no real
purpose. Tribal: The Elves do have a better system for Life Gain out
there but in truth you can never have too much of the stuff. A respectable P/T
rating, easy to play and Regeneration all make this guy a solid choice for the
Elf player. Highlander: You’re probably tired of reading this already
but the fact is that it’s a recurring problem with these cards: the set as a
whole is designed on inter-dependencies between the cards and Highlander simply
doesn’t facilitate that idea.
Casual: I keep rereading this card trying to find the word
‘Basic’ but to no avail; so naturally I’m very excited. Non-basic land pull has
never been this open ended before and whilst the idea of sacrificing lands for
lands in rather unappealing at first the fact I can ditch my Forests for
Stomping Grounds and Gaea’s Cradle’s is far too appealing to pass up on. 2HG: A bit to slow to really make much use of it, this card
may pop up as a ‘one-off’ in some decks purely on the off-chance their opponent
allows the game to play on for that long. Tribal: I can picture the scene; it’s turn three and you
pull this card, sacrificing your three forests for two Gilt-Leaf Palaces and a
Wirewood Lodge. Other Tribes could of course make use of this but the double
Green does make the card slightly less suitable for Tribes outside the Green
mainstream. Highlander: Since you’ll be running a deck of one-off which
extends to the Non-Basic lands, this card could net you all of them in one fell
swoop. However, the chances are that you aren’t running that many if any in your
deck and you’ll probably be better off with something else.
Casual: If this actually read ‘Blocked or is blocking’ then
the ability would be infinitely better. Still as it stands it’s nothing to sniff
at; potentially ruining any chance your opponent has of killing your attacking
creatures without Deathtouch or immense amounts of pump or burn. 2HG: Champion has its benefits in this format, especially
when it comes to protecting delicate and useful creatures from harm. This card
could enable you to drive through the damage in the right situation. Tribal: Treefolk players around the world will scramble for
this card due to the obvious fusion that occurs with Doran, their poster child
Legendary creature. Warriors could also be grasping for this card, seeing as
they tend to have a low toughness rating on the whole as a Tribe. Highlander: If you can manage to get this guy into play you
have essentially ensured that you will never lose a creature as a result of
lethal damage in combat again. The problem lies in actually having a Warrior or
Treefolk to champion out for this guy in the first place.
Casual: Penumbra creatures sported a similar all be it more
powerful ability to this, the main advantage this guy has is that rather then
getting one creature off of one card you are able to trick this card into
delivering three instead. 2HG: Both the Evoke and hard cast costs are far too high to
be of much use to many players; this card might see a limited amount of play but
all in all will be forgotten due to the speed issue. Tribal: Though geared towards the Elemental Tribe he’s just
a bit off-centre to be of much use there. The twin creature aspect is useful
though so he could see play as an active supporter in another Tribe. Highlander: This format is where it will be able to make a
mark since the format usual runs over into the double digit turns naturally.
2HG: Again you probably know what I’m about to say here;
the relative speed and the fact that two enemies can take advantage of the
information means that this card shouldn’t see all that much play in this
format. Tribal: Useable and an interesting tool to lay in the hands
of Elves but one I feel that they won’t really feel the need to use. Highlander: No way, no chance, it simply won’t happen –
This card simply won’t see play in this format simply because it will fail to
make any big impressions on the format.
Casual: Two mana for a 2/2 token producer; this feels like
a rehash at the Guildmage concept yet I can’t help but feel this might be a
reasonable use of the Kinship mechanic. 2HG: Whilst feeding your opponents information is a bad
aspect to the card, the fact that it can apply pressure through numbers is
something that could turn a few eyes. Tribal: Elves and Shamans could really make use of this
card; Elves to have the tokens act as a buffer for combat and Shamans to help
make up the numbers in their ranks. Highlander: Since you already know my feelings on the
ability and the dependency aspect I’ll instead point out that although a 2/2
creature for two mana is more then a fair trade, you could simply get this via a
Ashcoat Bear.
2HG – Average Grade: C- Tribal – Average Grade: C Highlander – Average Grade: D And that my friends is it, this is the last in the current series of FI: Casually Alternate. Whilst I have enjoyed writing this series immensely the time it takes to produce this articles may be a little too much work for one vampire; perhaps some of you guys out there would be interested in trying this article series out for the next set release. A few questions I’d also like to throw your way as well are: “Was there too much to read or not enough” Feel free to contact me through any of the following methods:
All comments and opinions expressed would be greatly appreciated and I will always answer any questions you have for me. So until next time friends this is Luthervamplord, Signing off
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Casual:
Whilst a little bland compared to his counterparts, the fact is this guy is far
more useful in combat. Capable of avoiding a shock and holding off the majority
of creatures, the only complaint I have is the creature mix but even that is
still quite useful.
Casual:
Both a way to remove a troublesome Artifact or Enchantment for a time and a way
to protect your own. Cheap, splashable and allows you to shuffle a deck your
opponent may have tampered with: All good reasons to grab this card.
Casual:
About right for it’s cost, this card is only any different from the average
Trampling beast by the fact that he can be anything. Fusion between this and
Slivers may yield some results but I’m prone to believe there are better options
out there.
Casual:
Whilst it is a shame that this isn’t an Instant, the ability is fairly solid and
the cost works out to a reasonable trade. The added bonus of Reinforce is
something else that makes this card a rather interesting choice for any Aggro
deck.
Casual:
A little too linear to be of much help without some kind of outside influence
either through the changing of creature types or the manipulation of this cards
ability.
Casual:
A cross-blend creature is always something that can be used and abused but in
this case I’m rather taken back by the concept of the card. Putting that aside
for a moment, the card itself is fairly juicy and the inbuilt Regeneration
should help against the impending Shock and Last Gasp attacks this fellow will
endure.
Casual:
You know my stand-point on revealing cards and whilst this card is very similar
to the Goblin creature of the same ability it has the issue that it comes out
later making it more then likely your opponent will be able to make better use
of the information you are feeding him about your deck.
Casual
– Average Grade: C