Observations and ideas on competitive and semi-competitive Magic the Gathering.
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Lands Are Lands Again
Posted 07-10-2009 at 09:36 AM by Drathro
A few days ago I ranted about how aggro gets a huge bonus by the omission of Wrath of God from M10. However, aggro decks are also losing some of the tools that once helped them survive those Wraths: man-lands! As long as Tenth Edition has been legal, a few of the five Urza's Legacy man-land cycle have seen a fair amount of play. Treetop Village is an obvious choice to stomp around with in Green aggro. Faerie Conclave tribally supported Mistbind Clique and friends. Even Ghitu Encampment, with it's first strike, was a player!
What makes these man-lands so useful? Look at it from the point of view of a mid-game control deck: Your opponent has been dropping big nasty threats with his BG aggro deck: Wren's Run Vanquisher, Putrid Leech, Chameleon Colossus. You have to Wrath this turn, or you are dropping to dangerously low life points. Bye bye threats, right? Not quite - BG aggro untaps, activates Treetop Village, and hits you for three anyway!
This kind of resiliency is one of the tools that enable aggressive decks to pull out wins, and the man-lands' absence from M10 could have a significant negative effect on the dominance of aggro in Standard. Sure, for a little while, they will still have Mutavault (and technically Springjack Pasture), but Lorwyn super-block will leave the format soon enough.
So what does M10 bring to the table? It gives us Gargoyle Castle (previewed here), a land that can turn into a 3/4 flying Gargoyle. The significant difference between the Tenth Ed man-lands and Gargoyle Castle? Gargoyle Castle doesn't get to hide as a land on your opponent's turn. Either you have a land, or you sacrifice it to get a beater. You can't have your cake and eat it too, anymore.
And frankly, I like this change. Yes, it was fun having Treetop Village and friends in Standard for a little while, but I am growing tired of saving spot removal for lands! It's possible that Zendikar will introduce us to new threat-lands, but I'm betting that Wizard's R&D decided it's time to take a break from lands that convert willy-nilly from land to creature to land again.
What makes these man-lands so useful? Look at it from the point of view of a mid-game control deck: Your opponent has been dropping big nasty threats with his BG aggro deck: Wren's Run Vanquisher, Putrid Leech, Chameleon Colossus. You have to Wrath this turn, or you are dropping to dangerously low life points. Bye bye threats, right? Not quite - BG aggro untaps, activates Treetop Village, and hits you for three anyway!
This kind of resiliency is one of the tools that enable aggressive decks to pull out wins, and the man-lands' absence from M10 could have a significant negative effect on the dominance of aggro in Standard. Sure, for a little while, they will still have Mutavault (and technically Springjack Pasture), but Lorwyn super-block will leave the format soon enough.
So what does M10 bring to the table? It gives us Gargoyle Castle (previewed here), a land that can turn into a 3/4 flying Gargoyle. The significant difference between the Tenth Ed man-lands and Gargoyle Castle? Gargoyle Castle doesn't get to hide as a land on your opponent's turn. Either you have a land, or you sacrifice it to get a beater. You can't have your cake and eat it too, anymore.
And frankly, I like this change. Yes, it was fun having Treetop Village and friends in Standard for a little while, but I am growing tired of saving spot removal for lands! It's possible that Zendikar will introduce us to new threat-lands, but I'm betting that Wizard's R&D decided it's time to take a break from lands that convert willy-nilly from land to creature to land again.
Total Comments 3
Comments
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Well, it's not like aggro decks will need the extra resiliency that much, since the only available sweeper costs a whopping 6 mana :/.Posted 07-10-2009 at 11:55 AM by Neuromancer 
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Linked to this blog on the main page. Sorry I missed it when you posted it originally.
Posted 07-12-2009 at 09:00 PM by Streetz
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I always liked using spot removal on lands. Kill and threat and destroy a land.
Posted 07-12-2009 at 11:09 PM by Wombatish
