The Best and Worst of Journey Into Nyx
Josh and Justin share some thoughts about Journey into Nyx.
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Josh and Justin share some thoughts about Journey into Nyx.
Read Full Article
The Best and Worst of Journey Into Nyx
- Thread starter The Escapist Staff
- Start date
HEY GUYS, RARES ARE GOOD AND COMMONS ARE BAD!
Oversimplifying, but you need qualifiers. You have all rares/mythics and 1 uncommon as "good", then a bunch of commons and a couple of rares as "bad". Of course they're not as good, they're commons. Is there some Escapist directive that everything has to be a linkbait list nowadays because that's what Buzzfeed does and Buzzfeed is popular?
I mean you don't even seperate limited from constructed in this list. Cards like Interpret the Signs are bonkers in limited (as 1-2 of in a proper deck of course) and you're underestimating Hypnotic Siren as an upgrade to Judge's Familiar in mono-blue.
I'm also more a fan of Athreos than Iroas. Orzhov Aggro has already been a thing in Standard, and having him out with Xathrid Necromancer is insane (you wrath my board and lose 9 life and I get 3 zombies, or your wrath does nothing and I get zombies anyway). Iroas is a curve topper at 4 mana that lets you push through creature decks, but the only creature decks left after this set are going to be the fast ones, the other decks will be playing tons of cheap removal, so he'll sit there doing nothing till he gets Deicide'd.
Oversimplifying, but you need qualifiers. You have all rares/mythics and 1 uncommon as "good", then a bunch of commons and a couple of rares as "bad". Of course they're not as good, they're commons. Is there some Escapist directive that everything has to be a linkbait list nowadays because that's what Buzzfeed does and Buzzfeed is popular?
I mean you don't even seperate limited from constructed in this list. Cards like Interpret the Signs are bonkers in limited (as 1-2 of in a proper deck of course) and you're underestimating Hypnotic Siren as an upgrade to Judge's Familiar in mono-blue.
I'm also more a fan of Athreos than Iroas. Orzhov Aggro has already been a thing in Standard, and having him out with Xathrid Necromancer is insane (you wrath my board and lose 9 life and I get 3 zombies, or your wrath does nothing and I get zombies anyway). Iroas is a curve topper at 4 mana that lets you push through creature decks, but the only creature decks left after this set are going to be the fast ones, the other decks will be playing tons of cheap removal, so he'll sit there doing nothing till he gets Deicide'd.
Are you serious? OK, here's a couple articles to read that set it out better than I could:JonB said:
Why there are bad cards: https://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr5
Why commons are always more simple (and therefore generally worse) than rares: https://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/mm/172
For instance, look at Deicide, then look at Revoke Existence. The latter is a common, former is a rare, the latter is simple, the former is more complex. Even so, the former is strictly better than the latter. Rares have more room for complexity, which means they have more room to be good. Commons are always going to be simple, and that simplicity is the glue that holds many decks together, but RARES are what makes a deck run.
Look at the most recent winning GP deck:
4 Mutavault
17 Swamp
4 Temple of Silence
25 lands
4 Desecration Demon
4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
4 Nightveil Specter
4 Pack Rat
16 creatures
3 Bile Blight
2 Devour Flesh
1 Doom Blade
4 Hero's Downfall
4 Thoughtseize
4 Underworld Connections
1 Whip of Erebos
19 other spells
Sideboard
3 Dark Betrayal
1 Devour Flesh
4 Duress
2 Erebos, God of the Dead
3 Lifebane Zombie
2 Pharika's Cure
15 sideboard cards
17 Swamp
4 Temple of Silence
25 lands
4 Desecration Demon
4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
4 Nightveil Specter
4 Pack Rat
16 creatures
3 Bile Blight
2 Devour Flesh
1 Doom Blade
4 Hero's Downfall
4 Thoughtseize
4 Underworld Connections
1 Whip of Erebos
19 other spells
Sideboard
3 Dark Betrayal
1 Devour Flesh
4 Duress
2 Erebos, God of the Dead
3 Lifebane Zombie
2 Pharika's Cure
15 sideboard cards
Roleplayer uncommons, 6 commons, and the rest of the maindeck is rares and basic lands. Saying that rares/mythics being generally better than commons is a "lazy design choice" is so fallacious I can't even begin to describe it.
EDIT: That's most recent CONSTRUCTED GP, obviously a lot more commons get played in limited because access to rares are restricted.
I'm definitely with Justin on Godsend: It's six mana total to give one creature +3/+3. What deck runs this? The biggest aggro deck right now (Selesnya) would rather cast Loxodon Smiter or Brimaz and would much rather have the immediate impact of Spear of Heliod or Ajani than a card that requires them to spend their Advent of the Wurm turn suiting up one of their guys.
Setessan Tactics also seems questionable. The biggest Green decks right now are mostly Monsters buildings which have access to MizMor or are Jund decks with access to Putrefy and Dreadbore. I can't imagine they'll be thrilled to run removal that requires them to not only already have a giant beater on the table, but also give up attacking with said beater for a turn.
Hall of Triumph doesn't seem very good given that the RedWhite decks that could run it already have access to Spear of Heliod to do the same thing much better. Monoblue seems like the only deck that might want it, but that deck seems pretty tight right now, and as Justin points out, the Hall doesn't provide any devotion.
Also it's weird that you don't mention Athreos, given that he's probably the most hyped card in the set.
Setessan Tactics also seems questionable. The biggest Green decks right now are mostly Monsters buildings which have access to MizMor or are Jund decks with access to Putrefy and Dreadbore. I can't imagine they'll be thrilled to run removal that requires them to not only already have a giant beater on the table, but also give up attacking with said beater for a turn.
Hall of Triumph doesn't seem very good given that the RedWhite decks that could run it already have access to Spear of Heliod to do the same thing much better. Monoblue seems like the only deck that might want it, but that deck seems pretty tight right now, and as Justin points out, the Hall doesn't provide any devotion.
Also it's weird that you don't mention Athreos, given that he's probably the most hyped card in the set.
80% picked White for the pre-release party tomorrow, what a surprise. Going with Red, atleast I'll enjoy myself.
I know each place has its customs when it comes to Magic, but around here White gets played insanely lot, it's sickening. And this new release isn't going to help matters a lot, with this enchant madness especially. I've seen Ethereal Armor Thoughtseized from hand with Ajani and Archangel of Thune sitting next to it. ^^Slycne said:
Granted I play Standard only, can't imagine the madness unleashed in other formats next week.
I can't decide which colour to pick for the prerelease tomorrow. My first thought was Blue, for Scourge of Fleets' bounce bonus. But in Limited the Scourge is a late-game play that relies heavily on playing a lot of blue (another Limited problem, the chance of being unable to play the colours you want).Slycne said:
White does look rather tasty, especially for a chance at Godsend (never gonna happen, with my luck). Though Dawnbringer Charioteers is decidedly average to me - I never seem to be able to make heroic creatures work properly, never enough targeting spells - so if previous experience holds, it'll be a [mtg_card=Seraph of Dawn] that takes up my promo spot.
When I look at a new set in preparation for a prerelease, I look more to the commons than the rares... with that in mind blue might be the better choice for me.
Honestly, I wouldn't fret over it too much. While the promo pack does usually weight you towards that color with a decent chunk of playables in the pool, you're still opening the vast majority of cards from normal packs. I've seen plenty of pools go in completely different directions. Also, there's something to be said about going with what you're comfortable with as well. I was slamming UG at nearly every pre-release through M14 and Theros just cause counterspells and big creatures was meshing well for me at the time. Basically, I don't think it's ever the wrong choice to not pick the "best" promo color.CounterAttack said:
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=380491
Interesting card; probably best for U/W heroic decks. Looks fun.
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=380448
Best one drop for WW decks. Better than Favored Hoplite. Love the flavor text too!
Interesting card; probably best for U/W heroic decks. Looks fun.
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=380448
Best one drop for WW decks. Better than Favored Hoplite. Love the flavor text too!
Deicide is not strictly better then revoke existence, Deicide cant kill artifacts. Right now any relevant artifact is also an enchantment (I think Godsend is just unplayable and just way to much mana investment on the equip cost vs the reward). It may come to a point where after ravnica rotation there are a few powerful non enchantment artifacts in next block and revoke existence is favored over deicide.deth2munkies said:
For the best card in the set in terms of standard play it is easily Banishing Light. For people who think its just a worse Detention Sphere you may wanna reread Detention Sphere. When Oblivion Ring and Detention Sphere were legal in standard together there were still U/W decks that played Oblivion Ring over Detention Sphere as a metagame choice because of one simple thing. Detention Sphere can not exile other Detention Spheres but Oblivion Ring can exile Detention Sphere. This also gives White non blue decks like Naya the ability to play real removal which has been hurting Naya because they had no real way to answer threats like Elspeth.
I could be cool and say I was referring to the current state of standard (where Deicide is strictly better) but it's been so long since SOM I just forgot the other half of revokejp201 said:
But yeah, I've been wanting a fixed O-ring and I thought it'd be in BNG, so it's FINALLY here. To see what's wrong with the old O-ring, look here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGXG5rNe_tI
Oh and for the record: you want to be playing Black for this pre-release...or white, close second.
You can use the link-image trick using mtg_card=card name (in brackets, of course)dharmaBum0 said:
[mtg_card=Sage of Hours] is definitely one to watch, and has some interesting infinite-turns combos in Bant as early as turn 5, alongside [mtg_card=Ajani, Mentor of Heroes] and repeatable counter-doubling effects like [mtg_card=Vorel of the Hull Clade] or [mtg_card=Kalonian Hydra]. It's risky, like any combo deck reliant on creatures, but certainly worth building around to see how it plays. I, for one, will be building a Simic-splash-White "counters matter" deck with the Sage as one win condition. ...maybe a few other odd ducks for funzies, like [mtg_card=Gideon, Champion of Justice], or [mtg_card=Biovisionary], or [mtg_card=Azor's Elocutors].
I would also like to remind everyone that [mtg_card=Ajani's Chosen] still exists. Probably not going to win any tournaments, but still... makes big 5+ Auras a little more playable. Not good, but playable. Also, they plus [mtg_card=Brimaz, King of Oreskos] and [mtg_card=Ajani, Caller of the Pride] = Kitties for days! (Pity [mtg_card=White Sun's Zenith] isn't available in standard...)
I hereby vow that I will be the guy to ulti Ajani Mentor into ulti Ajani Caller for 100-ish kitties. If it can be done, it will be me.
With the new Planeswalker Legendary rule that will still take a while.2xDouble said:
I got tons of cards for a tribal Minotaur deck now, I'll give it a whirl. The new token minotaur sorcery won a few rounds for me today on pre-release, I want to know what will they do with Deathtouch, +3/1 and Trample aswell.
That's not true in the slightest, A good quote I like to take out is "commons form the back bone of any solid deck". usually(emphasis on usually) the more rare a card is is the more complicated or specific it's function is. Not always the case but if a deck of all rares is always the best deck than the game is just a flat pay to win game. Which is most cases magic is designed better than that.deth2munkies said:
Not really, some decks run almost entirely commons and uncommons. For instance you can build a very good aggro deck in pretty much any mixture of 3 colours at the moment without using rares. Sure, the rare lands help but they aren't necessary.deth2munkies said:
OT: My standout card from the pre release was [mtg_card=Armament of Nyx] for doubling up as pacifism and double strike enabler in the B/W constellation build.