I just bought the 300 berserkers and defenders pack, and very happy with purchase.
I got 2 mythics and 5 rares.
What a fantastic deal, and all the cards are berserkers or defenders.
(I occasionally struggle against runaway carraige, and have had to revise all my decks to include at least one wall)
(Note that I didn’t have him pre-nerf, so I’m evaluating him based on no priors)
I just got him from the bfz box and he’s pretty impressive. It’s nice to put down a damage wall that can soak up anything and everything for a while. His mana cost for a defender/reach creature is also pretty impressive (mostly because he’s a mythic, I’m sure). Being a 4/4 also means that he can minimally survive 1 round (unless bounced or blasted somehow) against a full field of monsters.
I run Nissa and lots of gem conversions, so he grows at a pretty reasonable rate, as landfall triggers are easy. Permanent buff spells (like zerker plate) will also spiral him out of control.
He’s actually pretty great as a defender while you build up your other cards, which is even more important now hydra and sage got nerfed a bit. With cascades and kazandu he grows pretty quickly, and if you can put a Helm Of The Gods on him too? He can defeat some decks on his own.
I would recommend any new players that read this to ignore the ‘advice’. But I don’t think the pack is all that useful for new players considering the way it splits across the different sets.
Really? What’s the absolute best uncommon defender in Origins? Dwynen’s Elite? What about BFZ? Maybe Resolute Blademaster? Good luck playing allies without the good rares. OGW? Birthing Hulk maybe? SOI? Harvest Hand???
Let’s move onto berserkers. I’ve got time. Rhox Maulers are reasonably playable in a low powered starter deck. You can have that one. Don’t pretend Iroas’ Champion is any good tho. BFZ: Breaker of Armies. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have Grip of Desolation at uncommon. Or maybe a Smite the Monstrous at Common. OGW doesnt seem to have any. SOI: Maybe Breakneck Rider? It’s Ok, but it’s the same cost as Village Messenger which is better because it has haste, and doesn’t throw itself at enemy creatures suicidally.
Hitting your opponent with creatures is a very efficient way to deal damage to them. But planning your deck around a strategy of deliberately engaging in creature combat with berserkers and defenders is a good way to lose. If you MUST play a Berserker, then play Brawler’s Plate, and play a good creature with it. Likewise, True-Faith Censer.