With all the buzz going on around UC being overpowered since it was released and the adjustments made to keep it from being a must have card, we now have a new contender.
It’s uncommon and nearly everyone will get the opportunity to use this.
Pair this card with other cards like Mantle of Webs (green common, costs 9), Iona’s Blessing (white uncommon, costs 10), Aim High (green common, costs 6) and you have a nearly indestructible blocker that will clear boards all for nearly the same total cost (19, 20, 16 - based on above examples) as the current iteration of Undergrowth Champion.
If people do start using this card in most decks, it will force players to include vigilance/defender/reach/board wipe as being the only way to counter it (red can’t even use berserkers against this!). Isn’t this the exact same problem we were just dealing with UC and why it was changed?
My suggestion? Take off the prevent damage. Why is it even there? Or possibly make this card a spell in the PQ version that spawns a token, similar to Akoum Stonewaker, that comes in with haste and trample and is then destroyed at the end of the players turn.
I started playing with this card yesterday just thinking I would get it mastered then leave it. Just turns out it was awesome! As I’ve mentioned in previous posts Hexproof is an overpowered mechanic and this card showcases it well.
That being said I don’t think it needs a nerf, there’s no shortage of cards that deal with it and you need to pair it with another card to make it really work. Plus the AI isnt going to abuse the card so it shouldn’t cause many losses. I could be wrong tho, suppose we’ll see in the next few weeks.
If this card ever becomes popular, you can drop all the Berserkers in your decks. They’re pretty much gonna suicide against it unless you have a defender on the board, in which case they only commit suicide once.
There are no shortage of cards to deal with it in White and Green only. Not so much in Red, Blue and Black.
Not sure what the intent of the ability is but this will restrict deckbuilding options quite a bit.
I’m not sure I know of any top-tier Red or Black decks that run any defenders, let alone specifically an Eldrazi Scion. Maybe I’m just not as well-informed on the meta as you.
Also the Berserker problem still exists. So that hits Iroas’s Champion, Embermaw Hellion, Scab Clan Berserker, Koth’s second ability and Graveblade Marauder among others.
If that’s the direction they want the game to move in then so be it. I just think it’s not a good thing.
The wording doesn’t really explain this, but it will buff itself by +2/+2 when it enters the field and also counts itself in the +1/+1’s. It’s at minimum a 5/5 when you cast it.
Still do not see why hey changed the effect this much.
The paper version as pointed out dies at end of the turn, an effect that is already coded in the game
Anyways, it they are not willing to overhaul it they could just change it to “when this creature blocks or is blocked it loses prevent damage”.
It would still be good enough for sure as an uncommon.
When you’re playing Chandra with Volcanic Rambler (and Avaricious Dragon if you have that), any support is a bad idea. But ah well. Will have to adapt.
Having thought about this a bit more they should probably just change the wording to ‘Whenever this creature blocks or become blocked it loses prevent damage’
Would make sense and would keep the card playable, maintaining the right kind of power level for an uncommon.
