Tuesday 25 December 2012

The Other Guys

Gideon JuraKarn LiberatedKoth of the HammerNicol Bolas, PlaneswalkerNissa RevaneTamiyo, the Moon SageTibalt, the Fiend-BloodedVenser, the Sojourner
Vraska the Unseen
As a Christmas present to everyone, here are the rest of the planeswalkers all at once! Just to let you know, my next review will be a review of the new guild mechanics for Gatecrash (probably a Then-and-Now).

Gideon Jura aka "The Dude"
Gideon, you do know that you can't use all your abilities each turn right? The +2 is probably the most common use of this card that I've seen. It basically taps down all of your opponent's creatures for a turn for 1 card. If it survives the attack (it never does), it can use its -2 to get rid of the biggest problem or it can be used when it comes out to deal with something like a Pentarch Paladin. The 0 ability allows it to tie up a blocker during an alpha strike, but I rarely see it used. All in all, not a bad card despite its lack of an ult.

Pros: Can tap down opponent's creatures, destroys tapped creatures, can attack
Cons: No ult, usually dies to +2
Rating: 3/5

Karn Liberated aka "The Big Reset Button"
Screw you Karn. Seriously. Colourless exile?! The world can't handle this power yet! For starters, yes I am aware that it costs 7, but it's a colourless 7 which means it can go into any deck and it's seen play in every colour. The +4 does allow for choice, so it's not the greatest unless you use it on yourself. The -3 is colourless exile and I've already said what I need to say about that. The -14 is... stupid. That ability is a game over since you can set up your board state easily while you're scrolling this card up. If your opponent doesn't hit it, you get 2 permanents. If it's hit, you get more cards since you have to scroll up even more. I think the fact that the plus ability gives so much loyalty makes this card really powerful even if it costs 7.

Pros: Colourless exile, game winning ult
Cons: High mana cost
Rating: 5/5

Koth of the Hammer aka "The Tim Master"
Wow, does this guy excel at speeding up red decks or what? The +1 is okay. It makes your land into a big creature, but the main thing is that it untaps the land so you can use it again. The -2 is where this card shines since it basically makes this card free the turn it comes out in the early game and in the late game, it makes your Blaze all that more powerful. The -5 is nice, but most red decks have won the game long before it's used.

Pros: Really strong -2, nice +1
Cons: Superfluous ult
Rating: 4.5/5

Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker aka "The Old Guy"
I remember when this guy was a creature and i liked it better that way! The +3 of pseudo-Vindicate is really good; there's not much to say about it. The -2 of Mind Control is also good; again, nothing much to say about it. The ult is clearly a recall back to the better days when Nicol Bolas was a 7/7. The only real problem is the cost. Compare it to Karn and you'll see that it costs a smidge too much.

Pros: All abilities are great
Cons: High mana cost, 3 colours
Rating: 4/5

Nissa Revane aka "The Former Worst One"
In case you became stupid, this card is meant to go in an Elf deck. This first +1 gets out a fairly good 2/3 creature for free. The second +1 allows you stall quite easily since it gains you a lot of life quickly. The ult can actually bite you moreso than you may think. Getting all of your elves out in one turn is really nice, but unless you have something like an Akroma's Memorial, a Final Judgement will make you very sad.

Pros: Great abilities for an Elf deck
Cons: Ult can go awry, only usable in an Elf deck
Rating: 1.5/5

Tamiyo, the Moon Sage aka "The One with the Terrible Story"
First, time to explain the nickname. Why was Tamiyo on Innistrad? The moon existed. There was no other reason for her to be there; she thought the moon was kind of cool. It's scary when planeswalkers have the brain of a goldfish...

The +1 is really nice since it taps down any permanent for a turn. The -2 can give you a lot of card draw, and there's nothing that blue likes more than card draw (this is scary when combined with a well-built Azami, Lady of Scrolls deck). The ult is a sign your opponents should scoop since being able to reuse that Mindbreak Trap over and over means your opponents won't have anything to cast. The mana cost on this card is a little high, but it's understandable given the power of this card.

Pros: All abilities are good
Cons: A little high costed
Rating: 4.5/5

Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded aka "The Worst One"
Tibalt, even your story of being punched across the universe (seriously) isn't enough to save you. The +1 is dumb because you discard at random so you could lose the card you draw (this should have been Gamble). The -4 of Sudden Impact is the only usable ability except for the fact that it's not sudden, so your opponent has time to drop their hand size down or hold off on drawing all of those cards from Tamiyo's -2. The ult of Insurrection is nice, but it means you have to discard cards at random for at least 4 turns, more if your opponent pokes this card. All in all, this card is bad.

Pros: Less-Than-Sudden Impact and Insurrection on a stick
Cons: +1 is too terrible
Rating: 0.5/5

Venser, the Sojourner aka "The Flicker Master"
I love this guy. Turn to Mist for a +2 means your creature with an ETB trigger will be triggering each turn. The -1 is the best ability in my opinion since it's going to result in a lot of damage being dealt to your opponent. Why isn't the ult my favourite ability? Because I've never met anyone who'll stay in the game after it's been used against them. It's just that powerful. Just like Tamiyo though, the cost is a little high but again, it's worth it.

Pros: All abilities are good
Cons: A little high costed
Rating: 4.5/5

Vraska the Unseen aka "The Vindicator"
I remember when this card was previewed, people were saying that this card was "almost too bad to play" because the ult wasn't worth it. People were clearly not paying attention to the other abilities. The +1 makes it so that no one will want to hit this since it'll take the creatures down with it. The -3 is where this card shines. Another pseudo-Vindicate effect, it's a lot more powerful than people think. Getting rid of that key creature/enchantment/planeswalker early in the game can really turn the tables of the game. That's the difference between this and Nicol Bolas: the speed. The ult can win you the game, but the Assassin tokens have no evasion meaning they'll be blocked all-day, everyday.

Pros: Deathtouch, pseudo-Vindicate
Cons: Ult tokens have no evasion
Rating: 4/5

1 comment:

  1. Just a note for Venser his turn to mist hits any permanent you own so you can get back stolen stuff and blink enchantments such as o-ring

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