Legacy is an efficient format filled with spells of converted mana cost (cmc) 4 and below. In Legacy, cards with high cmc usually don't get played. The Commander/EDH format is the exact opposite as players cast big splashy spells all the time. Thus, most commander cards don't fit into Legacy format unless they can be cheated into play somehow (Show and Tell, Natural Order, Reanimate etc). Even so, they face stiff competition (Emrakul, Iona). Most of the 51 new cards in Commander are unlikely to see play in Legacy, but there are some possible plays in here. Let's run down the list of new cards one by one and see what I mean.
Alliance of Arms
One way of valuing cards is to compare with older cards that fulfill the same purpose. As a massive token producer, Alliance of Arms is a Decree of Justice variant which is counterable (by Mental Misstep), and gives your opponent a free ride (though if you're playing a deck with cards like this, it's built to abuse it). Decree of Justice is no longer played, so this won't either.
As a card that churns out smaller number of tokens, you have cards like Elspeth, which is more flexible. And seriously, who wants to pay 4 mana to put 3 1/1 tokens into play when you can do more broken things like Armageddon (hi Knight of the Reliquary, Terravore, Magus of the Tabernacle!)?
Archangel of Strife
Erm... Hasn't Elesh Norn just been printed? Dredge would just use her instead.
Celestial Force
8cmc and all I get is 3 life a turn?
Crescendo of War
All your Bitterblossom tokens get larger than life. Would a weird control deck want to use this? Probably. Is it Legacy viable? Gut feeling no. Prove me wrong.
Martyr's Bond
Eh... What am I supposed to do with this? Cast Greater Gargadon with The Cheese Stands Alone and this in play? (Yeah, I know about Barren Glory... The cheese is just so much cheesier...)
Soul Snare
I can see myself playing a few copies of Seal of Plowshares in Enchantress or control decks. Though at 1cmc it's susceptible to Misstep, it can compete with Sensei's Divining Top, and Ancestral Vision for the 1-drop in UW control (at the risk of being Wastelanded). There's also the possibility of your opponent not wanting to drop their Dark Confidant early when there's a Seal on board, which buys time for the control deck. Legacy playable.
Vow of Duty
Vow of Flight
Vow of Malice
Vow of Lightning
Vow of Wildness
The only politics in Legacy duels is when ...
Ok, I can't think of any.
Flusterstorm
A Storm counter to deal with Storm decks?
People compare this to Spell Pierce, as the opponent will have to pay at least 2 mana to resolve their sorcery/instant. But is the benefit in counter wars and against storm decks worth the loss against non-sorcery/instant spells? It probably depends on your local metagame. If it's filled with blue-based control decks and counter wars happen everyday, then Flusterstorm (or heck, more Jaces) should be in your deck. If everyone's playing Storm combo, then you're simply underestimating your opponents if you play either Flusterstorm or Spell Pierce. Try other hate instead.
Against all other archetypes, Spell Pierce is better, so why use this? I think this will see fringe levels of play.
Minds Aglow
I'm waiting for someone to play this in some wacky combo deck.
Riddlekeeper
Is mill Legacy viable other than the 2-card combo?
Spell Crumple
Oh Hinder, how I love you in Legacy (not).
Trench Gorger
I would LOL if Wenhao plays this in his Lands deck.
Dread Cacodemon
If you cast it from your hand? Would that ever happen in Legacy?
Scythe Specter
Look Specter, it's not you, it's me.
Sewer Nemesis
What are the odds for a mid-range black based deck in Legacy with Cabal Therapy, Bloodghast, Hymn, Tarmogoyf, (maybe even Life from the Loam?) etc and this? Someone brew it up and tell me.
I wanted to raise this and Tombstalker in MBC but I realised there's already Obliterator (Abyssal Persecutor is kinda small when compared to Sewer Nemesis).
Shared Trauma
There's more efficient means to move cards from your library to the graveyard.
Syphon Flesh
Sometimes, I ask myself whey I spend so much time thinking about how these cards can be useful.
Avatar of Slaughter
Love the art.
Chaos Warp
Whats the thing about red not being able to deal with enchantments again?
Death by Dragons
This
Magmatic Force
Magnetic Force?
Mana-Charged Dragon
Let's move on.
Stranglehold
Vintage Time Vault hoser!
Collective Voyage
It's Legacy, but decks still play basics.
Hornet Queen
Why am I running through all the cards?
Hydra Omnivore
Each opponent has his head.
Scavenging Ooze
This is harder to grow than Quirion Dryad.
Tribute to the Wild
Non-targeted removal for artifacts and enchantments, but there's not a lot of artifacts/enchantments with Shroud. Maybe not...
Animar, Soul of Elements
Hard to grow as well.
Basandra, Battle Seraph
Is this a portrait or a drawing?
Damia, Sage of Stone
7cmc is not much different from 10cmc, but this is very different from Jin-Gitaxis.
Edric, Spymaster of Trest
I love this the first time I saw it. But I was reminded by Mike that Cold-Eyed Selkie has Islandwalk and isn't played. Still, this creature has "Haste" and it's something I can't ignore. It has potential, but like many others, it might not make the cut.
Ghave, Guru of Spores
Yawn...
Kaalia of the Vast
My vote for best art in the set. But don't build a deck around her, as she dies so easily.
Karador, Ghost Chieftain
Potential 3 mana 3/4 that is a Yawgmoth's Will for creatures is definitely interesting, though Sun Titan is probably better and is used sporadically as a 1-of in midrange rockish decks.
Nin, the Pain Artist
I hope my opponent uses this.
Riku of Two Reflections
How often would you copy a Tarmo after untapping with this? You'd probably want to untap with Goblin Welder instead.
Ruhan of the Fomori
4 mana for a 7/7 that attacks every turn. It's just good, though not amazing. Someone would want to make it happen, but that's not me.
Skullbriar, the Walking Grave
The biggest problem I have is that it has to hit the player multiple times to grow into Goyf size. But having Haste is great. If it has an inbuilt come back to play from graveyard ability, I'd love it in a deck with Vengevines. But as of now, nope.
Tariel, Reckoner of Souls
Oh, I'm reviewing the Commander set!
The Mimeoplasm
Hi, I'm a Tombstalker that grew after feeding on a Goyf!
Vish Kal, Blood Arbiter
I'll suck your blood, and I'll spit it on him!
Zedruu the Greathearted
Magic the Gathering. Zebra the Crossing.
Acorn Catapult
Yay, we all need a colorless source of damage that's deals 1 damage.
Champion's Helm
Makes good Cardboard Carapace.
Command Tower
Format staple.
Homeward Path
This, my friend, is the super secret tech against Sower of Temptation.
And there you have it. We have playables in Soul Snare and Edric, interesting cards in Flusterstorm, Chaos Warp, Tribute to the Wild, and Ruhan, and the format staple Command Tower (I didn't say which format). Hope you have fun with these.
Let me know if you agree/disagree with the evaluations over at the mtgtrinket facebook page.
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Saturday, June 18, 2011
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