Shards of Alara Prerelease Card

Redblade · Joined: 01 Apr 2008 Posts: 7

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/arcana/1660

I only like the -2 ability all the others seem useless.
1st planewalker we see seems to fail....

OITDamion · Joined: 21 Jul 2008 Posts: 40

i dunno.

i can see where it does fail. but it could help in a control match up. it's one of those "need to deal with" problems.

we don't know the rest fo the set so who knows if it will see play

Vexor · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 2

Well, not the best for t2 but in draft that thing looks pretty broken... lol

LordLink · Joined: 11 Oct 2007 Posts: 37

Planeswalkers are basically always first pick in draft and this thing won't be any different. Hell, 4 mana for a lightning helix alone is 1st-pickable in draft (almost).

It seems that between this and Moonhold Wizards are trying to encourage a serious tempo disrupting game for W/R, it could turn into an interesting strategy if it gets a little more love from shards.

As if anyone will ever bother trying to reach the last ability... it could read "win the game" and it would still suck.

I'm just annoyed that this thing can't pull off 2 lightning helix's in a row. I really think it needed to be capable of blasting crap without needing having the intermission of a +1 counter. That would have seen it into constructed play.

On the plus side this can really shoot down an opposing planeswalker in a way Chandra never could.

Redblade · Joined: 01 Apr 2008 Posts: 7

if the +1 ability included tap target creature then it would be a bit better.But as it is yeah only -2 worth something and in limited indeed its nice.

ShaunD · Joined: 21 May 2005 Posts: 77

Red, they've already said they were going to try not to make any super powerful card as a Mythic Rare.

Jacois · Joined: 05 Sep 2004 Posts: 487

This card is broken, you guys don't know what you're talking about.

Evenfall · Joined: 20 Jun 2006 Posts: 7

I concur Jac, this planeswalker is going to be a major backbreaker. All the senseless talk about this guy being crap and full of "fail" just goes to show the overall intelligence of m-l. There's so little free thinking here it's sad.

aldaryn · Joined: 02 Sep 2004 Posts: 473

I think the +1 ability is better than you guys think it is...you can stint your opponent on mana or pretty much permanently tap down their big guy

gypsy · Joined: 15 Jun 2007 Posts: 921

i didnt realise icy manipulator was bad, esp with lightning helix and geddon attached to it

Shagrath · Joined: 24 Feb 2005 Posts: 212

By the looks of it, its going to be broken in limited but not good in constructed.
To be playable in constructed, 1st ability should put 2 counters instead of 1.

Streakz · Joined: 13 Oct 2005 Posts: 109

I don't know how this card could be called bad...fine vs aggressive decks as long as you can protect it from manlands and eqaually fine against control decks s they have to deal with it in a rather small time frame while also being sapped of their mana. Unless combo decks start becoming popular I don't know how this card can be called bad. I could easily see it making its way into the 5CC decks of LWN Block.

rdeg87 · Joined: 29 Apr 2007 Posts: 199

cheesypirate · Joined: 09 Aug 2006 Posts: 93

Vedrfolner · Joined: 04 Apr 2006 Posts: 1435

While the third ability is powerful but only achievable in Limited, both the first and the second ability is quite powerful.

The reason for that is that they work fine together. First turn you blast a creature and gain life, the two following turns, you tap down one of their creatures (which now count one less) so that they are less likely to be able to harm him. It is not like he is going to be on the table alone, guys.

And as long as he is there, tapping stuff down building up counters, the opponent is not going to win. Major card advantage and tempo advantage in one.