[GTC] – 1/1 Previews From DailyMTG (Obzedat, Ghost Council & Lazav, Dimir Mastermind)

[hellgrammite]

Originally Posted by Bazão

You may be right, but I can hardly imagine Obzedat be in competitive decks, because you lose a turn to cast it, when it hits the field I can use Cyclonic Rift or even unsummon to put it in your hand. End result: I lose 4 live and you gain 4, but you lose 2 turns and I don't... (and snap is always an option in this case)

Very good point. Decks that run Obzedat could get hurt big time by bounce effects.

However if he were used in some type of esper blink deck (cloudshift), then that would negate that strategy.

[Bazão]

And there isn't a thing called counter-spells in blue, and snapcaster, and stuff like that...

[Victor Sant]

Originally Posted by Bazão

You may be right, but I can hardly imagine Obzedat be in competitive decks, because you lose a turn to cast it, when it hits the field I can use Cyclonic Rift or even unsummon to put it in your hand. End result: I lose 4 live and you gain 4, but you lose 2 turns and I don't... (and snap is always an option in this case)

Thinking this way, no creature with 4CMC+ is really worth. Thundermaw Hellkite? Unsumon it before it attacks. Falkenrath Aristocrat? Unsumon it before it attacks. Any other non-hexproof creature? Unsumon it and it isn't competitive playable?
We know things aren't like this. The fact is that 5 manas for a 4 life swing and an opponent card isn't THAT bad deal. Specially if this card will allow you to give another 4 life swing (or 6 life swing with extort)

Originally Posted by Bazão

And there isn't a thing called counter-spells in blue, and snapcaster, and stuff like that...

Cavern of Souls naming Spirit. Something very useful to fix the restrictive cost of the council.

[Dontrike]

Originally Posted by Bazão

And there isn't a thing called counter-spells in blue, and snapcaster, and stuff like that...

Looks like we shouldn't play any cards then since they can be countered. We already have Cavern and this could easily be played in control as well with your own counter spells.

Sure people are going a little nuts over this, but it is because it is a pretty damn good card.

[JiffyWartbustle]

Council looks great, definitely something that should be Standard playable.

Lazav is also good, but more conditional and I'm not convinced it is maindeckable - against a tokens or humans opponent there would be little opportunity to get better than it's initial 3/3 out of the deal.

Keyrune is exactly what Dimir should be getting.

[Small Adult]

As an interesting inversion, for once EDH players are the ones bitching that a card wasn't for their format. That's pretty atypical.

Drink it in competitive players, because as soon as the next big splashy rare gets spoiled your complaining will make you the bad guys again.

[Passthechips]

Originally Posted by Small Child

As an interesting inversion, for once EDH players are the ones bitching that a card wasn't for their format. That's pretty atypical.

Drink it in competitive players, because as soon as the next big splashy rare gets spoiled your complaining will make you the bad guys again.

The old Ghost Council was a better build around card and, in it's time with damage on the stack, a much more powerful card than this dumb piece of fat. This card is way to simplistic and easy to use. I kind of wish they made it worse by giving it no haste and forcing the player to choose between an attacker or an extorter.

Kind of disappointed by this rendition of the Ghost Council, they could have done a much better job at making it more skill intensive/flavorful.

[KolbaneX]

Originally Posted by Passthechips

The old Ghost Council was a better build around card and, in it's time with damage on the stack, a much more powerful card than this dumb piece of fat. This card is way to simplistic and easy to use. I kind of wish they made it worse by giving it no haste and forcing the player to choose between an attacker or an extorter.

Kind of disappointed by this rendition of the Ghost Council, they could have done a much better job at making it more skill intensive/flavorful.

It IS flavorful. They are the leader of the "Mafia" guild, hence the life drain, you are literally bleeding them dry with taxes. Also, you can't kill them, because they are already dead, but they WILL be back to collect, again and again. Also, IF we are going there, old Ghost Dad sucked as an EDH general, and Teysa was just generally better.

[azn_cbc_1992]

Originally Posted by KolbaneX

It IS flavorful. They are the leader of the "Mafia" guild, hence the life drain, you are literally bleeding them dry with taxes. Also, you can't kill them, because they are already dead, but they WILL be back to collect, again and again. Also, IF we are going there, old Ghost Dad sucked as an EDH general, and Teysa was just generally better.

That could be contested since ghost council is high unkillable unless you are either out of creatures, or they split second kill it

[Passthechips]

Originally Posted by KolbaneX

It IS flavorful. They are the leader of the "Mafia" guild, hence the life drain, you are literally bleeding them dry with taxes. Also, you can't kill them, because they are already dead, but they WILL be back to collect, again and again. Also, IF we are going there, old Ghost Dad sucked as an EDH general, and Teysa was just generally better.

Old Ghost Council worked much better in an Orzhov deck triggering Haunt effects as well as evoking the whole "abuse of debtor's worthless souls as a way to survive" and also had the taxing effect. This Ghost Council has no point and while some say its first effect is the extort effect, I would much rather preferred if this card could have been cast from exile or the graveyard.

I wasn't even talking about it from an EDH standpoint, but this Ghost Council would also be a horrible general. It just doesn't do anything but beat. The old Ghost Council was a resilient repeatable sac outlet (which is extremely useful), who survived your own board wipes, and could close out a game with general damage. Teysa was a completely different deck type, usually token based.

[4thDimentionalBubble]

The real star of the 3 is the key rune... the best one of them all so far.

[TheOnlyOne652089]

Originally Posted by Passthechips

Old Ghost Council worked much better in an Orzhov deck triggering Haunt effects as well as evoking the whole "abuse of debtor's worthless souls as a way to survive" and also had the taxing effect. This Ghost Council has no point and while some say its first effect is the extort effect, I would much rather preferred if this card could have been cast from exile or the graveyard.

I wasn't even talking about it from an EDH standpoint, but this Ghost Council would also be a horrible general. It just doesn't do anything but beat. The old Ghost Council was a resilient repeatable sac outlet (which is extremely useful), who survived your own board wipes, and could close out a game with general damage. Teysa was a completely different deck type, usually token based.

Its kind of like Phyrexian Obliterator.

They just upgraded the card in nearly every way, "hoping" it will be a damn sure constructed powerhouse.


If you have to make your card more powerfull (5/5 rather than 4/4) as a means of a drawback (that the charm can hit it) its allready a crazy sign.


The card is super annoying, and being legendary might mean an easy answer to it, is playing your own, kinda like Jace (and the funny thing, they might never die by the legend rule, if they keep blinking out each other, until someone chooses to).

[Master Moja]

Originally Posted by Victor Sant

Thinking this way, no creature with 4CMC+ is really worth. Thundermaw Hellkite? Unsumon it before it attacks. Falkenrath Aristocrat? Unsumon it before it attacks. Any other non-hexproof creature? Unsumon it and it isn't competitive playable?
We know things aren't like this. The fact is that 5 manas for a 4 life swing and an opponent card isn't THAT bad deal. Specially if this card will allow you to give another 4 life swing (or 6 life swing with extort)

Cavern of Souls naming Spirit. Something very useful to fix the restrictive cost of the council.

I agree with all of this. There are plenty of cards that are weak to being bounced, and yet they're played all the time in Standard. Restoration Angel, Snapcaster Mage, and Thragtusk are the only ones that really don't fear being sprung.

I think the Ghost Council has a shot in the right deck. If your opponent is on the down, which they should be of you're playing control, The Council makes a great finisher to cast when your opponents are tapped out. There is not much they can do in their defense, especially since you will have other cards to help finish them off.

I am trying to think of cards that could maximize the Council's ability to exile itself. I am thinking some type of Instant-Speed Board Wipe; kill everything on your opponent's turn, and then the Council returns to haunt the opponent again. Unfortunately I can't think of anything.

[Kevin Nash]

Originally Posted by azn_cbc_1992

That could be contested since ghost council is high unkillable unless you are either out of creatures, or they split second kill it

Teysa is superior and they both call for the same type of deck, plentiful token abuse. The OG ghost council is unkillable, but it's ability is pretty uninteresting in a multiplayer format where everyone starts with 40 life. Keeping it alive is nice, but it's a 4/4 that doesn't really do anything else that Teysa does better. I prefer Teysa's exile clause.

They both belong in any EDH BW tokens deck though, and the new ghost council certainly is a nice finisher too. I'll still find a slot for it in my BW EDH deck, but it's not replacing Teysa as my general.

[Victor Sant]

Originally Posted by Master Moja

I am trying to think of cards that could maximize the Council's ability to exile itself. I am thinking some type of Instant-Speed Board Wipe; kill everything on your opponent's turn, and then the Council returns to haunt the opponent again. Unfortunately I can't think of anything.

Too bad Alchemist's Refuge needs G, it would fit an esper otherwise