[ARB] Knotvine Paladin & couple of Wurms

[Caranthir]

This time, three creatures are rallying towards you, with lances drawn or teeth bared.


From the booster arts, we have finally got our Slave of Bolas yesterday, and just a short time ago, the snake-guy aka Vedalken Heretic aka get-a-card-when-I-hit was spoiled.

That leaves us with the last booster art, the saurian-riding Knotvine Paladin, that was a star of the first puzzle wallpaper. So, shall we look at him?

Knotvine Paladin
Creature-Human Knight (Rare)
Whenever ~ attacks, it gets +1/+1 for each untapped creature you control.
2/2

We are getting a WG 2/2 with an ability, that seems to be pretty standard in the Alara block. It comboes VERY well with exalted, not to mention that after the trigger, you may still use the other critters for boosting Topan Ascetic, etc.

In a close pursuit, the Paladin is followed by a duo of wurms, one Jundian and one from Bant. We will look at the hungrier one first:

Gorger Wurm
Creature-Wurm (Common)
Devour 1
5/5

Essentialy a French vanilla common, and a bigger and meaner brother of Rhox Brute - it may get slightly bigger when you feed it, but it lacks trample or anything else. Streetbreaker Wurm was 6/4 for the same price, this is at minimum 5/5.

And what may happen when a wild wurm of Jund is tamed by the Bant knights, desperate to boost their defenses against the cruel worlds around them?

Enlisted Wurm
Creature-Wurm (uncommon)
Cascade
5/5

These knights know their job, so it seems. At six mana to play, you have a pretty good chance of hitting another fattie when playing this, in addition to a 5/5 body.

Discuss.

[ShadowFenril]

Really like the first one. As you said, it's great with Exalted. Good job, whoever thought that one up.

Second card: Meh. But there has to be filler, right? That's all I can really say about it.

Third card: Probably my least favorite Cascade card so far. Not impressive at all on it's own, but getting a free spell with CMC 5 or less is obviously a good thing. So a crappy card saved by a great mechanic.

[Parallaxal]

Gorger Wurm is general filler; boring, but I guess necessary in a sense. Not a completely terrible body for limited if you don't use devour, unlike some other cards with devour.

Knotvine Paladin combos well with exalted, but I'm saddened by its lack of any form of evasion.

Enlisted Wurm looks to be pretty fun, though. Sure it's overcosted, but Cascade is such a fun mechanic that I probably wouldn't even care.

[Seth Dracovitch]

Those aren't bad at all. Knotvine Paladin is much better then i thought it would be, it fits very well in an exalted deck.

[Machius]

Thanks for the info.

Knotvine Paladin- a nice aggressive 2 drop for any exalted based deck, I sort of wish it was only uncommon but I can understand it as rare.

Gorger Wurm- a solid 5/5 for 5 is never horrible and this has devour 1 as a bonus, limited solid.

Enlisted Wurm- Now that's a nice wurm, 6 for a 5/5 is pretty meh but 6 for a 5/5 and a free cast of a random 5 or less cc card in your deck is just brilliant. Too costly for constructed unless a degenerate cascade combo is created but very solid for limited.

[Ravarshi]

Theres the mockups, The Enlisted Wurm will be a nice fat, but personally imo, not the best. i've got better things to do with 6 mana, even IF it leads me to something smaller, and (slightly better?)

The Knight however. is an auto 4x Include in ANY bant based deck, it's Double Exalted, amongst other sickness. give it Trample or some form of evasion (Hey, Jhessian Balmgiver in block) It can get out of hand VERY quickly. Good find, Thanks Car.

[Zinger314]

Knotvine is essentially double-Exalted (baring non-creatures with Exalted). Which is insane in any Bant deck.

[Voltiare]

Wait, Bant found a way to enlist a Wurm? First, hooved lions and now this.

Anyway, all seem solid except for the Gorger Wurm. Not a fan of fatties without abilities or free spells.

[Teh_Pwnerer]

Knotvine Paladin could see constructed play in the good kind of exalted deck and is a finisher in limited.

Other two just good in limited, Enlisted Wurm can be used in some kind of Cascade deck?

[Controlled]

The Knotvine Paladin also combos well with vigilance effects and Agani Goldmane (it pumps itself when Goldmane gives it vigilance).

T1 Any decent one drop... (Noble Heirarch, Figure, etc.)
T2 Knotvine Paladin
T3 Spectral Procession, Swing for at least 6 w/ Paladin (7 w/ exalted)
T4 Ajani Goldmane, Swing for at least 15 with everyone for game

Pretty cool.

[Kev the Walker]

Originally Posted by Parallaxal

Knotvine Paladin combos well with exalted, but I'm saddened by its lack of any form of evasion.

That's what the battlemage is for...

I'm sort of surprised that they would print both a 4 to cast 4/4 and a 5 to cast 5/5(basically) in the same colors, in the same set.

[nickolai]

ROFL at the "Enlisted" Wurm art. One wonders how committed it is to the Bant ideals of noble warfare.

Bant Recruiter: Hey, fella. Have you really considered what you want to do with the rest of your life? Maybe you could use some assistance earning your chosen degree?

Enlisted Wurm: HROOOOORAGH

Bant Recruiter: Wonderful! All you need to do is sign here and here, and provide parental consent if you're under 17 years of age.

Enlisted Wurm: WROA HURAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH *swallows passing leotau whole*

[Seth Dracovitch]

Originally Posted by nickolai

ROFL at the "Enlisted" Wurm art. One wonders how committed it is to the Bant ideals of noble warfare.

Bant Recruiter: Hey, fella. Have you really considered what you want to do with the rest of your life? Maybe you could use some assistance earning your chosen degree?

Enlisted Wurm: HROOOOORAGH

Bant Recruiter: Wonderful! All you need to do is sign here and here, and provide parental consent if you're under 17 years of age.

Enlisted Wurm: WROA HURAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH *swallows passing leotau whole*

More sigged goodness....

[jimmyjimjam]

Originally Posted by Controlled

The Knotvine Paladin also combos well with vigilance effects and Agani Goldmane (it pumps itself when Goldmane gives it vigilance).

T1 Any decent one drop... (Noble Heirarch, Figure, etc.)
T2 Knotvine Paladin
T3 Spectral Procession, Swing for at least 6 w/ Paladin (7 w/ exalted)
T4 Ajani Goldmane, Swing for at least 15 with everyone for game

Pretty cool.

While I presume your opponent is doing the following:

T1 Play a land.
T2 Ditto.
T3 Ditto.
T4 Ditto. Dies.

[ShuckCreations]

Noice! And it works with Ardent Plea as well!