Gideon's Lawkeeper and Goldmeadow Harrier. What are your thoughts? I've always thought them to be "okay" but nothing particularly special. Would you consider them for 450 cubes? Does their value increase when ramp targets, reanimation targets and tinker targets are more common/heavily supported? Does their value improve with the presence of Ranger of Eos? My thinking was yes, and if I were to expand my cube up to 450 (an idea I'm toying around with for my potentially expanding playgroup size) and it had more heavily supported ramp and reanimator themes, would they be of more value than they were in previous testing?
I think that it depends on how many pyroclasm/firespout effects your cube runs. If you have to deploy a beater or two,and this to get past their blocker, then a pyroclasm is just insane value vs you.
But in a cube that is light on those effects they could be good.
We've been playing Harrier for a long while now and it has been surprisingly useful. For some decks it's so annoying that it needs to be removed, which is a good position for a 1-drop to be in. Also, it's versatile in that it fits both in aggro and in control builds.
Right now it's probably borderline in our cube though, so it might not be 450 material for much longer.
Dedicated reanimator decks aim to put a single fatty on the table by turn 4, and then ride it to victory. White has better answers to this, in that it possesses much of the spot removal that exiles rather than sends to the graveyard. Why try to control the fatty with something that
I found the tappers to be best against midrange, where you could always neutralise their best creature. In the early stages that might be a mana elf, later on a Baloth or bigger.
I don't consider them good enough in 450. In part this might be because I support Timmy strategies, and those big dudes need permanent answers.
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I recently cut Harrier from my 500 card cube. It was filler, pure and simple. Very few players were happy to run it. I think I'd use it again if I went up to 540 or 600 just because I'd need to keep my 1-drop density high.
I think a lot of players are dissapointed when they have to run one of these. Because they are not exciting and are easily replaced.
But I think the dislike is often more based on prejudice then on facts. They are always decent as I said before. They tap fatties, but they can also tap a midrange beast so your aggro army can keep charging a bit langer. They can attack and carry equipment if need be.
They are both good cards, though the 1 toughness is a liability. Basically depends on whether you want a human or a kithkin now that either is a somewhat viable tribe.
I cut Goldmeadow Harrier from my 540 before the arrival of Avacyn Restored and am glad it's gone. It sometimes did something, but mostly it was just mediocre and was very incosistent at making it into maindecks.
I consider Goldmeadow Harrier a filler in my 720, I'm anxiously waiting for a new one drop to replace him. Requiring one white mana is really disruptive for a two colored control deck. Not to mention, he will die with your first mass removal.
White weenie will prefer every beater or piece of removal spell over it (or card advantage... basically everything). As a way to remove a blocker it is fragile and will usually just die with everything else you have for a mass removal spell or dividable burn. Moreover, if played on curve, it is rarely worth tapping a blocker and preventing yourself from playing a 3/4 drop on curve, usually resulting on your one drop just sitting there watching a 2/2 for the whole early game.
I'm surprised that Ranger of Eos has been name-checked but not Cloudgoat Ranger. Harrier gets the nod over Lawkeeper in my cube purely because of the edge that difference can give you.
They are not great, but as long as there aren't more good white 1-drops (after 7 or 8, the quality takes quite a drop), I gladly run Goldmeadow Harrier over stuff like Icatian Javelineers or Akrasan Squire.
Gideon's Lawkeeper and Goldmeadow Harrier. What are your thoughts? I've always thought them to be "okay" but nothing particularly special. Would you consider them for 450 cubes? Does their value increase when ramp targets, reanimation targets and tinker targets are more common/heavily supported? Does their value improve with the presence of Ranger of Eos? My thinking was yes, and if I were to expand my cube up to 450 (an idea I'm toying around with for my potentially expanding playgroup size) and it had more heavily supported ramp and reanimator themes, would they be of more value than they were in previous testing?
Thanks!
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But in a cube that is light on those effects they could be good.
Right now it's probably borderline in our cube though, so it might not be 450 material for much longer.
Their versatility is a big plus. Control can use them, midrange can use them and aggro can use them.
Playable (but also cuttable) at 450, good includes at larger sizes.
I feel compelled to repeat everything I hear
I found the tappers to be best against midrange, where you could always neutralise their best creature. In the early stages that might be a mana elf, later on a Baloth or bigger.
I don't consider them good enough in 450. In part this might be because I support Timmy strategies, and those big dudes need permanent answers.
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This is probably an accurate assessment. Thanks.
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But I think the dislike is often more based on prejudice then on facts. They are always decent as I said before. They tap fatties, but they can also tap a midrange beast so your aggro army can keep charging a bit langer. They can attack and carry equipment if need be.
I feel compelled to repeat everything I hear
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White weenie will prefer every beater or piece of removal spell over it (or card advantage... basically everything). As a way to remove a blocker it is fragile and will usually just die with everything else you have for a mass removal spell or dividable burn. Moreover, if played on curve, it is rarely worth tapping a blocker and preventing yourself from playing a 3/4 drop on curve, usually resulting on your one drop just sitting there watching a 2/2 for the whole early game.
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