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

[Aegraen]

Originally Posted by Master Moja

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.

Magmaquake is about as close as you are going to get.

[caileb]

Originally Posted by Aegraen

Magmaquake is about as close as you are going to get.

Neither of which is really splashable.

=(

[MasterSword50]

Originally Posted by Aegraen

Magmaquake is about as close as you are going to get.

Not necessarily. You can use Think Twice and miracle a Terminus on your opponent's turn. No guarantee to work but at least it works with Esper.

[Tasa]

Nice cards..

No spoilers for today (January 2)?

[Passthechips]

Originally Posted by Master Moja

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.

Really this is my problem with this Ghost Council... You don't do anything with it, you can't build around it. Decks will run it because it is a good card in it's colors and you run good cards in your colors. It is dumb fat.

[Azel RavenWood]

I freaking love Shost Council 2.0 and Lazav is freaking cool. I might be playing blue black this time around lol.

Also did anyone else notice that Obzedat's bounce ability is a may affect, thus he could be used as a blocker and combined with Drogskol Captain and Cavern of Souls...he could just stick around indefinatly unless board swips happen.

[FieryBalrog]

Originally Posted by Kevin Nash

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.

Passthechips is right, though, a repeatable and reliable sac outlet is very useful in EDH. This guy strikes me as cool for Standard, but kinda boring for EDH. He doesn't make a good Voltron general since all your voltron stuff falls off every turn, and the life loss doesn't count as general damage. He is actually quite a bit worse than Ghost Council 1.0 in EDH.

Also, Ghost Council 1.0 was amazing in Standard, which was before damage was taken off the stack. He was a nightmare to block or attack into. Just a much more fun design too, because you could control the blink effect while trying to derive value from the saccing.

I still like the new Ghost Council but the old one is more fun and useful in EDH, and was more fun and powerful in the Standard of its time, than the new one will be (probably- just a prediction).

[Xctu]

Originally Posted by michaelangelo

How does haste make its way into BW?

Stuff like Goryo's Vengeance and other hasty reanimation.

[annedebeurs]

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)

Lazav maybe will not be played must, but is a good card to SB not doubt about it, can destabilize a game very quickly. But the first problem that people have with it is that it makes them think, and they don't like it, but guess what, that is true control. You have to evaluate the situations of the game and choose the best one for you...And that Hexproof, oh god that hexproof...

snap is not a standard legal card, and bouncing a guy who has a drain cit is hugely underwhelming, as you need to do something with the time you have bought, being down a card is not a light cost, and the obzedat is way better in this respect then the much played hellkite

[dr_death28314]

Originally Posted by annedebeurs

snap is not a standard legal card, and bouncing a guy who has a drain cit is hugely underwhelming, as you need to do something with the time you have bought, being down a card is not a light cost, and the obzedat is way better in this respect then the much played hellkite

He pretty obviously meant Snapcaster Mage.

And I disagree with him, as Extort will make most unsummon effects pretty bad against Orzhov decks... they'll just recast the spell and drain you for more life.

I really like Lazav. Havengul Lich, Lazav, Nightveil Specter, Consuming Abberration... Forcing the opponent to play against their own deck must have been the dream of someone in R&D (I think Chromatic Lantern even mentions the Dimir in the flavor text).

Does a Rites player even have a way to deal with a hexproof Griselbrand that isn't named Griselbrand (so the legend rule doesn't work)?

[Victor Sant]

Originally Posted by michaelangelo

How does haste make its way into BW?

How knows? Because haste never showed up on black or white creatures ever...

[annedebeurs]

Originally Posted by dr_death28314

He pretty obviously meant Snapcaster Mage.

And I disagree with him, as Extort will make most unsummon effects pretty bad against Orzhov decks... they'll just recast the spell and drain you for more life.

I really like Lazav. Havengul Lich, Lazav, Nightveil Specter, Consuming Abberration... Forcing the opponent to play against their own deck must have been the dream of someone in R&D (I think Chromatic Lantern even mentions the Dimir in the flavor text).

Does a Rites player even have a way to deal with a hexproof Griselbrand that isn't named Griselbrand (so the legend rule doesn't work)?

ah ofc how could i have missed that:P

[WoodWraith]

Originally Posted by Passthechips

Really this is my problem with this Ghost Council... You don't do anything with it, you can't build around it. Decks will run it because it is a good card in it's colors and you run good cards in your colors. It is dumb fat.

You sir are ignorant of deck building principles. Saying you cant build around him is more then evidence of that. Anyone with any shread of W/B control building knowledge can see this card is a gold mine and sets life drain decks into over drive.

You shouldnt make such statements if you are bad at building W/B decks, it makes you sound silly.

[empathogen]

Originally Posted by dr_death28314

I really like Lazav. Havengul Lich, Lazav, Nightveil Specter, Consuming Abberration... Forcing the opponent to play against their own deck must have been the dream of someone in R&D

That's always my #1 MO when playing ,
so I'm quite ecstatic to see so many Dimir cards supporting that theme.

Now, if only the (other) Dimir Mythic is Praetor's Grasp with Cipher...

[WoodWraith]

Originally Posted by empathogen

That's always my #1 MO when playing ,
so I'm quite ecstatic to see so many Dimir cards supporting that theme.

Now, if only the (other) Dimir Mythic is Praetor's Grasp with Cipher...

Now you settle down there mister, thats just friggin hax!