Magmaton: It feels a bit weird that you make your guys stronger, then get rid of them. The abilities are at odds, is I guess what I'm saying. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing; it allows the card to be good in multiple circumstances.
Rockslide: Fine. Not sure why it can't hit any land at 5 mana. This is even more unplayable in limited because of the nonbasic clause. (not that anyone really plays these effects in limited, but hey this one ramps so maybe!)
Aggressor: Looks good! Only thing I'd consider is making it an elemental to synergize with the other Koth card. Kinda weird that they don't work together.
It's about damn time Chandra got a break from core.
I thought the Rockslide was too oppressive in Limited until I saw the nonbasic clause; this is an EDH card which is fine, and I think it's conceivable to have a slow red strategy in "real Constructed" that wants this. Outright land ramp in red is unusual but it's an acceptable pie bend - I wouldn't make it a lasting expansion like looting was, though, because that steps too much on green's toes and those two colors are overly undifferentiated as it is.
Is the Magmaton a Pokémon again attempt at a broken-two-drop-megacycle entry?
I thought the Rockslide was too oppressive in Limited until I saw the nonbasic clause; this is an EDH card which is fine, and I think it's conceivable to have a slow red strategy in "real Constructed" that wants this. Outright land ramp in red is unusual but it's an acceptable pie bend - I wouldn't make it a lasting expansion like looting was, though, because that steps too much on green's toes and those two colors are overly undifferentiated as it is.
It's a one-time bleed based on Koth's mechanics. I'm not making a statement about red land searching.
Is the Magmaton a Pokémon again attempt at a broken-two-drop-megacycle entry?
Did I pick another friggin' Pokémon name?!
And, do you really think it's busted? I was thinking of bumping it up to 2R, but I want the cards in this vertical cycle to all come in at different CMCs.
"Destroy target land. Search your library for a mountain card, reveal it and put into your hand. Then shuffle your library."
Why this version ?
* Destroying any lands makes this better on limited, which is a important thing for a uncommon card.
* Not ramping (only getting the mountain) does not bleed the pie half as much and it still helps you with the koth theme.
Before we get to these cards specifically, some thoughts on Koth and signature spells. Koth only has one version, which makes it a little harder to be sure exactly what his shtick is. You could view this as license to be a little broader than usual, or as further restriction. Koth is known as a lithomancer, so I lean towards the view that he actually is narrower than most walkers, and will basically always just do a bunch of stuff with mountains. Reprinting Koth instead of making a 2.0 seems like a good decision overall (Koth 1.0 is one of the best designed/powered walkers imo) but making a 2.0 would make the signature spells a little easier. Out of curiosity, which walkers do you plan to have in XI, and which are reprints vs. new versions?
Koth's Agressor is kind of a nifty card, but it doesn't feel like Koth at all. The same could be said of Koth's Courier, but, crucially, the courier isn't a signature spell. Seismic Strike/Spire Barrage cards seem very Kothy, as seems to be born out by the Koth vs. Venser decklist, so I'd propose a variant of those as a common for him. Either RR instant creatures only or 3RR instant spire are the obvious candidates, but you could also play around with an only players version.
Rockslide does feel like a Koth spell. I agree that if it stays at 5 it should become basic so you have the occasional weird limited deck that will like it. However, the Melvin in me suggests 4 cmc so a devoted mountains deck can go Koth -> ~ turn 4. A 4 cmc version should probably be nonbasic and put the mountain into your hand.
Magmaton is also pretty good as is, but I can't help wishing it could sac any elemental to facilitate turn 3 Koth. Maybe compensate with a change to RR or 1/1?
Out of curiosity, which walkers do you plan to have in XI, and which are reprints vs. new versions?
Not sure yet. I'd like five overall (one of each color, no weird stuff) and I'd like 2-3 of them to be new versions of old 'walkers. I'm not introducing any new planeswalker characters in Eleventh Edition, but I do plan to give some old characters new cards.
Nissa Revane fits a model I might like to see for monogreen midrange, but I'm not sure that I want to commit to Elf tribal. None of the existing Garruks really match my vision for this environment. If Eleventh Edition naturally pulls me to doing Elf tribal, then you'll probably see Nissa Revane again, otherwise it will be a new card.
Gideon Jura fits pretty nicely in white, and would work especially well in conjunction with Call to Glory block. He's my top pick for any color (after Koth,) but I could still do something new instead. He trumps every other Gideon, Ajani, or Elspeth out there, however.
Jace, Architect of Thought represents a lot of stuff I'd like to push with blue in this environment, but he's pretty complex, and so I'm not sure he's Core Set material. Jace, Memory Adept could mesh with the mill strategy I'm trying to push in Dominaria block, but that Jace has been reprinted a lot. Tamiyo is out for storyline reasons and the other Tezzerets and Jaces are poor fits.
Liliana of the Veil is my top choice for black, but that's mostly because Sorin Markov and the other Lilianas aren't cutting the mustard for me. Liliana of the Veil is Core Set material, but I'm not expecting any particular kind of synergy with the environment with her.
So, at this point I'd say it's pretty likely that Gideon Jura will return, and there's a small chance that either Nissa Revane or Liliana of the Dark Realms will return (but not both.)
Not sure yet. I'd like five overall (one of each color, no weird stuff) and I'd like 2-3 of them to be new versions of old 'walkers. I'm not introducing any new planeswalker characters in Eleventh Edition, but I do plan to give some old characters new cards.
Nissa Revane fits a model I might like to see for monogreen midrange, but I'm not sure that I want to commit to Elf tribal. None of the existing Garruks really match my vision for this environment. If Eleventh Edition naturally pulls me to doing Elf tribal, then you'll probably see Nissa Revane again, otherwise it will be a new card.
Gideon Jura fits pretty nicely in white, and would work especially well in conjunction with Call to Glory block. He's my top pick for any color (after Koth,) but I could still do something new instead. He trumps every other Gideon, Ajani, or Elspeth out there, however.
Jace, Architect of Thought represents a lot of stuff I'd like to push with blue in this environment, but he's pretty complex, and so I'm not sure he's Core Set material. Jace, Memory Adept could mesh with the mill strategy I'm trying to push in Dominaria block, but that Jace has been reprinted a lot. Tamiyo is out for storyline reasons and the other Tezzerets and Jaces are poor fits.
Liliana of the Veil is my top choice for black, but that's mostly because Sorin Markov and the other Lilianas aren't cutting the mustard for me. Liliana of the Veil is Core Set material, but I'm not expecting any particular kind of synergy with the environment with her.
So, at this point I'd say it's pretty likely that Gideon Jura will return, and there's a small chance that either Nissa Revane or Liliana of the Dark Realms will return (but not both.)
I think some weight should be given to walkers with fewer signature cards currently. The 5th-7th signature cards feel much less exciting than the 1st-3rd, especially for people who want to build a deck themed on that planeswalker. That originally was going to lead to me suggesting Elspeth, but you're right that CTG's combat focus makes Gideon Jura pretty hard to argue with.
I think JaoT is actually pretty good core set material, but he already has a bunch of signature cards. If the graveyard deck really needs it you could always do a Jace 5. I'm not sure I understand "Tamiyo is out for storyline reasons." I get that there's a UG version of her in DOM, but Ajani Vengeant and the close release of LotV and Liliana Vess seem to indicate that that's not disqualifying. Given that, I'd vote Tamiyo (new or old).
The last part is unclear as to whether LotV or LofDR would return. The first is awesome but that latter is pretty lame.
I don't have anything to add or disagree with regarding green.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I primarily play limited, so most of my spoiler season comments view cards through that lens.
Creature — Human Warrior [C]
Whenever Koth's Aggressor becomes blocked, you may have it deal 1 damage to target creature or player.
[3/2]
Sorcery [U]
Destroy target land. Search your library for a Mountain card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library.
Creature — Elemental [R]
Other Elemental creatures you control get +1/+1.
Sacrifice another Elemental creature: Add to your mana pool.
[2/1]
[EDIT]: Upgraded Koth's Rockslide to hit all lands.
Rockslide: Fine. Not sure why it can't hit any land at 5 mana. This is even more unplayable in limited because of the nonbasic clause. (not that anyone really plays these effects in limited, but hey this one ramps so maybe!)
Aggressor: Looks good! Only thing I'd consider is making it an elemental to synergize with the other Koth card. Kinda weird that they don't work together.
I thought the Rockslide was too oppressive in Limited until I saw the nonbasic clause; this is an EDH card which is fine, and I think it's conceivable to have a slow red strategy in "real Constructed" that wants this. Outright land ramp in red is unusual but it's an acceptable pie bend - I wouldn't make it a lasting expansion like looting was, though, because that steps too much on green's toes and those two colors are overly undifferentiated as it is.
Is the Magmaton a
Pokémon againattempt at a broken-two-drop-megacycle entry?I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Agreed! Also, I need her for Set 3 of Dominaria block...
It's a one-time bleed based on Koth's mechanics. I'm not making a statement about red land searching.
Did I pick another friggin' Pokémon name?!
And, do you really think it's busted? I was thinking of bumping it up to 2R, but I want the cards in this vertical cycle to all come in at different CMCs.
"Destroy target land. Search your library for a mountain card, reveal it and put into your hand. Then shuffle your library."
Why this version ?
* Destroying any lands makes this better on limited, which is a important thing for a uncommon card.
* Not ramping (only getting the mountain) does not bleed the pie half as much and it still helps you with the koth theme.
BGU Control
R Aggro
Standard - For Fun
BG Auras
Koth's Agressor is kind of a nifty card, but it doesn't feel like Koth at all. The same could be said of Koth's Courier, but, crucially, the courier isn't a signature spell. Seismic Strike/Spire Barrage cards seem very Kothy, as seems to be born out by the Koth vs. Venser decklist, so I'd propose a variant of those as a common for him. Either RR instant creatures only or 3RR instant spire are the obvious candidates, but you could also play around with an only players version.
Rockslide does feel like a Koth spell. I agree that if it stays at 5 it should become basic so you have the occasional weird limited deck that will like it. However, the Melvin in me suggests 4 cmc so a devoted mountains deck can go Koth -> ~ turn 4. A 4 cmc version should probably be nonbasic and put the mountain into your hand.
Magmaton is also pretty good as is, but I can't help wishing it could sac any elemental to facilitate turn 3 Koth. Maybe compensate with a change to RR or 1/1?
Interested in Custom Card Creation.
My Cube:Cardinal Custom Cube
A custom version of a third modern masters: MM2019
(filter->rarity to see in set rarity).
Not sure yet. I'd like five overall (one of each color, no weird stuff) and I'd like 2-3 of them to be new versions of old 'walkers. I'm not introducing any new planeswalker characters in Eleventh Edition, but I do plan to give some old characters new cards.
I think some weight should be given to walkers with fewer signature cards currently. The 5th-7th signature cards feel much less exciting than the 1st-3rd, especially for people who want to build a deck themed on that planeswalker. That originally was going to lead to me suggesting Elspeth, but you're right that CTG's combat focus makes Gideon Jura pretty hard to argue with.
I think JaoT is actually pretty good core set material, but he already has a bunch of signature cards. If the graveyard deck really needs it you could always do a Jace 5. I'm not sure I understand "Tamiyo is out for storyline reasons." I get that there's a UG version of her in DOM, but Ajani Vengeant and the close release of LotV and Liliana Vess seem to indicate that that's not disqualifying. Given that, I'd vote Tamiyo (new or old).
The last part is unclear as to whether LotV or LofDR would return. The first is awesome but that latter is pretty lame.
I don't have anything to add or disagree with regarding green.
Interested in Custom Card Creation.
My Cube:Cardinal Custom Cube
A custom version of a third modern masters: MM2019
(filter->rarity to see in set rarity).