Is Anyone Else Feeling Disappointed by Strixhaven
General forum
Posted on April 10, 2021, 9:22 p.m. by Mtg_Mega_Nerds
(Not sure what category to put this post in so I put it in general.) Hello all. I am a bit disappointed by the Strixhaven set. Sets like Ikoria and more recently Kaldheim have been great, and I was looking forward to see the Strixhaven cards. Unfortunately, I am no longer. First of all WOTC has further blended the lines between colors with the new lesson cards ( Introduction to Annihilation , Introduction to Prophecy ). Some of these cards aren't even lessons, like Wandering Archaic Flip. Second, WOTC is trying to force us into playing golgari lifegain, and that is not the way golgari is generally meant to be played. Sure, there were lifegain cards in golgari before Strixhaven, based mostly around sacrifice. So cards like Dina, Soul Steeper are acceptable here. The problem is its putting lifegain into colors that won't synergize the best with it. The disappointment ensues with Galazeth Prismari a Urza, Lord High Artificer , but worse. Also, Beledros Witherbloom could have been way better. The card literally has "This card may not be used in any infinite mana combo" written on it, and it costs a lot of mana to cast in the first place, which makes it unfavorable in most cases. Not all of the cards in the set are bad, but this set is disappointing nonetheless.
Tyrant-Thanatos says... #3
This is definitely going to be an opinion-filled thread, but I'll throw my hat in.
I disagree wholeheartedly. In fact I'd go so far as to say Strixhaven is the only set I've been actually excited for in what feels like ages. Eldraine was somewhat exciting but before that... Dominaria? Again this is entirely subjective and I'm not here to tell anyone they're wrong about their opinion on a product. But I'm looking forward to Strixhaven.
Introduction to Annihilation is the worst example I could possibly think of to argue blurring the line between colors. Scour from Existence , Universal Solvent , Meteor Golem , Unstable Obelisk , Spine of Ish Sah , Colorless permanent removal is far from new or color warping. Most of the lessons, like Introduction to Prophecy , will mostly be inconsequential imo because, to be frank, they're bad. 3 for a Serum Visions ? Even mono-white isn't THAT desperate for draw.
WOTC is trying to force us into playing golgari lifegain
I'm stoked to finally get golgari lifegain support. If that's not your style, I get it, but I'm happy for it personally.
Galazeth Prismari feels like a case of catering to EDH. Adding red to your deck options and tapping artifacts for any color instead of blue feels like more of a sidegrade than a downgrade. We'll have to see how it does imo.
As for Beledros Witherbloom , a wise man once said of Prophet of Kruphix : If you think this card costs mana, you've been fooled. As for "This card may not be used in any infinite mana combo", actually it says "Flicker me". It's not in good colors for that, but I could see a BUG deck getting infinite mana out of this if they can find a way to supply the life. Deadeye Navigator says hi.
Release, experience, and hindsight will probably affect everyone's opinions on Strixhaven, as it has every set before it. So I generally try to take a "wait and see" approach, even if MTG doesn't have a great record for what I've waited for and seen recently imo.
April 10, 2021 9:57 p.m.
Raging_Squiggle says... #4
I’m an all in EDH player. I’ll play casual against people’s 60 card decks but I’ll do it using a 100 card singleton deck most of the time. For most sets for me, I’m hyped until the spoilers are over, then all my attention goes into waiting for the next set of spoilers as I cherry pick maybe 3 or 4 cards from the recently spoiled cards for my various EDH decks.
April 10, 2021 10 p.m.
Hardhitta7 says... #5
I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed, it’s just most sets only have 3-5 cards that interest me as I have a particular play style that I more or less stick too. (Spellslinger)
You say Galazeth Prismari is just a worse Urza, Lord High Artificer but I actually like it more. It may not be as good but it lets me play U/R (my favorite color pair) instead of mono-blue if I played Urza.
I’m also excited for Solve the Equation and Culmination of Studies .
But overall I’m not high on the set, I’m not really into the whole Magic school thing as much as when I was a kid reading Harry Potter books.
I also agree about the Golgari life gain stuff. Not really digging that.
Overall I probably won’t get too excited unless we return to some of my favorite planes. (Kaladesh, Kamigawa, New Phyrexia)
But I see other people getting excited about it and that’s enough for me. Not every set is gonna be for me, as long as there are people enjoying it that’s okay.
April 10, 2021 10:18 p.m.
Hardhitta7 says... #6
Oh and I plan to start drafting for the first time with this set, and that excites me!
April 10, 2021 10:21 p.m.
FormOverFunction says... #7
I enjoy new sets, similar to Raging_Squiggle, but this set doesn’t have much for me at this point. I think that there is something of a cycle for MtG players; when you start everything is wide open, the stories and creature types and effects all seem endless. As time progresses, your senses recover (and maybe even dull a little) and you sort of ride the sine wave down for a bit. There will be up swings (hopefully) but it’s just one of those things. A parallel example would be my experience with World of Warcraft. It was gorgeous, there were a ton of skill trees to grind through your mind, and there were so many places to go and things to do. Eventually I ended up just seeing hitboxes and catching myself saying things like “this new boss cycles through three attacks; one like so-and-so’s fire attack, one like such-and-such’s jump...” and on and on. It got stale. I found that all I really truly enjoyed was the people and the mechanics of playing. Eventually I stopped, mostly just for time management, but it had just sort of fallen off. Many of us here have taken breaks, only to get drawn back for one reason or another, and it’s great. Still, there is a little bit of a jaded edge (for me at least) that’s just sort of sad you’re not that new kid anymore. There could very well be specific problems with one set or another, but try to keep that in check by recognizing that some of it might also be that you’re leveling up to a full blown curmudgeon like me!! Welcome!!
April 10, 2021 10:22 p.m.
"Second, WOTC is trying to force us into playing golgari lifegain, and that is not the way golgari is generally meant to be played."
This is exactly why we needed Strixhaven. Too many players--and seemingly too much of Wizards' staff--are fixated on Ravnica's definition of the color pie. Even on non-Ravnica planes, Wizards loves to make cards that could be be found on Ravnica. There is a fair bit more room to explore in two color pairs than what the Ravnica guilds have to offer, and it's wonderful Strixhaven went out of its way to redefine what enemy pairs can be. I hope we get a plane that gives the allied pairs the same treatment.
As for the actual set, it seems like it is going to be a heck of a lot of fun for limited events. Fun mechanics combined solid ways to mitigate some of the bad draws inherit in draft/sealed? Seems like a blast.
April 10, 2021 10:39 p.m.
RNR_Gaming says... #9
I'm actually rather surprised with the power level of this set. Nothing is partners/urza good but loads of good removal and gimmicky cards most commander players will find a home for.
April 11, 2021 12:03 a.m.
VampDemigod says... #10
Idk if disappointed is the right word. This is essentially a set for wizards to do a one-off experiment on the abilities of colors and color pairs, and stretching the color pie without shattering it completely.
Do I feel that Strixhaven is an unconventional set? Yes. Do I feel that we need a lot more of this in the future? No. But I’m glad wizards took the chance to explore lesser used strategies, and I’m glad that it wasn’t a busted set (without taking the mystical archive into account). Strixhaven isn’t quite Ixalan levels, but I’m glad it’s not Eldraine.
I feel that having this support for weaker archetypes, and the exploration Strixhaven provided in general, is good for the game. But I don’t like the set and I probably won’t draft it.
April 11, 2021 12:08 a.m.
seshiro_of_the_orochi says... #11
I couldn't agreed more with what Caerwyn said. Why would Golgari be supposed to be played with graveyard-shenanigans? This is the direction Ravnica took it in. But this game has thousands cards with different abilities. You could easily build aggro or mono- control and so on on so forth. This is part of what makes the game great. You can basically do whatever you want and have all the freedom to use your creativity.
After seeing what seemed to have happened at LRR's deck reveal, I've really pondered making a thread, but ultimately decided against it, but people, this is a GAME. It's just ridiculous how often people feel personally attacked/insulted over this. Every spoiler season, after the first few cards have been revealed, someone expresses their resentment against the set, or calls it terribly over/underpowered, sometimes even both in the same post. Every time, this and that will be the end of the game. No, it won't. How childish or entitled to their own opinion does one have to be calling for blood over a decklist coming out a day later? Just imagine hearing there have been death threats over WotC creating new products and cards some people don't like is simply astonishing to me. Like really? Did the lockdown get into people's head so hard? How else does one get lost in such absurdity?
I went a little of-topic, but imagine: Complex systems sometimes change, and most of the time, change is neither good or bad, it just is. So why shouldn't WotC try something new with the game? Golgari lifegain is great, and you easily could have played it before if you took the time to look into the cards. This isn't even something perfectly new, it's just another focus. Great, more fun stuff to do more easily. Have fun and be happy over the new creative space in dire times.
April 11, 2021 12:52 a.m.
Mtg_Mega_Nerds says... #12
Thanks everyone for giving insight! I now can agree that Beledros Witherbloom is a good card. Is it possible to use it in an infinite combo? Can you just use Rings of Brighthearth and call it a day? Or does that not work because it can only be activated once per turn.
April 11, 2021 8:37 a.m.
seshiro_of_the_orochi says... #13
Rings of Brighthearth should work, just as Illusionist's Bracers . Also, Patron of the Orochi ?
April 11, 2021 8:40 a.m.
Mtg_Mega_Nerds says... #14
But can't you just activate the ability once, copy it with Rings of Brighthearth , untap all lands, copy it again? You are only activating the ability once, copying doesn't count as an activation. The paying 10 life is only to activate the ability, once you copy it, you shouldn't have to pay life right?
April 11, 2021 8:49 a.m.
Tyrant-Thanatos says... #15
Is it possible to use it in an infinite combo?
Absolutely, the question is what kind of deckbuilding restrictions you're dealing with. Standard? EDH with it as commander? It varies. Assuming full freedom, Deadeye Navigator and some source of infinite life and you're there. The bigger thing though is just that tbh you really don't need to actually go infinite with it. If you just copy the activated ability a few times, Rings of Brighthearth , Illusionist's Bracers , etc you can get a LOT of mana. Maybe not infinite, but enough that a Torment of Hailfire should close out the game. It doesn't go infinite with Rings, but it does give you another untap, and you can tap all your lands and pool the mana in-between each ability resolving. So if you have say 10 lands, Rings out, and Bracers on Whitherbloom, you can pay 10 life and to untap all of your lands 3 times and get 38 mana. And that's assuming all your lands only produce one mana, and aren't something like a Gaea's Cradle , Cabal Coffers , etc.
I don't think the card is cEDH tier, but it's far from bad.
As for why it doesn't go infinite with Rings, Rings is a triggered ability, it will only trigger once, when you first activate.
April 11, 2021 8:51 a.m. Edited.
Mtg_Mega_Nerds says... #16
Tyrant-Thanatos, does this mean that Rings of Brighthearth and Basalt Monolith don't go infinite?
April 11, 2021 9:07 a.m.
Hahahahahahahahaha lol lol lol .....I don't even know where to start with the OP. Mostly it just seems like maybe you have a mono white life gain deck and you're sad that all the new toys don't play well with your deck. Otherwise it just sounds like somebody yelling at the weather cuz it's changing.
Personally I have been talking for almost two weeks now about how excited I am that Strixhaven is finally breaking Magic free of the shackles that the Ravnica block has put on the color pie for like 2 decades. The very essence of this beautiful game is that the cards redefine the rules constantly. If you don't like the change in the tide, just get out of the water, don't yell at the ocean. Magic card design isnt like the law, precedent doesn't necessarily have to dictate future designs.
April 11, 2021 9:43 a.m.
VampDemigod says... #18
Mtg_Mega_Nerds theoretically there’s probably a combo. But it would require an infinite turns combo and gaining at least 10 life a turn. Then though, it really just becomes one of the many things you can do when you have extra turns.
April 11, 2021 10:47 a.m.
Raging_Squiggle says... #19
Mtg_Mega_Nerds Best way I can think of going infinite with Golgari land boi is having Aetherflux Reservoir , Disciple of Griselbrand , and Corpse Dance . The lowest life total you could start the combo at is 26 and still go infinite.
April 11, 2021 12:30 p.m.
I would like to agree with Tyrant-Thanatos here, I am VERY excited for this set.
April 11, 2021 11:35 p.m.
sergiodelrio says... #21
I like both the setting and the mechanics. However, I'm very disappointed at the card costs from a Modern perspective.
I understand this is a Standard set, but as I've stated before in another thread, they are visibly overcompensating Oko-/Uro- Gate. Most cards are unplayable in non-EDH non-Standard formats imho (although I'm hearing 1-2 cards are supposed to be sought after in Legacy) and on top of that, there are not even viable weird/buildaround cards. I'm likely not getting anything from this set except Clever Lumimancer and maaaybe Leonin Lightscribe .
Seriously, this feels like an all 8-drop set. (rant)
Why no MDFC with noncreature on front, creature on back? (would've needed that personally; rant)
Obviously this is just my personal taste. Not telling anyone they shouldn't like this set, everyone looking for sth different in the game.
April 12, 2021 4:18 a.m.
Personally, I was excited with the set until the spoilers. "Magecraft" and "Learn" is something that leaves a bad taste in my mouth since I think, as a mostly arena standard player these days thanks to covid, the format is already dominated heavily on noncreature spells for the most part so seeing that it gets even more power is something that had me thinking of pausing magic altogether until the next rotation (if the sets after strixhaven are getting better) or even until strixhaven rotates out.
About the Golgari/Witherbloom thing: That is probably the only thing that I like about the set. Something like the mentioned "...and that is not the way golgari is generally meant to be played." is a generally false assumption since mtg is still a creative thing in the deckbuilding aspect. Sure, playing one or another strategy is maybe favored due to the support of cards of a set (from a standard format perspective) but you can still play whatever the F you want and you are not forced to play anything specific. For example: BG has really strong deathtouch decks right now because of Fynn, the Fangbearer , but you aren´t FORCED to play it, I currently really enjoy BG foretell decks and my husband plays a BG...plant..kicker...token....thing (yeah, even I don´t know what that deck is, but he has fun and still wins most of the time on arena so eh shrug).
Also, black and green had, in the history of magic, always lifegain options. Not neccecarily due to "lifelink" (which black actually has since the last years) but with general "gain life" cards. Black as a side effect from sabotaging (dealing damage, hand disruption, sacrificing...) and green has options to gain life equal to lands/creatures or creatures with gain life ETB´s.
April 12, 2021 4:53 a.m.
TriusMalarky says... #23
Colorless cards are supposed to have effects from all colors. That's literally the whole point of them.
"Second, WOTC is trying to force us into playing golgari lifegain"
I'm gonna go laugh in a corner. I have not seen a single remotely playable card that says "hey, green black lifegain is a good archetype". I have seen a couple cards that say "hey, maybe if you're in green or black and you have a lot of incidental lifegain, this could be a good card for you."
Honestly, the only cards I've seen in Strixhaven that make any non-standard deck good are a couple white ones that make Modern RW Prowess/burn seem like a pretty dang powerful deck, and I'm expecting a Mutagenic Growth ban(which probably should happen eventually anyways, all the thing does is enable t2-3 kills).
Does the set provide much to the decks I own right now? No, not really. At least, nothing huge and groundbreaking, just some tools that will make them better. Does the set of anything super powerful that makes me want to make a new deck? Honestly, no, and actually I like that in a set. Strixhaven disappointed me so hard with the overall power level that it might just be my favorite set in a long while. Kaldheim was slightly more powerful and definitely more fun, so Vikings: the Smashening takes the cake, but we've been through so much "AAAAAAH OBVIOUSLY PUSHED MYTHIC THAT WILL DOMINATE EVERY FORMAT FOR THE NEXT MONTH UNTIL ITS BANNED EVERYWHERE" that it's pretty nice.
April 12, 2021 9:52 a.m.
I'm super excited for this set,so many ridiculous and fun cards, I think they could shake up some formats a little. Limited wise this set looks f'ingbonkers
Omniscience_is_life says... #2
Yeah... I don't feel disappointed so much as resigned. Basically as soon as spoiler season began I was like "ok, this set isn't for me".
April 10, 2021 9:49 p.m.