1-Drop Creature Tier List | Commander Clash Podcast 71
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ส.ค. 2024
- The crew discusses the best 1-drop creatures in Commander!
The tier list: i.imgur.com/7k...
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Apologies for my bad audio at the beginning, it gets fixed about 3 minutes in (was recording using the wrong input initially)
Hope you are having / have had a great vacation :D
Wrong hole?
Thank you for putting a note about that on screen so that some of us could skip to there.
We need a bear proof PC for Seth! Cord protectors?
thanks for the notification to commence the video. Very responsible! Also, as s usual, we excellent contento, I really love your channel!
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Crim: I like this 1-mana 1/2 with training mostly for it's aggressive value, and don't really use the second ability.
Also Crim: A 6/6 with flying & lifelink for the same cost just isn't that great these days.
How much power creep have we become accustomed to if a 1 mana 6/6 flying life link is only considered “OK” lmao
Strangely i agree, it's nice and all, it kills someone in 7 turns on its own, but i find that people generally combo off around that turn in my LGS. So i'd much rather play a turn 1 esper sentinel.
The arch enemy part i think is a poor arguement though, especially the part where it'll still put a target on you after the creature is removed
It IS only ok. I used to run this card a lot and it was the most underwhelming card in every deck I had it in. You are using 20 life 1v1 logic in a 40 life 1v3 game.
An efficient 1 mana aggro creature in 1v1 20 life is a card like Ragavan. 2/1 for 1 mana (with added value). This is a card that deals 1/10th the life total of your opponent per hit. In 1v3, your opponents life total is 120. So for a one mana beater in EDH to be as efficient as a 2/1 in 1v1 magic, the card would have 12 power.
Serra Ascendant does not have 12 power. It has half of that. Which means that Serra ascendant is comparable to a Healer's Hawk, a 1/1 flying lifelinker for 1 mana
@@kk_33 Jesus Christ Serra ascendant = healer hawk lmao
The card didn't get creeped. It's just more synergy is now a thing. Along with commanders being creeped. If you look at the old commanders you had to pick from it wasn't about synergy 24/7. That is a deck slot and a card.
@@kk_33 Saying that any damage below 120 damage doesn't matter doesn't make that much sense, you still get a lot a value out of taking a single opponent out, and even without killing them outright, it still immediately puts them on the defensive, which is still good for ONE MANA, they can't just stand there and play for value for 5 turns on a row
It's weird that Crim doesn't want to remove counters to destroy enchantments/artifacts for the sake of maintaining aggro, but he also doesn't seem all that big on a 6/6 flyer for 1 🤔
He still gave serra ascendant A rank and S rank means its an auto include in every deck. Then for the training card, he's using that in an aggro deck spefically. Just pointing out that it isn't incongruent.
Asking for logic from the memelord is asking a lot
@bigboy I believe he gives Serra Ascendant a B rank which is why it's so weird because he uses the same argument for other things but still gives it a B
@@big_boy he gave it a B
Yeah he just said about Hopeful Initiate that the best removal is player removal. Artifacts and enchantments won’t be there if the player’s dead. An evasive 6/6 is pretty damn effective player removal for 1 mana. It won’t remove them quickly on its own, but I don’t know if anything else can get the ball rolling this effectively, especially all by itself. That’s some of the most blatantly self-contradicting stuff I’ve ever heard him say.
I feel like Serra Ascendant on turn one would end everybody on Commander clash more than they like to admit with how little targeted removal they run.
Please Tomer bring some aggro deck or Katilda (since you missed human week) and then attack only the players who gave it a B rating. 😎
B is generous for Serra Ascendant. It is the equivalent of a Healer's Hawk in 1v1 magic.
Lol what??? Yeah their spot removal is kinda low but these guys are running way more board wipes than the average play group.
@@light-chemistry yeah but this on turn one gives someone three-four turns. For the sake of being silly if Tomer did smack one person around that's almost 50% of their health and I've seen a lot of their games where things go on for a long long time before it gets wrathed.
@@kk_33 definitely. In 1v1 you're more likely to have increased 1 for 1 removal. It's not the strongest card ever but I think it will do more damage than people expect in a lower powered group such as this.
Serra Ascendent is a great card. I don't get the whole "it draws aggro" argument because I can't imagine much that's better than having a 6/6 flying lifelink creature to block or attack. Was definitely the weirdest one here. I usually like Crimm and Seths takes, but this one felt weird and that they just wanted to disagree lol
I actually agree with them, especially at low-powered "7" tables I have found that it immediately angered the entire table and justified my immediate demise. It's the feeling of the card being 'unintentionally busted for commander', plus you have to hit someone to get life, so now you've made an enemy for life (or three) on turn 2.
I'd actually rank it an S, but I think the archenemy criticism is very valid
The fact it's a card that draws aggro solidifies its power. Esper Sentinel is a poor man's Rhystic Study that can be ignored for the most part. Serra Ascendant requires a removal spell or else the owner is going to be super far ahead in the life total gap.
And a lot of players forget the way you win the game 99% of the time is making the other players' life 0 and yours' not 0
@Ammon Austin Seriously. I find that unless someone combos off, it's going to be combat damage that kills you. Unless someone draws swords to plowshares, you'll be hitting at least 1 to 2 people with it and be up 12 life. I get that it draws aggro, but so do a bunch of other cards, and I don't see a lot of them give you this much protection. Especially a 1 cmc creature.
@Bryan LeBlanc I find that, best case scenario, a turn 1 serra is absolutely nuts. Unless someone draws a 1 or 2 mana removal spell their first or next turn, it's sticking around. Plus, even if someone swords it, that means they had to waste their removal on it, which means your real creatures are a little safer. Plus, it has flying and lifelink, so even if they block, you're getting life. Even 12 extra health puts you in a good spot to 3v1 for a bit til someone else pops off and draws aggro
definitely paints a target on the player, especially turn 1. (until someone does something worse of course)
For Esper Sentinel, even if it only draws me one card, it's also likely that my opponents wasted some mana to keep me from drawing. That's an almost free body that replaces itself and has a pretty broad stax effect. That's generally the FLOOR.
They're weird about this card. Is ancestral recall bad? Am I missing something?
Seriously. Crim and Tomer are like “eh I don’t play it in 4+ colors because by then I have other ways to draw cards.” Please tell me what other cards you’re playing that draw 3+ cards for one mana???
Haha seriously. I’ve VERY rarely not drawn 1 card. Probably 75% of the time 2 cards. 33% of the time 3 cards. AND it’s a body and usually I have extra synergy like Oswald wanting artifact, Soldier in Najeela, Human in Kudro.
@@andyspendlove1019 Mystic Remora, Glimpse of Nature, Visions of Beyond come to mind off the top of my head.
@@FearOgre Crim has said he doesn't play mystic remora and they all agreed its not as good as it once was.
I feel like every week someone ends up fear-mongering about this hypothetical arch enemy. What more can you ask for my one drop than being an instant removal threat that makes you harder to kill even after it's gone? If you're in a game where ascendant is the biggest deal long after it's dead clearly no one has a board to even kill you with.
Not playing good cards cause you may become the threat at the table is really the poorest kind of argument, what're you gonna do, play only vanilla bears and forests?
That's still gonna draw hate in a playgroup with Crim
“Serra ascendant is bad because it’s so good that people will target you” is a weird take
I mean it's true though. It's hard to deal with 3 separate players targeting you. If a card doesn't just let you win it ends with your downfall
I get that take. Some cards float in a spot where they're good enough to draw aggro, but not good enough to stand against 3 opponents. If you become the threat then you risk becoming archenemy without the resources to survive.
@@jetvoidweller lol yeah those opponents are coming at you hard with their one and two drops vs the 6/6 gaining you life for the first 3 or 4 turns 😅 crazy
@@jlbrooks74 sounds like you’re playing in a pod not built to dismantle a player that quick.
All it would take is 1 targeted removal and one discard spell for example, that could set you way way back for playing a card like Serra ascendant early. Where as another “engine piece” for your deck in those early turns might not draw the same aggro against you, but help you more in the second half of the game.
It is an odd take. I can speak for myself, if an opponent plays Serra ascendant and isn’t attacking me/nor am I concerned about the life gain I have no reason to make that player the archenemy. Being hit by 6 in the air can really slow down an opponent.
In cedh when a turn 1 Serra ascendant is played the first player it attacks is the naus player. There is very little reason to stop those attacks.
Serra Ascendant is amazing. It stops a lot of fast commanders looking to get early hits in for effects
Tomer coming in hot straight out of a cardboard tube for the first 3 minutes. Can't wait to have this as background while working
Tomer's takes were so hot that he had to record straight from the bathroom
"Serra Ascendant is just a vanilla 6/6" is a horrible take on the card. a 1 mana 6/6 with flying and lifelink is about as much value as you could tac onto a 1 drop creature without having it cantrip as it enters the battlefield. Is it interesting? no, its boring, but boring doesn't make it not good.
Serra Ascendant is also fantastic for holding equipment and whatnot. Flipping dowsing dagger or getting multiple hits in with Sword of the Animist is easy when you can fly over all the early game fodder.
Richard would be proud of the Dowsing Dagger shout out. 🎉
Once again, I'm with Tomer with the Serra Ascendant. I'm confused as to how killing people from turn 1 with 6/6 flying lifelink damage is "not enough"
First of all, you have to draw it in your opener to get that value. You have an 8.4% chance to draw it by turn one, 9.5% by turn 2 and 10.6% by turn 3. Drawing it after turn 3 is pretty bad, the chance of getting value from the card is significantly lower. So that means 9/10 games the card is actively bad.
But how good is it the 1/10 games? Well let's see, your opponents have a total of 120 life and Serra Ascendant deals 6 life each hit. That means that Serra Ascendant is a flying lifelinker that deals 1/20th of your opponents total health per turn. You know what else is a flying life linker that deals 1/20th of your opponents total health per turn? A Healer's Hawk in 1v1 20 life magic. Healer's Hawk is an extremely mediocre card, even in a format far more suited for efficient aggro creatures.
That's why Serra Ascendant isn't good. 9/10 games it's a dead draw if you see it. 1/10 games it's a Healer's Hawk.
@@kk_33 I see you constantly making this argument and I just don't understand how you're comparing life totals of a multiplayer format to a 1v1... You're assuming a lot of things that aren't true. A - Your other opponents also are dealing damage and providing pressure. Not to mention you can totally target/negotiate with players based on their threats. It's not a reasonable comparison B - People play Esper Sentinel which is terrible after turn 3, so your argument there isn't great. C - Serra imo is not bad at any point in the game imo as long as you can hit its buff. So in life gain its especially good. Especially because having a flying life link blocker is amazing in normal commander as it can take a lot of pressure off you.
11:24 Personally I think Sera Ascendant is still in the A rankings. If it’s in your opening hand it will either need to catch a piece of removal that probably would have been more valuable elsewhere or it’s going to put you way ahead on life while removing about 1/6 of another player’s life each turn. I’d also say it get advantage of being a good attacker in the early game so getting a sword of the animist or other value equipment onto it is good.
its funny listening to crim talk about it no longer being that good in current year while i then also am watching cedh decks put it in even in 4 colour cedh decks with many cedh players i see talk about it as a underrated power house in games they play with it
@@bringtmirleben8357 6 Less cards for an opponent's Ad Naus. 6 More cards for your Ad Naus.
@@DylanHunter64 yeah, also brutal in Winota and good for stabilizing in other stax lists.
Player removal is *the* tactic against a stax player that has locked or slowed down the table, staying a head on life can be very valuable, as your opponents probably seek out another player to attack, when you just get that life back on your turn so easy
@@bringtmirleben8357 tbf cedh is a different beast altogether, no one plays board wipes or "suboptimal" single target removal, mostly just counterspells and highly efficient removal like chain of vapor or swords. If you have like 5 creatures on board short of the new deal 3 damage card from clb most grixis decks can only remove like 1 of them at most. Cedh is a highly inbred meta and shouldn't be considered when thinking about the entirety of the edh meta. As an inalla turboseeker player, serra ascendant is brutal and painful, but when I'm on my generic abzhan goodstuff ikra/tymna deck you'll get 1 hit in at most.
@@bringtmirleben8357 yes, but the reasons it's good in specific cedh decks do not apply to general edh.
With serra ascendant, you don’t need to win with only the ascendant, it does like 12-18 damage if you drop it early and then you can follow up with other aggro creatures to finish the job
Serra ascendant is still busted even in 2022. In a lot of lower power metas you will get more value out of a 6/6 flying Lifelinker than an esper sentinel.
I took Serra Ascendant out of my humans deck because it was too good. Whenever I get it early game I would just be crushing people and it felt cheap.
No Orcish Lumberjack? Not only is it super cool, it's also super good!!
I only recently started playing orcish lumberjack in my windgrace deck and he's phenomenal. 3 extra colored mana in exchange for 1 land that I can just bring back? Hell yeah!
Crim: Player removal is the best removal....
Also Crim: 6/6 flying lifelink is not good enough
Facepalm.
Crim's inconsistency is his only consistency.
Serra Ascendant is a tough card to grade since its power is somewhat parabolic. It is quite strong in low power pods that aren't well focused and don't run enough removal. The card can put in a lot of work before the table can deal with it. As the power of the pod increases, players will have more removal and run more tuned decks that can either win or go over the top of a Serra Ascendant, decreasing the strength of the card. As power levels increase further, the card starts to get better again. A lot of the interaction is geared towards stopping or protecting a combo, like Pyroblast, Veil of Summer, Swan Song or Flusterstorm, a lot of which can't answer a creature. These decks still run creature removal, but don't want to spend it on "just" a threat. They want to answer cards that directly impede their ability to win; some decks can't easily win through certain cards like Collector Ouphe, Drannith Magistrate, or Archon of Emeria. Other cards like Spirit of the Labyrinth, Dauthi Voidwalker, or Opposition Agent are huge nuisances that draw removal in a way Serra Ascendant won't. In higher power games where no one is again to get their combo off early, the card can put in decent work.
crim wants his 1 drops to do his taxes
His standard for a creature is Hullbreacher. So yeah.
Fledgling Osprey better be on this list.
Serra Ascendant giving you access to six damage on turn 2, the possibility of slamming some equipment on it for ramping reasons, aggro or just being a very solid blocker for the early turns to midgame is insane. Definitely A rating
One thing about Deathrite Shaman, the playgroup consideration of whether or not people run fetch lands is interesting because I feel like in metals where people don't run fetch lands you probably also aren't running Deathrite 🤷
That's why they mention it. They don't want to confuse people who don't play with fetches to think they are missing out on some top tier card when they aren't unless they play fetches or their group does. To just say it's good without the context of fetches you are just not having the right talk.
Deathrite Shaman is like Dockside. The higher power of the table the more broken it gets.
Yeah I also think Serra Ascendant deserves an A. I think turn 1 its amazing. Does 1 mana gain 18 deal 18 sound good? like who is gonna awnser that on turn 2 or 3 when everybody is setting up. And in addition to that there are so many decks that care about creatures, like every green or white deck, some blue Coastal Piracy Decks(like raffine) and not to mention all the human decks (it also tectnically has 1 power so Alesha or Bess might be interested). Also the obvious use in lifegain decks should not be underestimated. This card is even played in cEDH (mostly Stax or Tymna Decks though)
You said all the things I that I was too lazy to type.
I did forget to mention that Green Decks like it because of the power aswell(great hange, greater good, all the cards that Draw cards equal to the power)
Ironically if Serra Ascendant was like 2 mana people would value it more because it wouldn’t attract as much hate. But we are valuing power, not political value. It is clear A
I miss Richard. Let Crim say that a 6/6 flyer for 1 is bad, then Richard puts Fledgling Osprey at B. Let's go!
I think Richard would definitely have put the crew in their place for suggesting a 1-for-1 removal (Haywire Mite) is one of the top 3 best 1-drops in EDH. 😂
The worst takes on this episode were definitively for Serra Ascendant. Still get played at the tip of format (frequently played at cEDH level), still frequently a big dumb beater. if someone kill it it means another threat got to stay on the board. Player removal is the best removal and Serra Ascendant help you with that. It helps you survive. It is still an auto-include in my book and I would include it more if this wasnt damn expensive. It still generate value in the sense it let you survive more. I would prefer playing it to Sol Ring as it put pressure quick enough in a game and doesnt make you the target like Sol ring does
Just got to the Esper Sentinel part. And yes I would put it in even 5c decks. That card is just so good. I believe it is the best 1 drop in commander
Rating Serra's Ascendant lower than A is actually crazy.
I’ve noticed Seth’s evolution as a Commander player. His experience, and growth, is obvious
You sound like an ebon lord because of the way you worded that
I think Crim is mistaking Serra Ascendant's boringness for it being a B. The life buffer and killing power grants it A status even if it is boring, the idea that it needs to do your taxes is absurd. (Edit: Typo)
Also, I don't think Crim can earnestly say 'I value hitting people hard,' while also giving the hardest hitting one drop (ever?) a B. That's just a lie, and if it isn't, then he got his alphabet messed up.
Yeah, a 1 mana 6/6 that produces a life swing of 12 and alone finishes of a player after 6.5 turns is really, really strong.
by turn 4 you are at 58 life and youve cut the biggest threat’s life in half.
not to mention it can wear equipment and the myriad of other things you can do with creatures.
its also brought back with Sun Titan, Sevinnes Reclamation, Brought Back, ect
Was listening on Spotify. Pausing real quick to comment on Serra Ascendant. I agree with Tomer and Phil. Serra Ascendant is ridiculous. While I agree that it doesn't generate you tangible value (only potential political value), it is simply obscenely under costed. If I could simply run a bunch of 6/6 flying lifelinkers or 5/5 hexproofers or 7/7 tramplers and they consistently only cost 1-2 mana, I'd cut all ramp from my decks and jam those threats. Just give me card draw and low cost threats at that point. What mana value do we suppose a 6/6 with flying and lifelink should be? Probably 5 or 6. Sure it has to have additional upside to be worth it, but what if I told you costing only 1 mana could be the upside? Should this go in every white deck all the time always and forever? Surely not. Can you jam this in basically any white deck and be happy to get a 12 life swing once for 1 mana? Absolutely. What 1 drop so easily swings life that much? The answer is probably 0.
i think for esper sentinel and rhystic study if they are only seen as card draws it misses out that they just are absurdly strong stax pieces if you don't draw cards with them.
I'm just here for my boy Deathrite Shaman.
I’m just here for my soul sisters
This is my opinion of course, but I feel like Esper Sentinel is a super staple in just about any deck with white. All it takes is a measly +1 to power and your opponents aren’t paying most of the time. Everything about the card has some relevance, such as the fact it’s a creature in a relevant creature typing, an artifact, and hyper-efficient CMC. I’m always happy to have this in my hand. Though I will admit the power does wane a bit in the late-game. But that’s okay because early- to mid-game this card is awesome.
I hope more people buy into Serra Ascendant being bad so the price goes down and i can buy it for less lol
I always thought Hopeful Initiate was sweet with Persist too, but after rereading it says Remove Two +1/+1 counters 😞
Pair it with mono black Mikaeus to reset Undying! Finally figured out how to break Mikaeus the Unhallowed.
It's good with undying
In my monowhite deck I play all the top 1 drop creatures. Serra ascendant is consistently strong (there are times when it’s a 1:1). One point that was missed was how good of a defensive card this is. As a blocker, it’s difficult for opponents to make a profitable attack that gets you below 30 & can’t quickly get back to 30 life.
Esper can be great early on but can also be very inconsistent on when and how many cards you draw. The stronger and faster the decks your playing against the better sentinel is.
Mother of runes has three strong uses:
1) Protecting from removal
2) Helping push an attacker through
3) Blocking and nullifying an attack
All three come up quite naturally and if you're a deck that particularly cares about one of them I think it's a brilliant card for the deck. Generically, you might want something else but all three things should be useful at times and together the amount of value it does by existing for 1 mana is a lot. I think borderline A/S is right for it.
Hex Parasite is the biggest omission I see from the full list. If you’re going to go S tier on a 1-for-1 artifact removal, you have to have some respect for a 1-drop artifact creature who can mess with any permanent that has counters, and can create a large amount of life loss or activated ability triggers on demand.
Great catch! It's fantastic against planeswalkers and a bunch of counter strategies.
I don't know how people can argue Serra Ascendant turn 1 is anything else other than S+. The life buffer it gives you is absurd.
You won't always have it turn one though
Ive personally removed land ramp (slash tutoring as a whole) from my own decks - for one shuffling a 100-card deck is so tedious that if I could make a way to only do it once a game imma do it. Also like green's far and away way so much better at ramping than every other deck even without ramp effects between mana dorks and land enchants that like I'm fine not being like at the default state of ahead because my staples are vastly better than everyone elses.
Even at an S rating it sounds like Tomer and Crim still underrate Esper Sentinel. It is an auto include in every deck with white, even at the top levels of cedh. Even in 4-5 colour goodstuff piles (like Tymna+Kraum) it's still included.
As long as you can afford it anyways.
It’s in cedh where sentinel is best. Players consistently have plays starting turn 1. It’s likely to draw cards every turn cycle as players rarely pay 1 and have a high volume of noncreature spells in decks.
I’m not sure how consistent sentinel is in mid power tables. Based on my experience that’s always been my concern.
My biggest thing with Serra ascendant is how likely it is to make you a target. Even if people don’t care that you played a 6/6 flying lifeline on turn 1, the life gain off it almost always makes you the target in casual playgroups where people target the person with the highest life. Still amazing in Aggro and lifegain
Crim's gengar hoodie is amazing and I need it
Mother of Runes is also a hell of a blocker on the ground (Declare blocks, Tap activate it targeting itself to give protection from whatever its blocking)
Absolutely gobsmacked by Haywire Mite at S. I would have a hard time putting that card in a deck without any synergies. Are you really putting it in Miirym decks? Mayael the Anima? Tuvasa the Sunlit? Gor Muldrak? Kalamax the Stormsire? Any elf deck? Even just a generic stompy deck like Goreclaw or Yorvo?
Yes. Every deck should consider at least having 3 answers to problematic artifacts and enchantments.
@@gigawarman12 There are a plethora of Naturalize effects even in mono-green. I bet I can rattle off at least half a dozen right now that I'd rather play in a random green deck. Let's see...Force of Vigor. Nature's Claim. Vivien Reid. Pest Infestation. Druid of Purification. Beast Within. For situational picks, maybe Acidic Slime or Reclamation Sage if there are synergies for them, or Titan of Industry or Woodfall Primus if you're trafficking in big creatures, or Seal of Primordium in enchantress decks, or Broken Wings if you're light on creature removal. If you're in GW then you also have really good white options like Sylvan Reclamation, Aura Shards, Fracturing Gust, Knight of Autumn, and Heliod's Intervention. And tbh, I don't even hate Return to Nature or Wilt. They're instant speed, same mana cost as the bug, hidden safely in your hand, and not restricted to noncreatures.
@@troacctid i prefer to have the premium of exiling
@@gigawarman12 Sure. If you must have exile, then it is in a rare class of playable mono-green exiling naturalizes, alongside Masked Vandal, Ruinous Intrusion, Worldbreaker, and Kappa Tech-Wrecker-any of which could be the best choice for any particular deck depending on its themes and synergies.
Haywire Mite isn't especially more powerful than the other options available, though. It's just one playable Naturalize among dozens.
@@troacctid it's better than any of the cards you listed. Vandal requires set up and both mana up front, while also being restricted to sorcery speed without additional help. Intrusion is very bad outside of specific decks. World breaker costs 7 & is sorcery speed, it's a pretty big stretch to compare them in good faith no? Where is tech wrecker ever seeing play outside of a ninja deck?
The reason mite is good is because it does what all of those cards do but better/more efficiently and it slots into even more decks. You playing beast whisperer? Shamanic revelation? Overrun? Great Henge? Fauna Shaman? Survival? Cradle? Reanimation? Artifact recursion? are you using green tutors? Are you using blue tutors?
It's efficient, flexible & it has a long list of decks that synergize with it. Caustic Caterpillar was already a good card and Mite trumps it on almost every front.
Ulvenwald is best played early, where three or four turns later, you can pull it from the shadows, and make people remember why they should pay attention
Wow no allosaurus shepherd was surprised over that
Deadeye Tracker is a severely underrated 1-drop creature, only really played in pirate decks, worth a look in any black deck.
People are less likely to take 8 from a sylvan library if players put creatures in their decks that actually threatened life totals
I use to put Deathrite Shaman in a mana acceleration slot, I now only count it as gy hate. If you have ever had a turn one Deathrite Shaman and wiffs on the mana dork ability for a few turns you understand.
serra ascendant is an A, it's good enough to find it's home in plenty of cEDH lists even.
33:05 - All I could think about during this was "Damn, Steve really is so great"
I’m surprised they don’t mention Viscera seer
It’s on their full list - they gave it a B. Definitely worth a mention!
Segovian Angel, SS+
Jokes aside, obviously Esper Sentinel is a better creature than Serra Ascendant, but that notion of "a huge beater is not enough" isn't useful. Putting preasure on your opponents, specially if you know that their decks are slower and better equipped for the long game is huge. Also, a 6/6 flyer with lifelink is great value, value is more than just drawing cards
turn 1 plains, serra ascendant. turn 2 mountain, soul ring, slicer.
tomer would laugh maniacally the entire game.
Ulvenwald tracker in my ghalta deck is a menace
Carrion Feeder is my favorite 1 drop, always in need of sac outlets and it can get pretty strong if people dont burn their removal on it early
It's me, Panda
In my mono white lifegain aggro deck I play literally all the 1-drop white creatures they mentioned here and that's my complete list of 1-drop creatures haha. It's good to see the love for them!
It was glanced over a little bit but I think Serra Asc. Shines the most in any deck running the white one drop package. Specifically something like
Recruiter into Ranger into Serra Asc. And any other one drop that gains value like weathered wayfarer or esper sentinel. Throw in some blink cards like Hearth and home equip to the Serra and attack blink Ranger go find 2 more 1 drops just gross. I know that's an entire set of cards and a package of 8 to 10 cards but I think it's a huge roleplayer in that subset. Which does prob make it a B but when it's attacking it feels like an S
Serra Ascendant is a CEDH tier card.... I think in average deck it is better t1 than sol ring, it is a threat, gives you nice buffer of life and then if you "draw" agro, you can just block with it. Hf pushing through 6/6 lifelink flier.
It’s a solid anti ad naus card or pro naus card if your playing ad naus.
You mean limited cedh tier card, only in 10% of builds.
ye it is defo no thessa oracle, but hatebear and an decks surely like it as a beatstick/lifegain as lots of cedh is draining your lifepool down fast and win fast, this card slides right in. And in regular EDH I think it is a boring card, but I defo think it is very powerful. T1 sol ring draws hate and it is easier to punish than this imo. This can draw out early wraths, solid for certain decks
Ulvenwald tracker is also excellent in a hapatra, vizier of poisons deck, or any deck with deathtouch creatures.
you can either use it to sacrifice a snake to kill a creature, or use it on a creature with wither or infect to make a snake.
I cannot believe how much you guys tried downplay serra ascendant. Don't wanna give it an S? Fine. But putting it down to B? Heresy!
TOTALLY confused by the arguments against Serra Ascendant😱. Not sure how you can suggest that a 1-drop with flying/lifelink and a 6/6 body isn’t S-tier.
Re: mana dorks, in my Gx sacrifice decks, I almost exclusively play mana dorks over land ramp. Early acceleration, and mid/late game it's sacrifice fodder
Serra Ascendant is at least an A and might actually be an S. 1 mana for a 6/6 Lifelink Flyer means it can either come down early and do big damage, or (these two they didn't really mention in the podcast) possibly more importantly it can come down later as a cheap blocker that doesn't hurt your tempo because its cheap to cast, and a threat to soak up removal for your gameplan. I don't think playing it early puts a target on your back the entire game (unless you only target one person with it, then they'll probably come swinging at you later) and White has enough low cmc reanimation if it goes down it's not hard to bring it back.
Serra ascendant is cracked, but you gotta be ready to be arch enemy. If you are an archenemy deck then i thin its great. The think about it is that its one mana - Meaning its can be last hoped, it can sun titan'd
it can be brought back over and over again - making you a sustainable threat that will close the game out. Its just do you want to be under the radar or are you fine to be in the archenemy seat? it should get an a because just how well if its in with any decks recursion package
Shout out to Champion of the Parish, Champion of the Perished, Hex Parasite
Seconded on Hex Parasite! If it had come out in the last year, they would have given it an S.
Serra ascendant is a great card, but sometimes in the late game when you're not at 30 life it's just a 1 mana 1/1 lol. B for me.
Just throwing in the underappreciated humble topplegeist
Mom’s > soul sisters> serra ascendant. Shrieking drake, and faerie impostor :)
Also weathered way fellower
56:11 - Did... Did Crim just claim that Mom is BETTER against multicolored decks? What? What is going on in this cast?!
It's like they're all trying to give the hottest takes 😆
This group is so full of weird takes. 1 mana flying 6/6 is not good because you'd rather have an Esper sentinel? I guess the deck they are imagining can't run more than one 1 drop? 🤣 And that initiate is ok at best in a +1 counter themed deck. If you're not generating counters it does nothing. You'd rarely send it into combat unless there is somewhere safe to send it so it doesn't die. Early game, sure. Mid to late. Less likely. Can't wait to hear the rest of these amazing opions. "I'd rather have a hedron crab [over serra ascendant]" 🤣🤣 please stop
people say that a card is bad for dying to removal. not mommy, she is bad because she dies to wrath. my one drop that blocks forever and keeps people from trying to remove my stuff is bad because it dies to wraths... there is no way that whispersilk is better than mom
thoughts:
Hopeful Initiate: B-? I think it's fine, and it has some good utility but feels a little underwhelming in both categories. obviously better in counters matter decks.
Serra Ascendant: B+: If you're running any sort of aggression a one mana 6/6 flying lifelinker is never a bad option. But it gets worse if you play cards that use life as a resource or don't have specific synergies in place.
Mana Dorks: B to D: Depends on the dork but most of them are dead draws after the first wipe and cards that are dead unless they're on the top of your deck aren't worth playing imo. Exceptions are cards with other upsides like the hierarchs, or deathrite shaman which have more use outside of the early game. Or if you're working on the synergy of having a bajillion creatures.
Esper Sentinel: S: If you're in white, you run it. Either you force your opponents to play off curve, or you draw cards. It's always to your benefit even if it's late game because people will still be hesitant to play around it.
Haywire Mite: B+: Seems like the best caustic caterpillar-like card. 2 mana exile an enchantment or artifact, and it can be recurred with some regularity. Definitely not an always run, but goes well with Eternal Witness. And sometimes that incidental 2 life gain is relevant.
Ulvenwald Tracker: C: I used to run a lot when there were very few green fight options, but I think we've got better options now and it being onboard makes it less good than options like blizzard brawl. It also works as negative negotiations in practice and tends to get you targeted more often, and I don't like that in a one drop that doesn't replace itself or have immediate board impact.
Mother of Runes: A: A great card, flies under the radar and is some of the best protection out there. The only reason it's not a staple S is because you need to run some number of creatures, I don't think just this and your commander is enough.
Giver of Runes: B: Not as good as mom since it can't target itself, but it does a pretty good impression. Same caveats as Mom as well, but definitely a strong protection spell.
Soul Warden and other Sisters: B: You gain a surprising amount of life with these cards, and should be the first cards you look for in a lifegain synergy deck. They have a lot less value in other decks though, so make sure you have the synergies first.
Weathered Wayfayer: A-: Basically run it in any white deck that doesn't also have green. There's a 25% chance you go first and it's useless, but 75% of tutor any land is amazing. And it still has value late game because you can always use another land.
Recruitment Officer: C: I don't think that a good deck exists for it in commander, but if you're somehow managing to run a collected company style deck I could see the appeal in this.
Shrieking Drake: C for Cute and for Combos. Don't just jam it into a regular deck, but it with various other pieces can 'go off'.
Ragavan: A+: It's amazing early, it ramps, draws cards and can be used late game as a haste threat. There are the downsides of being useless against blockers, but it snowballs super fast, even in a 40 life format.
Wait... Phil says haywire mite is "boring" and immediately asserts use of rec sage...
Really?
Oh yeah guess you've got a point there. I just love etb triggers too much 😅
@@BrewersKitchen I get it though! I use quite a bit of rec sage too, but have taken to adding haywire mite in case my opponents run stacks pieced and torpor orb me out! Just insurance when ETB won't do. you must love Loran then! I know I do!
@@damiend.7392 Good call against Torpor Orb effects! Maybe I'll switch out the Sage for the Mite in decks without Panharmonicon
@@BrewersKitchen Subbed your channel, look forward to more new content, has been awhile!
@@damiend.7392 I only upload new content on the Goldfish channel. My old channel ist just an Archive at this point. Here's a playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLtLlcD-b2JREOG3BdTa9U334gPuVO__0c.html
Mother of runes just got better with the new boros commander from jumpstart
I've seen serra ascendant hit 5 times before a board wipe that's a 60 life point swing between you and the table. I think that in a competitive environment it's going to eat a removal spell that a value piece otherwise would have and If not attack the person playing black. They are most likely to use their life as a resource and if you take 1/2 of it in their first few turns then bolos' citadel is alot less useful
Ulvenwald tracker for your Shelob decks? Any time you have a spell on a body and creature synergy run it over the same instant/sorcery slot.
I use the soul sisters that are cleric on my orphan deck and they just value, either they sac fodder for the chain or they just give me a ton of life while sacrificing and bringing back other clerics that I even added aetherflux to the deck just to shoot people out.
I think you guys need to dig deeper. One of my fav 1 drops is devoted caretaker (it protects your rhystic study!).
Tomer said it isn't as good as birds of paradise after Crim said this is graveyard hate first and incidentally provides other value.
Birds... of paradise. New top tier graveyard hate.
I'm happy to own a foil Haywire Mite and glad to see it talked about. Recursion effects love the value of this creature.
Haywire Mite is to recursion decks as Rec Sage is to blink decks. Fantastic utility for searching out/ recurring.
Even in a budget meta where people aren't running all the fetches I'd still put Deathrite Shaman at a solid B just for the graveyard hate. They'll certainly be running instants/sorceries and creatures and you'll probably still run into more than a few Krosan Verges/ Evolving Wilds/ Etc. Gaining 2 life when you remove a problematic creature is a nice bit of incidental upside that is occasionally useful and hitting everyone for 2 when you remove an instant/sorcery adds up REALLY quick. Not to mention there's enough budget fetches floating around you'll likely be able to STILL use it as a mana dork more often than not.
Window Jesus says it always correct to play serra ascendant in every white deck. Because it always eat removal and other creatures.
surprised no mention of Joraga Treespeaker in the mana dork discussion. it's not really in the same class as normal mana dorks, since instead of ramping to 3 mana on turn 2, it ramps to 5 mana on turn 3 (while not costing anything on turn 2 but your colored mana, potentially letting you also play a rampant growth on turn 2 and have *six* mana on turn 3!). I run joraga treespeaker in basically any two-color green deck, if you have it in your opening hand it's basically sol ring on a creature with a one turn layaway, and if you draw it late it's just palladium myr
I agree that Mother of Runes is only a B. Your opponent sees it - no gatcha - you wasted mana u didn’t expect to waste aspect. And besides a one turn protection on one creature is just so weak in EDH, unless you play Feather. Want permanent protection for creature - get boots. Want instant one turn protection - get Heroic Intervention or Teferi’s Protection. I never play Mother, I have 27 decks and not a single one needs Mother. Voltron? Not interested - there is so much great protection that can protect it that same turn, like boots. Everything else? Why would you need it if Voltron rejected it?
Serra Ascaendant isn't a card I would play in decks other than lifegain decks, simply because most games that I play we spend most of the game under 30 life from card draw effects, early game aggression, or ping damage from effects like sulfuric vortex, or fetches and shocks.
so for the mite argument it is shut off by the artifact hate of null rod, stony silence and ouphe. That might not be an issue in lower end tables but higher power its a problem
For Serra's Ascendent, I see your guys point on it but I don't agree with the wording. This card is still a solid A-B dependent on the strategy you're going for. The players targeting the caster of Serra's though is a table issue not a card issue and the targeting of the player has made this card fall compared to one drops that get ignored.
lol hopeful initiate is trash. You have to jump through a decent amount of hoops and pay 3 mana for the removal ability, it's a c at best because a counter's matter deck might run it in niche situations. No way this card is an A/B. Commander is not the format for this card.
I’ve never include Serra Ascendant because it’s easy mode
It’s not only powerful, and destructive, but it eventually draws removal, which is an advantage. It’s not a winning card, but it clears the way for victory
Hopeful Initiate is a powerhouse in my Hamza deck, with so many 1/1 counters around in that deck this provides an easy answer to many things.
Another Note*
2 cards missing, in my own opinion...
-Planar Guide (not requiring to tap makes the difference)
-Devoted Caretaker (Permanent is important)
Might I add Devoted Caretaker as an under rated 1 drop?
Does require a white to activate but can protect any PERMANENT you control from instant/sorcery spells.
Mother/Giver of Runes/Serra Ascendant/Birds/DRShaman/Noble/Ignoble Hierarch/Ragavan/Esper Sentinel are all fantastical.
Wild to rank mana dorks anything below an a rank when they're as close to fast mana as the common folk get and everyone is totally cool with it. Not to mention no one is killing a mana dork before turn 4 or 5 same with mana rocks I really don't understand their pathological fear of board wipes when ramping in the early turns is the most important by far.