Wheeler's Ratings Sword of Fire and Ice Highlander (2013): 5 Stars/5 Stars Commander: B- Flavor: Two Thumbs Up Sword of Light and Shadow Highlander (2013): Two below Sword of Fire and Ice Commander: 1 Sad Nelson/2 Flavor: One Thumbs Up Sword of Body and Mind Highlander (2013): 10 Depressed Housewives/10 Commander: 10 Depressed Housewives/10 Flavor: it's pretty good flavor Sword of Feast and Famine Highlander (2013): 4 Banana Rascals/5 Commander: James with three scoops of ice cream Flavor: I do like this one it's straight and desperate Sword of War and Peace Highlander (2013): 1 Egg Commander: 2 Mistapped Forests/10 Flavor: I like the artwork Sword of Sinew and Steel Highlander (2013): 0 Commander: 2 Stars Flavor: Top Ranking Sword of Truth and Justice Highlander (2013): 1 Star Commander: In the top 4 Flavor: It looks like this hand is holding the sword improperly, like at first glance it looks they are holding it like a one piece character of just like it's upside down, and that's their style, right, it's like I mean I se- I get how they are holding it but on a glance it’s kinda like wha? Ah, oh okay I see Um, I don’t know. Sword of Hearth and Home Highlander (2013): Yeah, ah, Yeah Commander: My pick of the week Flavor: Sword of Hearth and Home sounds like a Phil Collins track Sword of Forge and Frontier Highlander (2013): Yeah, this one’s coming in at number 5 Commander: I would put this like pretty close to Hearth and Home Flavor: This one doesn’t do it for me (Sword of colonizers and more colonizers) Sword of Once and Future Highlander (2013): I ain’t touching it, I’m good Commander: Yeah sure does Flavor: Why? Boys, boys, we talked about the easiest answer for this just get up and leave.
To answer Nelson's question: its important to remember that mirrodin is an entirely artificial planet/ plane that Karn built around the Mirari. Thd Suns are less 'big burning balls of gas' (well theyre kinda those as well i guess) than the nexus and focsl points of the 5 colours of mana as they ibteract wuth the artificial plane. Green was last to emerge and thats a whole thing.
Yeah, IIRC, they were interchangeably called moons and suns pre-phyrexia because astronomically they're literally moons but they behave like suns in the sky.
Fun fact: the word “focus” (and it’s plural, foci) comes from Latin, where it means hearth/fireplace. The mathematics of ellipses were developed by Johannes Kepler for calculating planetary orbits, and one focus of an elliptical orbit is always the Sun, which is the fireplace of the Solar System. Calling the 5 suns of Mirrodin the foci of mana brings the whole thing full circle
I think Graham was right the first time. Once represents the past by recasting spells from the graveyard, future is represented with surveil by being able to control what you draw next. The weird part is like, casting from the graveyard is mostly blue and surveil is in both colors but it's probably supposed to be black but like, so much of black's identity is the graveyard and the past and blue is the color of time magic. Still, blue *can* be the past (time magic works both ways) and black is also all about controlling destiny so future also works.
Sword of Feast and Famine is a "feast or famine" card, it can do nothing (both players in topdeck mode) or it can be absolutely backbreaking (discard a bomb, I get to play a haymaker). That's 5/5 flavor.
This is really funny to me because just last night I happen to have rewatched the original "Sword Down" video. "I don't think it's *that* bad" still gets me every time.
Regarding Sword of Once and Future: Once is the flashback, Future is the surveil! Surveil sets up the future, and Once is from the graveyard bc "once, this spell happened. Now it will again." Also, tbh I think the card is SUPER underrated in commander, bc like. Flashing back a rampant growth is really good, so is getting back your swords to plowshares! Or your pongify!! Or any of your other cheap removal spells!!!
Very much agreed! Any spellslinger deck can get some great use out of this, doubly so for those that want to fill the yard. I am particularly fond of it in Magar of the Magic Strings.
I think swords are really underrated in Commander outside of equipment decks just for minor value. The ability to drop the clock on Commander damage is so important when fighting locks. Light & Shadow blocks some of the best removal, grabs back utility creatures, and buffers your life total in decks with fetchs and ancient tomb (which you can also use to easy equip). It's terrible in synergy decks but it's a bunch of repeatable useful effects.
I’ve actually been looking at a partner deck for Myra’s Marvels recently, and the swords go in it because they all start with the same letter for Katerina and all share several words for Nocturno. Plus, 2/2 cats with flying hold swords really well!
@@mattperkinson9604 The swords work well with all of the Marvel (besides Hardy sadly) because they're so consistent. Edit: thanks, I've been looking for a commander for a swords deck and I think Fluros+ is the way.
@@MakeVarahHappen happy to help! I also like Jared Carthalion + Zirda, the Dawnwaker for a swords deck btw. Jared makes bodies to stick equipment on and Zirda reduces the equip cost.
How I'd design Sword of Blue and Black: Sword of Lies and Secrets Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, surveil 2, then reveal the top card of your library and put it into your hand. Each opponent loses life equal to the revealed card's mana value.
I created Red + Green and Blue + Black Swords before Wizards did as a guess. Sword of Rage and Rampage - Whenever...Goad each creature that player controls and this creature deals damage equal to its power to any one target. (It's okay) Sword of Death and Deceit - Whenever...destroy up to one target creature and return up to one target nonland permanent to its owner's hand. (I like this better than what was printed)
Shadow Spear was a decent equipment.. and then Urza's Saga happened and now it's nuts. Tutors it to the board and the bodies are just perfect for getting trample.
I wanted to save this video for a rainy day, but could not hold out longer. It was as good as I hoped! Loved that my boy Sinew and Steel finally got love from someone!
Once and Future seems odd at first glance because, I think, *both* abilities are blue _and_ black, as opposed to previous swords where each ability was specifically tied to one color. Surveil is obviously Dimir, and monkeying with spells in one's graveyard is something black and blue can both do (though obviously black is more comfortable with creatures). It's an interesting way to finish the cycle off, by somewhat shifting the way the swords' mechanics have always worked. So e.g. if they made a new red/blue sword that was more specifically Izzet in line with Once and Future's design philosophy, it might give instants and sorceries in your graveyard a jumpstart cost equal to their mana cost until end of turn, and then the next two instants or sorceries you cast until end of turn could be copied once. I have no idea if that's balanced, it's just an example of an explicitly Izzet mechanic and something both colors can do. Call it Sword of Flash and Sizzle I dunno.
I agree with Wheeler. Magic players don't get that sometimes things aren't cycles. This was the issue with Hullbreacher and Opposition Agent because that was a pair, not a cycle. The flavor for every post-Darksteel sword is lower for me because those aren't swords. The idea of a sword made of shadow or light or ice or fire is so ingrained in pop culture. The rest are just kinda concepts and that's why so many of them are just glowing fire. I would've been fine with leaving it at two or just having one callback to finish the five, but I don't want this future where two dual-color cards mean every set for the next decade people ask for eight more and you end up with bad cards like Once and Future or boring ones like War and Peace.
I think for a Dimir Sword called Once and Future I would have preferred: Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has protection from blue and from black. Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, target player sacrifices a permanent they control. Scry 2
Sword of Smoke and Mirrors 3 Artifact - Equipment Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has protection from blue and from black. Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, up to one target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn. Create a token that's a copy of it, except it's an Illusion and has "When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it." in addition to its other types and abilities. Equip 2
For Sword of Once and Future, Once is the flashback ability (because things in your graveyard are from the past) and Future is the Surveil because you're looking into the future of your deck. Really either one could be either color, but I'm gonna say Blue is Once because the ability reminds me of snapcaster and has no inherent risk or payment to be made and surveil is black because it's a graveyard-focused scry
the red green sword being the sword of flesh and blood would definitely have appealed to my inner 14 year old, though the abilities wouldn't really have matched
I was recently watching Yojimbo and the corrupt town sheriff holds one up to show his status as they were used to stop swords rather than attack with them.
None of the playable equipment in Highlander is a sword: Shadowspear is a spear, Umezawa’s Jitte is a close to a nightstick, Skullclamp is some sort of clamp for a skull, and Kaldra Compleat is like a whole suit of armor.
@@janmelantu7490 Hey now, Stoneforge decks also run a pile of bones the size of a truck, Boros equipment runs at least one axe, and artifact aggro can also run a helmet that blinds the wearer and a morningstar with other tiny morningstars attached to it.
If I recall correctly, the Mirrodin five suns are actually five moons. Which would make for very complicated orbital equations, given how big they seem to be.
The other nine swords have one ability representing one colour and another ability representing its other colour... but the Sword of Once and Future is not the Sword of Blue and Black, it's the sword of Dimir and UB.
The creature in the background of Truth and Justice is a pegasus so it probably isn't Alara or Tarkir since there have been no printed pegasi from either of those planes. There are in fact only 5 known planes where pegasi live: Ravnica, Theros, Dominaria, Vryn, and Capenna. Of these Dominaria feels the most likely. There are some Benalish weapons that look similar to the SoTaJ but there are no structures or identifying elements that definitively put this card anywhere.
It's worth noting that thanks to wrenn swapping zhalfir and new phyrexia, the plane that was once mirrodin is sealed off from the rest of the multiverse. I have to imagine that the reason they tried to finish the cycle was because any future return to new phyrexia has some extra hurdles and thus they weren't sure if they'd actually get to finish the cycle
Blue and Red are the two best colors, I'd agree. But, they're also the colors that are least impacted by protection in the first place. Blue doesn't do much to you once your spell resolves and Red doesn't leave up blockers in the first place. I'd say the two most relevant protection colors are probably black and white, because green is just going to trample over your blocker anyway, and doesn't care about targeting your stuff.
I think a fun design for once and future could've been something like - exile a card from their yard and the top of your deck, until EOT you may play those. Probably too close to forge & frontier, but I think it'd have fit the flavor of the name well.
once is casting a spell from the graveyard because it's from the past, future is surveil because you're looking at future draws, really either of them could be either color
Sword of once and future is great in my grixis reanimator Obeka commander deck. Being able to get extra reanimates and goryo's is great plus I run every last chance in there so it time walks as well.
Sword of Once and Future would have worked quite well as "Surveil 2 (or 3) and then return a creature from your (a) graveyard to the battlefield under your control". Sword of Light and Shadow could read something like "Gain (some amount) life and destroy target creature with mana value less than the amount of life you gained this turn" Some amount of synergy with the other effect and different archetypes in general would be quite nice.
I kind of wish they would have tried to rebuild the swords now with new color flavor updates. My attempt at the DImir Sword - Sword of Secrets and Lies, thinking surveil for secrets, create a clue token for Lies as a start, obviously underpowered in 2023
I think that for the Sword of Once and Future black is Future and that is surveiling (as you set up your future) and blue is onece (and thats the ability that lets you flashback a card for free)
Gotta go with Sword of Artifice and Plague Artifice would make a Karn-struct, a 0/0 with +1/+1 for each artifact you control. and Plague would put 2 -1/-1 counters on up to one target creature. it would clean up your enemies board and we'd call it SoAP.
Looks like there's a portion around the 16 minute mark (~16:12-16:40) that was perhaps intended to be cut? It doesn't impact the viewing experience for me, in fact I think it's kind of fun to get a little behind the scenes, but just wanted to make the team aware if they weren't already. Great episode so far!
So I would probably go for Sword of Cruel and Unusual [the normal stuff] Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, Until your next turn, you may cast sorcery spells as though they had flash, and that player sacrifices a creature.
Not gonna lie even in commander I always hope whatever has a sword of body and mind attacks me. Especially with how much recursion is just basically free to run, like Bala ged recovery
I never really thought about it, but I bet the only reason Sword of Light and Shadow is not named "Sword of Life and Death" is because [[Life//Death]] was already a black/green card.
Not to be that "umm akchually" person but I looked up if Jittes were swords and they don't count, and they were made because bringing a sword into the Shogun's palace was punishable by death. And back on the topic of the sword down; I now want them to rank the Alara coloured equipment and the Ravnica artifacts like Bloodletter Quill, Evolution Vat, and Plague Boiler.
I just started building highlander decks (for me and my wife). I'm starting to grasp just how fast the format is and it kinda sucks that there isn't space for slow but cool effect cards like these swords to be competitive.
Dimir sword, bounce a nonland permanent, then each opponent sacrifices a creature. Or maybe fateseal 1 card/ Mill 2 off each player's library, then reanimate a creature from a graveyard?
So Wheelers rankings are a B- Thumbs to the square root of Ponder. Sadly, nothing managed to get an ancestral recall squared times the sum of a double thumbs up + A to the power of double heckin good multiplied by two properly tapped forests, which is the highest score he could give. I like the swords, but some of them are eh, but I play them anyways in my Mono White Mila equipment deck cause I wanted all of them.
This was fun but they surely could have given a few seconds for Sword of Dungeons and Dragons? It's definitely one of the better of the list, at least halfway up the rankings!
what the heck are you guys talking about, sword of once and future is the best flavor sword. it's the only one that's actually sword of x and y, and not sword of x and incidentally also y. well, the only one that actually has good flavor, anyway. you're setting up your future and resurrecting your past, and they feed into each other!
On a a similar note: How did the phyrexians who were on one plane, have enough ships to invade all the other planes? Just from a math perspective that seems weird. Like even if they sent one individual troop to each plane wouldn’t they run out like immediately from a space capacity?
They only invaded what, 30 something confirmed planes? Even if we assume they got to a hundred different planes and they sent 10,000 troops that's only 1 million soldiers. That's 75% of the population of Manhattan. Given nearly every Phyrexian is dedicated to the cause, you could increase the number of planes by a factor of 10 and still not pass the output of some US states.
I don’t understand why people hate mill in Commander. People are like, “It gets rid of so many cards at a time…” But… you never those cards? How is it different than just not drawing it? Did you have the card before it got milled? No. Moreover, I’m attacking on a completely different axis. Your other two opponents are helping you kill me and my 40 life, but I essentially need to deal 80+ “damage” without my opponents’ help. I once was in a game that I had milled out one player, used a well-timed Terminus to effectively take the other opponent out (I knew it was on top - playing Aminatou) in response to Worldgorger Dragon exiling everything of their. And the last opponent only has a few cards left… but I’m at 2 life, and they had no creatures on the field. He’s super salty, because I “got rid of all of his stuff.” Because he was salty, he wasn’t worried about keeping his hand hidden. I said, “You realize you can win right now, right?” I then polity the he had Oko in hand and an artifact on the battlefield.
The comment about the lack of good nicknames for the swords makes me sad that my submitted nickname for Sword of Once & Future as Sword of OF, didn't stick.
I really dislike the flavor of The sword of Once and Future by way of the name, because "Once and future" is a green regrwoth from Eldraine, and it felt like they could have done something better, more edgy, similar to sinew and steel. Mechanically I wished it was easier to hit and cast spells, upping the surveil and mv of cast spell to 3 would have been fun, or letting cast permanents too.
![เป็นไปได้ไหม - WanMai [Performance Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Eh5hItD4Mr0/mqdefault.jpg)
Welcome to North 100 Lore Crown, a Canadian Highlander Sword Down
Truly an episode of Sensei’s Divining Tap Concede
Wheeler's Ratings
Sword of Fire and Ice
Highlander (2013): 5 Stars/5 Stars
Commander: B-
Flavor: Two Thumbs Up
Sword of Light and Shadow
Highlander (2013): Two below Sword of Fire and Ice
Commander: 1 Sad Nelson/2
Flavor: One Thumbs Up
Sword of Body and Mind
Highlander (2013): 10 Depressed Housewives/10
Commander: 10 Depressed Housewives/10
Flavor: it's pretty good flavor
Sword of Feast and Famine
Highlander (2013): 4 Banana Rascals/5
Commander: James with three scoops of ice cream
Flavor: I do like this one it's straight and desperate
Sword of War and Peace
Highlander (2013): 1 Egg
Commander: 2 Mistapped Forests/10
Flavor: I like the artwork
Sword of Sinew and Steel
Highlander (2013): 0
Commander: 2 Stars
Flavor: Top Ranking
Sword of Truth and Justice
Highlander (2013): 1 Star
Commander: In the top 4
Flavor: It looks like this hand is holding the sword improperly, like at first glance it looks they are holding it like a one piece character of just like it's upside down, and that's their style, right, it's like I mean I se- I get how they are holding it but on a glance it’s kinda like wha? Ah, oh okay I see Um, I don’t know.
Sword of Hearth and Home
Highlander (2013): Yeah, ah, Yeah
Commander: My pick of the week
Flavor: Sword of Hearth and Home sounds like a Phil Collins track
Sword of Forge and Frontier
Highlander (2013): Yeah, this one’s coming in at number 5
Commander: I would put this like pretty close to Hearth and Home
Flavor: This one doesn’t do it for me (Sword of colonizers and more colonizers)
Sword of Once and Future
Highlander (2013): I ain’t touching it, I’m good
Commander: Yeah sure does
Flavor: Why? Boys, boys, we talked about the easiest answer for this just get up and leave.
What is the ranking of Wheeler's ranking systems?
I'm sad he didn't think to randomly slot in a "yeah, this one is B tier"
There are two wolves inside of you. One of them is a green wolf, the other is 10 cards into your graveyard.
There are between 4 and 10 wolves inside of every Magic player, and if that Magic player showers those wolves might be gay.
Little thing about the swords I love, all the enemy color swords have basket hilts and all the allied color swords have crossguards
Still can’t believe Fire and Ice isn’t more commonly referred to as Sword of Shock and Draw
That’s basically the card Fire//Ice anyway
"Sword of Shock and Awe" would actually be a good name for "Forge and Frontier," given "War and Peace" is too strong as a W/R sword.
Sofi is also already a good nickname too
Where I grew up Body and Mind was called Wolf and Mill.
Wheeler’s ranking system is like that math problem from grade school “a train is going 4 biceps per quadrilateral, a second train is…”
To answer Nelson's question: its important to remember that mirrodin is an entirely artificial planet/ plane that Karn built around the Mirari. Thd Suns are less 'big burning balls of gas' (well theyre kinda those as well i guess) than the nexus and focsl points of the 5 colours of mana as they ibteract wuth the artificial plane. Green was last to emerge and thats a whole thing.
Yeah, IIRC, they were interchangeably called moons and suns pre-phyrexia because astronomically they're literally moons but they behave like suns in the sky.
Fun fact: the word “focus” (and it’s plural, foci) comes from Latin, where it means hearth/fireplace. The mathematics of ellipses were developed by Johannes Kepler for calculating planetary orbits, and one focus of an elliptical orbit is always the Sun, which is the fireplace of the Solar System. Calling the 5 suns of Mirrodin the foci of mana brings the whole thing full circle
I’m still confused but thank you all
Love high-concept filler. Thank you for this.
I think Graham was right the first time. Once represents the past by recasting spells from the graveyard, future is represented with surveil by being able to control what you draw next. The weird part is like, casting from the graveyard is mostly blue and surveil is in both colors but it's probably supposed to be black but like, so much of black's identity is the graveyard and the past and blue is the color of time magic. Still, blue *can* be the past (time magic works both ways) and black is also all about controlling destiny so future also works.
Looking forward to wotc printing the triswords that have cycling and are going to make the sword bases in many formats too strong.
Sword of Feast and Famine is a "feast or famine" card, it can do nothing (both players in topdeck mode) or it can be absolutely backbreaking (discard a bomb, I get to play a haymaker). That's 5/5 flavor.
This is really funny to me because just last night I happen to have rewatched the original "Sword Down" video. "I don't think it's *that* bad" still gets me every time.
Regarding Sword of Once and Future: Once is the flashback, Future is the surveil! Surveil sets up the future, and Once is from the graveyard bc "once, this spell happened. Now it will again." Also, tbh I think the card is SUPER underrated in commander, bc like. Flashing back a rampant growth is really good, so is getting back your swords to plowshares! Or your pongify!! Or any of your other cheap removal spells!!!
Very much agreed! Any spellslinger deck can get some great use out of this, doubly so for those that want to fill the yard. I am particularly fond of it in Magar of the Magic Strings.
Dont forget that you can flashback adventures too!
For nicknames, I’ve heard body and mind called the “sword of dog and mill”, and truth and justice “the American way”
truth and justice? very american atm…
@@stonerkebab9498 it’s Superman’s old catchphrase, he stood for “Truth, Justice, and the American Way”
Volcanic Island also is the strongest land if the lands themselves fought, no ones beating a volcano.
I think swords are really underrated in Commander outside of equipment decks just for minor value. The ability to drop the clock on Commander damage is so important when fighting locks. Light & Shadow blocks some of the best removal, grabs back utility creatures, and buffers your life total in decks with fetchs and ancient tomb (which you can also use to easy equip). It's terrible in synergy decks but it's a bunch of repeatable useful effects.
I’ve actually been looking at a partner deck for Myra’s Marvels recently, and the swords go in it because they all start with the same letter for Katerina and all share several words for Nocturno. Plus, 2/2 cats with flying hold swords really well!
@@mattperkinson9604 The swords work well with all of the Marvel (besides Hardy sadly) because they're so consistent. Edit: thanks, I've been looking for a commander for a swords deck and I think Fluros+ is the way.
@@MakeVarahHappen happy to help! I also like Jared Carthalion + Zirda, the Dawnwaker for a swords deck btw. Jared makes bodies to stick equipment on and Zirda reduces the equip cost.
@@mattperkinson9604 i love zirda as a card but I've made decks with it before the restriction just feels so high mist of the time.
Sword of Body and Mind was actually a solid Legacy playable at one point; it was basically "Sword of protection from Tarmogoyf and Merfolk".
How I'd design Sword of Blue and Black:
Sword of Lies and Secrets
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, surveil 2, then reveal the top card of your library and put it into your hand. Each opponent loses life equal to the revealed card's mana value.
Needs a better name but a Twilight Prophet on a Sword is beautiful!
For a second I thought Nelson was just letting it hang out today. Another great Video!
Had the same thought!
I created Red + Green and Blue + Black Swords before Wizards did as a guess.
Sword of Rage and Rampage -
Whenever...Goad each creature that player controls and this creature deals damage equal to its power to any one target.
(It's okay)
Sword of Death and Deceit -
Whenever...destroy up to one target creature and return up to one target nonland permanent to its owner's hand.
(I like this better than what was printed)
Shadow Spear was a decent equipment.. and then Urza's Saga happened and now it's nuts. Tutors it to the board and the bodies are just perfect for getting trample.
I wanted to save this video for a rainy day, but could not hold out longer. It was as good as I hoped! Loved that my boy Sinew and Steel finally got love from someone!
It'd be fun to see this format for other cycles.
I feel like there needs to a be a shirt that is just
"As the premier pilot of ___" Ben wheeler Probably- would be amazing
"Premier Deck Pilot"
Put it on a button.
@abesmith115 Purely just want the ability to put a sticker on it so it says "Premier pilot of banging your Mom." Ben wheeler Probably-
Once and Future seems odd at first glance because, I think, *both* abilities are blue _and_ black, as opposed to previous swords where each ability was specifically tied to one color. Surveil is obviously Dimir, and monkeying with spells in one's graveyard is something black and blue can both do (though obviously black is more comfortable with creatures). It's an interesting way to finish the cycle off, by somewhat shifting the way the swords' mechanics have always worked.
So e.g. if they made a new red/blue sword that was more specifically Izzet in line with Once and Future's design philosophy, it might give instants and sorceries in your graveyard a jumpstart cost equal to their mana cost until end of turn, and then the next two instants or sorceries you cast until end of turn could be copied once. I have no idea if that's balanced, it's just an example of an explicitly Izzet mechanic and something both colors can do. Call it Sword of Flash and Sizzle I dunno.
I love high concept episodes
I agree with Wheeler. Magic players don't get that sometimes things aren't cycles. This was the issue with Hullbreacher and Opposition Agent because that was a pair, not a cycle. The flavor for every post-Darksteel sword is lower for me because those aren't swords. The idea of a sword made of shadow or light or ice or fire is so ingrained in pop culture. The rest are just kinda concepts and that's why so many of them are just glowing fire. I would've been fine with leaving it at two or just having one callback to finish the five, but I don't want this future where two dual-color cards mean every set for the next decade people ask for eight more and you end up with bad cards like Once and Future or boring ones like War and Peace.
I think for a Dimir Sword called Once and Future I would have preferred:
Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has protection from blue and from black.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, target player sacrifices a permanent they control. Scry 2
Sword of Smoke and Mirrors
3
Artifact - Equipment
Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has protection from blue and from black.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, up to one target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn. Create a token that's a copy of it, except it's an Illusion and has "When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it." in addition to its other types and abilities.
Equip 2
For Sword of Once and Future, Once is the flashback ability (because things in your graveyard are from the past) and Future is the Surveil because you're looking into the future of your deck. Really either one could be either color, but I'm gonna say Blue is Once because the ability reminds me of snapcaster and has no inherent risk or payment to be made and surveil is black because it's a graveyard-focused scry
the red green sword being the sword of flesh and blood would definitely have appealed to my inner 14 year old, though the abilities wouldn't really have matched
Excellent high-concept filler. The premiere second-screen content of the format.
Speaking as someone born in Edmonton, it makes me proud that Karn made our mall
lore-head here, a jitte is actually more of a club than a sword
I was recently watching Yojimbo and the corrupt town sheriff holds one up to show his status as they were used to stop swords rather than attack with them.
None of the playable equipment in Highlander is a sword: Shadowspear is a spear, Umezawa’s Jitte is a close to a nightstick, Skullclamp is some sort of clamp for a skull, and Kaldra Compleat is like a whole suit of armor.
@@janmelantu7490 Hey now, Stoneforge decks also run a pile of bones the size of a truck, Boros equipment runs at least one axe, and artifact aggro can also run a helmet that blinds the wearer and a morningstar with other tiny morningstars attached to it.
Sword of Once and Future is most likely a reference to "The Once and Future King", one of the many books about King Arthur.
Commenting before watching just to say I’ve been waiting for this day and I am so happy it has finally come. Thank you so much!!!!!!
Oh shit I know this guy.
If I recall correctly, the Mirrodin five suns are actually five moons. Which would make for very complicated orbital equations, given how big they seem to be.
Excellent, as always. Thank you.
Cat holding newspaper, I should get a sword…
The other nine swords have one ability representing one colour and another ability representing its other colour... but the Sword of Once and Future is not the Sword of Blue and Black, it's the sword of Dimir and UB.
“Sword of Dimir and Silumgar”
The creature in the background of Truth and Justice is a pegasus so it probably isn't Alara or Tarkir since there have been no printed pegasi from either of those planes. There are in fact only 5 known planes where pegasi live: Ravnica, Theros, Dominaria, Vryn, and Capenna. Of these Dominaria feels the most likely. There are some Benalish weapons that look similar to the SoTaJ but there are no structures or identifying elements that definitively put this card anywhere.
Aww yiss, new TTC. Keep em coming, y'all!
It's worth noting that thanks to wrenn swapping zhalfir and new phyrexia, the plane that was once mirrodin is sealed off from the rest of the multiverse. I have to imagine that the reason they tried to finish the cycle was because any future return to new phyrexia has some extra hurdles and thus they weren't sure if they'd actually get to finish the cycle
Blue and Red are the two best colors, I'd agree. But, they're also the colors that are least impacted by protection in the first place. Blue doesn't do much to you once your spell resolves and Red doesn't leave up blockers in the first place. I'd say the two most relevant protection colors are probably black and white, because green is just going to trample over your blocker anyway, and doesn't care about targeting your stuff.
“karn built west ed mall” is my favourite morsel of lore
I believe Wheeler was rating them in terms of how well these swords could handle a dozen eggs.
Should do this with all the sun cycles (zenith/twilight/etc)
I think a fun design for once and future could've been something like - exile a card from their yard and the top of your deck, until EOT you may play those. Probably too close to forge & frontier, but I think it'd have fit the flavor of the name well.
That also only really feels like Black effects.
The Once in Once and Future is the past tense of Once, like “Once upon a time.”
once is casting a spell from the graveyard because it's from the past, future is surveil because you're looking at future draws, really either of them could be either color
Sword of once and future is great in my grixis reanimator Obeka commander deck. Being able to get extra reanimates and goryo's is great plus I run every last chance in there so it time walks as well.
For hearth and home, 7 out of the top 10 commanders have green and/or white, so its pro colors are also great.
Next time my brother plays hearth and home I’m gonna call it “the sword of British and Colombia”
You (a professional comedy group) could've called this "Sword Measuring Contest" and didn't. Smh my head.
Sword of Once and Future would have worked quite well as "Surveil 2 (or 3) and then return a creature from your (a) graveyard to the battlefield under your control".
Sword of Light and Shadow could read something like "Gain (some amount) life and destroy target creature with mana value less than the amount of life you gained this turn"
Some amount of synergy with the other effect and different archetypes in general would be quite nice.
I kind of wish they would have tried to rebuild the swords now with new color flavor updates.
My attempt at the DImir Sword - Sword of Secrets and Lies, thinking surveil for secrets, create a clue token for Lies as a start, obviously underpowered in 2023
Finding out that Ben and I share opinions on two best swords in commander is pretty sweet.
I think that for the Sword of Once and Future black is Future and that is surveiling (as you set up your future) and blue is onece (and thats the ability that lets you flashback a card for free)
Gotta go with Sword of Artifice and Plague
Artifice would make a Karn-struct, a 0/0 with +1/+1 for each artifact you control.
and Plague would put 2 -1/-1 counters on up to one target creature.
it would clean up your enemies board and we'd call it SoAP.
Looks like there's a portion around the 16 minute mark (~16:12-16:40) that was perhaps intended to be cut? It doesn't impact the viewing experience for me, in fact I think it's kind of fun to get a little behind the scenes, but just wanted to make the team aware if they weren't already. Great episode so far!
Also enjoy getting that little glimpse behind the curtain!
Also I’m happy with the Dimir sword, it hits Mission Briefing.
So I would probably go for Sword of Cruel and Unusual
[the normal stuff]
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, Until your next turn, you may cast sorcery spells as though they had flash, and that player sacrifices a creature.
I think the vibe ranking system is the best ranking system
Vibes are the best way to figure out what the cards do too. I haven't read a card in years.
Please please make a friday night paper fight about 2013 canlander rules, like just play a lot of that era magic i'd love to see that happen so much
Dimir sword: Sword of Hide and Seek, enchanted creature gains skulk, and whenever this creature deals comabat damage to a player surveil
Sword of Foresight and Regret, Pro UB, Look at the top seven cards of your library, put on in had, one in graveyard, rest bottom in any order.
Not gonna lie even in commander I always hope whatever has a sword of body and mind attacks me. Especially with how much recursion is just basically free to run, like Bala ged recovery
Tap Tap play the video!
I never really thought about it, but I bet the only reason Sword of Light and Shadow is not named "Sword of Life and Death" is because [[Life//Death]] was already a black/green card.
Also "Life and Death" is a thoroughly Black/Green theme. Black and White is more about morality and transcendence.
Sword of Manifest and Destiny for the upcoming cowboy set
Light and Shadow could be called Life and Death, and be 100% on flavour for the abilities and colours
Not to be that "umm akchually" person but I looked up if Jittes were swords and they don't count, and they were made because bringing a sword into the Shogun's palace was punishable by death. And back on the topic of the sword down; I now want them to rank the Alara coloured equipment and the Ravnica artifacts like Bloodletter Quill, Evolution Vat, and Plague Boiler.
Man, if only the Sword of Once and Future would care about mana value 3 then i'd feel happier about using it.
I just started building highlander decks (for me and my wife). I'm starting to grasp just how fast the format is and it kinda sucks that there isn't space for slow but cool effect cards like these swords to be competitive.
Dimir sword, bounce a nonland permanent, then each opponent sacrifices a creature.
Or maybe fateseal 1 card/ Mill 2 off each player's library, then reanimate a creature from a graveyard?
So Wheelers rankings are a B- Thumbs to the square root of Ponder. Sadly, nothing managed to get an ancestral recall squared times the sum of a double thumbs up + A to the power of double heckin good multiplied by two properly tapped forests, which is the highest score he could give. I like the swords, but some of them are eh, but I play them anyways in my Mono White Mila equipment deck cause I wanted all of them.
They should've just called the W/B sword 'Sword of Life and Death'
, with love.
Wheeler is wrong about the Sword of Once and Future in standard,it has multiple tops (its especially insane with Adventure cards)
25:21 P R E A C H
Sword of blue black. Flash for blue Menace for black
This was fun but they surely could have given a few seconds for Sword of Dungeons and Dragons? It's definitely one of the better of the list, at least halfway up the rankings!
Outside of you there is one wolf
Sinew and Steel destroys an artifact and a planeswalker. Can I get $5 now?
As someone who knows what sword of sinew and steel does I wish I was there for five smackaroos
Orzhov sword: Sword of Life and Death?
It always upset me that the first two White Swords both gain life. 🙄
Any reason the W/B sword isn't called Sword of Good and Evil?
what the heck are you guys talking about, sword of once and future is the best flavor sword. it's the only one that's actually sword of x and y, and not sword of x and incidentally also y. well, the only one that actually has good flavor, anyway. you're setting up your future and resurrecting your past, and they feed into each other!
I'd rename the GR sword to Sword of Growth and Drive
On a a similar note: How did the phyrexians who were on one plane, have enough ships to invade all the other planes? Just from a math perspective that seems weird. Like even if they sent one individual troop to each plane wouldn’t they run out like immediately from a space capacity?
They only invaded what, 30 something confirmed planes? Even if we assume they got to a hundred different planes and they sent 10,000 troops that's only 1 million soldiers. That's 75% of the population of Manhattan. Given nearly every Phyrexian is dedicated to the cause, you could increase the number of planes by a factor of 10 and still not pass the output of some US states.
I'm down for a sword down
I don’t understand why people hate mill in Commander. People are like, “It gets rid of so many cards at a time…” But… you never those cards? How is it different than just not drawing it? Did you have the card before it got milled? No. Moreover, I’m attacking on a completely different axis. Your other two opponents are helping you kill me and my 40 life, but I essentially need to deal 80+ “damage” without my opponents’ help.
I once was in a game that I had milled out one player, used a well-timed Terminus to effectively take the other opponent out (I knew it was on top - playing Aminatou) in response to Worldgorger Dragon exiling everything of their. And the last opponent only has a few cards left… but I’m at 2 life, and they had no creatures on the field. He’s super salty, because I “got rid of all of his stuff.” Because he was salty, he wasn’t worried about keeping his hand hidden. I said, “You realize you can win right now, right?” I then polity the he had Oko in hand and an artifact on the battlefield.
Why didn't they play into the algorithm and make this a tier list?
You forgot the Ten of Swords...
I don't think its that bad
I’m disappointed that the LOTR set didn’t give us the Sword of There And Back Again
In the universe where the LotR set is instead a silver-bordered Secret Lair, it would have been a fantastic inclusion.
the only sword i run in any of my decks is war and peace in my aegar giant burn deck to give him protection from most of my wipes and for life gain
May I interest you in Light of Sanction?
Those two modern horizons swords definitely were not set on Tarkir, the dragons in the art don't even look like Tarkir dragons
The comment about the lack of good nicknames for the swords makes me sad that my submitted nickname for Sword of Once & Future as Sword of OF, didn't stick.
"The sword of feet pics"
isn’t new phyrexia also not exist anymore and is instead zhalfir
Technically it still exists, they made it swap place with zhalfir, so now Zhalfir is connected with the multiverse and new phyrexia is "phased out"
@@eleutheros7216 Can't wait until the multiverse's untap step, then. :D
I really dislike the flavor of The sword of Once and Future by way of the name, because "Once and future" is a green regrwoth from Eldraine, and it felt like they could have done something better, more edgy, similar to sinew and steel. Mechanically I wished it was easier to hit and cast spells, upping the surveil and mv of cast spell to 3 would have been fun, or letting cast permanents too.