Planeswalker Tournament of Champions!
Features
KrazyCaley
4 March 2011
2287 views
Laaaaadiessss and gentlemen!
4 March 2011
2287 views
Laaaaadiessss and gentlemen!
Welcome to the TappedOut Civic Arena for the First Annual Planeswalker Direct Elimination March Mayhem Tournament! The participants have been seeded according to our certified panel's expert determinations of their value, usefulness in competitive play, and overall awesomeness. Rumors that our certified panel consists entirely of KrazyCaley are specious and irresponsible.
We begin with our entry round- there are only 16 spots in the main tournament, so eight of our twenty planeswalkers will have to fight for a place in the round of 16! The last eight seedings are:
13 - Jace Beleren
Seeded at a disappointing 13, and forever in the shadow of his mind-sculpting alter-ego, Baby Jace seeks to prove himself in the tournament, but to do that he'll need to get past the first round!
14 - Tezzeret the Seeker
Niche player Tezzeret comes in at 14 and will need all his artificin' skills to move on.
15 - Ajani Goldmane
Ajani strictly denies the proposition that he is only good in token decks and is ready to summon a 32/32 avatar on the head of anyone who says he doesn't belong in this deck.
16 - Chandra Nalaar
The underused and underappreciated Chandra Nalaar is set to burn a path into the finals. With fire. GET IT. SHE WILL LITERALLY BURN A PATH. THIS IS WHERE YOU LAUGH. AT MY FUNNY JOKES.
17 - Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Relegated by our Expert Seeding Panel to a "shamefully" low place in the seedings, Tezzeret AOB is out to prove that his rapidly inflating price is actually justified.
18 - Sarkhan Vol
Do you like dragons? Sarkhan Vol likes dragons. Sarkhan Vol also likes being in the round of 16. Sarkhan Vol's plan is to combine the two and use dragons to get into the round of 16.
19 - Nissa Revane
Nissa Revane is pissed at being the penultimate lowest-seeded planeswalker. She is out for vengeance, and she will drown any who stand in her way in a sea of Elves, suffocating them to death, which is a horrible way to die, what with the greasy woodland skin and the pointy ears.
20 - Chandra Ablaze
Oh man, but seriously though, Chandra is going to be pissed if she doesn't make it into the top 16 at ALL. I would seriously get some home insurance. And make sure it covers "magical arson." I think State Farm offers that.
Entry Round Matchups:
Jace Beleren v. Chandra Ablaze
The Duel Deck Battle, but Chandra has upgraded her tech since the duel deck's release! Will it be enough to overcome the tricky blue bastard?
Tezzeret the Seeker v. Nissa Revane
A classic battle of blue versus green, artifice versus nature, Elves versus, I don't know, thopters or something.
Ajani Goldmane v. Sarkhan Vol
A tough emotional matchup for Ajani, who was mentored by Sarkhan in elementary planeswalking back in the DAY, back in Jund. Has Ajani learned enough since then to overcome Mr. Vol and his pal Karrthus? We'll soon find out!
Chandra Nalaar v. Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Yeah, Tezzeret may be one cheaper and have better abilities, but what you didn't count on was that he is a Magic card. And magic cards can be BURNED with FIRE. Oh, also Tezzeret costs about twenty times as much.
Discuss Below!
The final resolution will depend in part upon how persuasively you argue below! And maybe also some rolls of the dice! And maybe my whim, and how much caffeine I've consumed when writing the next article! Mysterious!
Well, chandra ablaze costs 6 mana, and needs to get rid of your burn spells to deal damage, which kinda defeats the point. Also, your theoretical deck is running horrendous cards like lava axe, which are of little use without chandra on the field. I can't see any situation where you'd rather be running it compared to an Inferno Titan , for example.
March 4, 2011 8:12 p.m.
I vote...
Chandra Ablaze. She wins. Hands down. Her last ability is THE finisher for many a burn deck, her first better than a Bolt and powers her final-that's why she gets rid of your burn spells, peppyhare.
Tezzeret. Artifacts rule. Anyone who says otherwise is kidding themselves.
Sarkhan Vol. The winner here is determined by story and flavor. Ajani, being a "good guy" will not finish off Sarkhan. Vol has no such scruples. Especially when Ajani beat his master Bolas.
Tezz again. He's not the next Jace 2.0, but he deserves his rising price. If you haven't noticed, he is in many a tournament-winning decklist.
March 4, 2011 8:59 p.m.
Jace Beleren v. Chandra Ablaze
This is a competition? Ablaze sucks. Literally the only good thing about this card is the art. Ablaze is almost always negative card advantage, which is not something you really want from a mythic 6-drop. Baby Jace, on the other hand, is spectacular card advantage. Especially when he reads "destroy target jace, the mind sculptor".
Tezzeret the Seeker v. Nissa Revane Tezz finds a stack of lockdown artifacts. Game over. Nissa cries.
Ajani Goldmane v. Sarkhan Vol Sarkhan. Because Act of Treason on a stick is really, really good. If this guy was in standard right now, he would see play.
Chandra Nalaar v. Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas Tezz makes your Inkmoth Nexus into a 5/5. I kill it with Chandra and then Lightning Bolt Tezz. Chandra, in a stunning display of personal bias, beats Tezz.
Also, I share yeaGO!'s sentiment.
March 4, 2011 10:39 p.m.
DeckBuilder345 says... #6
Jace Beleren v. Chandra Ablaze
THIS MATCHUP WAS RIGGED I TELL YOU RIGGED...BY SOME ONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN ALLOWING A BLUE CARD TO WIN.... *looks around to see who might be favoring blue around these parts.....GLARES in KC's direction.... Pretty much a no brainer... ablaze is pretty much worthless as a 6 drop in a speedy rdw environment so jace wins... hmm... a blue card.... i sense bias.... more glances KC's direction!
Tezzeret the Seeker v. Nissa Revane
Tezz works well with artifacts, and is a staple or was for quite some time in legacy formats... even dominating for awhile.... nissa.... um... got nothing but terribad abilities... Matchup 2 goes to tezz... hmm... seems like another suspiciously one sided matchup in favor of a blue card....more glances in KC's direction!
Ah HA! finally a real matchup... you will notice however this is the first matchup also that doesn't have blue in it, which is probably why it is the first competitive matchup that wasn't rigged in a single direction so far. Ajani - he has that whole huge friggin beastie thingy that is tied to your life points... nice for that timmy factor and beating face, but Sarkhan vol plays with dragons ... DRAGONS!!!!!!!! Dragons win every time at pretty much everything... unless you have a small army or catch them while they are sleeping... so... i give this one to Sarkhan cuz he has DRAGONS!!!!and huge lumbering life points beasties can't sneak up on sleeping dragons.
Chandra Nalaar v. Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Again another unfair matchup slanted towards the blue cards :(. Chandra nalaar is at least a potentially very strong way to end a game in a red deck, the theory being you will already have 10 damage done by the time this thing goes off... but lets face it tezz is winning tourneys and i am not even sure anyone has taken chandra serious enough to play her in a tourney... so clearly edge goes to tezz...OH GEE ANOTHER BLUE WINNER WHAT A SHOCKER.... huh... almost like this competition is rigged or something... LOL
Short version
jace
tezz
sarkan
and
tezz
March 4, 2011 11:21 p.m.
1st match-up: In terms of power, Chandra will win you a game a bazillion times faster than mini Jace. But I suppose you can expect that from a card that takes twice as long to play. Use in competitive play, Jace obviously takes it. He is simply faster and more reliable. As to which is more awesome, it's hard to pick. Jace does awful things to people's brains for a living, which I respect, but Chandra is a lethal redhead who sets things on fire because she can. Final choice: Jace Beleren
2nd match-up: Both of these cards rely on the deck they're used in and/or the field situation to determine how powerful or useful they are when played, and both lend tremendous support to the decks they're in. So it comes down to which is more awesome: a magical cyborg or an....elf. Final choice: Tezzeret the Seeker
3rd match-up: WINDMILL SLAM SARKHAN. He has more powerful abilities, would probably play better than Ajani in most situations when you have Ajani on the field (unless you're on 38 life with a Felidar Sovereign on the field), and to top it off is totally batsh*t INSANE (read the planeswalker webcomics on the Wizards site). Final choice: Sarkhan Vol
4th match-up: Chandra really has had no luck at all with her matches, has she? I would have picked either Chandra over Ajani or Nissa. Or if it had somehow come to Chandra vs. Chandra, she'd be in with a chance. But faced with the mk.2 cyborg wizard who can now use the BEST colour of mana (instead of just blue), against the card that will do naughty, naughty things to the standard environment and probably make some ripples in wider formats (Esper extended anyone? Alternate win-con for thopter-sword?), the spicy woman in red just cannot compete. Final choice: Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
March 5, 2011 7:46 a.m.
Battlecry1986 says... #8
Babby Jace 4 sure. 3 MANA DESTROY JACE 2.0! That's not to say a card that cost 3 mama will never provide as much card advantage as he does.
Nissa.
Sarkhan vol
New Tezz. In an artifact deck this guy takes jace 2.0's zero ability improves it then makes it a +1... what?
March 5, 2011 9:55 a.m.
hi im sorry but new tezzeret is one of the more broken planeswalkers of all time. Will be used in all formats. Baby jace is a great card. nissa i guess. and sarkhan?
March 7, 2011 5:35 a.m.
SupremeAlliesCommander says... #11
Baby Jace saddles up to the bar and is immediately required to order a round for everyone - else he gets walloped for 3 by a big red boomstick. That extra draught/card fuels Chandra who will nerf him for 4 on subsequent turns! Unless she gets countered, of course... which is likely... especially with the blue player drawing even more cards while Chandra waits for sufficient land. Jace wins.
Green's to do list:
- ramprampramp between 8 and 9 am.
- Frag some artifacts and enchantments before lunch.
- Summon a silly-sized horde of happymeal toys.
I hate Nissa. With a passion. Elf decks are typically better off with Garruk. But the party is moving to the after party location by the time Tezz shows up. Nissa wins.
Ajani walks in muttering, "I pick things up and put them down." He summons a big, nasty, set of alternating consonants and vowels. Sarkan pauses to say "thanks" before taking it and beating face. Sarkan wins.
Tezz hits the table and digs for something truly nasty. Chandra follows and deal 1 point of damage, which is annoying cause the Tezz player must now reach over to his score pad. That's about as hard as it gets. Tezz wins.
March 7, 2011 1:47 p.m.
popeyroach says... #12
jace for being useful.
tezz for not being an elf.
ahani has 2 nice abilities and 1 stupid one, so arkan wins
jace is either expensive spot removal or a total bomb - proividing she's gone unchallanged for 2 turns since hitting the table. new tezz is just completely rediculous. he may land within bolt range, but all his abilities are just insane, and he's going to be a staple in standard for a while. so yeah, tezz.
March 8, 2011 1:20 p.m.
Jace 1.0 vs. Chandra 2.0: Actually, Chandra wins this one. Jace draws a couple of cards for himself, and then disappears. Chandra spends those first 5 turns burning things, maybe with some spitfires and outrages mixed in, then empties her graveyard and burns again. Don't be fooled by the fact that Jace 1 has the same first name as Jace 2. In a vacuum, he's nowhere near as interesting or useful as Chandra.
Chandra 1.0 vs. Tezz 2.0 is not even funny. Even if Tezzeret had a sense of humor, this wouldn't make him laugh. It goes something like this:
Chandra: pew! pew! I has lasers!
Tezz: huh. all I have is this little baby Phyrexian Revoker .
Chandra: . . .
Tezz: oh, my mistake. he's actually a 5/5 beatstick. how'd that happen? weird.
Chandra: (gurgling sound as the revoker eats her brain).
March 9, 2011 6:11 a.m.
Jace 1.0 vs Chandra 2.0 -The pyromancer summoned up her mightiest onslaught of fire and rage. Jace feigned interest.
Chandra 1.0 vs Tezzeret 2.0 Tezz--lawl lawl ill dig, oh look mox opal plays chandra--RAWR TAKE 1!!!! Tezz--aaaaaand now my opal is a 5/5, buh bye chandra
Tez 1.0 vs Nissa Nissa--i gain 4 life :D Tezz--aaaaaaand i untap time vault :D
Ajani 1.0 vs Sarkahn 1.0 Ajani--BEHOLD MY SERRA AVATAR-ESQUE TOKEN Sarkhan--...act of treason? kthx?
Jace
Ajani
Tez
Tez
March 10, 2011 8:02 p.m.
triviamonkey1981 says... #15
baby jace vs chandra- chandra comes in an goes burn you for 4 and says you are the weakest link good bye- win chandra
Ajani vs Vol- ajani sits and waits builds up weenies and Eldrazi Monument finally sarkhan goes yea i have flying Dragons next turn ajani casts Doj and weenies roast vol and his dragon;s become toast- win ajani
Tez1.0 vs Nissa- hmmm got to give it to Nissa if played right by turn 7 you've got enough fodder pop vine kicked on a chosen and overwhelm stampede and then it's a bull in Tezzeret's china shop- win nissa (we hear tezz crying after going not my antiques)
March 29, 2011 2:22 a.m.
triviamonkey1981 vs temporal awareness: TEMPORAL AWARENESS confuses t-monkey into thinking that we aren't already in the quarterfinals. Tricky play, but effective, as t-monkey gets lost in old posts. win: temporal awareness.
March 29, 2011 3:06 p.m.
DeckBuilder345 says... #17
ZOMG! Temporal awareness is clearly OP! NERF NERF! Thankfully it takes way to long to bring out... i dunno slight edge maybe to the monkey... cuz lets face it monkeys make cool monkey noises. Ooooh oooh oooh eeee eee.
Offers the monkey a friendly banana trail to the current matchups.
Bertie says... #1
What are Jace Beleren ,Ajani Goldmane and Chandra Ablaze Doing this low?
Chandra is awesome in burn decks, Ajani in life gain and Jace in any Blue Deck.
Look at Chandras Ultimate, is it game winning, yes. With the +1 you can discard say 2x Lava Axe for 8 and then hit for a free 10. Thats 18 DAMAGE already, 1 Lightning Bolt and your gone
Ajani's Avatar is awesome especially when Brave the Elements can be used to completely prevent blocking or any way to give it trample or flying.
Jace is just Jace. He has card advantage and will mill what by the time you use it be near enough half your enemies deck.
March 4, 2011 5:54 p.m.