Modern forum
Posted on March 3, 2016, 4:34 p.m. by TMBRLZ
Why is she unloved? You can't argue she's got some of the dumbest abilities there are for a Planeswalker...
Is it simply because she as a CMC of 5 or what? There's variants of Jund playing Chandra, Flamecaller. Why is a $4 death machine unloved?
Like she's not even sided ever... I don't quite get it.
I mean...
+1: Don't touch me.
-3: You're not welcome here.
-7: Stop blocking so I can kill you.
Sceadugenga says... #3
If she cost 1GB and came in with 3 loyalty counters, she'd be played all the time. CMC 3 is the instant "worthy of consideration" slot for PWs in Modern, thanks to LotV and the speed of the format. If you want to be played at CMC 4, you've REALLY got to be worth it, or your deck needs to be able to stop your opponent from doing anything significant so you can make it worthwhile.
March 3, 2016 4:42 p.m.
Sceadugenga says... #6
the +1 does nothing on a 5 mana walker. I'd be happy with that +1 on a 3 mana walker in a Rock deck, since the point of Rock is long grind. It keeps her around to blow up more stuff, which plays into that archetype's strengths.
March 3, 2016 5:13 p.m.
Too slow for the decks that would typically consider her (why cast Vraska the Unseen for 
when you could Maelstrom Pulse for 
and potentially kill more stuff?), and as mentioned repeatedly above, her +1 does nothing.
March 3, 2016 5:57 p.m.
You need to measure the card's immediate impact on the battlefield.
Realistically, she'll hit the table and psuedo-Vindicate. Then you waste a turn ticking it up except that most opponents will just ignore her anyway and go for your life total anyway.
Now you have a choice to make - either tick her up again (wasting another turn) or use her pseudo-Vindicate again which will kill her.
As for her ult, unless you're running a walkers deck, you will NEVER be able to ult her. And on the off chance you do, it's just win more at this point as the only way possible is that you have that much of a hold on your opponent.
So at 5 mana, she is just makes too little impact.
Chandra, Flamecaller on the other hand comes down and is immediately relevant. she produces 6 power with haste on the turn she hits. She also provides repeatable card advantage in red and can mini-wrath on the turn you play her if needs be. Seems a lot more solid to me.
March 3, 2016 7:09 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #9
She's just too slow and as also pointed out above, Maelstrom Pulse is the better option. Personally I feel both Vraska the Unseen & Nissa, Worldwaker are worthy of flex spots. ...but then you're competing against Tasigur, the Golden Fang, Bitterblossom, and just more cheap removal.
March 3, 2016 9:06 p.m.
JaceArveduin says... #10
I've played some with Vraska, and she's quite fun, but my favorite has to be getting up to Garruk, Apex Predator Look at that magnificent bastard! He slices, he dices, and he smashes things to death! Now if only he didn't cost 7 mana, lol
March 4, 2016 2:19 a.m.
Then explain why Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded isn't played much?
March 5, 2016 10:07 a.m.
Because for the colour he's in, all of his abilities are garbage. And he starts at 2 loyalty
March 5, 2016 10:09 a.m.
Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded isn't played because his +1 is actively detrimental. 
for 2 loyalty isn't great, but the fact that ticking it up hurts you on balance makes it unplayably bad.
Scouty says... #2
Because she's really slow for a planeswalker, with no real long-term upside. By the time you get those 3 1/1s, you're already dead
March 3, 2016 4:37 p.m.