Why no planeswalkers?
Modern forum
Posted on Feb. 26, 2014, 1:15 p.m. by Tom_Corbett
Hey all,
I'm new to MTG so please excuse the noob question.Watching PTs and GPs online, I'm not seeing lots of planeswalkers? How come? Are they not competitive? Don't get me wrong, I love playing them at the kitchen table with my buds. Just wondering why they're rarely (if ever) found in the top8 decks?
Cheers
Servo_Token says... #3
In modern, you aren't going to see a lot of planeswalkers because it's a format that's dominated by efficient 1-3 drop creatures, burn spells, and counter spells. Most planeswalkers are going to cost at least 4, which is why they seldom see play. They're just too slow. The ones that do see play are either 3 mana (Liliana of the Veil ), in a control deck that drags the game out to turn 20 (Ajani Vengeant , Gideon Jura ), or just so powerful that they need to be included (Karn Liberated ).
February 26, 2014 1:28 p.m.
Tom_Corbett says... #4
Thanks, guys, that makes total sense.
And whoa, I hadn't seen Karn Liberated
before - imagine casting him in an Affinity deck for 5 using Fist of Suns
? LOLZ
February 26, 2014 2:30 p.m.
Servo_Token says... #5
Imagine casting him in any Urza tron deck using Urza's Mine , Urza's Tower , and Urza's Power Plant for effectively just 3 mana. (That's what most pros that play him are doing these days)
February 26, 2014 2:34 p.m.
Tom_Corbett says... #6
Ok wow. That's awesome!! Guess why we call them pros... I've got so much to learn!!!
CrazyLittleGuy says... #2
It depends on the format. Each one has a planeswalker that sees a ton of play and is very competitive, but also draws a lot of hate as a result. Jace, the Mind Sculptor , Liliana of the Veil , Jace, Architect of Thought etc. They can usually only fit into control/attrition decks as well, which limits their play.
February 26, 2014 1:18 p.m.