Could Uro come back to Pioneer/Modern?
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on Nov. 3, 2024, 12:05 p.m. by Icbrgr
I was on a hiatus from actually playing paper magic during the Standard release of Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath so I don't really have grasp of the power of this card specifically... but I cant help but wonder if this card by itself could ever return or even maybe in the next upcoming December Ban list announcement/update?
When I do any digging into what decks looked like that were running Uro I tend to notice two other cards alongside it.
The three of these cards together proved to be too much for the Pioneer and Modern formats to handle... but with the latest additions of the newest Foundations set for Pioneer and Modern now being on its 3rd Horizons set (in addition to universes beyond) does anyone have any thoughts on if we could see it return?
In foundations itself I haven't got a clue (I see tons of spoilers but not confident what is legal and what just being reprinted for the sake of reprinting) I am more or less saying a lot as new cards and changes to the meta of both Pioneer and Modern have happened since the Feb 15, 2021 Ban announcment.
Don't get me wrong I totally get that it is one heck of a card... I just wonder if by itself with field of the dead and oko being out of the picture if it would be plausible.... Pioneer has grown a lot as a format in general and Modern is in a perpetual state of power creep because of the straight to modern sets its had maybe it would feel more fitting today?
November 3, 2024 10:35 p.m.
It’s a body, a threat, life gain, card draw, and ramp. Everything a deck could want at the same time. It also invalidates other cards like Explore and Growth Spiral.
November 3, 2024 11:30 p.m.
plakjekaas says... #5
It single-handedly eliminated aggro as a strategy, I really hope it doesn't
November 4, 2024 12:45 a.m.
That is how I felt about Sheoldred, the Apocalypse in pioneer for awhile... I was playing RDW and the 5 toughness combined with deathtouch felt like I'd have so lose a creature and 2 spells to kill it ontop of the life again and drain... then we finally got some better removal and I was okay with it.
November 4, 2024 8:06 a.m.
That’s still how I feel about sheoldred. My personal favorite pioneer deck, Esper greasefang, has a very large amount of draw spells and cantrips i.e. Faithful Mending, Consider, And Tainted Indulgence. My only removal is Fatal Push which I rarely ever get revolt active on. With all the Rakdos midrange decks running around all playing a full play set of sheoldred,I feel like it could be banned, but maybe that’s just me.
November 4, 2024 10:35 a.m.
Dead_Blue_ says... #8
Does any one have a good Uro/Oko list???
I only play casual these days and have been interested in throwing a deck together for a while
November 4, 2024 12:23 p.m.
This is the deck that got me thinking about uro Dead_Blue_
November 4, 2024 1:01 p.m. Edited.
I also like temur builds with Shark Typhoon and Wrenn and Six.
Sry for bad link
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k87pnVEG0Fs&t=20s&pp=ygUabXRnIHdpbGRlcm5lc3MgcmVjbGFtYXRpb24%3D
November 4, 2024 1:09 p.m. Edited.
wallisface says... #11
There’s mo way it’s coming back.
As comparison, Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury is the most played creature in modern, by a decent margin, and is significantly worse than Uro.
Uro being unbanned would be immediately format warping and likely make it the most played creature (or close to). All control lists likely replace Phlage with Uro, and I could also see Frog-Oculus lists replacing Oculus with Uro. Beyond that, you’re going to start seeing every deck that can splash to include it, splash to include it.
November 4, 2024 1:56 p.m.
Yeah shifting the conversation more towards modern... can't help but giggle at "format warping" just because of how everything has been in modern since Horizons.....but you are not wrong though I certainly think we would see it played lot...Psychic Frog would probably love it! in the same way The One Ring goes around as it does it would probably be great to fight boros energy bears... so long as Field of the Dead and Oko, Thief of Crowns are out of the picture and the one ring likely leaving soon maybe Uro isn't that crazy of an idea
November 4, 2024 2:39 p.m.
wallisface says... #13
Icbrgr as I just tried to explain before, Uro would be far too strong for Modern.
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It’s significantly better than the formats current most-played-creature
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It can more-easily slot into a wider range of decks than that before-mentioned creature.
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It’s too good.
I don’t see any reasonable case to be made for its unbanning.
November 4, 2024 2:47 p.m.
Not even the level of representation of boros energy decks? The deck isn't a single card its basically just MH3 the deck with The One Ring?
November 4, 2024 3:08 p.m.
wallisface says... #15
Icbrgr i’d put money on one-ring not surviving the December bans (though I also thought it’d be gone before now).
I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Boros Energy pivoted into 4-colour to run Uro instead-of (or alongside) Phlage.
I get that you really want to play with this card, but this threads question is “Could Uro come back to Pioneer/Modern?” and the answer is “absolutely not”.
There was once talk of Uro being too strong in Legacy, which has always had the waay more access to options for dealing with it. It still sees play there.
November 4, 2024 3:43 p.m.
Your right wallisface the question was in regards to pioneer and modern and generating conversion and volley thoughts back and forth.... legacy doesn't equate at all.
November 4, 2024 4:01 p.m.
wallisface says... #17
Icbrgr i’m aware legacy is a different format, but it was used as a reference to the sheer power of this card in the context of considering it for other formats.
I have tried to articulate my points as best I can. I see absolutely zero valid reasons for an unban of this card.
November 4, 2024 4:08 p.m.
Legacy is just built different lol using it as a measurement for how good something is just isn't reliable. can't even play Dreadhorde Arcanist or Zirda, the Dawnwaker there yet neither really are staples for pioneer or modern exactly.
Nevertheless no worries you did just fine articulating your opinion on if uro could return... I really would laugh though if uro joined in on boros energy, it would just feel really ironic... at least they would have to work for it with having to include instead of the glory of the one ring being colorless.
November 4, 2024 7:56 p.m.
wallisface says... #19
For what its worth, i went through the modern banlist and made a list of cards i’d rather see unbanned because they’d be less toxic than Uro (note this doesn’t mean i actually want any of these unbanned, just that i think they’d be less broken).
- Ancient Den
- Blazing Shoal
- Deathrite Shaman
- Fury
- Golgari Grave-Troll (3rd time lucky right?)
- Great Furnace
- Green Sun's Zenith
- Grief
- Ponder
- Punishing Fire
- Seat of the Synod
- Seething Song
- Splinter Twin
- Tree of Tales
- Vault of Whispers
- Violent Outburst (this one feels super close/adjacent).
- Yorion, Sky Nomad (not that this one’s on the banlist for a power reason though - and imo it should defo stay banned)
November 4, 2024 9:03 p.m.
I think that I would rather have uro unbanned than grief/fury. Another card on this list would be Tibalt's Trickery.
November 4, 2024 9:12 p.m.
plakjekaas says... #21
Icbrgr the two pieces you named are banned because of their interaction with other cards, that aren't legal in Modern or Pioneer.
If Basalt Monolith
was legal in Modern or Pioneer, Zirda, the Dawnwaker would be banned there too. Same goes for Brainstorm and Dreadhorde Arcanist.
Uro is banned because it doesn't actually need any other cards to be constant value, a late-game & recurring threat, and repeated lifegain to hose most aggro strategies. Because the presence of the card by itself distorts the metagame around it, you need to either be playing Uro, or have a plan to combat Uro, or your deck is not viable at all. That's what format warping means.
November 5, 2024 11:24 a.m.
Yeah that was exactly my intention to highlight why using legacy as a measurement for pioneer/modern if a card is good isn't reliable. Pioneer and Modern both currently have aggro heavy meta legacy more combo; Although pioneer recently had its ban of Amalia Benavides Aguirre.
November 5, 2024 12:41 p.m.
wallisface says... #23
Icbrgr i think you missed the point plakjekaas was illustrating.
November 5, 2024 12:57 p.m.
I got the point I just didn't feel the need to challenge the opinion with a bad faith argument about a single card taking over the game if left alone and unchecked.
legendofa says... #2
I don't think Uro's going to come back any time soon. for Explore + gain 3 life is already a good deal. If you have multiple, it gives you the bonus and fuels the Escape. Then you get your 4-mana 6/6 that gives you that effect every turn. It's about a positive value as you can get just by existing.
What cards do you see in Foundations that could support an unbanning?
November 3, 2024 9:56 p.m.