Herald of Anafenza, and Outlast in general
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on Sept. 16, 2014, 12:04 p.m. by Goody
So I've seen some hate on Outlast as an ability in the constructed format, and while I agree that most Outlast cards are not playable, I don't agree that the ability isn't playable. Herald of Anafenza is one example, IMO, of a perfectly constructed-playable card.
First off, if Outlast was "instant speed" OR if it didn't require tapping, it would be very overpowered in the better Outlast creatures - like the Herald. Herald of Anafenza
is already costed well enough as a 1/2 for 
, it would only be better as a 2/1. While the body itself isn't worthy of rare status (Elite Vanguard
was only uncommon, after all), the versatility of Outlast combined with its token generation in this card make it an excellent 1-drop.
I feel like most people think that you have to Outlast as soon as possible, as much as possible. That's dumb. You play Herald of Anafenza turn 1, attack with it until they have something that blocks it, and then IF you have nothing better to use mana on, you use its Outlast ability. If you don't have the mana to spare, then it just sits there as a 1/2, which is perfectly fine for the one white mana you invested on it. Rinse, repeat.
There's also the argument that Outlast is bad because it removes a blocker. If you need to block, you're either blocking favorably or not. If it's favorable to you, then you don't need to Outlast. If it's not favorable, then you either chump block with the creature, or use its Outlast ability to be able to block better the next turn (you wouldn't have chumped anyway, so tapping a creature down makes no difference). That's another reason why I like Herald of Anafenza , the token it makes by Outlasting chumps while your dude gets bigger.
If Outlast was instant or didn't require tapping, Wizards would have had to make Outlast creatures even worse than they already are. As it is, they were able to print fairly costed creatures with a bonus Outlast ability on them.
tl;dr I like Outlast and Herald of Anafenza for constructed, sue me
APPLE01DOJ says... #3
Scavenging Ooze isn't over powered.
Herald of Anafenza caught my eye too. Woulda been sick in a populate deck...
September 16, 2014 12:51 p.m.
SwiftDeath says... #4
Outlast isn't a bad ability and will provide good builds for casual players. The problem is with a format where we have a lot of removal options and creatures don't stay for extended amounts of time Outlast falls short of the mark that makes it good for competitive constructed. It is to slow needing to survive yours and your opponents turn and then if you want to use the ability it takes Mana and can't attack that turn unless it has/you give it Vigilance and attack first. I think with all the power creatures and quick removal it is to weak in the current format and would've been good in a slower format with less removal. Herald of Anafenza is the exception because it provides instant speed creatures for blocking or extra attackers and can block Goblin Rabblemaster tokens for free if there is not follow up removal while making itself a bigger threat/blocker.
September 16, 2014 1:07 p.m.
SwiftDeath. Outlast is only sorcery speed so Herald doesnt provide instant speed blockers.
Regardless, outlast is fine in a control shell. Similarly to the role of Scavenging Ooze in a rock deck. You can invest some time and mana into it whilst you control the board with removal, and if it happens to become a 5/5 and win you the game then great, but if it's removed or otherwise killed, you lose very little because you still have board control. Decks with the luxury of time can make good use of this ability. Lots of modern decks don't really mind investing time and effort into single creatures if they have options to remove the enemies stuff too.
It is slow, but slow is ok if you can keep control in that time.
September 16, 2014 1:23 p.m.
SwiftDeath says... #6
My bad thought it was instant speed. That makes it a lot worse then. Control doesn't want creatures in play very often. They are more focused on resolving their board wipe so they can start controlling every spell there after. If they have to play a low cost creature before they board wipe then they are losing their own creature that's why they like Elspeth, Sun's Champion and AEtherling so much because they are great late game finishers that don't die easily to board wipes and removal. Scavenging Ooze isn't in the same league as Outlast because; one Instant speed, having the ability to pump your ooze as an Instant turns off almost all Burn cards. Two Lifegain, gaining life back for pumping your Ooze is a great advantage especially when your opponent wastes their removal all your other creatures and you can gain a free 3-4 life late game while making a 6/6 Ooze. Three and last Graveyard hate, not allowing your opponent to use the graveyard the way they want to is very important and is critical to many game plans and even more so with older formats where they want to reanimate or flashback with Snapcaster Mage . In standard Scooze doesn't see much play because there is no deck for it to specifically hate on. It could go after R/W Burn and hate out Chandra's Phoenix but that is it. For this reason it doesn't see as much play as it would if Reanimator made a comeback. I know for a fact outlast will not see major play because there isn't a need for it right now. There may be a need for it a few months from now but with all of Theros and the power cards we're getting from Khans like Rakshasa Deathdealer , Savage Knuckleblade , and Mantis Rider there is less of a need for slow abilities like Outlast.
September 16, 2014 1:47 p.m.
SwiftDeath - I know Scooze is way better than any outlast creature. Im extremely familiar with the ins and outs of this style of play and scooze in general, in both modern and standard. My point, which you spectacularly missed, is that standard players need to modify their thinking about how control works. It doesn't NEED to be all about board wipes and Elspeth. That's one, very popular, way of doing things - but it's not the only way. Hybrid decks are possible, and scooze was used as an example of a creature that already fits quite nicely into one, albeit in a modern setting. Control decks can play creatures if they forgo board wipes for something else. In which case they might err on the side of something that's a bit more like a hybrid. Regardless, the style exists, it's tested and it works.
September 16, 2014 1:53 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #8
Rakshasa Deathdealer is gonna be a standard beast...
September 16, 2014 1:58 p.m.
SwiftDeath says... #9
I understand that decks can take hybrid forms but control is getting End Hostilities and this is going to make it likely that it will be played very similar to the way it is now forgoing some staples like Sphinx's Revelation . I realize you know about how the format works but I cover all bases for the people who may end up reading the comments and are not as well informed. Also to say I "spectacularly missed" the point is rude. Control decks certainly have the option to forgo board wipes and play a different build. I'm not saying it cant be done but with the cards we currently have access to it will not be a high enough tier deck to see competitive play.
September 16, 2014 2:26 p.m.
TheRedDude says... #11
In limited i see it as t1-3/4 play outlasters then play blockers and block and outlast all day until you have some stuff to swing with and win! phew!
September 16, 2014 4:57 p.m.
Khans of Tarkir WILL be a slower format. The only duals that come into play untapped are the painlands, and those only in enemy colors. Fetches are in allied colors, but without shocklands, they aren't quite as good as a dual land. Three-color decks are always slower unless the mana base is ridiculously good (like naya blitz with shocks and checks in ISD/RTR).
Scavenging Ooze needs a target, and only gets bigger if it's a creature card. It's also unique in its ability. Outlast is a keyword ability in several creatures, and requires no target. They can't make an ability like that too powerful.
There isn't that much removal floating around though, not after rotation at least. I see KTK as having lots of creature based decks. Any creature that generates value/card advantage might see play.
GoldGhost012 says... #2
Outlast is actually pretty good in control builds where it's more likely that your early turns will be mana fixing/disruption and you'll have excess mana during later turns to Outlast with.
September 16, 2014 12:29 p.m.