Yisan, the Wanderer Bard
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on July 8, 2014, 10:44 a.m. by InnerFlame
Why is nobody as excited as I am for Yisan, the Wanderer Bard ?
InnerFlame says... #3
Exactly, it makes fatty decks easier to run. You could always find a way to untap him too, especially in modern play. I just think he would run so well in like mono green. Searching a library also seems kind of convenient to me incase you can't find what you need.
July 8, 2014 10:51 a.m.
_Xenagos_.....no he makes fatties HARDER to run because hes too slow
July 8, 2014 10:54 a.m.
GoldGhost012 says... #5
He's good at what he does, but what he does isn't amazing as it relies on Yisan surviving long enough to pull out your 6 and 7-drop bombs. No competent opponent will ever let him get over 3 counters without pulling out a kill spell for him and the board.
July 8, 2014 11:01 a.m.
HorrorAvengers says... #6
Guys. T1 birds, T2 yisan, T3 tap for a viscera seer, t4 melira, t5 finks for game. It's slow and vulnerable, but it's a THREAT. Which is exactly what the pod decks like. It doesn't matter if the combo is actually gonna work, it's the threat and pressure of it that makes it work so well, and this guy does it in one card. Even pod needs a second card.
July 8, 2014 11:06 a.m.
The only thing I can see him in is Slivers.
Because slivers have pump or ability for every sliver in play, you can go fetch any creature you need...
1-drop... go fetch Striking Sliver
to give all your slivers First Strike.
2-drop... go fetch Venom Sliver
to give all your creatures Deathtouch.
and so on...
Aside from that, what _Xenagos_ said is true. Just too slow.
Perhaps paired with something that can add counters...? (Vorel of the Hull Clade ?) But not likely.
July 8, 2014 11:08 a.m.
He makes a decent EDH general, from what I can surmise. Makes for a more toolbox EDH than any other mono-green.
As for his play in other formats, I feel like he'd be best run alongside a bunch of 1-3 drops, for three reasons. One, as others mentioned, he's not going to survive very long. Two, a lot of low drops are toolboxy and can be run as 1 or 2s for him. Three, once you have gotten three tutors off of him, you're already swimming in the value.
July 8, 2014 11:37 a.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #9
Right, glad someone else saw this as a 2nd rate. Birthing Pod
The problem I have with the card, is that you are essentially paying 3 mana for a 1 drop then 3 mana for a 2 drop, and finally 3 mana for a 3 drop before it stars being beneficial. Counting the 3 mana investment to cast, it's 12 mana and 4 turns before u could start seeing the benefits. ...and that's granted they don't have their Indulgent Tormentor online by then.
However I still feel the card has potential. surely some of that convoke nonsense could be applied to it to make it more effective. It does let u tutor & play things outside of your colors though...
July 8, 2014 12:21 p.m.
Mmm, APPLE01DOJ:
The issue of overpaying is balanced by the fact that it is a tutor. I think you underestimate how strong being able to tutor ANY one drop, ANY two drop, and ANY three drop from your deck is: if you need a Phyrexian Revoker to stop a PW, there it is. If you need a dork, you got a dork. If you could use a Death's Shadow , he's there for you. Six or more lands? Out comes Dragonmaster Outcast . Need to screw over a yard? Get Scavenging Ooze .
The main issue is that is so slow. It comes out on T3 without dorks, and starts casting on T4- rather late for modern. Ideally, you'd want him on T2 in Standard to make the most use of him, but he can still already die to removal then. However, the card DOES have potential as a powerful toolbox option, he just can't be run in a deck that's not built around him.
July 8, 2014 12:44 p.m.
InnerFlame says... #11
I was wondering how it would be as an EDH general. It sucks that his versus will restart that's the thing.
I hadn't thought about melira pod but that sounds incredible.
I can see him being good in tribal decks too.
He's a poor man's AEther Vial
July 8, 2014 12:59 p.m.
Rasta_Viking29 says... #12
Yisan's search is not equal to or less than, only equal to. That makes it significantly worse as a toolbox option. Having the right amount of verse counters on Yisan at the times you need those creatures will be a rarity I think.
July 8, 2014 1:02 p.m.
That comes down to testing, I think. While the equal to clause does limit his versatility, he is still able to tutor any drop that equals his verse counters- which, if you consolidated from 1-3, can be a lot of options.
July 8, 2014 1:06 p.m.
InnerFlame says... #14
Yeah I mean the fact that you get to search your library for a card, unlike AEther Vial , gave it some promise. Yea 3 for one and 2 drops, but you're searching your library and getting whatever you want. Which could really help a situation as stated above by Dekord.
Having the right amount of verse counters does suck, but it's something. It can't be too powerful. They made AEther Vial too powerful and it got banned from standard.
July 8, 2014 1:14 p.m.
HorrorAvengers says... #15
Overpaying for him is fine. What's Green Sun's Zenith ? Still, the only place I see him having a home is in some melira pod builds, as a combo threat, or to pump out beaters. I'd love to grab a hierarch, then a voice of resurgance, then a kitchen finks with him.
July 8, 2014 1:20 p.m.
InnerFlame says... #16
That does sound wonderful. Unfortunately, Green Sun's Zenith is illegal in the formats I play.
July 8, 2014 1:38 p.m.
It doesn't toolbox as nicely as Birthing Pod does. It's slower than Birthing Pod . It dies to more stuff than Birthing Pod . It costs more to activate than Birthing Pod
July 8, 2014 1:41 p.m.
It can be run as Birthing Pod 5-8, theoretically.
And Birthing Pod can't be used in Standard.
July 8, 2014 1:47 p.m.
Yisan CAN be run in standard but I don't think you'd particularly want to.
July 8, 2014 1:48 p.m.
GoldGhost012 says... #20
There's really not enough goodstuff creatures to justify his place in Standard at the moment.
July 8, 2014 1:53 p.m.
MindAblaze says... #21
It may be useful to go get Hex Parasite to keep his counters where you want them, then keep pulling out one and two drop utility dudes.
It seems like proliferating or doubling the counters is a lot of work for little pay off, otherwise it's so slow.
July 8, 2014 1:59 p.m.
Yisan can be run in a lot of formats, because he just got printed. The only two where he should be is Standard and EDH, as semicasual decks can be made with him. I get the argument that there's not enough Standard goodstuff, but we can try:
Yisan's Toolbox Playtest
Standard*
SCORE: 0 | 0 COMMENTS | 5 VIEWSJuly 8, 2014 2:01 p.m.
HorrorAvengers says... #23
Only reason I think he's be even runnable in melira pod is how the combo's CMC's run 1 (viscera seer) 2 (melira) 3 (kitchen finks). And even there.. He's only a threat.
July 8, 2014 2:05 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #24
Welllllll let's see here.
His ability is worded so that you put a Verse counter on as part of the cost. That means you can use things like Clockspinning to add counters in response.
July 8, 2014 3:38 p.m.
InnerFlame says... #25
Another thing to keep in mind if they give blue more good counters, putting creatures down with him can't be countered unless it's an ability counter.
July 8, 2014 3:47 p.m.
vampirelazarus says... #26
Meh.
He would be bad in pod, imo.
He's worse than pod, he's worse than Fauna Shaman , and I don't even play her.
July 8, 2014 6:18 p.m.
Named_Tawyny says... #27
I like him. He's got great versatility. Aside from the obvious card advantage and tutor effects, it gives you options; so many options.
You can run off-colour 1, 2, and 3 drops (or sideboard them) to deal with specific threats. Playing g/u but want some Typhoid Rats ? Done. Want to sideboard a Fiendslayer Paladin to deal with mono-B threats? No problem.
Card Advantage, Tutoring, and Mana Fixing. In one card.
July 8, 2014 8:36 p.m.
He will not see play in any competitive standard deck because of removal spells being too cheap. While you spent 12 mana casting and tutoring for a 1, 2, and 3 drop they spent their mana on a 4 and 5 drop that runs over your guys and kills you. Ain't nobody got time for that!
July 10, 2014 11:06 a.m.
Rasta_Viking29 says... #29
I don't see what he does but Reid Duke posted an article about Yisan yesterday some of you might find interesting.
July 10, 2014 12:22 p.m.
InnerFlame says... #30
Rasta_Viking29: wow that was a great article. Thanks so much for sharing it!
July 10, 2014 1:32 p.m.
jpgcoleman says... #31
I don't see him as standard playable. The combo with Seedborn Muse and Prophet of Kruphix seems great in EDH though. He looks to be a new EDH staple. He would go well with Vorel of the Hull Clade as well.
July 11, 2014 11:59 a.m.
Didgeridooda says... #32
Just got to the first comment of this thread. EmblemMan lol. Scale up for 3 many times in one turn? That would be way overpowered.
EmblemMan says... #2
Be ause hes not as good as you may think why would u use him in anything but a fatty deck....itll take an average of 6 turns to get something good out.....if he didnt have to tap hed be waaaaaayyyy better
July 8, 2014 10:48 a.m.