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Nicol Bolas,
Planeswalker
Welcome back readers!
Today's card has been the talk of the town
around here where I play. Everyone's hyping this
planeswalker up and I'm not sold that it can
live up to the extraordinary amount of hype it
is receiving.
Since I haven't gotten to play with the card
myself, I'm not going to be able to make a
completely accurate assessment of its worth,
specifically in constructed. Players
(specifically players much better at this game
than yours truly) have hyped up cards only to
see them completely fall off before, and I don't
want to become a victim here.
But gun to my head? Is this card good enough to
see play at the top tables of a constructed
tournament?
In my opinion – well really my gut feeling –
says no, not really.
The way I see it: when it comes to cards that
cost EIGHT mana to cast, I want to benefit
almost immediately if at all possible because
usually when you're tapping that many
lands...you're tapped out. I compare it to the
deck I play – five color control with Cruel
Ultimatum – when I tap down for an Ultimatum I
may have one or two lands left untapped at best.
However, I'm drawing cards, destroying
creatures, discarding cards and creating a huge
momentum shift with the life gain/loss.
Even though I'm out of options after playing the
spell, I reaped the benefits instantly so its
balances out. For this planeswalker, if your
opponent has a creature you really don't want to
play it. If you play it with the idea that
you're going to use its ultimate ability to win
the game, you need to wait because upon playing
this card (and thus tapping out) while your
opponent has a creature on the board the choice
is already out of your hands – you have to use
the second ability to steal their creature.
And thats a great ability. A great momentum
shift. But is that alone enough to justify a 8cc
spell?
On their turn Nicol Bolas is sitting on three
counters and is susceptible to everything from
Incinerate to Oblivion Ring. You can say “well
every planeswalker can be rendered useless by
those cards” but most of those planeswalkers
don't cost eight mana to play. Most also benefit
the player casting it immediately, too. Garruk
untaps land, gives you a 3/3 dork or puts your
opponent on a clock (IE. Get this off the field
or lose very soon.). Ajani Veangent will upset
your opponents tempo with its first ability,
give you a free Incinerate with a life bonus and
ultimately (pun not intended) win the game on
its own with its ultimate ability to destroy all
of the players lands. Both of these guys do it
for only four mana.
Can you justify spending eight mana on this
spell? Perhaps. But the way I see it you'll end
up stealing a creature, use it against your
opponent in the combat phase by way of attacking
or blocking, kill some non creature permanents
and if you're lucky enough to build up to it
maybe use its ultimate and win the game. It
takes a few turns though. Things have to go your
way. If your opponent has just one answer to it
(and there are plenty) in Oblivion Ring, more
creatures or any sort of burn spell you just
wasted an entire turn spending eight mana to
cast this thing.
I think it can and/or will be a solid card in
constructed, but I don't see myself tapping down
my lands to cast this fatty anytime soon. At
least as long as Cruel Ultimatum or similarly
better spells for that mana are legal in type
two.
Like I've said time and time again...you can
form your own opinions about this kind of stuff
all you want but no one (even the pros) really
have any sort of idea what kind of impact a card
will have on constructed until it is released
and people start playing it. I could easily be
wrong on this one, but in my opinion this card
is a bust in constructed.
Constructed: 3/5 – Solid card but the casting
cost is alarming. |
