Well, most lords only give +1/+1, unless they're
really huge (a la Sunrise Sovereign). This guy
gives a much bigger bonus than Wizened Cenn did,
but only if he's equipped. Equipment is
certainly a much stronger way to enhance a
creature than the Auras they first sought to
emulate, but cards like Skyhunter Cub and Auriok
Glaivemaster back in Mirrodin taught us that the
"only powerful if Equipped" trope just isn't as
powerful as we'd like to think. Playing the
creature, playing the Equipment card, and paying
the mana to Equip means that the bonuses don't
come as easily as they look.
Add to that the fact that this guy is lord of
the Kor, a tribe that as of now has fewer strong
members than we'd like, and this looks like a
disappointment compared to Wizened Cenn. When
the next set is released, Kor (as well as
Allies) will likely get more stronger as the
cardpool of candidates increases. For now, I'm
underwhelmed.
Equipment has been one of the most popular card
types in Magic, and Armament Master gives us
just one more reason to love it. He came a
couple of sets too late to interact with Vulshok
Morningstar and Loxodon Warhammer in competitive
play, but the Kor's love of equipment is almost
as great as the Auriok's, and I don't doubt
he'll have plenty to play with come Worldwake.
Until then, try him with Conqueror's Pledge!
Constructed:
The Kor's deck has some potential to do very
well. But not as strong as Kithkin was. It has a
good idea to have a creature hold a peice of
Equipment and pump everone else, but it is to
slow and just like Auriok Steelshaper from
Mirrodin it did not do well. But then again
Artifacts were the domanted force back then.
Casual &
Multiplayer:
A new tribe is welcome, but it is second to the
Vampires running around.
Limited:
The Kors are really good in draft or sealed.
Just pick up alot of Equipment like Adventuring
Gear or Spidersilk Net, but always pick
creatures over Equipment, because they win games
not Equipments.
Overall a good card that will be overlook for
awhile.
Constructed: 2
Casual: 3
Multiplayer: 4
Limited: 4
Later
Miguel
Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno
Today's card of the day is Armament Master a kind
of lord for the Kor that requires at least one
equipment attached to him for any additional
effect. First I'd like to say how strange it is
to see a two white mana
2/2 without First Strike. To have any impact at
all on the battlefield you need three cards in
play: Armament Master, an equipment card, and
another Kor creature. All of that just to grant
a +2/+2 bonus to one of them is a great deal of
work for little payoff.
For Constructed and Multiplayer the small reward
for a great deal of effort keeps this from being
a serious threat in serious games. With a large
swarm this can be somewhat effective, but other
decks are far more efficient at enhancing an
army.
With Casual seeing some Kor theme decks is
probable and this is a good card to add to them.
Any casual Kor deck should run any copy they
have available and a decent number of
equipments.
To Limited this is a very weak card, but still a
two mana 2/2. If playing a purely White deck
Armament Master has the potential to be a bit
more useful than a Grizzly Bear, but the odds
are remote as it requires the previously
mentioned three card combo. This is definitely
the kind of rare I'd consider passing in Booster
and only keep one in my Sealed deck if already
playing White and a few useful Kor and
equipments are available. If you rare draft this
in Booster and want to make a run at it being
playable focus on every Kor and equipment you
can and hope for the best. This isn't a great
topdeck or card advantage, so be sure to have
some alternate win conditions to balance the
deck out.
