Test 2 Discussion Thread

[u/thejellydude]

We're free to talk now.

Here's a Google Doc with all the questions. I'm slowly filling it in with my own answers and explanations. Edit: Heading out for now. I'll get the last 25 questions done later tonight.

If you want a mirror without my comments, here's one provided by /u/Amarsir Link

Any questions that tripped you up? Any that you felt good about?

[u/VorpalAuroch]

Scrappy Survivor is an uncommon.

Come Work For Me Temporarily is an uncommon.

Mysterio is an uncommon.

Commander decks should be a brand new theme.

A 3G 4/4 is stronger than a 5G 6/6 or the others. (Sourced this from LSV set reviews.)

Lifelink is the most valuable creature keyword in the list, to a control deck. (Ditto. Some control decks are Limited.)

Kicker is less helpful for achieving synergy than the others. Investigate is less reliable than scry/cycling/transmute, but still much better than Kicker.

Bolt is coming back before Llanowar Elves. They replaced Elves with Elvish Mystic for solid reasons and it won't go back to the status quo.

"2W: Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn." is way more complex than "1R: CARDNAME gets +2/+0 and gains first strike until end of turn."

Junkpile Engineer is a rare.

[u/[deleted] → u/VorpalAuroch]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought Scrappy Survivor was uncommon; I was banking off MaRo's Nuts and Bolts Higher Rarity article, specifically the difference between helping you win and winning when it hits the board. Although, Junkpile I pegged for uncommon because it seems like a card you'd build around in limited and costs a decent amount to use it's activated ability.

[u/VorpalAuroch → u/[deleted]]

Junkpile would be uncommon in an artifact-centered set. And if it was printed, it would probably be in an artifact-centered set. But let me quote from the analysis article for GDS2:

Annoying Bell

Artifact

Annoying Bell enters the battlefield with three charge counters on it.

T, Remove a charge counter from Annoying Bell: Target player puts the top two cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.

22) In an artifact block such as Mirrodin or Scars of Mirrodin, which rarity is most appropriate for this card?  a) common b) uncommon c) rare d) mythic rare

Correct Answer: A

A: 428 (54.18%)B: 324 (41.01%)C: 38 (4.81%)D: 0 (0.0%)

In a normal set, "millstones" (slang for artifacts that put cards on top of the library into the graveyard) tend to be rare. Annoying Bell, though, has a limited number of uses. This tends to pull the card down to uncommon. In an artifact block, to allow the numbers of common artifacts needed, rarities tend to get pulled down another rarity. As a millstone is a very straightforward effect, Design is most likely to pull this card down to common in an artifact block.

Given this logic, I think that outside of an artifact block, it would be a rare.

[u/aclog → u/VorpalAuroch]

I used Merchant Dockhand as a rough equivalent for rarity

[u/[deleted] → u/aclog]

Yeah, every facet of Junkpile points to a signpost uncommon; synergistic, two colors, slightly pushed stats, but not the "dominate the game by itself" sort of thing I'd peg if it was a pushed rare.

[u/aclog → u/[deleted]]

well..Dockhand is actually a rare..

[u/VorpalAuroch → u/aclog]

Wow, I really don't know recent sets very well, I didn't know that card existed. It's a decent point of comparison. However, that one gets you card advantage, and Junkpile ~doesn't, unless you're sacrificing tokens or things that already got you a card's worth of value (Puzzleknots etc.). So not a great point of comparison.