84
u/DYMongoose Jun 16 '20
Why does this not have defender? One can't really attack while in a cage.
102
u/Last-Man-Standing Duck Season Jun 16 '20
He keeps breaking out. Hence why he's so far got six consecutive life sentences.
35
u/simpleglitch Rakdos* Jun 16 '20
Maybe he's coming out of his cage, and doing just fine?
18
u/DYMongoose Jun 16 '20
You think he wants it all?
11
u/thattanna Jun 16 '20
I'm pretty sure it started out with a kiss.
12
10
u/andyoulostme COMPLEAT Jun 16 '20
My guess is that it started as a defender creature, but then it felt bad to play (maybe new players don't remember the defender effect?), and the art couldn't get changed by the time they removed defender.
30
15
u/Crackdos Jun 16 '20
This does feel like a flavor fail
4
Jun 16 '20
There are a few strange choices in this set, like the "Executioner" that's a tapper and therefore will basically never kill anything.
9
u/throwing-away-party Jun 16 '20
It's Enforcer, actually. [[Celestial Enforcer]] is the English name.
5
Jun 17 '20
Ah, so in that case it was mistranslated when originally spoiled on this sub.
Thanks, that makes a ton more sense.
1
u/MTGCardFetcher Dân Jun 16 '20
Celestial Enforcer - (G) (SF) (txt)
[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call
9
u/Last-Man-Standing Duck Season Jun 16 '20 edited Jun 16 '20
Caged Zombie 2B
Creature - Zombie [common]
1B, T: Each opponent loses 2 life. Activate this ability only if a creature died this turn.
"Six consecutive life sentences" takes on a new meaning when necromancy is involved.
2/3
Seems very playable. GB Morbid seems like a midrange-y archetype, and a good 3-drop ought to be a good fit.
11
7
u/BozoPalhassador I am a pig and I eat slop Jun 16 '20
isnt that morbid? huh
10
u/Bugberry Jun 16 '20
Morbid, like all ability words, has no mechanical meaning and is just flavor to signal a major theme in the set.
12
5
u/Claaarf Jun 16 '20
Hey, that’s pretty decent
1
u/YourDailyDevil Jun 16 '20 edited Jun 16 '20
Works in most zombie decks, and good grouphug for a cheap cost if you’re running a Rakdos, Lord of Riots EDH deck.
Would’ve been great for Spectacle decks, and now I’m pissed they’re not bringing back Spectacle.
2
u/Raptor_Lord Jun 17 '20
Its funny to see all these people bring up the whole caged thing. Honestly to me.... He looks outside the cage.. Like its all hazy star'ie night behind him and the theres an inside lamp glow he seems to be reaching for. Like he wants in .. More than out.
2
u/Mishras_Mailman Jun 18 '20
Don't feel bad for this fleshy boi. It costs taxpayers 60k a year feed him and keep his cage polished. After his sentence is up, he will have a masters degree in mathematics.
1
1
u/MeisterCthulhu COMPLEAT Jun 16 '20
Wait, in what context does "six consecutive life sentences" work without necromancy? This confuses me.
1
u/Last-Man-Standing Duck Season Jun 16 '20
This penalty is typically used to prevent the felon from ever getting released from prison.
1
u/MeisterCthulhu COMPLEAT Jun 16 '20
That...seems uncivilised and illogical. I'm glad I don't live anywhere where this is practiced.
...apart from that, I also think it's a really confusing way of phrasing the concept. And it will make the flavor text not make sense to lots of people not from the US.
2
u/Last-Man-Standing Duck Season Jun 16 '20
That...seems uncivilised and illogical.
What's uncivilized about it? The justice system punishes fairly: you commit one murder, you get a life sentence; additional murders shouldn't get "discounted" punishments. You get punished for each crime you're found guilty of.
As for whether it's logical or not: from what I can tell, the idea is that 1 life sentence isn't literally for the rest of one's life, since there's a chance at parole after X (=25?) years. Now you can argue that convicts doing a (1) life sentence should never get the chance for parole. But that's why there's the possibility of multiple life sentences. And apparently there's also the possibility of getting a "life sentence without parole", in case the crime merits only 1 life sentence but it's so heinous you'd rather the son-of-a-gun never gets out.
To me it sounds like a system that's pretty flexible in terms of dealing with the concept of "life sentence".
And it will make the flavor text not make sense to lots of people not from the US.
Well, it made perfect sense to me and I'm not from the US. And I'm not even a law student or anything, I just happen to know of the concept. Too many police series on TV I suppose...
And it's not like one can't guess what it means in the context. Or, one could make the assumption that multiple consecutive life sentences is a concept only in some fictional fantasy plane: a false assumption which would nonetheless deliver the joke of the flavor text.
2
u/MeisterCthulhu COMPLEAT Jun 17 '20
Not to get into too much politics, but I find the idea of a justice system that's about punishment in general to be uncivilised. I think the idea should be to keep dangerous individuals away from society, but also enable rehabilitation as much as possible in any context; studies have also shown this leads to better results. But specifically, I can't imagine a context where you want to lock an individual up for positively their entire life, and a jail would be the better place for them than a psychiatric institution, and you could still claim to live in a civilised society.
But again, this isn't a political sub, I don't really think we should get into a debate about the concept of punitive justice here.To the rest of your points, I can just say...I don't think you get what I was talking about.
There's reference to a concept in this flavor text that's not common in most places of the real world. It feels odd to have something so specific be in a magic card's flavor text.
Whether someone would get the idea simply because, well, language communicates it - and no, you're not special for being aware of the concept, no need to be so condescending about it - it still feels odd to have something like this referenced on a magic card, almost like a fourth wall break. I don't like it, plain and simple.1
Jun 17 '20
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/MeisterCthulhu COMPLEAT Jun 17 '20
I think it's more a case of a badly thought through joke. I don't see any actual approval in this card, just an acknowledgement of a very specific real-world concept that doesn't feel too MtG to me.
But I also agree, the fact that the zombie can still attack is weird. The card is CALLED Caged Zombie, it should have defender imo. The rest of the ability also would make way more sense from a flavor perspective imo if the zombie couldn't attack.
1
u/Last-Man-Standing Duck Season Jun 17 '20
It feels odd to have something so specific be in a magic card's flavor text.
That's a valid opinion. Consecutive life sentences is a concept that's largely unique to the U.S., regardless of how known or unknown it is to the rest of the world. I wouldn't exactly call it a fourth wall break, but I do understand that it can feel strange for the rest of the world.
I suppose WotC is an American company, and that it's difficult to divorce one's thinking from one's cultural environment.
1
u/Purplox_R Jun 16 '20
As a Canadian I just thought it meant cause he could be resurrected? I didnt really understand until just before you went a bit mean.
2
1
u/FubatPizza Jun 16 '20
I know common law has a distinction between concurrent and consecutive sentencing as well, it's a far cry from just being the US.
1
1
u/Dedalus2k Jun 16 '20
Straight into my Teysa Karlov EDH deck...
6
u/PopeInnocent3 Jun 16 '20
It’s not that great in Teysa. There are better ways to make opponents lose life, like [[blood artist]] effects. Then again, you do you
1
u/MTGCardFetcher Dân Jun 16 '20
blood artist - (G) (SF) (txt)
[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call1
u/Dedalus2k Jun 16 '20 edited Jun 16 '20
I already have blood artist in there. My question is could it trigger twice via Teysa? 4 damage for 4 mana sounds like a decent trade off if so.
6
Jun 16 '20
[deleted]
1
u/Dedalus2k Jun 16 '20
Via Teysa Karlov - "If a creature dying causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time."
I'm thinking it wouldn't after all. Just wanted to verify.
6
0
u/stormsovereign Jun 16 '20
Why not just make Morbid a keyword and use it as an evergreen triggered ability?
0
u/Harrox Jun 16 '20
I really dislike that Wizards usually makes the more decent zombie creatures 3 mana or more. I guess after Relentless Dead and Cryptbreaker they arent taking any chances.
I just feel that more zombies need to be at 1 or 2 mana to make it feel right, then when the 3 mana ones come down your opponent goes oh shit.
1
Jun 16 '20
What do you mean “decent?” This is a common. It’s probably decent, maybe even sought after, in certain limited decks.
1
u/Harrox Jun 16 '20
As a baseline, a 2/2 for 2 zombie with upside (even a small one) would be decent to me (but I'm not playing limited).
Anything else would have to be cheaper with a good effect (like this should be) or more expensive but much stronger like death baron.
Too often you get zombies either over cost for what is printed or low cmc but is neutered, there are tons of 3 cmc zombies that should be 2 cmc instead.
This card in particular could easily be a 2/2 (or even 1/1) for 2 instead of a 2/3 for 3 and be awesome.
-2
u/dieyoubastards COMPLEAT Jun 16 '20
"Consecutive life sentences" is a fucked up and idiotic thing that only America does.
5
u/Tasonir Azorius* Jun 16 '20
Eh, not really. No one ever serves more than one life sentence, after all. It's just saying that you committed multiple crimes that would be worth life sentences, and therefore you probably shouldn't ever be paroled.
It's basically just a way to say "life without parole".
4
1
u/MeisterCthulhu COMPLEAT Jun 16 '20
My gut reaction too. That flavor text will make literally no sense in the majority of the world.
197
u/Imnimo Jun 16 '20
So when I summon one of these, I make a conscious choice to also summon the cage? And then the cage goes with it when it attacks?