[MtG] Archenemy: Nicol Bolas Preview

[Delibirb]

Link to article, which includes full decklists and a video of some people playing with the precons.

 

The Archenemy Rules do apparently have an important change. From now on, when the archenemy attacks any player or planeswalker on the opposing team, any creature a teammate of the defending player controls may be assigned as a blocker by that creature's controller.

 

[spoiler=The Planeswalkers with new arts]

 

[spoiler=Bolas' Scheme Deck]

 

The scheme card designs look awesome, and I am very excited to play as Bolas. Naturally I'll be turning it into a Bolas EDH deck, but that's beside the point.

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

I WANT THAT LIFE COUNTER

[evilfusion]

To me, this was already almost a sure purchase, not only because of its concept, but because the Planeswalkers ALONE were pretty much equal to the purchasing price, and you get 4 full Decks in addition to those key cards, plus the schemes.

 

I'm pretty pleased with the card lists, for the most part. Decent cards overall, at least when considering that this is mostly a CASUAL product. Decks are reasonably solid on their own, but still open to modifications if you wanted to.

 

Chandra is the only Planeswalker that I'm just outright "meh" about. Gideon, Bolas, and Nissa are all like...$11 cards, and pretty solid on their own merits. Chandra is worth like...$3. She's not TERRIBLE, just not particularly good.

 

Love the schemes, though.

[Flame Dragon]

This is a really solid product. Unlike all other Magic products this feels like a prepackaged game which is something the game can't normally do. While all the anthology products have that feel this has it more so because of how different it is from normal magic.

 

The decks all do a great job of capturing the spirit of their planeswalker and they have neat little reprints here and there.

 

The schemes look really cool and actually made me REALY excited to see Hour of Devastation and Bolas getting to go ham on the world and the Gatewatch.

[evilfusion]

This is a really solid product. Unlike all other Magic products this feels like a prepackaged game which is something the game can't normally do. While all the anthology products have that feel this has it more so because of how different it is from normal magic.

 

The decks all do a great job of capturing the spirit of their planeswalker and they have neat little reprints here and there.

 

The schemes look really cool and actually made me REALY excited to see Hour of Devastation and Bolas getting to go ham on the world and the Gatewatch.

 

Feels like they knew Bolas is super popular, and that the impending Hour of Devastation set is the perfect time to really emphasize how intensely powerful Bolas is. Flavor-wise, I think Nicol Bolas fits the concept of Archenemy to a tee. An enemy so powerful, that you need 3 players teaming up to even stand a chance against them. (But let's face it, that team's still probably going to get utterly thrashed).

 

So when designing this set, they could draw on specific characters to represent a fleshed out theme for each Deck. It's fantastic, in my eyes.

 

The Schemes are spectacular. The art for them is definitely suggestive of things that could happen on Amonkhet when the Hour of Devastation arrives, as well as any scheme with a Bolas quote makes me even more hyped to see what cards and events happen in Hour of Devastation, because the quotes really hit home that Bolas is ludicrously powerful, but deliciously egotistical, and the ultimate schemer.

 

So yeah...I'm hyped to get this, and even more hyped for Hour of Devastation.

[NeoRWBY65]

so is the mana that the behold my grandeur makes actually usable? I thought it would empty away before using it if you can't use it till the main phase

[evilfusion]

so is the mana that the behold my grandeur makes actually usable? I thought it would empty away before using it if you can't use it till the main phase

 

Today, I learned that the mana pool empties between Steps/Phases. It's never actually come up before, but I always thought it emptied during the End Step until I looked it up right now because with my previous understanding, this question made no sense. Huh...and it makes complete sense for that rule to be there, too, when I think about how ridiculous it'd be to try and remember the amount of unspent, produced mana over the course of an entire turn.

 

And to answer your question, Schemes are flipped at the start of Main Phase 1.

[NeoRWBY65]

Today, I learned that the mana pool empties between Steps/Phases. It's never actually come up before, but I always thought it emptied during the End Step until I looked it up right now because with my previous understanding, this question made no sense. Huh...and it makes complete sense for that rule to be there, too, when I think about how ridiculous it'd be to try and remember the amount of unspent, produced mana over the course of an entire turn.

 

And to answer your question, Schemes are flipped at the start of Main Phase 1.

okay, as I had never played archenemy and hadn't seen one that it really mattered that much before now, I thought they flipped during the upkeep. 

 

Kruphix, God of Horizons and Omnath, Locus of Mana keep your mana permanently, but Omnath is picky and only keeps the green mana while Kruphix turns it all colorless

 

EDIT: also, before a rules update a few years ago, the mana that emptied hurt you if you hadn't used it for something

[evilfusion]

okay, as I had never played archenemy and hadn't seen one that it really mattered that much before now, I thought they flipped during the upkeep. 

 

Kruphix, God of Horizons and Omnath, Locus of Mana keep your mana permanently, but Omnath is picky and only keeps the green mana while Kruphix turns it all colorless

 

EDIT: also, before a rules update a few years ago, the mana that emptied hurt you if you hadn't used it for something

 

Heh, to be fair, I ALSO thought the Scheme flipped during the upkeep, until I was reading the linked article (I actually saw the article and video before it was posted here) and it said early on the Schemes flip at the Main Phase 1.

 

And yeah, I knew Kruphix kept mana, but turned it colorless (never knew of the other card). And I knew mana burn used to be a thing, but wasn't really into Magic back then. Even then, still assumed End Phase.

 

Turns out, the main person I play Magic with ALSO thought it was emptied during End Phase, so I feel a little less dumb for just learning that. Fortunately, it's one of those things that really doesn't come up very often, since players seem constantly encouraged to only tap mana they intend to use right that moment (and now I know why), but that always seemed more for simplicity than anything, other than if they use mana abilities in response to something being targeted for removal, but even THAT is rare.

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

Mana burn was removed when the mana rules were changed to have it empty with each step and phase.

 

Braid of Fire used to be a very, very different card.

[NeoRWBY65]

http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=212614

if this gets together with because I have willed it before one of them get abandoned and they manage to stay ongoing....

[evilfusion]

http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=212614

if this gets together with because I have willed it before one of them get abandoned and they manage to stay ongoing....

 

Seems unnecessary. Bask in Silent Awe is really the BIG issue of the two, because to break that scheme, your opponents have to avoid casting Spells for a turn, period. Sure, much harder to break Because I Have Willed It if both are out, but you don't really NEED both active.

[Delibirb]

Does it bother anyone else the way people (specifically those in the video) pronounce Nicol Bolas?

[evilfusion]

Does it bother anyone else the way people (specifically those in the video) pronounce Nicol Bolas?

 

I'm probably someone who always mispronounces it. How DO you pronounce it?

[Delibirb]

I've always said it "nickle bull-is" if both names, or just "bull-us". It just seems wrong to me to stress any syllables for a him. "Nicole" is definitely wrong, "nee-ckle" is weird, and "bowl-us" or "bull-ass" (or worse, "bowl-ass") just don't roll off the tongue at all.

[Flame Dragon]

I've always said it "nickle bull-is" if both names, or just "bull-us". It just seems wrong to me to stress any syllables for a him. "Nicole" is definitely wrong, "nee-ckle" is weird, and "bowl-us" or "bull-ass" (or worse, "bowl-ass") just don't roll off the tongue at all.

I pronounce it more or less how it was said in the video. And remember, with Gavin there that is the official was to pronounce it.

 

And speaking of Bolas.

 

This is beautiful.

[Simping For Hina]

I finally understand why Dem gets a high inner thigh feeling for dragons

[evilfusion]

I pronounce it more or less how it was said in the video. And remember, with Gavin there that is the official was to pronounce it.

 

Made slightly more confusing because almost all of them pronounced it slightly differently, and Nicol Bolas' full name wasn't said frequently. My personal pronunciation is closer to how Jimmy said it at the start (Sounding more like "Nee-col Bowl-as"), but I've started to try saying it without the lengthened first syllable (Sounding more like Nickel, or the way I prefer to think of it, how you would say "Nicholas"), because I hear it that way more often.

 

I don't think the Magic community gets too agitated if you say it slightly differently, so it's probably not a big deal, but I was curious how other people say the name. Then again, half the names in Magic are probably really hard to pronounce perfectly.

[Delibirb]

I pronounce it more or less how it was said in the video. And remember, with Gavin there that is the official was to pronounce it.

I wouldn't really call that an official source for his pronunciation. He's the lead designer for the cards and lists of a product that features a character he didn't create. We would at least need a story writer, preferably his creator(s) though they likely no longer work there.

[Flame Dragon]

I wouldn't really call that an official source for his pronunciation. He's the lead designer for the cards and lists of a product that features a character he didn't create. We would at least need a story writer, preferably his creator(s) though they likely no longer work there.

From what Mark has said internally they like to keep stuff like this consistent, so I'd assume Gavin is as good a source as any for what the official pronunciation is for any name.

[Delibirb]

From what Mark has said internally they like to keep stuff like this consistent, so I'd assume Gavin is as good a source as any for what the official pronunciation is for any name.

Well then I vehemently disagree with them. Like Gif's pronunciation.