Nissa Revane or Nissa Genesis Mage
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on Oct. 16, 2017, 12:51 p.m. by WanderingSpirit
I run an elf tribal deck called Go Not to the Elves for Counsel, and I'm trying to decide whether Nissa Revane or Nissa, Genesis Mage is better for it. Anyone want to weigh in?
WanderingSpirit says... #3
That's fair. I'd mainly have Genesis Mage in there for the + ability. Untapping land and creatures gets pretty crazy, and while her ultimate isn't nearly as good as Revane's,it is a pseudo- Genesis Wave, which is nothing to sneeze at. She's a 7 drop, so Revane will come out earlier, but she only has 2 abilities barring the Nissa's Chosen grab, which I don't run. I do like Revane better for her life gain and ulti. I guess the main tradeoff is between life gain for 4 mana and untaps or a buff for 3 more, since it's not likely that either will see their ulti go off unless they're protected.
October 16, 2017 2:13 p.m.
That's true, but untapping a couple things isn't worth 7 mana. Quite frankly, gaining a couple life isn't really worth 4 mana either, so unless you decide to run Nissa's Chosen, it might be best to run neither.
October 16, 2017 4:41 p.m.
MindAblaze says... #5
IMO Id run Genesis Mage. My 60 card Genesis Wave deck is built around Nissa Revane, but OG Nissa just isnt strong enough in Commander, unless your meta is slow enough that the lifegain matters.
Untapping a Elvish Archdruid, Priest of Titania, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx and/or a Gaea's Cradle is nothing to sneeze at.
October 16, 2017 5:11 p.m.
You should NEVER assess a planeswalker's playability based upon their ult.
Nissa, Genesis Mage is leaps and bounds above Nissa Revane. While being more expensive, she does serious work and can easily pay for herself in her first activation.
October 16, 2017 8:17 p.m.
WanderingSpirit says... #7
@Pieguy396. I could think of a ton of things to do with 2 untapped lands and 2 untapped creatures, especially in an elf deck.
@MindAblaze. Yeah, that's what I was thinking. She could give that push the elves need to pull off a victory a turn earlier.
@enpc. I know, the main trade-off is X*2 life for 4 Mana vs 4 untaps for 7. I've decided to run Nissa, Genesis Mage for the time being.
October 18, 2017 10:03 a.m.
Lifegain for the sake of lifegain in commander is a waste of a card slot. You've made the right call.
October 18, 2017 10:12 a.m.
WanderingSpirit says... #9
Gonna update just to close up any debate: Nissa, Genesis Mage works on paper and in practice. At no point in the several games she saw play did I wish she was her old self. She builds the deck's momentum nicely, especially with Selvala, Explorer Returned at the helm.
October 24, 2017 6:26 p.m.
DRACULA150704 says... #10
Nissa Revane, but only if you have Nissa's Chosen
Pieguy396 says... #2
100% Nissa Revane. Nissa, Genesis Mage, like all of the other Planeswalker Deck planeswalkers, just doesn't do enough to justify a slot in a commander deck.
October 16, 2017 1:40 p.m.