Companion Rules Change
General forum
Posted on June 1, 2020, 10:57 a.m. by TriusMalarky
So, what does everyone think of the Companion Rules change?
I personally think it's great, although once Ikoria rotates I'd like to see it change to instead of . I'm still using companions. I wasn't building my decks to need their presence anyways, so they're just backup for when I need cards or want to go in for the kill.
I think it does change some things about each companion. Here's my thoughts:
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Keruga, Yorion, Gyruda, Lurrus are for lategame hand refills.
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Obosh, Kaheera are for going in for the kill.
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Lutri, Umori, Jegantha, Zirda are probably never gonna be companions again. They're better in the 60.
Many of the companions will now see 60 play where they didn't before.
For reference, the new rule says that you need to pay to bring your Companion out of your sideboard and put it into your hand. The ability is Sorcery speed and effectively has Split Second, as it can't be responded to.
TheRealWiredUP says... #3
So this rule change has me thinking that the change makes the companion mechanic not viable in commander/highlander/other formats with no sideboard.
The other rammification i can think of is that Lutri, the Spellchaser might be unbanned in commander (pending a decsion fron the RC) because of this.
Am i right in thinking this or have i woefully misunderstood?
June 1, 2020 11:49 a.m.
Lutri will, and should, stay banned for the same reason that it was originally. it is a card that every blue/red deck should put as their companion. It has no cost in terms of deck building, and it has a benefit. it doesn't matter if the benefit is small, niche or even over costed. if lutri cost 20 mana you'd still make it your companion. why? because why not? it doesn't clog up your deck so it's not something you have to worry about cutting for other better cards. personally i wouldn't have an issue with someone playing lutri as their commander if that's what they wanted. or even with him in the 100. my issue is with their existence outside the 100. an extra resource.
June 1, 2020 12:44 p.m.
TriusMalarky says... #5
I think Obosh is still good in stompy, which is where I run him. Jund Pioneer Stompy. The deck punches face hard without him, and playing him is just an immediate "I win". 8 mana doesn't change too much.
June 1, 2020 12:45 p.m.
TheRealWiredUP says... #6
Okay this maybe be me misunderstanding an implentation of the rule change, but my understaning of companion now states that Companion provides a special action where you pay {3} and put your companion into your hand from your sideboard providing you meet certain deckbuilding criteria.
Given that commander does not have sideboards, it appears to me that the Companion mechanic simply does not work in commander, unless the format is allowing a single card with Companion to exist outside the game providing deckbuilding criteria have been met.
Am i still misunderstanding how companion works in commander given this rule change?
June 1, 2020 1:08 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #7
I feel that is a very good change, and should help with keeping companions balanced, but I do agree with TriusMalarky that is a rather high price to pay, and that would have been perfectly balanced.
I am glad that WotC is fixing a problem, but I again am wondering if they properly playtested companions, although I again suspect that they did not, just as it is clear that they did not playtest Oko before printing his card. If only they had properly playtested the companions, they could have avoided this matter, entirely.
June 1, 2020 1:46 p.m.
TheRealWiredUP the rules committee made a statement that theres basically a companion zone on
June 1, 2020 2:21 p.m.
TheRealWiredUP the rules committee made a statement that theres basically a companion zone on
June 1, 2020 2:26 p.m.
Honestly most of the companions are kinda meh in EDH as companions (even Lutri is not great in every deck. For example, I dont really think I would run him as a companion in some URx decks like Surrak Dragonclaw decks or other creature based/non-instant sorcery based decks) because they can effectively neuter the deck. This changes them even more to not really being worth it tbh.
June 1, 2020 6:32 p.m.
As companions I mean. In the 99 I think theyre actually decent.
June 1, 2020 6:33 p.m.
I wish they only made the tax 2 mana, they nerfed the mechanic pretty hard with a tax of 3. I'd really have liked to see more companions in the future and that feels much less likely now, which is super unfortunate.
June 1, 2020 10:36 p.m.
TriusMalarky says... #13
I think a buff to is coming relatively soon. will drop their playability so noticeably that WotC will have to try and buff them again, so I think it's fully reasonable that they'll get buffed.
June 1, 2020 11:04 p.m.
I've been gone for awhile but I've seen people say that Commander decks don't have sideboards. When did that change?
I was under the impression that a Commander deck can have a 10 card sideboard. Usually not useful, but any card that says you can get a card from outside the game, can only get it from your 10 card sideboard. Of course sideboard has be to within color identity.
I remember this was a thing because I main decked Spawnsire of Ulamog in my deck, and filled the sideboard with the Eldrazi not good enough for the regular deck.
June 2, 2020 8:35 a.m.
Commander has never had sideboards. Some playgroups allow them (which is totally cool) but they have never been in the actual rules.
June 2, 2020 10:45 a.m.
Companinions will be less played, but not by much. Jegantha will still be played in Monogreen Tron, because it is still a free card. Same with Lurrus in Modern burn.h Or Gyruda combos - you just have to pay 3 prior to your combo turn.
If the original mechanic was like putting 10 mentos in a bottle of diet coke, this mechanic is like putting 5 mentos in diet coke.
If the mechanic is bad for the game, ban the mechanic, bandaids will not work.
June 4, 2020 7:36 a.m.
TonyStark9001 says... #17
i think the change was completely unneccesary and people just need to adapt.
abby315 says... #2
Here's the B&R announcement for reference: B&R & Rules Change
I agree with you, but don't think Obosh will continue to see play. I'll be interested to be proven wrong, but at 8 total mana investment, I don't think it's worth diluting an aggro deck. Maybe if our 1-mana options get stronger.
On the other hand, with the bans, I'll be interested to see if Companions actually get stronger. There's a bit of a power vacuum for best deck-shell now. I'll be interested to see if Gyruda combo comes back.
I wish Tef3ri had been banned, too. But I didn't really expect him to be. :(
June 1, 2020 11:28 a.m.