M14: Garruk, Caller of Beasts
General forum
Posted on July 3, 2013, 3:31 a.m. by Jakethorn
So the new Garruk. I'm not to much of a fan of him but my friends are going crazy and saying how much play he will be getting. What do you guys think of him? Will he be good, better than primal hunter?
ShimmerVoid says... #3
He feels a bit too slow in the current standard but I suppose he can be OK in ramp decks.
Imagine going
Turn 1: Land + Mana Dork (Arbor Elf , Avacyn's Pilgrim etc)
Turn 2: Land + Farseek + Mana Dork
Turn 3: Land + Caller of Beasts (Activate second ability) + Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
Now you have a threat they have to deal with (but not without repercussion) and if they don't you have Garruk to churn out more momentum.
I think he'll see some play but not to the extent Primal Hunter has.
July 3, 2013 4:26 a.m.
dream_cast says... #4
I was thinking the same as Epoch.
The current meta is too fast, even if you mana ramp to him, I'd rather be dropping a Primeval Bounty than a Garruk.
July 3, 2013 4:28 a.m.
well the new garruk can draw you up to 5 cards in a single turn, that alone can make it backbreaking if used in a creature based midrange deck, he can also do this each turn after him being cast, so far decks like jund have been willing to run really bad draw engines at the same cost. His - ability can protect himself which is another effect that competitive players look for, it doesn't matter what garruk sneaks out (well a mana dork would be bad I'll admit) so long as garruk lives the next turn he can draw you more creatures to protect himself further. The ultimate should always mean game over as you should always have creatures to cast thanks to his + ability.
In short he does what one would want with a planeswalker, an ability that generates card advantage, an ability that protects the planeswalker, and an ultimate that wins games. Personally I think he'll be a bomb in Junk rites (versions that are very creature heavy) for mine I'd be wanting to try 2 copies mainboard early on, but he'll definitely be in the sideboard. Jund midrange will want to use him... essentially if it's midrange and has green in it they'll want this Garruk.
I feel Epoch your thoughts on planeswalkers can be way off during their spoiler season, you did say that Jace, Architect of Thought would have been an EDH only planeswalker as well and for the first 3 or so months he was the most powerful planeswalker in standard, selling like Voice is selling now (if it wasn't for Augur of Bolas jace would have been expensive clear until burning trees were speeding up the format). I think if you want to play the new garruk pre rotation, you'll want to get your copies now.
July 3, 2013 5:06 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #6
I actually remember saying Jace, Architect of Thought was bad in EDH. The Fact or Fiction ability is the only relevant thing he can do early on, as his +1 is not very effective in EDH.
Then again, I don't play Standard. I merely watch it whenever I trade at an FNM. Plus, I'm rarely impressed by any new cards.
July 3, 2013 5:28 a.m.
Now I didn't say you said that jace was good in edh, just that he was probably at his best in edh. (it was a rather long debate, full of 3-4 paragraph comments if I remember correctly)
So then as a person who doesn't play the format the new planeswalker will be most relevant in and who is difficult to impress, why openly tell others your opinion about him? It would be somewhat like me saying Obama isn't a great president in most situations, even though I only happen to see politics once in awhile on comedy central. I personally don't get into politics and am heavily apathetic towards the finer workings of the government running the nation I live in, so overall my opinions on whether or not Obama is a good President holds no weight and only inspires others (in a degree of not at all to heavily) to also voice their opinion that Obama isn't a great leader.
And now so that my comment has some relevance to the actual topic I believe I forgot to compare new core garruk to the old core garruk. In short I believe new garruk will be better because A. his card advantage ability doesn't kill him if activated the turn he comes down and doesn't rely on having a creature out. B. his protection ability can create a larger creature that can have reach which will protect him better. C. the ultimate can't be blown out by a board wipe. D. triple green is hard to make in a 3 color deck!
And my personal opinion on the new Garruk would be... "why couldn't we have gotten Jace Beleren back in standard instead of a new, overpriced planeswalker that won't find a place in white aggro or white control!"
July 3, 2013 6:01 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #8
I'm of the opinion that any intelligently-worded and logically defensible opinion is worth stating. Even if I'm wrong, my comment promotes discussion. If someone proves me wrong, that's even better because it educates the community as a whole. Additionally, I can still comment on the usefulness of walkers in EDH if nothing else.
I will say that Garruk, Caller of Beasts is somewhat more dependent on your deck than Garruk, Primal Hunter .
- COB's + ability varies in usefulness according to not only the deck, but the top five cards of that deck. PH's + ability is consistently strong and produces relevant advantage.
- COB's second ability is only effective if you have a decent enough green creature in your hand. You can make the obvious argument that PH's second ability is only useful if you control a powerful enough creature permanent, but the overall effect of PH's second ability is, I believe, stronger (compare drawing several cards on turn five or later to putting a single creature from your hand onto the battlefield for free on turn six or later).
- COB's ult doesn't end the game. It generates some strong advantage so long as you can continue to draw and play creatures, but it doesn't hand you the game on a silver platter. PH's ult basically wins you the game on the next turn if your opponent doesn't have a Supreme Verdict in hand or an enormous number of evasive attackers or chump blockers.
Importantly, PH protects himself with his + ability while COB can only create the possibility of protection with his + ability. COB's second ability produces the most immediate and guaranteed protection, but it severely weakens the walker in return.
July 3, 2013 6:17 a.m.
Alvn_isnt_Low says... #9
I'm a big fan of Garruk in general. When they spoiled Caller of Beasts, at first, I was a little disappointed. A 6-drop Garruk?! C'mon Wizards!... and then the art? Kinda a lackluster "caller of beasts" but I've seen far worse card art.
Then his abilities:+1: Hey since this will prolly be the last card cast in your hand anyways, why not dig down 5 cards and look for creatures and put them into your hand. that can't possibly be a good thing in a green deck...
-3: Garruk's way of saying "Beast! Fooooorrr Frreeee!" or for those who still don't get it, he comes with his own protection...
-7: You mean to tell me I can now cast any creature and then search my library for another creature card... AND put it onto the battlefield?! After doing his +1 ability, 3 times, it shouldn't really be an issue.
Now he isn't the most playable Garruk, but he WILL be a force to be reckoned with. Green Ramp decks shouldn't have an issue putting him on the field turn 4. Allowing you to then either put a creature onto the battlefield of any size or dig down 5 cards and find some.
Once ISD block rotates out the meta will slow a bit and will make him a bit more viable. Yeah being a 6-drop isn't cool, at least he isn't triple green like primal hunter.
July 3, 2013 6:32 a.m.
dream_cast says... #10
Wait a second.
I really like his +1 and -3 abilities.
But his -7 gives you an emblem which allows you to search through your library for creatures, well if you've had to pick up 15 cards to play the -7, so on a bad day you're already holding the pricey cards you'd have wanted to exploit the ability for.
Also, on the note of his +1, the meta is getting stronger for Mill, and if you're picking up your creatures and dropping your land to the bottom... well Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker or Mind Grind are going to love that.
July 3, 2013 6:46 a.m.
Schuesseled says... #11
The chances of having to draw both into him, several mana dorks/farseek and a big fattie, just doesn't really appeal to me all that much.
Also if you are filling your deck with giant creatures, if you don't draw into him, all you have to face off against your opponent is mana dorks and a sad face.
July 3, 2013 6:54 a.m.
NobodyPicksBulbasaur says... #12
Not every new Planeswalker can be Thragtusk , who fits into almost any deck that runs green mana.
This one has a very specific place, and in that place he shines. There are Standard brews that are going to be using him to drop Worldspine Wurm on turn 4, followed by an evil laugh (followed by their opponent laughing really hard as they crush games 2 and 3).
There are also going to be plenty of EDH decks that will absolutely love seeing him. I don't think I'll ever be dissapointed to Cascade into him in my Maelstrom Wanderer deck, for example.
He won't break Standard, Legacy, or Modern, but he will be fun. I've never had problems with Wizards printing bad cards that make me smile.
July 3, 2013 8:18 a.m.
Definitely more relevant in commander than standard. Seems like WoTC is trying to get more support for EDH out there. Im pretty sure they're releasing another Commander's Arsenal set this year. But he's way too slow for standard. I won't be going out of my way to get him, but I'll be happy if I pull him out of an M14 pack.
July 3, 2013 10:57 a.m.
harrydemon117 says... #14
With all new cards/sets comes a time where people will have to figure out where certain cards fit in best. Yes the new Garruk is a 6 CMC planeswalker and is slower than Garruk, Primal Hunter but in my opinion will be easier to play in multicolored decks as he will only be 4GG instead of 2GGG (requiring 3 green mana can sometimes hose you if you don't have it when you need it).
I think his place will be more of a card advantage shell where he "draws" you more creatures and later on can give you tempo putting 2 fatties down in a single turn. Most people are looking to compare 'walkers to things like Liliana of the Veil
, but fail to recognize that SHE is not a WIN CON on her own either....mainly a supportive role).
It will take some time to find him a place, but for those that are counting him out early be warned :)
July 3, 2013 11:13 a.m.
Unforgivn_II says... #15
All I know is that I REALLY want one of the black on black ones. It looks sick, and remedies the whole "his art sucks" thing. Plus, I've got a casual mono green deck he'll do just fine in.
July 3, 2013 11:58 a.m.
i think he is going to change the tempo in formats like EDH and modern. a plainswalker with a tooth and nail attached.
July 3, 2013 1:10 p.m.
Alvn_isnt_Low says... #17
He'll fit nicely into a G/R ramp deck along side domri and fatties like craterhoof and ruric thar.
Epochalyptik says... #2
At 4GG, he's too expensive to be relevant in most situations. Garruk, Primal Hunter comes down a turn earlier and has more relevant abilities.
I can see the new Garruk being an EDH card in decks like Mayael the Anima .
July 3, 2013 3:59 a.m.