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Apr 22, 2012 -- 9:59PM, chronego wrote:

I've talked numerous times about how human brains seek out pattern completions and that if you start creating a pattern, you have to finish it—otherwise, you create negative feelings in the audience, which expects the pattern to finish.

Mikaeus, the Lunarch ; Geist of Saint Traft ; Grimgrin, Corpse-Born ; Olivia Voldaren ... ... Legendary Werewolf .

I personally have really liked all of the Innistrad block and the new Avacyn Restored cards have me excited, but...

Yeah... I am with you there... Would have been really nice to have had a Legendary Werewolf to round out that tribe, and go along with all the other Legendary Creatures for each tribe... So what are EDH players supposed to do with the werewolf decks (he says and then realizes he doesn't entirely understand EDH yet, but feels the sentiment is valid, and leaves it... ). And heck, they could have just changed the wording on Mayor of Avabruck or Huntmaster of the Fells and avoided this frustration from fans... that would have been simple enough.

But really, there were plently of perfect opportunities for a Legendary Werewolf with any one of the three pack alphas, as well as justifications for them remaining even after Avacyn spread Cursemute across the land.

Tovolar would have been a perfect choice to include for this set since he doesn't change back to human form, is the most referenced in flavor, and his pack had generally stayed away from larger populations – a habit which they/he could have returned to upon Avacyn's restoration and the cursemute. Depict him standing on a hill, observing the cursemute spreading out over the land, mute as ever looking on as his Howlpack is mostly converted. Include some flavor about the fate of his howlpack and what his new purpose will be... perhaps to seek out any other remaining werewolves and build a new howlpack, vowing never to become human again nor give into lure of becoming one of the Wolfir.

Or choose Skaharra of the Leeraug, and since she and her pack are particularly viscious with their killing of entire lineages, she'd be the perfect one to make a pact reflecting the opposite of Avacyn's cursemute. Whereas (most) other werewolfs became the Wolfir, she could have made a pact with a devil or demon to remain in wolf form at all times, always wild, always hungry, pursuing her murderous rampages. She'd likely be a red-aligned Werewolf even with the pact-with-the-devil aspect (I could also see a R/B version, but that's a whole different bag of donuts and would introduce too much stuff that was never present.)

Or choose Ulrich of the Krallenhorde pack, depict him traveling by boat as a human to another land where it's rumored there are still Werewolves (as per cursemute section of Wold of Avacyn Restored). The human form would also keep in line with the "converted" flavor of this set, and also reference his tendency to run with his Howlpack even when in human form. (Yes, he'd be a Legendary Human Werewolf, but hey, I would have taken it over nothing.
 
Or even give us Legendary Wolf Warrior / Wolfir, and people wouldn't be frustrated... it'd be flavorfully off, but it would be something.

OR you have Garruk currently more conscious and have him featured in the Wild Defiance card, complete with a PERFECT quote to counter the whole cursemute story and justify a wild Legendary Werewolf remaining on Innistrad. Maybe he sees one of the Wolfir bound from their enjoying their wild ways, and does a little Planewalker magic (i.e., Wild Defiance), and lets them remain wild instead of in control. I mean, c'mon that card gives you a perfect excuse to do this... and where is this wolf represented but here...?

Wild Defiance Show

I dunno, those all seem like creative, viable options to me, and I don't think it'd be too out of place in a set like this, even with Green, Red, and Blue a little more "well-behaved" since Avacyn's return. And besides, with all these humans Revolting , Rioting , Striking , and Malcontent...ing , they need some more creatures to rail against. We've still got some vampires, devils, zombies, and geists after all... what's one last werewolf? 

And if that werewolf is one of the last hold-outs that would certainly make them Legen... (wait for it) ...dary.

I like reprints, but I think Archangel is really out of place.  It's just much too bland and doesn't fit in with all the new, interesting designs.

Dangerous Wager is damn good.

Apr 23, 2012 -- 8:37AM, Uhhsam wrote:

I was a little confused by how little similarity Flowering Lumberknot has with Lumberknot .  Makes me wonder how they come up with a balace between flavor and mechanics when creating (or not creating) tribes. 

I suppose it's entirely possible that they just knew they wanted a card with Flowering Lumberknot's ability, and just happened to have an extra piece of treefolk art lying around.

My guess is that they started with the mechanic (can't attack/block alone) then looked for a creature type that fits being immobile (treefolk) then realized they could make a reference to an innistrad card. Which fits with the basic lands that do the same.

Apr 23, 2012 -- 12:24AM, TobyornotToby wrote:

Reprints are cute. They're nostalgic. We get hundreds of new cards every year. Many of them forgettable. A few reprints here and there bring more emotional connection.

Apr 23, 2012 -- 5:09AM, notthephonz wrote:

Mirrodin's Atog , Shadowmoor's Torture , and Tenth Edition's Bog Wraith are good examples of this.  (Incidentally, is there a way to autocard a particular version of a card?)  Sometimes selecting reprints fall into that "fill the pattern" thinking mentioned in the article--if I had been familiar with Harrow before Zendikar, I definitely would have expected it to show up in that block.

Some reprints are okay. I, too, like seeing the perfect reprint for a set, such as Harrow in Zendikar.

The problem here is the "as many as possible". One in twenty cards in this set is a reprint. To me, that's downright ridiculous. And for many of them, the only reason they're here is that they have "Angel" in the name...

I also take issue with them reprinting cards such as Naturalize or Demolish , which we see every core set.