[M19] Tezzeret, Artifice Master
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Tezzeret, Artifice Master
3UU
Legendary Planeswalker - Tezzeret
[+1]: Create a 1/1 colorless Thopter artifact creature token with flying.[0]: Draw a card. If you control three or more artifacts, draw two cards instead.
[-9]: You get an emblem with "At the beginning of your end step, search your library for a permanent card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library."
Loyalty [5]Well, well, well. A PW that draws 2 (two) cards per turn, protects itself and has a game-ending ultimate. This seems great. Doesn't have the -3 Teferi does, but man drawing 2 cards per turn seems absurd.
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For the exact same mana cost, the OG Tezzeret wins the game on your next turn...
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@evouga This kind of response does nothing to actually evaluate the card. For the same mana Dark Petition also wins the game immediately. It means nothing. People are playing stuff like Teferi because taking control of the game sometimes is better than an all-in solution. Please put more effort into it
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@fsecco Dark Petition is not only a different mana cost (black vs blue mana) but is played in a completely different archetype.
Both the The Seeker and Artifice Master play the same role (finisher in a blue-based artifact deck). I'm extremely hard-pressed to think of any situation where I'd rather draw two cards than win the game. If the opponent has exactly one creature in play and you need a way to defend your Planewalker, I suppose Artifice Master can stall with Thopters. But the OG Tez can also just tutor up a creature...
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@evouga said in [M19] Tezzeret, Artifice Master:
I'm extremely hard-pressed to think of any situation where I'd rather draw two cards than win the game.
You might be in the minority of Vintage players.
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Fair enough, perhaps this 'walker is tailor-made for smmenen
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@evouga I can think of a lot of reasons not to dilute my deck with 2 not-that-good cards (Vault/Key) and want to play a more value-based deck that doesn't play a PW that does nothing outside of trying to combo in 2 turns. I also can't think of 1 relevant creature a blue deck would want to fetch with Tezz outsize Baleful Strix, once, and then spend 2 turns before it can do it again.
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@fsecco Let's look at it from a different angle. What shell are you proposing would benefit from this Planeswalker?
Obviously, the shell need to be blue- and artifact-based. Artifice Master is far too slow for a storm combo shell, so we're looking at Tezzerator, Paradoxical-based control decks, or something in that vein.
All of which likely already play Vault+Key, and for all of which the original Tezzeret is strikingly superior.
Or are you proposing that Artifice Master opens up a new archetype?
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@evouga You don't need an artifact-based deck for this. You're already playing big mana (SoLoCrypten) and he creates artifact himself - and draws cards even when you don't have metalcraft. Anything more controlish, along the lines of the Teferi decks we were seeing, it probably a good home for him. He could also see play in PO decks, but the double blue is probably too much (as it is for old Tezz too). I could even see him in Landstill, since he makes tokens under it to attack, is playable with Mana Drain, etc - although I don't think he shines there because Landstill doesn't play full moxen most of the time.
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@evouga In theory, you could run a null rod based blue deck with this guy. Tezz 1.0 isn't so hot there. Seeing as how P.O. is big now and vault/key is heavily played as you note, null rod should be more prevalent. This guy dodges that bullet. Tezz 1.0 is a fantastic walker, don't get me wrong, but in different builds/situations, this guy might be as good or better. Or, run both together - with Jace as well. Artifact based superfriends? Null rod control superfriends?
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This Tezzeret reads like a color-specific Karn, Scion of Urza. Draw cards, make dudes, rinse and repeat. The blue deck that abuses Karn, Scion of Urza (Paradoxical Karnage) does a lot better when the creatures are huge rather than evasive, so I doubt that swap will happen. I don't see it right now.
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I really love this guys synergy with Divining Top. Like a free Sylvan every turn. Maybe a Controllish Midrange Blue deck with Master of Etherium, Antiquities of War, and Karn? Could also include the 3 drop legendary that poops out thopters when you cast artifacts. PO can make a lot of Thopter Tokens that buff annd are buffed by Master.
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@evouga said in [M19] Tezzeret, Artifice Master:
For the exact same mana cost, the OG Tezzeret wins the game on your next turn...
@13nova said in [DOM] Teferi, Hero of Dominaria:
There's a 5 mana planeswalker that literally just wins the game in this format if it survives a turn.
This card is good in Standard. That's it.
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Amusing, though as you well know, comparing new printings to superior existing options is a sound evaluation strategy regardless of whether it was incorrectly applied in the case of Teferi.
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Drawing three cards every turn is a game winning effect for a blue deck. I think this card is playable, even though the argument for Seeker makes sense. Personally I don't like playing a bunch of cards like Time Vault and Voltaic Key so I would never play Seeker anymore. The token generating walkers have been getting some love in Vintage recently, so why not? Worse case, its netting the same as JTMS.
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@evouga said in [M19] Tezzeret, Artifice Master:
Amusing, though as you well know, comparing new printings to superior existing options is a sound evaluation strategy regardless of whether it was incorrectly applied in the case of Teferi.
I disagree. I think it is a very poor method of card evaluation and has a horrible track record. I almost never use it and would encourage anyone looking to get better at Magic to refrain from using it. You can, and should, make an argument for or against a card's playability without using comparisons in 99% of cases.
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Really like this walker a whole lotta bunch. The "metalcraft" condition is easily attained and will win the game in short order (while avoiding much of the "hate" which makes 1.0 a dicey proposition).
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Pump the breaks please. We need to walk this discussion way back. Firstly. OG Tezz does not "win you the game." It lets you search for and put into play Time Vault. It also lets you untap Time Vault. A lot of the time that is game winning, sometimes its not. But OG Tezz absolutely does not say "win the game" on the card, so we should stop evaluating the comparison as if it does.
Instead, lets look at this card for what it is. It is a 5 mana planeswalker with some pretty strong abilities. Certainly these abilities are at least strong enough to take a look at where it might fit in vintage. On it's face, I think we can limit this thing's potential to play in a big mana blue deck. It's casting cost is way to big to go in Xerox, and way to blue to go in much else. Oath? Mayyyybeeee. I'm lookin' at you Brian Kelly. But I personally doubt it. I mean, is it really better than, I can't believe I'm saying this, Arlin Kord? It for sure isn't better than Jace in Oath, since Jace can put back creatures on the top of your deck from your hand.
So within the big-blue shell, what does it do? It basically draws a ton of cards. It potentially draws more cards than Jace, which is saying something. But I personally don't think it is better than either of Jace, Dack, or Teferi. That last one being what I think might be the best comparison, and the card that squeezes this guy out of that deck. Essentially, the question is whether you win more in big blue by playing this guy over Teferi. That is what I doubt.
Teferi's "defend himself" ability is far stronger than making a thopter. And I'm not convinced that his draw ability is worse. Teferi always draws 1 card and always untaps 2 lands. This guy always draws 1 and sometimes draws a second card... To me that is a coin flip. If Teferi gets going, you win. If this Tezz gets going, you win. So I suppose the question turns on which one gets going more often. That has got to be Teferi… right? Because he essentially costs 3 and because he can remove permanents from the board, as opposed to making thopters.
I doubt it's better than Jace, because... come on. And I doubt he's better than Dack for the same reason. 3 mana vs 5 mana is a mile's difference.
So unless I'm missing something, this Tezz is limited to big blue style control, where he gets squished out by preexisting and superior walkers. I can't really reckon that one wouldn't just win more often by cutting this guy for an extra Dack, Jace, Teferi… or some utility card.
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@chubbyrain said in [M19] Tezzeret, Artifice Master:
@evouga said in [M19] Tezzeret, Artifice Master:
Amusing, though as you well know, comparing new printings to superior existing options is a sound evaluation strategy regardless of whether it was incorrectly applied in the case of Teferi.
I disagree. I think it is a very poor method of card evaluation and has a horrible track record. I almost never use it and would encourage anyone looking to get better at Magic to refrain from using it. You can, and should, make an argument for or against a card's playability without using comparisons in 99% of cases.
While I am inclined to agree that we miss the mark a lot by comparing cards, I think it is valid in this case. I think our problem with comparisons is that often we make shallow and superficial ones where the cards are not really vying for the same slot, however this one seems to be. There are multiple other blue and colorless walkers of the same mana cost or less that do similar things to this.
- Jace, Architect of Thought can draw you 2 cards a turn, or one useable one, plus game ending ultimate for 1 less mana, sees no play
- Jace, TMS costs 4, can in effect draw you 3 cards a turn in the right shell, protect itself, Screw with your opponent, win the game on ultimate
- Tamiyo, the Moon Sage can draw multiple cards, can protect itself, ultimate can be a combo win on the spot
- Tezzeret the Seeker, can win the game in one turn, tutors and casts a card for you, game ending ultimate
- Karn draws cards, makes big dudes that get bigger, costs less and easier mana
Thats not even considering the off color or multi color walkers. Hell I'm noit even sure if I am playing a heavy artifact acceleration blue deck I wouldn't want Agent of Bolas instead, which also draws a card and can win the game 1 turn after for one less mana.
But even taking it just on its merits alone, 5 mana is a lot of mana in vintage for something that is not a very rapid win. Paying 5 mana and +1ing this dude to make a thopter is a really bad place to be, so I have to assume you want to drop this guy and 0 him every single time, which means that he is also weak to Null rod, artifact hate, etc, and also likely never using his ultimate unless the game goes crazy long, which really it should not if you are getting +2 cards ever game. I think that he is likely just shy of being strong enough, but I just don't see it.
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First of all, this thread is loaded with beautiful quotes, so props to the below:
@cutlex said in [M19] Tezzeret, Artifice Master:
@evouga said in [M19] Tezzeret, Artifice Master:
I'm extremely hard-pressed to think of any situation where I'd rather draw two cards than win the game.
You might be in the minority of Vintage players.
and
@topical_island said in [M19] Tezzeret, Artifice Master:
I mean, is it really better than, I can't believe I'm saying this, Arlin Kord?
It's significantly worse than Arlinn Kord in Oath of Druids and probably in a vacuum as well. It's bad enough giving a Spirit token and paying 3 to have Dack Fayden Pyroblasted on the stack, but this unwieldy thing is just asking for too much of a blowout.
Tezzeret, Artifice Master has some serious problems that need to be called to light. First, it's not going to be drawing two cards a turn reliably. You probably can't Lotus it out early on and have three artifacts in play unless it's Christmas in Pittsburgh. Secondly, this seems abominable against Shops, especially compared to Arlinn Kord but also to Jace and Dack. The Thopter can't trade with most attackers while Arlinn's Wolf trades with around half of them. And it only takes one shoot from a Ballista to remove it.
I do think it's valuable to compare new cards to existing options, contrary to the stated position of ChubbyRain above. He is a good apprentice but notorious for insubordination. It's reasonable to compare and contrast Anticipate with Impulse, for instance.
This card is not unplayable; provided you get to 5 mana and are relatively unimpeded, it will do very cool things. There might even be a forthcoming idiosyncratic shell that can twist itself into design contortions that make this card "correct" in the slot. I would find it pretty exciting at 2UU. At 5 mana, we have to ask ourselves "why am I putting this into play instead of Future Sight?" It reminds me of Teferi in the sense, that sure, the card is powerful but there's a world of a difference between 4 and 5 mana. Winning with Teferi is eerily similar to the days where I piloted Sylvan Mentor with all of its unrestrcted Gushes, Probes, and so forth; the deck was so overpowered, I could choose whatever otherwise out-of-place win-cons I wanted to seal the deal and still win major events. Narset? Sure. Dragonlords Ojutai and Dromoka instead of Mentor #2 and #3? Why not. Those were fun times. I'm not sure we have such luxuries today.
I should also add that I'm a fan of enthusiastic posts discussing new cards. I don't share the sentiment that it's embarrassing to enjoy musing over novel possibilities and that such discussions are inherently ridiculous. The recent troll post I felt was lighthearted enough that I added a jubilant comment. Discussion of why cards are unplayable is just as useful as discussing why they are unplayable. Never stop learning.
