Looks the old-school "Wall" decks will have to be renamed to "Defender" decks since most of the cool defenders now aren't even Walls. Oh well, there are some sick Defender abilities in this set, I'm loving it!
iandustrial
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(4 votes)
Nice double entendre in the flavor text...
Mode
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(5 votes)
Old-school "Wall decks" were never something anyone could take seriously. Rolling Stones? Animate Wall? Not really intimidating when you consider that the few walls which at least had more than uhm, 0 power were in combination with these enchantmens still just mediocre creatures with card disadvantage.
But Zendikar, and Rise of the Eldrazi in particular, finally brought some considerable Defenders. Still not something a Spike would beomce happy with, but at least it's something you can build up a considerable constructed deck for casual play. Perimeter Captain makes a nice one-drop of the first turn, and for the second turn you have this, Overgrown Battlement or the newWall of Blossoms. To get any further you can use cards like Vent Sentinel for damage or win-cons à la Test of Endurance.
blindthrall
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Still doesn't make me want to build a wall deck. All their win conditions are easily Disenchanted.
ddde
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@blindthrall: Pretty good disenchant you got there if it can stop my fireballs and disintegrates. Walls don't necessarily need to attack to allow you to win.
Test-Subject_217601
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Oh really? Wall decks can't be taken seriously? Tell that to DORAN THE SIEGE TOWER!
Brendan_McCoy
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
In case you haven't read, the card name is Stalwart Shield-Bearers, in other words, the creature(s) is(are) the guys with the shields. Just because there's archers doesn't mean that they're the creature on the card. That's like saying That Emrakul, the Aeons Torn has stupid hard because of the little guy in the picture that isn't Emrakul... >_>
angelheartvial
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Lol. Stall.
NoobOfLore
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I think this guy would be fair with either a boost to toughness, either in his ability, or on his body. Maybe even a power of 1?
A bit weak for my tastes, and I like defenders.
yyukichigai
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If you need your defenders to defend a bit more heartily, this guy is the bomb. There's really nothing else out there designed just for defenders that makes them more durable.
@Mode: A 7/4 Flying First-strike Illusionary Wall teaming up with a 5/6 Flying Sunweb to attack you is something that I would take seriously. That I still take seriously, and that combo has been around since Ice Age was first printed. Think about that: how many combos from the old days of magic are still competitive without being completely broken? Damn few.
jonrds
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I get that Wizards is heavily pushing defender "tribal", but I think the real challenge they should be trying to solve is how to get people to splash defenders in their decks. Most people don't want to "waste" a card on something that doesnt help them win (like the old philosophy on life gain cards--if you need 6 health so badly you are willing to spend a card on it, you've probably lost already). Experimenting with more etb/activated abilities that don't synergize with walls would be interesting (like buffing your attacking creatures, granting haste, or pinging your opponent, just not dependent on the number of defenders you have).
As it stands, cards like this are just creating an "all or none" mentality when it comes to walls.
Comments (13)
Rolling Stones? Animate Wall? Not really intimidating when you consider that the few walls which at least had more than uhm, 0 power were in combination with these enchantmens still just mediocre creatures with card disadvantage.
But Zendikar, and Rise of the Eldrazi in particular, finally brought some considerable Defenders. Still not something a Spike would beomce happy with, but at least it's something you can build up a considerable constructed deck for casual play.
Perimeter Captain makes a nice one-drop of the first turn, and for the second turn you have this, Overgrown Battlement or the new Wall of Blossoms.
To get any further you can use cards like Vent Sentinel for damage or win-cons à la Test of Endurance.
Maybe even a power of 1?
A bit weak for my tastes, and I like defenders.
@Mode: A 7/4 Flying First-strike Illusionary Wall teaming up with a 5/6 Flying Sunweb to attack you is something that I would take seriously. That I still take seriously, and that combo has been around since Ice Age was first printed. Think about that: how many combos from the old days of magic are still competitive without being completely broken? Damn few.
As it stands, cards like this are just creating an "all or none" mentality when it comes to walls.