Pointed Discussion

With this printing, Garruk Wildspeaker has been in more sets than any other planeswalker. Testament to his staying power, I'd say.

I dont' get it. They reprint Garruk and no one else?

Glad that wizards is giving Garruk some commander love :3

I like that Garruk keeps returning. I'd say he is the most powerful, yet balanced, planeswalker. Plus, we could really use more green planeswalkers.

Sure, why not, another reprint :P

we get 5 different sets with him, yet no new green walkers, annoying!

Hardly a better turn 3 play exists for green in Standard or Commander.

@novawalker Not nearly as good as Garruk, but there definitely is a "new green walker"

I dare to say he is comming back in M12, or maybe a new garruk.

Quick run-down on the Planeswalkers:

Everyone knows why they're good. They give free mana, free card advantage, a something else for your opponent to kill other than you, because you can't allow them to build up to the Finishing Move.

This means that half of the reasons they are good are nil. They are Walking Targets. Some get through, some don't, but anything in your opponent's deck remotely similar to 'Doom Blade for planeswalkers' is going to be heading your Walkers' way as soon as they draw it. They are the ultimate bombs. They eat a card from your opponent, or your opponent dies. More often than not, the opponent eats a card to kill them.

Green, White, and Red can all play fast Zoo/Sligh beats. In most cases, those decks don't NEED planeswalkers, they just like them because they are more copies of the same goodies effects they have a lot of already. Which is a fine reason to play them, but not the point I want to make.

Black Planeswalkers are far too slow for the color, and Wizards isn't making another Dark Ritual anytime soon.

On top of everything else that's good about Jace and Tezzeret, they give blue really really good 'ground work'- something Blue used to always have to borrow from White or Green. Mono-Blue isn't something I think we can expect to see for a long time, but Jace, even just the unbanned Beleren version, goes a long way towards it.

The basics of those fast sligh decks came from getting as many permanents under the 'counterspell radar' as possible. Blue doesn't do good with permanents, and doesn't have a lot of good permanents either. Pick anytime you've heard of a blue permanent being decent, and its usually ended up dominating because blue already has everything else it needs in spades. Faeries being an excellent example. They rarely give blue nice stuff that isn't an instant or sorcery. And unlike Faeries, they've let Blue keep Beleren. He doesn't have unsummon, which is sad. But he still affects the board, slightly, by being another thing to point spells and dudes at. This is true of all 'walkers, but I find it most significant for Blue. If tomorrow all the planeswalkers got banned (unlikely in the extreme), Blue would be hurt the worst, I believe.

This is why I think Jace Beleren is better than Garruk Wildspeaker, AND is still actually fair.

@Razbot: Not everybody likes Nissa. Especially with the limited tribal use.

Well, after screwing up and not buying Elspeth vs. Tezzeret, I just might have a chance of getting my first planeswalker if I buy Mirror Mastery.

I like that they're bringing him back but we really need new green planeswalkers. Maybe by making a new version of garruk?? I dunno

Just like the medic from team fortress 2 (who gets his hat), every green deck needs this guy.

New Garruk confirmed for Magic 2012. Garruk, Primal Hunter. 1 extra green mana in his mana cost, the "make a 3/3 Beast" ability is moved to +1, -3 is "draw cards", and -6 makes a bunch of 6/6 Wurms.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say five years down the road when we are up to our elbows in planeswalkers and the original cycle is all but forgotten this will be the one that stays in people's minds. Turn four, Garruk, untap two lands = classic play.

Gonna get Mirror Mastery. It'll be nice to get him, although he's just icing, not the reason I'm buying it.

Garruk, so balanced yet so powerful.

Cheap, balanced, and powerful. I'd throw one of these in just about any green deck.

I'm really not sure why this card hasn't been broken yet. (It won't be me breaking it, though. I've tried for years.) Untap two lands for free every turn, then overrun, usually without even burning all the counters because you've upped him to six or seven loyalty?

This defines the epitome of aggro ramp in the way Jace, The Mind Sculptor defines the epitome of control.

This card is great in two-headed giant games because his untap ability untaps any lands, including your partner's. Once he hits the board, he accelerates the game by two turns for either of you.

i bet he lives near gaea's cradle.

Why, yes wizards. I would love a turn 4 Titan.

Still the best garruk!! I dont think any other core walker can say their first version was the strongest.

At first I thought that this card wasn't good at all, but then I started using Ant Queen and my Primeval Titan. My opinion has changed massively. For what would have been my first Mythic if he had come out of any other set he's in, he makes great synergy with some of my favorite green cards.

I love him over Garruk, Primal Hunter because this guy is like a swiss army knife. Not just summoning creatures here and there and the occasional draw, but a selection of all purpose abilities. Mana acceleration, that must be the best of it, an ocasional strong attacker or blocker, and a game finisher for cheap. In short, I love a green planeswalker who doesn't focus entirely on creatures, and a planeswalker who has the right ability for any situation. After all, who wouldn't mind an extra two mana or a creature at any time of a game?

ah, the original garruk. re-enabled green to be competitive. of course, it helped that he was released in an elf-heavy block.

So good. His -1 is so strong, and his +1 is so useful. On top of all that, his -4 is actually usable due to only costing 4 loyalty. It may not be as impressive as the other plansewalker ultimates, but it is still strong enough to end games.

5/5

There is no better feeling than dropping this card with two Elvish Guidance and a bunch of elves on the battlefield. +1 to untap for a bunch of mana to play even more Elves, then next turn unleash his ultimate for the win.

My favorite play of late?
T1 Veteran Explorer
T2 Get him killed somehow and drop a land, drop garruk, untap 2 lands, put down a 2 drop, or GSZ into another explorer
T3 play a land, play life, ult garruk, attack for 20+ trample with your 4 lands and your 2 drop

You better believe that game 2 they'll waste a Plows on your veteran or be bolting garruk out the gate. You can always side in Seedtime if you're worried about counterspells.

How about this and Fertile Ground in a 3-color deck?

Still the best Garruk in terms of the turn 4 pressure he can make and his great +1 that lets gives you the mana back in case you need to cast a Giant Growth or something else during combat. His -1 is great but his ultimate can easily end games as well.

This dude is 237 cm long and weighs in at 200 kg D':

@Lorendorky: I believe you mean turn 2, at least for EDH.