I already feel bad for the people who get his ultimate and then go all tails.
But anyway, I doubt he'll be the most powerful planeswalker, but he's an Izzet planeswalker and therefore I want one.
Lazenca_Seifus
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(11 votes)
"Who's got two thumbs and five coins to flip with them? THIS GUY!"
MICKEY.KNOX
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Seems good. Relevant in-color abilities and an ultimate that just seems fun to pop.
Flyheight
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Love this guy. Tons of tricksy fun stuff to do with his +1 (I'll just tap down my pili-pala and untap my good friend gelectrode). His -2 is effective and straightforward (Hey there volcanic hammer, haven't seen you in years. Whazzaup). And his ultimate is, appropriately, BONKERS! (Stitch in Time X 5).
Doaj
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(4 votes)
Might be the best red Planeswalker we've ever had. 4/5.
whitecow
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
if you are lucky his -7 is game over for sure
Bluehero
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(8 votes)
This is one of those rare planeswalkers that just screams "fun!", and he looks to be pretty powerful too.
Ral Zarek is good for standard and mana cost is good. First ability is good, but they can still untap so Tamyio still wins it for me even with the untap. Second ability is good and third ability is questionable. Most likely, yes you will get at least one other turn and maybe two, but it is possible to get nothing and lose 7 loyalty counters for the chance of it. I am not a chance type of guy so even though the odds are in your favor, still not a huge fan. 4/5.
Jake1991
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(4 votes)
Wish he did spell recursion. Oh well.
Still a great Planeswalker.
Dr._Inglenook
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Why yes, I will take that blue mana ramp and I will like it!
YerpyMoose
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Arcanis the Omnipotent says hello, and welcomes you to tap that poor gruul player's one dual and keep it tapped until you bolt for cover or time stretch your way to an assured win.
Very nice PW design, though I can't decide what deck best suits it, maybe American Flash.
James_Kernaghan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The ultimate is hilarious, yes, but the true muscle in this card lies in the lightning bolt on a stick. Recharge gives ramp. Very usable card in nearly any context.
JonesP
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Time to get working on my Izzet Goblins deck! Krenko is gonna love this card for sure!
Jojabi
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Gilder Bairn never looked so good! With the Gilder in play, on your second turn with Ral in play you can activate Ral's ultimate and then with the extra turns (considering an average amount, 2 or 3) you can likely use Ral's +1 with Gilder to get his ultimate off again before your opponent gets a turn. You could end up with 5 to 20 to who knows how many turns... TURNS. Gosh that would be fun!
His first two abilities remind me a lot of Ajani Vengeant actually, which is not a bad thing. Both his first two abilities have great utility, adding in good mana cost with good starting loyalty and a fun ultimate make him a winner for competitive and casual players alike. Congrats Wizards, this is one of the best designed planeswalkers yet.
Pipikako
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(4 votes)
It's random, and random = no fun, no skill,.... crap card.
JaxsonBateman
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Ok, let's analyze for a second:
Mana cost: 4, perfectly playable for a walker. Only requires a single U and R, so not too color dependent. Colors: red and blue. A decent control pair. Nothing wrong with that. +1: This one's a bit tricky. Because that tap doesn't come with a "it doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step" (which would've made the card too powerful), it means that it can't be used as pseudo-removal. For the most part, it's going to be used to either eliminate a potential blocker, or to tap down a land or other permanent immediately, so that if the opponent wants to use that permanent they have to do so then and there. So it can put timing in your favor. The untap, however, is a lot more potent. At worst, it untaps a land so you can either accelerate with it (playing a 6 drop the turn after Ral comes out), or to have mana open for counterspells or other instants. So ultimately, it's a decent +1, but keep in mind it won't protect Ral all on its lonesome - it needs other cards to help out. In standard, be wary about playing it as soon as you hit 4 mana - there's not a lot of 1 drop removal that can take care of *any* threat the opponent might play. -2: Absolutely sexy, and a perfectly acceptable first-off activation. Lightning Bolt - that's all there is to it. And it can hit most turn 4 or 5 creatures, meaning that his minus can actually protect him until you untap in a lot of cases. -7: Of course, if you activate this you're already doing quite well at controlling the game. It's luck based, and occasionally you might get only 1 or 0 turns out of this (I've actually tested this guy out, and the one guy I got ultimate, I kid you not, I got 5 tails and no extra turns -.-), but if you get at least one turn he cycles himself, and any more just puts you in a tremendous power position (unless you're in topdeck mode at that point). This isn't nearly as game ending as a lot of other walkers, but it's still quite potent.
So ultimately, in more serious decks Ral is going to be included to make a lot of use out of his +1 and -2 abilities, with his ultimate as a sexy afterthought. Which is exactly how a walker should be. He has some standard potential given his mana cost and repeatable lightning bolt, and just imagine this scenario in a Team America deck: turn 3, Geist of St Traft. Turn 4, Ral, either tapping down their best/only Geist blocker, or outright Bolting it to smithereens. Lather, rinse, repeat. That's sexy right there.
Demento_Recraves
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It should be noted his ultimate DOES NOT combo with Chance Encounter as you don't actually win or lose the flips. Oh well, at least Frenetic Efreet works again.
NatakuTDH
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Why is anyone talking about tapping your own stuff? Worst case, tap their land and untap yours. At that, this guy is pure izzet mana ramp, if but slightly, combind with a way to tap blockers (making them keep 2 blockers back if they want to block at least one). Combind with his ult... if you get atleast 3 heads, and you lay down a ral that same turn, you can ult him again be the time you get to your last turn. Now add in temporal masteries, and we have a Timelord here.
Guest1515973801
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(4 votes)
Much more powerful in legacy, I myself will use him in my stasis deck to convert to blue/red and make it faster, other uses....basalt monolith, mine layer(turn his +1 into land destruction) etc. Vintage could see use with time vault or mishras factory, etc...though vintage is a stretch....then he has an ultimate that almost tempts me to use it...
Ragebarbarian
★★★★☆ (5.0/5.0)(10 votes)
The probabilities are here, in case anyone was wondering:
Perhaps this is a obvious choice, but his +1 with Time Vault could effectively create infinite turns for free while slowly, but surely, tapping all of your opponents' mana and other sundry, pesky permanents. You'll never need his -7.
Great Card.... but Ajani vengeant is a little better...taking extra turns is nice but destroying your lands is better. lightning helix is better.... but Ral's +1 is better... 4/5
Nagoragama
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Double Lightning Bolt all the way across the sky! What does it mean? Death.
flavioal28
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So, yesterday at the prerelease some guy got to use his ultimate. He lost all five flips. It was both hilarious and painful to watch
GhostCounselor
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(4 votes)
Coin flipping is making a comeback now it seems...
Honestly, this is one of the most powerful planeswalkers printed since Liliana of the Veil. Grixis just got a huge boost of power from Ral, with the ability to contribute to both controls styles with his plus ability and his ultimate, and his first minus contributes well to Grixis aggro (his other abilities do as well). My only gripe with him is that after seeing him at the pre-release against me twice, I feel like he gets out too early with only being 2UR, when I would've rather seen him be either 3UR or stay 2UR and only have three loyalty counters to enter play.
Awesome planeswalker. I can't wait to get my hands on one.
legion-air
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i selected boros during the prerelease, izzet was my secret ally, i pulled ral-zarek in one of the packs and i knew i had something. its not one of those cards you can just throw out there, despite the fact alot of the younger players thought he was invincible. despite the fact that my deck wasnt the most carefully constructed. every time ral hit the field, i won. including one time where i ultimated. 3 extra turns clinched the game for me. it gets 5/5 from me, and i want to get my hands on 3 more
Kilroyroy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In a blue/red deck (Direct Damage-Counter) is that card totaly useless.
Bardiches
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(7 votes)
For those interested in the probabilities and how to find them...
Consider 5 slots in which a coin can be placed heads or tails: __ __ __ __ __
How many different ways can you place a single heads? H T T T T T H T T T T T H T T T T T H T T T T T H = 5.
How many different ways can you place two heads? H H T T T H T H T T H T T H T H T T T H T H H T T T H T H T T H T T H T T H H T T T H T H T T T H H = 10. This is equivalent to the combinatorial function n C k in the case of 5 C 2 (or 5 choose 2).
Also, the cominatorial function n C k is defined as: n C k = n!/(k! * (n-k)!)
Oh, and n! means n * (n-1) * (n-2) * (n-3) * ... * 1. It's the factorial function.
So, we'll avoid calculating the rest by writing them out. 5 C 0 = 1 (How many ways can you choose no heads? Just one.) 5 C 1 = 5 5 C 2 = 10 5 C 3 = 10 (5 C 2 = 5 C 3, just imagine choosing two tails instead of three heads) 5 C 4 = 5 5 C 5 = 1 (There's only one way to have all heads.)
Now that we know each different way the event can occur, how do we find the probability? Well, there are 1 + 5 + 10 + 10 + 5 +1 equally likely outcomes. So, 32.
So to find the probability of any combination of events, just add them and divide by 32. Chance of 0 heads: 1/32 Chance of 1 heads: 5/32 Chance of 2 heads: 10/32 Chance of 3 heads: 10/32 Chance of 4 heads: 5/32 Chance of 5 heads: 1/32
Chance of >0 heads: (5+10+10+5+1)/32 = 31/32 Chance of >1 heads: (10+10+5+1)/32 = 26/32 Chance of >2 heads: (10+5+1)/32 = 16/32 = 1/2 Chance of >3 heads: (5+1)/32 = 6/32 Chance of >4 heads: 1/32
What about Krark's Thumb? Let's consider the two flips as an event with the following conditions: a.) If you get at least one heads, it's a heads. b.) If you get no heads, it's a tails. You have 4 results: H H, H T, T H, T T. 3/4 of them are "good" results. So the probability of a heads is 3/4.
We still have the same amount of ways we can place the heads and tails, but now heads and tails are unequal. So we have to look a little closer.
What's the probability of H H T T T? Well, there's a (3/4) chance of the first flip being heads times the (3/4) chance of the second flip being heads times the (1/4) chance of the third flip being tails times the (1/4) chance of the fourth flip being tails times the (1/4) chance of the last flip being tails. (3/4) * (3/4) * (3/4) * (1/4) * (1/4) = 9/1024.
Now let's make it easy by combining the two! (5 C 2) * (3/4) ^ 2 * (1/4) ^ 3 = (ways to get it) (probability of getting it) = 9/1024
And now in terms of a well known equation: n C k * p^k * (1 - p)^(n - k) Where: n is the amount of flips or trials k is the amount of successes p is the probability of a success 1 - p = the probability of a failure n - k is the number of failures
I won't continue with all the numbers, but you should be able to calculate it yourself now!
Cyber_Squirrel
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
@TheWrathOfShane: Not even close. Try: +1 Double twiddle, except only with sorcery timing (which is a very big deal), both at the same time, on different targets, with one tapping and the other untapping. Which means you can't use it for any of twiddle's main uses, such as preventing a creature from attacking you or gaining a surprise defender after your opponent has declared attackers. Mostly, it's going to stop one creature from blocking you, or untap one of your creatures after it attacks. But not both in the same turn.
-2 Double Lightning bolt, except again it's only playable as a sorcery. Which means no holding it back ready to respond to your opponent's play.
-7 Time Stretch, or slightly better, on average, but might fizzle out entirely. Probably still worth it, but nowhere near the game finisher I'd expect from a planeswalker of this cost and loyalty.
Blue-red is my favourite colour combo and I like planeswalkers more than I really should, so I would love to have this card and I would build a deck to make him work, but that's just it. I would be building a deck to try and make him work, not using him because he's actually a good card.
CaptainNinJoe
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I had the unbelievable fortune of getting him and Mercurial Chemister in my prerelease pool. Building your own repeatable Tidings for is awesome-sauce.
robin0999
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A buddy of mine ran one of these at prerelease. He finally got it out on the board in one of the later rounds. After Ral dropped, the next few turns were spent barely holding on, with my friend pretty much using all his creatures as chump blockers for creatures swinging at Ral. Finally, he managed to get enough loyalty counters to use his ultimate. He started flipping coins. He flipped five tails. My friend conceded and left the prerelease.
spartan7023
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
it would be cool if instead of an emblem they made a coin with his face on one side and the izzet guild gate on the back.
MagicCritic
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
5/5 Comes in Turn 4, 4 M for 4 +1 is amazing. A temporal mastery but dumbed down. You can easily untap a land or untap one of your strongest cards, while tapping of the opponents strongest. -2 is essentially a lightning bolt at it's finest. -7 no *** words. 3 turns and you have it. you will rape all.
vantha
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love this Planeswalker and I see some serious power coming in the next couple of months coming from Blue Red players.
The most obvious is the Twiddle ability. Everyone seems to be psyched about his ultimate, but lets be realistic here, once this cards hits play more often than not, your opponents will be attacking Ral Zarek and not you. So you have maybe 1 or 2 turns of Ral Zarek before he hits the graveyard. In those 2 turns you have him its going to be +1 or -2. You have a choice between his Twiddle ability or his Lightning Bolt ability. The control player would love the Twiddle leaving a creature to block with after attacking. And the aggro player would love the Lightning bolt to clear away creatures or direct damage to the dome.
But Ral Zarek's untap target permanent is the powerhouse. I see him untapping lands and Gilded Lotus for maximum mana. I know its a longshot but powering out a Niv Mizzet, Dracogenius isn't out of the question anymore.
TheManakinTransfer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm sorry. Mana Accel in red/blue. Automatic 4 at least. Comparing him to planeswalkers like Ajani Vengeant however makes you realise that he isn't the greatest though. But by golly does he look like fun. In my favourite colours too.
SWFTWLF
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Cyber_Squirrel
It's surprisingly easy to build a deck around time-traveling R/U gambles in nearly all formats, but a Standard deck in R/U is mostly Ravnica-exclusive with a few M13s ATM. Maybe some M14s will do better even, but Innistrad is almost without enough R/U back-up worth the time for this one. It's actually kind of funny too, because pretty much all the other Planeswalkers can exploit something pre-Ravnica for Standard far better than the R/U cards that came out besides the random draw/recovery cards.
What I'm basically saying is that this card is build for more of a long-term means, as the short-term has him slapping Goblin nests around and extending turns.
Splizer
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Well, what can I say? Ral has finally arrived and his ultimate is just gloriously silly. Under that though is quite a powerfully-costed walker. 4 Loyalty for 4CMC, and splashable?!? That's strong stuff, especially seeing as, if you're lucky, he could deliver 6 damage across two creatures or to your opponent's face over two turns.
FaceClaimer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i got to playtest this guy in a proliferate deck with Krark's thumb....
infinite turns.
every.
single
game.
CoreHunter12
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Why has nobody mentioned Krenko, Mob Boss, yet? It's an insane interaction with this guy's +1! Even if you had no other goblins with you, that's three goblins in a turn!
DoragonShinzui
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Finally, the Izzet mage we've wanted, and the one we deserve. Hail to the king, baby.
Totema
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Perfect for my Two-Face deck.
Callahan09
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm new to Magic, so I have a question about rules relating to this card...
If you tap a creature card with his +1 ability, does that creature attack during the combat step?
green4456
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So if I ever had the need to build a Chance Encounter EDH deck..........
This card made me start laughing when I read it because it was silly, then that laughter turned into diabolic laughter about how this card was meant to be used.
given that ral ETB on turn four and gilded lotus only interacts with him turn five to produce six mana seems a little silly when basic mana ramp accomplishes the same. and also considering standard decks are consistently tailored to win on turn 5 nowadays that would be too little, too late.
mrchuckmorris
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Stick him with a Gilder Bairn and watch the extra turns stack up. He can get to his ultimate on his second turn out!
cab1794
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I think he could work in a talrand deck to abuse instants and sorcery cards and get a bunch of 2/2 flying drake tokens. and you could play him with the one card time warp to take more turns as well. there is also that high drop artifact that builds counters to burn players and creatures it would work with it as well. another combo is krenko mob boss for mass gain of goblin tokens.
SAUS3
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@erikstangents While he can do that with timevault, Tezzeret the Seeker can do it too - but not only that, he can tutor it out of your deck first. Since time vault is restricted in vintage, it is important to be able to tutor for it reliably. On top of that, it means tezzeret is actually a win-con by himself only requiring you to untap with him (and time vault not being destroyed).
As for this card, I think it's pretty good, but not amazing. I'm glad it is a more balanced planeswalker though meaning casual players can enjoy it too, and it's still good enough to potentially see use in a competitive deck.
The main things about this card that I like/don't like: Dislike: 1) Tapping things doesn't do much because they will untap on their next turn. 2) His -2 is just a lightning bolt. I was hoping for a 'divided as you choose' sort of thing, but maybe that would be too strong (though it is -2...). Like: 1) Blue/Red ramp anyone? 2) Not broken. 3) Game-winning, but also hilarious ultimate ability.
Worst case scenario? Tap himself and untap your gelectrode or just a land. Best case, his +1 removes the blocker you needed and you win.
Some random chance is quite acceptable. You simply have to manipulate it that it's not so bad. On average you'll get 2.5 turns. If you round down to 2 turns and have something like Contagion Engine or inexorable tide then you can shoot up to 6 counters without any issue. This means that with a mere 2 card combo you'll almost have infinite turns on average; for 4 mana per turn.
If you're going to net "infinite turns", this is by far the most fair/fun way to do it.
homicidalgecko
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(6 votes)
Sometimes when I'm playing Grixis and I have nothing better to tap with Ral, I have him tap Liliana of the Veil.
Really though, he is the ultimate best friend of Royal Assassin.
TexasDice
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
30 bucks since release and we still don't see him in one single constructed deck.
Woolyer_Thoctar
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
First time I ever used him, I ended up with five extra turns. :)
Tamerlein
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
The obvious comparison is between Ral and Ajani Vengeant, and thus this card received a lot of hype going into Dragon's Maze. While it has been demonstrated that he is not as powerful as Vengeant, he is still a solid Planeswalker that provides a lot of value. He can get rid of a lot of threats with his -3 ability, and his +1 ability gives you a effectively an additional land which is really nice for powering out an Aetherling with both counters and a U for Aetherling's exile ability up.
4/5
JunkHarvester
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Noone got The Doors reference yet? Ral Zarek / Ray Manzarek?!?
I'm surprised. It is now my goal to educate the MTG masses in rock and roll.
sweetgab
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Comparison to Ajani Vengeant: +1: Ajani's +1 is almost always useful, whether keeping an attacker from untapping (Tamiyo style) or keeping a land from untapping. The tap part of Ral's +1 only works when you're aggro, whereas the untap part can be great, but requires some work before it can match Ajani. Ajani wins
-2 and starting loyalty: Ral has 1 more loyalty, but for the same -2 Ajani also gains you 3 life. I'd call it a tie.
Ultimate: usually we don't evaluate ultimates, as they say. Ral does have the slight advantage of requiring one less turn to ultimate.
In the end, Ajani seems to be a clear winner. However Ajani also had to compete with stuff like Lightning Bolt and more importantly, the overpowered Bloodbraid Elf at four. Ral is good enough to see play in today's Standard.
Arachnos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@sweetgab: Why exactly are you comparing him with Ajani Vengeant? They are two different walkers in two different sets and different colors. You might as well be comparing him to Mind Sculptor while you're at it.
Lifegainwithbite
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Arachnos: Because it's a very similar planeswalker to Ajani Vengeant. They both have a bolt-style ability, cost 4 and tap things with their + ability. Ral Zarek is just much weaker.
Vicentil
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is my favorite planeswalker, because he's not broken.
ParallaxtheRevan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.8/5.0)(2 votes)
He's actually a pretty jerky dickwheel in "The Secretist" XP
I ended up rooting pretty hard for him to lose. :P He's not even much like Iron Man, because he's so much more full of himself, he starts to shoot himself in the foot.
Iron Man may be a selfish ass, but Iron Man is usually smart enough to actually make sure his actions benefit his selfish ways.
Ral Zarek is REALLY Lucky Jace happened to check in on Ravnica, because basically Ral Zarek : Niv-Mizzet : : Tezzeret : Nicol Bolas.
Niv-Mizzet would PROBABLY be more Merciful than Nicol Bolas.....except....wait. No. He's more Impulsive, cares much less about Using Pawns, and after not having any more use for Ral Zarek, Nivvy would just Eat Him because he saw no point in his continued existence and he wanted to free up his brain from having to worry about Plots against him.
Nicol Bolas doesn't do things like that because he doesn't actually consider anyone a threat, lol, and he takes a lot of sadistic glee in moving Pawns around and Pretending to Lose before casting Bitchslap l Ultimatum on them. :O
Jace, as The Living Guildpact, is now Actually Niv-Mizzet's Boss. o.O
Which is CRAY-CRAY BUT EPIC XD
Continue
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
You know what would make him cooler? If he were voiced by Yuri Lowenthal... oh wait, he is!
Thundermaw_Hellkite
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Lifegainwithbite
Yes, but their +1 abilities are a lot more different! I've used Ral zarek in my games and I can say that this ability truly is golden, though subtle. For me, it has helped creating charge lines for my big hitters, untapping mana for precious burn spells and activate various tapping ablities. Ajanis +1 is more aggressive, but I find Ral Zareks to be more for the utility player.
Now... Ral Zareks -2 is worse than Ajanis, but this is a planeswalker associated with colors that love to burn and do shenanigans! Its an very good bolt weapon every now and then, plus life gain is pretty useless if your other cards dont benefit from it :3
And finally, their ultimates. While Ajanis clearly wins the game for you, so does Ral Zarek with a good throw and he can play it out faster than Ajani! Even if you only gain 1-2 extra turns, it will give you so much more time to manouver and pound your opponent into submission. I even didnt mention how fun it is!
To me, Ral Zarek is an iconic planeswalker. Why? Since he does what Izzet does best, screw around, zap stuff to death and finally end everything in a big explosion! He is an very fun planeswalker and I would add him to any red/blue deck that I own ^_^
JarieSuicune
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Just a cute combo I saw:
Rings of Brighthearth (x4) and this guy; alternatively, make him into an Artifact Creature and equip with several Illusionist's Bracers. ... or both. Get up to 25 (45, if together, and not cloning the cards as well) coin flips for a near-guaranteed recharge for Zarek (just need 8 heads). Naturally, this is hilariously rude with just about any planeswalker's ability.
jfre81
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Coin flips in Magic have surely become more high-stakes since Mana Clash.
DragonLord132
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Planeswalker Booker DeWitt
talcumpowder0046
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I want a Ramaz. The DotP 14 battle sucked, but a demented beastmage is just plain cool.
Kontrah
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I have been running a Modern Urzatron deck since the original Ravnica was in standard. Added two copies of this guy, and he just helps develop or secure the win over and over again. Never even seen his ultimate go off, which would in all likelihood guarantee at least one more turn of excessive mana ramp, card draw, and damage. The game is always over before that.
Aburaishi
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The parallels between this guy's and the angry kitten's abilities are... weird.
They'd have some good synergy, if anyone ever felt compelled to make a RUW deck.
DoctorGii
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
"O radiant one. Youth free from sin. I have heard your voice. Call upon me, and I shall come." He uttered the words with hands folded, standing in the midst of brilliant light. A machine belt on his waist. A machine arm covering his hands. At that moment, he changed into something else - clad in the garments of a faraway country, armed with thunder from beyond the clouds. In his gaze- a spark.
NickDay
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Syrtees You forgot Vraska!
Aremath
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Sure wish it was possible to +1 at instant speed (hoping at some point there is a planeswalker that can do that). Otherwise, plussing feels a little useless other than ramping by 1 (which is a reasonable advantage, but feels really strange in UR). Ulti is fun but a little silly (like Vraska's), but minus is extremely good. I guess the only problem is you get the most value out of his minus against decks that can generally kill him easily. Overall, not a huge fan. He's a little awkward.
Syrtees
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Including our friend Ral Zarek here, other planeswalkers that can directly kill other planeswalkers are:
Edit: Ah, thank you @NickDay. Indeed, Vraska the Unseen can as well.
UKenobi
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
@Syrtees
Were you referencing Sorin Markhov's +1 ability in your list, or did you mean to put Sorin, Lord of Innistrad on there due to his ultimate?
Lazrbeams
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Really really similar to Ajani Vengeant they're both 4 cmc and are red. Both their +1's tap things, ral untaps yours, Ajani keeps things tapped. Fits well into the decks they'd go into. Ajani's -2 is strictly better, but ral comes with 1 more devotion, and both ultimates will win you the game. Probably.
SirLibraryEater
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
He's just so Izzet. His ultimate relies entirely on luck. That's just soooo Izzet of him. I'm not a fan of the burn spell ability, though. I just have to say that I will be genuinely disappointed if there isn't a Duel Decks between him and Kiora, the Crashing Wave, entirely to reference Duels of the Planeswalkers. Although it doesn't make a lot of spatial sense, considering they are currently on different planes, since Jace vs. Vraska is happening, there's not much else you can do in terms of a Ral duel decks. And I'm gonna be so sad if there isn't one.
Petertracy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Why, if it isn't the man who ruined an entire set. Pleased to meet you.
Enelysios
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I started running him in my deck alongside Elspeth, Knight Errant and Ajani Vengeant. He is certainly the worst of the three, but comparing him to two powerhouses in control is maybe not fair. He compares directly to Ajani and its not a good comparison for him.
His biggest issue for me is his +1. It seems more aggro then control. I have had some success against mirrored control using him to tap their land to shut out counters. Usually its just me untapping a land. If I ran Howling Mine, it would be a cool combo with that. Basalt monolith and Stasis have been mentioned. His -2 is useful, but yeah, strictly worse than Ajani. the 3 is nice though, lets me kill something when I don't have a lightning bolt or magma jet handy. His ultimate is better than Ajani's in multiplayer, but arguably worse in 1v1. You will usually win if you get either off, but Ajani's always shuts down the opponent. In the not-overly-unlikely event you only get one extra turn you are not necessarily winning with a control deck. If you get two you are probably good.
Overall, he probably isn't great for control, but he is fun. Sadly I think he is half built for control and half for aggro (+1 is aggro focused, -2 is control, ultimate is a win button) and I don't see any deck archtypes that can run him at a competitive level right now. If the metagame shifts he could see more play, but with UR so control and evasion heavy, I am not sure that will happen. he is fun and very Izzet flavored though, so I will continue to enjoy him.
bloodlinekeeper
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It doesn't say you can't use a coin with two heads.... Problem wizards?
syntheticbiology232
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
we don't get lighting bolt but instead this guy i'm okay with that
Comments (99)
But anyway, I doubt he'll be the most powerful planeswalker, but he's an Izzet planeswalker and therefore I want one.
Best.
Combo.
Ever.
Still a great Planeswalker.
Very nice PW design, though I can't decide what deck best suits it, maybe American Flash.
Krenko is gonna love this card for sure!
1 turn: 16%
2 turns: 31%
3 turns 31%
4 turns: 16%
5 turns: 3%
1+ turns: 97%
2+ turns: 81%
3+ turns: 50%
he's also really good with Krenko, Mob Boss. will see play in UR or WUR aggro.
every.single. turn. o.o
He's obviously the Tony Stark of Magic: The Gathering.
Mana cost: 4, perfectly playable for a walker. Only requires a single U and R, so not too color dependent.
Colors: red and blue. A decent control pair. Nothing wrong with that.
+1: This one's a bit tricky. Because that tap doesn't come with a "it doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step" (which would've made the card too powerful), it means that it can't be used as pseudo-removal. For the most part, it's going to be used to either eliminate a potential blocker, or to tap down a land or other permanent immediately, so that if the opponent wants to use that permanent they have to do so then and there. So it can put timing in your favor. The untap, however, is a lot more potent. At worst, it untaps a land so you can either accelerate with it (playing a 6 drop the turn after Ral comes out), or to have mana open for counterspells or other instants. So ultimately, it's a decent +1, but keep in mind it won't protect Ral all on its lonesome - it needs other cards to help out. In standard, be wary about playing it as soon as you hit 4 mana - there's not a lot of 1 drop removal that can take care of *any* threat the opponent might play.
-2: Absolutely sexy, and a perfectly acceptable first-off activation. Lightning Bolt - that's all there is to it. And it can hit most turn 4 or 5 creatures, meaning that his minus can actually protect him until you untap in a lot of cases.
-7: Of course, if you activate this you're already doing quite well at controlling the game. It's luck based, and occasionally you might get only 1 or 0 turns out of this (I've actually tested this guy out, and the one guy I got ultimate, I kid you not, I got 5 tails and no extra turns -.-), but if you get at least one turn he cycles himself, and any more just puts you in a tremendous power position (unless you're in topdeck mode at that point). This isn't nearly as game ending as a lot of other walkers, but it's still quite potent.
So ultimately, in more serious decks Ral is going to be included to make a lot of use out of his +1 and -2 abilities, with his ultimate as a sexy afterthought. Which is exactly how a walker should be. He has some standard potential given his mana cost and repeatable lightning bolt, and just imagine this scenario in a Team America deck: turn 3, Geist of St Traft. Turn 4, Ral, either tapping down their best/only Geist blocker, or outright Bolting it to smithereens. Lather, rinse, repeat. That's sexy right there.
Vintage could see use with time vault or mishras factory, etc...though vintage is a stretch....then he has an ultimate that almost tempts me to use it...
0 heads: 3.125% /// At least: 1 head: 96.875%
1 head: 15.625% ///// 2 heads: 81.25%
2 heads: 31.25% ///// 3 heads: 50%
3 heads: 31.25% ////// 4 heads: 18.75%
4 heads: 15.625%
5 heads: 3.125%
With Krark's Thumb:
0 heads: .09767% /// At least: 1 head: 99.90233%
1 head: 1.465% ///// 2 heads: 98.437%
2 heads: 8.7891% ////// 3 heads: 89.648%
3 heads: 26.367% ////// 4 heads: 63.281%
4 heads: 39.551%
5 heads: 23.73%
Also, if you are running this card in casual, I recommend Contagion Engine with its +1 ability.
Edit: Im sorry for the wrong percentages. I made an error inputting the percentage of winning with a coin flip.
-2 Lightning Bolt,
-7 Time Stretch.
5/5
Use Ral's -7
Yes, I do want 5 extra turns after this one!
Honestly, this is one of the most powerful planeswalkers printed since Liliana of the Veil. Grixis just got a huge boost of power from Ral, with the ability to contribute to both controls styles with his plus ability and his ultimate, and his first minus contributes well to Grixis aggro (his other abilities do as well). My only gripe with him is that after seeing him at the pre-release against me twice, I feel like he gets out too early with only being 2UR, when I would've rather seen him be either 3UR or stay 2UR and only have three loyalty counters to enter play.
Awesome planeswalker. I can't wait to get my hands on one.
Consider 5 slots in which a coin can be placed heads or tails:
__ __ __ __ __
How many different ways can you place a single heads?
H T T T T
T H T T T
T T H T T
T T T H T
T T T T H = 5.
How many different ways can you place two heads?
H H T T T
H T H T T
H T T H T
H T T T H
T H H T T
T H T H T
T H T T H
T T H H T
T T H T H
T T T H H = 10. This is equivalent to the combinatorial function n C k in the case of 5 C 2 (or 5 choose 2).
Also, the cominatorial function n C k is defined as:
n C k = n!/(k! * (n-k)!)
Oh, and n! means n * (n-1) * (n-2) * (n-3) * ... * 1. It's the factorial function.
So, we'll avoid calculating the rest by writing them out.
5 C 0 = 1 (How many ways can you choose no heads? Just one.)
5 C 1 = 5
5 C 2 = 10
5 C 3 = 10 (5 C 2 = 5 C 3, just imagine choosing two tails instead of three heads)
5 C 4 = 5
5 C 5 = 1 (There's only one way to have all heads.)
Now that we know each different way the event can occur, how do we find the probability?
Well, there are 1 + 5 + 10 + 10 + 5 +1 equally likely outcomes. So, 32.
So to find the probability of any combination of events, just add them and divide by 32.
Chance of 0 heads: 1/32
Chance of 1 heads: 5/32
Chance of 2 heads: 10/32
Chance of 3 heads: 10/32
Chance of 4 heads: 5/32
Chance of 5 heads: 1/32
Chance of >0 heads: (5+10+10+5+1)/32 = 31/32
Chance of >1 heads: (10+10+5+1)/32 = 26/32
Chance of >2 heads: (10+5+1)/32 = 16/32 = 1/2
Chance of >3 heads: (5+1)/32 = 6/32
Chance of >4 heads: 1/32
What about Krark's Thumb?
Let's consider the two flips as an event with the following conditions:
a.) If you get at least one heads, it's a heads.
b.) If you get no heads, it's a tails.
You have 4 results: H H, H T, T H, T T. 3/4 of them are "good" results. So the probability of a heads is 3/4.
We still have the same amount of ways we can place the heads and tails, but now heads and tails are unequal. So we have to look a little closer.
What's the probability of H H T T T?
Well, there's a (3/4) chance of the first flip being heads times the (3/4) chance of the second flip being heads times the (1/4) chance of the third flip being tails times the (1/4) chance of the fourth flip being tails times the (1/4) chance of the last flip being tails. (3/4) * (3/4) * (3/4) * (1/4) * (1/4) = 9/1024.
Now let's make it easy by combining the two!
(5 C 2) * (3/4) ^ 2 * (1/4) ^ 3 = (ways to get it) (probability of getting it) = 9/1024
And now in terms of a well known equation:
n C k * p^k * (1 - p)^(n - k)
Where:
n is the amount of flips or trials
k is the amount of successes
p is the probability of a success
1 - p = the probability of a failure
n - k is the number of failures
I won't continue with all the numbers, but you should be able to calculate it yourself now!
Not even close.
Try:
+1 Double twiddle, except only with sorcery timing (which is a very big deal), both at the same time, on different targets, with one tapping and the other untapping. Which means you can't use it for any of twiddle's main uses, such as preventing a creature from attacking you or gaining a surprise defender after your opponent has declared attackers. Mostly, it's going to stop one creature from blocking you, or untap one of your creatures after it attacks. But not both in the same turn.
-2 Double Lightning bolt, except again it's only playable as a sorcery. Which means no holding it back ready to respond to your opponent's play.
-7 Time Stretch, or slightly better, on average, but might fizzle out entirely. Probably still worth it, but nowhere near the game finisher I'd expect from a planeswalker of this cost and loyalty.
Blue-red is my favourite colour combo and I like planeswalkers more than I really should, so I would love to have this card and I would build a deck to make him work, but that's just it. I would be building a deck to try and make him work, not using him because he's actually a good card.
He finally got it out on the board in one of the later rounds. After Ral dropped, the next few turns were spent barely holding on, with my friend pretty much using all his creatures as chump blockers for creatures swinging at Ral. Finally, he managed to get enough loyalty counters to use his ultimate.
He started flipping coins.
He flipped five tails.
My friend conceded and left the prerelease.
Comes in Turn 4, 4 M for 4
+1 is amazing. A temporal mastery but dumbed down. You can easily untap a land or untap one of your strongest cards, while tapping of the opponents strongest.
-2 is essentially a lightning bolt at it's finest.
-7 no *** words. 3 turns and you have it. you will rape all.
The most obvious is the Twiddle ability. Everyone seems to be psyched about his ultimate, but lets be realistic here, once this cards hits play more often than not, your opponents will be attacking Ral Zarek and not you. So you have maybe 1 or 2 turns of Ral Zarek before he hits the graveyard. In those 2 turns you have him its going to be +1 or -2. You have a choice between his Twiddle ability or his Lightning Bolt ability. The control player would love the Twiddle leaving a creature to block with after attacking. And the aggro player would love the Lightning bolt to clear away creatures or direct damage to the dome.
But Ral Zarek's untap target permanent is the powerhouse. I see him untapping lands and Gilded Lotus for maximum mana. I know its a longshot but powering out a Niv Mizzet, Dracogenius isn't out of the question anymore.
It's surprisingly easy to build a deck around time-traveling R/U gambles in nearly all formats, but a Standard deck in R/U is mostly Ravnica-exclusive with a few M13s ATM. Maybe some M14s will do better even, but Innistrad is almost without enough R/U back-up worth the time for this one. It's actually kind of funny too, because pretty much all the other Planeswalkers can exploit something pre-Ravnica for Standard far better than the R/U cards that came out besides the random draw/recovery cards.
What I'm basically saying is that this card is build for more of a long-term means, as the short-term has him slapping Goblin nests around and extending turns.
infinite turns.
every.
single
game.
If you tap a creature card with his +1 ability, does that creature attack during the combat step?
This card made me start laughing when I read it because it was silly, then that laughter turned into diabolic laughter about how this card was meant to be used.
Turn 1: Ancient Tomb, Contagion Clasp
Turn 2: Any U/R Dual, Throne of Geth
Turn 3: Any U/R, play Ral, use +1
Turn 4: Sac throne to itself, use clasp, use Ral's +7
Hm that might be a competitive standard worth duet.
given that ral ETB on turn four and gilded lotus only interacts with him turn five to produce six mana seems a little silly when basic mana ramp accomplishes the same. and also considering standard decks are consistently tailored to win on turn 5 nowadays that would be too little, too late.
While he can do that with timevault, Tezzeret the Seeker can do it too - but not only that, he can tutor it out of your deck first. Since time vault is restricted in vintage, it is important to be able to tutor for it reliably. On top of that, it means tezzeret is actually a win-con by himself only requiring you to untap with him (and time vault not being destroyed).
As for this card, I think it's pretty good, but not amazing. I'm glad it is a more balanced planeswalker though meaning casual players can enjoy it too, and it's still good enough to potentially see use in a competitive deck.
The main things about this card that I like/don't like:
Dislike:
1) Tapping things doesn't do much because they will untap on their next turn.
2) His -2 is just a lightning bolt. I was hoping for a 'divided as you choose' sort of thing, but maybe that would be too strong (though it is -2...).
Like:
1) Blue/Red ramp anyone?
2) Not broken.
3) Game-winning, but also hilarious ultimate ability.
Some random chance is quite acceptable. You simply have to manipulate it that it's not so bad. On average you'll get 2.5 turns. If you round down to 2 turns and have something like Contagion Engine or inexorable tide then you can shoot up to 6 counters without any issue. This means that with a mere 2 card combo you'll almost have infinite turns on average; for 4 mana per turn.
If you're going to net "infinite turns", this is by far the most fair/fun way to do it.
Really though, he is the ultimate best friend of Royal Assassin.
4/5
I'm surprised. It is now my goal to educate the MTG masses in rock and roll.
+1: Ajani's +1 is almost always useful, whether keeping an attacker from untapping (Tamiyo style) or keeping a land from untapping. The tap part of Ral's +1 only works when you're aggro, whereas the untap part can be great, but requires some work before it can match Ajani. Ajani wins
-2 and starting loyalty: Ral has 1 more loyalty, but for the same -2 Ajani also gains you 3 life. I'd call it a tie.
Ultimate: usually we don't evaluate ultimates, as they say. Ral does have the slight advantage of requiring one less turn to ultimate.
In the end, Ajani seems to be a clear winner. However Ajani also had to compete with stuff like Lightning Bolt and more importantly, the overpowered Bloodbraid Elf at four. Ral is good enough to see play in today's Standard.
I ended up rooting pretty hard for him to lose. :P He's not even much like Iron Man, because he's so much more full of himself, he starts to shoot himself in the foot.
Iron Man may be a selfish ass, but Iron Man is usually smart enough to actually make sure his actions benefit his selfish ways.
Ral Zarek is REALLY Lucky Jace happened to check in on Ravnica, because basically Ral Zarek : Niv-Mizzet : : Tezzeret : Nicol Bolas.
Niv-Mizzet would PROBABLY be more Merciful than Nicol Bolas.....except....wait. No. He's more Impulsive, cares much less about Using Pawns, and after not having any more use for Ral Zarek, Nivvy would just Eat Him because he saw no point in his continued existence and he wanted to free up his brain from having to worry about Plots against him.
Nicol Bolas doesn't do things like that because he doesn't actually consider anyone a threat, lol, and he takes a lot of sadistic glee in moving Pawns around and Pretending to Lose before casting Bitchslap l Ultimatum on them. :O
Jace, as The Living Guildpact, is now Actually Niv-Mizzet's Boss. o.O
Which is CRAY-CRAY BUT EPIC XD
Yes, but their +1 abilities are a lot more different!
I've used Ral zarek in my games and I can say that this ability truly is golden, though subtle. For me, it has helped creating charge lines for my big hitters, untapping mana for precious burn spells and activate various tapping ablities. Ajanis +1 is more aggressive, but I find Ral Zareks to be more for the utility player.
Now... Ral Zareks -2 is worse than Ajanis, but this is a planeswalker associated with colors that love to burn and do shenanigans! Its an very good bolt weapon every now and then, plus life gain is pretty useless if your other cards dont benefit from it :3
And finally, their ultimates. While Ajanis clearly wins the game for you, so does Ral Zarek with a good throw and he can play it out faster than Ajani! Even if you only gain 1-2 extra turns, it will give you so much more time to manouver and pound your opponent into submission. I even didnt mention how fun it is!
To me, Ral Zarek is an iconic planeswalker. Why? Since he does what Izzet does best, screw around, zap stuff to death and finally end everything in a big explosion! He is an very fun planeswalker and I would add him to any red/blue deck that I own ^_^
Rings of Brighthearth (x4) and this guy; alternatively, make him into an Artifact Creature and equip with several Illusionist's Bracers. ... or both.
Get up to 25 (45, if together, and not cloning the cards as well) coin flips for a near-guaranteed recharge for Zarek (just need 8 heads). Naturally, this is hilariously rude with just about any planeswalker's ability.
They'd have some good synergy, if anyone ever felt compelled to make a RUW deck.
I have heard your voice. Call upon me, and I shall come."
He uttered the words with hands folded, standing in the midst of brilliant light.
A machine belt on his waist.
A machine arm covering his hands.
At that moment, he changed into something else - clad in the garments of a faraway country, armed with thunder from beyond the clouds.
In his gaze-
a spark.
You forgot Vraska!
Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded
Sorin Markov
Chandra, the Firebrand
Chandra, Pyromaster
Chandra Nalaar
Chandra Ablaze
Ajani Vengeant
Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
Elspeth Tirel
Oh, and of course Gideon, Champion of Justice and Gideon Jura
Edit: Ah, thank you @NickDay. Indeed, Vraska the Unseen can as well.
Were you referencing Sorin Markhov's +1 ability in your list, or did you mean to put Sorin, Lord of Innistrad on there due to his ultimate?
I just have to say that I will be genuinely disappointed if there isn't a Duel Decks between him and Kiora, the Crashing Wave, entirely to reference Duels of the Planeswalkers.
Although it doesn't make a lot of spatial sense, considering they are currently on different planes, since Jace vs. Vraska is happening, there's not much else you can do in terms of a Ral duel decks. And I'm gonna be so sad if there isn't one.
His biggest issue for me is his +1. It seems more aggro then control. I have had some success against mirrored control using him to tap their land to shut out counters. Usually its just me untapping a land. If I ran Howling Mine, it would be a cool combo with that. Basalt monolith and Stasis have been mentioned. His -2 is useful, but yeah, strictly worse than Ajani. the 3 is nice though, lets me kill something when I don't have a lightning bolt or magma jet handy. His ultimate is better than Ajani's in multiplayer, but arguably worse in 1v1. You will usually win if you get either off, but Ajani's always shuts down the opponent. In the not-overly-unlikely event you only get one extra turn you are not necessarily winning with a control deck. If you get two you are probably good.
Overall, he probably isn't great for control, but he is fun. Sadly I think he is half built for control and half for aggro (+1 is aggro focused, -2 is control, ultimate is a win button) and I don't see any deck archtypes that can run him at a competitive level right now. If the metagame shifts he could see more play, but with UR so control and evasion heavy, I am not sure that will happen. he is fun and very Izzet flavored though, so I will continue to enjoy him.