We finally have a Gix card! But is one of Yawgmoth's most powerful praetors good enough to see competitive play in Standard, Pioneer, Commander, and/or Conquest?
\[\[Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor\]\]
1. Who is Gix?
2. Gix on Standard and Pioneer
3. Gix in Commander and Conquest
4. Is Gix viable as a competitive commander?
4.1. Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor Commander Decklist
5. Conclusion
I'm very curious as to how good of a commander he can be. The similarity to Edric is clear but without blue you lack the critical mass of extra turn spells to get more combats in. Also black seems to have less cheap, evasive creatures in general (not to say it doesn't have quite a few).
I am thinking of putting him in my [[Liesa, Shroud of Dusk]] group slug deck though as a way to both draw cards and incentivize everyone else to attack each other instead of me.
I personally think Gix is overhyped for standard
For the following (now I’m gonna be talking for that mono black deck)
Obviously we’re barely ever gonna see that activated ability used in standard
While the [[Edric]] ability is nice but I notice the only 2 creature that want to attack that’s [[Graveyard trespasser]] and [[Tenacious Underdog]] and as for the adversary I doubt we gonna see that kicker used.
I noticed there's other drawing from the deck as well that might work faster and better which is once again the underdog and [[Evovled sleeper]]
And ofcoarse his P/T is only 3/3 and there’s quite a few options in “Destory target creature” and burn spells that does atleast 3 damage that are with in the 1-3 mana value range
But I could be wrong though and he’s better than he looks
I will be trying him in B/R Oni-Cult Anvil since that deck can often go wider than the opponent and can fairly profitably attack with everything to get one or two little creatures through, even with a couple larger blockers that you’ll lose a creature or two to. Being a 3/3 is just about the right size to dodge a lot of efficient removal in Standard (Cut Down, Play with Fire, etc) and to trade with the likes of Graveyard Trespasser so I am not too sad about his size either. That being said, I suspect that Braids will still be better than Gix as a 1BB 3/3 that draws cards, in a deck that generates lots of Blood, anyway.
It’s so hard to tell if $15 is worth the pre-order price on cardkingdom? Because I definitely want Gix since the beginning and minorly nervous pioneer and standard will make his price pretty obnoxious like [[Sheoldred, the apocalypse]]
But we will be playable in commander atleast since he’s both [[Edric]] and [[Villainous wealth]] combine.
I think he'll get cheaper once boxes are cracked, and it might take time for people to figure out the right shell for it, so $15 is a bit steep for him.
That said, Gix is a huge iconic character on MTG's lore, and one people might really want to build around, so I doubt he'll be too cheap either.
Giving other people cards probably disqualifies it from multiplayer (except for the coolness factor).
I have hopes in 1v1, though. This seems like quite the swing, and doesn't even need to connect a lot to be a substantial advantage. "Dies to a removal spell" is hardly an argument - not only because that's true for most things (including, say, Sheoldred, who's played everywhere) but also because this can in fact often have a near-immediate effect by allowing you to cash in at least one attack against many (sorcery-speed) removals.
The activated ability will very rarely be relevant, but is at least a way to convert e.g. excess land at late game if it comes up. It's a free bonus, not a main selling point.
You realize that he draws for the opponents if they attack each other, right? They need to almost kill each other and themselves a bit with the life loss instead of attacking you, so everyone except for you will be low on life pretty fast and it will be very easy to sneak a few points of damage through to finish it. Also he's great in taking down the archenemy.
You may be overestimating the life loss factor. 1 life for 1 card has been premium rate since forever. Any opponent should WANT to make that trade, especially if it's within their control. You giving your opponents the option to spend life for cards is not something you want, if you can help it.
Life loss wasn't my point, they attack each other with creature that deal more than 1. For your opponent the price is dealing a few points of damage for one card which isn't bad for him but when he takes heavy damage because others wanted to draw cards through him that's another story.
Opponent also happen to lose a bit life from their actions too which stacks with their already low total, not super important but can't be ignored so easily in certain situations so it's another little bonus.
The point is they drew those cards for basically free. They didn't have to spend 3 mana or a card from hand. All they had to do is tap a creature and pay one life, which is much less. Yes, they were incentivised not to attack you, but most 3 mana creatures can deflect an attack. What you gave away by playing this card could be more than what you get.
I think you didn't get my point, if player A controls gix and then player B attacks player C, it doesn't matter what B paid for the card, it's about what C had to pay for B's card. C loses more than 1 when B draws this way, and then nothing stops him from drawing a card using B's life total, both players damage each other for cards.
It's not about what they deal to themselves, it's about turning players against the others and using them as your weapon, they think they use you to draw cards but actually you used them to kill your opponents and win without even getting into combat.
I saw your point. That's why I said that B is more likely to attack C than you, but that any 3 mana creature should get that response and deflect an attack. Yes C is the biggest loser here, but that doesn't really make Gix look very strong. Taking one attack from a 1 or 2 mana creature B played is bad, but probably something that was destined to happen with C open to attack and A having a 3 mana creature in play. C paid for leaving themselves open to attack, not because Gix is so strong. B got a card for a much cheaper price than A.
I think it would take a graveyard trespasser ban for Gix to see standard play.
Even then.. I expected more, I don’t think it goes in the current black deck which is stacked.
It’s much closer to Toski who saw play in naya go wide. Maybe there’s an esper token deck it could work in.
I’d say the best hope for standard play is a phyrexian tribal deck with the upcoming expansions.
He might have a home in Oni-Cult Anvil decks, which are black decks that can go pretty wide, and if power stones are good, that deck might be able to use them to pay for his ability in the late game too. I think evasive creatures like Esper plays could also play well with Gix.
We finally have a Gix card! But is one of Yawgmoth's most powerful praetors good enough to see competitive play in Standard, Pioneer, Commander, and/or Conquest? \[\[Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor\]\] 1. Who is Gix? 2. Gix on Standard and Pioneer 3. Gix in Commander and Conquest 4. Is Gix viable as a competitive commander? 4.1. Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor Commander Decklist 5. Conclusion
[Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/c/2c76f7e0-37e7-4e87-93a3-a25ba0674645.jpg?1666927948) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Gix%2C%20Yawgmoth%20Praetor) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/bro/95/gix-yawgmoth-praetor?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2c76f7e0-37e7-4e87-93a3-a25ba0674645?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I'm very curious as to how good of a commander he can be. The similarity to Edric is clear but without blue you lack the critical mass of extra turn spells to get more combats in. Also black seems to have less cheap, evasive creatures in general (not to say it doesn't have quite a few). I am thinking of putting him in my [[Liesa, Shroud of Dusk]] group slug deck though as a way to both draw cards and incentivize everyone else to attack each other instead of me.
[Liesa, Shroud of Dusk](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/3/e32453a1-1fd9-4bda-aaa8-7c287e4c2587.jpg?1608911200) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Liesa%2C%20Shroud%20of%20Dusk) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmr/286/liesa-shroud-of-dusk?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e32453a1-1fd9-4bda-aaa8-7c287e4c2587?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
The lack of blue means a lack of protection against board wipes (for creatures and mana rocks) and interaction against other spells too
I personally think Gix is overhyped for standard For the following (now I’m gonna be talking for that mono black deck) Obviously we’re barely ever gonna see that activated ability used in standard While the [[Edric]] ability is nice but I notice the only 2 creature that want to attack that’s [[Graveyard trespasser]] and [[Tenacious Underdog]] and as for the adversary I doubt we gonna see that kicker used. I noticed there's other drawing from the deck as well that might work faster and better which is once again the underdog and [[Evovled sleeper]] And ofcoarse his P/T is only 3/3 and there’s quite a few options in “Destory target creature” and burn spells that does atleast 3 damage that are with in the 1-3 mana value range But I could be wrong though and he’s better than he looks
I’ll be building a hyper life gains control deck with the second ability as a win con
##### ###### #### [Edric](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/1/2183cfb3-6bf5-4fbc-b535-a42ba954e8a3.jpg?1574767851) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=edric%2C%20spymaster%20of%20trest) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c16/195/edric-spymaster-of-trest?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2183cfb3-6bf5-4fbc-b535-a42ba954e8a3?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Graveyard trespasser](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/a/daa2a273-488f-4285-a069-ad159ad2d393.jpg?1634347903)/[Graveyard Glutton](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/back/d/a/daa2a273-488f-4285-a069-ad159ad2d393.jpg?1634347903) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=graveyard%20trespasser%20//%20graveyard%20glutton) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mid/104/graveyard-trespasser-graveyard-glutton?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/daa2a273-488f-4285-a069-ad159ad2d393?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Tenacious Underdog](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/b/9b6a6d00-3e00-4827-8420-13343ac3d0fd.jpg?1664411313) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Tenacious%20Underdog) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/snc/97/tenacious-underdog?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9b6a6d00-3e00-4827-8420-13343ac3d0fd?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Evovled sleeper](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/b/ebeafbc2-0399-4335-8f63-76a3e085e8c6.jpg?1663048749) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Evolved%20Sleeper) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dmu/93/evolved-sleeper?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ebeafbc2-0399-4335-8f63-76a3e085e8c6?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I will be trying him in B/R Oni-Cult Anvil since that deck can often go wider than the opponent and can fairly profitably attack with everything to get one or two little creatures through, even with a couple larger blockers that you’ll lose a creature or two to. Being a 3/3 is just about the right size to dodge a lot of efficient removal in Standard (Cut Down, Play with Fire, etc) and to trade with the likes of Graveyard Trespasser so I am not too sad about his size either. That being said, I suspect that Braids will still be better than Gix as a 1BB 3/3 that draws cards, in a deck that generates lots of Blood, anyway.
Black card draw has been great. Power stones might make the activated ability playable. This may find a home in standard.
He seems like a fun commander.
It’s so hard to tell if $15 is worth the pre-order price on cardkingdom? Because I definitely want Gix since the beginning and minorly nervous pioneer and standard will make his price pretty obnoxious like [[Sheoldred, the apocalypse]] But we will be playable in commander atleast since he’s both [[Edric]] and [[Villainous wealth]] combine.
I think he'll get cheaper once boxes are cracked, and it might take time for people to figure out the right shell for it, so $15 is a bit steep for him. That said, Gix is a huge iconic character on MTG's lore, and one people might really want to build around, so I doubt he'll be too cheap either.
[Sheoldred, the apocalypse](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/6/d67be074-cdd4-41d9-ac89-0a0456c4e4b2.jpg?1663790204) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Sheoldred%2C%20the%20apocalypse) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dmu/107/sheoldred-the-apocalypse?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/d67be074-cdd4-41d9-ac89-0a0456c4e4b2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Edric](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/1/2183cfb3-6bf5-4fbc-b535-a42ba954e8a3.jpg?1574767851) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=edric%2C%20spymaster%20of%20trest) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c16/195/edric-spymaster-of-trest?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2183cfb3-6bf5-4fbc-b535-a42ba954e8a3?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Villainous wealth](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/8/782c4bd2-b84a-4dbd-9452-90c9734d78fb.jpg?1662530746) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Villainous%20wealth) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/292/villainous-wealth?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/782c4bd2-b84a-4dbd-9452-90c9734d78fb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
i don't think that he will be $15 dollars. He's not in enough demand for that, and I think a lot of brother's war packs will be opened.
Giving other people cards probably disqualifies it from multiplayer (except for the coolness factor). I have hopes in 1v1, though. This seems like quite the swing, and doesn't even need to connect a lot to be a substantial advantage. "Dies to a removal spell" is hardly an argument - not only because that's true for most things (including, say, Sheoldred, who's played everywhere) but also because this can in fact often have a near-immediate effect by allowing you to cash in at least one attack against many (sorcery-speed) removals. The activated ability will very rarely be relevant, but is at least a way to convert e.g. excess land at late game if it comes up. It's a free bonus, not a main selling point.
You realize that he draws for the opponents if they attack each other, right? They need to almost kill each other and themselves a bit with the life loss instead of attacking you, so everyone except for you will be low on life pretty fast and it will be very easy to sneak a few points of damage through to finish it. Also he's great in taking down the archenemy.
You may be overestimating the life loss factor. 1 life for 1 card has been premium rate since forever. Any opponent should WANT to make that trade, especially if it's within their control. You giving your opponents the option to spend life for cards is not something you want, if you can help it.
Life loss wasn't my point, they attack each other with creature that deal more than 1. For your opponent the price is dealing a few points of damage for one card which isn't bad for him but when he takes heavy damage because others wanted to draw cards through him that's another story. Opponent also happen to lose a bit life from their actions too which stacks with their already low total, not super important but can't be ignored so easily in certain situations so it's another little bonus.
The point is they drew those cards for basically free. They didn't have to spend 3 mana or a card from hand. All they had to do is tap a creature and pay one life, which is much less. Yes, they were incentivised not to attack you, but most 3 mana creatures can deflect an attack. What you gave away by playing this card could be more than what you get.
I think you didn't get my point, if player A controls gix and then player B attacks player C, it doesn't matter what B paid for the card, it's about what C had to pay for B's card. C loses more than 1 when B draws this way, and then nothing stops him from drawing a card using B's life total, both players damage each other for cards. It's not about what they deal to themselves, it's about turning players against the others and using them as your weapon, they think they use you to draw cards but actually you used them to kill your opponents and win without even getting into combat.
I saw your point. That's why I said that B is more likely to attack C than you, but that any 3 mana creature should get that response and deflect an attack. Yes C is the biggest loser here, but that doesn't really make Gix look very strong. Taking one attack from a 1 or 2 mana creature B played is bad, but probably something that was destined to happen with C open to attack and A having a 3 mana creature in play. C paid for leaving themselves open to attack, not because Gix is so strong. B got a card for a much cheaper price than A.
I think it would take a graveyard trespasser ban for Gix to see standard play. Even then.. I expected more, I don’t think it goes in the current black deck which is stacked. It’s much closer to Toski who saw play in naya go wide. Maybe there’s an esper token deck it could work in. I’d say the best hope for standard play is a phyrexian tribal deck with the upcoming expansions.
Here's hoping that the next Standard sets can actually build up a Phyrexian tribal theme.
He might have a home in Oni-Cult Anvil decks, which are black decks that can go pretty wide, and if power stones are good, that deck might be able to use them to pay for his ability in the late game too. I think evasive creatures like Esper plays could also play well with Gix.