Keranos, God of Storms

[xouman]

Too costly, but nice ability in vintage. Every turn you get a free land or a free bolt, both quite relevant in a field of BUG and mud (but in this field, who can play a 5CC spell???). 7 devotion in U and R are really hard to achieve, so I would like this card as a cheaper enchantment (at least cheaper than ral zarek, who does not see a lot of play).

I cannot see this card being played, but I like the idea for vintage.

Added pic.
-MM

[MaximumCDawg]

I don't think this card is Vintage playable, but I'm actually not 100% on that. 

Okay, so the casting cost is potentially playable.  We see this cost in game-closing cards like Tezzeret, the Seeker.  Tezzeret wins the turn after he resolves, though, so it's a pretty high bar to climb.

Does Keranos end the game on its own?  Well... no, but it's not as vulnerable to removal as Tezzeret is, either, because it's usually just an enchantment.  The value you get once he is in play is pretty amazing.  He helps you draw gas, and if you do draw gas, he starts blasting your opponent's board.  With a Top or Jace in play he gets even better, having bolt/draw on tap as necessary.  The payout of having Keranos in play seems really good.  It's indestructible, so it's hard to remove except by bounce or Revoke Existence.  You probably don't WANT it to turn into a creature ever, because then StP can deal with it.

But, man, the payoff is so slow.  Your opponent gets lots of ways to get out of the problem.  It's not like Jace or a 5-drop monster out of Shops, where you die now sir unless you deal with it.  I dunno, it just seems like such an awkward thing to do at the top of your curve...

I'm having such a rough time with that casting cost, though.  It's a five mana effect that is powerful but does not win immediately.  I dunno, man....

[fsecco]

I think that an active Keranos with Top is pretty amazing. He deals 3 damage, so he gets rid of every Vintage creature aside Kuldotha and Colossus.

There are three problems, though. The cost and the fact that it takes a turn for it to, maybe, do the effect you wish (unless you Ponder, Preordain, Brainstorm, Top, Jace, etc) were already covered by the post above. But there's a third, which is you don't get to choose which effect is gonna happen. So you play a Keranos, needing for it to take out that Lodestone next turn. And it reveals a land... Or the opposite, you need cards, there's no creature on the table, but there's a card advantage race going on, and he keeps revealing cards and dealing 3 damage that are useless right now, aside from revealing your hand to the opponent.

So I don't think that's Vintage playable. I mean, think of Thassa, which is a great f'ing card, but doesn't see Vintage play exactly because a resolved Thassa means very little to the imediate state of the game. And it costs 3!

Vintage is harsh...

[MaximumCDawg]

No kidding.  At 1UU or even RUU I would like this effect immensely.  It's really powerful.  But at five mana....?  With no reliable way to accelerate into it that couldnt get you something game ending instead....?

[nedleeds]

I wish he read "each turn" ... it would make him a little more interesting.

[hashswag]

No kidding.  At 1UU or even RUU I would like this effect immensely.  It's really powerful.  But at five mana....?  With no reliable way to accelerate into it that couldnt get you something game ending instead....?

I don't think this effect would even make the cut at RUU (I'd probably want a counterbalance + burn effect for that cost).

[gkraigher]

I really like this card in EDH, but it's not going to cut it in vintage.  No way.  

It's never going to be a creature, so you are basically paying 5 mana (in two colors) for an effect that either draws a card or deals three damage on each of your proceeding turns.  That just sounds bad.  On top of that, you have to give up information about all your future draws. 

[MaximumCDawg]

Nah, the EFFECT is very good.  A free bolt or card draw is going to matter in tons of matchups.  Kills lodestone, Jace, dorks, etc.  So either way you're getting advantage from it.  Either they're down a card or you're up a card.  And if you have to send 3 to the dome, hey, that's 3 more to the dome. 

The cost though, man.  5 seems really steep.  At 3, I don't think you guys are giving it enough credit.  At 5 though, you'd need some kind of mad specific acceleration to get th---

Aha!  I've got it!

Heartless Summoning!  Drop that on turn 1 and you're summoning this bad boy on turn 2.  That's not necessarily a difficult play to make, either.  Hmm.....

[fsecco]

Yeah, not even that makes the cut for me. The fact that the effect you get is random just kills it for me. Of course, with Top or Jace, it's insane, but other than that...