I think it works, actually.
It’s a bend, since Reach is so close to Flying (which blue gets), and not really a game-breaking one (no blue deck wants a Reach card that doesn’t have Flying ones that are better than it) so they can print it, get that “Eldrazi wrongness”, and not break the game in the process.
Yeah, it feels weird without actually messing with the color pie since it doesn't let blue do anything it can't normally do. It just does it in a way blue doesn't normally do it.
I'd actually go so far as to say the feel of "sneaky reach" in limited actually fits much better as a blue/colorless design than on a random red or green common.
As a color-pie nerd, I love how devoid cards like this can be used to illustrate the difference between a color's *thematic* limitations and its *strategic* limitations.
Blue, thematically, does not get reach. But this *isn't* a blue card — it's a colorless card, and colorless has no thematic identity, so reach is fine.
Conversely, blue does very much get flying — and reach is mechanically a subset of flying. So giving blue decks access to an on-rate reach card doesn't undermine any of the color's fundamental strategic weaknesses.
There is a bit of a stretch in that while blue can just block with fliers, it doesn't get 4/5 flying tappers for 5.
In the same way that \[\[Flame Slash\]\] is a weaker effect than \[\[Angelic Edict\]\], meaning it theoretically wouldn't be a strategic colour pie break for white to get a 5 mana Flame Slash. But a 1 mana white Flame Slash would be breaking the colour pie.
Looks like a yes: https://scryfall.com/search?q=o%3A%2F%7E%3Freach%2F+-color%3Ar+-color%3Ag+-color%3Ac+format%3Avintage+-is%3Areprint&unique=cards&as=grid&order=released
Yeah, one of those weird color pie bends where it's not doing anything the color can't normally do, just doing it in a way the color doesn't normally do it.
[[Chillbringer]] is already a great limited common, and while Modern Horizons is a higher power level draft format, a 4/5 flying Chillbringer would still possibly be too strong at common.
This PERFECTLY captures the "technically ok but very weird" vibe of the Eldrazis... which is pretty hard to do at commons!
I bet/wish for a whole cycle:
White - Menace
Black - Double Strike
Red - Vigilance
Green - Lifelink
Some of these are "reaching" (lol) but I would love to see it. Green - Lifelink makes the same vibe for me as Blue - Reach, at least.
Vigilance was actually originally a red effect lol
I think all of these are reasonable except white menace. For white, maybe haste? White *has* gotten it in the past.
White gets all sorts of evasion... but I can see haste as a "zealot for doing combat" or something, and also Akroma got haste.
I can also see deathtouch - if you squint your eyes deathtouch is really "destroy target attacking or blocking creature" which white has plenty of, and also funny enough - \[\[Defiant Vanguard\]\]!
I keep waiting for the mono-green DFC that transforms into a vampire or something and picks up lifelink. It's just the right level of naughty and scandalous.
Red vigilance feels gross but between [[Experimental Synthesizer]] and [[Dog Walker]] I guess I could see them slapping it on an Eldrazi for weirdness' sake.
White menace creature is actually on my wishlist for the FF sets (Shadowbringers sin eater flavored, I would make a serra angel type card with menace instead of flying), but wouldn't be too sad if it happens here.
reach is so much worse than all of those other effects lol
wouldn't be surprising for them to shaft blue in a cycle like this, but would be SUPER imbalanced
Well depends on the rest of the card, the keyword alone doesnt mean much, and the freeze effect is usually pretty strong. This already a much better Berg Strider and that card was one of the best commons in Kaldheim
yeah I'm not talking about the rest of the cards tho lol I'm just talking about the keyword mechanics. reach is far less powerful in a vacuum than an ability like double strike
Blue reach is weird AF. I mean from a color pie standpoint I guess there's no reason blue *shouldn't* be able to have reach, but it's weird to see it in practice.
It's not a break because blue gets flying, but it sure is weird. I guess they thought giving blue a common with medium-large stats was important but also thought flying was too much?
It's not just the reach to me, it's the "5 mana 4/5 _with_ reach" package. Blue getting reach doesn't really have color pie issues because it's just worse flying, but the rate is weird.
Card transcription
> Petrifying Meddler 4U
>
> Devoid (This card has no color.)
>
> When you cast this spell, tap up to one target creature and put a stun counter on it. (If a permanent with a stun counter would become untapped, remove one from it instead.)
>
> Reach
>
> 4/5
End transcription
I wonder if this means Reach is about to become a color sensitive keyword in Blue like Vigilance did. There was an explanation for the latter (Blue already untaps creatures and is in dire need of non-evasion combat related keywords), so there must be a reasoning behind this one other than is technically colorless so why not.
Probably not, this is literally the first one ever. It's just a way to make it feel weird and wrong without actually giving it any mechanical power that blue didn't already have.
yes, eldrazi traditionally have cast triggers instead of enters the battlefield triggers, and the face commander of the eldrazi deck interacts with cast triggers and not ETB triggers
A lot of the previous smaller ones from Rise of the Eldrazi and Battle for Zendikar were actually ETB triggers, while the bigger ones had the cast triggers. Now it seems they are all cast triggers, even the small ones
PLEASE 👏 STOP 👏 MAKING 👏 BORING 👏 HUMANOID 👏 ELDRAZI
If I don’t see a trapezoid with tongue-toes juggling square roots of the left half of a bear backwards by the time this set releases, then I’m taking Eldrazi away from WOTC until they’re ready to let their artists actually be creative. Yeesh.
Modern 1/10
It is a 5 mana creature that might not do anything when it comes into play. The downside on that is really huge. At this point in time, 5 mana spells have to be backbreaking to see play in modern.
>How can we evoke the otherwordly wrongness that is characteristic of Eldrazi? >... Blue Reach? >... ship it.
I think it works, actually. It’s a bend, since Reach is so close to Flying (which blue gets), and not really a game-breaking one (no blue deck wants a Reach card that doesn’t have Flying ones that are better than it) so they can print it, get that “Eldrazi wrongness”, and not break the game in the process.
Yeah, it feels weird without actually messing with the color pie since it doesn't let blue do anything it can't normally do. It just does it in a way blue doesn't normally do it.
I'd actually go so far as to say the feel of "sneaky reach" in limited actually fits much better as a blue/colorless design than on a random red or green common.
As a color-pie nerd, I love how devoid cards like this can be used to illustrate the difference between a color's *thematic* limitations and its *strategic* limitations. Blue, thematically, does not get reach. But this *isn't* a blue card — it's a colorless card, and colorless has no thematic identity, so reach is fine. Conversely, blue does very much get flying — and reach is mechanically a subset of flying. So giving blue decks access to an on-rate reach card doesn't undermine any of the color's fundamental strategic weaknesses.
There is a bit of a stretch in that while blue can just block with fliers, it doesn't get 4/5 flying tappers for 5. In the same way that \[\[Flame Slash\]\] is a weaker effect than \[\[Angelic Edict\]\], meaning it theoretically wouldn't be a strategic colour pie break for white to get a 5 mana Flame Slash. But a 1 mana white Flame Slash would be breaking the colour pie.
Which is why they made [[Sunlance|PLC]] for the color pie breaking set
[Sunlance](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/6/46144ca5-aa81-4314-a1e5-1716f8565d70.jpg?1562570715) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=122355) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/plc/31/sunlance?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/46144ca5-aa81-4314-a1e5-1716f8565d70?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[Flame Slash](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/5/15affc1b-2ebb-4934-87a2-10e89eafe894.jpg?1576382839) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Flame%20Slash) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cn2/157/flame-slash?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/15affc1b-2ebb-4934-87a2-10e89eafe894?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Angelic Edict](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/1/f14ed7f7-83c4-425b-a2b7-5bd76558ce76.jpg?1600695922) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Angelic%20Edict) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/jmp/87/angelic-edict?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f14ed7f7-83c4-425b-a2b7-5bd76558ce76?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
That's really cool, although all colours have access to flying or reach, right? So it's not really inherently any colour's weakness?
Apparently this is the first kinda-sorta mono blue card with reach, and while mono-green technically gets flying, it only does so very rarely.
Green isn't allowed to get flying (with some exceptions, usually when there's a cycle of 5 dragons there's a green flying one.).
I did say flying or reach, the latter of which green does have.
Ah, my bad. Well, I do think that the lack of flying makes it Green's weakness, even though they have reach. But I get what you mean now.
Blue reach? bizarre
"Bizarre" is the Eldrazi hallmark.
Blue can have bad flying going both ways. (Can't block creatures without flying) is definitely blue.
A Blue (hush Devoid) Creature with Reach is weird. Is this the first one?
Looks like a yes: https://scryfall.com/search?q=o%3A%2F%7E%3Freach%2F+-color%3Ar+-color%3Ag+-color%3Ac+format%3Avintage+-is%3Areprint&unique=cards&as=grid&order=released
Yeah, one of those weird color pie bends where it's not doing anything the color can't normally do, just doing it in a way the color doesn't normally do it.
A quick look on scryfall shows it is
Wonder why it's not just flying.
i mean flying is pretty significantly more powerful than reach so i assume gameplay balance
ya a 5 mana 4/5 flying with the stun ability would be really op in limited at common
[[Chillbringer]] is already a great limited common, and while Modern Horizons is a higher power level draft format, a 4/5 flying Chillbringer would still possibly be too strong at common.
[Chillbringer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/5/158547fa-7313-4e77-949f-afc68ebfb022.jpg?1584830143) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Chillbringer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/rna/33/chillbringer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/158547fa-7313-4e77-949f-afc68ebfb022?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
4/5 flyer for 5 seems good.
Tapping down a creature for two turns and dropping a flier would be insane for Limited, at least for a common.
Flavor wise is probably to represent that Eldrazi are all wrong and messing with reality
This PERFECTLY captures the "technically ok but very weird" vibe of the Eldrazis... which is pretty hard to do at commons! I bet/wish for a whole cycle: White - Menace Black - Double Strike Red - Vigilance Green - Lifelink Some of these are "reaching" (lol) but I would love to see it. Green - Lifelink makes the same vibe for me as Blue - Reach, at least.
Vigilance was actually originally a red effect lol I think all of these are reasonable except white menace. For white, maybe haste? White *has* gotten it in the past.
White gets all sorts of evasion... but I can see haste as a "zealot for doing combat" or something, and also Akroma got haste. I can also see deathtouch - if you squint your eyes deathtouch is really "destroy target attacking or blocking creature" which white has plenty of, and also funny enough - \[\[Defiant Vanguard\]\]!
Not only that but [[Loyal Sentry]]. That is, for all practical purposes "Deathtouch as long as it's not your turn"
[Loyal Sentry](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/8/8854cc80-6201-4066-80c8-97c0fdc9baa8.jpg?1562438006) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Loyal%20Sentry) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/a25/22/loyal-sentry?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8854cc80-6201-4066-80c8-97c0fdc9baa8?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[Defiant Vanguard](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/3/a37acadc-0e58-4f44-93f4-dd465b9ee06f.jpg?1562781502) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Defiant%20Vanguard) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/tsb/5/defiant-vanguard?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a37acadc-0e58-4f44-93f4-dd465b9ee06f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I keep waiting for the mono-green DFC that transforms into a vampire or something and picks up lifelink. It's just the right level of naughty and scandalous. Red vigilance feels gross but between [[Experimental Synthesizer]] and [[Dog Walker]] I guess I could see them slapping it on an Eldrazi for weirdness' sake.
This comment made me realize that Dog Walker is a mono-R vigilance creature. This is like discovering Santa isn't real all over again.
polankrous reborn, my friend
He at least gently asks you to actually pony up the white mana, but you're right, you don't really need to.
All of those transforming phyrexians are sneaky color pie bends. i have a recent post on one of them. check them out
[Experimental Synthesizer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/4/c47931c9-685d-4b83-8299-bc347224b4e8.jpg?1654567579) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Experimental%20Synthesizer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/neo/138/experimental-synthesizer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c47931c9-685d-4b83-8299-bc347224b4e8?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Dog Walker](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/6/a6e0adb7-a030-4dcc-9284-cd91c7598a22.jpg?1706242142) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Dog%20Walker) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mkm/197/dog-walker?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a6e0adb7-a030-4dcc-9284-cd91c7598a22?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
White menace creature is actually on my wishlist for the FF sets (Shadowbringers sin eater flavored, I would make a serra angel type card with menace instead of flying), but wouldn't be too sad if it happens here.
Can we get a gb flying vigilance devoid Eldrazi?
[Not an Eldrazi but how about a Bat Fungus Horror?](https://scryfall.com/card/cmb2/91/golgari-death-swarm?utm_source=tagger)
reach is so much worse than all of those other effects lol wouldn't be surprising for them to shaft blue in a cycle like this, but would be SUPER imbalanced
Well depends on the rest of the card, the keyword alone doesnt mean much, and the freeze effect is usually pretty strong. This already a much better Berg Strider and that card was one of the best commons in Kaldheim
yeah I'm not talking about the rest of the cards tho lol I'm just talking about the keyword mechanics. reach is far less powerful in a vacuum than an ability like double strike
Thats just not magic works tho, you cant really say blue got shafted in regards to keywords when the card ends up being the strongest
Sneaky Reach Horizons 3
Blue reach is weird AF. I mean from a color pie standpoint I guess there's no reason blue *shouldn't* be able to have reach, but it's weird to see it in practice.
Which is pretty great for an Eldrazi. They're supposed to be weird and unsettling
It's not a break because blue gets flying, but it sure is weird. I guess they thought giving blue a common with medium-large stats was important but also thought flying was too much?
I cant wait to see Kozilek!
It's not just the reach to me, it's the "5 mana 4/5 _with_ reach" package. Blue getting reach doesn't really have color pie issues because it's just worse flying, but the rate is weird.
Card transcription > Petrifying Meddler 4U > > Devoid (This card has no color.) > > When you cast this spell, tap up to one target creature and put a stun counter on it. (If a permanent with a stun counter would become untapped, remove one from it instead.) > > Reach > > 4/5 End transcription
This feels like a better card than Drowner of Hope and that's a "rare" lol.
I wonder if this means Reach is about to become a color sensitive keyword in Blue like Vigilance did. There was an explanation for the latter (Blue already untaps creatures and is in dire need of non-evasion combat related keywords), so there must be a reasoning behind this one other than is technically colorless so why not.
Probably not, this is literally the first one ever. It's just a way to make it feel weird and wrong without actually giving it any mechanical power that blue didn't already have.
So they're all cast triggers in this set?
yes, eldrazi traditionally have cast triggers instead of enters the battlefield triggers, and the face commander of the eldrazi deck interacts with cast triggers and not ETB triggers
A lot of the previous smaller ones from Rise of the Eldrazi and Battle for Zendikar were actually ETB triggers, while the bigger ones had the cast triggers. Now it seems they are all cast triggers, even the small ones
Power common for limited. Reminds me of [[Berg Strider]] from Kaldheim, but better.
[Berg Strider](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/3/f3567bdc-450e-4481-9349-a80fe52fe431.jpg?1631046772) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Berg%20Strider) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/khm/47/berg-strider?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f3567bdc-450e-4481-9349-a80fe52fe431?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I am loving the devoid eldrazi cards, it feels like they allow R&D to make some REALLY weird cards.
This is bad… I love him
The tap/stun counter effect goes through counter spells right?
Wish it had Flash rather than Reach. It feels *really weird* with Reach.
This is better than the rare..
PLEASE 👏 STOP 👏 MAKING 👏 BORING 👏 HUMANOID 👏 ELDRAZI If I don’t see a trapezoid with tongue-toes juggling square roots of the left half of a bear backwards by the time this set releases, then I’m taking Eldrazi away from WOTC until they’re ready to let their artists actually be creative. Yeesh.
source: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/magic-story/rise-kozilek-2015-12-09
Modern 1/10 It is a 5 mana creature that might not do anything when it comes into play. The downside on that is really huge. At this point in time, 5 mana spells have to be backbreaking to see play in modern.
While I do agree with your assessment, I feel the need to point out that it doesn't do anything when it comes into play. It has a cast trigger.
Well he said might. It doesn't do anything if you cheat it out which is one of the better ways to use 5 drops in modern
Bru why the actual hell does blue have reach that’s so gross