March 24, 2020
redeeming – adjective : compensating for some fault or defect; bringing about salvation or redemption from sin
I’ve argued (perhaps not eloquently) that only rares can be bobos – uncommons and mythics don’t qualify. I’m not going to alter that opinion today, but I am going to amend it slightly to say a non-rare “pull” can be a bobo, as I’ll illustrate today.
If you’re not familiar with them, Secret Lair drops are small bundles of reprinted cards from Magic’s past, illustrated with new art, and sold by Wizards directly to players.
Every drop thus far has included a random War of the Spark planeswalker card with stained glass art (these special illustrations were used for an online trailer for the WAR set, and weren’t used on the planeswalker cards you could get in boosters. The stained-glass versions of these cards are unique to the Secret Lair drops.)
The March 8 Secret Lair drop was for International Women’s Day, and the drop featured stunning cards of 5 powerful and/or iconic female characters from Magic’s history:
I bought the drop, not only because the cards were beautiful, but because $25 from each purchase went to a worthy charity (WAGGGS.) As with previous drops, a random planeswalker card was included with each set, and I was very excited to see who I got. I was sure it would be a female ‘walker, and there are scads of great female ‘walkers in WAR.
You know where this is going, right?
Of course you do. Would I be writing this if I’d gotten one of the fantastic ones? You know better.
So…yeah. I got Arlinn, Voice of the Pack.
Not to sound like an ingrate, but…craaaaaaaaaap. It’s an uncommon, but receiving this in my Secret Lair feels an awful lot like opening a bobo rare.
Yes, all of the stained glass planeswalkers are spiffy, and they are all technically “free” since they are not officially part of the drops and are therefore “extras”. I’m happy to have gotten one. Really. They’re beautiful, they’re unique, and they add extra value to each Lair.
But did I have to get this particular one? Out of all the awesome planeswalkers I could have gotten (and many other people did get), I pull Arlinn?
Alright, time for me to buck up and make the best of it. Today I will defend Arlinn’s honor, and find reasons to cheer her inclusion in my Secret Lair.
Let’s give Arlinn a constructive critique by examining each of her qualities.
Gender: Female
I start here not to be sexist, but to point out that all of the random planewalkers people received with the International Women’s Day Secret Lair drop were female (except Ashiok – that seems a strange inclusion.) I’ll be judging Arlinn only against her female brethren, since male ‘walkers were (logically) excluded from the drop. For context, of the 33 stained glass planeswalker cards people have received with Secret Lairs thus far, 18 of them depict females (not counting Ashiok.)
Color: Green
Green is currently the undisputed king of colors in Standard. So that’s a great start. If I was going to get a female WAR ‘walker in the strongest color in standard, it was either Arlinn or one of these options:
Nissa, Who Disrupts the Metagame, or Vivien, Champion of Smoke Beasties
Let’s compare play values for these ‘walkers:
Nissa: A scourge in standard, played in many top decks. Incredibly difficult to deal with, as she can tick up to 6 loyalty the turn she’s played, and creates a creature with vigilance so it can whack the opponent and still defend Nissa. Also allows for serious ramp/mana generation. Her ultimate, though rarely used, is pretty stellar if you can hit it. Nissa is a true all-star and format staple. I despise playing against her on Arena, and don’t play WITH her because I know how awful an experience it can be to play against her. A beast.
Vivien: Doesn’t protect herself (though she can fetch some protection, if you have spare mana to cast it right away.) Her -2 ability is decent, especially if Vivien lasts long enough to use it multiple times. And if she gets removed, you can still play whatever creature(s) you’ve exiled. The +1 ability is fairly weak but giving reach to an existing creature can help keep her onboard. The static ability can be useful, but I find that she rarely survives long enough for it to be relevant beyond a turn or two. When I’ve used her on Arena, she seems to draw more hate than her abilities would seem to warrant. And I’ve whiffed too often with the -2 to consider it impressive. She’s fair to middlin’. Not a beast (though should be, for purely flavor reasons.)
Arlinn: She…uh…makes wolves. And if you’re playing other wolves or werewolves (none of the latter in standard, and only a handful of the former) she gives them +1/+1 counters. So…pretty useless, frankly. As an uncommon ‘walker she gets only the single minus ability, and her static ability, while designed to nicely synergize with her minus ability, is otherwise worthless. Basically she’s a card for limited, or something to use if you are foolish enough to try and build a wolf/werewolf tribal Commander deck. Sad.
This is not going well so far. What else can we look at…
Casting Cost:
Six mana is a lot for a planeswalker, even a good one. What do you get for that investment? Let’s take a look at the 6-mana planeswalkers in WAR:
Liliana, Dreadhorde General
Kaya, Bane of the Dead
Ugin, the Ineffable
Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge
Interestingly (or not), Ugin has not yet been included with any of the Secret Lair drops. He’s male, so wouldn’t have been an option for this drop anyway. Tezzy, the buy-a-box promo for WAR, is also male (and was never given the stained-glass treatment.) Therefore, we’ll look only at Liliana and Kaya.
Liliana: If you’re going to pay 6 mana for a ‘walker, you want it to be a game-changer when it lands. Liliana does that. She can create protection for herself (that even draws you a card if it’s removed), she can clear away threats, and her ultimate is of the “I win” variety. Liliana is typically worth the investment, and I’m not sure I’ve ever regretted spending 6 mana for her.
Kaya: Being able to exile any creature, even ones with hexproof, and do it twice (if she survives) is potentially huge. Considering that’s essentially all Kaya does, however, she’s quite narrow. She’s mostly a limited card, and an expensive one (to cast) at that. Slow and narrow is not a great combo, but the ability is great if you have targets and can use it twice.
Arlinn: She…uh…makes wolves. Granted, her high starting loyalty potentially allows you to create three 3/3 wolves if she survives a few turns. But if she’s quickly removed, you’ve paid 6 mana for a 3/3 wolf. That’s…no bueno. Her static ability is so narrow as to be nearly irrelevant. When Throne of Eldraine was released, I tried to create a wolf tribal deck on Arena, and included a couple copies of Arlinn. Great flavor, and tribal support! Of course I included her! Sadly, those were the first cards I cut from the deck as I refined it. Even in a deck built around the tribe she supports, she was too slow and too costly to include. Very sad.
Financial value
Financial value will, of course, be tied strongly to play value, but scarcity may play a part. I saw people on Reddit posting which walker they got in this Secret Lair drop, and I was the only one to post Arlinn. Maybe I’m one of the lucky few to get her, and that’ll prop up the value? Let’s take a look at the planeswalkers people reported getting with this drop, and their estimated financial value at the time of posting:
So…Arlinn’s not quite last, I guess. And $6 and change ain’t nothin’. Still…quite sad.
What’s left…art? Sure, let’s try art. There’s got to be a positive here somewhere…
Art
Potential female ‘walkers for this drop are shown wielding fire, phasing through walls, commanding zombie armies, or causing rocks to levitate (to name just a few examples.) Arlinn…stands in front of buildings. The stained glass treatment actually does the original art a massive disservice, as the glowing eyes of her pack are severely muted or just missing. Even the wolves are nearly imperceptible in this version of the card:
Assuming you don’t dislike the basic concept of the stained glass illustrations, this may be the only ‘walker that looks objectively worse in stained glass form.
Uber-sad. Not one positive quality to be found.
Wait.
Wait, I’ve got it!
With Arlinn out, playing Ferocious Pup gives you a good boy capable of taking on all manner of tokens (soldiers! goblins! squirrels! squirrels? SQUIRRELS!) and living to nip again.
Who would leave a puppy to be slaughtered as a chump blocker? Not Arlinn!
I knew I loved her…
Casual Magicking 