“In a world destroyed by a large quantity of Cats stand two men from
Theros who turned the tides of history forever. One was sworn to
protect those who cannot protect themselves. The other had a gift for
making himself indestructible. They could change the fates of time by
leading the rebellion against Nicol Bolas and his unrelenting attempts
at total domination. All that stands between them and victory is only
their ability to work together in….
“Two Brothers: The Gideoning.”
We all knew this day would come. When Wizards decided to go back on their
three-block rotation in Standard, we knew it would cause some issues down
the line. Amonkhet had been designed under the impression that Battle for Zendikar block would be rotating prior to its inclusion
in the format. The abandonment of this new cycle would punish us until sets
were printed once again for the old/new rotation cycle. “The Gideoning” is just the first instance of us seeing these
effects.
Luckily for us, it shouldn’t be that bad. We all know Gideon doesn’t like
to share the spotlight, making it difficult for me to believe he will work
well with himself. That leaves the only question on everyone’s mind: which
Gideon is better?
I would call you a liar if you haven’t played with or against this card in
the past two years. Gideon, Ally of Zendikar has been a staple since its
printing and has even been in the finals of every Pro Tour since then. It
would blow my mind if this card didn’t see play after the printing of
Gideon of the Trials.
Well, that’s if Gideon of the Trials didn’t “Fatal Push” Gideon,
Ally of Zendikar out of the format unfairly.
There’s a good possibility that Wizards decides to just go ahead and ban
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar this month just so that we have an opportunity to
play without it. Like I said earlier, the card has been more dominant since
its inclusion in Standard than any card before its time. It sees play in
aggro, midrange, and control strategies, and it can even be found
in the sideboard of most white-based decks that normally wouldn’t want that
effect. It’s just that good!
In all honesty, the only reason I was saddened by the decision to go back
to an eight-set rotation in Standard was due to having to deal with this
stupid planeswalker for another six months! If Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
does get banned, however, the replacement of Chandra, Torch of Defiance in
a Mardu Vehicles shell will probably be close to the same power level. It’s
a great day to be a Mardu Vehicles player!
Creatures (20)
- 1 Kytheon, Hero of Akros
- 4 Thraben Inspector
- 1 Pia Nalaar
- 4 Scrapheap Scrounger
- 4 Toolcraft Exemplar
- 4 Veteran Motorist
- 2 Glorybringer
Planeswalkers (7)
Lands (24)
Spells (10)
Now, saying Gideon, Ally of Zendikar will get the axe is just conjecture,
making it irresponsible to assume the world will no longer feel his mighty
wrath. We must understand what the world would look like if “Gideon and Gideon” set up shop in Standard.
Let’s start with what Gideon of the Trials has going for it that Gideon,
Ally of Zendikar doesn’t. For starters, it’s a cheaper card, which is
obviously better, given how important it is to curve out in Standard.
Sometimes just being on the draw left Gideon, Ally of Zendikar as effective
as a bucket with a hole in the bottom.
Gideon of the Trials, on the other hand, can get onto the battlefield more
quickly, increasing its chances of survival. It also has the ability to
protect itself from even the most powerful of cards in the format, like
Heart of Kiran. Gideon of the Trials will be more effective on the draw
than Gideon, Ally of Zendikar more times than not. We may even see decks
that play Gideon, Ally of Zendikar maindeck and swap them out for Gideon of
the Trials when on the draw.
Creatures (19)
- 2 Archangel Avacyn
- 4 Thraben Inspector
- 2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
- 4 Scrapheap Scrounger
- 4 Toolcraft Exemplar
- 3 Walking Ballista
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (25)
Spells (12)
Gideon of the Trials is also interesting when combined with Heart of Kiran.
His loyalty isn’t as important as Gideon, Ally of Zendikar’s, since there
is no ultimate that comes with a reduction of cost/resources. This allows
you to let Gideon of the Trials lose loyalty without feeling like you’re
losing options. Also, the ability to protect yourself from their Heart of
Kiran can win some difficult battles when they were planning on trading
Heart of Kirans. Not only that, but the race will sometimes be won by
Gideon of the Trials, thanks to its ability to minimize the effects of one
permanent on the other side of the battlefield each turn.
The ability for Gideon of the Trials to protect itself can also play
towards specific battlefield positions that Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
cannot. We all know that allowing a planeswalker to live is the easiest way
for a game to go poorly, so most opponents will put their focus into
killing them. This one, in particular, is difficult to kill, making it
something certain decks might be interested in. Very few combinations of
cards can actually take down Gideon of the Trials when it’s cast on turn 3
on the play, only absurdly powerful starts or simply cards like Ruinous
Path.
Not to say building around Gideon, Ally of Zendikar won’t be more impactful
in the end, but you never know, given the full listing of Amonkhet
isn’t out yet. Maybe there’s a Mardu Midrange deck that wants to play this
card more, given how good it can be as a permanent that also plays for
defensive battlefield positions. Who knows? We might see a U/W Control deck
sprout up that uses Gideon of the Trials to keep Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
in check. Anything’s possible after you realize someone built Lantern
Control!
Outside of that, sadly, Gideon, Ally of Zendikar has Gideon of the Trials
trumped on all metrics. Gideon, Ally of Zendikar is just too good at
exploiting opponents who stumbled or aren’t good at rolling dice. The card
has proven itself to be the best card in Standard for over a year now. I
don’t think Gideon of the Trials is willing to attempt to fill such big
shoes, even though technically he has the same-sized feet. It’s kind of
crazy to think about, since nothing actually sits on top of Gideon of the
Trials as a three-drop. If Gideon, Ally of Zendikar didn’t exist, we would
be blown away by this card, but (again) that’s a product of Wizards going
back on their rotation decision. Gideon of the Trials may just have to wait
until Gideon, Ally of Zendikar to naturally or unnaturally rotate out of
this format to begin to see substantial play.
One thing that Gideon of the Trials has over Gideon, Ally of Zendikar is
its unique third ability. Not being able to lose the game doesn’t seem like
that insane of an ability until you realize you’ve become a jaded Magic
player. Not being able to lose the game as long as you control a Gideon
card is pretty flipping awesome! I mean, they have to get it off the
battlefield if they want to win, and at the low cost of one activation.
That’s for sure going to come in handy in more situations than you can
think of off the top of your head. For instance, everyone’s favorite
legendary Spider doesn’t have an easy route to victory on a clogged
battlefield anymore.
“And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you
wannabe Avengers!”
If this ability doesn’t seem that great in Standard to you, just think
about all the crazy implications it will have in older formats. For
example, this emblem is just game over against a deck like Ad Nauseum…or
even in Ad Nauseum as a replacement to Phyrexian Unlife! Okay, so that’s
probably a little too far-fetched, but it is great against the deck at
least! There are countless decks in Modern that play white and also have a
very difficult time against certain combo decks that Gideon of the Trials
would most assuredly be willing to help out against.
“My day has finally come to protect those who cannot protect themselves
against actually playing good decks.”
Creatures (25)
- 4 Soul Warden
- 2 Martyr of Sands
- 2 Ranger of Eos
- 3 Soul's Attendant
- 3 Serra Ascendant
- 4 Ajani's Pridemate
- 4 Squadron Hawk
- 2 Gideon's Lawkeeper
- 1 Kytheon's Irregulars
Planeswalkers (1)
Lands (22)
Spells (12)
Gideon of the Trials doesn’t actually seem like that bad of a Modern card,
if you think about it. The planeswalker can protect you from a Death’s
Shadow, which can be very difficult to defend against, but also could be an
aggressive element against other, more controlling strategies. Gideon, Ally
of Zendikar has seen some sideboard play in the format, which means there’s
no reason why this card couldn’t. It might not be the most powerful thing
in the format, but all three abilities seem to be good, given the
circumstances of the format. I just wish his first ability didn’t target so
we would have another answer to those pesky G/W Hexproof decks!
Honestly, I have high hopes for this card, but I’m not overly confident in
its initial impact on Standard unless Wizards decides to ban some more
cards. It seems like it was intended for Constructed play and will see it
once Gideon, Ally of Zendikar is out of the picture, but that might not be
in the next couple of months. Luckily, this card is going to be around for
eighteen months, so we will have plenty of time to get sick of Gideon yet
again!
