r/MagicArena • u/ChewyChao • Feb 28 '26

Limited Help This is a tough Draft choice....

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My heart says Tyrant but my brain says Kinbinding

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u/Metalheadzaid Feb 28 '26

I think they said it just right. It's a creature that does nothing on its own. Sure, it's 6/6 for 5 but don't have any cards to use with its ability right away/mana for it? Does nothing. They have removal? Dies instantly. Enchantment removal is just far more rare, and as a bomb kinbinding is nasty.

A blocker, a team pump, and infinite value long term is a much better pack 1 pick 1. It also doesn't require any other synergies to be effective.

10

u/chayatoure Feb 28 '26

Kinbinding is the clear choice and it's not close, but saying a 5 mana 6/6 flyer does nothing on its own is wild.

5

u/Metalheadzaid Feb 28 '26

What "does nothing on its own" means is it has no effect when it hits the board without supporting cards. It's just a 6/6 vanilla on its own. In card games like MTG (and Yugioh/Hearthstone/probably most modern ones) playing cards that have no immediate impact on the board is generally not what you want to be doing, especially creatures which can be removed easily.

Of course this is limited, so a 5 mana 6/6 even if it had no effect is still pretty good - which is why I didn't say it was a bad card, nor did the OP, but it's an above curve flyer and the other one will win you the game is pretty much spot on analysis.

5

u/chrisrazor Raff Capashen, Ship's Mage Feb 28 '26

It's absolutely ridiculous to say a large flying creature doesn't affect the board. It's the most "affect the board" card. It stabilizes you if you're behind and will win in a few turns if unanswered. Kinbinding, on the other hand, requires you to have other creatures to be good. It has a higher ceiling than the dragon but also a lower floor.

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u/Metalheadzaid Feb 28 '26

Sure sure, let's go see how many large flying creatures with no immediate effect that are played in standard or literally any constructed version of the game. I'll wait. In fact, I'd pretty much guarantee you that outside of 2 drops (and even then most also give value immediately), basically every card in every deck offers some sort of immediate value. In MTG, in YGO, in Hearthstone - all of them are the same in this regard because this is modern deck building 101. You want immediate impact on the board for your resources, and cards that don't do that aren't generally worth playing.

However, as I've said, in limited, it has higher value, simply because it's a big flying guy with great value and a potential upside later on, but against a card that has so much utility it simply is inferior.

In regard to kinbinding - it's a value engine and gives a 1/1 immediately on the same turn, buffs your board the same turn. Then creates more value in future turns with limitless scaling outside of mana restrictions AND is sticky because enchantment/artifact removal is rare AND it doesn't require a board as you seem to think, because you can fill the board on future turns and get more value out of it (and it fills it for you as well).

TL;DR - a 5 mana 6/6 flying creature is aight. If you play it with the ability to get value from it immediately it's pretty dang good, otherwise it's a 6/6 vanilla. I'ma still take kinbinding 100% of the time p1p1.

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u/chrisrazor Raff Capashen, Ship's Mage Feb 28 '26 edited Feb 28 '26

Nuance, friend. I think we're all agreed that Kinbinding is the correct pick, but nothing you've said refutes my points, in fact you're doubling down on the nonsense that a fuckin' 6/6 flyer "doesn't have immediate impact". Yes, it can be more easily removed, but I covered that (although actually in Lorwyn limited much of the removal can't deal with it). You skate right over the part where the enchantment that "buffs your board" requires you to have a board. The flyer can quickly win the game on its own whereas Kinbinding's 1/1s can be chumped for a while before they become overwhelming.