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Alright, I've been percolating my feelings, and I have got some thoughts on Gnostro.
Overall, I am pretty disappointed with this one.
I know we haven't seen every 3 color legend yet, but out of the ones we have seen, Gnostro fall into the "Do one thing for each color in its combination" as opposed to a cohesive or interesting effect.
I know we haven't seen every 3 color legend yet, but out of the ones we have seen, Gnostro fall into the "Do one thing for each color in its combination" as opposed to a cohesive or interesting effect.
Gnostro's primary function seems to be a Storm or spellslinger commander...A space that is already quite cramped.
My disappointment doesn't come from not being a *better* commander than any of the above, but from being another commander trying to occupy that space.
Three color commanders, and wedges especially, have a lack of diverse effects, and Gnostro seems like a symptom of that.
Three color commanders, and wedges especially, have a lack of diverse effects, and Gnostro seems like a symptom of that.
THAT BEING SAID, while I am disappointed overall, I understand I am bias, and at times my expectations are a bit out of line.
So what instead of lamenting what is wrong with our Chimeric friend, what CAN they do?
So what instead of lamenting what is wrong with our Chimeric friend, what CAN they do?
Many people (including myself) love Jeskai Ascendancy, and the fun things that can be done with it.
Gnostro is the Jeskai commander who can blatantly take advantage of it the most, letting you do more untap shenanigans and acrue more value over time.
Gnostro is the Jeskai commander who can blatantly take advantage of it the most, letting you do more untap shenanigans and acrue more value over time.
Intruder Alarm is another great way to untap Gnostro, especially when combined with token makers.
There are other ways to use Gnostro's second ability aside from just removal.
Stuffy Doll, Boros Reckoner, Brash Taunter, Swans of Bryn Argoll, any Enrage creature, all of these can be hit instead of opponent's creatures to benefit you.
Stuffy Doll, Boros Reckoner, Brash Taunter, Swans of Bryn Argoll, any Enrage creature, all of these can be hit instead of opponent's creatures to benefit you.
Lastly, while life gain can often seem laughable, I think we can use Gnostro to do some interesting things.
This can incentivize a Jeskai life gain or soul sister build, utilizing cards like Well of Lost Dreams, Dawn of Hope, Footprints of the Stag, or Aetherflux Reservoir.
This can incentivize a Jeskai life gain or soul sister build, utilizing cards like Well of Lost Dreams, Dawn of Hope, Footprints of the Stag, or Aetherflux Reservoir.
There are places to put Gnostro's abilities, but I am not sure how easy (or feasible) it will be balance a storm-like deck with any of these effects.
If you are looking for a dedicated storm deck, Kykar or Elsha will often be more consistent, but if you want a Jeskai commander that isn't threatening and doesn't make your opponents want to evict you from the table...Well, that is something Gnostro is good at I guess...
Thank for coming to my TED talk 
