Talk:Arabian Nights

Strictly better

I would like to remove these two lines:

• Ali Baba, Hurr Jackal and Kird Ape are strictly better than Mons's Goblin Raiders.
• Flying Men is strictly better than Merfolk of the Pearl Trident.

Mons's Goblin Raiders are Goblin type, boosted by Goblin King. Likewise for Merfolk of the Pearl Trident with Lord of Atlantis. Any objections ? --Frog eater (talk) 00:40, 6 October 2018 (UTC)

Several of these struck me as odd also, since for example Flying Men dies to Hurricane and Merfolk does not. What are the caveats for the definition of "strictly better"? Is it just comparing the two cards in a vacuum, without taking into account interactions with other cards? If that is the case Kird Ape is strictly the same as Mons's Goblin Raiders, since in a vacuum there are no Forests. --Cardbreaker (talk) 00:51, 6 October 2018 (UTC)

The definition of "strictly better" is a bit odd how it was introduced by Wizards. Indeed is subtype not something which goes into consideration when to determine strictly better. That does mean that for certain tribal decks a certain card is better despite being strictly worse. There are other examples of this. Usually an Instant is regarded as strictly better than a sorcery with the same effect, but a sorcery can't be hit by Dispel. Also lower CMC is usually a criterium to be strictly better despite being suddenly an available target of Abrupt Decay. Strictly better judges two cards in isolation, without taking into account possible answers or synergies with other cards. In that sense Flying Men is strictly better as Merfolk of the Pearl Trident. - Yandere Sliver 23:19, 30 October 2018 (UTC)