We’ve all seen the memes. Oko this, Oko that, Oko everywhere. Oko, Thief of Crowns was certainly a mistake, but how badly did they mess up?
Looking at four recent Standard events, including a GP and an IQ, Oko appeared as a playset in 15 out of 36 decks (two top 8s and twenty 5-0s). Five other decks could have run him but chose not to, though two of those were mainly UR. Six of the GP top 8 are Oko decks. The card is more than just good, it’s almost an auto-include in any deck that can run it, and as a 4-of. What makes it so powerful?
First off, he’s a planeswalker. Notoriously difficult to deal with, this card type has often been lauded as the most powerful card type Magic has to offer. It sticks around, it gives you choices, and very few cards actually interact with them. Recent changes to the rules allows direct damage spells to target them without going through the player and attacking them does eventually kill them, but few cards actually say “destroy target planeswalker” on them.
Secondly, he’s three mana. With Golden Goose in the format, he can come down as soon as turn 2. Unless you have a hasty creature or a creature on the battlefield the previous turn, the Oko player is able to deal with whatever their opponent has quite easily on the next turn.
Speaking of easily dealing with creatures, Oko’s +1 becomes an immediate threat to anything on the battlefield. Questing Beast? Unless you play it after Oko, it’s Questing Elk now. Rankle, Massacre Girl, Gilded Goose, any other problematic creature? E_k. I’d like to buy a letter, please. It drops fliers, cuts power and toughness, removes abilities, even buffs your own creatures when you need to. Way too good for a +1.
His +2 also puts him above every burn spell in the format and out of reach of most creatures. It supplies Food for Gilded Goose, life against aggro decks, and an artifact for his ultimate, which he reaches after one turn. Not too much of a problem, but in the current Standard format it’s pretty good.
Wizards sometimes messes up. It seems every six years or so there’s a banning in Standard, but let’s look at the past two years. Smuggler’s Copter, Aetherworks Marvel, Emrakul, Rampaging Ferocidon, and six other cards over FIVE B&R announcements. The biggest problem they seem to have is managing face cards and new mechanics. Too powerful and they wreck Standard, tooweak and it doesn’t make an impression. Is Oko ban worthy? Mmm, I’m leaning towards no, but only because it’s too early to really tell; the next set might have something to rein him in. I don’t play Standard as much anymore, but when a card starts breaking into the next format and in a deck that is normally one, maybe two colors? MTGGoldfish published an Instant Deck Tech on Five Color Oko Burn! Meme, yes, but putting up results, also yes. Time will tell in the long run, but until then, we the people must suffer for someone else’s mistakes.
