You way over estimate Gideon's usefulness, and totally underestimate the other cards. /shrug

Also, grasp is very playable, and great in a lot of decks, especially decks running lots of black, which also has many of the best creatures. Dies to grasp isn't the issue though, doesn't have any good way to protect itself is the issue. Probably decent in control, but I probably wouldn't run him in an aggressive deck, I have too many better options.

Maybe next set we'll get a new crop of white creatures that will justify him, but right now, aggressive decks don't need him, or want to have his mana concerns.

I told you guys that new Gideon was a trash tier walker.

Aggro loves Gideon.

I admit I was wrong. I'll still prob try him in WW, but he's not anywhere near as good as I thought he could be. He's a minor nuisance, but not very intimidating in most builds I've encountered him in. Spending 3 mana on Thalia > Gideon.

He's better than Thopter Arrest -

I totally agree with your analysis. And in 2 color decks, I think he's already highly questionable. If it weren't for always watching and collective effort, I wouldn't even consider him. Even then, I'm not sure.

Interesting... Maybe he knows what he's talking about?

Nah

also does not know where to live

At 1 life with Gideon of the Trials in play and Read the Bones in hand against Izzet aggro deck with no cards in hand ...

My mind's telling me no. But my body, my body's telling me yes!!

Played a bit more with Gideon and I think he's not terrible. He's not like Gideon AoZ that you can slot into any deck, but he is playable in control decks. Like Liliana, the Last Hope, Gideon does force the opponent to play more cards -> your sweepers get better. Liliana has the major advantage that her ultimate actually wins, but Gideon can lock down bigger creatures and / or vehicles and creaturelands. Gideon also threatens to turn on and attack any planeswalkers the opponent plays. However a major downside is Gideon only hits for four. That's not enough to kill most planeswalkers that used the +mode. It does stop them from using the minus, however.

At this point I think Gideon's around Nissa, Voice of Zendikar in usefulness. Playable in certain decks, not a good addition in others.

this new gideon is trash in duels planeswalkers or control deck. prevent damage isn't useful at all and can hardly control anything. the other abilities dont add loyalty or card advantage. emblem is useless.

very conditional useful in aggro as well and i expect more from a 3 drop. like always watching, make a stand or something else that makes an immediate effect. 4/4 non-haste is bland.

But, if most agree that Gideon, Ally of Zanzibar is so great, then you can always just throw Giddy Trails into your deck, flip his emblem, then put out the Gideon you really want. The effect is still valid. I don't see how Gideon, Trailer Trash is so bad that he can't be used to flip his shiny new emblem before instituting some proper Gideon action.

Tried the new Gideon and it's generally meh, but some people don't understand what its first ability does and hilarity ensues. One guy must have filed a dozen bug reports to Wizards after the game, as nothing he tried to do worked. First strike didn't strike, lifelink didn't link (exerted the dork too!), carefully planned trades didn't trade. I wish I could hear what he was saying, he must have been furious

I have to agree. After trying out new Gideon in a couple decks, I find myself mostly wishing it was something else whenever it shows up in my hand.

This is a terrible way of thinking. You're spending a card, and a 3-drop at that, just to force your opponent to do what they would be already heavily inclined to do, focus their attention on Ally Gideon. And what happens if you draw just Trials Gideon?

Just play a good 3-drop, of which we have many, and let Ally Gideon do what he has been doing for an year and a half, win the game all by himself.

GotT in a control shell has kept me in games i would have lost if not for his emblem. I have won 2 games today at 0 life.

That's what I think too. He's not stellar by any means but he's not terrible either. Like, compare with Liliana, the Last Hope. Is Liliana's +1 more powerful or Gideon's +1? Liliana's +1 CAN kill 1-health creatures, but against anything else it's inferior to Gideon's +1. What Liliana does do better is that her minus ability is more relevant, and the opponent must answer her, because her emblem wins the game. Gideon does neither, but as mentioned his animate isn't irrelevant. His emblem is much less useful, but it still effectively makes him +1 life every turn against an aggressive deck (other decks may of course have stuff like Never // Return or Cast Out to remove him regardless of loyalty). So aggro decks must still kill him, and his +1 makes that harder. You have to play more than one threat and that opens you up to sweepers.

As I said, not stellar, but not terrible. There are weaker planeswalkers like Saheeli Rai or Tezzeret.

I like Gideon of the trials. Is he greatest plainswalker ever? No, but he can help you soak up some damage while you wait to get out your bigger threats. Lets say he comes out on turn 3 or 4. He will stop 3 damage to me from a creature with his plus 1 ability. Then I attack with him and either they block and I kill a creature or I do 4 damage to them. The opponent then comes back and kills Gideon and he soaks up damage that I am not taking to the face. So when I add up what Gideon does for me in most games, its about 7 damage to life total that I don't take, and about 4 damage he does to them. That means for 3 mana I get a card that is like a 4 damage spell and a 7 point heal in one card.

oh no.. It's a huge difference between killing something than preventing damage from it... Lili +1 usually prevents damage from a creature if not killing it too.

True but with fatter creatures Lili +1 isn't worth much. I play new Giddy in a control build and he's pretty good for a 3 mana planeswalker. You can shut down a creature without wasting a removal spell. And like someone already mentioned, your opponent is forced to play more creatures which makes your boardwipes better. And once you cleansed the board, it's swinging time. So in control, I like him.