Caw Blade: "Connecting with a sword is like Time Walk" - not..

In case we need to be reminded, this is what people are implying:






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This seems to be about as grand of an overstatement as can be made.

1) Them discarding a card of their choice is neither as good as you drawing a random card, or them not drawing a new card. 
2) You do not get another attack step.  In fact, you often get a relatively poor attack step (take three!)
3) You do not get another activation of your Planeswalkers.  Planeswalkers are a big freaking deal. 
4) You often cannot use the mana you are untapping anyway, because you are out of cards by the time you get the hits in.  Getting hits in with SoFaF causes you to be able to play all your cards, which makes the untap ability progressively LESS relevant as the game goes on.  Often what you do with the mana is equip the sword over to another creature.  Nice Accorders Shield.

There are several things that the sword-wielders, or sword-commenters are NOT considering when they look at how effective the sword is.

1) It took 4 or 5 mana, potentially over two turns, in order to get your "free untap" of between 4 and 5 mana that first turn.  The ability to spend it over two turns is good, and the ability to threaten counterspells is good, but often you cannot use the mana precombat, or postcombat, because you are playing around counterspells like Mana Leak on your powerful high-mana spells.
2)  The sword provides you a burst of mana, which quickly becomes irrelevant.
3) The sword doesn't cost a card most of the time, because you get it "for free" off Stoneforge Mystic.  However, you have to play Stoneforge Mystic (1/2 for 2), in a land of Fauna Shaman, Lotus Cobra, and Lightning Bolt.
4) The sword doesn't give you anything until it hits 1-3 times.  Sure, it's a "free" lava axe/Necrogen Censer, or a "free" Mind Rot, but it's really not all that free, and not all that consistant.

The sword is pretty good.  It gives you protection from one of three credible removal colors.  It gives a reasonable (though not large) power/toughness boost for cheap dorks.  It apparently is a good game against Valakut, when combined with alot of other truly good cards (against Valakut), because it provides a clock on both their life (through damage), and their big cards (through discard).

The sword, like planeswalkers, really starts to pay off on the second turn.  When you no longer have to spend mana to equip the sword (cast the planeswalker), you can use the ability again (to start to generate real card advantage).  If you don't get that second swing (that connects), you're not going to be in a great scenario.

I have no idea how the PA  vs. CawBlade matchup plays out.  I'm pretty sure the problem I am going to have is with their Planeswalkers, and huge creatures.  (Jace, Gideon, Sun Titan)  I need to get some time in with this matchup this weekend.

Sword is good, but it's not even close to a Time Walk.