[SCD] Silkwrap

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robertleva
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Post by robertleva » 4 years ago

Silkwrap

I'm going to start by saying that I already know other colors / combinations have better removal options. Those spells won't help a white mage. I'd like to compare this card to other WHITE removal spells and effects only, if possible.

So what is Silkwrap? It's a temporal isolation for 3cc and lower only. On the surface it might not seem very attractive, but white has fairly limited options for removal in Pioneer. and this is actually one of the best if you weigh all your options out fairly.

The card people probably think of for removal at the same casting cost and speed is Declaration in Stone. I've seen this card played / sided quite a bit. The downside to that card is the investigation, which in my experience has been a real problem. I don't want my opponent drawing extra cards.

But what about instants? Well the best we have are Blessed Alliance, Gideon's Reproach and Gideon's Triumph. All of those cards are conditional on the creatures attacking, and the sac ones give your opponent a choice. They are playable, but none of them clearly stands out as a solid universal removal options.

So we come full circle back to Silkwrap, which exiles a target critter of YOUR choice. It hits 3cc critters for 2, just like abrupt decay. The fact that it remains in play and can possibly be destroyed later could be a concern, but enchantment removal is not something I personally plan to see. Most likely you might see them spend an Abrupt (even trade) or a Trophy (free land) to free their critter. In both of those cases you have likely bought yourself some time to stabilize and then take over, which is what white hopes to do in general. And in practice, 90% of the time the silkwrap remains untouched for the game's duration.

Another thing to consider is that T3feri plays very nice with enchantments. You can sometimes get huge value when you bounce a Silkwrap or Detention Sphere back into your hand right before you Supreme Verdict. This synergy is an example of one way to turn a weakness into a strength.

Anyways, I know there aren't many people on this forum interested in W or UW type strats, but I have had a ton of success with Silkwrap so I wanted to share here nonetheless just in case someone lurks about and reads this.
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idSurge
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Post by idSurge » 4 years ago

Finding the sweet spot in as wild a formative period as we have right now is going to be tough, but Silkwrap looks great. Have you tried it with/instead of Seal Away?
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robertleva
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Post by robertleva » 4 years ago

idSurge wrote:
4 years ago
Finding the sweet spot in as wild a formative period as we have right now is going to be tough, but Silkwrap looks great. Have you tried it with/instead of Seal Away?
Seal Away only hits AFTER the critter has attacked and probably the damage / effects that have occured will outweigh the expanded range of Seal Away. If they happen to be keeping the critter untapped to block Seal Away duds.

I think folks might dismiss Silkwrap because 3cc cap seems bad, but it does swing upward since it only costs 2. I'm still of the opinion that the choice is between Declaration in Stone and Silkwrap as the best two options.
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RxPhantom
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Post by RxPhantom » 4 years ago

It seems like a slower format, with most of the best threats being above 3cmc. I could see it if there was a dominant aggro deck, but I haven't seen a definitive one yet.
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Post by robertleva » 4 years ago

RxPhantom wrote:
4 years ago
It seems like a slower format, with most of the best threats being above 3cmc. I could see it if there was a dominant aggro deck, but I haven't seen a definitive one yet.
I agree the format is slower, but I disagree that we have no threats below 3cc. With answers being sparse, decks like Bomat are pretty happy to just dump as many critters as possible as fast as possible. Zombies is another example where silkwrap is actually better than Abrupt Decay because it keeps the zombies out of the graveyard. Then you have got all your mana dork strategies. The bottom line is Silkwrap (or something similar) is needed to stall long enough until you can use a sweeper like Supreme Verdict. Pioneer is essentially creature.format.

Don't forget that Silkwrap does swing upwards to catch Tireless Tracker, Mantis Rider, Spell Queller, Deputy of Detention- just off the top of my head.
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