[mtgnexus] Random Card of the Day - Samwise the Stouthearted

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Sinis
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Post by Sinis » 4 years ago

3drinks wrote:
4 years ago
Tuesday, November 12th, 2019; Birds of Paradise
"Summon Mana Birds" - They didn't make many bones about creature types back in the day (the one displayed is 4th ed, and I like that art; I wish I could trivially afford a beta Birds).

IME, BoP (and mana dorks in general) are either really good or really bad. Usually really good.

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3drinks
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Post by 3drinks » 4 years ago

Sinis wrote:
4 years ago
3drinks wrote:
4 years ago
Tuesday, November 12th, 2019; Birds of Paradise
"Summon Mana Birds" - They didn't make many bones about creature types back in the day (the one displayed is 4th ed, and I like that art; I wish I could trivially afford a beta Birds).

IME, BoP (and mana dorks in general) are either really good or really bad. Usually really good.
You could always get an fbb 4ed/revised print. Even IE/CE, but any way you slice it, bb old art birds is gonna feel not a very efficient use of resources.

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Sinis
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Post by Sinis » 4 years ago

3drinks wrote:
4 years ago
You could always get an fbb 4ed/revised print. Even IE/CE, but any way you slice it, bb old art birds is gonna feel not a very efficient use of resources.
I think it's more that it is more money that I want to spend on Magic at this point (actually, probably at any point in my life). I've discovered that my ceiling is probably around 250; it's what I've paid for most of my treasured reserved list cards, etc.

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Post by onering » 4 years ago

An underplayed all star. Remember, they can attack, so sometimes you can curve them into a sword and attacking turn 3.

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3drinks
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Post by 3drinks » 4 years ago

Sinis wrote:
4 years ago
3drinks wrote:
4 years ago
You could always get an fbb 4ed/revised print. Even IE/CE, but any way you slice it, bb old art birds is gonna feel not a very efficient use of resources.
I think it's more that it is more money that I want to spend on Magic at this point (actually, probably at any point in my life). I've discovered that my ceiling is probably around 250; it's what I've paid for most of my treasured reserved list cards, etc.
I really should sell back most my collection......maybe just keep the recent white border stock but the rest goes away. There's an awful lot of money in my stuff...

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RTorbran, Thane of Red Fell (Red Deck Wins)
WBRAlesha, Who Smiles at Death (Slivers)
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Sinis
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Post by Sinis » 4 years ago

3drinks wrote:
4 years ago
Sinis wrote:
4 years ago
3drinks wrote:
4 years ago
You could always get an fbb 4ed/revised print. Even IE/CE, but any way you slice it, bb old art birds is gonna feel not a very efficient use of resources.
I think it's more that it is more money that I want to spend on Magic at this point (actually, probably at any point in my life). I've discovered that my ceiling is probably around 250; it's what I've paid for most of my treasured reserved list cards, etc.
I really should sell back most my collection......maybe just keep the recent white border stock but the rest goes away. There's an awful lot of money in my stuff...
Oh me too, a leak in the roof or a kitchen fire and it's all down the drain (unless I get that water/fireproof box, to throw good money after bad...)

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3drinks
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Post by 3drinks » 4 years ago

Sinis wrote:
4 years ago
3drinks wrote:
4 years ago
Sinis wrote:
4 years ago
I think it's more that it is more money that I want to spend on Magic at this point (actually, probably at any point in my life). I've discovered that my ceiling is probably around 250; it's what I've paid for most of my treasured reserved list cards, etc.
I really should sell back most my collection......maybe just keep the recent white border stock but the rest goes away. There's an awful lot of money in my stuff...
Oh me too, a leak in the roof or a kitchen fire and it's all down the drain (unless I get that water/fireproof box, to throw good money after bad...)
It's hard. I've got the most pimped OG red deck, not in terms of foil but in vintage, hard nose red gangsta. Just uses the humble Kari Zev to lead to the fiery onslaught they never expected in commander.

And then y'know, having the rep of being the Kaalia guy. Memories, they're hard to part with I guess.

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Post by hyalopterouslemur » 4 years ago

Sinis wrote:
4 years ago
3drinks wrote:
4 years ago
Tuesday, November 12th, 2019; Birds of Paradise
"Summon Mana Birds" - They didn't make many bones about creature types back in the day (the one displayed is 4th ed, and I like that art; I wish I could trivially afford a beta Birds).

IME, BoP (and mana dorks in general) are either really good or really bad. Usually really good.
Yeah, 4th has "Mana Birds". Hilariously, there's a bird called a bird of paradise and a flower called a bird of paradise, and between them they have the Indian Ocean.

I generally say, mana dorks for g are good. Mana dorks which produce every color in your deck for 1g or less are good. The other mana dorks I consider usually produce more than one mana, often on a scale. Two out of three ain't bad. And it has flying to boot. Probably the most famous green creature with flying, until we all started to troll MaRo with the bees, a set of creatures with flying which 1) must have flying, and 2) are hard to justify in any color more than green, due to the obvious fertility symbolism.
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Post by Mookie » 4 years ago

Birds of Paradise is one of the better mana dorks in the format - taps for any color, cheap, evasive. Some decks may prefer the various 1/1s - Elvish Mystic, Arbor Elf, Avacyn's Pilgrim - but it depends on your specific deck, and will usually come down to tribal synergies. If you care about color requirements, Birds will probably be the first pick.

I would say that I generally prefer land-based ramp over mana dorks, but it depends somewhat on how common mass creature removal is and how many synergies you have for creatures vs lands. Still, one-mana ramp does have an advantage in raw speed.

....I'd like to run it in Animar, but the price is more than I'm willing to pay. It could really use another reprint - Gilded Goose is just not the same.

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Post by 3drinks » 4 years ago

Wednesday, November 13th. 2019; Compulsive Research


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Post by Mookie » 4 years ago

Compulsive Research is fine. I used to run it in a bunch of blue decks, and it often still starts out in new drafts. However, I usually find myself cutting it eventually in favor of more specialized draw spells - either cantrips like Preordain or bigger draw spells like Blue Sun's Zenith. Being sorcery speed also hurts it a lot - I'd much rather pay the extra mana for Fact or Fiction or another instant-speed draw spell. Thirst for Knowledge is also a better option, assuming you have sufficient artifacts.

I think it also suffers somewhat from blue not having a ton of synergy for putting lands in its graveyard. Fuels delve spells, I guess. Still, if you're planning to run a bunch of card draw and play for the long game, you may want to try to hit every land drop anyway. On the flip side, this feels pretty bad if you cast it early to dig for lands.

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Post by MeowZeDung » 4 years ago

Straight into my veins! I love card selection and looting and churning through my deck. I can usually set it up where I'm pitching a land, making this card advantage.

All that said, it's probably not doing enough for most commander decks. Although some commanders, like The Locust God or Muldrotha, the Gravetide really want this.

Let's not forget that targeted card draw can be relevant if you're on something like Nekuzar, the Mindrazer.
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Sinis
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Post by Sinis » 4 years ago

3drinks wrote:
4 years ago
Wednesday, November 13th. 2019; Compulsive Research
It seems okay.

I think the important part is that it's passable when you target yourself, but combos with Notion Thief for a nice draw-discard. I don't think I'd play it without that opportunity or unless it was in a deck with Crucible or similar (Muldrotha?).

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Post by schweinefett » 4 years ago

It's ok, but unless you can actually leverage the discarded land, it's not all that great. Good in loam decks i guess, but at that point,there're probably better ways to increase card advantage.

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Post by Rorseph » 4 years ago

I'd probably be running it in Tatyova if it were an instant. Discarding a land in that deck (or Muldrotha!) would be a trivial inconvenience.
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Post by hyalopterouslemur » 4 years ago

Draw three, discard one? Well, it's better than Divination. Much better if you have some use for that land, e.g. Crucible of Worlds, Sun Titan, Life from the Loam loop.
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Post by Dunharrow » 4 years ago

I typically would play 1 CMC cantrips, 2CMC card draw, then bigger card draw spells before I would play this. I also like Frantic Search a lot.

In the early game, I just want cheap 1 or 2 CMC spells.
In the late game, this ends up far behind Dig Through time, Treasure Cruise, BSZ, etc.

I just find 3 mana a lot. Unless there is synergy, I am not using 3 mana card draw.

I should say that this is all assuming I am playing Blue. In a non-blue deck, I would definitely play card draw at 3 and 4 CMC.
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Post by 3drinks » 4 years ago

Thursday, November 14th, 2019; Tilling Treefolk


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Post by MeowZeDung » 4 years ago

Probably only worth playing in a tribal deck or lands deck, right? Most metas probably wouldn't like seeing this get back wasteland and strip mine, but it could get back fetches in a Doran, the siege tower deck, or just be The gitrog monster's buddy.
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Post by 3drinks » 4 years ago

MeowZeDung wrote:
4 years ago
Probably only worth playing in a tribal deck or lands deck, right? Most metas probably wouldn't like seeing this get back wasteland and strip mine, but it could get back fetches in a Doran, the siege tower deck, or just be The gitrog monster's buddy.
I know this was one of my best cards in astral slide..........

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Post by MeowZeDung » 4 years ago

I know this was one of my best cards in astral slide..........
Oh... that's sick. I didn't think of a cycling deck.
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Post by pokken » 4 years ago

I love tilling treefolk but ramunap excavator pushed it out of most decks for me.

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Post by 3drinks » 4 years ago

MeowZeDung wrote:
4 years ago
I know this was one of my best cards in astral slide..........
Oh... that's sick. I didn't think of a cycling deck.
Tbh, most people don't think of slide in a commander mindset.

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Post by SocorroTortoise » 4 years ago

I've definitely run it in the past. It's generally outshined by Ramunap Excavator or Crucible of Worlds unless there's value to having cards in hand for whatever reason. It has a slight edge if your meta is afraid of that kind of recursion effect in that it gets you two lands back in the face of removal, where Excavator/Crucible can only pick up one. Those two are also slightly less mana efficient in the sense that you have to play one of the lands from your yard to get guaranteed value, so it can screw up timing a little if you have lands in hand that you need for whatever reason.

Lots of corner cases for sure but maybe not so unusual that I'd never expect to play it.
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Post by MeowZeDung » 4 years ago

It occurred to me that a borborygmos enraged build might want it over ramunap excavator or crucible of worlds, but I'm not sure if you could get the etb to trigger enough times in gruul to be happy running it.
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