[mtgnexus] Random Card of the Day - Xander's Pact
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Chainer, Nightmare Adept is a sweet commander, and one I've been meaning to build for a while. At a base case, he gives your creatures (including himself) haste, which enables all sorts of shenanigans alongside Flameblast Dragon effects. I've definitely enjoyed using Samut, Voice of Dissent in the command zone to enable attack / combat damage triggers and tap abilities, and Chainer can do something similar. Chainer also acts as a discard outlet for madness cards and actual reanimation effects, and can also act as a strong recursion / value engine if you have Squee, Goblin Nabob or another recursive card to discard. Lots of possible directions. Not necessarily as strong as Chainer, Dementia Master, who lets you cheat on mana costs, but Chainer 2.0 has a ton of depth - certainly more than most of the other commanders from that set of precons.
built it on arena and it is pretty fun
I think I will throw it into Marchesa, the Black Rose when I pick one up. The haste makes it really strong.
I think I will throw it into Marchesa, the Black Rose when I pick one up. The haste makes it really strong.
The New World fell not to a sword but to a meme
- hyalopterouslemur
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An aside: I wouldn't even know how to build Tariel. (And some day soon I want to discuss the OG precon commanders and how they've evolved.)
Anyway, I would point out Chainer 2 also enables madness.
Anyway, I would point out Chainer 2 also enables madness.
Thanks to Feyd_Ruin for the avatar!
- toctheyounger
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I really like both Chainers, and this one jn particular has a lot of scope for variety of build, which is something I really like. If a commander has a predetermined build path I'm out. This guy is strong and flexible and thats pretty cool.
I've played against him once or twice before and he can play for sure. It looks fun and plays strong.
I've played against him once or twice before and he can play for sure. It looks fun and plays strong.
He only gives nontoken creatures not cast from your hand haste. So he does give himself haste (unless he was bounced and you cast him from your hand), but otherwise he's got a somewhat significant restriction. Thankfully, both things he really wants to do (casting madness spells and casting creatures from your graveyard) get haste from his ability, but you won't be able to rely on casting something you topdecked and it getting haste, you have to jump through his hoops. Normally that won't matter, but it means you can't benefit from him granting haste if there's gy hate about, or Drannith Magistrate. It does also mean that you're limited to one hasty dude a turn if you're relying entirely on the yard since you can only use his ability once each turn, though anything cast from exile will also get haste.Mookie wrote: ↑2 years agoChainer, Nightmare Adept is a sweet commander, and one I've been meaning to build for a while. At a base case, he gives your creatures (including himself) haste, which enables all sorts of shenanigans alongside Flameblast Dragon effects. I've definitely enjoyed using Samut, Voice of Dissent in the command zone to enable attack / combat damage triggers and tap abilities, and Chainer can do something similar. Chainer also acts as a discard outlet for madness cards and actual reanimation effects, and can also act as a strong recursion / value engine if you have Squee, Goblin Nabob or another recursive card to discard. Lots of possible directions. Not necessarily as strong as Chainer, Dementia Master, who lets you cheat on mana costs, but Chainer 2.0 has a ton of depth - certainly more than most of the other commanders from that set of precons.
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3drinks Kaalia's Personal Liaison
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Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
Modern
87guide Burn
87guide Burn
Commander
Kellan, the Fae-Blooded // Birthright Boon (local secret santa gift)
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell (Red Deck Wins)
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death (Slivers)
Kaalia HQ
Kellan, the Fae-Blooded // Birthright Boon (local secret santa gift)
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell (Red Deck Wins)
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death (Slivers)
Kaalia HQ
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TheAmericanSpirit Supreme Dumb Guy
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Works about as effectively as any politician's call for unity. Powers up too slowly and conditionally and confers no permanent stats. At the same price (cmc wise) Cathar's Crusade exists, which is everything CFU isn't and more.
But for my tastes, Crescendo of War is the real deal white pump enchantment. One or two turn cycles of that thing will either end the game or create a mexican standoff of cosmic proportions.
But for my tastes, Crescendo of War is the real deal white pump enchantment. One or two turn cycles of that thing will either end the game or create a mexican standoff of cosmic proportions.
There's no biscuits and gravy in New Zealand.
(Except when DirkGently makes them!)
(Except when DirkGently makes them!)
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Hawk Slayer of Threads
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Even after the banhammering of Crusade, White still has plenty of great options for 2 and 3 CMC Anthems in the form of Honor of the Pure, Spear of Heliod, Glorious Anthem, Shared Triumph, and Divine Sacrament depending on your tastes. A 4-5 CMC Anthem needs to come with more bang for your buck to compete with the mana efficiency of these. And we have those too:
- Ajani Goldmane is a 'walker who can instead gain life and who has a time limit if you just want an anthem but who leaves around counters and who generates Vigilance while he's doing his thing.
- Dictate of Heliod has flash for trickery and starts at a +2/+2.
- The gold standard is Cathars' Crusade which, like today's CotD, is a 5-mana do nothing that builds steam over time...but Crusade scales much better, generating explosive growth with very little investment in blinks or tokens.
If this triggered on Each end Step (like Crescendo of War triggers on each upkeep) it might be a bit more interesting but as printed it seems pretty jank sadly.
- Ajani Goldmane is a 'walker who can instead gain life and who has a time limit if you just want an anthem but who leaves around counters and who generates Vigilance while he's doing his thing.
- Dictate of Heliod has flash for trickery and starts at a +2/+2.
- The gold standard is Cathars' Crusade which, like today's CotD, is a 5-mana do nothing that builds steam over time...but Crusade scales much better, generating explosive growth with very little investment in blinks or tokens.
If this triggered on Each end Step (like Crescendo of War triggers on each upkeep) it might be a bit more interesting but as printed it seems pretty jank sadly.
Sufferer of EDHD
Commander: Current(ish) Arsenal
Daretti, Scrap Savant (Decklist) Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow Samut, Voice of Dissent The Gitrog Monster (Decklist)Quintorius, Field Historian
Volo, Guide to Monsters Sevinne, the Chronoclasm
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Heliod, Sun-crowned Mirri the Cursed Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist Sygg, River Guide Jeska, Thrice Reborn // Falthis, Shadowcat Familair // Obosh the Preypiercer
Miara, Thorn of the Glade//Numa, Joraga Chieftain Arcades, the Strategist Phelddagrif Varina, Lich Queen
Daretti, Scrap Savant (Decklist) Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow Samut, Voice of Dissent The Gitrog Monster (Decklist)Quintorius, Field Historian
Volo, Guide to Monsters Sevinne, the Chronoclasm
----
Heliod, Sun-crowned Mirri the Cursed Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist Sygg, River Guide Jeska, Thrice Reborn // Falthis, Shadowcat Familair // Obosh the Preypiercer
Miara, Thorn of the Glade//Numa, Joraga Chieftain Arcades, the Strategist Phelddagrif Varina, Lich Queen
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RxPhantom Fully Vaxxed, Baby!
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I could see Call for Unity in a certain kind of deck, but there are still plenty of better options.
Can you name all of the creature types with at least 20 cards? Try my Sporcle Quiz! Last Updated: 2/18/22 (Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty)
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3drinks Kaalia's Personal Liaison
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Whoops I read it as triggering revolt for each permanent and thought about aristocrat strats. How silly and underwhelming this is by comparison.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
Modern
87guide Burn
87guide Burn
Commander
Kellan, the Fae-Blooded // Birthright Boon (local secret santa gift)
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell (Red Deck Wins)
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death (Slivers)
Kaalia HQ
Kellan, the Fae-Blooded // Birthright Boon (local secret santa gift)
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell (Red Deck Wins)
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death (Slivers)
Kaalia HQ
They were too cautious with this card. It was bad in limited, bad in standard and has always been bad in Commander. It either needed to trigger at each end-step and cost 4 mana, or cost 3 mana as is.
At 5 mana it would maybe work if it gave lifelink or first strike or made tokens.
Maybe one day I will make a cube with all the bad rares
At 5 mana it would maybe work if it gave lifelink or first strike or made tokens.
Maybe one day I will make a cube with all the bad rares
The New World fell not to a sword but to a meme
- toctheyounger
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- hyalopterouslemur
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short rant
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Glad this was mentioned. Personally I find the whole banning cards thing humorous. Look, police need to go out and investigate real crimes instead of what Karen thinks is a crime. Real estate agents need to show me all available properties. WotC? Not on the agenda. Not even on the same steno pad as the agenda.
Not sure what Turkish or Arab nationalism has to do with any of that.
But it is funny to watch grognards squirm.
Not sure what Turkish or Arab nationalism has to do with any of that.
But it is funny to watch grognards squirm.
Thanks to Feyd_Ruin for the avatar!
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3drinks Kaalia's Personal Liaison
- Posts: 4865
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- Pronoun: he / him
- Location: Ruined City of Drannith, Ikoria
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
Modern
87guide Burn
87guide Burn
Commander
Kellan, the Fae-Blooded // Birthright Boon (local secret santa gift)
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell (Red Deck Wins)
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death (Slivers)
Kaalia HQ
Kellan, the Fae-Blooded // Birthright Boon (local secret santa gift)
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell (Red Deck Wins)
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death (Slivers)
Kaalia HQ
This card was good to me in my Mina and Denn, Wildborn ramp into mass land destruction deck. But a lot of cards are good in that situation that people frown on you making good.
Zedruu: "This deck is not only able to go crazy - it also needs to do so."
There's a ramping Muldrotha, the Gravetide self-mill that uses this in our group and while it's pretty slick it's far from the most powerful thing the deck can do. One of those cards that was clearly designed for EDH and more or less hits the mark.
It's always nostalgic for me when cards like this that used to be windmill bombs in my playgroup (back in 2012 or so) crop up on the random card of the day. So many games where someone has like 40 cards in their hand on turn 22 and we go outside and shoot the %$#% while they figure out how they win type shenanigans
I honestly don't think it's playable anymore.
I honestly don't think it's playable anymore.
Played this once after we were stuck in Lethe Lake for a while (maybe it was Nephalia). Tons of fun. It probably does not have a home for me anymore.
Last edited by Serenade 2 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
Mirri, Cat Warrior counts as a Cat Warrior.
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3drinks Kaalia's Personal Liaison
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This is some zoomer logic lmao. Games don't have to end every time by t5. Or, I'm just becoming increasingly more of a magic boomer and I can't cope with that.pokken wrote: ↑2 years agoIt's always nostalgic for me when cards like this that used to be windmill bombs in my playgroup (back in 2012 or so) crop up on the random card of the day. So many games where someone has like 40 cards in their hand on turn 22 and we go outside and shoot the %$#% while they figure out how they win type shenanigans
I honestly don't think it's playable anymore.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
Modern
87guide Burn
87guide Burn
Commander
Kellan, the Fae-Blooded // Birthright Boon (local secret santa gift)
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell (Red Deck Wins)
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death (Slivers)
Kaalia HQ
Kellan, the Fae-Blooded // Birthright Boon (local secret santa gift)
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell (Red Deck Wins)
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death (Slivers)
Kaalia HQ
Same. Boomer magic 4 lyfe3drinks wrote: ↑2 years agoThis is some zoomer logic lmao. Games don't have to end every time by t5. Or, I'm just becoming increasingly more of a magic boomer and I can't cope with that.pokken wrote: ↑2 years agoIt's always nostalgic for me when cards like this that used to be windmill bombs in my playgroup (back in 2012 or so) crop up on the random card of the day. So many games where someone has like 40 cards in their hand on turn 22 and we go outside and shoot the %$#% while they figure out how they win type shenanigans
I honestly don't think it's playable anymore.
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3drinks Kaalia's Personal Liaison
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At least I know I'm not alone in my struggles.Sinis wrote: ↑2 years agoSame. Boomer magic 4 lyfe3drinks wrote: ↑2 years agoThis is some zoomer logic lmao. Games don't have to end every time by t5. Or, I'm just becoming increasingly more of a magic boomer and I can't cope with that.pokken wrote: ↑2 years agoIt's always nostalgic for me when cards like this that used to be windmill bombs in my playgroup (back in 2012 or so) crop up on the random card of the day. So many games where someone has like 40 cards in their hand on turn 22 and we go outside and shoot the %$#% while they figure out how they win type shenanigans
I honestly don't think it's playable anymore.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
Modern
87guide Burn
87guide Burn
Commander
Kellan, the Fae-Blooded // Birthright Boon (local secret santa gift)
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell (Red Deck Wins)
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death (Slivers)
Kaalia HQ
Kellan, the Fae-Blooded // Birthright Boon (local secret santa gift)
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell (Red Deck Wins)
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death (Slivers)
Kaalia HQ
Praetor's Counsel is the Enter the Infinite of recursion spells - it simply isn't possible to recur more cards than your entire graveyard. As a result, it will always have at least a niche place in the format for decks that have a bunch of mana and a massive graveyard. I've definitely played games where someone plays it in the lategame, recurs 20+ cards, and overwhelms the rest of the table in raw value. ....of course, eight mana is a lot, and it is vulnerable to grave hate. Interestingly, that makes it somewhat more interesting in decks that aren't very graveyard-focused, since they are less likely to be randomly targeted by Bojuka Bog effects.
These days, I would say that Seasons Past is probably the best recursion spell in the format - six mana to recur 6+ cards is a very strong rate, and it tends to function much better than Wildest Dreams. It's pretty unlikely for you to be able to play all of the cards recurred by Praetor's Counsel, so just getting the best six or so is more than enough. However, it does suffer a bit in a combo context, where you may be looking to recur specific combinations of cards (it couldn't grab Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker + Zealous Conscripts, for example). Praetor's Counsel is probably still overkill in that situation, but it is technically better.
....ultimately, I think Praetor's Counsel suffers a bit from the fact that green has better win conditions - at the point in the game where you can win off its raw card advantage, you could probably also win immediately off Craterhoof Behemoth, Genesis Wave, or Finale of Devastation.
These days, I would say that Seasons Past is probably the best recursion spell in the format - six mana to recur 6+ cards is a very strong rate, and it tends to function much better than Wildest Dreams. It's pretty unlikely for you to be able to play all of the cards recurred by Praetor's Counsel, so just getting the best six or so is more than enough. However, it does suffer a bit in a combo context, where you may be looking to recur specific combinations of cards (it couldn't grab Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker + Zealous Conscripts, for example). Praetor's Counsel is probably still overkill in that situation, but it is technically better.
....ultimately, I think Praetor's Counsel suffers a bit from the fact that green has better win conditions - at the point in the game where you can win off its raw card advantage, you could probably also win immediately off Craterhoof Behemoth, Genesis Wave, or Finale of Devastation.