[mtgnexus] Random Card of the Day - Runechanter's Pike

[hyalopterouslemur]

Boros could also use it. Basically white's card draw is "Blink Wall of Omens over and over until you get Skullclamp, Sword of Fire and Ice, Mask of Memory or Book of Rass."

[3drinks]

Monday, March 1st, 2021; Tawnos, Urza's Apprentice

I want this card to be so much better than it actually plays out. It's got all the warning bells and whistles just overflowing outta the top.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

It was pretty great when Paradox Engine was legal, but I have not a clue where to play this otherwise. Kind of a very specific thing he does, but I like that he's cheap enough to play and activate for only 4 mana total.

[folding_music]

Always been slightly irritated that he says "you control"? he'd be such a fun anti-trinket control commander if he didn't - giving himself fate counters, copying Burnished Harts and all that, playing Gearhulk triggers against the Hulk's controller before theirs goes off, etc.

Still wanna use him with Floodwater Dam and other overcosted stuff he could attempt to make worthwhile, one of those decks where he's your only creature and you run lots of land, lots of controlly artifacts, trinkets which can rescue him in the face of wipes, probably your own wipes, and Manascape Refractor, so that after a lot of rigmarole you could copy land abilities too.

[Mookie]

Tawnos, Urza's Apprentice is... interesting. Copying activated and triggered abilities is potentially very powerful, but needing to both pay mana and tap to do so significantly limits combo potential. I suspect the most straightforward use for Tawnos is as a value card, copying abilities from stuff like Burnished Hart and Aether Spellbomb.... alternatively, try to copy juicier abilities, like Mindslaver or Aetherflux Reservoir.

Obviously absurd with Candelabra of Tawnos. Throw in Minamo, School at Water's Edge for more shenanigans, at which point you can kill your opponents by copying Implement of Combustion (or whatever you feel like) a bunch of times.

I will note that Tawnos faces a lot of competition from other commanders - both the other UR artifact commanders like Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain and Saheeli, Sublime Artificer, but also stuff like Breya, Etherium Shaper and Urza, Lord High Artificer. I guess Tawnos's primary use case is that he is significantly less threatening than those other commanders, so your opponents are more likely to sit back and let your durdle. At two mana, Tawnos is also pretty cheap to replay if he is dealt with.

....Tawnos trinket control actually sounds like a lot of fun.

[tstorm823]

Mirror of Fate

[illakunsaa]

You can copy Helm of the Host trigger so you can get multiple tawnosses in a single turn.

[3drinks]

Always been slightly irritated that he says "you control"? he'd be such a fun anti-trinket control commander if he didn't - giving himself fate counters, copying Burnished Harts and all that, playing Gearhulk triggers against the Hulk's controller before theirs goes off, etc.

Still wanna use him with Floodwater Dam and other overcosted stuff he could attempt to make worthwhile, one of those decks where he's your only creature and you run lots of land, lots of controlly artifacts, trinkets which can rescue him in the face of wipes, probably your own wipes, and Manascape Refractor, so that after a lot of rigmarole you could copy land abilities too.

Why would you ever floodwater dam when you can Mishra's Helix?

[folding_music]

^that's easy, simply forget that Mishra's Helix exists. giggle

[3drinks]

Well at least you're honest about it.

[pokken]

I really forgot about this guy. Seems like a fun artifact commander. Cheap legends are dope. Cheap legends with haste extra so.

I do suspect the Mana ability rider prob does him in but still kinda neat.

Been looking for a card to replace my golos blue artifact deck. Hmm.

[cheonice]

I really like his charakter, he is one of the few likeable guys from the Urza stryline, who is not a total douchebag. In commander he felt underwhelming and was dealt with very fast. In theory he does everything I want from a durdly artifacts commander but alas... The deck never felt like the clockwork I wanted it to be.

[3drinks]

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021; Silverblade Paladin

[pokken]

Ah yes, "As long as SIlverblade paladin is paired with another creature, lose both to a single removal spell in combat."

[Ruiner]

Silverblade Paladin is pretty great. It does some solid work in my Bruna, the Fading Light and Zurgo Helmsmasher decks.

It is pretty efficient for the cost.

[Dunharrow]

Double strike is strong but I think we have better ways to grant it nowadays.
It is a good Knight though if you are playing knights.

[Hermes_]

Double strike is strong but I think we have better ways to grant it nowadays.

That's just what i was thinking

[hyalopterouslemur]

Obligatory Fireshrieker reference. I wouldn't call it bad, but Fireshrieker is better. In something like Uril, there's also Runes of the Deus

[pokken]

Duelist's Heritage is kinda the benchmark I think. The thing I love about is that you can't get blown out. They either kill it before you declare attackers or you get the trigger.

Fireshrieker I can't imagine ever putting in a deck. spend 5 mana, lose your creature to a removal spell on the equipment. Yuckity yuck.

[toctheyounger]

Silverblade Paladin is pretty great. It does some solid work in my Bruna, the Fading Light and Zurgo Helmsmasher decks.

Pretty much this. Granted, my Bruna build no longer runs it, and sort of negates the biggest problems people have with the card in a vacuum (ie. being easily removed - Bruna reanimates for days). Nonetheless, it's a nice way to get a pump in colours that struggle for power in combat to this sort of level. Is it perfect? No. Will it suffice? Sure. In the right deck it can get you there. I've snuck plenty of OTK wins through in Bruna with this, be it 21 damage with the lady herself or soulbonding with Kozilek, the Great Distortion and pushing through with Rogue's Passage or similar.

Still, probably something like Duelist's Heritage would perhaps be a better option if removal is a problem in your build. Although that doesn't allow you to pull defensive combat tricks like this could in the right blink/reanimate shell.

[Serenade]

I might use it in a Heliod Voltron given the mana cost, but it still feels too risky.

Duelist's Heritage, as mentioned, is a great card for comparison. Easier mana cost, and you can play politics with it.

[Dunharrow]

Ya I would only run fireshrieker if I had specific synergies with equipment or double strike. Like I would play it in Odric, Lunarch Marshal
And I guess the RCotD would also fit that niche well.

[Ruiner]

Silverblade Paladin is pretty great. It does some solid work in my Bruna, the Fading Light and Zurgo Helmsmasher decks.

Pretty much this. Granted, my Bruna build no longer runs it, and sort of negates the biggest problems people have with the card in a vacuum (ie. being easily removed - Bruna reanimates for days). Nonetheless, it's a nice way to get a pump in colours that struggle for power in combat to this sort of level. Is it perfect? No. Will it suffice? Sure. In the right deck it can get you there. I've snuck plenty of OTK wins through in Bruna with this, be it 21 damage with the lady herself or soulbonding with Kozilek, the Great Distortion and pushing through with Rogue's Passage or similar.

Still, probably something like Duelist's Heritage would perhaps be a better option if removal is a problem in your build. Although that doesn't allow you to pull defensive combat tricks like this could in the right blink/reanimate shell.

Yeah, double strike is nice but not crucial for Bruna (and others in my deck) and she reanimates pretty easy so I've been happy with it there.

Zurgo runs it too just because I want a lot of sources of double strike for redundancy, including Duelist's Heritage.

Duelist's Heritage is definitely my go to for this effect in most decks though.

[DirkGently]

Ya I would only run fireshrieker if I had specific synergies with equipment or double strike. Like I would play it in Odric, Lunarch Marshal
And I guess the RCotD would also fit that niche well.

Odric seems like a bad example for fireshrieker, since you could just play Fencing Ace for the same effect (plus an extra body FWIW).

I've run fireshrieker in plenty of voltron decks that wanted repeated sword triggers and whatnot. If you're not in white, it's probably the best way to get double strike, which is a huge boost for voltron. And within white, it plays much better with board wipes than any creature or aura-based source of double strike. Idk why people are hating on it (beyond voltron being a pretty weak strat overall).

Losing double strike isn't necessarily going to make you lose a previously good attack very often, so I think that fear is a bit overblown. But I don't find the 2/2 double-striker for 3 to be a very big upside with this guy, so I'd usually rather have a source like, well, fireshrieker, that's a bit more durable so that I'm less likely to lose my commander and the double-strike source at the same time (to a board wipe, for example - probably not to removal on the double-strike source).

[Mookie]

Double strike is a strong keyword, but Silverblade Paladin isn't the strongest way to grant it. As others have mentioned, Duelist's Heritage is the gold standard - it has diplomatic implications and, as an enchantment, it's a bit more difficult to kill than a creature. Silverblade Paladin has some implications if you have tribal synergies, but a 2/2 for 3 is... not very exciting. Its vulnerability to removal also makes it awkward in some situations. I suppose that soulbond means you can move the double strike around alongside flicker effects, but that's pretty niche.

That said, double strike is an extremely powerful keyword, and worth trying to grant to your creatures. It's really good with combat damage triggers like Thada Adel, Acquisitor, but it's also excellent just as a damage multiplier - if you throw it on something big and evasive, it represents a ton of damage. As for other sources of double strike... Fireshrieker is the most efficient equipment source of it, while Grappling Hook also grants your creature pseudo-provoke. Akroma's Will is a surprise way to kill people, True Conviction is a powerful anthem effect. There are also some tribal options like Arashin Foremost and Kinsbaile Cavalier.