[mtgnexus] Random Card of the Day - Archfiend of Depravity

[Mookie]

As others have mentioned, Darkblast's ability to kill X/1s is pretty niche - if you're running it, it will usually be for dredge synergies. I suppose one upside is that it is the dredge spell that is easiest to get in the graveyard repeatedly. Most dredge cards are actually capable of putting themselves in the graveyard (see Golgari Grave-Troll, Grave-Shell Scarab, Life from the Loam, Necroplasm, Nightmare Void, Shambling Shell, and Shenanigans). However, the other options require significantly more time and/or mana. As a result, Darkblast is the single most efficient way to convert mana into dredges without a discard outlet. I don't know why you would be playing a dredge deck without a way to discard your dredgers, but it is a thing that can theoretically happen.

[Igzex]

I came for the token removal
Stayed for the Dredge

[3drinks]

Saturday, September 18th, 2021; Vega, the Watcher

I always think this has partner. What a game changer that would be.

[Sinis]

Saturday, September 18th, 2021; Vega, the Watcher

I love the design of Vega. It's a really well designed card.

It was clearly intended to work with the Foretell mechanic from Kaldheim, but unlike other cards that specifically refer to a keyword, Vega's wording is vague. It works with Foretell, but it also works with Suspend, Flashback, Retrace, or other non-specific mechanic oddballs (like Elsha of the Infinite, or Panglacial Wurm).

Just an all around solid card that actually has the potential to get better over time.

[pokken]

Rebound too. Lots of cool angles for sure.

[folding_music]

I know uggggh tribal but you can throw Mavinda, Students' Advocate, Stormscape Familiar, and possibly Watcher of the Spheres in with Vega and they fit both thematically and mechanically <3

[Serenade]

Esior, Wardwing Familiar for some protection/full owl tribal

[Mookie]

Vega, the Watcher is cool. There is a certain instinct to groan at the generic 'do X, draw a card' commanders, but I tend to give it a pass at uncommon - those legends tend to be less mechanically splashy / interesting, but they're great build-arounds for limited. In this case, Vega is an obvious build-around for foretell cards... but in EDH, there are a lot of ways to take advantage of it, with flashback, cascade, Future Sight effects, and more. Vega is extremely future-proofed - I'm sure we'll get many more cards cast from exotic zones over time. I don't know that I would run Vega in the 99, but if your deck is built around one of those mechanics (ex: Elsha of the Infinite, Sevinne, the Chronoclasm, etc), it could make sense as an inclusion.

[hyalopterouslemur]

Flashback, hideaway, rebound, suspend, miracle, I think madness, what else? I mean, this sounds really good with a bunch of black cards, but wrong color. Also wrong color? Panglacial Wurm

Hey, Idol of Endurance exists.

[Wallycaine]

Flashback, hideaway, rebound, suspend, miracle, I think madness, what else? I mean, this sounds really good with a bunch of black cards, but wrong color. Also wrong color? Panglacial Wurm

Hey, Idol of Endurance exists.

Future Sight and similar effects would also trigger Vega, which is neat.

[Treamayne]

I've had him in my maybe board for Kangee, but haven't had enough effects to make him worth the include yet.
Maybe I'll have to try theorycrafting a new WU Bird deck around him and compare, thanks for the ideas everybody.

Also, the name always makes me think of:

SPOILER

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Maybe a chance for an altar...

[kirkusjones]

Isn't that M. Bison?

[tstorm823]

Knowledge pool.

[Treamayne]

Isn't that M. Bison?

His original name in Japan (game and manga) is Vega.

The character known as Balrog in the US was M. Bison (reference to Mike Tyson). Capcom was forced to change that when exporting to the US - so Bison became Balrog, Balrog became Vega, and Vega became Bison (and they just never say what the M was supposed to stand for).

[kirkusjones]

Isn't that M. Bison?

His original name in Japan (game and manga) is Vega.

The character known as Balrog in the US was M. Bison (reference to Mike Tyson). Capcom was forced to change that when exporting to the US - so Bison became Balrog, Balrog became Vega, and Vega became Bison (and they just never say what the M was supposed to stand for).

Wild!

[3drinks]

Sunday, September 19th, 2021; Blue Elemental Blast

[Hermes_]

I'd love to see an alter based on Avatar:TLA

[Dunharrow]

Huge fan of Vega and I will probably build my first azorius commander deck around it.

BEB is not a good commander card in my opinion.

[3drinks]

Huge fan of Vega and I will probably build my first azorius commander deck around it.

BEB is not a good commander card in my opinion.

Not nearly as good as REB, at least.

[onering]

REB is so much better than BEB it's not funny. Better targets and fewer competing options.

[Mookie]

Blue Elemental Blast and Hydroblast are significantly more narrow than their sibling Red Elemental Blast. Hitting only cards of a single color makes it pretty niche - if your opponents aren't running red, the card is dead. For only a single mana more, you can get significantly more flexibility from actual Counterspell, among other options. I suppose that blowing up red permanents is somewhat unique - blue doesn't have a lot of options for killing creatures / enchantments - but still a bit niche. It can be good if you're running Blind Seer or another way to mess with colors, but otherwise I would pass.

In contrast, Red Elemental Blast and Pyroblast have a much more relevant niche, the ability to stop countermagic. Red doesn't have many ways to interact on the stack, so if you want to force an important spell through, they help a lot. Countermagic in red is a more unique - and useful - ability than a red-only Vindicate in blue.

[folding_music]

love Ice Age's flavour and its art <3 if i'm playing a narrow counterspell it's gonna be something I can cantrip off like Disrupt, as boring as that is

[toctheyounger]

Isn't that M. Bison?

His original name in Japan (game and manga) is Vega.

The character known as Balrog in the US was M. Bison (reference to Mike Tyson). Capcom was forced to change that when exporting to the US - so Bison became Balrog, Balrog became Vega, and Vega became Bison (and they just never say what the M was supposed to stand for).

This is weird, not what I remember at all. The version I played had all of these characters in it. Vega was a guy with claws (think like Freddie Krueger) who could climb fences in backgrounds, Balrog was the green chap and Bison was the guy you linked an image of.

[DirkGently]

I don't like playing color hate cards on principle. REB is better, true, but I've never played it and never will play it.

Anyway UEB is 10/10 for Blind Seer, which is all anyone plays these days.

[Treamayne]

I don't like playing color hate cards on principle. REB is better, true, but I've never played it and never will play it.

Concur. I generally avoid color "hate" unless there is a thematic reason to consider otherwise. The only current exceptions I can think of are:

All Is Dust in my Mono-Brown Golem deck
Roots of Life in Sapling because of both the "roots" name for the treefolk theme and the lifegain theme (and the deck runs Blanket of Night)

His original name in Japan (game and manga) is Vega.

The character known as Balrog in the US was M. Bison (reference to Mike Tyson). Capcom was forced to change that when exporting to the US - so Bison became Balrog, Balrog became Vega, and Vega became Bison (and they just never say what the M was supposed to stand for).

This is weird, not what I remember at all. The version I played had all of these characters in it. Vega was a guy with claws (think like Freddie Krueger) who could climb fences in backgrounds, Balrog was the green chap and Bison was the guy you linked an image of.

You don't remember incorrectly, that's what I was trying to explain:

SPOILER

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The Four original bosses were:
Boss 1) M. Bison (reference to Mike Tyson) - Changed to Balrog for the English translation and US export
Boss 2) Balrog - Changed to Vega because of the Mike Tyson reference requiring a name shuffle
Boss 3) Sagat (name never changed)
Boss 4) Vega - Name changed to M. Bison because of the Mike Tyson reference requiring a name shuffle

To my knowledge it was never released why Capcom was forced to make the name shuffle - only that they had to change the names for the English translation and US release. The website below claims it was preemptive because they worried about a lawsuit, but I can't confirm that is true either.


Comparison Pictures