[mtgnexus] Random Card of the Day - Sliver Queen

[TheAmericanSpirit]

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2021; Master of the Wild Hunt

I never get to untap with this clown. I've stopped playing it, even in wolf-token themed decks.

This is so sad. It was awesome in Standard and is good value in edh. May the great god of IGMCULSL bestow many wolves upon all your future upkeeps and may you forever untap in peace.

[Sinis]

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2021; Master of the Wild Hunt

I never get to untap with this clown. I've stopped playing it, even in wolf-token themed decks.

This is so sad. It was awesome in Standard and is good value in edh. May the great god of IGMCULSL bestow many wolves upon all your future upkeeps and may you forever untap in peace.

I don't think that kind of game exists anymore, tbh.

People's decks are very efficient these days, and the vast, vast majority of the time if something doesn't ETB, it probably isn't worth playing. Even my group, which I've tried to keep pretty casual, I seriously doubt this wouldn't eat a wipe or some repeatable fight card (like, a better, one I mean).

Honestly, at its current dollar value, I should just sell it.

IGMCULSL

I don't understand this reference

[Crazy Monkey]

I have fond memories of Master of the Wild Hunt in a 60 wolf/werewolf deck when I first built it post Innistrad block. At the time, repeatable sources of combined tokens and removal were difficult to find. I never found there to be enough tribal support for a EDH deck of the same tribe(s). The werewolf mechanic doesn't really work in the commander format in my experience.

I dropped Master out of my 60card deck around Khans block when I revamped to a modern Collected Company werwolves deck. Nowadays it's rather consistently outperformed by Daybreak Ranger // Nightfall Predator for repeated board control.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

IGMCULSL

I don't understand this reference

That was the a crucial element of the humor that nearly locked down the off-topic thread a few weeks ago. It lives on in hearts, minds, and abbreviations. If you'd like to know what it stands for, go to the off-topic thread and start clicking back a few pages. Don't stop until you see the red mod boxes and smell the acrid stench of existentialism with vapors of miscommunication.

[Sinis]

IGMCULSL

I don't understand this reference

That was the a crucial element of the humor that nearly locked down the off-topic thread a few weeks ago. It lives on in hearts, minds, and abbreviations. If you'd like to know what it stands for, go to the off-topic thread and start clicking back a few pages. Don't stop until you see the red mod boxes and smell the acrid stench of existentialism with vapors of miscommunication.

Week-old off-topic made my night. Thank you. <gordon ramsay meme but instead of 'food' it's 'discourse'>

[3drinks]

Wednesday, November 24th, 2021; Gaze of Granite

Hey look, it's a decent imitation of Pernicious Deed for under a dollar.

...ignore that deed actually got a reprint in A25 and is only a $6 card now.

[pokken]

This card has blown me out a lot of times because I like to play cheap stuff Same with Deed really.

[Sinis]

Wednesday, November 24th, 2021; Gaze of Granite

Hey look, it's a decent imitation of Pernicious Deed for under a dollar.

...ignore that deed actually got a reprint in A25 and is only a $6 card now.

In fairness, this card will eat planeswalkers, which Deed does not. That can be a good or a bad thing, depending on whether you're the one with the walkers.

[Igzex]

While this lacks Deed's ability to mess with how your opponents play the game, that it can hit planeswalkers too makes the gaze a card I prefer to draw in a few cases. Both cards just get better with time as permanents become more mana efficient.

[Mookie]

Gaze of Granite is a strong and versatile card, but I cut it from my Tasigur deck a while ago - adding an extra three mana to its cost can make it rather clunky. It is capable of hitting planeswalkers, unlike Pernicious Deed, but Deed's ability to be paid for over two turns (and activated at instant speed) means it actually has more versatility, IMO. Gaze is probably a bit stronger in the lategame, but I think Deed is better if you are on 6 or less mana. Of course, the value of hitting planeswalkers can go up or down depending on how many planeswalkers are in your meta and deck - Atraxa, Praetors' Voice / superfriends.dec loves Pernicious Deed, but hates Gaze of Granite.

Still, ignoring the comparison to Pernicious Deed, it is certainly a strong effect, especially if your deck is built to take advantage of it, either by running lots of high-MV cards that can dodge it, or by not running many nonland permanents in the first place. It's a good way to take advantage of a strong land-based ramp package, while blowing up any artifact-based ramp. It's also fantastic against token decks. I don't think I would run it over more efficient board wipes like Damnation / Toxic Deluge, but it's definitely worth consideration as your 3rd or 4th option.

I'll call out Culling Ritual as a similar effect - limited to MV2, but it's also a ritual effect.

[hyalopterouslemur]

A good imitation of Deed. Hits planeswalkers (at the expensive of artifact lands, Dryad Arbor, Urza's Saga and any number of land animators, Mycosynth Lattice, and Enchanted Evening). Can't use Sun Titan, can't be a rattlesnake, and you have to pay it all at once, while Deed works like Mox Monkey.

It's still good. Just not Deed good.

[3drinks]

Thursday, November 25th, 2021; Rite of Replication

The first bomb of commander before it became over-commercialized. And happy Thanksgiving, to those whom celebrate.

[BeneTleilax]

I would say Uril or Rafiq were the first bombs of the format, but this was and is quite strong. Even if it doesn't win that turn "make a bunch of copies of a big idiot and protect them from wraths" is still a very viable way to end the game.

[pokken]

I love me some old school commander bombs. I still play this now and then--it's one of those cards that defined my early playgroup. Rite of Replication Scourge of Valkas was one of my earliest combo wincons

Overall I don't think this card is that great largely because of the push toward (1) signpost synergy and (2) efficiency. It's largely the same reason I quit playing Bribery.

People just do not sit around with giant ETB creatures idling, they try to win. Most of their creatures are trash like Llanowar Elves or Birds of Paradise or best case Eternal Witness and those creatures are dying to combat more and more rather than sitting around.

That, or people are playing creatures that follow their commander's signposts and so have almost no value to me. And I certainly don't need 5 copies of a legend, and the legend quotient has gotten much higher lately with bombs like Nezahal, Primal Tide often being legendary.

Bottom line, the best use of this card is as a combo finisher in your deck that is randomly good, so it's much narrower now than when it was a goodstuff bomb.

[3drinks]

I love me some old school commander bombs. I still play this now and then--it's one of those cards that defined my early playgroup. Rite of Replication Scourge of Valkas was one of my earliest combo wincons

Pfft. Back in my day, we kicked rites on Hagra Diabolist. Obviously the best use case is and always will be hitting Precursor Golem though, since it gives you the math win that most players will run from.

[pokken]

We Rite of Replication'd a lot of Eternal Witness back in the day but the most notorious was Sylvan Primordial.

(heard you guys liked it when I blew up a bunch of your lands, ramped 15 and then beat you to death slowly with non-trampling idiots)

edit: I should add that the move of curving SP into Rite was never officially called "The Charles" in my playgroup but it should have been. I was more of a Deadeye Navigator guy.

[kirkusjones]

This is so sad. It was awesome in Standard and is good value in edh. May the great god of IGMCULSL bestow many wolves upon all your future upkeeps and may you forever untap in peace.

Say hallelujah!

[Jemolk]

I love me some old school commander bombs. I still play this now and then--it's one of those cards that defined my early playgroup. Rite of Replication Scourge of Valkas was one of my earliest combo wincons

Pfft. Back in my day, we kicked rites on Hagra Diabolist.

I still do occasionally. Rite is insane in an ally deck, since it gives 30 triggers.

[Mookie]

I kicked a Rite of Replication on Rampaging Baloths the other day - nothing says 'EDH bomb' like 50 power off a single spell and a land drop. My Mizzix deck doesn't kill people with combat damage often, but when it does, it's usually because of Rite. It also dealt with an opposing Zetalpa, Primal Dawn a while ago by giving me a copy to block with, which was nice.

Rite is a strong and flexible card - at its base case, it is a spell-based Clone, which isn't that exciting.... but paying nine mana for five clones opens up a lot of options. As someone once said, "Quantity is a quality all its own" - even a meh card can be impressive when you have five of them. There are a ton of value creature in the format - Mulldrifter, Solemn Simulacrum... I've even kicked Rite on Burnished Hart. Or you can just kick Rite on a fatty and instantly have a threatening boardstate. Alternatively, go the combo route and kick Rite on Eternal Witness, Archaeomancer, or another recursive creature to grab back Rite and Turnabout or another ritual effect.

....and of course, there are also commanders like Reaper King and Vela the Night-Clad that work very well with Rite.

Of course, Rite is fundamentally a Clone with upside, and I wouldn't say it goes in every deck - if you're doing something strong and synergistic that isn't creature-based or spell-based, it's possible that you won't have any creatures worth copying. It's also a very battlecruisery card - if you don't expect to hit 9+ mana, it looks a lot worse.

[toctheyounger]

Rite is fairly good abd more importantly lots of fun. I do miss the days it was more relevant than it is now but I still jam it here and there. Its hilarious to kick it targeting a Kamigawa legendary spirit dragon (except Jugan, card is bad) for example, even if that isn't an efficient way to win.

Its kind of the epitome of a goodstuff card, and I really like to just have a copy about to fill spots in a deck where you think 'you know, let's just get silly in this spot'. It fits that brief nicely and does swingy plays well. I really like Rite even if it isn't what it once was.

[Hermes_]

Kicked a Rite of Replication on an Akroan Horse for the giggles.......

[Dunharrow]

I use it in Reyhan, Last of the Abzan because targeting Reyhan gives you 90 +1/+1 counters if you do not have anything else in play. Add in a doubling season and a Master Biomancer and whatever other effects and see eyes glaze over as you do the math.

Sage of Hours is a good target for 18 extra turns (baseline) but It is also good with Triskelion assuming 90 damage is enough to win.

[RedCheese]

Commander is about having fun and this card is fun.

[Igzex]

Scourge of Valkas my old friend...

[3drinks]

Friday, November 26th, 2021; Shreds of Sanity

That's....a lot of value packed into one three mana value spell. And it's even a discard outlet.