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

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DirkGently
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Post by DirkGently » 2 years ago

3drinks wrote:
2 years ago
If they don't cast creatures, they aren't creating a clock. If they do anything remotely threatening, you counter them into oblivion. If they try to pass, you get to untap and act unopposed, lest they attempt to respond in vain. It's a catch-22 situation.
Creating a clock seems like the hardest way to get out of that situation, though. I would think more likely would be one player untaps and STPs your patron wizard, forcing you to tap out to counter it if you can counter it at all. Then the next player plays a board wipe and you're back to square one...at least until someone resolves kiki-jiki and ends the game.

It's synergistic but I wouldn't call it a combo, let alone something requiring angry sarcastic airquotes. Considering all the things that go infinite with intruder alarm, this seems like the tamest use for the card I've heard of tbh.
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Sinis
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Post by Sinis » 2 years ago

Friday, April 14th, 2021; Mise
I was on a flight, and mis(s)ed this, but, I can't not say...

I like it. I think it's pretty great, and would play it in constructed.

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Post by 3drinks » 2 years ago

Monday, April 19th, 2021; Desert Twister|sum



Never technically dead, so it's got that going for it.

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Post by TheAmericanSpirit » 2 years ago

I used to slam this all the time back in the day. I've always had a fascination with extreme weather, and the flavor of sending a freaking tornado after your enemies is super. Shout out to the scary-ass flavor text on the most recenting printing, a true Oklahoman nightmare...
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Post by FenrirRex » 2 years ago

Overpaying for Vindicate is a bit rough, but I don't think I would scoff at a mono green deck still choosing to run this, especially given that said deck also probably has a crazy ramp package. Solid flavor, always playable, and a rare piece of green removal that doesn't need a creature to fire (and we have a few too many of those now too).

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Post by onering » 2 years ago

It is what it is, destroy anything at sorcery speed, no restrictions or drawbacks, in a color that isn't really supposed to be able to destroy creatures or planeswalkers straight up. Beast Within just fully outclasses it, because a vanilla 3/3 is pretty close to negligible in this format. I'm not sure that even mono green decks today would need enough copies of the effect to run this, but back in the day it was certainly reasonable enough. Maybe some weird mono green control deck would want this.

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Post by DirkGently » 2 years ago

To me, the bigger problem with running this is that there are such superior options, especially in the planeswalkers: Ugin, the Ineffable, Karn Liberated, and Ugin, the Spirit Dragon are all my go-tos when I need flexible removal in colors that lack it. Beast within has been mentioned, but I'd also play Scour from Existence for the instant speed over this. And if you're ramping hard enough, Ulamog (both versions) can blow stuff up and pay just a few more mana for, y'know, a freaking eldrazi. And if mana is tight, then I'd prefer Introduction to Annihilation over this, even.

So yeah, superior alternatives abound.
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Gollum - Lobelia - Minthara - Plargg2 - Solphim - Otharri - Graaz - Ratchet - Soundwave - Slicer - Gale - Rootha - Kagemaro - Blorpityblorpboop - Kayla - SliverQueen - Ivy - Falco - Gluntch - Charlatan/Wilson - Garth - Kros - Anthousa - Shigeki - Light-Paws - Lukka - Sefris - Ebondeath - Rokiric - Garth - Nixilis - Grist - Mavinda - Kumano - Nezahal - Mavinda - Plargg - Plargg - Extus - Plargg - Oracle - Kardur - Halvar - Tergrid - Egon - Cosima - Halana+Livio - Jeska+Falthis+Obosh - Yeva - Akiri+Zirda - Lady Sun - Nahiri - Korlash - Overlord+Zirda - Chisei - Athreos2 - Akim - Cazur+Ukkima - Otrimi - Otrimi - Kalamax - Ayli+Lurrus - Clamilton - Gonti - Heliod2 - Ayula - Thassa2 - Gallia - Purphoros2 - Rankle - Uro - Rayami - Gargos - Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa - Ashling1 - Angus - Arcum - Talrand - Chainer - Higure - Kumano - Scion - Teferi1 - Uyo - Sisters
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Sinis
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Post by Sinis » 2 years ago

Monday, April 19th, 2021; Desert Twister
For me, this card died when Scour from Existence got printed. I mean, it was mostly in the grave when Beast Within was printed in NPH, but, Scour was definitely the last nail in the coffin.

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Post by illakunsaa » 2 years ago

I made a sarulf deck where I play bunch of crappy sink hole variants. Just nuke lands and wolf eats the rest. I could see myself playing deserrt twister. I already play spiteful blow.

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Post by Mookie » 2 years ago

As others have noted, Desert Twister has been largely outclassed at this point, by both Beast Within and colorless options like Scour from Existence and Introduction to Annihilation. I'd probably even consider Bramblecrush effects like Woodfall Primus before it. They do miss the ability to kill creatures, but that has become less of an issue for green decks over time due to the increased availability of fight effects.

...I suppose there are a few points in Desert Twister's favor. The colorless options tend to be even more expensive, and fight effects are conditional on you having a large enough creature, which isn't always the case. But six mana at sorcery speed is still a pretty hefty premium for a pretty marginal amount of flexibility.

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Post by Hawk » 2 years ago

I don't find Vindicate to be the auto-include it once was - when I'm paying more than 2 for removal I really want that instant-speed flexibility. Now, that's in different colors with tons of competition for premium single-target removal and new amazing removal spells every year, whereas green is the worst removal color in MtG. Even so, I've never run this since by the time I was into EDH Beast Within was a card and I rarely run mono-green.

I wouldn't turn my nose up at a mono-green player still running this - it's cool, it's fun, it's simple and effective. But as everyone has already noted - Scour from Existence is one more to be at instant speed, Introduction to Annihilation is one less (but it gives them a card). If budget is no concern, there's also powerful 'walkers like Karn Liberated and Ugin, the Spirit Dragon or powerful auras like Song of the Dryads. You're also at the cost that you could just run straight-up boardwipes like All Is Dust. Oblivion Stone, and Ezuri's Predation for a little more or less.

Also also - this is most often run to have an answer to creatures, since mono-green has access to stuff like Acidic Slime, Woodfall Primus, Bramblecrush, etc to deal with non-creature permanents. But in green, if your creatures are big and reliable enough you can just run fight cards. At the dawn of EDH we had the fine staple Prey Upon and reusable Ulvenwald Tracker; since then we've got plenty more incredible cards like Ram Through, Thorn Mammoth, and Kogla, the Titan Ape. While these aren't as reliable as just straight-up murdering a creature with the power of wind, they are still where I'm gonna be looking in most EDH decks.

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Post by BeneTleilax » 2 years ago

I remember when this was one of the big scary color breaks.

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Post by Cyberium » 2 years ago

3drinks wrote:
2 years ago
Monday, April 19th, 2021; Desert Twister|sum



Never technically dead, so it's got that going for it.
Generally speaking, any effect that's either colorless or outside of the color pie should cost a lot to achieve, or weakened. Desert Twister is one example. While green never had issue getting to six mana, people today would use that GGGGGG on something else.

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Post by 3drinks » 2 years ago

Tuesday, April 20th, 2021; Blinkmoth Infusion



Oomph. That's big energy right here.

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Post by Lifeless » 2 years ago

On one hand I'm surprised I've never seen anyone play this, but on the other hand I don't know what I would play it in either. I'm also willing to bet this can be used to pull off an infinite loop, at very least with Mycosynth Lattice.

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Post by Outcryqq » 2 years ago

Blinkmoth Infusion, I'd love to dome someone for 14 using this in my Vial Smasher the Fierce/Thrasios, Triton Hero deck, but the card's effect isn't particularly useful in that deck and I never have enough artifacts to make this spell reasonable.

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Post by 3drinks » 2 years ago

Outcryqq wrote:
2 years ago
Blinkmoth Infusion, I'd love to dome someone for 14 using this in my Vial Smasher the Fierce/Thrasios, Triton Hero deck, but the card's effect isn't particularly useful in that deck and I never have enough artifacts to make this spell reasonable.
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Post by BeneTleilax » 2 years ago

I saw a Jhoira deck that would win with this after Paradox Engine got banned. I don't think it has any real use-case outside of combos, if you need high CMC for things, Eldrazi, alt-costs and Delve cards are just better.

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Post by hyalopterouslemur » 2 years ago

Well, I can't believe I missed Desert Twister. Yes, I would pay 1 more for reusable or instant-speed exile. But that got me thinking about my Teen Titans-themed decks and how useful Scour from Existence is as on-theme removal. (Two Robins, Donna Troy, Hawk, the Flash, Superboy...)

Moving on, Blinkmoth Infusion is...odd. There aren't a lot of decks for it. Like, if you have a ton of artifacts, it can be an ersatz ritual with your rocks.
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Post by TheAmericanSpirit » 2 years ago

I'd play that in Jhoira, fo' sure. If you can cast it for 2, it's awesome. Turnabout is only 4 tops though and is an infinitely superior version of this effect in terms of flexibility. I think you need to want the super high cmc for something and be playing a crap ton of artifacts before it beats ol' Turnabout.
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Post by illakunsaa » 2 years ago

Maybe it has a place in the new izzet dragon deck. It likes casting instants and tapping artifacts.

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Post by Mookie » 2 years ago

Blinkmoth Infusion is... interesting. As others have mentioned, it represents a ton of damage if flipped off Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow or Vial Smasher the Fierce. However, I find the idea of including spells you don't intend to actually cast to be... a bit suspect. I guess Draco sees some meme play, but....

As a Turnabout effect, it's a bit more interesting. Fourteen mana is a lot, but it's mana-positive if you're casting it for six mana and untapping eight mana rocks. Any more and it becomes a pretty potent ritual. However, getting to eight mana rocks is pretty difficult - I would be surprised if many decks had more than ten or so, so it represents a pretty substantial percentage of them. It's certainly possible to jack up that number with other artifacts or rocks that tap for multiple mana, but it still seems difficult.

...ultimately though, I'd say it's pretty much always outclassed by Turnabout, which is cheaper unless you expect to have 10+ artifacts. It also doesn't untap all of your opponents' artifacts, which seems like a relevant downside if you're doing Mycosynth Lattice shenanigans.

As for places that make sense... Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain eggs with lots of mana rocks? Not sure what other decks are that heavy on mana rocks and interested in rituals. My own Thada Adel, Acquisitor deck certainly is very heavy on mana rocks (both my own and stolen ones), but I'm not sure I would actually want this effect. Hmmm... could give Turnabout a shot sometime though.

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Post by materpillar » 2 years ago

Mookie wrote:
2 years ago
Blinkmoth Infusion is... interesting. As others have mentioned, it represents a ton of damage if flipped off Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow or Vial Smasher the Fierce. However, I find the idea of including spells you don't intend to actually cast to be... a bit suspect. I guess Draco sees some meme play, but....
I've been tempted to put this in my meme high CMC Draco deck... for most of the cards in that deck flipping them off Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow/Keen Duelist is plan A. Plan B is flipping them off The Prismatic Bridge. Plan C is casting them with a mana-doubler. None of cards in that meme deck are worthless if Plan C rolls around. Even Draco is at worst a 9/9 Flier which can get people dead, at best he's a 6 mana which is actively decent. This is basically worthless if you have to cast it in that deck.

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Post by Dunharrow » 2 years ago

It seems like the type of card that wins the game whenever it is cast.
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Post by plushpenguin » 2 years ago

This card is generally trash except in Yuriko decks where you can easily represent 14 damage to all opponents off a mys or v tutor while having a card that isn't completely dead when drawn (unlike draco) because you can pitch it to force and chrome mox.

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