MTGNexus

Still really strong in Alesha and Marchesa, which can abuse both abilities. If your general is 6+ mana, it can also be a good accelerant. Great with Mimic Vat.

Still better than Burnished Hart.

This art is so bad.

Serenade wrote: ↑

4 years ago

This art is so bad.

Agreed. Looks like Jonah Hill attempting to cosplay Borg.

If you're using Alesha, Who Smiles at Death or Reveillark, or plan on using him as sac fuel or for entry/death triggers, he can be "fair". (Possibly also if you blink a lot.) If you're not in green, he's also "fair". If you're in Animar, he's still "fair". But some decks can combo out on turn 4, especially with the help of tutors, and the archetypal n00b mistake is "not enough disruption".

If you are in green, Sakura-Tribe Elder, Wood Elves, and Farhaven Elf also exist. If you don't need creatures in particular, Nature's Lore, Farseek, Kodama's Reach/Cultivate, Explosive Vegetation, Skyshroud Claim, Far Wanderings. If you're playing tokens, Harvest Season and Primal Growth. If you're doing some sort of shenanigans, Reap and Sow That said, if you're in green, you're probably doing a lot of ramping.

NoNeedToBragoBoutIt wrote: ↑

4 years ago

Serenade wrote: ↑

4 years ago

This art is so bad.

Agreed. Looks like Jonah Hill attempting to cosplay Borg.

Y'all know this version includes the likeness of a tournament winner, right?

lyonhaert wrote: ↑

4 years ago

NoNeedToBragoBoutIt wrote: ↑

4 years ago

Serenade wrote: ↑

4 years ago

This art is so bad.

Agreed. Looks like Jonah Hill attempting to cosplay Borg.

Y'all know this version includes the likeness of a tournament winner, right?

I will only ever use my MRD copy of Sad Bot for that reason. Respect for those that came before. A friend calls that one "Creeper Bot that touches kids down the street" and I just don't know how to respond.

There is and will always be, just one Sad Bot.

3drinks wrote: ↑

4 years ago

A friend calls that one "Creeper Bot that touches kids down the street" and I just don't know how to respond.

IMO one responds to that by asking questions that make them face the stereotypes and biases such statements are based on. YMMV

lyonhaert wrote: ↑

4 years ago

Y'all know this version includes the likeness of a tournament winner, right?

Yeah, i know. Even with Kai being a fellow countryman and one of my favorite players in the history of MTG the card still looks like Jonah Hill.
As far as i'm concerned there's not a single beautiful version of Sad Bot.
M12 (A Sad Bot) > MPS (Prego Bot) > C19 (Grooty Bot) > MRD (Jonah Bot)

3drinks wrote: ↑

4 years ago

A friend calls that one "Creeper Bot that touches kids down the street" and I just don't know how to respond.

What a stupid thing to say.

The Mirrodin card art is the best card art because it reminds me of Arnold Rimmer from Red Dwarf. Also the only version of the card's art that seems to understand the definition of the word "solemn".

Sharpened wrote: ↑

4 years ago

I remember people being underwhelmed with it when it first was previewed, and then seeing it find heavy play in one of the most powerful Standard formats ever.

Ah yes. Standing proudly alongside Darksteel Colossus|DST, Leonin Abunas|MRD, Platinum Angel|MRD and Tooth and Nail|MRD to hold back the horde of Ravager Affinity decks. Solemn Simulacrum|MRD's place in that deck is definitely another reason I like the Mirrodin version best.

Myllior wrote: ↑

4 years ago

The Mirrodin card art is the best card art because it reminds me of Arnold Rimmer from Red Dwarf. Also the only version of the card's art that seems to understand the definition of the word "solemn".

Surely you mean Kryten?

It's a weird card in this format in that in the right place it can be solid, but other places it's totally overvalued. I'd never bother with in in my Nissa build for example, but it's remarkably great in my Bruna and Glissa builds. I guess that tells you what you need to know about it. Decent ramp for decks that don't otherwise have superior options, solid recursion value in artifact builds. It's probably no longer a format staple like it once would have been, but still decent nonetheless.

I didn't get a copy of this card until they printed it with better art.

toctheyounger wrote: ↑

4 years ago

Surely you mean Kryten?

Kryten makes more sense physically, but for me it's the face that makes me think of Rimmer. The projected self-pride despite being less than he desires, which is exacerbated by his being a hologram. In ways, Rimmer is indeed a solemn simulacrum. (Also smug and neurotic, but hey).

Also because the first time I saw the card was shortly after I watched an episode and I looked too quickly and thought it had a slightly smug expression.

Regarding the card itself, I have to agree with others' assessments of it in the format. I probably wouldn't play it at all if I didn't already have a copy.

Myllior wrote: ↑

4 years ago

toctheyounger wrote: ↑

4 years ago

Surely you mean Kryten?

Kryten makes more sense physically, but for me it's the face that makes me think of Rimmer. The projected self-pride despite being less than he desires, which is exacerbated by his being a hologram. In ways, Rimmer is indeed a solemn simulacrum. (Also smug and neurotic, but hey).

Also because the first time I saw the card was shortly after I watched an episode and I looked too quickly and thought it had a slightly smug expression.

Regarding the card itself, I have to agree with others' assessments of it in the format. I probably wouldn't play it at all if I didn't already have a copy.

Yeah, I can understand that. I guess just the smug pretension and airs above his station is my enduring impression of him. But I can totally understand the parallels.

Bloody good show actually, it's a lot of fun. Worth it just for Cat.

I don't think Solemn Simulacrum is a staple card anymore, but it's still good. There are better options for colorless ramp and card draw than there were several years ago, so I wouldn't run Solemn just to generate a bit of incidental value anymore. Its main strength thus isn't in doing any particular job particularly well, but in how many synergies exist to make it more valuable.

For example....
- it has 2 power for Mentor of the Meek
- it's an artifact for Sai, Master Thopterist and Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle
- it has an ETB effect for Panharmonicon
- it provides ramp that doesn't get shut down by Bane of Progress or Stony Silence
- it triggers landfall and helps turn on Emeria, the Sky Ruin and Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
- it has a death trigger for Teysa Karlov
- it provides a shuffle for Sensei's Divining Top
- it has an expendable body for Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
....and many, many more.

I wouldn't run Solemn without some sort of synergy to take advantage of it, but enough synergies exist to make it a reasonable inclusion in many decks.

I always wind up cutting it. Its too slow.

I use it I can turn it into an engine in itself. Otherwise I leave it out.

I haven't actually ever owned one and never felt like I needed it.That's probably because most of my decks run green and ramp is very good without even trying hard. The ones that don't have green are not the right home for it. The 4 cost is not good for Teshar nor Sun Titan, He's not big enough for Brion, and has no tribal sinergy with Lin Sivvi nor Celestial Kirin, but might deserve a chance in those. I don't see a reason for not to try it in Temmet either.

It's funny that this is a staple and I have never played it. But now that I've got a Gerrard I might have finally found a way to squeeze the juice off it.

Tuesday, August 27th, 2019; Thawing Glaciers

My favourite card of all time!

Mmmm, one time I had Rings and Amulet of Vigor out. My Coffers got HUGE.

I can one-up you - lotus cobra + stone-seeder hierophant. Found that combo by accident in my arixmethes untap-lands themed deck.

I still run Thawing Glaciers in Chainer, partly because Rings and Deserted Temple are in there. It's rather busy-work to use it and it's no "turn 1: Myriad Landscape, turn 2: Sol Ring, turn 3: ccbbbb", but I'm pretty sure it's always been useful to me at least early-to-mid-game.

Edit: I also like to use this with landfall, along with jank like Undiscovered Paradise (assuming methods to play more than one land per turn, of course).

Glaciers has always been one of my go-to CA engines, grinding you out at ~0.75 lands/2 turns. Reliable. I don't even have the blowout stories like you do (well, okay, I once got to use it with stone-seeder hierophant), but I'm typically just happy to play a karoo after I've activated glaciers.

Dare I say it's the unsung hero of the format, especially in non ramp colours.

3drinks wrote: ↑

4 years ago

Tuesday, August 27th, 2019; Thawing Glaciers

I really like it; I remember opening one in Alliances, and I have played it on and off ever since. It moves at a terribly slow speed, but, it's nice to always have a land drop.

It usually lives in my resident monoblack control deck.

I just wanted to mention the Masterpiece Sadbot makes me think of Judge Dredd.

Anyway, what can I say? Amulet of Vigor exists, Rings of Brighthearth exists, and you can even untap it a lot. Early on, the best you had was Ley Druid, but we can do better now. Being a reusable fetchland also gives it value with cards like Oracle of Mul Daya and Azusa, Lost but Seeking, since you'll never miss one drop at a bare minimum, and often have two. It's great for landfall decks, like all fetches.

Now, any fetchland will do better with Crucible of Worlds, Sun Titan, or Ramunap Excavator, but this doesn't need that kind of help. It needs a totally different kind of help.