How do you feel about Crackle with power as a finisher in EDH?

[duducrash]

I think the title says it all. Big X spells are some of the most commom finishers in the format. How do you feel about Rowan, Scholar of Sparks // Will, Scholar of Frost phoenix momment as a closer? I'm experiencing with it recently and it feels good

[toctheyounger]

I think its a strong but fair finisher. From 40, you need 24 mana to finish the game, which isn't trivial but isn't entirely out or reach either.

[JovialJovian]

I like how Crackle with Power also operates well at less-than-lethal levels, unlike Torment of Hailfire for example, which is weak at lower values of X, and is always best employed as a finisher.

Utility removal that can scale-up into a finisher is more appealing to me than a car that serves no purpose other than as a finisher.

[Toshi]

I agree. 24 mana is a very fair rate.
Red grants you several ways to cheap yourself to it as well. From Mana Geyser, to Jeska's Will and Neheb, Dreadhorde Champion. Plus, if you are already slinging spells Twincast, Fork and others will get you there faster just as well.

[ISBPathfinder]

Personally, I don't like wincons that aren't really cards until you can juice 8+ mana into them. I think it costs too much mana to really see myself slating it into decks on the norm but its possible with a deck that is all about pushing mana it maybe could make a list but I kind of doubt I would play it myself.

[Mookie]

Crackle with Power kills at a lower amount of mana than the next-best red option, which is probably Comet Storm. That said, I don't think it compares favorably to Torment of Hailfire or Genesis Wave, which are often going to win at a lower value, albeit not deterministically. It is probably comparable to Villainous Wealth and Epic Experiment though. That said, its lack of flexibility is a concern - paying five mana for five damage is pretty weak, and eight mana to kill two targets at sorcery speed is also pretty poor. In contrast, Comet Storm won't deal as much damage at that much mana, but it can kill more targets at instant speed, giving it a lot more flexibility - four damage to three targets is pretty good.

Still, this is definitely in 'why not both?' territory. If you're playing a mono-red big mana deck, it seems like a very solid inclusion. If you're building a multicolor deck, I would probably go with a different finisher.

[plushpenguin]

If you like copying your Mana Geysers a lot, you could do worse than sink it into this.

[Sinis]

I think it's a totally fair card. If you cobble together XXX mana that kills people with it, the game is probably already over.

[onering]

Personally, I don't like wincons that aren't really cards until you can juice 8+ mana into them. I think it costs too much mana to really see myself slating it into decks on the norm but its possible with a deck that is all about pushing mana it maybe could make a list but I kind of doubt I would play it myself.

At least it can, in a pinch, deal 5 to something for 5 mana, so its still useful, if overcosted, before its lethal.

[Hawk]

Crackle with Power seems fine. It's a strong card, but seems less back-breaking than Exsanguinate and Torment of Hailfire and also more likely to just end the game at sufficient value as opposed to just setting up one player to win over the next several turns due to insurmountable board/life advantage. Commander games need to end, and big elaborate X spells "feel" more climactic to me than some infinite combo. It's a must run in lots of R/x spellslinger decks especially since the failrate of being (bad) removal for 5 or 8 mana is nice insurance but not even omnipresent there, as so many spellslinger decks don't actually want a bunch of X-cost spells.

[hyalopterouslemur]

You will need a lot of mana and cost reducers. TBH, I'm fond of medallions and such for the latter, since you'll be using a lot of rituals, which is where Ruby Medallion comes in.

It requires 26 mana on its own, but it can be used as removal as well, unlike Exsanguinate or Torment of Hailfire.

[Dunharrow]

It's fine with a mana doubler I guess. maybe a finisher I would consider in Wort, the Raidmother.

[RowanKeltizar]

I don't like it. If you are looking for a X damage game ender, Comet Storm is better. By the time you are able to put enough mana into X with Crackle with Power you could also blow out the table with Comet Storm. Comet Storm is an instant and it's also better early game, although not much. And that's the biggest issue with these types of spells. They really suck to draw into early game.

I think if you already have Mana Geyser swap in Reiterate instead so you can make infinite red mana, then just copy any damage spell, say a Lightning Bolt for infinite damage. I use Firestorm because I think it's a better lightning bolt in a deck that draws cards.

Reiterate and Firestorm or Lightning Bolt are all better early game if you don't have the mana to win with the game enders yet. And if you are running red recursion like Recoup Shreds of Sanity Past in Flames Finale of Promise you can flash back those cards or return them to your hand for a win later.