WizardMN wrote: ↑3 years ago
For the most part, I agree with your changes. Or, at least, your rationale for them (Strip Mine into Ghost Quarter is obviously a downgrade but understandable given the circumstances
).
However, a couple I want to comment on:
Settle the Wreckage - This is a card I have been going back and forth on to be honest. I think with the printing of
Winds of Abandon I just don't use Settle in anything anymore. I still think it can be a good card but with things like
Selfless Squire (still a favorite of mine),
Teferi's Protection, and just normal wraths, it hasn't been needed. I do think it likely works in this deck well, but I don't think it is a bad cut by any means. I do agree that Swords needs to be in this deck no matter how you do it.
Yeah, Settle was in there to get 'em on some rare occasions, but I found I was using the hidden ramp spell mode on it a lot of times. Now that I'm packing
Land Tax and am focusing more on going wide that's not really a viable use of Settle any more, so it became far too narrow.
Jace, Mirror Mage - I will definitely be watching for comments on this. I love Fact or Fiction (even bought a new Extended Art one even though I don't use it in anything) so I would like to hear your experiences with it. I think it is just in a weird spot to be honest. The effect is powerful, even at that cost, as it is card draw and card selection all in one, but often we want to be doing something earlier, even if it means doing less. I really would like to hear it working. I commented on Jace being a flex slot in my build, just like Narset was who Jace replaced. Though I think Jace has potential, it might be too slow.
I was kind of looking at Jace as a way to scry a bunch before using an on board or in hand draw effect, or a way to keep drawing extra cards every turn, but he's just a bit too clunky IMO. If I can afford to kick him I found I could just be doing something more explosive with the mana, and if I can't afford that then the double blue requirement is tough. Then there's the whole problem of my planeswalker killing itself, which can be frustrating. The one time I was in topdeck mode and ripped Jace he failed me spectacularly and I would have rather FoFed, but of course that is results oriented thinking and anecdotal.
I do feel like the 4 mana draw spells are too costly for this deck, but the games I lose are almost always due to
anti-token tech, multiple board wipes, or slowly whittling myself down to 0-1 card in hand and running out of gas. I guess I see adding FoF kind of like taking my medicine, being responsible, and not just hoping to spike and draw one of my bonkers draw engines every game.
Opt - This is probably the one I disagree with the most. I think the power of Opt isn't exactly high, so it certainly isn't an autoinclude, but it does a lot in the deck for little mana investment which can be important. I think 4 mana, draw 2 is just not good enough. And yes, you can do it twice so it certainly has potential in the longer game. But I guess I look at Opt as a way to build your hand early (mostly via getting lands) and also having reach in the long game when you need an answer. Insight does the latter, letting you see the same two cards Opt potentially lets you see, but for 4 times the cost. If you have enough mana, you get to see 2 more of course but 8 mana when digging for an answer is tough. This is one of the reasons I like Impulse and even Fact or Fiction. At least FoF lets you see 5 cards and hopefully you get more than 1.
Again, not necessarily a bad swap, and the justifications are understandable, but I think I like Opt there in most cases.
Yeah, I feel this. I have nothing bad to say about
Opt. Again, I just feel like I need some "responsible" cards that provide instant speed card advantage so I don't run myself into topdeck mode once every five games or so. FoF is far and away the best option that doesn't have
x in the cost since it digs deep, potentially draws 3-4, and helps with GY synergies. However, for a second instant speed CA spell there's just a zillion options. I went with
Chemister's Insight over something like
Dig Through Time because 1) I'm already digging pretty efficiently with all the cantrips and
Jeskai Ascendancy 2) Insight provides the much desired CA twice potentially, even if at a higher cost than I'd like (although if I draw into
Skullclamp,
Whirlwind of Thought, or
Kindred Discovery then the Insight can just rot away in the GY for all I care) 3) I've just included
Anger in the deck and I want to avoid it being a dead card in hand as many ways as I reasonably can.
I'm considering it a test run for
Chemister's Insight. If it disappoints I will swap
Opt right back in or maybe give
Dig Through Time a go. I just hate to delve away goodies that I can cast with
Underworld Breach later.
They need to print a
Thirst for Knowledge/
Thirst for Meaning variant for Instants/Sorceries
EDIT: I am running 11 enchantments and 11 artifacts. . . that's not nearly enough, but I could always live life on the edge and go high risk high reward with one of these two. Ha.