Random Card of the Day: Ainok Bond-Kin

[The Fluff]

amazing delirium enabler and tarmogoyf fattener. My deck has a single Watery Grave for the few times I want to hard cast the architect.

[RabidVacin]

4/09/20 Prime Speaker Zegana

[RabidVacin]

4/10/20 Myr Prototype

[The Fluff]

looks like he's fully ready to mow down some razor grass.

[RabidVacin]

4/13/20 Scute Mob

I have a casual deck where one goal is:
Turn 1: Scute Mob
Turn 2: Summer Bloom
Turn 3: Profit

[RabidVacin]

4/14/20 Sylvok Lifestaff

[folding_music]

I love Sylvok Lifestaff! an easy and cute thing you can do in pauper is play it along with Sacred Cat for some fairly easy lifegain and stalling. I'd love to really identify the casual power level where Sylvok Lifestaff is good and then tell every commander player that's the level I play at, giggle, cos this is exactly my thing.

[The Fluff]

the lifestaff is nice for pauper. Mono Red decks would have a hard time with it.

and the +1 on power is also relevant as well.

[RabidVacin]

4/15/20 Primal Boost

[The Fluff]

Was decent in it's time. The cycling would probably only cost 1g if reprinted to today's power level.

[RabidVacin]

4/16/20 Angel of Mercy

[RabidVacin]

4/17/20 Takklemaggot

That's a lot of words.

[The Fluff]

wordy indeed. This thing seems to happen more to older cards than new ones.

[RabidVacin]

4/20/20 Cleanfall

[folding_music]

Could never work out why Cleanfall had to exist in the set which immediately followed Mirrodin block. Tranquility always faintly annoyed me too, even if I loved the Tempest art. Looking through the enchantments of the era, it seems mostly to punish cards that took work to make good, ie, Hondens, Essences, auras etc. I remember Heartbeat of Spring was the basis of a good ramp deck at the time because the format was not that aggressive, though maybe that only happened when the Ravager rotated? Even so I've never really seen a reason why enchantments should be clearable en masse for only three mana!

[The Fluff]

was mildly usable for awhile, sadly outclassed today by Paraselene and Back to Nature.

[RabidVacin]

4/21/20 Naya Battlemage

[The Fluff]

not bad at all. These remind me of the battle mages during planeshift which also had two abilities.

[RabidVacin]

4/22/20 Zombie Master

[RabidVacin]

4/23/20 Kozilek's Sentinel

[RabidVacin]

4/24/20 Guul Draz Specter

[The Fluff]

good card. Grows to the size of a dragon if opponent has no cards in hand.

Has the potential to be a finisher in casual mono black discard decks.

[RabidVacin]

4/27/20 Markov Crusader

[Arborea]

Could never work out why Cleanfall had to exist in the set which immediately followed Mirrodin block. Tranquility always faintly annoyed me too, even if I loved the Tempest art. Looking through the enchantments of the era, it seems mostly to punish cards that took work to make good, ie, Hondens, Essences, auras etc. I remember Heartbeat of Spring was the basis of a good ramp deck at the time because the format was not that aggressive, though maybe that only happened when the Ravager rotated? Even so I've never really seen a reason why enchantments should be clearable en masse for only three mana!

I think maybe they learned their lesson - I don't think there's a Tranquility variant in Standard right now. I remember Back to Nature first coming out right after the totem armor cards from Rise of the Eldrazi, and I think it came back near the first Theros block too.

[The Fluff]

Could never work out why Cleanfall had to exist in the set which immediately followed Mirrodin block. Tranquility always faintly annoyed me too, even if I loved the Tempest art. Looking through the enchantments of the era, it seems mostly to punish cards that took work to make good, ie, Hondens, Essences, auras etc. I remember Heartbeat of Spring was the basis of a good ramp deck at the time because the format was not that aggressive, though maybe that only happened when the Ravager rotated? Even so I've never really seen a reason why enchantments should be clearable en masse for only three mana!

in standard, mass enchantment removal is often not necessary. However, in formats like Modern.. when a gigantic, trampling, first striking, totem armored Slippery Bogle is attacking you, that's when enchantment board wipe is needed. I still remember having two fracturing gust in the sideboard when Bogles became strong in my area a few years ago.