[mtgnexus] Random Card of the Day - North Star

[hyalopterouslemur]

Well, I prefer Rule of Law as anti-storm tech, never punish what you can simply forbid, but the "bad Silent Arbiter" ability is nice.

Both are one-sided too.

[Igzex]

It's a tragedy that he couldn't be a blue card then you'd get to draw cards for each creature attacking you and also draw you cards for each spell your opponents cast.

[3drinks]

Sunday, August 29th, 2021; Ebondeath, Dracolich

I love these kinds of self-recursive threats in stax. I love even more that it's got a type that Kaalia cares about. I love most that it's a Dracolich, from the first time I saw that entry in Draconomicon, I became fascinated with the idea of a supremely powerful dragon with all sorts of untold magic powers, seeking the forever Pursuit of Knowledge in the arcane secrets such that they'd go into the purgatory of infinite life......such flavour.

[DirkGently]

I built a deck around him...wish I had more of an opinion on him. I would have played him more, but y'know, corona. He's certainly cool design imo. Not the most exciting commander, though. He's sort of awkward in commander because he's a lot less efficient than Bloodghast as sac fodder, but the 5/2 flying body isn't nearly as relevant as in other formats.

[Toshi]

A friend of mine built a rough draft around it and it is quite fun for a mid-powered Voltron deck. You'll see the classic Hatred and infect cards, obviously.
I think the synergy i like most is, when he has Pawn of Ulamog out and he can sac a token to be able to cast his commander - including a fraction of the mana already in his disposal.

[3drinks]

I built a deck around him...wish I had more of an opinion on him. I would have played him more, but y'know, corona. He's certainly cool design imo. Not the most exciting commander, though. He's sort of awkward in commander because he's a lot less efficient than Bloodghast as sac fodder, but the 5/2 flying body isn't nearly as relevant as in other formats.

Looks like a pretty decent Voltron that can dodge commander tax, which is the biggest strike against Voltron. I imagine eot this into Nightmare Lash presenting quite the perpetual threat.

[Signe]

I use this in the current iteration of my Sen Triplets Stax deck that I've had since Sen Tripletys came out! The recursion si really nice, but to be quite honest there are better options for the slot, I mostly use him out of personal taste

[hyalopterouslemur]

5/2 for four, but flash and you can recur it easily. And flying. Obvious value in token Stax is obvious, but the question is, should it replace Reassembling Skeleton and Bloodghast?

[Igzex]

Fun fact: This is the 4rth Re-Assembling Dragon after Scourge of Nel Toth, Boneyard Scourge, and Bone Dragon. Ebondeath is the best of them by far and I'm currently experimenting with is card in my Ur-Dragon. Having a card that generates value from my tribal synergies that's trickier to completely get rid of is feeling pretty decent for now...

[Mookie]

I once ran a D&D one-shot where all the players were monsters working for a dracolich. Their mission? Raid the town and retrieve loot from a tavern. Good times.

Anyway, Ebondeath, Dracolich is an interesting card. I usually run self-recursive creatures alongside sacrifice synergies, but Ebondeath costing four mana to recur makes it significantly clunkier than something like Reassembling Skeleton. On the other hand, a 5 power flying beater is a very real threat, especially if it is resistant to removal. I could definitely see Ebondeath being a solid voltron threat, or a synergy card for zombie tribal decks. I don't think I'd run it in an aristocrats strategy (four mana is a lot), but I will note that it is one of the few recursive cards that you actually get to cast - many (like Nether Traitor and Bloodghast) just put themselves onto the battlefield, which has interesting implications alongside cards like The Great Henge and Beast Whisperer.

[3drinks]

Monday, August 30th, 2021; Hellish Rebuke

[TheAmericanSpirit]

Weird gotcha! card with oddly limited utility. Not a great fog, not a good boardwipe.

I feel like this is the kind of card that only shines when your opponent has already commited to doing something stupid or reckless, but struggles against more calculating players.

[pokken]

I feel like this is the kind of card that only shines when your opponent has already commited to doing something stupid or reckless, but struggles against more calculated players.

This feels like a pretty narrow assessment. In my experience, good players will be attacking regularly if they can do so, and most voltron kills are not one shots.

As a mono black card that answers Purphoros, God of the Forge and Terror of the Peaks while providing other utility it should get a serious look (although sadly it doesn't have the desired interaction with Dragon Tempest et. al.

The 'worst case' mode for most games is Fog where you can just slam it before attacks and tell them to go get someone else. The best case is you get'em with some really unprofitable attacks.

And there's the additional utility of killing voltron guys, potentially annihilating a token player out of the game (hey take 30, Massacre Wurm style), and more.

Certainly not an autoinclude, but it's a real nice option to have in a deck that doesn't want to pack at on of sweepers -- I play it in Breena, the Demagogue no-sweeper combat control, and it joins cards like Comeuppance in presenting ways for me to control the flow of combat.

People get wary once they start seeing stuff like that with mana up too which is another fringe benefit.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

I feel like this is the kind of card that only shines when your opponent has already commited to doing something stupid or reckless, but struggles against more calculated players.

This feels like a pretty narrow assessment. In my experience, good players will be attacking regularly if they can do so, and most voltron kills are not one shots.

As a mono black card that answers Purphoros, God of the Forge and Terror of the Peaks while providing other utility it should get a serious look (although sadly it doesn't have the desired interaction with Dragon Tempest et. al.

The 'worst case' mode for most games is Fog where you can just slam it before attacks and tell them to go get someone else. The best case is you get'em with some really unprofitable attacks.

And there's the additional utility of killing voltron guys, potentially annihilating a token player out of the game (hey take 30, Massacre Wurm style), and more.

Certainly not an autoinclude, but it's a real nice option to have in a deck that doesn't want to pack at on of sweepers -- I play it in Breena, the Demagogue no-sweeper combat control, and it joins cards like Comeuppance in presenting ways for me to control the flow of combat.

People get wary once they start seeing stuff like that with mana up too which is another fringe benefit.

I respect your opinion, but rebuke's worst case scenario is not fog, it's that it becomes an insufficient deterrent and they kill you through it. I'd rather play a fog.

[Signe]

Honestly this card shines so hard in Orzhov, because you're likely already draining them, should have your own suite of Fog effects, and can use this as a finisher

[Ruiner]

I was psyched about this when it was spoiled. However, I had this in my Chromium deck and was not thrilled.

Having to take the damage can be a major deal. If someone is swinging for lethal the card does almost nothing.

I was recently attacked by an 11/11 double striker voltron commander and while it stopped lethal damage, I still had to take 11.

The time this is really shining is when someone swings for non-lethal non-commander damage that isn't a significant amount of damage.

I found myself wanting it to be Wing Shards or any sort of damage preventing/redirecting card like Selfless Squire, Inkshield, or Comeuppance, or just any other removal.

Something like Dread or No Mercy at least advertises "don't swing at me unless it is lethal" as a proactive deterrent. You have to gamble that opponents will think you might have Hellish Rebuke in hand as as "gotcha" and that is probably not going to work out, or play it as a pre-combat card to just tell them don't attack me this one turn.

Maybe others will have more luck with it but I found it too situational.

[pokken]

I respect your opinion, but rebuke's worst case scenario is not fog, it's that it becomes an insufficient deterrent and they kill you through it. I'd rather play a fog.

That's a good point that it doesn't beat a table kill with Craterhoof Behemoth. Just weird templating.

I think *most of the time* it's going to be better than Fog, and has some other applications though. It really depends on the group though. Most of my games lately have a ton of incremental attacks where I can get people with these type of effects.

[Signe]

Honestly, works super well with like a flashed in Platinum Angel l or smth. Expensive, sure, but it's a game winner, most are. It's just a little awkward because it still has to deal damage. Could also be kinda funny with Godhead of Awe

[BeneTleilax]

I much prefer Vengeful Pharoah or Dread for this sort of effect. Duration matters more than breadth for more reactive rattlesnakes.

[hyalopterouslemur]

Can be great against token or Voltron, but can also take out a Pestilence or Repercussion.

It's obscure enough that most players won't even know it exists.

[Hawk]

This card looks super fun, and flavor-wise is super on point. I don't know if that's the same thing as "Good", mind...

- If you are looking to just Fog an attack, black has Darkness our old friend.
- For one more mana, this looks pretty unfavorable compared to No Mercy (Budget notwithstanding) and is also less splashy and spicy than Dread and Vengeful Pharaoh.
- For decks with access to white, this looks pretty unfavorable compared to Comeuppance for one more or even Wing Shards or Settle the Wreckage, nevermind any number of rock-solid fogs.

That doesn't mean it has no home, but that leaves it pretty narrow homes - chaotic Bx decks, typically without access to W or G, that want to mess with and control combat or utilize instants and trickery. Rakdos has had a few of these kind of commanders lately with Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant and Kardur, Doomscourge but this seems like it'd be fun in an instant speed deck like Toshiro Umezawa or Nymris, Oona's Trickster. There's also that budget consideration - No Mercy is up to $50, Comeuppance and Dread are $10. And for some Orzhov decks like Breena, the Demagogue, I can see how layering this behind effects like Hissing Miasma and Revenge of Ravens would be just brutal.

[3drinks]

Can be great against token or Voltron, but can also take out a Pestilence or Repercussion.

It's obscure enough that most players won't even know it exists.

This raises an interesting point, as pestilence is done in bursts of one, would each activation have the you lose two life trigger? Granted a smart player just pumps into it before rebuke resolves, but still it is a case that may come up.

[DirkGently]

This raises an interesting point, as pestilence is done in bursts of one, would each activation have the you lose two life trigger? Granted a smart player just pumps into it before rebuke resolves, but still it is a case that may come up.

Yes. After it's sacrificed it will use last known information.

[3drinks]

Tuesday, August 31st, 2021; Sculpting Steel

[Signe]

I love this card, specifically the "have it enter as" part. It's so helpful, and makes it an instant include in any artifact centered deck I make. I have surprisingly found myself using it less in other decks over the course of the last few years, but that's mostly because I end up using Masterwork of Ingenuity or Prototype Portal.