[mtgnexus] Random Card of the Day - North Star

[wildfire393]

I've run it in my cascade + no-cost suspend cards list as a way to cast the no-cost suspend cards from the graveyard for additional value. Even there it was okay at best.

There's a few places where it's a snap-include. Feather, the Redeemed is like the ideal home for it as you run a bunch of 1 mana cantrips, some buff spells, and Feather exiles most of those cards to have them come back to your hand rather than being permanently exiled. Zada, Hedron Grinder builds also seem like a good place for it, either Zada at the helm or something like @Ulka's General Tazri Zada list. I could maybe also see it in like, Isshin, Two Heavens as One that's built around a lot of combat tricks and such, but I dunno if that's even a deck.

[3drinks]

Maybe it's a simple approach but I just like recasting lotus bloom|tsr every turn with it.........................

[ISBPathfinder]

I think its small stature, the nature of 100 card singleton, and the limitation of what it recasts are all very challenging to overcome for this card in this format. I have played against him in other formats but I have a hard time being sold on it not being a trap for this format.

The later you draw this card the worse it tends to be. Its a non evasive small bodied creature with lots of limitations of what it can recur. I am not saying that there aren't decks it could fit in but I will be honest I think this card is a trap for this format. If it fits your deck as is I think its fine to try out but I don't think it fits most decks that are even spellslinger due to also needing a very heavy abundance of one drops or reliable means of pump.

[Wallycaine]

Maybe it's a simple approach but I just like recasting lotus bloom|tsr every turn with it.........................

That would be quite the feat, since Lotus Bloom is neither an instant or a sorcery.

[Serenade]

Good friend of Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner? I do love little guys with trample!

[hyalopterouslemur]

Needs anthems or +1/+1 counters, but it can be a major player if it has them. As it is you can just use things like Brainstorm and Lightning Bolt, but it can get better fast.

[3drinks]

Maybe it's a simple approach but I just like recasting lotus bloom|tsr every turn with it.........................

That would be quite the feat, since Lotus Bloom is neither an instant or a sorcery.

I'm just testing you is all. Good job. You caught it. Your wit is sharp.

[Mookie]

I like what Dreadhorde Arcanist does, but it is definitely weaker in this format than it is in other formats. If you can use it to flash back Lightning Bolt / Thoughtseize / Ponder every turn, that can represent a ton of value... but most EDH decks don't have that many one-mana instants and sorceries, which means it won't always have something to cast. Additionally, a 1/3 body gets outclassed pretty quickly - it's very possible that Dreadhorde Arcanist will not have any safe attacks to make.

...technically, you can pump Dreadhorde Arcanist to increase the number of targets for it - if you pump it up enough, flashing back something like Cruel Ultimatum could be very sweet. However, that would require a significant dedication to running pump effects. I could maybe see it doing work in a deck like Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest or Feather, the Redeemed, but otherwise I think it requires too much investment for not enough payoff. I'll stick to running Kess, Dissident Mage for my graveyard-based spell value.

[Dunharrow]

I run it in Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin brawl. It is really good there since I am already running a bunch of pump effects for Krenko. It has enabled a few early kills actually.

I could see it doing well in my Shu Yun deck. a lot of the spells are 1 mana already.

[Venedrex]

I love Dreadhorde Arcanist's design. Slapcaster mage is sweet. Lot of people here saying it's bad in EDH, sure I wouldn't throw it in every red deck, but in a Zada or Feather deck, watch out. Better than people give it credit for sometimes I think.

[duducrash]

Efreet Flamepainter is a card ive been looking to run. The effects read good but dont play as good

[hyalopterouslemur]

Hey, here's one for you: Suspend. The spells you can only cast with suspend? You can cast them with this.

[wildfire393]

Hey, here's one for you: Suspend. The spells you can only cast with suspend? You can cast them with this.

Yeah, I had that deck together for a little while. Even there, Dreadhorde lags a little bit because he doesn't help you cast the spell the first time. You either need another way to cast the spell, a way to discard it, or to wait out the initial suspend, before Dreadhorde can do his thing.

Like yeah I think one time I went t2 Dreadhorde into t3 As Foretold, cast Ancestral Vision, attack, flashback Ancestral Vision, but there were also multiple games where I just looked at him in my hand or on the board and couldn't do anything with him.

[onering]

Maybe it's a simple approach but I just like recasting lotus bloom|tsr every turn with it.........................

That would be quite the feat, since Lotus Bloom is neither an instant or a sorcery.

To paraphrase Costanza, its not cheating if you believe it!

[3drinks]

Thursday, March 17th, 2022; Garruk Wildspeaker|pdtp

[3drinks]

Maybe it's a simple approach but I just like recasting lotus bloom|tsr every turn with it.........................

That would be quite the feat, since Lotus Bloom is neither an instant or a sorcery.

To paraphrase Costanza, its not cheating if you believe it!

[Melua]

Thursday, March 17th, 2022; Garruk Wildspeaker|pdtp

Still decent in the format; he may be overshadowed but untapping lands as a plus is still very powerful if it's hitting Gaea's Cradle, Cradle of the Sun, or Cabal Coffers.

[BeneTleilax]

I must say I'm nostalgic for the time when this was a staple, and one of the better overrun effects.

[wildfire393]

I was always a fan of this planeswalker, because it has a lot of flexibility. You can immediately untap stuff and play out something to protect him. He functions as a +2 mana ramp effect for 4, similar to Explosive Vegetations and company, though his survival isn't guaranteed. His ult is easily attainable, and while it may not be an immediate game-ender it can certainly have an impact. The token generation is on the weak side, but it's serviceable. And then there's his best-case scenario, where he untaps multiple-mana producing lands like Cradle or Coffers and just goes balls to the wall. Even as far back as 2010 I was Genesis Wave-ing into Garruk and Eternal Witness, untapping Cradle, recasting Wave, and just hitting all the value. These days, to get that feeling I've got to assemble some crazy Rube Goldberg machine out of 8 difference pieces.

[PrimevalCommander]

I still remember the time my buddy was playing Rafiq of the Many and countered some big spell with Draining Whelk turning it into like a 7/7 flyer. His turn comes around, drop Rafiq and someone eats 16 dmg from the whelk after exalted and doublestrike. Despite how meager that sounds today, this is what a "big play" looked like during EDH when Alara was in print. Always love seeing these old commander staples. Back when Garruk Wildspeaker was one of the best Overruns in the format.

I would say he is still plenty viable as a voltron commander. You can now play 8 sword of X/Y for the evasion and double triggers. Even the crappiest Sword of Body and Mind looks somewhat playable with double triggers. Fragile, yes, but a nice blast from the past.

Quoted my own post. Bolded for relevancy to today's card.

Thinking about this card has me looking for a spot for it in Titania, Protector of Argoth after I added in Lotus Field and Scorched Ruins to complement Gaea's Cradle. With the amount of land search I play, getting one or two of these in play would make Garuuk free on the first cast and huge ramp from then on. Had a Scorched Ruins in my EDH reject box, too bad there wasn't a Lotus Vale in there too.

[Dunharrow]

I play it in two decks. It's good. Untapping Nykthos is pretty fun. I don't think I have ever used the ult!

[Hawk]

I adore this card and tend to over-run it (pun intended). All three modes are relevant and his ultimate is easily accessible without tricks.

Nowadays I do think you want a bit more synergy than "I just want an Overrun" - there's a lot of better overruns even on a budget. But if you have even a couple of lands that make extra mana (by base or with help from Wild Growth or Mirari's Wake) Garruk gets good quickly assuming you also have going wide as part of your plan.

[hyalopterouslemur]

The +1 (and the absence of a certain five-letter B word) is always going to be his best item.

The -1 is okay, not really my thing, a 3/3 token is usually a lot worse than what I can get out of the +1.

That leaves us with -4. Hey, Doubling Season! Now, for those of you who don't know, I maintain that there is no situation where Overrun is better than other things you have access to. Overwhelming Stampede is almost always better, and in a toughness matters deck, Assault Formation exists, for starters. Still, it is a potential finisher.

[Stampah]

I have to say, I'm glad I came across this forum. I just recently got into MTG after a long time haitus. I left during the M13-14ish days. I play Chulane currently in Commander and have been looking for interesting techs. This might be right up my alley.

[hyalopterouslemur]

Nowadays I do think you want a bit more synergy than "I just want an Overrun" - there's a lot of better overruns even on a budget. But if you have even a couple of lands that make extra mana (by base or with help from Wild Growth or Mirari's Wake) Garruk gets good quickly assuming you also have going wide as part of your plan.

Big mana lands and Winter Orb and friends. Just think about eternal Stasis