[mtgnexus] Random Card of the Day - Rishkar, Peema Renegade

[Mookie]

Zendikar Resurgent provides two of my favorite things: ramp and card draw. It's certainly expensive to cast, but will trivially pay back that investment if it survives a turn cycle. It's certainly a bit win-more... but if you're playing a deck that plans to win by casting Comet Storm or Exsanguinate for absurd numbers, a mana doubler is often necessary to actually make them lethal. That's not quite as necessary if you're running Torment of Hailfire, Crackle with Power, or another faster-scaling X spell though.

Outside generating absurd amounts of mana, I'll note that Zendikar Resurgent also helps with the classic ramp problem of having a bunch of mana and nothing to spend it on - the attached Glimpse of Nature means you'll be able to keep the cards flowing as long as you have more creatures to cast. Alternatively, just run a mana sink in the command zone - I'm running this and a ton of other ramp in my Tasigur deck, since his ability ensures I'll always have something to spend the mana on.

I'll call out Mana Reflection and The Great Henge as two alternatives, depending on whether you care more about the mana production or the card draw, respectively.

[Sinis]

I still like this card for ramp decks, but it's often difficult to see how you're going to pay 7, and then start playing stuff. If it goes unanswered, you can definitely go wild, but I find it has to be the thing you ramp into, and drawing it late often makes it dead unless you're sandbagging a lot.

[Igzex]

The card is weird in that the more optimized your deck is, the better it gets because you get the most with the draw and double mana.

At 7 mana this card doesn't really have a home in an optimized deck.

[ukkuhrmakhai]

It's great in battlecruiser metas where it has everything a growing battlecruiser board state needs, ramp and draw.

It's terrible in combo metas where it doesn't kill the combo players but makes every use up their interaction.

This is a such a win more but it is better than the average win more card at winning from behind because it gives ramp and cards and can get out of hand with a single untap even with just this and seven lands. Still it is too expensive for the average deck.

[pokken]

It's terrible in combo metas where it doesn't kill the combo players but makes every use up their interaction.

This is a really intersting bit of analysis I haven't really put together before in those words. Playing cards like Mana Reflection that don't win now (or even Consecrated Sphinx) but that demand answers creates a kinda "doing the combo player's work for them" effect. I guess it's kinda similar to the idea of a threat profile, that having a high profile threat on the board gets worse in some ways the more interaction packed your meta is?

[3drinks]

Monday, February 27th, 2023; Fangren Firstborn

Persist enabler on legs?

[illakunsaa]

I wonder how many mtg artworks feature feet?

[Sinis]

Fangren Firstborn is pretty devotion heavy, which made it remarkable once, but we've seen so many green-heavy costs since then I don't think it's good for that anymore.

It could be an okay persist enabler, but mono-green still has all of two persist creatures (mind you, there are few natively persist creatures at all, so I assume this is more for Cauldron of Souls).

[Mookie]

Fangren Firstborn looks okay if you have a lot of +1/+1 counter synergies, but adding a single counter is a pretty underwhelming Overrun effect. I'd lean towards another, bigger effect like Kalonian Hydra, Cultivator of Blades, or Pathbreaker Ibex for most decks. It does come down on turn 4 though (or turn 3 if you have some cheap ramp), which lets you start building a board presence relatively early - it could be worth consideration if you're playing Syr Faren, the Hengehammer or some other aggressive green deck.

[void_nothing]

I wonder how many mtg artworks feature feet?

Still not as gratuitous of a sole shot as Crush Underfoot.

[Hawk]

This card seems so sweet, but there's a ton of things holding it back:

- GGG makes this fairly tricky outside of mono-green.
- 4/2 (5/3 on the first swing) is a fine statline, but not an overwhelming one.
- Stunningly, a 4 mana "do nothing" is probably too slow for modern EDH when it's also the most fragile creature type with a defensive stat-line that leaves it dead to everything under the 5 Suns.
- Only putting the counters on attacking creatures makes this pretty awkward with tokens, dorks, or a lack of haste enablers.

Generally speaking there's safer/more efficient ways to get counters on your dudes - Curse of Predation is one, Nissa, Voice of Zendikar is another, Renata, Called to the Hunt is a third all at similar CMCs. And as noted, as solid as this it's hard not to look just a bit up the curve at Kalonian Hydra, Overwhelming Stampede, Pathbreaker Ibex, and Cultivator of Blades for much, much stronger anthem/overrun-type cards.

Even with all that said, this seems like a bit of an underplayed gem especially since there's been a host of great new commanders printed for it in the last few years - it''s a beast for Tawnos, the Toymaker for instance, is a rare "when attack" and not "when damage" trigger for Wulfgar of Icewind Dale, it provides a way to kick-start the Chishiro, the Shattered Blade modified engine, etc.

[onering]

I wonder how many mtg artworks feature feet?

Larys Strong has liked this post

[ukkuhrmakhai]

I wonder how many mtg artworks feature feet?

Lol, I thought that was a three headed person until I saw your post.


Lacking ETB or utility value makes it the 4/2 stats pretty mediocre and 2/3 power definitely opens it up to a lot of answers/makes it very vulnerable when attacking.

However, my search of scryfall shows this is one the cheaper ways to repeatedly put +1/+1 counters on every creature you control especially outside of white. Drana, Liberator of Malakir is very similar in most cases although getting it on attack is better because get to have the counters when hitting blockers/face. Nissa, Voice of Zendikar,Curse of Predation and Renegade Krasis are 3 cmc and can drop counters without needing haste if all you care about is getting a counter. However, once you untap, this doesn't need additional resources to drop counters each combat and scales with extra combat phases. Haste outlets are more common than they used to be so many decks can probably swing the turn they drop this.

Fangren Firstborn also works alright on an empty board after wrath because it is a creature, pumps itself and can start pumping your creatures when you're rebuilding so it doesn't run into the problem of having a card that buffs creatures but no creatures on board.

Fangren Firstborn is not an Overrun. It takes 3-4 turns to catch up to a generic Overrun and it never offers evasion, I would pretty much always play Craterhoof Behemoth,Triumph of the Hordes,Pathbreaker Ibex if I just want an overrun. In a deck that is looking for ways to get counters repeatedly or buff creatures across multiple turn it seems like it would be a solid utility player since it is both a creature and a self-contained engine while costing four. OR IT WOULD IF IT DIDN'T HAVE TWO TOUGHNESS. I'm going to playtest it to see if it actually works out in practice.

[3drinks]

Tuesday, February 28th, 2023; Cut // Ribbons

[Serenade]

Maybe my favorite card in my Kess, Dissident Mage. Four damage kills a lot of critters. Casting either side from the graveyard is neat. Can never remember if I include in Flamewar or other BR/x decks. Cool name.

[Dunadain]

I think I'd preffer this to Exsanguinate as a wincon if I'm playing RBx. Then again, if I'm playing a big mana deck I probably will want multiples (and both are outclassed by Torment of Hailfire)

I do like this as an option for BR decks with Cabal Coffers, or any deck that's not a dedicated big mana deck, but may find itself with a lot of mana to spare. It's not a dead card if you don't have Cabal Coffers set up, and it's a great way to use that mana if you do.

Also, 4 damage is so much more than 3, R.I.P. Lightning Bolt.

I should see if I can find something like this in mono black for Ebondeath, Dracolich lol

[Hawk]

I was super high on this card at first - the red half is the "flexible" part of Mizzium Mortars which I slam everywhere, while the back-half is a better Drain Life (mostly unplayable) or a worse Exsanguinate (an iconic and classic finisher of the format). In practice I've found that bundling those two effects isn't as exciting or powerful as I'd have liked - the thing about this card is that you're in black, so unlike in mono-red, Izzet, or Gruul decks where we have to run stuff like Lava Coil or Lightning Bolt due to a dearth of removal options, here we have all the best kill spells in the game at our fingertips so a sorcery speed 4 damage is a lot less sexy. Meanwhile, we've also got again the real best finisher mana sinks in the game (Exsanguinate, Crackle with Power, Torment of Hailfire) so that back-half is redundant and underwhelming too.

This is a fine budget option for BRx spellslinger builds, but to me I'm finding the spell a bit a bit of a miss overall.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

Probably one of the best bombs in Amonket limited, but far from enough to cut the mustard in EDH.

[Sinis]

I know this card isn't "good enough" for EDH, but... I play it anyway. I really like it, I think it has some good virtues as early removal, and Ribbons is a sub-par finisher, but it can do good work.

Basically, I know it's bad at everything it does, but I think it's nice to run anyway. It's got pretty great Rakdos Energy™

[Jemolk]

Mediocre removal paired with a mediocre finisher. Not the kind of card I'd usually recommend, but not exactly stone unplayable, either. If you really, really want answers with upside, or are having a great deal of difficulty finding space for a finisher, it's at least adequate to the task. And unlike modal spells or similar, it can be both over the course of a game. I don't think it's very exciting or very interesting, but if you do, by all means, go right ahead and play it. Worse cards have pretty regularly put in work for me.

[Mookie]

Cut // Ribbons looks fine - it's removal in the early game, and a potential win condition / mana sink in the late game. Neither half is particularly efficient, but seems fine if you're looking for your removal spells to have a bit of extra value. That said, as others have noted, it compares poorly to the more specialized options available in these colors. It does seem sweet in Limited formats though - it passes the quadrant theory test with flying colors by being relevant both early and late. I suppose it looks worse in EDH because its value in both early game and lategame is reduced - spot removal isn't as important in early EDH turns, while Ribbons isn't enough to close out a game by itself in a 40-life format.

...looking on EDHREC, it appears that the most common decks for it are Vial Smasher the Fierce decks, which... sort of makes sense? Vial Smasher is a commander that wants expensive spells, but it can be awkward to run a bunch of topend cards and nothing to cast early, so this seems like a reasonable inclusion there. Beyond that, I could see it being played in some graveyard-based decks that are interested in casting stuff out of their graveyard for value.

[3drinks]

Wednesday, March 1st, 2023; Marisi, Breaker of the Coil

[Hawk]

Never played Marisi, but I will say that my few times casting Disrupt Decorum haven't gone the way I'd thought and I'm not sure how good or effective Goad is in general. Disrupt is clearly great at paving the way for an alpha strike, but spamming Goad generates an ire that I've noticed is only rivaled by Counterspell.dec or Stax. Encouraging folks to go a certain direction with trades, bribes, promises, or threats is fine - forcing someone to attack feels icky and paints a huge target. Maybe that's just my playgroup? All to say I'd been eager to nab a copy of Marisi, Breaker of the Coil for my Samut, Voice of Dissent "Fires" deck (since the deck loves burly, brawly bodies that have interesting combat triggers that can surprise folks when you add Haste to the mix) and have quickly given up that ghost after seeing the virulent reaction to other Goad spells.

[PrimevalCommander]

Never played Marisi, but I will say that my few times casting Disrupt Decorum haven't gone the way I'd thought and I'm not sure how good or effective Goad is in general. Disrupt is clearly great at paving the way for an alpha strike, but spamming Goad generates an ire that I've noticed is only rivaled by Counterspell.dec or Stax. Encouraging folks to go a certain direction with trades, bribes, promises, or threats is fine - forcing someone to attack feels icky and paints a huge target. Maybe that's just my playgroup? All to say I'd been eager to nab a copy of Marisi, Breaker of the Coil for my Samut, Voice of Dissent "Fires" deck (since the deck loves burly, brawly bodies that have interesting combat triggers that can surprise folks when you add Haste to the mix) and have quickly given up that ghost after seeing the virulent reaction to other Goad spells.

Not going to lie, I would react this way. Not because I'm an overly salty guy, but because I don't like my utility guys (Commanders) being forced to run into blockers. So yeah, if your making me do it, I'll try to stop you from making me do it. Now Kitt Kanto, Mayhem Diva did fly under my radar for a while, but I have since wised up to her ways. That is probably the way to play Goad, targeted individually so as to use a singular approach rather than a broad brush. Still annoying, but I'd go along with it a bit longer.

[onering]

Marisi is a great example of a trap card. It's easy to see him and ask yourself "how can I maximize the amount of opponents that are goaded every turn, and maximize the value I get from players swinging out at each other?". Unfortunately, those things are at cross purposes, because achieving the former will often mean sacrificing the latter, and will make everyone focus on taking out Marisi. It's a powerful incentive for your opponents to work together. I think goad is at it's strongest when you don't goad everything. Sure, that can be strong, but as a finishing move that basically acts as a slow Sleep. Marisi seems more interesting when you hold back your attacks and play strategically, getting in to goad a players creatures as a means of preventing them from hitting you with their threats or forcing their utility creatures into danger without clearing away potential blockers. Then you can lean into payoff effects from your opponents creatures hitting each other.