[mtgnexus] Random Card of the Day - North Star

[Mookie]

re: Mirrorhall Mimic // Ghastly Mimicry - I've been testing it in my Brago, King Eternal deck, since I can disturb it and then flicker to get a clone that never goes away. I don't think I've actually pulled it off yet though.

Cannibalize seems sort of meh, unless you really value the exile - black has a lot of instant-speed removal options at two mana that generally outclass it. I'll note that the spell technically isn't unconditional, since player has to control two creatures. If you really want black exile removal, Baleful Mastery and Deadly Rollick are generally superior, otherwise I'd stick to Go for the Throat and other options. Alternatively: Oubliette (which is arguably even better than exile against opposing commanders).

[3drinks]

I mean yeah but rollick is $40 and the other is either four mv or puts you down a card. Cannibalize just deals with the card in question and two +1/+1 counters is fairly negligible.

[Igzex]

Amazing how they managed to pull off one of the best flavortexts in the game with just one word.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

This card is super cool. I need a copy, STAT!

[onering]

Cannibalize has oddball applications in decks where counters matter.

[Treamayne]

Cannibalize has oddball applications in decks where counters matter.

I used to use it with Kulrath Knight in 60 card tribal legacy.

[DirkGently]

I remember in 2002 or so, someone told me about this card but misremembered it and thought it could put the +1/+1 counters on your creature. I thought it must have been one of the best cards ever.

Unfortunately he was wrong and this card sucks. The million black removal spells printed since 2002 haven't done it any favors either.

The cheapest way to exile in b, and unconditionally at that.

It isn't unconditional, they need to control a second creature to put the counters on.

I mean yeah but rollick is $40 and the other is either four mv or puts you down a card. Cannibalize just deals with the card in question and two +1/+1 counters is fairly negligible.

Baleful Mastery only "puts you down a card" versus one opponent. Depending on the situation that can pretty easily be an upside, or at least a pretty minor downside.

If this card was an instant it might sometimes make the cut in some decks, but as a sorcery it's trash. Exiling is better than destroy in a vacuum, sure, but instant speed vs sorcery speed is much more relevant on average, and there are a dozen options that are at least as efficient that destroy at instant speed. So unless you know in advance that exiling is going to be crucial for some reason, I'd pick up your average Infernal Grasp/Go for the Throat/Heartless Act/etc (after rollick and mastery).

[3drinks]

Saturday, June 10th, 2023; Murderous Redcap

Is murder goblin still good in this age of power creep? I like to think so...

[pokken]

I mean, the murder goblin combo comes out of nowhere and it's hard to profitably interact with. As a piece of goodstuff it's past its prime, but it's really good in various Master Chef decks. Being able to kill the table with Phyrexian Altar, Master Chef type effect, and goblin is pretty nice. Attack surface is moderate.

Its more casual use as a machine gun effect that you reset non-infinitely and use to repeatedly kill creatures, however, is somewhat toxic.

[3drinks]

Sunday, June 11th, 2023; Out of the Tombs

[TheGildedGoose]

It's like Thassa's Oracle, but worse!

[TheAmericanSpirit]

It's like Thassa's Oracle, but worse!

It's like Cephalid Vandal, but worse!

[TheGildedGoose]

It's like Thassa's Oracle, but worse!

It's like Cephalid Vandal, but worse!

Just pointing out the absurd power imbalances between colors that WotC perpetuates.

And yeah, black can do more with self-milling, but outright winning is just a little stronger than recursion.

[Sinis]

Out of the Tombs was what sold me on the Necron deck. I love cards that say "you lose the game" in them.

[DirkGently]

Wait, I thought this was supposed to be a random magic card. What is this thing, Yu-Gi-Oh?

@TheGildedGoose 1) WotC printing a broken card doesn't mean they should print more broken cards. Personally I'd really prefer they didn't.

2) Extrapolating from individual card comparisons to broad color power levels is just silly. Swords to Plowshares > Final Death, why does wotc love white so much? C'mon.

[TheGildedGoose]

My point is the polar opposite of the point you assume I made. The post was, however oblique, ultimately a criticism of the ineptitude of R&D with regards to designing blue cards. Past and present. It's less that every color should get broken cards and more that if a color gets a broken card, at least let it not be blue because the color is already powerful enough and doesn't need any help.

tl;dr: Blue strong, please stop.

[DirkGently]

@TheGildedGoose I don't think it's really so surprising that blue black and green are more powerful in commander. White and red's biggest strengths are primarily built around 1v1 and 20 life, trying to Zerg down the opponent before their better value takes over. But that's much much harder with 40x3 life.

Anyway I still think it's silly to draw broad colour comparisons based on 2 cards. You could construct any narrative you wanted that way, there are so many cards. And it's not even a good comparison because OotT gives you a potentially powerful mill engine whereas thassa is strictly a payoff card.

[3drinks]

Monday, June 12th, 2023; Ravenous Slime

More replacement effects please!

[Serenade]

This is a good ability on a boring creature. Do we need more, aggressive replacement effects? Stuff of the Dauthi Voidwalker level or real hater stuff like "If an ability would trigger, instead its controller loses 1 life"?

Not sure if that is too aggressive or if we just need more Torpor Orb effects.

[onering]

Hates on aristocrats and death triggers, as well as gy decks that want to recycle creatures instead of just reanimate to cheat on costs, and the payoff is fun but fair. It can get huge quick, but in the end it's just a beater, and it puts a target on itself even for opponents that it's replacement effect doesn't hurt, at least once it's big enough.

[toctheyounger]

The fact that everyone looks over the flavor text on this card is honestly a travesty.

[Treamayne]

The fact that everyone looks over the flavor text on this card is honestly a travesty.

Concur. It also needs a Mistborn - mistwraith alter (not too much to change really - blue glow and some random bones in the slime).

[TheAmericanSpirit]

I've definitely been hosed by this thing more than once. I still think it's generally bad at 3 cmc, but it has indeed hosed me.

[TheGildedGoose]

The fact that everyone looks over the flavor text on this card is honestly a travesty.

Fun fact: when I was younger I had a reoccurring dream about The Blob chasing me to my house, where upon reaching the front door, I became stuck in place and had to slowly watch this thing wiggle towards me until I woke up.

[ISBPathfinder]

I don't think I have ever actually seen this card played. Its probably fine, I just don't have really anything to say on it.