[mtgnexus] Random Card of the Day - North Star

[Mookie]

I haven't played with Wand of the Worldsoul yet, but I did recently order a copy, so hopefully I'll have some actual data soon. I do think it's a bit less exciting than Cursed Mirror / Midnight Clock, particularly since it enters tapped. On the other hand, it can potentially produce significantly more mana than them, assuming you have plenty of tokens to tap. Ideally, you'll be doing something like chaining Secure the Wastes into some other giant X spell, but even getting a four-mana discount off a random other spell is pretty good. If you're only getting 2-3 mana from it, then Worn Powerstone would probably be better. It may also be a bit awkward in decks that are fairly low to the ground, since you may not have many expensive spells to cast.

...the main thing I'll call out for Wand of the Worldsoul is that white doesn't have many ways to ramp into giant stuff - it doesn't have rituals, and its catch-up ramp effects often only fetch a single land and are generally reliant on opponents having more lands. This is one of the few ways white has to accelerate into something massive. So, while I don't think I would ever run it in a green deck (Cryptolith Rite is generally better), it is interesting for white decks without access to other big ramp.

[PrimevalCommander]

I'll try this out in Mono white. Looks like a decent card. I play a couple X spells there Grand Crescendo and Ascend from Avernus that could use a mana boost. Though Ascend is best directly after a board wipe. Even tapping creatures from Rabble Rousing (great card) can drop the largest spell in your hand quite easily. And you get more tokens to do so next turn.

[onering]

It's definitely got it's uses. It's a lower floor than Cursed Mirror, sure, and less generically useful, but it's ceiling is pretty high and it's good in archetypes that are common in white. The question is how many dudes do you need to be able to consistently tap (and be fine with tapping) to make this great, and I think the answer is 3, because that makes it a Thran Dynamo that can pay colored pips. If your deck can do that consistently, then you're also going to benefit from when you're able to tap it for more (just not as reliably), and it's going to be very strong ramp.

[3drinks]

Saturday, June 23rd, 2023; Sandwurm Convergence

[Mookie]

One of my favorite eight-mana token producers // reverse-Moat!

I'm currently running Sandwurm Convergence in my Tasigur deck. The initial impetus was that I noticed my deck was running zero flyers and minimal reach creatures, which meant my removal was being taxed pretty heavily by evasive commanders. My solution? Include more anti-flying tech. I eventually cut Whiptongue Hydra, but Sandwurm Convergence is still in, and I'm generally happy to draw it. My opponents' flying commanders / angels / demons / dragons can no longer attack me in the air, while the 5/5 wurms make it awkward to attack on the ground. It's a threat that lives through most board wipes, and while it may win the game eventually, it's also not immediately threatening enough for opponents to kill it on sight. Eight mana is a lot, but not impossible for a dedicated ramp deck (and it is very good for stabilizing).

I'll generally recommend it for green control decks (which are admittedly not that common, but they do exist) - if you're concerned about flyers, it's a pretty strong solution, and a bit more resilient than random reach creatures.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

This thing entering tapped is a crime. It would be pretty good if you could make it "free" by chaining it directly into a big convoke, but they just had to nerf it into the ground, didn't they? Isn't being a 3cmc rock enough of an uphill battle?

[illakunsaa]

I don't really get the flavor of flyers not being able to attack. Can't they just fly higher?

[Treamayne]

I don't really get the flavor of flyers not being able to attack. Can't they just fly higher?

Think of it like an air defense system. Could they fly over? Yes. Can they fly through it to attack? Nope.

[Igzex]

You wanna protect yourself with that huh? Well ok fine my dragons were killing you with burn damage and not by attacking you anyway > : (

[Mookie]

You wanna protect yourself with that huh? Well ok fine my dragons were killing you with burn damage and not by attacking you anyway > : (

I don't have an exact count of how many times I've stopped a The Ur-Dragon / Kaalia of the Vast / Bruna, Light of Alabaster deck with Sandwurm Convergence, but the number is surprisingly high. :D

[Igzex]

You wanna protect yourself with that huh? Well ok fine my dragons were killing you with burn damage and not by attacking you anyway > : (

I don't have an exact count of how many times I've stopped a The Ur-Dragon / Kaalia of the Vast / Bruna, Light of Alabaster deck with Sandwurm Convergence, but the number is surprisingly high. :D

I'd imagine. My Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm is more burn oriented so that card is just a slight inconvenience to me.

[ironic gesture]

You wanna protect yourself with that huh? Well ok fine my dragons were killing you with burn damage and not by attacking you anyway > : (

I don't have an exact count of how many times I've stopped a The Ur-Dragon / Kaalia of the Vast / Bruna, Light of Alabaster deck with Sandwurm Convergence, but the number is surprisingly high. :D

The convergence may stop Kaalia herself from swinging at you but the friend she brings can still come right in and knock on your door.

[Mookie]

The convergence may stop Kaalia herself from swinging at you but the friend she brings can still come right in and knock on your door.

"Tapped and attacking that opponent"

I mean, sure, your non-flying angels/demons/dragons can attack on following turns, but how many of those are you actually playing? (and Master of Cruelties is significantly worse without Kaalia support)

(Scourge of Valkas and other non-combat damage dragons are definitely still a concern though)

[3drinks]

You wanna protect yourself with that huh? Well ok fine my dragons were killing you with burn damage and not by attacking you anyway > : (

I don't have an exact count of how many times I've stopped a The Ur-Dragon / Kaalia of the Vast / Bruna, Light of Alabaster deck with Sandwurm Convergence, but the number is surprisingly high. :D

*glares in Kaalia*

[3drinks]

Saturday, June 24th, 2023; Imperial Recruiter and pretty close functional twin, Recruiter of the Guard

[TheAmericanSpirit]

You can build some nice toolboxes and combo chains with these two. They also play nice with skullclamp. Good stuff.

[Hermes_]

one is a may and the other isn't (sing to the the pinky and brain theme)

[Guardman]

Imperial Recruiter is my playmat of choice (and I also have a full set of sleeves with the art). I don't really have a deck to play it in, but I just love the "Join the army, nothing is going to happen to you" vibe in the art.

[ironic gesture]

The convergence may stop Kaalia herself from swinging at you but the friend she brings can still come right in and knock on your door.

"Tapped and attacking that opponent"

Oh wow I guess it's been too long since I actually read that card. My sister-in-law runs her and I'm sure we've goofed that trigger before.

[Mookie]

Recruiter of the Guard and Imperial Recruiter are both strong and flexible creature tutors that can chain into other creatures like Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker and Soulherder for further tutors, or you can fetch toolbox options like Duergar Hedge-Mage or Stoneforge Mystic (or each other, if you're running both). Three mana is what I generally feel to be a 'fair' price for a tutor, and these have the significant upside of also having a body to flicker / sacrifice / recur / carry equipment / etc.

I do wish the two were a bit more affordable, since there are a lot of decks that want them. Imperial Recruiter has come down significantly since its reprint, but Recruiter of the Guard has only been reprinted once, in Mystery Booster (which barely counts). That said, they do tend to enable various combo chains, so I'm sort of okay with not seeing them in every deck that can play them.

[toctheyounger]

Very strong cards. They're both worth running as toolbox options or if you have combos to enable. Strong and worth considering for most for decks in the colors.

[Treamayne]

Saturday, June 24th, 2023; Imperial Recruiter and pretty close functional twin, Recruiter of the Guard

Ironically, it seems to be that each is the other color's best choice.
Red wants aggression and would happily trade fragility for a higher power (e. g. Ball Lightning - which can be found by Recruiter of the Guard)
- and -
White prefers big butts, defense, and incremental advantage - (e. g. Rhox Faithmender - which can be found by Imperial Recruiter)

[3drinks]

Sunday, June 25th, 2023; Bootleggers' Stash

Remember Capenna, when everyone was convinced this 6mv mana banking engine was gonna be the death of the format? How's that working for them

[Mookie]

Bootleggers' Stash is, in a vacuum, a one-sided Upwelling. It's not a bad effect, but it is fairly niche, and alternatives like Kruphix, God of Horizons and Omnath, Locus of Mana exist. Banking mana is somewhat useful if you want to save up for a massive X spell, but it's less useful if your deck is designed to use all the mana it produces every turn (which most decks are). The one upside Bootleggers' Stash has over those other effects is that it isn't tied to a single permanent - if it is blown up, you won't lose all of your banked mana.

That said, there are a lot of other cards that play into various synergies with Bootleggers' Stash. It's obviously good with any treasure synergy (like Revel in Riches), but it also works well with token doublers, sacrifice synergies, artifact synergies, and many others. I don't think the card itself is broken, but it can certainly do some cool things when properly supported.

[Sinis]

More than anything, I think people are annoyed that Green is 'secondary' for treasure. I'm glad I don't see this card with people comboing it with Marrionette Master, or Mana Barbs or whatever.

I don't think it's broken - I think it doesn't have any fun applications.