[mtgnexus] Random Card of the Day - North Star

[toctheyounger]

It's on the Orzhov spot removal list, but it's relatively low. Anguished Unmaking tops the list for me, Generous Gift, Utter End, Swords/Path up there too. Vindicate is good, but lower on the list for sorcery speed. The thing is once I've got to this point I've run out of removal slots, and most of these cover the area that Mortify, so it's left on the sideline. I consider it on equal footing with Vindicate for consideration personally, and if I have the top of the pack neither one would be considered. If I don't these suffice. They're good cards, there's just relatively better options these days.

[Mookie]

Orzhov has so many options for removal that Mortify doesn't make the cut for either of my decks that can play it. It's certainly better than Murder, but you can get more flexibility from Anguished Unmaking, Despark, and Generous Gift.... and that is before considering two-for-ones like Crush Contraband and board wipes like Merciless Eviction.

I suppose in my head, I have a mental model that assigns points to cards based on how many things they do, and how valuable I consider those functions.

Murder gets two points - one point for killing creatures, and one point for being instant speed. It's also a card I'll pretty much never play.
Mortify gets a third point, for also being able to kill enchantments.
But Anguished Unmaking has a total of six points - one for hitting creatures, two for hitting artifacts, enchantments, and planeswalkers, one for being instant-speed, and two for exiling. Even if we're being extremely conservative and dock a point for the life loss (and honestly, I'd barely dock it half a point), that's still significantly better.
Despark gets five points - I consider the mana cost limitation to be worth a full point docked. (being cheaper is a major thing in favor though, since this system ignores mana cost) Meanwhile, Generous Gift scores 4.5 points - four points for killing anything, one for being an instant, and minus half for the token.
....and I guess by these metrics, Mortify is also behind Vindicate, which gets four points for flexibility and nothing else.

....how valuable these different functions are depends somewhat on the deck though - if I have a deck that is vulnerable to enchantments, I'll rate enchantment removal higher, while decks that want answers to lands like Maze of Ith and Glacial Chasm will rate land destruction higher. If you have lots of grave hate or the ability to reanimate your opponents' stuff, exiling goes down in value.

[schweinefett]

It'd be used more often if I had more BWx decks.

Instant speed removal at cmc 3 or less is always welcome!

[3drinks]

Thursday, February 13th, 2020; Kitchen Finks

Side note...scryfall must have really wanted us to talk about tokens today instead, because I got 7 different tokens and two basic lands before I got this. And that's not counting the clear draft chaff cards I got in the process, like predator's rapport. Cards that do nothing but gain life are never going to be good discussion WotC c'mon now 🙄.

[Mookie]

Welp, time to make a Predator's Rapport + Infinity Elemental deck.

Kitchen Finks is a reasonable card - persist has a lot of synergies with sacrifice outlets and +1/+1 counters. It's pretty easy to go infinite with, using any sacrifice outlet alongside Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Archangel of Thune, Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, Melira, Sylvok Outcast, or several other options. All this while also gaining infinite life. Incidentally, I also give it the dubious honor of 'card I expect to see the most increased play if hybrid cards are suddenly allowed to be played in half-on-color decks'.

That said, it's not a card I see around that often - if you're not doing combo stuff, the lifegain and body are a lot less relevant. It's also fallen out of favor in Modern - it used to be a staple, but better anti-aggro cards have been printed since then. I suppose the banning of Birthing Pod had a pretty significant impact on it there though. I suppose Pod works pretty well with it in EDH too.

[CalebLost]

Oh, the card that represent my longing to rework the Hybrid Color Identity (like Maro always says hybrid should be either color) so that I can play it in my Meren deck

[Outcryqq]

I played Kitchen Finks a TON in modern, back when I played Pod. After Pod was banned, I had finks in the sideboard of a modern hatebears list. In EDH, I have never had it in a deck.

[pokken]

It's always been a bit of a bummer to me that persist combo is less of a thing in EDH because of karmic guide and reveillark, and specifically murderous redcap being in such awkward colors.

I'm gonna jam 4c or 5c persist combo one of these days Love me some kitchen finks from my modern days.

[Sinis]

Welp, time to make a Predator's Rapport + Infinity Elemental deck.

[Dunharrow]

It's always been a bit of a bummer to me that persist combo is less of a thing in EDH because of karmic guide and reveillark, and specifically murderous redcap being in such awkward colors.

I'm gonna jam 4c or 5c persist combo one of these days Love me some kitchen finks from my modern days.

Persist combo does exist in EDH, just with Mikaeus, The Unhallowed usually.


I never liked Kitchen Finks enough for Commander. Infinite life doesn't matter much, and there are much more impactful creatures for 3 mana.

As far as hybrid goes - I like it the way it is. I am not a Vorthos, so I don't really care about the flavour issues.... but I like more restrictions, since restrictions breed creativity. I also do not like the rules confusion that would ensue.

I don't think there would be any particularly problematic cards... maybe Fulminator Mage?

[toctheyounger]

Yeah, lifegain generally isn't significant enough in this format to justify inclusion. Unless you're churning through your life quickly (Yawgmoth is guilty here unsurprisingly). That being said outside of persist combo this guy really doesn't do enough. Even inside the combo realms what are you going to do with all that life? Aetherflux Reservoir is about all I can think of for a tangible win con. Maybe Archangel of Thune. edit - totally forgot about aristocrats.

On its own though, to my mind, it's not stunning.

[hyalopterouslemur]

It's always been a bit of a bummer to me that persist combo is less of a thing in EDH because of karmic guide and reveillark, and specifically murderous redcap being in such awkward colors.

I'm gonna jam 4c or 5c persist combo one of these days Love me some kitchen finks from my modern days.

Persist combo does exist in EDH, just with Mikaeus, The Unhallowed usually.

Cathars' Crusade, Juniper Order Ranger, and Ivy Lane Denizen also work for persist combo.

And of course Solemnity/Melira, Sylvok Outcast. Yeah, there are a lot of ways to exploit persist.

[Hermes_]

I thought it was uncard before i clicked...

[onering]

It's always been a bit of a bummer to me that persist combo is less of a thing in EDH because of karmic guide and reveillark, and specifically murderous redcap being in such awkward colors.

I'm gonna jam 4c or 5c persist combo one of these days Love me some kitchen finks from my modern days.

Persist combo does exist in EDH, just with Mikaeus, The Unhallowed usually.

Cathars' Crusade, Juniper Order Ranger, and Ivy Lane Denizen also work for persist combo.

And of course Solemnity/Melira, Sylvok Outcast. Yeah, there are a lot of ways to exploit persist.

Finks, a free sac outlet, and Archangel of Thune makes an arbitrarily large army. Backup for if Spike Feeder gets handled?

If hybrid was reworked, it would have a home in Neo Heliod. Hell, maybe I'll stick him and Heliod in Asmira to make her huge eot.

[Serenade]

Hybrid has this whole separate flavor of something that is so green AND so white (etc.) that it cannot distinguish the two. I always found majesty in those Shadowmoor/Eventide cards. Really hope they never change those hybrid color identity rules.

[ilovesaprolings]

Really hope they never change those hybrid color identity rules.

Me too. Maro should play and especially build more commander before continuing talking about that. More autoincludes and homogeneized decklists is not what the format need. Oh you can't put another infinite combo in your monowhite Heliod? Let me play the world smallest violin for you.

[Rumpy5897]

I feel that discussion becomes a bit echo-chamber'y whenever the topic of hybrid comes up. People always bust out the argument about autoincludes and whatnot, but would this really be the case? I'd imagine if something were to be mindlessly omnipresent, it'd have to be pretty good already and see copious play in eligible decks. Scouring the top multicolour cards of the format reveals few hybrids making a dent, the most notable being Deathrite Shaman.

[3drinks]

Friday, February 14th, 2020; Flametongue Kavu

It's heart day. So go on and tell your SO how much you love them. With a big, fat, sopping wet, burning Kavu smooch on the lips.

[Toshi]

For the longest time i didn't have a deck for this classic.
But ever since i included this in my Archangel Avacyn//Avacyn, the Purifier flicker deck it has been great. There are few things in my meta that survive this.

[folding_music]

the Kavu is cute! I love Planeshift and this was one of the major cards at the time. Got this in a Grumgully, Pandemonium-themed deck where of course, it comes into play as a 5/3, does four damage to one target and five to another! Economical!

[PrimevalCommander]

I have used this in the past to good effect, though as time goes on it's usefulness wanes. It was in my first draft of 75% Korvold but got cut for more synergistic cards. It has niche uses and is a fun throwback. The damage still takes out a ton of the utility commanders that everyone likes to run these days, so there should always be a target.

[Sinis]

Friday, February 14th, 2020; Flametongue Kavu

This card always gets long-listed for my commander decks, but no longer makes it in. Bad-Shriekmaw just doesn't feel quite strong enough anymore, even in monored.

It's heart day. So go on and tell your SO how much you love them. With a big, fat, sopping wet, burning Kavu smooch on the lips.

You're on a M:TG forum and you're talking about people having SOs lmao

j/k

[Outcryqq]

The nostalgia for Flametongue Kavu is real! And while I don't run it in any decks currently, I wouldn't fault someone for including it. It kills most commanders in my meta and leaves behind a respectable body, which is a great starting point for any card, even at 4cmc and sorcery speedy.

[hyalopterouslemur]

I'd argue it might be useful in monored, blue/red, red/green, or green/blue/red. Once you're in black or white, you have way too much better, Shriekmaw and Ravenous Chupacabra exist, and white has lots of ways to exile or tuck for w, but without those options, it can be great with Warstorm Surge to kill two small to medium-sized creatures or one big one. It's really great in Animar.

[3drinks]

You're on a M:TG forum and you're talking about people having SOs lmao

While I don't have one, I'm sure some of the people here have their wife/girlfriend/or even mistress to at least a nonzero degree. Or husband/boyfriend/sugar daddy for our female users.