[mtgnexus] Random Card of the Day - Bloodthirster

[duducrash]

@duducrash what is this combo? If it's the combo the modern deck uses it's really intuitive, but not deterministic, so the story doesn't really add up, but maybe there's some other combo with the card?

I think they had to Retraction Helix infinite times a 1CMC noncreature spell with a mana dork tapping for mana and being untapped by the ascendancy. But they were just casting infinite times without affecting the board. They needed to have either Altar of the Brood or a prowess card to attack for infinite

Edit: @Dunadain I actually got to reach him! here how it is


Sylvan Caryatid + Jeskai Ascendancy+ Altar of the Brood in play
you cast Retraction Helix now you can tap your Sylvan Caryatid to bounce a nonland. You play Astral Cornucopia for 0 and your opponent mills 1 thanks to Altar of the Brood , you tap your Sylvan Caryatid to bounce the Astral Cornucopia back to hand. and play again, when you play Jeskai Ascendancy triggers and untaps the Sylvan Caryatid , and there you have a infinite loop I think

Double Edit: The modern combo isn't infinite? how it is?

[Mookie]

Double Edit: The modern combo isn't infinite? how it is?

It depends on which version you're talking about. Some versions aren't running Banishing Knack or another way to bounce something to recast, so they're reliant on drawing another spell (either via Jeskai Ascendancy filtering or just by chaining cantrips) to keep going. While it is unlikely to fizzle (by drawing a bunch of lands / mana dorks in a row), it is technically possible to do so.

Anyway, Jeskai Ascendancy is an interesting card. On one hand, it's another 'whenever you do X, draw a card' engine... but it also does a lot of other things. It's somewhat outclassed by Whirlwind of Thought if you're not pumping your creatures, but turning an army of Kykar, Wind's Fury tokens into lethal is pretty sweet.

[3drinks]

Friday, September 1st, 2023; Cecily, Haunted Mage

[Mookie]

Cecily, Haunted Mage's main claim to fame is the ability to be a five-color pseudo-partner commander alongside Othelm, Sigardian Outcast. I don't think the two have much inherent synergy, but if you want to abuse the full commander storm, it's an option. Otherwise, Cecily seems... fine? Grixis has a lot of options for card draw. Getting to eleven cards in hand isn't that difficult, and cheating out Enter the Infinite or some other dumb spell is a strong reward for doing so... if a bit win-more. Otherwise, I'm not sure why you would run Cecily over another, more interesting value-oriented commander, like Kess, Dissident Mage or Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen.

[3drinks]

Saturday, August 2nd, 2023; Null Brooch

[TheGildedGoose]

Legacy Pox staple.

[Mookie]

Combos with Uba Mask and Bottled Cloister!

I've seen Null Brooch played in the past, but not recently. Countermagic in nonblue decks is somewhat rare, so I can definitely see the appeal... but it's a bit weaker when your opponents know about it (so they can just play creatures instead), and discarding your hand is a pretty steep cost. There are some relevant synergies that would make me consider it (Rielle, the Everwise, Voltaic Key, Bottled Cloister), but it's a pretty hefty ask.

[DirkGently]

I used to run this card a lot. Idk that I ever activated it though. Probably says a lot...

It's a weird card because people aren't just going to walk into it. Sure, once you've lost your hand (whether naturally or by the first activation) it's a cheap activation cost, but it's not like you're constantly countering actual spells. They're either going to cast relatively innocuous spells that aren't worth going shields down over, or they're casting bait or removal on it to force your hand. Mostly what will happen is that people will sit on their important spells, cast smallish ones either hoping you won't bother or hoping you will and then they can play something stronger, and they'll probably send attacks into you for annoying them in the meantime.

If you're naturally emptying your hand quickly and you aren't in blue it's probably a decent card, but emptying your hand is a really solid way to lose a game of commander so I haven't played it in a decade or so.

[folding_music]

just don't get trigger-happy with this card - keep it on the board and refuse to get baited into countering small stuff, wait to use it to counter wraths and huge draw spells. it's good! and by using it viciously you can stubbornly drag one opponent down to hell 8) would love an honest remake of it where it cost 1br

[3drinks]

Sunday, September 3rd, 2023; Daring Apprentice|7ed

[Dunadain]

While cards like Cursecatcher/Mausoleum Wanderer/Judge's Familiar, DO have a home, that home is in decks that want to attack with those creatures while also having at least something against board wipes (think Edric, Spymaster of Trest)

Having to tap to counter that spell makes it a lot less useful, even if it is a hard counter.

[ironic gesture]

….or they're casting bait or removal on it to force your hand….

Literally!

[BeneTleilax]

Having to tap to counter that spell makes it a lot less useful, even if it is a hard counter.

I've seen this in U/B/x or U/W/x reanimator decks that try to play permission with it, but it needs some kind of haste-enabler for that. There are enough good tap-and-sac creatures though that abusing them with shared setup cards is a valid strategy in and of itself.

[DirkGently]

Weird, another card I used to like way back in the day which is an on-board counterspell. And once again I think my misestimation of the card was based to some extent on the idea that my opponents weren't smart enough to play around it.

To be fair to myself, I mostly played this in 60 card where it plays at least a bit better. In commander I suspect you'd play it, some idiot would fire off a removal spell on it to force activation, so they can cast some mid-tier spell you wouldn't have countered anyway. Then the next guy, seeing that the coast is clear, casts Omniscience.

I guess it's decent if you can Corpse Dance it or whatever (what ISN'T made great with corpse dance?) but then you'd probably get your table pretty pissed. Or at least my table. ("You counter every spell!" Jon says, having had 1 spell countered all game.)

[3drinks]

Monday, September 4th, 2023; Bituminous Blast

What? Removal + free spell not good enough for you?

[PrimevalCommander]

Having recently seen how useful 4 damage can be in commander, seeing this card again has me thinking it may actually be playable somewhere. I'd probably play it in budget Prosper or something. Being in black makes the damage part pretty weak though. If this was red/blue it would be a cool brother to Prophetic Bolt.

[Dunadain]

Not a fan of Cascade on general, to much goldfishing

[DirkGently]

Clunky removal with value is bad. I will keep beating this drum.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

This card is rad, I don't care what anyone says.

[Mookie]

Bituminous Blast is alright. Five mana is mediocre for a removal spell, but it's much more acceptable if it comes with a free 4-drop. Approaching cascade from the opposite direction, it's like adding a kicker to a four-mana spell to get a Flame Slash and to turn it into an instant, which is a pretty good trade. Of course, the worst-case scenario is you're adding a four mana kicker to a 1-drop (or even worse, an X-spell), hence why you don't jam cascade cards into every deck.

I would recommend Bituminous Blast if you're doing weird cascade shenanigans or cast-from-exile stuff. It could also be good if you happen to be particularly heavy on 3 or 4-drops, or if you can take advantage of it in some other way (such as its ability to grant spells flash).

...I'm now somewhat tempted to throw Bituminous Blast in Kess, since flashing it back is nice synergy. I don't have that many misses (particularly if I do it in response to a spell for the chnce of hitting countermagic, and the X spells at least end up in the graveyard to cast with Kess later), and the opportunity to hit See the Truth or a copy effect like Reverberate off it is... interesting.

[3drinks]

Tuesday, September 5th, 2023; Dina, Soul Steeper|stx

Man, I remember seeing "this jank" in a game and wondered wtf the player was doing. Thought it was some draft chaff trolling meme. Then they played Lifegift and Sun Droplet and I was sure it was a Garbage Fire. And then I lost.

Never have I ever seen so many terrible cards come together to run a whole ass table.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

Gain&Drain strategies are boring. What's cool here is that Dina can put all your eggs in one basket for a surprise Voltron kill.

[Dunadain]

Dina, Soul Steeper is some S-tier design. Simple, effective, promotes playing obscure cards, and not oppressive.

[3drinks]

Wednesday, September 6th, 2023; Dragon Broodmother

[TheAmericanSpirit]

Scariest things about this card are the hideous amount of bookkeeping and the price of the specific dragon tokens for this IRL. Pretty cool though online where the worst parts of the card are automated.

Still, I prefer Tendershoot Dryad. Saprolings > Dragons any day.