[mtgnexus] Random Card of the Day - Vault 101: Birthday Party

[toctheyounger]

Seems decent, although not busted, in commander. I can see how it's disgusting in 1v1. Interestingly, it's a $50 card rn just on the back of typal relevance to Eldraine. Pretty wild, idk that it's $50 worth.

[3drinks]

Tuesday, September 26th, 2023; Wood Elemental

The most infamously bad card, I knew when it came up I had to pick it so we could all come together in some hearty laughs. It's the holiday season after all!

[3drinks]

Seems decent, although not busted, in commander. I can see how it's disgusting in 1v1. Interestingly, it's a $50 card rn just on the back of typal relevance to Eldraine. Pretty wild, idk that it's $50 worth.

Well *** me, that damn thing spiked like a sonavadog.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

I don't always sacrifice forests, but when I do, I prefer Primeval Force.

[TheGildedGoose]

I don't always sacrifice forests, but when I do, I prefer Primeval Force.

Dark Heart of the Wood fan personally.

[Dunadain]

Bad card is bad, more at eleven.

I've always been confused about why it's so infamous though, there are plenty of laughably bad cards out there, what makes this one special? Is it just that this one is so old?

[TheGildedGoose]

I've always been confused about why it's so infamous though, there are plenty of laughably bad cards out there, what makes this one special? Is it just that this one is so old?

It's been notoriously bad for a long, long time, yes, but "untapped" gets me every time.

[Hermes_]

is the price tag due to being in Legends or is there more to it?

[Dunharrow]

is the price tag due to being in Legends or is there more to it?

Memes

[materpillar]

Bad card is bad, more at eleven.

I've always been confused about why it's so infamous though, there are plenty of laughably bad cards out there, what makes this one special? Is it just that this one is so old?

I mean it's got to be one of the top 5 worst cards ever printed. It's best rate is like 3G plus sac an untapped forest for a 1/1

[TessaMTG]

Wood Elemental is kinda slept on. i run it with Arcum's Sleigh and Alabaster Leech a lot.

[DirkGently]

As a connoisseur of bad cards, Wood Elemental is truly a glorious vintage. It's honestly shocking how bad the rate is. All the other classic horrible creatures - Bog Hoodlums, Chimney Imp, Aven Trooper, Numai Outcast...all of them crush this thing. And most of those have decent abilities! This thing costs 6 mana to be a Grizzly Bears!

And that's setting aside the massive elephant in the room, which is that you aren't merely spending the mana but permanently losing it. The ostensible upside to a flexible cost like this is that, when it's super late game, you can dump in a ton of mana and have a big threat, but you get the hedge of a cheaper, if inefficient, creature for the early game. This utterly fails on both counts - early-game it's strictly uncastable, and super late game it might be large enough to be relevant, but you have to completely sacrifice your manabase, so you're toasted if it gets removed.

Comparing this to a decent modern card, Endless One costs 4 less mana, has no color requirement, and merely requires tapping the lands instead of sacrificing them. The difference in power is absolutely insane.

ALL THAT SAID, it's actually nowhere near the worst cards ever printed because it does, however badly, still attack and block. It's not really possible for a creature to top the worst card list against contenders like Break Open, Great Wall, Rapid Fire, Deep Water, North Star etc. If I was playing an average game of limited, and had one of those cards magically get added to my hand for free, it wouldn't change my winrate whatsoever (unless I needed discard fodder). Wood elemental, if the game has gone long and I just need to topdeck SOMETHING, it does technically do something, whereas those other worst-ever cards do actual nothing.

@Hermes_ It's purely because of the rarity. Hardly any Legends rares are less than ~$20. Despite its infamy, the price is exactly in line with the rest of the set.

[Mookie]

Combos with Titania, Protector of Argoth! Also Titania, Nature's Force and Titania, Voice of Gaea, albeit a bit less directly.

[toctheyounger]

What more can be said about the mechanics than that it's terrible? It's been covered.

That art, though. The facial expression makes it look like a tree taking a constipated %$#%.

[Treamayne]

Back in the 90s, one FLGS in CA used to have "bad card challenge tournaments." Cards were written on slips of paper and drawn randomly. You had one week to build your (normal 60-card) deck and it had to use four copies of your Challenge card, which had to factor into your deck plan (if it was not part of winning, the win was forfeit). My friend had this (I received Okk). He did manage to win his first round, since he focused on Anthem effects so he never had to sac a Forest (IIRC some combination of Castle, Equipoise and/or Gerrard's Battle Cry)

Bad card, but surprisingly fun memory. . .

[3drinks]

Wednesday, September 27th, 2023; Grand Master of Flowers

[TheAmericanSpirit]

Card is terrible. Thie abilities are weak and the payoff is decidedly mediocre. If I'm gonna invest time into a big flying beater, I'd prefer to not have all my work undone by a simple Flicker.

[BeneTleilax]

Yeah, I'd put this in the bad-but-playable camp. It's not worth running but if someone especially likes it for whatever reason, they're not gonna be substantially hurt by sticking it in a deck. I feel like that niche contributes substantially to the diversity of decks.

[Dunadain]

There are so many planeswalker that turn into creatures, I kind of want to make a deck that wins exclusively with planeswalker beat down.

[Mookie]

Monk of the Open Hand, for reference.

Grand Master of Flowers seems pretty meh. The 'ultimate' is interesting, but the payoff (a 7/7 indestructible flyer) is weaker than more traditional ultimates. Meanwhile, the incremental value from the +1's conditional Pacifism seems... unexciting. I'm not sure what decks would want it.

[Chromaticus]

What more can be said about the mechanics than that it's terrible? It's been covered.

That art, though. The facial expression makes it look like a tree taking a constipated %$#%.

May I introduce you to the woodimals of Knotts Berry Farms?

https://www.markeades.com/wp-content/up ... wampus.jpg

[toctheyounger]

What more can be said about the mechanics than that it's terrible? It's been covered.

That art, though. The facial expression makes it look like a tree taking a constipated %$#%.

May I introduce you to the woodimals of Knotts Berry Farms?

https://www.markeades.com/wp-content/up ... wampus.jpg

I have....no words.

[3drinks]

Thursday, September 28th, 2023; Brittle Effigy

I like that it's a reasonable Urza's Saga target.

[Dunadain]

I prefer me a Universal Solvent, but the mama discount can't be denied.

[Mookie]

Brittle Effigy is okay if you're willing to splurge on mana for unconditional exile - five is a lot, but when you need it, you need it. If you have access to black, I prefer Executioner's Capsule for its cheaper activation cost, even if it is more conditional. If you have access to blue, I'd probably lean towards Aether Spellbomb. Both can be fetched by Trinket Mage and recurred by Emry, Lurker of the Loch and Salvaging Station, although I suppose the fact that you can't fetch Executioner's Capsule off Urza's Saga may be relevant in some decks.

...I guess it's reasonable in pure colorless decks? There aren't a lot of colorless options for spot removal, although I suppose new stuff like Desecrate Reality helps.