[mtgnexus] Random Card of the Day - Jetfire, Ingenious Scientist

[TheAmericanSpirit]

This card is small ball. The cantrip isn't CA, it's a refund. The treasure generation is okay, but Curse of Opulence is probably better and requires less consistent risk.

This is limited fodder imho. It's getting exactly the amount of play it warrants.

[Mookie]

Yeah, I'm underwhelmed by Sticky Fingers. Maybe if you're specifically playing some sort of red enchantress / aura deck like Uril, the Miststalker... but even then, I feel like there are better auras you can get for (although it's apparently one of the most-played red auras, so maybe not?). Otherwise, if I wanted a way to generate treasures, I'd run something like Diamond Pick-Axe, Beamtown Beatstick, or The Reaver Cleaver.

[kirkusjones]

Strap on your tinfoil hats! I think Diamond Pick-Axe is a plant for an as-yet announced Magic/Minecraft UB. You heard it here first!

[Hawk]

I generally prefer the artifact/equipment we've picked up in this niche (most recently Diamond Pick-Axe but also Beamtown Beatstick), and I prefer the huge power boost off of Madcap Skills for a more aura-focused R/x deck that wants Voltron kills. None of these are cards I play heavily. From what I can see on EDHRECs - this thing is played in a massive 33,118 decks which is huge for a niche common printed in the last few years. I wouldn't call it underplayed at all; it's good in all the places you'd expect - Treasure.decs with folks like Jolene, the Plunder Queen and Magda, Brazen Outlaw and aura/heroic-y decks with folks like Mazzy, Truesword Paladin, Stangg, Echo Warrior, Rosnakht, Heir of Rohgahh, and weird group-sluggy voltron decks with Tahngarth, First Mate and Slicer, Hired Muscle // Slicer, High-Speed Antagonist.

[Serenade]

You aren't running as much menace-granting as possible in your Yuan Shao, the Indecisive decks? =P

[Toshi]

It's cute, but i prefer the card up front and other payoffs later.
Speaking of which, i would prefer Dragon Mantle|WOT, especially in its Enchanting Tales Artwork.

[NotARooster]

I like it in my Stangg, Echo Warrior deck, but yeah I can't see myself running it anywhere else

[yeti1069]

I liked this in my Korvold deck. It allowed a fodder creature to provide some additional utility, or helped make Korvold even more difficult to block. And that deck EATS UP treasure. It's hard to weigh this vs the various equipment we have now that produce treasure on attack or damage. On the one hand, equipment are almost always better than auras long term, but this costing 1 mana instead of 3 (to play and equip the other other cards mentioned) is a big deal. I've had games where I dropped Sakura-Tribe Elder on 2, kept it to 3, slapped this on, attacked, made a treasure, then sacrificed Steve to get a land and draw a card, and still had 2 mana left to drop a mana rock, a value piece, or removal, and be well set-up for Korvold the following turn.

[3drinks]

Friday, December 1st, 2023; Modify Memory

[Dunadain]

The effect is so neat, but between the 5 MV and the sorcery speed, even in the sort of decks that might be interested in exchanging opponents creatures, this is too ineficient.

Your paying a fortune for the flexibility, Visions of Duplicity is a better if you want to trade opponents creatures (but still not great), and if you want to trade your own creatures, then there are a lot more efficient options.

The card does a lot, but it's clunky.

[Moxnix]

Yea the idea of swapping two players commanders and drawing 3 is maybe sideboard type playable for a known meta at 4 but not 5. If it was concentrate + then maybe I can see it or even better instant speed but as it is just not good enough.

[DirkGently]

The idea of screwing two players at once by swapping commanders sounds great in a vacuum, but most players aren't so robotic that they'll act independently. Most likely they'll set up a trade so that they both get their commanders back. It's still okay with the draw 3, but I just hate sorcery speed answers too much.

[3drinks]

Saturday, December 2nd, 2023; Vindicate|mh2

Still the most metal alternate art. That sword, man. Anyway, how does ol' faithful hold up to-date? There's something to be said about a clean answer to any single permanent with zero ancillary drawback whatsoever, and at least I know that I'm always happy to sleeve this up.

[3drinks]

The effect is so neat, but between the 5 MV and the sorcery speed, even in the sort of decks that might be interested in exchanging opponents creatures, this is too ineficient.

Your paying a fortune for the flexibility, Visions of Duplicity is a better if you want to trade opponents creatures (but still not great), and if you want to trade your own creatures, then there are a lot more efficient options.

I don't think you can cost it lower as written. If Visions of Duplicity as you mention is the baseline for this effect (and I believe it to be the case), then you're paying an extra 2 for a Concentrate|ody - which is a bargain fwiw, although some would argue that concentrate/harmonize aren't truly playable anymore in this era (I think I agree here; it's really hard to justify harmonize these days).

But on the flip side, I've had a ton of success running Wrong Turn and this is that++, in exchange for not being a combat trick. Idk, I'd play this; certainly before Jace's Ingenuity or Urban Evolution at the very least but maybe not before Stroke of Genius|usg.

[NZB2323]

I'd prefer instant speed removal that cost 2 or less. Give me Path to Exile, Swords to Plowshares, or Despark. If I'm playing sorcery speed that cost 3 or more I'll take a board wipe.

[Mookie]

Vindicate is a card I would consider in other color combinations, but Orzhov is spoiled for choice in the removal department. Generous Gift, Stroke of Midnight, Anguished Unmaking... plus stuff like Swords to Plowshares and Despark. Lots of flexible, instant-speed options, which make it hard to justify casting Vindicate at sorcery speed. It's worth consideration if you value the ability to kill lands with it, but I think most decks will prefer newer options backed up by more dedicated land hate like Strip Mine / Demolition Field.

[Serenade]

I might be running Legions to Ashes over it these days.

[ironic gesture]

The sorcery speed is rough. Not sure the ability to hit lands is worth it and also misses indestructible things.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

I'm with @3drinks on this one. This card is awesome. It may be slow, it may be somewhat expensive for spot removal, but it solves almost any problem permanent with just three simple words. No drawback, no tokens, no chaos warp flips. 1WB for certain doom will always be a good deal in my book.

I prefer the Apocalypse art though.

[RxPhantom]

This card is fine, but it always makes me think of that Dashboard Confessional song.

[DirkGently]

It's never been good. Sorcery speed is a massive drawback on removal in this format. This isn't even discounted against many other instant-speed 3mv removal options with equal (or very close) flexibility, and narrower options are cheaper. The only thing that could make this viable is if it was mono-green or maybe mono-red, but bw with all the better options they have? Trash.

[Hermes_]

This card is fine, but it always makes me think of that Dashboard Confessional song.

Same, it even started playing in my head

"I am selfish, I am wrong
I am right, I swear I'm right"

[materpillar]

I'd say Generous Gift is almost strictly better.

On top of which card is a victim of its own success. It's iconic enough that they've made similar but power crept cards. Legions to Ashes, Anguished Unmaking and Stroke of Midnight are strictly better outside of not-hitting lands. So unless you're meta is infested with Gaea's Cradles it hasn't withstood the test of time.

That or playing it for nostalgia. Card is still fine to sleeve up. It's just not a card you're sleeving up because to maximize powerlevel.

[3drinks]

Sunday, December 3rd, 2023; Endless Obedience

This is actually pretty good. At one body it's a Rise from the Grave and any more makes it really efficient because it isn't limited to just your graveyard. All it takes is one Stitcher's Supplier to turbocharge this.

[3drinks]

I'd say Generous Gift is almost strictly better.

On top of which card is a victim of its own success. It's iconic enough that they've made similar but power crept cards. Legions to Ashes, Anguished Unmaking and Stroke of Midnight are strictly better outside of not-hitting lands. So unless you're meta is infested with Gaea's Cradles it hasn't withstood the test of time.

I don't think it's fair to compare Vindicate to all these other cards because they don't do the same thing. They're not strictly better. Generous Gift is pretty close because instant speed does matter, but a 3/3 is not-insignificant (see also the number of times you get beat down by a Gilded Drake after stealing a threat). Trading a card for a card and still giving them a sword carrier is a bad look; gift isn't a straight one for one trade. Stroke of Midnight is lighter on the drawback but can't hit lands. Though, a 1/1 is insignificant in all cases except when they have a Skullclamp. Vindicate has not been truly, clearly, unequivocally power crept to-date, and there is a reason for that.