[mtgnexus] Random Card of the Day - North Star

[Guardman]

Considering my main commander deck is built around casting my opponent's spells, I love this card. My only complaint is it isn't mono-red. But c'est la vie.

[umtiger]

I didn't say ban the ones they have just stop printing more

Unfortunately, the trend is for everything to go the "exile" route now (spot-removal, mass removal, even discard).

I hate Mind's Dilation. It's two things I hate put together (exile + stealing).

[3drinks]

Saturday, May 30th, 2020; The Mirage Diamonds

For reference, these are;

Has this cycle even come up before? Since I've taken it over, at least. I remember a time when these were gold standard many years ago (7ed foil sky diamonds were quite the premium, followed closely by foil fires). How do they still hold up and/or how bad have they aged?

[Yatsufusa]

They're two-mana mana rocks.

In 3+ multicolored, there's heavy competition against Signets and Talismans, so unless you really need a glut of rocks, these usually don't make the cut.

In mono-colored, the one Arcane Signet is still better, but you also have a drought of colored rocks. Fellwar Stone might be unreliable in mono. The real argument is that you don't really need colored rocks that much in mono, so the real competition is that it ETBT against the colorless rocks in decks you likely just want rocks for acceleration more than color anyway.

In 2-color, it's very, very dependent on what other rocks you have, 2 Signets, 1 Talisman, Sol Ring and then it depends how many of the other options you're running.

If you needed immediate acceleration, none of those rocks which triumphed over diamonds really help, since they still incur 1 mana net loss the turn they come down. Assuming you're not in cutthroat metas, this basically means they're mostly even early-game accelerates, but the diamonds get progressively worse because the net 1 mana back might allow you cast something bigger while still ramping mid-game.

At the end of the day thought, they're two-mana mana rocks. Sure, they ETBT and that makes them progressively worse, but they're two mana rocks with no other strings attached, so they cannot be terrible, just outpowered. The real problem is their print runs are worse than the better options (especially in multicolor). Those foil prices are just ridiculous, I'm waiting it out for the eventual reprint.

So yeah, you probably have cheaper, easier-to-find, better options in multicolored. They're pretty okay/good in dual/mono, but the real problem is finding them and they're not that worth to go extra mile for if you can't do so, not until we get the inevitable reprint which makes them as easy to find as the enemy talismans currently.

[Serenade]

I'll also tag Coldsteel Heart as a snow variant.

I don't like these. I run the colorless 2cmc rocks (or Fellwar Stone) over them. I ran the Myr over them in a Jor deck because synergy. I've been burned too often by them being a bad late draw when I don't have Amulet of Vigor or Unwinding Clock in play.

Maybe if I have a heavy noncreature artifact presence and need to power out a 4cmc general with synergy (I would consider for Daretti, for instance).

But I don't like rocks that CIPT.

[3drinks]

Those foil prices are just ridiculous, I'm waiting it out for the eventual reprint.

I'm glad I stopped chasing foils years ago, even preferring nonfoils or going without. Commission alters of key cards, stop encouraging the misbehaviour of speculatours on the secondary market.

[DirkGently]

The 7th ed arts are funny to see next to each other. They follow a weird sort of progression if you put them in a certain order.

You see white and black and you're like...ok, so it's a hand coming in from the left, a perpendicular hand holding out a parallel gem over a cloudy sky background. They're very, very similar in composition.

Then you see the green one and you're like...ok, so I guess now it can come in from the right side of the frame? Except lower down and at a different angle?

Then you see the red one you're like...ok, so now the hand can be parallel instead of perpendicular? And the background is just a red blur?

And then finally the blue one has the hand coming toward the camera, and the gem is at the wrong angle and...wait, why is that the only one with a different artist in the cycle?

Probably a dumb thing to complain about but the consistency between the B and W one is soooo strong, they should have either made them all more different, or made them all the same imo. Having a gradation of similarity is a really weird choice. Worth noting that, in the reprints in commander 2014(?) they changed 4 of the arts so that they'd be more varied.

As far as the actual cards...they probably don't make the cut for most decks, what with all the colorless and dual-color options, but if you're looking to go really deep you can use them. I play them in my Kaervek deck since that deck has ~30 ramp spells. But honestly they're pretty close to the chopping block if we get a few more superior rocks at that cmc.

[Mookie]

I've never been a fan of the Diamonds - they enter tapped, and no upside when compared to things like Mind Stone or Everflowing Chalice, They do produce colored mana, but if you're running a monocolor deck, that often isn't as important... on the other hand, if you're running a multicolor deck, you could just run a Signet or Talisman instead. They may have been worth consideration years ago, but with the completion of the Talisman cycle and the printing of Arcane Signet, I don't really see a reason to run them anymore, unless you've already exhausted all the other 2-mana rocks.

[Rumpy5897]

I ran these in an early iteration of Feather, as holy crap that deck can guzzle any amount of coloured mana you make available. However, they were the first to go once I started getting fancy with my rock base, ahead of Star Compass and Coldsteel Heart. I don't think they have a home, really. There's enough better two-drop rocks for you to exhaust your sensible slot allocation before you make it down here. In multi-colour you get your signets, talismans and what have you; in mono-colour you don't have to fixate on colours as much and can go for more colourless untapped options.

Also, I remember doing a double take when Graham (of LoadingReadyRun fame) played the green one in his Ayula deck on the MH1 episode of Game Knights. Like, what

[Outcryqq]

I'd only use diamonds for mono color. And I really like the mirage arts; I think Mirage sky, moss, and fire diamonds look great.

[pokken]

I'm moving more and more away from 2 CMC artifact ramp as I just find it kinda boring and the ETB tapped ones are surely out esp. with arcane signet added as an option. Most colors have more interesting things to be doing on-curve at 2 CMC than ramp 1 for 1 card that dies to artifact sweepers. They have their place I guess but you'd be hard pressed to find me putting them in a deck. Even in mono color I'm playing the medallion for that color first and probably Thaumatic Compass // Spires of Orazca or Dowsing Dagger // Lost Vale or something like that.

[3drinks]

I'd only use diamonds for mono color. And I really like the mirage arts; I think Mirage sky, moss, and fire diamonds look great.

Ah, yes, Mirage Fire Diamond aka exploding pineapple. 😂

[Outcryqq]

Ah, yes, Mirage Fire Diamond aka exploding pineapple. 😂

Heck yeah man. Good memories of me and that thing during Mirage block!

[3drinks]

Ah, yes, Mirage Fire Diamond aka exploding pineapple. 😂

Heck yeah man. Good memories of me and that thing during Mirage block!

I know I've definitely slammed down my share of the three diamonds over the past decade. More Fires than any other. And ALWAYS Mirage because I'm not dealing with white border or expensive 7ED foils.

[onering]

I run white blue and red often enough in their mono color, they have the fewest options for ramp and yet often need the colored Mana.

[Dunharrow]

They are fine in a non-green monocolor deck.
I would not play anywhere else.

I would definitely play Mind Stone, Arcane Signet, and Medallions higher at 2cmc, and I think I would play a few 3 CMC options too.

[Sinis]

Saturday, May 30th, 2020; The Mirage Diamonds

I think they're still playable, in monocolour. Once you touch bicolour or tri-colour, there are other rocks that are just kind of better.

My personal order in the 2 CMC range is:
Medallion
Arcane Signet (if no in your deck)
Talisman (over Arcane Signet if you have in your deck)
Mindstone
Mirage Diamond

[BeneTleilax]

good in joira

[DirkGently]

Saturday, May 30th, 2020; The Mirage Diamonds

I think they're still playable, in monocolour. Once you touch bicolour or tri-colour, there are other rocks that are just kind of better.

My personal order in the 2 CMC range is:
Medallion
Arcane Signet (if no in your deck)
Talisman (over Arcane Signet if you have in your deck)
Mindstone
Mirage Diamond

I'd say all the options that are usually >= diamonds at 2cmc are:

everflowing chalice
fellwar stone
mind stone
arcane signet
medallion (unless you are multicolor, have a lot of colorless spells, no-colorless-required spells, and/or high cmc)
talisman
signet
prismatic lens
grim monolith (depending on curve/plan)
thought vessel
coldsteel heart
fractured powerstone

You also might prioritize diamonds over colorless options if, say, your commander is rakdos, lord of riots.

And ofc there are rocks like sol ring, mana crypt, and mana vault that are <2cmc but have a >2cmc-worthy effect, and so should almost always be included before any 2 cmc rocks.

My kaervek deck runs 100% of these cards, plus even more ramp. :laugh:

[Wallycaine]

The 7th ed arts are funny to see next to each other. They follow a weird sort of progression if you put them in a certain order.

You see white and black and you're like...ok, so it's a hand coming in from the left, a perpendicular hand holding out a parallel gem over a cloudy sky background. They're very, very similar in composition.

Then you see the green one and you're like...ok, so I guess now it can come in from the right side of the frame? Except lower down and at a different angle?

Then you see the red one you're like...ok, so now the hand can be parallel instead of perpendicular? And the background is just a red blur?

And then finally the blue one has the hand coming toward the camera, and the gem is at the wrong angle and...wait, why is that the only one with a different artist in the cycle?

Probably a dumb thing to complain about but the consistency between the B and W one is soooo strong, they should have either made them all more different, or made them all the same imo. Having a gradation of similarity is a really weird choice.

Oddly, there does seem to be a clear pattern, but the black hand being skeletal makes it really hard to tell. To me, it looks like the intention was for each to be a different hand or side. So the White one is a left hand coming in from the left, the Red is a right hand coming from the right, and Green is a left hand from the right. But the skeletal nature of the Black hand makes it not obvious that it's a right hand from the left, which breaks up the patterning and screws over the whole cycle. And the blue one just had to be an odd one anyways, given there's 4 combos and 5 colors.

[Sinis]

and so should almost always be included before any 2 cmc rocks.

While I agree with the rest of your post, this part depends on your meta. Mine is pretty down-powered, so, despite owning Crypt/Vault/Monolith/etc., I usually only run Sol Ring.

[DirkGently]

While I agree with the rest of your post, this part depends on your meta. Mine is pretty down-powered, so, despite owning Crypt/Vault/Monolith/etc., I usually only run Sol Ring.

I think in any discussion of card superiority in commander, it's safe to assume "unless this card is too powerful for your meta" applies without needing to state it every time.

[3drinks]

Sunday, May 31st, 2020; Golos, Tireless Pilgrim

What a way to cap off May's discussions. 🙄 I could write a book here but I suspect many others will share the sentiments so I'll spare you my own diatribe.

[Mookie]

Nit: you wrote Gaea's Liege. I assume Golos, Tireless Pilgrim is the correct one.

I could probably also write a book on Golos, or at least a 15-page thesis. The title would be 'Golos is everything [wrong/right] with EDH'.

I'll preface things by saying that I do consider Golos to be a very sweet card. In a lot of ways, it calls back to Solemn Simulacrum, one of the old classics of the format. It both ramps and provides a mana sink to generate card advantage. It lets you play with sweet nonbasic lands. It doesn't have any deckbuilding requirements, which allows it to helm a very wide variety of decks. Spinning the wheel is a moment of excitement that can result in big plays or a wasted turn, and allows for interesting games.

However, while those are all properties that make Golos a fun card to play with, they also entail a lot of negative properties for the format as a whole. As a general rule, I would say that generating mana advantage and generating card advantage are the two strongest things you can do in the format, with providing consistency via tutoring being a close follow. And Golos is a card that does all of the above. It can helm a huge variety of decks - possibly too many. Seriously: take a deck, swap out a land for Cascading Cataracts, and swap the general for Golos. I suspect a large number of decks would be improved by that with no other changes. That means that it also pushes all those commanders that have been outclassed out of the format, which I feel is a bad thing.

When I first started playing EDH, the bogeyman of the format was Scion of the Ur-Dragon. Not because it was a particularly strong commander, but because it happened to provide the best shell for Hermit Druid. Having access to five colors was extremely strong, and the other five-color commanders, such as Progenitus and Cromat were even more underpowered. Four-color commanders didn't exist, and there weren't many three-color commanders either.

However, in recent years, that's been flipped. WotC has printed a ton of five-color commanders, many of which have very high power levels. I'd say that this is because they were operating on the traditional philosophy of 'if a card is hard to cast, we should make it more powerful to compensate'. But that's not true in EDH - having more colors already makes a commander stronger by itself. And when you add in the fact that these cards aren't even hard to cast, you end up with cards like Golos and Kenrith, the Returned King that don't ask anything of the deck builder. And, again, that pushes out a lot of commanders that do have restrictions or requirements.

MTGGoldfish posted an article recently about sideboard tech, and one point that was raised was the importance of having a baseline that you can default to - in the example given, it was Naturalize being the default green answer spell for artifacts and enchantments... except then Wilt was printed and raised the baseline. So, every time you consider an artifact or enchantment removal spell, you should be asking yourself 'is this better than Wilt?' I feel like Golos has done the same to this format - for any deck concept, you have to ask yourself 'is this commander better than Golos?' And I'm not entirely comfortable with that.

Another card Golos calls back to is Aetherworks Marvel, which ended up getting banned from Standard. Casting free spells is a broken mechanic, even if you need to put some work into doing so. I wouldn't expect every game to result in T5 Golos → T6 activate Golos, cast Omniscience for free and win, but it's definitely a possible line that, again, doesn't really ask anything from its controller in terms of setup. That doesn't really feel like a healthy thing to me. And while it's possible to set a Golos player back by getting rid of Golos, the fact that it ramps back into recasting itself makes it difficult to keep down indefinitely.

Still, it may be that people are just using Golos to make Maze's End playable, and to those people I say 'carry on'. As for myself? I'm hoping for a Blood Moon reprint.

[Dragonlover]

Ultimately I think the thing that shows how powerful Golos is is that I'm using him to head up wincon tribal, a deck that by all rights shouldn't work because it's clunky as hell, and it runs as smooth as anything once Golos hits the table because seven mana for three cards is almost never a bad call.

Dragonlover