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

[Mookie]

Mirrex seems pretty underwhelming, IMO. There is a lot of competition for colorless land slots. Mirrex can produce colored mana once, which helps, but isn't that valuable in the long game. This means a lot of its value comes from its other ability, to pump out Phyrexian Mite tokens. Three mana is relatively cheap to activate, but the fact that they can't block makes them weaker than Castle Ardenvale, Kher Keep, and Westvale Abbey // Ormendahl, Profane Prince for most decks. It goes up in value if you have synergies specifically for poison, Phyrexians, or artifact tokens... but I would generally prefer War Room or another utility land for most decks. To me, the main purpose for utility lands like Mirrex is flood insurance, and I don't think making 1/1 tokens is that exciting if you're flooded.

edit: I'll call out that I would run Mirrex in Teysa.... if it made either white or black tokens. Colorless doesn't work with Teysa, but fortunately I have Barad-dûr instead.

[Lifeless]

Thanks to the tokens not being able to block this doesn't have the flexibility or power level I would be looking for in either defensive or aggressive decks. Stax has better options too.

[Dunadain]

This creates pressure by itself with no colour req. Has to be a staple by now right?

This is how I feel, yet, I never see it.

Then again, I don't think it belongs in any of my main decks, so maybe everyone has arrived at that same conclusion.

[yeti1069]

Making weenies that can't block isn't particularly interesting or exciting. The fact that they are vaguely threatening in that they only need to hit for 1/4 of someone's life total, gives them a little more value, but that's still pretty unlikely. So now you need support for some combination of tokens, evasion, poison in order for them to actually be threatening.

Of the lands I've played that can make creatures, the value I see is (in descending order) emergency blocker, sac fodder, tribal synergy, mana sink. This fulfills only 2 of those, and as a mana sink, I'd rather have draw or another effect. I suppose a deck that specifically wants artifacts or artifact creatures as fodder this is pretty decent.

[PrimevalCommander]

I'll echo all of the above. I want my weenies to block. And I'm not playing any artifact or token matters decks at this moment.
It could probably do alright in my mono-white go wide deck since I play some evasion and overrun stuff, but the toxic isn't likely to get me a win so I'm more interested in lands that draw cards like Minas Tirith or War Room.

Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer would probably love this.

[3drinks]

Thursday, January 25th, 2024; Hammer Mage

"Meltdown who?" Save your $10 guys. Just use this honestly.

[Lifeless]

Spellshapers are generally underplayed in this format if you ask me, but this guy has the same problem as all R mass artifact removal in that your R deck is more likely than not playing more artifact mana than anyone else at the table. I stick with targeted removal or stuff like Vandalblast whenever possible.

Art on this guy is a major plus though.

[yeti1069]

I've played against a couple Kibo, Uktabi Prince decks that used this to good effect.

I also agree that spellshapers are largely under-utilized, particularly the ones that discard 1 card for their effect. I used to run Llanowar Mentor in Meren for a while, since it ticked all the boxes--ramp, discard outlet, sac fodder--but at some point I felt like it was too slow to spend two turns to "ramp" a mana dork out. Then again, I had a few explosive starts thanks to this. May be worth revisiting if I rebuild Meren.

[3drinks]

Friday, January 26th, 2024; Triskaidekaphile

[yeti1069]

I feel like every time I see this card, its controller tries to misplay it by activating in their upkeep to get up to 13 cards, and I have to argue with them that the 'if' clause means the ability doesn't even trigger to look for cards in hand if you don't have exactly 13 at the beginning of the upkeep. Cards that no one ever seems to play correctly are very irritating.

[Dunadain]

[DirkGently]

I remember when alternative wincons used to be HARD. Like, achievement unlocked hard. Those were better times.

I also remember when Azure Mage was a decent card. Now we've just got an alt wincon stapled onto it.

This could actually be semi-interesting if you had to draw the cards through other means. But instead it just wins the game on its own if you have enough mana since it can easily increment your hand by 1, totally removing any actual challenge. Winning with this is extremely anticlimactic. It basically just means that you had a bunch of mana and nobody found removal or a way to kill you first. And even if someone does find removal, and you somehow don't have a counterspell...well, you still drew a bunch of cards anyway.

Lame.

[Mookie]

Triskaidekaphile is not a card I have seen played, but it seems fine - if a player has the time and mana to get to 13 cards in hand, they're probably favored to win anyway. I could see it in decks that specifically care about hand size, or decks with Training Grounds or other cost reduction effects, but I wouldn't want to run it with the intent of paying four mana for one card repeatedly. Blue has access to significantly more efficient card draw, and I think most decks that want this effect will put Tasigur, the Golden Fang, Thrasios, Triton Hero, or some other draw engine in the command zone.

[umtiger]

I remember when alternative wincons used to be HARD. Like, achievement unlocked hard. Those were better times.

I also remember when Azure Mage was a decent card. Now we've just got an alt wincon stapled onto it.

This could actually be semi-interesting if you had to draw the cards through other means. But instead it just wins the game on its own if you have enough mana since it can easily increment your hand by 1, totally removing any actual challenge. Winning with this is extremely anticlimactic. It basically just means that you had a bunch of mana and nobody found removal or a way to kill you first. And even if someone does find removal, and you somehow don't have a counterspell...well, you still drew a bunch of cards anyway.

Lame.

IDK...all of those conditions that you listed, seems hard enough to me.

You are remembering something that never was because Azure Mage has never been a decent card. Having a 1U do nothing that draws for 3U is just taking up space. That's probably why people don't bother with the card. I mean unless your going mono-wizards...which could use a closer like this.

[Dragonlover]

Ah, one of my distraction wincons! I play it, people freak out about how many cards I have in hand (or potentially have), use removal on it then lose to a Biovisionary a few turns later if I'm lucky. If not, then hey I'm 1/20 of the way closer to Mortal Combat.

I imagine people building a deck just for it are winning much easier, but at that point you've basically got a super janky Thassa's Oracle and are probably just doing that instead.

Dragonlover

[DirkGently]

IDK...all of those conditions that you listed, seems hard enough to me.

I'm not sure I've actually seen it win. But I also tend to run a lot of removal and sandbag it as late as possible. But I don't think a 2-drop should necessitate removal or it literally wins the entire game on its own while also generating value. It's just annoying when someone plays this and you're thinking "dammit, somebody is going to need to kill that" - and it's a 2-drop value generator.

You are remembering something that never was because Azure Mage has never been a decent card. Having a 1U do nothing that draws for 3U is just taking up space. That's probably why people don't bother with the card. I mean unless your going mono-wizards...which could use a closer like this.

Pretty sure I remember seeing it in azami lists in 2012. I've got one in my collection (haven't played it I don't think, but at some point I thought it was playable apparently). But that was before EDHrec so things were a lot less hive-mindy.

[Hermes_]

I wonder if @DirkGently could win with this in his group

[TheGildedGoose]

I wonder if @DirkGently could win with this in his group

Honestly at this point I'm more interested in hearing about Dirk giving himself a disadvantage in ways beyond deck building. You know, playing with your dominant arm behind your back on a time limit on your own turn, that kind of thing.

[DirkGently]

I wonder if @DirkGently could win with this in his group

I'm sure I could. To Jon, all removal spells say "You must cast this when you draw it. Destroy target commander."

Honestly at this point I'm more interested in hearing about Dirk giving himself a disadvantage in ways beyond deck building. You know, playing with your dominant arm behind your back on a time limit on your own turn, that kind of thing.

By far the best way is to play while drunk. Unfortunately my job makes that a lot harder.

[materpillar]

You are remembering something that never was because Azure Mage has never been a decent card. Having a 1U do nothing that draws for 3U is just taking up space. That's probably why people don't bother with the card. I mean unless your going mono-wizards...which could use a closer like this.

I used to run Azure Mage for years when I started playing in my Chromium deck. It was very solid there because it was just good to play on basically any turn. Early game you could drop it just as a piker to carry your Sword of Fire and Ice. You could drop it and still hold up interaction then draw a card if you didn't need to use the interaction. Late game it'd just win boardstalls. That was years ago though.

All this card does is make me think of the vastly cooler Triskaidekaphobia.

[3drinks]

Saturday, January 27th, 2024; The Original Signets

These even still playable these days?

[Mookie]

Signets are still very playable. There aren't that many two mana rocks out there, and there are a lot of decks that want multiple pieces of two mana acceleration. Arcane Signet is obviously the default best rock, and I think Talismans are generally a bit easier to use... but the Signets are reasonable as mana rock #3. I would take them over Fellwar Stone or Diamonds for most two color decks. They fall off a bit for 3+ color decks though, unless you're looking to cast stuff with strict color requirements.

[Guardman]

I love the signets. I personally think they are better than the Talismans since the life loss can be relevant but rarely does the having to pay one to get two mana be an issue. Plus I have a lot of nostalgia for them and the karoos since I loved original Ravnica block.

[Dunadain]

Definitely still playable, I kind of hate how they punish mono-colored decks though. We have a critical mass of 2MV untapped rocks that even brown decks should have as many as they want, but it stings that my mono-black list has to settle for colorless rocks with insignificant upside when a 2 color deck gets to run a talisman and a signet. Kind of the opposite of how the color wheel is supposed to work. (obviously, I get better fixing when it comes to my lands, but still)

[Serenade]

I would take any of these mono signets!

,: Add
,: Add
,: Add

I do not use any green signets in favor of other two-cost ramp. I jam the others into most two- and three-color decks.