[mtgnexus] Random Card of the Day - Golgari Thug

[TheGildedGoose]

Because the added value of the 6-8 mana wipes is significantly more than you're typically going to get from an average 1-3 drop double-spelling after DCU.

This is a massive supposition.

And lest we not forget, o-stone, disk, ugin etc also exist.

Disk? Really? You're better than this.

If you start with Damnation, you can choose to not play creatures, wipe on 4, kill some stuff, whee. Maybe you got an x-for-1 in CA, but you haven't gotten ahead on board. Same situation with BotS, now you get to pick the best creature and put it into play, putting yourself ahead. And Blood money could set you up with lethal amounts of mana. Those are more of a plan to actually pull ahead and win, not just restore balance.

Edit: only your best creature for bots.

I agree.

[DirkGently]

This is a massive supposition.

how so? What's your 2-mana second spell in a mono-black big mana deck that's more impactful that getting 10 treasures off blood money? Or better than keeping your board (or even just a couple creatures) alive with Kindred Dominance ?

Disk? Really? You're better than this.

I don't run it often, but I think it has its place. It's still the cheapest full wipe available to all colors.

Not sure what you're saying by changing DCU to damnation in my quote, but expecting me to notice that you misquoted me is annoying.

[3drinks]

Disk? Really? You're better than this.

Eh. Nevinyrral's Disk|SUM isn't awful. I rather be able to threaten a board leveler on 4, than die with O-Stone because I didn't have the 8. Or the desire to hold up 5 to threaten.

[TheGildedGoose]

This is a massive supposition.

how so? What's your 2-mana second spell in a mono-black big mana deck that's more impactful that getting 10 treasures off blood money? Or better than keeping your board (or even just a couple creatures) alive with Kindred Dominance ?

Who said mono-black decks? I never did, neither did Dunadain. We are talking mono-black wipes, not mono-black decks.

Not sure what you're saying by changing DCU to damnation in my quote, but expecting me to notice that you misquoted me is annoying.

Your argument wasn't very convincing.

Don't @ me. Take it to the containment zone. I'm not going.

[Dunadain]

Saint Traft and Rem Karolus is a way cooler commander for a convoke themed deck.

In general, I feel like I'd really want green in my convoke deck though.

I do appreciate that this thing is a 5/4 with flying, vigilance, and haste. It's nice when your commander can just BE a creature, even if nothing else is going your way.

👎

[DirkGently]

Who said mono-black decks? I never did, neither did Dunadain. We are talking mono-black wipes, not mono-black decks.

it was just an example of a deck that would get benefit from blood money for the hypothetical. But pick whatever color you want I guess.

Your argument wasn't very convincing.

Damnation costs a full mana less with the same effect. Like TD, It's a lot easier to get ahead with a double spell. Less so than TD ofc.

Damnation is a fine card but it's not amazing or anything. Tack an extra mana onto a decent card, surprise, it's not that great.

Don't @ me. Take it to the containment zone. I'm not going.

Can start a fight but can't finish it, eh?

[benjameenbear]

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[Toshi]

Any commander that cheats on commander tax is aweful to play against - no exceptions

[Hermes_]

Saint Traft and Rem Karolus is a way cooler commander for a convoke themed deck.

In general, I feel like I'd really want green in my convoke deck though.

I'm sure everyone else can, but i can't think of a blue convoke spell off the top of my head but yeah green would be much better.

[Dunadain]

Saint Traft and Rem Karolus is a way cooler commander for a convoke themed deck.

In general, I feel like I'd really want green in my convoke deck though.

I'm sure everyone else can, but i can't think of a blue convoke spell off the top of my head but yeah green would be much better.

I was thinking more along the lines of token production, but that is also a good point.

Especially because Sprout Swarm would be really good in such a deck.

[Hermes_]

Saint Traft and Rem Karolus is a way cooler commander for a convoke themed deck.

In general, I feel like I'd really want green in my convoke deck though.

I'm sure everyone else can, but i can't think of a blue convoke spell off the top of my head but yeah green would be much better.

I was thinking more along the lines of token production, but that is also a good point.

Especially because Sprout Swarm would be really good in such a deck.

I figured that's what you meant since both white and green are great at making tokens for convoke.

[Igzex]

Tuesday, February 20th, 2024; Necrotic Hex

Can't complain, honestly. Wipe + army-in-a-can. Seven mv is fine for this effect given the w versions are 5-6 and only leave behind a single body.

Can't complain either, it's a really fun boardwipe. I'd rather be in a game where this actually resolves than one where paying only 2-3 life for a Toxic Deluge full wipe is the norm.

Wednesday, February 21st, 2024; Kasla, the Broken Halo

There's got to be some use for this. Right?

Kinda a paint by numbers commander design. Also the design is...odd to begin with.
"So uh, are all those goblin, knight, bird, leonin, and soldier tokens actually going to like, attack ever?"
"Not yet bro I gotta tap them for more of that play card draw card dopamine!"

[onering]

Unlike her, she's a unique way to do a commander focused on a keyword. She does have the basic "do x, draw a card" but that's only part of her design.

She herself having convoke and a solid combination of stars and keywords means she benefits from running the tokens/weenies you'd want to run to power out convoke spells. Convoke is not a keyword you want to just throw as many as you can in the deck, it requires support, so her play convoke and draw clause is really more of a bonus. You run ways to convoke her out easily because that's plan a, and since are already doing that you might as well run the best convoke spells in the colors, and she just gives you extra value from that. Because its something you aren't going to be doing more than once a turn cycle, and possibly not even every turn cycle, you get the additional value of scrying 2. Since she has vigilance she can also help pay the costs of other convoke spells even attacking.

[Mookie]

re: Necrotic Hex - it seems fine. Seven mana is a lot for a board wipe, and it's possible for it to miss some creatures if an opponent is going particularly wide. I think its value depends on how highly you value the tokens - it's possible that Blood on the Snow or Blood Money is going to generate more value.

It's somewhat interesting to compare more expensive white and black board wipes. White board wipes like Farewell and Dusk // Dawn are theoretically symmetric, but you can break the symmetry to leave your stuff alive. Meanwhile, black's board wipes often kill everything with no exceptions, but give you some form of board presence. Both mean you can potentially have something on the board after the wipe, but the method is different - keeping certain things around vs generating new stuff. There's obviously some overlap (Sunfall and Toxic Deluge come to mind), but still interesting.

Kasla, the Broken Halo seems... eh. I agree that Saint Traft and Rem Karolus seems more interesting. Kasla only works with convoke cards, which is a pretty harsh restriction. ST&RK also work with convoke, but you can also tap and untap them with other effects (like Pemmin's Aura and a vehicle). They also generate a bunch of tokens that you can use for future convoking, or for other uses. Kasla does have solid stats though - I could see doing something like voltron with exalted cards, or something storm-ish with Jeskai Ascendancy.

[Sinis]

Kasla's okay. It's just a little too on the nose for me: "So I heard you guys wanted a convoke commander" yes, okay, this commander is a convoke commander. There isn't really anything to exploit or puzzle out, though; you search up "o:convoke ci:wur game:paper" in scryfall, and then that's pretty much the deck.

I would have much rather seen a commander (without green in its colour identity) with some sort of 'implied convoke payout' that said something like "whenever you tap a creature outside of a combat phase do X" (scry 1? Surveil 1?).

Basically, I like that cards could be worded like Vega, the Watcher, and be open to Foretell, but also be open to flashback, impulse draw (such as it is outside of red), cards on an adventure, future sight effects, etc., where it does need to be a specific mechanic. As such, I will probably never build Kasla because it's not interesting enough.

Also, this is kind of just like Inga and Esika a bit.

[3drinks]

Thursday, February 22nd, 2024; Body Snatcher

[DirkGently]

Janky design that seems to forget how triggers work tbh. Doubt many people actually discard to this thing.

[Dunadain]

4 mana is a lot for a reanimation spell, and it requires a sac outlet. You do have the option of using it as a discard outlet for the card you want to reanimate.

Ultimately only good if you have some sort of loop going, something like you cast Corpse Dance on this, then sacrifice him to permanently reanimate the thing you actually wanted to reanimate.

It's not very good, but it does get my gears turning, so 👍

[3drinks]

I remember this thing being a terror of our lunch table in high school. Takes me back. This thing, hidden horror, and we're bringing back....oh geez back then we brought back shivan dragon, child of gaea, and pit spawn.

It was a simpler time.

[materpillar]

I don't think I've ever seen this card... That's rare.

Seems like it has niche broken uses but otherwise just jam Reanimate.

[3drinks]

I don't think I've ever seen this card... That's rare.

Seems like it has niche broken uses but otherwise just jam Reanimate.

It's supposed to be a one card combo. Self fulfilling, it both acts as the pitch and the reanimate.

[yeti1069]

I always read it as needing to exile itself from the yard to reanimate, and dismissed it, but it all being one trigger means you can move.it somewhere else in response and still get the reanimate.

What do people use to abuse this?

[Treamayne]

I always read it as needing to exile itself from the yard to reanimate, and dismissed it, but it all being one trigger means you can move.it somewhere else in response and still get the reanimate.

What do people use to abuse this?

The most common I saw in EDH of yesteryear was in Dimir with Body Snatcher|UDS + Followed Footsteps|RAV + Sac Outlet.
As each Token ETBs, sac in response to the ETB trigger, reanimate off the token's death trigger (ETB does nothing because it is already gone)

[Mookie]

Body Snatcher seems like a mess, templating-wise. Nothing actually requires it to be exiled, or for you to discard a card. If you have Tortured Existence and a sac outlet, you could theoretically discard reanimation target A to Tortured Existence and recur B, play Body Snatcher, sacrifice it in response to its ETB trigger, discard B to recur it in response to its death trigger, and then reanimate A - the net effect is you've paid 2BBBB to cheat A into play, with Body Snatcher ending up back in hand (not exiled) and B ending up back in the graveyard. Is this a good plan? Certainly not, but it is interesting.

I think Phyrexian Delver, Body Launderer, and Junji, the Midnight Sky are generally better (and simpler) ways to recur creatures (or just use Reanimate). That said, Body Snatcher does have the upside of dumping your reanimation target in the graveyard without needing further assistance.

[Serenade]

My second booster pack was UDS, and I pulled this guy as my rare. Never had a clue what to do with him. Always liked Zug's work after that.