[mtgnexus] Random Card of the Day - Mystifying Maze

[ISBPathfinder]

I have and do play The Battle of Bywater here and there. Honestly the food isn't that big of a deal for me but costing less than Dusk // Dawn is relevant since I have never gone through executing the Dawn side of that card. I wouldn't say its amazing or anything... its fine and occasionally it is what you need especially when going wide with tokens / utility guys but it sucks that it doesn't give you all that much control options. When it isn't the card you need it really sucks lol.

[3drinks]

Heh, it's a sweeper that good guy Gaddock Teeg doesn't block.

[Lifeless]

Heh, it's a sweeper that good guy Gaddock Teeg doesn't block.

Gaddock Teeg is for the children.

[3drinks]

Saturday, September 12th 2026; Precursor Golem|82856

[MAGUSZANIN]

Precursor Golem being symmetrical means an opposing Swords to Plowshares kills your whole board.

That said, it is colorless and a potential synergy engine, and if you flicker it a couple times it gets even better.

[tstorm823]

Instants and sorceries that make token copies are the way to go. It takes 15 mana, but Precursor Golem with Cackling Counterpart cast and flashed back is 138 power from 2 cards. Another targeting spell would then be 2^8 precursor golems, and you can just stop tracking it practically speaking.

[Sinis]

Precursor Golem being symmetrical means an opposing Swords to Plowshares kills your whole board.

That said, it is colorless and a potential synergy engine, and if you flicker it a couple times it gets even better.

It does feel a bit like half-baked Zada, doesn't it?

[Hermes_]

Instants and sorceries that make token copies are the way to go. It takes 15 mana, but Precursor Golem with Cackling Counterpart cast and flashed back is 138 power from 2 cards. Another targeting spell would then be 2^8 precursor golems, and you can just stop tracking it practically speaking.

a kicked Rite of Replication 14 mana

[3drinks]

Nonono, you let the kicked rite on precursor resolve, then you Chaos Warp|BRC, retain priority, Radiate|TOR the chaos warp and tell people you cannot shortcut this stack because each resolution requires a fresh shuffle.

[tstorm823]

Instants and sorceries that make token copies are the way to go. It takes 15 mana, but Precursor Golem with Cackling Counterpart cast and flashed back is 138 power from 2 cards. Another targeting spell would then be 2^8 precursor golems, and you can just stop tracking it practically speaking.

a kicked Rite of Replication 14 mana

Much, much less power. You get 28 3/3s with that, instead of the 46 I described.

This may require some explanation. The reason this card is not colorless Ink-Treader Nephilim or "half-baked Zada" is that it doesn't just trigger when it is targeted, it's when any golem is targeted, so multiples stack the Radiate effect.

[Hermes_]

Instants and sorceries that make token copies are the way to go. It takes 15 mana, but Precursor Golem with Cackling Counterpart cast and flashed back is 138 power from 2 cards. Another targeting spell would then be 2^8 precursor golems, and you can just stop tracking it practically speaking.

a kicked Rite of Replication 14 mana

Much, much less power. You get 28 3/3s with that, instead of the 46 I described.

Oh I see now, I was just thinking that the kicked rite would be for one less mana and therefore slightly better lol

[yeti1069]

Nonono, you let the kicked rite on precursor resolve, then you Chaos Warp|BRC, retain priority, Radiate|TOR the chaos warp and tell people you cannot shortcut this stack because each resolution requires a fresh shuffle.

I've Radiated a Chaos Warp before. The groans registered on the Richter scale.

[3drinks]

Sunday, September 13th 2026; Magus of the Order

When you want to Nat Order but ball on a budget.

[Lifeless]

Cool, I don't think I've seen this one before. It's fine I guess, although getting double dipped not only by the tap, but the additional mana cost, and additional sacrifice makes it feel pretty bad.

[MAGUSZANIN]

The additional sacrifice makes it equivalent to the original Natural Order. You are spending one card + another body to get the tutor into play effect, in both cases.

The telegraphed nature of it obviously is a HUGE downside.

The extra 1 mana to activate is a smaller downside, especially spread over two turns, because 5 mana Natural Order is probably still good.

Overall I think the creature is fine. In Bracket 2, where this isn't finding any fast combo pieces and finding an overun later is fine? It is probably ok, if still a bit slow

It is notable that you can activate this as an Instant, where as the original is a sorcery. So that is potentially pretty cool, being able to use it in response to something, though obviously it will be better to just use it to win.

[3drinks]

Instant speed El Grande Elephanté is pretty great (sit down Dramatic Entrance).

....when the hell did that become 1¢ that's amazing😂

[Lifeless]

Yeah that's fair. You pay 1 extra for a telegraphed but instant speed NO. It's technically a rattlesnake too. If I know someone is playing Kamahl, Fist of Krosa and has mana up I'm going to think twice about tossing our that Armageddon.

[Mookie]

I would say that Magus of the Order is generally a step down from Natural Order. The delay makes it more vulnerable to removal, and color identity rules means you can't always fetch Atraxa, Grand Unifier or other premium targets. Still, it is a powerful effect, and green has a lot more synergies for creatures than for sorceries. I could also imagine silly lines like sticking it on an Agatha's Soul Cauldron or Mimic Vat.

[Wanli]

You pay 1 extra for a telegraphed but instant speed NO. It's technically a rattlesnake too.

In lower-power decks it provides a nice toolbox: The Locust God tokens attack your opponent? Magus smiles and twiddles her thumbs. They are coming your way? Bam, Whiptongue Hydra! Somebody casts Planar Cleansing? Ashaya, Soul of the Wild would like to have a word! Could really run the Magus in Selvala, Heart of the Wilds, but that deck is so absurd that the Magus feels almost too tame.

[Sinis]

It's worth noting that Natural Order is a game changer, but Magus of the Order is not. I think Magus of the order's extra time/cost/telegraph/attack surface is probably not less fair than Elvish Piper, Monster Manual // Zoological Study etc.

So, it's fine? But, it's also what you search for; an early Cultivator Colossus can be backbreaking, where you just have an incredible advantage that other players can't hope to catch up to.

[DirkGently]

I feel like the flavor text should be "two lives for a life. Because some lives are more valuable than others."

[3drinks]

Monday, September 14th 2026; Archaeomancer's Map

Secret Arch Map appreciation thread.

[ISBPathfinder]

I have always thought we might hit a critical mass of this type of effect, maybe a commander with a good payoff or just enough of them to make the archetype of less lands pop a bit. I will say I don't really think we have a ton of incentive right now today to do it. You generally want to run things like Lotus Vale and possibly bounce lands like Karoo and such to enable it. I have done it a few times and its really not horrible but the problem still tends to be when you go first and everyone is mana rock ramping instead of running green. Different metas will run differently on that obviously but I do think map is reasonable as far as this mechanic and idea goes.

[MAGUSZANIN]

Archaeomancer's Map is a very strong example of the catchup ramp mechanic. It might even be the best card ever printed for that style of ramping, if for no other reason than because casting a 3 Mana spell that still draws you two Plains is still a live card even if the other mode never triggers. Which is more than we can say for a few second placers like Knight of the White Orchid.

Overall, I agree they're hit or miss. Sometimes you will be at a table with no Green, and you will be very sad to be looking at a lot of these in your hand. Other times the Green deck goes Nature's Lore into Open the Way and you sit there trying not to smile too hard.

I appreciate that Wizards has printed enough of these to make a halfway reasonable package at this point. I do think that we need a few more really solid versions of the effect before I am super happy with it, but in the meantime we can play a few rocks to supplement.

[Lifeless]

The floor here is still reasonable in non-G decks IMO. I wouldn't be embarrassed to play this, particularly off an early rock or Sol Ring. Definitely worth every bit of the suggested 78 cents.