MTGNexus

And here I was thinking predict was pretty okay. Ironically, this is probably the most viable Recall alternative, despite being totally unplayable in all that formats that would want it.

Dang, I think this is the first silverbordered thing I wish I could use somewhere. That's never happened before.

If Mise was legal I wonder how much play it would get? Obviously it is insane with any source of top-of-library manipulation, and with blue having easy access to Brainstorm, Scroll Rack, and Sensei's Divining Top (and that's just the really good, consistent effects!) I imagine this would be a staple in most competitive Ux builds.

Then again, this is a scary dead-draw without backup. The floor here is one blue to do nothing, whereas at least Predict always cycles. So maybe it'd only be really popular in commanders who can naturally manipulate libraries themselves, like Aminatou, the Fateshifter and Elsha of the Infinite?

Who am I kidding? People would just play this for the memes even though it's a bombo with Animate Library right?

3drinks wrote: ↑

3 years ago

I mean, Elsha of the Infinite and Melek, Izzet Paragon would have an absolute field day with this one.
Keranos, God of Storms and the likes would have enough support to have lots of fun with it.

Make this legal to see Top go over $100.

Mise is a strong effect when you hit, but it being dead without topdeck manipulation makes it weaker than Predict for most decks. I'd definitely run it in Kess though - flashing it back immediately seems goooood. It also seems reasonable if you have a high enough threshold of filtering / cantrips like Preordain and Brainstorm, or easy access to Sensei's Divining Top or Sylvan Library. But yeah... ultimately, I think you want a commander that lets you know what's on top.

Pretty sure this was meant to combo with Yet Another Aether Vortex.

The_Hittite wrote: ↑

3 years ago

Pretty sure this was meant to combo with Yet Another Aether Vortex.

It can be used with many cards, but yeah.

Of course, whenever I see the name, I think of Lay Bare. Too much French in my brain, I guess.

Saturday, April 17th, 2021; Grip of Phyresis

I've always wanted to try this, but it just never makes the cut. Relying on my opponents to play equipment to do anything at all puts the floor of this card a bit too low in my eyes.

While most casual games will have a lightning greaves or a swiftfoot boots or a sword, I just don't know that this is worth a card. I would rather play something that covers more, like Confiscation Coup.

Maybe this is the type of perfect card to have had cycling.

It only hit me now that the Germ immediately could die unless the equipment pumps its stats. The instant-speed is good, but this card is a meta call. I'm using Thieving Skydiver instead.

I wish this were {b/r} so I could have an extra set of footwear in Kaalia that can also steal away a clutch sword trigger someone was counting on. I suspect people are sleeping on this because they might not always keep the Germ, which is the wrong side of the equation to focus on. Think of it as more the chocolate sprinkles to your ice creme, or the hot secks to your steamy friends with benefits arrangement, it's an enhancer to a good situation.

3drinks wrote: ↑

3 years ago

I wish this were {b/r} so I could have an extra set of footwear in Kaalia that can also steal away a clutch sword trigger someone was counting on. I suspect people are sleeping on this because they might not always keep the Germ, which is the wrong side of the equation to focus on. Think of it as more the chocolate sprinkles to your ice creme, or the hot secks to your steamy friends with benefits arrangement, it's an enhancer to a good situation.

I think that most people sleep on it because it relies on opponents actually having equipment worth stealing in any given game.

First of all, not all decks really want most equipment. Even generically good equipment like swords need you to be able to consistently have a critter that wants to attack. The germ helps there by providing one, but once its gone some decks will struggle to make effective use of the equipment. Its always worthwhile to steal Boots or Lightning Greaves to protect your commander, or Skullclamp to deny it to an opponent and immediately draw 2 from the germ dying. though.

Second, your opponents just might not have any equipment, rendering this a dead card. Because of how specific a target equipment is, there's a pretty solid chance of this happening, which means that when you decide to run this you have to accept that there's a significant chance it will be a dead draw.

Third, when a card has a decent chance of being a dead draw, you want it to have a high ceiling when it IS active, and the ceiling for this is going to be rather mediocre most of the time. Getting rid of a good piece of equipment and getting it for yourself is pretty good, but not enough to risk how often the card isn't useful or only has mediocre targets. Most of the time, your best bet is grabbing a good sword, Greaves/Boots, or Skullclamp.

So the value of this card rises and falls based on the kind of deck its in (decks that can more readily utilize equipment without worrying about the germ get more value from it when it hits mediocre targets, and when it hits good targets like swords), and what decks its facing. It starts looking really nice when its ran in a deck that wants equipment, and enemy swords show up every game, or metas where there are some bomb.com weapons floating around. Elsewhere, its going to underperform.

I do like the idea of holding open Disallow mana, having people play around that, then attacking into this spell instead.

This spell making a creature to attach to (even if it dies) is another benefit compared to Magnetic Theft.

Sweet card, but it's hard for find a slot for Grip of Phyresis. Not every deck has equipment to steal, and not every deck wants equipment in the first place. It's certainly strong when it comes up, but in general feels narrow.

I suppose its primary use case is going to be as artifact removal in a deck that otherwise lacks it.... but with the printing of Ravenform and Resculpt, that's not actually an issue anymore for blue decks. The other obvious use case would be to steal things for your own voltron deck, but that begs the question of 'why not just run Fabricate to fetch your own equipment'?

...I could almost see myself running it in my Thada deck for a pretty niche use case - after I steal an equipment with Thada, it's possible for an opponent to bounce it back to hand, or to kill + recur it. So, after an opponent spends some effort to reclaim a stolen equipment that I've tutored from their deck, I could potentially steal it back. That is... incredibly niche, but given how much the deck wants access to Lightning Greaves / Swiftfoot Boots, it could certainly come up. I think I'd still run Fabricate or Deadeye Quartermaster first though.

Beyond that... would be brutal against voltron decks in Kess, and it's possible I could loot it away if it looks bad. Hmm... Maybe if you have a way to toolbox it?

Too narrow for me. Equipment is kinda fading out of fashion in EDH and has been since the old Sword of Feast and Famine days anyway.

Used to be you couldn't play a game without someone trying to jitte or sofi or whatever but little value weenies and swords are just something I basically never see from anyone but me. I do see some Sword of the Animist and Dowsing Dagger // Lost Vale still now and then I guess but much less regularly than I used to see Umezawa's Jitte.

Interestingly, Jitte still utterly dominates games when unchecked, it's just that more people run removal for artifacts/enchantments I think? Like every deck seems to have several pieces now which was not the norm back the day. You could occasionally just roflstomp an entire game with a JItte.

Okay, what equipment are you likely to use?

Lightning Greaves and the like. Basically anything granting shroud, hexproof, or haste.
Swords. Well, most of them.
Basilisk Collar
Mask of Memory
..
Maybe a few more, like a lifegain deck might like Loxodon Warhammer, or Explorer's Scope with enough dig.

This is way too narrow for anyone to really use.

pokken wrote: ↑

3 years ago

Too narrow for me. Equipment is kinda fading out of fashion in EDH and has been since the old Sword of Feast and Famine days anyway.

Used to be you couldn't play a game without someone trying to jitte or sofi or whatever but little value weenies and swords are just something I basically never see from anyone but me. I do see some Sword of the Animist and Dowsing Dagger // Lost Vale still now and then I guess but much less regularly than I used to see Umezawa's Jitte.

Interestingly, Jitte still utterly dominates games when unchecked, it's just that more people run removal for artifacts/enchantments I think? Like every deck seems to have several pieces now which was not the norm back the day. You could occasionally just roflstomp an entire game with a JItte.

Who on earth would say equipment is fading out? Unless you're in a meta that says lol combat and believes the only way to play is solitary combo, there's always a use for equipment. And if not, make it so. Introduce some monarch and force the non interactive combo players to try and remember how to do combat math to get the monarch.

But, I feel to many players look down snobbishly on "the poors" that still try to attack like it was some primitive tech archeologists just discovered like a tool used by cavemen. It's such a wierd take.

3drinks wrote: ↑

3 years ago

Who on earth would say equipment is fading out? Unless you're in a meta that says lol combat and believes the only way to play is solitary combo, there's always a use for equipment. And if not, make it so. Introduce some monarch and force the non interactive combo players to try and remember how to do combat math to get the monarch.

But, I feel do many players look down snobbishly on "the poors" that still try to attack like it was some primitive tech archeologists just discovered like a tool used by cavemen. It's such a wierd take.

Oh, we're still very combatty in my meta people just rarely are suiting up outside of voltron. It's more anthems and pumps - stuff like Akroma's Will kinda starting to replace equip for me.

With all the spot removal people are running these days I find suiting up to be risking a 2-for-1 and a huge tempo blast but that's just my experience.

Sunday, April 18th, 2021; Vodalian Mage



"When your playgroup refuses to play against your stupid Patron Wizard lock."

But no srsly, this card is junk. Let's talk about Patron Wizard, and how "clever" a person must be to have "discovered" the interaction between this and Intruder Alarm.

Vodalian Mage, yet another completely unplayable Fallen Empires card. I remember when that set came out and trying to make its various weak cards into a coherent deck. These are not particularly fond memories.

Patron Wizard, on the other hand, is amazing in wizard tribal, even without Intruder Alarm.

Not completely unplayable. I can see it seeing play in a 3+ color deck, where Patron Wizard's uuu might be seen as too much. And of course copies.

Mundungu is cooler
Perfect for when your opponent plays Platinum Emperion

...I don't get it, what's so exciting about Intruder Alarm with patron wizard? Unless you have a Lullmage Mentor...but then why would your opponents cast something knowing you can counter it and get value? Or are we flashing in creatures or making tokens or something? Or are we letting a creature resolve and then countering the next spell (but then wouldn't they probably just not cast creatures unless it would break up your board state)? I'm lost.

DirkGently wrote: ↑

3 years ago

...I don't get it, what's so exciting about Intruder Alarm with patron wizard? Unless you have a Lullmage Mentor...but then why would your opponents cast something knowing you can counter it and get value? Or are we flashing in creatures or making tokens or something? Or are we letting a creature resolve and then countering the next spell (but then wouldn't they probably just not cast creatures unless it would break up your board state)? I'm lost.

If they don't cast creatures, they aren't creating a clock. If they do anything remotely threatening, you counter them into oblivion. If they try to pass, you get to untap and act unopposed, lest they attempt to respond in vain. It's a catch-22 situation.