[SCD] Dress Down

[Avacyn Believer]

First, I hope [SCD] is the right tag, I can't find a list anywhere

But anyway, Dress Down. I pulled this card out of a pack recently, and thought it is neat... but I am struggling to decide where to put it, if anywhere. Does anyone here play it? Have you found some fun/unique use for it beside responding to a boardwipe that would otherwise favour someone (like their creatures having indestructible). That's the only use I can think of, and I feel like I am missing something.

Thanks!

[DirkGently]

It can respond to a lot of combos, counter an etb, potentially screw up combat math, or let you play a Phyrexian Dreadnought without sacrificing anything. Could let you skip a round of cumulative upkeep. Not a ton of negative abilities on new cards, but there might be older ones where you could use it proactively like with dreadnought. Otherwise I think it's just a funky sort of answer that typically won't be permanent, but does draw a card. I guess that also makes it good in a blink deck like Brago, King Eternal...or it would except that it turns off brago and all your other etbs.

I think it's pretty versatile and low cost thanks to the cantrip, but being typically impermanent usually keeps me off it.

[Serenade]

I run it in Zegana, Utopian Speaker. It's saved me from flying lethal, deathtouch, indestructible. (My creatures end up with no abilities but are usually bigger from counters.) Everyone thinks you're holding up a counterspell.

[tstorm823]

It's not much, but it also lets you attack with defenders for a turn.

[duducrash]

Does it stop thoracle?

[Mookie]

Does it stop thoracle?

Yes, it stops all creature ETB and death triggers. (although obviously not triggers from noncreatures)

Anyway... Dress Down seems like a fine inclusion for many decks - at the very least, two mana to soft-counter an ETB creature and draw a card seems reasonable. On the flip side, it's not as flexible as an actual counterspell, nor as efficient as a more traditional cantrip, and that's before you start to consider any synergies for casting instants. The cantrip also adds a bit of tension to the card - it will often be tempting to fire off for marginal value instead of saving it to stop a key combo turn.

There are a few decks that I would definitely run it in though. Tuvasa the Sunlit is one of them - there aren't that many enchantments with flash, so it's a nice way to get bonus Tuvasa value on an opponent's turn. Stopping Reclamation Sage and Bane of Progress is also a nice upside, since it can be hard to fit lots of countermagic / non-enchantments in Tuvasa. I would also consider it in Rashmi, Eternities Crafter or Nymris, Oona's Trickster, two more decks that work well with flash. There aren't many decks that benefit from removing your own creatures' abilities, but could also be sweet in Lord of Tresserhorn.

[Avacyn Believer]

Not a ton of negative abilities on new cards, but there might be older ones where you could use it proactively like with dreadnought. Otherwise I think it's just a funky sort of answer that typically won't be permanent, but does draw a card.

Thanks, that is an angle I didn't think about, to consider my own cards that have negative effects. Though struggling to think if I even have a deck like that.

I run it in Zegana, Utopian Speaker. It's saved me from flying lethal, deathtouch, indestructible. (My creatures end up with no abilities but are usually bigger from counters.) Everyone thinks you're holding up a counterspell.

Not a bad shout, I could put it into my +1/+1 proliferate deck (also simic lol). It's Golem themed so the abilities ain't that important for one turn.

It's not much, but it also lets you attack with defenders for a turn.

Definitely didn't think of this, I have not yet been tempted to build a Defender tribal deck

Does it stop thoracle?

I think it would if you cast it in response to casting Oracle? Since the Dress Down stays on the battlefield, she enters and does nothing. And I see Mookie answered first as I was typing this lol

Anyway... Dress Down seems like a fine inclusion for many decks - at the very least, two mana to soft-counter an ETB creature and draw a card seems reasonable. On the flip side, it's not as flexible as an actual counterspell, nor as efficient as a more traditional cantrip, and that's before you start to consider any synergies for casting instants.

So overall I don't think I am missing something, it's just a niche card that can find home in some decks, but as you said it's not as efficient than cantrips and counters. I'll have a look through my decks, see if it can find useful home or if it'll sit in a box until a suitable deck shows up.

Thanks everyone.

[toctheyounger]

Late to the party but I think it's pretty decent. It cantrips to replace itself in hand, it answers things that few other cards can, and has a ton of flexibility in what it can do. .

It'll shut down Thoracle, yes, as well as Craterhoof Behemoth or Gray Merchant of Asphodel for the more casual setting. That won't win you the game, but often it means a big tempo swing for the person trying to go off, usually there's a fair amount of resource going into that.

It also shuts down attack triggers, for something like, say Isshin, Two Heavens as One or Kaalia of the Vast or Sun Titan or whatever.

Notably, and dissimilarly to Humility, the creatures keep their stats, so I guess that could be useful to hose a keyword attack or get through with your own tokens or whatever.

The other neat trick I've heard of is playing it end of the end step so it'll last through an opponent's full turn before going to the graveyard. I guess if you know the strike is coming you can save yourself a turn cycle to figure something out.

I think it's pretty cool.

[Avacyn Believer]

The other neat trick I've heard of is playing it end of the end step so it'll last through an opponent's full turn before going to the graveyard. I guess if you know the strike is coming you can save yourself a turn cycle to figure something out.

Oh that's neat, since its at the beginning and not at the end of the end step. It does sound useful to shut down creature combos, I'll definitely will put it into one deck to see how useful it can be.

[materpillar]

I run it in Lazav, the Multifarious because I run a bunch of janky cards that want to eat a Torpor Orb effect like Eater of Days. So I can use it pro-actively but it also houses so so so many combos. It's always pretty solid and people never expect it.

[onering]

I used to run it in Flash Tribal draw go. It got bonus points there for having flash and thus interacting with a couple of things, but not as much as it would get in enchantress or something similar, and it was competing with a fairly high density of answers. Even then, it was solid. It was only relevant about half the time I drew it, but that doesn't matter much because it can just be cast to essentially cycle it when you have a couple extra mana lying around, so it's a very low opportunity cost to run it. It's not as narrow as it looks, so it's relevant often enough, and while blowing someone out with it is rare, having it just be a stifle that draws a card for 2 mana is pretty good.