Strictly worse Desperate Ritual is so bad. SSG is a 0 mana ritual that give R AND can be played as a creature, it's so much better it isn't even funny.
Lich, on the other hand, seems really interesting and flavorful, even if it isn't the safest play of your life.
Because all Pauper storm needed was another ritual...
Actually, I'm not too upset about this because Pauper storm hasn't been doing well in the counter-heavy meta, but if it were I would be raising hell. Hehe.
I'm quite excited about the lich.. for some reason. Even just because he's an indestructable 5/5 for three black! Could see play in limited, if someone's lucky.
I wish my 4/4s with haste and first strike that acted as Goblin Warchiefs were better and didn't die to instants and overshadowed all other 4 drops in the format. And that they had evasion too, and some way to dodge wrath effects.
Lich's casting cost is actually pretty restrictive to be consistent, which is what an aggressive aggro deck wants (which is the deck that could best utilize a 5/5 for 3). With what we have now, it seems like this guy is nice to run alongside a Stoneforge Mystic deck, or even put this guy an Eldrazi Monument deck. I don't think either options are competitive though, so this guy's value will mostly hinge on SoM as everyone else is saying.
I like the lich, and I am sure once SoM rolls around he will get a whole lot better. May get some ahead of time, or at least one for my savra EDH deck.
I could be missing something, but Pyretic Ritual is strictly worse than Simian Spirit Guide, right?
Not quite. If you have, for instance, a Swamp and Dragonskull Summit, and want to cast Ball Lightning, you can with the ritual, and not with SSG. But there are only 8 cards in standard that have :symr::symr::symr: in their mana cost, the most played of which is Ball Lightning.
i'm not sure if it was mentioned, but the lich rocks. hard.
multiple phylactery counters on the field means it needs a pte or gg. two lichs can be on the field as longs as there is one counter out (opponents field not included).
vice versa, if your first lich is purged, the second has two counters to back it. Comforting almost. =]
i think red ramp will be more than accepted, but not for mono red. Lol @ ball lightning dropping from an uwr deck. Or obsidian fireheart in a more controlling light.
the SoM discussion is about the set being less arti intensive than before, far less. no one said anything about artifacts not being in the set at all. thats removing an aspect of the game and is absolutely silly to assume. just dont expect the over 100 arti cards Mirrodin had.
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Skill is an ability that relates more so to the type of deck that's built and how said player pilots it. It also relates to the ability to assess the board and use the cards available to you in the most optimal way relative to each situation.
When a deck is filled with above par cards and every play is solid, there comes a diminishing need to "think" for the lack of wanting to use a better word.
Wasn't Rite of Flame available for the last extended season? I don't remember that card inspiring any Tier 1 combo decks, and that card is arguably better than this new ritual. If anything will encourage combo, it will be the depressed power of all the other decks, rather than the addition of a new storm card.
Also, Lotus Bloom is rotating in October... so what was that about ritual-based combo decks?
For standard something very simple to help him along where he is weak with lack of evasion. Even something as dumb as Kitesail could be amusing.
Or Whispersilk Cloak. That's just wrong. Indestructible, Shroud, Unblockable 5/5. As for non-equipment artifacts that can be used, Crystal Ball looks spiffy. But his star likely won't rise in earnest until SoM. Very cool though.
Also, yay Desperate Ritual - sans Kami block-specific ☺☺☺☺e. I love Tempo-based hyper-aggressive decks.
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Decks
Commander
Ezuri, Renegade Leader (Aggro/Combo - Favorite) Skullbriar, the Walking Grave (Sac and Grave hijinks) Azusa, Lost but Seeking (Landfall hijinks) Kaalia of the Vast (Heavily modded)
I am loving the core set's continued saturation of top-down flavor. M11 is outdoing M10 by leaps and bounds in that department, and I couldn't be happier.
I like the Lich quite a bit, but he is definitely better now than he will be come september, because there will be a lot more artifact hate printed. Unless there is a cheap indestructible artifact, which I doubt there will be, and even then, hexmage still wrecks him.
I think they could have gone another way with the lich, and gotten a similar flavor out of it. Maybe a 5/1 haste that puts a counter on an artifact when cast, and then at the beginning of each upkeep if you control a permanent with a counter, return him to play. It would be this powerful creature that you could kill easily, but he just keeps coming back and back unless you destroy his source.
If Lich is played, I see it in either U/B or R/B because of the borderposts. Not only are they "1-drop" artifacts but they help mana fix for the BBB
The thought of Sun Titaning him into play though is pretty funny... maybe they could print another good dredge engine like Hedron Crab
I think they could have gone another way with the lich, and gotten a similar flavor out of it. Maybe a 5/1 haste that puts a counter on an artifact when cast, and then at the beginning of each upkeep if you control a permanent with a counter, return him to play. It would be this powerful creature that you could kill easily, but he just keeps coming back and back unless you destroy his source.
That card would probably be R/B and cost a tad more. 5/1 recurring haste... seems a little too good
The Lich is very cool. People will design some very interesting decks around him.
I'm more familiar with the "other definition" of Phylactery - so when I saw the card name Phylactery Lich, I was expecting a picture of an old Rabbi wearing his Tefilin.
Ritual is 100% horrible. You could combo it with something like Chandra Ablaze, but I'd rather just cast something that would actually *do* something. Pyromancer Ascension would be another possibility, but again, doing something is more important to me.
The Lich on the other hand is pretty strong. Yeah, the possibility of getting 2 for 1'd is there, but if you're not, Basilisk Collar gives a 5/5 Indestructible, Life-link, Deathtouch creature for 3BBB that can attack turn four - which is awfully good. Triple Black makes playing mono-black a near requirement for this kind of thing to occur on a regular basis though.
I wonder if you would go mono-black with the Lich, or if there's still enough fixing in standard to be able to splash white effectively. I would love to be able to run Stoneforge Mystic to search out a Collar or Machete (or Trailblazer Boots? lol), plus maybe some Tidehollow Sculler action. Black/White doesn't lend itself to the borderposts, though, which are just a spectacular idea.
How about Scepter of Fugue? That looks more like a Lich's "pimp cane" than anything else
Guys, guys. How come NOBODY has thought of naming the Phylactery Lich deck "Pimp Chalice".
Hell, he screams to go with Everflowing Chalice! THERE'S HIS PIMP CUP! Combine it with Rod of Ruin for his PIMP CANE and Basilisk Collar for his PIMP CHAIN.
They should've just called this gentleman "Pimpin' Lich" cause he's all about the bling and smackin' around the womens AND the mens.
Enchant him with Presence of Gond and he can actually be a pimp of hot Elvish women.
Also, cool card is cool. Probably going to make it into my cube.
I just thought of how the ritual, while not the best card around, could be fun in Devastating Red. Mainly because Devastating Red makes my man-panties wet because I have loved the Sligh archetype for omgwtfzillion years. Its a nice little enabler to still rock the Devastating Summons/Goblin Bushwhacker on turn 3, even if your land drop comes into play tapped. Will give Kiln Fiend an extra little kick too. Drop T3 Teetering Peaks, then use the Ritual to cast Summons and Bushwacker, then you have Kiln Fiend swinging as a 10/2 on turn 3. If you got the T1 Goblin Guide, T2 Kiln Fiend, T3 Summons Bushwhacker god draws, thats swinging for 23 on turn 3.
Except for when Kiln Fiend gets Doom Bladed and your opponent lulz. otherwise, the ritual is meh.
Lich, on the other hand, seems really interesting and flavorful, even if it isn't the safest play of your life.
Actually, I'm not too upset about this because Pauper storm hasn't been doing well in the counter-heavy meta, but if it were I would be raising hell. Hehe.
My current decks!
http://tappedout.net/users/ThePhasewalker/
I want what WotC is smoking.
Not quite. If you have, for instance, a Swamp and Dragonskull Summit, and want to cast Ball Lightning, you can with the ritual, and not with SSG. But there are only 8 cards in standard that have :symr::symr::symr: in their mana cost, the most played of which is Ball Lightning.
multiple phylactery counters on the field means it needs a pte or gg. two lichs can be on the field as longs as there is one counter out (opponents field not included).
vice versa, if your first lich is purged, the second has two counters to back it. Comforting almost. =]
i think red ramp will be more than accepted, but not for mono red. Lol @ ball lightning dropping from an uwr deck. Or obsidian fireheart in a more controlling light.
the SoM discussion is about the set being less arti intensive than before, far less. no one said anything about artifacts not being in the set at all. thats removing an aspect of the game and is absolutely silly to assume. just dont expect the over 100 arti cards Mirrodin had.
Skill is an ability that relates more so to the type of deck that's built and how said player pilots it. It also relates to the ability to assess the board and use the cards available to you in the most optimal way relative to each situation.
When a deck is filled with above par cards and every play is solid, there comes a diminishing need to "think" for the lack of wanting to use a better word.
Also, Lotus Bloom is rotating in October... so what was that about ritual-based combo decks?
Reprint Seething Song! I want extended All-In-Red! Turn 3 Deus of Calamity or Demigod of Revenge every game? Sounds like fun to me!
Or Whispersilk Cloak. That's just wrong. Indestructible, Shroud, Unblockable 5/5. As for non-equipment artifacts that can be used, Crystal Ball looks spiffy. But his star likely won't rise in earnest until SoM. Very cool though.
Also, yay Desperate Ritual - sans Kami block-specific ☺☺☺☺e. I love Tempo-based hyper-aggressive decks.
Commander
Ezuri, Renegade Leader (Aggro/Combo - Favorite)
Skullbriar, the Walking Grave (Sac and Grave hijinks)
Azusa, Lost but Seeking (Landfall hijinks)
Kaalia of the Vast (Heavily modded)
Standard
Waiting for Innistrad...
Extended
Hah!
Modern
Living End Cascade (RGB)
Legacy
Burn
Vintage
None
Casual
WB Aggro-Control
Green Stompy
Pink Floyd (UWr Wall Control)
Lunch Box (Fatty ramp)
D-Bag (White Control)
Level 13 Task Mage
R Citizen Cane (Feldon of the Third Path)
I think they could have gone another way with the lich, and gotten a similar flavor out of it. Maybe a 5/1 haste that puts a counter on an artifact when cast, and then at the beginning of each upkeep if you control a permanent with a counter, return him to play. It would be this powerful creature that you could kill easily, but he just keeps coming back and back unless you destroy his source.
The thought of Sun Titaning him into play though is pretty funny... maybe they could print another good dredge engine like Hedron Crab
That card would probably be R/B and cost a tad more. 5/1 recurring haste... seems a little too good
I'm more familiar with the "other definition" of Phylactery - so when I saw the card name Phylactery Lich, I was expecting a picture of an old Rabbi wearing his Tefilin.
He was trying to illustrate how a RR for RRRR ritual would be broken.
The Lich on the other hand is pretty strong. Yeah, the possibility of getting 2 for 1'd is there, but if you're not, Basilisk Collar gives a 5/5 Indestructible, Life-link, Deathtouch creature for 3BBB that can attack turn four - which is awfully good. Triple Black makes playing mono-black a near requirement for this kind of thing to occur on a regular basis though.
How about Scepter of Fugue? That looks more like a Lich's "pimp cane" than anything else
Enchant him with Presence of Gond and he can actually be a pimp of hot Elvish women.
Also, cool card is cool. Probably going to make it into my cube.
Made by Bookworm10
Except for when Kiln Fiend gets Doom Bladed and your opponent lulz. otherwise, the ritual is meh.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm pretty sure there aren't any female monogreen Elf Warrior tokens...
R Citizen Cane (Feldon of the Third Path)
Oh well. Still a pretty flawless card.
Ritual is cool I guess. It's better than no red mana acceleration at all.
My Sharpie says otherwise.
Made by Bookworm10