Birds of Paradise? You know, one of G's staple mana dorks for years and years?
I don't think a 0 power mana dork in green is really color bleed just because it flies. Maybe an aggressive flier, but not a 0/1 mana dork.
As for the card, I don't understand how it's color bleed. "Refunding Mana" isn't exactly tied to one color, and mana acceleration was black for a long time (before MaRo came along iirc), but hasn't been really gotten any as of late.
As for the importance of color bleed, it IS important. Without the color pie, we may as well print anything in any color. The only time it should happen on purpose is when it fits flavorwise in the set (aka a colorshifted set). Giving colors things they arent supposed to have can also ruin balance (ala delver).
While this card is great for Limited (as most removal is), it's not very good for Constructed, in my opinion. The problem is that by turn four, I should have already played my 3-drop, and if my hand is clogged with three drops, then I built my deck wrong.
At 4cc, it's too slow vs aggro decks, and too reactive vs control decks. I'd much rather have a sweeper for 4cc, rather than sorcery speed spot removal.
Cantrip, ancient card, not really card draw as much as a tutor, ancient card, and enchantress (which also appears in white in Planar Chaos) at a time when they decided "Hey, let's just give white everything!"
It WAS, but they prolly won't reprint it. Color pies keep changing.
In standard there is no green flyer.
In general, green doesn't get any evasion. There are a few reasons for this, all of them a Bose-Einstein condensate of fail which, if allowed to grow, will eventually get so large as to make the universe collapse on itself with its gravity. I've heard it was for more synergy with Lure, but that's a lie, since they don't print Lure effects or provoke enough for it to matter, and the last provoke card was an overcosted equipment. I assume R&D thinks cards like Plummet have to exist to balance the game, which is like saying One with Nothing exists to balance out Adamaro, First to Desire: Your argument is bad and you should feel bad. (But even then, I can at least theoretically make something useful out of OWN in a madness/hellbent deck.)
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Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
It WAS, but they prolly won't reprint it. Color pies keep changing.
In standard there is no green flyer.
Prolly is not a word. Although, I do see what you mean; birds was last printed what feels like forever ago(m12). Actually that wasn't long ago at all, hmm. And since it wasn't in this core set I suppose we will have to wait til the next one to see if it gets a reprint there because they would never print it outside of a core set. Wait, what? They did that too?!? Geez, we'll.. Huh? Anyway it's unlikely it will be reprinted in Theros, a theme set dealing with gods and such, I mean it's not like birds of paradise has a nickname like bird of the gods or anything.
Quick note to stay on topic: at 2bb this will see play, but at 3bb only fringe, jmho
Sure. It's clean. It's something we havent seen before. It's sweet in limited. Plus, it's a good constructed skill tester. People are going to auto-include it because "Add BBB" is a really solid trap. Some are going to believe it's a Dark Ritual. Other's are going a step further but are still going to be like 'It costs 1 mana.' It's hard to see the drawback of waiting until your fourth turn like Serra Avenger, and it's even harder to see the drawback of needing another castable card in hand in a color that likes to simplify the board with 1-1 trades.
Serra Avenger is a formerly great card that saw lots of play the first time around and would see play now if they didn't print Restoration Angel. Being able to drop a 3/3 flying vigilance and hold up for another spell or drop a second creature is nice. In the current format however, we have people playing restoration angel on 4 which trumps her and then some, we don't have a good 2 mana counterspell to hold up after casting her, and the aggressive creatures are just as big as or bigger than her. The rock deck going around right now however could use 1-2 copies of liturgy quite effectively if it is 4 mana. One of the problems the deck has is that sometimes you need to be able to cast 2 spells a turn (especially vs. opposing thratusks or undying creatures) but since so many of it's spells are 3+ mana, you often are unable to do so. Killing a creature then dropping a threat lets you turn the tempo swing back in your favor and regain the initiative. You don't always want it in your hand, so you don't want 4 copies, but having 1-2 in the deck lets you out of situations that otherwise would be insurmountable.
Last block with "free" spells was during Urza's block. Untapping x lands was not the greatest idea.
Phyrexian mana was essentially free. Life loss is clearly a cost, but as delver proved, it's a pretty minor one. Heck, one of the phyrexian mana spells got the axe in both modern and legacy.
Yeah, but there's a reason Rewind sees so little play. It's the opportunity cost of playing a 4-drop. Like there's a reason Time Warp isn't all over legacy even though it has Cycling: 0. You have to wait until turn 5 to have that ability. If you draw the card before then, it just does nothing. Since a deck needs to do things before turn 4, the slot you are using for this card has to be taken away from a slot that would have otherwise been used for an actual threat.
Rewind sees so little play in part because the decks that could play it don't have many effective follow ups. Look at bant flash for an example of a deck that can handle rewind (yes I know it dropped out of the metagame). Following up a rewind with advent of the wurm or restoration angel can be an enormous tempo swing, and even just being able to defeat test spells by countering and representing another counter can be game winning. Playing a 4 drop does not auto preclude a deck from playing threats, and a deck does need to do things before turn 4, but it's not like a deck can't run cards that cost 4 or more and be viable. The difficulty with rewind isn't simply that it costs 4, it's that in order to use it you have to hold 4 mana open and it restricts your ability to play other spells and still hold up for countermagic. When your threats can come out at instant speed you can utilize it effectively however.
In general, green doesn't get any evasion. There are a few reasons for this, all of them a Bose-Einstein condensate of fail which, if allowed to grow, will eventually get so large as to make the universe collapse on itself with its gravity. I've heard it was for more synergy with Lure, but that's a lie, since they don't print Lure effects or provoke enough for it to matter, and the last provoke card was an overcosted equipment. I assume R&D thinks cards like Plummet have to exist to balance the game, which is like saying One with Nothing exists to balance out Adamaro, First to Desire: Your argument is bad and you should feel bad. (But even then, I can at least theoretically make something useful out of OWN in a madness/hellbent deck.)
Green 'evasion' usually consists of Trample and super-trample (Thorn Elemental). It isn't the same as flying/unblockable, but it works well enough when you have the bigger creatures.....which green usually does.
Seriously though, at 4 mana it looks like a great tempo cards for heavy black decks. At 5 mana it looks like a good limited card, and a barely-not-good-enough constructed card.
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Some facts of magic:
-Terror is an emotion which, when experienced, results in death.
-The pox was a disease notorious for having killed one-third, rounded up, of Europe’s population. Smallpox, on the other hand, killed only a single person.
-A person riding a horse cannot be stopped by foot soldiers, large animals, walls, archers, or even catapults.
Scyrb Sprites was from when faeries were green. So that doesn't count as well. Also, color bleed isn't what keeps the game interesting. In fact, color bleed makes each color less unique, and the game gets less interesting.
It just saddens me a bit that it is even worse than we expected it to be.
It's exactly as I said it would be. People just started suggesting it was 1 less mana because 2 and 3 are difficult to tell apart at low quality shots.
Strange card. I like that they're trying to give black back its fast mana. Black's color pie has lost more and more in recent years, especially to red and green.
But seriously? Sorcery speed fast mana, stapled to a clunky and non-splashable FIVE MANA removal? I can't think of a single sorcery speed ritual spell in other sets--that's because they'd be almost useless.
I'd play it in Limited, but utter jank anywhere else.
The ability to cast this and follow it with a Doom Blade is actually just fine IMO. If only there was Infest. LoB killing their biggest guy followed by Infest wiping the rest would be very good against aggressive or even midrange decks. Sadly no Infest, and while Shrivel is decent, it won't do much in a meta full of x/2 x/3 and x/4's. How about LoB followed by Liliana of the Veil? That's a pretty solid play on turn 5. You don't even have to cast a 3 mana spell, as chaining this into a 2 mana spell is just fine as well.
This will still see some play as a 1-2 of in Mostly Black Control decks. Mark my words.
The ability to cast this and follow it with a Doom Blade is actually just fine IMO. If only there was Infest. LoB killing their biggest guy followed by Infest wiping the rest would be very good against aggressive or even midrange decks. Sadly no Infest, and while Shrivel is decent, it won't do much in a meta full of x/2 x/3 and x/4's. How about LoB followed by Liliana of the Veil? That's a pretty solid play on turn 5. You don't even have to cast a 3 mana spell, as chaining this into a 2 mana spell is just fine as well.
This will still see some play as a 1-2 of in Mostly Black Control decks. Mark my words.
I'm happy to see this card, but the truth is that this is simply high quality limited removal, not a constructed card. People are misunderstanding the audience.
The ability to cast this and follow it with a Doom Blade is actually just fine IMO. If only there was Infest. LoB killing their biggest guy followed by Infest wiping the rest would be very good against aggressive or even midrange decks. Sadly no Infest, and while Shrivel is decent, it won't do much in a meta full of x/2 x/3 and x/4's. How about LoB followed by Liliana of the Veil? That's a pretty solid play on turn 5. You don't even have to cast a 3 mana spell, as chaining this into a 2 mana spell is just fine as well.
This will still see some play as a 1-2 of in Mostly Black Control decks. Mark my words.
This wont see constructed play.
No reason to run this over any other removal spell. Other removal is instant and costs 2 mana by itself and can be used before turn 5! At 4cc the ability to cast a 3 drop along side unconditional removal for 4 mana is not available otherwise and so might have seen play. At 5cc not a chance.
Even at 4 mana it wouldn't be a constructed card. It's a high pick common for limited. Doom Blade is the constructed removal.
And Doom Blade got bumped up to uncommon. If that's not disheartening I don't know what else is. Do they want even fewer options for removal? At a 5 CMC Liturgy should have been an instant at the very least.
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"7,015 creatures in existence. They all die to removal."
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At least they tried. 5cc makes this a 2 of in fringe decks. After rotation there will be no Gerelf's Messenger or Liliana of the Veil.
Maybe it'll see some play in Modern (for the above cards and Gatekeeper of Malakir), but I doubt it.
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White has had card draw. Plenty of it. Survival Cache Armistice Squadron Hawk Convalescent Care Kor Spiritdancer Yada Yada
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I don't think a 0 power mana dork in green is really color bleed just because it flies. Maybe an aggressive flier, but not a 0/1 mana dork.
As for the card, I don't understand how it's color bleed. "Refunding Mana" isn't exactly tied to one color, and mana acceleration was black for a long time (before MaRo came along iirc), but hasn't been really gotten any as of late.
As for the importance of color bleed, it IS important. Without the color pie, we may as well print anything in any color. The only time it should happen on purpose is when it fits flavorwise in the set (aka a colorshifted set). Giving colors things they arent supposed to have can also ruin balance (ala delver).
At 4cc, it's too slow vs aggro decks, and too reactive vs control decks. I'd much rather have a sweeper for 4cc, rather than sorcery speed spot removal.
*cough* *cough* uncommon
But I see your point. It just seems too complicated, relative to Doom Blade, which is an uncommon now.
Cantrip, ancient card, not really card draw as much as a tutor, ancient card, and enchantress (which also appears in white in Planar Chaos) at a time when they decided "Hey, let's just give white everything!"
In general, green doesn't get any evasion. There are a few reasons for this, all of them a Bose-Einstein condensate of fail which, if allowed to grow, will eventually get so large as to make the universe collapse on itself with its gravity. I've heard it was for more synergy with Lure, but that's a lie, since they don't print Lure effects or provoke enough for it to matter, and the last provoke card was an overcosted equipment. I assume R&D thinks cards like Plummet have to exist to balance the game, which is like saying One with Nothing exists to balance out Adamaro, First to Desire: Your argument is bad and you should feel bad. (But even then, I can at least theoretically make something useful out of OWN in a madness/hellbent deck.)
On phasing:
Prolly is not a word. Although, I do see what you mean; birds was last printed what feels like forever ago(m12). Actually that wasn't long ago at all, hmm. And since it wasn't in this core set I suppose we will have to wait til the next one to see if it gets a reprint there because they would never print it outside of a core set. Wait, what? They did that too?!? Geez, we'll.. Huh? Anyway it's unlikely it will be reprinted in Theros, a theme set dealing with gods and such, I mean it's not like birds of paradise has a nickname like bird of the gods or anything.
Quick note to stay on topic: at 2bb this will see play, but at 3bb only fringe, jmho
Serra Avenger is a formerly great card that saw lots of play the first time around and would see play now if they didn't print Restoration Angel. Being able to drop a 3/3 flying vigilance and hold up for another spell or drop a second creature is nice. In the current format however, we have people playing restoration angel on 4 which trumps her and then some, we don't have a good 2 mana counterspell to hold up after casting her, and the aggressive creatures are just as big as or bigger than her. The rock deck going around right now however could use 1-2 copies of liturgy quite effectively if it is 4 mana. One of the problems the deck has is that sometimes you need to be able to cast 2 spells a turn (especially vs. opposing thratusks or undying creatures) but since so many of it's spells are 3+ mana, you often are unable to do so. Killing a creature then dropping a threat lets you turn the tempo swing back in your favor and regain the initiative. You don't always want it in your hand, so you don't want 4 copies, but having 1-2 in the deck lets you out of situations that otherwise would be insurmountable.
Phyrexian mana was essentially free. Life loss is clearly a cost, but as delver proved, it's a pretty minor one. Heck, one of the phyrexian mana spells got the axe in both modern and legacy.
Rewind sees so little play in part because the decks that could play it don't have many effective follow ups. Look at bant flash for an example of a deck that can handle rewind (yes I know it dropped out of the metagame). Following up a rewind with advent of the wurm or restoration angel can be an enormous tempo swing, and even just being able to defeat test spells by countering and representing another counter can be game winning. Playing a 4 drop does not auto preclude a deck from playing threats, and a deck does need to do things before turn 4, but it's not like a deck can't run cards that cost 4 or more and be viable. The difficulty with rewind isn't simply that it costs 4, it's that in order to use it you have to hold 4 mana open and it restricts your ability to play other spells and still hold up for countermagic. When your threats can come out at instant speed you can utilize it effectively however.
Wizards is aware of birds being outside of green's normal color pie and would have replaced it long ago but for the fact that it was iconic.
Scryb Sprite then? ;-p
Green 'evasion' usually consists of Trample and super-trample (Thorn Elemental). It isn't the same as flying/unblockable, but it works well enough when you have the bigger creatures.....which green usually does.
Assuming it's 2BB:
Turn 4
- Play a land
- Kill their Loxodon Smiter
- Cast Lifebane Zombie taking Thragtusk
- ????
- WIN!
Seriously though, at 4 mana it looks like a great tempo cards for heavy black decks. At 5 mana it looks like a good limited card, and a barely-not-good-enough constructed card.
-Terror is an emotion which, when experienced, results in death.
-The pox was a disease notorious for having killed one-third, rounded up, of Europe’s population. Smallpox, on the other hand, killed only a single person.
-A person riding a horse cannot be stopped by foot soldiers, large animals, walls, archers, or even catapults.
More facts of magic
Driving Stick with Isochron Scepter.
Trinkets and Treasure: An Artificer's Toolbox.
Proc Drops: Playing with One Drops.
Deck Primer: Toshiro Umezawa
WR Heroic
Modern
FISH
Legacy
FISH
EDH
Hanna, Ship Navigator - Enchantments
Sygg, River Guide - Fish Tribal
Mayael, the Anima - Power5orGreater
Zedruu, the Greathearted - Gifts
Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker - 1 Power Recursion
Roon of the Hidden Realm - ETB Triggers
Edric, Spymaster of Trent - TurboFog
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind - Shapeshifters *IN PROGRESS*
Krenko, Mob Boss - Goblins *IN PROGRESS*
And it costs 5.....well I guess we're used to black not being allowed to have nice things by now.
I suppose it isn't terrible.....but this is a big step away from what we were hoping it was.
Even at 4 mana it wouldn't be a constructed card. It's a high pick common for limited. Doom Blade is the constructed removal.
It just saddens me a bit that it is even worse than we expected it to be.
It's exactly as I said it would be. People just started suggesting it was 1 less mana because 2 and 3 are difficult to tell apart at low quality shots.
But seriously? Sorcery speed fast mana, stapled to a clunky and non-splashable FIVE MANA removal? I can't think of a single sorcery speed ritual spell in other sets--that's because they'd be almost useless.
I'd play it in Limited, but utter jank anywhere else.
Current Abrupt Decay count: 18
My decks:
EDH
UWR Numot, the Devastator
UB Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker
BRG Prossh, Skyraider of Kher
WU Hanna, Ship's Navigator
BBB King Macar, the Gold-Cursed
Standard
I've sworn it off. Non-rotating formats are where it's at.
This will still see some play as a 1-2 of in Mostly Black Control decks. Mark my words.
Why run this over Dreadbore?
I'm happy to see this card, but the truth is that this is simply high quality limited removal, not a constructed card. People are misunderstanding the audience.
This wont see constructed play.
No reason to run this over any other removal spell. Other removal is instant and costs 2 mana by itself and can be used before turn 5! At 4cc the ability to cast a 3 drop along side unconditional removal for 4 mana is not available otherwise and so might have seen play. At 5cc not a chance.
And Doom Blade got bumped up to uncommon. If that's not disheartening I don't know what else is. Do they want even fewer options for removal? At a 5 CMC Liturgy should have been an instant at the very least.
An actor without a director is but a mannequin.
While a director without a writer is unemployed.
But ultimately a writer without words is dead.
~R. D. Newman
"7,015 creatures in existence. They all die to removal."
Never before has a boy wanted more...zombie slaying.
GP Vegas: It was once in a lifetime!
On Vault of the Archangel
Maybe it'll see some play in Modern (for the above cards and Gatekeeper of Malakir), but I doubt it.