Cool green cards. Nothing super exciting there but still cool cards.
I dont think the red devil is all that great, but then again it is a reasonable body that lets you see more cards so maybe?
Basic Land art is the coolest thing here, I especially like the Mountain with the building in it and the islands. Good stuff
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The true mind can weather all the lies and illusions without being lost. The true heart can tough the poison of hatred without being harmed. Since beginning-less time, darkness thrives in the void but always yields to purifying light.
I invision a future where one is not mighty when he can silence a crowd with brutality,
but when he leaves them speechless with wisdom.
Oh look, they decided to continue Zendikar's theme of ruining otherwise good land art with geometric crap. First hedrons, now cryptolyphs. God dammit WotC.
Yeah, the cryptoliths are so prominent and disruptive in the arts.... /sarcasm
Seriously, hedrons - yes. But the cryptolits seem almost organic, and look exactly the amount of alien as they shall.
The lands are simply beautiful. And the green cards...well, this set is going to be a blast.
And Sin Prodder...yuck. This card has hardly a downside.
Look at Rocha's swamp and tell me it wouldn't be better without the "not a sliver" cryptolyph on it.
I like Sin Prodder. It might be a bit costly CMC wise in other formats besides standard, but possibly not by much. It's just at that awkward "3-drop need immediate impact" slot, and you need a full turn and a juicy top-deck to make it worth while. However, if it sticks, it's more often than not going to be 3 unblockable damage, it is most definetly a P1P1 in limited, though. I'm still not sold on "clues.dec", it just seems slow for the payoff. If the format is re-introduced to metalcraft or affinity(lol) then sure, but I don't see enough payoff yet in the spoilers.
Sin Prodder is yet another trap/"punisher" card. You'll never get what you want from it.
I think this is a lot closer to a playable punisher card then we have seen before. Other versions have been one off effects. Having to face burn or let your opponent draw extra cards every turn till you kill this guy with no extra investment from the person who played the card is a lot better than browbeat. Add to that decent combat stats and we may have a great card here. Certainly a bomb in limited.
Oh look, they decided to continue Zendikar's theme of ruining otherwise good land art with geometric crap. First hedrons, now cryptolyphs. God dammit WotC.
Yeah, the cryptoliths are so prominent and disruptive in the arts.... /sarcasm
Seriously, hedrons - yes. But the cryptolits seem almost organic, and look exactly the amount of alien as they shall.
The lands are simply beautiful. And the green cards...well, this set is going to be a blast.
And Sin Prodder...yuck. This card has hardly a downside.
Look at Rocha's swamp and tell me it wouldn't be better without the "not a sliver" cryptolyph on it.
They're only in one of each of the 3 lands, and even then they aren't that intrusive compared to Zendikar's hedrons. The swamp you mentioned is the most prominent of the bunch.
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My Commander decks:
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
Tireless Tracker is very similar in function to Seer's Sundial, but at a lower cost with a more flexible payment schedule, in addition to being a 3+ point presence on the board. But if your opponent is more likely to play Shock instead of Smelt, which they probably are, this is more vulnerable.
It requires an answer quickly or will pull you ahead in the long game in both card advantage and battlefield presence, which is a lot to say for a 3-mana creature. That's the mana cost where you don't mind drawing out removal too much, and if you play it post turn 3 with a land in hand, the removal needs to be instant speed to keep you from at least cantripping (when you get around to sacrificing the Clue).
This card is, because of the nature of punisher cards, worse than either:
2R
3/2
Menace
At the beginning of your upkeep, reveal the top card and put it in your hand. (No draw.)
Or
2R
3/2
Menace
At the beginning of your upkeep, mill yourself for 1 and deal damage equal to milled card's CMC to target player.
So it's worse than either of these. OTOH, both of those are excellent.
This card is cheap enough to go into aggro decks which can be mostly interchangeable. In such a deck, you're going to do a constant low-level stream of damage to your opponent (as I hope they know better than to give you cards as Aggro). Is that so bad?
Oh look, they decided to continue Zendikar's theme of ruining otherwise good land art with geometric crap. First hedrons, now cryptolyphs. God dammit WotC.
Yeah, the cryptoliths are so prominent and disruptive in the arts.... /sarcasm
Seriously, hedrons - yes. But the cryptolits seem almost organic, and look exactly the amount of alien as they shall.
The lands are simply beautiful. And the green cards...well, this set is going to be a blast.
And Sin Prodder...yuck. This card has hardly a downside.
Look at Rocha's swamp and tell me it wouldn't be better without the "not a sliver" cryptolyph on it.
It probably would. But it looks awesome with the lith as well.
And keep in mind that just only one of four lands has the lith in it. Hedrons were everywhere.
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100% Vorthos Spike and Storyline Expert
Former Fact Prospector of the Greek Alliance.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
Sin Prodder is yet another trap/"punisher" card. You'll never get what you want from it.
Exactly.
"I reveal... Lightning Bolt!"
"I guess I'll take 1 to bin it."
"I reveal... Tarmogoyf!"
"You know what to do."
I'm just not seeing the appeal.
It's actually the best "punisher" card I've seen in a bit, if ever. You are still getting CA, your digging 2 every turn, that's why Dark Confidant sees play. Also, Confidant won't find its way into a deck with a steep curve, this finds a home easily in that deck, if it can afford this at 3-mana, which is the most glaring draw back, not the ability. I mean, in you're scenario above, your basing that on the controlling player having no way to interact with his GY. You obviously would think you're slick by taking a ping instead of a Lightning Bolt, until he flashes it back with Snapcaster Mage and you take 4 damage for 1RU, and then still have to compete with the drawn card and a menacing 3 power. It's not as straightforward as you make it sound.
Man, I really hate it when they put trees in my non-forest lands, trees have no business in swamps, islands, plains, or mountains art unless they also produce G. I really can't stand trees in my non-forest lands, I'm going to burn every single non-forest land with a tree I find as a ritualistic sacrifice to hopefully purge future land arts of this menace. They have no business in my collection. I mean, I can literally play 0/3 of any of the lands in this set except for forests, it is that bad. Don't even get me started on water in non-islands or non-swamps, non-flat land in non-mountains, or flat land in non-plains.
You only need 1 land art from the entire history of the game and you can build your entire deck with just that 1 land art, but wizards has a penchant for printing stuff like plains art with trees off in the distance or something. Plains don't have trees, that's what forests are for. And what is the deal with rivers on non-swamp cards? Every single plains is unplayable thanks to rivers running through them, that is definitely NOT a plains. 0/3 are playable just because of that. They even have a river in one of the forests! Does that mean it is BG or UG? Don't even get me started on the Khans of Tarkir block lands, I can't believe they would warp these lands so much in favor of something like flavor.
I just want to see some damn empty space on my plains and for once could I please just get a circle of flat, barren land surrounded by water for an island so I'm not confused. If the island is elevated it could be a volcanic island, if there are trees it could be a tropical island. How hard is it to print the same simple art for an island set after set for me wizards? I don't care if other people might like variety in their land arts, I just want a simple picture of an island without anything new or different in it.
Sin prodder isn't as good as he looks. They can get rid of lands at no cost and burn for less than they would take if you cast the spell.
Getting rid of lands is probably favorable to avoid flooding in Mono Red.
If they take damage you can use a card with delerium or something like Goblin Dark-Dwellers later.
Plus this doesn't negate your draw step or anything. This is that mill fallacy. People gotta know red aggro works with redundancy. Because they milled your bolt doesn't mean you're not gonna draw another one.
Ulvenwald Mysteries is going straight into my Sek'Kuar edh deck. Just amazing and a uncommon. That is some good sauce there. Combos so good with a old Innistrad card Parallel Lives
You better hope your opponent isn't playing a land destruction deck when you cast Sin Prodder, because you won't be drawing many lands for the rest of the game.
Um, the ability doesn't replace your normal draw. You still get a random card off the top every turn, so while there will be 'feel bad' moments when Sin Prodder mills the land you need, the trigger is completely upside. This isn't really a Punisher card- your opponent can't stop you from getting a 3/2 Menace body, which is worth more than two mana on its own, and the punisher effect is not only gravy, but triggers every turn.
People still overrate Sin Prodder, because the value of a trigger is much less than a card, and much less than doming them for the average CMC of your deck. But, in an aggressive deck the trigger is probably worth almost half a card, so if it sticks around for one upkeep, you've gotten your mana's worth, and it only takes 2 or 3 triggers to make this the most efficient card in your deck. If a 3-mana must-kill 3/2 matches up poorly against the removal people play in the new Standard, Sin Prodder will need to sit on the sidelines, but if you can expect to get even a single trigger on average, this is a very playable (though not format-defining) card.
I dont think the red devil is all that great, but then again it is a reasonable body that lets you see more cards so maybe?
Basic Land art is the coolest thing here, I especially like the Mountain with the building in it and the islands. Good stuff
I invision a future where one is not mighty when he can silence a crowd with brutality,
but when he leaves them speechless with wisdom.
Look at Rocha's swamp and tell me it wouldn't be better without the "not a sliver" cryptolyph on it.
UBBreya's Toybox (Competitive, Combo)WR
RGodzilla, King of the MonstersG
-Retired Decks-
UBLazav, Dimir Mastermind (Competitive, UB Voltron/Control)UB
"Knowledge is such a burden. Release it. Release all your fears to me."
—Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
They're only in one of each of the 3 lands, and even then they aren't that intrusive compared to Zendikar's hedrons. The swamp you mentioned is the most prominent of the bunch.
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
I will always get at least a 3/2 menace for 3 out of it, which is plenty playable enough. Everything else is just gravy.
UBBreya's Toybox (Competitive, Combo)WR
RGodzilla, King of the MonstersG
-Retired Decks-
UBLazav, Dimir Mastermind (Competitive, UB Voltron/Control)UB
"Knowledge is such a burden. Release it. Release all your fears to me."
—Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
It requires an answer quickly or will pull you ahead in the long game in both card advantage and battlefield presence, which is a lot to say for a 3-mana creature. That's the mana cost where you don't mind drawing out removal too much, and if you play it post turn 3 with a land in hand, the removal needs to be instant speed to keep you from at least cantripping (when you get around to sacrificing the Clue).
Good to see Landfall continues for the fifth straight set: Zendikar's Roil, Retreat to Kazandu, Seer's Sundial (reprinted in CMDR15), Embodiment of Insight, and now Tireless Tracker. I hope that other good ability words are treated this way in the future.
Yeah, that one is by far my favorite. It's too bad it's in that ugly frame.
UR Blue-Red Control
Modern:
UBR Grixis Control
UWR Jeskai Control
Edit: Oh I see that I missed another Green Investigate card. That one looks pretty neat, too!
Shards of awful never
This card is, because of the nature of punisher cards, worse than either:
2R
3/2
Menace
At the beginning of your upkeep, reveal the top card and put it in your hand. (No draw.)
Or
2R
3/2
Menace
At the beginning of your upkeep, mill yourself for 1 and deal damage equal to milled card's CMC to target player.
So it's worse than either of these. OTOH, both of those are excellent.
This card is cheap enough to go into aggro decks which can be mostly interchangeable. In such a deck, you're going to do a constant low-level stream of damage to your opponent (as I hope they know better than to give you cards as Aggro). Is that so bad?
It probably would. But it looks awesome with the lith as well.
And keep in mind that just only one of four lands has the lith in it. Hedrons were everywhere.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
It's actually the best "punisher" card I've seen in a bit, if ever. You are still getting CA, your digging 2 every turn, that's why Dark Confidant sees play. Also, Confidant won't find its way into a deck with a steep curve, this finds a home easily in that deck, if it can afford this at 3-mana, which is the most glaring draw back, not the ability. I mean, in you're scenario above, your basing that on the controlling player having no way to interact with his GY. You obviously would think you're slick by taking a ping instead of a Lightning Bolt, until he flashes it back with Snapcaster Mage and you take 4 damage for 1RU, and then still have to compete with the drawn card and a menacing 3 power. It's not as straightforward as you make it sound.
none
Modern
UBG B/U/G control
BBB MBC
WUR Control
WWW Prison
RRR Goblins
Legacy
BBB Pox
UBG B/U/G Control
UWU StoneBlade
UW Miracle Control
So which ones look better with the cryptolyphs than they would without?
UBBreya's Toybox (Competitive, Combo)WR
RGodzilla, King of the MonstersG
-Retired Decks-
UBLazav, Dimir Mastermind (Competitive, UB Voltron/Control)UB
"Knowledge is such a burden. Release it. Release all your fears to me."
—Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
You only need 1 land art from the entire history of the game and you can build your entire deck with just that 1 land art, but wizards has a penchant for printing stuff like plains art with trees off in the distance or something. Plains don't have trees, that's what forests are for. And what is the deal with rivers on non-swamp cards? Every single plains is unplayable thanks to rivers running through them, that is definitely NOT a plains. 0/3 are playable just because of that. They even have a river in one of the forests! Does that mean it is BG or UG? Don't even get me started on the Khans of Tarkir block lands, I can't believe they would warp these lands so much in favor of something like flavor.
I just want to see some damn empty space on my plains and for once could I please just get a circle of flat, barren land surrounded by water for an island so I'm not confused. If the island is elevated it could be a volcanic island, if there are trees it could be a tropical island. How hard is it to print the same simple art for an island set after set for me wizards? I don't care if other people might like variety in their land arts, I just want a simple picture of an island without anything new or different in it.
Getting rid of lands is probably favorable to avoid flooding in Mono Red.
If they take damage you can use a card with delerium or something like Goblin Dark-Dwellers later.
Plus this doesn't negate your draw step or anything. This is that mill fallacy. People gotta know red aggro works with redundancy. Because they milled your bolt doesn't mean you're not gonna draw another one.
And i draw another bolt and you took 4 damage in a turn and i have a 3/2 menace in the field yet
Um, the ability doesn't replace your normal draw. You still get a random card off the top every turn, so while there will be 'feel bad' moments when Sin Prodder mills the land you need, the trigger is completely upside. This isn't really a Punisher card- your opponent can't stop you from getting a 3/2 Menace body, which is worth more than two mana on its own, and the punisher effect is not only gravy, but triggers every turn.
People still overrate Sin Prodder, because the value of a trigger is much less than a card, and much less than doming them for the average CMC of your deck. But, in an aggressive deck the trigger is probably worth almost half a card, so if it sticks around for one upkeep, you've gotten your mana's worth, and it only takes 2 or 3 triggers to make this the most efficient card in your deck. If a 3-mana must-kill 3/2 matches up poorly against the removal people play in the new Standard, Sin Prodder will need to sit on the sidelines, but if you can expect to get even a single trigger on average, this is a very playable (though not format-defining) card.
The mountains and the plains.