Cast Out also has the advantage of being too expensive to hit with Abrupt Decay. I could see it being played instead of Detention Sphere in some WU control decks in Modern.
Drake Haven has potential. Instant-speed 2/2 flyer? Sounds good to me. Keep mana up for answers, or cycle a card for card plus a flyer. Real potential.
O.O....I completely forgot about Noose Constrictor...U/G Cycle Midrange?
I am excited too, but every time I get excited I then think to myself "How does this fair when it comes to interacting with Turn 3 Saheeli threatening an instant kill?". I imagine the Grixis build is going to be better but even then, discarding your hand to make an army of 3/3 flying haste is probably not as powerful an endgame as CopyCat :(.
We'll have to see though!
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Cast Out - Interesting. Certainly worth considering if there is some spell that triggers off of cycling.
Drake Haven - Not uncommon? Come on guys... not cool. I kind of wish it was "pay U" and costed 1U... but as is, it might see play.
Does this suggest a straight-up rare-shifted Lightning Vortex and Astral Slide? 'cause I'd live that. Too bad only the C cost non-land cyclers will see play.
Edit: "Cycle or Discard a card" - NOT COOL WOTC. It's instances like this that show you're bad at printing things to be reprinted. Yeah, I get to play this in my madness deck now... but why can't there be two different cards with this effect - one for madness and one for cycling? Why include them both?
Also, cycling is discarding, so this is needlessly complex rules language just to hurt future reprintability. Poor design.
They had to word these cards as "when you cycle or discard" because there will always be that one "aggressive rules lawyer" player who will try to argue that you cycled a card instead of discarding it.
Copter definitely didn't get banned due to Amonkhet. It got banned due to the prevalence of the card everywhere and that it made vehicle aggro decks of every variety way too powerful. Walking Ballista is expensive because it basically has the same thing happening to it with Mardu and Golgari decks making heavy use of them.
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1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I just hate that this is the reason why it's rare. I just want them to not care about limited so much.
The card is likely a bulk rare, so you are looking at 50 cents per copy after a month or so. Also its pretty selfish to say, they shouldn't care about limited because your statement is like care about my format more than a format I don't care about.
Cast Out is crazy good, simply adding flash to an Oblivion Ring style card is already borderline worth the 1 extra mana. But adding cycling at the bargain cost of W is amazing. Being a cheap cycling enchantment also helps with reaching delirium. Although expensive at 4 mana it might also be worth testing in modern as a way to answer the majority of threats including Emrakul (both versions).
Now getting down to business, Drake Haven is an interesting card, it's not so expensive and it's kinda like a Sacred Mesa that makes bigger tokens, and that saw some Standard play in UW shells. The potential for getting stupid together with Call the Bloodline is too good to pass on. I wouldn't be surprised to see this card in both control and aggro-control shells acting as a winning condition in the former and backup plan in the latter. I'm not commenting about viability of course but the building potential is there. Control may be suicide right now but it's pretty much obvious that they'll swing the banhammer again at Copycat decks and maybe Vehicles too, so who knows if this will have its time to shine.
I'm thinking U/B or grixis control, with call of the bloodline and ghirapur orrery. The Archfiend of ifnir is also part of the U/B madness top end as a repeatable onesided wrath at instant speed. I'm excited to test if the deck can survive long enough to get its crazy engines going.
Nihiri actually combos really well with Drake Haven. She gives a +2 pillage that lets you also keep mana open for the free drake token, her -2 is great removal and hits all the necessary targets, and her ult lets you fish out a major threat like a Torrential Gearhulk to flashback something that got pillaged away. Both cards fit grindy match ups and really maximize the potential of a mid to late game win deck. However, if three colors is too much in the format going with Curator of Mysteries and some discard advantage outlets like Call the Bloodline, Stitchwing Scab, Heir of Falkenrath, etc, could be good.
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1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
You guys realize that cycling can be done at instant speed, right? Drake Haven is certainly not only limited fodder, nor should or be at any rarity lower than rare. If they spoil a cycle of cycling mono colored lands (which is entirely possible, if not likely, since there are still six land slots left in the number crunch), expect the card to be a player in Standard.
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Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
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Modern - UB Mill (casual)
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RGWGahiji, the Honored Group Hug MonsterRGW
UB(U/B)Yuriko, Ninja Trinket AggroUB(U/B)
WUBRGAtogatog: Assembling a OHKOWUBRG
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I am excited too, but every time I get excited I then think to myself "How does this fair when it comes to interacting with Turn 3 Saheeli threatening an instant kill?". I imagine the Grixis build is going to be better but even then, discarding your hand to make an army of 3/3 flying haste is probably not as powerful an endgame as CopyCat :(.
We'll have to see though!
RCRDaretti: Superfriends Forever RCR
WGBDoran: Ent-mootWBG
GGGMultani: Group Bear HugGGG
GB(B/G)The Gitrog Monster: Dredgefall DurdleGB(B/G)
RGWGahiji, the Honored Group Hug MonsterRGW
UB(U/B)Yuriko, Ninja Trinket AggroUB(U/B)
WUBRGAtogatog: Assembling a OHKOWUBRG
And just the wind can be a fine way to stop the combo.
Wharf Infiltrator seems good here as well
Drake Haven - Not uncommon? Come on guys... not cool. I kind of wish it was "pay U" and costed 1U... but as is, it might see play.
Does this suggest a straight-up rare-shifted Lightning Vortex and Astral Slide? 'cause I'd live that. Too bad only the C cost non-land cyclers will see play.
Edit: "Cycle or Discard a card" - NOT COOL WOTC. It's instances like this that show you're bad at printing things to be reprinted. Yeah, I get to play this in my madness deck now... but why can't there be two different cards with this effect - one for madness and one for cycling? Why include them both?
Also, cycling is discarding, so this is needlessly complex rules language just to hurt future reprintability. Poor design.
Cast out a Gideon or cycle and make a 2/2 flying drake.
Very playable
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Feel free to bid on my cards here!
Machius proudly supports R_E's right to Rumour!
Now getting down to business, Drake Haven is an interesting card, it's not so expensive and it's kinda like a Sacred Mesa that makes bigger tokens, and that saw some Standard play in UW shells. The potential for getting stupid together with Call the Bloodline is too good to pass on. I wouldn't be surprised to see this card in both control and aggro-control shells acting as a winning condition in the former and backup plan in the latter. I'm not commenting about viability of course but the building potential is there. Control may be suicide right now but it's pretty much obvious that they'll swing the banhammer again at Copycat decks and maybe Vehicles too, so who knows if this will have its time to shine.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!