So for 3G, at instant speed and can't-be-countered-by-things-that-target-spells, I can search a basic-or-desert and put it on the battlefield untapped, and draw a card, and put a fatty in my graveyard... or on the same card, I can get a slightly-inefficient fatty instead if I draw it at a point where that would be more useful.
Can't imagine a limited deck not playing this. Strong chance of it being P1P1 in draft.
I'd guess it's either for Limited/Archetype reasons or could be to help set up cross-block synergies with Atlazan next year. (Edit: Or with Shadows/Eldritch stuff from last block.)
So for 3G, at instant speed and can't-be-countered-by-things-that-target-spells, I can search a basic-or-desert and put it on the battlefield untapped, and draw a card, and put a fatty in my graveyard... or on the same card, I can get a slightly-inefficient fatty instead if I draw it at a point where that would be more useful.
Can't imagine a limited deck not playing this. Strong chance of it being P1P1 in draft.
Yeah, I JUST noticed that it didn't say "tapped". Because of the way the ability is worded, I'm wondering if you can follow up your turn 3 Drake Haven with a turn 4 cycling Monitor, using the land you just fetched for mana to make the drake token.
I'm pretty sure you can since the ability is still on the stack after you put the land out since the reminder text on the Monitor specifically says "do this before you draw," so you should conceivably still be able to activate the Drake Haven's ability with the newly fetched land.
So for 3G, at instant speed and can't-be-countered-by-things-that-target-spells, I can search a basic-or-desert and put it on the battlefield untapped, and draw a card, and put a fatty in my graveyard... or on the same card, I can get a slightly-inefficient fatty instead if I draw it at a point where that would be more useful.
Can't imagine a limited deck not playing this. Strong chance of it being P1P1 in draft.
Yeah, I JUST noticed that it didn't say "tapped". Because of the way the ability is worded, I'm wondering if you can follow up your turn 3 Drake Haven with a turn 4 cycling Monitor, using the land you just fetched for mana to make the drake token.
I'm pretty sure you can since the ability is still on the stack after you put the land out since the reminder text on the Monitor specifically says "do this before you draw," so you should conceivably still be able to activate the Drake Haven's ability with the newly fetched land.
Any judges want to weigh in on this?
As always, it's most prudent to wait for the Release notes. That said, it seems to work. You have two triggers after you pay the cycling cost and discard, so you choose how to stack them. As long as you chose to resolve the Monitor's trigger first, you'd then have your land on the battlefield in time to pay for the Drake haven trigger.
Vizier is my MVP this set. I wish blue could do this at 2-mana, but understand that this treads on green's toes.
Given my Merieke Ri Berit EDH deck, I'm feeling this. I'd be find with Vizier of Tumbling Sands without cycling or the cycling trigger; the fact that it has those makes it incredible.
That blue vizier has got to be a Prince of Persia reference. I approve.
There's a piece of art in the EW article called Soulstinger that may be a reference to The Mummy Returns or Scorpion King. There are scorpion people in world mythologies but I think this is the ref.
The fact that Shefet Monitor puts the land into play — untapped, no less — instead of into your hand, makes it infinitely more playable.
I'd have to disagree here.
2G is much easier to afford in the development part of the game than 3G and I can't see how either of them are better than something like Cultivate or, when applicable, Mulldrifter.
There's something to be said that they're effectively instants, but holding up 3 is still easier to do than 4.
It's certainly the natural progression, but I like it less and I haven't been excited to play Krosan Tusker in years. There are just so many better options now. It's cool that budget decks now have more options I guess.
Yup. And Prodigal Sorcerer and Psionic Blast say "Hey, I can use stuff outside of Blue's Color Pie, too." Old cards aren't a representation of what each colors can or can't do in Modern Magic, especially not Apprentice Wizard. Had you said Fatestitcher, Curious Homunculus, or Renowned Weaponsmith, then you'd be on to something.
The fact that Shefet Monitor puts the land into play — untapped, no less — instead of into your hand, makes it infinitely more playable.
2G is much easier to afford in the development part of the game than 3G and I can't see how either of them are better than something like Cultivate or, when applicable, Mulldrifter.
In Standard or Modern, sure, 2G vs 3G is huge. But you're not gonna be playing a Krosan Tusker knockoff in those formats anyway. You're going to be playing them in the sorts of formats where you're still going to want to be ramping even after hitting, like, 8 mana.
Sure, there are other, better, cards that do kinda-sorta similar things, but Shefet Monitor ramps and draws simultaneously, which is something not a lot of cards do. It also allows for landfall combat tricks, counts as a creature in the bin for cards that care about that, triggers discard/cycling triggers, and can fetch a specific subset of nonbasics. It's obviously not a multi-format all-star, but believe me, there's enough going on with this card that's outside the norm that makes it perfect for specific decks.
I really like the Monitor. Pretty strong creature with that cycling effect; taking you from 4 mana to potentially 6 (following turn land drop). Then cast Ever After to bring it back and another creature? Grapple with the Past for more value?
I really want a B/G counter/reanimator/cycling deck to work.
The fact that Shefet Monitor puts the land into play — untapped, no less — instead of into your hand, makes it infinitely more playable.
I'd have to disagree here.
2G is much easier to afford in the development part of the game than 3G and I can't see how either of them are better than something like Cultivate or, when applicable, Mulldrifter.
There's something to be said that they're effectively instants, but holding up 3 is still easier to do than 4.
It's certainly the natural progression, but I like it less and I haven't been excited to play Krosan Tusker in years. There are just so many better options now. It's cool that budget decks now have more options I guess.
In Standard, control decks routinely hold up 4 mana for Glimmer of Genius. This is the same level of card advantage -- except that you are putting a land DIRECTLY into play untapped from your library, thus thinning your deck, AND drawing a card. You get the same level of card advantage, plus you can avail yourself of any cycling benefits that you may have set up. And it can only be countered by one card. You don't get the scry 2, but putting yourself a turn ahead on lands is stronger in a lot of situations.
Yup. And Prodigal Sorcerer and Psionic Blast say "Hey, I can use stuff outside of Blue's Color Pie, too." Old cards aren't a representation of what each colors can or can't do in Modern Magic, especially not Apprentice Wizard. Had you said Fatestitcher, Curious Homunculus, or Renowned Weaponsmith, then you'd be on to something.
My point being that colorless mana dorks have always been in blue in some way or another.
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So for 3G, at instant speed and can't-be-countered-by-things-that-target-spells, I can search a basic-or-desert and put it on the battlefield untapped, and draw a card, and put a fatty in my graveyard... or on the same card, I can get a slightly-inefficient fatty instead if I draw it at a point where that would be more useful.
Can't imagine a limited deck not playing this. Strong chance of it being P1P1 in draft.
Apprentice Wizard says sup.
Probably the exact same reason Vizier of the Menagerie is also a Cleric and not a Shaman.
I'd guess it's either for Limited/Archetype reasons or could be to help set up cross-block synergies with Atlazan next year. (Edit: Or with Shadows/Eldritch stuff from last block.)
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Still, at 3 mana, it's better for what I need than Aphetto Alchemist or Voyaging Satyr and now joins Unbender Tine and Kiora's Follower.
Older Magic as a Board Game: Panglacial Wurm , Mill
Yeah, I JUST noticed that it didn't say "tapped". Because of the way the ability is worded, I'm wondering if you can follow up your turn 3 Drake Haven with a turn 4 cycling Monitor, using the land you just fetched for mana to make the drake token.
I'm pretty sure you can since the ability is still on the stack after you put the land out since the reminder text on the Monitor specifically says "do this before you draw," so you should conceivably still be able to activate the Drake Haven's ability with the newly fetched land.
Any judges want to weigh in on this?
Given my Merieke Ri Berit EDH deck, I'm feeling this. I'd be find with Vizier of Tumbling Sands without cycling or the cycling trigger; the fact that it has those makes it incredible.
There's a piece of art in the EW article called Soulstinger that may be a reference to The Mummy Returns or Scorpion King. There are scorpion people in world mythologies but I think this is the ref.
(W/U)(B/R)GForm of Progenitus, Shape of a Scrubland
BRGJund Tokens with Prossh, the Magic Dragon Foil
URGAnimar, the RUG CleanerFoil
RRRFeldon of the Third Path 2.0 Foil
BG(B/G)Not Another Meren DeckFoil
UR(U/R)Mizzix, Y Control and X Burn Spells
(W/U)(B/R)GHarold Ramos - The 35 Foot Long Twinkie (In +1/+1 counters)
UB(U/B)Dragonlord Silumgar
2G is much easier to afford in the development part of the game than 3G and I can't see how either of them are better than something like Cultivate or, when applicable, Mulldrifter.
There's something to be said that they're effectively instants, but holding up 3 is still easier to do than 4.
It's certainly the natural progression, but I like it less and I haven't been excited to play Krosan Tusker in years. There are just so many better options now. It's cool that budget decks now have more options I guess.
Older Magic as a Board Game: Panglacial Wurm , Mill
Sure, there are other, better, cards that do kinda-sorta similar things, but Shefet Monitor ramps and draws simultaneously, which is something not a lot of cards do. It also allows for landfall combat tricks, counts as a creature in the bin for cards that care about that, triggers discard/cycling triggers, and can fetch a specific subset of nonbasics. It's obviously not a multi-format all-star, but believe me, there's enough going on with this card that's outside the norm that makes it perfect for specific decks.
I really want a B/G counter/reanimator/cycling deck to work.
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In Standard, control decks routinely hold up 4 mana for Glimmer of Genius. This is the same level of card advantage -- except that you are putting a land DIRECTLY into play untapped from your library, thus thinning your deck, AND drawing a card. You get the same level of card advantage, plus you can avail yourself of any cycling benefits that you may have set up. And it can only be countered by one card. You don't get the scry 2, but putting yourself a turn ahead on lands is stronger in a lot of situations.
My point being that colorless mana dorks have always been in blue in some way or another.