Woo-hoo!!! Now all of the 1 point of damage removal from Ixalan block w/ be really good for a black/red deck. Might need to make a new deck that takes advantage of it now.
....for reals? WOW!!! this is...really really exciting. i don't know all of the specifics, but this is going to be a Modern staple, calling it now. Indestructible isn't really a thing most of the time, some B/R deck is going to pop up and have a really good time with this. Mardu Burn? Rakdos or Grixis Delver? this card is crazy!
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For everyone who is saying "this makes X card a killspell for [valuetown]": Let's not forget that you still need to cast Pestilent Spirit!! That essentially tacks 3 mana onto your kill spells - this makes Gut Shot a kill spell for 3 mana and 2 life; Electrickery a board wipe for 5 mana; etc.. The nice thing is this is essentially a 3cmc target that says "Use your removal on me or lose your whole board state!" :-D
There's been some Boros/Rakdos debate within modern Burn. This card is pretty spicy, but Burn doesn't do well with 3cmc creatures very much. However, I'm beginning to wonder if there might be a spicy mid-range rakdos burn-shell shaping up - using this, Dark Confidant, and the standard rakdos burn spells.
Part of me wants to vial in Pestilent Spirit with the kill spell on the stack but that creates a lot of internal tension with balancing spells vs. creatures. I wonder if 6 1 drops, 4 Bob and 3x this guy is enough to justify 3x vial. With 22 lands that's 22 pieces of burn. Feels light but this is a 3/2 body so represents a few points of damage to the dome.
For everyone who is saying "this makes X card a killspell for [valuetown]": Let's not forget that you still need to cast Pestilent Spirit!! That essentially tacks 3 mana onto your kill spells - this makes Gut Shot a kill spell for 3 mana and 2 life; Electrickery a board wipe for 5 mana; etc.. The nice thing is this is essentially a 3cmc target that says "Use your removal on me or lose your whole board state!" :-D
There's been some Boros/Rakdos debate within modern Burn. This card is pretty spicy, but Burn doesn't do well with 3cmc creatures very much. However, I'm beginning to wonder if there might be a spicy mid-range rakdos burn-shell shaping up - using this, Dark Confidant, and the standard rakdos burn spells.
Difference is that Pestilent Spirit sticks around turn after turn, so the longer he stays out, the better value he becomes.
Ever since we got Soulfire Grand Master and Firesong And Sunspeaker that gave lifelink to instants and sorceriee, I’ve been waiting for something that gave deathtouch to instants and sorceries. Now that I have it, I don’t know what to do with it.
Not to single you out but this card feels really overrated because it's so unique and quirky. There's a reason this thing is by base a 3/2 Menace Deathtouch which is actually good stats - the effect is actually pretty mediocre. Burn wants to aim spells at face and run more efficient spells like Rift Bolt and Lightning Bolt and Searing Blaze, not pay three mana for a fragile body that powers up the bad burn spells you are incentivized to run with it (like Spark Jolt, Gut Shot, and Forked Bolt).
Even in Standard, it's an open question of why you'd do something "cute" like running this + Cosmotronic Wave and Dual Shot when your deck can just run say Lava Coil and Shivan Fire instead. I've also seen a few folks mention sweeper spells but the vast majority of those also kill this (Fiery Cannonade, Deafening Clarion, Earthquake) and again I don't know if this is powerful enough to add a fragile 3-mana tax onto Electrickery and Cosmotronic Wave instead of just running those effects.
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Sufferer of EDHD
Commander - Currently Playing: 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
Pestilent Spirit isn't a tax, costing your removal spells more mana. It is an *investment* and the subsequent burn spells are the dividends you realize from that investment.
Not to single you out but this card feels really overrated because it's so unique and quirky. There's a reason this thing is by base a 3/2 Menace Deathtouch which is actually good stats - the effect is actually pretty mediocre. Burn wants to aim spells at face and run more efficient spells like Rift Bolt and Lightning Bolt and Searing Blaze, not pay three mana for a fragile body that powers up the bad burn spells you are incentivized to run with it (like Spark Jolt, Gut Shot, and Forked Bolt).
Even in Standard, it's an open question of why you'd do something "cute" like running this + Cosmotronic Wave and Dual Shot when your deck can just run say Lava Coil and Shivan Fire instead. I've also seen a few folks mention sweeper spells but the vast majority of those also kill this (Fiery Cannonade, Deafening Clarion, Earthquake) and again I don't know if this is powerful enough to add a fragile 3-mana tax onto Electrickery and Cosmotronic Wave instead of just running those effects.
The thing is, you do eventually need to aim things at creatures in burn, and spending more than 1 spell to kill something is horrid. And any format with burn will naturally adjust to pass the "lightning bolt test" as it were. This helps answer the problem of what the hell to do with a big ass Zegana facing you down.
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This aint your girlfriends meta! This is a man's meta! TURBO META.
This+Electrickery FTW...in casual mind you. I don't think this will get any far in Constructed, if your burn spells can't kill the creatures you expect to run into on their own, maybe you shouldn't play those in the first place, on the other hand, this thing will be a beating in Limited, the body isn't half bad,and turning the burn you're running because it's what you got into Terminate can be huge. I'd love to crack one of these open in my PR, especially considering that I'll go Rakdos
This+Electrickery FTW...in casual mind you. I don't think this will get any far in Constructed, if your burn spells can't kill the creatures you expect to run into on their own, maybe you shouldn't play those in the first place, on the other hand, this thing will be a beating in Limited, the body isn't half bad,and turning the burn you're running because it's what you got into Terminate can be huge. I'd love to crack one of these open in my PR, especially considering that I'll go Rakdos
The issue there is that people run creatures that "past the bolt test" BECAUSE bolt exists. This kind of helps get around that issue.
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This aint your girlfriends meta! This is a man's meta! TURBO META.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Not to single you out but this card feels really overrated because it's so unique and quirky. There's a reason this thing is by base a 3/2 Menace Deathtouch which is actually good stats - the effect is actually pretty mediocre. Burn wants to aim spells at face and run more efficient spells like Rift Bolt and Lightning Bolt and Searing Blaze, not pay three mana for a fragile body that powers up the bad burn spells you are incentivized to run with it (like Spark Jolt, Gut Shot, and Forked Bolt).
Even in Standard, it's an open question of why you'd do something "cute" like running this + Cosmotronic Wave and Dual Shot when your deck can just run say Lava Coil and Shivan Fire instead. I've also seen a few folks mention sweeper spells but the vast majority of those also kill this (Fiery Cannonade, Deafening Clarion, Earthquake) and again I don't know if this is powerful enough to add a fragile 3-mana tax onto Electrickery and Cosmotronic Wave instead of just running those effects.
I agree that Pestilent Spirit is being a bit overrated right now, but it's certainly not a bad card. Being able to turn Lightning Strike into Terminate is a pretty big game, allowing aggro decks to clear out oversized blockers that would normally stonewall them. It does incentivize some otherwise subpar card choices to help maximize Pestilent Spirit's value, but it's not like Radiating Lightning is a completely embarrassing card to run by itself, and even less so when the upside is 4-mana Plague Wind. Between this card and the Goblin Chainwhirler + Status // Statue combo, I'm moderately afraid B/R aggro is going to see a return to form like the glory days during Kaladesh, and all they've been waiting on is Blood Crypt.
Not really pushed. I doubt anyone is going to play that combo in Modern and we've had Goblin Chainwhirler + Status // Statue in Standard for a while which is a stronger combo since both pieces are stronger in a vacuum and it still hasn't found its way into any deck.
Every time I try to think of a shell for this card I end up looking at Jund again. I feel like there could be a RB shell that functions like Jund but replaces Goyfs with more burn. But if we’re looking at a deck that tops out at 3cmc with K’s Command and this spirit, while still packing Fatal Pushes, and Thoughtseize or Inquisitions... this card feels like a finisher in the sam vein as Vendilion Clique. It’s a 3 power creature with a form of evasion, it comes down when you’re holding an electrickery, wipes the board, then cleans up over a few turns. Also, Flame Jab works nice with Collective Brutality...
Not if it's wearing a Captain's Hook.
Part of me wants to vial in Pestilent Spirit with the kill spell on the stack but that creates a lot of internal tension with balancing spells vs. creatures. I wonder if 6 1 drops, 4 Bob and 3x this guy is enough to justify 3x vial. With 22 lands that's 22 pieces of burn. Feels light but this is a 3/2 body so represents a few points of damage to the dome.
This aint your girlfriends meta! This is a man's meta! TURBO META.
Difference is that Pestilent Spirit sticks around turn after turn, so the longer he stays out, the better value he becomes.
Pyrokinesis is four free kill spells for one other red card.
Not to single you out but this card feels really overrated because it's so unique and quirky. There's a reason this thing is by base a 3/2 Menace Deathtouch which is actually good stats - the effect is actually pretty mediocre. Burn wants to aim spells at face and run more efficient spells like Rift Bolt and Lightning Bolt and Searing Blaze, not pay three mana for a fragile body that powers up the bad burn spells you are incentivized to run with it (like Spark Jolt, Gut Shot, and Forked Bolt).
Even in Standard, it's an open question of why you'd do something "cute" like running this + Cosmotronic Wave and Dual Shot when your deck can just run say Lava Coil and Shivan Fire instead. I've also seen a few folks mention sweeper spells but the vast majority of those also kill this (Fiery Cannonade, Deafening Clarion, Earthquake) and again I don't know if this is powerful enough to add a fragile 3-mana tax onto Electrickery and Cosmotronic Wave instead of just running those effects.
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
The thing is, you do eventually need to aim things at creatures in burn, and spending more than 1 spell to kill something is horrid. And any format with burn will naturally adjust to pass the "lightning bolt test" as it were. This helps answer the problem of what the hell to do with a big ass Zegana facing you down.
This aint your girlfriends meta! This is a man's meta! TURBO META.
The issue there is that people run creatures that "past the bolt test" BECAUSE bolt exists. This kind of helps get around that issue.
This aint your girlfriends meta! This is a man's meta! TURBO META.
"Avast, ye scurvy dogs! Prepare for the keelhaulin o' yer life!"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Not really pushed. I doubt anyone is going to play that combo in Modern and we've had Goblin Chainwhirler + Status // Statue in Standard for a while which is a stronger combo since both pieces are stronger in a vacuum and it still hasn't found its way into any deck.
GWUBRDraft my Old Border Nostalgia Cube! and/or The Little Pauper Cube That Could!RBUWG
Modern:WDeath & TaxesW | RUGRUG DelverRUG