I think it's good, but requires other cards (and most likely overextending) to be truly great. I don't consider it mana ramp in the traditional sense because it already requires you to have a certain kind of board state in order to do anything. Like, if you have 5 1/1 creatures out, you can cast overrun and just win, rather than this.
Not that I think it's bad. I just don't think it is completely nuts. I do think it has combo and explosive potential though!
You know what is nuts? Earthcraft. This one is fine.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
.
Would you like to read Commander stories? Check my latest stories, coming from Lorwyn and Innistrad: Ghoulcaller Gisa and Doran, The Siege Tower! If you like my writing, ask me to write something for your commander as well!
It's definitely good. And in EDH, with this out and a modest number of creatures, if you have either W or R as well you can hit the board with MLD and have a solid chance of going on to win.
Yeah, this is a fixed Earthcraft and it's not bad. EC was bonkers because it got around summoning sickness for mana, but this is really tame in comparison.
This side by side in standard with scion tokens can quickly sneeze out the Larger titans. Just think about playing this and then brood monitor. Turn after that you have An additional 7 mama.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Ravarshi Kashaku, Ancient Dragon of the Darkened Realms;
The Merciless Lord of Torture, Permanently Bound To: ">[THE PACK] 11/5/63 - 11/25/09 Goodbye mom, i'll always love you...
This is definitely a card to keep in mind when brewing decks in Standard, and perhaps also in older formats - Earthcraft is banned in Legacy, after all.
It's definitely not a card with an inherently high power level, however, so I don't expect to see a lot of it unless it enables a broken deck that overtakes a format. It's hard to imagine this card being played just for value in a deck that isn't specifically built to abuse it. The particular combination of token generators/"free" creatures and top-end spells to make this card good might never materialise and propel this thing into a tier 1 deck, but it's one to keep an eye on for sure.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
On average, Magic players are worse at new card evaluation than almost every other skill, except perhaps sideboarding.
After seeing this Card I immediately thought on my old an abandoned GR Genesis wave deck Becoming a GWR deck, this card seems really interesting, first is an enchantment so is kinda of hard to remove so you have one stable devotion in the field if you have doubles you can use it to save your sprawls from drommoka's command, it enables your ETB creatures like Burning treee emissary and Eternal Witness to produce additional mana, enables the use of secure the wastes as a instant speed mana ramp/finisher (garruk loves it) in the edolion of blossoms version you don't care about drawing doubles most of the times since it's an additional devotion that will draw you a card... Seems fun to try out to see what happens!!!!
Of course, if you don't draw any one piece of that puzzle - Cryptolith Rite, enough cheap enablers, and a big payoff spell - your deck does nothing. This is the sort of card I'd feel more confident in if you could play 8 of them in your deck.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
On average, Magic players are worse at new card evaluation than almost every other skill, except perhaps sideboarding.
Clearly, those were speculations of ideal situations that are unlikely to happen more than once in every 1,000 hands but it does serve to highlight how useful Cryptolith Rite can be. A sufficient amount of cheap creatures/tokens allowing you to ramp into some huge effect, whether that is a bomb or some dramatic effect that takes your opponent by surprise such as Damnable Pact for 20.
You'd desperately need some broken card drawing engine to keep this going, and then... what's the payoff? And is it really faster/better than just playing regular mana dorks?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
On average, Magic players are worse at new card evaluation than almost every other skill, except perhaps sideboarding.
Earthcraft used to be my favorite card. There were so many ridiculous things you could do with that card.
Now my favorite card is Heritage Druid, same effect mostly, but requires elves.
Both of those cards basically add mana to your pool for every creature you play the turn you play them.
Cryptolith doesn't have the haste feature. This is not better than Harvest Season, which is a mediocre card... That requires you to tap out.
Unfortunately:
Green's plan always has been and always will be: Turn 1 mana dork or aggro
I will hit you harder and faster because I have to... because my color is founded on... Part 1: ramping fast into Part 2: big cards. And I don't have any way to interact with any creature you play other than lands, 2 for 1 fight cards, fog, and stalemates.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Cryptolith Rite 1G
Enchantment
Creature you control have "t: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool."
Seems nuts with Nissa, Voice of Zendikar, Secure the Wastes...any token generator really. Net me some dudes, next turn have explosive mana. Xenagos, the Reveler is reveling. Elspeth, Sun's Champion is sunny. Brewing brain: Overdrive.
Not that I think it's bad. I just don't think it is completely nuts. I do think it has combo and explosive potential though!
Read my other stories as well (some ongoing):
Reaper King (a horror story), Kaalia of the Vast (an origin story), Sequels for Innistrad (Alternative sequels for Inn), Grey Areas (Odric's fanfic), Royal Succession (goblins),The Tracker's Message (eldrazi on Innistrad) and Ugin and his Eye (the end of OGW).
The Merciless Lord of Torture, Permanently Bound To: ">[THE PACK] 11/5/63 - 11/25/09 Goodbye mom, i'll always love you...
Tibalt & His Devils vs. Avacyn's Inquisitors
My EDH decklists
Turning all your creatures into pseudo Utopia Trees is nothing to sneeze at.
Standard:
UR Ral Combo
Modern:
U Merfolk
R Goblins
Commander
RB Grenzo, Dungeon Warden
R Feldon of the Third Path
It's definitely not a card with an inherently high power level, however, so I don't expect to see a lot of it unless it enables a broken deck that overtakes a format. It's hard to imagine this card being played just for value in a deck that isn't specifically built to abuse it. The particular combination of token generators/"free" creatures and top-end spells to make this card good might never materialise and propel this thing into a tier 1 deck, but it's one to keep an eye on for sure.
Turn 2: land, Cryptolith Rite, Jaddi Offshoot
Turn 3: land, Call the Scions, some other 1- or 2-drop creature
Turn 4: tap all creatures, sacrifice the scions, Ulamog
Turn 1: Mountain, Zurgo Bellstriker
Turn 2: Forest, Cryptolith Rite, some other 1-drop creature
Turn 3: land, Dragon Fodder
Turn 4: Dragonlord Atarka
Yes, we certainly have potential here.
a bit glass-cannon-y though.
4 Memnite
4 Ornithopter
4 Springleaf Drum
4 Mox Opal
You'd desperately need some broken card drawing engine to keep this going, and then... what's the payoff? And is it really faster/better than just playing regular mana dorks?
Now my favorite card is Heritage Druid, same effect mostly, but requires elves.
Both of those cards basically add mana to your pool for every creature you play the turn you play them.
Cryptolith doesn't have the haste feature. This is not better than Harvest Season, which is a mediocre card... That requires you to tap out.
Unfortunately:
Green's plan always has been and always will be: Turn 1 mana dork or aggro
I will hit you harder and faster because I have to... because my color is founded on... Part 1: ramping fast into Part 2: big cards. And I don't have any way to interact with any creature you play other than lands, 2 for 1 fight cards, fog, and stalemates.