1GG - Sorcery
You may sacrifice a nontoken green creature rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Search your library for up to two basic land cards, reveal those cards, put one onto the battlefield tapped and the other into your hand, then shuffle.
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Any interest in this card?
I still include a copy of Cultivate in my cube, and although the two-pip cost might be a little more narrow, I think green can tolerate it for the access to the alternate cost. But it doesn't answer the most pressing question: why would we want to sacrifice a nontoken creature instead of paying the mana cost, anyway? It certainly doesn't seem intuitive to sac your Llanowar Elves, nor do I really want to pitch a Tireless Tracker or a Tarmogoyf. So what is this clause even for?
I think there's a case for certain etb- / death- trigger creatures in green that might give this card some explosive power. Although not really popular these days, my first consideration was for cards like Wall of Blossoms and Sylvan Ranger, and then maybe the less popular Wood Elves ... but I then realized that a local favorite, Caldaia Guardian, makes for prime fodder. I think another potentially clever use could be dropping an Esika's Chariot, animating it immediately for this sacrifice, still leaving you with two tokens (albeit tapped).
My fear is that most cubes will lack the concentration of good sac targets in green, making this just a slightly worse Cultivate in the average case scenario. So, if you've already cut Cultivate, this probably isn't a good include. But I'm nevertheless curious if this has anyone else's gears turning, and if they have any other thoughts I've neglected to add here.
There's no denying that instant speed removal is absolutely necessary for dealing with the devastating combos found in cube. A clue token or a map token is hardly a noticeable drawback if you just halted kiki/twin or a reanimator threat or a sneak attack threat and so on. But, I have personally experienced that these drawbacks are actually very meaningful against aggro and midrange decks. If your cube leans more towards "fair" decks, then yes, absolutely play Ossification. But I would first include Planar Disruption, as well.
I still run this + searing spear, but Im starting to feel like the 2 cmc burn spells are becoming inefficient, and they dont feel like great answers anymore. Most of the time Im wishing I had 1 cmc removal (even if it doesnt hit players). Im considering cheaper red burn, such as mine collapse, strangle, and flame slash. Does anyone else feel the same way / have other ideas to replace these?
I think the non-face burn is absolutely worth considering, but I don't have any desire to cut the face-targeting cards like Lightning Strike. I'm currently trying to include a variety of these spells so that it's not so one-note (and you don't get screwed as a red player the moment you face something with 4 toughness).
I think it's worth considering the broad functional benefits a cube has from spells like this instead of dismissing them outright for not being especially spicy. Like cantrips, they can smoothen gameplay, except these reap special rewards in cubes that include duals or shocks or triomes. 3-or-more color decks will really, really appreciate that kind of fixing in a way that the MDFCs and NEO channel lands don't replicate.
While I absolutely encourage folks to look for interesting synergies in their lists, I think also having general-use cards like this supports a really fun cube environment.
I find Tectonic Edge to be more effective for removal of highly specific lands, like manlands, than a great mana denial tool. I think it's a good card, but I wouldn't categorize it alongside unrestricted LD.
It definitely caught my eye. Being able to slam down a whole hand of monsters seems insane. I'm sure it makes for nutty Flash plays too. I guess my biggest worry is not having at least a second fatty to drop and getting the value of the etb - a 12/12 is surely a nasty threat but it feels like I'd rather have it sit in my hand than eat a kill spell and amount to nothing.
I don't have any immediate plans to add it, but I'll be curious to know if other folks here really enjoy it.
My main evaluation of the card comes down to the get-back-two-creatures mode, making the card essentially read to me as a 3-for-1 for a specific kind of deck. I agree, midrange is the choice application here, because you're more likely to have a number of haymakers capable of winning the game, and refueling on stuff like Sheoldred, the Apocalypse or Phyrexian Fleshgorger will be impactful, even if this specific midrange deck is stronger in standard than it would be in cube.
So basically I agree, it's not for every list, but if you support a black midrange deck that performs decently well, this is probably a fun addition.
I feel like this could be a nice aspect of the card. Works with Seasoned Pyromancer, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, and at least somewhat recently I know people liked Bitter Reunion. To me, that's solid value that I can get by just running other good cards.
The first ability I think people might not want to use too aggressively. Going down a card is costly and can be an actual risk if for some reason your impulse draw doesn't work out. But, if I can spend a card to get a creature outside of range of trading with my opponent's blockers, I'd happily pay that price.
Overall I think it's intriguing enough to give a shot.
Agreed, Thraben Inspector is a good comparison. I see plenty of aggro decks jamming that, I could just as well see them using this. Lower priority elsewhere but still playable.
At a glance I'd rather give two map tokens than a clue, and I appreciate the wider target range, so I predict I'll like this more than Fateful Absence.
I think people have highlighted the synergy with this card and tokens, but I'm wondering if folks who enjoy having something of an enchantress theme would most appreciate it. Maybe if you'd got access to Legion's Landing, removal like Ossification, Oblivion Ring, and you've got cantrips like Oath of Nissa or Abundant Growth, you might be able to get a 4/4 without much effort. A lot of these cards have probably fallen out of favor with the strongest of cubes, but I think there is an opportunity for some cubers to enjoy this card in the kind of environment I'm describing.
1GG - Sorcery
You may sacrifice a nontoken green creature rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Search your library for up to two basic land cards, reveal those cards, put one onto the battlefield tapped and the other into your hand, then shuffle.
-----
Any interest in this card?
I still include a copy of Cultivate in my cube, and although the two-pip cost might be a little more narrow, I think green can tolerate it for the access to the alternate cost. But it doesn't answer the most pressing question: why would we want to sacrifice a nontoken creature instead of paying the mana cost, anyway? It certainly doesn't seem intuitive to sac your Llanowar Elves, nor do I really want to pitch a Tireless Tracker or a Tarmogoyf. So what is this clause even for?
I think there's a case for certain etb- / death- trigger creatures in green that might give this card some explosive power. Although not really popular these days, my first consideration was for cards like Wall of Blossoms and Sylvan Ranger, and then maybe the less popular Wood Elves ... but I then realized that a local favorite, Caldaia Guardian, makes for prime fodder. I think another potentially clever use could be dropping an Esika's Chariot, animating it immediately for this sacrifice, still leaving you with two tokens (albeit tapped).
My fear is that most cubes will lack the concentration of good sac targets in green, making this just a slightly worse Cultivate in the average case scenario. So, if you've already cut Cultivate, this probably isn't a good include. But I'm nevertheless curious if this has anyone else's gears turning, and if they have any other thoughts I've neglected to add here.
I think the non-face burn is absolutely worth considering, but I don't have any desire to cut the face-targeting cards like Lightning Strike. I'm currently trying to include a variety of these spells so that it's not so one-note (and you don't get screwed as a red player the moment you face something with 4 toughness).
While I absolutely encourage folks to look for interesting synergies in their lists, I think also having general-use cards like this supports a really fun cube environment.
I don't have any immediate plans to add it, but I'll be curious to know if other folks here really enjoy it.
So basically I agree, it's not for every list, but if you support a black midrange deck that performs decently well, this is probably a fun addition.
I feel like this could be a nice aspect of the card. Works with Seasoned Pyromancer, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, and at least somewhat recently I know people liked Bitter Reunion. To me, that's solid value that I can get by just running other good cards.
The first ability I think people might not want to use too aggressively. Going down a card is costly and can be an actual risk if for some reason your impulse draw doesn't work out. But, if I can spend a card to get a creature outside of range of trading with my opponent's blockers, I'd happily pay that price.
Overall I think it's intriguing enough to give a shot.
I'm still playing krasis though