You know, I feel like Explore is just criminally under utilized in decklists... In decks with good manabases I feel like it is a great ramp card that sort of cycles instead later into the game. I really want to start using this card more as I think it is really solid and totally under utilized.
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I have officially moved to MTGNexus. I just wanted to let people know as my response time to salvation decks being bumped is very hit or miss.
You know, I feel like Explore is just criminally under utilized in decklists... In decks with good manabases I feel like it is a great ramp card that sort of cycles instead later into the game. I really want to start using this card more as I think it is really solid and totally under utilized.
I use it in my g/w deck with great results. Its amazing early game and later on it helps me fish for removal/ramp/board wipe... Sure it's only a draw 1 and put an extra land, but it can put you ahead. Altough I do prefer creatures that ramp/draw.
You know, I feel like Explore is just criminally under utilized in decklists... In decks with good manabases I feel like it is a great ramp card that sort of cycles instead later into the game. I really want to start using this card more as I think it is really solid and totally under utilized.
i keep forgetting about this card. ive been running Edge of Autumn in my mono G, but quite honestly, i've never wanted to give up a precious land to cycle it in the late game. i will have to try Explore out, for sure.
anyways...
- Big Game Hunter - this dude is similar to Bone Shredder or Shriekmaw, and fits right into reanimator decks likewise, but cannot sac himself like Bone Shredder can. however, there are some nasty creatures in black/artifact that you would want to kill
- Gleeful Sabotage - athough it's sorcery speed, i love this card because it can 1-shot early mana rocks from the get-go, or it can be a potential Relic Crush later on.
- Ohran Viper - in monoG/GW/GR or other colors that can use more card draw, i think this is generally a great early creature. not too bad of a top-deck either.
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Going back to messing with topen decks, I've played soldier of fortune with some degrees of success. It's cheap, and the activation is easy. Nothing is better than killing a dumdums top.
This is probably worse than the oft-used Vedalken Shackles but Helm of Possession is quite useful for those monoblue decks who could ill-afford the Shackles (monetarily).
Yeah, Helm of Possession is great, especially when combined with other Control Magic-style or Threaten-style effects.
- Big Game Hunter - this dude is similar to Bone Shredder or Shriekmaw, and fits right into reanimator decks likewise, but cannot sac himself like Bone Shredder can. however, there are some nasty creatures in black/artifact that you would want to kill
The madness discount on Big Game Hunter is not irrelevant, either. Between Survival of the Fittest, Greater Good, Thought Gorger, and Body Snatcher, I don't think I've ever actually hardcast Big Game Hunter.
Speaking of which, Thought Gorger is pretty cool for decks are permitted to use their graveyard as a second hand. He's pretty well-insured against backfiring (watch out for the guy who likes to use Vampire Hexmage to keep planeswalkers in check), gets a cheap hit in every so often, and there's nothing like feeding a 7/7-ish Thought Gorger into Greater Good.
You know, I feel like Explore is just criminally under utilized in decklists... In decks with good manabases I feel like it is a great ramp card that sort of cycles instead later into the game. I really want to start using this card more as I think it is really solid and totally under utilized.
I find Explore is kind of overrated actually, seemingly due to the fact that a filter search for the word "draw" picks it up. It's really just another 2 CMC, net cost 1 accel spell. Only instead of your choice of land out of your deck, it gives you a random card off the top. It gives you a better quality draw, but it doesn't fix and it requires you to run just as much land. Its beter than rampant growth, but has nothing on Three Visits and Nature's Lore.
Now for a criminally underused card, see Skyshroud Claim. There was a thread some time last year that discussed mana accel. It was super helpful.
At worst, Explore is a two-mana cantrip. Not great, but not terrible. At best, it's accelerating your mana and still cantrips. That's a really good upside. I'll gladly play it in a green deck.
I see Skyshroud Claim in soooo many green decklists. It's not exactly hidden.
Skyshroud Claim is the first spell into just about every deck I make that includes green, and I see it in almost every green deck. I'd call that a far cry from hidden. Three Visits does fall into this category to some degree, though it's rising cost is making it a slightly less attractive option.
I always like the idea of Explore, and it rarely makes it into the final draft of my decks.
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[Pr]Jaya | Estrid | A rotating cast of decks built out of my box.
At worst, Explore is a two-mana cantrip. Not great, but not terrible. At best, it's accelerating your mana and still cantrips. That's a really good upside. I'll gladly play it in a green deck.
I see Skyshroud Claim in soooo many green decklists. It's not exactly hidden.
Well, Rampant Growth is at worst a 2 mana cantrip, only the cantrip has to be a basic land. For that matter, Demonic Tutor is a 2 mana cantrip as well. I remain unconvinced that Explore is anything unparalleled.
I haven't been seeing Skyshroud Claim too much on modo, maybe people did start playing it more. I hope they did. I just wish more people realized that it gives you as many cards as a Mulldrifter. It doesn't seem to me that many actually are making that connection.
Well, Rampant Growth is at worst a 2 mana cantrip, only the cantrip has to be a basic land. For that matter, Demonic Tutor is a 2 mana cantrip as well. I remain unconvinced that Explore is anything unparalleled.
I haven't been seeing Skyshroud Claim too much on modo, maybe people did start playing it more. I hope they did. I just wish more people realized that it gives you as many cards as a Mulldrifter. It doesn't seem to me that many actually are making that connection.
Rampant Growth is not a cantrip. Demonic Tutor is a controlled cantrip, yes, but Growth is not. Explore is, in many ways, far better than rampant growth simply because it draws that card. Being able to play a nonbasic off of it makes a huge difference as well. I'd consider Explore before growth in every deck I build.
Similar to Skyshroud. It doesn't give you the cards in hand. Cards in hand are often much, much more important than what's on the board. For example, the MUC deck with no ten lands and nothing else with a full grip is usually far more threatening than the Azusa player with no hand and a board full of permanents.
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Tantarus: It didn't make the gaka greifer level, so it should be fine
Rampant Growth is not a cantrip. Demonic Tutor is a controlled cantrip, yes, but Growth is not. Explore is, in many ways, far better than rampant growth simply because it draws that card. Being able to play a nonbasic off of it makes a huge difference as well. I'd consider Explore before growth in every deck I build.
Similar to Skyshroud. It doesn't give you the cards in hand. Cards in hand are often much, much more important than what's on the board. For example, the MUC deck with no ten lands and nothing else with a full grip is usually far more threatening than the Azusa player with no hand and a board full of permanents.
Yeah, Rampant Growth is garbage, and I would never play it. Which is why I chose that card to illustrate how all cantrips are not created equal.
And yes, if a cantrip is defined as "draw one" rampant growth is a cantrip. You get a card from your deck. You then put it immediately into play for its designed use. Cards are good because you play them. Reason blue mage with a full hand is dangerous is because he's going to play those cards. Some might be land, which he will play at some point, just like a land from Rampant Growth. Lands are cards, even if they don't stay in hand.
Yeah, Rampant Growth is garbage, and I would never play it. Which is why I chose that card to illustrate how all cantrips are not created equal.
And yes, if a cantrip is defined as "draw one" rampant growth is a cantrip. You get a card from your deck. You then put it immediately into play for its designed use. Cards are good because you play them. Reason blue mage with a full hand is dangerous is because he's going to play those cards. Some might be land, which he will play at some point, just like a land from Rampant Growth. Lands are cards, even if they don't stay in hand.
Think about, for a moment, why Rampant is bad. It's not because it puts it into play directly, but because it's forced.
Cards in hand are good because they are options. The rampant growth forces you to do exactly one thing with your "cantrip" where the explore does not. If you want to drop a land, you can. If you dont, you got more information and more options. It's why Cryptic Command was so good, there was a huge variety of options that it gave you.
There is a key difference between cards in play, locked in and cards in hand, relative unknowns to the rest of your opponents. Unless you're a terrible poker player, it can be difficult to know what your opponent has, and to then play around them. However, it's far easier to look at the board state and make choices from there.
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Tantarus: It didn't make the gaka greifer level, so it should be fine
I'm a huge fan of cannibalize . I've been using puppeteer clique recently to amazing results and I know i saw it a ways back but Magnetic theft is pretty funny.
Think about, for a moment, why Rampant is bad. It's not because it puts it into play directly, but because it's forced.
Cards in hand are good because they are options. The rampant growth forces you to do exactly one thing with your "cantrip" where the explore does not. If you want to drop a land, you can. If you dont, you got more information and more options. It's why Cryptic Command was so good, there was a huge variety of options that it gave you.
There is a key difference between cards in play, locked in and cards in hand, relative unknowns to the rest of your opponents. Unless you're a terrible poker player, it can be difficult to know what your opponent has, and to then play around them. However, it's far easier to look at the board state and make choices from there.
I have played and will likely continue to play Rampant Growth in some decks. It's effectively a Signet, only it's not vulnerable to spot removal and Disk effects. In decks where hitting 4 mana is your priority, it's great*.
Except a Signet can be tapped for mana the turn it comes into play, the land you get with Rampant Growth generally cannot.
Also, cantrip means something specific, and it isn't "trade a card in hand for a permanent on the board".
I personally really like Elvish Pioneer. Sure Explore does the same thing and does cantrip, but I love putting down two lands on first turn. Gemstone Caverns is an autoinclude for me in every deck and it often doesn't really help me at all, just so much fun.
I run a lot of white decks, so I've gotten pretty familiar with wonderful board control spells. My favorite is Final Judgment. I'm sure it's not very "hidden" or unknown. But with almost everyone in my group running recursion of some sort, it's great for permanently getting rid of their creatures. :3
I'm going to go out on a limb and endorse Spite // Malice. I have not yet tried it in Crosis, but it seems like a fairly useful, protean spell.
I ran Spite/Malice in my Dralnu. The flexibility was nice, and so was the color commitment, but really I want my 4 mana counters to do more and my spot removal to cost less. I ended up reluctantly cutting it, not due to playing it, but the potential flexibility that I almost never used in Blue (cause I usually draw a better answer).
I don't want to make a new topic, but it almost seems like comparing Wayfarer's Bauble, Rampant Growth, and something like Night's Whisper is warranted. Just always seems like a discussion of the first one leads to the second, and now the second leads to the last one...so if you need something for a low cmc that either of those three could fill, what do you choose?
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I use it in my g/w deck with great results. Its amazing early game and later on it helps me fish for removal/ramp/board wipe... Sure it's only a draw 1 and put an extra land, but it can put you ahead. Altough I do prefer creatures that ramp/draw.
My Saffi deck
i keep forgetting about this card. ive been running Edge of Autumn in my mono G, but quite honestly, i've never wanted to give up a precious land to cycle it in the late game. i will have to try Explore out, for sure.
anyways...
- Big Game Hunter - this dude is similar to Bone Shredder or Shriekmaw, and fits right into reanimator decks likewise, but cannot sac himself like Bone Shredder can. however, there are some nasty creatures in black/artifact that you would want to kill
- Gleeful Sabotage - athough it's sorcery speed, i love this card because it can 1-shot early mana rocks from the get-go, or it can be a potential Relic Crush later on.
- Ohran Viper - in monoG/GW/GR or other colors that can use more card draw, i think this is generally a great early creature. not too bad of a top-deck either.
Check out NoShyfts, the webcomic that I illustrate for!
GUPrime Speaker ZeganaGU
GGG Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger GGG
GWB Teneb, the Harvester GWB
:symr::symb: I hate your deck(Kaervek the Merciless)
Wait, how do I even hide it as a name title?
Kemba, Kostume
Ka...Oh god that's not a good alliteration.Wait, how do I even hide it as a name title?
Yeah, Helm of Possession is great, especially when combined with other Control Magic-style or Threaten-style effects.
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Standard:
Retired.
Modern:
Blitzhelix! RW
EDH (1v1): I am a jerk! RG
Tiny Leaders (1v1): BURN! R
I replaced it with Oath of Lim-Dul in my Teysa deck and never looked back.
Would learn my licks with a bottle neck slide
Retired EDH - Tibor and Lumia | [PR]Nemata |Ramirez dePietro | [C]Edric | Riku | Jenara | Lazav | Heliod | Daxos | Roon | Kozilek
The madness discount on Big Game Hunter is not irrelevant, either. Between Survival of the Fittest, Greater Good, Thought Gorger, and Body Snatcher, I don't think I've ever actually hardcast Big Game Hunter.
Speaking of which, Thought Gorger is pretty cool for decks are permitted to use their graveyard as a second hand. He's pretty well-insured against backfiring (watch out for the guy who likes to use Vampire Hexmage to keep planeswalkers in check), gets a cheap hit in every so often, and there's nothing like feeding a 7/7-ish Thought Gorger into Greater Good.
Erebos B | Ghost Council WB | Grimgrin UB | Jhoira UR
Jor Kadeen RW | Melek UR | Mimeoplasm GUB | Rasputin WU
Savra BG | Sisay GW | Teneb BGW | Thada Adel U | Wort BR
I draft and play EDH. If a Standard player can't understand who a card is for, it's probably for me.
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I find Explore is kind of overrated actually, seemingly due to the fact that a filter search for the word "draw" picks it up. It's really just another 2 CMC, net cost 1 accel spell. Only instead of your choice of land out of your deck, it gives you a random card off the top. It gives you a better quality draw, but it doesn't fix and it requires you to run just as much land. Its beter than rampant growth, but has nothing on Three Visits and Nature's Lore.
Now for a criminally underused card, see Skyshroud Claim. There was a thread some time last year that discussed mana accel. It was super helpful.
I see Skyshroud Claim in soooo many green decklists. It's not exactly hidden.
R Citizen Cane (Feldon of the Third Path)
I always like the idea of Explore, and it rarely makes it into the final draft of my decks.
Well, Rampant Growth is at worst a 2 mana cantrip, only the cantrip has to be a basic land. For that matter, Demonic Tutor is a 2 mana cantrip as well. I remain unconvinced that Explore is anything unparalleled.
I haven't been seeing Skyshroud Claim too much on modo, maybe people did start playing it more. I hope they did. I just wish more people realized that it gives you as many cards as a Mulldrifter. It doesn't seem to me that many actually are making that connection.
Rampant Growth is not a cantrip. Demonic Tutor is a controlled cantrip, yes, but Growth is not. Explore is, in many ways, far better than rampant growth simply because it draws that card. Being able to play a nonbasic off of it makes a huge difference as well. I'd consider Explore before growth in every deck I build.
Similar to Skyshroud. It doesn't give you the cards in hand. Cards in hand are often much, much more important than what's on the board. For example, the MUC deck with no ten lands and nothing else with a full grip is usually far more threatening than the Azusa player with no hand and a board full of permanents.
EDH:
RNorin the WaryR <-Link! (Primer - Mono Red Control)
GUEdric, Spymaster of TrestUG <- Link! (Mini-Primer - Dredge)
Duel Commander:
WUGeist of Saint TraftUW <- Link! (Aggro-Control)
BGSkullbriar, the Walking GraveGB <- Link! (Aggro)
BUGDamia, Sage of StoneGUB <- Link! (Extinction Control)
Church of the Wary
Yeah, Rampant Growth is garbage, and I would never play it. Which is why I chose that card to illustrate how all cantrips are not created equal.
And yes, if a cantrip is defined as "draw one" rampant growth is a cantrip. You get a card from your deck. You then put it immediately into play for its designed use. Cards are good because you play them. Reason blue mage with a full hand is dangerous is because he's going to play those cards. Some might be land, which he will play at some point, just like a land from Rampant Growth. Lands are cards, even if they don't stay in hand.
Think about, for a moment, why Rampant is bad. It's not because it puts it into play directly, but because it's forced.
Cards in hand are good because they are options. The rampant growth forces you to do exactly one thing with your "cantrip" where the explore does not. If you want to drop a land, you can. If you dont, you got more information and more options. It's why Cryptic Command was so good, there was a huge variety of options that it gave you.
There is a key difference between cards in play, locked in and cards in hand, relative unknowns to the rest of your opponents. Unless you're a terrible poker player, it can be difficult to know what your opponent has, and to then play around them. However, it's far easier to look at the board state and make choices from there.
EDH:
RNorin the WaryR <-Link! (Primer - Mono Red Control)
GUEdric, Spymaster of TrestUG <- Link! (Mini-Primer - Dredge)
Duel Commander:
WUGeist of Saint TraftUW <- Link! (Aggro-Control)
BGSkullbriar, the Walking GraveGB <- Link! (Aggro)
BUGDamia, Sage of StoneGUB <- Link! (Extinction Control)
Church of the Wary
Two very recent cards I've also been digging are tainted strike and undying evil
I have played and will likely continue to play Rampant Growth in some decks. It's effectively a Signet, only it's not vulnerable to spot removal and Disk effects. In decks where hitting 4 mana is your priority, it's great*.
*Assuming you're already running Explore, Nature's Lore, Three Visits if within your budget, Sakura-tribe Elder, and Farseek if in multicolor, and still have an opening for a 2-mana ramp spell.
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Legacy: Something U/W Controlish
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Also, cantrip means something specific, and it isn't "trade a card in hand for a permanent on the board".
I personally really like Elvish Pioneer. Sure Explore does the same thing and does cantrip, but I love putting down two lands on first turn. Gemstone Caverns is an autoinclude for me in every deck and it often doesn't really help me at all, just so much fun.
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Palladia-Mors of {The Spirit of EDH}
EDH
WLinvala, Queen of the AngelsW
WUThe Prison of the Grand ArbiterUW [Primer]
URNiv-Mizzet, Handcycling ComboRU
UTalrand, Drake-Slinging to VictoryU
WUGDerevi, Tactical ShufflingGUW
BCao Cao, Discard Stax of Absolute MiseryB
I ran Spite/Malice in my Dralnu. The flexibility was nice, and so was the color commitment, but really I want my 4 mana counters to do more and my spot removal to cost less. I ended up reluctantly cutting it, not due to playing it, but the potential flexibility that I almost never used in Blue (cause I usually draw a better answer).
So Pro I have an alpha Volcanic Island
(U/B)(U/B)(U/B) JUMP IN THE LINE, ROCK YOUR BODY IN TIME
(R/W)(R/W)(R/W) RISING FROM THE NEON GLOOM, SHINING LIKE A CRAZY MOON
(U/R)(R/G)(G/U) STEALIN' WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUYIN'