Instead of talking about how bad this card is, let's have story time. When was the last time a minotaur was chasing you?
The other night, coming home from work, I was forced into a detour. After losing my way I found myself in a small town known as "Minoan Falls". Strange name, I thought to myself.
After driving around town for awhile trying to navigate the labyrinthian one way streets (see what I did there?) I decided to stop being a stereotypical man. So I stopped for directions. Upon entering a local gas station called "Zarapa's Gas and Grill" I found myself confronted by the foulest smelling beast of a man whose back was turned to me. I couldn't help but comment aloud about the odor emanating from his body. "Wow! That is a janky ass smell!" I exclaimed.
He slowly turned and I found myself face to face with a Minotaur. "You must be Zarapa" I remarked. I wa greeted by the most forceful roar I had ever heard in my life. Before he had a chance to strike at me first I tossed two quarters in his eyes to blind him and ran.
Somehow I found my way out of the town and onto a familiar road. Before long I was home and the janky smelling Minotaur was a distant memory.
The End.
This work is purely fictional. Any similarities to real life minotaurs or actual events is purely accidental.
The other night, coming home from work, I was forced into a detour. After losing my way I found myself in a small town known as "Minoan Falls". Strange name, I thought to myself.
After driving around town for awhile trying to navigate the labyrinthian one way streets (see what I did there?) I decided to stop being a stereotypical man. So I stopped for directions. Upon entering a local gas station called "Zarapa's Gas and Grill" I found myself confronted by the foulest smelling beast of a man whose back was turned to me. I couldn't help but comment aloud about the odor emanating from his body. "Wow! That is a janky ass smell!" I exclaimed.
He slowly turned and I found myself face to face with a Minotaur. "You must be Zarapa" I remarked. I wa greeted by the most forceful roar I had ever heard in my life. Before he had a chance to strike at me first I tossed two quarters in his eyes to blind him and ran.
Somehow I found my way out of the town and onto a familiar road. Before long I was home and the janky smelling Minotaur was a distant memory.
The End.
This work is purely fictional. Any similarities to real life minotaurs or actual events is purely accidental.
Zerapa MinotaurInstead of talking about how bad this card is, let's have story time. When was the last time a minotaur was chasing you?
Never had one chasing me, but I DID play an epic level Minotaur in D&D, once. We got to have broken magic items provided that the DM also got to use broken magic items. I had a whole Minotaur's Maze in my armor. If you hit me, you went into the maze. The items just got sillier from there. Much fun was had by all.
Oh, and since we were all evil, the very first thing I did was attempt to murder the other PCs. No one held it against me, either.
Eventually, we killed Santa Claus. Man, I want to play that game again, sometime.
I'll let you all in on a little secret: I generally don't like cheap spot removal that doesn't do more. This is why I dislike Counterspell in my average blue deck, and it's why I for the most part don't ever run Nature's Claim. Unsummon isn't a bad card, and there are plenty of decks that want to run the cheapest answer possible, but I just don't like this card.
I ran it in my Ruhan of the Fomori 1 v 1 deck. It was based around eliminating blockers and killing with General damage. Otherwise it doesn't do enough for me. I would much rather spend one more mana and use Echoing Truth.
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All the kids who played the blues
Would learn my licks with a bottle neck slide
Unsummon itself is meh (not nearly enough effect for a card) but unsummon like effects can be gold and edh has alot of them. Cyclonic Rift and Capsize are two that leap to mind as spells that can be cast cheap for good effect but also cast more expensively and be backbreaking.
As others have already said, it isn't a bad card, but Unsummon doesn't make the cut when there are similar cards that do more, or ones which are reusable. I utilize blink/bounce effects to some degree in most decks that use U, but so far I've always gone with other options, even in Heidar, in which bouncing stuff is one of the deck's core control strategies.
I like bounce as much as the next guy, but I'd agree with everyone that Unsummon just doesn't do enough, despite being costed as aggressively as possible (perhaps if it cost Phyrexian mana instead?). If I'm looking for spot-bounce, I'd rather have something that can target other permanents as well, like Into the Roil or Venser's Diffusion.
Still, it might have it's place in some kind of spellslinger deck that has ways to abuse it. Kaho, Minamo Historian might enjoy it as a way to protect/reset herself, for example.
I don't run unsummon but I do like to run Curfew in heavy control decks assisted by Ischron Scepter to create really ugly bounce combos and staxy boardstates. Unsummon just doesn't quite do enough for me.
This isn't a bad card in principle, but it does suffer from being mill, which is generally bad in Commander (and it only targets one person, so there's that too). However, because it is target player you could do some interesting things in a reanimator strategy like The Mimeoplasm.
I've seen it do good work in UB reanimator decks, either to self-mill to dump reanimator targets into the graveyard, or to utilize against opponents who are likely to have good targets. Having Lazav copy Avacyn can be GG in pretty short order.
This card is potentially good with several generals, including the Mimeoplasm, Lazav and the new new God of Mill. Niche, but probably still a solid card in the right deck.
1) single player
2) 60 card decks
3) in multiples
The card could be pretty threatening. In multiplayer commander, even as an enabler for Lazav or graveyard shenanigans, there are better cards that hit multiple players.
Since I love living in Magical Christmas Land of three card combos, this plus Notion Thief plus Windfall/Whispering Madness would make a for a solid full table mill/discard. Of course, it's just gravy on top of the other two cards.
Since it is target player, my Zombie mill deck might like it because it can take advantage of self-mill or mill the guy playing white so my Lazav becomes an awesome hexproof angel.
In EDH it's bad. But, there is a Pauper deck that popped up a while ago on MTGO that did really well with it. I thought it was a joke, but Pauper can't really deal with a fast mill deck too well. The shell was something like:
The problem with a card like this is that once you start to look at ways to abuse cards that make everybody draw cards, Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind and Nekusar, the Mindrazer both come up and effectively do the job of killing your opponents much better.
With that said, if you are desperate for milling effects and you aren't combo-milling somebody, then maybe this would be included. But I doubt it.....
I actually like this card for Mill strategies. Maybe it's a bit underwhelming, but it's the kind of mill effect EDH really needs... cheap, repeatable, no activation cost, rewards you for something that you should be doing anyway...
My friend uses it in his Lazav deck. It's usually not good enough to warrant being countered. In fact, he'd probably be happy to bait out a counter with it. But that usually doesn't happen, and then the Erasure goes along ticking out cards. Sometimes it gets something good.
Eh. It seems okay in niche decks. But just okay. Not good.
I suppose it's worth noting that this card does interact with cards that let you manipulate the top of your library. Say you have this, and a Sylvan Library. You can activate your Library and after looking at the two extra cards you drew you can choose to target yourself with the mill to dig deeper next turn, or mill cards that you want in your graveyard. The same goes for Brainstorm effects.
I'm not sure that's ever going to be enough to make the card worth running if you don't also want the mill for other reasons though.
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Heh.
The other night, coming home from work, I was forced into a detour. After losing my way I found myself in a small town known as "Minoan Falls". Strange name, I thought to myself.
After driving around town for awhile trying to navigate the labyrinthian one way streets (see what I did there?) I decided to stop being a stereotypical man. So I stopped for directions. Upon entering a local gas station called "Zarapa's Gas and Grill" I found myself confronted by the foulest smelling beast of a man whose back was turned to me. I couldn't help but comment aloud about the odor emanating from his body. "Wow! That is a janky ass smell!" I exclaimed.
He slowly turned and I found myself face to face with a Minotaur. "You must be Zarapa" I remarked. I wa greeted by the most forceful roar I had ever heard in my life. Before he had a chance to strike at me first I tossed two quarters in his eyes to blind him and ran.
Somehow I found my way out of the town and onto a familiar road. Before long I was home and the janky smelling Minotaur was a distant memory.
The End.
This work is purely fictional. Any similarities to real life minotaurs or actual events is purely accidental.
EDH Decks:
WUBOloro, Combo ControlWUB
UBOona Reanimator ComboUB
BRGProssh, Eater of the Blue MageBRG
UBRGrixis StormUBR
Rebuilding Jenara (stealyourstuff.dec)
Pauper Deck:
UBInspired SirenUB
10 points for Hufflepuff.
Misc. EDH Stuff: Commander Cube | Zombies (Horde)
Resources:Commander Rulings FAQ | Commander Deckbuilding Guide
Follow me on Twitter! @cryogen_mtg
Rofl. I was literally watching the end/credits of a Deathly Hallows 2 when I started writing that. We marathoned the whole series the last few days.
EDH Decks:
WUBOloro, Combo ControlWUB
UBOona Reanimator ComboUB
BRGProssh, Eater of the Blue MageBRG
UBRGrixis StormUBR
Rebuilding Jenara (stealyourstuff.dec)
Pauper Deck:
UBInspired SirenUB
Never had one chasing me, but I DID play an epic level Minotaur in D&D, once. We got to have broken magic items provided that the DM also got to use broken magic items. I had a whole Minotaur's Maze in my armor. If you hit me, you went into the maze. The items just got sillier from there. Much fun was had by all.
Oh, and since we were all evil, the very first thing I did was attempt to murder the other PCs. No one held it against me, either.
Eventually, we killed Santa Claus. Man, I want to play that game again, sometime.
I'll let you all in on a little secret: I generally don't like cheap spot removal that doesn't do more. This is why I dislike Counterspell in my average blue deck, and it's why I for the most part don't ever run Nature's Claim. Unsummon isn't a bad card, and there are plenty of decks that want to run the cheapest answer possible, but I just don't like this card.
Misc. EDH Stuff: Commander Cube | Zombies (Horde)
Resources:Commander Rulings FAQ | Commander Deckbuilding Guide
Follow me on Twitter! @cryogen_mtg
Would learn my licks with a bottle neck slide
Still, it might have it's place in some kind of spellslinger deck that has ways to abuse it. Kaho, Minamo Historian might enjoy it as a way to protect/reset herself, for example.
RRR - Bosh's School of Hard(cover) Knocks
5-color Eggs
EDH Decks:
WUBOloro, Combo ControlWUB
UBOona Reanimator ComboUB
BRGProssh, Eater of the Blue MageBRG
UBRGrixis StormUBR
Rebuilding Jenara (stealyourstuff.dec)
Pauper Deck:
UBInspired SirenUB
This isn't a bad card in principle, but it does suffer from being mill, which is generally bad in Commander (and it only targets one person, so there's that too). However, because it is target player you could do some interesting things in a reanimator strategy like The Mimeoplasm.
Misc. EDH Stuff: Commander Cube | Zombies (Horde)
Resources:Commander Rulings FAQ | Commander Deckbuilding Guide
Follow me on Twitter! @cryogen_mtg
Great card in M11 limited, though, like whoa.
Props to Theismisacrime for the sig! Click for Trade list!
Major EDH player! Current decks: UUBraids, Waifu | UGZegana | RGWEnchantress Uril, the Miststalker | WBTriad of Fates (new!) | RBGXira Arien Re-dredge-imator (unretired!)
Eladamri | Anowon | Sydri | Melek | Augustin IV | Thelon | Sliver Overlord | Ramirez DePietro
Retired! Kangee | Kaalia
This card is potentially good with several generals, including the Mimeoplasm, Lazav and the new new God of Mill. Niche, but probably still a solid card in the right deck.
2) 60 card decks
3) in multiples
The card could be pretty threatening. In multiplayer commander, even as an enabler for Lazav or graveyard shenanigans, there are better cards that hit multiple players.
Roon of the Pod People (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
Sydri, Super Genius (Sydri, Galvanic Genius)
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Retired:
Grimgrin's Corpse-Beats (Grimgrin, Corpse-Born) | Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge | Varolz, the Scar-Striped (1v1) | Glissa, the Traitor
Since it is target player, my Zombie mill deck might like it because it can take advantage of self-mill or mill the guy playing white so my Lazav becomes an awesome hexproof angel.
RBGLiving EndRBG
EDH
UFblthpU
BRXantchaRB
BGVarolzGB
URWZedruuWRU
4 Brainstorm
4 Ideas Unbound
4 Whirlpool Rider
4 Tolarian Winds
4 Vision Skeins
I really wish it could work in EDH, but as you can clearly see, the effect is really for 1-on-1 60 card.
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
With that said, if you are desperate for milling effects and you aren't combo-milling somebody, then maybe this would be included. But I doubt it.....
Jalira, Master Polymorphist | Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder | Bosh, Iron Golem | Ezuri, Renegade Leader
Brago, King Eternal | Oona, Queen of the Fae | Wort, Boggart Auntie | Wort, the Raidmother
Captain Sisay | Rhys, the Redeemed | Trostani, Selesnya's Voice | Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight | Obzedat, Ghost Council | Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind | Vorel of the Hull Clade
Uril, the Miststalker | Prossh, Skyraider of Kher | Nicol Bolas | Progenitus
Ghave, Guru of Spores | Zedruu the Greathearted | Damia, Sage of Stone | Riku of Two Reflections
Draft my Peasant Cube.
Eh. It seems okay in niche decks. But just okay. Not good.
I'm not sure that's ever going to be enough to make the card worth running if you don't also want the mill for other reasons though.