If people are sick of reading about stuff just stop taking part. You have 100% control over what you read. Simic Ascendancy isn't going to get banned just because you didn't tell someone to shut up on the internet.
Soothsaying is passable, especially if you have anything that cares about the top card. More mana intensive, but it can also see a lot more cards in a turn if you have the mana to pay for it. Crystal Ball is underplayed. Cheap filtering, and it's occasionally better than Top if you don't have shuffle effects. Thassa, God of the Sea gives you a little of that effect and can also sneak in buffed up creatures.
You could always just add card draw or some kind of cheap filtering, too. My first choices would all be cantrips, despite the fact that they aren't permanents.
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If people are sick of reading about stuff just stop taking part. You have 100% control over what you read. Simic Ascendancy isn't going to get banned just because you didn't tell someone to shut up on the internet.
If you have any kind of flicker/bounce/clone ability (and U/G usually does) I can't recommend cryptic annelid enough. It's a living, breathing scry machine. Not annoying enough to waste removal on, not beefy enough to inspire any hate and most players underestimate scrying/deck filtering (even though it's probably one of the most important things in EDH).
Right now, I have something like 8 decks together and I run top in.... 2 of them I think? I dont consider any of them to be budget decks and I own 4-5 tops but I just dont feel its a card you need in every deck. Top in my mind is really only that good if you can shuffle your deck on a regular basis to be picking from the best selection of cards very regularly.
So, replacements for top? I dont think it actually fits that many decks. If every deck you play has a ton of shuffle effects (I am talking like.... 15+ before I feel it is decent and 25+ / commander has built in shuffle for the super ideal).
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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.
I think the effect of scroll rack is better than top and I generally run it over top. It can be destroyed, but rarely is. It combos with life from the loom, so if you are running that... (Also land tax, but that is not ug)
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"Hail to the speaker, hail to the knower; joy to he who has understood, delight to they who have listened." - Odin
i think most of the good ones have already been listed, but aside from the +1/+1 counter theme, is there anything specifically that you want your top to actually do? as in are you trying to stack the library for countertop or for things like genesis hydra or parley/manifest/clash/miracle things? or simply trying to churn through your deck for the combo piece/beater/answer etc? i think keeping things like that in mind when choosing cards is kinda useful.
Your wish has been heard by our benevolent overlords. No more will you need to make this decision, as Top is now being reprinted.
It has been upgraded to a rare in a super limited print run set with a high MSRP of packs. I am not saying it wont go down but SCG (yea I know terrible source of pricing) already has it at $25.00
I wouldn't get my hopes up that it will really go down much I guess is where I am at right now.
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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.
My gut says Top will end up around 15 for a while after release.
Back on topic - I'm fond of both Soothsaying and Mirri's Guile, although the later has become a bit pricy. I don't run these effects in too many decks, so I tend to run the premium options (Top, Sylvan Library, and Scrollrack).
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Current Decks GTitania midrange RGThromok tokens/goodstuff | UB Grimgrin zombie tribal GW Sigarda enchantress | R Godo voltron U Braids aggro | WR Kalemne punisher RU Mizzix storm | BUG Mimeoplasm competitive reanimator | UG Ezuri infect
I actually fell in love with Duskwatch Recruiter. For me, he's perfect in my Animar deck when all I want are creatures. So yes, there are several valid replacements for Top.
I actually fell in love with Duskwatch Recruiter. For me, he's perfect in my Animar deck when all I want are creatures. So yes, there are several valid replacements for Top.
If people are sick of reading about stuff just stop taking part. You have 100% control over what you read. Simic Ascendancy isn't going to get banned just because you didn't tell someone to shut up on the internet.
As previously mentioned, mystic speculation is a really solid option. Unlike Top, which can occasionally get krosan gripped or "spent" to draw and then shuffle, Speculation will be with you the entire game most of the time and can't be dealt with except with counterspells (which is a pretty terrible use of them) or with wheel-like effects.
Especially if you're playing in a meta that regularly goes late and people don't win out of nowhere in one turn, being able to spend a whole turn spending 15 mana looking for that one specific card is really strong.
With it being sorcery speed that just does not fit the deck. Spending 3 mana on my turn just isnt where I want to be most of the time. It has a lot of instants and a few counters, so doing something small for value coming into my turn or free is the target.
If people are sick of reading about stuff just stop taking part. You have 100% control over what you read. Simic Ascendancy isn't going to get banned just because you didn't tell someone to shut up on the internet.
Thoughts on a replacement in UG? Its a +1/+1 counter themed creature deck, so anything that's a permanent would be great.
Filtering / card draw on the lower curve maybe...
Crystal Ball is underplayed. Cheap filtering, and it's occasionally better than Top if you don't have shuffle effects.
Thassa, God of the Sea gives you a little of that effect and can also sneak in buffed up creatures.
You could always just add card draw or some kind of cheap filtering, too. My first choices would all be cantrips, despite the fact that they aren't permanents.
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Edit: In relation to Think Tank
So, replacements for top? I dont think it actually fits that many decks. If every deck you play has a ton of shuffle effects (I am talking like.... 15+ before I feel it is decent and 25+ / commander has built in shuffle for the super ideal).
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It has been upgraded to a rare in a super limited print run set with a high MSRP of packs. I am not saying it wont go down but SCG (yea I know terrible source of pricing) already has it at $25.00
I wouldn't get my hopes up that it will really go down much I guess is where I am at right now.
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Back on topic - I'm fond of both Soothsaying and Mirri's Guile, although the later has become a bit pricy. I don't run these effects in too many decks, so I tend to run the premium options (Top, Sylvan Library, and Scrollrack).
Current Decks
GTitania midrange
RGThromok tokens/goodstuff | UB Grimgrin zombie tribal
GW Sigarda enchantress | R Godo voltron
U Braids aggro | WR Kalemne punisher
RU Mizzix storm | BUG Mimeoplasm competitive reanimator | UG Ezuri infect
Especially if you're playing in a meta that regularly goes late and people don't win out of nowhere in one turn, being able to spend a whole turn spending 15 mana looking for that one specific card is really strong.
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