Yes, if you bribery and only get a solemn it is very bad.
Not really... it is only 1 more than Sad Robot, and it gets you the possibility of having 2 sad robots (theirs and yours) which is kinda nice.
Honestly, what kind of meta's are you guys playing in, in which you have a hard time finding bribery targets??? Seedborn Muse is brutal for U (let me have all my mana for counterspells always??? Yes please!), Massacre Warm still does work against people. Elesh Norn is still a very common Powerhouse. Avacyn is not uncommon either. Void Winnower I see a bit as well. Just about every blue deck runs Consecrated Sphinx. Ulamog and Kozilek are still popular anti-Mill tech. Wurmcoil is still a brutal card found all over...
Most of my decks don't play Solemn anymore, so I don't really want to pay five mana for one. Same goes for the "typical" removal options like Acidic Slime.
Seedborn Muse is quite good but honestly I don't see it very much. Is it really a card that green decks just jam in? That seems incorrect. I never see Elesh or Avacyn. Winnower only in reanimator. CSphinx... yes, is still very popular and a good target. Eldrazi titans I don't see much outside of Animar and nobody plays anti-mill tech... Wurmcoil is generically strong but doesn't really contribute to any gameplan except not dying which is, again, fine, but when I'm casting a spell for five mana I'm looking for more than "fine."
Of course Bribery isn't a bad card. But I think ISB is correct that it has become worse over time. Nothing has surpassed the Titans, Praetors, and Eldrazi in the years since they've been printed at least the decks I've been playing against are more combo oriented and play more powerful spells than powerful creatures. This is of course a meta thing but regardless...
I may be overestimating the occurrence of the worst case for Bribery but I also think that players overvalue the worst case. Getting generic removal or ramp is bad because I would not devote a five mana spell in my deck to do something like that, which is really only worth one or two mana. Once it is already in your deck these instances aren't awful I suppose but the point is that there are stronger, more impactful options for the mana that you could have been playing in the first place if your typical grabs are Solemn and such.
if i'm going into a game blind, like say at a new shop somewhere or up against new people, i'll probably jam it in there somehow. most of the time its going to find something useful - con sphinx, bane of progress, t-don, even sun titan is great a lot of the time.
in my local group though? its definitely declined in ubiquity in my blue decks. i feel compelled to run it a little less than i use to. a few of the guys i play against each week don't run much in the way of viable targets. blowing five mana on a bribery and finding out that your opponent's best creature to grab is something like trinket mage feels bad. i don't necessarily remove it from my decks before playing, i just forget to add it sometimes when building a new deck and much more rarely i'm finding myself going "damnit if only i had a bribery"
its still not quite on par with lightning greaves - which i cut years ago despite the interwebs insistence that its omg amazing. i've honestly not missed that card at all.
I used Bribery when I began building commander decks, but as I've grown as a deck builder it's not even a card that's in the conversation any more.
What has changed is that my deck building philosophy now begins with "How do I win" and each card in the deck is supports advancing my game plan.
If a card cannot demonstrate a reliable advancement to victory than I don't play it. And the main problem with Bribery is it's reliability.
Some meta evolution has contributed to Bribery's demise too. My meta was more battlecruiser, now it's much more combo oriented, leaner, faster. As people have cut their Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger for Horseshoe Crab to get in niche cards with defined purpose, Bribery has gotten way worse. It's less and less common to get a generic "good stuff" creature as a hit.
Even if I did get a semi-decent hit, is it exactly what I need to win? Probably not.
What tends to be better is a 5 mana card that Included in my deck because it is more often exactly what I need.
And as an aside there are no Solemn Simulacrum in decks in my meta anymore.
While there isn't always a viable target that will advance your own win strategy, there is always the option of looking at the situation from another perspective. I play decks for synergy primarily, so some of my more effective decks there definitely won't be anything present that another player will gain advantage from , but there will DEFINITELY be targets that my deck will struggle without access to. I guess this is where the idea of stax comes from. Other than racing to hit more resources than your opponent, the option always exists to deny your opponents their own resources.
So I guess while there may not be any game changer creatures available to you all the time, it still advances your options to see an opponent falter in their own resources. All it would take is an assessment of the present battlefield, and stealing what your opponent likely needs.
It's a very good card but there are fringe situations where it doesn't pull its weight, namely if people are using Homeward Path or have bounce, etc. or if nobody on the table has battlecruise-type decks.
From what I'm seeing in this thread, the perception of Bribery seems to come down to differing speed of the meta. At my tables, people are threatening for the win by T4-5, with games often ending by T10 (even when everyone disrupts one another). They only last longer when someone manages to reset the game, at which point the race begins anew. In this meta you can't afford to spend a turn on Bribery IF you don't already know what you're looking for, AND can't guarantee that it will advance your ability to win the game. Even setting one opponent behind is often not good enough for 5cmc - there are still multiple others at the table who are on the brink of going off.
The important distinction here: you wouldn't Bribery and then come across Primeval Titan - you would Bribery specifically for the purpose of findingPrimeval Titan, specifically for the purpose of finding a pair of lands that either positioned you for the win, or saved you from losing. Now that the game has shifted away from goodstuff.dec, you're always gambling.
Yes, casting Bribery and finding Solemn Simulacrum IS card advantage, there is no denying that. Problem is, by the time you're spending 3UU and a full turn doing it, you're staring down the barrel of an opponent's Mike & Trike, and Sad Robot doesn't help you solve that problem. That's not to say you won't find anything else that will help you out - you absolutely will in plenty of cases. But, for many of us, the return-on-investment isn't worth the gamble.
I have stopped playing it because it's dead against so many opponents I play with on a regular basis. Tribal stuff, creature light builds, etc.
Also if you bribery something that doesn't get value it'll inevitably get removed or you'll get punished. Consecrated Sphinx is the biggest example of one that gets me so often--every time I bribery'd it it'd get stolen, removed, reclaimed, etc.
I'm having second thoughts about Bribery, mostly because I've discovered that Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger is a thing and it's using up a valuable slot that, honestly, I'd rather have an alternate win condition in. I'd still say Bribery is generally good, but I think it might be becoming one of those cards where I really like it, but wind up cutting it for something I'd rather have.
I'm still keeping Acquire though because, unlike Bribery, most decks run some sort of mana rocks (almost always Sol Ring at the very least,) and other value artifacts that I might want. I think the odds of getting a useful artifact is better than the odds of getting a useful/game winning creature. Not to mention I can always grab artifact creatures.
I love Bribery in my Maelstrom Wanderer deck. Mostly because it has a heavy 'steal' theme, and Bribery is a very fun card. If there is a new deck at the table I love arbitrarily picking them just so I can see what they have. Also, grabbing Laboratory Maniac, Scavenging Ooze, Snapcaster Mage, and Spore Frog has all happened before. One of my favorite cards in the format.
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Not really... it is only 1 more than Sad Robot, and it gets you the possibility of having 2 sad robots (theirs and yours) which is kinda nice.
Honestly, what kind of meta's are you guys playing in, in which you have a hard time finding bribery targets??? Seedborn Muse is brutal for U (let me have all my mana for counterspells always??? Yes please!), Massacre Warm still does work against people. Elesh Norn is still a very common Powerhouse. Avacyn is not uncommon either. Void Winnower I see a bit as well. Just about every blue deck runs Consecrated Sphinx. Ulamog and Kozilek are still popular anti-Mill tech. Wurmcoil is still a brutal card found all over...
This aint your girlfriends meta! This is a man's meta! TURBO META.
Seedborn Muse is quite good but honestly I don't see it very much. Is it really a card that green decks just jam in? That seems incorrect. I never see Elesh or Avacyn. Winnower only in reanimator. CSphinx... yes, is still very popular and a good target. Eldrazi titans I don't see much outside of Animar and nobody plays anti-mill tech... Wurmcoil is generically strong but doesn't really contribute to any gameplan except not dying which is, again, fine, but when I'm casting a spell for five mana I'm looking for more than "fine."
Of course Bribery isn't a bad card. But I think ISB is correct that it has become worse over time. Nothing has surpassed the Titans, Praetors, and Eldrazi in the years since they've been printed at least the decks I've been playing against are more combo oriented and play more powerful spells than powerful creatures. This is of course a meta thing but regardless...
I may be overestimating the occurrence of the worst case for Bribery but I also think that players overvalue the worst case. Getting generic removal or ramp is bad because I would not devote a five mana spell in my deck to do something like that, which is really only worth one or two mana. Once it is already in your deck these instances aren't awful I suppose but the point is that there are stronger, more impactful options for the mana that you could have been playing in the first place if your typical grabs are Solemn and such.
Draft my Peasant Cube.
in my local group though? its definitely declined in ubiquity in my blue decks. i feel compelled to run it a little less than i use to. a few of the guys i play against each week don't run much in the way of viable targets. blowing five mana on a bribery and finding out that your opponent's best creature to grab is something like trinket mage feels bad. i don't necessarily remove it from my decks before playing, i just forget to add it sometimes when building a new deck and much more rarely i'm finding myself going "damnit if only i had a bribery"
its still not quite on par with lightning greaves - which i cut years ago despite the interwebs insistence that its omg amazing. i've honestly not missed that card at all.
UB Vela the Night-Clad BUDecklist
WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores GBW
WUBRGThe Ur-DragonWUBRGDecklist
What has changed is that my deck building philosophy now begins with "How do I win" and each card in the deck is supports advancing my game plan.
If a card cannot demonstrate a reliable advancement to victory than I don't play it. And the main problem with Bribery is it's reliability.
Some meta evolution has contributed to Bribery's demise too. My meta was more battlecruiser, now it's much more combo oriented, leaner, faster. As people have cut their Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger for Horseshoe Crab to get in niche cards with defined purpose, Bribery has gotten way worse. It's less and less common to get a generic "good stuff" creature as a hit.
Even if I did get a semi-decent hit, is it exactly what I need to win? Probably not.
What tends to be better is a 5 mana card that Included in my deck because it is more often exactly what I need.
And as an aside there are no Solemn Simulacrum in decks in my meta anymore.
Just not powerful enough.
So I guess while there may not be any game changer creatures available to you all the time, it still advances your options to see an opponent falter in their own resources. All it would take is an assessment of the present battlefield, and stealing what your opponent likely needs.
WUBRGProgenitus
URGMaelstrom Wanderer
WUBOloro, Ageless Ascetic
WURZedruu, the Greathearted
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher ($100)
GWUDerevi, Empyrial Tactician ($100)
UGKruphix, God of Horizons ($100)(retired)UTalrand, Sky Summoner (French 1v1, $100)
As an example - a few years back, Bribery was almost guaranteed to find Primeval Titan, and the power level / versatility of this is still unmatched. It could find you all kinds of crucial lands to advance your own gameplan - even if it died immediately, it would still find you Gaea's Cradle, Boseiju, Who Shelters All, Strip Mine for an enemy Maze of Ith, Dark Depths, Cabal Coffers + Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth etc - pairs which would immediately position you to win the next turn (assuming your deck is built to do it). If you were on the brink of dying, it could find Kor Haven, Maze of Ith, Glacial Chasm, etc.
The important distinction here: you wouldn't Bribery and then come across Primeval Titan - you would Bribery specifically for the purpose of finding Primeval Titan, specifically for the purpose of finding a pair of lands that either positioned you for the win, or saved you from losing. Now that the game has shifted away from goodstuff.dec, you're always gambling.
Yes, casting Bribery and finding Solemn Simulacrum IS card advantage, there is no denying that. Problem is, by the time you're spending 3UU and a full turn doing it, you're staring down the barrel of an opponent's Mike & Trike, and Sad Robot doesn't help you solve that problem. That's not to say you won't find anything else that will help you out - you absolutely will in plenty of cases. But, for many of us, the return-on-investment isn't worth the gamble.
UR [PRIMER] Flash of the Firemind (Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind) RU
BG Death and Staxes: FireStorm4056's Competitive Meren Stax List GB
W Avacyn Angel of Hope W
R Akroma, Angel of (Your Opponent's) Fury R
R 99-Mountain Ashling R
Also if you bribery something that doesn't get value it'll inevitably get removed or you'll get punished. Consecrated Sphinx is the biggest example of one that gets me so often--every time I bribery'd it it'd get stolen, removed, reclaimed, etc.
UW Ephara Hatebears [Primer], GB Gitrog Lands, BRU Inalla Combo-Control, URG Maelstrom Wanderer Landfall
I'm still keeping Acquire though because, unlike Bribery, most decks run some sort of mana rocks (almost always Sol Ring at the very least,) and other value artifacts that I might want. I think the odds of getting a useful artifact is better than the odds of getting a useful/game winning creature. Not to mention I can always grab artifact creatures.
UAzami, Locus of All KnowledgeU
BMarrow-Gnawer, Crime Lord of ComboB
WBRTariel, Hellraiser StaxWBR
Annul is really good in EDH