I just wanted to have a little discussion on Bribery. I remember when I started playing commander back in 2010 which was right after eldrazi had been released, Bribery was insane because you could grab things like Primeval Titan and eldrazi with really no downside to them.
So, since then a few things have changed, lots of the powerhouse creatures seem to have been banned and there hasn't really been new bribery targets in the last 6 years that are any better but things have been banned. We also have Homeward Path which I do see occasionally.
The meta I am in has also changed, people have a lot more focused decks with a lot less goodstuff decks where I am. Stealing any one creature can sometimes be awkward. I can tell you there are some games where I get bribery and I look at what my opponents are playing and I hope that at least one of them is a viable pick for bribery.
I guess where I am, I am actually questioning how good Bribery is anymore. The power of the threats seems like it has actually gone backwards in the past 6 years for bribery and the combination of theme and tribal decks in my meta has me questioning how good a card I once considered a very good staple to blue to be anymore.
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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.
It's meta dependent. It sounds like your meta isn't ripe for it, even though it's still typically a great card.
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It's amazing in battlecruiser metas and still solid elsewhere. My group sounds kind of like yours ISB (more decks based on synergy as opposed to individual powerful threats) but I still always find a good target. The days of autopilot grabbing Sylvan Primordial are gone, but I'm still always happy to snag a Seedborn Muse.
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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 used to use it to steal Sheoldred, Whispering One from this kid at our local shop. It was a hoot because we always knew what was gonna go down when I cast it.
Juicy Bribery targets are pretty much banned these days. It seems to be a hold over from the Primeval Titan meta of long ago. I think that on average people huge splashy creatures in their decks, this is commander after all. But ISB's meta seems to be particularly poor for it.
I think it also an issue with the amount of control decks that are run. Running huge splashy creatures requires investment, and theft is one of the most efficient forms of removal. As such, synergy is a good counter to theft effects. You built a deck for a purpose, having your opponent steal one of your synergistic parts doesn't mean it has synergies with their deck. It's also easy to deflect a big beater with good removal, which seems to be everywhere.
I still think it is a good power play for 5 mana. Chances are that by the time you can cast it, you have a pretty good idea who your going to aim it at. Plus, it can also be a pretty good preemptive move against certain strategies (grab his Craterhoof or something...)
If you can grab something with value that costs 5 or more, then it was worth it.
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"Whatever style you wish to play, be it fast and frenzied or slow and tactical, the surest way to defeat your opponent consistently is by dominating him or her in the war of card advantage." - Brian Wiseman, April 1996
If you can grab something with value that costs 5 or more, then it was worth it.
The problem comes up what if they are playing a niche strategy or a tribal strategy. Sure if they are using general staples and good cards its not really going to be a problem but when you look arround and the first player is playing Krenko goblins, the next guy is playing Tribal warrior, and the last guy is some spellslinger it gets real awkward real fast.
Bribery is a card that is made better by people playing generically good cards. When people suddenly break away from good cards and decide to play cards that further what their deck wants to do its harder to make them work with Bribery. The more 3+ color decks you see in your meta the better Bribery tends to be. The more specialized and low color decks you see the worse it tends to get.
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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 understand your point and Bribery isn't an auto include in every blue deck, but you should at least keep in in your personal collection to slip back into a deck if your meta changes. It is a very powerful card and effect. It will never be bad.
If you are playing a theft based deck against Krenko, then stealing the commander with another effect and following it up with that deck's best goblin would probably be a great play as well. The same is likely true with any well made tribal deck.
I used to play Merieke Ri Berit, but am now messing with Esper artifacts. I enjoy my theft deck, but hate how much hexproof has been printed in the last 5 years. We went from 2-3 cards (Troll Ascetic, Silhana Ledgewalker and later Uril, the Miststalker) to 94 cards with the keyword... while only 3 cards can remove it and one of those is green. (vomit)
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"Whatever style you wish to play, be it fast and frenzied or slow and tactical, the surest way to defeat your opponent consistently is by dominating him or her in the war of card advantage." - Brian Wiseman, April 1996
If you can grab something with value that costs 5 or more, then it was worth it.
I think that's generally oversimplifying things. A 5-drop from an opponents decks is very likely to be less useful than if you'd played a 5 drop from your own deck that has synergy with what your deck is trying to do. Not to mention you get wrecked by bounce or most blink (and can't use them yourself), you can't recur it as easily if it dies, etc.
Also throwing down a huge threat is likely to just eat removal at the beginning of the game, when everyone's hands are still relatively stocked, as compared to a more moderate threat that can give you value without as great a risk of removal.
Overall I don't love bribery because I think most decks are built around synergy and most games aren't decided by a single powerful threat. It also doesn't have a ton of synergy with most commanders. Unless I'm playing Uyo, then it's
A few years back, including Bribery in the deck was a choice made because it was basically like including a Primeval Titan (or a second Primeval Titan). In other words, at the time of brewing you already knew what you'd be fetching, so you could clearly evaluate whether it meshed with your game plan (and also, when in the game you ideally want to cast it).
Now the targets are not always so obvious, nor is the timing on playing the card, which makes it lackluster in comparison. And, as mentioned, there seems to have been a general trend away from "goodstuff" decks and towards focused and efficient (generally lower-CMC) lists. You often can't afford to spend a turn looking for something "good," you need to be finding something synergistic and that is no longer a guarantee.
Finally, there appears to be (a) far more removal run in the format, and (b) far more graveyard / reanimator strategies, which can turn your Bribery into a tutor for your opponent.
Many decks these days do creature-base combos or have strong synergy with enters battlefield effect, being able to find answers from another person's deck or remove their combo piece is quite huge.
In all honesty, the main reason I don't run a Bribery any longer is because of cards like Cyclonic Rift. Now, most of what's been said above is also why, but almost everytime I can find a good target, it gets bounced or returned, so I refused to pay 3UU to tutor the best creature to an opponents hand.
I usually use bribery to pull a semi-threat that can hopefully generate immediate value. Getting something overly threatening (that you can not protect) means that it will usually just die, or end up back in it's owners hand somehow.
Keranos, God of Storms is my absolute favorite target out of my friends decks that run him. Getting a rune-scarred demon isn't too bad since you are replacing the bribery with a possible better card in-hand. ETB removal effects from someones ashen rider are also pretty helpful. Sometimes just getting a solem simulacrum is good enough.
It just sounds like "dies to removal" all over again. How was that any different before?
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"Whatever style you wish to play, be it fast and frenzied or slow and tactical, the surest way to defeat your opponent consistently is by dominating him or her in the war of card advantage." - Brian Wiseman, April 1996
I definitely agree that Bribery is meta and deck dependent. I only run it in Talrand, Sky Summoner as a way to either find an answer in an opponent's deck, or a creature that I can use to apply additional pressure. It also acts as a pseudo Plan B should my commander get killed a few too many times or my drake air force gets decimated. But as others have mentioned, Bribery isnt in my other blue-containing decks because it doesnt further the game plan of those decks. Its simply a good stuff card.
Though for full disclosure, Im not sure why its not in my Mizzix "copy spells" deck while Blatant Thievery still is...
As someone who plays mono blue a lot with commanders like Azami and Aboshan, I consider Bribery as probably my most powerful spell even alongside things like Time Warp, Treachery, and Mana Drain. I can only imagine how dedicated the decks you're competing against must be to their themes and synergies that they still don't run a veritable mountain of viable Bribery targets. It's pretty impressive actually.
I still stand by what a lot of people have already gotten at though - go play to your meta. Whats the point of playing a great card if it never does anything great?
It's strength is in its versatility. Grabbing a creature from an opponent's deck has varying levels of effectiveness, based on deck type and familiarity with your opponent, but on some level, I think it's always effective. Even if there isn't an Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre or Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur available, you can always go grab a utility creature.
Bribery is one of those cards that I have in every deck the color allows. It's rarely "bad" and a good excuse to (quickly) see how their deck plays while I'm grabbing either eldrazi, blightsteel, or combo win pieces.
I distinctly recall the only time bribery didn't work, was a double headed dragon tournament and I looked through an eruzi (for got his name) deck and the deck had nothing but useless small creatures. We were losing anyway at that point so it was a small blow.
I mean yeah, sometimes it's not an auto win card with some decks, but it's one of the best gambling moves in the game, least in my opinion
It's strength is in its versatility. Grabbing a creature from an opponent's deck has varying levels of effectiveness, based on deck type and familiarity with your opponent, but on some level, I think it's always effective. Even if there isn't an Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre or Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur available, you can always go grab a utility creature.
Pretty much. Someone used it on me back when I used to play Prossh and the most useful card they found was Oracle of Mul Daya. No titans, no Craterhoof Behemoth, or anything else he was hoping to find off of me.
I just wanted to have a little discussion on Bribery. I remember when I started playing commander back in 2010 which was right after eldrazi had been released, Bribery was insane because you could grab things like Primeval Titan and eldrazi with really no downside to them.
So, since then a few things have changed, lots of the powerhouse creatures seem to have been banned and there hasn't really been new bribery targets in the last 6 years that are any better but things have been banned. We also have Homeward Path which I do see occasionally.
The meta I am in has also changed, people have a lot more focused decks with a lot less goodstuff decks where I am. Stealing any one creature can sometimes be awkward. I can tell you there are some games where I get bribery and I look at what my opponents are playing and I hope that at least one of them is a viable pick for bribery.
I guess where I am, I am actually questioning how good Bribery is anymore. The power of the threats seems like it has actually gone backwards in the past 6 years for bribery and the combination of theme and tribal decks in my meta has me questioning how good a card I once considered a very good staple to blue to be anymore.
Bribery has gone down a bit in my estimation as well. I think there was definitely a time in the past where more EDH decks were goodstuff-focused decks and you could always count on finding some high-cost value ETB creature or other. Especially with a ton of build-around style Commanders coming out in the yearly product, I think decks have certainly changed to be more synergy-focused.
Furthermore, while Bribery is at its best against value-goodstuff decks, it is also best in value-goodstuff decks. Looking at what I'm playing in U right now, it's Brago Stax and JVP High Tide. What card am I going to grab from an opponent's deck that's really going to further my gameplan in a significant way?
Now the targets are not always so obvious, nor is the timing on playing the card, which makes it lackluster in comparison. And, as mentioned, there seems to have been a general trend away from "goodstuff" decks and towards focused and efficient (generally lower-CMC) lists. You often can't afford to spend a turn looking for something "good," you need to be finding something synergistic and that is no longer a guarantee.
This describes my meta quite well. What am I looking to take from a Storm deck or a Prossh deck? While I do occasionally see something like Animar or Kaalia still floating around that I can go to for good targets, having one at the table is no longer guaranteed. Since I mentioned Prossh and lots of other people in this thread have been mentioning Purphuros... yes, grabbing that and denying it to an opponent is certainly a good thing, if your own deck can't take advantage of it to a reasonable degree, that play might not be strong enough. Your opponent still has plenty of other ways to win (well, at least a few ways) and not furthering your own gameplan at all in multiplayer is a death sentence.
Many decks these days do creature-base combos or have strong synergy with enters battlefield effect, being able to find answers from another person's deck or remove their combo piece is quite huge.
There are a number of creature combos in the format - and while getting a Mikaeus, the Unhallowed or a Palinchron isn't bad, it's certainly not going to be nearly as good for you as for the deck built around abusing those cards. Furthermore, pulling something out of your opponent's deck isn't really denying it to them - you're kind of flipping a coin on whether or not they can find removal and recursion effects faster than they could have drawn/tutored for the key card. I think just as often as you'd be ruining their plans, you'd be setting them up to win.
It's strength is in its versatility. Grabbing a creature from an opponent's deck has varying levels of effectiveness, based on deck type and familiarity with your opponent, but on some level, I think it's always effective. Even if there isn't an Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre or Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur available, you can always go grab a utility creature.
Is versatility better than efficiency? If you can't find a big, impactful creature, and typically end up finding removal of some kind, you could simply play other, cheaper, removal cads in your deck. Bribery has the possibility of finding anything, but what's the typical actual-case for the card? I think ISB is correct in that the typical value of Bribery has decreased over time (which is crazy, considering that for such a versatile card, you'd expect the value to go up with more cards being printed). And deck slots are more competitive than ever. It's not that Bribery is a bad card by any means, but is it always better than something else that could be in that deck slot?
Of course it is meta dependent, and if you know your meta, you know how good Bribery is for you. I think its value in an unknown meta has gone down. There are still some very good cards out there, though - I would pretty confidently roll the dice on a lot of blue players having a Consecrated Sphinx still, and among the more competitive strategies reanimator still seems pretty popular.
It's strength is in its versatility. Grabbing a creature from an opponent's deck has varying levels of effectiveness, based on deck type and familiarity with your opponent, but on some level, I think it's always effective. Even if there isn't an Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre or Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur available, you can always go grab a utility creature.
Is versatility better than efficiency? If you can't find a big, impactful creature, and typically end up finding removal of some kind, you could simply play other, cheaper, removal cads in your deck. Bribery has the possibility of finding anything, but what's the typical actual-case for the card? I think ISB is correct in that the typical value of Bribery has decreased over time (which is crazy, considering that for such a versatile card, you'd expect the value to go up with more cards being printed). And deck slots are more competitive than ever. It's not that Bribery is a bad card by any means, but is it always better than something else that could be in that deck slot?
Of course it is meta dependent, and if you know your meta, you know how good Bribery is for you. I think its value in an unknown meta has gone down. There are still some very good cards out there, though - I would pretty confidently roll the dice on a lot of blue players having a Consecrated Sphinx still, and among the more competitive strategies reanimator still seems pretty popular.
I mean, is pulling a Sad Robot or something from someone else's deck really that bad? It's not a beater or a early game win, but it's not BAD either, especially if you do what I do and ramp up to it for a T3 grab. If you have a free slot and you play blue (especially mono blue) I'd say go for it. It can't hurt, right?
But yes, I agree that the more knowledgeable you are in regards to your meta's decks, the better it is. But it doesn't have to be some crazy wincon either. I remember one time I cast Bribery, took a Jund guy's Woodfall Primus, and targeted the third Grixis guy's Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker that was about to pop its ult next turn. Not game ending, but it saved me a lot of hurt.
So, since then a few things have changed, lots of the powerhouse creatures seem to have been banned and there hasn't really been new bribery targets in the last 6 years that are any better but things have been banned. We also have Homeward Path which I do see occasionally.
The meta I am in has also changed, people have a lot more focused decks with a lot less goodstuff decks where I am. Stealing any one creature can sometimes be awkward. I can tell you there are some games where I get bribery and I look at what my opponents are playing and I hope that at least one of them is a viable pick for bribery.
I guess where I am, I am actually questioning how good Bribery is anymore. The power of the threats seems like it has actually gone backwards in the past 6 years for bribery and the combination of theme and tribal decks in my meta has me questioning how good a card I once considered a very good staple to blue to be anymore.
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Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
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
Juicy Bribery targets are pretty much banned these days. It seems to be a hold over from the Primeval Titan meta of long ago. I think that on average people huge splashy creatures in their decks, this is commander after all. But ISB's meta seems to be particularly poor for it.
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG
This aint your girlfriends meta! This is a man's meta! TURBO META.
Current EDH
Akroma W | Tymna and Bruse RBW
The problem comes up what if they are playing a niche strategy or a tribal strategy. Sure if they are using general staples and good cards its not really going to be a problem but when you look arround and the first player is playing Krenko goblins, the next guy is playing Tribal warrior, and the last guy is some spellslinger it gets real awkward real fast.
Bribery is a card that is made better by people playing generically good cards. When people suddenly break away from good cards and decide to play cards that further what their deck wants to do its harder to make them work with Bribery. The more 3+ color decks you see in your meta the better Bribery tends to be. The more specialized and low color decks you see the worse it tends to get.
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Purphoros, God of the Forge
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Siege-Gang Commander
I understand your point and Bribery isn't an auto include in every blue deck, but you should at least keep in in your personal collection to slip back into a deck if your meta changes. It is a very powerful card and effect. It will never be bad.
If you are playing a theft based deck against Krenko, then stealing the commander with another effect and following it up with that deck's best goblin would probably be a great play as well. The same is likely true with any well made tribal deck.
I used to play Merieke Ri Berit, but am now messing with Esper artifacts. I enjoy my theft deck, but hate how much hexproof has been printed in the last 5 years. We went from 2-3 cards (Troll Ascetic, Silhana Ledgewalker and later Uril, the Miststalker) to 94 cards with the keyword... while only 3 cards can remove it and one of those is green. (vomit)
Also throwing down a huge threat is likely to just eat removal at the beginning of the game, when everyone's hands are still relatively stocked, as compared to a more moderate threat that can give you value without as great a risk of removal.
Overall I don't love bribery because I think most decks are built around synergy and most games aren't decided by a single powerful threat. It also doesn't have a ton of synergy with most commanders. Unless I'm playing Uyo, then it's
EDH Primers
Phelddagrif - Zirilan
EDH
Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif 4 - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif 3 - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6
Now the targets are not always so obvious, nor is the timing on playing the card, which makes it lackluster in comparison. And, as mentioned, there seems to have been a general trend away from "goodstuff" decks and towards focused and efficient (generally lower-CMC) lists. You often can't afford to spend a turn looking for something "good," you need to be finding something synergistic and that is no longer a guarantee.
Finally, there appears to be (a) far more removal run in the format, and (b) far more graveyard / reanimator strategies, which can turn your Bribery into a tutor for your opponent.
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
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest WUR Voltron Control
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun WU Unblockable Mirror Trickery
Ra's al Ghul (Sidar Kondo) and Face-Down Ninjas
Brudiclad, Token Engineer
Vaevictis (VV2) the Dire Lantern
Rona, Disciple of Gix
Tiana the Auror
Hallar
Ulrich the Politician
Zur the Rebel
Scorpion, Locust, Scarab, Egyptian Gods
O-Kagachi, Mathas, Mairsil
"Non-Tribal" Tribal Generals, Eggs
Keranos, God of Storms is my absolute favorite target out of my friends decks that run him. Getting a rune-scarred demon isn't too bad since you are replacing the bribery with a possible better card in-hand. ETB removal effects from someones ashen rider are also pretty helpful. Sometimes just getting a solem simulacrum is good enough.
Links to my most current deck lists;
Primary EDH; Rakka Mar Token Perfection, Crosis Mnemonic Betrayal, Cromat Villainous, Judith Gravestorm, Rakdos Empty Storm, Exava Artifacts, Bant Trash, & Fumiko Voltron!
EDH kept at home; Ruzzian Isset & Rakdos LoR!
EDH (nostalgic/pimp/retired) in storage;
Latulla Burns, Akroma Smash, Jeska Voltron, Rakdos Storm, Bladewing Darghans, Lyzolda Worldgorger, Xantcha Steals your Heart, Jori Storm, Wydwen Permission, Gwendlyn Paradox, Jeleva Warps, & Sigarda Brick!
Legacy Showanimator and High Tide!
Wurmcoil Engine
Massacre Wurm
Sheoldred
Elesh Norn
Avacyn
Iona
Stoneforge Mystic
Eldrazi Titans
Cataclysmic Gearhulk
Combustible Gearhulk
Solemn Simulacrum
Consecrated Sphinx
Ashen Rider
The Kamigawa Dragons
Padeem
Porphoros
Seedborn Muse
The Theros Gods
Rune-Scarred Demon
This aint your girlfriends meta! This is a man's meta! TURBO META.
Though for full disclosure, Im not sure why its not in my Mizzix "copy spells" deck while Blatant Thievery still is...
The Mimeoplasm || Karador, Ghost Chieftain
Prossh, Skyraider of Kher || Vial Smasher/Tymna Group Slug
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief || Talrand, Sky Summoner
Yidris - Unblockable Saboteurs || Kiki-Jiki, ETB breaker
Kess, Dissident Mage
I still stand by what a lot of people have already gotten at though - go play to your meta. Whats the point of playing a great card if it never does anything great?
U Azami, Lady of Scrolls - Knowledge is Power U [Primer]
R Heartless Hidetsugu - The Art of Ending Games R
GB Ishkanah, Grafwidow - The Cluster HungersBG
Fixed.
UAzami, Locus of All KnowledgeU
BMarrow-Gnawer, Crime Lord of ComboB
WBRTariel, Hellraiser StaxWBR
Annul is really good in EDH
I distinctly recall the only time bribery didn't work, was a double headed dragon tournament and I looked through an eruzi (for got his name) deck and the deck had nothing but useless small creatures. We were losing anyway at that point so it was a small blow.
I mean yeah, sometimes it's not an auto win card with some decks, but it's one of the best gambling moves in the game, least in my opinion
Pretty much. Someone used it on me back when I used to play Prossh and the most useful card they found was Oracle of Mul Daya. No titans, no Craterhoof Behemoth, or anything else he was hoping to find off of me.
Bribery has gone down a bit in my estimation as well. I think there was definitely a time in the past where more EDH decks were goodstuff-focused decks and you could always count on finding some high-cost value ETB creature or other. Especially with a ton of build-around style Commanders coming out in the yearly product, I think decks have certainly changed to be more synergy-focused.
Furthermore, while Bribery is at its best against value-goodstuff decks, it is also best in value-goodstuff decks. Looking at what I'm playing in U right now, it's Brago Stax and JVP High Tide. What card am I going to grab from an opponent's deck that's really going to further my gameplan in a significant way?
This describes my meta quite well. What am I looking to take from a Storm deck or a Prossh deck? While I do occasionally see something like Animar or Kaalia still floating around that I can go to for good targets, having one at the table is no longer guaranteed. Since I mentioned Prossh and lots of other people in this thread have been mentioning Purphuros... yes, grabbing that and denying it to an opponent is certainly a good thing, if your own deck can't take advantage of it to a reasonable degree, that play might not be strong enough. Your opponent still has plenty of other ways to win (well, at least a few ways) and not furthering your own gameplan at all in multiplayer is a death sentence.
There are a number of creature combos in the format - and while getting a Mikaeus, the Unhallowed or a Palinchron isn't bad, it's certainly not going to be nearly as good for you as for the deck built around abusing those cards. Furthermore, pulling something out of your opponent's deck isn't really denying it to them - you're kind of flipping a coin on whether or not they can find removal and recursion effects faster than they could have drawn/tutored for the key card. I think just as often as you'd be ruining their plans, you'd be setting them up to win.
Is versatility better than efficiency? If you can't find a big, impactful creature, and typically end up finding removal of some kind, you could simply play other, cheaper, removal cads in your deck. Bribery has the possibility of finding anything, but what's the typical actual-case for the card? I think ISB is correct in that the typical value of Bribery has decreased over time (which is crazy, considering that for such a versatile card, you'd expect the value to go up with more cards being printed). And deck slots are more competitive than ever. It's not that Bribery is a bad card by any means, but is it always better than something else that could be in that deck slot?
Of course it is meta dependent, and if you know your meta, you know how good Bribery is for you. I think its value in an unknown meta has gone down. There are still some very good cards out there, though - I would pretty confidently roll the dice on a lot of blue players having a Consecrated Sphinx still, and among the more competitive strategies reanimator still seems pretty popular.
Draft my Peasant Cube.
I mean, is pulling a Sad Robot or something from someone else's deck really that bad? It's not a beater or a early game win, but it's not BAD either, especially if you do what I do and ramp up to it for a T3 grab. If you have a free slot and you play blue (especially mono blue) I'd say go for it. It can't hurt, right?
But yes, I agree that the more knowledgeable you are in regards to your meta's decks, the better it is. But it doesn't have to be some crazy wincon either. I remember one time I cast Bribery, took a Jund guy's Woodfall Primus, and targeted the third Grixis guy's Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker that was about to pop its ult next turn. Not game ending, but it saved me a lot of hurt.
UAzami, Locus of All KnowledgeU
BMarrow-Gnawer, Crime Lord of ComboB
WBRTariel, Hellraiser StaxWBR
Annul is really good in EDH