On it's own, this isn't a great card, but if you've synergies with its ability to sacrifice itself and/or ways of recurring it repeatedly, it can be a useful little addition to your deck.
It's not great, but it's passable. Could be in a Sun Titan package. And remember, it is still a creature, so it's sort of like Wall of Omens and friends in that you play it just to get all those triggers? But instead of replacing the card, this replaces the mana.
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Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
Hmm...The question is, which is better? Confluence is probably better most of the time, but City of Brass has its value if you're running Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, damage doublers, Platinum Emperion, or any strategy where your life total < 1 and you still survive. Oh, and Urza's Armor in overcosted.dec
If you're running three or more colors, you'll probably want both. If you're running two colors, there are plenty of other mana fixing lands.
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Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
Ugh... my son modified his dragon deck to include this and Akroan Horse. Just as I thought he was going to attack (I had a bunch of Fog spells but couldn't get to a board wipe), he drops Ashnod's Altar then burns me.
Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
I don't generally love paying 5 CMC to tutor. Heck, I don't love paying 4 CMC to tutor - Diabolic Tutor rarely makes the cut for me, and Jarad's Orders only makes it because in decks that like it it basically tutors for two cards at a time. I am sometimes willing to do so in an extremely greedy black deck with Increasing Ambition thanks to the flashback, but here I wonder if I've overlooked this for decks like Grusilda, Monster Masher or Mairsil, the Pretender (both currently in my inventory) that like to find specific bullets while also filtering cards into the 'yard.
Mostly it seems very niche, even though Buyback is quite powerful.
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Sufferer of EDHD
Commander - Currently Playing: RCRDaretti: Superfriends Forever RCR WGBDoran: Ent-mootWBG GGGMultani: Group Bear HugGGG GB(B/G)The Gitrog Monster: Dredgefall DurdleGB(B/G) RGWGahiji, the Honored Group Hug MonsterRGW UB(U/B)Yuriko, Ninja Trinket AggroUB(U/B) WUBRGAtogatog: Assembling a OHKOWUBRG
I saw the name thought it had something to do with colluding outside the game and why there shouldn't be prizes on the line when doing edh events without a point system....
Well, *****. I guess I'll just discard a couple fatties and find Living Death then.
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The Meaning of Life: "M-hmm. Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations"
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
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!
At five mana? I'd prefer Increasing Ambition in most cases. Three cards for 13 mana (and yes, I just noticed that) versus three for 15 mana and discarding four cards. And Increasing Ambition isn't even that good.
Maybe in a reanimator deck. Maybe
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Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
Does it make me old if I remember a time when this was like only competing for budget tutor options with actual Diabolic Tutor?
Been massively outclassed since then. You'd have to be getting incredible value out of the discard somehow.
People say that 2 damage isn't enough, but It kills a lot more things than people give it credit for. Magma Spray is a good card.
Sudden Shock was a staple for me whenever someone in the playgroup was playing Erayo, Soratami Ascendant. Completely irrelevant now, which makes me sad, but it had its use.
Its the end of your turn. You go to pass priority on your end step, and the opponent to your left has something. He's in UR, maybe another color, but that doesn't matter right now, because he's tapping the two Islands he held up for counter mana and a mountain. "Maybe he's just drawing some cards" you think, as he has, after all, been playing control. Nope. Confidently, with a hint of a smirk forming, he lays Pestermite on the field. He's tapped out, but unafraid of the mountains he sees untapped across the table, signaling a FoW in hand. "Any response?" he asks the table, almost daring someone to fire off removal. Nobody takes the bait, and it moves to his turn. He untaps,and draw his card without even looking at it. He's casual, relaxed, the sort of posture from a man who knows he's got the game in the bag and there's nothing anyone can do about it. He taps four mountains, leaving two Islands open, a clear signal that he's got double counters at the ready, the Force and something else. Down comes Splinter Twin, he moves to tap the now enchanted fae and go infinite. You start going over the game, analyzing what you could have done differently, when from across the table comes "I have a response." She taps her two mountains, to which PesterTwin responds by pointing to his Islands, "So do I." "No, you don't" she says, as she points a card at the fae. Your heart races, you've heard of such power, but its not a lesson a Jedi would teach you. Your opponent sees the card, his smirk leaves his face, the color drains from his cheeks and he begins to shake. The rest of the table is breathless. "It has Split" she begins, her voice echoing in the silence, your opponent has begun to cry, and a pool of yellow fluid begins to form at his feat, ruining his parent's old lawn chair, "Second" she finishes, as the entire table jumps up shouting "WORLDSTAR" and the PesterTwin player bursts into flame, his face melting like the Nazis at the end of Raiders. Your savior stands up, puts on her coat, and walks out, as the survivors begin a standing ovation. Such is the power of Sudden Shock.
So 6/10, depends on your meta.
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The Meaning of Life: "M-hmm. Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations"
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
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!
I don't post daily, so what have I missed recently?
Mana Confluence goes in any 3+ color deck for me, along with City of Brass and more. Totally worth it.
Followed Footsteps is an example of what they talk about on The Command Zone: games feel like they go a long time, but when you break it down, you realize that they often end between turns 7-9. Once you get to the mana to cast it and have a target worth enchanting... how many triggers are you really getting to make it worth it?
Sudden Shock was a fantastic silver bullet in Vintage at one time. Psychatog, Meddling Mage, Aven Mindcensor, Dark Confidant and more made great targets. I saw it in Goblin decks and sideboards of combo decks simply because it could not be stopped.
Not nearly as good as Sudden Death is in Commander. I have lost count how many times I have cast Sudden Death and it was a game saver for the table.
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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
Currently Playing:
Multiplayer EDH Lists (click italics for a link to the thread!)
[Primer] Lord of Tresserhorn - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do[Primer] Roon of the Hidden Realm - Rhino Blink
5 Color Tribal Guide (Slivers, Atogs, Allies, Spirits)
Also Playing (most decklists can be found on my profile)
MarathGeistKamahlGrenzoBolasThassaGitrog
PiratesZurVial Smasher&ThrasiosYennettJhoira(cEDH)Strix(Pauper)
Legacy: Maverick
Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebearsOn phasing:
Makes 5 colors.
Wouldn't say no
If you're running three or more colors, you'll probably want both. If you're running two colors, there are plenty of other mana fixing lands.
On phasing:
I like putting this on other people's stuff.
Super fun card, this and Paradox Haze is gravy.
Ugh... my son modified his dragon deck to include this and Akroan Horse. Just as I thought he was going to attack (I had a bunch of Fog spells but couldn't get to a board wipe), he drops Ashnod's Altar then burns me.
On phasing:
With buyback, I could be searching every turn! We need a relentless rats/panglacial wurm crossover card.
Mostly it seems very niche, even though Buyback is quite powerful.
RCRDaretti: Superfriends Forever RCR
WGBDoran: Ent-mootWBG
GGGMultani: Group Bear HugGGG
GB(B/G)The Gitrog Monster: Dredgefall DurdleGB(B/G)
RGWGahiji, the Honored Group Hug MonsterRGW
UB(U/B)Yuriko, Ninja Trinket AggroUB(U/B)
WUBRGAtogatog: Assembling a OHKOWUBRG
(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'
*5CMC*
Well, *****. I guess I'll just discard a couple fatties and find Living Death then.
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!
Maybe in a reanimator deck. Maybe
On phasing:
Been massively outclassed since then. You'd have to be getting incredible value out of the discard somehow.
Draft my Peasant Cube.
2 damage isn't much, but yet again, I'm always happy to pay an extra 1 for split second.
Sudden Shock was a staple for me whenever someone in the playgroup was playing Erayo, Soratami Ascendant. Completely irrelevant now, which makes me sad, but it had its use.
WBG Karador, Ghost Chieftain
B Toshiro Umezawa
BG Pharika, God of Affliction - Necromancy and Politics
WWW The Church of Heliod
WBR Zurgo, Helmsmasher
RG Wort, the Raidmother
UBR Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge
UG Vorel of the Hull Clade
So 6/10, depends on your meta.
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!
Mana Confluence goes in any 3+ color deck for me, along with City of Brass and more. Totally worth it.
Followed Footsteps is an example of what they talk about on The Command Zone: games feel like they go a long time, but when you break it down, you realize that they often end between turns 7-9. Once you get to the mana to cast it and have a target worth enchanting... how many triggers are you really getting to make it worth it?
Sudden Shock was a fantastic silver bullet in Vintage at one time. Psychatog, Meddling Mage, Aven Mindcensor, Dark Confidant and more made great targets. I saw it in Goblin decks and sideboards of combo decks simply because it could not be stopped.
Not nearly as good as Sudden Death is in Commander. I have lost count how many times I have cast Sudden Death and it was a game saver for the table.
More like "Missed it" Veil, amirite?