Man, they really didn't want to push hellbent cards.
Hellbent's a lot like fateful hour: If it's active, you're probably dead anyway, so you're better pretending the ability word and everything after it isn't there when constructing your deck.
Fateful hour is particularly lulzy because, between infect, wolf run ramp, UR delver, classic burn, goblins, RW humans, Aristocrats, and numerous artifact decks, there were so many decks fateful hour shared Standard with where either opp's life total would never go below 5, or it would go from 6 to 0 or less in the course of one turn. But fateful hour was more "Hey, I could play most of these in limited." with Thraben Doomsayer at least for Constructed.
Hellbent is why? Basically unless you're playing against Owling Mine or some similar deck, if your hand is empty, that's not a good sign. Though I suppose Nihlistic Glee could be a nice Bloodchief Ascension enabler, if you're not playing red and for some reason don't have access to some Pestilence variant. And Anthem of Rakdos is, as mentioned, actually pretty good, especially if you get multiple attack steps going. Or if your creatures have lifelink. And I suppose Keldon Megaliths is playable, just because removal and/or a threat on a land tends to be. And Demonfire is yet another x-cost red direct damage spell, this time an upgraded Disintegrate. And I actually want to use Infernal Tutor as a bad Doomsday now.
Hellbent was primarily held back by the quality of the effects granted, not the mechanic itself. Unlike Fateful Hour, which kicks in when you are actually losing and is not in colors that can easily create the situation where its active thereby letting you control it (in white and green its a reactive effect that relies on what your opponent is doing, in black you'd be able to turn it on yourself), you can get to zero cards by doing things you actually want to do, like playing your spells quickly, abusing symmetrical effects, or trading them for value. The drawback is the risk of over extension and the lack of flexibility, but even without hellbent going all in offers power. Most hellbent effects simply weren't worth the risk, but given that there are a few that were it shows the potential. About 25% of the cards with the ability have been playable, which is a decent percentage, it just seems low because of how few were printed. Too many of them were flat out under powered without being hellbent and only slightly better than average with hellbent. The way to design these cards to make them good is to either make them under powered without hellbent but great with it, like Infernal Tutor, offering a large reward for committing to the strategy in exchange for the risk, or to be average without hellbent and have hellbent be a nice little bonus, like Demonfire.
Demon's Jester sucks because a 2/2 flier for 4 sucks and a 4/3 flyer for 4 is merely ok in constructed (though pretty sweet in limited). Because being a 4/3 flier for 4 requires such an investment, its not worth it in constructed and even it being a great rate in limited isn't enough to make it better than marginal. It could be made better by either getting another +1/+1 for being hellbent, as a 5/4 flier for 4 is legitimately good enough to make the hoop worth jumping through, but the hoop risky and unreliable enough to make it ok for limited, or by making its base stats slightly better, say a 2/3 instead of a 2/2, which would make it ok in limited without hellbent. Its a common, so that would probably be the best route.
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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!
Surprising no one, the card from a Commander product is good in EDH. I've done that Dark Depths trick before. This card would probably be played more as a 2BB base 0/0, but if wishes were horses the streets would be disgusting.
Then it would basically be a Spike Cannibal which also hits planeswalkers, cards like Everflowing Chalice, and to a lesser extent infect/wither for 1 more. Spike Cannibal's a good card. It provides black with an answer to Animar, Soul of Elements, for instance. (And Solemnity does the same for white.) And that's before factoring in combos. I'd be willing to pay 1 more for the added versatility.
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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!
Is there even anything to discuss? This card is just a mite short of degenerate anywhere. It enables anything. EDH might be the fairest place for it, but still.
Is there even anything to discuss? This card is just a mite short of degenerate anywhere. It enables anything. EDH might be the fairest place for it, but still.
Not really. Strong card is strong. It's not absolutely busted anywhere, but at the bare minimum it's very good.
yea, its good. there's not much more to be said, aside from that many dedicated EDH players i've met have a tendency to underestimate lotus petal, and other one-time use mana-boosting cards like rituals. Sure not having a 4-of in a 60 card deck means that the deck's a lot less consistent, but still, the difference between a t1 1-drop and a t1 2-drop can be a world of difference for some builds.
its a good card at the end of the day; possibly broken (e.g. in my Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle deck), but fair enough for EDH probably. I've played against deck-full of LEDs and lotus petals enough to know how to deal with them.
It's the kind of card that's power is relative to the overall power of your deck. Spending a card to cast a Craw Wurm 1 turn early is likely a waste. Spending a card to cast Necropotence a turn early is very strong. Spending a card to cast Flash a turn early is insane.
It's the kind of card that's power is relative to the overall power of your deck. Spending a card to cast a Craw Wurm 1 turn early is likely a waste. Spending a card to cast Necropotence a turn early is very strong. Spending a card to cast Flash a turn early is insane.
...especially if you use flash to put a craw wurm into play.
I think it's fair to say that, if you have this card in your deck, you're probably up to no good (or you're playing a deck with major artifact synergy, like teshar).
I think it's fair to say that, if you have this card in your deck, you're probably up to no good (or you're playing a deck with major artifact synergy, like teshar).
I run it in my Oops All Spells EDH deck, does that count as "up to no good"?
I run it in my Oops All Spells EDH deck, does that count as "up to no good"?
I'm confused. Are you saying you've got a functional landless EDH deck? Why wouldn't you just play a land over lotus petal in that case? Unless you're ignoring land, then surely all decks are "all spells" except for lands? Unless you mean in the colloquial sense of "spell" meaning "instant or sorcery"...in which case how does that qualify with a lotus petal in there? Also, afaik, there are no instant or sorcery cards that can legally be commanders.
Also I don't know how I would know how much good you were up to, having never seen your deck and it not being linked in your sig.
I run it in my Oops All Spells EDH deck, does that count as "up to no good"?
I'm confused. Are you saying you've got a functional landless EDH deck? Why wouldn't you just play a land over lotus petal in that case? Unless you're ignoring land, then surely all decks are "all spells" except for lands? Unless you mean in the colloquial sense of "spell" meaning "instant or sorcery"...in which case how does that qualify with a lotus petal in there? Also, afaik, there are no instant or sorcery cards that can legally be commanders.
Also I don't know how I would know how much good you were up to, having never seen your deck and it not being linked in your sig.
Is that actually feasible in EDH though? There's not many mana sources that generate mana from nothing...petal, the spirit guides, green chancellor, chome mox, LED, crypt...mox amber won't work...mox diamond won't work...i guess mox opal could work but it's tough. Plus you've gotta tutor the combo piece to your hand. Wouldn't it be easier to just run mana severance or something?
Rarely I think does this save someone from outright dying, but if you don't want to put up a creature defense for pot-shots, this makes sure you're at basically full health going into the final turn of the game.
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Zedruu: "This deck is not only able to go crazy - it also needs to do so."
Anyway, Petal is one card that falls into "possible auto-include" status. I include it in Sun Titan packages (right next to the aforementioned blossom).
(Ban it!/3)/10
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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!
I think Ghostly Prison is baby's first political card. You don't want to be totally invincible, then everyone freaks out and teams up against you. You just want to be annoying enough to deal with that you aren't worth the effort.
Still a solid card but it's got kind of a reputation these days. I think it's just ok, it's mostly just a really easy way to do what good politics should do without using a card.
Anyway, Petal is one card that falls into "possible auto-include" status. I include it in Sun Titan packages (right next to the aforementioned blossom).
Yeah I found his decklist and noticed I missed it but oculdn't be arsed to edit my post. Curse you, lotus bloom, and your non-existent mana cost evading my search terms.
Lotus Blossom is decent but far from overpowered because of the simple fact it costs mana.
Ghostly Prison, meanwhile... it's okay. You will still see this one a lot in W/x pillowfort or enchantress. It's not the best card of its class but it's still an easy include a lot of the time.
I run it in my Oops All Spells EDH deck, does that count as "up to no good"?
I'm confused. Are you saying you've got a functional landless EDH deck? Why wouldn't you just play a land over lotus petal in that case? Unless you're ignoring land, then surely all decks are "all spells" except for lands? Unless you mean in the colloquial sense of "spell" meaning "instant or sorcery"...in which case how does that qualify with a lotus petal in there? Also, afaik, there are no instant or sorcery cards that can legally be commanders.
"Oops! All Spells" is a deck (usually Legacy format) that runs zero lands (some less-strict versions run lands that don't produce mana, like Bazaar of Baghdad). The name is a pun on Cap'n Crunch cereal's "Oops! All Berries".
Outside of simply being a challenge, a zero-lands deck is essentially a Hermit Druid deck (which can normally get away with only running nonbasics) or Tainted Pact deck (which can normally get away with running a normal basic and a snow basic in each of its colors) that can also use Balustrade Spy or Undercity Informer (which will only mill your entire deck if there are zero lands of any kind left).
As far as being viable, not hugely. My decklist is here, although it may be one or two cards out of date. There are a very small number of cards in the deck that can start me off on mana generation (and running Serum Powder is actually relevant!) which is mandatory for achieving almost anything. There are a few spells I can cast without mana, but none of them are going to win me the game on their own. However, the deck is also capable of exploding from almost nothing to an impressive board state or a combo win with very little initial input. An early Ward of Bones is pretty backbreaking against normal decks, and AFAIK this is the only deck I've ever owned that's capable of winning on turn one (and, in fact, has). An actual game I played was Mana Crypt, Lotus Petal, Mox Opal for 2UB; Laboratory Maniac, Demonic Consultation (naming a card not in my library); cycle Street Wraith.
fair enough, I actually did search up the list and gave it a once-over after I got called out on it. Funny idea, but you can't blame me for being a bit skeptical with so few initial mana sources available
Idk if it's up to "no good". Probably looks insane every once in a while, and then a bunch of games does literally nothing, or runs into one counter or removal and instant collapses. But I'm sure you know that much
I think Ghostly Prison is baby's first political card. You don't want to be totally invincible, then everyone freaks out and teams up against you. You just want to be annoying enough to deal with that you aren't worth the effort.
Still a solid card but it's got kind of a reputation these days. I think it's just ok, it's mostly just a really easy way to do what good politics should do without using a card.
Anyway, Petal is one card that falls into "possible auto-include" status. I include it in Sun Titan packages (right next to the aforementioned blossom).
Yeah I found his decklist and noticed I missed it but oculdn't be arsed to edit my post. Curse you, lotus bloom, and your non-existent mana cost evading my search terms.
Typos. Too similar words with related etymology.
And just for the record, I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good.
But most of the time, it'll be the Stax player taxing your mana supply even more than he already does.
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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!
In all seriousness, what can we say about this one? If you have the ability to make your creatures indestructible, you probably want Damnation. But all other decks would be wise to play this.
If you're playing black, you're probably playing this card. And with good reason considering nontargeted -X/-X is just a step below nontargeted exile on the removal effectiveness scale.
Hellbent was primarily held back by the quality of the effects granted, not the mechanic itself. Unlike Fateful Hour, which kicks in when you are actually losing and is not in colors that can easily create the situation where its active thereby letting you control it (in white and green its a reactive effect that relies on what your opponent is doing, in black you'd be able to turn it on yourself), you can get to zero cards by doing things you actually want to do, like playing your spells quickly, abusing symmetrical effects, or trading them for value. The drawback is the risk of over extension and the lack of flexibility, but even without hellbent going all in offers power. Most hellbent effects simply weren't worth the risk, but given that there are a few that were it shows the potential. About 25% of the cards with the ability have been playable, which is a decent percentage, it just seems low because of how few were printed. Too many of them were flat out under powered without being hellbent and only slightly better than average with hellbent. The way to design these cards to make them good is to either make them under powered without hellbent but great with it, like Infernal Tutor, offering a large reward for committing to the strategy in exchange for the risk, or to be average without hellbent and have hellbent be a nice little bonus, like Demonfire.
Demon's Jester sucks because a 2/2 flier for 4 sucks and a 4/3 flyer for 4 is merely ok in constructed (though pretty sweet in limited). Because being a 4/3 flier for 4 requires such an investment, its not worth it in constructed and even it being a great rate in limited isn't enough to make it better than marginal. It could be made better by either getting another +1/+1 for being hellbent, as a 5/4 flier for 4 is legitimately good enough to make the hoop worth jumping through, but the hoop risky and unreliable enough to make it ok for limited, or by making its base stats slightly better, say a 2/3 instead of a 2/2, which would make it ok in limited without hellbent. Its a common, so that would probably be the best route.
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!
Then it would basically be a Spike Cannibal which also hits planeswalkers, cards like Everflowing Chalice, and to a lesser extent infect/wither for 1 more. Spike Cannibal's a good card. It provides black with an answer to Animar, Soul of Elements, for instance. (And Solemnity does the same for white.) And that's before factoring in combos. I'd be willing to pay 1 more for the added versatility.
On phasing:
1/3 of broken is still broken, as it turns out.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Not really. Strong card is strong. It's not absolutely busted anywhere, but at the bare minimum it's very good.
its a good card at the end of the day; possibly broken (e.g. in my Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle deck), but fair enough for EDH probably. I've played against deck-full of LEDs and lotus petals enough to know how to deal with them.
Legacy - Solidarity - mono U aggro - burn - Imperial Painter - Strawberry Shortcake - Bluuzards - bom
I think it's fair to say that, if you have this card in your deck, you're probably up to no good (or you're playing a deck with major artifact synergy, like teshar).
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
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
(Image by totallynotabrony)
Also I don't know how I would know how much good you were up to, having never seen your deck and it not being linked in your sig.
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
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
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
Rarely I think does this save someone from outright dying, but if you don't want to put up a creature defense for pot-shots, this makes sure you're at basically full health going into the final turn of the game.
Anyway, Petal is one card that falls into "possible auto-include" status. I include it in Sun Titan packages (right next to the aforementioned blossom).
(Ban it!/3)/10
On phasing:
Still a solid card but it's got kind of a reputation these days. I think it's just ok, it's mostly just a really easy way to do what good politics should do without using a card.
I think you mean lotus bloom not blossom.
Yeah I found his decklist and noticed I missed it but oculdn't be arsed to edit my post. Curse you, lotus bloom, and your non-existent mana cost evading my search terms.
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
Ghostly Prison, meanwhile... it's okay. You will still see this one a lot in W/x pillowfort or enchantress. It's not the best card of its class but it's still an easy include a lot of the time.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
(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'
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Outside of simply being a challenge, a zero-lands deck is essentially a Hermit Druid deck (which can normally get away with only running nonbasics) or Tainted Pact deck (which can normally get away with running a normal basic and a snow basic in each of its colors) that can also use Balustrade Spy or Undercity Informer (which will only mill your entire deck if there are zero lands of any kind left).
As far as being viable, not hugely. My decklist is here, although it may be one or two cards out of date. There are a very small number of cards in the deck that can start me off on mana generation (and running Serum Powder is actually relevant!) which is mandatory for achieving almost anything. There are a few spells I can cast without mana, but none of them are going to win me the game on their own. However, the deck is also capable of exploding from almost nothing to an impressive board state or a combo win with very little initial input. An early Ward of Bones is pretty backbreaking against normal decks, and AFAIK this is the only deck I've ever owned that's capable of winning on turn one (and, in fact, has). An actual game I played was Mana Crypt, Lotus Petal, Mox Opal for 2UB; Laboratory Maniac, Demonic Consultation (naming a card not in my library); cycle Street Wraith.
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
(Image by totallynotabrony)
Idk if it's up to "no good". Probably looks insane every once in a while, and then a bunch of games does literally nothing, or runs into one counter or removal and instant collapses. But I'm sure you know that much
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
(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'
Typos. Too similar words with related etymology.
And just for the record, I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good.
Which brings me to the current card: Ghostly Prison.
Despite what the fake news would have you believe, it (and its cousins: War Tax, Windborn Muse, Sphere of Safety, Norn's Annex, Archangel of Tithes) can be used fairly. You might see it in just a pillowfort/politics deck now and then.
But most of the time, it'll be the Stax player taxing your mana supply even more than he already does.
On phasing:
Wow, we're on a string of winners here. Arguably best board wipe ever printed.
In all seriousness, what can we say about this one? If you have the ability to make your creatures indestructible, you probably want Damnation. But all other decks would be wise to play this.
8.RG Green Devotion Ramp/Combo 9.UR Draw Triggers 10.WUR Group stalling 11.WUR Voltron Spellslinger 12.WB Sacrificial Shenanigans
13.BR Creatureless Panharmonicon 14.BR Pingers and Eldrazi 15.URG Untapped Cascading
16.Reyhan, last of the Abzan's WUBG +1/+1 Counter Craziness 17.WUBRG Dragons aka Why did I make this?
Building: The Gitrog Monster lands, Glissa the Traitor stax, Muldrotha, the Gravetide Planeswalker Combo, Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix + Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa Clues, and Tribal Scarecrow Planeswalkers
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝