I find it so interesting how this is played so much more than Regrowth. EWit is easier to tutor, easier to recur, easier to abuse.... but do all decks seek to tutor, recur or abuse EWit in ways that Regrowth would not work?
Maybe..?
I think the prevalence of EWit gives some indication of how strong creatures are in commander vs spells.
Personally, I consider that more of a sign that Regrowth is horribly underplayed. EWit is usually the better card, but not nearly as much as the disparity in play would suggest. Though both (and Noxious Revival) are (or should be) well deserving of staple status, and most green decks I make will have at least two of these cards, if not all three.
Both this and Regrowth are fine, but first ask yourself if your green deck actually needs the recursion. Sometimes, going for redundancy and more draw power is the more effective option.
Wolves of the Hunt tokens created by Master of the Hunt are pretty wordy, but most if it is reminder text so it kinda doesn't count.
Deathpact Angel Cleric tokens are pretty wordy (15 words), but cards like Rite of Belzenlok (19 words), Reef Worm (23 words), Gutter Grime (17 words), and Nesting Dragon (22 words) all create tokens that are wordier. None of them have more words than Rekindling Phoenix (29 words), so I think it takes the crown on this piece of little trivia.
I've never seen Rekindling Phoenix in action on an EDH table, but it doesn't seem so bad. Given enough creature ETB/LTB triggers (Purphoros, God of the Forge, Vicious Shadows, etc.) I can see this doing some damage over the course of a few turns.
Overall a big goodstuffy for most commander decks, and not quite good enough of stuff.
Still a solid card, though - it's nice that it's usually not worth burning a pte/stp on, so it can just tank board wipes like nobody's business. But at the end of the day, a 4-power flyer, even an immortal one, is a pretty slow wincon, and red decks don't tend to have as much of a sac theme as black ones.
This card has a surprising amount of utility application in Commander for how it's used in Standard (to just beat face with.) It's a very effective blocker and can repeatedly trigger a lot of green card-draw effects that depend on having 3 or 4 power.
Both this and Regrowth are fine, but first ask yourself if your green deck actually needs the recursion. Sometimes, going for redundancy and more draw power is the more effective option.
This.
Right now i have 5 Gx decks and i don't run Eternal Witness in any of them - for several reasons.
In a (Elf) tribal deck the number of slots for non-tribal creatures are scarce, some decks are so fast recursion is "too slow" or you're able to return/recast stuff directly with Reanimate/Karmic Guide/Snapcaster Mage/Mizzix's Mastery things.
Not seen the phoenix in action before. But it doesn't seem all that bad. The only real negative is that it's a die trigger, so tuck and exile doesn't let it come back.
But a 4 mana for a 4/3 with evasion is nothing to scoff at either. Overall i think it's pretty ok. i recall the days when shard phoenix was the big bomb of my mono red decks! How far phoenix-kind has come
Love how this Standard staple does very little in commander. We are the format for recursion, and the timing on this is not abusable.
I could picture it being in a Rx aggro deck as a threat with recursion built in, for when you do not want to run actual recursion pieces.
It's a phoenix owl. Clearly, the best Magic card ever printed by a significant margin.
So, a Kryptonian phoenix? (And yes, I know, the god Nightwing isn't an owl.)
I like this one. I do. It fits into any Aristocrats deck because you can sacrifice it twice per turn. And while the token is 0/1, so only the second half benefits Kresh the Bloodbraided or Warstorm Surge, that can be fixed with anthems.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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!
The 2nd worst ultimatum, purely because Clarion Ultimatum doesn't really work in EDH. For this sort of colour cost it's just not enough to justify inclusion, as fun and splashy as the card is.
Restrictive mana cost, costs 1 less than aminatous augury, only some of the top 5 get played, Sorcery... May be okay in Aminatou but even that is pushing it.
7 mana to get at least the best card in your top 5 cast for free.
With seven mana, you ought to be able to cast something of that value. Because it's only top five cards of your library and because your opponent will likely separate the two most powerful cards, one might as well pay one more mana for Aminatou's Augury, which could easily net you 3+ cards Would've been more playable if it doesn't require such heft colored mana, at this time one should just go for Fact or Fiction, it's an instant and it doesn't exile the cards.
Its good, but i've never really gotten it to work the way that i want it to. 7 mana for the best 1-2 cards off the top of my library isn't great.
Though i can imagine it being better when combined with another player who 'owes' you one in the game. What's the best that anyone's managed to get from this ultimatum?
With the general usefulness of this card, I'm confident we'll be seeing it in decks forever.
I think it's probably feels a little overplayed, but the alternatives are just not up to snuff. Regrowth only costs one mana less, and in some circumstances the 2 vs. 3 CMC for different cards would matter... only, EWit tends to be a late-game play when the difference in cost doesn't matter. Even as a chump blocker, it's fine, but as you play Sun Titan, Rez spells, flicker, or Swords of Protection and Value, the value of a little body increases well beyond the extra mana you pay for it.
Personally, I consider that more of a sign that Regrowth is horribly underplayed. EWit is usually the better card, but not nearly as much as the disparity in play would suggest. Though both (and Noxious Revival) are (or should be) well deserving of staple status, and most green decks I make will have at least two of these cards, if not all three.
The Unidentified Fantastic Flying Girl.
EDH
Xenagos, the God of Stompy
The Gitrog Monster: Oppressive Value.
Marchesa, Marionette Master - Undying Robots
Yuriko, the Hydra Omnivore
I make dolls as a hobby.
(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'
The random card was actually the Phoenix's 0/1 elemental token. So question of the day, what's the wordiest token in Magic: the Gathering?
Dragonlover
Lathliss Dragon Queen - All dragons all the time!
Mono-White Mono-Legends
Ruhan of the Fomori
Molimo, Maro-Sorcerer
Storrev, Devkarin Lich
Deathpact Angel Cleric tokens are pretty wordy (15 words), but cards like Rite of Belzenlok (19 words), Reef Worm (23 words), Gutter Grime (17 words), and Nesting Dragon (22 words) all create tokens that are wordier. None of them have more words than Rekindling Phoenix (29 words), so I think it takes the crown on this piece of little trivia.
I've never seen Rekindling Phoenix in action on an EDH table, but it doesn't seem so bad. Given enough creature ETB/LTB triggers (Purphoros, God of the Forge, Vicious Shadows, etc.) I can see this doing some damage over the course of a few turns.
Jalira, Master Polymorphist | Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder | Bosh, Iron Golem | Ezuri, Renegade Leader
Brago, King Eternal | Oona, Queen of the Fae | Wort, Boggart Auntie | Wort, the Raidmother
Captain Sisay | Rhys, the Redeemed | Trostani, Selesnya's Voice | Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight | Obzedat, Ghost Council | Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind | Vorel of the Hull Clade
Uril, the Miststalker | Prossh, Skyraider of Kher | Nicol Bolas | Progenitus
Ghave, Guru of Spores | Zedruu the Greathearted | Damia, Sage of Stone | Riku of Two Reflections
Overall a big goodstuffy for most commander decks, and not quite good enough of stuff.
Still a solid card, though - it's nice that it's usually not worth burning a pte/stp on, so it can just tank board wipes like nobody's business. But at the end of the day, a 4-power flyer, even an immortal one, is a pretty slow wincon, and red decks don't tend to have as much of a sac theme as black ones.
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
[Primer] Erebos, God of the Dead
HONK HONK
Right now i have 5 Gx decks and i don't run Eternal Witness in any of them - for several reasons.
In a (Elf) tribal deck the number of slots for non-tribal creatures are scarce, some decks are so fast recursion is "too slow" or you're able to return/recast stuff directly with Reanimate/Karmic Guide/Snapcaster Mage/Mizzix's Mastery things.
The card is obviously very good and gets a lot better the more good stuff (bleh) a deck is. Personally i prefer Noxious Revival for its multi-utility and would only run it in decks, that can abuse the hell out of it, like Meren of Clan Nel Toth, Saffi Eriksdotter, Yeva, Nature's Herald, Prime Speaker Vannifar and Roon of the Hidden Realm especially.
But a 4 mana for a 4/3 with evasion is nothing to scoff at either. Overall i think it's pretty ok. i recall the days when shard phoenix was the big bomb of my mono red decks! How far phoenix-kind has come
Legacy - Solidarity - mono U aggro - burn - Imperial Painter - Strawberry Shortcake - Bluuzards - bom
I could picture it being in a Rx aggro deck as a threat with recursion built in, for when you do not want to run actual recursion pieces.
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
So, a Kryptonian phoenix? (And yes, I know, the god Nightwing isn't an owl.)
I like this one. I do. It fits into any Aristocrats deck because you can sacrifice it twice per turn. And while the token is 0/1, so only the second half benefits Kresh the Bloodbraided or Warstorm Surge, that can be fixed with anthems.
On phasing:
7 mana to get at least the best card in your top 5 cast for free.
With seven mana, you ought to be able to cast something of that value. Because it's only top five cards of your library and because your opponent will likely separate the two most powerful cards, one might as well pay one more mana for Aminatou's Augury, which could easily net you 3+ cards Would've been more playable if it doesn't require such heft colored mana, at this time one should just go for Fact or Fiction, it's an instant and it doesn't exile the cards.
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
Card is fine, but the mana cost is crazy.
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
It's like a super Fact or Fiction that also casts the card(s) for free. What's not to like? Makes for a fine haymaker.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
Yes. Unless it specifies face down the cards are face up.
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
Though i can imagine it being better when combined with another player who 'owes' you one in the game. What's the best that anyone's managed to get from this ultimatum?
Legacy - Solidarity - mono U aggro - burn - Imperial Painter - Strawberry Shortcake - Bluuzards - bom
Also, a shoo-in for Shaman tribal.
http://www.commandercast.com/category/articles/generally-speaking
Follow me on Twitter: @generalspeak