I started a lets brew on Baron Von Count (link here) when Unstable was released and Un-cards were in the Commander mix.
Azor's Gateway reminds me of this type of approach using potentially an extra metric to configure a deck. I love this sort of thing, so this card has got me interested.
Is this card good for even casual play? I don't mean will it see casual play, but mean can it actually be good? Well that's I'm trying to figure out. I think probably the only format this card will see play is in Commander regardless.
Obviously everybody initial reaction is "OK, amazing flip land, but meeting its transform requirements are next to impossible and way too slow anyway?"
I feel like to truly evaluate this card you need to really break it down.
1, t : Draw a card, then exile a card from your hand.
A single card looting effect for 1 mana. There is power in looting, Jace, Vryn's Prodigy, Dack Fayden and Faithless Looting are cards that see play and show how filtering, although not "card advantage", has the benefit of getting to cards quicker. Often helping early games, with either mana screw or mana flooded. Admittedly its not quite as good as looting, as the cards go to exile rather than graveyards, where for example Daretti, Scrap Savant or a reanimation theme can really abuse this ability.
Digging 1 card deeper, reminds me of Scry 1 a bit. Treasure Map is a card that I've been putting in a lot of decks, and the reason for that is that its been amazing in decks which struggle with land ramp. The card plays very similar to Azor's Gateway pre-flip and just from experience I feel like the ability is good enough.
Realistically this is 90% of how this card plays out for your deck. Is that good enough for you?
Transformers, more than meets the eye.
If cards with five or more different converted mana costs are exiled with Azor's Gateway, you gain 5 life, untap Azor's Gateway, and transform it.
It requires 5 activation's. Unless you have a Paradox Engine, Unwinding Clock, Seedborn Muse or the likes, expect at the very least to spend 5 turns activating this card. Let's be honest 5 turns is a lot of play in Commander. But as I've mentioned Treasure Map requires 3 activation's, and I almost always get this card to transform, so a card that requires 2 more activation's is not out of the question. Also in a way it is only 1 turn slower than Treasure Map as it untaps itself as part of the transformation, so that you can use it immediately, which a lot of the Ixalan transform cards do not do, and wait for end of turn, or beginning of upkeep, which for many decks is another turn you have to wait before getting value.
Here is where things get tricky. This card to flip requires 5 cards of differing converted mana costs.
I mentioned Baron Von Count thread I did, and there are some similarities to figuring out if the metrics of your deck are going to suite this card. Or even if you specifically build to tailor around the card. But the cards contained would be very different as all it cares about is converted mana cost, rather than numerals written in text.
Does even distribution of converted mana costs matter? That is in order for this card to be consistently transformed, you'd expect a similar quantity of converted mana costs. However this is not quite true, there are a number of configurations to a deck that can plan to meet 5 different cmc.
Lands have cmc of 0, so one of these numeric values is going to be easy to meet.
You can have a wide range of numbers, i.e. cards anywhere from 0-12 or x spells. Mana ramp decks into powerful spells are popular in casual play, and tend to have a large range of cmcs. They normally have low casting cards contained within artifact mana and/or land ramp. Then it's more powerful spells ranging over 6 mana.
Let's be honest Commander is almost played casually for this reason. The 40 life allows people to make decks that wind up more. Go big or go home.
But if you have a low casting cost deck, with the bulk around 3 mana or less, then you might have like 10 cards 4 cmc and over. So as long as the 1-3 costing cards have a pretty even quantity distribution then Azor's Gateway can be potentially transformed consistently.
I think one of the most important aspects to this card is "What is the quality of the card you are exiling?". You are having to make a judgement call, normally without knowing your future.
Lets do a typical scenario. For example I have a lot of 1 cmc cards in a deck. But realistically am I going to want to pitch one of them early? Would I exile a Sol Ring, Mana Vault, Senseis Diving Top, etc. Probably not. So you need to be realistic about what really your distribution is. I wouldn't consider a Demonic Tutor as part of my 2 cmc, because when am I really ever going to pitch that card for another top draw? Very situational I'm sure.
What happens when the worst card in your hand is the same cmc as a card already exiled? Do you make the call to exile a card that is more useful, but furthers the transform criteria, or exile your worst card, but doesn't progress you any further to Sanctum of the Sun? This is where this card really tests your ability to plan out the course of your game. Extra complexity to this card for sure.
So having said that, I do feel Azor's Gateway is better in decks that can have cards that are bad in your early hands, and cards that are bad in the later stages.
There are a number of archetypes like this however. Any big spell deck, usually has cheap to mid-range mana acceleration, whether it be artifacts, rituals, land ramp, mana dorks, etc. So these decks tend to cover a wide range of converted mana costs.
I've already done a wall of text and I haven't even got to the pay off part yet.
t: Add X mana of any one color to your mana pool, where X is your life total.
Why hello sailor! With Commanders 40 starting life total, realistically having more than 20 life is certainly not out of the question. It does gain you 5 life, so even at its worst it'll tap for 6 mana So having a land tap for this type of amount can be abused. But it does define the deck what you are playing it in. What exactly can you consistently use this mana on? For some decks, spending the mana is the focus of the card. Almost any storm archetype will spend the mana. You might have onboard mana sinks. It is important to think of what your deck would do with the mana, as stupid as it sounds, you don't want to be putting all this effort, only to still be waiting for a big payoff to the mana.
Thinking about this card further, I do believe that spells with x in their mana cost, are potentially the best type of cards for decks containing Azor's Gateway and it's transform land Sanctum of the Sun.
Spells with x in mana costs, when it comes to Azor's Gateway will be based off the non-x requirements of the casting cost. For example Genesis Wave, will have the numerical value of 3.
I'm going to give you an example of this for a particular deck Rosheen Meanderer. It has a lot of cards with xG, xGG, xGGG, xR, xRR, xRG. These cards tend to be underwhelming during the early to mid part of the game, but all cover the 1 to 3 cmc of Azor's Gateway.
Noooooooo!
Obviously spending all this effort only to have it Strip Mine, Wasteland, Field of Ruin, etc is a thing. I feel you need to play these cards yourself, to remove these from the battlefield before you transform into a land, if you're being serious about this card.
Note Sacred Ground will not prevent transformed lands from returning as the lands. They will come back, but as the non-transformed version of the card.
I'm keen for people to think about this card, and how it might actually find a slot into one of your decks? Also breaking this card down further, I've only scratched the surface of measuring the worth of this card.
The fact that the mana is colored can be pretty spicy for certain cards. i.e. drain life and phelddagrif.
I look forward to giving someone 40 hippos and unleashing them to crush my enemies
Another thing you missed: it untaps when transforming. That is so freaking huge. You can be sitting at 3 different cmcs, then activate eot and activate on your turn and BAM, tons of mana. 5 extra bonus mana too.
The fact that the mana is colored can be pretty spicy for certain cards. i.e. drain life and phelddagrif.
I look forward to giving someone 40 hippos and unleashing them to crush my enemies
Another thing you missed: it untaps when transforming. That is so freaking huge. You can be sitting at 3 different cmcs, then activate eot and activate on your turn and BAM, tons of mana. 5 extra bonus mana too.
You can use Karn, Silver Golem instead. But yeah, if you're trying to flip it through conventional means, it's difficult. Most likely I expect to see a lot of times when you'll have four cards exiled with it only to have it removed. So, while you might see a better Channel, I see
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!
I am building Silas Renn/Tana the Bloodsower with the purpose of flipping the weird artifacts like Azor's Gateway. Moonmist, Karn/March, Arcane Adaptation/Xenograft, plus ways to get Moonmist back from the graveyard (Snapcaster/Torrential/Regrowth). It won't be good, but it will be fun.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Level 1 Judge
"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
You don't call "dying to removal" if the removal is more expensive in resources than the creature. If you have to spend BG (Abrupt Decay), or W + basic land (PtE) to remove a 1G, that is not "dying to removal". Strictly speaking Goyf dies to removal, but actually your removal is dying to Goyf.
I am building Silas Renn/Tana the Bloodsower with the purpose of flipping the weird artifacts like Azor's Gateway. Moonmist, Karn/March, Arcane Adaptation/Xenograft, plus ways to get Moonmist back from the graveyard (Snapcaster/Torrential/Regrowth). It won't be good, but it will be fun.
I love a janky deck as much as he next person, so are doing the same thing, but also aiming at the enchantment transform lands, so doing artifacts and enchantments. I'm leaning on a few concepts I've done in the past with Replenish and Open the Vaults along with some "put lots of cards into graveyard" strategies, to create explosive situations.
It just requires so much work for a payoff that, once you get there, feels very much like a win-more situation. Plus, you need to keep your life total up as well. When people see what you're up to, you will be gunned for...it might just be too much work.
Yeah I'm a bit pessimistic about this one.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
My Commander decks:
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras. Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power. Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza. Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall. Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana. Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die. Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
It might be that the bulk of the Magic community feels like it can be broken? Interesting stuff, because I'm sure the Commander format is probably driving the price up a bit, and here we are directly talking about the card and how it can be used. But from my break down already, you can tell its a hard card to make work.
I was honestly and sincerely looking at Jalum Tome for my Mairsil deck, and this card is SIGNIFICANTLY better than that since it is one less to cast, one less to activate, and has the rare but possible ability to just flip out and win the game on the spot. The fact that it exiles means it isn't an autoinclude, but for any non-blue deck that cares not about its graveyard I think it's almost worth it purely for the filtering alone. I'd almost be tempted to not flip it, since it helps me draw ramp/lands early, and then lets me throw away my ramp/early game defense/lands late to draw gas. If it flips one in ten games and powers up a Torment of Hailfire or Comet Storm or whatever that's nice, but I'm in just for a cheap looting artifact that doesn't require an attack like ye old Looter Scooter
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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 do feel like there is a home for mono-white W. Mono-white struggles with both mana acceleration and draw, and this does both. Albeit slowly, but still its an option for colors that struggle.
It might even be that you are simply using it with Land Tax, to draw extra cards through filtering through the extra lands if you're getting flooded. You won't be flipping it as quickly but you will be getting cheap advantage.
It just requires so much work for a payoff that, once you get there, feels very much like a win-more situation. Plus, you need to keep your life total up as well. When people see what you're up to, you will be gunned for...it might just be too much work.
Yeah I'm a bit pessimistic about this one.
Totally agree. No reasonable playgroup with the most basic amounts of removal is going to allow you to flip this fairly. If you are trying to pull some shenanigans to flip it "unfairly", there are just easier ways to make infinite mana. It just seems like a bad way to loot to me.
I like Azor's Gateway a lot for deck's that are starving for draw. IE. Mono Red. It loots and gets dead cards out of your hand very cheaply. Remember, an 8 mana card at turn 1 is a dead card.
The flip side of the artifact is only amazing if you can use all of the mana, which isn't always possible. Overall, I like it and I think it will find a spot in a few decks. I kind of want to look at a Kumano, Master Yamabushi deck with it, as it would work very well with both sides.
No way I'd ever build with this. The "make it a critter, transform it with Moonmist" route is way jankier than I like to go, and no way am I going to want to exile cards of 5 different CMCs, especially since I don't run many cards at higher CMCs in most of my decks and those slots are too competitive for me to want to pitch the cards. Plus likely as not it will get blasted before you can activate it three times, or in response to Moonmist or whatever being cast. That said, if someone can pull this off, cool on them for living the dream.
It surprises me when people aren't bothered about exiling cards from their hand that they can't get back. With the random nature of Commander, there's a high chance of it coming back to bite people later when they Exile a card that they don't need in the time. Presumably every card is in your deck serves some function. Just throwing them away feels absurd, to me. On top of that, exiling that fourth card and then it getting destroyed would be the worst feeling in the world. There's a lot of better options out there in Artifacts for those who need card draw, and then there's the matter of what you'll actually do with the mana when you have it. Most people aren't going to let it stick around so you can flip it and get even 10 mana from the thing, anyway. It's trying to be a "win more" card but falls short by the virtue that it comes with so many risks. If you have to play several cards exclusively to try to flip it without exiling cards from your hand, that's a pretty clear sign that it's probably not worth playing.
They're seduced by the idea that you'll get the final product. It's like a Channel that doesn't require you pay life. You can remove everyone with Comet Storm or Exsanguinate after that.
The problem is, it'll die to removal. If they don't have something like Aura Shards or Caustic Caterpillar or Wear // Tear or Vandalblast or Hurkyl's Recall (oh, there's an oldie but a goodie) to deal with it, they'll rely on some "player removal", if you catch my drift. If you play it on turn 1 or 2, that's not a problem, but after that, can you be Archenemy for five turns? Or they'll start aiming discard your way so your options for its activated ability are limited: If all I have in my hand is a Doom Blade and I draw a Rakdos Signet, and I already have a 2 cmc card exiled, I have to waste one of my cards.
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!
An interesting card, useful for it's pseudo looting effect alone. I would think that mono red would like it,maybe with kurkesh as the general. As others have noted, it's not great for decks with better card draw options, but it's not bad in red/white
I think the card is very good. I've been playing with it in non-edh formats and I can flip it pretty consistently. The looting aspect alone makes the card very playable and the "different mana costs" -requirement isn't too hard to achieve. You also don't need any real pay offs either.
I think the front side of Azor's Gateway is actually a fairly good card. You get to draw first and then exile after you see what you will have so in every case it should improve the quality of your hand. It also is very cheap to cast + activate so I actually think its valid to just run Azor's Gateway on its own merit of what it does and not worry about the flip condition of it.
If you do flip it, you can do gross things but I think playing it for the face value of what the front side of the card does is why you would run it in a deck. I don't think its wrong to have a deck that can use the flip side of it but I also think that the reasons to play this card are going to make more sense in mono white, mono red, boros, and a few other type of decks that might otherwise struggle when it comes to card quality / selection.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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 surprises me when people aren't bothered about exiling cards from their hand that they can't get back. With the random nature of Commander, there's a high chance of it coming back to bite people later when they Exile a card that they don't need in the time. Presumably every card is in your deck serves some function. Just throwing them away feels absurd, to me. On top of that, exiling that fourth card and then it getting destroyed would be the worst feeling in the world. There's a lot of better options out there in Artifacts for those who need card draw, and then there's the matter of what you'll actually do with the mana when you have it. Most people aren't going to let it stick around so you can flip it and get even 10 mana from the thing, anyway. It's trying to be a "win more" card but falls short by the virtue that it comes with so many risks. If you have to play several cards exclusively to try to flip it without exiling cards from your hand, that's a pretty clear sign that it's probably not worth playing.
This argument strikes me as flawed. Sure, every card serves some function, but presumably most of them are redundant effects - exiling one removal spell doesn't mean you can't draw into other removal, removing a draw spell doesn't mean you can't get more draw, etc. In fact the fact that effects are often redundant is a big advantage - if you already have oracle of mul daya you probably don't need courser of kruphix for example. To say nothing of the fact that you can happily pitch lands ad infinitum in the late game or if you're choked with them.
The idea that you'd lose some crucial card seems patently ridiculous. No one is going to force you to exile some critical synergy piece or whatever. The card quality of your hand can only improve if you loot, barring some absurd situation where literally every card in your hand and the card you draw are ALL critical pieces that you would have tutored or drawn through your entire deck for. Otherwise, being in exile is functionally no different from them being on the bottom of your library.
The "dies to removal" argument is also pretty silly. It's a 2 mana artifact - this isn't the feel-bads of losing something you invested considerable resources into, like an it that betrays or hecatomb or whatever. If you got 4+ loots off it before it was destroyed, then I'd say you came out solidly ahead in most circumstances. I don't know that it's worth screwing up your curve or exiling cards you'd rather keep to try to flip it ASAP - I suspect it's not, otherwise you might actually have regrets. But if you just activate it when you want the loot or when you have extra mana, and you just exile the worst card in your hand (at least up until the last 1-2 activations), I don't see why you'd have any serious disappointment if it died prematurely. Well, maybe you'll be disappointed, but you won't have actually been seriously hurt, any moreso than if any other cheap thing you played got killed after getting modest value.
I have no idea why you'd call it a "win more" card. It doesn't demand that you're winning to work at all. And the risks are pretty much zero as it's a totally functional, if unexciting, card even without the flip.
I think it's worth looking at the possibility of going for a fast flip via synergistic cards like MoM, simply because the flip side is so insane, but that doesn't mean those cards are necessary for making the card good. Don't mistake potential usage options with mandatory requirements.
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 started a lets brew on Baron Von Count (link here) when Unstable was released and Un-cards were in the Commander mix.
Azor's Gateway reminds me of this type of approach using potentially an extra metric to configure a deck. I love this sort of thing, so this card has got me interested.
Is this card good for even casual play? I don't mean will it see casual play, but mean can it actually be good? Well that's I'm trying to figure out. I think probably the only format this card will see play is in Commander regardless.
Obviously everybody initial reaction is "OK, amazing flip land, but meeting its transform requirements are next to impossible and way too slow anyway?"
I feel like to truly evaluate this card you need to really break it down.
A single card looting effect for 1 mana. There is power in looting, Jace, Vryn's Prodigy, Dack Fayden and Faithless Looting are cards that see play and show how filtering, although not "card advantage", has the benefit of getting to cards quicker. Often helping early games, with either mana screw or mana flooded. Admittedly its not quite as good as looting, as the cards go to exile rather than graveyards, where for example Daretti, Scrap Savant or a reanimation theme can really abuse this ability.
This card does synergies with decks that might look to use top of library effects to generate advantage. Courser of Kruphix, Oracle Mul-Daya, Vizier of the Menagerie, Magus of the Future, Future Sight, Garruk's Horde are all cards that come to mind when it comes to this sort of thing.
Top of library tutors: Vamperic Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Worldy Tutor, Sylvan Tutor, Mystical Tutor, Personal Tutor. Often I've used Sensei's Divining Top to draw the card immediately that's been put on top of library, because of the need to react at that moment. Azor's Gateway can be a cheap draw card for this type of situation.
Digging 1 card deeper, reminds me of Scry 1 a bit. Treasure Map is a card that I've been putting in a lot of decks, and the reason for that is that its been amazing in decks which struggle with land ramp. The card plays very similar to Azor's Gateway pre-flip and just from experience I feel like the ability is good enough.
Realistically this is 90% of how this card plays out for your deck. Is that good enough for you?
Transformers, more than meets the eye.
It requires 5 activation's. Unless you have a Paradox Engine, Unwinding Clock, Seedborn Muse or the likes, expect at the very least to spend 5 turns activating this card. Let's be honest 5 turns is a lot of play in Commander. But as I've mentioned Treasure Map requires 3 activation's, and I almost always get this card to transform, so a card that requires 2 more activation's is not out of the question. Also in a way it is only 1 turn slower than Treasure Map as it untaps itself as part of the transformation, so that you can use it immediately, which a lot of the Ixalan transform cards do not do, and wait for end of turn, or beginning of upkeep, which for many decks is another turn you have to wait before getting value.
Cards that untap artifacts also help to make any potential deck you are looking to slot this card into much more desirable. You can speed up the process to a few turns. Voltaic Key, Aphetto Alchemist, Clock of Omens, Elder Druid, Filigree Sages, Synod Artificer, Mind Over Matter, Paradox Engine, Unwinding Clock, Seedborn Muse, Tezzeret the Seeker, Trickster Mage. There are plenty of instants and sorceries that untap artifacts, but in general I feel that its reusable untaps that you'd want. Rings of Brighthearth can also be used to copy the effect.
Here is where things get tricky. This card to flip requires 5 cards of differing converted mana costs.
I mentioned Baron Von Count thread I did, and there are some similarities to figuring out if the metrics of your deck are going to suite this card. Or even if you specifically build to tailor around the card. But the cards contained would be very different as all it cares about is converted mana cost, rather than numerals written in text.
Does even distribution of converted mana costs matter? That is in order for this card to be consistently transformed, you'd expect a similar quantity of converted mana costs. However this is not quite true, there are a number of configurations to a deck that can plan to meet 5 different cmc.
Lands have cmc of 0, so one of these numeric values is going to be easy to meet.
You can have a wide range of numbers, i.e. cards anywhere from 0-12 or x spells. Mana ramp decks into powerful spells are popular in casual play, and tend to have a large range of cmcs. They normally have low casting cards contained within artifact mana and/or land ramp. Then it's more powerful spells ranging over 6 mana.
Let's be honest Commander is almost played casually for this reason. The 40 life allows people to make decks that wind up more. Go big or go home.
But if you have a low casting cost deck, with the bulk around 3 mana or less, then you might have like 10 cards 4 cmc and over. So as long as the 1-3 costing cards have a pretty even quantity distribution then Azor's Gateway can be potentially transformed consistently.
I think one of the most important aspects to this card is "What is the quality of the card you are exiling?". You are having to make a judgement call, normally without knowing your future.
Lets do a typical scenario. For example I have a lot of 1 cmc cards in a deck. But realistically am I going to want to pitch one of them early? Would I exile a Sol Ring, Mana Vault, Senseis Diving Top, etc. Probably not. So you need to be realistic about what really your distribution is. I wouldn't consider a Demonic Tutor as part of my 2 cmc, because when am I really ever going to pitch that card for another top draw? Very situational I'm sure.
What happens when the worst card in your hand is the same cmc as a card already exiled? Do you make the call to exile a card that is more useful, but furthers the transform criteria, or exile your worst card, but doesn't progress you any further to Sanctum of the Sun? This is where this card really tests your ability to plan out the course of your game. Extra complexity to this card for sure.
So having said that, I do feel Azor's Gateway is better in decks that can have cards that are bad in your early hands, and cards that are bad in the later stages.
There are a number of archetypes like this however. Any big spell deck, usually has cheap to mid-range mana acceleration, whether it be artifacts, rituals, land ramp, mana dorks, etc. So these decks tend to cover a wide range of converted mana costs.
I've already done a wall of text and I haven't even got to the pay off part yet.
On the flipside:
Sanctum of the Sun
Why hello sailor! With Commanders 40 starting life total, realistically having more than 20 life is certainly not out of the question. It does gain you 5 life, so even at its worst it'll tap for 6 mana
Thinking about this card further, I do believe that spells with x in their mana cost, are potentially the best type of cards for decks containing Azor's Gateway and it's transform land Sanctum of the Sun.
Spells with x in mana costs, when it comes to Azor's Gateway will be based off the non-x requirements of the casting cost. For example Genesis Wave, will have the numerical value of 3.
I'm going to give you an example of this for a particular deck Rosheen Meanderer. It has a lot of cards with xG, xGG, xGGG, xR, xRR, xRG. These cards tend to be underwhelming during the early to mid part of the game, but all cover the 1 to 3 cmc of Azor's Gateway.
Other x spells that come to mind: Earthquake, Brain Geyser, Martial Coup, Curse of the Swine, Pull from Tomorrow, Black Sun's Zenith, Stroke of Genius, Sphinx's Revelation, Whir of Invention, Chord of Calling, Genesis Wave, Villainous Wealth, Wargate, Quarantine Field, Secure the Wastes, Exsanguinate.
Noooooooo!
Obviously spending all this effort only to have it Strip Mine, Wasteland, Field of Ruin, etc is a thing. I feel you need to play these cards yourself, to remove these from the battlefield before you transform into a land, if you're being serious about this card.
Protecting it once on board is trickier. Cards that prevent targeting can help: Spiritual Asylum, Privileged Position, Skyshroud Blessing, Heroic Intervention, Simic Charm
Indestructible will also help: Terra Eternal, Boros Charm, Avacyn, Angel of Hope, Consecrate Land, Darksteel Garrison, Pyramids.
Cards that counter activated abilities can stop the lands that destroy other lands: Stifle, Azorius Guildmage, Bind, Disallow, Interdict, Rimewind Cryomancer, Squelch, Trickbind, Voidmage Husher, Voidslime.
Note Sacred Ground will not prevent transformed lands from returning as the lands. They will come back, but as the non-transformed version of the card.
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
Feather, the Redeemed
Estrid, the Masked
Teshar
Tymna/Ravos
Najeela, Blade-Blossom
Firesong & Sunspeaker
Zur the Enchanter
Lazav, the Multifarious
Ishai+Reyhan
Click images for decks->
-Prime Speaker Vannifar
---------------------Will & Rowan Kenrith
I look forward to giving someone 40 hippos and unleashing them to crush my enemies
Another thing you missed: it untaps when transforming. That is so freaking huge. You can be sitting at 3 different cmcs, then activate eot and activate on your turn and BAM, tons of mana. 5 extra bonus mana too.
One last thing - it's legendary. That means it works with minamo, school at water's edge - on BOTH sides. yum.
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
Anything that untaps lands become God like once transformed; Frantic Search, Deserted Temple, Garruk Wildspeaker, etc, etc
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
Feather, the Redeemed
Estrid, the Masked
Teshar
Tymna/Ravos
Najeela, Blade-Blossom
Firesong & Sunspeaker
Zur the Enchanter
Lazav, the Multifarious
Ishai+Reyhan
Click images for decks->
-Prime Speaker Vannifar
---------------------Will & Rowan Kenrith
Doing something similar with Opalescence or Starfield of Nyx along with all the transform enchantment lands, is certainly a combo.
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
Feather, the Redeemed
Estrid, the Masked
Teshar
Tymna/Ravos
Najeela, Blade-Blossom
Firesong & Sunspeaker
Zur the Enchanter
Lazav, the Multifarious
Ishai+Reyhan
Click images for decks->
-Prime Speaker Vannifar
---------------------Will & Rowan Kenrith
You can use Karn, Silver Golem instead. But yeah, if you're trying to flip it through conventional means, it's difficult. Most likely I expect to see a lot of times when you'll have four cards exiled with it only to have it removed. So, while you might see a better Channel, I see
On phasing:
"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
Feather, the Redeemed
Estrid, the Masked
Teshar
Tymna/Ravos
Najeela, Blade-Blossom
Firesong & Sunspeaker
Zur the Enchanter
Lazav, the Multifarious
Ishai+Reyhan
Click images for decks->
-Prime Speaker Vannifar
---------------------Will & Rowan Kenrith
Yeah I'm a bit pessimistic about this one.
It might be that the bulk of the Magic community feels like it can be broken? Interesting stuff, because I'm sure the Commander format is probably driving the price up a bit, and here we are directly talking about the card and how it can be used. But from my break down already, you can tell its a hard card to make work.
Watch this space...
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
Feather, the Redeemed
Estrid, the Masked
Teshar
Tymna/Ravos
Najeela, Blade-Blossom
Firesong & Sunspeaker
Zur the Enchanter
Lazav, the Multifarious
Ishai+Reyhan
Click images for decks->
-Prime Speaker Vannifar
---------------------Will & Rowan Kenrith
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
It might even be that you are simply using it with Land Tax, to draw extra cards through filtering through the extra lands if you're getting flooded. You won't be flipping it as quickly but you will be getting cheap advantage.
If you're already running cards with x in cost like: Secure the Wastes, White Sun's Zenith, Martial Coup, Decree of Justice, then you can really get value once its transformed into Sanctum of the Sun.
Cataclysm would be a bomb, as you can tap for a million mana and everybody else will be tapping for 1.
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
Feather, the Redeemed
Estrid, the Masked
Teshar
Tymna/Ravos
Najeela, Blade-Blossom
Firesong & Sunspeaker
Zur the Enchanter
Lazav, the Multifarious
Ishai+Reyhan
Click images for decks->
-Prime Speaker Vannifar
---------------------Will & Rowan Kenrith
Totally agree. No reasonable playgroup with the most basic amounts of removal is going to allow you to flip this fairly. If you are trying to pull some shenanigans to flip it "unfairly", there are just easier ways to make infinite mana. It just seems like a bad way to loot to me.
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
The flip side of the artifact is only amazing if you can use all of the mana, which isn't always possible. Overall, I like it and I think it will find a spot in a few decks. I kind of want to look at a Kumano, Master Yamabushi deck with it, as it would work very well with both sides.
Current EDH
Akroma W | Tymna and Bruse RBW
(Also known as Xenphire)
The problem is, it'll die to removal. If they don't have something like Aura Shards or Caustic Caterpillar or Wear // Tear or Vandalblast or Hurkyl's Recall (oh, there's an oldie but a goodie) to deal with it, they'll rely on some "player removal", if you catch my drift. If you play it on turn 1 or 2, that's not a problem, but after that, can you be Archenemy for five turns? Or they'll start aiming discard your way so your options for its activated ability are limited: If all I have in my hand is a Doom Blade and I draw a Rakdos Signet, and I already have a 2 cmc card exiled, I have to waste one of my cards.
You might want to invest in Rings of Brighthearth, Alhammarret's Archive (to give you more options to exile), and artifact untappers.
On phasing:
Credit to DolZero for this awesome sig!
- Rabid Wombat
If you do flip it, you can do gross things but I think playing it for the face value of what the front side of the card does is why you would run it in a deck. I don't think its wrong to have a deck that can use the flip side of it but I also think that the reasons to play this card are going to make more sense in mono white, mono red, boros, and a few other type of decks that might otherwise struggle when it comes to card quality / selection.
Signature by Inkfox Aesthetics by Xen
[Modern] Allies
The idea that you'd lose some crucial card seems patently ridiculous. No one is going to force you to exile some critical synergy piece or whatever. The card quality of your hand can only improve if you loot, barring some absurd situation where literally every card in your hand and the card you draw are ALL critical pieces that you would have tutored or drawn through your entire deck for. Otherwise, being in exile is functionally no different from them being on the bottom of your library.
The "dies to removal" argument is also pretty silly. It's a 2 mana artifact - this isn't the feel-bads of losing something you invested considerable resources into, like an it that betrays or hecatomb or whatever. If you got 4+ loots off it before it was destroyed, then I'd say you came out solidly ahead in most circumstances. I don't know that it's worth screwing up your curve or exiling cards you'd rather keep to try to flip it ASAP - I suspect it's not, otherwise you might actually have regrets. But if you just activate it when you want the loot or when you have extra mana, and you just exile the worst card in your hand (at least up until the last 1-2 activations), I don't see why you'd have any serious disappointment if it died prematurely. Well, maybe you'll be disappointed, but you won't have actually been seriously hurt, any moreso than if any other cheap thing you played got killed after getting modest value.
I have no idea why you'd call it a "win more" card. It doesn't demand that you're winning to work at all. And the risks are pretty much zero as it's a totally functional, if unexciting, card even without the flip.
I think it's worth looking at the possibility of going for a fast flip via synergistic cards like MoM, simply because the flip side is so insane, but that doesn't mean those cards are necessary for making the card good. Don't mistake potential usage options with mandatory requirements.
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
Besides well-known options like Aggressive Mining and Mentor of the Meek, there is a lot of artifact card draw. White can also do Sun Titan with things like Origin Spellbomb and Mind Stone to get a sorta Phyrexian Arena if you squint.
On phasing: