The card is good on its own, so you can't just say "good in Vampires" and leave it at that. A 2/1 flier for 2 is a card I would always play. So the question for me is, how often does this turn into the build-around it wants to be instead of the vanilla beater it typically tends to be?
Seeing this definitely makes me want to *try* to draft a Vampire deck. It's exactly the sort of push in that direction I want to see. But that deck is notoriously fragile since you really do have to be the only one drafting it, and there are a lot of powerful decks to draft that are way less risky. I guess it varies from person to person, but I don't think I'd first pick this very often. I'd second pick it and take it as a potential signal, though, and see where things went from there.
Yeah, it's usable outside of a vampire shell deck, which says something. Dude is just good. Usually will snag a couple of points of damage early, or eat removal the opponent would rather use on scarier targets.
The card is good on its own, so you can't just say "good in Vampires" and leave it at that. A 2/1 flier for 2 is a card I would always play. So the question for me is, how often does this turn into the build-around it wants to be instead of the vanilla beater it typically tends to be?
Seeing this definitely makes me want to *try* to draft a Vampire deck. It's exactly the sort of push in that direction I want to see. But that deck is notoriously fragile since you really do have to be the only one drafting it, and there are a lot of powerful decks to draft that are way less risky. I guess it varies from person to person, but I don't think I'd first pick this very often. I'd second pick it and take it as a potential signal, though, and see where things went from there.
I don't think this is the build around for vampires (that honor belongs to Stensia Masquerade), but its a very good card regardless in any black deck that even remotely wants to be aggressive. I will say though that there are a lot of defensive black decks in the format (UB, BG, and BW to an extent), and I don't think this card is very good in those decks.
Vaporkin was a playable card so it seems like Olivia's Bloodsworn would be at least playable in any deck.
I'm not too high on it outside of dedicated aggro decks though. Not blocking is a big downside when there's lots of slow value decks with delerium and self-mill. It won't always trade on offense either since it can be blanked by Silent Observer or a spirit token.
The +1 on Jace is so absurd. Your opponent needs to be pretty far ahead to deal with a 6 loyalty planeswalker, and it's not going to get easier when you're scrying and drawing gas every turn.
An always-on discard outlet is a valuable thing in madness decks, but this isn't the best of those. Still, that effect is something I look for, and I'm not sad taking this 5-6th once I know I'm going to have a lot of ways to use the discard. Pack 1 this is not a high priority, though.
It's a bit expensive for just a +2/+2, but in limited equipments are always a welcome sight. The added benefit of being a madness enabler is a ymmv thing, but still alright.
You can generally equip it the turn it comes into play, which isn't the case of most expensive equipment. It's of course an awful topdeck if you're in topdeck mode.
I am a lot less high on this card than I was before. 4 mana is past the time when you really want to be madnessing for tempo, so if youre playing this card then youre trying to madness for value, which isnt quite as powerful. Madness enablers should be considered on three major axes:
1. Does the card enable the degenerate curve outs like a turn 3 twins (ravenous bloodseeker, etc)
2. Does the card enable instant speed shenanigans. (Call the bloodline, insolent neonate)
3. Does the card provide grindy card advantage (macabre waltz, mad prophet)
Axe falls more under the third line, since the hope is that you spend your turn 4 doing nothing, and the +2/+2 does something for you the next turn. It seems a little underwhelming to grind out the game though since RB doesnt have as many random dudes you can ghrow equipment on compared to something with tokens like white, and doesnt play the grindy game terribly well without mad prophets. The only time im happy with this card tempo wise is playing it on turn 5 and tempering their guy to equip it, which is pretty brutal but unlikely since tempers are hard to pick up. This may be better in UR madness since you also have jTw for the turn 5 tempo swing.
i would rate this 7-9th pick in RB madness and maybe 3-5th pick in UR tempo If you already have some jtws and tempers. Clearly take more highly if you are desperate for madness enablers. Definitely a tier 2 enabler unless you get the tempers and jtws, in which case it becomes a tier 1 enabler since turn 5 of this into one of those two spells is brutal tempowise.
I didn't like it when the set was spoiled and I still don't like it after playing the format a bunch. If you want to discard a card for dubious value, there's cheaper enablers that don't need a creature on the battlefield as an additional cost.
I have played this with some nice success. I think that in this thread, it is currently being overlooked as a delirium enabler as well. Of course, maybe it goes without saying that just about any madness enabler is also a delirium enabler. In any event, I like using this to get lands in the yard. I have liked it plenty so far.
I'll use it as a last resort, but in a deck that might want it (like vampires), you'll probably already have better discard outlets, like the enchantment that lets you discard a card and put a vampire token into play (at instant speed, no less), or that 1/3 vamp that lets you discard to basically switch it's p/t.
It was very good in my prerelease, I had sweet madness cards and no way to enable it. This won me a game by allowing me to cast two madness cards to flip back a lethal werewolf.
Great card that can really stabilize a game in a hurry (even if you don't get to block for another turn). The madness is just gravy, as the regular casting cost is already a strong card.
One of the best possible discard outlets fora control deck. The double blue in the cost makes it pretty committing, so I'm not sure how reliably I want to be first-picking this, but the power level is definitely there. Three-mana Sift is a great card, and madness interactions just make it unreal good.
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Seeing this definitely makes me want to *try* to draft a Vampire deck. It's exactly the sort of push in that direction I want to see. But that deck is notoriously fragile since you really do have to be the only one drafting it, and there are a lot of powerful decks to draft that are way less risky. I guess it varies from person to person, but I don't think I'd first pick this very often. I'd second pick it and take it as a potential signal, though, and see where things went from there.
I don't think this is the build around for vampires (that honor belongs to Stensia Masquerade), but its a very good card regardless in any black deck that even remotely wants to be aggressive. I will say though that there are a lot of defensive black decks in the format (UB, BG, and BW to an extent), and I don't think this card is very good in those decks.
I'm not too high on it outside of dedicated aggro decks though. Not blocking is a big downside when there's lots of slow value decks with delerium and self-mill. It won't always trade on offense either since it can be blanked by Silent Observer or a spirit token.
1. Does the card enable the degenerate curve outs like a turn 3 twins (ravenous bloodseeker, etc)
2. Does the card enable instant speed shenanigans. (Call the bloodline, insolent neonate)
3. Does the card provide grindy card advantage (macabre waltz, mad prophet)
Axe falls more under the third line, since the hope is that you spend your turn 4 doing nothing, and the +2/+2 does something for you the next turn. It seems a little underwhelming to grind out the game though since RB doesnt have as many random dudes you can ghrow equipment on compared to something with tokens like white, and doesnt play the grindy game terribly well without mad prophets. The only time im happy with this card tempo wise is playing it on turn 5 and tempering their guy to equip it, which is pretty brutal but unlikely since tempers are hard to pick up. This may be better in UR madness since you also have jTw for the turn 5 tempo swing.
i would rate this 7-9th pick in RB madness and maybe 3-5th pick in UR tempo If you already have some jtws and tempers. Clearly take more highly if you are desperate for madness enablers. Definitely a tier 2 enabler unless you get the tempers and jtws, in which case it becomes a tier 1 enabler since turn 5 of this into one of those two spells is brutal tempowise.
If you have something like from under the floorboards or welcome to the fold being able to discard for free is really good.
Pioneer:UR Pheonix
Modern:U Mono U Tron
EDH
GB Glissa, the traitor: Army of Cans
UW Dragonlord Ojutai: Dragonlord NOjutai
UWGDerevi, Empyrial Tactician "you cannot fight the storm"
R Zirilan of the claw. The solution to every problem is dragons
UB Etrata, the Silencer Cloning assassination
Peasant cube: Cards I own
The biggest downside is that the zombies come into play tapped.
Do not read too much into this for a joke.I am afraid the jokes that would come out of this are poor.