I'm fairly new to playing modern, but I'm surprised that I don't see Mizzium Skin in play. It's saved my creatures countless times. The moment I sideboard it out I regret ever removing it.
Heck, the overload for 1U is amazing at times. Two Doom Blades at once? Counter them both.
I'm wondering why no one runs it?
Is there something else I should be running instead that's more powerful?
Note that it won't stop both the doom blades. In order to stop the first, you'd need to put Mizzium Skin on the stack, and then they'd put the second doom blade on the stack, and it would resolve before Mizzium Skin. However, the overload will stop things like sorcery speed removal they might try to use after Mizzium Skin resolves on any of your creatures.
I suspect that extra defense would become a factor in some fringe situations as well, for instance, say the opponent casts Anger of the Gods, and you have a Monastery Swiftspear out, normally casting one spell would just give it +1/+1, and get it to 3 toughness, and it would die, but Mizzium Skin has it's own toughness boost, so just the single Mizzium Skin will save the swiftspear from Anger of the Gods, even though the Anger is untargeted and a single spell normally wouldn't be enough to save Swiftspear. Can also let it attack into some more dangerous (slightly higher power) blockers a bit more safely as well, potentially.
I think the main problem with it is that it doesn't cantrip (Pyromancer decks love to get more spells to cast) or take out an opponent's key threat, and it only stops threats against your creatures, not say, a spell that targets you.
Welllllll.... first off. No one plays 2 doom blades at once at a serious level for the very reason you stated. If its important you let the first resolve before venturing into the second... (Mtgo wont even let you do it until the other guy responds :P)
But serious play aside. People do use skin, in sideboards, where it matters. Main deck stuff, you'd generally want something like spell peirce... as it can counter twin and what not too. It also is cheaper than the overload. You're tokens will still die to a pyro, but it wont with a negate for example.
But, yes. Twin plays it in the side sometimes. I've seen all in twin (it was a thing back in he day, it was basicly 4 birds, 4 nobles, 4 kiki, 4 twin, 4 mite 4 exarch) as a 4 of in the board.
Welllllll.... first off. No one plays 2 doom blades at once at a serious level for the very reason you stated. If its important you let the first resolve before venturing into the second... (Mtgo wont even let you do it until the other guy responds :P)
You actually can retain priority in MTGO to cast two doom blades (not that you'd want to). Just hold CTRL while casting your spell and you'll still have priority to cast another spell. Magic Hotkeys
Some decks don't care about your creatures. They can just combo kill you.
It is also purely reactive - all it does is stop removal. +1 toughness isn't going to increase the amount of damage you're dealing.
Old Splinter Twin decks used to play it because it beat Abrupt Decay from Jund (which Dispel couldn't do). Nowadays nobody plays all-in Twin any more. The plan for beating BGx is to board out the combo (because a deck full of discard spells and Liliana isn't going to let you have 2 cards in hand) and board in one-card threats like Batterskull or Keranos, God of Storms.
Welllllll.... first off. No one plays 2 doom blades at once at a serious level for the very reason you stated. If its important you let the first resolve before venturing into the second...
Back in The Day, there was a thing about Demigod of Revenge vs. counterspells: If you forget to say that you cast Cryptic Command AFTER the Demigod's cast trigger, then the cast trigger will take the Demigod you just countered and put it onto the battlefield anyways. Not the kind of mistake you make more than once, though.
I also read some old strategy guide that advised you not to put all of your Frozen Shade activations into one batch for reasons of Lightning Bolt. I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure that it was in fact old enough that "batch" was still a thing.
So yeah. Not putting all your stuff onto the stack at once. Real simple stuff.
Wait, WILL Mizzium Skin work against Aprupt Decay if cast after Abrupt Decay's target is declared? I seem to recall a target becoming invalid counting as a 'countering' the spell, which would mean that Abrupt Decay, unable to be countered, would ignore the new invalid target status. I mean, it wouldn't be able to be _cast_ targeting the Mizzium Skinned thing, but if Mizzium Skin is the spell cast in response...
More accurately, Decay will be countered on resolution because all of its targets were invalid on resolution. Decay says it can't be countered by spells or abilities, but it can still be countered by game rules.
Resolving Spells and Abilities
608.2b: "...The spell or ability is countered if all its targets, for every instance of the word "target," are now illegal..."
Technically, Decay won't be countered, but it's considered unable to target its target, and as such it can't work anyways, so it just goes into the graveyard without any effect.
"fizzle" sounds pretty funny for some reason in the context of Abrupt Decay. I'm imagining now some kind of sweater that is laying on the ground, and it's about to start decaying and moulding, moths are landing on it... and then the rot and moths fizzle away into floating soap suds and bubbles, and the sweater spritzles and pops, and turns up good as new, the decay having fizzled away, and all the bubbles get little exclamation mark speech bubbles over them and let off the someone sensed/discovered me alert sound from Metal Gear.
Note that it won't stop both the doom blades. In order to stop the first, you'd need to put Mizzium Skin on the stack, and then they'd put the second doom blade on the stack, and it would resolve before Mizzium Skin.
I see where you're coming from, but I was referring to if there were two doom blades at once. Implying that they were both on the stack before you cast Mizzium skin.
I do understand that pros wouldn't play both at once and wait for the first to resolve. I was just speaking from casual play experience I had.
Technically, Decay won't be countered, but it's considered unable to target its target, and as such it can't work anyways, so it just goes into the graveyard without any effect.
Well, "Technically" the spell WILL be countered, as 608.2b specifically uses the phrase countered. Though, something being countered does, as you stated, mean it goes to the graveyard without resolving.
608.2b If the spell or ability specifies targets, it checks whether the targets are still legal. [...] The spell or ability is countered if all its targets, for every instance of the word “target,” are now illegal.
Decay has one target. Since that target is no longer a legal target due to having hexproof, it will be countered.
Technically, Decay won't be countered, but it's considered unable to target its target, and as such it can't work anyways, so it just goes into the graveyard without any effect.
Well, "Technically" the spell WILL be countered, as 608.2b specifically uses the phrase countered. Though, something being countered does, as you stated, mean it goes to the graveyard without resolving.
If it hasn't been said enough, historically it was Twin's personal tech since it completely hoses the whole "why not just shoot Exarch or Mite until it's dead?" line of play.
Well, specifically it was Combo Twin's tech, since protecting the combo from removal like that is something you do when you're going all in on the combo. Don't think it's much of a card these days.
Not a bad card. Nice for my Red Blue deck. Saves my Young Pyromancers. It's good for dodging spot removal cards. Cards like Path to Exile, orSlaughter Pact.
I'm fairly new to playing modern, but I'm surprised that I don't see Mizzium Skin in play. It's saved my creatures countless times. The moment I sideboard it out I regret ever removing it.
Heck, the overload for 1U is amazing at times. Two Doom Blades at once? Counter them both.
I'm wondering why no one runs it?
Is there something else I should be running instead that's more powerful?
UR Niv-Mizzet, The Firemind
WUR Narset's Coinflip Casino
Modern
UB Mill
I suspect that extra defense would become a factor in some fringe situations as well, for instance, say the opponent casts Anger of the Gods, and you have a Monastery Swiftspear out, normally casting one spell would just give it +1/+1, and get it to 3 toughness, and it would die, but Mizzium Skin has it's own toughness boost, so just the single Mizzium Skin will save the swiftspear from Anger of the Gods, even though the Anger is untargeted and a single spell normally wouldn't be enough to save Swiftspear. Can also let it attack into some more dangerous (slightly higher power) blockers a bit more safely as well, potentially.
I think the main problem with it is that it doesn't cantrip (Pyromancer decks love to get more spells to cast) or take out an opponent's key threat, and it only stops threats against your creatures, not say, a spell that targets you.
URW Control
WBG Abzan
GRW Burn
EDH
GR Rosheen Meanderer
But serious play aside. People do use skin, in sideboards, where it matters. Main deck stuff, you'd generally want something like spell peirce... as it can counter twin and what not too. It also is cheaper than the overload. You're tokens will still die to a pyro, but it wont with a negate for example.
But, yes. Twin plays it in the side sometimes. I've seen all in twin (it was a thing back in he day, it was basicly 4 birds, 4 nobles, 4 kiki, 4 twin, 4 mite 4 exarch) as a 4 of in the board.
Magic Hotkeys
It is also purely reactive - all it does is stop removal. +1 toughness isn't going to increase the amount of damage you're dealing.
Old Splinter Twin decks used to play it because it beat Abrupt Decay from Jund (which Dispel couldn't do). Nowadays nobody plays all-in Twin any more. The plan for beating BGx is to board out the combo (because a deck full of discard spells and Liliana isn't going to let you have 2 cards in hand) and board in one-card threats like Batterskull or Keranos, God of Storms.
| Ad Nauseam
| Infect
Big Johnny.
I also read some old strategy guide that advised you not to put all of your Frozen Shade activations into one batch for reasons of Lightning Bolt. I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure that it was in fact old enough that "batch" was still a thing.
So yeah. Not putting all your stuff onto the stack at once. Real simple stuff.
KnightfallGWUR
Azorius Control UW
Burn RBG
Resolving Spells and Abilities
608.2b: "...The spell or ability is countered if all its targets, for every instance of the word "target," are now illegal..."
I see where you're coming from, but I was referring to if there were two doom blades at once. Implying that they were both on the stack before you cast Mizzium skin.
I do understand that pros wouldn't play both at once and wait for the first to resolve. I was just speaking from casual play experience I had.
UR Niv-Mizzet, The Firemind
WUR Narset's Coinflip Casino
Modern
UB Mill
Well, "Technically" the spell WILL be countered, as 608.2b specifically uses the phrase countered. Though, something being countered does, as you stated, mean it goes to the graveyard without resolving.
Decay has one target. Since that target is no longer a legal target due to having hexproof, it will be countered.
Oh god right, I'm so sorry.
Well, specifically it was Combo Twin's tech, since protecting the combo from removal like that is something you do when you're going all in on the combo. Don't think it's much of a card these days.