I don't think that a Saga and a PW are comparable. Karn gives you more options, can last longer and doesn't require UU to cast in the first place.
The Saga is just a weaker version of Tezzeret which is rarely seen in Affinity SB's.
They are comparable. Both Karn and Antiquities are CA + Win con. They fulfill exactly the same function at 4 mana of get ahead/filter + kill you. Antiquities is harder to interact with and digs deeper and reads Suspend 2: win the game. It's basically an artifact version of Nahiri's main function -- Suspend 2: Win the Game. Also, it's U, not UU. You might want to take a look at the top right corner one more time. The reason Affinity doesn't play Tezz is because it requires 2 colored mana and that can be difficult for affinity. If Tezz AoB was just a U or just a B it would be played a lot more in affinity SB's.
Also could you explain how Karn gives you more options? You + or - Karn for card selection. Antiquities War does the same, but digs 5 deep and doesn't give the opponent the choice. You - Karn for artifact token to kill opponent. Antiquities turns all your artifacts into 5/5's that dodge sorcery speed removal. Yes, you have to wait 2 turns with Antiquities, but digging 5 deep is no joke especially compared to the punisher + of Karn. (And turning all your dorky artifacts / artifact lands into 5/5's is much more powerful imho than a Master of Eth. token)
do you think seal away does anything as another potential white removal spell?
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Decks I have in my bag of tricks- Needless to say, someone who wants to play will probably have a deck UB/x Faeries UR Storm XURWB Affinity G Elves UW control
do you think seal away does anything as another potential white removal spell?
I think it's better than people give it credit for. People make the Condemn comparison, but it's not quite right. Condemn forces you to remove the creature in the attack step only, which provides information to your opponent, and reduces your mana, during the post-combat main. Seal Away is usable during the end step and your turn. This lets you trade the life from one attack to keep up/threaten countermagic mana. If they don't cast something too scary, you can elect to let it resolve and then Seal Away the threat. This creates way more decision tress than Condemn ever did, which I always value highly when I play control. I'll also add that Seal Away has some corner-case edges over Condemn's targeting modes in hitting dorks (sadly, after they tap), Drum creatures, convoked creatures, Lavamancer, Emrakul, Knight of the Reliquary, and some other random targets.
The other comparison I've heard is Detention Sphere, but that one doesn't sit well with me. Sphere costs +1 mana and is sorcery-speed. That's a totally different card and slot in my books.
Of course, the real question is 1 vs. 2 mana, which is a major drawback of Seal Away over Condemn. Some decks can also remove the Seal Away, which is a big problem. For instance, I would not run Seal Away in a Jund-heavy metagame. But for all the reasons mentioned above, I still think Seal Away has potential. If I were still playing UW Control, I'd test out 2 in the main.
Is that in the assumption that UW still runs Condemn? I know it was for a bit.
I don't think UW is still running Condemn. But I do think UW needs more removal in this current metagame, and I generally like my removal to keep as many decision trees open as possible, which Seal Away does better than Condemn. But I also think UW might just benefit from more sweepers rather than Seal Away to begin with, so it might not be a successful test if really played out.
I would also test Teferi in that deck. One of the biggest problems with JTMS is tapping out for him on T4 and then getting run over by something you can't answer. Teferi comes down a turn later but keeps you protected the turn he comes into play. Notably, he doesn't get eaten by BBE or Reality Smasher (assuming, of course, you have the answer in hand). He also deals with a wider range of threats such as Plating and Liliana. Unlike JTMS, he digs for an answer and puts himself to 5 loyalty in the same turn. JTMS digs deeper but then is dead to Bolt or a single hit from most creatures played in Modern. All of this makes me excited for Teferi's Modern potential.
Teferi has not been strong to me, but I'm still testing him. His + is great, but his - is really punishing I find if you need him to come down and deal with something.
Teferi Protection - They get it back in a few turns, and you lose him.
Jace Protection - Either its a bounce, or you just are blind digging anyway.
I like Seal Away though, as an option when Bolt becomes bad perhaps.
do you think seal away does anything as another potential white removal spell?
I think it's better than people give it credit for. People make the Condemn comparison, but it's not quite right. Condemn forces you to remove the creature in the attack step only, which provides information to your opponent, and reduces your mana, during the post-combat main. Seal Away is usable during the end step and your turn. This lets you trade the life from one attack to keep up/threaten countermagic mana. If they don't cast something too scary, you can elect to let it resolve and then Seal Away the threat. This creates way more decision tress than Condemn ever did, which I always value highly when I play control. I'll also add that Seal Away has some corner-case edges over Condemn's targeting modes in hitting dorks (sadly, after they tap), Drum creatures, convoked creatures, Lavamancer, Emrakul, Knight of the Reliquary, and some other random targets.
The other comparison I've heard is Detention Sphere, but that one doesn't sit well with me. Sphere costs +1 mana and is sorcery-speed. That's a totally different card and slot in my books.
Of course, the real question is 1 vs. 2 mana, which is a major drawback of Seal Away over Condemn. Some decks can also remove the Seal Away, which is a big problem. For instance, I would not run Seal Away in a Jund-heavy metagame. But for all the reasons mentioned above, I still think Seal Away has potential. If I were still playing UW Control, I'd test out 2 in the main.
this, i think, is what i was looking for. thank you
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Decks I have in my bag of tricks- Needless to say, someone who wants to play will probably have a deck UB/x Faeries UR Storm XURWB Affinity G Elves UW control
Karn gives you more options, can last longer
and doesn't require UU to cast in the first place.The Saga is just a weaker version of Tezzeret which is rarely seen in Affinity SB's.
They are comparable. Both Karn and Antiquities are CA + Win con. They fulfill exactly the same function at 4 mana of get ahead/filter + kill you. Antiquities is harder to interact with and digs deeper and reads Suspend 2: win the game. It's basically an artifact version of Nahiri's main function -- Suspend 2: Win the Game. Also, it's U, not UU. You might want to take a look at the top right corner one more time. The reason Affinity doesn't play Tezz is because it requires 2 colored mana and that can be difficult for affinity. If Tezz AoB was just a U or just a B it would be played a lot more in affinity SB's.
Also could you explain how Karn gives you more options? You + or - Karn for card selection. Antiquities War does the same, but digs 5 deep and doesn't give the opponent the choice. You - Karn for artifact token to kill opponent. Antiquities turns all your artifacts into 5/5's that dodge sorcery speed removal. Yes, you have to wait 2 turns with Antiquities, but digging 5 deep is no joke especially compared to the punisher + of Karn. (And turning all your dorky artifacts / artifact lands into 5/5's is much more powerful imho than a Master of Eth. token)
UB/x Faeries
UR Storm
XURWB Affinity
G Elves
UW control
I think it's better than people give it credit for. People make the Condemn comparison, but it's not quite right. Condemn forces you to remove the creature in the attack step only, which provides information to your opponent, and reduces your mana, during the post-combat main. Seal Away is usable during the end step and your turn. This lets you trade the life from one attack to keep up/threaten countermagic mana. If they don't cast something too scary, you can elect to let it resolve and then Seal Away the threat. This creates way more decision tress than Condemn ever did, which I always value highly when I play control. I'll also add that Seal Away has some corner-case edges over Condemn's targeting modes in hitting dorks (sadly, after they tap), Drum creatures, convoked creatures, Lavamancer, Emrakul, Knight of the Reliquary, and some other random targets.
The other comparison I've heard is Detention Sphere, but that one doesn't sit well with me. Sphere costs +1 mana and is sorcery-speed. That's a totally different card and slot in my books.
Of course, the real question is 1 vs. 2 mana, which is a major drawback of Seal Away over Condemn. Some decks can also remove the Seal Away, which is a big problem. For instance, I would not run Seal Away in a Jund-heavy metagame. But for all the reasons mentioned above, I still think Seal Away has potential. If I were still playing UW Control, I'd test out 2 in the main.
Spirits
I don't think UW is still running Condemn. But I do think UW needs more removal in this current metagame, and I generally like my removal to keep as many decision trees open as possible, which Seal Away does better than Condemn. But I also think UW might just benefit from more sweepers rather than Seal Away to begin with, so it might not be a successful test if really played out.
I would also test Teferi in that deck. One of the biggest problems with JTMS is tapping out for him on T4 and then getting run over by something you can't answer. Teferi comes down a turn later but keeps you protected the turn he comes into play. Notably, he doesn't get eaten by BBE or Reality Smasher (assuming, of course, you have the answer in hand). He also deals with a wider range of threats such as Plating and Liliana. Unlike JTMS, he digs for an answer and puts himself to 5 loyalty in the same turn. JTMS digs deeper but then is dead to Bolt or a single hit from most creatures played in Modern. All of this makes me excited for Teferi's Modern potential.
Teferi Protection - They get it back in a few turns, and you lose him.
Jace Protection - Either its a bounce, or you just are blind digging anyway.
I like Seal Away though, as an option when Bolt becomes bad perhaps.
Spirits
this, i think, is what i was looking for. thank you
UB/x Faeries
UR Storm
XURWB Affinity
G Elves
UW control