MTG Salvation

So I'm considering this one for my Multiplayer cube (given how naff half of Izzet is in Multiplayer right now, and that it's still trying to execute a spells-matter archetype), and I've seen others mention it as a potential add for them as well.
And yet... no SCD yet. Worthy? Unworthy?

It's not bad. You may want to compare it to Suffocating Blast, which is an OK card

Suffocating Blast deals damage to creatures, which is very different (i.e. more often useful) than to players.

Suffocating Blast is a hard counter, this isn't.

Suffocating Blast is a pretty bad card by Cube standards, and not in the top-10 of Izzet cards.

This thing is a lot worse than Suffocating Blast. I recommend playing Condescend (which is a staple), Power Sink or Syncopate (which are a lot worse, but still respectable) if you want an X-based counterspell.

By the way, I have no idea about Multiplayer Cubes, but at first sight it seems that both counterspells and direct damage to players should get a lot worse in that format.

I'll be testing it out. Looks awesome for tempo decks.

Quote from Falcone1983 »

This thing is a lot worse than Suffocating Blast. I recommend playing Condescend (which is a staple), Power Sink or Syncopate (which are a lot worse, but still respectable) if you want an X-based counterspell.

By the way, I have no idea about Multiplayer Cubes, but at first sight it seems that both counterspells and direct damage to players should get a lot worse in that format.

Yes, they generally do get worse. If you want them, you usually want them to be splashy.
That said, my cube is fairly light on for countermagic ATM, as is my Izzet section, and so this comes into consideration. We actually did run Suffocating Blast for a long time, but it got dropped around RtR, mostly because of its CC - it is arguable whether Mindswipe is close to Suffocating Blast in terms of quality, but it is definitely more splashable, which was one of Blast's problems when I was running it.
I would imagine that, if it does go into my cube, Mindswipe will be a hard counter 99% of the time. My meta tends to hang on to cards like this until people overextend (and overextending is pretty easy to do in Multiplayer). But yes, Mindswipe vs. Suffocating Blast is a very good argument... glad I made an SCD for this one in the end!

Quote from CadaverousBl00m »

Quote from Falcone1983 »

This thing is a lot worse than Suffocating Blast. I recommend playing Condescend (which is a staple), Power Sink or Syncopate (which are a lot worse, but still respectable) if you want an X-based counterspell.

By the way, I have no idea about Multiplayer Cubes, but at first sight it seems that both counterspells and direct damage to players should get a lot worse in that format.

Yes, they generally do get worse. If you want them, you usually want them to be splashy.


That said, my cube is fairly light on for countermagic ATM, as is my Izzet section, and so this comes into consideration. We actually did run Suffocating Blast for a long time, but it got dropped around RtR, mostly because of its CC - it is arguable whether Mindswipe is close to Suffocating Blast in terms of quality, but it is definitely more splashable, which was one of Blast's problems when I was running it.
I would imagine that, if it does go into my cube, Mindswipe will be a hard counter 99% of the time. My meta tends to hang on to cards like this until people overextend (and overextending is pretty easy to do in Multiplayer). But yes, Mindswipe vs. Suffocating Blast is a very good argument... glad I made an SCD for this one in the end!

It's also probably worth comparing it to Izzet Charm. Izzet Charm is only just making it into cubes now, despite it being Ermagerd Awesome when it came out. Too bad for the charm, Ral Zarek and Dack Fayden have waltzed their way to the front of the Izzet Section.

Its simply not good in regular cube but I don't know much about multiplayer.

It's not half bad for counterburn decks, considering it does exactly what the deck is trying to do. I like it more than Suffocating Blast because it can counter a spell even if you don't have a target, and it's more splashable. That being said, I think Izzet is too tight for this spell, and in multiplayer, I'd rather have one of the big Izzet dragons or something.

I think this card is strait up aweful. Tempo decks, and my counterburn decks don't really like 3 mana counters as they are trying to cast all kinds of cheap stuff and multiple cards a turn. And even at 3 mana it is a force spike and one damage. I wouldn't play this card in any red/blue decks I have drafted in my cube.

IF we were talking damage to a creature or player then it gets interesting. But for the tempo decks out there do they really want this over the charm, fire/ice, jilt, prophetic bolt, or even gelectrode. Maybe I would play it over wee dragonauts but then we are going very deep.

Good in counterburn, but not that great in any other deck, and Izzet is wayyyy too stacked for this.

Those are two really big strikes against the card.

Quote from Colby »

...Izzet is wayyyy too stacked for this.

I've been waiting years for people to be able to say this without being sarcastic. They certainly polished up that turd in a heartbeat.

Quote from wtwlf123 »

Quote from Colby »

...Izzet is wayyyy too stacked for this.

I've been waiting years for people to be able to say this without being sarcastic. They certainly polished up that turd in a heartbeat.

I agree but if I was still packing fire//ice, electrolyze, jilt, and prophetic bolt this thing still would be laughably bad. I play plenty of counter/burn and spells matter decks and I am not sure why people think this would even have a place there.

I still think Izzet is shallow. It's top 4 are great but after that there is nothing I'm in love with. Even so, I doubt this card makes top 10 in the guild.

Cheers,
rant

I think Izzet is short of an awesome midrange creature drop. Or a spell that makes some hasty creature token, turning on the likes of Kiln Fiend and Wee Dragonauts.

Dack's Duplicate?