This guy always seemed like an autoinclude to me, but more and more recently he's been not making decks. He's super versatile, blinks well, and does a lot of things decently, but in my cube that doesn't really support blue tempo, he is a really underwhelming Remand that always draws a grizzly bear more often than not.
Do other people still consider him a sacred cow, or is he starting to get outclassed as better and better cards get printed?
I had him in my deck yesterday. Overall the deck was bad and too slow, but Venser was the best thing in it. Even though he's a temporary answer, being able to bounce anything is very powerful.
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less." -Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
We must have different definitions of threat. I don't consider a grizzly bear on turn 4 a threat. I usually find it provides me with an instant speed chump blocker. So I get a temporary solution to an attacker and a temporary solution to something on the board.
I like him most because he's a proactive bounce spell. He's a bounce spell that gives you something extra for your troubles (since a plain bounce spell just isn't quite good enough). He lets you do the old "bounce+counterspell" in cube, which is always good.
Now, add:
1. Flash. (Very relevant in decks with counters and other instants.)
2. The ability to bounce any permanent. (Very relevant since the introduction of planeswalkers.)
3. The ability to remand any spell.
Are these additions worth an additional U in the cost? I firmly believe they are and I can't imagine any arguments against it.
I think it's one of blue's best creatures. Remanding a spell and getting a 2/2 is well worth the 4 mana. It's not only blue "tempo decks" from playing cards that are tempo advantage. It's just a good spell. Wait one more turn for your Sword and I have a creature that can trade with your beater this turn. Fine by me.
But he's far more than just that. Being able to bounce any permanent too? Good god. That's so great. Flashing him in mid-combat to bounce a threat and kill an attacker is so boss.
And what else? The effect bring strapped for a creature is ripe for abuse. Him + Crystal Shard is scoopsville.
As an aside, I hate the term Sacred Cow. This is not a sacred cow. Broken card is broken. Cube managers love Venser because it's an insane creature. Calling it a Sacred Cow is almost as insulting to Venser as it is to the cube managers that enjoy cubing him for all the reasons he's great.
Sacred Cow is a perfect description for this card. It's a card where the moment I brought up that he might be underwhelming, people started talking about how it was an absolute staple and stupid to consider. "It goes in every blue deck ever" "He's a legitimate threat as a 2/2 french vanilla"
How is that not a sacred cow? I'm suggesting specific reasons why I don't think he is good enough. Man-o-War is a cube staple because he goes in decks that splash blue and provides great tempo. Most of my tempo decks don't want a 2/2 2UU creature. If they did, Mist Raven would be an auto include, and a lot of cubes ultimate decided that he wasn't good enough, even though he looks pretty good.
I'm not saying he's a horrible card, I'm saying he's very underwhelming when compared to other 4 drops. My average blue deck that plays venser uses him as a 4 mana remand that gives me a chump blocker. At that point, he's pretty comparable to Summoner's Bane, a card nobody cubes with. (Yes, I realize they're not all that close, I'm just trying to promote other ways of looking at him. I'm not actually saying Venser is Summoner's Bane)
Look, I'm not saying he's uncubeable. I'm saying people are automatically including this card in cubes and in decks without really evaluating where he stands compared to other things. I think he's a decent card, but I don't think he is as good as people seem to think, and I had hoped people might do some critical thinking about whether he was actually still as good as he used to be before responding.
I don't actually consider "He was the best card in the bad deck I drafted" to be all that ringing of an endorsement.
And he's not broken. In any way. At All. There's nothing broken about Venser.
It's a card where the moment I brought up that he might be underwhelming, people started talking about how it was an absolute staple and stupid to consider.
Maybe it's because there's legitimate arguments why this is the case.
Quote from JeffDerek »
How is that not a sacred cow?
Because it makes the cut in every cube based entirely on its own merits.
By you calling it a Sacred Cow, you're implying it doesn't deserve its staple status. And if we chime in to defend it, you fall back to the Sacred Cow argument again instead of legitimately debating it's merits. Once you've determined that it's a "Sacred Cow" how is there anything that can convince you otherwise? It's like when someone's crazy. They can't convince you otherwise. The Sacred Cow label is the perfect way to argue against it, because when people defend it, you can just say they're defending it because it's a sacred cow. That's why I hate that description.
There's no such thing as a Sacred Cow. Cards either make the cut because they're good enough or they don't. He does. In every cube. Because he is good enough. For all the reasons I outlined above.
Quote from JeffDerek »
And he's not broken. In any way. At All. There's nothing broken about Venser.
Perhaps we're using different definitions of Sacred Cow. I've always interpreted that phrase to mean something that you can't question, and where questioning it brought everyone to attack you. It doesn't mean that it's completely without merit (although the dictionary does suggest that sometimes that it's unreasonable), it just means that bringing it any criticism is met with harsh reaction.
Based on this thread, and the reaction I got . . . . he's a Sacred Cow. By asking if he was still a sacred cow, I implied that I expected to get attacked for not liking him. And look at that. I did.
Beyond that, I simply disagree with most of these arguments, which has nothing to do with any labels. If your blue decks are winning by attacking with 2/2s, as Eidolon's apparently are, then more power to you. My blue decks tend to win with fliers and sphinxes, not with grizzly bears, so maybe we're just playing different types of magic.
To me it looks like you are underrating the benefits of a flash creature in a color that doesn't want to tap out.
I absolutely love flash creatures. When I actually want the creature. 4 mana 2/2's just don't cut it.
I love that we had a discussion in green that concluded Yeva, as a 4 mana 4/4, just wasn't good enough as a creature, and you're in here telling me that the 4 mana 2/2 is good enough to justify a spot.
The question is whether Venser is so good as to be above questioning. I think JeffDerek is perfectly within his rights to ask that, and I don't think calling something a sacred cow invalidates anyone's argument.
Now, I don't think Venser is a sacred cow because he really is that good. If someone doesn't play him, well, that's one person's opinion, but he's awesome I think. The best thing is that pretty much every deck, tempo, control, even some combos (Crystal Shard) want this card.
Sacred Cow has a negative connotation that implies the card is loved when it doesn't deserve to be. Venser deserves to be. For all the reasons I've already mentioned.
Because nothing in the cube is immune to question or criticism, nothing can be a sacred cow.
Quote from JeffDerek »
4 mana 2/2's just don't cut it.
I love that we had a discussion in green that concluded Yeva, as a 4 mana 4/4, just wasn't good enough as a creature, and you're in here telling me that the 4 mana 2/2 is good enough to justify a spot.
It's not this black and white. It's not about the body, it's about the effect. It's about how the effect impacts the game. Via board development, tempo disruption or otherwise.
I like Yeva, and I'll be playing her. But she's not nearly as good as Venser. Why? Because stats aren't everything. In fact, in the grand scheme of card evaluation, they're relatively unimportant. The effect you get from Venser is more valuable than the size of the body you get from Yeva.
And it's also about competition. How good is Venser in comparison to blue's other 4-drops? How good is Yeva in comparison to green's other 4-drops. What can I expect size/effect-wise in each comparison? Is Yeva what green wants more than is Venser what blue wants?
In all of those questions, Venser is the better creature. Because it's exactly what blue wants to do. Tempo recovery. Bounce. Strapped to a body. It's exactly what I want to be doing. It's very rare to find a blue deck that won't play Venser. Boomerang effects are powerful. Particularly when they're attached to creatures because the tempo recovery isn't ultimately CDA. Killing an attacking Dark Confidant and bouncing a Sword isn't what blue wants to do? Because that's exactly the kind of effect I seek in my blue decks.
So what new information can you bring to the table to show me that this card isn't good? I'd love to hear it.
Man-o-War is a cube staple because he goes in decks that splash blue and provides great tempo. Most of my tempo decks don't want a 2/2 2UU creature.
Almost every blue deck does want him. The only reason I wouldn't include him is because I am only splashing blue and cannot reliably get double blue mana.
If they did, Mist Raven would be an auto include, and a lot of cubes ultimate decided that he wasn't good enough, even though he looks pretty good.
You are severely undervalueing flexibility here. Mist Raven didn't get included because it can only bounce creatures. Venser can bounce any permanent and even spells. What you do here is like comparing Rain of Tears to Vindicate!
For the record: I don't think Venser is broken. He is just all-around good and one of the best creatures - if not the best creature - in the blue 4-drop slot. Since even the smallest cube is running multiple creatures in that slot, there is no reason not to include him. (Until you show me several creatures that are legitimately better than him.)
If they did, Mist Raven would be an auto include, and a lot of cubes ultimate decided that he wasn't good enough, even though he looks pretty good.
As it turns out, Flash is good. It allows it to function as removal in addition to tempo.
Also, being able to bounce any permanent instead of just creatures is good.
Also, being able to have it function as a remand on a stick is good.
Beyond that, I simply disagree with most of these arguments, which has nothing to do with any labels. If your blue decks are winning by attacking with 2/2s, as Eidolon's apparently are, then more power to you. My blue decks tend to win with fliers and sphinxes, not with grizzly bears, so maybe we're just playing different types of magic.
But still these decks don't only play sphinxes and dragons, but also cards to "get there", to interact with your opponent, to stall the game until you can cast said fatties. And Venser is fine for that I guess.
Specialities about the cube: U tempo, B aggro, R slow-ish are supported. G aggro is not.
Currently trying to support tokens in all colors but blue, in different ways: W pumps them, B sacrifices them, R suicides them, G has decent-sized ones.
cube list outdated
*literal C/U definition according to gatherer
**some cards are banned. Library of Alexandria, Land Tax, Sol Ring.
Most of my tempo decks don't want a 2/2 2UU creature. If they did, Mist Raven would be an auto include, and a lot of cubes ultimate decided that he wasn't good enough, even though he looks pretty good.
I think the comparison to Mist Raven shows how your thinking about this card is backwards. Venser's crazy usefulness comes from his insane level of versatility. That sounds like hyperbole, but seriously, this guy looks at Vindicate and laughs at its narrowness. And your comparison is to a creature without flash that is limited to bouncing not just permanents, but a small subsection of permanents?
Color me confused. Venser is amazing in my tempo decks. Boomerang/Remand(sans draw) + a body is exactly what they want. Do your tempo decks not like Mystic Snake either? Glen Elendra? Sower? Maybe we define tempo decks differently?
Do your tempo decks not like Mystic Snake either? Glen Elendra? Sower?
Quote from JeffDereck »
4 mana 2/2's just don't cut it.
I assume he doesn't like Sower, Glen Elendra or Mystic Snake either.
Quote from JeffDereck »
...you're in here telling me that the 4 mana 2/2 is good enough to justify a spot.
There are a lot of 4 mana 2/2s that justify a slot. Venser is just one of them.
Likewise: Braids, Nekrataal, Avalanche Riders, Redcap, and Solemn Simulacrum must also be bad, because they're 4-mana 2/2s? And what about cards like Mulldrifter, Siege-Gang Commander and Acidic Slime; they're 5-mana 2/2s, so they must be total crap?
Venser is an incredible card that will always make the cut in any blue deck. Bouncing spells/permanents at instant speed is incredible when you get a 2/2 out of the deal as well. I've seen venser blow some people out pretty hard when they tap out for a threat and it gets bounced with venser so they actually just wasted that entire turn along with the next turn in all likelihood to tap out for the same card.
Also, venser + erratic portal/crystal shard is very often GG's if the venser player is playing optimally. It is, in essence, a capsize lock.
Last I checked you didn't play blue creatures for their beefiness either. You played them because of their triggered/activated abilities the exception being serendib efreet. If venser does trade with an opponents creature, you're up in that trade by a wide margin typically as bouncing something and killing a dude gains you a lot of tempo and by a lot I mean you're likely to win the game.
And if you still play with damage on the stack like I do, venser is a combat trick as well to bounce your own guy after damage.
Venser also recycles cards EtB triggers as well like mulldrifter getting bounced by venser generates a lot of card advantage. Soon it will be augur of bolas getting bounced for card advantage.
Mist raven is also leagues behind venser in terms of playability. One is sorcery speed, the other is not. One bounces anything from spells to any permanents. One allows you to hold up countermagic while the other doesn't do so until the lategame. The 2 aren't even close to comparable in my eyes. The only advantage of mist raven is that it has flying, that is literally the only thing mist raven has that venser doesn't have.
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"Yawgmoth," Freyalise whispered as she set the bomb, "now you will pay for your treachery."
Perhaps we're using different definitions of Sacred Cow. I've always interpreted that phrase to mean something that you can't question, and where questioning it brought everyone to attack you. It doesn't mean that it's completely without merit (although the dictionary does suggest that sometimes that it's unreasonable), it just means that bringing it any criticism is met with harsh reaction.
I think you would like this thread over in Water Cooler talk: Are you a contrarian
Based on this thread, and the reaction I got . . . . he's a Sacred Cow. By asking if he was still a sacred cow, I implied that I expected to get attacked for not liking him. And look at that. I did.
The way you are using sacred cow renders the term meaningless. By your definition, too many things could be labeled scared cows. For instance, freedom of speech, the earth revolves around the sun, calculus, and the belief that MTG is an enjoyable card game. Being a contrarian and saying that all of these things are not true or not necessarily will likely get you shouted at, but the shouting doesn't indicate sacred-cowness. A sacred cow is the idea that something is unreasonably immune to criticism. In this case, the outpouring of support from various individuals (with different cube philosophies and within differing levels of enthusiasm) for including Venser is likely more indicative of Venser not being unreasonably immune to criticism. By a reasonable person standard the card is a good include not up on the chopping block. The across the board positive reaction is more likely indicative to me not that Venser is unreasonably immune to criticism, but rather that the the criticism being leveled at it is itself unreasonable.
Beyond that, I simply disagree with most of these arguments, which has nothing to do with any labels. If your blue decks are winning by attacking with 2/2s, as Eidolon's apparently are, then more power to you. My blue decks tend to win with fliers and sphinxes, not with grizzly bears, so maybe we're just playing different types of magic.
Here you are ignoring the other half of the card. It's not that Venser is remand/bounce minus card draw or that it is a flash bear. Rather it is both at the same time. To ignore that when discussing the card is unreasonable.
In my experience, Venser makes almost every single deck that can afford to pay UU by turn 4. It always has an effect on the board and the effects it has are very versatile. Given that cube supports a variety of archetypes, Venser's versatility is key in having a deck which can effectively respond to any of the crazy interactions present in cube. Not only is his versatility a boon on defense, but the versatility is also just as important on offense, and in creating synergy within your own deck.
Venser + Crystal Shard/Erratic Portal was mentioned multiple times, but why hasn't anyone mentioned the more restrictive, but mana-friendlier and way cooler (and flavor-wise almost hilarious) combo of:
(Of course, this provokes questions about the legendary rule every time this happens.)
The effect not happening at instant speed makes it a lot more fragile, and a lot less of a lock.
And you cannot bounce spells. That's why I said "more restrictive". Still, I love how pre-spark Venser combos with all three abilities of post-spark Venser. Also, when they are on the battlefield at the same time, I always imagine a time travel related meeting of the two is involved and all the awkwarkness this would bring with it.
This guy always seemed like an autoinclude to me, but more and more recently he's been not making decks. He's super versatile, blinks well, and does a lot of things decently, but in my cube that doesn't really support blue tempo, he is a really underwhelming Remand that always draws a grizzly bear more often than not.
Do other people still consider him a sacred cow, or is he starting to get outclassed as better and better cards get printed?
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"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less." -Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
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This. He does so much. I rank him as one of blue's 20 best cards.
Cheers,
rant
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Now, add:
1. Flash. (Very relevant in decks with counters and other instants.)
2. The ability to bounce any permanent. (Very relevant since the introduction of planeswalkers.)
3. The ability to remand any spell.
Are these additions worth an additional U in the cost? I firmly believe they are and I can't imagine any arguments against it.
Uril, the Miststalker RGW -- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre C -- Vhati il-Dal BG -- Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer RW -- Animar, Soul of Elements URG
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker R -- Maga, Traitor to Mortals B -- Ghave, Guru of Spores BGW -- Sliver Hivelord WUBRG
But he's far more than just that. Being able to bounce any permanent too? Good god. That's so great. Flashing him in mid-combat to bounce a threat and kill an attacker is so boss.
And what else? The effect bring strapped for a creature is ripe for abuse. Him + Crystal Shard is scoopsville.
As an aside, I hate the term Sacred Cow. This is not a sacred cow. Broken card is broken. Cube managers love Venser because it's an insane creature. Calling it a Sacred Cow is almost as insulting to Venser as it is to the cube managers that enjoy cubing him for all the reasons he's great.
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How is that not a sacred cow? I'm suggesting specific reasons why I don't think he is good enough. Man-o-War is a cube staple because he goes in decks that splash blue and provides great tempo. Most of my tempo decks don't want a 2/2 2UU creature. If they did, Mist Raven would be an auto include, and a lot of cubes ultimate decided that he wasn't good enough, even though he looks pretty good.
I'm not saying he's a horrible card, I'm saying he's very underwhelming when compared to other 4 drops. My average blue deck that plays venser uses him as a 4 mana remand that gives me a chump blocker. At that point, he's pretty comparable to Summoner's Bane, a card nobody cubes with. (Yes, I realize they're not all that close, I'm just trying to promote other ways of looking at him. I'm not actually saying Venser is Summoner's Bane)
Look, I'm not saying he's uncubeable. I'm saying people are automatically including this card in cubes and in decks without really evaluating where he stands compared to other things. I think he's a decent card, but I don't think he is as good as people seem to think, and I had hoped people might do some critical thinking about whether he was actually still as good as he used to be before responding.
I don't actually consider "He was the best card in the bad deck I drafted" to be all that ringing of an endorsement.
And he's not broken. In any way. At All. There's nothing broken about Venser.
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Maybe it's because there's legitimate arguments why this is the case.
Because it makes the cut in every cube based entirely on its own merits.
By you calling it a Sacred Cow, you're implying it doesn't deserve its staple status. And if we chime in to defend it, you fall back to the Sacred Cow argument again instead of legitimately debating it's merits. Once you've determined that it's a "Sacred Cow" how is there anything that can convince you otherwise? It's like when someone's crazy. They can't convince you otherwise. The Sacred Cow label is the perfect way to argue against it, because when people defend it, you can just say they're defending it because it's a sacred cow. That's why I hate that description.
There's no such thing as a Sacred Cow. Cards either make the cut because they're good enough or they don't. He does. In every cube. Because he is good enough. For all the reasons I outlined above.
So I've heard you say.
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Based on this thread, and the reaction I got . . . . he's a Sacred Cow. By asking if he was still a sacred cow, I implied that I expected to get attacked for not liking him. And look at that. I did.
Beyond that, I simply disagree with most of these arguments, which has nothing to do with any labels. If your blue decks are winning by attacking with 2/2s, as Eidolon's apparently are, then more power to you. My blue decks tend to win with fliers and sphinxes, not with grizzly bears, so maybe we're just playing different types of magic.
I absolutely love flash creatures. When I actually want the creature. 4 mana 2/2's just don't cut it.
I love that we had a discussion in green that concluded Yeva, as a 4 mana 4/4, just wasn't good enough as a creature, and you're in here telling me that the 4 mana 2/2 is good enough to justify a spot.
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The question is whether Venser is so good as to be above questioning. I think JeffDerek is perfectly within his rights to ask that, and I don't think calling something a sacred cow invalidates anyone's argument.
Now, I don't think Venser is a sacred cow because he really is that good. If someone doesn't play him, well, that's one person's opinion, but he's awesome I think. The best thing is that pretty much every deck, tempo, control, even some combos (Crystal Shard) want this card.
Because nothing in the cube is immune to question or criticism, nothing can be a sacred cow.
It's not this black and white. It's not about the body, it's about the effect. It's about how the effect impacts the game. Via board development, tempo disruption or otherwise.
I like Yeva, and I'll be playing her. But she's not nearly as good as Venser. Why? Because stats aren't everything. In fact, in the grand scheme of card evaluation, they're relatively unimportant. The effect you get from Venser is more valuable than the size of the body you get from Yeva.
And it's also about competition. How good is Venser in comparison to blue's other 4-drops? How good is Yeva in comparison to green's other 4-drops. What can I expect size/effect-wise in each comparison? Is Yeva what green wants more than is Venser what blue wants?
In all of those questions, Venser is the better creature. Because it's exactly what blue wants to do. Tempo recovery. Bounce. Strapped to a body. It's exactly what I want to be doing. It's very rare to find a blue deck that won't play Venser. Boomerang effects are powerful. Particularly when they're attached to creatures because the tempo recovery isn't ultimately CDA. Killing an attacking Dark Confidant and bouncing a Sword isn't what blue wants to do? Because that's exactly the kind of effect I seek in my blue decks.
So what new information can you bring to the table to show me that this card isn't good? I'd love to hear it.
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Almost every blue deck does want him. The only reason I wouldn't include him is because I am only splashing blue and cannot reliably get double blue mana.
You are severely undervalueing flexibility here. Mist Raven didn't get included because it can only bounce creatures. Venser can bounce any permanent and even spells. What you do here is like comparing Rain of Tears to Vindicate!
For the record: I don't think Venser is broken. He is just all-around good and one of the best creatures - if not the best creature - in the blue 4-drop slot. Since even the smallest cube is running multiple creatures in that slot, there is no reason not to include him. (Until you show me several creatures that are legitimately better than him.)
Uril, the Miststalker RGW -- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre C -- Vhati il-Dal BG -- Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer RW -- Animar, Soul of Elements URG
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker R -- Maga, Traitor to Mortals B -- Ghave, Guru of Spores BGW -- Sliver Hivelord WUBRG
As it turns out, Flash is good. It allows it to function as removal in addition to tempo.
Also, being able to bounce any permanent instead of just creatures is good.
Also, being able to have it function as a remand on a stick is good.
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But still these decks don't only play sphinxes and dragons, but also cards to "get there", to interact with your opponent, to stall the game until you can cast said fatties. And Venser is fine for that I guess.
450, Peasant*, unpowered**
Specialities about the cube:
U tempo, B aggro, R slow-ish are supported. G aggro is not.
Currently trying to support tokens in all colors but blue, in different ways: W pumps them, B sacrifices them, R suicides them, G has decent-sized ones.
cube list outdated
*literal C/U definition according to gatherer
**some cards are banned. Library of Alexandria, Land Tax, Sol Ring.
I think the comparison to Mist Raven shows how your thinking about this card is backwards. Venser's crazy usefulness comes from his insane level of versatility. That sounds like hyperbole, but seriously, this guy looks at Vindicate and laughs at its narrowness. And your comparison is to a creature without flash that is limited to bouncing not just permanents, but a small subsection of permanents?
Color me confused. Venser is amazing in my tempo decks. Boomerang/Remand(sans draw) + a body is exactly what they want. Do your tempo decks not like Mystic Snake either? Glen Elendra? Sower? Maybe we define tempo decks differently?
I assume he doesn't like Sower, Glen Elendra or Mystic Snake either.
There are a lot of 4 mana 2/2s that justify a slot. Venser is just one of them.
Likewise: Braids, Nekrataal, Avalanche Riders, Redcap, and Solemn Simulacrum must also be bad, because they're 4-mana 2/2s? And what about cards like Mulldrifter, Siege-Gang Commander and Acidic Slime; they're 5-mana 2/2s, so they must be total crap?
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Also, venser + erratic portal/crystal shard is very often GG's if the venser player is playing optimally. It is, in essence, a capsize lock.
Last I checked you didn't play blue creatures for their beefiness either. You played them because of their triggered/activated abilities the exception being serendib efreet. If venser does trade with an opponents creature, you're up in that trade by a wide margin typically as bouncing something and killing a dude gains you a lot of tempo and by a lot I mean you're likely to win the game.
And if you still play with damage on the stack like I do, venser is a combat trick as well to bounce your own guy after damage.
Venser also recycles cards EtB triggers as well like mulldrifter getting bounced by venser generates a lot of card advantage. Soon it will be augur of bolas getting bounced for card advantage.
Mist raven is also leagues behind venser in terms of playability. One is sorcery speed, the other is not. One bounces anything from spells to any permanents. One allows you to hold up countermagic while the other doesn't do so until the lategame. The 2 aren't even close to comparable in my eyes. The only advantage of mist raven is that it has flying, that is literally the only thing mist raven has that venser doesn't have.
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So you wouldn't play Venser or Mist Raven in a blue tempo deck? I would, they're perfect candidates for that exact deck.
Blimpy's Aggro-Focused Cube (powered 360)
I'm always open to suggestions on how to improve my cube. Take a look and ask a question, or give a constructive critique whenever you can.
I think you would like this thread over in Water Cooler talk: Are you a contrarian
The way you are using sacred cow renders the term meaningless. By your definition, too many things could be labeled scared cows. For instance, freedom of speech, the earth revolves around the sun, calculus, and the belief that MTG is an enjoyable card game. Being a contrarian and saying that all of these things are not true or not necessarily will likely get you shouted at, but the shouting doesn't indicate sacred-cowness. A sacred cow is the idea that something is unreasonably immune to criticism. In this case, the outpouring of support from various individuals (with different cube philosophies and within differing levels of enthusiasm) for including Venser is likely more indicative of Venser not being unreasonably immune to criticism. By a reasonable person standard the card is a good include not up on the chopping block. The across the board positive reaction is more likely indicative to me not that Venser is unreasonably immune to criticism, but rather that the the criticism being leveled at it is itself unreasonable.
Here you are ignoring the other half of the card. It's not that Venser is remand/bounce minus card draw or that it is a flash bear. Rather it is both at the same time. To ignore that when discussing the card is unreasonable.
In my experience, Venser makes almost every single deck that can afford to pay UU by turn 4. It always has an effect on the board and the effects it has are very versatile. Given that cube supports a variety of archetypes, Venser's versatility is key in having a deck which can effectively respond to any of the crazy interactions present in cube. Not only is his versatility a boon on defense, but the versatility is also just as important on offense, and in creating synergy within your own deck.
(Of course, this provokes questions about the legendary rule every time this happens.)
Uril, the Miststalker RGW -- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre C -- Vhati il-Dal BG -- Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer RW -- Animar, Soul of Elements URG
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker R -- Maga, Traitor to Mortals B -- Ghave, Guru of Spores BGW -- Sliver Hivelord WUBRG
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
And you cannot bounce spells. That's why I said "more restrictive". Still, I love how pre-spark Venser combos with all three abilities of post-spark Venser. Also, when they are on the battlefield at the same time, I always imagine a time travel related meeting of the two is involved and all the awkwarkness this would bring with it.
Uril, the Miststalker RGW -- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre C -- Vhati il-Dal BG -- Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer RW -- Animar, Soul of Elements URG
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker R -- Maga, Traitor to Mortals B -- Ghave, Guru of Spores BGW -- Sliver Hivelord WUBRG