I've been having a lot of fun with Life from the Loam lately. Going to be adding this and bringing back Stinkweed Imp to see what fun things we can come up with.
Wow, based on the debate in the earlier part of this thread I'm a bit surprised to see unanimous support for Living Death. I was afraid I might be kicking a Hornet's Nest! I've just added Living Death, is there anything else I should try to get into my cube to make it easier to build around? I'm already running a lot of discard effects to enable reanimator decks, maybe some exile-based removal (e.g. Ashes to Ashes)?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
465 card Unpowered cube thread. Draft it here and I'll be happy to return the favor.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Birthing Pod loves Living Death. Any discard mechanic (there are a whole bunch of cube worthy ones). Deathrite Shaman can remove dudes from your opponent's yard making things more profitable for you. The list goes on.
There are so many ways to break this card. You really don't have to try very hard to support it. Just piling a bunch of ETB creatures into your deck is good enough most of the time. As long as you get back more than your opponent (more creatures or more effects), it's worth the cost. And if you put any effort at all into building around it, this card typically wins you the game if it resolves. And by build around, I really just mean favor exile/pseudo removal effects during the draft and focus on graveyard synergies while deck building.
Birthing Pod loves Living Death. Any discard mechanic (there are a whole bunch of cube worthy ones). Deathrite Shaman can remove dudes from your opponent's yard making things more profitable for you. The list goes on.
There are so many ways to break this card. You really don't have to try very hard to support it. Just piling a bunch of ETB creatures into your deck is good enough most of the time. As long as you get back more than your opponent (more creatures or more effects), it's worth the cost. And if you put any effort at all into building around it, this card typically wins you the game if it resolves. And by build around, I really just mean favor exile/pseudo removal effects during the draft and focus on graveyard synergies while deck building.
Yep, everything here. I find drafting clone effects and 187 creatures like Shriekmaw are the best etb.
I use it. I drafted it in a control reanimator deck, once, where my entire gimmick was to dump my hand into the graveyard while my opponents established a board to make a 1-sided living death. It was great! I think it only requires one or two creatures that make the game asymmetrical to justify running it.
It is a bit sad that Living Death is pretty much the only good card of its kind, making it harder to build a cube deck around this effect. Living End is not only two turns slower, but also gives the opponent multiple turns to prepare for it / play round it. Then we have a few cards with mass reanimation effects that lack the Wrath part: Liliana Vess, which is too unreliable, since you have to reach her ultimate to do it; Twilight's Call which is a little bit too expensive at six mana; All Hallow's Eve is two mana cheaper, but hits the same turn anyway and gives the opponent two turns to prepare for it.
Hm, Twilight's Call might actually be the best candidate for another mass reanimation effect. Do you think it is worth giving it a shot?
Twilight's Call was in my first cube list. I really like Living Death for the fact that it dispenses with all the creatures in play. That can make it a viable late-game comeback card for aggro, after your creatures have been wrathed away and your opponent has played beefy creatures. I guess Liliana Vess would be the next best thing unless you count Rise of the Dark Realms at nine mana.
Wow, I never even thought of using Living Death in an aggro deck!
Yeah, I didn't even consider Rise of the Dark Realms because of its cost. Plus, it is less fun to build a deck around it than around one of the symmetric effects.
Wow, I never even thought of using Living Death in an aggro deck!
I've seen it used there on rare occasions. Typically with newer-to-cube players trying to have it imitate how Patriarch's Bidding worked in constructed.
I've posted this several times before, but it synergizes nicely with a flashbacked Dread Return too (can even be done on the same turn for just the 5 mana Living Death cost plus 3 dudes). It might sound like win-more, but if the board stalls it's helpful to get some of your better dudes back in the yard before you living death. This is especially easy to accomplish in reanimator shells since you are often running looters and ETB utility guys while you setup the fattie plan. Those guys are begging to get eaten by a dread return flashback late in the game.
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
Visual Spoiler
Draft!
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
CUBE TOP 10 - Help us vote for the best cards in cube
There are so many ways to break this card. You really don't have to try very hard to support it. Just piling a bunch of ETB creatures into your deck is good enough most of the time. As long as you get back more than your opponent (more creatures or more effects), it's worth the cost. And if you put any effort at all into building around it, this card typically wins you the game if it resolves. And by build around, I really just mean favor exile/pseudo removal effects during the draft and focus on graveyard synergies while deck building.
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/modular-cube-5-colors.800/
Retro combo cube thread
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/retro-combo-cube.1454/
Yep, everything here. I find drafting clone effects and 187 creatures like Shriekmaw are the best etb.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
My 540 Powered CubeTutor Page
Hm, Twilight's Call might actually be the best candidate for another mass reanimation effect. Do you think it is worth giving it a shot?
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
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
Yeah, I didn't even consider Rise of the Dark Realms because of its cost. Plus, it is less fun to build a deck around it than around one of the symmetric effects.
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
I've seen it used there on rare occasions. Typically with newer-to-cube players trying to have it imitate how Patriarch's Bidding worked in constructed.
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!
CUBE TOP 10 - Help us vote for the best cards in cube
Totally. I've won so many games off that move.
I've posted this several times before, but it synergizes nicely with a flashbacked Dread Return too (can even be done on the same turn for just the 5 mana Living Death cost plus 3 dudes). It might sound like win-more, but if the board stalls it's helpful to get some of your better dudes back in the yard before you living death. This is especially easy to accomplish in reanimator shells since you are often running looters and ETB utility guys while you setup the fattie plan. Those guys are begging to get eaten by a dread return flashback late in the game.
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/modular-cube-5-colors.800/
Retro combo cube thread
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/retro-combo-cube.1454/
Bonfire of the Damned wants a word.
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/modular-cube-5-colors.800/
Retro combo cube thread
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/retro-combo-cube.1454/
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.