I dislike analyzing cards by the total amount of mana spent over turns. Never gives you an accurate measure of the cards worth. I find the best way to analyze is to look at what the card value is on the turns it's in play.
I agree. That is why I like Kargan Dragonlord for example, it is a bear turn two and you can turn it into a relevant evasive threat without investing more cards. So I'm OK with the awkward cost of RR for a bear, and I'm OK with the even more awkward cost of RRRRRR for the 4/4 flier.
As a 4/5 flying lifelink that swings on 4th turn... It is far superior creature quality to the creatures your opponent has played earlier. Plus your options on that 4th turn are immense because of this card quality.
If you have the 4/5 flying lifelink then you spent your entire turns 3 and 4 doing nothing else than playing that creature and pumping mana into it. I fail to see how you now have 'immense options' on turn four; having the 4/5 implies that you paid the morph cost, so the only decision you are left with is whether to attack or not.
Yes it's a 2/2 on turn 3 that can eat removal, but whatever, it's my third turn drop. I'm not valuing a 3rd turn card on the terminate test. All honesty the worst case scenario (Play for 3, Morph for 4, get Doom Bladed) is easily readable off your opponent and worked around. The fact that it act's like a finisher, doesn't mean it should be valued as a finisher, especially when it's not taking up that slot on your curve.
How do you easily play around the Doom Blade? The problem is that a 2/2 for 3 is very bad, but morphing it and losing it to a two mana spell is also very bad.
I don't say Exalted Angel is a bad creature. I also think that a 4/5 flyer with lifelink on turn 4 is good. But it does cost 7 mana to get there and you have to pay them as exactly 3 and 2WW, which makes it actually quite hard to play around a Doom Blade.
So what decks are happy playing such a creature? For me the answer is midrange decks that drop good body after good body and then either cast the angel for 6 or morph it after adding another significant body to increase the board presence without investing more cards, and permission decks that can drop the body at 5 mana with a counterspell up and can morph it at 6 mana still with counterspell up.
For aggressive decks the 2/2 for 3 is not providing enough pressure and the sequence of turn 3 play turn 4 morph is very risky because it is easily foiled with a single removal spell and afterwards you are past the early turns.
For the often relatively creature-light control decks the angel is a risky investment as well, because they will have some removal spell by the time you play the angel with you not having many targets for their removal.
With the quality of creatures we have nowadays, I am pretty sure that I can replace the angel soonish with a card that is playable in more decks. Well, playable is maybe not the right word, Exalted Angel is playable in most decks. But I think for Cube standards it is not actually very good in that many decks, and we will get a creature that is.
I think he means that if your opponent leaves instant speed removal mana open, you can leave it face down, play other spells, and wait until they tap out to flip it up and beat down.
Personally, I think the creature is still outstanding.
I think he means that if your opponent leaves instant speed removal mana open, you can leave it face down, play other spells, and wait until they tap out to flip it up and beat down.
This.
As for options, yeah I meant with combat. I used poor word choice though, at work and was just thinking about all the ways it could play out (thus me saying options). To reiterate though, Exalted Angel is basically just versatile to the situation, and unless some crazy early game shenanigans have been pulled, you're going to be able to either stabilize or start getting ahead as long as it isn't dealt with.
Keep in mind, too, that them saving mana for a Doom Blade might be a good tempo play for you vs. them as well (since they didn't use their mana to cast threats in fear of the morph). You just don't flip it if you can't afford to 'lose' your turn.
Keep in mind, too, that them saving mana for a Doom Blade might be a good tempo play for you vs. them as well (since they didn't use their mana to cast threats in fear of the morph). You just don't flip it if you can't afford to 'lose' your turn.
-AA
If they keep two mana open it is good tempo-wise for you, but they will only do that if they can't afford a one-time 8-life swing. Otherwise, they can just take that and kill it on their turn. So what I'm trying to say here is that how good Exalted Angel is is quite situational, and we can expect a white 4-6 mana creature that is more often good, so when that happens I will cut Exalted Angel. Until then, I'll happily cube with Exalted Angel, though
I don't think the situations where it's good are uncommon to come by. As Antknee42 and RJRellik pointed out, there's a lot of options with Angel. If they hold back removal anticipating it to be an Angel, cast other spells. Force them to burn their removal when you only have 3 invested. Once they tap out for another threat to keep your board development from dominating, then you can flip it and create that 8-point immediate life swing. And by that time, you have other threats out that are going to be good targets for their Doom Blade too. Angel can really put your opponent in a bad spot, particularly in decks where you can back it up with countermagic. The smaller mana investments (vs putting 5-6+ mana into a finisher at once) allow you to get your threat to the board safely with counterspell backup. So even in decks where she's particularly important to resolve, it's easier to do so than with a card like Baneslayer. And of course there are times where your opponent doesn't have the removal. By then, she's created a 24 point life-swing by the time Baneslayer Angel can attack for the first time. I think the creature is pretty damn amazing in the cube still.
If you have the 4/5 flying lifelink then you spent your entire turns 3 and 4 doing nothing else than playing that creature and pumping mana into it. I fail to see how you now have 'immense options' on turn four; having the 4/5 implies that you paid the morph cost, so the only decision you are left with is whether to attack or not.
How do you easily play around the Doom Blade? The problem is that a 2/2 for 3 is very bad, but morphing it and losing it to a two mana spell is also very bad.
I don't say Exalted Angel is a bad creature. I also think that a 4/5 flyer with lifelink on turn 4 is good. But it does cost 7 mana to get there and you have to pay them as exactly 3 and 2WW, which makes it actually quite hard to play around a Doom Blade.
So what decks are happy playing such a creature? For me the answer is midrange decks that drop good body after good body and then either cast the angel for 6 or morph it after adding another significant body to increase the board presence without investing more cards, and permission decks that can drop the body at 5 mana with a counterspell up and can morph it at 6 mana still with counterspell up.
For aggressive decks the 2/2 for 3 is not providing enough pressure and the sequence of turn 3 play turn 4 morph is very risky because it is easily foiled with a single removal spell and afterwards you are past the early turns.
For the often relatively creature-light control decks the angel is a risky investment as well, because they will have some removal spell by the time you play the angel with you not having many targets for their removal.
With the quality of creatures we have nowadays, I am pretty sure that I can replace the angel soonish with a card that is playable in more decks. Well, playable is maybe not the right word, Exalted Angel is playable in most decks. But I think for Cube standards it is not actually very good in that many decks, and we will get a creature that is.
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
Personally, I think the creature is still outstanding.
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!
This.
As for options, yeah I meant with combat. I used poor word choice though, at work and was just thinking about all the ways it could play out (thus me saying options). To reiterate though, Exalted Angel is basically just versatile to the situation, and unless some crazy early game shenanigans have been pulled, you're going to be able to either stabilize or start getting ahead as long as it isn't dealt with.
My 450 Cube
-AA
I use descriptive language. Assume that I'm being nice and respectful. (I'll tell you when I'm not.)
My Cube: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/9029
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
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!
My Legacy-Legal Cube <--- Draft It!
wtwlf123's Classic Cube
Lanxal's Pauper Cube
Cubers, UNITE! Don't forget to post your cube location on The Great Cube Map Thread
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.