Tinker decks almost always end up the Ux artifact deck, which means they typically run tolarian academy. So hard casting Inkwell happens more often than you might think. But to Wtwlf's point, it probably isn't that much harder to cast metal Akroma. So I can see running that instead if you are so inclined.
And Palinchron is a cool creature. I'm a fan (it's in my list).
I also like Palinchron and Leviathan as combo as well as control cards. Tolarian Academy I would say is even better with Palinchron than with Inkwell. I've used it in the past to get infinite mana to cast a one-sided Upheaval, a.k.a. Capsize.
"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
I also like Palinchron and Leviathan as combo as well as control cards. Tolarian Academy I would say is even better with Palinchron than with Inkwell. I've used it in the past to get infinite mana to cast a one-sided Upheaval, a.k.a. Capsize.
Yeah. That's just nasty.
Man I love those kinds of interactions in cube. They are like easter eggs too. You just stumble on them sometimes and wow everyone with them. Hey, watch this guys! I'm going to take this empty board of mine and deal 20 points of damage to you RIGHT NOW. LOL.
Normal I don't like losing, but when someone does that to me I'm almost always a fan (especially if it was cleverly planned).
Sure it can get killed with the untap on the stack; or they can just counterspell it. Or Stifle the trigger. I'm not avoiding good cards just because they might have the exact right answer at the exact right time. Shrug.
Man I have had such good discussions about this card.
To me it's like the biggest most high maintenance man land you can pick up, but it totally doesn't tap for any mana. Or at least that is how I usually play it.
It also sometimes just feels like a blue fireball. It's like the slowest fireball in the world but it's pretty inevitable and it has the nice advantage of blocking sometimes and usually being good for a couple turns, but having it in my deck makes me feel like I have the inevitability that other good fireballs have given me in past environments.
It's one of those ones like olivia that make a big stink and has a really warping impact but you are like totes spending a million mana or having to threaten that mana to make it relevant. It's even more fun than olivia because often when you drop your AEtherling you totally have to face every dumb removal spell in your opponent's deck.
Man I love Draining Whelk. I've often thought about what I'd need to do to make this guy a legit finisher in my cube. But it would involve a fair amount of de-powering across the board, and I'm not prepared to go that far right now. Maybe one day I'll go from semi-retro to full retro. But that day is not today.
I made a casual deck way back when with Whelk in it. It was a UW momentary blink deck. Also ran Exalted Angel (which is sweet with blink effects). That was just a fun deck.
This card would actually be amazing (even by cube standards) in a Sneak Attack blink deck with crystal shard. Hmmm....
I think Sphinx is pretty boring. It's fairly non-interactive and it doesn't really do anything special.
What's your spending limit? For power options, you have Aetherling and Frost Titan. Both run a dollar or two and are definitely more interesting than Sphinx. A tier lower power but still fun to play is Keiga, the Tide Star. That will run five bucks.
And Depending on what your blue decks look like, you might not even need anything higher than a 5 drop honestly. Blue generally splashes (or is the splash), and finishers in other colors may be enough. Not all colors need to have 6+ drops.
I like Aetherling and Frost Titan better than Sphinx of Jwar-Isle. If you need a third 6-drop, then I think Jwar-Isle is likely your best option.
Cheers,
rant
I think Jwar-Isle and Keiga are on par. Jwar-Isle dodges a lot, but Keiga is so abusable in the right shells and stonewalls boards a different way. That being said, you probably only need two blue 6s for most cubes.
I like Aetherling and Frost Titan better than Sphinx of Jwar-Isle. If you need a third 6-drop, then I think Jwar-Isle is likely your best option.
Cheers,
rant
I think Jwar-Isle and Keiga are on par. Jwar-Isle dodges a lot, but Keiga is so abusable in the right shells and stonewalls boards a different way. That being said, you probably only need two blue 6s for most cubes.
I think Keiga and Jwar-Isle are really close. If you needed a third six-drop, I could see an argument for either. I like Sphinx just a little more because it's resilient and sometimes Keiga's death trigger is useless.
I have been playing both for years, and Jwar Isle is better than Frost Titan in my experience. It can simply reliably win games, while Frost Titan is quite easy to answer. If you play control decks light on finishers (and usually heavy on counters) regularly, the answer is clear in my opinion. Keiga is a level below both, it requires specific matchups to shine (granted, in some cubes midrange decks can be much more common and removal that exiles rarer).
I think Sphinx of Jwar Isle is a very solid choice as a budget blue finisher. It's much harder to get rid of or block than Frost Titan, Torrential Gearhulk, and Keiga, the Tide Star, and it ends games quite quickly. Aetherling is the embodiment of a control finisher, and only costs a buck, so definitely run that too.
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I've played Aetherling and Frost Titan as my two blue finishers before I splurged on a Consecrated Sphinx and was happy enough.
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And Palinchron is a cool creature. I'm a fan (it's in my list).
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/modular-cube-5-colors.800/
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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
Yeah. That's just nasty.
Man I love those kinds of interactions in cube. They are like easter eggs too. You just stumble on them sometimes and wow everyone with them. Hey, watch this guys! I'm going to take this empty board of mine and deal 20 points of damage to you RIGHT NOW. LOL.
Normal I don't like losing, but when someone does that to me I'm almost always a fan (especially if it was cleverly planned).
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/modular-cube-5-colors.800/
Retro combo cube thread
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/retro-combo-cube.1454/
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To me it's like the biggest most high maintenance man land you can pick up, but it totally doesn't tap for any mana. Or at least that is how I usually play it.
It also sometimes just feels like a blue fireball. It's like the slowest fireball in the world but it's pretty inevitable and it has the nice advantage of blocking sometimes and usually being good for a couple turns, but having it in my deck makes me feel like I have the inevitability that other good fireballs have given me in past environments.
It's one of those ones like olivia that make a big stink and has a really warping impact but you are like totes spending a million mana or having to threaten that mana to make it relevant. It's even more fun than olivia because often when you drop your AEtherling you totally have to face every dumb removal spell in your opponent's deck.
Cube talk, design community and much much more!
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This card would actually be amazing (even by cube standards) in a Sneak Attack blink deck with crystal shard. Hmmm....
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/modular-cube-5-colors.800/
Retro combo cube thread
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/retro-combo-cube.1454/
My blue finishers at 6CC or higher (700 card cube) are:
Consecrated Sphinx
Aetherling
Frost Titan
Sphinx of Uthuun
Inkwell Leviathan
Palinchron
Inkwell Leviathan replaced Sphinx of Jwar Isle in my cube when Tinker was added. There is only room for one shrouded evasive blue fatty in my cube.
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I can't argue that at 6 mana he would be amazing. Even though I still wouldn't pick him over Consecrated Sphinx.
That pretty much sums it up. Even if it were 1 mana cheaper, it's still outclassed by better options.
It's a super cool card though, and it has nice flavor.
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What's your spending limit? For power options, you have Aetherling and Frost Titan. Both run a dollar or two and are definitely more interesting than Sphinx. A tier lower power but still fun to play is Keiga, the Tide Star. That will run five bucks.
And Depending on what your blue decks look like, you might not even need anything higher than a 5 drop honestly. Blue generally splashes (or is the splash), and finishers in other colors may be enough. Not all colors need to have 6+ drops.
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/modular-cube-5-colors.800/
Retro combo cube thread
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/retro-combo-cube.1454/
Cheers,
rant
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I think Jwar-Isle and Keiga are on par. Jwar-Isle dodges a lot, but Keiga is so abusable in the right shells and stonewalls boards a different way. That being said, you probably only need two blue 6s for most cubes.
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I think Keiga and Jwar-Isle are really close. If you needed a third six-drop, I could see an argument for either. I like Sphinx just a little more because it's resilient and sometimes Keiga's death trigger is useless.
Cheers,
rant
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I agree, but I think folks here are seeking for budget options. For that matter, I think either Keiga and SoJI are easily comparable.
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Cheers,
rant
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The beauty of Aetherling is that it also acts as a wall when you're ahead and attacking with it!
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.