I've never played with Gearhulk, but I feel like metamind hit the nail on the head with his descriptions. I would definitely run Gearhulk before adding the Demon back in, if for nothing else, but to get some reps in with an interesting card. Priest was pretty terrible for us. The two life loss a turn adds up much quicker than you think. Even in the Nightmare/Lark/Recruiter type shells it was never as good as it looked like it should be on paper. I had high hopes for it as a black five drop, but it just didn't perform.
I like Mindslaver more than The Immortal Sun. Unless you’re not running planeswalkers, the planeswalker drawback of The Immortal Sun is too symmetrical.
Personally think Bonfire of the Damned is the strongest of those despite being swingy. The floor is subpar but the ceiling is pretty insane and setting up miracle isn't terribly difficult in cube, particularly when red is paired with blue. This card has won me many games I had no business winning. I know cube tends to favor reliability over swingy cards, but I like the surprise factory, particularly in red.
Bonfire of the Damned > Subterranean Tremors > Sweltering Suns > Pyroclasm
Also, I think Scepter is the best of the three cards in the next set. Doom Engine is too weak compared to other existing artifact creature options of the same cost and Mindslaver takes two turns and the effect isn't always as devastating as you'd like it to be. Scepter can be a bit tricky to draft correctly, but the number of incredibly good pairings with it is higher than many realize. Among my favorite parings is Tutors, Go for the Throat, Counterspell, and Boros Charm.
Scepter > Doom Engine > Mindslaver
I agree with the order above on the counterspell variants.
Why do you say that they don't need 1-drops? We always played tempo with 4 or 5 1-drops, protecting them with counters and clearing them the way to attack with removals
Marshall Sutcliffe would talk about how much success he had with UB tempo, where he'd draft all the black one drops and protect them with the blue counterspells. I agree that those decks can def use 1 drops, but they still aren't really found in blue mostly because the blue ones suck, or at least don't have many options past the first couple. I'd much rather play the off-colors 1s in those decks than play the bear and the bug, which have been pretty horrendous in my experience. Like, Delver barely ever flips, and the bear dies to everything. Cloudfin Raptor is prob better than those and that card kinda sucks, too.
Why do you say that they don't need 1-drops? We always played tempo with 4 or 5 1-drops, protecting them with counters and clearing them the way to attack with removals
It doesn't need the blue 1-drops. It can get the ones it wants to play from the aggressive color it's paired with. At 200 cards, you don't have room for Phantasmal Bear.
Hard to say, as they don't really compete for the same role. I think they're both good enough, but I would only include Shrine if mono-red regularly occurred and players regularly wanted it to occur, as it's one of the deck's best cards there but really bad outside of it. Hazoret, on the other hand, is aggressive but also has function in slower decks that could use the discard for other reasons, but it's not like red is lacking for quality 4s. Hazoret is probably the better overall cube card, but Shrine is better in its deck.
I think this is more accurate than just saying that Sarkhan or Xenagos is better. I'd rather have one of either of these Planeswalkers plus Huntmaster than just fill my Gruul section with 'walkers. It's also true that all three are better than Arlinn.
Between the two walkers, I like Xenagos more as it's a bit more proactive. Sarkhan is def cool, but he relies on you having a bunch of other board presence and to be pressuring your opponent, whereas Xenagos both brings his own pressure and rewards you in a different way for having a board presence but still rewarding. Sarkhan is a bit more unique, but I feel I 'miss' more with Sarkhan than I would with Xenagos.
I prefer Sarkan because he's one of the only playable Fires of Yavimaya effects and one of the only playable Threaten effects in cube. I also find to be one of the easiest walkers to go ultimate with. Xenagos is really great though, and I would never fault anyone for running him instead. It's hard to run both unless your Gruul section is at least 5 or 6 cards deep.
It seems like I'm the only one, but I actually like Arlinn more than Xenagos and Sarkhan.
Sure, sometimes the sequencing of her abilities can be a bit awkward, but both of her side almost always have a relevant effect on the board and both sides protect her.
I would rate them:
Huntmaster > Arlinn > Sarkhan >= Xenagos
Between the two walkers, I like Xenagos more as it's a bit more proactive. Sarkhan is def cool, but he relies on you having a bunch of other board presence and to be pressuring your opponent, whereas Xenagos both brings his own pressure and rewards you in a different way for having a board presence but still rewarding. Sarkhan is a bit more unique, but I feel I 'miss' more with Sarkhan than I would with Xenagos.
This mirrors my playgroup's experience pretty closely.
I'm inclined to give Sarkhan some on-deck time and test some other cards. I don't support green aggro so Tattermunge Maniac isn't really on my radar (but I do love that card.)
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2 - Mindslaver vs Isochron Scepter vs Scuttling Doom Engine ? (don't support spell matters.dec )
3 - Complicate vs Dissolve[/card] ?
(altered question)
Doom Engine = Mindslaver > Scepter
Complicate > Dissolve, would recommend Supreme Will over Complicate though.
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Bonfire of the Damned > Subterranean Tremors > Sweltering Suns > Pyroclasm
Also, I think Scepter is the best of the three cards in the next set. Doom Engine is too weak compared to other existing artifact creature options of the same cost and Mindslaver takes two turns and the effect isn't always as devastating as you'd like it to be. Scepter can be a bit tricky to draft correctly, but the number of incredibly good pairings with it is higher than many realize. Among my favorite parings is Tutors, Go for the Throat, Counterspell, and Boros Charm.
Scepter > Doom Engine > Mindslaver
I agree with the order above on the counterspell variants.
Supreme Will > Complicate > Dissolve
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Marshall Sutcliffe would talk about how much success he had with UB tempo, where he'd draft all the black one drops and protect them with the blue counterspells. I agree that those decks can def use 1 drops, but they still aren't really found in blue mostly because the blue ones suck, or at least don't have many options past the first couple. I'd much rather play the off-colors 1s in those decks than play the bear and the bug, which have been pretty horrendous in my experience. Like, Delver barely ever flips, and the bear dies to everything. Cloudfin Raptor is prob better than those and that card kinda sucks, too.
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It doesn't need the blue 1-drops. It can get the ones it wants to play from the aggressive color it's paired with. At 200 cards, you don't have room for Phantasmal Bear.
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In terms of inevitability for red decks, which card do you guys prefer: Hazoret the Fervent or Shrine of Burning Rage
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Hard to say, as they don't really compete for the same role. I think they're both good enough, but I would only include Shrine if mono-red regularly occurred and players regularly wanted it to occur, as it's one of the deck's best cards there but really bad outside of it. Hazoret, on the other hand, is aggressive but also has function in slower decks that could use the discard for other reasons, but it's not like red is lacking for quality 4s. Hazoret is probably the better overall cube card, but Shrine is better in its deck.
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Huntmaster of the Fells
Sarkhan Vol
Xenagos, the Reveler
Arlinn Kord
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Xenagos is easily the best, Huntmaster and Sarkhan do different things so it all depends on what you're looking for., and Arlinn is easily the worst.
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Depends on what you are looking for with the 4CMC PWs.
Sarkhan > Xenagos > Huntmaster > Arlinn
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I think this is more accurate than just saying that Sarkhan or Xenagos is better. I'd rather have one of either of these Planeswalkers plus Huntmaster than just fill my Gruul section with 'walkers. It's also true that all three are better than Arlinn.
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Sure, sometimes the sequencing of her abilities can be a bit awkward, but both of her side almost always have a relevant effect on the board and both sides protect her.
I would rate them:
Huntmaster > Arlinn > Sarkhan >= Xenagos
This mirrors my playgroup's experience pretty closely.
My current 4 card gruul section is
Bloodbraid Elf
Xenagos, the Reveler
Sarkhan Vol
Dragonlord Atarka
I'm inclined to give Sarkhan some on-deck time and test some other cards. I don't support green aggro so Tattermunge Maniac isn't really on my radar (but I do love that card.)
Huntmaster of the Fells and Atarka's Command are my current frontrunners for the spot.
Any thoughts about those two, or any other, less popular Gruul cards that have impressed you would be welcome!
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