This is a trap card in more than one way. At first blush it seems like a great card, but then you realize it's pretty junk. You're almost always going to be playing it for 6, and unless you have some topdeck manipulation you're going on a wing and a prayer to get anything really worth the investment.
Your cube is also powered and much more artifact heavy.
I tend to maindeck artifact answers with more utility than disenchant. I love Reclamation Sage, Fiery Confluence, and Acidic Slime for instance. I'm less enthusiastic about Manic Vandal (which I cut) or Viridian Shaman which is more narrow or Disenchant which can be a dead card (especially in unpowered which tends to run less busted artifacts). In total I run maybe 3-4 less pieces of artifact removal than Spike Rogue.
In an unpowered cube environment without the Swords or Jitte, I agree that you can get away with less artifact removal effects in your cube and that it may well not be worth it to maindeck Disenchant during a draft. Looking at your cube list, I think you have plenty of quality artifact removal effects in your cube should you choose to include the Swords. I love the Swords in my cube, but they do have a pretty big impact on how matches play out, so I really can't say I blame you if they're not for you and your playgroup.
I do love blowing up Signets with Uktabi Orangutan and Manic Vandal, though, so I don't mind running both in my cube even if they are the narrowest artifact removal effects I run.
This is a trap card in more than one way. At first blush it seems like a great card, but then you realize it's pretty junk. You're almost always going to be playing it for 6, and unless you have some topdeck manipulation you're going on a wing and a prayer to get anything really worth the investment.
Agreed. Getting to cast a creature with flash for 6 loses a lot of its appeal if you don't even know what that creature's going to be, and the "trap" clause on this seems way too narrow. I'd try See the Unwritten if you really want this kind of effect, because it digs deeper can can often get two creatures which is more likely to be worth the 6-mana investment even if you do have to do it at sorcery speed.
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I am currently adding a discard-graveyard-madness subtheme in red. With flashback spells, unearth creatures, phoenixes, Squee is a great addition. Plus it fuels Masticores. I will be testing Firestorm as well.
Version wise, seems at par; though I like Xth version flavor text better.
I run the MM version, as I try to have old frames as much as I can.
Issue with Squee is that you have to discard it twice for it to have been more useful than any other... good card. If you have enough outlets to do that, it's OK. I haven't run it for a long, long time, since outside of LotV and Survival, repeated discarding was unusual. However, we have added a lot of discard outlets recently, so Squee may be worth a while to get some card advantage, since the opportunity of discarding it multiple times a game is getting more likely.
We ran Squee for a very long time and, ultimately, he just fell short. He definitely has a lot of sweet interactions and every now and then they would come up and he'd be great. Being great every now and then just wasn't good enough, though. My group just wasn't interested and he often sat in sideboards. I don't miss him at all.
As far as aesthetics go, I much prefer the Xth art. I typically go for old frame, but I really don't like that original art.
I usually toss Squee in my deck if I have 2+ discard outlets outside of a dedicated Reanimator deck (usually something like Survival / Fauna Shaman / Liliana of the Veil). He can also go dumb with Skullclamp and worst case scenario, chumpblock for days.
As for art, original all the way, he's dressed like Naboo royalty from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
There are some decks in which he is really good. Mostly those are decks with either a bunch of discard outlets or simply with Survival of the Fittest and/or Fauna Shaman. It is rare that he gets played in a deck wih sac outlets, since paying 3 mana each time is a pain. Sure, he won't see play every time he is in a draft, but when he gets played, it is usually in fun decks with cute interactions. Well worth the slot in my cube, imo.
As for art, original all the way, he's dressed like Naboo royalty from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
You might be on to something here. The Phantom Menace was released in May 1999, while Mercadian Masques came out in September 1999. Heck, just look at the name: Squee, Goblin Nabob?? Could WotC have been any more obvious?
Oh man, I love Squee. There are so many powerful interactions in the cube, and it seems like each set brings in new synergy for him. Always finding good uses for him all over the place, and he's nowhere close to getting cut or benched (and never has been).
Original Squee all the way. Better frame, better art, and it's a classic piece.
Nabob definitions
- a Muslim official or governor under the Mogul Empire
- a person or conspicuous wealth or high status
- a person who returns to Europe from India with a fortune
I actually went to the Star Wars costume exhibit at the Jimmy Hendrix Experience Music Project (EMP) Museum while it was on tour in Seattle. It was interesting to see the perespectives from the original trilogy to the sequels. In the original trilogy, fashion was pretty dead, but one of the big challenges in the prequels was "how do we dress the most glamorous person in the galaxy plus her entourage?"
They drew a lot of inspiration from many different sources, from European Renaissance to Southeast Asia royalty, to Nazi Germany, etc. As much as the coincidence of Masques / Ep 1 being released roughly at the same time, I'm sure they just drew from the same source material.
My experience with Squee is the same as steve_ice's. The card was too low impact for us even when he was in the perfect deck that you would think would really want Squee.
I have really enjoyed squee, aside from the silly discard and sacrifice shananagans, people seem to discount the fact he is just a recurable blocker sometimes. I find Squee just has a way of grinding out value even in decks that aren't too focused on abusing him; two discards and a blocker for afew turns is usually the floor for him when we see him.
This card was never popular in my playgroup, and I have to say I was never much interested in drafting it either. On its own it's low impact to the point of unplayable, just a recursive chump blocker. With multiple looters/Survival of the fittest, it looks more appealing but those hardly require Squee to be good. It's impressed me as a nice addition to many archetypes, but essential to none.
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Aesthetically, there are some really great choices and I wish I could tell you that I'm rocking an Alpha or Beta bolt in my cube but the Fire & Ice premium foil is as pimp as I'm likely to ever get, with a white-bordered 4th edition Bolt in my Peasant cube.
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The word 'iconic' seems to be the cool thing these days and is brandished far, far too readily in many walks of life, often as a synonym for 'old' or something that is reasonably recognizable. Often, too much stock can be placed in something simply for its age. 'Iconic' is a special term that can be reserved for cards like Lightning Bolt, which truly is. Every magic player knows what it does, it's a simple concept perfectly conveyed, and it is one of the original burn spells. Extremely versatile and efficient, but fair and necessary with the high level of creature we have nowadays. I understand the reluctance to print it in every standard, however, since it warps what creatures can be printed and obviates pretty much every other burn spell in the next two years preemptively.
I remember the incredulity when it was reprinted in M10. The flavour text is a great callback to that fact, as well.
Artwise, hard to go wrong. Definitely a nice option for an older frame, as an actual 'iconic' and 'classic' older card. The M10 art is decent too though, and the Merignaud art is really beautiful. It's the only textless card I run.
@ Spike Rogue: You missed a trick with your Reveillark pun; the etymology of its name is not from the word reveal, but from the French verb réveiller, to awaken (hence the resurrection ability).
Lightning Bolt is a classic. An iconic burn spell. Cheap and efficient, it is still the staple by which all burn is measured. There's absolutely no reason not to cube with it.
While the artwork on all the options is fine, I think it's heresy to play anything other than Christopher Rush's iconic piece.
Lightning Bolt is Lightning Bolt. It's the best burn spell. Play it.
As for the art, all the options are sweet in terms of aesthetics, but I agree with wtwlf. You gotta run the OG Christopher Rush version. We're running an FBB version currently.
I can't help but join in on the love fest for Lightning Bolt, and according to the latest Power Rankings I actually love it more than most people on this forum. It was voted #13 out of all red cards for cube, I voted it #2 because the only red card I'd take over it P1P1 is Sulfuric Vortex, but truth be told for my style of drafting if both were in the same pack I just might take the bolt first because it leaves me far more open.
Simply put, there is no deck that makes red mana that won't play a Lightning Bolt, and be glad to draw it at nearly any point in the game. It's an easy splash, it kills about half the creatures in cube for one mana, it can kill a planeswalker, and every now and again it's just the final nail that wins the game. I love supporting combo decks in my cube, but more often than not I like to draft a fast aggro or tempo deck with a good curve, some value beaters, and disruption. Bolt is perfect for that plan, but it's also a great early play for control decks and it slots into combo decks as a way to slow the bleeding while you're assembling the combo. It's not the most powerful spell in the cube, but I take it early because I'll always be happy to have it in my deck and I know it will never wheel, but even Sulfuric Vortex might. Take the Bolt, and Bolt the Bird.
While the artwork on all the options is fine, I think it's heresy to play anything other than Christopher Rush's iconic piece.
It's my favorite art, and a CE bolt looks great and isn't particularly expensive, but I'm such a stickler for wording that running Chris Rush art would leave me with no choice but to run the 4th Edition white bordered bolt. That will not do.
@ Spike Rogue: You missed a trick with your Reveillark pun; the etymology of its name is not from the word reveal, but from the French verb réveiller, to awaken (hence the resurrection ability).
You really want to re-awaken discussion of my pun from a week ago?
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Not that I'd ever not run both, but the only regenerator I run that Incinerate can even target is Masticore, and the only one I see in your cube is Experiment One. What other regenerators see any play in cube? River Boa? Wolfir Avenger? Costing a full mana less gives Bolt so much more flexibility than the regeneration clause on Incinerate.
I'll admit, though, that the exile clause on Incendiary Flow is tempting to give red more options against Persist creatures and recursive value decks, but no way that would ever replace Bolt or Incinerate.
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My Lightning Bolt is from Revised, which was when I started Magic. Bolt is the standard by which all burn is judged. Cheap, fast, and threatens a sizable portion of the cube's creatures and even some Planeswalkers. It's presence in a cube means that one untapped Mountain forces the same style of caution in an opponent that two untapped Islands do. Lightning Bolt is versatile and cheap. Every cube should run it. If you can't get your hands on one of the early copies, run one that has the M10 flavor text. It's a nice love letter to old players.
In an unpowered cube environment without the Swords or Jitte, I agree that you can get away with less artifact removal effects in your cube and that it may well not be worth it to maindeck Disenchant during a draft. Looking at your cube list, I think you have plenty of quality artifact removal effects in your cube should you choose to include the Swords. I love the Swords in my cube, but they do have a pretty big impact on how matches play out, so I really can't say I blame you if they're not for you and your playgroup.
I do love blowing up Signets with Uktabi Orangutan and Manic Vandal, though, so I don't mind running both in my cube even if they are the narrowest artifact removal effects I run.
Agreed. Getting to cast a creature with flash for 6 loses a lot of its appeal if you don't even know what that creature's going to be, and the "trap" clause on this seems way too narrow. I'd try See the Unwritten if you really want this kind of effect, because it digs deeper can can often get two creatures which is more likely to be worth the 6-mana investment even if you do have to do it at sorcery speed.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Squee, Goblin Nabob
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Version wise, seems at par; though I like Xth version flavor text better.
I run the MM version, as I try to have old frames as much as I can.
I like the Xth art and flavour text.
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
As far as aesthetics go, I much prefer the Xth art. I typically go for old frame, but I really don't like that original art.
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As for art, original all the way, he's dressed like Naboo royalty from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
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I prefer the new art and the new flavor text.
You might be on to something here. The Phantom Menace was released in May 1999, while Mercadian Masques came out in September 1999. Heck, just look at the name: Squee, Goblin Nabob?? Could WotC have been any more obvious?
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
Original Squee all the way. Better frame, better art, and it's a classic piece.
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Nabob definitions
- a Muslim official or governor under the Mogul Empire
- a person or conspicuous wealth or high status
- a person who returns to Europe from India with a fortune
I actually went to the Star Wars costume exhibit at the Jimmy Hendrix Experience Music Project (EMP) Museum while it was on tour in Seattle. It was interesting to see the perespectives from the original trilogy to the sequels. In the original trilogy, fashion was pretty dead, but one of the big challenges in the prequels was "how do we dress the most glamorous person in the galaxy plus her entourage?"
They drew a lot of inspiration from many different sources, from European Renaissance to Southeast Asia royalty, to Nazi Germany, etc. As much as the coincidence of Masques / Ep 1 being released roughly at the same time, I'm sure they just drew from the same source material.
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450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Lightning Bolt
Aesthetically, there are some really great choices and I wish I could tell you that I'm rocking an Alpha or Beta bolt in my cube but the Fire & Ice premium foil is as pimp as I'm likely to ever get, with a white-bordered 4th edition Bolt in my Peasant cube.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
I remember the incredulity when it was reprinted in M10. The flavour text is a great callback to that fact, as well.
Artwise, hard to go wrong. Definitely a nice option for an older frame, as an actual 'iconic' and 'classic' older card. The M10 art is decent too though, and the Merignaud art is really beautiful. It's the only textless card I run.
@ Spike Rogue: You missed a trick with your Reveillark pun; the etymology of its name is not from the word reveal, but from the French verb réveiller, to awaken (hence the resurrection ability).
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
While the artwork on all the options is fine, I think it's heresy to play anything other than Christopher Rush's iconic piece.
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!
As for the art, all the options are sweet in terms of aesthetics, but I agree with wtwlf. You gotta run the OG Christopher Rush version. We're running an FBB version currently.
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Simply put, there is no deck that makes red mana that won't play a Lightning Bolt, and be glad to draw it at nearly any point in the game. It's an easy splash, it kills about half the creatures in cube for one mana, it can kill a planeswalker, and every now and again it's just the final nail that wins the game. I love supporting combo decks in my cube, but more often than not I like to draft a fast aggro or tempo deck with a good curve, some value beaters, and disruption. Bolt is perfect for that plan, but it's also a great early play for control decks and it slots into combo decks as a way to slow the bleeding while you're assembling the combo. It's not the most powerful spell in the cube, but I take it early because I'll always be happy to have it in my deck and I know it will never wheel, but even Sulfuric Vortex might. Take the Bolt, and Bolt the Bird.
It's my favorite art, and a CE bolt looks great and isn't particularly expensive, but I'm such a stickler for wording that running Chris Rush art would leave me with no choice but to run the 4th Edition white bordered bolt. That will not do.
You really want to re-awaken discussion of my pun from a week ago?
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/modular-cube-5-colors.800/
Retro combo cube thread
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/retro-combo-cube.1454/
I'll admit, though, that the exile clause on Incendiary Flow is tempting to give red more options against Persist creatures and recursive value decks, but no way that would ever replace Bolt or Incinerate.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Imperial Seal >>>>>> Vampiric Tutor in price.
Grim Tutor >>>>>>>>>>> Demonic Tutor
This game is weird.
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