Interesting. Cost reduction is always something I want more of in cube. I like him most in tempo decks, but 1 power isn't very attractive. I might test though since I'm always looking for new things in blue.
I once farted during the final match for prizes at an FNM. It was a tense moment, everything was quiet, control vs control, I was about to mana leak, thought about it.. and farted. Then mana leaked.
Not bad for 2cc. Can block 2 power creatures while making your spells cheaper. The loot ability is a nice bonus that might net a card or two. Will probably replace Wharf Infiltrator.
Interesting. Cost reduction is always something I want more of in cube. I like him most in tempo decks, but 1 power isn't very attractive. I might test though since I'm always looking for new things in blue.
3 toughness in control decks is excellent however and that's where I see the card having the most impact. Card is good.
Oh hey, I love blocking 2/X creatures, spending less mana on instants, *and* looting. This is the first no-questions inclusion for me, very happy to have more dudes in blue.
This card has everything going for it, and I would like to add another 2cc blue creature to my 720. Windmill slam include, incredibly excited about this. Most people talk about blue being stacked, but at 720 the bottom of blue is actually one of the worst - I have needed a couple good blue cards to push out the 95th/96th cards in the section.
2 CMC is nice and cheap enough that I could play this T3 and still hold up for Mana Leak (or cast on T4 and hold up for Disallow). 3 toughness is excellent. And a looting ability to boot.
I would be shocked if you looted with this on average more than once a game, so that part of the card basically reads as flavor text for me. So it's really the cost reduction that matters here. Which I think is testable enough, as it's a 1/3 for 2 that blocks well and likely pays for itself in mana savings. t2 this guy, t3 leave up countermagic (including cryptic if you can make UUU!) and cast FoF? Or t4 mystic confluence? Or even a t3 wrath if you are getting curb stomped and need an answer now? Certainly seems testable.
As said above, blue is stacked but there's certainly room for this guy in most cubes. I agree that his selling points are cost reduction > 3 toughness > loot in that order. I have a laundry list of 2cmc counters and burn spells that would LOVE to cost 1.
I've not been a fan of TitI, but I'm still running Fog Bank so that'll be the cut to test this since Braal and Thing play somewhat well together.
A 1/3 body is a nice defensive body for control decks, and 1U is a good price point for a defensive creature. The cost reduction is pretty powerful, and I expect him to loot about once a game as well. I think it's worth testing out.
A 1/3 body is a nice defensive body for control decks, and 1U is a good price point for a defensive creature. The cost reduction is pretty powerful, and I expect him to loot about once a game as well. I think it's worth testing out.
Plus when you actually counter a card later in the game you are more likely to be holding lands to pitch.
Definitely worth a go with a nice cost reduction and looting once in a while (once per game?). I look forward to dropping this guy T2 with Mental Misstep/FoW backup against removal and getting a free loot.
I feel dirty just reading that post. Definitely competes with Thing in the Ice for space but I will try to find room for both. At one point not too long ago I thought blue was short on two drops but they are both so cool.
I can't wait to daze someone with this out, even if I have the mana to cast it so I can loot the island. There will be tons of games where I play this on turn 3 and have a 2 mana instant ready, making this guy cost 1 mana. Damn. or Turn 4 have 2 plays making it free. I have to be careful or I will try to play storm.
Good card, gonna test for sure.. Not sure how good tho, haven't really played with electromancer/nightscape familiar variants in cube before. I suspect this with cards like mentor/pyromancer and draw spells can get out of hand very quickly.
Good card, gonna test for sure.. Not sure how good tho, haven't really played with electromancer/nightscape familiar variants in cube before. I suspect this with cards like mentor/pyromancer and draw spells can get out of hand very quickly.
Vintage MTGO cube will love this card (storm).
Oh yes but I think this will also give my U/B reanimator a boost. No, you don't get unlimited free loots but my U/B versions of the deck are often heavy on control where the red ones are the trying to seed out the combo.
Good card, gonna test for sure.. Not sure how good tho, haven't really played with electromancer/nightscape familiar variants in cube before. I suspect this with cards like mentor/pyromancer and draw spells can get out of hand very quickly.
Vintage MTGO cube will love this card (storm).
Oh yes but I think this will also give my U/B reanimator a boost. No, you don't get unlimited free loots but my U/B versions of the deck are often heavy on control where the red ones are the trying to seed out the combo.
This is what I was thinking as well. Not a reliable looter for a dedicated reanimator shell, but a UB control deck that can reanimate stuff will be able to rely on getting the trigger or two needed to get that fatty into the 'yard.
Exactly, turn three I will use my counter on your.....how about any spell you cast?... dump my fatty... turn four animate dead with counterspell or removal backup (also made cheap with this guy)
I wish he was called the "Captain of Compliance' with those puffy pants and one boot up and a buccaneer sword, it is crying our for an alter.
It was a solid card, and did a reasonable job of encouraging spell-heavy decks. What I found, though, is that Thing in the Ice did a better job of pulling me into the archetype, and performed better once I was playing a spell-heavy shell. Baral is he more generically playable of the two, but neither shined unless it was in a deck loaded with ways to take advantage of their upsides. That led to me ultimately removing it for cards that had higher ceilings in decks they both played well in.
If you support storm combo in the cube, Baral is still a pretty beastly card.
It may get the axe in our next update as well. We found that it didn't do much and was unnecessary most of the time. He's also a really, really poor top deck and lists that ran him ultimately came to the conclusion that they would had prefer to simply add any other random noncreature spell to their pile instead.
I think my blue control/spells matter decks would literally always be able to find room for this creature. Thoughts?
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3 toughness in control decks is excellent however and that's where I see the card having the most impact. Card is good.
2 CMC is nice and cheap enough that I could play this T3 and still hold up for Mana Leak (or cast on T4 and hold up for Disallow). 3 toughness is excellent. And a looting ability to boot.
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I've not been a fan of TitI, but I'm still running Fog Bank so that'll be the cut to test this since Braal and Thing play somewhat well together.
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Plus when you actually counter a card later in the game you are more likely to be holding lands to pitch.
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I feel dirty just reading that post. Definitely competes with Thing in the Ice for space but I will try to find room for both. At one point not too long ago I thought blue was short on two drops but they are both so cool.
I can't wait to daze someone with this out, even if I have the mana to cast it so I can loot the island. There will be tons of games where I play this on turn 3 and have a 2 mana instant ready, making this guy cost 1 mana. Damn. or Turn 4 have 2 plays making it free. I have to be careful or I will try to play storm.
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Oh yes but I think this will also give my U/B reanimator a boost. No, you don't get unlimited free loots but my U/B versions of the deck are often heavy on control where the red ones are the trying to seed out the combo.
This is what I was thinking as well. Not a reliable looter for a dedicated reanimator shell, but a UB control deck that can reanimate stuff will be able to rely on getting the trigger or two needed to get that fatty into the 'yard.
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I wish he was called the "Captain of Compliance' with those puffy pants and one boot up and a buccaneer sword, it is crying our for an alter.
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If you support storm combo in the cube, Baral is still a pretty beastly card.
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