I think this guy is way better than pithing needle. Seeing your opponent's hand is useful in itself but synergizes really well with the needle effect. It opens it up to cards needle can't hit or turns off cards a turn earlier, like making walkers totally useless instead of allowing the initial activation.
When I see Healing Salve, I'm often like "Oh girl, I wish I could turn every card into this." Thanks they removed the gain life part, otherwise this would have been broken.
I think this guy is way better than pithing needle. Seeing your opponent's hand is useful in itself but synergizes really well with the needle effect. It opens it up to cards needle can't hit or turns off cards a turn earlier, like making walkers totally useless instead of allowing the initial activation.
I agree with this. Sometimes 1 is a big deal but when the end result is 2 and you're getting good information, I think this new card is better in a singleton format like cube.
Pretend you know your opponent has two walkers. This lets you be proactive in locking down (hopefully) the one in his hand and now you know what tricks your opponent has up their sleeve. Looking forward to slamming this.
Just an FYI, I've been testing this since it was spoiled and I really like it. I'm a bigger fan of Needle effects than most, but the extra information has been key, especially on this kind of effect.
Just an FYI, I've been testing this since it was spoiled and I really like it. I'm a bigger fan of Needle effects than most, but the extra information has been key, especially on this kind of effect.
Are you trying it in place of Pithing Needle, or in addition to it? Needle isn't very popular in my group and I was consider swapping it out for this, but there are some other marginal performers on my colorless list that could go first.
I didn't like this card when it was first leaked, but I've warmed up to the idea. I still prefer the Revoker, but I think this quite a bit more reliable than Pithing Needle, which is still a card I don't really want in my cube.
I also like this quite a bit and will 100% add this. It's nice to have a cheap, disruptive artifact that goes into all sorts of decks, from a dedicated artifact deck even down to aggro.
So excited for this card. At 450 cards, I'll be running this, Needle, and Revoker. I love that this can get lands, as the influx of man-lands has increased the value of that aspect of Needle.
I guess I admit to not understanding the excitement for a Needle effect. Is there a significant difference in Powered vs. Unpowered cubes that you would main deck a Needle effect? Over the course of 66 drafts of my Unpowered cube Phyrexian Revoker has only been in 43% of main decks.
Of the differences between the varying effects, Revoker is the one that gains the most value in powered lists since it can turn off Moxes. But Pithing Needle can effectively be a 1cc Oblivion Ring for all planeswalkers and any other permanent that derives its value from activated abilities (like equipment). And even against cards that don't get entirely deactivated (like creatures with activated abilities) it can neuter them to the point where they're manageable and/or unimpactful. There's just so many cards that get blanked by Needle effects that they're awesome. Would you aim a Path to Exile at a manland? Than it's worth needling. Would you O-Ring a planeswalker? Relic-Warder a Sword? Needle does all those things, and it's cheaper and colorless.
Spyglass does all those things too, but it can also attack from a preventative angle; using the revealed hand to inform your decision. Stranding fetches, stopping a "hasted" piece of equipment, etc. It's been performing admirably in testing.
It's reactive and requires a target, but it's a cheap colorless answer to a lot of problematic cube cards, including all planeswalkers. I love Needle effects in this format.
The latter point is probably the biggest sell for me for including Spyglass: the pre-emptive stopping of the problem cards. Needle and Revoker aren't doing much for me when my opponent is able to play + activate a problem card in the same turn, like a Sneak Attack or a Recurring Nightmare bringing back a bomb or a sword that is no longer stopped once its being carried, and Spyglass fixes a lot of those problems. Again, these aren't 100% scenarios--sometimes your opponent will play Elspeth g1, get one soldier, and your needle will still be effective in making Elspeth a 4 mana 1/1--but your deck is going to be more inconsistent over the long run maindecking needle vs spyglass or even revoker, as the dead-card scenarios are much more real for Needle g1 than those two.
Personally, I'm able to stomach maindecking a Revoker way more than Needle. Not that I never have put needle into a MD, but it either needs to be a 23rd card or there has to be a ton of synergy. Trinket Mage, artifact-based decks (not all that uncommon at this point, considering the amount of cards that push you that way) or a number of problem cards seen during the draft might prompt me to go in that direction with deckbuilding decisions. I've had enough games where Needle is low-to-no impact game 1 that I try not to do that unless I mitigate the dead card aspect it brings, whereas Revoker is still at worst a piker.
Just running some quick numbers, there are 79 cards in my cube that Needle/Spyglass completely "shut off" (like planeswalkers and Opposition and the like) where the card functions like a 1 or 2cc O-Ring against the target. And a further 104 cards that can be partially neutered by the card if named (like turning Mother of Runes or Goblin Welder into a vanilla 1/1). That's a fair amount of value for a cheap utility artifact.
I have no qualms maindecking Needle or Revoker. There are just cards that need to be shut down and these two do that for a very modest mana investment. I've only rarely had a Needle stranded in my hand and wished it was something else.
Kind of sounds familiar. Care to refresh my memory?
Opponent has 3x Polluted Delta and a Dark Confidant in play. Player calls a judge and asks "Can I name Dark Confidant with Pithing Needle?" Judge says yes. Player plays it, opponent allows it to resolve, smirking at how ineffective it will be. Player names Polluted Delta.
I haven't been able to try it much in cube, but I've a feeling that it's got some legs. I had a pretty bonkers mono-blue deck where I had it in my sideboard and likely could have mained it. Unsure, though.
For those that have tested this card more extensively, how has it been holding up? I've been desiring another one of these effects (don't currently play Pithing Needle).
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It has been really good for us and definitely earns its slot. Getting a look at my opponents hand is worth the extra 1 for me since it means I can much more reliably hit relevant targets. Seeing their hand also lets me know what their next move will be and play accordingly. I can't see it leaving my cube for a long time unless Wizards start pushing this effect a lot more often, and even then it would take a lot to force it out.
It is right up there with Phyrexian Revoker for me, some decks prefer one to the other but they are somewhere around the same tier for me. I would take either of them over Pithing Needle in most cases.
Pretend you know your opponent has two walkers. This lets you be proactive in locking down (hopefully) the one in his hand and now you know what tricks your opponent has up their sleeve. Looking forward to slamming this.
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Are you trying it in place of Pithing Needle, or in addition to it? Needle isn't very popular in my group and I was consider swapping it out for this, but there are some other marginal performers on my colorless list that could go first.
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Spyglass does all those things too, but it can also attack from a preventative angle; using the revealed hand to inform your decision. Stranding fetches, stopping a "hasted" piece of equipment, etc. It's been performing admirably in testing.
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Personally, I'm able to stomach maindecking a Revoker way more than Needle. Not that I never have put needle into a MD, but it either needs to be a 23rd card or there has to be a ton of synergy. Trinket Mage, artifact-based decks (not all that uncommon at this point, considering the amount of cards that push you that way) or a number of problem cards seen during the draft might prompt me to go in that direction with deckbuilding decisions. I've had enough games where Needle is low-to-no impact game 1 that I try not to do that unless I mitigate the dead card aspect it brings, whereas Revoker is still at worst a piker.
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Kind of sounds familiar. Care to refresh my memory?
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Opponent has 3x Polluted Delta and a Dark Confidant in play. Player calls a judge and asks "Can I name Dark Confidant with Pithing Needle?" Judge says yes. Player plays it, opponent allows it to resolve, smirking at how ineffective it will be. Player names Polluted Delta.
Sick bluff, involving a ruling no less.
Always crack in response.
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I haven't been able to try it much in cube, but I've a feeling that it's got some legs. I had a pretty bonkers mono-blue deck where I had it in my sideboard and likely could have mained it. Unsure, though.
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It is right up there with Phyrexian Revoker for me, some decks prefer one to the other but they are somewhere around the same tier for me. I would take either of them over Pithing Needle in most cases.