I'm always up for more Crucible support, but I think lands that go well with Crucible need to also be good enough without it. Unfortunately, I don't this is pushed hard enough or priced cheap enough to run on its own merits. It is certainly a sweet combo with Crucible, though.
This one's the most interesting to me of the cycle. Compared with Blighted Fen, this is a lot less intrusive on your mana, cheaper, and actually gets to target. Sorcery speed is a downside, but not a big enough one to turn me away.
This is definitely the best of the cycle, as even a mediocre removal that takes the slot of a land that doesn't ETBT or interfere with early game color requirements will make main decks almost every time. I'm not sure if I can justify a slot in my black section for this at 450, but there's such a low opportunity cost of drafting this I'm tempted to try.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
465 card Unpowered cube thread. Draft it here and I'll be happy to return the favor.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
I don't support C, so these lands lose some utility. Still, it's always worth considering utility lands of this kind. This is clearly the best of the cycle for me, as it acts as removal. My main problem with these cards is that most of them require double colored mana to activate. This one is almost certainly strong enough for me. Maybe not the rest of the cycle, though.
If you want this effect on a land, why not Cabal Pit? Threshold isn't that difficult to achieve in most black decks. Plus Cabal Pit has some of the coolest art in MTG history.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I can't say I'm pleased to see you and must warn you I may have to do something about it.
EDH: UGEdric
Pauper: URDelver
Modern: UGRDelver
Draft my cube: Eric's 390 Unpowered
If you want this effect on a land, why not Cabal Pit? Threshold isn't that difficult to achieve in most black decks. Plus Cabal Pit has some of the coolest art in MTG history.
Deadlands is more versatile since it's a colorless source, doesn't ping me everytime, and -1/-1 counters is a strong effect than just -2/-2 until end of turn.
I think this is a real contender for the second best black-aligned land. (After Volrath's Stronghold, of course.)
Not having to pay life every single time you tap it for mana but still having the option to produce colored mana is a real advantage over Cabal Pit and its cycle. And you can rely more on reaching 5 mana than having 7 cards in your graveyard. Therefore, I think it is better than the Pit.
And I also like it more than Blighted Fen. An edict is far less reliable when your have wait until you have 6 mana available (and also have to spend that much to use it). Two -1/-1 counters seem more relevant even later in the game. Oh, and Fen strains your mana base, which is also a considerable downside.
The only thing that annoys me is the sorcery speed restriction. Without it, I would probably try it out.
Urborg is also better than this IMO. I think calling this a removal spell is a bit generous at that stage of the game, it is probably closer to "stalling for a true removal". In every draft there will be multiple decks this does nothing meaningful against. It doesn't hit manlands or vehicles, only somewhat weakens fatties and the cheaper creatures already did their thing by that stage of the game. Killing a mana elf or equivalent useless small body will not be worth five mana almost all the time.
Instant speed would have made this far better. Black is already a color full of self pain. As is, I do not see this card as a contender.
A land that becomes a spell later is really, really useful. Even if it is a bad spell, it is basically an additional spell drawn for free. And sacrificing a land is a negligible cost later in the game, unless your deck has a really high curve.
A land that becomes a spell later is really, really useful. Even if it is a bad spell, it is basically an additional spell drawn for free. And sacrificing a land is a negligible cost later in the game, unless your deck has a really high curve.
A spell land for a higher cost is okay.
Sacrificing a land for a good effect is okay.
Putting together a high cost and sacrificing a land is where the problem lies here.
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.
I'm deciding to give this a test run. Pain Seer has been long overdue to be cut from my cube and nothing else really catches my interest, so I have a spare slot to experiment with. An additional colorless source is always welcome and Crucible / Excavator / Primeval Titan always appreciate new toys to play with. Has anybody been playing this card? I really like the fact that it's everything I described above + having low opportunity cost in a deck and isn't an ETB tapped land.
Black desert! Being able to kill / shrink things is cool and I'm always down for more colorless / Crucible support.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2023 Edition
Follow me. I tweet.
Cubetutor Link
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
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!
EDH: UGEdric
Pauper: UR Delver
Modern: UGR Delver
Draft my cube: Eric's 390 Unpowered
Deadlands is more versatile since it's a colorless source, doesn't ping me everytime, and -1/-1 counters is a strong effect than just -2/-2 until end of turn.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
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!
Not having to pay life every single time you tap it for mana but still having the option to produce colored mana is a real advantage over Cabal Pit and its cycle. And you can rely more on reaching 5 mana than having 7 cards in your graveyard. Therefore, I think it is better than the Pit.
And I also like it more than Blighted Fen. An edict is far less reliable when your have wait until you have 6 mana available (and also have to spend that much to use it). Two -1/-1 counters seem more relevant even later in the game. Oh, and Fen strains your mana base, which is also a considerable downside.
The only thing that annoys me is the sorcery speed restriction. Without it, I would probably try it out.
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
I do too.
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!
Instant speed would have made this far better. Black is already a color full of self pain. As is, I do not see this card as a contender.
The list on cube cobra
Read my blog on cube - Latest post June 2nd 2022
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!
MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2023 Edition
Follow me. I tweet.
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
A spell land for a higher cost is okay.
Sacrificing a land for a good effect is okay.
Putting together a high cost and sacrificing a land is where the problem lies here.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra