Search for Azcanta has been seeing a lot of play over the past few drafts. It's done pretty well in most blue shells as a card filter engine / graveyard fueler. The enchantment side feels like Sensei's Divining Top. Doesn't dig as deep, but not investing mana into it every turn and being able to fuel the graveyard are huge upsides. Not relying on shuffles is also really nice too.
The card has definitely surpassed my expectations. My trial period for it is over, it's here to stay for a while. I don't think it will last forever, but there's definitely at least 3 other blue cards closer to the chopping block than Search for Azcanta is.
I think it was very easy to underrate this card because it’s so subtle. It’s easy to judge a card that immediately affects the board, but the value in SoA is so incramental that I was still having a little difficulty evaluating it even after giving it a few reps.
Strong enough for a 450 powered cube? I have trouble seeing a cut, give that I also have to find a cut for Chart a Course.
Cheers,
rant
Looking at your blue section, I think Stratus Dancer is the most cuttable card for Chart a Course. Search for Azcanta might be able to edge out Waterfront Bouncer, but not sure how I feel about that yet.
Did a draft just now and was able to pick up Search for Azcanta on the wheel. I really wanted to see how it'd work in a control shell with minimal graveyard synergy and it was probably my MVP of the deck. The only graveyard interaction I had was with Lingering Souls / Deep Analysis / Torrential Gearhulk, but it was just super strong as a card filter in general.
One thing I learned is that there's a lot of value in not transforming it if you don't need to. I already had lines of plays plotted out for the next two turns and I didn't need another land just then. Being able to get more value via filtering was really clutch then.
Here's my Esper Control deck I just drafted in case anyone was wondering:
I’ve been trying to shove Search for Azcanta is every blue archetype I can. It’s not alwaya correct, but it never hurts.
4-Color URBW Balance Upheaval Wildfire Ramp
I was skeptical about running SoA here since I had zero graveyard synergies. Card filtering is always strong, but the Rampant Growth effect was very useful in a ramp deck like this, especially post-Wildfire. I only had one creature in the deck so the Impulse effect was very powerful, it definitely won me a game when I had to dig for Wildfire.
UG Eternal Recall Upheaval Survival
I had all the Regrowth effects to abuse Ancestral Recall as much as possible, so Search for Azcanta could have definitely done some work. It didn’t make the maindeck though since I already had Ancestral Recall / Oath of Nissa / Sylvan Library / Survival of the Fittest / Fauna Shaman / UG Nissa, so card draw / selection wasn’t a problem. Dig Through Time didn’t make the cut either since I only had 2 non-permanents in the deck which makes it hard to fuel delve.
Over time, I have noticed that during every blue cut my eye rest suspiciously long on Search for Azcanta. I still play it, since its effect is very unique, but I'm not so certain anymore that it is good enough. It just always feels very slow and when I draw it on a later turn, I often feel like many other cards would have served me better. How do you guys feel about this card?
I cut it probably a year ago or so? It still can do work, but it's pretty slow. Hard to keep up with the power creep within the past 2 years. The grindier your cube, the better this is. I'd still play it if my cube was a hair slower and supported less combos.
I like the card, but also cut it on my M21 update back in June 2020. Surveil every turn is powerful, but it fills a similar role as the looters, and I like JVP, Suspicious Stowaway, and Looter il-Kor more in that slot. If I was cubing someone else's list, though, and saw Search, I'd still be likely to play it in a blue deck.
Damn we still play it and it's stayed a very good roleplayer over here. Obviously great in control, but always good in reanimator decks too, and is just all around good dig+inevitability in basically all the blue combo decks. Can even play as decent filler in midrange and Wildfire decks if need be. Not insane at all, but I don't think it's anywhere close to being cut for us. Imo it's the second best "looter", only behind Jace, Vryn's Prodigy, which is fantastic company to be in.
Search for Azcanta feels like the perfect card for cube.
- We lack cards to fuel graveyards synergistic cards such as Uro, Dig Through Time etc.
- Surveil is much more powerful in cube than constructed - Cube decks lack the mana consistency and mana curves can range wildly from 2 to 4-5 even in aggressive strategies. By definition, a 4-5 drop should be a 3 for 1 - getting to filter away 1-2 lands, 1 drops in a 4-5 drop finisher is insane.
- One of the few strong cards in cube that can ramp the actual number of lands you have - this is relevant for field of the dead, Time spiral etc.
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The card has definitely surpassed my expectations. My trial period for it is over, it's here to stay for a while. I don't think it will last forever, but there's definitely at least 3 other blue cards closer to the chopping block than Search for Azcanta is.
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 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
I read the word "sleeper" in your article when referring to this card, so I got off my butt and ordered one for $4. Thanks for saving me a few bucks!
I believe that I underrated this card.
Here's my cube! Give it a draft!
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
Looking at your blue section, I think Stratus Dancer is the most cuttable card for Chart a Course. Search for Azcanta might be able to edge out Waterfront Bouncer, but not sure how I feel about that yet.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
One thing I learned is that there's a lot of value in not transforming it if you don't need to. I already had lines of plays plotted out for the next two turns and I didn't need another land just then. Being able to get more value via filtering was really clutch then.
Here's my Esper Control deck I just drafted in case anyone was wondering:
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
4-Color URBW Balance Upheaval Wildfire Ramp
I was skeptical about running SoA here since I had zero graveyard synergies. Card filtering is always strong, but the Rampant Growth effect was very useful in a ramp deck like this, especially post-Wildfire. I only had one creature in the deck so the Impulse effect was very powerful, it definitely won me a game when I had to dig for Wildfire.
UG Eternal Recall Upheaval Survival
I had all the Regrowth effects to abuse Ancestral Recall as much as possible, so Search for Azcanta could have definitely done some work. It didn’t make the maindeck though since I already had Ancestral Recall / Oath of Nissa / Sylvan Library / Survival of the Fittest / Fauna Shaman / UG Nissa, so card draw / selection wasn’t a problem. Dig Through Time didn’t make the cut either since I only had 2 non-permanents in the deck which makes it hard to fuel delve.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
(Spoiler: Seems to be good; scry with added graveyard synergies as a floor and a solid value engine when it flips)
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
375 unpowered cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/601ac624832cdf1039947588
[180 classic cube]
Just my 2¢
- We lack cards to fuel graveyards synergistic cards such as Uro, Dig Through Time etc.
- Surveil is much more powerful in cube than constructed - Cube decks lack the mana consistency and mana curves can range wildly from 2 to 4-5 even in aggressive strategies. By definition, a 4-5 drop should be a 3 for 1 - getting to filter away 1-2 lands, 1 drops in a 4-5 drop finisher is insane.
- One of the few strong cards in cube that can ramp the actual number of lands you have - this is relevant for field of the dead, Time spiral etc.
Vintage Cube Cards Explained
Here are some other articles I've written about fine tuning your cube:
1. Minimum Archetype Support
2. Improving Green Archetypes
3. Improving White Archetypes
4. Matchup Analysis
5. Cube Combos (Work in Progress)
Draft my Cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/d8i