They knew what they were doing in saving the best enchantment for last. This is great. Looks so much fun and will test.
It is a pump engine that triggers the turn it is cast. Notice how the the counters can be from anything. I have been happy with Rishkar, Tireless Tracker, Green Robot, and now they look to be even more useful. The new Jadelight Ranger that was recently spoiled just got a little bit better too. Hangarback Walker and Walking Ballista like this too.
The turn it flips, it turns into Elspeth Knight-Errant: The Land, and you can activate it immediately during that same combat phase. So cool.
What to cut for testing? Mystic Snake or Trygon Predator? I'm leaning TP since there are a good # of artifact and enchantment removal in my cube and I don't play with Power. I don't like how there will be three 3 drops in if I cut Snake.
Obviously useless on an empty board, but that's OK; people still play misc anthems at that cost. But without any other +1/+1 counter support... you have a 3-mana, 2-color Forced Adaptation for two turns. Yikes.
Yes, the flip is potentially powerful, but if you've got a beefed up dude you're already like 80% of the way to winning, and it has such a low floor that I'd just never really consider it... barring a cube that REALLY trims the power level of cards and/or has a pronounced +1/+1 counters theme (to the point of playing Bramblewood Paragon, Abzan Falconer, etc).
i've been on and off with counters as an archetype for a while and its never really panned out that well but i do like it as somewhat of a simic identity since the guild is so weak already.
I'm bored so i'm just going to post a summary of potential interactions for this card in cube. please dont rip me too hard, i am not making an argument for its inclusion just summarizing interactions as a reference.
looking at colourless the best interactions are with the x cost creatures some that are commonly run. endless one on turn two gets you the turn three flip. hangarback walker puts pressure on very fast threatening a flip or a hoard of thopters walking ballista gets a turn 4 flip and some additional versatility.
outside of those 3 you've got less impactful interactions with things like crystalline crawler
Blue doesnt offer much outside of something like cloudfin raptor but a fun little combo might be removing a -1/-1 from glen elendra archmage each turn.
Definitely a cool card, but my Simic / UGX decks usually want value out of their 3-drops. I can’t see the fitting into my decks and I’d rather cube Kiora, Master of Depths again before Climb.
I just want one more Search for Azcanta surprise success, maybe I was overly hyped about this card late last night. Seeing this, I don't know why Curse of Predation is not played more in high powered cubes.
Curse of Predation is really strong and I definitely want to find room for it again. This card is less good, and in two colours - only pumping one creature is not enough payoff, and actually this is a completely different beast since it encourages a Voltron approach with one huge creature when flipped.
I just want one more Search for Azcanta surprise success, maybe I was overly hyped about this card late last night. Seeing this, I don't know why Curse of Predation is not played more in high powered cubes.
I like it a lot, it has been great for us. It's more splashable that most 3 mana anthems and the bonus stacks each turn although needing to attack to get the buff is definitely an issue sometimes with damage based removal in the mix. It can be a create fallback for green decks with a lot of mana dorks
I think a lot of more powerful cubes just aren't in the market for a conditional 3 mana anthem in green. Once green agro creatures reach a certain density it might get more popular, but that would mean a big shake up in the cube world as the elves would have to go.
They knew what they were doing in saving the best enchantment for last. This is great. Looks so much fun and will test.
It is a pump engine that triggers the turn it is cast. Notice how the the counters can be from anything. I have been happy with Rishkar, Tireless Tracker, Green Robot, and now they look to be even more useful. The new Jadelight Ranger that was recently spoiled just got a little bit better too. Hangarback Walker and Walking Ballista like this too.
The turn it flips, it turns into Elspeth Knight-Errant: The Land, and you can activate it immediately during that same combat phase. So cool.
What to cut for testing? Mystic Snake or Trygon Predator? I'm leaning TP since there are a good # of artifact and enchantment removal in my cube and I don't play with Power. I don't like how there will be three 3 drops in if I cut Snake.
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Obviously useless on an empty board, but that's OK; people still play misc anthems at that cost. But without any other +1/+1 counter support... you have a 3-mana, 2-color Forced Adaptation for two turns. Yikes.
Yes, the flip is potentially powerful, but if you've got a beefed up dude you're already like 80% of the way to winning, and it has such a low floor that I'd just never really consider it... barring a cube that REALLY trims the power level of cards and/or has a pronounced +1/+1 counters theme (to the point of playing Bramblewood Paragon, Abzan Falconer, etc).
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I'm bored so i'm just going to post a summary of potential interactions for this card in cube. please dont rip me too hard, i am not making an argument for its inclusion just summarizing interactions as a reference.
looking at colourless the best interactions are with the x cost creatures some that are commonly run.
endless one on turn two gets you the turn three flip.
hangarback walker puts pressure on very fast threatening a flip or a hoard of thopters
walking ballista gets a turn 4 flip and some additional versatility.
outside of those 3 you've got less impactful interactions with things like crystalline crawler
In Simic itself some good options for the counters archetype in bigger/slower cubes include:
master biomancer and ezuri, claw of progress
green adds some good options with scavenging ooze, experiment one, rishkar, peema renegade, jadelight ranger, tireless tracker, or later in the game things like verdurous gearhulk and avenger of zendikar. nissa, voice of zendikar also supports counters.
Blue doesnt offer much outside of something like cloudfin raptor but a fun little combo might be removing a -1/-1 from glen elendra archmage each turn.
If you push into three colour there is some great support in BUG with carrion feeder, flesh carver, and lotleth troll. slower interactions with drana, liberator of malakir and kalitas, traitor of ghet. if you want to go really deep effects like winding constrictor and hardened scales might also be on the table for big cubes.
Bant also has a bit of support if you run angel of invention, archangel of thune or champion of the parish
Like with glen elendra archmage, it also combos with kitchen finks and woodfall primus for repeated persists which is fun.
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On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
I like it a lot, it has been great for us. It's more splashable that most 3 mana anthems and the bonus stacks each turn although needing to attack to get the buff is definitely an issue sometimes with damage based removal in the mix. It can be a create fallback for green decks with a lot of mana dorks
I think a lot of more powerful cubes just aren't in the market for a conditional 3 mana anthem in green. Once green agro creatures reach a certain density it might get more popular, but that would mean a big shake up in the cube world as the elves would have to go.