Maybe its just that rosey spoiler season tint but Salamander Drake seems like it could be an ok card for a spells matters decks or a more general creature-light control deck.
Its floor is U for a 1/1 flier, nothing cubeable but it will do the things spirts usually do like trading with x/1s and getting in a few points of damage. Beyond that, if you get 5 spells in your graveyard (not too difficult in control) you get to play a 5/5 flier for 3U. If we step into Magical Christmas land for a minute; this is a UU 5/5 flier, thats some raw efficiency. It is a one drop that your opponent cant just ignore, at some stage in the game it is going to adapt for as little as U, at instant speed, so those control decks get to keep mana up.
I think I am going to give this little guy a go, I could see him not staying the course but im excited to see.
EDIT:I don't think Salamander Drake is its real name.
Thing in the Ice is similar to this creature in that it's a cheap body that you want to play in spell heavy decks. Thing flips after 4 spells with no additional investment and usually takes over a game.
This little drake isn't directly comparable to Thing as it doesn't need to be on the field when you cast your spells, but you do still need to cast (or at least discard) your spells. After 4 spells (the same as Thing) the Drake is a 5/5 flier for 3UU. Rough. I feel like you need to get to 5-6 spells in your yard for this to be worth it. In my experience, that isn't something that reliably happens, even in straight control decks. Thing in the Ice has shown me that 4 instant/sorceries is just about the max you can expect by turns 5-7 with any consistency from a spell heavy deck.
I really like the idea of this creature but the adapt ability feels like a couple mana too high to compete in cube, IMHO.
Izzet drakes routinely drops 5 instants and surgeries in the bin by turn 3-4, could be interesting to test out 1-2 maindeck. 1/1 flyer early. 5/5 flyer late. Not as impressive as 15/4 Drakes but a nice complement, perhaps.
Thing in the Ice is similar to this creature in that it's a cheap body that you want to play in spell heavy decks. Thing flips after 4 spells with no additional investment and usually takes over a game.
This little drake isn't directly comparable to Thing as it doesn't need to be on the field when you cast your spells, but you do still need to cast (or at least discard) your spells. After 4 spells (the same as Thing) the Drake is a 5/5 flier for 3UU. Rough. I feel like you need to get to 5-6 spells in your yard for this to be worth it. In my experience, that isn't something that reliably happens, even in straight control decks. Thing in the Ice has shown me that 4 instant/sorceries is just about the max you can expect by turns 5-7 with any consistency from a spell heavy deck.
I really like the idea of this creature but the adapt ability feels like a couple mana too high to compete in cube, IMHO.
Like you said difference with thing in the ice is you need to cast those spells whilst he is in the board, this this creature you get closer just by looting and he is powered up by spells you cast before him. I think that is a huge difference, they feel like to vastly different cards to me. This guy seems a lot easier to set up than Thing in the Ice because I can play it when I have spare mana and flip it at will without having to chain spells on a turn or worry about accidentally flipping it at a bad time. 5-6 spells in the yard isn't that hard to achieve if you are looting/discarding and casting spells, could be a difference in how our cubes play (or me overestimating my spell count) but I think it is pretty achievable if that is your goal.
At 4 spells it adapts for 3U, that a pretty good deal when you are upgrading a 1/1 to a 5/5 with complete control over the timing. It probably helps that blue 1 creatures drops are pretty lacking. It may not be for the highest power cubes but I think this is good enough in mine.
Izzet drakes routinely drops 5 instants and surgeries in the bin by turn 3-4, could be interesting to test out 1-2 maindeck. 1/1 flyer early. 5/5 flyer late. Not as impressive as 15/4 Drakes but a nice complement, perhaps.
Have to think more about it , but at first impression I think this guy is interesting.
Or there are at least decks that he's solid in. Don't think he'll be a powerhouse or anything.
What I think a lot of people might sleep on, is a 1/1 flyer for U until you can put mana into it, is not a "non-card".
On turn 1 it can trade with a 2/1 when you are being pressuered by an agro start, and on offense , can chip in a few points of damage, or carry equipment well.
Probably depends on your cube and the amount of cantrips or cheap draw spells you run, but... I'll have to think more about how practical it is to get that many instants/sorcs in GY.
I like this a little better than Benthic Biomancer. I really hope Salamander Drake is the real name. I love it when the name and creature types are the same.
This benefits from a spells-matter shell, but it doesn't do anything to support the archetype itself. You need a limited number of synergistic creatures in a spell-slinger type deck, and it could well be that a Flying Men that turns into (basically) Mahamoti Djinn may not be the support that archetype is looking for. Jace's Phantasm seems the most similar card, and this does compare favorably.
If you're really deep on the Delver of Secrets-type Spells Matters archetype, I could see this making a splash for your playgroup. But I think the concentration of spells needed for this card to be good is probably a bit too high for cube.
If you're really deep on the Delver of Secrets-type Spells Matters archetype, I could see this making a splash for your playgroup. But I think the concentration of spells needed for this card to be good is probably a bit too high for cube.
On the other hand, since you brought Delver of Secrets, it's kind of nice that WotC is trying to create some more good blue aggro cards, especially 1-drops. Someday, maybe there would be enough needed pieces like this one in order to build a complete blue aggro suit that reflect something really unique and different from the other colors. Definitly a interesting design.
The evaluations here are really missing this guy, he is so ridiculous. In the tight early game area of whether you can get a 1 cmc creature down and protect it if that's your focus, as it usually should be, as counterpells have a high pick order, this guy really just shines, his calculation of whether he is in the Cube is off the charts. This is crazy good, 5/5 flying for U-U, as an echo cost even? Super spellstalker guy? Same issue as Dig through Time and Treasure Cruise, this. Simply. Is SO very strong. Is this wrong? I doubt it.
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The more I think about this guy, the better I think he's going to be in constructed... But I'm still unsure about cube... it really depends on your cube, it's instant/sorcery composition and how much support you want to give to a spells matters archetype.
Being able to activate his ability at instant speed is huge, as it allows you to keep mana up on the turn for counter magic, bounce spells etc. It forces the opponent to act, unknown if you plan to do something at instant speed, or level up your creature... to become a very substantial threat.
In a deck with cards like faithless looting and tons of cantrips/cheap spells, the card becomes absurd. UU for a 5/5 flyer in the mid game is an achievable goal in constructed... but I don't think that's really possible in cube outside of long games, or very dedicated spell decks... and those decks really want to play the blue delve cards which work poorly with this card.
Basically, if you want to support a lot of cantrips and instants/sorcieries, this card is easily cube worthy... but I think it misses the majority of cubes, and probably my own. I expect it to make a big splash in constructed. Cryptic Serpent has seen fringe eternal play, and this strikes me as way better.
This thing could be Delvers 5-8 for constructed decks (though each creature you add makes both marginally worse), but I'm not even sure Delver itself is good enough for small cubes.
This thing could be Delvers 5-8 for constructed decks (though each creature you add makes both marginally worse), but I'm not even sure Delver itself is good enough for small cubes.
I think it's better than it looks for cube since in there, in contrast to constructed formats, it would act as a Delver of Secrets #2. Spell matter aggro decks now has another option to curve out without having to run too much creatures like Kiln Fiend for example. Runaway Steam-Kin is another card that tend to go into this direction, but in a more mono-red way. FWIW, it was kind of impressive recently in the MTGO cube.
I like this card more as the days go by. There's definitely a place for this kind of card in blue. It can take what was once the Mahamoti Djinn slot in my cube.
Maybe its just that rosey spoiler season tint but Salamander Drake seems like it could be an ok card for a spells matters decks or a more general creature-light control deck.
Its floor is U for a 1/1 flier, nothing cubeable but it will do the things spirts usually do like trading with x/1s and getting in a few points of damage. Beyond that, if you get 5 spells in your graveyard (not too difficult in control) you get to play a 5/5 flier for 3U. If we step into Magical Christmas land for a minute; this is a UU 5/5 flier, thats some raw efficiency. It is a one drop that your opponent cant just ignore, at some stage in the game it is going to adapt for as little as U, at instant speed, so those control decks get to keep mana up.
I think I am going to give this little guy a go, I could see him not staying the course but im excited to see.
EDIT:I don't think Salamander Drake is its real name.
Thing in the Ice is similar to this creature in that it's a cheap body that you want to play in spell heavy decks. Thing flips after 4 spells with no additional investment and usually takes over a game.
This little drake isn't directly comparable to Thing as it doesn't need to be on the field when you cast your spells, but you do still need to cast (or at least discard) your spells. After 4 spells (the same as Thing) the Drake is a 5/5 flier for 3UU. Rough. I feel like you need to get to 5-6 spells in your yard for this to be worth it. In my experience, that isn't something that reliably happens, even in straight control decks. Thing in the Ice has shown me that 4 instant/sorceries is just about the max you can expect by turns 5-7 with any consistency from a spell heavy deck.
I really like the idea of this creature but the adapt ability feels like a couple mana too high to compete in cube, IMHO.
Like you said difference with thing in the ice is you need to cast those spells whilst he is in the board, this this creature you get closer just by looting and he is powered up by spells you cast before him. I think that is a huge difference, they feel like to vastly different cards to me. This guy seems a lot easier to set up than Thing in the Ice because I can play it when I have spare mana and flip it at will without having to chain spells on a turn or worry about accidentally flipping it at a bad time. 5-6 spells in the yard isn't that hard to achieve if you are looting/discarding and casting spells, could be a difference in how our cubes play (or me overestimating my spell count) but I think it is pretty achievable if that is your goal.
At 4 spells it adapts for 3U, that a pretty good deal when you are upgrading a 1/1 to a 5/5 with complete control over the timing. It probably helps that blue 1 creatures drops are pretty lacking. It may not be for the highest power cubes but I think this is good enough in mine.
Wrong forum?
Or there are at least decks that he's solid in. Don't think he'll be a powerhouse or anything.
What I think a lot of people might sleep on, is a 1/1 flyer for U until you can put mana into it, is not a "non-card".
On turn 1 it can trade with a 2/1 when you are being pressuered by an agro start, and on offense , can chip in a few points of damage, or carry equipment well.
Probably depends on your cube and the amount of cantrips or cheap draw spells you run, but... I'll have to think more about how practical it is to get that many instants/sorcs in GY.
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This benefits from a spells-matter shell, but it doesn't do anything to support the archetype itself. You need a limited number of synergistic creatures in a spell-slinger type deck, and it could well be that a Flying Men that turns into (basically) Mahamoti Djinn may not be the support that archetype is looking for. Jace's Phantasm seems the most similar card, and this does compare favorably.
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On the other hand, since you brought Delver of Secrets, it's kind of nice that WotC is trying to create some more good blue aggro cards, especially 1-drops. Someday, maybe there would be enough needed pieces like this one in order to build a complete blue aggro suit that reflect something really unique and different from the other colors. Definitly a interesting design.
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Being able to activate his ability at instant speed is huge, as it allows you to keep mana up on the turn for counter magic, bounce spells etc. It forces the opponent to act, unknown if you plan to do something at instant speed, or level up your creature... to become a very substantial threat.
In a deck with cards like faithless looting and tons of cantrips/cheap spells, the card becomes absurd. UU for a 5/5 flyer in the mid game is an achievable goal in constructed... but I don't think that's really possible in cube outside of long games, or very dedicated spell decks... and those decks really want to play the blue delve cards which work poorly with this card.
Basically, if you want to support a lot of cantrips and instants/sorcieries, this card is easily cube worthy... but I think it misses the majority of cubes, and probably my own. I expect it to make a big splash in constructed. Cryptic Serpent has seen fringe eternal play, and this strikes me as way better.
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I think it's better than it looks for cube since in there, in contrast to constructed formats, it would act as a Delver of Secrets #2. Spell matter aggro decks now has another option to curve out without having to run too much creatures like Kiln Fiend for example. Runaway Steam-Kin is another card that tend to go into this direction, but in a more mono-red way. FWIW, it was kind of impressive recently in the MTGO cube.
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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.