Ooo, not bad. Worse cost / condition than Chart a Course, but being instant speed is pretty hot. Solid roleplayer for sure. I might make space for it in the future if some of the other stuff I'm testing out doesn't pan out.
I'd be all over a 1UCatalog, but this being multicolored with very marginal upside gives me pause. If I'm going to add a gold utility card, I want it to be an auto-include in every single deck that is in its colors (e.g. Lightning Helix, Expressive Iteration). This card isn't quite at that level, so I think it'll stay sidelined until more guild slots open up.
I'd be all over a 1UCatalog, but this being multicolored with very marginal upside gives me pause. If I'm going to add a gold utility card, I want it to be an auto-include in every single deck that is in its colors (e.g. Lightning Helix, Expressive Iteration). This card isn't quite at that level, so I think it'll stay sidelined until more guild slots open up.
I don't see why you would ever not play this in a Blue/Black deck. It does everything the color pair wants to be doing– it lets you play at instant speed, run card selection, and fill your graveyard. Cubes with U/B as a reanimator section can use this as an enabler to bin drawn reanimator targets. Most Cubes here even tend to have higher mana curves, so the "five or more mana values" rider ends up being more relevant than normal.
Tainted Indulgence is strong and I will consider testing it. However, it's a weird signpost for a self-mill archetype that is only moderately supported... I'd much prefer if this said "a" graveyard instead of "your" graveyard because in my cube Dimir is more about milling the opponent.
I'd be all over a 1UCatalog, but this being multicolored with very marginal upside gives me pause. If I'm going to add a gold utility card, I want it to be an auto-include in every single deck that is in its colors (e.g. Lightning Helix, Expressive Iteration). This card isn't quite at that level, so I think it'll stay sidelined until more guild slots open up.
I don't see why you would ever not play this in a Blue/Black deck. It does everything the color pair wants to be doing– it lets you play at instant speed, run card selection, and fill your graveyard. Cubes with U/B as a reanimator section can use this as an enabler to bin drawn reanimator targets. Most Cubes here even tend to have higher mana curves, so the "five or more mana values" rider ends up being more relevant than normal.
This is simply a good card.
While this card's right at home in the archetypes which most heavily lean towards, it doesn't quite fit into every UB deck. A tempo UB deck, for example, would consider this card to be a 22nd or 23rd playable, if it made the cut at all. My issue with the card becomes clearer if you consider decks that are merely splashing blue or black. A Simic deck would have little interest splashing for this, and all the flavors of BX aggro aren't going to touch it.
The card is good no doubt, I'm just not sure that I want it more than the cards I'm currently running.
and all the flavors of BX aggro aren't going to touch it.
This is probably the biggest difference of opinion on the card actually. I don't support black aggro unless it's graveyard/sac oriented which generally would be at least interested in this. My entire black section is heavily graveyard focused so this is something I would splash for. As always it really depends upon the make up of your color sections. For me this seems like a slam dunk since Notion Thief is almost always an anti control sideboard card or a splash in UR wheels.dec.
I'm surprised there's so much more interest in this than in A Little Chat. I have much better things to do than this with my dimir section, but I expect great things from that card.
I prefer Lim-Dul's Vault for BU card draw, but again I've got better things to do with the section than draw cards when mono-blue and mono-black cards already cover that.
I'm surprised there's so much more interest in this than in A Little Chat. I have much better things to do than this with my dimir section, but I expect great things from that card.
I prefer Lim-Dul's Vault for BU card draw, but again I've got better things to do with the section than draw cards when mono-blue and mono-black cards already cover that.
This being a discard outlet typically gives this a lot more archetype applications than A Little Chat / Lim-Dul's Vault.
For this color combination, I would always want the option to discard a card.
Assuming this card functions like Thirst for Knowledge, you do in fact always have the option of discarding.
You won’t always have the option of discarding. Thirst for Knowledge’s “unless” gives you two options of discarding one artifact card or two cards. This functions like Chart a Course, which will see that its “unless” clause has been met and you won’t be able to discard a card.
I've recently expanded my multicolor section to support Niv-Mizzet / domain, and this has been pretty useful. Pretty much makes the cut for any UBx deck, and is a solid roleplayer as a discard outlet and being instant speed for draw-go strategies. Tempo and control have really been on the rise in my cube lately, having more instant speed options have really helped contribute to that.
For this color combination, I would always want the option to discard a card.
While always having the option is nice, your graveyard will more likely have everything it needs if you do meet the 5 different mana values requirement, so it's not really much of a big deal.
I've been playing this in my cube over some more powerful (but expensive) options and I like it a lot.
It does everything that dimir decks want to do, both reanimator and control.
Reanimator is desperate to churn through their deck and put things in the yard.
In "control", this acts as instant speed card filtering that fills up the graveyard for delve spells. Holding up a counter spell then indulgence at end of turn is a fine use of your mana. I play treasure cruise, Dig through tmie, Ethereal forager, Murktide regent and Gurmag Angler, so lots to do with cards in the GY.
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I don't see why you would ever not play this in a Blue/Black deck. It does everything the color pair wants to be doing– it lets you play at instant speed, run card selection, and fill your graveyard. Cubes with U/B as a reanimator section can use this as an enabler to bin drawn reanimator targets. Most Cubes here even tend to have higher mana curves, so the "five or more mana values" rider ends up being more relevant than normal.
This is simply a good card.
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While this card's right at home in the archetypes which most heavily lean towards, it doesn't quite fit into every UB deck. A tempo UB deck, for example, would consider this card to be a 22nd or 23rd playable, if it made the cut at all. My issue with the card becomes clearer if you consider decks that are merely splashing blue or black. A Simic deck would have little interest splashing for this, and all the flavors of BX aggro aren't going to touch it.
The card is good no doubt, I'm just not sure that I want it more than the cards I'm currently running.
540 Version: https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/zza
This is probably the biggest difference of opinion on the card actually. I don't support black aggro unless it's graveyard/sac oriented which generally would be at least interested in this. My entire black section is heavily graveyard focused so this is something I would splash for. As always it really depends upon the make up of your color sections. For me this seems like a slam dunk since Notion Thief is almost always an anti control sideboard card or a splash in UR wheels.dec.
Wouldn't fault anyone for playing/testing
Last Updated 02/07/24
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I prefer Lim-Dul's Vault for BU card draw, but again I've got better things to do with the section than draw cards when mono-blue and mono-black cards already cover that.
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This being a discard outlet typically gives this a lot more archetype applications than A Little Chat / Lim-Dul's Vault.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
Assuming this card functions like Thirst for Knowledge, you do in fact always have the option of discarding.
540 Version: https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/zza
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While always having the option is nice, your graveyard will more likely have everything it needs if you do meet the 5 different mana values requirement, so it's not really much of a big deal.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
It does everything that dimir decks want to do, both reanimator and control.
Reanimator is desperate to churn through their deck and put things in the yard.
In "control", this acts as instant speed card filtering that fills up the graveyard for delve spells. Holding up a counter spell then indulgence at end of turn is a fine use of your mana. I play treasure cruise, Dig through tmie, Ethereal forager, Murktide regent and Gurmag Angler, so lots to do with cards in the GY.
Last Updated 02/07/24
Streaming Standard/Cube on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/heisenb3rg96
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