Is this card good enough? An edict strapped to a 4/2 is pretty subpar, but a howling mine attached to it, as well as additional sac triggers if you plan it out well seems nice. I think it might be a little bit too cute, but I like the monarch mechanic and this seems the closest so far.
Can't seem to copy link location on mobile not delete the thread, so no picture for you.
3BB
Zombie
When etb you the monarch
When you become the monarch target opponent sacrifices a creature
4/2
For what it is worth, if the opponent steals the monarch from you when you have this in play, and you steal it back you can make them sac another creature. Still a very costly and time consuming situation to set up to get a second edict.
3BB Edict / draw a card at EOT attached to a 4/2 body sounds like your typical mediocre black 5 drop on the surface. 5 mana is a lot for an edict. Not sure how I feel about this guy, feels a bit middle in the road. It's nice that it's a zombie though, it might make my EDH deck.
I kinda like it. I really want to test out the Monarch mechanic, because it seems really fun (and potentially powerful) and this seems like the best enabler for it. 4 power and an Edict for 5 mana isn't bad, but given the Monarch trigger AND the potential for additional Edict triggers if the Monarch trades hands during the game seems pretty cool. I might find a way to test it out.
Seems pretty solid. You get a 3-for-1 when this enters the battlefield (the body, the sac, the first draw) with the potential to put the game out of reach. Even if your opponent can attack with their diminished board, you can get double value off the Lich via any blink/recursion effect or combat damage yourself. It's a far sight better than Predatory Nightstalker, a card that used to see a fair bit of Peasant play, and it's competing for a known weak slot.
Thinking about it more, this could be useful over the longterm since the edict effect is somewhat repeatable, but it's constantly mitigated by your opponent drawing cards off of being the monarch. I think it comes down to how many decks this can slot into that can keep control over being the monarch.
I'll probably test this over Priest since monarch adds an interesting twist to a regular cube game.
Monarch seems pretty swingy, in that there are some matchups where it will probably put you up by 3+ cards and win the game, but some where it will probably put you down by 2+ cards and lose you the game. I'm eager to test it, and as an initial 3-for-1 with decent tempo this guy will definitely be a part of that.
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I primarily play limited, so most of my spoiler season comments view cards through that lens.
Yes, that is going to strongly discourage your opponent from attacking if they can't remove it. It is easy enough to remove as a 4/2, but even then the edict puts you in a good position to keep monarch, or retake it and hold it later. Cool minigame and a great card to showcase it.
What I don't like about the card is the lack of reminder text. It wouldn't have had to be long: (At the beginning of the monarch's end step, he or she draws a card. When a source deals combat damage to the monarch, its controller becomes the monarch.) I may just print a proxy with reminder text to use.
What I don't like about the card is the lack of reminder text. It wouldn't have had to be long: (At the beginning of the monarch's end step, he or she draws a card. When a source deals combat damage to the monarch, its controller becomes the monarch.) I may just print a proxy with reminder text to use.
This will keep me from using any of the Monarch-based cards. I think it's an interesting mechanic, but the mechanics of Conspiracy have been a tough enough sell with some of the people I play with even when the reminder text is right on the cards without having to refer to a completely different card in the middle of the draft for them to grok what the card does. I don't want to have to run a proxy either in order to have reminder text. The power level may well be good enough, but this is a hard pass for me.
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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.
Just put The Monarch card in the middle of the table at the start of the draft, so that everyone can look at it if necessary. I do that with the DFC backside tokens and it works fine.
Speaking of The Monarch card, it is pretty rare that a Magic card gets released with such an obvious mistake. The last one that I can think of is Walking Atlas from Worldwake (though that mistake was even more severe than this one).
After a draft or two, everyone will understand it. And since The Monarch is a legal mechanic in Legacy/VIntage, it'll be a commonly understood mechanic in no time at all.
And since The Monarch is a legal mechanic in Legacy/VIntage, it'll be a commonly understood mechanic in no time at all.
Legacy and Vintage see close to zero play in South Korea, so that's not something I can expect to count on either, unfortunately. Will of the Council still routinely trips up drafters in my cube, and that's explained right on the card. Monarch seems like a potentially powerful mechanic, and I'm looking forward to hearing others' stories about how this works in their drafts, but I really don't think it's a fit for my cube.
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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.
Man, I don't think people give their players enough credit. This is no more confusing than other unique mechanics. And it doesn't create any more difficult situations than DFCs do. Or, people that check Gatherer on their phones for oracle text or updated creature types. Simple explanations, super easy to understand, and for newer players, leave a Monarch emblem on the table during the draft so players can read it if they're unfamiliar. Cube is pretty relaxed. Someone reading the card during the draft can simply ask about Monarch, and it'll be answered. Same way that any other questions or checking the backs of DFCs impact the draft. Which is to say, not at all.
The best and most interesting monarch card so far. It's nice that you get the full benefit of being the monarch, but if the opponent becomes the monarch, it gives you the opportunity to trigger the edict again with combat damage or blink effects. It should be pretty good when you have something unblockable, like Looter il-Kor. It's also a zombie and a black 5-drop.
Agreed. The risk of the Monarch mechanic is that if it regularly trades hands, the monarch emblem winds up being a symmetrical effect. With the Edict trigger stacking whenever the monarch changes hands, you break that symmetry. Cool design. And yes, being a black 5-drop is key, and being a Zombie is also awesome.
I'm not saying that the standard for black 5 drops is even close to the standard for true tri-color cards, but I think it's iknteresting that you're talking up the symmetry breaking here when Marchesa is much better at taking back the monarchy and has a more reliable symmetry breaking effect (they generate the same card advantage if the monarchy flips every turn, but she keeps parity if you can't take it back on a certain turn while this guy does not).
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I primarily play limited, so most of my spoiler season comments view cards through that lens.
Yeah, I was just looking at the Marchesa thread and thinking "oh, right, the lich wasn't the first card of that kind", but I basically skimmed over Marchesa because I don't want to run true tri-color cards at low CMC (we still run Nicol Bolas, but that's different).
Being mono black means it's fairly easy to recur Custodi Lich to gain monarchy advantage. But then again, this effect really can't be abused if you're already the monarch....
As far as card complexity goes, exaining monarchy is infinitely easier than explaining how planeswalkers function.
Planeswalkers are a big enough part of the cube experience that I don't feel bad about having to specifically explain them to someone who hasn't played magic in a long time. So are conspiracies and draft-matters (but conspiracies have reminder text!). Monarchy is obviously not; it's an extra thing to explain for just one card (maybe two) that might not be in the draft. That's not going to stop me from cubing the card, as I'm just going to add reminder text, but I disagree with the design decision.
I'm usually not someone who is averse to complexity at all, but this one bothers me because it's such a game-altering mechanic that is only going to appear on 1-2 cards.
Custodi Lich3BB
Creature - Zombie
Whenever Custodi Lich enters the battlefield,
target opponent sacrifice a creature and you
draw a card.
4/2
Whit those stats, I think I would have considered running the card. With the monarch mechanic added, in fact, I think it becomes even better. Being able to draw multiple cards out of it and to force your opponent sacrifice his board seems really powerful, even if he does get a couple of cards in the process. The WCS is when your opponent is ahead and blows it right away. Then the Lich would die before netting you a card and your opponent would start getting CA if he can attack your life total next turn. With that said, I still think it is really playable. Testing will tell.
I think it's iknteresting that you're talking up the symmetry breaking here when Marchesa is much better at taking back the monarchy and has a more reliable symmetry breaking effect
Part of the reason is that I don't have to lose the Monarch emblem to gain the CA value from the Lich. It's a 3-for-1 the turn I cast it. I don't want to play a 3-color gold card that doesn't generate more than a 2-for-1 until after I lose control of my Monarch emblem. That, and the standard for a 1-color card and a 3-color card aren't remotely the same. So I think the Lich is straight better, AND it's only 1 color.
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3BB
Zombie
When etb you the monarch
When you become the monarch target opponent sacrifices a creature
4/2
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I'll probably test this over Priest since monarch adds an interesting twist to a regular cube game.
One day we'll have so many good black 5-drops that we'll look back and laugh at how ever lived without such dope cards.
One day......
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What I don't like about the card is the lack of reminder text. It wouldn't have had to be long: (At the beginning of the monarch's end step, he or she draws a card. When a source deals combat damage to the monarch, its controller becomes the monarch.) I may just print a proxy with reminder text to use.
This will keep me from using any of the Monarch-based cards. I think it's an interesting mechanic, but the mechanics of Conspiracy have been a tough enough sell with some of the people I play with even when the reminder text is right on the cards without having to refer to a completely different card in the middle of the draft for them to grok what the card does. I don't want to have to run a proxy either in order to have reminder text. The power level may well be good enough, but this is a hard pass for me.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Speaking of The Monarch card, it is pretty rare that a Magic card gets released with such an obvious mistake. The last one that I can think of is Walking Atlas from Worldwake (though that mistake was even more severe than this one).
Uril, the Miststalker RGW -- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre C -- Vhati il-Dal BG -- Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer RW -- Animar, Soul of Elements URG
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My drafts pretty much always have at least one new player in it, so that will not likely be the case for my playgroup.
Legacy and Vintage see close to zero play in South Korea, so that's not something I can expect to count on either, unfortunately. Will of the Council still routinely trips up drafters in my cube, and that's explained right on the card. Monarch seems like a potentially powerful mechanic, and I'm looking forward to hearing others' stories about how this works in their drafts, but I really don't think it's a fit for my cube.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
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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!
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!
Interested in Custom Card Creation.
My Cube:Cardinal Custom Cube
A custom version of a third modern masters: MM2019
(filter->rarity to see in set rarity).
As far as card complexity goes, exaining monarchy is infinitely easier than explaining how planeswalkers function.
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I'm usually not someone who is averse to complexity at all, but this one bothers me because it's such a game-altering mechanic that is only going to appear on 1-2 cards.
Creature - Zombie
Whenever Custodi Lich enters the battlefield,
target opponent sacrifice a creature and you
draw a card.
4/2
Whit those stats, I think I would have considered running the card. With the monarch mechanic added, in fact, I think it becomes even better. Being able to draw multiple cards out of it and to force your opponent sacrifice his board seems really powerful, even if he does get a couple of cards in the process. The WCS is when your opponent is ahead and blows it right away. Then the Lich would die before netting you a card and your opponent would start getting CA if he can attack your life total next turn. With that said, I still think it is really playable. Testing will tell.
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Part of the reason is that I don't have to lose the Monarch emblem to gain the CA value from the Lich. It's a 3-for-1 the turn I cast it. I don't want to play a 3-color gold card that doesn't generate more than a 2-for-1 until after I lose control of my Monarch emblem. That, and the standard for a 1-color card and a 3-color card aren't remotely the same. So I think the Lich is straight better, AND it's only 1 color.
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!