Regardless of if it's an instant or sorcery that's drawn, you'll reveal it and then Kefnet's triggered ability will make a copy of that card. You'll have to cast that copy during the resolution of the triggered ability, and can't wait until later. This will ignore the timing restrictions inherent to casting a sorcery, but not other timing restrictions (like Cauldron Dance which requires you cast it during combat).
You won't be able to leverage miracle to cast it, because the copy of the card you're casting isn't the actual card that you've drawn (that's still in your hand), but if you want, you'll also be able to cast the miracled card, since it's still the first card you've drawn that turn.
I'm only luke warm on it as I prefer Tallrand and Thing in The Ice as spells matters cards. What I do find intriguing is the mild boost to spells matters and recursive nature of the threat. Many of my blue decks, especially the spells deck, are win-con light. They can really struggle it their engines get killed. This dude is much harder to get rid of. Many blue decks will let this just get killed and cast it again later, saving counters for exile effects. Similarly durable beaters are usually 6 mana (except for True Name Nemesis) so I might have to try this.
And once again blue gets the cheap one. I will never understand why wizards changed this part of the color pie, but we get the benefits.
I think this is the most generally powerful card from WAR so far. Kefnet's ability just does exactly what blue wants to do while being a win condition on its own. It's a 4/5 flyer for 4cc that recurs itself. What! That's a strong floor. That's a big enough body to block early creatures and live while having enough power to be an evasive win condition. On top of that, the ability is just going to be doing its thing gaining you incidental value. Since you're playing blue in Cube you're going to be playing instants and sorceries. Sorry, correction. You're going to be playing lots of the best instants/sorceries of all time. Kefnet does so many things so well, I don't see many players cutting it from their blue decks.
This is pushed so hard. Great tempo play regardless based on just the pushed stats and flying alone and I can think of quite a few decks I would happily run this in. I mean off the top of my head Chart a Course....you're probably drawing 4 and discarding 1 for 2U
Edit: Removed ....didn't RTFC. Fiery Confluence is 12 to the face (Or a wrath + damage) for 2RRRR Fractured Identity for 3 with a copy in hand? Gross.
This is pushed so hard. Great tempo play regardless based on just the pushed stats and flying alone and I can think of quite a few decks I would happily run this in. I mean off the top of my head Chart a Course....you're probably drawing 4 and discarding 1 for 2U Staggershock 8 damage over two turns split in 4 increments of two for 2RR Fiery Confluence is 12 to the face (Or a wrath + damage) for 2RRRR Fractured Identity for 3 with a copy in hand? Gross.
The Staggershock copy would cease to exist upon being exiled, and thus you'd only get 6 damage for 2RR. That said, even just getting an extra "free" shock seems quite nice. The biggest downside for Kefnet seems to be that he doesn't have any way to manufacture immediate value, beyond just being a big body.
There's a lot of cool things that you can do with this card, and a lot of really powerful things that can happen. Even though I don't need another blue 4cc creature, I'll find room to test this, because some of these interactions are too spicy to pass up. And of course, a 4/5 flying that's a pain in the butt to get rid of is a great floor for 4 mana.
It can make it pretty awkward with Upheaval/Wildfire, since you can't float mana in your draw phase and use it in your main phase. Still a great effect though.
It's the beefy floor of the card that makes it most promising. If you described this effect to me and asked me what I thought its P/T was, I'd probably say 3/3 or 4/3 at maximum. 4/5 is very pushed.
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Got in some testing with Kefnet today and he's pretty strong. The drafter said a bunch of cool synergies with Condescend and Remand came up, and though it wasn't triggered all that often it was enough to be significant upside. The flying 4/5 body stabilized well. First impression after testing is that the card is very solid, though not insane by any stretch.
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It's not that Kefnet copies them, it's that Condescend on your opponent's spells sets up your Kefnet reveals, and Remand allows you to trigger Kefnet on your opponent's turns. It's also pretty nuts with Vampiric and Mystical Tutor.
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My Cubes - The Busted Cube. A fully functional, almost 100% custom cube. The project started out by asking "What if other colors got cards on the power level of Mana Drain,Ancestral Recall, and Time Walk?" Draft and enjoy!
Got in games with Kefnet today, and the card was very very impressive. The 4/5 flying body was nothing to scoff at, and the recursion clause was fantastic in a blue deck that could find it immediately the next turn via cantrips and card draw. The deck also had Scroll Rack and got to take infinite turns, as well as lock an opponent out with Unexpectedly Absent.
Even though it was only one deck, the showing made me feel like Kefnet will last in my cube for a long time. Not necessarily because the card is so powerful, but it has a reasonable floor, an incredible ceiling, and incentivizes you to think in cool ways to maximize the ability. Those are my favorite kinds of cards. They don't make it into 360 lists, but at 540 I play as many as I can
I'm only luke warm on it as I prefer Tallrand and Thing in The Ice as spells matters cards. What I do find intriguing is the mild boost to spells matters and recursive nature of the threat. Many of my blue decks, especially the spells deck, are win-con light. They can really struggle it their engines get killed. This dude is much harder to get rid of. Many blue decks will let this just get killed and cast it again later, saving counters for exile effects. Similarly durable beaters are usually 6 mana (except for True Name Nemesis) so I might have to try this.
And once again blue gets the cheap one. I will never understand why wizards changed this part of the color pie, but we get the benefits.
Eh, I think this is far less of a spells matter card and much more of a value card. You play it for the 4/5 flying body for 4 and hope to hit value 1/4 of the time IMO.
I'm only luke warm on it as I prefer Tallrand and Thing in The Ice as spells matters cards. What I do find intriguing is the mild boost to spells matters and recursive nature of the threat. Many of my blue decks, especially the spells deck, are win-con light. They can really struggle it their engines get killed. This dude is much harder to get rid of. Many blue decks will let this just get killed and cast it again later, saving counters for exile effects. Similarly durable beaters are usually 6 mana (except for True Name Nemesis) so I might have to try this.
And once again blue gets the cheap one. I will never understand why wizards changed this part of the color pie, but we get the benefits.
Eh, I think this is far less of a spells matter card and much more of a value card. You play it for the 4/5 flying body for 4 and hope to hit value 1/4 of the time IMO.
Exactly this. The floor on Talrand and Thing in the Ice is so incredibly medium, while this card is a legitimate threat. Triggering it for card advantage even once means you've got a good card, and with synergies it starts becoming a great card.
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I love it that this guy upS the stock of Scroll Rack and Top as well. They’ve been generically good cards in my cube forever but this creature almost makes them combo pieces.
@ryansaxe, that sounds rad thanks for typing up that report.
You won't be able to leverage miracle to cast it, because the copy of the card you're casting isn't the actual card that you've drawn (that's still in your hand), but if you want, you'll also be able to cast the miracled card, since it's still the first card you've drawn that turn.
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And once again blue gets the cheap one. I will never understand why wizards changed this part of the color pie, but we get the benefits.
and it looks like even exile effects don't get rid of it: "when X dies or is put into exile from the battlefield, you may..."
Chart a Course....you're probably drawing 4 and discarding 1 for 2U
Edit: Removed ....didn't RTFC.
Fiery Confluence is 12 to the face (Or a wrath + damage) for 2RRRR
Fractured Identity for 3 with a copy in hand? Gross.
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It's the beefy floor of the card that makes it most promising. If you described this effect to me and asked me what I thought its P/T was, I'd probably say 3/3 or 4/3 at maximum. 4/5 is very pushed.
Regular 450 unpowered cube (with some custom cards) - 450 Unpowered
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!
Regular 450 unpowered cube (with some custom cards) - 450 Unpowered
Regular 450 unpowered cube (with some custom cards) - 450 Unpowered
Even though it was only one deck, the showing made me feel like Kefnet will last in my cube for a long time. Not necessarily because the card is so powerful, but it has a reasonable floor, an incredible ceiling, and incentivizes you to think in cool ways to maximize the ability. Those are my favorite kinds of cards. They don't make it into 360 lists, but at 540 I play as many as I can
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Eh, I think this is far less of a spells matter card and much more of a value card. You play it for the 4/5 flying body for 4 and hope to hit value 1/4 of the time IMO.
375 unpowered cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/601ac624832cdf1039947588
Exactly this. The floor on Talrand and Thing in the Ice is so incredibly medium, while this card is a legitimate threat. Triggering it for card advantage even once means you've got a good card, and with synergies it starts becoming a great card.
Regular 450 unpowered cube (with some custom cards) - 450 Unpowered
@ryansaxe, that sounds rad thanks for typing up that report.