MTG Salvation

I'd definitely give Gryff a try. A 3/4 flyer is respectable and it's pretty easy to have a random 2 or 3 drop lying around that isn't really doing much.

Has anyone given Haunted Dead or Advanced Stitchwing a try? I like the idea of them playing well with self-mill, as well as turning dud cards later on into something relevant.

I have Haunted Dead in my Cube but I do not think it was in the pool the only time we had a chance to play. It is making the rounds in constrcted, though, so that is something, despite the differences between our formats. It also fills in a few roles for different archetypes which I like.

Here is a small This or That question on a card from Eldritch Moon (and a swap I just recently made):

Abundant Maw or Gray Merchant of Asphodel?

I've been down on Gray Merchant of Asphodel for a while, so Abundant Maw would be my pick.

The ability to turn two bad cards into Haunted Dead or Advanced Stitchwing isn't really enough to make up for how bad they are when you cast them the first time. I guess the 3/4 is closer, but still very underwhelming.

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Gary, I guess? It's not a high pick, but I still like it considerably more than Maw. Unless my opponent has cast Pacifism or Narcolepsy or something, a 6/4 for 7 is not what I want to be doing with my Emerge card.

Haunted Dead has worked out pretty well for me so far. It's pretty great in Tokens, or any deck which gets a lot of redundant cards... Also it provides value on entering, which makes it better than Stitchwing Skaab in my opinion. the token stays, which makes it a pretty good engine in b/w tokens, for instance. Or in the g/b sac.dec.

Gray merchant, easily. I also refuse to call it Gary.

Haunted dead has been good

I guess in the UK he's Gery.

I can't imagine a situation where Haunted Dead is good.

Just about the same situations where Beetleback chief is good, only with a flying token, in a traditionally more defensive color, and the ability to keep you alive in super long games, and random upside with self-milling.
So, uh, a bunch

Quote from Leelue »

Just about the same situations where Beetleback chief is good, only with a flying token, in a traditionally more defensive color, and the ability to keep you alive in super long games, and random upside with self-milling.
So, uh, a bunch

I just don't see it.

His intial cost for a 2/2 and a 1/1 flier is fine. It's not Beetleback Chief, but I understand the comparison. Marsh Flitter might be a better one.

His recursion seems awfully steep on defense. Paying 1B, discarding two cards, for a 1/1 flier on defense sounds horrible. (He enters tapped).

His recursion seems awfully steep for value. Discarding two lands seems nice, but in a long game where players are hellbent, I can't imagine any nonland spells I'd want to keep in hand to fuel such a small effect....

I can't get there.

I mean

Sandsteppe Outcast is good

+1 mana for the ability to re-buy it seems... OK.

For two cards, two mana, and enters tapped? Pass

Now.. if we made two 1/1 spirits.. then we could talk.

I mean, re-buying it is a better rate than just casting a stupid Pale Rider of Trostad (unless you're hell-bent).

You can find cards worse than a haunted dead to discard in your hand late in the game. Some 3 and most 2 drops, for example.

Etbt late in the game isnt that bad either.

Did anyone ever try out Curious Homunculus/Voracious Reader?

Yeah. We like it in various spell-based decks as a way to get over the top faster and a back-up win condition. I guess it depends how hard you want to push the spells deck and how often you see decks with enough medium-to-large spells for it to matter.

I tried it out, and it's still in my Cube. I like it, it is not something extraordinary, but it serves its purpose well.

Tested it, but ended up cutting it. Just ended up not being worth it over other cards that are more flexible rather then fitting into one or two specific decks.