I like Gaea's Anthem over Curse of Predation for one reason and that is I'm going to shift my cube to be multiplayer and I feel that "picking-on" one player will hurt the caster more than the target eventually. (My playgroup doesn't like being "helped")
This card is like a charm, but with ten different modes (albeit more situational ones) instead of a mere three. It’s a combat trick that lets an aggro deck efficiently remove a midrange or control deck’s speedbump (like a Wall or Courser of Kruphix). It can be discarded for value in a Madness deck and brought back via one of that deck’s tramplers. It’s a late-game mana sink and repeatable damage source for aggro decks. It can pump one of Voltron’s Hexproof or Double Strike attackers at instant speed. It can come down as a creature and pick up a Rancor or a piece of Equipment. It can take advantage of a Goblin Tribal effect. It’s repeatable fodder for cards like Butcher of the Horde, Lotleth Troll and the Masticores. It’s a one-toughness creature for Skullclamp, it’s a situational Lava Spike and if worst comes to worst it can even block!
So the modes are:
1. Very bad combat trick
2. Piece for Madness theme that I don't play
3. Expensive, situational mana sink
4. Enabler for Voltron theme that I don't play
5. Bad vanilla creature (3/1 for 3)
6. Enabler for Tribal theme that I don't play
7. Discard enabler for like 3/540 cards in my cube / super expensive sacrifice enabler for about the same number of cards
8. Bad low-toughness creature that enables one piece of equipment I don't play
9. Twice as expensive, very unreliable version of a burn spell I don't play
10. Bad vanilla creature
It's less efficient than something like Brute Force, but much less susceptible to a blowout since you can get it back.
3. Expensive, situational mana sink
True, but it's broken up into 1R + 3, which mitigates the cost significantly.
4. Enabler for Voltron theme that I don't play
It still combos nicely with first strike, trample, double strike, and evasive creatures which can be found in every cube. It can also wear equipment, which can be found in most cubes.
5. Bad vanilla creature (3/1 for 3)
It's the same stats as Hissing Iguanar, so not unplayably bad. There's plenty that it'll trade off with only to come back later, 1 toughness isn't that bad of a liability on a recursive creature.
7. Discard enabler for like 3/540 cards in my cube
Your CT page says you're running 13, and Pyrewild Shaman also gives you value from Hermit Druid activations.
8. Bad low-toughness creature that enables one piece of equipment I don't play
For anyone who does run Skullclamp, it's a recursive enabler. Although I'll be the first to admit that Skullclamp doesn't really need extra help to be busted.
9. Twice as expensive, very unreliable version of a burn spell I don't play
You run Searing Spear, don't you? This hits blocking creatures, too. This is a situational Searing Spear with, admittedly situational, Buyback. However, making any creature connect is a situation most players are trying to make happen anyway.
10. Bad vanilla creature
Fortunately, it does more than attack and block. However, even if it didn't have the Bloodrush ability, I think this could still be worth a look just as a recursive 3/1 for 2R.
_i0, it's entirely possible that this card isn't a great match for your cube, as you seem to value raw efficiency over potential for synergy. That's cool, but it has potential to support multiple archetypes at the same time, while still having real potential in a more straightforward beatdown deck. I'd say that's enough to make it worth testing for a lot of people.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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.
The biggest problem for Pyrewild Shaman is that any recursion potential -- the stuff that makes it not just a worse Slaughterhorn -- depends on you dealing combat damage to your opponent's face.
That means it doesn't actually help in most stall situations, which is exactly when I want a potential 'engine' card the most.
Still, it's a 3/1 -- quite a bad rate for three mana, but does trade with other 3/3s or take chunks of your opponent's life. Maybe it's good enough just for the chance to re-buy it once... 7RR in three chunks to trade with two incoming 3/3 attackers is certainly OK. If there's potential in the card, seems much more likely for it to be as a clunky midrange deck's Call of the Herd than as anything I'd call an 'archetype'.
I'm probably with io.
I already think slaughterhorn is bad, so a card that has a situational 3 mana disentomb attached sounds hard to use.
I mean, I just dont know how often paying 3 mana to draw this card is going to be correct. It's so inefficient every time it's used you need to use it what... Three times for you to really have gotten ahead?
Gaea's Anthem isn't the Anthem I wanted but I'll use it all the same. I cut Curse of Predation a while back for being dumb so this can comfortably slot into the vacant niche in green.
That means it doesn't actually help in most stall situations, which is exactly when I want a potential 'engine' card the most.
We're talking about red, which has plenty of cards that are hard to block or make creatures unable to block or make creatures outright unblockable. It's not as hard to get Shaman going as it may look.
Getting it back once should be good enough really, and sometimes you can discard it to Faithless Looting and get extra value that way.
I think the Shaman is a fine card. It's a tad overpriced combat trick, but its alleviated by the fact it's on a body (albeit a mediocre one at best). It also provides some late game utility in the recursion engine. It's a tough card to analyze because the modes are all so average, but since they are all on one card it gets tempting.
There are some cool scenarios of course. I'd love to bloodrush my first striker/double striker, connect, return it to my hand, then cast it again during the regular combat damage step. Seems nifty. I'll definitely test the card because I think it is flexible enough to be solid.
I also banned Curse of Predation for being overwhelming. It just provided too much value for free over the course of the game. On top of that, it's an enchantment... which we all know gets harder to interact with. Gaea's Anthem seems like a nice compromise, because I do like that sort of effect in the cube. I would love to support Selesnya Tokens a bit more, and this definitely helps. Imagine the curve of Doomed Traveler, into Intangible Virtue, into Gaea's Anthem, and then Battle Screech flashback...... Yikes.
Curse of Predation is getting the axe to make room for Gaea's Anthem in my cube as well. I've heard enough complaints from my players about it being overpowered/unfair/unfun to play against that I'm comfortable swapping in something substantially more fair in its place.
Gaea's Anthem -> Wall of Blossoms
I cut the curse a while ago after determining the card was too overpowered, however the Anthem looks like a good substitute. Wall of Blossoms is just an unexciting filler card recently and unlike wall of omens it isn't really in a color that can abuse blinking it too easily. I think an easy switch for testing purposes.
Mystic Genesis -> Trygon Predator
I really like the idea of simic being a flash/draw-go theme, although not all my guild sections are 100% devoted to the archetype I try to push in my cube, this is a case where I think this color combination can live without a strong card like Trygon.
Pyrewild Shaman -> Smoldering Werewolf
Werewolf hasn't seen much play, but the play it has seen hasn't been the most impressive. I think this is an easy test-switch and I think the Shaman will actually go well in a lot of decks.
Soul Ransom -> Ancient Excavation
My 4th dimir card slot has always been pretty flexible. I have played with Excavation and it is pretty so-so... has been stellar in a couple of games, but most of the time it is just used as a last chance kind of card. Soul Ransom seems similar to excavation in its use, but maybe better on average. Will test it out, but may just end up putting Dimir Charm back in after all is said and done.
It's not the best three-color card available, and most people aren't playing any three-color cards.
I'm still high on Pyrewild Shaman. I don't think red is so full of ultra-playables that I can't try it out over some super-medium 3-drop. Sure, its WCS is bad, but I think its BCS is good enough to warrant play over something like Acolyte of the Inferno.
Specter was good for me, but certainly didn't do enough for me to reconsider my 'no tri-color cards' rule. Unearth was pretty nearly useless; in a control deck, an extra Lava Spike + discard just didn't do anything, especially when it was forecast multiple turns ahead.
Soul Ransom had a wide range -- I definitely lost games where I needed it to be a permanent answer to the board, instead of a pile of card advantage. But, I also won games with the resources it gave me from its activated ability, and also stuck it as a 'true' Control Magic when my opponent had no cards in hand late-game. I wouldn't really fault anyone for trying it... there's a lot of solid Dimir options, but after Baleful Strix nothing is really a 'staple'.
I also played against Moroii (and briefly with, after stealing via Ransom). 4/4 flyer for 4 is great, drawback is super minimal, who woulda known? Again, same competition as Soul Ransom.
The only time I saw Pyrewild Shaman in action in my opponent's deck it looked awful. I forget any more details, but I also had a pretty brutal control deck.
Gaea's Anthem about as great as expected. For some reason a nagging part of my mind thinks it only affects your green creatures, but, no, it's way better. Had the mispleasure of playing against T4 Anthem, T5 Lingering Souls + flashback, T6 Lingering Souls + flashback.
Some not-very-good drafter tried to build a Mortician Beetle deck, and the Beetle looked like a vanilla 1/1 for 1.
after playing a couple drafts, i'm not really interested in any downshifts outside of gaea's anthem and maybe soul ransom.
however, having played some mm17 has made me more interested in gruul war chant if i decide to cut the energy mini package (have brawler, aether chaser, thriving rats, and longtusk cub right now) as my third gruul card and hungry sprigian as a green beat stick.
I added Goblin Assault and Pyrewild Shaman (as well as Gaea's Anthem) and like the above poster, I have not had a chance to draft with them. However, based on online mock drafts, both can be slotted in to make for some pretty sweet decks. I support rummaging and double strikers in red which both make Pyrewild Shaman better as well as tokens and control which suit Goblin Assault (here are someexamples).
So the modes are:
1. Very bad combat trick
2. Piece for Madness theme that I don't play
3. Expensive, situational mana sink
4. Enabler for Voltron theme that I don't play
5. Bad vanilla creature (3/1 for 3)
6. Enabler for Tribal theme that I don't play
7. Discard enabler for like 3/540 cards in my cube / super expensive sacrifice enabler for about the same number of cards
8. Bad low-toughness creature that enables one piece of equipment I don't play
9. Twice as expensive, very unreliable version of a burn spell I don't play
10. Bad vanilla creature
It's less efficient than something like Brute Force, but much less susceptible to a blowout since you can get it back.
True, but it's broken up into 1R + 3, which mitigates the cost significantly.
It still combos nicely with first strike, trample, double strike, and evasive creatures which can be found in every cube. It can also wear equipment, which can be found in most cubes.
It's the same stats as Hissing Iguanar, so not unplayably bad. There's plenty that it'll trade off with only to come back later, 1 toughness isn't that bad of a liability on a recursive creature.
Your CT page says you're running 13, and Pyrewild Shaman also gives you value from Hermit Druid activations.
For anyone who does run Skullclamp, it's a recursive enabler. Although I'll be the first to admit that Skullclamp doesn't really need extra help to be busted.
You run Searing Spear, don't you? This hits blocking creatures, too. This is a situational Searing Spear with, admittedly situational, Buyback. However, making any creature connect is a situation most players are trying to make happen anyway.
Fortunately, it does more than attack and block. However, even if it didn't have the Bloodrush ability, I think this could still be worth a look just as a recursive 3/1 for 2R.
_i0, it's entirely possible that this card isn't a great match for your cube, as you seem to value raw efficiency over potential for synergy. That's cool, but it has potential to support multiple archetypes at the same time, while still having real potential in a more straightforward beatdown deck. I'd say that's enough to make it worth testing for a lot of people.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
That means it doesn't actually help in most stall situations, which is exactly when I want a potential 'engine' card the most.
Still, it's a 3/1 -- quite a bad rate for three mana, but does trade with other 3/3s or take chunks of your opponent's life. Maybe it's good enough just for the chance to re-buy it once... 7RR in three chunks to trade with two incoming 3/3 attackers is certainly OK. If there's potential in the card, seems much more likely for it to be as a clunky midrange deck's Call of the Herd than as anything I'd call an 'archetype'.
I already think slaughterhorn is bad, so a card that has a situational 3 mana disentomb attached sounds hard to use.
I mean, I just dont know how often paying 3 mana to draw this card is going to be correct. It's so inefficient every time it's used you need to use it what... Three times for you to really have gotten ahead?
My cube is way underpowered, too.
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
430, Peasant, Very Unpowered
Why you should take your hybrids out of your gold section
Manamath Article
Forgot about Ridgescale Tusker - that card is solid and makes me even less likely to want Gaea's Anthem.
I cut Curse of Predation for the same reason. Enchantments are tough.
[Developing] 430+ Peasant Cube Thread --- [and on Cube Cobra]
We're talking about red, which has plenty of cards that are hard to block or make creatures unable to block or make creatures outright unblockable. It's not as hard to get Shaman going as it may look.
Getting it back once should be good enough really, and sometimes you can discard it to Faithless Looting and get extra value that way.
WiJ
Peasant 540 Cube
There are some cool scenarios of course. I'd love to bloodrush my first striker/double striker, connect, return it to my hand, then cast it again during the regular combat damage step. Seems nifty. I'll definitely test the card because I think it is flexible enough to be solid.
I also banned Curse of Predation for being overwhelming. It just provided too much value for free over the course of the game. On top of that, it's an enchantment... which we all know gets harder to interact with. Gaea's Anthem seems like a nice compromise, because I do like that sort of effect in the cube. I would love to support Selesnya Tokens a bit more, and this definitely helps. Imagine the curve of Doomed Traveler, into Intangible Virtue, into Gaea's Anthem, and then Battle Screech flashback...... Yikes.
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
CubeTutor: www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/72
Thread: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=512410
Gaea's Anthem -> Wall of Blossoms
I cut the curse a while ago after determining the card was too overpowered, however the Anthem looks like a good substitute. Wall of Blossoms is just an unexciting filler card recently and unlike wall of omens it isn't really in a color that can abuse blinking it too easily. I think an easy switch for testing purposes.
Mystic Genesis -> Trygon Predator
I really like the idea of simic being a flash/draw-go theme, although not all my guild sections are 100% devoted to the archetype I try to push in my cube, this is a case where I think this color combination can live without a strong card like Trygon.
Pyrewild Shaman -> Smoldering Werewolf
Werewolf hasn't seen much play, but the play it has seen hasn't been the most impressive. I think this is an easy test-switch and I think the Shaman will actually go well in a lot of decks.
Soul Ransom -> Ancient Excavation
My 4th dimir card slot has always been pretty flexible. I have played with Excavation and it is pretty so-so... has been stellar in a couple of games, but most of the time it is just used as a last chance kind of card. Soul Ransom seems similar to excavation in its use, but maybe better on average. Will test it out, but may just end up putting Dimir Charm back in after all is said and done.
My 180 Peasant Cube on Cubetutor
Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
430, Peasant, Very Unpowered
Why you should take your hybrids out of your gold section
Manamath Article
I'm still high on Pyrewild Shaman. I don't think red is so full of ultra-playables that I can't try it out over some super-medium 3-drop. Sure, its WCS is bad, but I think its BCS is good enough to warrant play over something like Acolyte of the Inferno.
Draft my Peasant Cube.
?
EDIT: I must have not seen that there was another page. This was in response to the comment about the unearth-specter.
Cubetutor Peasant'ish-Funbox
Project: Khans of Tarkir Cube (cubetutor)
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
430, Peasant, Very Unpowered
Why you should take your hybrids out of your gold section
Manamath Article
Specter was good for me, but certainly didn't do enough for me to reconsider my 'no tri-color cards' rule. Unearth was pretty nearly useless; in a control deck, an extra Lava Spike + discard just didn't do anything, especially when it was forecast multiple turns ahead.
Soul Ransom had a wide range -- I definitely lost games where I needed it to be a permanent answer to the board, instead of a pile of card advantage. But, I also won games with the resources it gave me from its activated ability, and also stuck it as a 'true' Control Magic when my opponent had no cards in hand late-game. I wouldn't really fault anyone for trying it... there's a lot of solid Dimir options, but after Baleful Strix nothing is really a 'staple'.
I also played against Moroii (and briefly with, after stealing via Ransom). 4/4 flyer for 4 is great, drawback is super minimal, who woulda known? Again, same competition as Soul Ransom.
The only time I saw Pyrewild Shaman in action in my opponent's deck it looked awful. I forget any more details, but I also had a pretty brutal control deck.
Gaea's Anthem about as great as expected. For some reason a nagging part of my mind thinks it only affects your green creatures, but, no, it's way better. Had the mispleasure of playing against T4 Anthem, T5 Lingering Souls + flashback, T6 Lingering Souls + flashback.
Some not-very-good drafter tried to build a Mortician Beetle deck, and the Beetle looked like a vanilla 1/1 for 1.
however, having played some mm17 has made me more interested in gruul war chant if i decide to cut the energy mini package (have brawler, aether chaser, thriving rats, and longtusk cub right now) as my third gruul card and hungry sprigian as a green beat stick.
?
I forgot the other cards existes, but I would certainly consider soul ransom
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
430, Peasant, Very Unpowered
Why you should take your hybrids out of your gold section
Manamath Article