I love Thalia, so I'm at least happy to see that they made her (probably) standard-playable. She seems decent, and I think she deserves some playtesting and will probably give her a chance. I'm somewhat excited, but not yet blown away.
She does help versus Kiki/Resto combo, delays decks such as 8-whack, and she might have some more decent or fringe uses. But I'm at this point doubting whether she'd be a good maindeck. Will be interesting to see what others think about the card and how it proves useful in playtesting.
She seems pretty amazing against the field slowing down fetchlands in particular. Opponents fetching basics just means your ghost quarters are more often strip mines even without leonin arbiter in play.
However note that this slows down but does not stop the kiki/resto combo since they can still combo off at EoT and untap with everything on their turn.
Nevermind, the Kiki comes into play tapped this is awesome!
It also happens to prevent etched champion from equipping a cranial plating. If you play eight-and-a-half-tails or mirran crusader, painter's servant naming the appropriate color can be pretty good too as long as you can protect your painter's servant.
I always assume opponents will never "fall for it" and that they will play correctly around mindcensor. It is a flash threat that neuters some decks that can't handle it so I think it is well worth 1 or 2 slots. Occasionally they are sloppy and will lead to a blow out but I wouldn't expect that to be the norm.
Playing a turn 1 hierarch into turn 2 untapped temple garden can really warp how your opponents play too, even if you don't have mindcensor in hand just to bluff it.
We don't play that many EtB effects but it can protect a creature from a removal spell or reset an arbiter to make an opponent pay 2 more mana to search.
I've run eight-and-a-half-tails. It pushes mirran crusader through one or two blockers and especially lingering souls tokens. The WW casting cost is not the best in GW hatebears but you would rarely want to play it turn 2 anyway. It also protects smiter from path, which is one of the main things that can kill it. It didn't especially over-perform for me and is relegated to the sideboard for grindier matches.
Yes you are correct in your scenario (and most scenarios).
The only situation where you can't tap inkmoth nexus for mana is if you're animating a freshly played inkmoth nexus (to block for example) and your opponent lets the ability resolve and then taps it down with a deceiver exarch. You cannot then tap it for mana because it is now a creature with summoning sickness.
Although I'm not playing wild defiance anymore, the following interaction has happened before with wild defiance in play:
Path my own blighted agent holding priority, apostle's blessing the blighted agent giving it protection from white. Still get two +3/+3 triggers, path gets countered, and attack for lethal.
She seems pretty amazing against the field slowing down fetchlands in particular. Opponents fetching basics just means your ghost quarters are more often strip mines even without leonin arbiter in play.
However note that this slows down but does not stop the kiki/resto combo since they can still combo off at EoT and untap with everything on their turn.Nevermind, the Kiki comes into play tapped this is awesome!
Playing a turn 1 hierarch into turn 2 untapped temple garden can really warp how your opponents play too, even if you don't have mindcensor in hand just to bluff it.
http://hardcast.libsyn.com/hardcast-episode-37-infected-meat-hooks
The only situation where you can't tap inkmoth nexus for mana is if you're animating a freshly played inkmoth nexus (to block for example) and your opponent lets the ability resolve and then taps it down with a deceiver exarch. You cannot then tap it for mana because it is now a creature with summoning sickness.
Thalia sets them back a turn or so too.
Geist of saint traft, glen elendra archmage, vendilion clique, kira, great glass-spinner, minamo, school at water's edge with mangara of corondor, snapcaster mage, lyev skyknight, harbinger of the tides, momentary blink, venser, shaper savant.
Yeah, root maze is especially brutal since we play fetchlands.
Path my own blighted agent holding priority, apostle's blessing the blighted agent giving it protection from white. Still get two +3/+3 triggers, path gets countered, and attack for lethal.