I consider the modern age to be Mercadian Masques-present.
I tried to think of the most powerful cards of every Standard season since then, and this is what I came up with. There are a lot of notable omissions from strong decks of yesteryear (Disciple of the Vault, Spiritmonger, Wild Nacatl, Meloku, Teferi, Mystical Teachings, etc.), but I only had 29 slots.
Sadly enough, I think it's Jace, the Mind Sculptor. The card just buries the opponent in card advantage, all for the low cost of four mana. That being said, pretty much every card printed between Masques and Ravnica, especially Psychatog, are way cooler.
I forgot about The Clamp while I was making this list up in my head (probably because of how quickly it was banned), and then I remembered. I definitely would agree that Clamp is the best, with Jace at #2, and the Onslaught Fetchlands at #3.
After thinking about it a bit though I came to the distinct conclusion that Tendrils of Agony was my choice. The reason being because with the printing of Tendrils all of a sudden there was an entirely new and different way to play magic competitively. There was this thing called Storm combo and hundreds of different takes on it. Different card choices, color combinations, cantrips, tutors, digging spells, draw enablers, philosophies of play style, protection or no protection, Legacy or Vintage, and so many takes on Storm combo the options are just staggering. But for all the differences in styles and card choices they all end the same way. Storm 9 or greater followed by Tendrils of Agony.
As awesome as Bob, Tarmogoyf, and even Jace are, they all just help long established play styles do their thing even better. Tendrils on the other hand created an entirely new and highly competitive way to play the game of Magic when it came into existence. That's why it's my top pick
1. top-can go in any deck and improve it
2. AEther Vial- see top
3. Clamp-can improve decks built to abuse it, otherwise its just ok.
4. onslaught fetches-always useful in any deck running 2-more colors
5. Tarmogoyf - goes in any green deck and very easy to abuse.
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Currently Playing 1994 Magic The Rack Type 1: B/W Zombies Modern: Kuldotha Red Legacy: Pox, Oath Vintag: 10 Proxy Merfolk Pauper: Pestilence, UG Threshold EDH: Karn, Roon, Sliver Queen, Xiahou Dun, Arcanus
Skullclamp cannot really be considered a best for it was banned upon release. I think the best card/most broken card on that list has to be Bloodbraid Elf. That card was too busted.
Skullclamp. Every deck in standard, extended, and legacy ran 4 of the card while it was legal. Jace doesn't come close to skullclamp in terms of power stop kidding yourselves if you think a 4 mana PW beats a recurring ancestral recall you're nuts. Fetches are good. SDT is very powerful as well. Dark confidant is really good. And gush is very good as well surprised no one voted for it then again clamp is better than gush IMO.
Tarmogoyf is also pretty strong but it's a creature. Put it beside the likes of clamp, top, dark confidant, gush, etc. etc. and it pales in comparison IMO especially with power creep at creatures (kotr is very strong for a creature as well.)
No mind's desire on the poll? Tendrils of agony is the kill spell sure but mind's desire is busted in two compared to lin sivvi, wild mongrel, counterspell, cryptic command, bitterblossom, bloodbraid elf, etc. etc.
Also, bloodbraid elf? Broken? You are kidding yourselves. In legacy, no one has run BBE for good reason it's a 4 mana 3/2 with haste that cascades into...sensei's top? Counterbalance? Goyf? BBE should never cascade into clamp because in a deck with skullclamp you run X/1 creatures not X/2 creatures. You don't need it either; skullclamp can win you the game on turn 3, a turn before you could even cast BBE unless you ramp into it which again makes zero sense. Jund <<<<<<< Clamp decks while clamp was legal in standard. And clamp wasn't banned upon release; it wreaked havoc for a few months before it's banning. Every deck ran 4 MD sans 1 which ran 4 in the SB.
Clamp was a combo enabler, though you had to pack your deck with elves to make it work. Gush is better in its 'right deck' than clamp is in 'rights deck'.
If clamp was legal in legacy, it'd probably be seen most often alongside 4 Glimpse of Nature as fuel for elf-ball. Personally a Gush fan vs. Skullclamp. Clamp is banned in Legacy and the deck is too weak in Vintage to be a contender, ala SotF.
Skullclamp cannot really be considered a best for it was banned upon release. I think the best card/most broken card on that list has to be Bloodbraid Elf. That card was too busted.
this logic is astounding. Clamp was so busted that it had to be BANNED, yet you say that makes it not considerable for the best, which you say bloodbraid is because it's busted.
i said aether vial because i like it, it had no votes, and it is a staple in some of the best decks. not to mention it's one of those cards that you play on turn one and then you see them taking a life and deciding which card to exile from their hand without hesitation. i love it.
I can't pick there are so many good cards on that list. The ones I use for my decks are the Jitte, JMS, and Divining top. But trying to narrow it down, to a card that is good by itself and not good only in a combo, that would have to be JMS. He's a stack of blue cards by himself.
Edit; One of the best combo-able cards is Primeval titan. You can get him out early enough with ramping, and when he comes in and attacks, he puts you four turns above the mana curve, and thins out your deck
for me it was between fact or fiction and gifts ungiven because they are super interactive and give you card advantage and i think they are really fun i mean there no 2 other cards on the list that give your the opponent the choice of what cards to give you while giving you card advantage. wizards complaining about cards being unfun i think blue wouldnt have the problem of unfun if they printed more cards like these.
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Skullclamp cannot really be considered a best for it was banned upon release. I think the best card/most broken card on that list has to be Bloodbraid Elf. That card was too busted.
Wait wait, your saying that a set, released on Feb. 4 2004, had a card banned upon release?
Skullclamp was banned on June 1st, 2004.
That's a whole 4 months of brokeness. In fact, that's an entire Standard qualifying season of brokeness.
I tried to think of the most powerful cards of every Standard season since then, and this is what I came up with. There are a lot of notable omissions from strong decks of yesteryear (Disciple of the Vault, Spiritmonger, Wild Nacatl, Meloku, Teferi, Mystical Teachings, etc.), but I only had 29 slots.
Sadly enough, I think it's Jace, the Mind Sculptor. The card just buries the opponent in card advantage, all for the low cost of four mana. That being said, pretty much every card printed between Masques and Ravnica, especially Psychatog, are way cooler.
It's not even close.
Its close but id have to say Das Top beats it. brainstorm at will at any time, you cant beat that.
Currently Playing
1994 Magic The Rack
Type 1: B/W Zombies
Modern: Kuldotha Red
Legacy: Pox, Oath
Vintag: 10 Proxy Merfolk
Pauper: Pestilence, UG Threshold
EDH: Karn, Roon, Sliver Queen, Xiahou Dun, Arcanus
If Top is Brainstorm at any time, then Skullclamp is as many free Ancesteral Recalls as you want.
After thinking about it a bit though I came to the distinct conclusion that Tendrils of Agony was my choice. The reason being because with the printing of Tendrils all of a sudden there was an entirely new and different way to play magic competitively. There was this thing called Storm combo and hundreds of different takes on it. Different card choices, color combinations, cantrips, tutors, digging spells, draw enablers, philosophies of play style, protection or no protection, Legacy or Vintage, and so many takes on Storm combo the options are just staggering. But for all the differences in styles and card choices they all end the same way. Storm 9 or greater followed by Tendrils of Agony.
As awesome as Bob, Tarmogoyf, and even Jace are, they all just help long established play styles do their thing even better. Tendrils on the other hand created an entirely new and highly competitive way to play the game of Magic when it came into existence. That's why it's my top pick
1. top-can go in any deck and improve it
2. AEther Vial- see top
3. Clamp-can improve decks built to abuse it, otherwise its just ok.
4. onslaught fetches-always useful in any deck running 2-more colors
5. Tarmogoyf - goes in any green deck and very easy to abuse.
Currently Playing
1994 Magic The Rack
Type 1: B/W Zombies
Modern: Kuldotha Red
Legacy: Pox, Oath
Vintag: 10 Proxy Merfolk
Pauper: Pestilence, UG Threshold
EDH: Karn, Roon, Sliver Queen, Xiahou Dun, Arcanus
I'll give it to skullclamp.
Legacy/Vintage: Sneak Attack!, Reanimator, SuiBlack, Painter's Grindstone
Standard:Mono-Black midrange, BW Vamp-Blade
Extended: Mono-Black Vampires, Faeries
EDH: Jhoira, Glissa (In progress), Kaervec the Merciless.
Liliana Vess Collection count: 91 and 8 Liliana of the Veil
Tarmogoyf is also pretty strong but it's a creature. Put it beside the likes of clamp, top, dark confidant, gush, etc. etc. and it pales in comparison IMO especially with power creep at creatures (kotr is very strong for a creature as well.)
No mind's desire on the poll? Tendrils of agony is the kill spell sure but mind's desire is busted in two compared to lin sivvi, wild mongrel, counterspell, cryptic command, bitterblossom, bloodbraid elf, etc. etc.
Also, bloodbraid elf? Broken? You are kidding yourselves. In legacy, no one has run BBE for good reason it's a 4 mana 3/2 with haste that cascades into...sensei's top? Counterbalance? Goyf? BBE should never cascade into clamp because in a deck with skullclamp you run X/1 creatures not X/2 creatures. You don't need it either; skullclamp can win you the game on turn 3, a turn before you could even cast BBE unless you ramp into it which again makes zero sense. Jund <<<<<<< Clamp decks while clamp was legal in standard. And clamp wasn't banned upon release; it wreaked havoc for a few months before it's banning. Every deck ran 4 MD sans 1 which ran 4 in the SB.
Currently Playing:
Retired
If clamp was legal in legacy, it'd probably be seen most often alongside 4 Glimpse of Nature as fuel for elf-ball. Personally a Gush fan vs. Skullclamp. Clamp is banned in Legacy and the deck is too weak in Vintage to be a contender, ala SotF.
That's saying a lot to Jace, whereas 'Top and 'Clamp had to be banned.
this logic is astounding. Clamp was so busted that it had to be BANNED, yet you say that makes it not considerable for the best, which you say bloodbraid is because it's busted.
horrible.
Edit; One of the best combo-able cards is Primeval titan. You can get him out early enough with ramping, and when he comes in and attacks, he puts you four turns above the mana curve, and thins out your deck
Thanks to Spiderboy4 of High~light Studios for the awesome sig.
A wise man talks when he has something to say. A fool talks because he has to say something.
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:symu:::symr:UR Facts:symu::symr:
Wait wait, your saying that a set, released on Feb. 4 2004, had a card banned upon release?
Skullclamp was banned on June 1st, 2004.
That's a whole 4 months of brokeness. In fact, that's an entire Standard qualifying season of brokeness.
And where is this BBE now?
My vote is for Skullclamp.
Thanks to Heroes of the Plane Studios for the amazing sig.
NO RUG: Primer
Tempo Thresh: Primer