Sneak Attack is a card that has always provided a lot of fun since I included it in my cube and has had something of a renaissance recently. How has it been working out for all the people who are trying it again? I've pasted in an edited version of my recent post about the card.
A common criticism against Sneak Attack is that a deck built around it is bad if you don't draw your Sneak Attack. I would argue that you need to build a deck where the Sneak Attack supports your overall strategy, but is not essential for it.
1) "R:": It allows you to play cards for a very modest fixed mana cost. The more expensive the cards you are playing, the greater the value you are getting. You are also playing cards as an instant speed ability, so will benefit if you have more cards to play in response to an opponent's actions. And it's an ability, so no counterspells for you.
2) "You may put a creature card...": This needs creatures to work, therefore will be more effective in creature heavy decks.
3) "... from your hand...": Having a way of returning creatures to your hand (e.g. Genesis or Crystal Shard) will be useful.
4) "... onto the battlefield.": This is key. The increasing density of ETB effect in cube has made this card better and better, in my opinion. You want to pick plenty of ETB creatures to run with this.
5) "That creature gains haste.": This strengthens your deck against sorcery speed removal. Combined with the fact that your creatures can't be countered, your midrange deck can now really spoil U/W control's day.
6) "Sacrifice the creature...": Mitigate this disadvantage by running cards that would have died anyway (e.g. Echo creatures), creatures that you want to die (e.g. Solemn Simulacrum, Kamigawa Dragons, Genesis, Persist or Undying creatures), or cards that allow you to interact with the graveyard (e.g. Genesis again, reanimation, Volrath's Stronghold). Skullclamp is great in a ramp deck to draw cards from unneeded mana elves, but also draws from the fatties that are sent to the yard.
7) "... at the beginning of the next end step.": You can sometimes get double duty out of a creature with a tap ability.
In our play group, the decks that most often satisfy some of the above criteria are R/G ramp and R/B reanimator. I would consider both to be midrange strategies.
In ramp, Sneak Attack acts as another way of playing your fatties earlier, and of getting additional utility from ETB creatures at instant speed. I played just this type of deck in a draft, going 5-1. Playing a Woodfall Primus turn 4 off Sneak Attack destroyed two of my opponent's lands and left me with a 5/5. Inferno Titan was a 1-sided Wrath with 7 (using firebreathing) hasted damage. Acidic Slime and Genesis was a lock. Those were the splashy plays, but even things like destroying a Sword and an attacker with a Sneak'd Slime as a blocker, or chumping with a Solemn Simulacrum for a single r and value was solid. The card that would have pushed my deck over the top would have been Survival of the Fittest, as it would have allowed me to ditch mana creatures late game for effects. The key was that my deck still worked well when I didn't draw the Sneak Attack. I could still ramp into my fatties; I could still get value out of my ETB creatures; I could still use Genesis to repeatedly play Echo creatures for their effect.
B/R reanimator tends to run a lot of ETB effects, which may be going to the 'yard anyway if Echo costs are not paid, and then uses reanimation to replay the effects. Faithless Looting, Entomb, Wheel of Fortune, Oona's Prowler, are useful to get creatures into the 'yard early, and Sneak Attack is a way of doing this while getting extra value.
The key is, as always, to look for the synergies. Sneak Attack doesn't only cheat fatties: it gives uncounterable abilities at instant speed, triggers dying abilities, dodges sorcery speed removal, and feeds your graveyard. If you build a deck that explloits this, it can fit right in.
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less." -Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
Now that red is getting reasonably costed looting, we can expect to see red play a significant part of the reanimation puzzle in larger cubes.
Sneak Attack helps fit U// reanimator decks by having something else to do with giant bombs - it gets them in the graveyard for reanimaton spells and also has a very relevant impact on the game. Sneaking any giant fatty into play you can think of is usually game-breaking as many fatties in cube now are included almost entirely on their ETB/LTB triggers.
I am autoincluding this in my 720 list, not sure how small cubes need to go before they start ignoring this card. My guess would be certain 540s would play it, and the very rare 450.
We might eventually be able to see straight B/ reanimator decks if enough red discard is utilized.
Specialities about the cube: U tempo, B aggro, R slow-ish are supported. G aggro is not.
Currently trying to support tokens in all colors but blue, in different ways: W pumps them, B sacrifices them, R suicides them, G has decent-sized ones.
cube list outdated
*literal C/U definition according to gatherer
**some cards are banned. Library of Alexandria, Land Tax, Sol Ring.
Sneak Attack has been good in a supporting role, kinda like a red discard outlet and ETB abusing card. It combines well with Birthing Pod and Mimic Vat, and you can chain a single fatty to victory with Volrath's Stronghold, Genesis, Academy Ruins (sometimes), Erratic Portal and Crystal Shard. It also has some good applications simply giving Evoke: R to some of your creatures, especially since they can be surprise blockers.
In the classic Sneak Attack deck, it falls on its face in limited. But as an interesting card in a supporting role, it does quite well. We can all thank Humpty for providing a good write-up that explains the card's role in the cube better than I can.
I don't run it because it's an awesome combo card when it works, but is just waaay too narrow for my taste. Like Venser, Shaper Savant, it's a 'build-around-me' card that requires a handful of other cards just to merit inclusion... and if you don't get enough pieces, most of those cards are now worthless in your deck.
I understand that its mana cost lets you draft any creature of any color, but for the most part, you want fatties. I've been in a handful of drafts where the fatties are a high priority, so I don't get that many.
Unless you get Genesis, which may not even be in the draft pool.
To compare it to another combo card, like Recurring Nightmare: there are a TON of black creatures that work well with nightmare, and you have the flexibility to go to another color when you see what's being passed around. A recurring nightmare plus Liliana's Specter and Nekrataal is more than enough to run nightmare. Sneak Attack, however, is not worth running if you only managed to pick up a few fatties, or a few ETB guys with not a whole lot of recursion.
I would run Sneak Attack if I played more rotisserie drafts... but since I don't, Sneak Attack gets omitted.
Sneak seems like it would be a great card if it was in another color other than Red, or if Red had a few more effects like this. As it stands, it feels like running it would be almost like playing Recurring Nightmare with no other re-animation support. It's a good card in a vacuum. I have no experience playing with it, however, so I'm open to the opinions of those who have.
Unless you get Genesis, which may not even be in the draft pool.
It combos with a lot more than just Genesis.
Quote from jmw23 »
As it stands, it feels like running it would be almost like playing Recurring Nightmare with no other re-animation support.
Recurring Nightmare is good even without dedicated reanimation support in the same deck. The cards that take Recurring Nightmare from being good to being broken are cards you're already going to draft and play anyways. It took me a long time to realize that this is the case with Sneak Attack as well, until Humpty helped point that out to me.
Sneak Attack
Sneak Attack is a card that has always provided a lot of fun since I included it in my cube and has had something of a renaissance recently. How has it been working out for all the people who are trying it again? I've pasted in an edited version of my recent post about the card.
My 380 Beginners’ Cube on Cube Tutor
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less." -Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
Sneak Attack helps fit U// reanimator decks by having something else to do with giant bombs - it gets them in the graveyard for reanimaton spells and also has a very relevant impact on the game. Sneaking any giant fatty into play you can think of is usually game-breaking as many fatties in cube now are included almost entirely on their ETB/LTB triggers.
I am autoincluding this in my 720 list, not sure how small cubes need to go before they start ignoring this card. My guess would be certain 540s would play it, and the very rare 450.
We might eventually be able to see straight B/ reanimator decks if enough red discard is utilized.
Blimpy's Aggro-Focused Cube (powered 360)
I'm always open to suggestions on how to improve my cube. Take a look and ask a question, or give a constructive critique whenever you can.
450, Peasant*, unpowered**
Specialities about the cube:
U tempo, B aggro, R slow-ish are supported. G aggro is not.
Currently trying to support tokens in all colors but blue, in different ways: W pumps them, B sacrifices them, R suicides them, G has decent-sized ones.
cube list outdated
*literal C/U definition according to gatherer
**some cards are banned. Library of Alexandria, Land Tax, Sol Ring.
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!
I understand that its mana cost lets you draft any creature of any color, but for the most part, you want fatties. I've been in a handful of drafts where the fatties are a high priority, so I don't get that many.
Unless you get Genesis, which may not even be in the draft pool.
To compare it to another combo card, like Recurring Nightmare: there are a TON of black creatures that work well with nightmare, and you have the flexibility to go to another color when you see what's being passed around. A recurring nightmare plus Liliana's Specter and Nekrataal is more than enough to run nightmare.
Sneak Attack, however, is not worth running if you only managed to pick up a few fatties, or a few ETB guys with not a whole lot of recursion.
I would run Sneak Attack if I played more rotisserie drafts... but since I don't, Sneak Attack gets omitted.
My Legacy-Legal Cube <--- Draft It!
wtwlf123's Classic Cube
Lanxal's Pauper Cube
Cubers, UNITE! Don't forget to post your cube location on The Great Cube Map Thread
It combos with a lot more than just Genesis.
Recurring Nightmare is good even without dedicated reanimation support in the same deck. The cards that take Recurring Nightmare from being good to being broken are cards you're already going to draft and play anyways. It took me a long time to realize that this is the case with Sneak Attack as well, until Humpty helped point that out to me.
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!
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.