:symu::symb::symr:Creature - SpecterFlying
Whenever Sedraxis Specter deals combat damage to a player, that player discards a card.
Unearth :1mana::symb: (:1mana::symb:: Return this card from your graveyard to play. It gains haste. Remove it from the game at end of turn or if it would leave play. Unearth only as a sorcery.)Illus. Cole Eastburn#192/2493/2
It would have been great if the Unearth ability does not make the creature go away automatically at the end of turn. I understand the "leave play and remove from game" part, which prevents tricks much like Makeshift Mannequin, but since it's only basically a Corpse Dance-type of reanimation it is just not enough even though the reanimation cost is so cheap.
Playing this card from hand is underwhelming. Hyppie doesn't even get played nowadays competitively and that was just one color. This is three colors and all it gets is +1/+0 and the ability to attack once after it dies. Not worth it, unless in some alternate universe 3-color decks become easier to play than mono-color decks, which I find unlikely. Either that or they come out with some ridiculous BUR-colored card that gives crazy bonuses to creatures that shares its colors.
The cost also really, really sucks, especially for a critter that dies to Shock. I'm not very familiar with what Standard can work with atm, but complex mana costs are never a non-issue. If you can't cast it when you want it one time out of ten, that's quite a steep drawback. This is even less acceptable because all the Specters really want to go online as early as possible -when you can't play a Thoctar, chances are you can do something else to deal damage next turn. If you can't play Sedraxis, by contrast, there's little (in Standard) you can do that mirrors Specter's set of applications. I guess you could play a two-drop and an awful discard spell ...
When you can't play the Specter you can play Blightning. This seems to me the first card to pair with Sedraxis Specter. They seem right across the same lines - moderate damage and a discard effect. I'm not saying that anything will come of it but i think that Blightning is definitely the starting point.
Blightning is far better. It fill a void. This specter does not.
Blightning is in the aggressive color. Blightning disrupt while being a burn spell essientially, much like molten rain.
In short, this specter won't see play. There's a reason why aggressive deck play only 1-2 cc creature. Because that way, removal became non-convenient, and u gain mana and tempo in the bargain.
Playing 3 mana creature means they have to be REALLY aggressive (ball lightning), unsolvable (Troll Ascetic, but that's green, and green creature are another matter), or just plain stupid (Tog, Doran, that is also green, or Terravore in loam), or black in a format with Dark Ritual.
Or you could be playing control, but then, this creature is almost useless in control.
Think of it this way, its late game you played your specters 2 of them per sei, they killed them you just wiped their last blockers you need a fast hit to get pressure on, unearth them both, hit for 6 take 2 of their cards and continue playing from there.
If it sees any constructed play, it will be due to the Unearth ability. 3 damage and a discard isn't bad for 1B. Damage to the dome combined with discard seems to be a Grixis theme (see: Blightning).
Bard card is bad. It's a crap rare that will fetch $3-5 because casual players heart specters.
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Wrong. Collosus, Rejeerie, Perfect, Baloth, Flametongue Kavu, and a host of other, high curve creatures have been played in aggressive (not necessary aggro) decks over the years.
This card is better than hyppie in any format where DRit is not available. It's a faster clock and it's always 2 for 1. The mana cost is hard but not unsolvable. I reserve judgement untill the full spoiler is here.
Colossus was tinkered.
Rejeerie and perfect... lol
Baloth is a more of a control-midrange creature
Kavu is the only one that was played in some RDW sideboard over the years...
Bard card is bad. It's a crap rare that will fetch $3-5 because casual players heart specters.
Yep. As a former specter-lover, I got sucked into Shimian Specter and Needle Specter(which I am forcing into a Wither deck with Nightmare Lash) hype...I'm not biting on this one. Unearth at least makes it interesting.
I really can't imagine how anyone could look at this and think "bad card". It's virtually guaranteed card advantage. The Unearth ability is completely amazing - if this gets in your graveyard for any reason, you can pay 1B and remove it to have target player take 3 and discard a card. If they kill it or block it instead, they're still losing a card (unless they have a 4-tougness flyer, but whatever). It's pretty bad against faeries because they have Clique and Cryptic, both of which are good against this, but in any other circumstance this is far more than acceptable. I'm pretty sure the haters are just thinking "specters are never good" without actually looking at what the card does - it's an aggressively costed flyer that your opponent has to deal with, and after they deal with it it will still bite them one more time.
If anything makes this card worth playing, it's the Unearth ability...
If anything makes this card not worth playing, it's Bitterblossom...
...I think.
When you can't play the Specter you can play Blightning. This seems to me the first card to pair with Sedraxis Specter. They seem right across the same lines - moderate damage and a discard effect. I'm not saying that anything will come of it but i think that Blightning is definitely the starting point.
Yeah, I think that's the gist of it - a comparison to Blightning.
Before you start tallying the marks for Blightning's unresolvability, remember that the whole point of that color scheme IS resource bleed. You want them to get that shock out of hand, no matter whether they get to use it at their discretion or not. A creature that needs them to deal with it essentially makes them discard their removal. It's not like the discard is random, so you will not be banking on that touching down. You'll have something like Duress or Thoughtseize to fill that role.
As for Blightning's other half, remember that flying haste is tantamount to player burn. You will hit at least once with this guy, and 3 damage is all you ever get from Blightning.
Take into account that you're running blue, throw in the underrated Dusk Urchins, and you have yourself a resource oriented deck in which mass removal is still an option - the roll over loss to green based aggro might not be necessary anymore.
I think it looks like it will be playable. A new toy for dredge decks...
I'll be after 1 or 2, I'll be wanting to build grixis.
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With all, put the same thing except with / in front of what type of tags they are (like [/card]) to close them.
Card: [card]
Hybrid: :symub: = order doesn't matter
As far as limited goes I'd much rather have hippie for two reasons:
1. Casting Cost
1BB is just easier to cast than UBR.
2. Random
Random discard is way better than non-random discard. Even a turn 3 hippy has the ability to be brutal if you can get their answer or power card out of their hand before they can use it. Non-random discard means they'll be able to hold onto the cards they need most.
That being said it's still very good and will be played in basically any limited deck that can afford it.
The argument for this creature only having 2 toughness is less relevant as only Demigod red runs Shock/Tarfire (and current builds run Skred over it anyway, but it'll be rotating out) and of times not even as a 4 of. As the next best removal spell that kills this thing is Nameless Inversion, it wouldn't matter if it had been a 3/3 for 3 since Inversion would still kill it.
I could see some versions of Kelpie.dec running this card to gain some abusable potential with the Kelpie and Unearth- it could very well end up shunning Raven's Crime all together if there are other strong Unearth creatures (and no, Corpse Connoisseur is not strong even though I love the idea of setting up double Demigod in Mono-Black aggro) in Grixis.
The argument that its Unearth ability is weakened by the fact that Bitterblossom is probably going to be the best card in Standard come the rotation is pretty valid. But then again Bitterblossom is an answer to a huge number of threats in the format so... Sad face.
its in the same colors as blightning, turn to mist, torrent of souls, cryptic command and in a format with much newfound manafixing.
i think its quite good.
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In the shadowplay, acting out your
own death, knowing no more
As the assassins all grouped
in four lines,
Dancing on the floor,
And with cold steel, odour on their bodies,
made a move to connect
I could only stare in disbelief
as the crowds all left
:symu::symb::symr:Creature - SpecterFlying
Whenever Sedraxis Specter deals combat damage to a player, that player discards a card.
Unearth :1mana::symb: (:1mana::symb:: Return this card from your graveyard to play. It gains haste. Remove it from the game at end of turn or if it would leave play. Unearth only as a sorcery.)Illus. Cole Eastburn#192/2493/2
RB Olivia Voldaren RB
GB Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons GB
BWR Queen Marchesa BWR
RW Anya, Merciless Angel RW
UW Bruna, Light of Alabaster UW
UB Wydwen, The Biting Gale UB
GU Momir Vig, simic visionary GU
WG Karametra, God of Harvests WG
WUBSydri, Galvanic GeniusWUB
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Playing this card from hand is underwhelming. Hyppie doesn't even get played nowadays competitively and that was just one color. This is three colors and all it gets is +1/+0 and the ability to attack once after it dies. Not worth it, unless in some alternate universe 3-color decks become easier to play than mono-color decks, which I find unlikely. Either that or they come out with some ridiculous BUR-colored card that gives crazy bonuses to creatures that shares its colors.
When you can't play the Specter you can play Blightning. This seems to me the first card to pair with Sedraxis Specter. They seem right across the same lines - moderate damage and a discard effect. I'm not saying that anything will come of it but i think that Blightning is definitely the starting point.
Blightning is in the aggressive color. Blightning disrupt while being a burn spell essientially, much like molten rain.
In short, this specter won't see play. There's a reason why aggressive deck play only 1-2 cc creature. Because that way, removal became non-convenient, and u gain mana and tempo in the bargain.
Playing 3 mana creature means they have to be REALLY aggressive (ball lightning), unsolvable (Troll Ascetic, but that's green, and green creature are another matter), or just plain stupid (Tog, Doran, that is also green, or Terravore in loam), or black in a format with Dark Ritual.
Or you could be playing control, but then, this creature is almost useless in control.
Wizards could put $100 bills in packs and people would complain about how they were folded.
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Colossus was tinkered.
Rejeerie and perfect... lol
Baloth is a more of a control-midrange creature
Kavu is the only one that was played in some RDW sideboard over the years...
This better than hippy?
No point discussing.
Yep. As a former specter-lover, I got sucked into Shimian Specter and Needle Specter(which I am forcing into a Wither deck with Nightmare Lash) hype...I'm not biting on this one. Unearth at least makes it interesting.
If anything makes this card not worth playing, it's Bitterblossom...
...I think.
Yeah, I think that's the gist of it - a comparison to Blightning.
Before you start tallying the marks for Blightning's unresolvability, remember that the whole point of that color scheme IS resource bleed. You want them to get that shock out of hand, no matter whether they get to use it at their discretion or not. A creature that needs them to deal with it essentially makes them discard their removal. It's not like the discard is random, so you will not be banking on that touching down. You'll have something like Duress or Thoughtseize to fill that role.
As for Blightning's other half, remember that flying haste is tantamount to player burn. You will hit at least once with this guy, and 3 damage is all you ever get from Blightning.
Take into account that you're running blue, throw in the underrated Dusk Urchins, and you have yourself a resource oriented deck in which mass removal is still an option - the roll over loss to green based aggro might not be necessary anymore.
Just something to think about.
I'll be after 1 or 2, I'll be wanting to build grixis.
Card: [card]
Hybrid: :symub: = order doesn't matter
Spoiler: [spoiler]
Deck: [deck]
Draft it on Cubetutor!
1. Casting Cost
1BB is just easier to cast than UBR.
2. Random
Random discard is way better than non-random discard. Even a turn 3 hippy has the ability to be brutal if you can get their answer or power card out of their hand before they can use it. Non-random discard means they'll be able to hold onto the cards they need most.
That being said it's still very good and will be played in basically any limited deck that can afford it.
I could see some versions of Kelpie.dec running this card to gain some abusable potential with the Kelpie and Unearth- it could very well end up shunning Raven's Crime all together if there are other strong Unearth creatures (and no, Corpse Connoisseur is not strong even though I love the idea of setting up double Demigod in Mono-Black aggro) in Grixis.
The argument that its Unearth ability is weakened by the fact that Bitterblossom is probably going to be the best card in Standard come the rotation is pretty valid. But then again Bitterblossom is an answer to a huge number of threats in the format so... Sad face.
i think its quite good.
own death, knowing no more
As the assassins all grouped
in four lines,
Dancing on the floor,
And with cold steel, odour on their bodies,
made a move to connect
I could only stare in disbelief
as the crowds all left
This could give Sedraxis a chance to shine. Here's hoping they print one at :1mana::symb:.