I'm not saying the card is unplayable, I just don't think it's optimal. The modes really are extremely good with the right environment, but that can be said for a variety of cards. That being said, the format has been known as a T4 format for years.
If I want life gain, a way to deal with creatures, or card draw there are cards that do it straight up better (cryptic command and blessed alliance come to mind if you want modal spell examples.) 4 mana is a rough hurdle for some decks when you're squatting waiting to haymaker someone with a counter your kalitas/recur my goyf or whatever crazy play you want to insert here your opponent may be applying the soft/hard lock their deck is built for. It is a huge tempo loss for the opposition if you fire it off on juicy targets, so how do you capitalize on it is the question. How do you leverage its unique recursion mode to a game win...
If I'm recurring a JVP I want strong instants/sorceries but I want to fully utilize my resources and not -3 for just any reason, If I'm recurring a snap I need more than 4 mana. If I'm recurring an abbot of keral keep I need more than 4 mana. If I'm recurring a dark confidant then 4 cmc spells better be sparse in my deck otherwise I'm playing with fire, if I'm recurring a goyf then chances are some form of GY hate is coming in for games 2/3 where I've built into obvious GY synergies that will likely show up in game 1. These are all super powerful two drops, but I'm not excited to recur many of them until I'm sitting at 5+ mana. That is potentially quite far into some games of magic. Father than some decks will even see.
Can you control the game until that point? Sure, but I still feel like there are stronger spells (cryptic command, sweepers, nahiri, etc) at 4 cmc. Spells that if you play control and denial well enough for rounds 1-3 put your opponent in a answer or lose situation in like 2-3 turns.
The type of deck I can see this being an all star in would be something like an esper faeries or spirits build. Where you're returning a spellstutter sprite or mausoleum wanderer to counter a game breaking spell. Draw a card & counter your 3-4 drop while getting a body is the kind of play I can get behind. Even better if you run discard early on for clearer lines of play of when to fire off your spells.
I'm just giving my opinion, I know the card has popped up but it's not hitting the high tables. The truth is that the decks that are currently out there are running some seriously efficient spells that are the absolute best at what that deck wants. Finding a place for this isn't going to be easy or maybe even feasible in the current meta imo. I didn't mean to criticize it overly harshly, just realistically. What kind of pushback is this going to see and I want to evaluate a card in some of the least ideal conditions because that's where you'll find yourself sometimes.
@aparthia I agree the 2 drop slot feels lackluster if you run this out on curve. Imo goyf is the strongest target in a lot of board states. I also like the idea of spellstutter. The great news is that this will only ever get better.
@cantspeak snap is great value and tussles with a good chuck of modern playable creatures. He is sometimes just a 2 mana removal spell as a blocker as much as he is a recur my bolt for value type of creature. I mean with comments like this I could just as easily say why do people play infect when Melira was printed. It doesn't help the argument because there is no meat to the rebuttal. I was simply stating that over reliance on GY effects (which O command begs the inclusion of snap and/or JVP at the very least since they are strong and in color) could trigger a hairy game 2/3 if you aren't prepared for GY hate that seriously craps your value engine.
While the card is versatile I think it's a tad too slow in modern.
1. Incidental GY hate hits reanimate on targets, you need something g in the GY to begin with, and your opponent has to lack an answer she. It comes back. Yeah a surprise goyf as a blocker is brutal, but that's magical Christmas land sometimes. Scooze, relic of Progenitus, rest in peace, and leyline of the void are already heavily entrenched in the format as sideboard staples. With dredge doin so well at the recent SCG open this may see even more hate.
2. The life gain is irrvelevant on certain match ups. If it helps you turn the corner great, but some decks just don't care about a life total very much if at all. TRON, infect, heavily wide large damage decks like elves or merfolk.
3. The creature counter is useful but honestly you need this to be hitting cmc 1-3 dudes and hopefully you're not going against a tribal deck with cavern of souls. Decks like storm make this even worse as electromancer is your only target if they're on him.
4. Drawing a card is great but there are plenty of other cards in color that just do it better, sooner, with more perks sometimes. I'd rather have think twice if I'm using this more often.
The prospect of the card is its versatility for sure, but I don't know if the various applications are broad enough for a 4 drop to see play.
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If I want life gain, a way to deal with creatures, or card draw there are cards that do it straight up better (cryptic command and blessed alliance come to mind if you want modal spell examples.) 4 mana is a rough hurdle for some decks when you're squatting waiting to haymaker someone with a counter your kalitas/recur my goyf or whatever crazy play you want to insert here your opponent may be applying the soft/hard lock their deck is built for. It is a huge tempo loss for the opposition if you fire it off on juicy targets, so how do you capitalize on it is the question. How do you leverage its unique recursion mode to a game win...
If I'm recurring a JVP I want strong instants/sorceries but I want to fully utilize my resources and not -3 for just any reason, If I'm recurring a snap I need more than 4 mana. If I'm recurring an abbot of keral keep I need more than 4 mana. If I'm recurring a dark confidant then 4 cmc spells better be sparse in my deck otherwise I'm playing with fire, if I'm recurring a goyf then chances are some form of GY hate is coming in for games 2/3 where I've built into obvious GY synergies that will likely show up in game 1. These are all super powerful two drops, but I'm not excited to recur many of them until I'm sitting at 5+ mana. That is potentially quite far into some games of magic. Father than some decks will even see.
Can you control the game until that point? Sure, but I still feel like there are stronger spells (cryptic command, sweepers, nahiri, etc) at 4 cmc. Spells that if you play control and denial well enough for rounds 1-3 put your opponent in a answer or lose situation in like 2-3 turns.
The type of deck I can see this being an all star in would be something like an esper faeries or spirits build. Where you're returning a spellstutter sprite or mausoleum wanderer to counter a game breaking spell. Draw a card & counter your 3-4 drop while getting a body is the kind of play I can get behind. Even better if you run discard early on for clearer lines of play of when to fire off your spells.
I'm just giving my opinion, I know the card has popped up but it's not hitting the high tables. The truth is that the decks that are currently out there are running some seriously efficient spells that are the absolute best at what that deck wants. Finding a place for this isn't going to be easy or maybe even feasible in the current meta imo. I didn't mean to criticize it overly harshly, just realistically. What kind of pushback is this going to see and I want to evaluate a card in some of the least ideal conditions because that's where you'll find yourself sometimes.
@aparthia I agree the 2 drop slot feels lackluster if you run this out on curve. Imo goyf is the strongest target in a lot of board states. I also like the idea of spellstutter. The great news is that this will only ever get better.
@cantspeak snap is great value and tussles with a good chuck of modern playable creatures. He is sometimes just a 2 mana removal spell as a blocker as much as he is a recur my bolt for value type of creature. I mean with comments like this I could just as easily say why do people play infect when Melira was printed. It doesn't help the argument because there is no meat to the rebuttal. I was simply stating that over reliance on GY effects (which O command begs the inclusion of snap and/or JVP at the very least since they are strong and in color) could trigger a hairy game 2/3 if you aren't prepared for GY hate that seriously craps your value engine.
1. Incidental GY hate hits reanimate on targets, you need something g in the GY to begin with, and your opponent has to lack an answer she. It comes back. Yeah a surprise goyf as a blocker is brutal, but that's magical Christmas land sometimes. Scooze, relic of Progenitus, rest in peace, and leyline of the void are already heavily entrenched in the format as sideboard staples. With dredge doin so well at the recent SCG open this may see even more hate.
2. The life gain is irrvelevant on certain match ups. If it helps you turn the corner great, but some decks just don't care about a life total very much if at all. TRON, infect, heavily wide large damage decks like elves or merfolk.
3. The creature counter is useful but honestly you need this to be hitting cmc 1-3 dudes and hopefully you're not going against a tribal deck with cavern of souls. Decks like storm make this even worse as electromancer is your only target if they're on him.
4. Drawing a card is great but there are plenty of other cards in color that just do it better, sooner, with more perks sometimes. I'd rather have think twice if I'm using this more often.
The prospect of the card is its versatility for sure, but I don't know if the various applications are broad enough for a 4 drop to see play.