I'm going to start this off with a fact, i hate faeries. I didn't like playing against them, i didn't like how whenever i played the deck it pretty much ran itself, and i didn't like its obscene power level and how anyone who wanted to win should have played it for a long while.
But really i think cryptic command is one of the best cards printed, and i don't mean in terms of power, i think in terms of balance. I really think that it would not be such a bad thing to see again, its 1UUU mana cost would have been a much harsher requirement if it weren't for outrageous mana fixing. I don't really see it as powerful and it is a great iconic spell for mono blue color pie. Does anyone else think they would like to see it again? or does anyone think it's much too powerful and shouldn't be seen again?
i would love to see cryptic printed again in a format without the nuts fixing of vivid and reflecting pools and filter lands it would be balanced because the deck would have to be strictly mono blue control or a fun blue agro control deck which may take a while due to the success of fae which everyone hates even the ppl that play it
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T8 ptq Philly (Edison 180ish people) Rpre ban RDWR
I'm going to start this off with a fact, i hate faeries. I didn't like playing against them, i didn't like how whenever i played the deck it pretty much ran itself, and i didn't like its obscene power level and how anyone who wanted to win should have played it for a long while.
But really i think cryptic command is one of the best cards printed, and i don't mean in terms of power, i think in terms of balance. I really think that it would not be such a bad thing to see again, its 1UUU mana cost would have been a much harsher requirement if it weren't for outrageous mana fixing. I don't really see it as powerful and it is a great iconic spell for mono blue color pie. Does anyone else think they would like to see it again? or does anyone think it's much too powerful and shouldn't be seen again?
Just get it gone...
The card just does way too much for 1 slot.
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Decks Modern UWRJeskai ControlRWU RWGBurnGWR Legacy UWStonebladeWU
Understand, Dredge is not really a Magic: The Gathering deck. When a card is playable in it, it doesn't mean it's a tournament playable card. It means it's playable in whatever crazy fantasy world that Dredge operates in.
To be honest, I think Cryptic was undercost by 1 generic mana. Most of the other commands forced you to pay a little extra for the flexablity, but it didn't on the assumption that having 3 blue in it's casting cost would make the difference. Imagine the red, green, or white command if they all cost 2 less colorless mana and 1 more colored mana. If Cryptic had a 5cc, then it wouldn't have been as playable. It would still be good, but extremely so.
Cryptic Command is only too powerful because decks that can make 1UUU t4 can make 3WW t5, 3BRG t6, and UUBBBRR t7, or decks that have bitterblossom, mistbind clique, and spellstutter sprite.
It is aggressively costed, but I doubt it would ever be played at 2UUU. I've told all my friends that I wont be suprised if I see it in ZEN. Its a perfect example of a well-designed blue card.
I do think it's a very fair card. In almost every other format, it would have been restricted to mono-U or Ux decks. The culprits here are Vivids/Reflecting Pool.
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No. Just no. Cryptic Command is part of the reason I quit Magic. I have a party planned for when it rotates out, and if I ever see it in Standard again, I will most certainly lose my mind.
Only the creature tapping of cryptic is undercosted (slightly). Everything else is fairly costed for what blue has traditionally payed for it. Of course blue is simply better at affecting the game state than any of the other colors, but c'est la vie.
They wouldn't reprint it because people are tired of it and they won't reprint the command cycle because it's so lopsided. Even if they Green, White, and Red commands costed 1 colored mana less and 1 generic more, it would still change the fact that the Green and Red ones do things that aren't worth doing in the first place for that CMC and the White one is just a bad Wrath of God.
If they costed 1GGG or 1RRR, they would've been solid. It was 5, not the colored mana symbols, that ensured the G/R ones were just not sufficiently impactful for their cost.
No. Just no. Cryptic Command is part of the reason I quit Magic. I have a party planned for when it rotates out, and if I ever see it in Standard again, I will most certainly lose my mind.
sure it is good...but it certainly is not broken...or a reason to quit magic...
I think a post-Lor/Sha environment would really show that Cryptic Command was not broken at all. All the commands can be reprinted...who knows maybe in M11.
As most have said, it was the mana-fixing that made the card a horror story since almost any deck would run it as long as they can produce :symu::symu::symu: consistently. Lor/Sha made this possible hence the uber-reliance on the card. Without the mana-fixing we have available today, CC would have stayed playable only in heavily blue decks (i.e. Faeries, Merfolk, Esper and Bant decks assuming Lor/Sha didn't have the mana fixing it did).
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Jimbo: You should have to pay extra for flexablity. Since cryptic doesn't force you to pay extra for that flexablity, relatively speaking it is undercost.
That said, I agree that it being cost less overall in exchange for it being more color mana intensive was what pushed Cryptic from being okay to being great. In fact that was my main point of my previous post. Even the white one would have seen some play if where cheaper. Imagine being able to clear the board of all larger creatures and all enchantments or artifacts for a white weenie deck. Midrange wouldn't have stood a chance against that.
Cryptic Command is exactly the kind of card they don't and shouldn't reprint -- powerful, format-defining cards that, while fair, are omnipresent throughout their tenure in Standard to the point of weariness. Let it die so new powerful control cards can bubble up in its place.
Era 1: The formatory years (Wizards really didn't know what they were doing)
Era 2: The Age of Blue (Most of Magic's history)
Era 3: The Age of Creatures (We are right at the beginning)
If you look at Magic design the way Wizards does (so I say), and take the long view, Cryptic Command is like the Tyranosaurus rex of the Age of Blue. It's a big, predatory, jungle-owning monster that is at the height of evolution. T. rex was one of the best of the dinosaurs, arriving just as the dinosaurs were changing over... to another era.
Era 1: The formatory years (Wizards really didn't know what they were doing)
Era 2: The Age of Blue (Most of Magic's history)
Era 3: The Age of Creatures (We are right at the beginning)
If you look at Magic design the way Wizards does (so I say), and take the long view, Cryptic Command is like the Tyranosaurus rex of the Age of Blue. It's a big, predatory, jungle-owning monster that is at the height of evolution. T. rex was one of the best of the dinosaurs, arriving just as the dinosaurs were changing over... to another era.
J
Err those Era's seem wrong to me. There aught to be way more than 3.
But really i think cryptic command is one of the best cards printed, and i don't mean in terms of power, i think in terms of balance. I really think that it would not be such a bad thing to see again, its 1UUU mana cost would have been a much harsher requirement if it weren't for outrageous mana fixing. I don't really see it as powerful and it is a great iconic spell for mono blue color pie. Does anyone else think they would like to see it again? or does anyone think it's much too powerful and shouldn't be seen again?
accomplishments:T8 ptq Philly (Edison 180ish people)
Rpre ban RDWR
more to come in the future!
Just get it gone...
The card just does way too much for 1 slot.
Modern
UWRJeskai ControlRWU
RWGBurnGWR
Legacy
UWStonebladeWU
Cryptic Command too powerful? Since when....? lol
EotFofyl?
Modern:
Something new every week
Legacy:
Something new everyweek
It is aggressively costed, but I doubt it would ever be played at 2UUU. I've told all my friends that I wont be suprised if I see it in ZEN. Its a perfect example of a well-designed blue card.
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They wouldn't reprint it because people are tired of it and they won't reprint the command cycle because it's so lopsided. Even if they Green, White, and Red commands costed 1 colored mana less and 1 generic more, it would still change the fact that the Green and Red ones do things that aren't worth doing in the first place for that CMC and the White one is just a bad Wrath of God.
If they costed 1GGG or 1RRR, they would've been solid. It was 5, not the colored mana symbols, that ensured the G/R ones were just not sufficiently impactful for their cost.
sure it is good...but it certainly is not broken...or a reason to quit magic...
As most have said, it was the mana-fixing that made the card a horror story since almost any deck would run it as long as they can produce :symu::symu::symu: consistently. Lor/Sha made this possible hence the uber-reliance on the card. Without the mana-fixing we have available today, CC would have stayed playable only in heavily blue decks (i.e. Faeries, Merfolk, Esper and Bant decks assuming Lor/Sha didn't have the mana fixing it did).
....Wait, I'm a LEFTIE!!!
I'm a proud member of the Online Campaign for Real English. If you believe in capital letters, correct spelling and good sentence structure, then copy this into your signature.
That said, I agree that it being cost less overall in exchange for it being more color mana intensive was what pushed Cryptic from being okay to being great. In fact that was my main point of my previous post. Even the white one would have seen some play if where cheaper. Imagine being able to clear the board of all larger creatures and all enchantments or artifacts for a white weenie deck. Midrange wouldn't have stood a chance against that.
Everyone thought Remand HAD to be reprinted.
Everyone thought Rune Snag HAD to be reprinted.
They think the same of Cryptic Command now. It's no surprise.
Just leave this thread die - people have parting grievances but WOTC delivers without fault.
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Working on Perfecting (All type 2)
Standard :symu::symr::symw: Midrange
EDH :symw::symu::symb: Sharuum
Era 1: The formatory years (Wizards really didn't know what they were doing)
Era 2: The Age of Blue (Most of Magic's history)
Era 3: The Age of Creatures (We are right at the beginning)
If you look at Magic design the way Wizards does (so I say), and take the long view, Cryptic Command is like the Tyranosaurus rex of the Age of Blue. It's a big, predatory, jungle-owning monster that is at the height of evolution. T. rex was one of the best of the dinosaurs, arriving just as the dinosaurs were changing over... to another era.
J
Thank you Heroes of the Plane Studios (Nakamura , DarkNightCavalier, XenoNinja) for making this Banner
Working on Perfecting (All type 2)
Standard :symu::symr::symw: Midrange
EDH :symw::symu::symb: Sharuum
It doesn't need to be reprinted though: there is plenty of room for new counter magic design.
Err those Era's seem wrong to me. There aught to be way more than 3.
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Dispel 1U
Instant
Choose one - counter target spell unless its controller pays 1; return target creature to its owner's hand; or draw a card.
Simply because the modality makes up for the weak effects but allows a control player to have more "resources" than an aggro player.
1U
counter target spell with CMC 3 or less
would do the job nicely. it gets better the farther back (extended, legacy) the format goes, and encourages play of higher casted cards (AKA fatties)
Not the same card. CMC.
Doublepost Merged and Infracted