Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
I've never actually played this card, but I have played Sudden Spoiling, and I like that one a lot. I'm curious what percentage of the time split second is what makes that good.
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Zedruu: "This deck is not only able to go crazy - it also needs to do so."
I've never actually played this card, but I have played Sudden Spoiling, and I like that one a lot. I'm curious what percentage of the time split second is what makes that good.
Sudden spoiling is better, but making them 1/1 instead of 0/2 can occasionally be relevant. There's lots of ways to deal 1 to everything.
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The Meaning of Life: "M-hmm. Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations"
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
I've used this serval times to stop an alpha strike in it's tracks. Sudden Spoiling is probably better in most situations, but I wouldn't scoff at this one.
I run it in Locust God, so it's even juicier when I get to trade my 1/1 insects for their entire board.
🐸 Not as good as Sudden Spoiling in most decks, but still playable. (And Doran, the one deck where making your opponents' d00dz 0/2 is objectively worse than making them 1/1, can't play it anyway, so there's that.) I'm not sure how often the split second comes up, though. If you're using it on a player with any islands on the board, it matters, but how many cards say "You have shroud/hexproof/protection until end of turn." that aren't blue?
Just remember layers. If you use either on, say, Spike Weaver, you're just giving it +1/+1 until EOT, but at least it can't Fog you.
Feels good man/10
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Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
I think Szadek would be a really interesting card as like a 1/1 for 4 with the same abilities. A snowball effect seems kind of silly when it starts at 7 mana.
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Zedruu: "This deck is not only able to go crazy - it also needs to do so."
Deadly in Draft, mediocre in 60 card casual, bad in Commander. He does get rather large rather quickly, so if he hits just twice he's a 20/20, unfortunately for him he have Newlamog and the Dimir horror from RTR doing enough work as fatties that mill that Szadek doesn't cut it. He does work with leyline of the void, as both the milling and counters are replacement for the damage, the counters aren't reliant on the cards actually being milled (I've seen people confused by this). He's bad as a commander, as Phenax is and the other Dimir Vampire are better than him for a full on mill strategy, which isn't even good to begin with, as well as being better at using mill as a means to an end (and Lazav is best there).
Basically he only has a place in theme decks built around the guild.
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The Meaning of Life: "M-hmm. Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations"
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
I think Szadek would be a really interesting card as like a 1/1 for 4 with the same abilities. A snowball effect seems kind of silly when it starts at 7 mana.
The one who started the psychic vampire trend in MtG.
Ah, nostalgia. I started playing Magic around original Ravnica Block, so I have fond memories of cards from it, Kamigawa, and 9th Edition. It's just as terrible as I remember, and only feels suited to a dimir guild-flavored deck at best.
An iconic card that sadly now it's just easily outclassed
Iconic?
He was always terrible. There was never a standard, extended, legacy or vintage deck he was ever competitively played in, let alone enough to be iconic.
An amazing bomb in limited, but worthless in every other format.
I have always felt that non-infinite mil is bad.
I still like seeing mil related cards to find alternate ways to make them go infinite... but he doesn't do that.
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"Whatever style you wish to play, be it fast and frenzied or slow and tactical, the surest way to defeat your opponent consistently is by dominating him or her in the war of card advantage." - Brian Wiseman, April 1996
Mirko Vosk, mind drinker is probably better?
The horrible mana cost and the fact that you would deal lethal commander damage long before milling someone makes me feel like this is a bad card.
Guild champions (the ones that cost MN and not MMNN and have abilities that only affect spells or permanents they share a color or two with) are often better, and I've even used many of them in the 99, though I still run into issues. (For instance, I used to use Teysa, Orzhov Scion in Ghave, first to make the cycle of life and death more efficient, and second, as a form of spot removal, but then I realized, how many black tokens do I even have? And when Mycosynth Lattice comes out, neither mode is that useful.)
I imagine he was reprinted (in Devour for Power) because they wanted ways to fill graveyards. And I suppose he's playable with Bloodchief Ascension, though he still doesn't do Commander damage.
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Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
I really do wonder what the thought process of including him in the original commander pre-con was. So everyone starts at 40 life, but you could kill with just 21 points of commander damage. IDEA! Let's use the 7cmc 5/5 flyer that actually has to do about 90 points of damage in the air for "lethal."
He has to hit in combat 5 times to mill 80 cards per shot. I'm sure there is some argument for the build-up pre-80-card-mill combat turns, boosting his power, and about having 3 opponents to answer the dumb thing. But Sivitri Scarzam only has to hit someone 4 times in combat for lethal
If there were more +1/+1 counter matters cards in blue & black then he would seem more interesting. But unfortunately even bioshift can't be played with Szadek
I have seen him in recent years, but always at the helm of a casual deck, or some u/b combo deck that doesn't need it's commander.
Szadek comes from a bygone era where milling your opponent could actually be a way you could win a game. Now he just flips an eldrazi every time he hits, or feeds your graveyard strategy. If he exiled cards he'd be decently scary.
I've always enjoyed the scenario where nobody has any artifacts in graveyards and this is just sacrifice all artifacts, picturing the art as breaking everything and reading the name sarcastically.
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Zedruu: "This deck is not only able to go crazy - it also needs to do so."
"Why doesn't red do it...but with artifacts?" has led to great stuff like this and the new Saheeli's Directive. At least admitting they need the crutch moves the color forward.
White...doesn't feel like it's getting the same support. Maybe with more cards like Sram. Maybe this C19 enchantment deck will help.
"Why doesn't red do it...but with artifacts?" has led to great stuff like this and the new Saheeli's Directive. At least admitting they need the crutch moves the color forward.
White...doesn't feel like it's getting the same support. Maybe with more cards like Sram. Maybe this C19 enchantment deck will help.
White really needs the help, particularly in terms of ways to gain card advantage. In the recent past, red has gotten a lot more of that, while white has gotten Sram (admittedly quite good) and a handful of narrow tutor effects, often stapled to otherwise unimpressive creatures.
Scrap Mastery is one of my favorite tools Red has received in the last few years. It usually wins me the game when played with a sac outlet or late in the game.
Living Death usually has a problem of sometimes being amazing and sometimes being awful while this card is one-sided much more often.
It's doubly unfortunate that he got reprinted in Commander, since despite being a legendary creature, he's incapable of dealing commander damage.
A lot of the legends from Ravnica have this issue.
Huh? No they don't. I'm not talking about being bad choices as commanders. I'm talking about being literally incapable of dealing commander damage.
I meant, the issue of being a lot worse than you'd expect "double colored mana in two colors" to be. Not the no commander damage issue. (I actually think they were still playing it safe in Ravnica. The whole block has underpowered cards like, say, Battering Wurm. Or everything haunt. Never mind that OP in Magic isn't usually a matter of raw power.)
Anyway, Scrap Mastery is a staple in Eggs. I was actually surprised they printed Living Death in red, but hey, they did. I'm waiting for an enchantment one.
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Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
On phasing:
I've never actually played this card, but I have played Sudden Spoiling, and I like that one a lot. I'm curious what percentage of the time split second is what makes that good.
Sudden spoiling is better, but making them 1/1 instead of 0/2 can occasionally be relevant. There's lots of ways to deal 1 to everything.
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
I run it in Locust God, so it's even juicier when I get to trade my 1/1 insects for their entire board.
Just remember layers. If you use either on, say, Spike Weaver, you're just giving it +1/+1 until EOT, but at least it can't Fog you.
Feels good man/10
On phasing:
I think Szadek would be a really interesting card as like a 1/1 for 4 with the same abilities. A snowball effect seems kind of silly when it starts at 7 mana.
(U/B)(U/B)(U/B) JUMP IN THE LINE, ROCK YOUR BODY IN TIME
(R/W)(R/W)(R/W) RISING FROM THE NEON GLOOM, SHINING LIKE A CRAZY MOON
(U/R)(R/G)(G/U) STEALIN' WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUYIN'
Basically he only has a place in theme decks built around the guild.
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
The one who started the psychic vampire trend in MtG.
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest WUR Voltron Control
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun WU Unblockable Mirror Trickery
Ra's al Ghul (Sidar Kondo) and Face-Down Ninjas
Brudiclad, Token Engineer
Vaevictis (VV2) the Dire Lantern
Rona, Disciple of Gix
Tiana the Auror
Hallar
Ulrich the Politician
Zur the Rebel
Scorpion, Locust, Scarab, Egyptian Gods
O-Kagachi, Mathas, Mairsil
"Non-Tribal" Tribal Generals, Eggs
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
(Image by totallynotabrony)
Iconic?
He was always terrible. There was never a standard, extended, legacy or vintage deck he was ever competitively played in, let alone enough to be iconic.
An amazing bomb in limited, but worthless in every other format.
I have always felt that non-infinite mil is bad.
I still like seeing mil related cards to find alternate ways to make them go infinite... but he doesn't do that.
The horrible mana cost and the fact that you would deal lethal commander damage long before milling someone makes me feel like this is a bad card.
8.RG Green Devotion Ramp/Combo 9.UR Draw Triggers 10.WUR Group stalling 11.WUR Voltron Spellslinger 12.WB Sacrificial Shenanigans
13.BR Creatureless Panharmonicon 14.BR Pingers and Eldrazi 15.URG Untapped Cascading
16.Reyhan, last of the Abzan's WUBG +1/+1 Counter Craziness 17.WUBRG Dragons aka Why did I make this?
Building: The Gitrog Monster lands, Glissa the Traitor stax, Muldrotha, the Gravetide Planeswalker Combo, Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix + Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa Clues, and Tribal Scarecrow Planeswalkers
A lot of the legends from Ravnica have this issue. Some like Chorus of the Conclave and Borborygmos, are actually playable in the 99. And of course, Razia, Boros Archangel is still playable in Kaalia. But try using this guy or Szadek, Lord of Secrets. But there are actual decks for Rakdos the Defiler (though again, I like him in Kaalia), Experiment Kraj, Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind (infinite combo), Ghost Council of Orzhova (though they feel obsolete now), and I guess Isperia the Inscrutible maybe? I've never seen an Isperia 1.0 deck, though.
Guild champions (the ones that cost MN and not MMNN and have abilities that only affect spells or permanents they share a color or two with) are often better, and I've even used many of them in the 99, though I still run into issues. (For instance, I used to use Teysa, Orzhov Scion in Ghave, first to make the cycle of life and death more efficient, and second, as a form of spot removal, but then I realized, how many black tokens do I even have? And when Mycosynth Lattice comes out, neither mode is that useful.)
I imagine he was reprinted (in Devour for Power) because they wanted ways to fill graveyards. And I suppose he's playable with Bloodchief Ascension, though he still doesn't do Commander damage.
On phasing:
He has to hit in combat 5 times to mill 80 cards per shot. I'm sure there is some argument for the build-up pre-80-card-mill combat turns, boosting his power, and about having 3 opponents to answer the dumb thing. But Sivitri Scarzam only has to hit someone 4 times in combat for lethal
If there were more +1/+1 counter matters cards in blue & black then he would seem more interesting. But unfortunately even bioshift can't be played with Szadek
I have seen him in recent years, but always at the helm of a casual deck, or some u/b combo deck that doesn't need it's commander.
Links to my most current deck lists;
Primary EDH; Rakka Mar Token Perfection, Crosis Mnemonic Betrayal, Cromat Villainous, Judith Gravestorm, Rakdos Empty Storm, Exava Artifacts, Bant Trash, & Fumiko Voltron!
EDH kept at home; Ruzzian Isset & Rakdos LoR!
EDH (nostalgic/pimp/retired) in storage;
Latulla Burns, Akroma Smash, Jeska Voltron, Rakdos Storm, Bladewing Darghans, Lyzolda Worldgorger, Xantcha Steals your Heart, Jori Storm, Wydwen Permission, Gwendlyn Paradox, Jeleva Warps, & Sigarda Brick!
Legacy Showanimator and High Tide!
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
(Image by totallynotabrony)
I mean, the Rite of Consumption is real with this guy, though.
I've always enjoyed the scenario where nobody has any artifacts in graveyards and this is just sacrifice all artifacts, picturing the art as breaking everything and reading the name sarcastically.
White...doesn't feel like it's getting the same support. Maybe with more cards like Sram. Maybe this C19 enchantment deck will help.
(U/B)(U/B)(U/B) JUMP IN THE LINE, ROCK YOUR BODY IN TIME
(R/W)(R/W)(R/W) RISING FROM THE NEON GLOOM, SHINING LIKE A CRAZY MOON
(U/R)(R/G)(G/U) STEALIN' WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUYIN'
White really needs the help, particularly in terms of ways to gain card advantage. In the recent past, red has gotten a lot more of that, while white has gotten Sram (admittedly quite good) and a handful of narrow tutor effects, often stapled to otherwise unimpressive creatures.
Living Death usually has a problem of sometimes being amazing and sometimes being awful while this card is one-sided much more often.
The Unidentified Fantastic Flying Girl.
EDH
Xenagos, the God of Stompy
The Gitrog Monster: Oppressive Value.
Marchesa, Marionette Master - Undying Robots
Yuriko, the Hydra Omnivore
I make dolls as a hobby.
I meant, the issue of being a lot worse than you'd expect "double colored mana in two colors" to be. Not the no commander damage issue. (I actually think they were still playing it safe in Ravnica. The whole block has underpowered cards like, say, Battering Wurm. Or everything haunt. Never mind that OP in Magic isn't usually a matter of raw power.)
Anyway, Scrap Mastery is a staple in Eggs. I was actually surprised they printed Living Death in red, but hey, they did. I'm waiting for an enchantment one.
On phasing: