The mana cost is all that's holding it back. Sun Titan gives you a freebie for getting it in play, so I guess 3WB would make this an easier proposition, considering you already have to wait a turn to get your advantage out of it.
It's a good recursion card if you're playing Stax (either of the forced sac or the lockdown strain), and you get to hit an opponent again. But the mana cost is a bit much. It's at the very least competing with Sun Titan (better effect, worse stats, no vigilance), Grave Titan, Steel Hellkite, Reaper from the Abyss, Wurmcoil Engine, and Massacre Wurm at the six-mana slot, and there are plenty of cheaper creatures I'm willing to "promote" to six mana (and thus lower my curve).
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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 love Extort as a mechanic and play several extort cards across my decks, including a couple which are generally not considered particularly strong, but I have never been even tempted to play this card. As creatures go, for 6 mana you should get something a lot better than this. I'm not even sure it would make the cut at 5 mana, but that would potentially be worth at least considering.
I wish this got the Pontiff of Blight treatment. Good effect, on a bad body(or weak body), with a fat butt. I’m not trying to win combat, just survive it to achieve the effect. Then, at worst, you’re left with big booty bleeder. At 6cmc, this should have been better, and more so with the multi-color cost.
Even if it's not attacking you get to extort, so a very versatile creature.
But that’s still on a 6 mana creature. Lifelink, death touch, anything else to make “just extorting” a reasonable fall back. Don’t get me wrong, extort can be stupid strong, but that’s not why you play this card imo.
I run Treasury Thrull in my Obzedat Life Drain deck where it not only makes sense from a theme perspective because I run 9 of the 13 possible Extort cards, but I also have some important enchantments and artifacts worth recurring if they get blown up and it runs a lot of Wrath effects and it helps recurring creatures post-Wrath. I would not characterize it as a "good" card, but it is good enough for what it does and it can be a decent roleplayer in certain decks.
I'd play this at five mana without the extort, and I feel like paying a premium for extort just isn't worth it. Good attack trigger but just slightly out of my price range
Even if it's not attacking you get to extort, so a very versatile creature.
But that’s still on a 6 mana creature. Lifelink, death touch, anything else to make “just extorting” a reasonable fall back. Don’t get me wrong, extort can be stupid strong, but that’s not why you play this card imo.
Which is why I called it versatile. It yields good benefit when it attacks, and it helps out even if it doesn't attack.
I never saw this card the same way again since being on the receiving end of this and Mindslaver. The point was taken: Never underestimate precon bulk again.
Even if it's not attacking you get to extort, so a very versatile creature.
But that’s still on a 6 mana creature. Lifelink, death touch, anything else to make “just extorting” a reasonable fall back. Don’t get me wrong, extort can be stupid strong, but that’s not why you play this card imo.
(And yes, I know, you could put Mafia Pope over there in this set because I am running him just for extort, but he is an effective wincon in token decks, as I said.)
And less relevant still are the extort cards I would almost never use:
Vizkopa Confessor (five mana is a lot to pay for a Thoughtseize, and you're paying a lot more life)
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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!
Pontiff of Blight: A Win Con!? Epitome of Battlecruiser EDH. You'd need several Creatures and a ton of mana just to Extort a few times... 4BB + (X+1)*(W/B) + X Creatures + Spell(s). Even with Tormod's Crypt et al that's 7+ mana to extort at least once the turn it drops. Overrated af.
Treasury Thrull: Overcosted by any means. If it were at least 2 mana less, had no extort but evasion it would still be slow.
Been loving this since day 1 in my Talrand, Sky Summoner deck! Better than Vizier of the Menagerie by far.
Most of my creature heavy decks run 30-35/99 creatures, while my Spellslinger decks run 40-45/99 Instants/Sorceries, so i hit more relevant cards, have less timing restrictions, am able to manipulate my top deck and the effect is harder to remove.
Yes, you can play lands with Future Sight but that's more mana and gives away crucial information, especially against Control decks.
I've been testing this card in my tuned Jace deck for a little while now. It's literally too easy to create infinite colorless in that deck, but sometimes you don't have the means to get your wincon. If this is on the field, you can just sink that mana into your top deck by casting/ex-milling until you get what you need. It's a great and under appreciated addition.
Melek has his spots in less competitive metas or if you’re really leaning into the copying ability, but if you’re just looking to be able to essentially have one or eighty extra cards in your “hand” off the top of your deck, the field is better.
I have been strongly considering slotting the Field into my Nin spellslinger deck and the Kess control deck I'm currently working on. Nin can always clear the topdeck as needed, Kess has enough Ponder sorts of effects and other small-scale draw to do that pretty consistently as well.
Psst, Cryptolith Rite and Earthcraft exist. That's what makes it a wincon. Unless you think it's so, so hard to have, say, 5 tokens out or something that happens in any game of Magic where your deck tries to do it. Then all you need to do is cast an instant just before the guy to your right's turn ends and hit everyone for X, where X is the number of untapped creatures you control plus (whichever is lower, the number of other permanents with extort or the number of other untapped mana sources you control). If you have Seedborn Muse, you can do it every turn.
Sure, any BGx deck can go with infinite mana and Exsanguinate too, but then you can't do it over the course of multiple turns if need be.
So, you see, I'm not a battlecruiser. I'm not even a frigate.
Anyway, I like Precognition Field's templating. I do. The one thing I always hated about Future Sight and friends was revealing my cards (especially instants/flash). I guess you can use Laboratory Maniac with infinite mana to win the game, but there are a lot of ways to win the game with infinite mana.
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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've never been fond of relying on 2-card-combos-to-make-a-mediocre-card-decent-neither-of-which-are-the-commander. So this isn't going anywhere near any of my decks.
That said, it does more with lands than most cards in the Lord Windgrace precon.
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My Commander decks:
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
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Upgrading from yesterday's damage trigger to today's attack trigger, but that mana cost is rough.
It's a good recursion card if you're playing Stax (either of the forced sac or the lockdown strain), and you get to hit an opponent again. But the mana cost is a bit much. It's at the very least competing with Sun Titan (better effect, worse stats, no vigilance), Grave Titan, Steel Hellkite, Reaper from the Abyss, Wurmcoil Engine, and Massacre Wurm at the six-mana slot, and there are plenty of cheaper creatures I'm willing to "promote" to six mana (and thus lower my curve).
On phasing:
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
But that’s still on a 6 mana creature. Lifelink, death touch, anything else to make “just extorting” a reasonable fall back. Don’t get me wrong, extort can be stupid strong, but that’s not why you play this card imo.
Jalira, Master Polymorphist | Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder | Bosh, Iron Golem | Ezuri, Renegade Leader
Brago, King Eternal | Oona, Queen of the Fae | Wort, Boggart Auntie | Wort, the Raidmother
Captain Sisay | Rhys, the Redeemed | Trostani, Selesnya's Voice | Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight | Obzedat, Ghost Council | Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind | Vorel of the Hull Clade
Uril, the Miststalker | Prossh, Skyraider of Kher | Nicol Bolas | Progenitus
Ghave, Guru of Spores | Zedruu the Greathearted | Damia, Sage of Stone | Riku of Two Reflections
Which is why I called it versatile. It yields good benefit when it attacks, and it helps out even if it doesn't attack.
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
(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'
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
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
(Image by totallynotabrony)
Also, sometimes you'll want things with CMC > 3. Doesn't get lands or walkers tho.
On extort, it's gravy. I generally define extort as
Extort cards I would seriously consider for utility
Less relevant are the extort cards I would seriously consider for extort's sake alone:
(And yes, I know, you could put Mafia Pope over there in this set because I am running him just for extort, but he is an effective wincon in token decks, as I said.)
And less relevant still are the extort cards I would almost never use:
On phasing:
Any card with that first line of rules text gets my attention. Being possible card advantage and an infinite mana sink is added benefit.
Most of my creature heavy decks run 30-35/99 creatures, while my Spellslinger decks run 40-45/99 Instants/Sorceries, so i hit more relevant cards, have less timing restrictions, am able to manipulate my top deck and the effect is harder to remove.
Yes, you can play lands with Future Sight but that's more mana and gives away crucial information, especially against Control decks.
I've been testing this card in my tuned Jace deck for a little while now. It's literally too easy to create infinite colorless in that deck, but sometimes you don't have the means to get your wincon. If this is on the field, you can just sink that mana into your top deck by casting/ex-milling until you get what you need. It's a great and under appreciated addition.
Should this replace Melek, Izzet Paragon in any decks that would play Melek?
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
Melek has his spots in less competitive metas or if you’re really leaning into the copying ability, but if you’re just looking to be able to essentially have one or eighty extra cards in your “hand” off the top of your deck, the field is better.
Sure, any BGx deck can go with infinite mana and Exsanguinate too, but then you can't do it over the course of multiple turns if need be.
So, you see, I'm not a battlecruiser. I'm not even a frigate.
Anyway, I like Precognition Field's templating. I do. The one thing I always hated about Future Sight and friends was revealing my cards (especially instants/flash). I guess you can use Laboratory Maniac with infinite mana to win the game, but there are a lot of ways to win the game with infinite mana.
On phasing:
It another "not much for 6 mana" creature, but it does curve nicely into Boundless Realms.
That said, it does more with lands than most cards in the Lord Windgrace precon.
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.