I just started playing Commander again after being away from the game for several months for reasons of insanely heavy workload, and I noticed something in the local group that does not surprise me at all. Namely, just about every deck that includes both U and G also includes Rashmi, Eternities Crafter. This doesn't surprise me at all because Rashmi is obviously a good card. If you can set it up your topdeck via scry effects and play enough instants, flash effects or things like Vedalken Orrery, Rashmi can often let you cast free spells every turn. Worst case scenario, she draws you a free card every turn in which you cast a spell. Or maybe that's best-case, because having more cards in hand is often better than casting stuff for free just because you just cast something else. Either way, solid card. I had already started incorporated Rashmi in multiple decks back when it first came out.
But the other thing I've noticed is that some players groan when Rashmi hits the table, more or less complaining that she is too ubiquitous, and too good, much as people used to groan about Prophet of Kruphix. So far I haven't seen people rushing to copy or steal Rashmi, but people do sometimes target her, they way solid value cards (things like, say, Oracle of Mul Daya or Phyrexian Arena) sometimes get targeted before they can provide too much advantage.
Anyhow, I was wondering what others have seen, and what others think. Do you see Rashmi in lots of UG decks? And if so, do you just regard her as a ubiquitous staple but nothing overpowered, along the lines of Wood Elves or Return to Dust, cards that you will more likely than not see in decks running certain colors, or do you regard it as too ubiquitous to be good for the format?
I should note, I think Rashmi is just a good card that probably has a role in most UG decks, other than maybe ultra-competitive, super-fast combo decks (it may or may not be good there, I don't know or care), but I am am kind of surprised that some people seem to really dislike seeing it, like it was Prophet or Deadeye Navigator or something like that.
I've never seen Rashmi in the 99. I play against two different Rashmi decks on a regular basis, though, and if Rashmi gets to stick on the board for a couple turns, it usually means you've lost all hope of resolving a meaningful spell for the rest of the game.
I am the same way I have never seen Rashmi in the deck that is not the Commander and that is only a couple of times and everyone has that decks number right away.
Yeah, Rashmi is too fragile to last for very long in the 99. It's not like Prophet of Kruphix, where it gives you value every single turn by just sitting there. Rashmi only gives you one thing on each turn, you have to hold up mana to cast spells on other turns, and there's no guarantee you're going to hit anything of value.
Basically, for Rashmi to be any good for more than a turn or two, it must be your commander.
Rashmi is in my Zegana deck. It's a decent value engine on it's own - key word being "decent". She's never the first card I'd pull up.
She's pretty good and as a commander she can be downright terrifying, but I've yet to see anything that shows her to be on par with the likes of Prophet of Kruphix when in the 99.
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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.
I jammed Rashmi into pretty much every deck I reasonably could because she is a must-answer threat. If it comes down to answering all my other threats and Rashmi is the last one standing, then I'm going to out-value the other players until someone else draws removal. Sometimes it's more about the level of threat density than just having hard-to-answer threats. I've pulled Rashmi from a few decks to make space for other stuff that is either on-theme or has a more immediate impact on the board state (Rashmi needs to be in play for a while to realize her full potential), but that makes her no less good at doing what a lot of good commander cards do; generate tons of value over time if left alone.
I also think that Rashmi's potential to take over games is also tied to whether you have a Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Sylvan Library, Scroll Rack, or Sensei's Divining Top in play to manipulate the top of your library. It's one thing to just randomly generate card advantage, but another threat level entirely if you are cheating in expensive threats on the cheap. I can see where if Rashmi was the commander then the number of ways to manipulate the top of the deck is probably maximized and the number of cards worthy of being cheated into play is higher than normal, then the threat of Rashmi is higher.
So I would say that Rashmi is nowhere near groan-worthy, isn't really that ubiquitous unless UG is over-represented in your meta, and is probably not even a UG "staple"; it's just a very good card in a format full of very good cards.
Rashmi is a great card, but nothing like prophet. Prophet was just inherently broken (debateably) whereas Rashmi still requires other cards to like the Orrery to even somewhat break it. I would personally run it in any UG deck, but not necessarily in any or even most three+ color decks containing blue and green.
Rashimi is ubiquitous only as a commander, and its because she's still the hot new ***** everyone wanted to build. She has an interesting and powerful ability that makes lots of people want to build her, so she shows up everywhere and probably will for a couple of years before petering off a bit. She reminds me of Omnath 2.0 and Gitrog when they came out, as they popped up every other game on mtgo for awhile. They were groan inducing both because of how often you saw them, and how their decks tended to play out the same way each time. Rashimi is a lot like that, and it gets old fast. Eventually, like those two, a lot of people will take apart the deck, so she'll only show up at a reasonable rate and seeing her at the table will be a lot less annoying.
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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!
But the other thing I've noticed is that some players groan when Rashmi hits the table, more or less complaining that she is too ubiquitous, and too good, much as people used to groan about Prophet of Kruphix. So far I haven't seen people rushing to copy or steal Rashmi, but people do sometimes target her, they way solid value cards (things like, say, Oracle of Mul Daya or Phyrexian Arena) sometimes get targeted before they can provide too much advantage.
Anyhow, I was wondering what others have seen, and what others think. Do you see Rashmi in lots of UG decks? And if so, do you just regard her as a ubiquitous staple but nothing overpowered, along the lines of Wood Elves or Return to Dust, cards that you will more likely than not see in decks running certain colors, or do you regard it as too ubiquitous to be good for the format?
I should note, I think Rashmi is just a good card that probably has a role in most UG decks, other than maybe ultra-competitive, super-fast combo decks (it may or may not be good there, I don't know or care), but I am am kind of surprised that some people seem to really dislike seeing it, like it was Prophet or Deadeye Navigator or something like that.
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
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Basically, for Rashmi to be any good for more than a turn or two, it must be your commander.
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
She's pretty good and as a commander she can be downright terrifying, but I've yet to see anything that shows her to be on par with the likes of Prophet of Kruphix when in the 99.
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.
I also think that Rashmi's potential to take over games is also tied to whether you have a Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Sylvan Library, Scroll Rack, or Sensei's Divining Top in play to manipulate the top of your library. It's one thing to just randomly generate card advantage, but another threat level entirely if you are cheating in expensive threats on the cheap. I can see where if Rashmi was the commander then the number of ways to manipulate the top of the deck is probably maximized and the number of cards worthy of being cheated into play is higher than normal, then the threat of Rashmi is higher.
So I would say that Rashmi is nowhere near groan-worthy, isn't really that ubiquitous unless UG is over-represented in your meta, and is probably not even a UG "staple"; it's just a very good card in a format full of very good cards.
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
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!
So Good? Yes definitly. Banworthy? Not even close.
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