Sadly, the final clause on Etrata makes it pretty clear she's intended for Commander.
Notta; as an avid Commander player (Commander and modern are the best formats)I can tell you that she's pretty bad in Commander. You either shuffle her into your library and have to waste resources digging her back out (might as well try to win the game if you did that), or you send her back to the command zone and have to cast her three times for 18 mana (4 + 6 + 8) in order to kill one player. You can do a lot more for 18 mana.
Or you play other cards like Vanishing or any of the instant speed flicker effects in blue or what have you once the trigger is on the stack to not bother with the shuffling or the recasting, obviously this applies much more to Commander rather than Modern but she will find a home in EDH for sure.
I’m not so quick to write off risk factor simply because, even if it is just an expensive Boros Charm, it’s a Boros Charm that can turn a land in your hand into a Boros Charm. Even with its low land count, flooding in burn is an issue, and drawing a land at the wrong time can give your opponent a chance to stabilize or even pull ahead. I don’t think it’s unreasonavle for burn to at least test this (maybe as a 2-of)
The issue is that burn doesn't want 3 mana cards. Burn is looking to drop as much damage as quickly as possible and 3 mana cards just don't make the cut. Flames of the Blood hand hasn't seen play in a long time. The punisher aspect of the card isn't as bad as say Vexing Devil which can be dealt with via removal or blocking if you draw it late, but if 4 damage for 3 is wanted then Exquisite Firecraft will probably be the choice.
Odd (interesting) discovery for a possible immolation RW deck.
Hail of Arrows can function as an answer card and a threat card when played together with Boros Reckoner, Spitemare, and Dauntless Captain. Stalled board? If you have enough mana available you can just attack and target your own Boros Reckoner - redirect as much damage as you'd like. You can even split it up different ways if you want.
I think that one important avenue of play for this deck would be the threat of the infinite life combo with Boros Reckoner and Deafening Clarion. It just needs some protection for that. Boros Charm, Selfless Spirit, Dauntless Bodyguard, and Eight-and-a-half-Tails can all get that done and these cards can also synergize with the immolation plan to varying degrees of course.
I'm not sure how I'd build out the curve but I'm interested in maybe slow-playing the start of the match with Weathered Wayfarer searching for mountains and Valakut. That would open up that, Dragonmaster Outcast and Slayers' Stronghold as plans C, D and E. It would also give the deck a chance to curve up beyond 3 cmc.
Other options include Spellskite (to protect the Reckoners) or perhaps Figure of Destiny for the more direct approach. Card advantage and permission might be a problem so it might make sense to run a few copies of Gryff's Boon in addition to the Slayers' Stronghold.
Add Lightning Helix for supplemental answers and life gain. Tweak the number of pyroclasm effects to be effective against aggro. Maybe add a God or a PW if you can find the right fit.
I can't say it'd be powerful enough for tournaments but I think it would be fun to play casually.
Seems to me like it would be fantastic in Jund. On the one hand it's a 4 mana do nothing until you untap, but on the other hand so was Chandra, Pyromaster and Jund loved to play that. Jund typically has great top decks, which this plays well with. This can easily draw around 3 cards a turn on it's own, it's good with Liliana of the Veil and still retaining that card advantage, and it's good with Grim Flayer which has been seeing more play in place of Bobs.
This is the sort of card that overwhelms the opponent the turn you untap with it. 4 mana and then win the game the turn after is pretty much what a midrange deck should be asking for from a card.
Tested Discovery // Dispersal as a 4-of in Abzan Traverse, Mardu Midrange, and GriselShoal Goryo's Vengeance, and it was great in all 3 decks. Mardu definitely feels more consistent now, and it was decent at helping fix Abzan Traverse's mana and hitting Delirium.
Do you think it can replace Night's Whisper in black decks ?
I'm not sure if the extra filtering is better than drawing a second card, but not losing life is a decent upside.
Unmoored Ego seems like a strong card at first glance. The question is 1) what deck wants it, and 2) is KCI and Tron keeping that deck down so much that an upgraded Lost Legacy will reverse their fortunes? Grixis DS already has a good combo matchup, so does the unplayed UB Faeries, and Mill can just do their thing and have their pick with Surgical Extraction. Maybe some ThopterSword deck which excels at grinding fair decks out, but finds slowly generating 1/1s a losing proposition against combo or Tron? Also worth pointing out that Damping Sphere hates on mostly the same things as Unmoored Ego. Ego can't be removed and could be boarded in against Titanshift, that's about it.
Sultai Midrange greatly appreciates a card like Unmoored Ego. Midrange has a difficult time against Tron and resilient combo, which this card is good against. This is a great sideboard option that can also be Snapcastered on turn 5. This effect costing 3 mana is a big upgrade from 4. I'm very pleased with this for Sultai.
2B
Creature - Human Shaman
When 'Plaque Channeler' enters the battlefield, each player sacrifices a creature or planeswalker. Each player that can't, discards a card.
noteworthy that like Fleshbag Marauder this card gets around leyline vs. bogles. hitting a walker or just the discard is new. possibly sideboard tech for humans or other decks.
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Modern: UWGSnow-Bant Control BURGrixis Death's Shadow GWBCoCo Elves WCDeath and Taxes (sold)
Oh right its a human...not sure I like it giving your opponent a choice doesn't do it for me and most control decks have well stocked hands.
Most Control decks also dont have a Creature, and are leaning on either a single Walker, or need those cards to be in their hands. Stapled Body + Disruption + Relevant Tribe (to understate it no less)..I dont know, I predict an annoying 2 for 1.
Fair enough but lol Humans Players are going to need a bigger sideboard at this point. Going to have a 2-3 CMC card to counter every deck at this rate.
I find it funny how Play Design is pumping out Tron and Walker Hate but I have not seen a brand new board wipe to keep Humans in line. Granted hard to get better then Terminus but still...
I don't think Experimental Frenzy is good. Preventing you from playing cards in hand blows big-time, and it's a bigger nonbo with Bob (I'm pointing this out because Aazadan mentioned that this could go into Jund). Midrange decks can't really chain that many spells every turn because they tend to have higher curves, and then half the Moon Prison decks hate this card because it nonbos with Ensnaring Bridge.
Kraul Harpooner is nifty anti-flier hate and an efficient beater in one card. Seeing as fliers have never been more popular (Spirits, Affinity, UR Wizards, Hardened Scales, decks with Lingering Souls, etc.), and the best fliers all pretty much die to this guy with no Undergrowth, might this see play, even if it's only in mono-green decks?
Tajic, Legion's Edge mainly looks like a crummier Selfless Spirit--although he'll be the only guy who dies to Bolt while he's out, he dies to dang near any board wipe you Chord of Calling him into in response to the wipe. Haste and Mentor are fun, and the body's efficient enough, but having no evasion and no ability to block fliers is not so fun. I guess Chording (or Vialing) him in response to a Bolt at something else is going to be the biggest blowout he can make.
Tested Discovery // Dispersal as a 4-of in Abzan Traverse, Mardu Midrange, and GriselShoal Goryo's Vengeance, and it was great in all 3 decks. Mardu definitely feels more consistent now, and it was decent at helping fix Abzan Traverse's mana and hitting Delirium.
Do you think it can replace Night's Whisper in black decks ?
I'm not sure if the extra filtering is better than drawing a second card, but not losing life is a decent upside.
Given the black decks lately and their love of the graveyard, yes, I predict this will displace Night's Whisper. (That card never saw play in Death's Shadow decks, anyway, and half of them are trying to get Delirium.)
Fair enough but lol Humans Players are going to need a bigger sideboard at this point. Going to have a 2-3 CMC card to counter every deck at this rate.
I find it funny how Play Design is pumping out Tron and Walker Hate but I have not seen a brand new board wipe to keep Humans in line. Granted hard to get better then Terminus but still...
I mentioned it weeks ago, but nobody wanted to listen. We will need anti tribal hate eventually.
I don't think Experimental Frenzy is good. Preventing you from playing cards in hand blows big-time, and it's a bigger nonbo with Bob (I'm pointing this out because Aazadan mentioned that this could go into Jund). Midrange decks can't really chain that many spells every turn because they tend to have higher curves, and then half the Moon Prison decks hate this card because it nonbos with Ensnaring Bridge.
Jund has shifted more towards Grim Flayer than Bob lately, and the deck has no problem chaining 3-4 cards together if it has enough in hand. The closest analogy I can make to it is Chandra, Pyromaster which the deck played solely for the 0 effect which was a tap out on turn 4 for +1 card per turn. This is more along the lines of a tap out on turn 4 for 3 or 4 cards per turn and you can string a lot of cards together between fetchlands, Liliana, and Grim Flayer to modify the top of your deck to ensure you're not bricked by a string of lands.
Fair enough but lol Humans Players are going to need a bigger sideboard at this point. Going to have a 2-3 CMC card to counter every deck at this rate.
I find it funny how Play Design is pumping out Tron and Walker Hate but I have not seen a brand new board wipe to keep Humans in line. Granted hard to get better then Terminus but still...
I mentioned it weeks ago, but nobody wanted to listen. We will need anti tribal hate eventually.
I wish it will probably cost 4 cmc if its 3 it have a garbage downside.
We're getting new 4 mana sweeper for CMC 3 or less, and a new 3 mana sweeper for toughness 4 or greater. Both could potentially be useful against Humans. The problem is finding answers to a hyper-efficient beatdown deck that simultaneously pressures and disrupts the opponent, without creating card(s) that stifle any sort of aggressive strategy. Could be something like a 3-4 cost sorcery that destroys a permanent of each color, could even just make it 5 lines to allow you to target a multicolor permanent more than once to allow it to actually see play.
4 Toughness or greater seems more likely to help Humans then it does to hurt. Do they even play creatures above 4 toughness?
As for Clarion yeah I forsee that slaughtering more Boros Decks then it helps in stadard. The lifelink is unlikely to matter in most cases.
Now the 3 CMC or less I suppose has some potential but not for 4 mana it doesn't unless you are playing a deck breaking parity and if you are do you really need a boardwipe?
OK, I tested Experimental Frenzy in RG Ponza and RG Eldrazi Stompy. Experimental Frenzy is still safest being played on an empty hand, which clashes with both decks' higher curves. It was better in RG Ponza. In both decks, Experimental Frenzy can indeed effectively draw 3 or even 4 cards per turn, outpacing Outpost Siege. It's basically guaranteed to do so late-game or after a few turns, as you're likely to get a land drop every turn with this out. However, I hit the 3-4-cards-per-turn point later with RG Eldrazi than with RG Ponza. RG Eldrazi plays fewer mana dorks, has a higher curve, and plays at least 1 more land, and its aggro tendencies often means that you'll win the game before you can dump your hand. On the other hand, RG Ponza plays more mana dorks--including the effectively free Utopia Sprawl, plays Tireless Tracker and Chandra, Torch of Defiance so you can easily clear the 2nd or later land card you hit each turn, and has a lower win condition density. I ended up not minding being unable to play cards in hand in both decks. (It was disturbing that, despite several turns of having Experimental Frenzy out, RG Eldrazi still lost to Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet in one of my test games.)
While playing this, I was intensely reminded of Avaricious Dragon, which is also a 4-drop with CA every turn that discourages you from playing it until you go Hellbent. Unlike Experimental Frenzy, it only draws an extra card each turn, but it has a body (being able to block would have been great in testing), and it plays nice with Ensnaring Bridge. And yes, I've seen Avaricious Dragon in Modern Moon Prison.
Affinity looks like the next most promising deck for Experimental Frenzy--it plays several free spells, has a low curve, and can support 4-drops--but EF is stuck competing with several cards there, such as Thoughtcast (so much cheaper that you can play it on Turn 2), Glint-Nest Crane (pairs a body with a nigh-guaranteed artifact for so much cheaper than 4 mana), and Karn, Scion of Urza (his ability to poop out huge beatsticks, starting the turn he ETB, is too tempting to ignore, and he's probably the most commonly played of the 3 lately). And EF does not play nice with Affinity's manlands.
In the meantime, Mnemonic Betrayal looks fun, especially against cantrip-heavy decks, but right now the only deck I can see even trying to use it is Jeskai Ascendancy Combo (which still sees fringe play in MTGO). As a Glittering Wish target, it can effectively draw way more cards than the old standby, Scarscale Ritual, and if that deck's mana base can support stuff like Abrupt Decay, it can support this. And Jeskai Ascendancy Combo can ramp like all heck.
There is potential for Selective Snare to help blue tempo decks like Death's Shadow and Faeries fight tribal go-wide strategies like Humans Faeries Elves and Merfolk. I just dont know that its enough potential to fit space in my sb for. Personally I kind of like the idea of bouncing my effect faeries post-combat (but I would really rather have riptide laboratory for that effect). The anti-tribal tempo that this card creates was mentioned in the State of Modern thread aswell, so it seems like wizards is paying attention (though there isnt much proof this is a new design direction similar to hate for Tron).
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Decks I have in my bag of tricks- Needless to say, someone who wants to play will probably have a deck UB/x Faeries UR Storm XURWB Affinity G Elves UW control
If Lights said "up to one target creature," I would have considered it. With it being a dead draw at too many stages of the game against stuff like Tron, KCI, and UWx Control, I'm just not interested.
Or you play other cards like Vanishing or any of the instant speed flicker effects in blue or what have you once the trigger is on the stack to not bother with the shuffling or the recasting, obviously this applies much more to Commander rather than Modern but she will find a home in EDH for sure.
Hail of Arrows can function as an answer card and a threat card when played together with Boros Reckoner, Spitemare, and Dauntless Captain. Stalled board? If you have enough mana available you can just attack and target your own Boros Reckoner - redirect as much damage as you'd like. You can even split it up different ways if you want.
I think that one important avenue of play for this deck would be the threat of the infinite life combo with Boros Reckoner and Deafening Clarion. It just needs some protection for that. Boros Charm, Selfless Spirit, Dauntless Bodyguard, and Eight-and-a-half-Tails can all get that done and these cards can also synergize with the immolation plan to varying degrees of course.
I'm not sure how I'd build out the curve but I'm interested in maybe slow-playing the start of the match with Weathered Wayfarer searching for mountains and Valakut. That would open up that, Dragonmaster Outcast and Slayers' Stronghold as plans C, D and E. It would also give the deck a chance to curve up beyond 3 cmc.
Other options include Spellskite (to protect the Reckoners) or perhaps Figure of Destiny for the more direct approach. Card advantage and permission might be a problem so it might make sense to run a few copies of Gryff's Boon in addition to the Slayers' Stronghold.
Add Lightning Helix for supplemental answers and life gain. Tweak the number of pyroclasm effects to be effective against aggro. Maybe add a God or a PW if you can find the right fit.
I can't say it'd be powerful enough for tournaments but I think it would be fun to play casually.
Experimental Frenzy
Seems to me like it would be fantastic in Jund. On the one hand it's a 4 mana do nothing until you untap, but on the other hand so was Chandra, Pyromaster and Jund loved to play that. Jund typically has great top decks, which this plays well with. This can easily draw around 3 cards a turn on it's own, it's good with Liliana of the Veil and still retaining that card advantage, and it's good with Grim Flayer which has been seeing more play in place of Bobs.
This is the sort of card that overwhelms the opponent the turn you untap with it. 4 mana and then win the game the turn after is pretty much what a midrange deck should be asking for from a card.
Do you think it can replace Night's Whisper in black decks ?
I'm not sure if the extra filtering is better than drawing a second card, but not losing life is a decent upside.
Sultai Midrange greatly appreciates a card like Unmoored Ego. Midrange has a difficult time against Tron and resilient combo, which this card is good against. This is a great sideboard option that can also be Snapcastered on turn 5. This effect costing 3 mana is a big upgrade from 4. I'm very pleased with this for Sultai.
UWRUWR MidrangeUWR
BUGSultai MidrangeBUG
BUGRTraverse MidrangeBUGR (currently brewing)
Spirits
UB Wight Phantasm
RB Burn
UR Faerie Rites of Initiation
Legacy:
R Burn
CG-Post
2B
Creature - Human Shaman
When 'Plaque Channeler' enters the battlefield, each player sacrifices a creature or planeswalker. Each player that can't, discards a card.
noteworthy that like Fleshbag Marauder this card gets around leyline vs. bogles. hitting a walker or just the discard is new. possibly sideboard tech for humans or other decks.
UWGSnow-Bant Control
BURGrixis Death's Shadow
GWBCoCo Elves
WCDeath and Taxes(sold)Most Control decks also dont have a Creature, and are leaning on either a single Walker, or need those cards to be in their hands. Stapled Body + Disruption + Relevant Tribe (to understate it no less)..I dont know, I predict an annoying 2 for 1.
Spirits
I find it funny how Play Design is pumping out Tron and Walker Hate but I have not seen a brand new board wipe to keep Humans in line. Granted hard to get better then Terminus but still...
Kraul Harpooner is nifty anti-flier hate and an efficient beater in one card. Seeing as fliers have never been more popular (Spirits, Affinity, UR Wizards, Hardened Scales, decks with Lingering Souls, etc.), and the best fliers all pretty much die to this guy with no Undergrowth, might this see play, even if it's only in mono-green decks?
Tajic, Legion's Edge mainly looks like a crummier Selfless Spirit--although he'll be the only guy who dies to Bolt while he's out, he dies to dang near any board wipe you Chord of Calling him into in response to the wipe. Haste and Mentor are fun, and the body's efficient enough, but having no evasion and no ability to block fliers is not so fun. I guess Chording (or Vialing) him in response to a Bolt at something else is going to be the biggest blowout he can make.
Given the black decks lately and their love of the graveyard, yes, I predict this will displace Night's Whisper. (That card never saw play in Death's Shadow decks, anyway, and half of them are trying to get Delirium.)
I mentioned it weeks ago, but nobody wanted to listen. We will need anti tribal hate eventually.
Spirits
A fun trick to play with Boltsplicer Mage is to cast Slip Through Space on it. You may recognize this from Zada, Hedron Grinder or Precursor Golem, but this time your creature costs only 2 mana.
Tajic is a Human too, wtf. His combat stats are worse than Mantis Rider, but he supports the team a bit better. Bolt? Vial in Tajic, no more Bolt.
| Ad Nauseam
| Infect
Big Johnny.
Jund has shifted more towards Grim Flayer than Bob lately, and the deck has no problem chaining 3-4 cards together if it has enough in hand. The closest analogy I can make to it is Chandra, Pyromaster which the deck played solely for the 0 effect which was a tap out on turn 4 for +1 card per turn. This is more along the lines of a tap out on turn 4 for 3 or 4 cards per turn and you can string a lot of cards together between fetchlands, Liliana, and Grim Flayer to modify the top of your deck to ensure you're not bricked by a string of lands.
I wish it will probably cost 4 cmc if its 3 it have a garbage downside.
As for Clarion yeah I forsee that slaughtering more Boros Decks then it helps in stadard. The lifelink is unlikely to matter in most cases.
Now the 3 CMC or less I suppose has some potential but not for 4 mana it doesn't unless you are playing a deck breaking parity and if you are do you really need a boardwipe?
While playing this, I was intensely reminded of Avaricious Dragon, which is also a 4-drop with CA every turn that discourages you from playing it until you go Hellbent. Unlike Experimental Frenzy, it only draws an extra card each turn, but it has a body (being able to block would have been great in testing), and it plays nice with Ensnaring Bridge. And yes, I've seen Avaricious Dragon in Modern Moon Prison.
Affinity looks like the next most promising deck for Experimental Frenzy--it plays several free spells, has a low curve, and can support 4-drops--but EF is stuck competing with several cards there, such as Thoughtcast (so much cheaper that you can play it on Turn 2), Glint-Nest Crane (pairs a body with a nigh-guaranteed artifact for so much cheaper than 4 mana), and Karn, Scion of Urza (his ability to poop out huge beatsticks, starting the turn he ETB, is too tempting to ignore, and he's probably the most commonly played of the 3 lately). And EF does not play nice with Affinity's manlands.
In the meantime, Mnemonic Betrayal looks fun, especially against cantrip-heavy decks, but right now the only deck I can see even trying to use it is Jeskai Ascendancy Combo (which still sees fringe play in MTGO). As a Glittering Wish target, it can effectively draw way more cards than the old standby, Scarscale Ritual, and if that deck's mana base can support stuff like Abrupt Decay, it can support this. And Jeskai Ascendancy Combo can ramp like all heck.
UB/x Faeries
UR Storm
XURWB Affinity
G Elves
UW control
Selective Snare
Dazzling Lights
Nothing else jumped out at me.
Spirits
If Lights said "up to one target creature," I would have considered it. With it being a dead draw at too many stages of the game against stuff like Tron, KCI, and UWx Control, I'm just not interested.
Spirits