I play this guy (girl?) in my 720, and it looks like it is considered a Cube 'staple' by the masses. wtwlf plays it in his 360, and that is generally my qualification for a Cube staple on these forums :).
I guess I just wanted to ask what the experiences are with this card. People in my group have started to complain that it is unreliable, and they don't like picking it. The card is a TERRIBLE topdeck, and it seems like it is only good if it is in your red aggro deck's first 9 or so cards. That is pretty linear as far as Cube cards go. The biggest thing that this card has going for it is that it is in a color with a low number of good 2-drop creatures.
I am not considering cutting this since I have a 720, but is he really that much of a staple for 360 Cubes? Has anyone ever had complaints about this card when they see it in your Cube? I can see why this card is obviously overpowered when he works like he is supposed to, but I never see the negatives of Plated Geopede being mentioned.
I guess I just wanted to ask what the experiences are with this card. People in my group have started to complain that it is unreliable, and they don't like picking it. The card is a TERRIBLE topdeck, and it seems like it is only good if it is in your red aggro deck's first 9 or so cards.
Obviously being in the same boat as you with a 720 cube, this card is not going to leave for a while. However I don't know about this point you mention above. There are a large number of red cards which are "bad" topdecks which are considered staples like Goblin Patrol, Jackal Pup, Zo-Zu the Punisher etc. Even other two-drops are not great if you are looking for gas late in the game: Goblin Wardriver, Blood Knight, Stormblood Berserker which are MUCH better when they come down on turn two.
One thing I really like about Plated Geopede that the above cards don't do is that it would make lands useful late in the game when they would otherwise be crappy topdecks. The first strike ability on a 3-power creature makes combat surprisingly difficult if you represent some points of burn in your hand as well. I love this little bug, and frankly I wish your playgroup would love him more!
I have to wonder if the people in your group who are finding Geopede awkward are people who didn't play much with or against Boros Landfall when that was a deck in Standard.
Geopede is very strong, and offers a substantial board presence just by threat of one or more uncracked fetches.
He's nowhere near as exciting in a deck with no fetches, so there is that. But he's a 2-drop in a color that needs more/better of them, and which with proper build-around is very hard to block (or attack into, should it come to that) effectively.
I like Geopede because his BCS is extremely positive, and he gives you some direction for the rest of the draft in order to max out his power level. I could see leaving it in the board in some red decks with 0 fetches, but not even that often then.
I consider him substantially less demanding to draft around than Kargan Dragonlord (or Figure of Destiny in a non-Boros deck), for instance -- that guy is just monstrously red-intensive to make awesome.
Obviously being in the same boat as you with a 720 cube, this card is not going to leave for a while. However I don't know about this point you mention above. There are a large number of red cards which are "bad" topdecks which are considered staples like Goblin Patrol, Jackal Pup, Zo-Zu the Punisher etc. Even other two-drops are not great if you are looking for gas late in the game: Goblin Wardriver, Blood Knight, Stormblood Berserker which are MUCH better when they come down on turn two.
One thing I really like about Plated Geopede that the above cards don't do is that it would make lands useful late in the game when they would otherwise be crappy topdecks. The first strike ability on a 3-power creature makes combat surprisingly difficult if you represent some points of burn in your hand as well. I love this little bug, and frankly I wish your playgroup would love him more!
Hmmm... Yes I definitely wish people would like him more... I don't know if everyone else experiences this, but the average person who plays my Cube does not look at materials online, but they talk to each other, so opinions become inbred quickly. It's easy for my faulty opinions to be kept in check when I read all of your opinions on the Cube threads, and this also makes me a better Cube players when I might otherwise misevaluate cards. For example no one, including myself, thought Shelldock Isle was particularly good, but after reading Cube information on the forums, it became obvious.
Back to the topic at hand: I do think that Geopede is a much worse topdeck than the 2-drops you listed. Blood Knight and Stormblood Berserker for example are MUCH better topdecks in my opinion. The 1-drops are about the same, but they are also 1-drops. I think that it might be a little more powerful at 360 where 10 fetches plus Terramorphic Expanse and Evolving Wilds are always in the draft. I will encourage people to play him more though, because it is a good card at what it does.
Back to the topic at hand: I do think that Geopede is a much worse topdeck than the 2-drops you listed. Blood Knight and Stormblood Berserker for example are MUCH better topdecks in my opinion.
When you mentioned topdeck I assumed you were referring to when the game was stalemated and you needed to draw something live. In that case, I will concede that Blood Knight may be better. However I think that late game Stormblood Berserker can be miserable if you have no hope of pushing damage through, or if you can at the cost of losing valuable creatures.
When you mentioned topdeck I assumed you were referring to when the game was stalemated and you needed to draw something live. In that case, I will concede that Blood Knight may be better. However I think that late game Stormblood Berserker can be miserable if you have no hope of pushing damage through, or if you can at the cost of losing valuable creatures.
Yes sorry I was vague; there are definitely times when Stormblood Berserker would be a bad topdeck later in the game. It is just that Stormblood Berserker needs cards on board to be good, whereas Plated Geopede needs cards in hand (or topdecked lands in the following turns), so this is what makes the Berserker a better topdeck in my opinion. Blood Knight is easily the best topdeck of the 3, as it is best on defense and does not need anything else on your side of the board to have an effect on the game.
It's a fantastic card in aggro, and it's in a color that until very recently has a shortage of aggro 2-drops. It's a bad topdeck, but so are most aggro 2-drops. If you can't get a land drop, a 1/1 first strike isn't the worst thing and it's great with any equipment. I've had Grafted Wargear strapped to this beast before and that is just vicious.
I think he is solid but I feel that he gets better in smaller cubes since you will have a higher concentration of fetch lands to go with it and +4/+4 is a huge beating if you can hit it once or twice early.
It may be that at your cube's size the interactions he has with Primeval Titan, Harrow, Fetches, etc... become less prevalent enough that he under performs. He is a very linear card, but you need a good enough density of redundant linear cards to make that style of deck work. Definitely keep him in and maybe try to up the ways landfall can be achieved.
I think he's a great card by just playing basic lands with him. Extra damage from fetches/ramp make hima insane. He's not on my chopping block any time soon.
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Good enough on its own. Busted with fetches. First strike is relevant. I think it's one of red's best 2-drops and should be in every cube.
This is just too much of a blanket statement for me :).
-It's a 1/1 first strike for 1R on its own. Every other red 2-drop is better on their own. With lands (other cards in your deck), it becomes more powerful on offense. I would argue that it is very bad on its own and definitely not 'good enough.'
-With fetches, it is indeed amazing. In a 360 Cube, you probably run 12 fetches. In a 720 Cube, you probably run 12 fetches. That's .75 fetches per person in my 8-man on average, and 1.5 in yours. This significantly alters the power level of the card based soley on the differences in our Cubes.
-First strike is very relevant, and the card would be MUCH worse if it didn't have this ability.
It's not on the chopping block for me at all, I just have some issues with this card, and I'm surprised many people think it's one the BEST red 2-drops. Even if red has bad or shallow 2-drops, it is just not consistent if you don't kill them super quickly and need any form of board presence.
Can I just mention how cool this guy looks for a second? Any creature that wouldn't be out of place in a Metroid game is sweet in my books.
Back on topic, I like him just for the fact that he adds a small amount of value to each land you draw and play while he's on the field. It may not seem huge, but it's those little incremental advantages you get that can often make or a break a Cube game.
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My Black & Silver Cube [360/Peasant/Draft It! EDH Decks: - Reya Dawnbringer // - Mistform Ultimus // - Balthor the Defiled // - Urabrask the Hidden // - Mirri, Cat Warrior
Geopede still performs adequately to admirably here, but an effect that should be noted is that sometimes, a deck is too aggro to be able to effectively use the Geopede. Hard aggro decks want to use as few lands as possible, and any moxes will only lower the land count even further. If I only have 14 or 15 lands in my deck and happen to have no fetch lands, I will rate most other 2-drops over Geopede. I've seen him sit out a draft for that reason several times now.
It should attack as a 3/3 first striker most of the time - which is awesome for 1R. And you don't even need fetchlands for this. In an aggro deck, if you already have four lands out and Geopede is not in play, it is almost always correct to keep further lands in your hand. That way, Geopede is far from a bad topdeck.
It should attack as a 3/3 first striker most of the time - which is awesome for 1R. And you don't even need fetchlands for this. In an aggro deck, if you already have four lands out and Geopede is not in play, it is almost always correct to keep further lands in your hand. That way, Geopede is far from a bad topdeck.
It’s entertaining to search for a card and realize “oh look, I started this thread 8 years ago...” What a difference between 2012 and 2020... Both for Cube and life in general! I remember Cubing multiple times per month with college and LGS friends. Now I’m outnumbered by three young kids and Cube has become a quarterly getaway with some of those same guys who are now separated by multiple states instead of a one hour drive.
But I digress...
I’m reviewing my red 2-drops and would like to cut one. Plated Geopede feels like the least interesting aggro filler creature and did not live up to the hype in our 720, maybe partially because you rarely see the 5/5 mode at this size.
Here’s my red 2-drop list right now:
Abbot of Keral Keep
Dire Fleet Daredevil
Earthshaker Khenra
Embereth Shieldbreaker
Goblin Cratermaker
Heartfire Immolator
Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
Keldon Marauders
Lightning Mauler
Plated Geopede
Robber of the Rich
Stormblood Berserker
Viashino Pyromancer
Young Pyromancer
Viashino Pyromancer and Keldon Mauraders have great Cube synergies and also play more toward the burn-style aggressive deck which feels more common in 2020. In 2012 every aggro deck felt more like Zoo. The sac ability and modal creatures are archetype-flexible and provide more than the “play this on turn 2 in your red aggro deck” slot. I think Robber and Lightning Mauler are the most cut-able over Geopede in this slot, but they still have interesting abilities that make them more useful later in the game.
I look forward to hearing some feedback on Geopede!
But I definitely think it's a lot more interesting than a lot of the newer red 2-drops are. Interactions with lands and making topdecked lands matter is a cool aspect of these landfall dudes that's underrated, IMO. It has a way of making otherwise uninteresting turns more interesting. And we actually have more fetches available now than ever before.
I play this guy (girl?) in my 720, and it looks like it is considered a Cube 'staple' by the masses. wtwlf plays it in his 360, and that is generally my qualification for a Cube staple on these forums :).
I guess I just wanted to ask what the experiences are with this card. People in my group have started to complain that it is unreliable, and they don't like picking it. The card is a TERRIBLE topdeck, and it seems like it is only good if it is in your red aggro deck's first 9 or so cards. That is pretty linear as far as Cube cards go. The biggest thing that this card has going for it is that it is in a color with a low number of good 2-drop creatures.
I am not considering cutting this since I have a 720, but is he really that much of a staple for 360 Cubes? Has anyone ever had complaints about this card when they see it in your Cube? I can see why this card is obviously overpowered when he works like he is supposed to, but I never see the negatives of Plated Geopede being mentioned.
Obviously being in the same boat as you with a 720 cube, this card is not going to leave for a while. However I don't know about this point you mention above. There are a large number of red cards which are "bad" topdecks which are considered staples like Goblin Patrol, Jackal Pup, Zo-Zu the Punisher etc. Even other two-drops are not great if you are looking for gas late in the game: Goblin Wardriver, Blood Knight, Stormblood Berserker which are MUCH better when they come down on turn two.
One thing I really like about Plated Geopede that the above cards don't do is that it would make lands useful late in the game when they would otherwise be crappy topdecks. The first strike ability on a 3-power creature makes combat surprisingly difficult if you represent some points of burn in your hand as well. I love this little bug, and frankly I wish your playgroup would love him more!
My Tribal Cube
EDH Decks
GOmnath, Locus of ManaG
WUBSen TripletsWUB
BRGKresh the BloodbraidedBRG
Geopede is very strong, and offers a substantial board presence just by threat of one or more uncracked fetches.
He's nowhere near as exciting in a deck with no fetches, so there is that. But he's a 2-drop in a color that needs more/better of them, and which with proper build-around is very hard to block (or attack into, should it come to that) effectively.
I like Geopede because his BCS is extremely positive, and he gives you some direction for the rest of the draft in order to max out his power level. I could see leaving it in the board in some red decks with 0 fetches, but not even that often then.
I consider him substantially less demanding to draft around than Kargan Dragonlord (or Figure of Destiny in a non-Boros deck), for instance -- that guy is just monstrously red-intensive to make awesome.
Hmmm... Yes I definitely wish people would like him more... I don't know if everyone else experiences this, but the average person who plays my Cube does not look at materials online, but they talk to each other, so opinions become inbred quickly. It's easy for my faulty opinions to be kept in check when I read all of your opinions on the Cube threads, and this also makes me a better Cube players when I might otherwise misevaluate cards. For example no one, including myself, thought Shelldock Isle was particularly good, but after reading Cube information on the forums, it became obvious.
Back to the topic at hand: I do think that Geopede is a much worse topdeck than the 2-drops you listed. Blood Knight and Stormblood Berserker for example are MUCH better topdecks in my opinion. The 1-drops are about the same, but they are also 1-drops. I think that it might be a little more powerful at 360 where 10 fetches plus Terramorphic Expanse and Evolving Wilds are always in the draft. I will encourage people to play him more though, because it is a good card at what it does.
When you mentioned topdeck I assumed you were referring to when the game was stalemated and you needed to draw something live. In that case, I will concede that Blood Knight may be better. However I think that late game Stormblood Berserker can be miserable if you have no hope of pushing damage through, or if you can at the cost of losing valuable creatures.
My Tribal Cube
EDH Decks
GOmnath, Locus of ManaG
WUBSen TripletsWUB
BRGKresh the BloodbraidedBRG
Yes sorry I was vague; there are definitely times when Stormblood Berserker would be a bad topdeck later in the game. It is just that Stormblood Berserker needs cards on board to be good, whereas Plated Geopede needs cards in hand (or topdecked lands in the following turns), so this is what makes the Berserker a better topdeck in my opinion. Blood Knight is easily the best topdeck of the 3, as it is best on defense and does not need anything else on your side of the board to have an effect on the game.
Cheers,
rant
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http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=221863
The first page of my Cube list also includes my cube workbook for excel, feel free to look at and use it if you would like to.
http://cubetutor.com/cubeblog/993
http://www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/23690
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...but on the other hand, it makes topdecking a land sting a little less.
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wtwlf123's Classic Cube
Lanxal's Pauper Cube
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This is just too much of a blanket statement for me :).
-It's a 1/1 first strike for 1R on its own. Every other red 2-drop is better on their own. With lands (other cards in your deck), it becomes more powerful on offense. I would argue that it is very bad on its own and definitely not 'good enough.'
-With fetches, it is indeed amazing. In a 360 Cube, you probably run 12 fetches. In a 720 Cube, you probably run 12 fetches. That's .75 fetches per person in my 8-man on average, and 1.5 in yours. This significantly alters the power level of the card based soley on the differences in our Cubes.
-First strike is very relevant, and the card would be MUCH worse if it didn't have this ability.
It's not on the chopping block for me at all, I just have some issues with this card, and I'm surprised many people think it's one the BEST red 2-drops. Even if red has bad or shallow 2-drops, it is just not consistent if you don't kill them super quickly and need any form of board presence.
Back on topic, I like him just for the fact that he adds a small amount of value to each land you draw and play while he's on the field. It may not seem huge, but it's those little incremental advantages you get that can often make or a break a Cube game.
EDH Decks:
- Reya Dawnbringer // - Mistform Ultimus // - Balthor the Defiled // - Urabrask the Hidden // - Mirri, Cat Warrior
Uril, the Miststalker RGW -- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre C -- Vhati il-Dal BG -- Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer RW -- Animar, Soul of Elements URG
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker R -- Maga, Traitor to Mortals B -- Ghave, Guru of Spores BGW -- Sliver Hivelord WUBRG
+1.
This should be in the OP.
My Legacy-Legal Cube <--- Draft It!
wtwlf123's Classic Cube
Lanxal's Pauper Cube
Cubers, UNITE! Don't forget to post your cube location on The Great Cube Map Thread
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
But I digress...
I’m reviewing my red 2-drops and would like to cut one. Plated Geopede feels like the least interesting aggro filler creature and did not live up to the hype in our 720, maybe partially because you rarely see the 5/5 mode at this size.
Here’s my red 2-drop list right now:
Abbot of Keral Keep
Dire Fleet Daredevil
Earthshaker Khenra
Embereth Shieldbreaker
Goblin Cratermaker
Heartfire Immolator
Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
Keldon Marauders
Lightning Mauler
Plated Geopede
Robber of the Rich
Stormblood Berserker
Viashino Pyromancer
Young Pyromancer
Viashino Pyromancer and Keldon Mauraders have great Cube synergies and also play more toward the burn-style aggressive deck which feels more common in 2020. In 2012 every aggro deck felt more like Zoo. The sac ability and modal creatures are archetype-flexible and provide more than the “play this on turn 2 in your red aggro deck” slot. I think Robber and Lightning Mauler are the most cut-able over Geopede in this slot, but they still have interesting abilities that make them more useful later in the game.
I look forward to hearing some feedback on Geopede!
But I definitely think it's a lot more interesting than a lot of the newer red 2-drops are. Interactions with lands and making topdecked lands matter is a cool aspect of these landfall dudes that's underrated, IMO. It has a way of making otherwise uninteresting turns more interesting. And we actually have more fetches available now than ever before.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!