Everyone should run Ohran Viper, it's one of those unique cards that can't be replaced by another similar card.
I cut this card quite a while ago because no one ever ran it. It was just really awkward and not something people wanted to see.
I'm been considering using Awakening Zone for a while now because I really like supporting the Token/Opposition deck. But I'm worried it will be too good for the ramp deck which is already really powerful.
Anyone running or trying the green ball lightning? I've debated about it's worth, but it's the clear aggro bridge between mana dorks and beasts. Green 4 and 5 drops are houses. To land accel, ball lightning, and then a 4 drop could be crushing. I'm also taking the geralf color-color-color edge for possible inclusion. green has no issue making more green mana.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
That which nourishes me, destroys me
10th at SCG: Syracuse (2014), GP:NJ Last-Chance Grinder Winner (2014):: Former Legacy Mod
I mean, hell, we're all on a forum for something that most people would describe as a "children's card game"...do what makes you happy. You are never too old to enjoy yourself.
I think Ball Lightning is better than Groundbreaker. It's in a color that's more aggressive, with more reach and more removal. It's easier to cast in green, but I don't think that makes up for how important the board development is for green decks because of the lack of reach and removal in that color.
Yeah, I had a nice EA Groundbreaker in my Cube for a while, but it just never played as well within its archetypes (even green aggro) as Ball Lightning did in the red decks. It sits on my Cube Bench, languishing.
It can either be awesome or a complete dud. And it varies from turn to turn. It won't reliably be what you want, but if you're okay with that kind of performance inconsistencies, it can randomly be very powerful in the right timing windows.
Can I hear more thoughts on Awakening Zone? It looked really interesting. 0/1 isn't a bad thing to have. They can chump block and ramp you. And it's a lot harder to remove than the creature token producer.
Can I hear more thoughts on Awakening Zone? It looked really interesting. 0/1 isn't a bad thing to have. They can chump block and ramp you. And it's a lot harder to remove than the creature token producer.
I've loved it ever since adding it, it can help stop damage every turn, but if you're not pressured then it is a ramp spell that you can charge up. It also works great wtih cards like anthems, skullclamp, opposition, braid/smokestack/carrion feeder/entire pox deck.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Want to Cube but don't have one? Check the map if anyone is in your area and get cubing!
When I see Healing Salve, I'm often like "Oh girl, I wish I could turn every card into this." Thanks they removed the gain life part, otherwise this would have been broken.
My friend plays it in his cube. I haven't played the card myself, but I've watched games where it has been played. Too many times it was a complete dud to be worth running in anything but mono-green in my opinion.
If you are running the 22 creatures + Garruk deck, with Craterhoof et al. it could be potentially good. However, you may constantly find yourself wanting the mana instead of a 5/5 and vice versa.
Instead of running the Channelers, I would play Somberwald Sage. The Sage provides the mana you need to cast things like Craterhoof early, but does so much more consistently. Besides, is a 3-mana sometimes-5/5 really that good anyway? I think I would rather have something more dedicated like the Sage.
Gyre Sage also may be a better addition than the Channelers, as it also plays the role of an accelerator that can become a monster. I've seen it do some pretty sick things in constructed (although whether that can translate to cube is another story).
Love 'em. While its true that you sometimes wish you had the other option, both sides are pretty awesome. The 5/5 tends to own the board that early and the mana acceleration is very potent.
They're not something I'd include in a "competitive" cube maybe, but they're still a great card to play. And, personally, I think MDC is really fun too.
I think they're significantly better than Gyre Sage anyway.
Love 'em. While its true that you sometimes wish you had the other option, both sides are pretty awesome. The 5/5 tends to own the board that early and the mana acceleration is very potent.
They're not something I'd include in a "competitive" cube maybe, but they're still a great card to play. And, personally, I think MDC is really fun too.
I think they're significantly better than Gyre Sage anyway.
That's where I will have to disagree with you, based on what I've seen.
Objectively, only the 5/5 side of the card (assuming you even have a creature or land on top of your library) is ahead of the curve. The mana ability is worse than Rofellos, Somberwald Sage (most of the time, in a green deck), Worn Powerstone (sort of) and Joraga Treespeaker (imo) and only slightly better than Fyndhorn Elder (by being a 2/2).
My point is, if you're playing it for the ramp, there are significantly better options. If you're playing it for the beater, then there are also much more consistent options (I don't have to list them here). I don't even think that you can pull out the "But it has versitility!" card here, because it doesn't, if you can't choose when you use each mode. Would Izzet Charm or Boros Charm be nearly as good if you got one of the modes at random when you cast them? Would Deathrite Shaman be nearly as good if it removed a card from a graveyard at random, then applied the effect based on the card type?
Or there can be an instant, sorcery, planeswalker, artifact or enchantment on top of your deck. In which case it's the worst Gray Ogre ever.
Well, I was being pretty generous to the card in my evaluation, assuming that you had a deck made up of mostly creatures and lands, which isn't too overly presumptuous for a mono-green deck.
That's where I will have to disagree with you, based on what I've seen.
Objectively, only the 5/5 side of the card (assuming you even have a creature or land on top of your library) is ahead of the curve. The mana ability is worse than Rofellos, Somberwald Sage (most of the time, in a green deck), Worn Powerstone (sort of) and Joraga Treespeaker (imo) and only slightly better than Fyndhorn Elder (by being a 2/2).
My point is, if you're playing it for the ramp, there are significantly better options. If you're playing it for the beater, then there are also much more consistent options (I don't have to list them here). I don't even think that you can pull out the "But it has versitility!" card here, because it doesn't, if you can't choose when you use each mode. Would Izzet Charm or Boros Charm be nearly as good if you got one of the modes at random when you cast them? Would Deathrite Shaman be nearly as good if it removed a card from a graveyard at random, then applied the effect based on the card type?
Well, I guess it depends on what question you're trying to answer. I don't necessarily disagree with your analysis, but in that case the entire discussion is moot. If you're just asking "Is MDC good enough for the average ultra-competitive Cube?"..well, no. But thats pretty obvious.
Its a fun and interesting card, everyone should try it sometime, and its not that lagging on the powerscale.
You can always just run the best green 'aggro-only' creatures like Experiment One and Wolfbitten Captive. That's worked really well for us because there are so many green utility critters and beaters that are great in midrange and aggro alike, like Lotus Cobra and Tarmogoyf. Then you can dedicate a few more slots to real ramp support. Aggro will still thrive with green as a splash.
Speaking of which, Awakening Zone has been consistently super. It does so much besides ramp.
This is what I do, Green Aggro isnt good on its own, but it can be a good complementary color. I treat black aggro the same way, only play the best ones.
The biggest issue I had with the Perfect wan't that it was a bad 3-drop, but that green's 4 and 5cc cards are so good that his activated ability was a hinderance to my curve. In a way that most other colors wouldn't be bothered by.
This is what I do, Green Aggro isnt good on its own, but it can be a good complementary color. I treat black aggro the same way, only play the best ones.
Difference is that black aggro has a lot more really good aggro cards, particularly in the one-drop category, and many of its best cards are optimal for aggro. It does a lot of things better than white or red, and has hand disruption which is very strong for aggro. The only thing stopping it being a total force as mono-colour is the reliance on a green or white splash to deal with enchantments or artifacts.
I actually ran Mul Daya Channelers back when my cube was less powerful. I enjoy cards with a random aspect to them (i.e., Chaos Warp, cascade effects), so it was a lot of fun. In terms of power, let's just say I cut them before I cut Spawnwrithe, Mirri, or Masked Admirers.
Looking the Gatherer, I just noticed something, though--you can play a land off the top with this card? Huh? That makes it better, but why is this?
I contacted Matt Tabak and it looks like someone goofed; someone likely copied and pasted the "land off the top" ruling from Oracle of Mul Daya into the Oracle page.
I contacted Matt Tabak and it looks like someone goofed; someone likely copied and pasted the "land off the top" ruling from Oracle of Mul Daya into the Oracle page.
Ooh, does this mean Wizards will send me a free foil JTMS for finding a mistake on Gatherer? That's what they do, right?
I cut this card quite a while ago because no one ever ran it. It was just really awkward and not something people wanted to see.
I'm been considering using Awakening Zone for a while now because I really like supporting the Token/Opposition deck. But I'm worried it will be too good for the ramp deck which is already really powerful.
10th at SCG: Syracuse (2014), GP:NJ Last-Chance Grinder Winner (2014):: Former Legacy Mod
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!
My MTGSalvation Cube Page (not always up to date, but sweet pics of my alters)
-AA
I use descriptive language. Assume that I'm being nice and respectful. (I'll tell you when I'm not.)
My Cube: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/9029
I've been thinking about Wolfir Avenger. How has it been working out for people who play it?
Calvin and Hobbes
Cube Tutor
It can either be awesome or a complete dud. And it varies from turn to turn. It won't reliably be what you want, but if you're okay with that kind of performance inconsistencies, it can randomly be very powerful in the right timing windows.
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!
My cube
My cube on Cube tutor
I'm OP_Forever. I'll be putting this in my signature for a while so everyone know I change my nickname.
I've loved it ever since adding it, it can help stop damage every turn, but if you're not pressured then it is a ramp spell that you can charge up. It also works great wtih cards like anthems, skullclamp, opposition, braid/smokestack/carrion feeder/entire pox deck.
The Great Cube Map!
My Powered Cube
Draft it here!
My friend plays it in his cube. I haven't played the card myself, but I've watched games where it has been played. Too many times it was a complete dud to be worth running in anything but mono-green in my opinion.
If you are running the 22 creatures + Garruk deck, with Craterhoof et al. it could be potentially good. However, you may constantly find yourself wanting the mana instead of a 5/5 and vice versa.
Instead of running the Channelers, I would play Somberwald Sage. The Sage provides the mana you need to cast things like Craterhoof early, but does so much more consistently. Besides, is a 3-mana sometimes-5/5 really that good anyway? I think I would rather have something more dedicated like the Sage.
Gyre Sage also may be a better addition than the Channelers, as it also plays the role of an accelerator that can become a monster. I've seen it do some pretty sick things in constructed (although whether that can translate to cube is another story).
Juju Alters - Altered MTG Cards
Love 'em. While its true that you sometimes wish you had the other option, both sides are pretty awesome. The 5/5 tends to own the board that early and the mana acceleration is very potent.
They're not something I'd include in a "competitive" cube maybe, but they're still a great card to play. And, personally, I think MDC is really fun too.
I think they're significantly better than Gyre Sage anyway.
That's where I will have to disagree with you, based on what I've seen.
Objectively, only the 5/5 side of the card (assuming you even have a creature or land on top of your library) is ahead of the curve. The mana ability is worse than Rofellos, Somberwald Sage (most of the time, in a green deck), Worn Powerstone (sort of) and Joraga Treespeaker (imo) and only slightly better than Fyndhorn Elder (by being a 2/2).
My point is, if you're playing it for the ramp, there are significantly better options. If you're playing it for the beater, then there are also much more consistent options (I don't have to list them here). I don't even think that you can pull out the "But it has versitility!" card here, because it doesn't, if you can't choose when you use each mode. Would Izzet Charm or Boros Charm be nearly as good if you got one of the modes at random when you cast them? Would Deathrite Shaman be nearly as good if it removed a card from a graveyard at random, then applied the effect based on the card type?
Juju Alters - Altered MTG Cards
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!
Well, I was being pretty generous to the card in my evaluation, assuming that you had a deck made up of mostly creatures and lands, which isn't too overly presumptuous for a mono-green deck.
Juju Alters - Altered MTG Cards
Well, I guess it depends on what question you're trying to answer. I don't necessarily disagree with your analysis, but in that case the entire discussion is moot. If you're just asking "Is MDC good enough for the average ultra-competitive Cube?"..well, no. But thats pretty obvious.
Its a fun and interesting card, everyone should try it sometime, and its not that lagging on the powerscale.
This is what I do, Green Aggro isnt good on its own, but it can be a good complementary color. I treat black aggro the same way, only play the best ones.
https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/3pq
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!
Difference is that black aggro has a lot more really good aggro cards, particularly in the one-drop category, and many of its best cards are optimal for aggro. It does a lot of things better than white or red, and has hand disruption which is very strong for aggro. The only thing stopping it being a total force as mono-colour is the reliance on a green or white splash to deal with enchantments or artifacts.
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
Looking the Gatherer, I just noticed something, though--you can play a land off the top with this card? Huh? That makes it better, but why is this?
Judge!
My $40 MTGO cube
Draft my cube at Cubetutor!
I used to write cube articles on StarCityGames, now for GatheringMagic and podcast about cube (w/Antknee42.)
Ooh, does this mean Wizards will send me a free foil JTMS for finding a mistake on Gatherer? That's what they do, right?
My $40 MTGO cube
Draft my cube at Cubetutor!