MTG Salvation

So, mana rock + vindicate later?

We really wish this cost 2 mana, but it seems like a great open pick for a control deck. Unfortunately ramping up fra 3 to 5 isn't really what a lot of decks need. I'm leading towards excluding this at 360, but at 450 and up i think it could see some play. Unfortunately it doesn't fix mana either, so it's not great for splashing colors. What do you guys think?

I don't think it's good enough, but it is very cool. Wish they had printed it in a core set.

Yeah, 3 cmc kills it. At 2, it would have a case for competing with mind stone.

Quote from Stoyrm »

We really wish this cost 2 mana

And that's the issue. For 3 mana there's an indestructible mana rock that makes mana of any color that I don't play already, and one that gains me life which I think is better than this and I'm definitely willing to cut. If this card had the prismatic lens option on it, it could be good enough.

This card's totally sweet, way better than Pristine Talisman or Darksteel Ingot IMO. Artifact mana decks absolutely adore both abilities of this card, as they've traditionally had a lot of trouble dealing with Planeswalkers and other non-creature permanents. The vindicate activation is pricey but the opportunity cost is staggeringly low given the playability of 3-CMC mana rocks in a cube. Control decks love it too, as it turns from an early game land drop to a late game all-purpose removal spell.

Very cool design, but the barrier to entry for 3 CMC mana rocks is very high these days. It's certainly behind Worn Powerstone, Chromatic Lantern, and Coalition Relic, though it may have a shot after those 3. I expect it to be more commonly played in peasant cube, where Vindicate is a rare and powerful effect.

This thing needed to either cost two mana or make two mana. Pass.

moar leik unPLAYABLE obelisk amirite?!?!?! #LOL

But honestly, I'm pretty lukewarm on it. I think its best home would be in ramp but it's a bit pricey as Ethan Fleischer said when he previewed it and artifacts are dumb in cube.
Even the not-oft played around here Pristine Talisman and Prismatic Lens, I think, are better.

Fine card, but the casting cost and/or activation costs are 1 too high to consider. If either were reduced by 1, I'd be definitely considering it.

It's another option, maybe an option no one wanted, but an option.

I think it's pretty good. It's exactly the type of effect mega ramp decks want.

That being said, there's so many good options that im excluding some @460, and it is pretty slow.

It's way better in big cubes, where you are ramping out less powerful things, and have more time.


Id include this @ 720, but going to pass @ 460

I think there are 630 or 720 cubes that support the artifact deck which want this card. I don't think it's completely unplayable.

Initially, I completely dismissed this card, even for large cubes.

Coming back and reading some of the posts though has given me a little bit different outlook. While there aren't many, we do play 3 cmc mana rocks. Pristine Talisman isn't so much better than this thing that I would think this thing were laughable to see inside a large cube.

I don't think this is anywhere close to making the cut at 540, but at 720, this might be a viable option. 8 total mana (counting what you're losing from the mana rock) to kill a permanent isn't atrocious in the late game. It's nice that the mana rock helps you get to that point too by playing your spells and stabilizing etc.

So yeah, I don't think I'll be testing it, but I think large cubes that do aren't crazy by any means.

Better than you all seem to be giving it credit for, but yeah, still not cutting it for cube. I'm prepared to be proven wrong, however.