Like Mirran Crusader, Fiend Hunter is not quite good enough to make the White 3-drop slot in my cube. Still, it can be quite good with instant-speed blink or sacrifice effects.
Do you like the template change on cards with this effect like Banisher Priest or Banishing Light, or do you wish that Wizards hadn't changed it?
This doesn't do enough to put pressure on the opponent and its friend Banisher Priest is squishy enough that it makes me overly anxious about losing the primary value of these cards: the removal! Double white needs more justification than this, I'm just pretty sour on these effects.
I prefer the Banisher Priest template because it's fewer words and better captures what the ability does, making it easier for newer players in both practice and during draft, but the tricks you can pull off with Fiend Hunter because of its template make me want to cube with it more at the same time (and certainly improve its use in all other formats). I think I still prefer the newer template though.
I swapped him out for fairgrounds warden. the blink thing never came up and this guy has a easier casting cost, easier to understand text box for newbies, and the more relevent blocking body than banisher priest
Regarding Belzenlok, he might be better than he seems but I'll let others test him out before deciding. Finding one-two threats might be incredible late game.
As a six drop, Rampaging Baloths is potentially just a Colossal Dreadmaw. But with a land to follow it up, it puts 10 power on the board for six mana, similar to Grave Titan. It's not as consistent, but it can get better with fetchlands or other land-related synergies. I don't currently run it myself, but it seems like a good option, plus it's budget, too!
What card that has been printed a bunch of times with the same art and/or flavor text would you like to see get a reprint with new art and/or flavor text?
Baloths is fine, but it plays more like a 7+cc creature, and green has plenty of better options in that arena already.
Why a million Evolving Wilds and only one art option for Terramorphic Expanse?
Unfortunately, E. Wilds gets a bunch more printings due to it having a more generic plane-friendly name and usually they tend to change it up whenever they bring it to the new plane. A lot of the Terramorphic reprints were with the M-core sets, but I am surprised that it hasn't been printed in commander sets, etc, especially since the art is definitely set in Time Spiral (the mountains especially, are Time Spiral era.)
I remember really wanting to like Baloths as something that could take over a game, but it never really did. I tend to prefer things like Titania, Protector of Argoth as a big giant thing that works with fetches, etc. Obv she doesn't trigger on landfall, but found it anemic (as wtwlf pointed out, it's more a 7 drop and has been kinda eh at that.)
I like Baloths. It turns late-game Cultivates into threats, works amazingly with Primeval Titan/Genesis Wave, and can be a solid turn 7 threat on its own if you can go this + land, so that you're guaranteed a 4/4 before they have a chance to play removal. I'm not running Baloths since I only have room for one 6 mana creature per color, but if I had room for two, I'd consider Baloths
Goblin Electromancer seems like it would be a good U/R spells-matter support card for pauper cubes, but I don't think it's strong enough for standard cubes.
Its a decent card but not a cube card unless you are willing to dedicate guild slots to storm/spells-matter. I think the fact its only of interest to two specific decks makes it too niche for a guild slot.
If you want this effect in your cube Baral, Chief of Compliance is probably a much better option; easier to cast, better effect, better stats and it is in a much less contested slot.
Its a decent card but not a cube card unless you are willing to dedicate guild slots to storm/spells-matter. I think the fact its only of interest to two specific decks makes it too niche for a guild slot.
If you want this effect in your cube Baral, Chief of Compliance is probably a much better option; easier to cast, better effect, better stats and it is in a much less contested slot.
This 100%. Too many good izzet cards you'd rather, and since you don't need many of these effects strapped to a creature might as well just do a Baral roll instead if that's the effect as he has real upside in comparison in a lot of ways.
I like Asylum Visitor quite a bit. It has aggressive stats and helps draw cards when you're out of gas. It also plays well with cards that make your opponent discard, as well as effects that make you discard thanks to its Madness ability. I've been very happy with it so far.
What otherwise mundane job do you think would make the most terrifying evil representation on a card?
It's a solid aggressive body with multiple relevant abilities. It's not the most important creature to include, but it is one of the better filler 2-drop options.
I'd love to have more 3-powered 2-drops in Black - Asylum Visitor and Scrapheap Scrounger have been absolute blessings to cube, fitting into traditional cube strategies for black while still contributing to aggro/tempo decks, which have always been my favorite thing to do in black. I don't see Asylum Visitor leaving my list in the next 5+ years, even with all the power-creep to creatures.
Redcap is another example of a guild card that was once a staple but now can't compete for the one of the limited multicolor slots in most cubes. Persist goes infinite with a bunch of stuff to be fair, though, if you support that kind of nonsense.
What did you think of the punch-out counters that Wizards tried in Amonkhet and Hour of Devastation?
If I'm playing a conspiracy cube with Muzio's Preparations I would expect to see it as you really can't afford to *not* run that combo if you're running conspiracies, but otherwise it's kind of a relic. Fine card, but not necessary.
They were cool, and I hope they do similar stuff in the future.
If it's part of a counters combo, it's basically an auto-include. But at face value, I think it fails to compete as either a guild card or a 4-drop anymore.
I always liked Murderous Redcap, both for combo and aristocrats value, but he failed to impress for a while now I and so I replaced it with Ravenous Chupacabra in the last update since I didn't want to cut Nekratal nor Skin Renderer.
I liked the punch out markers well enough for Limited, but they don't keep long enough for me to not just throw them away afterwards. So I haven't kept any for Cube or EDH.
Fiend Hunter
Like Mirran Crusader, Fiend Hunter is not quite good enough to make the White 3-drop slot in my cube. Still, it can be quite good with instant-speed blink or sacrifice effects.
Do you like the template change on cards with this effect like Banisher Priest or Banishing Light, or do you wish that Wizards hadn't changed it?
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I prefer the Banisher Priest template because it's fewer words and better captures what the ability does, making it easier for newer players in both practice and during draft, but the tricks you can pull off with Fiend Hunter because of its template make me want to cube with it more at the same time (and certainly improve its use in all other formats). I think I still prefer the newer template though.
Demonlord Belzenlok
Will you be going to a Dominaria prerelease? What are you most hoping to pull?
Regarding Belzenlok, he might be better than he seems but I'll let others test him out before deciding. Finding one-two threats might be incredible late game.
Rampaging Baloths
As a six drop, Rampaging Baloths is potentially just a Colossal Dreadmaw. But with a land to follow it up, it puts 10 power on the board for six mana, similar to Grave Titan. It's not as consistent, but it can get better with fetchlands or other land-related synergies. I don't currently run it myself, but it seems like a good option, plus it's budget, too!
What card that has been printed a bunch of times with the same art and/or flavor text would you like to see get a reprint with new art and/or flavor text?
Why a million Evolving Wilds and only one art option for Terramorphic Expanse?
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Unfortunately, E. Wilds gets a bunch more printings due to it having a more generic plane-friendly name and usually they tend to change it up whenever they bring it to the new plane. A lot of the Terramorphic reprints were with the M-core sets, but I am surprised that it hasn't been printed in commander sets, etc, especially since the art is definitely set in Time Spiral (the mountains especially, are Time Spiral era.)
I remember really wanting to like Baloths as something that could take over a game, but it never really did. I tend to prefer things like Titania, Protector of Argoth as a big giant thing that works with fetches, etc. Obv she doesn't trigger on landfall, but found it anemic (as wtwlf pointed out, it's more a 7 drop and has been kinda eh at that.)
RE: what I'd love to see with new art:
Fireslinger
Treasure Cruise
Marsh Flitter
Frogmite
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[180 classic cube]
Goblin Electromancer
Goblin Electromancer seems like it would be a good U/R spells-matter support card for pauper cubes, but I don't think it's strong enough for standard cubes.
What's your favorite common in your cube?
If you want this effect in your cube Baral, Chief of Compliance is probably a much better option; easier to cast, better effect, better stats and it is in a much less contested slot.
This 100%. Too many good izzet cards you'd rather, and since you don't need many of these effects strapped to a creature might as well just do a Baral roll instead if that's the effect as he has real upside in comparison in a lot of ways.
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Asylum Visitor
I like Asylum Visitor quite a bit. It has aggressive stats and helps draw cards when you're out of gas. It also plays well with cards that make your opponent discard, as well as effects that make you discard thanks to its Madness ability. I've been very happy with it so far.
What otherwise mundane job do you think would make the most terrifying evil representation on a card?
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Tax Collector, though Tooth Collector is pretty close
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Murderous Redcap
Redcap is another example of a guild card that was once a staple but now can't compete for the one of the limited multicolor slots in most cubes. Persist goes infinite with a bunch of stuff to be fair, though, if you support that kind of nonsense.
What did you think of the punch-out counters that Wizards tried in Amonkhet and Hour of Devastation?
They were cool, and I hope they do similar stuff in the future.
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I liked the punch out markers well enough for Limited, but they don't keep long enough for me to not just throw them away afterwards. So I haven't kept any for Cube or EDH.