Well this card seems absurd. Endlessly recurrable 3/1 flyer, and on the off chance you hit an even better card, you can cast it instead. Too bad red 3's are so stacked. Still, think I wanna find room to test this.
I originally read this as you can only cast the exiled card, but being able to re-cast this or the exiled card makes it a lot better. Lack of haste hurts and I think this is generally worse than Phoenix of Ash, but still a strong option in its own right.
"Well this card seems absurd. Endlessly recurrable 3/1 flyer, and on the off chance you hit an even better card, you can cast it instead. Too bad red 3's are so stacked. Still, think I wanna find room to test this"
How is it Endlessly Recurrable?
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I'm actively maintaining a comprehensive article to help explain to new cube players how some complex vintage level cards work in a cube environment. Vintage Cube Cards Explained
When this dies, it and the top card of your library are exiled and you can cast either of those two cards, meaning that you gain an opportunity to cast the skull every time it dies.
"Well this card seems absurd. Endlessly recurrable 3/1 flyer, and on the off chance you hit an even better card, you can cast it instead. Too bad red 3's are so stacked. Still, think I wanna find room to test this"
How is it Endlessly Recurrable?
Yeah I had to read this card like 10 times to realize what it does. When it dies, it exiles both itself and the top card of your library, and until your next turn you can cast one of them. So as long as you cast it either the turn it dies or the next turn, you can recur this forever, and that's the floor.
My gut reaction is that this is too slow. Haste would have made it an obvious include for me (and not something I think they would have ever printed, but who knows, we did get the treasure monkey…). Even being able to block would have helped it a ton. I like the comp of Phoenix of Ash which isn’t currently in my Cube but seems better than this.
3/1 Flyer for 3CMC is pretty good in red and has built in recursion of sorts or trades into something better. Carries equipment like a boss. I think subbing out one of the 3CMC token generators will be fine.
Too slow imo in a slot that’s too stacked.
It’s only application is aggressive and recursive durability is not the axis you want to attack on with a heavy red deck.
Too slow imo in a slot that’s too stacked.
It’s only application is aggressive and recursive durability is not the axis you want to attack on with a heavy red deck.
no interest
What's the axis on which you'd want to attack on with red aggro?
With the caveat that I haven't been able to cube for a long time outside of MTGO cubes... My constant experience with "standard" powered cubes has been that red aggro is just worse than white aggro. White has all the best toys: removal that can hit anything, one-drops that help blank removal and blockers, Wrath-proof two-drops, Bolt-proof three-drops and several flavors of 4-drops that give you longevity (PWs) or end the game if you're even just a tiny bit ahead on board ('Geddons).
Red aggro feels one-note, much more likely to fold to a Wrath, has little options in terms of grinding back from bad board positions. I'm drawn to the idea of red threats that keep coming back. Is my impression of red completely off, and/or have new cards like Laelia changed things?
Too slow imo in a slot that’s too stacked.
It’s only application is aggressive and recursive durability is not the axis you want to attack on with a heavy red deck.
no interest
What's the axis on which you'd want to attack on with red aggro?
With the caveat that I haven't been able to cube for a long time outside of MTGO cubes... My constant experience with "standard" powered cubes has been that red aggro is just worse than white aggro. White has all the best toys: removal that can hit anything, one-drops that help blank removal and blockers, Wrath-proof two-drops, Bolt-proof three-drops and several flavors of 4-drops that give you longevity (PWs) or end the game if you're even just a tiny bit ahead on board ('Geddons).
Red aggro feels one-note, much more likely to fold to a Wrath, has little options in terms of grinding back from bad board positions. I'm drawn to the idea of red threats that keep coming back. Is my impression of red completely off, and/or have new cards like Laelia changed things?
Red aggro has gotten much stronger over the last couple years.
It think it's actually the strongest aggressive color, better than both white and black.
If you're running a low curve (which red wants to do), red might now sneakily be the best card advantage color over blue - blue card draw is much slower and just can't match the rate / efficiency of red, although it still has the best cantrips / card selection by far.
Plus all the Goblin Rabblemaster variants still set the standard for 3 cmc goldfish damage output.
It also obviously has the best go to the face burn as well as lots of great creatures with etb removal.
Too slow imo in a slot that’s too stacked.
It’s only application is aggressive and recursive durability is not the axis you want to attack on with a heavy red deck.
no interest
What's the axis on which you'd want to attack on with red aggro?
With the caveat that I haven't been able to cube for a long time outside of MTGO cubes... My constant experience with "standard" powered cubes has been that red aggro is just worse than white aggro. White has all the best toys: removal that can hit anything, one-drops that help blank removal and blockers, Wrath-proof two-drops, Bolt-proof three-drops and several flavors of 4-drops that give you longevity (PWs) or end the game if you're even just a tiny bit ahead on board ('Geddons).
Red aggro feels one-note, much more likely to fold to a Wrath, has little options in terms of grinding back from bad board positions. I'm drawn to the idea of red threats that keep coming back. Is my impression of red completely off, and/or have new cards like Laelia changed things?
red has reach through clogged board states in burn, and the ability to close the game ultra fast if an opponent stumbles.
It’s lack of disruption forces you to play the ultra fast game instead of the semi-fast game that wins by a combination of aggression and slowing down the opponents game plan.
Well this card seems absurd. Endlessly recurrable 3/1 flyer, and on the off chance you hit an even better card, you can cast it instead. Too bad red 3's are so stacked. Still, think I wanna find room to test this.
375 unpowered cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/601ac624832cdf1039947588
My 540 card Powered Cube last updated March 2022
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
How is it Endlessly Recurrable?
Vintage Cube Cards Explained
Here are some other articles I've written about fine tuning your cube:
1. Minimum Archetype Support
2. Improving Green Archetypes
3. Improving White Archetypes
4. Matchup Analysis
5. Cube Combos (Work in Progress)
Draft my Cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/d8i
Yeah I had to read this card like 10 times to realize what it does. When it dies, it exiles both itself and the top card of your library, and until your next turn you can cast one of them. So as long as you cast it either the turn it dies or the next turn, you can recur this forever, and that's the floor.
375 unpowered cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/601ac624832cdf1039947588
My 540 card Powered Cube last updated March 2022
It’s only application is aggressive and recursive durability is not the axis you want to attack on with a heavy red deck.
no interest
Last Updated 02/07/24
Streaming Standard/Cube on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/heisenb3rg96
Strategy Twitter https://www.twitter.com/heisenb3rg
What's the axis on which you'd want to attack on with red aggro?
With the caveat that I haven't been able to cube for a long time outside of MTGO cubes... My constant experience with "standard" powered cubes has been that red aggro is just worse than white aggro. White has all the best toys: removal that can hit anything, one-drops that help blank removal and blockers, Wrath-proof two-drops, Bolt-proof three-drops and several flavors of 4-drops that give you longevity (PWs) or end the game if you're even just a tiny bit ahead on board ('Geddons).
Red aggro feels one-note, much more likely to fold to a Wrath, has little options in terms of grinding back from bad board positions. I'm drawn to the idea of red threats that keep coming back. Is my impression of red completely off, and/or have new cards like Laelia changed things?
Red aggro has gotten much stronger over the last couple years.
It think it's actually the strongest aggressive color, better than both white and black.
One reason is the extreme amount of efficient card advantage packed onto aggressive threats, such as:
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
Bonecrusher Giant
Robber of the Rich
Light up the Stage
Laelia, the Blade Reforged
If you're running a low curve (which red wants to do), red might now sneakily be the best card advantage color over blue - blue card draw is much slower and just can't match the rate / efficiency of red, although it still has the best cantrips / card selection by far.
Plus all the Goblin Rabblemaster variants still set the standard for 3 cmc goldfish damage output.
It also obviously has the best go to the face burn as well as lots of great creatures with etb removal.
That being said, I'm not a fan of this card.
360 card powered Chicago cube:
https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/e7r
2020 Numerical Power Rankings:
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-card-and-archetype/817969-2020-numerical-cube-power-rankings
2018 CubeTutor Power Rankings:
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-card-and-archetype/803301-cubetutor-power-rankings-2018-by-color-and-cmc
red has reach through clogged board states in burn, and the ability to close the game ultra fast if an opponent stumbles.
It’s lack of disruption forces you to play the ultra fast game instead of the semi-fast game that wins by a combination of aggression and slowing down the opponents game plan.
Last Updated 02/07/24
Streaming Standard/Cube on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/heisenb3rg96
Strategy Twitter https://www.twitter.com/heisenb3rg