Pongify has been pretty thoroughly meh for me for months. I don't think the slight upside of smaller token + exile is worth the loss of mana efficiency, since the blue deck that wants that effect is usually flying or horse-ing or infiltrating its way through blockers and won't care about 2/2 vs 3/3 as much.
And on the less common but definitely not irrelevant flip side of zapping your own dude, 1 mana to get a 3/3 obviously beats 2 mana to get a Manifest 2/2.
None of these interest me... Humble Defactor is yes, interesting.
This juxtaposition amused me (I know what you meant though!)
It did feel funny writing it but.. lololol
Manifest would be cool if we always knew what our top card of our library was (Courser of Kruphix). Late game, I'd have no problem turning my extra land into 2/2's. But, alas, there aren't many ways for players to look at the top of their library in my cube so I don't see how manifest can be playable. I mean yea there's scrying and stuff, but not for it to be consistent enough to warrant adding.
temur sabertooth is an auto include for me. solid 4-drop + utility for green/x ; insane targets and opportunity to value out with this card. reset persist, basically hoses white aura removal, bounce removal on a stick, bounce removal target/protection from removal, etc.etc. list goes on.. 9/10 for me. glad it's 2gg 4/3 > 3gg 4/4.
2/2 >>>>> 0/4 (see Isamaru vs Yoked Ox) though. The targeted/optional bounce is probably slightly better, but not enough to make up for the big downgrade of the P/T.
Anyway, cards I'd like to at least have a copy (in foil, of course) of to consider playing:
Goblin Heelcutter -- compares... medium? to Fervent Cathar Battle Brawler -- worst-case is losing its pump while in combat with a 3/3, but if it sticks as a 3/2 it's so good Wandering Champion -- probs better than Daring Skyjek Destructor Dragon -- nostalgia for green flyers is strong, as is this guy ahead of curve in a ramp deck Reality Shift -- worth testing over Pongify, though I'm doubtful Temur Sabertooth -- UW becomes Bant Blink? Lots of good stuff to replay in green, tho a lot of them are Disenchant creatures
Aside from that I think Wandering Champion is my only other serious consideration. Shockmaw Dragon seems okayish, but it really needed to trigger upon attacking rather than when it deals combat damage. I'm on the fence with Destructor Dragon, but it's probably the best of the cycle. I'm running Dark Hatchling so Noxious Dragon looks pretty bad in comparison. I don't think that a smother upon dying puts it ahead of Sengir Vampire.
"Abzan Beastmaster"
2G
Creature - Shaman Scout
At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card if you control the creature with the greatest toughness or tied for the greatest toughness.
2/1
It's... interesting. Kind of under curve for it's cost. Hard to say if it will go off consistently enough. If it draws 2 cards it is a better divination! Could be a solid green draw engine but hard to tell.
i'm not sure if i cut triumph of ferocity for abzan beastmaster or not, since the enchantment being harder to remove is big game. but the beastmaster potentially triggering itself is big game as well. eh i can probably run both.
temur sabertooth looks packed full of value as well. i'd love to pick up my bloodbraid elves, eternal witnesses, and flametongue kavus, thanks.
I really like the black and green dragon, but I am wondering about the red one. As for Frost Walker, I really like the card because it demands to be answered and I think it could lead to interesting draft decks like UG or UW aggro.
In regards to all of these blink/return cards, I would only like to play them if the body is relevant, like Stonecloaker, Emancipation Angel, or Kor Skyfisher. I like Jeskai Barrier way more than Lion since it does something on turn 2.
I also really like Temur Sabertooth, but that body is pretty blah without tricks.
For those who run Illusory Angel, how often is it triggered by free spells/suspend and how much by another cheap spell? I feel a lot more pull to an artifact version of this than the Angel.
I can't imagine cutting Daring Skyjek for Wandering Champion. I feel like flying is better than reverse looting (rooting?) and it's nearly as likely for a white creature to attack with two other creatures as it is to have a red or blue permanent out.
I'm also surprised more people aren't into Humble Defector. It seems like the situations in which it is good are plentiful. First, you get the cards first, which means you're always getting more out of Defector than your opponent can, although their cards may be more powerful, which leads to... Second, if you're ahead tempo wise, your cards are more useful immediately than their's. You can be untapped while they're tapped, and there are not many super powerful board impact spells in this format for them them to capitalize with. Third, it's really easy to imagine a scenario where you use Defector and then spend less than a card to deal with it afterwards. Pingers, Flame Jab, sac effects.
I've always disliked Triumph of Ferocity. Takes three turns of you being ahead on board (yeah, biggest power doesn't ALWAYS mean ahead, but it's certainly strongly correlated) to match Divination?? Pass pass pass pass. The 2/1 seems... nearly as bad, though at least cutesy with the couple of decent walls that Green can play. I'd consider it more if it was an end-step rather than an upkeep trigger.
And... the 4/1 doesn't need evasion. It's a 4/1 for 2. Look at the absurd drawbacks put on every other 4-power 2-drop. Not being able to it a Bonesplitter is annoying... but it's already a 4/1!
And on the less common but definitely not irrelevant flip side of zapping your own dude, 1 mana to get a 3/3 obviously beats 2 mana to get a Manifest 2/2.
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
430, Peasant, Very Unpowered
Why you should take your hybrids out of your gold section
Manamath Article
Humble Defactor is yes, interesting. I like the design.
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
Manifest would be cool if we always knew what our top card of our library was (Courser of Kruphix). Late game, I'd have no problem turning my extra land into 2/2's. But, alas, there aren't many ways for players to look at the top of their library in my cube so I don't see how manifest can be playable. I mean yea there's scrying and stuff, but not for it to be consistent enough to warrant adding.
I was almost right! But not really. My desires were a bigger and OP'd Formless Nurturing. Dream big!
Neutralizing Blast is too narrow.
Temor Sabertooth is a maybe. Doubtful.
Where are all the bolster and dash cards?
Multiplayer Cube
My Peasant-Cube-in-Progress http://www.cubetutor.com/viewcube/15395
Another maybe with Ugin's Construct, but doubtful.
--
The Pauper crowd was talking about Write into Being. Thoughts?
1W
Creature - Wall
Flash (You may cast this spell any time you could cast an instant.)
Defender
When Jeskai Barricade enters the battlefield, you may return another target creature you control to its owner's hand.
This is a card I really like! Probably going to replace whitemane lion in my cube
My 540 CU/be thread
Anyway, cards I'd like to at least have a copy (in foil, of course) of to consider playing:
Goblin Heelcutter -- compares... medium? to Fervent Cathar
Battle Brawler -- worst-case is losing its pump while in combat with a 3/3, but if it sticks as a 3/2 it's so good
Wandering Champion -- probs better than Daring Skyjek
Destructor Dragon -- nostalgia for green flyers is strong, as is this guy ahead of curve in a ramp deck
Reality Shift -- worth testing over Pongify, though I'm doubtful
Temur Sabertooth -- UW becomes Bant Blink? Lots of good stuff to replay in green, tho a lot of them are Disenchant creatures
Sweetest Divination art!
Drown in Sorrow
Fanatic of Xenagos
Ornitharch
Searing Blood (iffy, but prob better than a lot of the cards we've listed above)
Spiteful Returned
Not really that different? Depends on how much we get in last 80 cards. Though you can assume it's not gonna be absolutely 0...
My 540 CU/be thread
It's too bad Mwonvuli Beast Tracker sucks, but there's still enough on-color bounce targets to make it worthwhile. It does make me want to run an extra ETB guy. But Yavimaya Dryad, Satyr Wayfinder, Carven Caryatid, Stingerfling Spider, Nessian Game Warden, and Borderland Ranger are the only particularly playable ones that I'm not running.
Aside from that I think Wandering Champion is my only other serious consideration. Shockmaw Dragon seems okayish, but it really needed to trigger upon attacking rather than when it deals combat damage. I'm on the fence with Destructor Dragon, but it's probably the best of the cycle. I'm running Dark Hatchling so Noxious Dragon looks pretty bad in comparison. I don't think that a smother upon dying puts it ahead of Sengir Vampire.
2G
Creature - Shaman Scout
At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card if you control the creature with the greatest toughness or tied for the greatest toughness.
2/1
It's... interesting. Kind of under curve for it's cost. Hard to say if it will go off consistently enough. If it draws 2 cards it is a better divination! Could be a solid green draw engine but hard to tell.
My 540 CU/be thread
Anyway I really like the 2GG 4/3.
The 2/1 triumph of ferocity looks good too. Not sure if it's better than triumph, but I will gladly run both.
temur sabertooth looks packed full of value as well. i'd love to pick up my bloodbraid elves, eternal witnesses, and flametongue kavus, thanks.
Frost Walker
1 U
Creature - Elemental
When Frost Walker becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.
4/1
It could maybe work in blue aggro.
Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.
I also really like Temur Sabertooth, but that body is pretty blah without tricks.
For those who run Illusory Angel, how often is it triggered by free spells/suspend and how much by another cheap spell? I feel a lot more pull to an artifact version of this than the Angel.
I can't imagine cutting Daring Skyjek for Wandering Champion. I feel like flying is better than reverse looting (rooting?) and it's nearly as likely for a white creature to attack with two other creatures as it is to have a red or blue permanent out.
I'm also surprised more people aren't into Humble Defector. It seems like the situations in which it is good are plentiful. First, you get the cards first, which means you're always getting more out of Defector than your opponent can, although their cards may be more powerful, which leads to... Second, if you're ahead tempo wise, your cards are more useful immediately than their's. You can be untapped while they're tapped, and there are not many super powerful board impact spells in this format for them them to capitalize with. Third, it's really easy to imagine a scenario where you use Defector and then spend less than a card to deal with it afterwards. Pingers, Flame Jab, sac effects.
https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/peasantsnowcube
-- Updated with Outlaws of Thunder Junction
The PioneWer Peasant CUbe
https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/pionewer
-- Updated with Murders at Karlov Manor
And... the 4/1 doesn't need evasion. It's a 4/1 for 2. Look at the absurd drawbacks put on every other 4-power 2-drop. Not being able to it a Bonesplitter is annoying... but it's already a 4/1!
I don't think I'll be adding anything yet. I'll keep my eyes out for those of you planning on testing the green 4-drop though.
0/107!
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!