i like it, but it's probably just not good enough. it pushes through a bunch of damage, makes your bears have to be double blocked, and is generally a headache, but it requires you to keep having creatures and means you need to take a turn off.
I put it in as filler and I've never found a deck even close to wanting it. It just seems like a 7 mana Jetting Glasskite, which is only reasonable with some ramp, but all the green high drops are better... There are probably decks that actually can't beat it, but it looks horrendous whenever I consider playing it main.
Want to cut down on the number of 187 bodies to sorta speed up my format a little. Fairgrounds warden gets the boot over Fiend Hunter since I have a blinky theme and fiend hunter can do some cool stuff. Remains to be seen if the easier to cast nature of warden means it should be in over hunter or Banisher Priest
RIP Serra Angel, I knew you well. Oketra's Attendant is smaller, but a walking (flying?) 2 for 1 and can cycle away in the early game if one gets stuck on mana.
One of the harder swaps I had, but I haven't been super happy with the performance of Cloistered Youth and I like how Gust Walker can get some beats in before taking to the sky to push the last few points of damage in. Perhaps another one of my 2s is a better cut. The other one I was looking at was Lone Missionary but wasn't sold on swapping out a defensive 2 for an aggressive one
Haunter's the better card, but with this update I wanted to also cut down on the functional reprints or near functional reprints. As I already have a foil Weklin Tern, Haunter gets the boot. I like the positioning of Labyrinth Guardian as a card both aggressive and defensive blue decks are interested in as well.
I think the ability to hit anything is worth the loss in mana efficiency. My cube is trending towards a 66/34 split between creatures and non-creatures, has no legendary cards, and trying to nab non creatures is doesn't have to be as efficient as trying to nab a creature.
Looking to both up my Red creature count and lower the number of functionally similar cards and Lightning Strike is just a worse Lightning Bolt so it gets the boot. Perhaps one of the other red burn spells is a better victim, but Red currently has the smallest creature count of any color so I felt this was a pretty important change.
Similar to wanting to get my red creature count up a little, I want to get my green creature count down. Wild Nacatl wasn't really doing what I wanted since It's effectively a hybrid 3 color card of R/G. Cartouche fits a role of another green interactive spell I was looking for and it was between this and Clear Shot. The fact that the fight is a may as well as giving green fat trample really pushed it over for me.
I waffled on monument a lot but decided to try it out as it pulls double duty in ramping into green fatties as well as pushing the ones without evasion through. Howlgeist is a good evasive beater, but it's cost was a little high for a card that did not play defense very well.
I do want to fit in Scaled Behemoth, probably over Skysnare Spider, but want to see how everything else plays together first.
Uh isn't Hammerhand strictly better than the red Cartouche? It's obscure but I can see wanting to enchant an opponent's creature when all you need is the "can't block" effect. You didn't list any of the Trials, so...?
I can't imagine a scenario where enchanting an opponent's creature would be better than enchanting one of your own. That said, if you're not running any of the Trials they're 99.9% functionally identical, so I don't know why you would need to make a change.
It's minor, but if you target their creature they have to kill their own creature to stop the can't block effect. It's more of a perfect play than something that actually comes up. I think the Cartouche is better because if you mind control the creature it falls off, but Hammerhand will let you attack on the turn you steal the creature.
I'm not talking about threaten effects, though that is another minor thing. I'm talking about if you can't attack with a Hammerhanded creature, then your opponent can play Control Magic and swing with your creature immediately. And, despite it not being my point, when we're talking about extremely minor advantages one point of life is still one point of life and is hardly deserving of ridicule when your points are much more specific and unlikely.
I'm assuming most people are on Blastoderm and Calciderm as their only shroud creatures (Calcite Snapper is not a very aggressive card even if you do run it), maybe Frazzled Editor as a protection card, and maybe 0-2 illusions. Killing illusions are irrelevant because they would die to the trigger, except Labyrinth Guardian, which I don't recall many people being excited about. If you run all of those cards then sure, Hammerhand is probably better because of it, but I would take a guess that most people run just the 2 shroud creatures. In your aggressive red deck you might have 1 shroud creature, but you could play against multiple control magic effects. My point may be weak, but I think your points are even weaker.
There is certainly the argument that it plays around instant speed removal, which could certainly be enough to justify Hammerhand over Cartouche, and after thinking through it once more it probably has enough cases that it is slightly better.
I love me some Calcite Snapper as a huge roadblock in the midgame and turn him around as a (potential) finisher in the late game. He's also killer in control vs control matchups.
By sarcastically mocking and belittling my point you seem to make your points more relevant and important than mine, which I am refuting. You provided arguments for Hammerhand over Cartouche, and I responded to them. I fail to see how the first line wasn't serious when all you did was list 4 things, and that's primarily what I responded to.
tbh if I ever have an untapped creature with a Hammerhand on it, I'm probably losing easily anyway regardless of it keeping its aura post-Control Magic. Though yes, that is something; I'd say less relevant than times when you WANT to throw it onto an opposing creature, but still worth noting.
Though red Cartouche + green Trial is probably more significant upside than anything else, and the green Trial is close enough in power level to other Fight effects that you could use it as your one copy of the effect...
Err, scratch that last part, nobody wants Trial of Strength, I was thinking of Cartouche of Strength which doesn't have any particular synergy with other Cartouches
Is it not bad? I haven't played a ton of AKH yet but I'm always very relieved when an opponent casts it, barring some very serious zombie synergy stuff (like, multiple Lord of the Accursed)
Is it not bad? I haven't played a ton of AKH yet but I'm always very relieved when an opponent casts it, barring some very serious zombie synergy stuff (like, multiple Lord of the Accursed)
No, it's bad. But I remember a discussion somewhere on this forum about LSV giving the card a surprisingly good grade in his set review. Apparently he came around.
He gave it a 3.0 out of 5, which is a pretty high score considering the cards that get 4.0+. LSV is a great player, but it's not like he (or anyone) has a perfect track record with these types of set grades/predictions.
It's like a D. Not the most embarrassing playable but your deck is probably worse with them.
They trade with nothing.
But it was fun because I've been reveling in watching how badly their drafts have gone these last couple weeks. I even played BDM with my friend last week in the dead of night.
i like it, but it's probably just not good enough. it pushes through a bunch of damage, makes your bears have to be double blocked, and is generally a headache, but it requires you to keep having creatures and means you need to take a turn off.
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
Fairgrounds Warden > Cast Out.
Want to cut down on the number of 187 bodies to sorta speed up my format a little. Fairgrounds warden gets the boot over Fiend Hunter since I have a blinky theme and fiend hunter can do some cool stuff. Remains to be seen if the easier to cast nature of warden means it should be in over hunter or Banisher Priest
Serra Angel > Oketra's Attendant
RIP Serra Angel, I knew you well. Oketra's Attendant is smaller, but a walking (flying?) 2 for 1 and can cycle away in the early game if one gets stuck on mana.
Cloistered Youth > Gust Walker
One of the harder swaps I had, but I haven't been super happy with the performance of Cloistered Youth and I like how Gust Walker can get some beats in before taking to the sky to push the last few points of damage in. Perhaps another one of my 2s is a better cut. The other one I was looking at was Lone Missionary but wasn't sold on swapping out a defensive 2 for an aggressive one
Tattered Haunter > Labyrinth Guardian
Haunter's the better card, but with this update I wanted to also cut down on the functional reprints or near functional reprints. As I already have a foil Weklin Tern, Haunter gets the boot. I like the positioning of Labyrinth Guardian as a card both aggressive and defensive blue decks are interested in as well.
Duress > Lay Bare the Heart
I think the ability to hit anything is worth the loss in mana efficiency. My cube is trending towards a 66/34 split between creatures and non-creatures, has no legendary cards, and trying to nab non creatures is doesn't have to be as efficient as trying to nab a creature.
Basilica Screecher > Bone Picker
Didn't love screecher. Doesn't attack well, doesn't block well. Bone picker is exactly what I'm looking for.
Shadows of the Past > Stir the Sands
Shadows was a fun card I added that didn't work out.
Village Messenger > Bloodlust Inciter
Messenger was like a slightly less egregious version of Reckless Waif that I let in due to a lack of 1 drops in red. Inciter is a nice replacement.
Hammerhand > Cartouche of Zeal
Next
Lightning Strike > Ahn-Crop Crasher
Looking to both up my Red creature count and lower the number of functionally similar cards and Lightning Strike is just a worse Lightning Bolt so it gets the boot. Perhaps one of the other red burn spells is a better victim, but Red currently has the smallest creature count of any color so I felt this was a pretty important change.
Wild Nacatl > Cartouche of Strength
Similar to wanting to get my red creature count up a little, I want to get my green creature count down. Wild Nacatl wasn't really doing what I wanted since It's effectively a hybrid 3 color card of R/G. Cartouche fits a role of another green interactive spell I was looking for and it was between this and Clear Shot. The fact that the fight is a may as well as giving green fat trample really pushed it over for me.
Howlgeist > Rhonas's Monument
I waffled on monument a lot but decided to try it out as it pulls double duty in ramping into green fatties as well as pushing the ones without evasion through. Howlgeist is a good evasive beater, but it's cost was a little high for a card that did not play defense very well.
I do want to fit in Scaled Behemoth, probably over Skysnare Spider, but want to see how everything else plays together first.
CubeTutor: www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/72
Thread: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=512410
But watch out! If you threaten an enemy creature and put cartouche on it, the cartouche falls off eot and you get like +15 upside points.
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
I'm assuming most people are on Blastoderm and Calciderm as their only shroud creatures (Calcite Snapper is not a very aggressive card even if you do run it), maybe Frazzled Editor as a protection card, and maybe 0-2 illusions. Killing illusions are irrelevant because they would die to the trigger, except Labyrinth Guardian, which I don't recall many people being excited about. If you run all of those cards then sure, Hammerhand is probably better because of it, but I would take a guess that most people run just the 2 shroud creatures. In your aggressive red deck you might have 1 shroud creature, but you could play against multiple control magic effects. My point may be weak, but I think your points are even weaker.
There is certainly the argument that it plays around instant speed removal, which could certainly be enough to justify Hammerhand over Cartouche, and after thinking through it once more it probably has enough cases that it is slightly better.
If you think I'm being serious, I gotta introduce you to this new thing called sarcasm. I just invented it
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
Though red Cartouche + green Trial is probably more significant upside than anything else, and the green Trial is close enough in power level to other Fight effects that you could use it as your one copy of the effect...
Also, follow us on twitter! @TurnOneMagic
Not.. Really
I literally don't care about the difference between the two cards. I find the differences amusing, at best.
Because it doesn't matter
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
Leelue's getting called out!
*grabs popcorn*
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
He gave it a 3.0 out of 5, which is a pretty high score considering the cards that get 4.0+. LSV is a great player, but it's not like he (or anyone) has a perfect track record with these types of set grades/predictions.
Also, follow us on twitter! @TurnOneMagic
They trade with nothing.
But it was fun because I've been reveling in watching how badly their drafts have gone these last couple weeks. I even played BDM with my friend last week in the dead of night.
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