Fell Stinger is a very clean and moderately pushed card. Not sure if I'm interested though since I've cut most of my 2cmc sac fodder.
I was a lot more interested in Vilespawn Spider before I realized it sacced itself. Simic isn't a particularly strong guild, but this probably still doesn't make the cut.
I'll probably finally get around to cutting Deep Analysis and run Thirst for Discovery alongside Compulsive Research.
I've cast FoF enough times with the intention to basically always take the 3 pile regardless of the split that I can't imagine Scattered Thoughts is better; hitting 5 more or less equally valued cards with FoF isn't remotely uncommon. Even if it was close I'd favour FoF since it's just a way more interesting card.
Reclusive Taxidermist seems solid: ramp, fixing, and support for Gx yard-matters archetypes. Reminds me a bit of werebear which I used to run, except it is a bit less fragile.
I mean, even if a Heroic trigger is not the best thing in the world, just the baseline 2/1 flier for 2 in blue is very, very playable. And drawing even once from it is great already.
Scattered Thoughts seems pretty decent too. I'll find room for it alongside Fact or Fiction (unfortunately Deep Analysis is probably the cut; the sorcery speed is so frustrating every time I play it).
Fell Stinger seems like a "natural" sac outlet; it's not repeatable like some cards, but it gives a better body and a strong ability. I'm new to the Sac.dec archetype, but in my limited experience, it's not often that I just want to go to town, and sac out my whole board (or that I even have a ton of creatures to sac). Hence enough powerful one-time use sac effects like this scorpion or Village Rites might make mediocre repeatable sac outlet unnecessary.
Reclusive Taxidermist looks like a much better Werebear, which I too used to play, and have considered adding again. Besides being less fragile upfront, as mentioned, Taxidermist makes a mana of any color (a big upgrade compared to Werebear only being able to add a green), and I think having four or more creature cards in your graveyard is easier in Peasant to achieve than Threshold. No Fetches makes a difference there. Also, Spider Spawning type GY decks want a heavy concentration of creatures anyway.
Let's be honest, Stormchaser Drake is a blue Mistral Charger/Stormfront Pegasus, nothing more, but that's fine. I looked through the blue spells I play that I'd be fine targeting it with, and the only one I could find was Ghostly Flicker. In my cube at least, blue is not the color of pump spells or auras. Maybe in combination with green or white I might find a few things that I'd be fine targeting it with, but even then it would be rare. Again, this is not to say I'm not interested in a blue Mistral Charger/Stormfront Pegasus.
Markov Purifier is also somewhat interesting, for me at least, as Orzhov does life-gain stuff in my cube. It provides both the life-gain itself and the reward - a somewhat rare combination, as usually one card is the payoff (Ajani's Pridemate for instance) while another is the source of life-gain.
I don't know about Reckless Impulse, Bramble Wurm, Wandering Mind or Sigardian Paladin. With Reckless Impulse the thing is, how often can you cast both cards off of it after paying two mana up front? While Reach is good, Bramble Wurm is probably worse than Sifter Wurm (which I just cut) because it doesn't even give you the illusion of card advantage. Wandering Mind seems ok, but the 3cmc slot is usually packed in Izzet Spells decks. Sure Sigardian Paladin is a 4/4 for 4cmc that will sometimes have lifelink and trample, but it doesn't really support the +1/+1 counters archetype itself like so many other Selesyna options do; it's fine but likely not worth a guild slot imo.
I just realized Stormchaser Drake does work with (most) flicker cards so it might trigger more than I initially expected since I support the archetype heavily. I think I'll swap it with Skyship Plunderer.
With Reckless Impulse the thing is, how often can you cast both cards off of it after paying two mana up front?
You can play the cards from Reckless Impulse until the end of your next turn. You have a ~70% chance to draw a land with 17 lands in the deck, in that case you only need to cast a single card (and a 20% chance to draw two lands). And red decks almost always have a low curve, so drawing two mana heavy cards is very unlikely. Plus it's not a spell you ever want to cast on turn 2 (though it is not a terrible thing to do if you absolutely have to), so you usually have at least 4 mana available (total) when you cast it, which means you can spend 6-7 mana on the cards you draw.
It's a more safe version of Light up the Stage with a higher floor and a lower ceiling.
It's a draw 2 for 2 in a color that doesn't have any card draw, that's just great even if you may only be able to play the better one of those cards 1 out of 5+ times you play it.
Oh... ok. You're right. I misread the card apparently. With two turns to play the cards (lands being played for free of course) and not playing it early I can definitely see it happening. For some reason I read "until the end of your turn" instead of "next turn." Reckless Impulse is indeed similar to Light up the Stage, and while I think I still prefer the latter, I'll probably find room for both because as you said, red card draw is somewhat limited. I have run things like Cathartic Reunion before, but they never took off; this should be better.
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@ArBoR4817
Stormchaser Drake works with stuff like Ghostly Flicker, as I mentioned above, but not with something like Blizzard Strix, since that's an ETB ability that is targeting it not a spell, right? I guess technically you could target it with Into the Roil or other Unsummon effects, but that's not really CA, and it's a definite loss of tempo. Ephemerate and Momentary Blink would work, but again, you're just trading the card with the blink effect for a new card. In those cases though I guess you have the second half to get value out of.
Stormchaser Drake works with stuff like Ghostly Flicker, as I mentioned above, but not with something like Blizzard Strix, since that's an ETB ability that is targeting it not a spell, right? I guess technically you could target it with Into the Roil or other Unsummon effects, but that's not really CA, and it's a definite loss of tempo. Ephemerate and Momentary Blink would work, but again, you're just trading the card with the blink effect for a new card. In those cases though I guess you have the second half to get value out of.
The drake doesn't work with flicker cards like Glimmerpoint Stag but I can still see it being played in the deck as the 22th or 23th card. I mean, Cloudkin Seer sees play often in the decks well and that also only draws one card.
Nevertheless, that is not the main reason I am including the drake in my cube. It is an 2/1 flier for 2 mana in blue and it might have the best upside of those (albeit still a small one).
It directly compares to Firebrand Archer, Electrostatic Field, and Thermo-Alchemist. Indirectly it might be fighting for space with Kiln Fiend and Burning Prophet as well. Obviously, some of them give you more defensive bodies while others are more offensive, but they all share the desire to be played in a deck with a bunch of instants and sorceries. I feel like Izzet spells-matter decks in my cube can be built either more aggro or more control, depending on what you draft, so I'm not sure that one way is better than the other.
Stormchaser Drake is the second 2/1 flying for 1U with no downside after Skyship Plunderer. I say this just in case people forgot that card exists
I also like Bramble Wurm, I could play it instead of Sifter Wurm. Scry 3 is good, but Reach and doing something from the graveyard is valuable, too. And this reminds me I have a Bookwurm copy waiting in my box to be played. A creature I really like but at 8 mana is hard to cast even for ramp decks (but not to reanimate).
I would play any of these green fatties, what would you do?
What do you guys think about Foreboding Statue? I like that it untaps, leaving you with a big blocker. Maybe it is to susceptible to removal? Producing mana of any color is pretty sweet, though.
I want one more Spell matters card in blue and Cruel Witness might be good enough? It has some similarities with Prescient Chimera & Windrider Wizard, which didn't make the cut but a 3/3 flier for 4 is much better than a 3/4 flier for 5 or a 2/2 flier for 3. Or am I just blinded by the fact that I really want one more Spell matters card in blue?
Yeah, Skyship Plunderer is what I would call a stone cold staple for supporting blue aggro. I currently still run Kitesail Corsair. I also have an above average number of auras and the like, I would reckon. Hence why Stormchaser Drake is so exciting for me, specifically.
Might Test: Arm the Cathars: To get full benefits, you need three creatures and it's sorcery speed. It's still a +6/+6 pump plus vigilance for three mana, effectively, though. Fleeting Spirit: White 2-drop slots are tight but I still think that this kind of self-protection is really good. Plus, you can threaten first strike more often than you actually use it. Parish-Blade Trainee: If you can train this just once, it is already good. That is not hard to do but it does rely on being able to attack and having that other board presence. Cobbled Lancer: Not a true 1-drop but also pretty deece and has extra value from the GY. Thirst for Discovery: As others have stated, possibly the best version of this effect for our format. Dread Fugue: Both versions are relevant. Might go in over Duress. Reckless Impulse: It's just solid CA in red. As close as red is to getting a Night's Whisper. Wandering Mind: Really solid and helps with archetypes that are reliant on specific spells. Distracting Geist: Not a bad version of this effect. Drogskol Infantry: Me likey; but very crowded spot. Radiant Grace: Not bad on the initial side; the effect on the other side is really powerful in my experience. Foreboding Statue: I actually forgot that the initial side was a creature, too. Would have slam-dunked this harder if that was not the case. Still, upgrades to a fine body.
Interesting: Piercing Light: Far from the worst cheap white removal option. That scry helps a lot. Traveling Minister: It's not a terrible concept for a 1-drop in concept but it is also not that great. Scattered Thoughts: I get the comparisons to Fact or Fiction but I am not entirely sold. Whispering Wizard: Even at only once per turn, this is redundancy for this effect. Hero's Downfall: Not enough Planeswalkers to make this that much better than Murder - for now. But at least they are allowing such basic removal at UC now. Persistent Specimen: Kind of a worse Reassembling Skeleton - but that remains a strong, thus far mostly unique effect. Honeymoon Hearse: Could be solid; could be not good enough. Magma Pummeler: I like the design but it seems too much like a punisher to my liking. Retrieve: A bit too limited but definitely has potential for great value. Panicked Bystander: Not enough ways to reliably flip this guy. But at least it starts as a bear for a decent floor. Mischievous Catgeist: A bit too hard to get the hits in with this body. Restless Bloodseeker: Too hard to flip in my cube but excellent for the LG archetype.
Other Interesting Cards Persistent Specimen: If you squint it is a Pauper Dread Wanderer. I don't think I have a spot for this, but I really like it. Child of the Pack - Solid card, but I don't have a spot. Radiant Grace - Great card design, but a little hard to make work. Magma Pummeler - Cool card. Whispering Wizard - Once per turn is too limiting, but pretty close. Hero's Downfall - Not needed, but good to have if WOTC releases more uncommon planeswalkers.
Glad to see everyone's takes on the new cards from Crimson Vow. This set started off really slow for Peasant goodies before reaching a pretty good mass of exciting and interesting cards. There are also lots of cool build-around themes to try out if one so desires.
Let's go with a Too Early Top 20 from Innistrad: Crimson Vow. My cube is 512 cards, maximized for power and features 6 spells per guild. I rank interesting cards a little higher because they are super fun to discuss. Apologies in advance to all-around solid cards like Angelic Quartermaster and Wandering Mind for being just kinda boring. Onto the list!
20) Massive Might- +2/+2 and trample on a one-mana instant is actually unprecedented in Magic history. While this might be an okay combat trick on its own, the "Setup" grade is earned for its potential in a Gruul pump archetype. Without trample, all of your Become Immense and Syr Faren, the Hengehammer can get chumped for days.
19) Arm the Cathars- Vigilance and the toughness boosting can turn an even board into a big advantage. While it does require a certain board state to be excellent, it does lack to ability to go super-wide, unlike other white pump spells.
18) Sigardian Paladin- The best thing going for Paladin is that white and green have more recurring +1/+1 counter options than ever. The issue is that even those have some set-up, like a Good-Fortune Unicorn. That said, this does get really spicy once it gets a counter. Overall, I would rather my guild cards are enablers and my mono-colored cards are the payoffs.
17) Reclusive Taxidermist- Here is a big split with everyone else. Hitting 4 creatures in your graveyard requires either lots of self-mill OR lots of self-discard OR lots of creature combat OR a long game AND you probably also need to playing 16+ creatures in your deck. Unless you have those specialized deck types, you have a 1/2 for 1G that taps for any color. And I think that card is solidly in a second-tier, slightly behind cards like Ilysian Caryatid and Leafkin Druid.
16) Bramble Wurm- I think for this to compete with Sifter Wurm and your Arborback Stomper types, you need to be getting some upside from the graveyard exile for 5 life. That said, the reach is really good to have, guaranteed 5 life is nice, and a single G in the mana cost could sometimes matter.
15) Sawblade Slinger- This is overall cheaper than Wickerbough Elder and bigger than Foundation Breaker, with the downside of missing enchantments. In my Cube, that means going down from 88 targets (53 artifacts and 35 enchantments) to 62 targets (+9 Zombies killed by the fight ability). Missing enchantments may matter a lot less if you are not playing the super-powerful ones.
14) Reckless Impulse- A card that I think is a little too conditional for controlling decks and a little too slow for the aggressive decks. That said, does a decent impression of Expressive Iteration.
13) Dread Fugue- The base spell has a pretty good hit-rate in my Cube, but most of those are small creatures black has plenty of answers for already. The Coercion upside is nice, but slow.
My Interest in Piqued
12) Undead Butler- A very grindy black 2-drop that plays nice with other grindy black creatures, like a Lazotep Reaver or Mire Triton. I will say this feels a little lacking on its own, kind of a variation on Ransack the Lab that misses non-creatures.
11) Lambholt Raconteur / Lambholt Ravager- A jumbo Thermo-Alchemist that gets really juiced up at night. 2 damage per spell is a LOT, and a deck focused around lots of reactive instants and burn would probably take advantage of both flipping to Night and dealing that extra damage. Downsides are being much slower than Alchemist and having unreliable upside.
10) Markov Waltzer- This is kind of a 3-power haste flier for 4 mana, which is not available at Peasant. There are some upsides to this version where you can leave the 1/3 flier back and still get +2 power attacking or maybe unlock some attacks that were not otherwise available. The downside is being unable to utilize that extra 1 power if this is stranded or paired with bad attackers.
9) Radiant Grace / Radiant Restraints- I want to like this card more, I really do. My fears are that this is only great in an aggressive deck playing against a deck utilizing creatures for board control. Even then, the actual impact to the board is small and may be easily ignored.
8) Vilespawn Spider- I am not sure there is value in cashing this out for anything fewer than 4 tokens, but it does fuel itself and it provides a very solid downside as a 2/3 for UG.
7) Voltaic Visionary / Volt-Charged Berserker- I am beginning to prefer 3/1s with upside over 3/2s with downside in red. The upside here is really weird, potentially painful, and frustratingly slow. I do still think there are plenty of games where this attacks until it cannot, before giving you a card and a fresh shot at a relevant body.
The Good Cards
6) Whispering Wizard- This is just worse than Murmuring Mystic, in my opinion. The 3/2 is easier to kill and the once a turn restriction is a bummer. But, I do like Mystic a lot and there are certainly game states where Wizard will be better.
5) Stormchaser Drake- This is a 2/1 flier with upside in a color that only sort of needs it. There are lots of cards outside of blue that can make the upside work and the base card is probably good enough to play even without the upside.
4) Fell Stinger- Another card that really wants those black 2-mana grindy creatures to thrive. The 3/2 deathtouch is definitely relevant on most boards and turning a irrelevant creature into a Night's Whisper is pretty sweet.
3) Fleeting Spirit- Being worse than Seasoned Hallowblade and Adanto Vanguard is still an excellent spot to be. This ability dodges more removal than Hallowblade with the downside of not being able to pick off creatures in combat. Which is why the first strike potential is also great, even if it happens rarely.
2) Scattered Thoughts- A great card that digs deep and can guarantee two relevant cards is amazing. The fact that this even could have upside over Fact or Fiction in a feat in itself. It even dumps the other cards in the graveyard, just like FoF. If the power level of the cards you see is flat, you will certainly lose out by getting 2 of them over 3.
1) Thirst for Discovery- A pretty solid upgrade over Compulsive Research, which I was still happily running. I presume this card will stick for a long time, unless we get sets with multiple good blue card draw spells all the time now.
12) Undead Butler- A very grindy black 2-drop that plays nice with other grindy black creatures, like a Lazotep Reaver or Mire Triton. I will say this feels a little lacking on its own, kind of a variation on Ransack the Lab that misses non-creatures.
10) Markov Waltzer- This is kind of a 3-power haste flier for 4 mana, which is not available at Peasant. There are some upsides to this version where you can leave the 1/3 flier back and still get +2 power attacking or maybe unlock some attacks that were not otherwise available. The downside is being unable to utilize that extra 1 power if this is stranded or paired with bad attackers.
12) Effects notwithstanding the card itself is 2mv 1/2 which is unacceptable. I'll take Stitcher's Supplier and not look so desperately for a second copy.
10) We do have Snare Thopter and it's colourless. Initially I was interested in trying out It-That-Does-the-Fangdango, but indeed the downside of being a mere 2/3 flier for 4 on an empty board suggests the acs is too low impact to be worth cubing.
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I wish all archetypes could be equally hated. Or loved, but the former better reflects the mindset of the vocal portion of the player base. My 540ish Peasant Cube on Cubetutor
12) Undead Butler- A very grindy black 2-drop that plays nice with other grindy black creatures, like a Lazotep Reaver or Mire Triton. I will say this feels a little lacking on its own, kind of a variation on Ransack the Lab that misses non-creatures.
10) Markov Waltzer- This is kind of a 3-power haste flier for 4 mana, which is not available at Peasant. There are some upsides to this version where you can leave the 1/3 flier back and still get +2 power attacking or maybe unlock some attacks that were not otherwise available. The downside is being unable to utilize that extra 1 power if this is stranded or paired with bad attackers.
12) Effects notwithstanding the card itself is 2mv 1/2 which is unacceptable. I'll take Stitcher's Supplier and not look so desperately for a second copy.
10) We do have Snare Thopter and it's colourless. Initially I was interested in trying out It-That-Does-the-Fangdango, but indeed the downside of being a mere 2/3 flier for 4 on an empty board suggests the acs is too low impact to be worth cubing.
Undead Butler is a 1/2 with an ETB trigger and a dies trigger that, together, are probably worth a mana. Those effects require a specific board to be best utilized, but I do not think the body alone disqualifies it.
I completely missed Snare Thopter, because I must have left colorless cards out of my search. At least Snare Thopter is a good card for Markov Waltzer to be compared to.
Fell Stinger - My favorite card of the set. I might swap it in place of Phyrexian Rager, as they fill a similar role, but this can dig deeper and can be weaponized for damage
Reclusive Taxidermist - As a mana dork capable of fixing any color, I like it. Might have to swap it in place of Devoted Druid. Early game mana dork with a body not irrelevant late game.
What I find funniest is how these are so close to the cards they are upgrading. There's nothing terribly new, but it's decently powerful.
Sigardian Paladin - This +1/+1 counter payoff for sure has its downsides. But so has Arcus Acolyte. It is possible that this one disappoints but trample and lifelink are no joke in a deck where creatures tend to get big.
Generally bad set for peasant cube due to all the tribal and blood cards.
Includes Twinblade Geist - 1/1 Double Strikers for 2 are only good if you can reliably pump them, but this one is good in more situations than the others since it doubles up a boost for your larger creatures. Cruel Witness - Surveil is nice bonus on a decent body. Thirst for Discovery - 3 mana is a great cost for this effect, maybe I replace Rain of Revelation Fell Stinger - This is decent when played for just a 3 MV 3/2 deathtouch, decent if it's 3 MV draw 2 lose 2, and awesome if you can sac a random 1/1 to get both. Even can force in 2 points of damage by targeting the draw at the opponent. Perhaps a staple.
Maybe Arm the Cathars Fleeting Spirit - Depends on how easy it is to threaten first strike. Otherwise the other white 2 drops Seasoned Hallowblade and Adanto Vanguard are better. Radiant Grace - Front side is meh but the back is interesting. Not sure if it adds up to enough though. Cobbled Lancer - If you cast it by turn 3 or 4, seems great. Lantern Bearer - 1/1 flyers for 1 are bad, so does the enchantment provide enough value? Possibly. Scattered Thoughts - Also similar to Rain of Revelation. It poses no danger to Fact or Fiction though because FoF is too interesting a card to be replaced. Stormchaser Drake - Probably not enough ways to trigger in my cube. Persistent Specimen - Still strong, but I'm not a huge fan of playing a 2nd copy, but weaker, of the same effect. Magma Pummeler - Interesting, but probably not mana efficient enough. Reckless Impulse - Strong but less interesting than Light up the Stage Voltaic Visionary - Interesting but awkward. There are a ton of potential small tweaks that would have made this an include such as the backside could block, the front-side could activate at instant speed, it gave you another turn to play the card, etc. Reclusive Taxidermist - In a self mill deck I almost think 7 cards is easier than 4 creatures, in which case Werebear is probably better. Retrieve - Crowded slot. Wandering Mind - Wish it had prowess too.
Reckless Impulse - Light up the Stage is great, red is a shallow color and this is a powerful card for red that isn't burn or an aggro creature. I think it's not much worse than Chart a Course, and that's a blue card.
Thirst for Discovery - The basic land part may hurt a bit, but overall instant speed is a bigger bonus than being able to discard a non-basic you don't need. Will replace Compulsive Research.
Stormchaser Drake - The draw ability won't trigger every game, but when it does it's great value. A 2/1 flyer for 2 with relevant upside is never a bad addition.
Maybe:
Fell Stinger - Versatile card. Will see if I find room for it.
Honorable Mentions:
Reclusive Taxidermist - Outside of self-mill deck it's an ok card, but often it will most likely not make it into the 23. And self-mill decks run surprisingly few creatures in my cube, so Threshold is overall easier to trigger than 4 creatures most of the time. I don't run Werebear anymore and I'm not sure this is much better.
Scattered Thoughts - Powerful draw spell, but Fact or Fiction is slightly better and I don't need another 4 cmc spell like that in my cube.
Fell Stinger is a very clean and moderately pushed card. Not sure if I'm interested though since I've cut most of my 2cmc sac fodder.
I was a lot more interested in Vilespawn Spider before I realized it sacced itself. Simic isn't a particularly strong guild, but this probably still doesn't make the cut.
I'll probably finally get around to cutting Deep Analysis and run Thirst for Discovery alongside Compulsive Research.
I've cast FoF enough times with the intention to basically always take the 3 pile regardless of the split that I can't imagine Scattered Thoughts is better; hitting 5 more or less equally valued cards with FoF isn't remotely uncommon. Even if it was close I'd favour FoF since it's just a way more interesting card.
I mean, even if a Heroic trigger is not the best thing in the world, just the baseline 2/1 flier for 2 in blue is very, very playable. And drawing even once from it is great already.
I also like Reclusive Taxidermist.
I was planning on replacing Behold the Multiverse with Scattered Thoughts and Compulsive Research with Thirst for Discovery. But after reading everyone's comments I am wondering if I am better off cutting Deep Analysis and keeping one of the others.
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Scattered Thoughts seems pretty decent too. I'll find room for it alongside Fact or Fiction (unfortunately Deep Analysis is probably the cut; the sorcery speed is so frustrating every time I play it).
Fell Stinger seems like a "natural" sac outlet; it's not repeatable like some cards, but it gives a better body and a strong ability. I'm new to the Sac.dec archetype, but in my limited experience, it's not often that I just want to go to town, and sac out my whole board (or that I even have a ton of creatures to sac). Hence enough powerful one-time use sac effects like this scorpion or Village Rites might make mediocre repeatable sac outlet unnecessary.
Reclusive Taxidermist looks like a much better Werebear, which I too used to play, and have considered adding again. Besides being less fragile upfront, as mentioned, Taxidermist makes a mana of any color (a big upgrade compared to Werebear only being able to add a green), and I think having four or more creature cards in your graveyard is easier in Peasant to achieve than Threshold. No Fetches makes a difference there. Also, Spider Spawning type GY decks want a heavy concentration of creatures anyway.
Let's be honest, Stormchaser Drake is a blue Mistral Charger/Stormfront Pegasus, nothing more, but that's fine. I looked through the blue spells I play that I'd be fine targeting it with, and the only one I could find was Ghostly Flicker. In my cube at least, blue is not the color of pump spells or auras. Maybe in combination with green or white I might find a few things that I'd be fine targeting it with, but even then it would be rare. Again, this is not to say I'm not interested in a blue Mistral Charger/Stormfront Pegasus.
Markov Purifier is also somewhat interesting, for me at least, as Orzhov does life-gain stuff in my cube. It provides both the life-gain itself and the reward - a somewhat rare combination, as usually one card is the payoff (Ajani's Pridemate for instance) while another is the source of life-gain.
Angelic Quartermaster and Whispering Wizard seem ok - worth considering - but I'm not sure they'll make the cut.
I don't know about Reckless Impulse, Bramble Wurm, Wandering Mind or Sigardian Paladin. With Reckless Impulse the thing is, how often can you cast both cards off of it after paying two mana up front? While Reach is good, Bramble Wurm is probably worse than Sifter Wurm (which I just cut) because it doesn't even give you the illusion of card advantage. Wandering Mind seems ok, but the 3cmc slot is usually packed in Izzet Spells decks. Sure Sigardian Paladin is a 4/4 for 4cmc that will sometimes have lifelink and trample, but it doesn't really support the +1/+1 counters archetype itself like so many other Selesyna options do; it's fine but likely not worth a guild slot imo.
My C/Ube on Cube Cobra
You can play the cards from Reckless Impulse until the end of your next turn. You have a ~70% chance to draw a land with 17 lands in the deck, in that case you only need to cast a single card (and a 20% chance to draw two lands). And red decks almost always have a low curve, so drawing two mana heavy cards is very unlikely. Plus it's not a spell you ever want to cast on turn 2 (though it is not a terrible thing to do if you absolutely have to), so you usually have at least 4 mana available (total) when you cast it, which means you can spend 6-7 mana on the cards you draw.
It's a more safe version of Light up the Stage with a higher floor and a lower ceiling.
It's a draw 2 for 2 in a color that doesn't have any card draw, that's just great even if you may only be able to play the better one of those cards 1 out of 5+ times you play it.
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Oh... ok. You're right. I misread the card apparently. With two turns to play the cards (lands being played for free of course) and not playing it early I can definitely see it happening. For some reason I read "until the end of your turn" instead of "next turn." Reckless Impulse is indeed similar to Light up the Stage, and while I think I still prefer the latter, I'll probably find room for both because as you said, red card draw is somewhat limited. I have run things like Cathartic Reunion before, but they never took off; this should be better.
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Stormchaser Drake works with stuff like Ghostly Flicker, as I mentioned above, but not with something like Blizzard Strix, since that's an ETB ability that is targeting it not a spell, right? I guess technically you could target it with Into the Roil or other Unsummon effects, but that's not really CA, and it's a definite loss of tempo. Ephemerate and Momentary Blink would work, but again, you're just trading the card with the blink effect for a new card. In those cases though I guess you have the second half to get value out of.
Nevertheless, that is not the main reason I am including the drake in my cube. It is an 2/1 flier for 2 mana in blue and it might have the best upside of those (albeit still a small one).
My C/Ube on Cube Cobra
It directly compares to Firebrand Archer, Electrostatic Field, and Thermo-Alchemist. Indirectly it might be fighting for space with Kiln Fiend and Burning Prophet as well. Obviously, some of them give you more defensive bodies while others are more offensive, but they all share the desire to be played in a deck with a bunch of instants and sorceries. I feel like Izzet spells-matter decks in my cube can be built either more aggro or more control, depending on what you draft, so I'm not sure that one way is better than the other.
I also like Bramble Wurm, I could play it instead of Sifter Wurm. Scry 3 is good, but Reach and doing something from the graveyard is valuable, too. And this reminds me I have a Bookwurm copy waiting in my box to be played. A creature I really like but at 8 mana is hard to cast even for ramp decks (but not to reanimate).
I would play any of these green fatties, what would you do?
My Omniscience Draft Cube[/b]
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What do you guys think about Foreboding Statue? I like that it untaps, leaving you with a big blocker. Maybe it is to susceptible to removal? Producing mana of any color is pretty sweet, though.
WiJ
Peasant 540 Cube
My 2-Player Signed Legacy Cube
My Lord of the Rings Cube
I want one more Spell matters card in blue and Cruel Witness might be good enough? It has some similarities with Prescient Chimera & Windrider Wizard, which didn't make the cut but a 3/3 flier for 4 is much better than a 3/4 flier for 5 or a 2/2 flier for 3. Or am I just blinded by the fact that I really want one more Spell matters card in blue?
My C/Ube on Cube Cobra
Anyway, full spoiler is up.
Inclusions:
Stormchaser Drake: As stated above.
Fell Stinger: Just what I like to see. I have also been including more card draw back to black.
Nature's Embrace: This is very much a me card. I think that the modality is better in my CU/be than a Clue token, for example.
Reclusive Taxidermist: Something something a better combination of Utopia Tree and Werebear.
Twinblade Geist: By far my favourite Fencing Ace variant.
Lantern Bearer: I really like this as far as blue 1-drop creatures go.
Voltaic Visionary: Pretty solid effect on an already solid body.
Might Test:
Arm the Cathars: To get full benefits, you need three creatures and it's sorcery speed. It's still a +6/+6 pump plus vigilance for three mana, effectively, though.
Fleeting Spirit: White 2-drop slots are tight but I still think that this kind of self-protection is really good. Plus, you can threaten first strike more often than you actually use it.
Parish-Blade Trainee: If you can train this just once, it is already good. That is not hard to do but it does rely on being able to attack and having that other board presence.
Cobbled Lancer: Not a true 1-drop but also pretty deece and has extra value from the GY.
Thirst for Discovery: As others have stated, possibly the best version of this effect for our format.
Dread Fugue: Both versions are relevant. Might go in over Duress.
Reckless Impulse: It's just solid CA in red. As close as red is to getting a Night's Whisper.
Wandering Mind: Really solid and helps with archetypes that are reliant on specific spells.
Distracting Geist: Not a bad version of this effect.
Drogskol Infantry: Me likey; but very crowded spot.
Radiant Grace: Not bad on the initial side; the effect on the other side is really powerful in my experience.
Foreboding Statue: I actually forgot that the initial side was a creature, too. Would have slam-dunked this harder if that was not the case. Still, upgrades to a fine body.
Interesting:
Piercing Light: Far from the worst cheap white removal option. That scry helps a lot.
Traveling Minister: It's not a terrible concept for a 1-drop in concept but it is also not that great.
Scattered Thoughts: I get the comparisons to Fact or Fiction but I am not entirely sold.
Whispering Wizard: Even at only once per turn, this is redundancy for this effect.
Hero's Downfall: Not enough Planeswalkers to make this that much better than Murder - for now. But at least they are allowing such basic removal at UC now.
Persistent Specimen: Kind of a worse Reassembling Skeleton - but that remains a strong, thus far mostly unique effect.
Honeymoon Hearse: Could be solid; could be not good enough.
Magma Pummeler: I like the design but it seems too much like a punisher to my liking.
Retrieve: A bit too limited but definitely has potential for great value.
Panicked Bystander: Not enough ways to reliably flip this guy. But at least it starts as a bear for a decent floor.
Mischievous Catgeist: A bit too hard to get the hits in with this body.
Restless Bloodseeker: Too hard to flip in my cube but excellent for the LG archetype.
In
Thirst for Discovery
Fell stinger
Voltaic Visionary
Reclusive Taxidermist
Thinking about
Angelic Quartermaster between it and Relief Captian
Scattered Thoughts - Fact or Fiction is more fun.
Child of the Pack - multicoloured slots are so limited but I like the card but is it better than Ghor-Clan Rampager?
Foreboding Statue- far too slow at 3 mana + three turns.
Pioneer:UR Pheonix
Modern:U Mono U Tron
EDH
GB Glissa, the traitor: Army of Cans
UW Dragonlord Ojutai: Dragonlord NOjutai
UWGDerevi, Empyrial Tactician "you cannot fight the storm"
R Zirilan of the claw. The solution to every problem is dragons
UB Etrata, the Silencer Cloning assassination
Peasant cube: Cards I own
Compulsive Research > Thirst for Discovery: Instant speed is a significant improvement.
Deep Analysis > Stormchaser Drake: More blue fliers support.
Untamed Kavu > Reclusive Taxidermist: Better fits the mill theme growing in Green.
Corpse Augur > Fell Stinger: More immediate impact and creative play options.
Thrill of Possibility > Reckless Impulse: A little worse for reanimator, but can be cast with an empty hand and often results in card advantage.
Other Interesting Cards
Persistent Specimen: If you squint it is a Pauper Dread Wanderer. I don't think I have a spot for this, but I really like it.
Child of the Pack - Solid card, but I don't have a spot.
Radiant Grace - Great card design, but a little hard to make work.
Magma Pummeler - Cool card.
Whispering Wizard - Once per turn is too limiting, but pretty close.
Hero's Downfall - Not needed, but good to have if WOTC releases more uncommon planeswalkers.
My 2-Player Signed Legacy Cube
My Lord of the Rings Cube
Vilespawn Spider
Thirst for Discovery
Reckless Impulse
Reclusive Taxidermist
Stormchaser Drake
Maybe:
Thinking about Supporting:
Let's go with a Too Early Top 20 from Innistrad: Crimson Vow. My cube is 512 cards, maximized for power and features 6 spells per guild. I rank interesting cards a little higher because they are super fun to discuss. Apologies in advance to all-around solid cards like Angelic Quartermaster and Wandering Mind for being just kinda boring. Onto the list!
20) Massive Might- +2/+2 and trample on a one-mana instant is actually unprecedented in Magic history. While this might be an okay combat trick on its own, the "Setup" grade is earned for its potential in a Gruul pump archetype. Without trample, all of your Become Immense and Syr Faren, the Hengehammer can get chumped for days.
19) Arm the Cathars- Vigilance and the toughness boosting can turn an even board into a big advantage. While it does require a certain board state to be excellent, it does lack to ability to go super-wide, unlike other white pump spells.
18) Sigardian Paladin- The best thing going for Paladin is that white and green have more recurring +1/+1 counter options than ever. The issue is that even those have some set-up, like a Good-Fortune Unicorn. That said, this does get really spicy once it gets a counter. Overall, I would rather my guild cards are enablers and my mono-colored cards are the payoffs.
17) Reclusive Taxidermist- Here is a big split with everyone else. Hitting 4 creatures in your graveyard requires either lots of self-mill OR lots of self-discard OR lots of creature combat OR a long game AND you probably also need to playing 16+ creatures in your deck. Unless you have those specialized deck types, you have a 1/2 for 1G that taps for any color. And I think that card is solidly in a second-tier, slightly behind cards like Ilysian Caryatid and Leafkin Druid.
16) Bramble Wurm- I think for this to compete with Sifter Wurm and your Arborback Stomper types, you need to be getting some upside from the graveyard exile for 5 life. That said, the reach is really good to have, guaranteed 5 life is nice, and a single G in the mana cost could sometimes matter.
15) Sawblade Slinger- This is overall cheaper than Wickerbough Elder and bigger than Foundation Breaker, with the downside of missing enchantments. In my Cube, that means going down from 88 targets (53 artifacts and 35 enchantments) to 62 targets (+9 Zombies killed by the fight ability). Missing enchantments may matter a lot less if you are not playing the super-powerful ones.
14) Reckless Impulse- A card that I think is a little too conditional for controlling decks and a little too slow for the aggressive decks. That said, does a decent impression of Expressive Iteration.
13) Dread Fugue- The base spell has a pretty good hit-rate in my Cube, but most of those are small creatures black has plenty of answers for already. The Coercion upside is nice, but slow.
My Interest in Piqued
12) Undead Butler- A very grindy black 2-drop that plays nice with other grindy black creatures, like a Lazotep Reaver or Mire Triton. I will say this feels a little lacking on its own, kind of a variation on Ransack the Lab that misses non-creatures.
11) Lambholt Raconteur / Lambholt Ravager- A jumbo Thermo-Alchemist that gets really juiced up at night. 2 damage per spell is a LOT, and a deck focused around lots of reactive instants and burn would probably take advantage of both flipping to Night and dealing that extra damage. Downsides are being much slower than Alchemist and having unreliable upside.
10) Markov Waltzer- This is kind of a 3-power haste flier for 4 mana, which is not available at Peasant. There are some upsides to this version where you can leave the 1/3 flier back and still get +2 power attacking or maybe unlock some attacks that were not otherwise available. The downside is being unable to utilize that extra 1 power if this is stranded or paired with bad attackers.
9) Radiant Grace / Radiant Restraints- I want to like this card more, I really do. My fears are that this is only great in an aggressive deck playing against a deck utilizing creatures for board control. Even then, the actual impact to the board is small and may be easily ignored.
8) Vilespawn Spider- I am not sure there is value in cashing this out for anything fewer than 4 tokens, but it does fuel itself and it provides a very solid downside as a 2/3 for UG.
7) Voltaic Visionary / Volt-Charged Berserker- I am beginning to prefer 3/1s with upside over 3/2s with downside in red. The upside here is really weird, potentially painful, and frustratingly slow. I do still think there are plenty of games where this attacks until it cannot, before giving you a card and a fresh shot at a relevant body.
The Good Cards
6) Whispering Wizard- This is just worse than Murmuring Mystic, in my opinion. The 3/2 is easier to kill and the once a turn restriction is a bummer. But, I do like Mystic a lot and there are certainly game states where Wizard will be better.
5) Stormchaser Drake- This is a 2/1 flier with upside in a color that only sort of needs it. There are lots of cards outside of blue that can make the upside work and the base card is probably good enough to play even without the upside.
4) Fell Stinger- Another card that really wants those black 2-mana grindy creatures to thrive. The 3/2 deathtouch is definitely relevant on most boards and turning a irrelevant creature into a Night's Whisper is pretty sweet.
3) Fleeting Spirit- Being worse than Seasoned Hallowblade and Adanto Vanguard is still an excellent spot to be. This ability dodges more removal than Hallowblade with the downside of not being able to pick off creatures in combat. Which is why the first strike potential is also great, even if it happens rarely.
2) Scattered Thoughts- A great card that digs deep and can guarantee two relevant cards is amazing. The fact that this even could have upside over Fact or Fiction in a feat in itself. It even dumps the other cards in the graveyard, just like FoF. If the power level of the cards you see is flat, you will certainly lose out by getting 2 of them over 3.
1) Thirst for Discovery- A pretty solid upgrade over Compulsive Research, which I was still happily running. I presume this card will stick for a long time, unless we get sets with multiple good blue card draw spells all the time now.
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
12) Effects notwithstanding the card itself is 2mv 1/2 which is unacceptable. I'll take Stitcher's Supplier and not look so desperately for a second copy.
10) We do have Snare Thopter and it's colourless. Initially I was interested in trying out It-That-Does-the-Fangdango, but indeed the downside of being a mere 2/3 flier for 4 on an empty board suggests the acs is too low impact to be worth cubing.
My 540ish Peasant Cube on Cubetutor
Undead Butler is a 1/2 with an ETB trigger and a dies trigger that, together, are probably worth a mana. Those effects require a specific board to be best utilized, but I do not think the body alone disqualifies it.
I completely missed Snare Thopter, because I must have left colorless cards out of my search. At least Snare Thopter is a good card for Markov Waltzer to be compared to.
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
Fell Stinger - My favorite card of the set. I might swap it in place of Phyrexian Rager, as they fill a similar role, but this can dig deeper and can be weaponized for damage
Stormchaser Drake - Probably take the place of Malcolm, Keen-Eyed, or just a straight swap for Skyship Plunderer (which is too similar to Grateful Apparition in white - you know, a color that actually cares about counters). This should be especially good with things like Rancor and Scale Up.
Thirst for Discovery - Good card draw, not sure what to cut yet.
Kessig Flamebreather - Might just swap it in as a more durable Firebrand Archer.
Reclusive Taxidermist - As a mana dork capable of fixing any color, I like it. Might have to swap it in place of Devoted Druid. Early game mana dork with a body not irrelevant late game.
What I find funniest is how these are so close to the cards they are upgrading. There's nothing terribly new, but it's decently powerful.
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
MTGSalvation tags
EDHREC
ManabaseCrafter
Includes:
U
G
Experimental includes:
WB
Legacy Cube
Includes
Twinblade Geist - 1/1 Double Strikers for 2 are only good if you can reliably pump them, but this one is good in more situations than the others since it doubles up a boost for your larger creatures.
Cruel Witness - Surveil is nice bonus on a decent body.
Thirst for Discovery - 3 mana is a great cost for this effect, maybe I replace Rain of Revelation
Fell Stinger - This is decent when played for just a 3 MV 3/2 deathtouch, decent if it's 3 MV draw 2 lose 2, and awesome if you can sac a random 1/1 to get both. Even can force in 2 points of damage by targeting the draw at the opponent. Perhaps a staple.
Maybe
Arm the Cathars
Fleeting Spirit - Depends on how easy it is to threaten first strike. Otherwise the other white 2 drops Seasoned Hallowblade and Adanto Vanguard are better.
Radiant Grace - Front side is meh but the back is interesting. Not sure if it adds up to enough though.
Cobbled Lancer - If you cast it by turn 3 or 4, seems great.
Lantern Bearer - 1/1 flyers for 1 are bad, so does the enchantment provide enough value? Possibly.
Scattered Thoughts - Also similar to Rain of Revelation. It poses no danger to Fact or Fiction though because FoF is too interesting a card to be replaced.
Stormchaser Drake - Probably not enough ways to trigger in my cube.
Persistent Specimen - Still strong, but I'm not a huge fan of playing a 2nd copy, but weaker, of the same effect.
Magma Pummeler - Interesting, but probably not mana efficient enough.
Reckless Impulse - Strong but less interesting than Light up the Stage
Voltaic Visionary - Interesting but awkward. There are a ton of potential small tweaks that would have made this an include such as the backside could block, the front-side could activate at instant speed, it gave you another turn to play the card, etc.
Reclusive Taxidermist - In a self mill deck I almost think 7 cards is easier than 4 creatures, in which case Werebear is probably better.
Retrieve - Crowded slot.
Wandering Mind - Wish it had prowess too.
Reckless Impulse - Light up the Stage is great, red is a shallow color and this is a powerful card for red that isn't burn or an aggro creature. I think it's not much worse than Chart a Course, and that's a blue card.
Thirst for Discovery - The basic land part may hurt a bit, but overall instant speed is a bigger bonus than being able to discard a non-basic you don't need. Will replace Compulsive Research.
Stormchaser Drake - The draw ability won't trigger every game, but when it does it's great value. A 2/1 flyer for 2 with relevant upside is never a bad addition.
Maybe:
Fell Stinger - Versatile card. Will see if I find room for it.
Honorable Mentions:
Reclusive Taxidermist - Outside of self-mill deck it's an ok card, but often it will most likely not make it into the 23. And self-mill decks run surprisingly few creatures in my cube, so Threshold is overall easier to trigger than 4 creatures most of the time. I don't run Werebear anymore and I'm not sure this is much better.
Scattered Thoughts - Powerful draw spell, but Fact or Fiction is slightly better and I don't need another 4 cmc spell like that in my cube.
My Old School Battlebox
My Premodern Battlebox