Hangarback hasn't completely awed me, but it's playable in more decks than literally any other cube creature. It's the perfect filler card for any deck. Aggro can use it as wrath insurance
I think that's a stretch. Aggro doesn't want this because the base stats are weak, it has no evasion, and it's way too slow and durdly. It's a midrange/control card only.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but Parallax Wave can only exile creatures. Ashiok, Karn, uh... Jace TMS ultimate? Yeah not really seeing any combo potential. Card is weak.
If anyone plays Æther Adept, they surely have to include this FIRST.
Yep, that's gonna be my swap for testing. Hopefully the versatility of the two casting modes makes up for the limitation of only hitting tapped dudes. Not being able to bounce blockers or vigilance creatures is a bummer.
Read some comments in the Exquisite Firecraft thread about how consistency is valuable, so it's an interesting contrast to see people so high on this card.
Lightning Angel — This card is acceptable, but is somewhat boring. It is powerful, but not in a way that is interesting. It is analogous to a card like Woolly Thoctar — a fine uncommon, but not what I would expect out of a rare.
If you are getting less than 8 zombies out of this card, you are doing it wrong.
It doesn't matter how many black mana you have or how many cards are in your graveyard on turn six. You'll never want to use that card this early. Psychatog isn't a 20/21 on turn six, either. Empty the Pits is a lategame control finisher, mostly for UB control decks. It is probably good at this role, but it is also too narrow for cubes.
You need about half your deck in the graveyard for that. It's not... impossible, but it seems much easier to just get 8 mana and play Army of the Damned.
Great insightful article, thanks for posting! Your top 5 will be easy includes, but beyond that nothing seems that interesting or good enough for my ~410.
I think I like Witch Hunt better. Same mana cost, 1 color, always deal 4 damage. If I want this effect, I would run The Abyss and Witch Hunt.
Actually Witch Hunt costs 1 more than Mogis, which is a huuge difference. And The Abyss isn't one-sided, can't start doming them for 2 when they run out of creatures, or attack for 7. I'd like to hear from someone who has actually tried Mogis as a top end aggro finisher. I like cards that can take over the game by themselves and provide comeback potential or inevitability. Falkenrath can do that, but that card is just bonkers, easily #1 Rakdos for me. Redcap can also take over provided you have some way to abuse it, like Recurring Nightmare/blink, so that's a close second. But other than that, nothing else comes to mind. Creatures are also easily dealt with, enchants not so much.
By this do you mean that it is a poor topdeck in the later game when your opponent has an excess of land? I find Plow Under is mostly just backbreaking: it doesn't require that much careful timing.
Well if you can afford to spend a turn not developing your own board, then yeah you just cast it whenever. It's great when you're ahead or have stabilized, but doesn't help you deal with something nasty already in play. Casting it early before they can play their threats is optimal.
Also Primal Command.
The only card I run out of the ones you mentioned is Plow Under since it can be so backbreaking when properly timed. We'll probably test Unexpectedly Absent but the WW cost seems sucky. Azorius Charm's versatility is nice but the effect isn't splashy enough for us to warrant a multicolored spot. Memory Lapse might be ok for larger cubes. The rest just seem too expensive for the effect.
Yep, that's gonna be my swap for testing. Hopefully the versatility of the two casting modes makes up for the limitation of only hitting tapped dudes. Not being able to bounce blockers or vigilance creatures is a bummer.
Read some comments in the Exquisite Firecraft thread about how consistency is valuable, so it's an interesting contrast to see people so high on this card.
You need about half your deck in the graveyard for that. It's not... impossible, but it seems much easier to just get 8 mana and play Army of the Damned.
Actually Witch Hunt costs 1 more than Mogis, which is a huuge difference. And The Abyss isn't one-sided, can't start doming them for 2 when they run out of creatures, or attack for 7. I'd like to hear from someone who has actually tried Mogis as a top end aggro finisher. I like cards that can take over the game by themselves and provide comeback potential or inevitability. Falkenrath can do that, but that card is just bonkers, easily #1 Rakdos for me. Redcap can also take over provided you have some way to abuse it, like Recurring Nightmare/blink, so that's a close second. But other than that, nothing else comes to mind. Creatures are also easily dealt with, enchants not so much.
Or a turn one Fastbond.
Well if you can afford to spend a turn not developing your own board, then yeah you just cast it whenever. It's great when you're ahead or have stabilized, but doesn't help you deal with something nasty already in play. Casting it early before they can play their threats is optimal.
The only card I run out of the ones you mentioned is Plow Under since it can be so backbreaking when properly timed. We'll probably test Unexpectedly Absent but the WW cost seems sucky. Azorius Charm's versatility is nice but the effect isn't splashy enough for us to warrant a multicolored spot. Memory Lapse might be ok for larger cubes. The rest just seem too expensive for the effect.