Voidwalk will trigger at the beginning of the next end step that occurs. If you activate Sundial of the Infnite in your mainphase to end the turn then Voidwalk will trigger at the beginning of your opponents end step. However if you wait for the beginning of your own end step then Voidwalk will trigger and you can end the turn with Sundial of the Infinite so the trigger never resolves. But because the 'next' end step already occured it will not trigger again and remain permanently exiled.
I can't imagine they'd be all that oppressive. At least not compared to the already bananas things people can do in commander (4 drop white lady getting omniscience on death, tooth and nail, smoke stack, winter orb, etc)
I could be misreading things, but Mazirek seems like a lot of fun with Puppeteer Clique. Assuming you have a free sac outlet (which I assume would be a given considering Mazirek is your commander) and another player has a creature in their graveyard you could immediately go infinite. Infinite damage with Blasting Station, infinite mana with Ashnod's Altar, infinite +1/+1 counters regardless, and so on. Spawning Bed seems incredible with him as well.
I've been dabbling in a persist, undying deck for awhile now and this will probably be the card to push it over the edge into a real deck. Slot him into Ghave with a small token subtheme and you can either combo out or waves of critters with counters. Gives me a way of powering up or powering down a deck based on the group.
No. In this example your ability is an ability with the for Cost-Sacrifice: Effect-Gain life. To activate this ability you must pay the cost (sacrifice) specifically toward the ability. The popular analogy is if you had multiple vending machines but only 1 dollar you can only put it in one.
I cast quicken during an opponent's turn to play bring to light as an instant. But then I use it to fetch a sorcery or creature, things that can't be cast during my opponent's turn. But can I cast it this time because of bring to light?
When you cast a spell with Bring to Light you are able to ignore timing restrictions because you cast the spell as part of the resolution of the spell when no spell could normally be cast.
A permanent is removed from combat if it changes controllers during combat.
506.4. A permanent is removed from combat if it leaves the battlefield, if its controller changes, if it phases out, if an effect specifically removes it from combat, if it's a planeswalker that's being attacked and stops being a planeswalker, or if it's an attacking or blocking creature that regenerates (see rule 701.12) or stops being a creature. A creature that's removed from combat stops being an attacking, blocking, blocked, and/or unblocked creature. A planeswalker that's removed from combat stops being attacked.
But Modern doesn't really have enough good control cards to make it viable with Psychoatog as a random win con, at least not any more so than Geist of Saint Traft already enables. I mean if you can resolve a Psychatog, have it survive without dying to Path/Decay, clear the board to swing though, and have built enough of a hand/GY that you can go all in without risking death on the blowback then you were going to win pretty much regardless.
Psychatog is in no way comparable to Geist, for two major reasons. Firstly, Geist is walled by any 2-power creature, while Psychatog can simply eat smaller creatures. Secondly, Geist can't be played in Grixis.
The decks that run answers to Psychatog are already good matchups for Grixis decks usually. It's the ability to pressure non-interactive decks that's the problem.
Psychatog is at its best in a combo deck dedicated to it (with upheaval not legal that option is out) or as the win con in a control deck like Grixis. The problem is it's not the win con Grixis really wants. Against affinity it's too slow and chumpable, Jund has Abrupt Decay/Lilly and can force you to grow your tog by chumping with Goyf. It's ignored by burn, Tron has Karn, O-stone-, Ugin, and Relic. Abzan has path/decay, Bloom just goes right over it and the list goes on. The reason I likened it to Geist is that they are both three drops who can avoid a good amount of removal from the field while forcing a fast clock. And they both suffer from the same problem in that you have to go shields down for a turn to get them out on t3 which leaves you open to outright dying to twin or any removal spell into a giant threat.
The problem with Psychatog isn't a deck built around killing you in 1 shot, it's a deck that runs all good cards plus Psychatog as a random "I win" button. It would be like Splinter Twin except instead of losing to other non-combo blue decks it beats them.
But Modern doesn't really have enough good control cards to make it viable with Psychoatog as a random win con, at least not any more so than Geist of Saint Traft already enables. I mean if you can resolve a Psychatog, have it survive without dying to Path/Decay, clear the board to swing though, and have built enough of a hand/GY that you can go all in without risking death on the blowback then you were going to win pretty much regardless.
Here is what the official MTR (magic tournament rules) has to say on notes.
2.11 Taking Notes
Note: The use of electronic devices for taking notes is not permitted at Competitive and Professional Rules
Enforcement Level (see section 2.12 – Electronic Devices)
Players are allowed to take written notes during a match and may refer to those notes while that match is in
progress. At the beginning of a match, each player’s note sheet must be empty and must remain visible throughout
the match. Players do not have to explain or reveal notes to other players. Judges may ask to see a player’s notes
and/or request that the player explain his or her notes.
Players may not refer to other notes, including notes from previous matches, during games.
Between games, players may refer to a brief set of notes made before the match. They are not required to reveal
these notes to their opponents. These notes must be removed from the play area before the beginning of the next
game. Excessive quantities of notes (more than a sheet or two) are not allowed and may be penalized as slow
play.
Players and spectators (exception: authorized press) may not make notes while drafting. Players may not reference
any outside notes during drafting, card pool registration, or deckbuilding.
Players may refer to Oracle text, either electronically or in paper form, at any time. They must do so publicly and
in a format (such as gatherer.wizards.com, other official Wizards of the Coast sources, or printouts of their
sources) which contains no other strategic information. If a player wishes to view Oracle text in private, he or she
must ask a judge.
Artistic modifications to cards that indirectly provide minor strategic information are acceptable. The Head Judge
is the final arbiter on what cards and notes are acceptable for a tournament.
If you are writing while the opponent is thinking then you won't face any problems. However if you are writing down every action you will likely receive a warning for slow play if a judge feels you are not playing in a timely fashion.
To be honest, I was long surprised that Birthing Pod never tried Fulminator Mage, considering it helps them against some of their tougher matchups.
It was too hard to cast after the deck went heavier white for Voice of Resurgence and Linvala and it was a completely dead end pod target. I think some used Avalanche Riders back when we had Birds of Paradise and Deathrite Shaman for fixing.
Avalanche Riders came in and out of favor in sideboards, particularly online. It ended up just not doing enough most of the time so it got traded out for more anti-control tech and pretty much just accept the tron matchup as a loss.
I can't imagine seeing real play to be honest. Forbidden Alchemy is just a far more powerful card.
I've been dabbling in a persist, undying deck for awhile now and this will probably be the card to push it over the edge into a real deck. Slot him into Ghave with a small token subtheme and you can either combo out or waves of critters with counters. Gives me a way of powering up or powering down a deck based on the group.
What are you playing Clone in?
506.4. A permanent is removed from combat if it leaves the battlefield, if its controller changes, if it phases out, if an effect specifically removes it from combat, if it's a planeswalker that's being attacked and stops being a planeswalker, or if it's an attacking or blocking creature that regenerates (see rule 701.12) or stops being a creature. A creature that's removed from combat stops being an attacking, blocking, blocked, and/or unblocked creature. A planeswalker that's removed from combat stops being attacked.
So it would not take damage.
Psychatog is at its best in a combo deck dedicated to it (with upheaval not legal that option is out) or as the win con in a control deck like Grixis. The problem is it's not the win con Grixis really wants. Against affinity it's too slow and chumpable, Jund has Abrupt Decay/Lilly and can force you to grow your tog by chumping with Goyf. It's ignored by burn, Tron has Karn, O-stone-, Ugin, and Relic. Abzan has path/decay, Bloom just goes right over it and the list goes on. The reason I likened it to Geist is that they are both three drops who can avoid a good amount of removal from the field while forcing a fast clock. And they both suffer from the same problem in that you have to go shields down for a turn to get them out on t3 which leaves you open to outright dying to twin or any removal spell into a giant threat.
But Modern doesn't really have enough good control cards to make it viable with Psychoatog as a random win con, at least not any more so than Geist of Saint Traft already enables. I mean if you can resolve a Psychatog, have it survive without dying to Path/Decay, clear the board to swing though, and have built enough of a hand/GY that you can go all in without risking death on the blowback then you were going to win pretty much regardless.
2.11 Taking Notes
Note: The use of electronic devices for taking notes is not permitted at Competitive and Professional Rules
Enforcement Level (see section 2.12 – Electronic Devices)
Players are allowed to take written notes during a match and may refer to those notes while that match is in
progress. At the beginning of a match, each player’s note sheet must be empty and must remain visible throughout
the match. Players do not have to explain or reveal notes to other players. Judges may ask to see a player’s notes
and/or request that the player explain his or her notes.
Players may not refer to other notes, including notes from previous matches, during games.
Between games, players may refer to a brief set of notes made before the match. They are not required to reveal
these notes to their opponents. These notes must be removed from the play area before the beginning of the next
game. Excessive quantities of notes (more than a sheet or two) are not allowed and may be penalized as slow
play.
Players and spectators (exception: authorized press) may not make notes while drafting. Players may not reference
any outside notes during drafting, card pool registration, or deckbuilding.
Players may refer to Oracle text, either electronically or in paper form, at any time. They must do so publicly and
in a format (such as gatherer.wizards.com, other official Wizards of the Coast sources, or printouts of their
sources) which contains no other strategic information. If a player wishes to view Oracle text in private, he or she
must ask a judge.
Artistic modifications to cards that indirectly provide minor strategic information are acceptable. The Head Judge
is the final arbiter on what cards and notes are acceptable for a tournament.
If you are writing while the opponent is thinking then you won't face any problems. However if you are writing down every action you will likely receive a warning for slow play if a judge feels you are not playing in a timely fashion.
Avalanche Riders came in and out of favor in sideboards, particularly online. It ended up just not doing enough most of the time so it got traded out for more anti-control tech and pretty much just accept the tron matchup as a loss.