Been a high pick since inclusion in my cube. It's lifelink has flipped so many races for me, and it's deathtough has forced removal to be used on bodies that could otherwise be attacked through.
Moving it about is mana intensive but giving a big dude lifelink then swapping it to a small body for the death touch just makes any kind of profitable attack impossible on many boards.
I run TitI but it's always just on the verge of being cut. It doesn't flip nearly as often as it used to, but i d9nt have any hard stats for that assertion. It has stuck because its a 2 mana creature your opponent can't just ignore like they can most 0/4 walls.
With threats getting cheaper and ETB effects getting stronger bouncing your opponents board can be less effective then you would think.
Hmmm I don’t run initiative cards for complexity reasons (I do run monarch) but I would guess that creatures / planeswalker removal is becoming more important and burn to the face is less important (for the reasons you mentioned), so I feel like mine collapse is stronger as it does the same thing (but better) at less mana cost. Overall I have been finding it hard to leave up 2 mana in an aggressive deck, and it feels especially bad if the opponent makes no plays. I really wish there was another sorcery speed bolt or another shock+kicker or something else that I could replace spear with.
In agressive decks I'm rarely holding up burn unless I want my opponent to think they have more life that they really do. In the early game I'm usually casting it pre-combat to get rid of blockers.
I had a phase where I cut alot of burn for versions that couldn't go to the dome, it really hurt the agressive decks if you don't have a decent density of face burning cards
Been playing it since release and it's been great. The front half blocks most non-evasive 1-3 drops to stem the bleeding for the first few turns, then you can flip it into a pretty respectable beater.
Splitting the cost is also nice as you can get it in early under counter magic, or, minimise the tempo loss if the counter it so you can cast something else.
We were chatting about savant today and a fun combo came up: Arcane Savant naming Persist + Goblin Bombardment = Infinate Damage
You hold priority when Savant ETBs and sac it to bombardment, then when Persist resolves you bring back the Savant.
This is my exact problem with the card. I wouldn't consider Delayed Blast Fireball as reasonable with Arcane Savant. Similarly, I had a discussion with someone about Arcane + Displacer Kitten. The bar for me is Arcane Savant -> Mystic Confluence.
Broken might have been a better choice of words, it's definitely became the new boogie-man of cards to exile with Arcane Savant.
My cube is big enough that it doesn't show up every draft (450-ish with 4-6 people) and that variance helps keep Savant from doing the same busted things every draft.
Wouldn't fault anyone for cutting him rather than warping their spell selection round him.
We were chatting about savant today and a fun combo came up: Arcane Savant naming Persist + Goblin Bombardment = Infinate Damage
You hold priority when Savant ETBs and sac it to bombardment, then when Persist resolves you bring back the Savant.
I've never run Thraben Inspector. What do folks like about it so much? Happy to be sold on it...
It's just a solid 1 drop for the non agressive decks, I wasn't convinced till I played with it, but it does alot more than the sum of its parts.
It's 1 mana to make 2 relevant perminant types (creature & artifact) so it's good in things like artifact.dec and aristocrats. Against agro decks it trades for a 2/1 and let's you draw a card later in the game.. Whilst not amazing to blink, it's a 1 drop that can be blinked for value. In the late game it can just draw a card if you top decked it, and chump a blocker pollisbly getting you to the next turn.
If I'm in any non agressive white deck there is a very good chance It's making the main deck.
It's kinda like how Baleful Strix doesn't read like an all-star but so many decks leverage part of its card text to great effect. Now, it's not quite strix, but it's also a mono coloured 1 drop so I'm fine with it not being as good.
Give it a go for afew drafts, I needed convincing but have been very happy with it.
How has this card played out for people? I like scooze a lot but idk if its still worth it with -1/-1, and no lifegain. Does the equip balanace it out?
Been great for us. The wider range of targets that grant the counter usually ends up making up for starting 1 smaller.
Unless I'm against a pretty agressive ill take re-configure over the 2-4 life ooze will gain me.
Card is still solid. I wouldn't bat an eyelids if I seen it in a list, but I cut it from mine a while ago.
It's definitely not as strong as it used to be, but it's still a nightmare to get-past/block all those death touch fliers so it. Hornet Queen will usually de good in any board state, but at 8 mana it kinda has to.
I would probably say it's a solid budget option that has been edged out by some pricier option. Cubes don't need alot of 8 drops so if budget isn't a concern you can do better.
Savant is always great for us, it's never hard to get a strong off-colour spell under it. The floor of this casting a spell that just missed the main deck is usually pretty respectable, but when you get something like upheaval or delayed blast fireball under him, it becomes a monster, and that's before you start thinking about blinking or recurring him.
I'd say clocknapper is better with synergy peices around it to bounce it, but Savant has more raw power if you just just plan on playing it "fairly". But really they are both stellar.
Savant makes for good stories and tends to feel less oppressive than clocknapper because it isn't always doing the same thing, your mileage may vary though.
It's interesting it is up to one for each player. It won't come up that often but being able to sacrifice a creature/artifact to fix mana or just double spell ain't nothing.
How good is ward 1? I don't have any experience with it.
being able to get rid of the only day bound card in my list while removing a DFC is win win.
Don't like that it is called malcolm but everything else is good.
Could not agree more. Shame about the Malcolm thing, but I'm incredibly excited to not have to remind everyone (and myself) what Daybound/Nightbound means every draft.
I like it, something about a random (bird) dude called Malcolm showing up along side gods and exoticly named meso-American (?) themes tickles me. All the more so because Malcolm is not a name that I connect to "Alluring".
Looking forward to "Dennis, First to Drip" in an upcoming set.
Moving it about is mana intensive but giving a big dude lifelink then swapping it to a small body for the death touch just makes any kind of profitable attack impossible on many boards.
Not in love with suspect though, not for gameplay reasons, just feels clunky
With threats getting cheaper and ETB effects getting stronger bouncing your opponents board can be less effective then you would think.
In agressive decks I'm rarely holding up burn unless I want my opponent to think they have more life that they really do. In the early game I'm usually casting it pre-combat to get rid of blockers.
I had a phase where I cut alot of burn for versions that couldn't go to the dome, it really hurt the agressive decks if you don't have a decent density of face burning cards
Splitting the cost is also nice as you can get it in early under counter magic, or, minimise the tempo loss if the counter it so you can cast something else.
Great card, would recommend.
Broken might have been a better choice of words, it's definitely became the new boogie-man of cards to exile with Arcane Savant.
My cube is big enough that it doesn't show up every draft (450-ish with 4-6 people) and that variance helps keep Savant from doing the same busted things every draft.
Wouldn't fault anyone for cutting him rather than warping their spell selection round him.
Arcane Savant naming Persist + Goblin Bombardment = Infinate Damage
You hold priority when Savant ETBs and sac it to bombardment, then when Persist resolves you bring back the Savant.
Delayed Blast Fireball has also been great.
It's just a solid 1 drop for the non agressive decks, I wasn't convinced till I played with it, but it does alot more than the sum of its parts.
It's 1 mana to make 2 relevant perminant types (creature & artifact) so it's good in things like artifact.dec and aristocrats. Against agro decks it trades for a 2/1 and let's you draw a card later in the game.. Whilst not amazing to blink, it's a 1 drop that can be blinked for value. In the late game it can just draw a card if you top decked it, and chump a blocker pollisbly getting you to the next turn.
If I'm in any non agressive white deck there is a very good chance It's making the main deck.
It's kinda like how Baleful Strix doesn't read like an all-star but so many decks leverage part of its card text to great effect. Now, it's not quite strix, but it's also a mono coloured 1 drop so I'm fine with it not being as good.
Give it a go for afew drafts, I needed convincing but have been very happy with it.
I don't think I want a second copy, and the orignal is cooler (to me) so I won't be adding it, but it will definitely make it into alot of lists.
Is this generally and effect people want to double down on? Maybe I should just cut my worst 2/1 and see, I definitely underrated inspector at first.
Been great for us. The wider range of targets that grant the counter usually ends up making up for starting 1 smaller.
Unless I'm against a pretty agressive ill take re-configure over the 2-4 life ooze will gain me.
In a vaccume, I might prefer sash over ooze.
It's definitely not as strong as it used to be, but it's still a nightmare to get-past/block all those death touch fliers so it. Hornet Queen will usually de good in any board state, but at 8 mana it kinda has to.
I would probably say it's a solid budget option that has been edged out by some pricier option. Cubes don't need alot of 8 drops so if budget isn't a concern you can do better.
Try the new card and let us know how it goes.
FWIW Courser is a nice, though unexciting card. Never an all star but usually a solid play.
I'd say clocknapper is better with synergy peices around it to bounce it, but Savant has more raw power if you just just plan on playing it "fairly". But really they are both stellar.
Savant makes for good stories and tends to feel less oppressive than clocknapper because it isn't always doing the same thing, your mileage may vary though.
How good is ward 1? I don't have any experience with it.
I like it, something about a random (bird) dude called Malcolm showing up along side gods and exoticly named meso-American (?) themes tickles me. All the more so because Malcolm is not a name that I connect to "Alluring".
Looking forward to "Dennis, First to Drip" in an upcoming set.