Ok, I understand the last bit now. I wonder what the difference between "boosterfun" and... uh... other promos?
I tried boosterfun immediately after I saw your first post and all I could tell is that it includes like the... half-frameless cards? but other things I don't know how to categorize
(r:c OR r:u OR ((in:uncommon OR in:common) -r<=uncommon))
Why is this string so complex? It is because some special prints are "rare"? What is the difference between r:c and in:common? Why are is there a piece at the end that seems to remove cards equal to or below uncommon?
Githzerai Monk is the only white high drop I've ever seriously considered being as scary as cloudgoat ranger, which is high praise. The effect on Malamet War Scribe takes a bad instant (inspired charge) and then overcharges you for a sorcery speed version of it. A 4/3 isn't even statted well at that mana cost. I'd much rather a card like Tenacity, rallying roar, rally to battle, make a stand, or even defend the campus. None of which I have ever considered running (although Tenacity does have a lot going for it on second glance)
Dusk rose reliquary is on paper the kind of card I like to play with, but I imagine "bone splinters that is undo-able" just isn't a good enough magic card. Maybe with a higher ward cost, or an alternate extra cost like paying 3.
I have played a lot of Mirrorshell crab, which is probably the proper comp for Marauding Brinefang. The crab is 80% counterspell, 20% "well at least I can play this" to bolster your threat density. Great card.
Brinefang on the other hand is primarily a 7 mana french vanilla, and that's not happening. Cycling that costs 2 are regularly eating whole turns of mana, not something you can passively weave in to your normal development. Striped riverwinder and Boon of the wish giver are competitive because they are win conditions that almost completely skirt the opportunity cost of putting a win-con in the deck. Ward is just 3 is not a significant deterrent at that mana cost unless some cheatery has been going on, so the brinefang is really close to something like... bad Twisted abomination.
I have played two or three other peasant cubes over the last year and Kitesail freebooter is the card I was most surprised to find a worthy opponent in. Its unreliability was/is why I never ran it, but I could certainly see a future where deep-cavern bat is a great, healthy card that's a staple.
I would assume that beamtown beatstick beats out the diamond pick-axe by virtue of you needing to re-equip it less often. It keeps your guy out of fights.
If I designed a card like Kraul Harpooner for my custom cube people would rightfully lose respect for me as a human being.
I do think explorer's cache could be reasonable, but it has a lot working against it. Gaea's gift, vastwood fortification, and snakeskin armor are all legitimately compelling in action (maybe not when read) without needing you to be supporting +1/+1 counters. Those cards are going to be better in just your gruul and golgari decks that want to win combat. The cache really is more like a weird gaea's anthem, maybe?
I think calling a gold, 2 mana carrion feeder in Bartolomé del Presidio a "staple" is a serious stretch. At one sac it's worse than monocolored cards people don't play, and at 2 sacs it's only up to 3 toughness (after, again, eating two things that could have had value).
The hand disruption is always worth one mana, even if they get to choose what they discard.
This is just untrue. Trading a card and a deckslot for the worst card in an opponent's hand is not worth tempo. Assuming Dreams of steel and oil only could hit one target in their hand when you cast it, the odds that the thing that they discard is the worst card in their hand is like ~1/6. And you also get information with a card like DoSaO, which is worth probably about a third of a mana.
Thought experiment:
Thoughtseize is an absurd magic card, but it's probably questionable if it cost you 4 life. So let's say 3 is really what it should have been printed at. There, it might actually be in competition with Inquisition of kozilek.
Now strip all the selection and the life loss from thoughtseize. B, Sorcery: "Target opponent reveals their hand, and discards a nonland card of their choice".
This is definitely weaker than even duress. And duress is only "fine". So let's buff it from here to around inquisition with life loss for the opponent.
Considering that the "fixed" thoughtseize costs you three life, maybe this new card could bolt the opponent? For draft, *maybe* but because of things like constructed burn it's probably only printable at 2 life (hi hopeless nightmare).
But Hopeless Nightmare doesn't see their hand. Hopeless nightmare lets the opponent discard lands. It doesn't even trigger as many cards. If the "bolt you" version of the hypothetical card was very good, dropping a life, information, and giving the opponent even more choice is not made up for by being able to scry 2 for a lot of mana later.
Compared to DoSaO, hitting something that walls you or removes your 2 drop is just worth a lot more than 2 life. Being a better topdeck, sometimes, is not making that ground up either.
I think you might be missing the fact Welcome to Sweettooth says "one plus the number of foods". So while it's slow, it provides a 3/3 creature + food worth of stats for only 2 mana, of which 2 +1/+1 counters can be given to another creature instead (but might get hit by removal) yadda yadda etc.
He did miss that, but still, is a very slow and fragile 3/3 + a food worth 2 mana? I don't assume so. I think the only way it would be is if the 1/1 died for value somehow (Lord skitter's butcher? Trade with a 1 drop?) so the +2/+2 is a second form of card quality advantage.
Being able to salvage a game vs being able to close one. I... think they split the difference about as perfectly as you can.
It's moot though since the new guy has to come in after not only the outstanding generous ent but the already "fine" timberland ancient. The new guy is only better than the previous two as a reanimator target (still debatable vs the ent), and even I am leery about playing three landcyclers in one color. So I would just pick Howling giant over it (who I don't even play to begin with)
It took me a while to come around to it, but the frog is probably just better than all the "threshold" type of 2 mana dorks. The potential of a reach deathtouch creature buying you time is higher than being a conditional 3/3 or so.
Dark ritual is just too much variance. At least reanimator spells work as topdecks and with more mana costs. We also have the well-worn fact that our format has access to so many good removal spells and almost none of the most explosive early drops. A turn one... audacious thief? Cute. A turn two... Phyrexian scuta? Scary, sure, but we don't have a lot of cards like those.
//
I stopped running Bloodbraid elf and switched to ghor clan rampager because while BBE is probably a bit better, it doesn't... do... things. You can't often build to make it much better other than to avoid running certain cards and it doesn't facilitate any interesting gameplay decisions. And the last thing I really want in this game is more variance.
Unfortunately almost all the cards that gruul has that I would like are very similar to one another and have weird holes in their reliability (Grumgully, the generous and the enchantments like him).
Alabaster Host Intercessor is just too much better than the eye to allow me to try it. Suspend 6 is an eternity: basically not an option. And while I historically think that people way overvalue flexibility, the difference between a land and a late game play is hard to overstate. I didn't realize the eye had flying
The soothsayer is probably too cute. The body you get is bad and the free spell is... hm... probably worse than drawing a card? Since the dream is to cheat out a 7+ drop, you're looking at a card that goes in decks looking for the late game, and since it is a very very bad topdeck it sorta acts like a 3 mana "mana dork". Fun design though
Right now all I want is the land (mouth of ronom has been fine, so I'll take the upgrade)
That's funny. I *only* draft with 2 packs of 20, so if there's an issue with the third pack I wouldn't know.
@Frontier Warmonger and Trygon Prime
Warmonger is a *****, but it's not curse of shallow graves level of crazy. It punishes some decks disproportionately (anything relying on a big blocker) but it does give you multiple ways to make it better (synergizing with deathtouch, for example). It wouldn't surprise me if someone thought it was too good, but it's worth a shot.
Trygon prime is scary but at least it's a gold card to build around. Anything that makes jhessian thief better is a win in my book. go go blue aggro
Echewing the rarity restriction on lands is one of the most beneficial things I've ever done to my cube. I strongly recommend it. If anything, it lets you talk to me on more familiar grounds haha
I tried boosterfun immediately after I saw your first post and all I could tell is that it includes like the... half-frameless cards? but other things I don't know how to categorize
wtf is "boosterfun"?
(r:c OR r:u OR ((in:uncommon OR in:common) -r<=uncommon))
Why is this string so complex? It is because some special prints are "rare"? What is the difference between r:c and in:common? Why are is there a piece at the end that seems to remove cards equal to or below uncommon?
Inquisition of Kozilek
Deep-cavern Bat
Dreams of Steel and oil
Agonizing Remorse
Duress
Check for Traps
Drill Bit
Divest
Dread Fugue
Harsh Scrutiny
Cabal Therapy
Blackmail
EDITED 12/20/23
I'll post a picture of the kind of things I've put together at some point.
Githzerai Monk is the only white high drop I've ever seriously considered being as scary as cloudgoat ranger, which is high praise. The effect on Malamet War Scribe takes a bad instant (inspired charge) and then overcharges you for a sorcery speed version of it. A 4/3 isn't even statted well at that mana cost. I'd much rather a card like Tenacity, rallying roar, rally to battle, make a stand, or even defend the campus. None of which I have ever considered running (although Tenacity does have a lot going for it on second glance)
Dusk rose reliquary is on paper the kind of card I like to play with, but I imagine "bone splinters that is undo-able" just isn't a good enough magic card. Maybe with a higher ward cost, or an alternate extra cost like paying 3.
I have played a lot of Mirrorshell crab, which is probably the proper comp for Marauding Brinefang. The crab is 80% counterspell, 20% "well at least I can play this" to bolster your threat density. Great card.
Brinefang on the other hand is primarily a 7 mana french vanilla, and that's not happening. Cycling that costs 2 are regularly eating whole turns of mana, not something you can passively weave in to your normal development. Striped riverwinder and Boon of the wish giver are competitive because they are win conditions that almost completely skirt the opportunity cost of putting a win-con in the deck. Ward is just 3 is not a significant deterrent at that mana cost unless some cheatery has been going on, so the brinefang is really close to something like... bad Twisted abomination.
I have played two or three other peasant cubes over the last year and Kitesail freebooter is the card I was most surprised to find a worthy opponent in. Its unreliability was/is why I never ran it, but I could certainly see a future where deep-cavern bat is a great, healthy card that's a staple.
I would assume that beamtown beatstick beats out the diamond pick-axe by virtue of you needing to re-equip it less often. It keeps your guy out of fights.
If I designed a card like Kraul Harpooner for my custom cube people would rightfully lose respect for me as a human being.
I do think explorer's cache could be reasonable, but it has a lot working against it. Gaea's gift, vastwood fortification, and snakeskin armor are all legitimately compelling in action (maybe not when read) without needing you to be supporting +1/+1 counters. Those cards are going to be better in just your gruul and golgari decks that want to win combat. The cache really is more like a weird gaea's anthem, maybe?
I think calling a gold, 2 mana carrion feeder in Bartolomé del Presidio a "staple" is a serious stretch. At one sac it's worse than monocolored cards people don't play, and at 2 sacs it's only up to 3 toughness (after, again, eating two things that could have had value).
This is just untrue. Trading a card and a deckslot for the worst card in an opponent's hand is not worth tempo. Assuming Dreams of steel and oil only could hit one target in their hand when you cast it, the odds that the thing that they discard is the worst card in their hand is like ~1/6. And you also get information with a card like DoSaO, which is worth probably about a third of a mana.
Thought experiment:
Thoughtseize is an absurd magic card, but it's probably questionable if it cost you 4 life. So let's say 3 is really what it should have been printed at. There, it might actually be in competition with Inquisition of kozilek.
Now strip all the selection and the life loss from thoughtseize.
B, Sorcery: "Target opponent reveals their hand, and discards a nonland card of their choice".
This is definitely weaker than even duress. And duress is only "fine". So let's buff it from here to around inquisition with life loss for the opponent.
Considering that the "fixed" thoughtseize costs you three life, maybe this new card could bolt the opponent? For draft, *maybe* but because of things like constructed burn it's probably only printable at 2 life (hi hopeless nightmare).
But Hopeless Nightmare doesn't see their hand. Hopeless nightmare lets the opponent discard lands. It doesn't even trigger as many cards. If the "bolt you" version of the hypothetical card was very good, dropping a life, information, and giving the opponent even more choice is not made up for by being able to scry 2 for a lot of mana later.
Compared to DoSaO, hitting something that walls you or removes your 2 drop is just worth a lot more than 2 life. Being a better topdeck, sometimes, is not making that ground up either.
He did miss that, but still, is a very slow and fragile 3/3 + a food worth 2 mana? I don't assume so. I think the only way it would be is if the 1/1 died for value somehow (Lord skitter's butcher? Trade with a 1 drop?) so the +2/+2 is a second form of card quality advantage.
It's moot though since the new guy has to come in after not only the outstanding generous ent but the already "fine" timberland ancient. The new guy is only better than the previous two as a reanimator target (still debatable vs the ent), and even I am leery about playing three landcyclers in one color. So I would just pick Howling giant over it (who I don't even play to begin with)
I already barely am on goremand's side, so a 6 drop that i can't even play unless I have two creatures is not happening.
Well since my data will be included this year, I think you mean that we should have more homogenization
//
I stopped running Bloodbraid elf and switched to ghor clan rampager because while BBE is probably a bit better, it doesn't... do... things. You can't often build to make it much better other than to avoid running certain cards and it doesn't facilitate any interesting gameplay decisions. And the last thing I really want in this game is more variance.
Unfortunately almost all the cards that gruul has that I would like are very similar to one another and have weird holes in their reliability (Grumgully, the generous and the enchantments like him).
Only definite includes:
Iraxxa, Empress of Mars
Sontaran General
Ominous Cemetery
I don't want some uninteractive source of 3 damage, so I don't want the exert creature.
Zygon infiltrator and renegade silent are so weird that I want to try them. I'll also try the eye, and probably the Shuttle.
Alabaster Host Intercessor is just too much better than the eye to allow me to try it. Suspend 6 is an eternity: basically not an option. And while I historically think that people way overvalue flexibility, the difference between a land and a late game play is hard to overstate.I didn't realize the eye had flyingThe soothsayer is probably too cute. The body you get is bad and the free spell is... hm... probably worse than drawing a card? Since the dream is to cheat out a 7+ drop, you're looking at a card that goes in decks looking for the late game, and since it is a very very bad topdeck it sorta acts like a 3 mana "mana dork". Fun design though
Right now all I want is the land (mouth of ronom has been fine, so I'll take the upgrade)
@Frontier Warmonger and Trygon Prime
Warmonger is a *****, but it's not curse of shallow graves level of crazy. It punishes some decks disproportionately (anything relying on a big blocker) but it does give you multiple ways to make it better (synergizing with deathtouch, for example). It wouldn't surprise me if someone thought it was too good, but it's worth a shot.
Trygon prime is scary but at least it's a gold card to build around. Anything that makes jhessian thief better is a win in my book. go go blue aggro
Good:
Playable:
Questionably playable:
Ifnir Deadlands
Cabal Pit
Probably bad:
Witch's Cottage
Memorial to Folly
Bad:
Blighted Fen
Completely unplayable:
Spawning pool