I had to write this post twice, since in the middle of typing my original one, it came to my attention that Map tokens can only be activated at sorcery speed. This means Restless Anchorage will always be swinging in as a 2/3 on its first activation. I had been under the impression that this card ran circles around Colonnade, but now the competition between the two is MUCH closer. I do still prefer Anchorage because its lower activation cost makes it relevant in many more games, but as far as control decks go, Colonnade is still the big kahuna. I could definitely see breaking land cycle symmetry to squeeze in both Colonnade and this.
This card looks like it's trying to do a lot of things, but I don't think it does any of them well. It's not good as a Containment Construct, since you don't have control over the card that gets exiled. It's not good as a discard outlet, since it requires attacking. It's not good as a Luminarch Aspirant, as it cannibalizes your hand and again, requires attacking. And it's not good for improving your hand, because you're getting an impulse draw instead of a real one and once again, requires attacking. For me, the card that this is actually most reminiscent of is Laelia, the Blade Reforged, just EXTREMELY toned down. It's still serviceable as an aggro beater, but that niche can be filled by plenty of other creatures. I think it's a pretty safe pass for me.
It's weird that the attack trigger untaps the creature you're targeting; I would think that giving trample would be more appropriate. On average, Restless Ridgeline is probably giving a similar amount of stats as Restless Prairie, but I think Raging Ravine can sleep pretty soundly knowing it's still the top dog among RG manlands.
Ok, let me get this straight. Mana abilities do not use the stack, so you cannot use this card to stifle a mana rock or dork and render it inert. That's a lot of potential utility which this card misses out on. Creatures with activated or triggered abilities are basically ubiquitous at this point, but the problem is you're just trading your card's triggered ability for theirs, and the 3/2 body you are left with probably isn't much better than the one your opponent is left with. So, the only exchanges in which you're really coming out ahead is when you're stifling either a fetchland, a planeswalker, or a non-mana producing artifact. That's not a particularly deep lineup, so this will be a safe pass for me.
I'm a fan of Supreme Will, but I don't think three extra cards in the graveyard are enough to sway me to run it at this point. Will definitely keep it in mind if I start wanting to support Delve.
In addition to planeswalkers, board wipes are also disadvantageous against Monarch/Initiative. The quality of the threats at 3-4 MV are so high now that it's difficult to justify drafting a sweeper, which has an ACS of putting you at parity with your opponent, over something like a Laelia, the Blade Reforged or a Seasoned Dungeoneer, which can put you massively ahead. I actually believe that Sunfall has set the new standard for board wipes going forward--a board wipe that puts you ahead on board.
As for your question about go-wide strategies, my main problem with them has generally been the lack of quality enablers, rather than their ineffectiveness against sweepers. But for sure, an environment scarce in sweepers would be a huge boon for them.
A new Sandsteppe Outcast variant. Frankly, I didn't even know Sandsteppe Outcast existed before today, and it usually doesn't bode well when a card shares its templating with draft chaff. But not only do I think Sanguine Evangelist is cubeable, I think it can compete in one of the most congested slots in the cube. Compared to Outcast, the Evangelist trades the ability to put a counter on itself for an additional token on death and the all important Battle Cry. This means that, unlike everyothercardwiththistemplate, the nontoken body is actually a major threat that your opponent has to deal with. And if they do, that's when you get paid off with an additional token, which again is unprecedented. I think Sanguine Evangelist is an autoinclude for cubes that support a token theme, and she's a strong contender even for cubes that don't.
I feel like this card would've been a sidegrade to Fateful Absence if it didn't hit enchantments, so when you factor that in... it still feels like a sidegrade . But I'm more than happy to play another copy of it, so I'll definitely be telling my opponent to Get Lost.
Holy Red Elder Gargaroth. Getting up to +2 CA, +1 on board whenever this card untaps is... wow. But I think the age of Baneslayers has long since passed, and on top of that Red is the color least interested in them. Will definitely look forward to playing it in constructed or, god forbid, limited.
If this were a straight up 2/2 with surveil 1 it would be absolutely nuts, but the fact that it's a 1/1 ~40% of the time hurts its viability significantly. If I'm playing aggro, I do NOT want my Isamaru turning into an Elvish Visionary instead. And if I'm playing midrange, I would rather have a dork than either an aggro beater or a +1 CA. Don't get me wrong, this card is incredibly solid. But the competition among green 1-drops is so ridiculously stiff that I can't see Cenote Scout displacing any of the current ones.
Dropping a JVP / Suspicious Stowaway on T2 and just crossing your fingers that you get to untap with it has never been a great feeling, so being able to circumvent that with flash is a major selling point for me. On top of that, the extra point(s) of power means you're actually pressuring your opponent's life total without the help of equipment. I think those two factors outweigh the unconditional looting provided by Malcolm's competition, so I'd happily make Malcolm my go-to looter.
YES, THE REST OF THE MANLAND CYCLE!!! I say that, but the only ones from the OG cycle that I can realistically see getting powercrept are Lavaclaw Reaches and this card's predecessor, Stirring Wildwood. I think I prefer Wildwood's floor to Restless Prairie's ceiling, but man oh man is it a beating in the right circumstances.
A Vindicate strapped to a giant beatstick? Count me in. There have been a nonzero number of instances where I've had to play Chaos Defiler into a board full of inane targets, so being able to blow up a land with Alpha Deathclaw is a huge plus. I also like how threatening the card is when hardcast thanks to its monstrous ability. It always irked me how at odds the best cards were with what the two colors actually wanted to be doing; Alpha Deathmark finally hits the nail right on the head.
A red 2 power 1 drop taking the top spot? Color me surprised!
Thanks for the excellent writeup as always! I definitely hadn't given Collector's Vault a second thought. Though in my own defense, I can't even get my playgroup on board with Currency Converter.
That part swayed me less than the cards in the 'yard. But it is pretty relevant in a powered environment.
As for your question about go-wide strategies, my main problem with them has generally been the lack of quality enablers, rather than their ineffectiveness against sweepers. But for sure, an environment scarce in sweepers would be a huge boon for them.
A new Sandsteppe Outcast variant. Frankly, I didn't even know Sandsteppe Outcast existed before today, and it usually doesn't bode well when a card shares its templating with draft chaff. But not only do I think Sanguine Evangelist is cubeable, I think it can compete in one of the most congested slots in the cube. Compared to Outcast, the Evangelist trades the ability to put a counter on itself for an additional token on death and the all important Battle Cry. This means that, unlike every other card with this template, the nontoken body is actually a major threat that your opponent has to deal with. And if they do, that's when you get paid off with an additional token, which again is unprecedented. I think Sanguine Evangelist is an autoinclude for cubes that support a token theme, and she's a strong contender even for cubes that don't.
Thanks for the excellent writeup as always! I definitely hadn't given Collector's Vault a second thought. Though in my own defense, I can't even get my playgroup on board with Currency Converter.