As far as artifacts and lands to avoid, there's not much. I mean, as long as you guys have fun with the cards and the cube is an enjoyable experience, you're doing it right. I would caution against overdoing lands that enter the battlefield tapped though, if you want aggressive decks to be playable in more than one color.
Cheers, and happy cubing!
The Think Twice will come out for the next good 2CC Counter, Bounce or Draw Spell. The change was primarily to add some more early instant-speed draw. Trust me... I wish it was an Impulse.
This is NOT at all the same as Su-Chi or Chimeric Idol which have much stronger upsides that make them better than "just efficient beaters". Su-Chi's mana ability is relevant and the Idol's immunity to Wrath effects/sorcery-speed removal is also strong. Those other two creatures are super, super-bad.
I don't agree with this at all. While the card can be super-busted late in the game (with 2nd combat phases, etc) I think it's no less powerful when played on turn 2 to... take another turn. Being able to play another land, draw another card and deny the opponent their turn is huge, especially in the early stages of the game. Me being able to pass my turn with an additional untapped mana is also important, as it doubles your available early-game countermagic with cards like Forbid, Dissipate and Hinder, etc... and opens up all the 3-mana instant speed EOT responses even earlier in the game, like Thirst for Knowledge, etc. Or, on your new T3, you can play a Vedalkan Shackles and pass and your opponent may never be able to outpace their creature power to your # of islands ratio because it came out sooner than usually possible. An advantage that not even moxen mana can compete with. There is nothing better than taking a 3rd turn before your opponent has their 2nd turn... especially at the low, low price of 1U. Time Walk is super broken, in every sense of the word, no matter weather it's played on T2 to give you an entire extra turn's worth of tempo advantage (note that this IS more powerful than just having an extra land in play) or played late game to end it outright with back-to-back combat phases.
Just like these bomb P1P1 choices! I'd be stoked to have any of 'em really, but my personal preference and draft experiences lead me towards Time Walk in this example. I wouldn't flaw anybody for choosing any of those three and passing the other two. You know?
Also, @ Apex... the Tempo advantage provided by the Time Walk is NOT the same as that of normal mana-ramp cards. You are a full turn ahead of your opponent, not just one land. You've drawn more cards, had additional attack steps, etc. In addition, They don't get a turn to respond to your ramp like they do with the Rampant Growth examples and so forth.
If you're holding a Time Walk instead of playing it, you're probably misplaying it. It is just as advantageous early as it is late. Sometimes even more so.
Instead of just tempo advantage or card advantage, it's turn advantage... that's a whole different ball game.
There are cases where Nightmare or SoFI don't make the cut, depending on build. There is never a case where Time Walk goes undrafted/unplayed.
The Sword and the Nightmare are two of the best cards in the cube, without question. However, I'd still take the Time Walk and pass the others P1P1 in the same pack together. On a side note, I value the Nightmare much higher than the Sword. I'd pass the Sword for either of the other 2 any time I had the chance.
Anyways, the point still stands. If I have to explain why Time Walk is good, I'm obviously wasting my time, which is why I'm not going to post any more in relation to this "debate". So far it's been compared to Sleep, Fog, and Rampant Growth... I'm obviously wasting my time here.
And for the record, explosive vegetation does not put you two turns ahead of your opponent. Lands and turns are not the same thing. But thanks for playing.
This.
I'd rather have a card that's always broken than a card that is sometimes slightly more broken. Especially P1P1 when you don't know what direction the draft is going to take you.
No, you don't. You're getting an extra turn... that's a pretty good tempo boost. Play a land, Draw a card for 1U is good anyways, but that's not why it's important. For the rest of the game, you'll now be a turn ahead in your resource availability. My 3CC cards are competing against your 2CC cards, etc. Also, Lets say I do play it on my T2. On my next turn, I've got a chance to play 3-Drop cards before my opponent even has a 2nd mana out... all without my opponent having a turn to draw/play lands/etc, unlike other ramp cards. There is no tempo boost better than denying your opponent their entire turn.
That's all assuming that you're not abusing it mid-game or late-game to bust the game wide open with two consecutive turns. Not to mention combining it with cards like Regrowth and Eternal Witness. You're playing the Time Walk in the cube, where broken stuff happens daily. T2 Tinker ---> Inkwell Leviathan. T3 Swing, Time Walk, T4 Swing with 4 mana untapped.
I'm at a loss for words as to why I need to explain why Time Walk is good on an MTG forum... ?
There's a few vendors on eBay that have it starting at $2.79 - $3.50 BIN + Shipping.
Ring of Gix is one of my favorite artifacts in the cube.