I curious on other people's thoughts, now that pre-releases are happening and the spoiler has been available for some time, for Magic Origins in Pauper Commander?
At first glance, I don't see any amazing standouts for common cards to add to any deck's arsenal. Wild Instincts comes across as another nice "fight" removal for Green. As a personal fan of Faith's Fetters, Suppression Bonds offers some nice redundancy removal. Touch of Moonglove alongside Crypt Rats? Idk, I'm not sure what else might be worthwhile.
Based on the suggestions and after a little more playing, I've made some changes to the deck. Thanks especially to Strudel for point out the illegal Carrion Thrash!
Tiny Leaders is all the rage nowadays. I, however, have just entered the delightful world of pauper commander. Hopefully some pauper commanders are still poking around to offer some advice and insight.
With the arrival of a cycle of two-color uncommon dragons in DTK, I have a gnawing desire to sleeve up PDH decks for all five. Here I present Swift Warkite. To get max value out of Swift Warkite, the creature selection is obviously skewed toward CMC3 creatures with ETB effects. I was nervous about this in initial testing that the result might feel marginally powerful. Many effects, however, have simply been stellar: abusing Stingscourger to glide in for general damage, multiple uses for Moriok Replica for card advantage, and Mogg War Marshal fueling beefy Bloodthrone Vampires.
With the addition of Sidsi's Faithful, the peasant version of the deck can loop CoA at sorcery speed for just 6 mana (thanks to Fool's Demise). I played a one on one match with my buddy that drew a concession after assembling those three pieces. It's not instant speed like Worthy Cause, but boy is 6 mana fast.
Were "Foreknowledge" to be a mechanic in a set, to help "reduce" the narrowness of the ability, I've been brainstorming some ideas for cards to interact with the mechanic.
1) All instants and sorceries, for the sake of the following mock-ups, are assumed to have the subtype: Prophecy
Ancient Scroll
Legendary Artifact - mystic
At any time, you may exile a card in your hand and put a knowledge counter on it.
:5mana::symtap:: Return target Prophecy card in your graveyard to owner’s hand.
Bibliophile convention :3mana::symu::symu:
Enchantment - Rare
Players may cast Prophecy spells in hand for their foreknowledge costs.
Natural Theology :symg::symg:
Enchantment - Rare
Exiled cards may not be played or be the targets of spells or abilities.
Nevi'im Expert :4mana::symr:
Creature - Human Scholar - common
When Nevi’im Expert enters the battlefield, return target Prophecy card from your graveyard to your hand. If it has Foreknowledge, you may exile it with a knowledge counter on it.
@ Elite: I hesitated to make Dark Parable an instant. I (think) Wizards has resisted printing any explicit "instant" discards to reduce gameplay complications, and I don't want to open that can of worms. And some of the foreknowledge costs seem low for their affect; that's based on the fact the card won't consistently show up in the opening hand.
@ TheOnlyOne: The way you've altered the mechanic makes it feel too much like a suspend that can be initiated whenever you want and then cast whenever. I want to resist looking too much like pre-existing mechanics.
@ Rush_Clasic: I appreciate the rewording and will probably work with something like that. And I think your intuition about making the cost the main variable rather than the cost and effect might serve better for design purposes.
@ Solmancer: on its own, I agree the design is kind of narrow. In retrospect, so are Arcane and Splice into Arcane from Kamigawa. That to say this mechanic is part of an idea for a larger block that would also contain cards for "enabling" foreknowledge casting later in the game.
The following is a mechanic I've been toying around with:
Original Mechanic
Foreknowledge [cost] (If this spell is in your opening hand, exile it face up; you may cast it for its foreknowledge cost.)
Note: the word "foreknown" indicates a spell whose foreknowledge cost has been payed to cast that spell.
Revised Mechanic
Foreknowledge [cost] (If this card is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it exiled with a knowledge counter on it. You may cast it for its foreknowledge cost.)
Premise: the essence of the ability is to change the zone from which a spell is cast if that spell shows up in the players opening hand and then provide a way for the spell to be cast from that zone. The inspiration for such a mechanic is the Leylines whose major benefit is deduced from having one in hand at the beginning of the game. Hence, spells whose foreknowledge cost has been paid scale in power. As of right now, "foreknowledge" only effects instants and sorceries.
Original Cards:
Dark Parable
Sorcery
Foreknowledge :1mana::symb:
Each player discards a card.
If ~ was foreknown, each player discards two cards instead.
Heaven's Wisdom
Instant
Foreknowledge
Draw a card.
If ~ was foreknown, draw two cards instead.
Spears to Pruning Hooks
Instant
Foreknowledge :1mana::symw:
Prevent the next 3 damage that would be dealt to target creature or player.
If ~ was foreknown, prevent all damage that would be dealt to you and creatures you control this turn instead.
Renew Strength
Instant
Foreknowledge :1mana::symg:
Target creature gets +2/+2 until the end of turn.
If ~ was foreknown, target creature gets +4/+4 and trample instead.
Smite the Reprobate
Instant
Foreknowledge
Smite the Reprobate deals 1 damage to target creature or player.
If ~ was foreknown, it deal 3 damage instead.
Let me know what you think about the mechanic, how to improve, modify or clarify it, and impressions on the cards using the mechanic.
3-22-10 Revised Cards
Dark Parable :2mana::symb::symb:
Sorcery
Foreknowledge :2mana::symb:
Each opponent discards two cards.
Heaven's Wisdom :3mana::symu:
Instant
Foreknowledge :1mana::symu:
Draw two cards.
Promised Refuge :3mana::symw:
Instant
Foreknowledge :1mana::symw:
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you and creatures you control this turn.
Renew Strength :2mana::symg:
Instant
Foreknowledge :1mana::symg:
Untap target creature. It gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
Impending Flame :2mana::symr:
Instant
Foreknowledge :1mana::symr:
Impending Flame deals 2 damage to target creature and 2 damage to target player.
J/c, do you need 12 reanimation spells in the black version? From my perspective, running 4 reanimate, 4 exhume should be enough, especially with the quality of threats you are pumping onto the field. I'd consider adding one more quality creature (Penumbra Wurm or a Kamigawa dragon for instance) and then three more removal/reactive cards (maybe diabolic edict to handle creatures or distress for more spot discard).
-4 Animate Dead
+1 Fatty
+3 Distress/Diabolic Edict
A couple things to note:
1) I'm not trying to win ASAP. My playgroup is slower tempo-wise with access to only mediocre cards. As a result, I am trying to make the deck more interactive and less "I win" once exhume/animate dead resolves.
1.5) I like running this deck in multiplayer (which is most of what we play)
2) For these reasons, I play Reya with utility targets.
3) I'm not totally sold on Xathrid Demon yet. I've been running him on a whim. In a slower and/or multiplayer game, Buried Alive+Reya Dawnbringer+Xathrid Demon+Keiga, the Tide Star has been pretty amusing
If Rith is substituted as the general (already being in the deck), are there card choices I'm overlooking that would make the goodstuff theme more effective?
(also assuming that Uril and a host of decent creature enchantments will also remain in the deck)
In multiplayer, extort can be useful. Kingpin's Pet and Tithe Drinker might be worth consideration.
White excels at enchantment-based removal, which coincidentally turns on the Knight. Arrest, Suppression Bonds, Faith's Fetters, Forced Worship, Cage of Hands, Oblivion Ring, Journey to Nowhere, and Pillory of the Sleepless. I'd prioritize these over things like Ajani's Mantra and Gift of Granite, and any other aura that doesn't pull much weight.
Heliod's Pilgrim is pretty much best friends with the Blood-Cursed Knight.
Grasp of the Hieromancer will improve your ability to strike in for general damage.
At first glance, I don't see any amazing standouts for common cards to add to any deck's arsenal. Wild Instincts comes across as another nice "fight" removal for Green. As a personal fan of Faith's Fetters, Suppression Bonds offers some nice redundancy removal. Touch of Moonglove alongside Crypt Rats? Idk, I'm not sure what else might be worthwhile.
As far as new generals goes, the set does have a nice cycle of "guild" uncommon creatures. Do any of these make any splashes? Zendikar Incarnate looks pretty aggressive with all the ramp green can access. Blood-Cursed Knight and Citadel Castellan seem kind of "meh." Blazing Hellhound has a nice repeatable ping effect if there are enough quality creatures to bin. Bounding Krasis might be fun with Ghostly Flicker loops. Iroas's Champion probably says "Voltron", and Reclusive Artificer would be much nicer if it weren't limited to targeting creatures. Shaman of the Pack for Elf-Tribal? I'd also like to like Possessed Skaab, but it reminds me of Warden of the Eye, a card that was itself none too impressive. Maybe Thunderclap Wyvern will turn U/W flyers and tokens into a deck.
Based on the suggestions and after a little more playing, I've made some changes to the deck. Thanks especially to Strudel for point out the illegal Carrion Thrash!
With the arrival of a cycle of two-color uncommon dragons in DTK, I have a gnawing desire to sleeve up PDH decks for all five. Here I present Swift Warkite. To get max value out of Swift Warkite, the creature selection is obviously skewed toward CMC3 creatures with ETB effects. I was nervous about this in initial testing that the result might feel marginally powerful. Many effects, however, have simply been stellar: abusing Stingscourger to glide in for general damage, multiple uses for Moriok Replica for card advantage, and Mogg War Marshal fueling beefy Bloodthrone Vampires.
1x Swift Warkite
Creature
1x Basilica Screecher
1x Bloodthrone Vampire
1x Cabal Torturer
1x Cadaver Imp
1x Carrion Feeder
1x Chartooth Tiger
1x Crypt Rats
1x Dauthi Slayer
1x Faerie Macabre
1x Generator Servant
1x Ghitu Slinger
1x Goblin Deathraiders
1x Igneous Pouncer
1x Inner-flame Acolyte
1x Kathari Bomber
1x Lava Zombie
1x Liliana's Specter
1x Manic Vandal
1x Mardu Skullhunter
1x Minotaur Skullcleaver
1x Mogg War Marshal
1x Monstrous Carabid
1x Moriok Replica
1x Mudbutton Torchrunner
1x Phyrexian Rager
1x Rakdos Ickspitter
1x Sootstoke Kindler
1x Stingscourger
1x Stinkweed Imp
1x Sultai Emissary
1x Twisted Abomination
1x Viscera Seer
1x Vulshok Replica
1x Commander's Sphere
1x Darksteel Ingot
1x Mind Stone
1x Rakdos Cluestone
1x Rakdos Signet
1x Strider Harness
1x Wayfarer's Bauble
Sorcery
1x Ashes to Ashes
1x Disturbed Burial
1x Fireball
1x Firebolt
1x Read the Bones
1x Rolling Thunder
1x Sign in Blood
Enchantment
1x Fists of the Demigod
1x Impact Tremors
1x Pestilence
1x Tortured Existence
Instant
1x Altar's Reap
1x Doom Blade
1x Lightning Bolt
1x Reaping the Graves
1x Rend Flesh
1x Shattering Pulse
1x Shred Memory
1x Snuff Out
1x Terminate
1x Victim of Night
1x Wrecking Ball
1x Barren Moor
1x Bloodfell Caves
1x Bojuka Bog
1x Command Tower
1x Forgotten Cave
1x Haunted Fengraf
1x Opal Palace
1x Rakdos Carnium
1x Rakdos Guildgate
1x Smoldering Spires
1x Teetering Peeks
14x Mountain
12x Swamp
This deck is for play in paper pauper commander magic.
7/1/2015
OUT:
-1 Act of Treason
-1 Reckless Charge
-1 Unhallowed Pact
-1 Howl from Beyond
-1 Carrion Thrash
-1 Iron Myr
-1 Leaden Myr
-1 Pilgrim's Eye
IN:
+1 Fireball
+1 Pestilence
+1 Rend Flesh
+1 Carrion Feeder
+1 Chartooth Tiger
+1 Dauthi Slayer
+1 Rakdos Ickspitter
+1 Inner-flame Acolyte
Stampeding Rhino adding in shroud ought definitely be more than 5 mana with only one on color.
Considering Mist Leopard, a 3/3, trample, shroud for :4mana::symg: that probably grow bigger (in monogreen) seems more fair.
1) All instants and sorceries, for the sake of the following mock-ups, are assumed to have the subtype: Prophecy
Ancient Scroll
Legendary Artifact - mystic
At any time, you may exile a card in your hand and put a knowledge counter on it.
:5mana::symtap:: Return target Prophecy card in your graveyard to owner’s hand.
Bibliophile convention :3mana::symu::symu:
Enchantment - Rare
Players may cast Prophecy spells in hand for their foreknowledge costs.
Natural Theology :symg::symg:
Enchantment - Rare
Exiled cards may not be played or be the targets of spells or abilities.
Nevi'im Expert :4mana::symr:
Creature - Human Scholar - common
When Nevi’im Expert enters the battlefield, return target Prophecy card from your graveyard to your hand. If it has Foreknowledge, you may exile it with a knowledge counter on it.
@ Elite: I hesitated to make Dark Parable an instant. I (think) Wizards has resisted printing any explicit "instant" discards to reduce gameplay complications, and I don't want to open that can of worms. And some of the foreknowledge costs seem low for their affect; that's based on the fact the card won't consistently show up in the opening hand.
@ TheOnlyOne: The way you've altered the mechanic makes it feel too much like a suspend that can be initiated whenever you want and then cast whenever. I want to resist looking too much like pre-existing mechanics.
@ Rush_Clasic: I appreciate the rewording and will probably work with something like that. And I think your intuition about making the cost the main variable rather than the cost and effect might serve better for design purposes.
@ Solmancer: on its own, I agree the design is kind of narrow. In retrospect, so are Arcane and Splice into Arcane from Kamigawa. That to say this mechanic is part of an idea for a larger block that would also contain cards for "enabling" foreknowledge casting later in the game.
The following is a mechanic I've been toying around with:
Original Mechanic
Foreknowledge [cost] (If this spell is in your opening hand, exile it face up; you may cast it for its foreknowledge cost.)
Note: the word "foreknown" indicates a spell whose foreknowledge cost has been payed to cast that spell.
Revised Mechanic
Foreknowledge [cost] (If this card is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it exiled with a knowledge counter on it. You may cast it for its foreknowledge cost.)
Premise: the essence of the ability is to change the zone from which a spell is cast if that spell shows up in the players opening hand and then provide a way for the spell to be cast from that zone. The inspiration for such a mechanic is the Leylines whose major benefit is deduced from having one in hand at the beginning of the game. Hence, spells whose foreknowledge cost has been paid scale in power. As of right now, "foreknowledge" only effects instants and sorceries.
Original Cards:
Dark Parable
Sorcery
Foreknowledge :1mana::symb:
Each player discards a card.
If ~ was foreknown, each player discards two cards instead.
Heaven's Wisdom
Instant
Foreknowledge
Draw a card.
If ~ was foreknown, draw two cards instead.
Spears to Pruning Hooks
Instant
Foreknowledge :1mana::symw:
Prevent the next 3 damage that would be dealt to target creature or player.
If ~ was foreknown, prevent all damage that would be dealt to you and creatures you control this turn instead.
Renew Strength
Instant
Foreknowledge :1mana::symg:
Target creature gets +2/+2 until the end of turn.
If ~ was foreknown, target creature gets +4/+4 and trample instead.
Smite the Reprobate
Instant
Foreknowledge
Smite the Reprobate deals 1 damage to target creature or player.
If ~ was foreknown, it deal 3 damage instead.
Let me know what you think about the mechanic, how to improve, modify or clarify it, and impressions on the cards using the mechanic.
3-22-10 Revised Cards
Dark Parable :2mana::symb::symb:
Sorcery
Foreknowledge :2mana::symb:
Each opponent discards two cards.
Heaven's Wisdom :3mana::symu:
Instant
Foreknowledge :1mana::symu:
Draw two cards.
Promised Refuge :3mana::symw:
Instant
Foreknowledge :1mana::symw:
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you and creatures you control this turn.
Renew Strength :2mana::symg:
Instant
Foreknowledge :1mana::symg:
Untap target creature. It gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
Impending Flame :2mana::symr:
Instant
Foreknowledge :1mana::symr:
Impending Flame deals 2 damage to target creature and 2 damage to target player.
J/c, do you need 12 reanimation spells in the black version? From my perspective, running 4 reanimate, 4 exhume should be enough, especially with the quality of threats you are pumping onto the field. I'd consider adding one more quality creature (Penumbra Wurm or a Kamigawa dragon for instance) and then three more removal/reactive cards (maybe diabolic edict to handle creatures or distress for more spot discard).
-4 Animate Dead
+1 Fatty
+3 Distress/Diabolic Edict
For the board, here is my Reanimate Deck:
8 Swamp
10 Island
1 Crumbling Necropolis
3 Tainted Isle
2 Lotus Petal
Creatures
2 Waterfront Bouncer
3 Hapless Researcher
1 Reya Dawnbringer
1 Penumbra Wurm
1 Kederekt Leviathan
1 Mindleech Mass
1 Xathrid Demon
1 Bone Shredder
1 Plated Slagwurm
1 Keiga, the Tide Star
2 Mystical Tutor
3 Ponder
2 Buried Alive
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Frantic Search
Defense
2 Counterspell
2 Mana Leak
2 Echoing Truth
1 Animate Dead
1 Necromancy
1 Victimize
4 Exhume
A couple things to note:
1) I'm not trying to win ASAP. My playgroup is slower tempo-wise with access to only mediocre cards. As a result, I am trying to make the deck more interactive and less "I win" once exhume/animate dead resolves.
1.5) I like running this deck in multiplayer (which is most of what we play)
2) For these reasons, I play Reya with utility targets.
3) I'm not totally sold on Xathrid Demon yet. I've been running him on a whim. In a slower and/or multiplayer game, Buried Alive+Reya Dawnbringer+Xathrid Demon+Keiga, the Tide Star has been pretty amusing
keen sense and rancor are on the chopping block, currently. Thoughts on replacements?
Four cards I'm considering right now are Tornado Elemental, Akroma, Angel of Fury, Return to Dust, and Fecundity...
(also assuming that Uril and a host of decent creature enchantments will also remain in the deck)
1 Gruul Turf
1 Mossfire Valley
1 Jungle Shrine
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
1 Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
1 Vivid Crag
1 Vivid Grove
4 Forest
4 Plains
4 Mountain
1 Secluded Steppe
1 Mountain Valley
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Forgotten Cave
1 Strip Mine
1 Dust Bowl
1 Krosan Verge
1 Boros Garrison
1 City of Brass
1 Karplusan Forest
1 Brushland
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Stomping Ground
1 Rupture Spire
1 Grasslands
1 Sungrass Prairie
1 Mosswort Bridge
1 Fungal Reaches
Utility Creatures
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Dauntless Escort
1 Academy Rector
1 Eternal Witness
1 Genesis
1 Desolation Giant
1 Indrik Stomphowler
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Mangara of Corondor
1 Spellbreaker Behemoth
1 Spearbreaker Behemoth
1 Plated Slagwurm
1 Troll Ascetic
1 Apocalypse Hydra
1 Flameblast Dragon
1 Taurean Mauler
1 Rith, the Awakener
1 Meglonoth
1 Woolly Thoctar
1 Paleoloth
1 Forgotten Ancient
1 Rumbling Slum
Uril Package
1 Gaea's Embrace
1 Indestructibility
1 Flickerform
1 Shield of the Oversoul
1 Armadillo Cloak
1 Battle Mastery
1 Spirit Loop
1 Keen Sense
1 Rancor
1 Runes of the Deus
1 Unquestioned Authority
Acceleration
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Krosan Tusker
1 Overabundance
1 Explosive Vegetation
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Fertile Ground
1 Trace of Abundance
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Mind Stone
1 Gruul Signet
1 Selesnya Signet
1 Life from the Loam
1 Harmonize
1 Primal Command
1 Skullclamp
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Worldly Tutor
Removal et al.
1 Hull Breach
1 Aura Shards
1 Aura of Silence
1 Oblation
1 Condemn
1 Hallowed Burial
1 Savage Twister
1 Seize the Day
1 Wrath of God
1 Oblivion Ring
General
1 Uril, the Miststalker
I'd like to keep it more of a WGR goodstuff build rather than sink into the i-just-want-to-swing-with-uril configuration. Thanks for all the help.