Kraul Whipcracker is efficiently costed - GB for a 3/2 reach that can ETB destroy a token. Can be an aggro attacker or anti-flying blocker. But it doesn't really fit any archetypes and isn't really worth a guild slot.
if you put mogg Fanatic's ability on the stack, then I lightning bolt it in response, killing it, you won't be able to pay the cost (sacrifice) for his ability. But does the ability still resolve even though you can't sac it?
Sacrificing the Mogg Fanatic is the cost (it comes before the colon). As you activate the ability, all costs must be paid before the ability goes on the stack, at which point, there is no Mogg Fanatic on the board for anyone to target with Lightning Bolt.
The Blink Archetype- I soured on blink effects for the same reason, it just exists for value without a real purpose. And a lot of the best blink targets are just already good.
This hurts. Blink is one of my favorite archetypes in the entire game. I've built tons of 60-card blink decks, currently have at least six blink-themed Commander decks (3 Esper, 1 Rakdos, 1 Boros, 1 five color Niv-Miz Reborn) that all play quite differently, and my cube has a heavy blink/ETB component.
So I'm going to have to take issue with "it just exists for value without a real purpose." You're not wrong that the value is a large part of the purpose (I mean, who wouldn't love evoking and blinking a Shriekmaw to kill two creatures for only three mana and still have an evasive 3/2 left over), but it goes much deeper than that.
- Versatility and Redundancy - In a blink deck, Ephemerate isn't just a one mana instant locked in to do or be one thing; it's a versatile card that can represent more Mulldrifter draw, another Ravenous Chupacabra kill, more Beetleback Chief tokens, etc. It lets your deck do more of what your deck already wants to do.
- Interaction - Sure, you could Counterspell your opponent's removal spells, but blinking often accomplishes the same thing (at least with targeted removal) while offering other benefits. Breaking a targeting lock fizzles Path to Exile, Bitter Triumph, Lightning Bolt, etc.
- Combat - Flicker effects can, of course, be used to grant pseudo-vigilance post-combat. But instant flicker effects (where it exiles and returns in one go rather than setting up a delayed end of turn return trigger) can also be used as combat tricks, granting you surprise blockers and catching the opponent unprepared. Even if the opponent anticipates a blink spell, it often gains you advantage as they have to attack more cautiously.
- Timing/Tempo - If I have two cards in hand, and one is removal/counterspell/other interaction, would I rather that the second card be a sorcery-speed creature card or an instant-speed blink spell? With the creature, I may be forced to develop my board or keep mana open for interaction, so if I hold up mana for the removal but don't use it, I've wasted a turn. But if I have two instants to choose from, and I don't end up playing the removal, I can always end of turn blink one of my creatures for value and not waste the entire turn. Also, if I draw too many cards on my own turn, I may have to discard at end of turn, but if I blink a Mulldrifter during my opponent's turn, it doesn't matter how many cards I have - I get to keep them all until my turn when I have a chance to play them out.
- Combo - Sometimes blink doesn't just offer you more of the same value, but it opens up new and exciting value beyond what you already had at your disposal. You mentioned Oketra’s Monument and Kor Skyfisher, which changes from a periodic token to a new token for every W mana that you spend. Similarly, Fiend Hunter offers temporary removal until you pair it with blink - drop Fiend Hunter, put the removal trigger on the stack, hold priority, and then flicker it; the leaves play trigger goes above the ETB trigger, nothing is returned, and then the target is permanently exiled with no way to get it back (plus you still get another trigger for its normal temporary exile).
This may be an unpopular opinion and lean toward my biases, but I've always viewed pure aggro as the braindead easy-mode of Magic, while I think more complex archetypes like blink generate value while requiring more nuanced gameplay and a better understanding of the rules.
It's been a good card. I think a lot people used it to replace Raise the Alarm. But two bodies at instant speed for two mana has always been useful. Surprise blockers in the face of an alpha strike or even end-of-opponent's-turn for more surprise attackers can be game changing. Add in pump or sacrifice effects, and the bodies can be useful in a number of ways. I hope you like it.
Hypnotic Sprite- I just do not get this one. The two parts feel mismatched. Is it a bad counter that has upside? Is it a bad creature that has upside? I *kinda* understand wanting another counter with some upside, but this is more played than Stern Scolding, Lose Focus, and Mirrorshell Crab.
I agree here. I haven't seen the appeal. It's an expensive, limited counterspell and a hard-costed UU french vanilla flyer when there are better, more splashable options out there.
I find kind of crazy others aren't running are Channel and xiahou Dun, the one-eyed but most of mine here are either me just not letting go of nostalgia or just not liking the replacement that others replaced them with. The chain of smog combo is one I think its one that feels weird no one else is running it but I understand it feels out of place in the color combo often but I was surprised I was the only one running it.
-Channel - I'm curious what your play pattern is here. Short of a couple Eldrazi or artifact creatures, the ability to generate a bunch of colorless mana on turn 2 has limited usefulness. If you are just using it for the colorless portion of a spell, then you are waiting for GGBB or something similar to only save a couple mana. At which point, it's like a Dark Ritual effect that costs life. I tried finding your cube to see if you run a bunch of X spells, but your link is to cubetutor. How do you like to use this card?
-Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - I have to admit, I had no idea this was even considered an uncommon (apparently it has an online-only downshift). Honestly, though, I'm not really surprised it gets little attention. Copies run $90-270, they will have the rare symbol, and you get a vulnerable 2-toughness creature (unblockable as it may be) that can't attack AND use its ability. It looks like a card I would love to try out for fun, but not one I'd be willing to shell out for or that I think would last long-term in my cube.
-Witherbloom Apprentice - It's a wonderful card, but with it taking a guild slot and not even sharing a color with most spellslinger archetypes, I definitely see it as the odd man out. Most spellslinging is UR with maybe a splash of W, so BG feels like it has very limited support. The Chain of Smog combo is powerful, but now I'm playing two cards that don't really fit my cube or supported archetypes, and the odds of playing them together are quite slim.
Sling-Gang Lieutenant: This is probably my favorite black 4 drop, it's excellent in sacrifice/token decks even if it's the only goblin in your deck. Gaining 3 and dealing 3 is a pretty big life swing and it gets even better with a single [[Blood Artist]] or similar effect in play. I would definitely recommend anyone on the fence give it a try.
One last card I wanted to bring up is Reclamation Sage, it's the most popular card on the survey that my cube isn't running. Do folks still like playing it with all of the other options for artifact/enchantment removal we have now? When I was running it, it always felt like a sideboard card, great when it has a target but embarrassing when you don't, especially since you can't play it out and wait for a target like you can with Cankerbloom or Thrashing Brontodon.
I still run Rec Sage and even just recently upgraded it to the full-art version, but I'll also admit it does end up in the sideboard a decent amount of the time. For me, Cankerbloom is an undercosted body that can be sacrificed as removal, while Reclamation Sage is primarily removal with a body attached that can be blinked, sacced to another effect, or used as a chump blocker. Some of its popularity/staying power is probably just that the card is iconic and easy to categorize. But it's also really good at what it does, and I need several answers for the threats in my cube (Sol Ring, Skullclamp, Loxodon Warhammer, Curse of Predation, Curse of Disturbance, etc.). As for your point that "you can't play it out and wait for a target," this is true, but it's also a strength. If you have Cankerbloom on the field, you've already revealed your removal, and I know I can play around it - just have to kill it before I drop Warhammer. Sometimes keeping the removal off the table encourages the opponent to overcommit, and then Rec Sage flies in and does its thing.
Beetleback is tokens and nothing more. Marsh Flitter offers that plus a limited sac outlet (goblins only, but turning your four mana 1/1 flyer into a 3/3 flyer isn't something you want to do more than once per turn, and it isn't always relevant. Sling-Gang is definitely the best of the three, offering you gain 3/drain 3 by itself, plus it can sac any additional goblins you have.
Yeah, Troll has been a great upgrade, especially given the cycling costs less - use it turn 1 to fix your mana. Addtionally, the 6/5 dies to less things than a 5/3, which helps offset the loss of regeneration. Plus, the potential to be unblockable if they only have two creatures makes it quite the threat.
Bone Shards, Village Rites, Deadly Dispute - I think we've come a long way in terms of creatures with sac outlets over the last few years (I can't believe 17% of cubes run still Nantuko Husk), so spells like these seem uneccesary.
Bone Shards doesn't fit with the other two. Bone Shards is sorcery speed removal that costs a creature or spell. The other two are instants that trade a creature that was going to die anyway for extra cards. I'm a huge fan of Village Rites for only one mana. You can sac a chump blocker. Or attack with multiple creatures and sac one that was blocked while the others get through. Or respond to your opponent's removal. Or just turn an underpowered token into card draw.
Lulu does synergize with blink, but it's also a bit of a nombo since you don't want to blink the cards you're putting counters on.
Blinking one creature to reuse its ETB is sufficient to get the untap/+1/+1 counter trigger. And it's not just blink - aristocrats sacrifice decks work, too. Even if all you do is accumulate counters on Lulu itself, you've got an ever-growing flying threat that can attack and block. If you have additional creatures, they also untap and grow.
Lulu, Loyal Hollyphant - I'm actually quite interested in hearing more about this one because the card looks very cool.
It has been very cool. The untap has been incredibly useful not only as pseudo-vigilance but also for activated abilities. And the fact that it's a self-growing flyer that also places +1/+1 counters on all of your other tapped creatures is pretty nice.
Gods Willing (11 cubes) - Honestly, this is a flex slot that I can't make up my mind about. I like the idea of a protection spell, but it never gets play (also see above).
I view Loran's Escape as existing in a slightly different slot than Shelter and the other two-mana white protection spells like Feat of Resistance[/card, Angelic Intervention, and others we've discussed on here that escape me right now.
That said, I have Blessed Hippogriff above Loran's Escape. You lose the hexproof part and scry one, but in most cases indestructible is good enough and you always "draw" a 2/3 flier that can jump another creature. The creature side is a bit inefficient on its own, but the total package seems strong to me.
Replying to both Squirrely and A_WasherDryer here - yeah, I can see that we have a lot of options here for 1-2 mana protection. I actually still run Gods Willing and have Loran's Escape. I suppose with such a glut of options, it spreads the popularity rather than just having one clear choice.
As for the Dr. Who cards, I don't run them right now mainly because I don't know the IP, don't like the art, and don't really need an even better, wordier Charging Monstrosaur. I could see my opinion shifting over time if these catch on with the community as a whole though or if my players ask for it.
This year does seem to be a turning point in MTG history, where excessive number of Universes Beyond sets can really drive a wedge in cube philosophy. We've always judged cards for what they did, but more and more we have to consider aesthetic reasons and external baggage. While I am a fan of Lord of the Rings and of Dr. Who, I'm not a big fan of mixing them into Magic. I don't want Aliens in my cube, or characters with names and histories external to the game. I've made some exceptions for commander decks because mechanically the cards are just too good, but so far I've also been resisting for cube.
257 cards (63.5%) are in both my cube and the average cube.
148 cards (36.5%) that I run are in less than 15 cubes (and thus not in the average cube).
Cards I'm surprised didn't get more attention:
- Lulu, Loyal Hollyphant (13 cubes) - While not an auto-include in any one archetype, Lulu synergizes with several existing archetypes: +1/+1 counters, blink, flying. It's played even better than I hoped - in a draft just last week, my son had it in play with Mother of Runes, Poison Dart Frog, and Imperious Perfect (among others), and he dominated the board, negating my removal, cranking out multiple tokens each turn, all while growing his creatures and and applying lots of pressure (he kept getting triggers thanks to things like Springbloom Druid and the fact that I had to block in order to live).
- Loran's Escape (5 cubes) - Like Blacksmith's Skill (1 cube), this is a cheap, effective piece of interaction that can protect a creature or artifact for a single mana. I've never been disappointed to draw this.
- Vampire of the Dire Moon (7 cubes) - I know it's been out for several years, but I'm still amazed this doesn't get run more.
- Promising Vein (5 cubes) - Shire Terrace landed in 17 cubes, yet this near-functional reprint got nearly no attention at all. Maybe more people avoid functional reprints than I realized.
Changes I should acquire:
- I'm still running Deadly Brew, but perhaps I should consider switching to Rise of the Witch-King. I'll need to pick up another copy, as all of my current ones are in Commander decks.
- Confounding Riddle - I just never picked up a copy.
The first thing that stood out to me this year is that Shock Lands made their way into the average list. I guess more and more people are updating their mana bases to include rare lands. Last year I think there were a couple random rare duals that made it in, but I cut them from the list before uploading since it was weird to have just one or two. All ten shocks were there this year, so they're also in the list.
Seems strange to me that as we get more and better peasant options, more people choose to stretch beyond peasant into peasant+. I would be curious how much this was affected by expanding the list of cubes the data is drawn from. No judgment, though - cube is the format to do whatever you want. I've always been satisfied with the fixing at peasant level and will stick to it.
Village Rites > Deadly Dispute >>>>> Fanatical Offering
Assuming you are saccing creatures and not artifacts, Village Rites is the best, hands down, every day. Keeping one mana open is easy; keeping two may actually impact your plays. Creatures are going to die - your opponent is going to use removal - so trading a creature for cards for only one mana is a steal. After spending one mana, you may even have enough mana to cast something you draw into. And that doesn't even count aristocrats strategies.
Granted, the other two allow you to sac an artifact instead, but how many disposable artifacts are you running? I suppose a deck that creates a lot of treasure or clues might find that incidental, but my cube isn't heavy on either.
If I did run either of the second two, I'd certainly value the treasure over a map token in most instances.
There's also a cleaner, simpler beauty to "Sac a creature, draw two cards" over "spend more to also get a treasure or to get a map that lets you pay more to explore in order to either draw a land or get a +1/+1 counter on a creature." That last one just feels so busy without really telling you what you're paying to get.
In my opinion depends on what are you looking for. Village Rites is by far the best card, 1 mana is so much less than 2, and this is more of a 2-1 trick that fizzle removal from opponent. The other two are more interesting if you're looking for a value card, and not a blowout.
Agreed. The others offer more value for one extra mana (or two if you create and crack a map token), but the simple one mana Village Rites will always reign supreme for me (as well as its functional reprint Corrupted Conviction).
Tolsimir may be a fairly worthless reprint, but let's hope this means we also get a reprint of the stupid $15 Voja token. My son runs it in a deck and hasn't been willing to shell out that much for a token.
Weeks later - you could have gotten an answer much sooner if you had posted in the Rulings Forum.
No, you played it wrong.
First, in a four player game, Etali's ETB will reveal four cards, not three. This includes its own caster.
Second, the ETB does not target at all - notice the lack of the word "target." Because it says "each player exiles" and not "target player exiles" or "any number of target players exile," Deflecting Swat has nothing to change. It would still affect all players, and the controller of the ETB would still reap all of the benefits.
I know a few people were planning to run or test Kami of Whispered Hopes. Now that it's been over 6 months, how has this card worked out? Has it been replaced or are people still running it?
Angel of Despair may have recently been outclassed, but it will remain my favorite card - awesome art and a powerful ETB ability in colors than allow it to be recurred either by blinking or through reanimation, all stapled to a big flying body. What's not to love?
So I'm going to have to take issue with "it just exists for value without a real purpose." You're not wrong that the value is a large part of the purpose (I mean, who wouldn't love evoking and blinking a Shriekmaw to kill two creatures for only three mana and still have an evasive 3/2 left over), but it goes much deeper than that.
- Versatility and Redundancy - In a blink deck, Ephemerate isn't just a one mana instant locked in to do or be one thing; it's a versatile card that can represent more Mulldrifter draw, another Ravenous Chupacabra kill, more Beetleback Chief tokens, etc. It lets your deck do more of what your deck already wants to do.
- Interaction - Sure, you could Counterspell your opponent's removal spells, but blinking often accomplishes the same thing (at least with targeted removal) while offering other benefits. Breaking a targeting lock fizzles Path to Exile, Bitter Triumph, Lightning Bolt, etc.
- Combat - Flicker effects can, of course, be used to grant pseudo-vigilance post-combat. But instant flicker effects (where it exiles and returns in one go rather than setting up a delayed end of turn return trigger) can also be used as combat tricks, granting you surprise blockers and catching the opponent unprepared. Even if the opponent anticipates a blink spell, it often gains you advantage as they have to attack more cautiously.
- Timing/Tempo - If I have two cards in hand, and one is removal/counterspell/other interaction, would I rather that the second card be a sorcery-speed creature card or an instant-speed blink spell? With the creature, I may be forced to develop my board or keep mana open for interaction, so if I hold up mana for the removal but don't use it, I've wasted a turn. But if I have two instants to choose from, and I don't end up playing the removal, I can always end of turn blink one of my creatures for value and not waste the entire turn. Also, if I draw too many cards on my own turn, I may have to discard at end of turn, but if I blink a Mulldrifter during my opponent's turn, it doesn't matter how many cards I have - I get to keep them all until my turn when I have a chance to play them out.
- Combo - Sometimes blink doesn't just offer you more of the same value, but it opens up new and exciting value beyond what you already had at your disposal. You mentioned Oketra’s Monument and Kor Skyfisher, which changes from a periodic token to a new token for every W mana that you spend. Similarly, Fiend Hunter offers temporary removal until you pair it with blink - drop Fiend Hunter, put the removal trigger on the stack, hold priority, and then flicker it; the leaves play trigger goes above the ETB trigger, nothing is returned, and then the target is permanently exiled with no way to get it back (plus you still get another trigger for its normal temporary exile).
This may be an unpopular opinion and lean toward my biases, but I've always viewed pure aggro as the braindead easy-mode of Magic, while I think more complex archetypes like blink generate value while requiring more nuanced gameplay and a better understanding of the rules.It's been a good card. I think a lot people used it to replace Raise the Alarm. But two bodies at instant speed for two mana has always been useful. Surprise blockers in the face of an alpha strike or even end-of-opponent's-turn for more surprise attackers can be game changing. Add in pump or sacrifice effects, and the bodies can be useful in a number of ways. I hope you like it.I agree here. I haven't seen the appeal. It's an expensive, limited counterspell and a hard-costed UU french vanilla flyer when there are better, more splashable options out there.
-Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - I have to admit, I had no idea this was even considered an uncommon (apparently it has an online-only downshift). Honestly, though, I'm not really surprised it gets little attention. Copies run $90-270, they will have the rare symbol, and you get a vulnerable 2-toughness creature (unblockable as it may be) that can't attack AND use its ability. It looks like a card I would love to try out for fun, but not one I'd be willing to shell out for or that I think would last long-term in my cube.
-Witherbloom Apprentice - It's a wonderful card, but with it taking a guild slot and not even sharing a color with most spellslinger archetypes, I definitely see it as the odd man out. Most spellslinging is UR with maybe a splash of W, so BG feels like it has very limited support. The Chain of Smog combo is powerful, but now I'm playing two cards that don't really fit my cube or supported archetypes, and the odds of playing them together are quite slim.
Agreed.I still run Rec Sage and even just recently upgraded it to the full-art version, but I'll also admit it does end up in the sideboard a decent amount of the time. For me, Cankerbloom is an undercosted body that can be sacrificed as removal, while Reclamation Sage is primarily removal with a body attached that can be blinked, sacced to another effect, or used as a chump blocker. Some of its popularity/staying power is probably just that the card is iconic and easy to categorize. But it's also really good at what it does, and I need several answers for the threats in my cube (Sol Ring, Skullclamp, Loxodon Warhammer, Curse of Predation, Curse of Disturbance, etc.). As for your point that "you can't play it out and wait for a target," this is true, but it's also a strength. If you have Cankerbloom on the field, you've already revealed your removal, and I know I can play around it - just have to kill it before I drop Warhammer. Sometimes keeping the removal off the table encourages the opponent to overcommit, and then Rec Sage flies in and does its thing.
It has been very cool. The untap has been incredibly useful not only as pseudo-vigilance but also for activated abilities. And the fact that it's a self-growing flyer that also places +1/+1 counters on all of your other tapped creatures is pretty nice.
Replying to both Squirrely and A_WasherDryer here - yeah, I can see that we have a lot of options here for 1-2 mana protection. I actually still run Gods Willing and have Loran's Escape. I suppose with such a glut of options, it spreads the popularity rather than just having one clear choice.
This year does seem to be a turning point in MTG history, where excessive number of Universes Beyond sets can really drive a wedge in cube philosophy. We've always judged cards for what they did, but more and more we have to consider aesthetic reasons and external baggage. While I am a fan of Lord of the Rings and of Dr. Who, I'm not a big fan of mixing them into Magic. I don't want Aliens in my cube, or characters with names and histories external to the game. I've made some exceptions for commander decks because mechanically the cards are just too good, but so far I've also been resisting for cube.
257 cards (63.5%) are in both my cube and the average cube.
148 cards (36.5%) that I run are in less than 15 cubes (and thus not in the average cube).
Cards I'm surprised didn't get more attention:
- Lulu, Loyal Hollyphant (13 cubes) - While not an auto-include in any one archetype, Lulu synergizes with several existing archetypes: +1/+1 counters, blink, flying. It's played even better than I hoped - in a draft just last week, my son had it in play with Mother of Runes, Poison Dart Frog, and Imperious Perfect (among others), and he dominated the board, negating my removal, cranking out multiple tokens each turn, all while growing his creatures and and applying lots of pressure (he kept getting triggers thanks to things like Springbloom Druid and the fact that I had to block in order to live).
- Loran's Escape (5 cubes) - Like Blacksmith's Skill (1 cube), this is a cheap, effective piece of interaction that can protect a creature or artifact for a single mana. I've never been disappointed to draw this.
- Vampire of the Dire Moon (7 cubes) - I know it's been out for several years, but I'm still amazed this doesn't get run more.
- Promising Vein (5 cubes) - Shire Terrace landed in 17 cubes, yet this near-functional reprint got nearly no attention at all. Maybe more people avoid functional reprints than I realized.
Changes I should acquire:
- I'm still running Deadly Brew, but perhaps I should consider switching to Rise of the Witch-King. I'll need to pick up another copy, as all of my current ones are in Commander decks.
- Confounding Riddle - I just never picked up a copy.
I did have problems opening from these links, but when I grabbed the URL, I was able to go directly.Seems strange to me that as we get more and better peasant options, more people choose to stretch beyond peasant into peasant+. I would be curious how much this was affected by expanding the list of cubes the data is drawn from. No judgment, though - cube is the format to do whatever you want. I've always been satisfied with the fixing at peasant level and will stick to it.
Assuming you are saccing creatures and not artifacts, Village Rites is the best, hands down, every day. Keeping one mana open is easy; keeping two may actually impact your plays. Creatures are going to die - your opponent is going to use removal - so trading a creature for cards for only one mana is a steal. After spending one mana, you may even have enough mana to cast something you draw into. And that doesn't even count aristocrats strategies.
Granted, the other two allow you to sac an artifact instead, but how many disposable artifacts are you running? I suppose a deck that creates a lot of treasure or clues might find that incidental, but my cube isn't heavy on either.
If I did run either of the second two, I'd certainly value the treasure over a map token in most instances.
There's also a cleaner, simpler beauty to "Sac a creature, draw two cards" over "spend more to also get a treasure or to get a map that lets you pay more to explore in order to either draw a land or get a +1/+1 counter on a creature." That last one just feels so busy without really telling you what you're paying to get.Agreed. The others offer more value for one extra mana (or two if you create and crack a map token), but the simple one mana Village Rites will always reign supreme for me (as well as its functional reprint Corrupted Conviction).
No, you played it wrong.
First, in a four player game, Etali's ETB will reveal four cards, not three. This includes its own caster.
Second, the ETB does not target at all - notice the lack of the word "target." Because it says "each player exiles" and not "target player exiles" or "any number of target players exile," Deflecting Swat has nothing to change. It would still affect all players, and the controller of the ETB would still reap all of the benefits.
Commissar Severina Raine and Mishra, Claimed by Gix become especially deadly in a deck that doubles triggers when joined by Adeline, Resplendent Cathar, Hero of Bladehold, Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin, Otharri, Suns' Glory, and Skyknight Vanguard.
Throw in a few more of the direct life drain/damage effects, and your swarm just burns out the opponents. (I'm a big fan of Unquenchable Fury).