Vitu-Ghazi Inspector how good do we think this is? I can't shake the thought of cycling something like Generous Ent turn 1, and then putting this guy down turn 2. Is that too much of a magical Christmas type scenario, or is this card at the very least okay?
the Case of Medusa's Kiss (name awaiting translation) reminds me a lot of Quest for the Gravelord, and that's a card I haven't run in quite a while. It is more difficult to trigger, even though it also helps to trigger itself. Also, a 4/4 is smaller than a 5/5, but lifelink and deathtouch are good to have. On top of that, the thing is not as susceptible to bounce and flicker as the zombie giant. I think I might be in the market for it, but it does seem fairly slow and clunky.
I have experience with most of the cards on the list, so here goes: Clarion Spirit - Is in my cube right now and it is doing great. Doing this+a removal spell t3 is good. Any other spirit you get after the first is gravy. But it is not very hard to get the first trigger. It also synergises well with a couple of powerful cards. It works well with adventures or battles, too.
Riftwing Cloudskate - I still really like this card. Bouncing any permanent is good. Suspend is also fine, doesn't take too long and is fairly cheap. (for what it's worth, also works okay with Clarion Spirit)
Lord Skitter's Butcher - has obviously been in my cube for not very long, so hasn't seen much play. But when it did it did very well. It just does a lot of stuff, and is relevant in most stages of the game. I've mostly seen it used for the last mode, I think.
Gray Merchant of Asphodel - was in my cube for the longest time, but have cut it and he hasn't been missed. Vampire Sovereign fulfills much the same role, with a much higher floor, albeit with a drastically lower ceiling (etb-wise, that is).
Sling-Gang Lieutenant - I have played all the cards you've mentioned (Beetleback and Marsh Flitter), and have recently cut both. I think Sling-Gang being able to sacrifice itself is great. Direct damage is also great.
Bone Shards I do not run and never have. I do know it is pretty powerful, though. A discard outlet is good, and the option to sac too. The sorcery speed is what kills it for me, though. That and the fact that alternatives are better, I feel.
Bloodchief's Thirst - I run it and it is a fine removal spell. Very reliable. Very slow, sometimes. But against the decks with cmc 3+ threats you can usually afford it. And 1 mana to kill a lot of threatening stuff is nothing to sneeze at. Killing any token, Faerie Vandal, Young Pyromancer... it's just a versatile card I think.
Village Rites - These cards I like, because as others have pointed out, it allows you to cash in a creature that would already die anyways. I do run three. The original, the one with the treasure and the one with the map. One might get cut, but for now I feel they're interesting enough to merit inclusion.
The Eldest Reborn - Very slow, but once it gets rolling very powerful, too. The builds that run this in my cube usually also run ways to recur it, either in Orzhov or Golgari.
The Blood Artist type cards I run quite a few of, but not all of them. Right now I am at a point where the next one will probably replace the worst one.
Regarding Orzhov Advokist, since I cut that fairly recently... Yes, it's power level reasons. Not that the card is always obscenely powerful, since you get a whole turn cycle to remove it, but more often than not it would warp the game around it, leading to undesirable play patterns. It was also a popular hatepick.
Regarding the black 2drop removals... I recently cut all the conditional ones, and now only play the ones that kill creatures, regardless of subtype, artifact-ness or whatever weird clause they have.
All your other standouts I still play and feel fairly the same about as you. I do think Soltari Champion might get outclassed soon.
I see a lot of people run Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit. How has it been? I can remember that being one of the cards I was decidedly lukewarm on whilst a lot of people seemed very enthusiastic.
Wow thanks Calibretto, this is sooner than expected. Haven't had time yet to pore over it, but I definitely will.
The links don't seem to work on my phone, but I will check it out when I get home.
Thank you for your continued efforts, it is much appreciated!!!
I still use and quite like the 'Derms. As Leelue pointed out, they're still effective aggro curve toppers, and if they get chumpblocked once or twice and get through once or twice you've still got your card's worth, imo. Selfsaccing is also good I think, fuelling myriad of graveyard-based mechanics like escape or delve. You can even reanimate them in a pinch, even though that does seem lackluster. But the option is there.
Regarding Sentinel of the Eternal Watch... I feel it is still a cut above the other cards you mentioned, and it is still a fairly solid midrange card. It is indeed not as good as it used to be, but it still has a use in a variety of matchups. Stopping the one evasive guy, or the one big guy is good, and swinging for 4 without sacrificing the ability to block is also quite good I think.
I also still quite like Heelcutter, but I agree the writing may be on the wall for it. To dash it feels okay, but the 4-cost mode does feel outclassed by other options.
It's also cool that he can sacrifice artifacts, we've been seeing more food and treasures. And with the upcoming Clue-themed Ravnica set, I think Clue tokens are also going to return in some capacity.
Yeah I think so too, but that 'each' in between 'you control' and 'with power greater than its base power' drives me nuts. I feel it is a redundant word, unless it signifies that each combat damage-dealing creature should have greater than base power for this to trigger... We'll find out with the release notes I suppose.
I also asked a judge, and he said that each combat damage-dealing creature should have power greater than base. (But he also said to wait for release notes).
I think the card is good enough regardless.
I'm cutting Trostani's Summoner for it, too. Very sad, but it sometimes being an honorary Dimir card is a bit awkward.
How do you guys think Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar works? I've seen some discussion whether or not the second ability requires each of the combat damage-dealing creatures to have a power greater than base.
U Spyglass Siren probably in for Captive Weird. The flying makes it synergize better, and the card advantage component is more flexible I feel. Eaten by Piranhas tentatively, I might also add Witness Protection. I feel having these effects at multiple points in the curve allows for more interesting deckbuilding, maybe. Confounding Riddle is almost a strict upgrade over Supreme Will.
B Bitter Triumph might be the moment that I cut all the 'conditional' black removal. Power Word Kill and Go for the Throat have been staples, but it irks me that they sometimes randomly miss on something like Witty Roastmaster or Mirrorshell Crab. This update might take me to 1 less black removal spell overall, but I feel that might be a good thing. Fanatical Offering is strong, and as calibretto pointed out I do have a big cube, but not sure what to cut yet. Deep-Cavern Bat I recently cut Kitesail Freebooter because of awkward misses sometimes, and this gets around that. Lifelink is nice too. Maybe Duress as a cut? Soulcoil Viper is very strong I think, but again, not sure about my black. Vat of Rebirth has been fun, but it hasn't really amounted to anything yet. 4 counters is a lot. Gurgling Anointer also hasn't seen a lot of play.
I haven't heard anyone talk about Fanatical Offering. How does it weigh up against Village Rites and especially Deadly Dispute? I feel the low cost on Rites and the treasure token on Dispute are both better than this one. Is it worth running a third?
I think I like Poison Dart Frog. Sure, it gets removed more easily than something like Armored Scrapgorger, but holding a Thryx, the Sudden Storm or something big like that off late-game seems slightly more valuable to me than becoming an average-sized beater in the mid- to lategame. It also trades reasonable well with stuff like Flickerwisp or the various 2/1 flyers that draw on etb.
I think it's a cool design, but I don't think I have room for it. Also, in our environment, it will probably not tap for colours you like, or you should have it exile your own cards. Entering tapped is a bummer, too. Not to mention scenarios in which you don't have anything to exile.
the Case of Medusa's Kiss (name awaiting translation) reminds me a lot of Quest for the Gravelord, and that's a card I haven't run in quite a while. It is more difficult to trigger, even though it also helps to trigger itself. Also, a 4/4 is smaller than a 5/5, but lifelink and deathtouch are good to have. On top of that, the thing is not as susceptible to bounce and flicker as the zombie giant. I think I might be in the market for it, but it does seem fairly slow and clunky.
Clarion Spirit - Is in my cube right now and it is doing great. Doing this+a removal spell t3 is good. Any other spirit you get after the first is gravy. But it is not very hard to get the first trigger. It also synergises well with a couple of powerful cards. It works well with adventures or battles, too.
Riftwing Cloudskate - I still really like this card. Bouncing any permanent is good. Suspend is also fine, doesn't take too long and is fairly cheap. (for what it's worth, also works okay with Clarion Spirit)
Lord Skitter's Butcher - has obviously been in my cube for not very long, so hasn't seen much play. But when it did it did very well. It just does a lot of stuff, and is relevant in most stages of the game. I've mostly seen it used for the last mode, I think.
Gray Merchant of Asphodel - was in my cube for the longest time, but have cut it and he hasn't been missed. Vampire Sovereign fulfills much the same role, with a much higher floor, albeit with a drastically lower ceiling (etb-wise, that is).
Sling-Gang Lieutenant - I have played all the cards you've mentioned (Beetleback and Marsh Flitter), and have recently cut both. I think Sling-Gang being able to sacrifice itself is great. Direct damage is also great.
Troll of Khazad-dûm - is obviously a great card. I do still run Twisted Abomination because of how powerful regenerate can be.
Bone Shards I do not run and never have. I do know it is pretty powerful, though. A discard outlet is good, and the option to sac too. The sorcery speed is what kills it for me, though. That and the fact that alternatives are better, I feel.
Bloodchief's Thirst - I run it and it is a fine removal spell. Very reliable. Very slow, sometimes. But against the decks with cmc 3+ threats you can usually afford it. And 1 mana to kill a lot of threatening stuff is nothing to sneeze at. Killing any token, Faerie Vandal, Young Pyromancer... it's just a versatile card I think.
Village Rites - These cards I like, because as others have pointed out, it allows you to cash in a creature that would already die anyways. I do run three. The original, the one with the treasure and the one with the map. One might get cut, but for now I feel they're interesting enough to merit inclusion.
The Eldest Reborn - Very slow, but once it gets rolling very powerful, too. The builds that run this in my cube usually also run ways to recur it, either in Orzhov or Golgari.
The Blood Artist type cards I run quite a few of, but not all of them. Right now I am at a point where the next one will probably replace the worst one.
Regarding the black 2drop removals... I recently cut all the conditional ones, and now only play the ones that kill creatures, regardless of subtype, artifact-ness or whatever weird clause they have.
All your other standouts I still play and feel fairly the same about as you. I do think Soltari Champion might get outclassed soon.
The links don't seem to work on my phone, but I will check it out when I get home.
Thank you for your continued efforts, it is much appreciated!!!
And happy holidays to you too, of course.
Regarding Sentinel of the Eternal Watch... I feel it is still a cut above the other cards you mentioned, and it is still a fairly solid midrange card. It is indeed not as good as it used to be, but it still has a use in a variety of matchups. Stopping the one evasive guy, or the one big guy is good, and swinging for 4 without sacrificing the ability to block is also quite good I think.
I also still quite like Heelcutter, but I agree the writing may be on the wall for it. To dash it feels okay, but the 4-cost mode does feel outclassed by other options.
I also asked a judge, and he said that each combat damage-dealing creature should have power greater than base. (But he also said to wait for release notes).
I think the card is good enough regardless.
I'm cutting Trostani's Summoner for it, too. Very sad, but it sometimes being an honorary Dimir card is a bit awkward.
W
None, but Kinjalli's Dawnrunner has made me reconsider Combat Thresher. As in, whether or not I should re-add the latter.
U
Spyglass Siren probably in for Captive Weird. The flying makes it synergize better, and the card advantage component is more flexible I feel.
Eaten by Piranhas tentatively, I might also add Witness Protection. I feel having these effects at multiple points in the curve allows for more interesting deckbuilding, maybe.
Confounding Riddle is almost a strict upgrade over Supreme Will.
B
Bitter Triumph might be the moment that I cut all the 'conditional' black removal. Power Word Kill and Go for the Throat have been staples, but it irks me that they sometimes randomly miss on something like Witty Roastmaster or Mirrorshell Crab. This update might take me to 1 less black removal spell overall, but I feel that might be a good thing.
Fanatical Offering is strong, and as calibretto pointed out I do have a big cube, but not sure what to cut yet.
Deep-Cavern Bat I recently cut Kitesail Freebooter because of awkward misses sometimes, and this gets around that. Lifelink is nice too. Maybe Duress as a cut?
Soulcoil Viper is very strong I think, but again, not sure about my black. Vat of Rebirth has been fun, but it hasn't really amounted to anything yet. 4 counters is a lot. Gurgling Anointer also hasn't seen a lot of play.
R
Geological Appraiser I have so many red 4 drops. Will this really kick out newcomer Rakka Mar?
G
Cenote Scout is a green Thraben Inspector, which is great.
Twists and Turns I'm not sure that it's good, but I think it's pretty funny.
Poison Dart Frog I think is, after Paradise Druid and Devoted Druid, maybe my favorite cmc 2 dork.
Multicolour
Bartolomé de Presidio is very strong I think, and in the right guild too. Tidehollow Sculler has been great but I think it might be the weakest link.
Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar I like it, not sure what to cut.
Zoyowa Lava-Tongue ditto.
Thoughts?