If there was a black aggro deck in pauper, it would play snuff out. But right now black is basically only in MBC, teachings, UB delver, and tortured existence decks. Delver could maybe handle snuff out, (and actually sometimes runs a copy or two), but doesn't usually run a lot of swamps.
Card/Deck Low Power Card Spotlight
- Thread starter Grillo_Parlante
- Start date
Grillo_Parlante
Contributor
I actually wonder about that. The biggest issue mono black aggro has is that it deals so much damage to itself that it basically auto losses to every other aggro deck already. In addition, snuff out is a dead card in certain matchups (even ghastly demise isn't really seeing play anymore) which is a problem when you need your removal to consistently clear blockers.
CML
Contributor
I dunno if Reckless Spite, Barter in Blood, Ashes to Ashes, etc. are really competing with Damnation for slots
Languish isn't the greatest in Cube or even many standard formats but it's a 4-of in this one, etc
Grillo_Parlante
Contributor
Thats more of a choice on the part of the designer.
I generally don't like true sweepers in low power formats, and prefer something more limited, yet capable of mass removal. Ashes to ashes and barter in blood are perfect low power alternatives.
I generally don't like true sweepers in low power formats, and prefer something more limited, yet capable of mass removal. Ashes to ashes and barter in blood are perfect low power alternatives.
Ashes to Ashes always worked great over here in control as a T3 wrath, and if you used another removal spell T1/T2 you were pretty much locking up the game with it. If you have tested it and found it unsuitable that's another thing but after a few dozen drafts with it, I found that, for my environ at least, control used it lots and to great effect, especially with a BW life pay shell, but in BU and BG and BR control, as well. Card is strong.
Chris Taylor
Contributor
How about 
?
?
Grillo_Parlante
Contributor
Any excuse to run that card is worth taking: my drafters can complain later.
Was looking through hybrid cards to see if there was anything that piqued my interest. There was some, and one of those led me to the following two cards:
Like, screw seal of fire, look at immolation! Cool card, with a lot of play to it. Give to thunderbreak regent for 6/2 flier, use as a red dead weight, etc. Riot spikes basically pulling the same duty, but easier to use as a pump and its hybrid.
Like, screw seal of fire, look at immolation! Cool card, with a lot of play to it. Give to thunderbreak regent for 6/2 flier, use as a red dead weight, etc. Riot spikes basically pulling the same duty, but easier to use as a pump and its hybrid.
Grillo_Parlante
Contributor
The problem with those cards in practice is that both ends tend to work against the other.
I do like them, but its very easy for other removal or buffs to out compete them.
Immolation makes me kind of nostalgic for
The old ball lightning, blood lust combo.
I do like them, but its very easy for other removal or buffs to out compete them.
Immolation makes me kind of nostalgic for
The old ball lightning, blood lust combo.
Primary problem I see is that combat tricks you use to buff your dudes suffer the 2 for 1 risk, so they have to really be worth it. Is a +2 damage worth that risk? Also, because you are in red, you have access to premium removal, which Immolation is not (comparatively speaking). So you are giving up red's strength to some extent for a shaky modal buff/removal spell. I don't think it's awful by any means, but I'd almost always rather have seal of fire because it comes down and changes the way your opponent plays (and is free to activate).
I recently were given a bunt of cards, and now own a couple of this one. Someone wanna sell me on #teamhammer ?
Chris Taylor
Contributor
Sorcery speed removal spells help make auras/pump spells/combat tricks a little more palatable and helps decks that want to protect a single threat actually operate.
however, nice as it looks I'd still add the new one that exiles from moon:
however, nice as it looks I'd still add the new one that exiles from moon:
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Volcanic Hammer practically founded team Elegance though!
Flow actually has the drawback of making my already janky graveyard theme even wonkier. But I also run a bunch of auras in my 180 card stack, so I'll try the hammer time!
Chris Taylor
Contributor
Makes sense. I'm used to "Oh god gravecrawler needs answers!"
I want to draw your attention to some lower powered cantrips. Cards like Brainstorm, Ponder and Preordain certainly are too strong if you don't want blue to have the absolutely better card quality (although CQ is blue, I have to admit). In red, I like me some Magmatic Insight, while green gets Oath of Nissa. Both are limited in what they do, so I don't want blue to just dig three cards deep and give you what you want, especially not at instant speed. On the other hand, I want my blue cantrips to enable Delver of Secrets flips.
The upper row is able to produce such delver flips. Portent and Visions are basically worse versions of Ponder and Preordain, but still playable. Those are my favourites thus far.
Telling Time costs one mana more but comes at instant speed, relevant for keeping counter mana open. I'm not sure it's worth the extra mana, as it doesn't say 'scry 2/3 draw a card' but instead precisely prescribes what you have to do with those cards, sometimes for the bad and not helping delver.
The bottom row consists of instant speed cantrips. Opt is similar to Preordain, too, in that it does scry first and then draw you a card. It's only scry 1, but at instant speed. I'm not sure I want this over Visions as Opt is not able to set up delver flips.
Impulse and it's weaker version Anticipate would be the other two I'd consider. I played Impulse a lot in constructed and casual and it's a very fine card, I'm not sure if it would be too good for cube as I see its powerlevel right below the likes of Ponder and Preordain. On the other hand, you don't play combo in cube and we once more have a card not able to set up delver flips.
The upper row is able to produce such delver flips. Portent and Visions are basically worse versions of Ponder and Preordain, but still playable. Those are my favourites thus far.
Telling Time costs one mana more but comes at instant speed, relevant for keeping counter mana open. I'm not sure it's worth the extra mana, as it doesn't say 'scry 2/3 draw a card' but instead precisely prescribes what you have to do with those cards, sometimes for the bad and not helping delver.
The bottom row consists of instant speed cantrips. Opt is similar to Preordain, too, in that it does scry first and then draw you a card. It's only scry 1, but at instant speed. I'm not sure I want this over Visions as Opt is not able to set up delver flips.
Impulse and it's weaker version Anticipate would be the other two I'd consider. I played Impulse a lot in constructed and casual and it's a very fine card, I'm not sure if it would be too good for cube as I see its powerlevel right below the likes of Ponder and Preordain. On the other hand, you don't play combo in cube and we once more have a card not able to set up delver flips.
If you have a Prowess theme, I think some CMC 1 instant cantrip is nice to have. It's a useful effect by itself, but it doubles as a combat trick in the right deck. That's why I run the (admittedly sub-par) Opt. For me there's also a nostalgia factor, because it was played in the original Counterburn deck back in the Invasion days.
Brainstorm is actually very context-dependent. The best player in my group says it is not great in my list and thus avoids drafting it, even though I run 20 fetchlands and various other shuffle effects. I actually agree with him, but I keep BS in anyway because it flips Delver, it is a Prowess combat trick and because it can still be powerful with a bit of setup. Moreover, it helps people learn (the hard way) that they have to evaluate cards rather than take them at face value.
In general, I dislike 2 CMC card selection spells. But that's just my personal taste.
Brainstorm is actually very context-dependent. The best player in my group says it is not great in my list and thus avoids drafting it, even though I run 20 fetchlands and various other shuffle effects. I actually agree with him, but I keep BS in anyway because it flips Delver, it is a Prowess combat trick and because it can still be powerful with a bit of setup. Moreover, it helps people learn (the hard way) that they have to evaluate cards rather than take them at face value.
In general, I dislike 2 CMC card selection spells. But that's just my personal taste.
I've got 20 fetches in my 360, too. Even if you're not guaranteed to do the broken BS shuffle move, it's going to happen from time to time, which is something I do not want. Brainstorm is either a 'draw three, discard two' (not literally) for one mana or a very bad cantrip. It polarizes too much for my taste.
I like prowess and I like having additional combat tricks, but I find it more important to have the desired effect the cantrip has on card quality.
Portent is the card I like the most out of the three one-mana spells, I also play two Mystic Speculation of which I'm going to cut one and add either Serum Visions or Opt. Needless to say that I'm going to add Portent as well as Visions/Opt twice. My blue section doesn't have those broken cards (Snapcaster Mage, AEtherling, Cryptic Command, Mystic Confluence, Opposition, Jace, Memory Adept) other cubes contain, and I even do not want to play strong cards like Sphinx of Jwar Isle, Ponder, Preordain, Mana Leak or random blowouts like Stifle and Brainstorm, so I want to give card quality to the colour in a regular manner.
I like prowess and I like having additional combat tricks, but I find it more important to have the desired effect the cantrip has on card quality.
Portent is the card I like the most out of the three one-mana spells, I also play two Mystic Speculation of which I'm going to cut one and add either Serum Visions or Opt. Needless to say that I'm going to add Portent as well as Visions/Opt twice. My blue section doesn't have those broken cards (Snapcaster Mage, AEtherling, Cryptic Command, Mystic Confluence, Opposition, Jace, Memory Adept) other cubes contain, and I even do not want to play strong cards like Sphinx of Jwar Isle, Ponder, Preordain, Mana Leak or random blowouts like Stifle and Brainstorm, so I want to give card quality to the colour in a regular manner.
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Oh man, where to begin? The number of Riptiders that run multiple Brainstorms to give their spell velocity decks an impulse is telling. Time and again Brainstorm has proven to be the right tool for the job, and let's not forget it received some glowing recommendations from Jason. Sure, the card requires some sleight of hand, but I anticipate most people here will opt to defend its inclusion. I can admire your desire to research the deep end of the available blue CQ tools and see beyond the triple or quadruple Brainstorm paradigm though. Before we ponder the options and start the treasure hunt, however, let's make a mental note of the fact that maybe, just maybe, Brainstorm is the right spell to manipulate fate in your cube. Your obsessive search for an alternative might quicken your blood, but I predict that the best Brainstorm can be is only as good as your environment allows it to be. As such I would think twice about ignoring Jason's words of wisdom. If, despite my reservations, what you say is true, and Brainstorm is indeed too powerful for your environment, then replacing the trusty Brainstorm requires careful study of your environment's needs and strategic planning to achieve the desired power level, or else your cube will turn into a twisted image of itself. I'ld take a peek at your cube to see if this could be the case, but unfortunately you don't link to it in your sig. Ah well, maybe this blabbering train of thought, more a stream of unconsciousness amirite, can lead to a flash of insight anyway. At the very least it should be a nice fleeting distraction from the bores and chores of real life!