Card/Deck Brainstorm as a lynchpin

Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor

Contributor
Jason Waddell said:
Fun fact: Conundrum Sphinx is pretty playable already. Run it.
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I can attest to this. Sometimes we forget just how huge a 4/4 flying for 4 is, and that ability is super dooper fun.

Also, in the less playable but more hilarious option:
73.jpg
 
James Stevenson

James Stevenson

Steamflogger Boss
Staff member
Jason Waddell said:
Fun fact: Conundrum Sphinx is pretty playable already. Run it.
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I had so much fun playing that card the one time we drafted together! It makes great stories, like the time I blindly guessed "Ulamog" and flipped him when I was already far ahead. I think I'm gunna find a spot for this guy and some more brainstorms.
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

Administrator
Staff member
[4:13:21 AM] Chris Taylor: they arew
[4:13:26 AM] Chris Taylor: but like
[4:13:34 AM] Chris Taylor: other than flamespeaker and chandra's phoenix
[4:13:38 AM] Lucas Childs: I like courser
[4:13:40 AM] Lucas Childs: it does a lot
[4:13:41 AM] Chris Taylor: both of which I'm doubling btw


Double Courser?
 
negativeview

negativeview

I love Courser in general. It does have odd interactions between it and some of the normal Brainstorm activities. Opponent gets to see all three cards that you draw, and one of the cards that you put back. To hide something from Brainstorm, you now have to put it two cards down and can't draw it next turn. Running it seems fine, but it won't necessarily be a home run.
 
negativeview

negativeview

The Djinn is pretty sweet from a Johnny perspective. That said, it's a three-card combo that you still have to spend five mana on. Unless the entire cube is slowed down, most people are probably going to run more consistent five-drops instead.

I may have to steal that Djinn though... it's better than some of the jank I'm already running in my Johnny cube...
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

Administrator
Staff member
negativeview said:
The Djinn is pretty sweet from a Johnny perspective. That said, it's a three-card combo that you still have to spend five mana on. Unless the entire cube is slowed down, most people are probably going to run more consistent five-drops instead.

I may have to steal that Djinn though... it's better than some of the jank I'm already running in my Johnny cube...
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It's pretty cool in Eldrazi Domain.
 
Konge

Konge



I remember this from a pauper caw blade deck I ran for a while. If you feel the Brainstorms are wanted by too many/too powerful, this is a decent alternative I think.
 
Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor

Contributor
Jason Waddell said:
[4:13:21 AM] Chris Taylor: they arew
[4:13:26 AM] Chris Taylor: but like
[4:13:34 AM] Chris Taylor: other than flamespeaker and chandra's phoenix
[4:13:38 AM] Lucas Childs: I like courser
[4:13:40 AM] Lucas Childs: it does a lot
[4:13:41 AM] Chris Taylor: both of which I'm doubling btw


Double Courser?
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Double Phoenix and flamespeaker
 
VibeBox

VibeBox

Contributor
i've really come to hate brainstorm. it's just about the only blue instant that can get me to agree with wotc in condemning it as too good and bad for environments.
as has been talked about itt already it's primarily a card that will just make it easier to play "good stuff", easier to find your best cards, easier in general. i couldn't disagree more that it's "skill testing". i feel that the arguments that were wrongly leveled against damage on the stack are pretty applicable against it. it creates the illusion of options and challenge, but in reality it quickly becomes rote motions on extracting value from it with little effort or variance.
it helps if you don't hate fetches i'm sure, but like i can think of few plays more dull and repetitive than watching someone crack their fetches to shuffle away cards. i'd much rather play with cards that force better deckbuilding and card selection from the start and make people find paths to victory using what's available to them, not just always go digging for their best thing so it can carry them again.
i mean, the fact that probably it's best usage is to make miracles kinda bonkers is damning enough, as i think miracles are among the least interesting or fun cards to come out of the new game. and that's really saying something because there is a ton of lame shit being printed year after year.
 
ahadabans

ahadabans

VibeBox said:
i've really come to hate brainstorm. it's just about the only blue instant that can get me to agree with wotc in condemning it as too good and bad for environments.
as has been talked about itt already it's primarily a card that will just make it easier to play "good stuff", easier to find your best cards, easier in general. i couldn't disagree more that it's "skill testing". i feel that the arguments that were wrongly leveled against damage on the stack are pretty applicable against it. it creates the illusion of options and challenge, but in reality it quickly becomes rote motions on extracting value from it with little effort or variance.
it helps if you don't hate fetches i'm sure, but like i can think of few plays more dull and repetitive than watching someone crack their fetches to shuffle away cards. i'd much rather play with cards that force better deckbuilding and card selection from the start and make people find paths to victory using what's available to them, not just always go digging for their best thing so it can carry them again.
i mean, the fact that probably it's best usage is to make miracles kinda bonkers is damning enough, as i think miracles are among the least interesting or fun cards to come out of the new game. and that's really saying something because there is a ton of lame shit being printed year after year.
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Part of me identifies with this. I really hate goodstuff.dec (one reason I want to focus more and more on synergistic cards versus raw power cards to force deck buiding and not just power-grab drafting).

And yet there is another part of me that just hates building a deck and having my draw render it inept. Sometimes that is poor deckbuilding, yes. But a lot of times it's just misfortune. In all my years playing this game, one of the things I've really come to dislike about the game is the variance. I think we (long time players) have become somewhat numb to it honestly. But if you think back objectively on how many games of Magic you've played that really came down to each deck putting it's best foot forward... how often does that really happen? A lot more in Cube for sure (and that is why this is the best format ever). But again, that is WHY Cube is so appealing. Everyone thinks it's the raw power (and to some extent that is true), but I think power and consistency have a correlation. It boils down to this... when almost every single card in a cube draft pool is by itself a great card that can turn a game around, it is much harder to get a bad draw. So while you might not consistently land the nut draw, you almost always have a lot of good plays regardless of what you draw. No other format really creates that situation.

And this is where I start questioning whether more consistency isn't in some ways better. I definitely think there is such thing as too much consistency, so it's certainly not a black and white thing. And there are different levels of consistency too. Again, turn two reanimate Griselbrand is not something I want to be consistent. But having a solid play each turn and having answers for your opponents solid plays... that IS something I want consistent because it gives each player control of their destinies.
 
CML

CML

Contributor
ahadabans said:
Part of me identifies with this. I really hate goodstuff.dec (one reason I want to focus more and more on synergistic cards versus raw power cards to force deck buiding and not just power-grab drafting).

And yet there is another part of me that just hates building a deck and having my draw render it inept. Sometimes that is poor deckbuilding, yes. But a lot of times it's just misfortune. In all my years playing this game, one of the things I've really come to dislike about the game is the variance. I think we (long time players) have become somewhat numb to it honestly. But if you think back objectively on how many games of Magic you've played that really came down to each deck putting it's best foot forward... how often does that really happen? A lot more in Cube for sure (and that is why this is the best format ever). But again, that is WHY Cube is so appealing. Everyone thinks it's the raw power (and to some extent that is true), but I think power and consistency have a correlation. It boils down to this... when almost every single card in a cube draft pool is by itself a great card that can turn a game around, it is much harder to get a bad draw. So while you might not consistently land the nut draw, you almost always have a lot of good plays regardless of what you draw. No other format really creates that situation.

And this is where I start questioning whether more consistency isn't in some ways better. I definitely think there is such thing as too much consistency, so it's certainly not a black and white thing. And there are different levels of consistency too. Again, turn two reanimate Griselbrand is not something I want to be consistent. But having a solid play each turn and having answers for your opponents solid plays... that IS something I want consistent because it gives each player control of their destinies.
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well you could try it instead of writing reams upon reams of speculative text

Dom Harvey said:
Hoofprints is not playable under any circumstances.

I fully approve of dubs Flamespeaker.
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i don't think there's much point
 
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