The thing is: in the oracle text all is there, the mana value, type, text box, and power/toughness. To complicate it: the power of a card depends on it all. If the casting cost (yes casting to include evoke etc) is too high, then the card is bad. To further complicate it: the strength of a card depends on its environment, what cards are included and what is excluded: e.g., bolt is good because there is no qolt (4 damage for 1 red to anything) or any other stronger card.I'm fully aware that I'm pretty much doomed to failure here — I picked this as my project almost purely because Scryfall's API is unusually nice, and I've got about a month to get everything done.
I just thought that having a big, philosophical question (my "big question" basically boils down to "how much of a card's power is intrinsic?") would be a fun way to justify playing around with smaller stuff like predicting what colors a card is based off of its oracle text.
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- Thread starter James Stevenson
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Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
No, no! The real question is, do you Qolt the Qird?
Chris Taylor
Contributor
I think you're doomed to imperfection, not failure, and those are not the same thing.I'm fully aware that I'm pretty much doomed to failure here — I picked this as my project almost purely because Scryfall's API is unusually nice, and I've got about a month to get everything done.
I just thought that having a big, philosophical question (my "big question" basically boils down to "how much of a card's power is intrinsic?") would be a fun way to justify playing around with smaller stuff like predicting what colors a card is based off of its oracle text.
Pick one and give it a shot
Always! Rule Q of mtg
We're entering the part of the year where my family asks if there's anything I want for Xmas, and I have to come up with something normal to say instead of "1,000 Dragon Shield Matte sleeves please!" Or like "pre-orders for old-border Shocklands, please!"
Instead I'm like: "I need a new hat." Which is true! I do need a new hat. But I really, really want Cube Bullshit.
Instead I'm like: "I need a new hat." Which is true! I do need a new hat. But I really, really want Cube Bullshit.
Chris Taylor
Contributor
My dad learned loooooooong ago that he has no idea how to get what I might want even if it was explained to him 
Working on a survey for the year in Limited, would really appreciate it if y'all filled it out!
(and if anyone has any burning Cube questions I could throw in there, lemme know asap!)
(and if anyone has any burning Cube questions I could throw in there, lemme know asap!)
Awww, no Modern Horizons 1 for the options? (and no MH2/CLB/CMR too)
They are not 2023 sets.
And you have the ‘Other’ option with the opportunity to write a comment.
They're talking about question 21 (For comparison, what do you think are the best retail limited formats of all time?). MH1 and MH2 are not options on that list, even though they are among many player's favorites.
A bit of a different question from my normal wild speculation about nothing in particular, but... can anyone think of other Wildfire-style build-arounds? Ravnic posting about how someone drafted a surprisingly effective Tunnel Vision combo deck the last time they drafted their Ravnica cube gave me a hankering for other "top-end" "combo" decks.
(Because that was probably pretty vague... both Tunnel Vision and Wildfire encourage you to run a bunch of cards that don't really cohere until you cast the big spell that ties everything together. Wildfire's probably the clearest example — your deck is a Timmy-ish pile of creatures with big butts and ramp until you slam down your board wipe that puts everyone back four lands)
(Because that was probably pretty vague... both Tunnel Vision and Wildfire encourage you to run a bunch of cards that don't really cohere until you cast the big spell that ties everything together. Wildfire's probably the clearest example — your deck is a Timmy-ish pile of creatures with big butts and ramp until you slam down your board wipe that puts everyone back four lands)
@Qirblinx
Whelming Wave has an easily discernable objective. It's kind of a combo with Tolarian Kraken and your creatures with ETB triggers.
Relentless Assault effects are build arounds if you have stuff with attack triggers, tap effects, can't block effects, cheap pump spells, prowess, even just evasion. The card isn't all that powerful on its own, but it would motivate me to draft differently to see if I can come out of nowhere for a pair of lethal attacks using a handul of somewaht innocent looking cards.
Cataclysm requires some attention to artifacts and enchantments to make it really hit.
From Ravnica block, two cards that come to mind are Flame Fusillade and Protean Hulk.
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There are lots of them, but you might find my examples unsatisfying. Reanimate spells encourage an unorthodox play pattern, but it's prevalent enough that it doesn't really stick out. Living Death and Replenish are some more extreme variations of it. Storms decks have a very incoherent gameplan without its finisher. Polymorph effects have strict deckbuilding requirements. And for a perhaps more appealing answer, Complete the Circuit, which is more open-ended in how you make use of it.
First thing that comes to mind is Imminent Doom and Obscura Ascendancy - the spell equivalent of Birthing Pod in that you want a flat curve and to go in order. I guess As Foretold also fits in that category, though it's far less strict about the order.
Not really what you're asking because you want your deck to be otherwise functional but also kind of what you're asking because it makes your random cantrips really sing when they're doing what they're "supposed" to do.
Not really what you're asking because you want your deck to be otherwise functional but also kind of what you're asking because it makes your random cantrips really sing when they're doing what they're "supposed" to do.
Flame Fussilade might be a real sleeper. It's very powerful in my Ravnica Block remastered cube, where you don't have to build around it at all. But if you have a bunch of cards that make multiple permanents, creatures, artifacts, even enchantments, you could probably make it work at far higher power levels.
I also like:
Once you can infinitely recur 1-drops, they become much more interesting for non-aggressive decks. There are also some that can sac themselves for value.
I also like:
Once you can infinitely recur 1-drops, they become much more interesting for non-aggressive decks. There are also some that can sac themselves for value.
Fixed! Apologies!
Love all the responses so far, excited to share the results once we hit my target response number.
Today, 135 beautiful retro frame cards habe been spoiled. On them, not a single non-evergreen mechanic, not even the obscure ones, has reminder text. It sucks, because they do exactly what I wish for - print magic cards that are pleasant to look at - but then they make those shiny toys unuseable for my purposes.
I'll make it my new life goal to get rid of this anti-cube-policy.
I'll make it my new life goal to get rid of this anti-cube-policy.