Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Courser can function as a kind of card advantage, plus if you're playing lands from the top of your deck you're actually improving your draws. Also the life gain is non-negligible.
General Fight Club
- Thread starter Jason Waddell
- Start date
If I had to choose one of them, I'd choose Courser since like Onder mentioned it's a form of pseudo card advantage letting you potentially go one deeper every turn. The Dryad might be the best version of that multiple land drop effect we've had on a creature as far as body + cmc is concerned, but it's still bottlenecked by however many lands you have to play from your hand. They're nice effects to have in a Cube but I've found that while some games you'll have the nuts and go off, the majority of the time you'll end up keeping sketchy hands in a G/x deck and play out your lands only to run out of gas if you can't generate card advantage. For that reason alone I'd go with Courser over Dryad, but would ideally find slots for both of them if possible. Hell, just classify one as an enchantment if need be to keep it aesthetically pretty on a list 
Hm, I might just go ahead and run both then And make sure to remember to pack some extra naturalize effects. They even play kinda well together. I might be leaning more towards Courser if I just get to pick one based on my preference for grindier matchups over sudden explosive decks if I can choose.
And make sure to remember to pack some extra naturalize effects. They even play kinda well together. I might be leaning more towards Courser if I just get to pick one based on my preference for grindier matchups over sudden explosive decks if I can choose.
vs Another fight, on the same subject. I'm a little torn between the card advantage of lotus eye and the better body and life gain from storyteller. My intention is to use one of these to grab back removal-aura and sagas.
Another fight, on the same subject. I'm a little torn between the card advantage of lotus eye and the better body and life gain from storyteller. My intention is to use one of these to grab back removal-aura and sagas.
Realistically speaking, you're rarely going to be casting a 4-mana creature and then another spell in the same turn. Lagonna-band Storyteller is closer to being on-rate than the mystics and has a relevant life-gain ability. Yes, I think I will gain 5 from putting my Elspeth Conquers Death back on top of my library!
Thanks for the feedback ya'll. Realistically Storyteller is probably doing what a durdly midrange deck needs, get some tempo back with the life gain and block well until you get to your next untap step.
Would you then say that Cataclysmic Gearhulk is super powerful for a 6 drop because it is, in fact, an artifact creature and thus you get to keep 2 dudes?
Why 6drop? And it doesn't have Cataclysm attached to it, as players keep lands.
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Cataclysm can be abused by low-curve, aggressive decks. Cataclysmic Gearhulk, being a mana more expensive, is harder to run for those decks. In addition, like Mondschwein pointed out, it doesn't get rid of lands. In my experience, not only is a Cataclysm more powerful, it caters to an entirely different archetype than the Gearhulk does.
That has also been my experience in running the card. It's more anti-aggro, both with the vigilance, and the fact that it maintains your land-base, which is valuable for a long-game deck.
Really fun with Daretti, Scrap Savant, as it lets you keep a PW
Really fun with Daretti, Scrap Savant, as it lets you keep a PW
They're all quite close and I reckon you'll get a lot of different answers, but for me
Night
Thorns
Flame
Dawn
Gales
Disclaimer, am not a power max gamer, lol.
Night
Thorns
Flame
Dawn
Gales
Disclaimer, am not a power max gamer, lol.
If I were to powermax:
Gales
Flame
Night=Dawn=Thorn
Hijack!
I'm glad you brought this up, because I am really hesitating with the green one. I want to support GY shenanigans and currently run Golgari Grave-Troll. I am thinking this guy could take it's spot as a more versatile enabler. The downside is you can't just mill it and get value.
I drafted this UG GY deck. I think the Cavalier of Thorns would be better. Thoughts?
https://cubecobra.com/cube/deck/5e76c11d6f01105bb0be7655
What about this GB deck?
https://cubecobra.com/cube/deck/5e7a3afc6f01105bb0e00408
Gales
Flame
Night=Dawn=Thorn
Hijack!
I'm glad you brought this up, because I am really hesitating with the green one. I want to support GY shenanigans and currently run Golgari Grave-Troll. I am thinking this guy could take it's spot as a more versatile enabler. The downside is you can't just mill it and get value.
I drafted this UG GY deck. I think the Cavalier of Thorns would be better. Thoughts?
https://cubecobra.com/cube/deck/5e76c11d6f01105bb0be7655
What about this GB deck?
https://cubecobra.com/cube/deck/5e7a3afc6f01105bb0e00408
I laughed at this for about 40 seconds
<3I am not sure about the Golgari deck but in the Simic deck I would argue that your Golgari Grave-Troll (How ironic) sits pretty well. It is both an enabler and a payoff. Cavalier of Thorns would be good too but, as you said, can’t be returned from the graveyard as easily. However I could very well see your cube running both of them if you can find the room.
Okay you’re a power max cube owner. How would you rate these from worst to best in a vacuum?
Gales
Night
Flame = Thorns
Dawn
All are similar in power level aside from Dawn, but it comes down to need. Gales is an amazing curve-topper for U/x decks at 5 with a huge flying body, Brainstorm ETB and a good death effect, and it can recycle itself later in the game. Black has a lack of great 5s and Night fills a need as a kill spell + a 4/5 lifelinking body + easy Aristocrat sac outlet. That Unearth on death is pretty sweet too, great for grindy games in something like a B/G deck. Flame and Thorns are both nice with good bodies and more niche effects, but they've got a ton of competition at the 5 drop slot. They're solid for specific decks/themes, but there are better generic options if you were power maxing. Dawn is just okay, it's pretty forgettable tbh.
vs ..or maybe none of these two? I want a bigger payoff for lands.dec, Tatyova already is pretty good and a lovely engine piece for slow value-oriented lands.dec, but something like a big finisher would be nice, too. I like how Baloths says 'BAM get your 4/4 right now, if you EWilds or TExpanse, get TWO', but Avenger will directly bring something to the table, a bunch of tokens that can grow over time or will be able to chump block like forever if Avenger gets removed immediately. I bet most of you guys tried at least one of them and could tell me about it.
Plain old Baloth Woodcrasher is also an option I like pretty much.
I don't think anyone missed it
