General How to execute a minimalist Artifact theme

[Lucre]

Guilded lotus essentially allows you cast an additional spell each turn or allows you to play something stupid like ultimatum, the sad part is it's oppertunity cost is very high and it doesn't help you have these extra cards in hand to be able to utilize it's tempo. I love that it more than pays for itself over 2 turns, but that card is kinda a wreck.

It might work in bad tinker though!

For reference I tent to think of 1-2 mana as half a turns worth of spells 3-4 mana as a turn's worth of spells and 5+ as sorta 2 turns. This is different in different formats. Keeping your hand filled to be making full use of your "extra turns" given you by more mana is part of the trick.

When that card was spoiled I designed this and everyone told me I was insane, but I think it's pretty fine for cube, sorta like a fixed gild.


Artifact
NAME enters the battlefield it deals 3 damage to target creature or player.
: Add one mana of any colour.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

You can get as pedantic as you like bootman, I find it hard to believe anyone is a fan [...].

I wasn't trying to be pedantic, I was asking an honest question. I really didn't catch that you were referring to the "I'm a fan" part instead of the "I like it better than Guilded Lotus", which is why I posted a long explanation of why I like Meteorite better than Gilded Lotus. I might have gotten a little antsy when you replied with a "Darling, I don't give a shit" that implied I'm either stupid for running the card or running an idiotic format, but who wouldn't? Scoff at the notion of Meteorite having a fan all you want though, it's not going to make me like the card any less. It'not the best card in my cube by a long shot, but it's a cute card that does something relevant, isn't degenerate, and is expensive enough that not every deck can play it (which means it can be picked up by the right deck, unlike most mana rocks).

Besides, Meteorite is cuter than Harry Styles and sexier than Nicki Minaj, so I don't know why it is so hard for you to believe I'm a fan when those two have scores!

 

[Eric Chan]

I might have gotten a little antsy when you replied with a "Darling, I don't give a shit" that implied I'm either stupid for running the card or running an idiotic format, but who wouldn't?

It's not a Lucas post unless he's patronizing you, or otherwise being condescending. My last warning to him on here didn't really change anything, so I've given up - Lucas will be Lucas.

 

[Diakonov]

What about a 3-mana 1-damage ping?

That seems pretty strong, but maybe it would fit. It certainly makes Worn Powerstone look terrible, and that card's not half bad.

Edit: I guess when you compare that to Coalition Relic it seems reasonable.

 

[Lucre]

It's not a Lucas post unless he's patronizing you, or otherwise being condescending. My last warning to him on here didn't really change anything, so I've given up - Lucas will be Lucas.

I think I've been pretty good until recently. Maybe it's that I haven't been posting much.
For the record I never said darling I don't give a shit.

I officially apologize if I've been too... dogged in my attacks on your opinion or that card. I guess I see argument as not just an excuse to expound but something of a duty. Your tastes are as always secure, just know that I would have rather liked being a fan of meteorite, I just... I don't have it in me.

 

[Lucre]

That seems pretty strong, but maybe it would fit. It certainly makes Worn Powerstone look terrible, and that card's not half bad.

Edit: I guess when you compare that to Coalition Relic it seems reasonable.

Man I am having trouble figuring how this is that anything like worn powerstone? Isn't making 2 mana way better than dealing 1 damage and making 1? Maybe it's great in the right matchup (killing a bird on turn 3 sounds okay) but man does it not enable the sort of decks or hijinks a card of powerstone or relic's ilk does.

Like no one ever plays 3cc acceleration in normal draft formats the impact is just not there, though they might draft this thing.

 

[anotak]

oh i have a fix
Meteorite
Artifact
When Meteorite enters the battlefield, it deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Evoke

edit: oh i realized you can tap it in response to the evoke trigger oh well i'm sleepy

 

[Onderzeeboot]

I officially apologize if I've been too... dogged in my attacks on your opinion or that card. I guess I see argument as not just an excuse to expound but something of a duty. Your tastes are as always secure, just know that I would have rather liked being a fan of meteorite, I just... I don't have it in me.

Thanks. Sorry for not getting it right away, would have saved us both a lot of words.

Man I am having trouble figuring how this is that anything like worn powerstone? Isn't making 2 mana way better than dealing 1 damage and making 1? Maybe it's great in the right matchup (killing a bird on turn 3 sounds okay) but man does it not enable the sort of decks or hijinks a card of powerstone or relic's ilk does.

Like no one ever plays 3cc acceleration in normal draft formats the impact is just not there, though they might draft this thing.

Despite of my opinion on Meteorite vs Gilded Lotus, this time I have to agree with Lucas. Your fourth land is relatively easy to make, so Worn Powerstone regularly accelerates you from 3 to 6, whereas Pristine Talisman variants accelerate you from 3 to 5. The difference between 5 and 6 mana is huge. A turn four Thragtusk or Reveilark is nasty but not unbeatable, a turn five Elspeth, Sun's Champion or Frost Titan (tapping a land so you're forever 3 ahead) is backbreaking. I actually pulled all cheap 2-mana generating rocks (with the notable exception of Metalworker) from my cube because they were doing really silly things to our games.

 

[anotak]

i dont like it doing 1 damage that's so conditional it never kills anything important except when it does and then it just feels unfair

 

[Rasmus Källqvist]

oh i have a fix
Meteorite
Artifact
When Meteorite enters the battlefield, it deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Evoke

edit: oh i realized you can tap it in response to the evoke trigger oh well i'm sleepy

": Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. Activate this ability at any time you could cast a sorcery"?

 

[Chris Taylor]

": Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. Activate this ability at any time you could cast a sorcery"?

Mana abilities don't work like that (Koth is an exception mentioned in the comprehensive rules)

3 mana 1 damage is fine, I had it in my cube for a while

 

[Rasmus Källqvist]

"Choose target player. That player names a color. That player then adds one mana of the chosen color to his or her mana pool. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery."

 

[FlowerSunRain]

I think the simplest solution is to make it come into play tapped.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Or up the evoke cost to (see Manamorphose for precedent).

 

[Rasmus Källqvist]

A manamorphose shock manarock hybrid monster leaking out of a vat in some college students basement makeshift laboratory.

 

[Diakonov]

Man I am having trouble figuring how this is that anything like worn powerstone? Isn't making 2 mana way better than dealing 1 damage and making 1? Maybe it's great in the right matchup (killing a bird on turn 3 sounds okay) but man does it not enable the sort of decks or hijinks a card of powerstone or relic's ilk does.

Like no one ever plays 3cc acceleration in normal draft formats the impact is just not there, though they might draft this thing.

lol I was thinking Meteorite tapped for all this time. Man oh man

 

[Jason Waddell]

Or up the evoke cost to (see Manamorphose for precedent).

Yeah, but it's super gamey. Like, the fact that you have to use a "trick" is a bit... I'm not saying they can't do it, but somehow this feels different than the bonus of say, sacrificing a mulldrifter for additional value with the trigger on the stack.

 

[Arjan]

Any experience with the mini-Artifact theme and the new cards yet?

 

[FlowerSunRain]

I'm one of those neanderthals who plays with actual cards (even I do Sharpie the fuck out of them at times), so I haven't played with the Commander cards yet. Welder went undrafted, but that wasn't too surprising as it was a 4x32 Westchester draft and I didn't really up the artifact count yet.

 

[FlowerSunRain]

One weird issue I'm encountering is that a lot of the most interesting artifact creatures cost 2. Usually the problem is everything costing 4.

Spellskite, Steel Overseer, Iron Myr, Perilous Myr, Porcelain Legionnaire, Epochrasite, Phyrexian Revoker, Immolating Souleater

CC1 is much less interesting

Vault Skirge, Hex Parasite , Brass Man I guess?

What I really could use is a red artifact creature or something along the lines of Blade Splicer. I guess TukTuk the Explorer fills that decently, but a red one drop artifact would be perfect. Preferably with a death trigger. Like, Goblin Arsonist as an artifact would be perfect. Hmmm.



Why couldn't this card not be awful?

 

[Lucre]

Gold counters rule guys, I just wish Gild cost , its really been 50/50 in games where I felt like it gave me a tempo edge.

Spellbombs sub in for spells pretty well but give you issues with say spells matter or snapcaster type awkward feels. You also just get to fill your cube with cantrips and things that let you spend your mana really efficiently.

If you've ever wanted to give signets another try this is a good opportunity to start looking at that and trying to make it fun.

 

[Diakonov]

 

[Lucre]

care to explain?

 

[Diakonov]

FlowerSunRain was looking for potentially interesting 1-drop artifact creatures. He uses squadroning and myr servitor is a good candidate for that.

 

[Dom Harvey]

bumping for Welder/Reanimator discussion