General "Looking for a card"-Thread

[landofMordor]

Moors, with this logic, has A+B+C (A = it, B = UW, C = Creature in grave)

I just think there are more impactful and/or evocative things you can do with a UW inclusion. And I doubt I would generally want to splash just for it because of the issue with it being a wastes that asks for further stress on the manabase.

Terms like "evocative" and "impactful" sound more relevant for cube designers who explicitly cap their gold sections. In that case, one really does need to budget their gold cards to be the cream of the crop for their design goals. But I don't cap my gold section or my cube size (and I don't know whether @inscho o does either), so power and play pattern become the primary arbiters of inclusion.

I also wouldn't want to splash *just* for it (nor for any utility land, not even Volrath's Stronghold), but Haunt adds enough power at near-rock-bottom deckbuilding cost (along with a healthy play pattern) such that it's an "auto-maindeck" in most decks that already plan to splash to/from UW for power outliers of various kinds -- Stoneforge in a UR deck, T5feri in UB Control, or whatever.

 

[sigh]

Terms like "evocative" and "impactful" sound more relevant for cube designers who explicitly cap their gold sections.

Most cube designers here cap their gold cards. Like me, inscho has three per section, and lands take up real estate as a slot in those three:


Even without a numerical limit, gold cards are so much more narrow than mono color cards, they should be doing something important and relevant to the decks that gold card would normally find itself in. Adding a gold card just for an interesting splash in other guilds is rarely a smart play, and inscho already noted that in color it isn't doing what he needs for Azorius itself.

I would have to choose to draft it and play it in a deck that I'm splashing for another W or U card over drafting another fixing land that will help cast the actually important splash (like Stoneforge). Just doesn't add up for me. If I'm running a utility land, it's in the main color pair.

 

[landofMordor]

Most cube designers here cap their gold cards. Like me, inscho has three per section, and lands take up real estate as a slot in those three:
View attachment 4648

I couldn't tell a priori, but thanks for clarifying.

Even without a numerical limit, gold cards are so much more narrow than mono color cards, they should be doing something important and relevant to the decks that gold card would normally find itself in. Adding a gold card just for an interesting splash in other guilds is rarely a smart play, and inscho already noted that in color it isn't doing what he needs for Azorius itself.

Yes, gold cards are narrower than mono color. Yes, they should be powerful enough to warrant the hit to one's manabase consistency. Yes, it's usually not correct to splash just one gold card. (I don't think I've said anything to the contrary.)

My point was that, when one splashes with good mana for a true power outlier (such as SFM, such as T5feri), you're already adding the third color to your manabase. Assuming your mana is good (which is a function of cube composition and format speed and tempo, so I'm not saying this is universal), then it's not a big cost to include a colorless utility land in your deck. (That doesn't mean one should slippery-slope down to the Devil's manabase so one can "splash" a bunch of off-color one-drops or anything. I'm only talking about utility lands here.)

I would have to choose to draft it and play it in a deck that I'm splashing for another W or U card over drafting another fixing land that will help cast the actually important splash (like Stoneforge). Just doesn't add up for me. If I'm running a utility land, it's in the main color pair.

If you're taking one draft pick at a time, that's not true. Who's to say that the Haunt is dealt into the same pack as a fixing land, or that it doesn't wheel? Maybe I misunderstand.

 

[sigh]

If you're taking one draft pick at a time, that's not true. Who's to say that the Haunt is dealt into the same pack as a fixing land, or that it doesn't wheel? Maybe I misunderstand.

If I don't have the fixing I feel like I need, Haunt is not even making the radar as I evaluate draft picks. I'm certainly not adding to my problem by drafting another splash card that also negatively impacts the manabase I'm currently looking to improve by being a Wastes. Maybe third pack if fixing has worked out super well ahead of that.

Unless the pack Haunt is in is totally devoid of cards in my main colors, it's waaaay down my draft order. Even in the case that the fixing ends up decent. And in the case that "well, there's nothing better", the manabase has to work out more than decently before it doesn't just end up in the side.

If the main (important) splash is struggling a bit because mana didn't draft the desired way, a colorless land is not going to be helping that issue. Another plains would be higher on my include list in that situation.

So yeah, basically: In multiple ways I would have to pick it over it being a fixing land or even just a basic, and in many/most scenarios it just wouldn't make the cut.

 

[landofMordor]

If I don't have the fixing I feel like I need, Haunt is not even making the radar as I evaluate draft picks.

Draft is about speculation to me. If you told me there's a gold card that goes into 100% of the decks that can cast it, I'd gladly speculate on it even if I didn't have the fixing for it at that precise moment. Good utility lands are really good Magic cards, especially in Cube, and they typically have a high value of replacement.

Unless the pack Haunt is in is totally devoid of cards in my main colors, it's waaaay down my draft order.

For a pack1 pick1, sure! But I make 44 picks after that based on the context of what's come before, where my pick order changes rather drastically. Sometimes, I pick a less "powerful" card because my other options are marginal upgrades on a class of card I already have (e.g. marginally better removal). Other times, a less "powerful" card is just a safer pick, especially lands (not all UW decks are in the right strategy for Dovin's Acuity, but a land is something every non-Dredge strategy in Magic needs). A land will ultimately see more Cube maindeck play than a spell of the same color(s) for this reason.

Now, is a land "interesting" versus a traditional gold card? Maybe not to everybody, which is fine. Does a utility land require a good enough manabase to put its abilities on the stack? Yes, just like every other Magic card.

I would have to pick it over it being a fixing land or even just a basic

I still don't get this. A lot of cards fit this description. Shock isn't high on my pick order, nor does it help me with mana fixing, nor would I splash it unless I could reliably cast it.

Gotta be afk for awhile, but thanks for the discussion

 

[Brad]

Mordor, I wish you had a link in your sig. I suspect this comes down to flexibility/strength of mana base. Lots of fetches and duals? Add the Haunt! Lots of more tame land inclusions? It starts to look a bit difficult.

For me, looking at it as an "Esper" card, it's probably a bad fit. I think there's a real cost in my environment to running a colorless land in your 3C deck that I didn't consider. I'm not even sure I want to commit to any cards that are nonblack multicolor cards, anyways.

 

[landofMordor]

Mordor, I wish you had a link in your sig. I suspect this comes down to flexibility/strength of mana base. Lots of fetches and duals? Add the Haunt! Lots of more tame land inclusions? It starts to look a bit difficult.

Updated my signature, thanks for reminding me

 

[Brad]

Updated my signature, thanks for reminding me

Aaaaand there's the mana base I expected to see

 

[landofMordor]

Aaaaand there's the mana base I expected to see

Hey, I like casting my spells on curve -- sue me (;

 

[TrainmasterGT]

Hey, I like casting my spells on curve -- sue me (;

Ok Sabrina

Spoiler: Sue Me

 

[landofMordor]

wow, that is a lot that i did not expect at all

 

[blacksmithy]

better mana = better games

 

[sigh]

"Better" mana = totally apples to oranges discussion.

 

[TrainmasterGT]

"Better" mana = totally apples to oranges discussion.

Not to the part about the lawsuit

 

[Brad]

better mana = better games

 

[blacksmithy]

Looking for a good Rakdos creature for high power, NOT named Kroxa (might run Kroxa but just want more options).
i’ve got OG Grenzo now, but in testing last night he was one of the weakest creatures in my deck.

 

[TrainmasterGT]

Looking for a good Rakdos creature for high power, NOT named Kroxa (might run Kroxa but just want more options).
i’ve got OG Grenzo now, but in testing last night he was one of the weakest creatures in my deck.

If you support an aggro deck I'm partial to:

It's a nice little 1-drop that can be a great damage source in both aggressive Red and Black decks.

 

[blacksmithy]

i do not support straight up aggro but this guy does fill that role.
right now i’m looking pretty hard at Falkenrath Aristocrat and wishing Murderous Redcap cost 3 or something

 

[Erik Twice]

Looking for a good Rakdos creature for high power, NOT named Kroxa (might run Kroxa but just want more options).
i’ve got OG Grenzo now, but in testing last night he was one of the weakest creatures in my deck.

Judith, the Scourge Dive is fantastic. It's an anthem and a sacrifice payoff for three mana. I like her a lot.

Question: Is this good enough for my power level?



I need another piece of equipment for 1 or 2 and this is much more interesting than Vulshok Morningstar.

 

[blacksmithy]

i think this is equal to or sometimes better than Morningstar, just be aware there is a nasty floor. but if your environment has lots of gas in the tank it should be fine

 

[Jason Waddell]

i do not support straight up aggro but this guy does fill that role.
right now i’m looking pretty hard at Falkenrath Aristocrat and wishing Murderous Redcap cost 3 or something

I run both the cards you mention and have been very happy with the role they fill, but if I had to pick one for my cube I'd pick Falkenrath.

 

[Chris Taylor]

Judith is a nice synergy add, and Falkenrath Aristocrat is good but it's certainly high power.
I'm trying Immersturm Predator as a milder alternative.

Past that, I usually load up on Funch favorites like Kolaghan's Command, Dreadbore, Bedevil

For a darkhorse idea, I do love Angrath, the Flame-Chained for a more midrangey inclusion. Doesn't fit my themes, but I LOVE the card.

 

[Zoss]

Depending on what you're looking for, Orcus, Prince of Undeath from AFR might fit the bill. He's not quite as explosive as the Aristocrat, but has a lot of versatility if Rakdos decks ever go to 6. Sure, a 5/3 flampler for 4 isn't the best base rate, but that body will still end games and if you're spending any more you can likely get sweet value out of it.

 

[LadyMapi]

I'm looking for some dragons at roughly the following power level:



This is for my "everyone gets Revel in Riches for free" cube, so both of those dragons are a bit stronger than they normally are... but I'd still like some extra dragons, and Goldspan Dragon feels a little too strong in context.

 

[japahn]

How about gold dragons to entice people to crack those treasures?



(last is Tiamat, image not showing up yet)