Card/Deck Low Power Card Spotlight

[sigh]

Basically what Dom said. The mana cost in addition to the discarding kills it for me. Speaking of "lower powered" recursion in blue, I'm slowly realizing that this little gem is actually not nearly as much of a whiff as I thought (and yes I know other people might have realized this beforehand somewhere else in this forum):

This seems especially true for me as I start to fully realize that my particular format is lower-powered than I thought at first.

EDIT: Though it still looks a little silly next to Snapcaster mage. But that's ok. Snappy was a little bit too pushed, if you know what I mean, and he still scales with format power. Archaeomancer also allows you to split up the cost, which is nice for something like Planar Outburst that you might not have enough to snap-use, but can recur after a duress, and cast on curve next turn.

 

[Rasmus Källqvist]

Not to mention the fact that it can form a little combo deck with blink effects.

 

[ahadabans]

Anyone besides Grillo run Tibor and Lumia? Seems really interesting to build around.

 

[japahn]

Regrowthing spells always feels good. Think this is playable?

 

[Alphez]

Looking for answers to artifacts that won't wheel all the time and rot in sideboards. Specifically, I have one slot to fill in monored.
I shortly considered Structural Distortion, but I'm about to discard it. Because really, that's the quintessential wheel-and-rot-in-sideboard card.
The next best thing I could come up with is...



Thoughts? It's not the best card out there, but it's versatile enough to be maindecked in a number of decks. It's also nice that it's a kill spell with no restrictions in red.
My other option would be Starke of Rath, but I'm afraid it would be even narrower, being relegated to Aristocrats-esque decks only.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Looking for answers to artifacts that won't wheel all the time and rot in sideboards. Specifically, I have one slot to fill in monored.
I shortly considered Structural Distortion, but I'm about to discard it. Because really, that's the quintessential wheel-and-rot-in-sideboard card.
The next best thing I could come up with is...



Thoughts? It's not the best card out there, but it's versatile enough to be maindecked in a number of decks. It's also nice that it's a kill spell with no restrictions in red.
My other option would be Starke of Rath, but I'm afraid it would be even narrower, being relegated to Aristocrats-esque decks only.

Do you use customs?

Otherwise these might be interesting:



The charm has essentially two modes, but they are both conditionally great, plus it's strictly better than Shatter

 

[Alphez]

Do you use customs?

Otherwise these might be interesting:



The charm has essentially two modes, but they are both conditionally great, plus it's strictly better than Shatter

No customs.
I already run, and totally love, Fiery Confluence. Such a cool card.
I actually had Charm in my list for a wee bit, but I cut it before it could see play. I mean, it's a decent combat trick, but Cube decklists are always so tight, I can't imagine the Charm ever making the final 40.
Viashino is mostly a SB card, I think, so it's not really what I'm looking for. If it had different stats, maybe...

I'll give a bit more context to what my needs are, for the sake of clarity.
Pod has been quite prominent lately in my environment. I recently added a Goblin Welder / Daretti, Scrap Savant archetype as well. I want my players to have some tools to combat these decks G1, in order to keep the metagame balanced. That's why I'm looking for artifact removal that could be maindeckable without being dead vs. 5 opponents out of 7

 

[Onderzeeboot]

No customs.
I already run, and totally love, Fiery Confluence. Such a cool card.
I actually had Charm in my list for a wee bit, but I cut it before it could see play. I mean, it's a decent combat trick, but Cube decklists are always so tight, I can't imagine the Charm ever making the final 40.
Viashino is mostly a SB card, I think, so it's not really what I'm looking for. If it had different stats, maybe...

I'll give a bit more context to what my needs are, for the sake of clarity.
Pod has been quite prominent lately in my environment. I recently added a Goblin Welder / Daretti, Scrap Savant archetype as well. I want my players to have some tools to combat these decks G1, in order to keep the metagame balanced. That's why I'm looking for artifact removal that could be maindeckable without being dead vs. 5 opponents out of 7

Well, there's a reason cubes still run Manic Vandal. It's one of the few decent options available.

 

[Alfonzo Bonzo]

This looks a bit of do-nothing, but that death trigger is pretty powerful, and the activated ability might be useful. Anybody been tempted to try it? I prefer catacomb sifter but this has more applications for more decks (well, sacrifice and perhaps control decks I guess).

 

[Rasmus Källqvist]

Looking for answers to artifacts that won't wheel all the time and rot in sideboards. Specifically, I have one slot to fill in monored.
I shortly considered Structural Distortion, but I'm about to discard it. Because really, that's the quintessential wheel-and-rot-in-sideboard card.
The next best thing I could come up with is...



Thoughts?

Man for a second I really thought it was "do thing, deal 3 damage to your opponent"

 

[MDT12]

This looks a bit of do-nothing, but that death trigger is pretty powerful, and the activated ability might be useful. Anybody been tempted to try it? I prefer catacomb sifter but this has more applications for more decks (well, sacrifice and perhaps control decks I guess).

I would probably prefer Vampiric Rites if you are going for a sacrifice theme.

 

[RavebornMuse]

shadows of the past

This looks a bit of do-nothing, but that death trigger is pretty powerful, and the activated ability might be useful. Anybody been tempted to try it? I prefer catacomb sifter but this has more applications for more decks (well, sacrifice and perhaps control decks I guess).

I think it looks pretty good, and gets a lot more attractive if you stay light on the 1cmc cantrips. I won a few games off the back of this in retail, though, and that was pretty sweet; it's on my radar but I'm not low power enough yet for it.

 

[whydirt]

Shadows of the Past was a great control finisher when I played Duels after it first launched. It's hard to remove and provides stability and inevitability if the game goes long enough without feeling overpowering.

 

[whydirt]

I've got a backlog of cards I want to talk about, so I'm going to try to post one a day until I get through them all. To start:



Certainly not a pushed card, but I'm wanting to test it as an engine card in an aristocrats-style value deck or as a way to maintain gas in a weenie deck. Plus the RKF art is great!

 

[Chris Taylor]

I've got a backlog of cards I want to talk about, so I'm going to try to post one a day until I get through them all. To start:



Certainly not a pushed card, but I'm wanting to test it as an engine card in an aristocrats-style value deck or as a way to maintain gas in a weenie deck. Plus the RKF art is great!

I ran it at 1WW and it was okay, but mostly really swingy. It either made the game unwinnable for your opponent or did nothing for you while you died.
I will mention the difference between this and Golgari Germination is huge.

 

[FlowerSunRain]

Abzan Ascendancy is the pushed version of this card, but, yeah, 3 colors. In spite of that, I'd run it over field of souls. Field of souls did basically nothing for me, even if RKF is OP. Amping your 1 and 2 drop is huge (see travel preparations).

 

[RavebornMuse]

I feel like Ulvenwald Mysteries is probably just better. The lack of flying is really a huge upside, I think, because it means that the game isn't unwinnable in the sky for Villain, while paying 1 less mana, and 1 less coloured mana especially, makes it come down at a better time (potentially pre-board wipe!), to say nothing of the value of drawing cards while crapping tokens out.

 

[FlowerSunRain]

Anyone playing Mysteries?

Also that investigate one drop was seeing play in standard, is there anything to that? Thraben Inspector

 

[sigh]

Mysteries is playable in standard, I know for a fact. It grinds out so much value against removal-heavy decks. Also clues from Mysteries trigger Tireless Tracker and visa versa.

The drawing card part of the grind is the real value.

 

[Alfonzo Bonzo]

Anyone playing Mysteries?

Also that investigate one drop was seeing play in standard, is there anything to that? Thraben Inspector

Love this. Sac fodder, bounce and blink, anti aggro chump, incidental artifact support. So cool.

 

[whydirt]

Thoughts on this as a delve-like payoff card for self-mill? It's a powerful, repeatable effect, but requiring a 1/1 to live through a multiple turns seems like it should keep it from getting out of hand.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Thoughts on this as a delve-like payoff card for self-mill? It's a powerful, repeatable effect, but requiring a 1/1 to live through a multiple turns seems like it should keep it from getting out of hand.

A four mana 1/1 at that! Wouldn't you rather play Guul Draz Assassin if you're in the market for this effect?

 

[Chris Taylor]

Love this. Sac fodder, bounce and blink, anti aggro chump, incidental artifact support. So cool.

This might not even need to be in the low power thread. I'm running a nearly identical custom (w sorcery, make a thopter, investigate), and even in my evniornment full of 2/1s as far as the eye can see, you've still got time to pop this and be happy about it.

Investigate might just be a big enough hit across all power levels.

 

[genericco]

Yeah, considering how high wall of Omens gets picked she seems totally playable in cube. Also get the human tribal and incidental artifact synergy

 

[Chris Taylor]

Oh yeah, to return this fine woman with ninja of the deep hours