Card/Deck Low Power Card Spotlight

[Brad]

I always see people talk about Living Death like it's a sweet build-around, but it's a decent wrath that can insta-win the game.

I run a black-based graveyard-heavy cube and have never been interested in it.

Super high variance card, because sometimes your opponent might have shit you can't let them get back, too.

Overall, it's a pretty strong dislike for me.

 

[Rasmus Källqvist]

How unreasonable is this card? To me it seems like a sweet six drop. The body isn't that great

 

[Mondschwein]

I hate it. It's unconditional creature removal with incidental lifegain and a definitely strong 5/4 menace body for six mana. I'd personally say it's three mana plus one mana plus four mana = 8 mana worth an effect, but if you combine those effects they're usually worth even more. It is strong and it ruins games.

 

[Aston]

It's a bigger better Nekretaal but really, how interesting is Nekretaal? I think you can do better at 6 mana in black for a midrange/control finisher.

 

[ravnic]

If it doesn't have a turban, a weird beard or glowing scarabs coming out of his face, how is it better than Nekrataal?

 

[Alfonzo Bonzo]

How is this in low power spotlight?

 

[Rasmus Källqvist]

How is this in low power spotlight?

Wrong thread


I was looking for an overlap between my black reanimator theme and red goblin welder theme, and a big black artifact fattie seemed like it could fit the bill. Might be that this card is just stupid good though.

 

[sigh]

I personally like it. Especially because it does cross over between those two themes so well. I also appreciate the simplicity of the design. Yeah it's only ""big Nekrataal"" but I guess I don't really need it to be fancier than that?

 

[Mondschwein]

For lower power, you could try this

 

[Rasmus Källqvist]

I personally like it. Especially because it does cross over between those two themes so well. I also appreciate the simplicity of the design. Yeah it's only ""big Nekrataal"" but I guess I don't really need it to be fancier than that?

My cube rebuild is actually a little higher in power now so I wouldn't mind trying it out.

For lower power, you could try this

If I want a sort of "RB Welder/Reanimator" subtheme, why not just run both of these dumb robots?

 

[Dom Harvey]

It's not very interesting but I played it because black didn't have a lot of finishers that were strong but not Grave Titan strong, and I wanted more Welder etc targets. It's good for what it is but that might not be what you want.

 

[inscho]

I've run the black gearhulk at several different times for the same welder reasons. Ultimately cutting it each time for being too clearly a first pick in my format, which I don't find desirable for a vanilla ETB creature. I like the card a lot, but it's proven to be a little too good in my environment.

I run these instead:


Which are far more reasonable in power. To incentivize the black artifact slant I went with Marionette Master as a way more interesting p1p1 for the archetype. You don't need much to signal this as a rakdos archetype as the presence of a couple reanimation spells and something like Executioner's Capsule naturally pair with Goblin Welder/Feldon of the Third Path/Daretti, Scrap Savant.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

I've run the black gearhulk at several different times for the same welder reasons. Ultimately cutting it each time for being too clearly a first pick in my format, which I don't find desirable for a vanilla ETB creature. I like the card a lot, but it's proven to be a little too good in my environment.

Same, except I don't run Welder. It's just such an easy p1p1, and it is definitely exactly the card a black-based control deck wants to pick up, because it does everything. Kill a creature? Check! Gain life? Check! Leave behind a big body that kills in a few turns after you've established board domination? Check! Synergizes a little bit too well with a bunch of other cards? Check! I actually think it would be more palatable if it wasn't an artifact.

 

[inscho]

I've enjoyed Tombstalker as a black control finisher that also has some applications in dredge and stax/wildfire strategies.

Overseer of the Damned is a less powerful option as well

 

[Chris Taylor]

Maybe this is just me, but isn't Tombstalker like...a 4 drop?

 

[ravnic]

An actual low-power 6-drop control finisher I like:

 

[Erik Twice]

Isn't Scuttling Doom Engine kind of dumb? As in, doesn't it just win games because they can't answer it without dying? Or because you Welder it for another 6 points of damage after a swing.

 

[japahn]

That sounds more like Ruric Thar, the Unbowed. Scuttling Doom Engine's death trigger does win the game sometimes, but hey, games need to end. A 6-drop dealing 6 damage without advancing board state more is reasonable. Many answers deal with it circumventing the damage - counterspells, bounce, exile, chump with 3+ power creatures, tap, pacifisms, -power.

 

[Erik Twice]

Scuttling Doom Engine's death trigger does win the game sometimes, but hey, games need to end.

This offends my durdling sensibilities.

 

[Erik Twice]

Ok, since we are talking about durdling, let's talk about a card that is neither high nor low in power, but simply...interesting:



(Spoiler: I really like this card, even if people play it in the wrong decks)

 

[ravnic]

My cube sometimes produces really long games already, so I'm super not interested to turn those into like 3-hour-games.

 

[Chris Taylor]

Ok, since we are talking about durdling, let's talk about a card that is neither high nor low in power, but simply...interesting:



(Spoiler: I really like this card, even if people play it in the wrong decks)

Not decking is great, straight lifegain is not. Card's miserable.
Try this:

 

[shamizy]

Durdling just for the sake of durdling is not really my jam when it comes to cube since you're just holding up the next round from progressing. I'd much rather have cards that actively push the game towards a conclusion than prolong it too far. Semi-durdly engines are fine as long as they're progressing the game state further, Elixir is definitely on the wrong side of that paradigm.

 

[TrainmasterGT]

This card seems interesting in a bounceland format with creature lands. It is able to make your bounce lands better, while shutting down opposing threats.

I don't think this card is good, but being a cantrip in red that also can help ramp that also can be good against control and fetches seems like it might be interesting.

 

[TrainmasterGT]

Any thoughts on this guy? He looks like a fun reanimator target that dredge decks can also just hardcast. He also has surprisingly relevant creature types.