Card/Deck Low Power Card Spotlight

Grillo_Parlante

Grillo_Parlante

Contributor
I think you laid out the factors pretty well. At the end of the day its still too conditional of an include for me to run. The problem is the rest of my removal suite is much more efficient than that, making it an awkward include.

This is kind of a similar card that passes muster for me:

 
sigh

sigh

I love me some mangara. Can be tinkered with with stuff like momentary blink.
What do we think of this little dood? Interesting counterplay on pitches-to-force themes, and seems interesting in a grindy, attrition sort of build?
 
Ferritovore

Ferritovore

The art for thrull parasite is pretty sweet imo. I can't really say why, though. Maybe because it feels different and more interesting than the typical "picture of some dude suffering" that Mind Rot and the like tend to have? But it's pretty much yet another picture of some dude suffering. Idk.
 
Grillo_Parlante

Grillo_Parlante

Contributor
I think I wish it was 1/2 or didn't tap :/

Extort is a very grindy mechanic, that wants to entrench its board. A 1/1 body seems like it fits awkwardly into both a defensive deck that wants to lay a long game, or an aggressive deck that wants to disrupts counter based strategies.

If your mana can handle it, I would rather run vampire hexmage, whose first strike gives it some defensive applications, but the 2/1 stats means it can fit an aggressive role as well.
 
Chriskool

Chriskool

sigh said:
I love me some mangara. Can be tinkered with with stuff like momentary blink.
What do we think of this little dood? Interesting counterplay on pitches-to-force themes, and seems interesting in a grindy, attrition sort of build?
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I tried it and was not impressed. Would rather play Basilica Screecher for an extortion machine or the Vampire hexmage for reasons grillo mentioned. Though, Thrull Parasite might be okay in a format with a lot of bestow/equipment/bloodthirst, where its quick board presence can be improved upon, and with lower base power, like original Mirrodin, where the 1 power can hold off a nonzero amout of creatures in each deck.

Edited for clarity on Mirrodin remark.
 
Onderzeeboot

Onderzeeboot

Ecstatic Orb


Kinda doing the Thrull Parasite impression, but can remove multiple counters at once? Can't imagine it's very good though :(
 
whydirt

whydirt

That seems good with Sprinting Warbrute! Seven damage to the dome or an Abyss plus 2 damage each turn isn't something to sneeze at.

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A potential Johnny build-around and maybe a fun way to get some burst damage in decks that have both going wide and tall elements. A Magical Christmas Land of this plus both castings of Reckless Charge definitely gets my motor running.

How many bloodthirst creatures does it take to make Goblin Fireslinger, Triton Shorestalker, or Tormented Soul worthwhile as enablers? The latter two pitch-to-force for Ninjitsu (in the right colors even!) as well.
 
Chriskool

Chriskool

Ferritovore said:


It's one of those Dragonmaster Outcast / Scute Mob sort of cards. Has anyone cubed those kinds of cards? If so how'd it go?
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Look at a cube where you think this might see play and filter by power 5+. Whenever I've tried one of these cards in a lower power environment, it ended in the sideboards of even my own RGx decks. Ferocious and cards like Elemental Bond or Triumph of Ferocity seem much easier to trigger, but they haven't been stellar either. I suppose that this card may be interesting in a morph cube using Khans of Tarkir morph cost rules (where it could aim to play the 5CMC+ creatures unmorphed starting on turn 4), or in a cube with pre-NWO creatures (where 1 power has a chance to trade in combat and amassing critical damage is a slower process).
 
whydirt

whydirt

I think shifting ramp back a turn generally is probably more important (i.e. no 1-drop dorks for green, few, if any 2-drop mana rocks) to be cubed. You're right that 5 power is particularly tough to hit unless you really push a big, dumb dinos theme in red/green. In an alternate universe where it triggers on 4 power for 1 damage, it's probably more playable if a bit less interesting.

I'm currently running Generator Servant and Soulbright Flamekin as my ways for red to ramp into big beefy dudes.
 
Eric Chan

Eric Chan

Hyalopterous Lemure
Staff member
"power X or greater" has been anywhere from mediocre to an outright failure every time they've done it, whether X=3, 4, or 5. not sure why they keep returning to this well, when it's both unpopular and not particularly fun :(
 
whydirt

whydirt

I think it's probably due to being such a "win-more" threshold. If you have a big dude alive on the battlefield, things are likely at least neutral if not good for you. "Toughness matters" as a theme is at least more interesting in that can give what would otherwise be a defensive strategy an aggressive edge.
 
Ferritovore

Ferritovore

Good info folks, and thanks! What about other one drops that depend on late-game-state cards, like the aforementioned outcast and scute?
 
whydirt

whydirt

I personally wouldn't consider any of those low power, but they're all obviously good aggressive cards and are at least slightly more interesting than Isamaru. Did you have a specific thought about them you wanted to discuss?
 
Alfonzo Bonzo

Alfonzo Bonzo

I've been thinking about



There seems to have been quite a lot of love for jori en, ruin diver, but not a lot of mention of the assault. It doesn't necessarily need particular support for it to be playable, though I'm posting it in the lower power threat for a reason I guess. It fits in quite well with what you want to be doing a lot of the time anyway, developing mana and drawing cards, but could lead to some interesting sequencing decisions.

It ties in quite nicely with cards that trigger when you play spells, either any spells (managorger hydra), instants and sorceries (guttersnipe) or non-creature spells (abbot of keral keep, jhessian thief).

Of course there's cantrips and impulse like effects, but also overlaps with flashback, tutors, regrowths and rebound. Seems like it might be a too expensive/do nothing for aggro, but I guess it depends on how fast your format is and if you have a strong spells matter theme or not. But would be probably be good in midrange and control?
 
Onderzeeboot

Onderzeeboot

Ecstatic Orb
Alfonzo Bonzo said:
I've been thinking about pyromancer's assault
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So, how often do you need to trigger this for it to make you feel like you got a good deal out of this, keeping in mind that this can never deal 4 in a turn (though it certainly can "grow" a simple Lightning Strike to more impressive numbers). Is two times enough? Three certainly is. How often are you going to trigger this, since this is a four drop? I certainly like the effect, so I'ld be curious to hear your experiences. I like that it encourages you to keep that Brainstorm in your hand until after you cast this, because it's almost always wrong to cast Brainstorm at the earliest opportunity, and this card teaches you that.
 
whydirt

whydirt

It's cute with Shrieking Drake / Dream Stalker, but I'm not sure the payoff is there unless you're really pushing a surge deck with lots of enablers. Four mana is a lot for something with a delayed and conditional payoff, even in a low power environment. If it were a three drop and you could go 2x two-drops and get a free shock, I might be more interested.

I'd look at these if you want to go deep on spell velocity in red:

 
Alfonzo Bonzo

Alfonzo Bonzo

I forgot to mention suspend as well to aid with sequencing. Does anybody still play rift bolt?

Re shrieking drake, kor skyfisher is a better option here. Also cute combos with cloudstone curio.
 
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