Card/Deck Single Card Spotlight
- Thread starter Dom Harvey
- Start date
I feel like it's a card that could be exactly the right red 4 for a certain environment.
An environment where you can't kill a 4-drop for less than 2 mana, an environment where there are plentiful graveyard synergies...
It is an interesting card with a lot of play to it, and it could be a tool you'd use as part of an overall push to move red towards synergistic Jund-esque midrange, if you were wanting a non-traditional red section.
But red has plenty of other interesting four drops that I feel are much easier to get value from in more cube decks. AvDrag has to compete with:
And that's not counting the boring-but-really-good red 4's like FTK and Hellrider.
An environment where you can't kill a 4-drop for less than 2 mana, an environment where there are plentiful graveyard synergies...
It is an interesting card with a lot of play to it, and it could be a tool you'd use as part of an overall push to move red towards synergistic Jund-esque midrange, if you were wanting a non-traditional red section.
But red has plenty of other interesting four drops that I feel are much easier to get value from in more cube decks. AvDrag has to compete with:
And that's not counting the boring-but-really-good red 4's like FTK and Hellrider.
I was pretty hot on it honestly when I first saw it but.. its probably best as a red aggressive topper but then red has way better red toppers and I'd rather have stuff slower decks can play.
Avaricious Dragon is one of those cards you giggle about putting into your deck, grin when you draw a bunch of cards off of it, and shrug and smirk when it dies as soon as you pitch cards in-hand. It's the sort of "this isn't necessarily the best, but it's fun" kind of card that we enjoy, but the risk is definitely high that you'll play it, discard a playable, and eat removal. It's unique in that it is both a curve topper and is bad for midrange durdle, which I really like, because you need an aggressive curve to really take advantage of it. 90% of cards that cost 4+ mana in cube fit easily into midrange/slow decks, so I don't see the issue in giving an amusing toy to aggro here, but the "fun factor" definitely decreases if your players are frumpy Spikes who are thirsting for Hero of Oxid Ridge (to each their own).
Not to muddy the waters even more, but another 4 drop guys should really be trying out is Outpost Siege. I like it better than Purphoros, which sounds like blasphemy but seriously that card is the stone cold nuts. Run it in any Rx sacrifice style deck and it's just absurd (pair it with bombardment). And what pushes it over the edge is that it can double as a CA engine when the game does not go your way and you just need some way to get ongoing gas. Unlike the other siege's, both modes on this card go in the same deck making it incredibly versatile.
+1 for Outpost Siege. It does what I wanted out of Purphoros and the 2nd mode is fantastic when you can't abuse the ping ability. I use it in every red-based EDH deck I have, highly recommend it in Cube if you aren't already running it. It's always nice to find options in other card types for colors that don't really focus on them, good red enchantments not named Goblin Bombardment and not evil like Sulfuric Vortex are hard to find.
FlowerSunRain
Contributor
Outpost Siege is great. The synergy with dash has already been relevant in my cube. Just an overall good card.
The dragon seems fine, but if I'm going for a relatively high power environment, its a pass. If you slow down both ends of the cube a touch, its sweet.
The dragon seems fine, but if I'm going for a relatively high power environment, its a pass. If you slow down both ends of the cube a touch, its sweet.
Chris Taylor
Contributor
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Tried it, didn't pan out. It should be possible, and it'a mean CA machine, but it's hard to break the symmetry. If it was
or a creature itself I'ld be all over it probably.
I got bodied by this in an Esper Delver list. To my surprise it was very playable in a non-pod list.
Laz
Developer
It often surprises me how many creatures some Esper lists can pack. Almost all of the very good Opposition lists that have come out of my cube have been Esper coloured, and there are a few incentives in those colours to have a yard packed with creatures (e.g. Graveblade Marauder, Hallowed Spiritkeeper).
Tried it, didn't pan out. It should be possible, and it'a mean CA machine, but it's hard to break the symmetry. If it was
So if it was Grim Haruspex?
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
If Haruspex triggered on its own death, yes.
Demise continues to be the best, yes
And I will take all the credit for giving u all that gift
yw
And I will take all the credit for giving u all that gift
yw
CML
Contributor
i dont care for it
feels like stubborn denial, the efficient answer that costs 1 on turn 5
Aoret
Developer
The big difference is creatures are always gonna be relevant and need answering; denial often runs into that "damn I needed that sooner" issue. Check the toughness ranges in your cube, but for me, getting enough cards in the yard to meet the condition is easy and requires less set-up than Tragic Slip, which is another popular 1cmc answer (I enjoy both). Unless your cube has a lot of cheaty bullshit (which is fine if it does, not judging), Demise will tend to scale effectively with the game, and I am all about sweet bargain plays.
That actually looks kind of fun, and ties blue into B/R sacrifice decks! I'm not sure how often it'd get picked, but it's an interesting option.
Chris Taylor
Contributor
I thought it was blue persist grim haruspex, but then I read it again
...Oops. So did I.I thought it was blue persist grim haruspex, but then I read it again
How do I make this card worth playing? Rebuying a fetch or two really isn't something I think is something someone in my cube should spend two mana for.