Wildfire, a slow bomb-heavy cube, big sorcery-speed draw
If you're okay with custom cards I'm pretty stoked about the faster-yet-clearly-still-busted Izzet Pyrocrat, though I haven't gotten to test it yet.
Card/Deck Single Card Spotlight
- Thread starter Dom Harvey
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Wildfire, a slow bomb-heavy cube, big sorcery-speed draw
If you're okay with custom cards I'm pretty stoked about the faster-yet-clearly-still-busted Izzet Pyrocrat, though I haven't gotten to test it yet.
Interesting variation.
I tried your original version but only had to chain cascade once (ending with Ancestral Vision, gross) to want a different version. Maybe I jumped the gun a little but even a single cascade is good, let alone cascading 4>2>1 every turn. Also my roommate isn't super good with the stack and the order multiple cascade spells work was unintuitive. A very cool and fun card with the cleaner rules text though!
"Cascade into permanent" is my cleanest fix so far to the waterfall problem because a spell either has cascade or is a cascade target. I have yet to play with the Izzet Pyrocrat version but my hope is that it'll let people tutor for the lone artifact or enchantment in their deck, or promote some kinda hybrid value plan, but I don't know if it's an enchantress/artifacts card or a spells-matter one at this point.
e: VVV
can't believe I never thought of that wording! I'll try that if this is too weak.
Yeah I'm wondering if its good enough now. If it is it should be sweet. The other option is something like inst and sorcery spells cast from yoy r hand have cascade
Chris Taylor
Contributor
You could also go with "The first instant/sorcery" etc
This sounds way better. And there's a precedent.
Chris Taylor
Contributor
im sure thinking about it makes you feel clever but your drafters will hate staring at this dud.
I am waist-deep in trying to make Green better while also lowering my power level a notch, so..
How is this? It seems pretty fair to me, but is it good? Is it good enough to justify its cost? Is it too whatever?
How is this? It seems pretty fair to me, but is it good? Is it good enough to justify its cost? Is it too whatever?
The effect is powerful (great synergy with bouncelands if you run them). But it's card disadvantage.
So is your meta such that it is worth trading two cards in your hand to be one land ahead on the board early in the game? To some extent, this card functions a bit like Mox Diamond (without the graveyard synergy and universal fixing).
I think it's a good card but I generally prefer mana elves since they are more interactive (being creatures and all). If you want this effect, you have Oracle of Mul Daya which is probably a more interesting choice between the two.
So is your meta such that it is worth trading two cards in your hand to be one land ahead on the board early in the game? To some extent, this card functions a bit like Mox Diamond (without the graveyard synergy and universal fixing).
I think it's a good card but I generally prefer mana elves since they are more interactive (being creatures and all). If you want this effect, you have Oracle of Mul Daya which is probably a more interesting choice between the two.
Chris Taylor
Contributor
You need to be running a lot of lands for it to be good. like 19-20
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
t1: Savannah, Steppe Lynx
t2: Exploration, Windswept Heath for Forest, twice, Might of Old Krosa, Berserk.
Without Exploration you would be four (maybe even eight, depending on your opponent's t1 or t2 drop!) short in the above scenario!
yeah, but there's other ways that don't rely on running a ton of pump spells. Mox Diamond adds more explosive starts and resiliency, and only requiring one Berserk makes it easier to draw into the combo kill and doesn't dilute your deck as much. Heck, if we're talking dream scenarios let's go bant:
turn one you drop Strand>Tundra, Diamond(discarding Heath)>Exploration, uncracked Strand
and then you can just go from the 'huh, Loam looks pretty great here!' default reaction to the t2 kill when you topdeck Berserk. Berserk is nuts.
Does anyone really want T2 kills in their cube?
I do however agree with thinking of exploration more like fast mana (good in explosive aggro style decks) versus a way to ramp to 6+ lands quickly (which would require 19-20 lands in your deck and probably only goes in Wildfire/Molten Vortex builds). To be fair though, I have not extensively played with exploration so I could be off on how best to build around it.
I do however agree with thinking of exploration more like fast mana (good in explosive aggro style decks) versus a way to ramp to 6+ lands quickly (which would require 19-20 lands in your deck and probably only goes in Wildfire/Molten Vortex builds). To be fair though, I have not extensively played with exploration so I could be off on how best to build around it.
If the kill takes 7 cards to go off, I'm totally fine. It'll happen once with luck, and it'll be a good laugh.
I think Exploration is being underrated. On the play you'll have 4 lands vs an opponent's 1 land, no need for any landfall shenanigans.
If Exploration is too weak for you, try this
I think Exploration is being underrated. On the play you'll have 4 lands vs an opponent's 1 land, no need for any landfall shenanigans.
If Exploration is too weak for you, try this
If the kill takes 7 cards to go off, I'm totally fine. It'll happen once with luck, and it'll be a good laugh.
I think Exploration is being underrated. On the play you'll have 4 lands vs an opponent's 1 land, no need for any landfall shenanigans.
If Exploration is too weak for you, try this
It's cheaper, and I do appreciate the clownish wizard in the old art... But this intimidates me. Seems probably way too good, right? I mean, you'd just straight-up win with this in your opening hand, right?
Man, my card eval skills are garbage, I've been on hiatus too long..
Well, consider there is a cost associated with playing fastbound/exploration. It is costing you a card for the effect, so you are playing with 6 cards not 7. Also, each land you play is one less card that can be a spell. So the 4 land to 1 land on the play is certainly sweet, but it required you to have 4 lands in hand to do it. Even with the draw step, you only have 4 business spells (1 of which was exploration/fastbond), so really 3 business spells. two 2 drops and a 4 drop? That's certainly hitting the ground running, but you are now in top deck mode T3 forward. One sweeper or efficient blockers and you lose.
It's an explosive move, but it's far from steam rolling games in cube in my experience. Consider too that the power-max crowd generally doesn't run either card and I'd bet the feedback on both is that they don't do enough to justify a card outside some crazy combo deck (storm or whatever). Not saying you shouldn't run either card or consider them at least, but they are less broken than they appear IMHO.
It's an explosive move, but it's far from steam rolling games in cube in my experience. Consider too that the power-max crowd generally doesn't run either card and I'd bet the feedback on both is that they don't do enough to justify a card outside some crazy combo deck (storm or whatever). Not saying you shouldn't run either card or consider them at least, but they are less broken than they appear IMHO.
You need to ramp into some sort of card advantage. Fastbonding out a Jace or something is super powerful.
I've been running graveblade marauder a bit- he ends up being more of an aggro stonewall than anything else. People hate removing it because it isn't very threatening, but deathtouch that isn't likely dying is a real headache- see ophiomancer. Feels more like one of those control cards that other decks can run. Doesn't feel quite threatening enough when it makes its way into the graveyard decks- it's still a 1/4- but resolving early, then attacking for 5+ after the game stalls feels pretty good.
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
I hope everyone realizes I was just pulling your collective leg. This was not an example of an enjoyable Magic game.
