Card/Deck Single Card Spotlight

FlowerSunRain

FlowerSunRain

Contributor
Not only that, it blocks 2/Xs and takes down X/2s, so the "Just overrun them" plan is pretty much out the window. It stays on the board, so you can't "avoid overextending" into it like you can Pyroclasm or Wrath effects. It also gives your burn game against X/4s and X/5s. The drawback is real, but so is the card advantage/reach it brings.
 
Lucre

Lucre

Triplicate spirits that costs 3WW is still probz a weak inclusion unless you're trying to really incentivize drafters right?

I was thinking about including trip spirits and screech as unlocked bonus cards for say raise the alarm or gather townsfolk but then I started wondering if triplicate spirits could make it in a stronger than pez environment and how to make it work without polluting your meta/draft dynamics.
 
japahn

japahn



Was great in UG Threshold (technically Invasion/Odyssey standard, but more like Odyssey standard since there were no maindeck Invasion block card).

I'm swapping Windfall for this, hopefully people (me included) will be less scared of running this one since it doesn't refuel your opponent too. I need graveyard enablers and this is pretty good. Could work as card draw for aggro/midrange decks casting this for X=3 to 5.

I also like how it is unique.
 
safra

safra

The coolest thing about Breakthrough (and the reason I know it, didn't play in I/O sadly) is casting it for X=0 in Dredge (each draw can be replaced by another dredge trigger, then you One with Nothing).

It's a really neat design.
 
RavebornMuse

RavebornMuse

This post may follow me into the grave, but how is

?
Has anyone seriously tried it? At what power level?

I have fond memories of my middleschool rat tribal deck that was so good it made my friends all quit playing (oops), and I loved Ravenous Rats in it. It seems like it could be okay fodder for a sac/reanimate game plan, but I've read it isn't even used often in Pauper cubes. Anyone have any opinions/experiences?
 
Aoret

Aoret

Developer
Diakonov said:
So how do people feel about Fleshcarver at this point? Lame?
Click to expand...
I'm okay with him. Something does feel subtly off, I'll admit. But I've never been able to figure out what. I've seen him be really good and I've also seen him be kinda slow and clunky and not really matter. Maybe the problem is that every black 3 drop is kind of just a dude that says "do stuff, also make a 2 power dude"?
 
ahadabans

ahadabans

I'm in the same boat with carver. He's off but not always gamebreakingly and he's a sac outlet so his usefulness overshadows my power concerns. For now. I'll go on record though saying I dislike the card. I think it's the unconditional nature of the 2 for 1. Splashable. No compromise you need to make and nothing but upside.
 
RavebornMuse

RavebornMuse

I still like Mr. Carver. No complaints over here. Compared to, say, Griffin Guide (which also puts 2 power on the board and 2 power when it leaves plus flying and potential heroic/prowess triggers), his power level seems perfectly fine, because he's often removed before he gets too big, and if he's not, well, your players need to learn to prioritize drafting removal and removing the right threats, right? :confused:
 
safra

safra

RavebornMuse said:
I still like Mr. Carver. No complaints over here. Compared to, say, Griffin Guide (which also puts 2 power on the board and 2 power when it leaves plus flying and potential heroic/prowess triggers), his power level seems perfectly fine, because he's often removed before he gets too big, and if he's not, well, your players need to learn to prioritize drafting removal and removing the right threats, right? :confused:
Click to expand...

did you just basically say 'Dies to Purge'?

Carver strikes me as having that Commander design thing where it's a little too pushed and a little too unambiguous, maybe I should put him back in though.
 
Aoret

Aoret

Developer
safra said:
Carver strikes me as having that Commander design thing
Click to expand...

for sure. but the activation cost is a real one and people feel pretty shitty when it gets pathed or magma sprayed. I'm usually okay with these "should I risk it?" type of cards. I think my least favorite thing about him is the Intimidate, not the BCS where he gets giant and comes back after getting killed.
 
RavebornMuse

RavebornMuse

safra said:
did you just basically say 'Dies to Purge'?

Carver strikes me as having that Commander design thing where it's a little too pushed and a little too unambiguous, maybe I should put him back in though.
Click to expand...

It was more of a 'dies to Magma Jet' statement but you've caught the gist of it yeah
I'll concede that the Intimidate is pretty good evasion but that's really the only thing that makes it feel too pushed to me, if you don't get to crank him up at least once he's essentially a better Xathrid Necromancer
 
ahadabans

ahadabans

RavebornMuse said:
he's essentially a better Xathrid Necromancer
Click to expand...


I think that is my issue with it. Xathrid Necromancer is good enough, we didn't need an evasive one that only has more upside. Really like there being a conditional nature to those types of cards. Griffin Guide is only a two for one if it makes it into play the first time (you need a creature and for it to not die with GG on the stack), and even in play you only get the 2 for 1 if you kill the creature (killing the guide is 1 for 1).

Reclamation Sage needs an artifact/enchantment to target. Even flametongue Kavu needs a dude to target or he hills himself. Flesh Carver? Nah. Run it in aggro, it's evasion and resilience. Run it in control, it's a great speed bump early. Run it in midrange, combos with lots of things and makes a scary threat when you do (twice). Basically, if you have a consistent source of black mana you can (and should) run carver. Cards like that irk me a little.
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

Administrator
Staff member
I think I like carver. A 2/2 almost undying is pretty weak for the cost, so you have to get an activation for it to be above the curve. The activation is very not free, and you can still wreck it with the various exile removal spells. Haven't seen it a lot yet though. Dom played it once against me and I just snap StP'd it.
 
Lucre

Lucre

RavebornMuse said:
This post may follow me into the grave, but how is

?
Has anyone seriously tried it? At what power level?

I have fond memories of my middleschool rat tribal deck that was so good it made my friends all quit playing (oops), and I loved Ravenous Rats in it. It seems like it could be okay fodder for a sac/reanimate game plan, but I've read it isn't even used often in Pauper cubes. Anyone have any opinions/experiences?
Click to expand...
Almost a staple back in 2004
Course cubes were bigger back then
 
ahadabans

ahadabans

It might be because I tend to run heavy graveyard themes, but non-targeted or non-random discard is often pretty bad. So Ravenous Rats is not doing enough for me. Now, if you want a similar effect, can I introduce you to Black Cat?

The lightbulb went off for me what I don't like about Flesh Carver. His sacrifice ability can be used at instant speed and it gives +2/+2. If it was sorcery speed or it gave just 1/+1 I think he would only be OK outside decks that abused the sacrifice. But this might be simply a difference in where we see "at curve" being. To me, a splashable 3 drop that makes two 2/2 bodies (one with evasion) already feels slightly above curve. But I understand there are now quite a few creatures that have lifted the bar on that somewhat so depending on your cube's composition carver's WCS may be on the wrong side of that bar.

Carver has never ruined a game over here, so IMO he is in no way broken. He just always seems like a lot of value for minimal investment during games. And I think it might be because getting additional board presence at no real cost is often more powerful than drawing a card (comparing carver to say Phyrexian Rager which is a borderline card for me). And I've never seen anyone really come out on the losing end of triggering his sacrifice ability. It is almost always used on a recurring creature or one that was going to die anyway, so you can't really respond to the sacrifice and "win" (even immediately killing carver still leaves the 2/2 and the sacrifice fodder is either coming back or was not relevant).
 
Aston

Aston

Flesh Carver seems good to me but has kind of a random mishmash of abilities. I guess that's thematically appropriate if he's supposed to be a frankenstein's monster kind of guy, though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top