That is the same thing that Wildfire is looking to do in a wildfire "aggro" deck. I think people get way too easily caught up on the word aggro, like it always means "sligh". It's a fast-game deck. Beat down deck. What will you. The wildfire should have the same effect of locking the game up.
Card/Deck Single Card Spotlight
- Thread starter Dom Harvey
- Start date
You really have to warp your environment around enchantress cards for them to work. I had a larger-than-average enchantment section in my cube, plus about 3 or 4 of the draw a card enchantresses, and the deck just never came together, and they were pretty underwhelming when they did. I'm low on her, unfortunately 
I run Replenish, but more as a Breath of Life for Enchantments.
The basic package is:
Argothian is a little too narrow in my experience...a cube would need to be specially tailored for her. Eidolon of Blossoms would be a less restrictive alternative as it provides value on its own.
The basic package is:
Argothian is a little too narrow in my experience...a cube would need to be specially tailored for her. Eidolon of Blossoms would be a less restrictive alternative as it provides value on its own.
Is this guy worth the headache involved with trying to understand Haunt?
Is this guy worth the headache involved with trying to understand Haunt?
I've had some trouble playing with Haunt myself (it's understandably a lot of text on that card dedicated to a single mechanic -- 8 lines!) I love Pontiff as a concept, but Haunt is just awkward with it's "double-faced" play.
I feel there's a more user-friendly approach out there as a custom card, maybe as an aura enchantment creature, bestow-esque in nature! Perhaps a flip card concept could work? Maybe Zealous Persecution does enough of the effect you're going for?
Dom Harvey
Contributor
I like the tricky stuff with Pontiff enough to choose it over ZP or similar options. I see Cube as one of the few formats where even more casual players can enjoy a higher level of complexity and - despite the awkward wording - I think Haunt is intuitive once you see it in practice
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
We used to put the haunt card under the haunted creature as if it were an enchantment, and that was intuitive enough for us to never have any problems with it.
Dom Harvey
Contributor
This could be a really cool build-around, but the cards it works best with are colour hosers that typically aren't strong or desirable in Cube. Has anyone put it to good use?
Is this card just crap?
This could be a really cool build-around, but the cards it works best with are colour hosers that typically aren't strong or desirable in Cube. Has anyone put it to good use?
Didn't someone make a colour cube at some point, with all that weird stuff?
Old-Growth Dryads was the card I was happiest to see in Ixalan draft. On the other side of the table. Ramping and fixing your opponent is pretty bad on the play and terrible on the draw. It's much worse than Rogue Elephant.
Is this card just crap?
Yes.
This could be a really cool build-around, but the cards it works best with are colour hosers that typically aren't strong or desirable in Cube. Has anyone put it to good use?
I believe Jonas is referring to Laz's Scuttle cube. Which, doesn't use the painter's servant. I decided to search for the card on cubetutor, and people seem to just be using it in combo cubes to partner with grindstone. There was a couple of 'colours matter' cubes that have gone by the wayside, but they look sort of cool: Domain Cube and Racist Cube.
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
So, I've been running this card for a long, long time, and it's good! Is it fun though?
Chris Taylor
Contributor
imho, I really dislike it. Pushing spell-oriented decks is usually really hard with the quality of creatures these days; punishing what is often the loosest decks in your cube for advancing their gameplan seems like a mistake. I get that in theory it's a way to punish control decks, but I think it seems like a rather on-the-nose removal check. I guess it probably feels a lot cooler than it looks if your format is strong enough, but it's not really something that I find very appealing, personally, because I love spell-heavy decks, which were a top reason for powering down my list.
Dom Harvey
Contributor
If it's drafted I can guarantee the Ruric Thar player will forget they have to attack and their opponent will forget it has reach at least once
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Yeah, that basically confirms my suspicions. Thanks everyone for the input!
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Next one! At the recommendation of you all know who I put in Oketra's Monument, and it's a really fun card that really fuels the {b/w} sacrifice deck very well. However, I already ran a card, that might be just nonsense with this card. What do you think of this two card combo?
It seemed pretty uninteractive to me when I tested it...
It seemed pretty uninteractive to me when I tested it...
this is the type of "combo" I like. It's not infinite, but it gives a white deck something powerful and "above the curve" to be doing. It's not like white is usually dominating cube formats anyways (at least not that I usually see). I'm adding the Monument when I finally get around to messing with my paper cube again.
It seems uninteractive because it is uninteractive; you can only interrupt it with instant-speed removal or sorcery-speed artifact removal on the following turn. If you like that sort of combo in your cube and you have the means to contain it, then including it or not is up to you and your group's preferences; some playgroups will like that sort of uninteractive combo element, whereas others won't. Personally, I like an element of combo to a list, but this is the sort of combo that seems a bit one-dimensional to me; I prefer a reanimate or a sneak n show archetype approach for combo, where you have to have more going into it but also get a bigger payoff when it isn't impeded. But that's just me; what really matters here is the preference of you & your group!
I agree with raveborn that this is the type of combo I don’t really like. It’s the reason I cut the future sight + sensei’s divining top combo from my cube. It doesn’t have the flashy excitement of other combos, and it just repetitive and boring to play with and against. It’s not that unlike Capsize and Sprout Swarm in mechanics...sky fisher monument is more disruptable, but also comes online earlier. Compare it to a reveillark + karmic guide combo...also boring, but requires at least 3-4 pieces to assemble the combo, and when you do, you’ve just unlocked a win in that turn.
My general rule of thumb (that I’ve never written down, and is subject to revision):
1) combos involving repetitive/infinite loops need to be 3+ cards, and win the game.
2) one shot plays (sneak attack, show and tell, tinker), need to be strong enough to be worth drafting, not so strong to just end the game on the spot, and has to be somewhat interactive. For instance, I run artisan of kozliek over kozilek, butcher of truth and myr battlesphere over inkwell leviathan.
My general rule of thumb (that I’ve never written down, and is subject to revision):
1) combos involving repetitive/infinite loops need to be 3+ cards, and win the game.
2) one shot plays (sneak attack, show and tell, tinker), need to be strong enough to be worth drafting, not so strong to just end the game on the spot, and has to be somewhat interactive. For instance, I run artisan of kozliek over kozilek, butcher of truth and myr battlesphere over inkwell leviathan.
exactly why this sort of reaction can really only be group specific. We think this sorta thing is the bees knees, one guy had a budget EDH deck with a variety of this exact sort of interactions in it.
I'd say that the culprit here shouldn't be monument, if you really want it. Monument is a sweet card in it's own right.
I'd say that the culprit here shouldn't be monument, if you really want it. Monument is a sweet card in it's own right.