Card/Deck Single Card Spotlight

vs

Not too similar cards. Which one do you prefer and why?

I run them both, view Giant Killer as more a removal spell than creature when it comes to evaluation. For aggressive decks you want a critical mass of creatures that can apply pressure before the opponent stabilizes with a 3 or 4 drop and Officer lets you get under while also providing flood insurance in the later game. If I had to go with one I'd probably lean towards Officer because W/x Aggro can always use more 2/1s with upside.
 
Let's talk about an odd card.



This is a unique, interesting effect and it comes with a 1/3 two mana body. The "digital" aspect can be solved by using a token or whatever. What comes to mind when you see this effect? How would you use it?
 
Let's talk about an odd card.



This is a unique, interesting effect and it comes with a 1/3 two mana body. The "digital" aspect can be solved by using a token or whatever. What comes to mind when you see this effect? How would you use it?
Since you now care for the creature only for its text box, toolbox decks or the creatures that would be good in blink decks (ETBs and such) are what first come to mind. There's the incidental artifact synergy too. I guess a deck centered around this card would like to have a lot of self-mill and creatures with good ETBs or activated abilities, which I think would be good but not overpowered because you still need to protect this creature, can only get one card per untap and still have to pay for the thing from the graveyard.

I'm not sure how it would play out. If you want to use tokens instead of the card as printed I think you would need to make a custom. The "perpetually becomes an artifact" things means the thing you cast from the graveyard keeps being a card, goes to the corresponding zone when leaving the battlefield and keeps being an artifact and not being a creature for the rest of the game, even if it goes to the graveyard again, your hand or your library. Cardboard Magic avoids this for the reason damage is cleaned at the end of turn and most effects last only for the remaining of the turn: to avoid having too much state changes to remember and keep track of. But this one seems easy to track with a sticker or something like that, if you are okay with it.

When going with the card as printed, can you cast that card as many times as you want that turn, for example by sacrificing and recasting it multiple times? Or does the effect "forget" the target card because when it enters the batlefield it stops being a card and is instead a permanent? I'm not sure of the rules about this. It would be cool to be able to do this.
 

Onderzeeboot

Ecstatic Orb
I mean, cards like Chainer, Dementia Master and Ever After exist, so changing the characteristics of something after reanimating isn't out of the picture for paper Magic. If you're going to proxy it anyway, I would probably just tweak the wording a bit so it better works in paper. Who cares if it's an artifact perpetually, just for as long as it is on the battlefield is enough most of the time.

"{T}: Choose target creature card in your graveyard. You may cast that card this turn. If you do, it's an artifact. (You still pay its costs. Timing rules still apply. It loses all other card types.)"

Something like that?
 
When going with the card as printed, can you cast that card as many times as you want that turn, for example by sacrificing and recasting it multiple times? Or does the effect "forget" the target card because when it enters the batlefield it stops being a card and is instead a permanent? I'm not sure of the rules about this. It would be cool to be able to do this.

Nah, you can't.

It'd have to be worded as something like "You may perpetually cast that card this turn" or something equally weird.
 
When going with the card as printed, can you cast that card as many times as you want that turn, for example by sacrificing and recasting it multiple times? Or does the effect "forget" the target card because when it enters the batlefield it stops being a card and is instead a permanent? I'm not sure of the rules about this. It would be cool to be able to do this.
It's like Emry, Lurker of the Loch. You can only cast it once.
 
Isn't this card just a better version of it?



Can kill enchantments and, if you want, uptick right away. Seems worth it over killing manlands to me, but of course that depends on their density in a given cube.
 
Isn't this card just a better version of it?



Can kill enchantments and, if you want, uptick right away. Seems worth it over killing manlands to me, but of course that depends on their density in a given cube.
Yes and no. In a superman/pillow fortress I rather have the keg. In black red I rather have the bomb.
 
It doesn't only give one reanimation target haste but is the perfect Living Death enabler, if you're running that! In a similar, but less powerful, vein as Anger.
 


I initially dismissed this card as no good, but I've seen it pop up on some cube lists. Does anybody have any experience with it, or know whether it is any good in fast but casual environment?
 


Just wanted to take a moment to highlight one of my favorite designs from last year.

I underestimated this card as part of my pool during BRO prerelease but man was it essential towards being undefeated in three rounds. A 3/1 is always welcome in aggressive decks, it's somehow a Zombie which gives it additional play with Champion of the Perished and Gravecrawler, artifact typing is sometimes relevant for interactions with Welder or Daretti, Scrap Savant, and most importantly it has a recursive ability to keep applying pressure in the late game that is not limited to sorcery speed. This just checks off all the boxes for me in giving aggressive decks more threats that offered varied gameplay and ways to approach combat. Bringing it back as a 4/2 in the later game is big for applying the pressure necessary to close out the game and can trade up very well with big blockers at that point in the game. Best of all being able to come back for a mere {B}{B} is massive allowing you to create cheap sac loops via something like a Carrion Feeder and a Midnight Reaper to replenish your hand.

The recursive creature suite in black has really been beefed up a ton in recent years allowing for it to more consistently attack on a different axis with chip shots via Blood Artist or Judith, the Scourge Diva. The activated ability to just return can do a Bloodsoaked Champion impression in the later game allowing you to push through suicidal attacks just to punch in that extra bit of drain. We've also gotten the likes of Skyclave Shade and Tenacious Brawler in recent years which both fulfill similar roles, but I think this might have the most ways to synergize with various different themes (zombies, artifacts, +1/+1 counters, etc.) offering the most dense package of the three.

I'd highly recommend giving it a run if it's not already on your list, was very impressed by the resiliency in my last cube draft.
 


Just wanted to take a moment to highlight one of my favorite designs from last year.

I underestimated this card as part of my pool during BRO prerelease but man was it essential towards being undefeated in three rounds. A 3/1 is always welcome in aggressive decks, it's somehow a Zombie which gives it additional play with Champion of the Perished and Gravecrawler, artifact typing is sometimes relevant for interactions with Welder or Daretti, Scrap Savant, and most importantly it has a recursive ability to keep applying pressure in the late game that is not limited to sorcery speed. This just checks off all the boxes for me in giving aggressive decks more threats that offered varied gameplay and ways to approach combat. Bringing it back as a 4/2 in the later game is big for applying the pressure necessary to close out the game and can trade up very well with big blockers at that point in the game. Best of all being able to come back for a mere {B}{B} is massive allowing you to create cheap sac loops via something like a Carrion Feeder and a Midnight Reaper to replenish your hand.

The recursive creature suite in black has really been beefed up a ton in recent years allowing for it to more consistently attack on a different axis with chip shots via Blood Artist or Judith, the Scourge Diva. The activated ability to just return can do a Bloodsoaked Champion impression in the later game allowing you to push through suicidal attacks just to punch in that extra bit of drain. We've also gotten the likes of Skyclave Shade and Tenacious Brawler in recent years which both fulfill similar roles, but I think this might have the most ways to synergize with various different themes (zombies, artifacts, +1/+1 counters, etc.) offering the most dense package of the three.

I'd highly recommend giving it a run if it's not already on your list, was very impressed by the resiliency in my last cube draft.
Have you tested Scrapheap Scrounger? How does it compare? I’ve been pretty happy with the scrounger for years
 
Have you tested Scrapheap Scrounger? How does it compare? I’ve been pretty happy with the scrounger for years
I tried out Scrounger for like two years and it was definitely solid, but sometimes you just wouldn't have the necessary fodder if you were a deck with recursive bodies. If it's to close out a game sure, but I'd be hesitant trading in a Bloodghast or Gravecrawler most of the time. I think if your B/x Aggro decks don't have a recursive lean then Scrounger will continue being solid, but if they do then Transmog seems like a slight upgrade.

In my environment the fixing + ULD ensures many non basics across decks so recursion for BB has more opportunities than usual. I think that combined with the aforementioned zombies synergy and coming back as a 4/2 push it ahead for me. There are just more possible lines of play to give Aggro decks alternative routes to victory.

Being able to rebuild with Gravecrawler late in the game is a pretty sweet fallback option and there is the added bonus of making exile based removal more valuable than usual in certain scenarios (like Incendiary Flow).
 


Just wanted to take a moment to highlight one of my favorite designs from last year.

I underestimated this card as part of my pool during BRO prerelease but man was it essential towards being undefeated in three rounds. A 3/1 is always welcome in aggressive decks, it's somehow a Zombie which gives it additional play with Champion of the Perished and Gravecrawler, artifact typing is sometimes relevant for interactions with Welder or Daretti, Scrap Savant, and most importantly it has a recursive ability to keep applying pressure in the late game that is not limited to sorcery speed. This just checks off all the boxes for me in giving aggressive decks more threats that offered varied gameplay and ways to approach combat. Bringing it back as a 4/2 in the later game is big for applying the pressure necessary to close out the game and can trade up very well with big blockers at that point in the game. Best of all being able to come back for a mere {B}{B} is massive allowing you to create cheap sac loops via something like a Carrion Feeder and a Midnight Reaper to replenish your hand.

The recursive creature suite in black has really been beefed up a ton in recent years allowing for it to more consistently attack on a different axis with chip shots via Blood Artist or Judith, the Scourge Diva. The activated ability to just return can do a Bloodsoaked Champion impression in the later game allowing you to push through suicidal attacks just to punch in that extra bit of drain. We've also gotten the likes of Skyclave Shade and Tenacious Brawler in recent years which both fulfill similar roles, but I think this might have the most ways to synergize with various different themes (zombies, artifacts, +1/+1 counters, etc.) offering the most dense package of the three.

I'd highly recommend giving it a run if it's not already on your list, was very impressed by the resiliency in my last cube draft.
I like this card a lot. Cool design plus relevant types.
 
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