Anybody ever try this guy out? Seems like a fair land destruction effect that can do a decent Ankh of Mishra impersonation.
Card/Deck Single Card Spotlight
- Thread starter Dom Harvey
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Anybody ever try this guy out? Seems like a fair land destruction effect that can do a decent Ankh of Mishra impersonation.
Grillo_Parlante
Contributor
It came pretty close to making my list as bounceland hate, but was a bit too strong, and I ended up running petravark instead.
I really like the card though, but it seems very awkward to slot in. Avalanche riders is probably the better designed card, with echo and haste to balance it out, as well as working better in a wider array of strategies.
This is a slower, more expensive, and less versatile land destruction effect, whose secondary ability is a bit awkward at 5 mana. I think you run avalanche riders first, and than if this effect is something your cube really wants more of, you would consider slotting it in.
Where I like these cards is in a sort of R/W or R/G disruptive stompy deck, but you need to have disruption going up the curve, with this sort of being one of the cumulating piece.
I really like the card though, but it seems very awkward to slot in. Avalanche riders is probably the better designed card, with echo and haste to balance it out, as well as working better in a wider array of strategies.
This is a slower, more expensive, and less versatile land destruction effect, whose secondary ability is a bit awkward at 5 mana. I think you run avalanche riders first, and than if this effect is something your cube really wants more of, you would consider slotting it in.
Where I like these cards is in a sort of R/W or R/G disruptive stompy deck, but you need to have disruption going up the curve, with this sort of being one of the cumulating piece.
Dom Harvey
Contributor
Watching it in Standard got me thinking about it here. I wrote it off as another 'reset everything' card - Worldpurge isn't making waves even for us - but this is probably the most playable card of that type?
At about 4 mana I think:
Seeing this in the EMA spoilers has me somewhat nostalgic. At what casting cost would Balance no longer be broken (assuming no fast artifact mana)? Does the answer change in a cube without planeswalkers?
Still super strong tho
I run Balance and Cataclysm 
I think without good artifact mana, Balance isn't actually that good, its just fine. You play it against aggro and the best case scenario is basically a fistful of doom blades, with average case being sac some number of lands, discard some number to kill about that many creatures. You also have to not play any creatures to actually wipe their board. The only time balance really shines is when you're well behind on cards and it throws you back into the game. Which I think is cool because its yet another card for an opponent whose ahead to play around.
I think without good artifact mana, Balance isn't actually that good, its just fine. You play it against aggro and the best case scenario is basically a fistful of doom blades, with average case being sac some number of lands, discard some number to kill about that many creatures. You also have to not play any creatures to actually wipe their board. The only time balance really shines is when you're well behind on cards and it throws you back into the game. Which I think is cool because its yet another card for an opponent whose ahead to play around.
How many artifacts do you think you need in play for cranial plating to be 'good'?
I'm wondering about it in the light of clue, Thopter and golem tokens particularly.
I'm wondering about it in the light of clue, Thopter and golem tokens particularly.
Hmm. You only need one other artifact before it's Bonesplitter level, so I'm guessing not that many. It's probably roughly on par with Runechanter's Pike in the average riptide cube.
Tried it out for a while and never really found its rhythm. Whirler Rogue and P&K by themselves might help its inclusion, tho.... One of the big issues I found was having artifacts and having them in an faster, attacking-style deck.
Speaking of cool artifact build-arounds.... Clues, thopters, and golems should help support this guy if anyone doesn't run him already:
Speaking of cool artifact build-arounds.... Clues, thopters, and golems should help support this guy if anyone doesn't run him already:
Do you have a sample deck? Very curious what this looks like.
Grillo_Parlante
Contributor
How many artifacts do you think you need in play for cranial plating to be 'good'?
I'm wondering about it in the light of clue, Thopter and golem tokens particularly.
This could potentially work. One of the major issues with metal craft in cube is when the metal craft cards don't enable themselves. It can be a real struggle to get and maintain three artifacts on board in a reasonable time frame, but it becomes much easier when the card is self enabling.
With my framework, I could see that being +3 +0 by the midgame; though it would want to go in a somewhat slower deck, and probably shouldn't be assessed as an aggro card.
Cards like this work incredibly well with wellsprings though, which are also amazing with whirler rogue, which in turn works well with Pia and Kiran. Both those cards provide evasion and a massive buff to cranial plating.
I know I can't afford to run it, as the enablers are too strong for the penny cube. Whirler rogue could function as a powerful linchpin for a couple different strategies that bubble up in the penny cube, but could be given legs with slightly stronger cards. Generally, something like the U/G tempo decks that want to buff individual threats and than use blue evasion pieces to get them in, generating massive damage swings. I could see plating being very strong in UG or UR versions of that deck, as both decks have a gameplan where they benefit from evasive artifact tokens, and are looking for buffs.
Its such an inelegant design, however, as the
is very misleading. It also has a very low floor, which is somewhat awkward.It's not that bad when you remember that it was part of a cycle back in the day. It's just that now it's the only one anyone remembers, so thatIts such an inelegant design, however, as the
looks weird and tacked on.Anybody run this? It looks like what I wanted out of Fire // Ice. Sure, it doesn't cantrip, and you can't split the damage, but you get both the main effects.
It's not that bad when you remember that it was part of a cycle back in the day. It's just that now it's the only one anyone remembers, so that
Winterflame
Anybody run this? It looks like what I wanted out of Fire // Ice. Sure, it doesn't cantrip, and you can't split the damage, but you get both the main effects.
The main effects are cantripping while disabling a threat and damage splitting. This is so much less interesting than Electrolyze, which is already a kinda boring pick
I think the art is the only reason to run this card.
Also tapping a land with ice is neato.
Sweet decks
. Can't help but noticed that they seemed to have struggled a little in match score. Is the deck simply a "Tier 2" deck, or it was just badly positioned those days? Interested to hear thoughts on that.
There in lies the issue I see. Whirler is already a really good card with zero synergies. So anything that makes the card better just raises the bar on all other decks. So you have to design the cube around a much higher base power level. If you are running that type of cube, it's probably worth exploring though.
Grillo_Parlante
Contributor
Surely, this translates into some type of combo engine?
Besides running it alongside this other combo engine of course....
Sweet decks
I'm not sure, as I can only say what they were like playing against them. I got crushed by the first one and the match against the second was very close, going to three long games.
Does this guy do anything these days?
Does this guy do anything these days?
How would we fix this? 3BB for a 5/5?
Man I really thought it was a BBB2
I believe the closer to playable card is cubes old friend
Right? Also like the idea of a fiddled-with fell shepherd
Right? Also like the idea of a fiddled-with fell shepherd