I love how this is a reference to people blanking Trapped in the Tower from Throne of Eldraine by giving the enchanted creature flying.
I always try to build a second (different) deck with my prize packs / unused card pool to pit against my prerelease deck for fun, and to get to know some cards better, and this one positively surprised me when I played with it! See, there are definitely ways to not make chapter III happen. Ways that lovers of Demonic Pact should be familiar with! Rebuying this is pretty satisfying, let me tell you
Sets (WOE) Wilds of Eldraine Testing/Includes Thread
- Thread starter TrainmasterGT
- Start date
After yesterday's pretelease event, I dislike roles even more – 4 of 6 are basically just mire fiddly +1/+1-counters and there are just too many in the set – but I got to really appreciate bargain. It played well, felt more flavorful than anticipated and adds an interesting layer. I'm considering these three cards for starters.
Stopgap was pretty meh when I tested yesterday it because my first two opponents had infinite etb or adventure creatures. But I love Into the Roil in cube, so I'll give it a chance.
I couldn't see back for seconds in action more than once, but it seems to be a great design.
Brave the wilds was awesome as a tapland that could add a 3/3 to the board later in the game easily. Not sure if my cube needs it, because I got much better fixing there though.
Stopgap was pretty meh when I tested yesterday it because my first two opponents had infinite etb or adventure creatures. But I love Into the Roil in cube, so I'll give it a chance.
I couldn't see back for seconds in action more than once, but it seems to be a great design.
Brave the wilds was awesome as a tapland that could add a 3/3 to the board later in the game easily. Not sure if my cube needs it, because I got much better fixing there though.
So I've been looking for ways to feed Lich Knight's Conquest efficiently when I realized how good The Witch's Vanity is for bargain in general.
I already run Sarcomancy which I guess could go in the deck, Raven Man seems synergistic, and am testing Call the Bloodline again. Anyone else testing Lich Knight's Conquest know of other pieces that set it up in a "Living Death" style deck?
I already run Sarcomancy which I guess could go in the deck, Raven Man seems synergistic, and am testing Call the Bloodline again. Anyone else testing Lich Knight's Conquest know of other pieces that set it up in a "Living Death" style deck?
Blood Fountain gives you two trinkets and can put something into the 'yard, although you probably don't need recursion on top of your recursion.
Stuff like Vampiric Rites or Attrition can be sacced for the Conquest after you have sacced the creatures, that will come back anyway, for value.
Creatures like Weaponcraft Enthusiast can also make multiple artifacts and then be sacced to e.g. the enchantments above, to bring back with etb again.
Codex Shredder and Mesmeric Orb can be sacrificed after filling your graveyard with juicy targets.
Stuff like Vampiric Rites or Attrition can be sacced for the Conquest after you have sacced the creatures, that will come back anyway, for value.
Creatures like Weaponcraft Enthusiast can also make multiple artifacts and then be sacced to e.g. the enchantments above, to bring back with etb again.
Codex Shredder and Mesmeric Orb can be sacrificed after filling your graveyard with juicy targets.
echoing blood fountain and currency converter in particular, both are pretty dang good cards.
also;
also;
Thank you for this one!
All these Commander products are so high power but this one Seem low enough to be interesting. I am a little sad it only triggers on creatures but it’s still pretty cool.
It's funny you say that because I think this is one of the most powerful cards printed in a Commander release in the last year.
For most years that might be true, but I think you're underestimating 2022.
Luckily that card is from this year so we don’t need to worry about 2022!
Chris Taylor
Contributor
If the above posts don't dissuade you from running the card Vel, I made this on account of how I hate the current art:
Even if he is the last troll, I don't love thrunn on this white card. Like I get that he's talking now, but still
Even if he is the last troll, I don't love thrunn on this white card. Like I get that he's talking now, but still
seriously? vintage? maybe i should test this sucker... thanks!
Legacy, I think. I haven't seen it in Vintage. But it might be in Vintage too. That format's weird. You get counters off Urza's Saga tokens and Batterskull/Kaldra Compleat and so on.
Chris Taylor
Contributor
Highly recommend
I missed my first pre-release in quite some time for the sake of hiking around the Alps (as good of an excuse as I'll ever have) but am eager to load up Arena later this week when I have a bit more time to dive into the format, but I already have some additions I need to make to my already-record-setting inclusions from this set after reading SteveMan's Hot Takes article, which has done a better job of changing my mind on cards than most things in recent memory.
Charming Scoundrel was reasonably interesting to audiences here - at least the ones who are comfortable with having a weird one-off keyword show up without reminder text - but in my own hesitation towards committing to adding the "+1/+1 counter with extra steps" into my token box, I had ruled out a card that does exactly what I loved from Generator Servant without the inherent fragility of that card: serving as an accelerator into bigger midrange plays as a main mode while offering acceptable aggressive pressure if your hand didn't deliver.
What the Scoundrel delivers on top of that makes it doubly impressive, though: more graveyard support for red! While I'm disappointed the closest we've gotten to a red Merfolk Looter is my boy Plargg, Dean of Chaos (another card who's massively under-played due to secretly and confusingly having an entire extra card on his backside), Charming Scoundrel can help you dump your reanimator target in the yard, make up for your aggressive mulligan with a third land, help you dig for critical removal, or power your delve cards. The amount of flexibility on this card is truly insane, and is worth the complexity headache that adding yet another novel mechanic necessitates.
Steve wasn't terribly hot on Virtue of Loyalty, but his explanation helped me see that I should really be considering it. It's absolutely a worse Intrepid Adversary, but I want another card in that vein, and this one addresses some of the downsides of the Adversary.
I pretty aggressively support token decks, but the 2/2 vigilant knight didn't feel like it was worthwhile. However, the card really should be read as a 2-mana 2/2 with ETB draw a totally acceptable 5-drop. I know this is obvious in hindsight, and it's certainly how I approached most of the other adventure cards, and seeing that comparison really helped me here.
Redcap Gutter-Dweller is another card that was reasonably popular here that I was quick to dismiss for a reason Steve highlighted: armies in a can are a lot less valuable when the armies can't block. However, red's gotten a lot better at taking advantage of the go-wide approach lately, and being able to sacrifice any creature here to "draw a card" makes this comparable to Siege-Gang Commander in its ability to help you catch up on a stalled board, and is essentially time-gated in the same fashion.
I also like Pia and Kiran Nalaar more, but if I can lower my curve and/or help further push the Purphoros, God of the Forge strategies, I'm not going to complain about a bit of redundancy in style of effect. This will likely replace long-time personal favorite under-performer of mine, Hero of Oxid Ridge.
Song of Totentanz was a card I was immediately interested in once I read it during the leaks, but I second-guessed my excitement because of that context. Need to trust my first instincts more!
Red simply has so many ways to exploit all these little rats, but more than anything, Steve's mention of Ardoz, Cobbler of War made me realize just how many little synergies I've already got in my list primed for fun with a card like this.
The Huntsman's Redemption is perhaps less a card that Steve specifically convinced me to test but more validation from what the Lucky Paper guys were discussing this week on their podcast.
Like with Beseech the Mirror, this is the kind of tutor I want to have in my cube - one that really makes you work for the effect! It's interesting, plays into dozens of different strategies, and has great art. Can't complain, and wish I had given it proper attention earlier!
Gruff Triplets were highly rated by many of you all as well as wtwlf123's review, which was what put me on this card in the first place. I have run Flash on-and-off for my cube's history, but more as a combat trick / shenanigans enabler than a full combo piece. I think adding the triplets in will make Flash impossible to add again, as I don't want 2-card combos of that power-level around, but even as just a normal ramp target, these Gruff folk are a gigantic amount of power and toughness that's hard to deal with without being wholly uninteractive. For those of you still on Carnage Tyrant, I think this does a lot of the same things while promoting more interesting gameplay.
This was one of the inspirations for me to write about my second pass of the set, but I still haven't figured out what I'm going to take out for it!
One key complaint though: no token for this one! I know the expectation here is to use copy tokens, but I'd much rather have proper ones specifically for this one for clarity. It's a proper knock on the card overall, tbh.
"But Miles!" you shout. "Weren't you plenty excited about The Goose Mother since the moment it was spoiled?"
Yes, dear reader, indeed I was! However, I wanted to share Steve's impeccable defense of the card, which highlights why, even since my initial reaction, this card has moved to the (somewhat uncompetitive) slot of "my favorite Simic card for Cube" !!
Kellan, the Fae-Blooded was a card I planned to include initially, but with competition from Heartflame Duelist, I couldn't find room for the lad. I think I'll be swapping the two based on additional consideration on the back of Steve's article.
Collector's Vault is more of a change-of-heart inspired by you all than anything else. I liked the card initially, but when it comes down to it, it really only costs 1 a turn to loot if you want to look at it that way, and I should never undervalue the boon of having a treasure token generator.
The Irencrag is a card I've reevaluated from SteveMan's article that will not be joining my cube. I initially misread the card in the exact way Steve describes: I understood it that the equipped creature loses all abilities. I try to be very cautious with my density of mana rocks, particularly at 2 mana, to preserve green's identity/benefit as the color of ramp. However, a Legends-matter card that's as cool as this would normally convince me to make the plunge.
But! If I misread it, it's likely others will too -- so this will continue to stick on the back-burner for now, even though I'd now like to include it mechanically.
---
Lots of changes I need to make, as you can see, but this set continues to impress me for its interesting power level and compelling abilities. I'm not even the biggest fan of the flavor of this set vs. the original Eldraine, but I'm very happy with the clear attention to detail they're giving this consequential world.
Charming Scoundrel was reasonably interesting to audiences here - at least the ones who are comfortable with having a weird one-off keyword show up without reminder text - but in my own hesitation towards committing to adding the "+1/+1 counter with extra steps" into my token box, I had ruled out a card that does exactly what I loved from Generator Servant without the inherent fragility of that card: serving as an accelerator into bigger midrange plays as a main mode while offering acceptable aggressive pressure if your hand didn't deliver.
What the Scoundrel delivers on top of that makes it doubly impressive, though: more graveyard support for red! While I'm disappointed the closest we've gotten to a red Merfolk Looter is my boy Plargg, Dean of Chaos (another card who's massively under-played due to secretly and confusingly having an entire extra card on his backside), Charming Scoundrel can help you dump your reanimator target in the yard, make up for your aggressive mulligan with a third land, help you dig for critical removal, or power your delve cards. The amount of flexibility on this card is truly insane, and is worth the complexity headache that adding yet another novel mechanic necessitates.
Steve wasn't terribly hot on Virtue of Loyalty, but his explanation helped me see that I should really be considering it. It's absolutely a worse Intrepid Adversary, but I want another card in that vein, and this one addresses some of the downsides of the Adversary.
I pretty aggressively support token decks, but the 2/2 vigilant knight didn't feel like it was worthwhile. However, the card really should be read as a 2-mana 2/2 with ETB draw a totally acceptable 5-drop. I know this is obvious in hindsight, and it's certainly how I approached most of the other adventure cards, and seeing that comparison really helped me here.
Redcap Gutter-Dweller is another card that was reasonably popular here that I was quick to dismiss for a reason Steve highlighted: armies in a can are a lot less valuable when the armies can't block. However, red's gotten a lot better at taking advantage of the go-wide approach lately, and being able to sacrifice any creature here to "draw a card" makes this comparable to Siege-Gang Commander in its ability to help you catch up on a stalled board, and is essentially time-gated in the same fashion.
I also like Pia and Kiran Nalaar more, but if I can lower my curve and/or help further push the Purphoros, God of the Forge strategies, I'm not going to complain about a bit of redundancy in style of effect. This will likely replace long-time personal favorite under-performer of mine, Hero of Oxid Ridge.
Song of Totentanz was a card I was immediately interested in once I read it during the leaks, but I second-guessed my excitement because of that context. Need to trust my first instincts more!
Red simply has so many ways to exploit all these little rats, but more than anything, Steve's mention of Ardoz, Cobbler of War made me realize just how many little synergies I've already got in my list primed for fun with a card like this.
The Huntsman's Redemption is perhaps less a card that Steve specifically convinced me to test but more validation from what the Lucky Paper guys were discussing this week on their podcast.
Like with Beseech the Mirror, this is the kind of tutor I want to have in my cube - one that really makes you work for the effect! It's interesting, plays into dozens of different strategies, and has great art. Can't complain, and wish I had given it proper attention earlier!
Gruff Triplets were highly rated by many of you all as well as wtwlf123's review, which was what put me on this card in the first place. I have run Flash on-and-off for my cube's history, but more as a combat trick / shenanigans enabler than a full combo piece. I think adding the triplets in will make Flash impossible to add again, as I don't want 2-card combos of that power-level around, but even as just a normal ramp target, these Gruff folk are a gigantic amount of power and toughness that's hard to deal with without being wholly uninteractive. For those of you still on Carnage Tyrant, I think this does a lot of the same things while promoting more interesting gameplay.
This was one of the inspirations for me to write about my second pass of the set, but I still haven't figured out what I'm going to take out for it!
One key complaint though: no token for this one! I know the expectation here is to use copy tokens, but I'd much rather have proper ones specifically for this one for clarity. It's a proper knock on the card overall, tbh.
"But Miles!" you shout. "Weren't you plenty excited about The Goose Mother since the moment it was spoiled?"
Yes, dear reader, indeed I was! However, I wanted to share Steve's impeccable defense of the card, which highlights why, even since my initial reaction, this card has moved to the (somewhat uncompetitive) slot of "my favorite Simic card for Cube" !!
Kellan, the Fae-Blooded was a card I planned to include initially, but with competition from Heartflame Duelist, I couldn't find room for the lad. I think I'll be swapping the two based on additional consideration on the back of Steve's article.
Collector's Vault is more of a change-of-heart inspired by you all than anything else. I liked the card initially, but when it comes down to it, it really only costs 1 a turn to loot if you want to look at it that way, and I should never undervalue the boon of having a treasure token generator.
The Irencrag is a card I've reevaluated from SteveMan's article that will not be joining my cube. I initially misread the card in the exact way Steve describes: I understood it that the equipped creature loses all abilities. I try to be very cautious with my density of mana rocks, particularly at 2 mana, to preserve green's identity/benefit as the color of ramp. However, a Legends-matter card that's as cool as this would normally convince me to make the plunge.
But! If I misread it, it's likely others will too -- so this will continue to stick on the back-burner for now, even though I'd now like to include it mechanically.
---
Lots of changes I need to make, as you can see, but this set continues to impress me for its interesting power level and compelling abilities. I'm not even the biggest fan of the flavor of this set vs. the original Eldraine, but I'm very happy with the clear attention to detail they're giving this consequential world.
It was my favorite card from that expansion, it's absolutely worth a test or three.
It always baffles me why they did not first a priority round in the draw step (effectively upkeep) instead of upkeep. A whole step gone.If they ever would want to keep up with experienced players you're right
If they want that though, the cube has served its purpose
There are more cards with "Toxic" in standard than cards mentioning the "Upkeep" in standard.
Lifelink and double strike add virtually no complexity, but their exclusion adds even less complexity.
I'm not actively looking to get rid of them, but I get rid of them with a smile
Nice read @MilesOfficial
I really don’t want to add a Role variant I don’t already run for a single card but after your writing I will maaaaaybe want Charming Scoundrel. It is a Rogue after all.
So what’s the deal with the art on The Huntman’s Redemption? We have The Chain Veil and Garruk, Cursed Huntsman. What else ?
I really don’t want to add a Role variant I don’t already run for a single card but after your writing I will maaaaaybe want Charming Scoundrel. It is a Rogue after all.
So what’s the deal with the art on The Huntman’s Redemption? We have The Chain Veil and Garruk, Cursed Huntsman. What else ?
Charming Scoundrel but it's a 2/1 and the third mode just puts a +1/+1 counter on something
seriously the virtue cards are so cool
seriously the virtue cards are so cool
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I was thinking something like this too. If there JUST was a way to get rid of that Wicked token hmmmmmmm..
Collector's Vault is more of a change-of-heart inspired by you all than anything else. I liked the card initially, but when it comes down to it, it really only costs 1 a turn to loot if you want to look at it that way, and I should never undervalue the boon of having a treasure token generator.
Soo, I'm gonna ask the most important question: How does it work with madness? Can I use the treasure to pay for the madness cost? I think I can, and that would make me interested in this card as well.