I was a bit dubious at first, but after having tested it in standard it seems really good. Giving you gas later in the game, or just a mana sink to make you feel better about land pockets is really good. I'm kind of tempted to add it in as a red card without cutting anything for it.
I'm not sure about everyone else, but in my cube experience I also have found 4/4's to be pretty sizable creatures.
The main drawback I can see with it is that it doesn't have immediate value, and won't be used in every game, making it more of a passive pick (though likely to table in red-deep packs).
Pros:
-Gas late game
-Mana sink
-Fairly large body
I run this in my cube and I like it for the most part. It's no Barbarian Ring, but it's great on the wheel or in a shallow pack for an aggro deck if you haven't really seen a Mishra's Factory or Mutavault as it helps you on the beat down plan (being cheap per activation and having haste) while also letting you play lands that do stuff after they've generated mana to play your curve toppers like Hellrider or Thundermaw Hellkite. Since you know, you want to play enough lands to cast your spells, but you also hate being flooded with lands.
It's also fine in a more midrange or control deck that just wants extra lands and doesn't mind using this as a finisher once it has locked down the board to some extent. Sometimes you want to play 18 lands, or sometimes you have a Mox Diamond so you're running 17 lands and the Diamond, which means this card lets you run that many lands while still having the necessary amount of late game big beaters as liek you said a 4/4 with haste is nothing to scoff at.
All and all, it's not an amazing land, or a high pick, but it's been reasonably solid for the most part in the decks that care to play it.
I run this in my cube and I like it for the most part. It's no Barbarian Ring, but it's great on the wheel or in a shallow pack for an aggro deck if you haven't really seen a Mishra's Factory or Mutavault as it helps you on the beat down plan (being cheap per activation and having haste) while also letting you play lands that do stuff after they've generated mana to play your curve toppers like Hellrider or Thundermaw Hellkite. Since you know, you want to play enough lands to cast your spells, but you also hate being flooded with lands.
It's also fine in a more midrange or control deck that just wants extra lands and doesn't mind using this as a finisher once it has locked down the board to some extent. Sometimes you want to play 18 lands, or sometimes you have a Mox Diamond so you're running 17 lands and the Diamond, which means this card lets you run that many lands while still having the necessary amount of late game big beaters as liek you said a 4/4 with haste is nothing to scoff at.
All and all, it's not an amazing land, or a high pick, but it's been reasonably solid for the most part in the decks that care to play it.
Has Barbarian Ring ever done anything for anyone? Like the card is good with Loam + Crucible of Worlds but otherwise I feel like the card has seriously underperformed in my Cube. I'm really considering making the swap with Hellion Crucible. Maybe I'm being too harsh?
The 4/4 is big, and a lot of the time you have free mana to spend on it, but the biggest problem with Hellion is that it is colorless and usually you can pick up better colorless lands. I think it would get cut a lot of times just because it doesn't produce red.
This card was mediocre for us. I ended up cutting it after lackluster performance. It is better than Barbarian Ring though, which I feel is one of the worst commonly played cards in Cube.
Has Barbarian Ring ever done anything for anyone? Like the card is good with Loam + Crucible of Worlds but otherwise I feel like the card has seriously underperformed in my Cube. I'm really considering making the swap with Hellion Crucible. Maybe I'm being too harsh?
I like Barbarian Ring a lot as it produces red and can shock both creatures and players. It also comes into play untapped, and like you said has various interactions with other cards. Really, I've never had an issue with it as it usually either finished off a player or killed an annoying creature that I wouldn't otherwise be able to deal with.
Take it as you will, but I just love lands with abilities.
It pretty much would have cost 9 mana (6+itself) to get a 4/4 haste into play. I knows that delaying effect is cool, but that's why I rather play level up creature rather than this. Such as the dragonlord.
I replaced spinerock knoll with Hellion Crucible to finish out a cycle of mono-colored utility lands. We haven't drafted since the change so I can't report back with results, but I imagine that it's easier to trigger than spinerock knoll, and theoretically, it gives mono red some reach.
I think it's a filler spot until an awesome red land comes around.
So, who has experience with this card? I have had my eye on it for a while and since I could acquire a foil for next to nothing I thought I'd get a copy to test. I remember eidolon that you were having some success with it.
I could see myself playing this in pretty much any one- or two-coloured red deck unless I'm packing loads of CC two drops.
It was really, really bad when we tested it. It's slow, mana-intensive and taps for colorless the whole time. There's at least 3, probably 4, better red-centric lands for the cube.
It seems ever so slightly better than barbarian ring, which itself has been horribly underperforming in my cube and has been promptly cut. I'd like a good red land.
Now, sure I haven't played with this, so my advice aughtta' be taken with a bug chunk of salt, but...
If it made Red, okay.
If it didn't tap to add a counter, better.
The main problem to me is the color. What are the chances I'm playing red, and I don't want to be tapping out every turn? If I'm not tapping out (playing threats or real burn), for not only one turn, but two...I'm doing something wrong. If it made Red and didn't tap for a counter, it'd be playable, probably even good.
Basically, its a 4/4 haste for 4 (not bad), with a two turn delay, that eats a land slot. In reality, I wouldn't play it as a land. I'd play it as a 4/4 haste for 4, with a delay. Red can do better. :-\
I was a bit dubious at first, but after having tested it in standard it seems really good. Giving you gas later in the game, or just a mana sink to make you feel better about land pockets is really good. I'm kind of tempted to add it in as a red card without cutting anything for it.
I'm not sure about everyone else, but in my cube experience I also have found 4/4's to be pretty sizable creatures.
The main drawback I can see with it is that it doesn't have immediate value, and won't be used in every game, making it more of a passive pick (though likely to table in red-deep packs).
Pros:
-Gas late game
-Mana sink
-Fairly large body
Cons:
-Taps for colorless
-Not an "active" pick
It's also fine in a more midrange or control deck that just wants extra lands and doesn't mind using this as a finisher once it has locked down the board to some extent. Sometimes you want to play 18 lands, or sometimes you have a Mox Diamond so you're running 17 lands and the Diamond, which means this card lets you run that many lands while still having the necessary amount of late game big beaters as liek you said a 4/4 with haste is nothing to scoff at.
All and all, it's not an amazing land, or a high pick, but it's been reasonably solid for the most part in the decks that care to play it.
Has Barbarian Ring ever done anything for anyone? Like the card is good with Loam + Crucible of Worlds but otherwise I feel like the card has seriously underperformed in my Cube. I'm really considering making the swap with Hellion Crucible. Maybe I'm being too harsh?
There would be no question if it produced red.
I like Barbarian Ring a lot as it produces red and can shock both creatures and players. It also comes into play untapped, and like you said has various interactions with other cards. Really, I've never had an issue with it as it usually either finished off a player or killed an annoying creature that I wouldn't otherwise be able to deal with.
Take it as you will, but I just love lands with abilities.
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I think it's a filler spot until an awesome red land comes around.
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I could see myself playing this in pretty much any one- or two-coloured red deck unless I'm packing loads of CC two drops.
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Now, sure I haven't played with this, so my advice aughtta' be taken with a bug chunk of salt, but...
If it made Red, okay.
If it didn't tap to add a counter, better.
The main problem to me is the color. What are the chances I'm playing red, and I don't want to be tapping out every turn? If I'm not tapping out (playing threats or real burn), for not only one turn, but two...I'm doing something wrong. If it made Red and didn't tap for a counter, it'd be playable, probably even good.
Basically, its a 4/4 haste for 4 (not bad), with a two turn delay, that eats a land slot. In reality, I wouldn't play it as a land. I'd play it as a 4/4 haste for 4, with a delay. Red can do better. :-\
Just MHO.
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