This guy is really really surprising me. Both defense and offensive. Not being able to deal with it swinging with a sword is huge problem for the control deck.
I've seen a number of obvious synergies and some not so obvious.
If you guys want to try something fun I highly recommend it.
He is fun, and thats an important thing to think about while cubing but hes a lil durdly for cube, he wants to grind out slow advantage through being sacrificed or blocking but in cube cards are so good that resurrecting him might be useless, oh hi midrange deck's baneslayer angel, or aggro decks 44 goblins. I love him but i dont think he has a place in most cubes (i run a 378 card cube so im not an authority on conventional cubes)
He's pretty good, and while you might think he's a durdle, being able to pay 2B to draw 2 cards over and over off of Skullclamp is great... Having a guy post Smallpox or Wrath is also great if he can equip a sword and bash... Smokestack and Braids are fine eating him up to break symmetry.
I remember when people thought they broke Standard with this guy in control with Swords.
I think if you're rating him as good because of how well he carries a sword, then you're doing it wrong. Pretty much every creature in cube is good with a sword.
I think if you're rating him as good because of how well he carries a sword, then you're doing it wrong. Pretty much every creature in cube is good with a sword.
Bloodghast: Better with a sword when they are at <10 life, as he similarly keeps coming back, but hastily.
Among others.
Yes, all creatures are good as long as they can be equipped, however, not all creatures are able to keep coming back after everything to carry that Sword, Wargear, or even be sacrificed multiple times to a Skullclamp.
Comparing to Horror and Ghast is rather strange, neither of those can block, which can mean the difference between winning and losing a game. More so, while Ghast has haste, Skeleton does too, in his own way, as he can come back on the opponents turn to either be able to block again, or attack on your turn... While still dodging sorcery speed removal if done EOT.
If anyone believes Nether Traitor is good, which is seeing play due to Pox strategies, this guy is just better. And while he's generally not that crazy bomb you're looking for, in various decks he'll do all the work and then some.
It was just too low impact for us. Unless I had a Braids or Smokestack out, the 1/1 body just wasn't relevant. I wish I could return it to my hand OR to the battlefield, because he'd have a lot more uses that way. Or I wished it had 2 power.
Reassembling Skeleton has done well for us and is still seeing play in our powered 450 cube.
He is mostly a role player.
Here are some of them I remember.
1. Acting as an "icy" for 1B each turn prior to sweepers in control.
2. Being a "bad" Squadron Hawk in Aggro Control Blade decks.
3. A sac outlet in multiple decks (Braids/Smokestack, Reaccurring Nightmare, Birthing Pod, Clamp)
4. A "value" card in decks with multiple discard effects.
While not as powerful as Bloodghast it has proven good enough here. I've seen Entomb played with only skeleton as main target (utility lands with crucible was backup I think?) ... It can be an important cog in some strategies. Until we get a better version closer to Bloodghast power, it's not going anywhere IMO.
Obviously everybody would play it if it was two power, but that would also be way too good to see print. As is, it is less aggressive than Bloodghast, but unlike the Vampire it can block. That makes it actually quite good in all the Braids/Smokestack, Recurring Nightmare and Birthing Pod decks that need some time to get going and need something to sac once they do.
It does pretty much what Shalazar said for us, too. I like it enough for those interactions to keep it at 450 unpowered.
Keep your eye on this card. All it needs are a few engine cards to sac it to and you've got a card that'd be even better than Squee. Right now, there's more to gain from discarding cards repeatedly than from saccing them, however. Until that changes, the Skeleton is borderline at best.
Have to agree with this. Reasskemblington is the bomb next to Recurring Nightmare and other sac outlets, but it just needs that last little bump to make it a one-card draft strategy like Squee is.
I agree that this card isn't very strong right now, but if there become more sweet sacrifice effects this card could very well become a squee of sorts.
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Just because I'm hitting the end of my Multiplayer Power Rankings and beginning to trawl through the results...
This little guy ranked very highly amongst multiplayer types. Obviously, recursion is more valuable in that environment, so his value would go up in a FFA or EDH setting.
My group likes this card even more than Squee. I'm not sure why, probably because the color it's in makes graveyard abuse easier but, yeah, we'll be running it at 720 for a while.
My group likes this card even more than Squee. I'm not sure why, probably because the color it's in makes graveyard abuse easier but, yeah, we'll be running it at 720 for a while.
Who is running this card still? I find it pretty intriguing, and am keen on giving it a test run. Although I don't run Pox, there are a bunch of neat job he can do as well as the obvious ones:
Chump-Block-a-Thon
Equipment Graveyard Zerging
Braids' BFF
Go Go Gadget Gargadon
Stax
Skullclamp Skullclamp Skullclamp
You Played Wrath of God Now I Have a 1/1 It's Tapped
I guess Shadowborn Demon (D14/M14 Spoiler) will make it into my cube after some deliberation, and this dude works wonders the the former. Anyone else run it at 360, or is considering running it if/when we get more synergies?
I have been more impressed than I expected, even without the obvious Pox package synergies. 360 might be tough, but I think he could find a home in any 450+.
I added Reassembling Skeleton before I added the Pox theme, and it was never disappointing. The Pox theme is relatively new in my Cube and the jury is still out on its performance.
When I see Healing Salve, I'm often like "Oh girl, I wish I could turn every card into this." Thanks they removed the gain life part, otherwise this would have been broken.
I still run at 450 powered. Everything I said 5 months ago on first page of thread is still true. After adding Contamination and Falkenrath Aristocrat it has gone from very good to great. It's now a high pick here. With the new Demon coming out in M14 it'll get even better.
This guy is really really surprising me. Both defense and offensive. Not being able to deal with it swinging with a sword is huge problem for the control deck.
I've seen a number of obvious synergies and some not so obvious.
If you guys want to try something fun I highly recommend it.
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I remember when people thought they broke Standard with this guy in control with Swords.
At 2CMC in black you can compare it to:
Dauthi Horror: Even better with a sword.
Bloodghast: Better with a sword when they are at <10 life, as he similarly keeps coming back, but hastily.
Among others.
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Yes, all creatures are good as long as they can be equipped, however, not all creatures are able to keep coming back after everything to carry that Sword, Wargear, or even be sacrificed multiple times to a Skullclamp.
Comparing to Horror and Ghast is rather strange, neither of those can block, which can mean the difference between winning and losing a game. More so, while Ghast has haste, Skeleton does too, in his own way, as he can come back on the opponents turn to either be able to block again, or attack on your turn... While still dodging sorcery speed removal if done EOT.
If anyone believes Nether Traitor is good, which is seeing play due to Pox strategies, this guy is just better. And while he's generally not that crazy bomb you're looking for, in various decks he'll do all the work and then some.
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He is mostly a role player.
Here are some of them I remember.
1. Acting as an "icy" for 1B each turn prior to sweepers in control.
2. Being a "bad" Squadron Hawk in Aggro Control Blade decks.
3. A sac outlet in multiple decks (Braids/Smokestack, Reaccurring Nightmare, Birthing Pod, Clamp)
4. A "value" card in decks with multiple discard effects.
While not as powerful as Bloodghast it has proven good enough here. I've seen Entomb played with only skeleton as main target (utility lands with crucible was backup I think?) ... It can be an important cog in some strategies. Until we get a better version closer to Bloodghast power, it's not going anywhere IMO.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=385729
It does pretty much what Shalazar said for us, too. I like it enough for those interactions to keep it at 450 unpowered.
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
Have to agree with this. Reasskemblington is the bomb next to Recurring Nightmare and other sac outlets, but it just needs that last little bump to make it a one-card draft strategy like Squee is.
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This little guy ranked very highly amongst multiplayer types. Obviously, recursion is more valuable in that environment, so his value would go up in a FFA or EDH setting.
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Squee has a colour?
He does for me. A lot of what I use him for requires red mana.
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He can block unlike Bloodghast. He was more consistent than Bloodghast, who can't block and sometimes doesn't landfall.
I didn't get to test him without Smokestacks but he's a really good blocker which is sometimes all you need to get to the late game.
Chump-Block-a-Thon
Equipment Graveyard Zerging
Braids' BFF
Go Go Gadget Gargadon
Stax
Skullclamp Skullclamp Skullclamp
You Played Wrath of God Now I Have a 1/1 It's Tapped
I guess Shadowborn Demon (D14/M14 Spoiler) will make it into my cube after some deliberation, and this dude works wonders the the former. Anyone else run it at 360, or is considering running it if/when we get more synergies?
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
We mainly used Reassembling Skeleton as a recurring blocker, as sac fodder for Braids/Stax/GG/Skullclamp/Recurring Nightmare or as a recurring threat with a Sword.
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
As is he is always on the line between include and cut.
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This is its main use, the recurring 1/1 combat creature is handy but not cubeworthy. The tricks you can pull of push it over the top.
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At any size, or at the current size of your cube?
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=385729