"Essence Scatter Infestation"

[Spazik008]

Originally Posted by Levgre

Lol... and if you draw the essence scatter after the creature ETB, or don't leave mana open your essence scatter is useless. Real removal is incredibly better than creature only counterspells. I'm guessing you don't play much competitive magic. Essence scatter cards have rarely seen play.

What? You're obviously a noob if you don't know the history of counter magic in the game.

[arbitraryarmor]

Order of events:

Thragtusk -> Essence Scatter: 1 for 1. You tapped for and your opponent for . Board state the same.
Thragtusk -> Ultimate Price: Not 1 for 1. Your opponent is up 5 life and has a 3/3 Beast token. Board state much different. You tapped for and your opponent for . You're down on CA currently because you now have to deal with his 3/3.

[Levgre]

Previous standard - Mana Leak/Dissipate/Cancel/Negate mainly used
Standard before that - Mana Leak/Cancel/Stoic Rebuttal/Spell Pierce all saw decent play
Standard before that (didn't follow this one as much) - Deprive/Negate/spell pierce/some essence scatter use
Standards before that - Incredibly better counterspells, like UU counterspell by name

Essence scatter has not been a primary counterspell of choice. Control decks like to use REMOVAL or SWEEPERS to deal with creatures. The main times you use essence scatter is out of necessity, either you can't get good removal in your colors, your opponent is using shroud/hexproof, or perhaps when you are in a control mirror and having counter wars.

[Spazik008]

Originally Posted by Levgre

The main times you use essence scatter is out of necessity, either you can't get good removal in your colors, your opponent is using shroud/hexproof, or perhaps when you are in a control mirror and having counter wars.

Oh right, I was unaware control decks always had removal, your opponent never uses shroud or hexproof, and you're never in a control mirror. I also forgot that removal spells somehow negate Thragtusk's ETB and LTB effect.

[Levgre]

Did I ever say essence scatter is not a good answer for Thragtusk right now? Nope. Stop arguing against straw men. Also control mirrors of today are much different than the draw gos of before, you would not want essence scatter against control in the current meta. Essence scatter is often too late of an answer against Geist of Saint Traft when you really neeed to answer him. Any control deck right now has access to 3 colors and hence access to removal (not to mention 8 exile cards in white and blue/white)

[gordy12791]

Originally Posted by Levgre

Previous standard - Mana Leak/Dissipate/Cancel/Negate mainly used
Standard before that - Mana Leak/Cancel/Stoic Rebuttal/Spell Pierce all saw decent play
Standard before that (didn't follow this one as much) - Deprive/Negate/spell pierce/some essence scatter use
Standards before that - Incredibly better counterspells, like UU counterspell by name

Essence scatter has not been a primary counterspell of choice. Control decks like to use REMOVAL or SWEEPERS to deal with creatures. The main times you use essence scatter is out of necessity, either you can't get good removal in your colors, your opponent is using shroud/hexproof, or perhaps when you are in a control mirror and having counter wars.

In fairness, mana leak has been around for the previous two and a half standards and is much better at doing much the same thing, while before that the ubiquity of things like bloodbraid elf and really powerful cheap creatures like goblin guide/steppe lynx made essence scatter and indeed countermagic in general a poor proposition. When those are the creatures a control deck needs to kill, removal >>> essence scatter.

But in general, the power level of standard is down on even a couple of years ago, so weaker cards become playable. Essence scatter is in that category imo.

Edit: Also, against normal 1-for-1 creatures removal is only clearly better if the removal is instant speed. We're kinda short on good instant speed removal right now.

[Koopa]

This is clearly a troll thread. Archived.