I was just wondering if Pithing Needle was not poised to make a comeback. It stops pod dead. It stop Karn dead which can buy you some time against those explosive starts Tron decks sometimes have. It can even render a few Expedition Map useless. All of this being open to all colours and can even be tutored for with Trinket Mage.
With POD becoming a force I don't think I would want to leave for a competitive modern event without it.
It's a sideboard option. It hoses:
Fetchlands/manlands
Twin (as long as you call the correct piece!)
Pod Tormod's Crypt or Relic of Progenitus
Equipment
Planeswalkers
With regards to its reception, it's a bit like Trickbind IMO, people always say "this hoses so much stuff, why isn't it played more?" The reason is it doesn't stop a Tarmogoyf, or ten Merfolk, from caving your head in. Like Sneak Attack's flavor text says, "Nothin' beat surprise - 'cept rock".
It's pretty easy for most decks to interact with it or ignore it. Pod can chord out a harmonic sliver game 1, or just beat you down with creatures. Some of the blue decks run repeal and/or echoing truth.
It's probably at it's best vs RG tron since they have very few ways to interact with it. You'd name it on karn, and hopefully you beat them before they draw oblivion stone or other threats. Though postboard they have access to multiple nature's claims. It's also good vs griselbrand decks, but they're probably prepared for artifact hate games 2-3, since so many artifacts hose their strategy.
I think naming it on fetches is too high variance for you to win consistently with it.
It's pretty easy for most decks to interact with it or ignore it. Pod can chord out a harmonic sliver game 1, or just beat you down with creatures. Some of the blue decks run repeal and/or echoing truth.
It's probably at it's best vs RG tron since they have very few ways to interact with it. You'd name it on karn, and hopefully you beat them before they draw oblivion stone or other threats. Though postboard they have access to multiple nature's claims. It's also good vs griselbrand decks, but they're probably prepared for artifact hate games 2-3, since so many artifacts hose their strategy.
I think naming it on fetches is too high variance for you to win consistently with it.
Pithing needle should be played more than it currently is. It is best friend is Trinket Mage, and it WILL provide strong hate for at least 50% of the popular decks in the meta.
Even if there isn't something it entirely shuts down, needle can still be an important "value" piece to stop on opponent's manlands & planeswalkers dead in their tracks, prevents equipment from mattering, can halt various combos until they find hate for it, and is simpy a generally "good" card to have.
I wouldn't play it maindeck unless you're playing Trinket mage, but it's almost never dead when being put to use as a singleton with Trinket mage, and is a potent and easy-to-cast sb card that can swing matches.
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It wrecks tron so any deck with a bad matchup vs that which is nearly all non red decks should be sideboarding this. It's also a great anti GY hate card so good for decks like loam.
On a bit of an off-topic note, I recall the card being 25 USD when I quit (shortly after Ravnica came out).
And then I come back a couple months ago and I see the card being 1-2 USD.
What happened? Wasn't the card's hosing ability heralded as being amazingly powerful in all formats? Why would a hosing card of that power just suddenly drop?
On a bit of an off-topic note, I recall the card being 25 USD when I quit (shortly after Ravnica came out).
And then I come back a couple months ago and I see the card being 1-2 USD.
What happened? Wasn't the card's hosing ability heralded as being amazingly powerful in all formats? Why would a hosing card of that power just suddenly drop?
it was reprinted twice, (tenth edition and m10), and people realized over time it wasn't that good
I've been absolutely loving the switch to include suppression field in my hybrid martyr/sisters deck. It has some counter synergies with mistveil and martyr but you can often play around the martyr at least.
Manabases are so greedy right now. Rightfully so with no wasteland or price of progress. Although it won't kill fetchlands and manlands like needle, time walk whenever they crack a fetch sounds good to me.
Living end, pod, kiki-twin, aether vial, tron, planeswalkers... Nope.
Not to mention that many sideboards are running ancient grudge without anything to deal with enchantments (there aren't many to deal with) which makes it completely unremovable in most games.
It's a sideboard option. It hoses:
Fetchlands/manlands
Not saying you can't do it on fetchland, but thats usually not what you're supposed to do with it lol.
It doesn't hose a whole bunch of decks, but it sure stops a lot of things, and as a very efficient card that helps with a lot of cards in the format and useable in any deck, every one should consider this card in their 75
It wrecks tron so any deck with a bad matchup vs that which is nearly all non red decks should be sideboarding this. It's also a great anti GY hate card so good for decks like loam.
I don't think it wrecks Tron very badly, if at all. I mean, it can turn off Karn or Map, but that's about it.
Both of those will end up being a one-for-one most of the time, and Karn might be a zero-for-one if you drop it before the Karn comes down and they don't hit a Karn. Map is certainly important, but Tron can also use Ancient Stirrings of Sylvan Scrying to complete the Tron engine, and against Map, Pithing Needle isn't doing much that Ancient Grudge can't do.
I run it in all of my decks, in the SB. The card that I use it to shut down are often planeswalkers, though there is almost always a good target for it.
When it was expensive it's price was hiked by the fact that it was the best card to shut down Jitte in Standard- which it did well enough to keep Jitte from being banned.
I was looking at a GY based deck recently that folded to Deathrite Shaman. I know Abrupt Decay is a card that eats this card, but is this worth trying in some decks, and if so which decks?
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
The best decks to utilize Pithing Needle will be ones that can effectively tutor for it.
Currently there are only a few decks that this would cover. The 'best' ones are probably Eggs or Gifts based control decks. Both have ways to directly tutor for Pithing Needle (Reshape from Eggs and Gifts Ungiven from the Gifts Control decks) Unfortunately, neither of those have too much desire to use Pithing Needle, as it isn't going to 'turn off' too many cards that these decks have an issue with.
The other deck that could potentially tutor for Pithing Needle would be Tron decks that use Ancient Stirrings. While it's not a 'real' tutor, it would make it easier for you to find the proverbial Needle in the haystack
The main problem with Pithing Needle is that there are a plethora of answers to it.
Among the most often played:
Ancient Grudge
Abrupt Decay
Echoing Truth
Nature's Claim
Shattering Spree
Shatterstorm
Oblivion Stone
Vandalblast
With all this in mind, Pithing Needle doesn't seem to be an effective card in the Modern format currently.
The best decks to utilize Pithing Needle will be ones that can effectively tutor for it.
Currently there are only a few decks that this would cover. The 'best' ones are probably Eggs or Gifts based control decks. Both have ways to directly tutor for Pithing Needle (Reshape from Eggs and Gifts Ungiven from the Gifts Control decks) Unfortunately, neither of those have too much desire to use Pithing Needle, as it isn't going to 'turn off' too many cards that these decks have an issue with.
The other deck that could potentially tutor for Pithing Needle would be Tron decks that use Ancient Stirrings. While it's not a 'real' tutor, it would make it easier for you to find the proverbial Needle in the haystack
The main problem with Pithing Needle is that there are a plethora of answers to it.
Among the most often played:
Ancient Grudge
Abrupt Decay
Echoing Truth
Nature's Claim
Shattering Spree
Shatterstorm
Oblivion Stone
Vandalblast
With all this in mind, Pithing Needle doesn't seem to be an effective card in the Modern format currently.
Pithing Needle works on so much more than is being mentioned.
and these are just the ones running on tier decks, it hoses so much more.
I run 2 mainboard and 1 SB on Top Control, a deck Im working on. Its a locking deck so the needle comes useful in a lot of ways, it runs reshape so I can fetch it as needed, it also runs Ancient Stirrings, Faithless Looting, Pyrite Spellbombs (cycle effect) to dig for it and it runs Academy Ruins so I can discard it and get it back if needed. If I play it and don't need it anymore I can sac it to reshape for something else. And I don't have much trouble with the opponent destroying it because with a locking deck they need to destroy more important stuff.
I wouldn't even consider running the deck without the needles.
You guys are missing the most obvious target, Lilliana of the Veil. I run 3 in the sideboard of UWR restoration angel midrange. It makes Geist of Saint Traft so much better!
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If that's your "casual," what on earth is required for "formal," a butler in livery shuffling the decks whilst a pianist plays Brahms in front of a tapestry?
This card is great in the format, I even had it in a MB at one point. It's just so good at stopping certain cards. I don't see it mentioned a few posts up, but it blanks Cranial Plating and Arcbound Ravager, the two most troublesome cards in Affinity. But yeah, this card fogs a lot of cards, like Birthing Pod, Karn, Liliana, Deathrite Shaman, manlands of all flavour, it's just very good at what it does.
With POD becoming a force I don't think I would want to leave for a competitive modern event without it.
EDIT: I almost forgot it even stop Griselband.
Fetchlands/manlands
Twin (as long as you call the correct piece!)
Pod
Tormod's Crypt or Relic of Progenitus
Equipment
Planeswalkers
With regards to its reception, it's a bit like Trickbind IMO, people always say "this hoses so much stuff, why isn't it played more?" The reason is it doesn't stop a Tarmogoyf, or ten Merfolk, from caving your head in. Like Sneak Attack's flavor text says, "Nothin' beat surprise - 'cept rock".
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Big Johnny.
Though, you can stop Aether Vial, and maybe they won't get to ten Merfolk.
It's probably at it's best vs RG tron since they have very few ways to interact with it. You'd name it on karn, and hopefully you beat them before they draw oblivion stone or other threats. Though postboard they have access to multiple nature's claims. It's also good vs griselbrand decks, but they're probably prepared for artifact hate games 2-3, since so many artifacts hose their strategy.
I think naming it on fetches is too high variance for you to win consistently with it.
Pithing needle should be played more than it currently is. It is best friend is Trinket Mage, and it WILL provide strong hate for at least 50% of the popular decks in the meta.
Even if there isn't something it entirely shuts down, needle can still be an important "value" piece to stop on opponent's manlands & planeswalkers dead in their tracks, prevents equipment from mattering, can halt various combos until they find hate for it, and is simpy a generally "good" card to have.
I wouldn't play it maindeck unless you're playing Trinket mage, but it's almost never dead when being put to use as a singleton with Trinket mage, and is a potent and easy-to-cast sb card that can swing matches.
And then I come back a couple months ago and I see the card being 1-2 USD.
What happened? Wasn't the card's hosing ability heralded as being amazingly powerful in all formats? Why would a hosing card of that power just suddenly drop?
it was reprinted twice, (tenth edition and m10), and people realized over time it wasn't that good
Manabases are so greedy right now. Rightfully so with no wasteland or price of progress. Although it won't kill fetchlands and manlands like needle, time walk whenever they crack a fetch sounds good to me.
Living end, pod, kiki-twin, aether vial, tron, planeswalkers... Nope.
Not to mention that many sideboards are running ancient grudge without anything to deal with enchantments (there aren't many to deal with) which makes it completely unremovable in most games.
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Not just that, but back when the card first came out, the only set it was in was one that people really, really didn't want to open.
"Stoned players can't attack, block, or play spells or abilities."
Not saying you can't do it on fetchland, but thats usually not what you're supposed to do with it lol.
It doesn't hose a whole bunch of decks, but it sure stops a lot of things, and as a very efficient card that helps with a lot of cards in the format and useable in any deck, every one should consider this card in their 75
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I don't think it wrecks Tron very badly, if at all. I mean, it can turn off Karn or Map, but that's about it.
Both of those will end up being a one-for-one most of the time, and Karn might be a zero-for-one if you drop it before the Karn comes down and they don't hit a Karn. Map is certainly important, but Tron can also use Ancient Stirrings of Sylvan Scrying to complete the Tron engine, and against Map, Pithing Needle isn't doing much that Ancient Grudge can't do.
When it was expensive it's price was hiked by the fact that it was the best card to shut down Jitte in Standard- which it did well enough to keep Jitte from being banned.
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Currently there are only a few decks that this would cover. The 'best' ones are probably Eggs or Gifts based control decks. Both have ways to directly tutor for Pithing Needle (Reshape from Eggs and Gifts Ungiven from the Gifts Control decks) Unfortunately, neither of those have too much desire to use Pithing Needle, as it isn't going to 'turn off' too many cards that these decks have an issue with.
The other deck that could potentially tutor for Pithing Needle would be Tron decks that use Ancient Stirrings. While it's not a 'real' tutor, it would make it easier for you to find the proverbial Needle in the haystack
The main problem with Pithing Needle is that there are a plethora of answers to it.
Among the most often played:
Ancient Grudge
Abrupt Decay
Echoing Truth
Nature's Claim
Shattering Spree
Shatterstorm
Oblivion Stone
Vandalblast
With all this in mind, Pithing Needle doesn't seem to be an effective card in the Modern format currently.
Pithing Needle works on so much more than is being mentioned.
Deathrite Shaman
Grim Lavamancer
Equips
Manlands
Lotus Bloom
Eggs
Planeswalkers
Birthing Pod
Aether Vial
Oblivion Stone
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Splinter Twin
and these are just the ones running on tier decks, it hoses so much more.
I run 2 mainboard and 1 SB on Top Control, a deck Im working on. Its a locking deck so the needle comes useful in a lot of ways, it runs reshape so I can fetch it as needed, it also runs Ancient Stirrings, Faithless Looting, Pyrite Spellbombs (cycle effect) to dig for it and it runs Academy Ruins so I can discard it and get it back if needed. If I play it and don't need it anymore I can sac it to reshape for something else. And I don't have much trouble with the opponent destroying it because with a locking deck they need to destroy more important stuff.
I wouldn't even consider running the deck without the needles.
"When you get your opponent down to 0 sanity, you win the game!"
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I hate the reserved list.
Mythic rares are fine.
Its a great card that requires a good amount of knowledge of MTG to see its full potential realized.
Grixis Death's Shadow, Jund, UW Tron, Jeskai Control, Storm, Counters Company, Eldrazi Tron, Affinity, Living End, Infect, Merfolk, Dredge, Ad Nauseam, Amulet, Bogles, Eldrazi Tron, Mono U Tron, Lantern, Mardu Pyromancer