I decided to do another set (P)review in the style of my RTR review. The last couple have seemed to be pretty well received, and I thought it might be worth sharing my initial thoughts on GTC in the same way.
Just like the previous review, it will be in a spoiled top 20 countdown format, with each section having an image, a brief summary/description, and my verdict on what cubes I think it could potentially see some play in.
Aurelia is a big impact creature. She's got haste, she swings for 6 on her own, and with a couple of other unbloaked attackers, she'll probably seal the win for you the turn you cast her. The drawback is that not a whole lot of boros decks wind up being mid-rangey good stuff decks that want to have a 2CCCC creature in their final 40. But for the occasions where the deck comes together that wants her, she's pretty beastly.
Verdict: I think she's likely the 8th or so best Boros card, so she'd probably fall in the 720-810 range.
Blind Obedience is an interesting card. It has a small board impact, but it can have big implications during races and when your opponent desperately needs blockers or to connect with their haste creatures. But more importantly, it gives you an early Extort engine, that's pretty safe from removal. In a deck with a low CMC, you should be able to reliably trigger Extort multiple times over the course of the game, and it'll do a better job of securing those triggers than creatures will.
Verdict: I think it's an interesting effect, and it will spark interest for a lot of drafters. It will likely settle somewhere in the 720-810 range in terms of its power-level though.
If you support blue tempo with a lot of aggro/tempo exclusive cards, I would suggest looking into the Raptor. It starts off pretty low-impact, but after a couple of creatures, it'll be swinging for 2 or 3 through the air, which is nice for a 1-mana creature to do.
Verdict: I wouldn't cube this unless my cube was particularly huge, but decks that push blue tempo to the max might be able to find room for this at 720, or perhaps even smaller depending on how dominant that decktype is for your playgroup.
This was a disappointing version of Gideon in terms of planeswalker powers go. But when evaluated as a 4cc creature, he can be playable in quite a few decks. He survives your own Wrath effects, he's immune to your opponent's sorcery speed removal and if he draws attention from your opponent's creatures, he can tie up tons of rounds of combat because his + ability will be adding lots of loyalty. I think it's going to play somewhere in between a Calciderm and a white Chimeric Mass.
Verdict: I think 720 cubes might be able to slot this guy in for extended testing as a 4cc creature. It may even slip into slightly smaller cubes depending on their construction and playgroup preferences.
If high creature count mid-range decks are a big part of your group's uses for Gruul, this guy will be pretty good for you. The + ability is fine in decks with a high enough creature count because his cost is so low to get him down. Likewise, the second ability is great in decks with a lot of medium-sized creatures. When we tested it, it didn't do that well for us because we play mostly aggro decks and ramp decks in RG, but in a super creature-saturated mid-range deck, he'd be right at home.
Verdict: Depending on how you use Gruul, this guy could go as low as 630 in cube size. But otherwise, he'll round out at the 720-810 range if it sees play at all.
This is the best of the Keyrunes. It can ramp you from 3 to 5, and also give you an unblockable 2/2 creature, which is certainly relevant. I prefer the 2cc mana stones for the purposes of ramping, but this Keyrune may go better into a general "goodstuff" Dimir deck.
Verdict: This could likely be the 8th or so best Dimir card for cubes, and I could see it being played in 720-810 lists because of that.
This is a pretty flexible creature. It's splashable, 3 power for 3 mana, and can be used as a pretty solid pump spell in combat for cheap. I don't think it's particularly great, but there's value in the card's flexibility. If I had a larger cube, I would consider testing this out against some of the more fringe green 3-drops and see how it does.
Verdict: I would test this card at 720 to see how it plays against the other competition there. The 3cc green creature slot isn't super crowded, so it shouldn't be that hard to find room for this guy.
This dude's not spectacular, but he has reasonable value for a black 2-drop. Black doesn't have the deepest suite of 2cc creatures to begin with, so it's not difficult to find room to test this dude out. In the early game, this card won't be much more than a 2/2 for 2. Which is pretty bad. But in the mid-late game, it could most certainly be a 3/3-4/4 for 2 mana, which is pretty solid. Additionally, he's a Zombie, so he plays well with that small subtheme, and in a Pox type strategy, the opponent's 'yard will fill faster, and help him to more reliably be a threat in the mid-game.
Verdict: I'd probably give this guy a shot against the competition at 720.
This card is interesting. A 3/3 for 3 has been outclassed by cube standards, but it does have two reasonable abilities on it. The battalion is tough to trigger reliably, but when it does, this ability is huge. Additionally, the Xcc hoser could prove to randomly be valuable from time to time.
Verdict: Larger cubes may struggle for reasonable 3-drops that can work as part of a team. This card could potentially fill that gap for 720+ cubes.
This is an interesting creature. It's not quite a bomb ramp creature, and it's not quite a bomb beater. But it does a solid job of doing both. It reminds me of Werebear, in that it does a little ramping and a little beatdown, but this card is less consistent on ramping, and more consistent on beatdown. We tested it out, and it proved too inconsistent for out 540 cube, but it showed promise.
Verdict: I would add this in for extensive testing at 630.
This creature is pretty cool. It thrashes combat math in the aggro mirror, he's almost impossible to block, he can trade with 6/6 creatures in combat and it can deal extra damage from your own sweeping burn effects. It's also a 3/3 for 3 (that can gain first strike) in Boros, mono-White or mono-Red aggro.
Verdict: I think this is likely the 7th (or perhaps even the 6th, we'll see how this tests against Aurelia's Fury) best Boros card, which puts it somewhere in the 630 range for me.
This is certainly a powerful effect. Doubling your mana production is no joke, and Extort is not an ability to be underestimated. The only problems we had with the card was that A) it was fragile and therefore unreliable and B) we don't really have a deck for this card. Cubes that push MBC will love this card. We don't. Our heavy black decks tend to be aggro/Pox oriented, and this card just didn't work out for us there. But in a heavy black control deck, he could be really beastly.
Verdict: This just missed for us at 540, but I'm pretty sure I'd be playing it at 630.
Ghost Dad 2.0 is a pretty strong creature. We tested it out and it played fine. It's a 5/5 for 5 that can dodge sorcery removal and hits your opponent with a Syphon Soul every turn. Not bad. But the competition at the 5cc slot in those two colors, and the strength of the current gold suite will be keeping him out of at 540. But I could absolutely see other groups falling in love with this creature.
Verdict: This would be the next Orzhov card I'd add in, which makes it a 630 card for us. He may very well break into our 540 at some point though.
This card is as high on the list as it is for one major reason; the fun factor. It ended up not making the cut at the last minute after some decent testing with it over opting for an additional push in the tempo direction. Casting this right after a Thragtusk and getting a 6/6 for 6 that draws you 6 cards? Completely insane. But having a creature light board that ramps into this with artifact/land-ramp mana gives you a much different result. It's swingy, it has its ups and downs, and if your group is okay with that, give it a shot. The card can be a real beast.
Verdict: Without a Simic tempo support package, this card could definitely make it in at 540. For us, it just missed, and I'd play it at 630 for sure.
This is a very solid charm. It counters every sorcery in the cube. It kills about 60% of the creatures in the cube. It can wreck an opponent's topdeck or "counter" a top of deck tutor. It can set up your topdeck, feed your 'yard or purge the top of your library after a bad Top/Rack/Jace/Brainstorm/Library/Ponder effect. All for 2 mana. Very solid.
Verdict: If I didn't play Dimir aggro/tempo decks all the time, Duskmantle Seer would've missed the cut, and this would've made it in. As it is, I'm ranking it 630. But It could easily be 540 or even 450 for folks that don't support Dimir tempo and/or the artifact.dec.
I'm on the fence about this card. It has the potential to be insane, and it can also be incredibly low-impact for the cost. But it does do a lot of stuff. With the testing of this card so far, it's proven to be quite solid. Mostly used as a 3WR card during the opponent's upkeep to tap two creatures (effectively removing them as both attackers and blockers) ping the opponent for one and Silence them for a turn. Sometimes this can win you the race. Other times, it can stop your board from being wrathed away and secretly win you the game. Other times, it doesn't effect them much at all. But this is essentially an instant-speed Rolling Thunder with a Blinding Beam attached to it that also functions as a Silence. It's hard to evaluate that without adequate testing. We decided to slot this into the cube. We asked the question, is a bad multicolor Profane Command still good enough? We answered: probably, ya.
Verdict: I'm guessing this will be the (new) #6 card for Boros, so I have it ranked at 540 or so.
I'm sure a lot of people are surprised to find this card so high. Well, part of it is a weak set for the cube. But another part is what this card can actually do for you in-game. Playable pump is rare. Extra bounce is always welcome. And protecting your permanents from targeted removal is perfectly fine. We play a fair bit of UG tempo decks, where this will be right at home. But even if you don't, it's still pretty solid value for 2 mana all around. I compared it to Vines of Vastwood. Vines ended up being edged out over the last years, but it wasn't because the Vines effect was bad, it's because it just needed that extra oomph. Is adding bounce and the ability to protect all your permanents (instead of just your creatures) that extra bit? I think so. Only extended playtesting will show for sure.
Verdict: I'm ranking this as the #5 Simic card, and I think it will fit right in at 540 (or 450 if you support Simic tempo play).
We play Dimir tempo decks. This guy's a house in Dimir Tempo decks. Most importantly, it plays an important role in those decks (reach + creature size at the top of the curve). This card looks to be a combination of Moroii + Sulfuric Vortex + Howling Mine. Every last bit of what I'm looking for in a UB tempo deck.
Verdict: Because we play Dimir tempo decks, this gets ranked pretty high for us. I think this is the 4th best Dimir card, and I'd consider it a 450 quality card.
This is such a great aggressive 1-drop. It will be swinging as a 2-power 1-drop most of the time. It should grow to a 3/3 or 4/4 in most of your games. When it does, it can regenerate itself and begin the process over again. Not much more I can ask from my 1cc creature than to play like a mono-colored Nacatl variant that can survive Day of Judgment and Earthquake.
Verdict: We play green aggro, and because of that, I'd play this all the way down to 360. Since a lot of cubes don't, I could see this winding up as a 450 creature. But it's really good.
This card is ridiculous. Reach of this caliber in the cube has no precedence at 2 mana. 4 damage to a player? That's bonkers game-finishing damage. And it's a bullet for most planeswalkers for the same reason. You can bash 4 loyalty off of a 'walker for 2 mana (which kills most of 'em). What else does it do? It makes all of your permanents indestructible until end of turn. Trade in combat? Not anymore. Wrath my board? No. Geddon all lands? No, just yours. Disenchant my Jitte? No. Whatever clutch action your opponent wants to do gets shot down by this Charm. And it also gives double strike to one of your creatures. Not particularly clutch because of the 4-damage mode, but still strong. It allows a 3-drop to trade with their Titan. It doubles Sword/Jitte triggers, or doubles Lifelink effects. On a big creature, it can mean 5-6 extra damage instead of 4. The 2nd ability combined with the 3rd ability means your opponent can't possibly make correct combat decisions. Just an amazing, flexible card that works on offense and defense, and will get played heavily by every Boros deck.
Verdict: Other than Ajani and Figure, this is the clear #3 card in Boros. I'd certainly play this at 360. The one nut card in the set.
Thanks for writing that. It was enjoyable and I agree with most of it (you are shocked, I'm sure :D). What a sad set for Gruul, and Orzhov didn't do much better but it did have less room for improvement.
I'm surprised to see the Medic that high on your list. I think it looks like junk, but I guess in a big enough cube you run out of 3-drops. I would bump Gideon up a bit, but not much. You were a little harsh on Slaughterhorn in another thread, so I surpised and pleased to see it make your list. I was considering it, but I liked all my green 3 and 4 drops better.
I think I'm alone in this, but I like Skaarg Guildmage. He's probably not good enough, but I think he's worth considering.
Can't wait to see Boros Charm and Experiment One go to work! They are pretty exciting cards.
Cheers,
rant
Pretty surprised to not see Crab Shark even make the list at all, considering he's one of only 4 cards in the set to make it into my cube.
Okay. I don't think it's one of the 20 best cards from this already pretty bad set. I mean, I support UG tempo in my Simic section and I still can't see that card being higher than #7 or #8 at best, which would place it as card #22 -25 from this set.
Even given that, I'm still surprised. you included what you thought was the 8th best Boros card and the 8th best Dimir card.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to start a fight, I just happen to think he's within the top 20 in a bad set. It's OK if we disagree, I was just saying I was surprised our assessments were so wildly different.
This is the one time I can accurately predict the top 3 cards of your preview, wtwlf123 .
Props on doing a set review. It must have been hard to do. I saw how the number are shaky starting from 7-20. This is a pretty hard set to review, I think.
@ Jeff: No worries dude. I included a couple of #8s, but I think those 8's are better than the SImic #8.
@ OP: It was pretty hard. There's several good cards for medium-large cubes, but it's hard to predict where cards will fall for the really big cubes. I gave it my best guess.
I agree with everything here, pretty much. The set was extremely disappointing for Gruul, Orzhov (some fringe options) and Simic. Boros was already ok but made like a champ (where have we recently seen that before?). That gives us Boros and Golgari as infinitely deep guilds, and best of all there are a lot of legitimate Dimir options now. I don't consider any of the U/B cards as a given so it's great for groups to have those options.
In the end though, probably just the Boros charm, Experiment One, Seer and Reckoner will be my adds. Reckoner fills a gap for us and I'll always prioritise good hybrids in gold slots where possible.
Cool! What decks has he gone in, and what plays have made him good for you in testing so far?
We support Pod pretty heavily and I didn't get the deck list written down but it can get nuts.
My brother didn't pull this play off but he showed me how he could use only Kitchen Finks + Pod to go completely bonkers:
Pod Finks into Biomancer
Then Pod Finks into Ranger of Eos for Carrion Feeder (or Viscera Feeder)
You now have infinite life
I'm pretty sure thats why he insisted on readding Ranger of Eos. I actually think Ranger of Eos is possibly good enough even if you aren't trying to screw around in a Pod/Survival/Green Tutors deck. We're pushing humans in White so its a pretty awesome reload. Champion+Mom or Student+Champion.
In practice he had Biomancer in his deck but didn't see Birthing Pod enough so he ended up trying to cheese me with Kiki-Jiki shenanigans that I had Skred for. Another time he "forgot" that Kiki can't copy Krenko who is a legend.
He also said he was about to Zenith for Biomancer but I beat him before he could.
I should add that his strategy is to draft every janky guy he sees and then hope they work out to some stupidity/cheese. I insisted we cut the Body Double/Karmic Guide/Reveillark package that he was wanting to cram in along with Protean Hulk. Those cards are just too conditional. I can live with Biomancer since he is self contained.
Are there any infinite 2-color combos that it enables? Or is blue/green missing the sacrifice outlets required to pull it off? I can think of Blasting Station + Master Biomancer + Glen Elendra Archmage, but that seems kind of narrow (plus, I don't run the Station ...or the Biomancer).
I think U/G is missing a playable sacrifice outlet. He is definitely worse than Melira who only costs two and lets you go exclusively G/B if you really wanted to.
I think its not really about having a specific combo but having such a plethora of combos that have some redundancy between them.
Unless I missed it, no Thespian Stage? wondering what your thoughts are here. If you're into that effect, I would assume the card vaults to top 10 status (ie; vesuva is in your cube). I'd love to hear your thoughts about this. Same for the Gruul overall.
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I mean, hell, we're all on a forum for something that most people would describe as a "children's card game"...do what makes you happy. You are never too old to enjoy yourself.
One card missing from this list that has been, in our testing, stone-cold BONKERS, is Ghor-Clan Rampager. He may be simple, but when you play it, it's actually just silly how good it is.
One card missing from this list that has been, in our testing, stone-cold BONKERS, is Ghor-Clan Rampager. He may be simple, but when you play it, it's actually just silly how good it is.
He's really good but red and green really aren't lacking for good four drops. Even within the Gruul section you have multiple possibilities; BBE, Sarkhan Vol and Huntmaster of the Fells. I think you have to consider the needs of the two colours. Hell, once I go up to 360 I'll be running Boggart Ram-Gang now because red and green both need a 3CMC beater in my cube, so it just makes sense, depsite the fact it's worse on paper than something like Huntmaster.
He's really good but red and green really aren't lacking for good four drops. Even within the Gruul section you have multiple possibilities; BBE, Sarkhan Vol and Huntmaster of the Fells. I think you have to consider the needs of the two colours. Hell, once I go up to 360 I'll be running Boggart Ram-Gang now because red and green both need a 3CMC beater in my cube, so it just makes sense, depsite the fact it's worse on paper than something like Huntmaster.
While I don't disagree (and I've been preaching this from the rafters), I do think that Ghor Clan Rampager is a four drop the way Shriekmaw is a 5 drop. Their primary mode is their evoke cost, not their main casting cost.
Unless I missed it, no Thespian Stage? wondering what your thoughts are here. If you're into that effect, I would assume the card vaults to top 10 status (ie; vesuva is in your cube). I'd love to hear your thoughts about this. Same for the Gruul overall.
I think Thespian Stage is pretty bad. It's not an effect I want, and paying 3 mana for a Vesuva seems really bad.
Gruul was shunned in this set. Gruul Guildmage is okay, and the Rampager is good for C/Ubes that are missing a lot of the great 4cc Gruul bombs. But there's nothing that comes close to edging out cards that are already typically played in cubes.
One card missing from this list that has been, in our testing, stone-cold BONKERS, is Ghor-Clan Rampager. He may be simple, but when you play it, it's actually just silly how good it is.
This card is really underwhelming. It's an okay pump spell and an okay creature. But red and green are stacked with amazing 4cc cards, and it doesn't come close to competing with them, IMO. Not even the mono-colored ones.
While I don't disagree (and I've been preaching this from the rafters), I do think that Ghor Clan Rampager is a four drop the way Shriekmaw is a 5 drop. Their primary mode is their evoke cost, not their main casting cost.
I hardcast Shriekmaw at least twice as often as I evoke it. If it were any worse in its creature form, I wouldn't cube it at all.
Thanks for the insight! The only card I can see including for certain right now is Boros Charm because we don't really support green aggro. We have also discussed testing Duskmantle Seer at 360 but our guild section currently consists of: Psychatog, Shadowmage Infiltrator and Creeping Tar Pit. Our UB decks are usually control decks with tons of removal and counters with late game bombs. Do you think he would be worth trying out at 360 in that type of scenario?
I just wanted to point out that Ghor-Clan Rampager is not a shoe-in even for peasant cubes. You're still competing against Bloodbraid Elf at the 4-drop slot. My other two spells at 360 are Boggart Ram-Gang (the 3-drop slot is particularly weak in green and this can go in mono-red aggro if someone wants to force it) and Savage Twister (peasant lacks as many sweepers as regular cubes so the effect is more unique than an above average beater).
Rampager is probably my #4 card and will go in if I expand my guild section.
I decided to do another set (P)review in the style of my RTR review. The last couple have seemed to be pretty well received, and I thought it might be worth sharing my initial thoughts on GTC in the same way.
Just like the previous review, it will be in a spoiled top 20 countdown format, with each section having an image, a brief summary/description, and my verdict on what cubes I think it could potentially see some play in.
Enjoy!
Aurelia, the Warleader
Aurelia is a big impact creature. She's got haste, she swings for 6 on her own, and with a couple of other unbloaked attackers, she'll probably seal the win for you the turn you cast her. The drawback is that not a whole lot of boros decks wind up being mid-rangey good stuff decks that want to have a 2CCCC creature in their final 40. But for the occasions where the deck comes together that wants her, she's pretty beastly.
Verdict: I think she's likely the 8th or so best Boros card, so she'd probably fall in the 720-810 range.
Blind Obedience
Blind Obedience is an interesting card. It has a small board impact, but it can have big implications during races and when your opponent desperately needs blockers or to connect with their haste creatures. But more importantly, it gives you an early Extort engine, that's pretty safe from removal. In a deck with a low CMC, you should be able to reliably trigger Extort multiple times over the course of the game, and it'll do a better job of securing those triggers than creatures will.
Verdict: I think it's an interesting effect, and it will spark interest for a lot of drafters. It will likely settle somewhere in the 720-810 range in terms of its power-level though.
Cloudfin Raptor
If you support blue tempo with a lot of aggro/tempo exclusive cards, I would suggest looking into the Raptor. It starts off pretty low-impact, but after a couple of creatures, it'll be swinging for 2 or 3 through the air, which is nice for a 1-mana creature to do.
Verdict: I wouldn't cube this unless my cube was particularly huge, but decks that push blue tempo to the max might be able to find room for this at 720, or perhaps even smaller depending on how dominant that decktype is for your playgroup.
Gideon, Champion of Justice
This was a disappointing version of Gideon in terms of planeswalker powers go. But when evaluated as a 4cc creature, he can be playable in quite a few decks. He survives your own Wrath effects, he's immune to your opponent's sorcery speed removal and if he draws attention from your opponent's creatures, he can tie up tons of rounds of combat because his + ability will be adding lots of loyalty. I think it's going to play somewhere in between a Calciderm and a white Chimeric Mass.
Verdict: I think 720 cubes might be able to slot this guy in for extended testing as a 4cc creature. It may even slip into slightly smaller cubes depending on their construction and playgroup preferences.
Domri Rade
If high creature count mid-range decks are a big part of your group's uses for Gruul, this guy will be pretty good for you. The + ability is fine in decks with a high enough creature count because his cost is so low to get him down. Likewise, the second ability is great in decks with a lot of medium-sized creatures. When we tested it, it didn't do that well for us because we play mostly aggro decks and ramp decks in RG, but in a super creature-saturated mid-range deck, he'd be right at home.
Verdict: Depending on how you use Gruul, this guy could go as low as 630 in cube size. But otherwise, he'll round out at the 720-810 range if it sees play at all.
Dimir Keyrune
This is the best of the Keyrunes. It can ramp you from 3 to 5, and also give you an unblockable 2/2 creature, which is certainly relevant. I prefer the 2cc mana stones for the purposes of ramping, but this Keyrune may go better into a general "goodstuff" Dimir deck.
Verdict: This could likely be the 8th or so best Dimir card for cubes, and I could see it being played in 720-810 lists because of that.
Slaughterhorn
This is a pretty flexible creature. It's splashable, 3 power for 3 mana, and can be used as a pretty solid pump spell in combat for cheap. I don't think it's particularly great, but there's value in the card's flexibility. If I had a larger cube, I would consider testing this out against some of the more fringe green 3-drops and see how it does.
Verdict: I would test this card at 720 to see how it plays against the other competition there. The 3cc green creature slot isn't super crowded, so it shouldn't be that hard to find room for this guy.
Wight of Precinct Six
This dude's not spectacular, but he has reasonable value for a black 2-drop. Black doesn't have the deepest suite of 2cc creatures to begin with, so it's not difficult to find room to test this dude out. In the early game, this card won't be much more than a 2/2 for 2. Which is pretty bad. But in the mid-late game, it could most certainly be a 3/3-4/4 for 2 mana, which is pretty solid. Additionally, he's a Zombie, so he plays well with that small subtheme, and in a Pox type strategy, the opponent's 'yard will fill faster, and help him to more reliably be a threat in the mid-game.
Verdict: I'd probably give this guy a shot against the competition at 720.
Frontline Medic
This card is interesting. A 3/3 for 3 has been outclassed by cube standards, but it does have two reasonable abilities on it. The battalion is tough to trigger reliably, but when it does, this ability is huge. Additionally, the Xcc hoser could prove to randomly be valuable from time to time.
Verdict: Larger cubes may struggle for reasonable 3-drops that can work as part of a team. This card could potentially fill that gap for 720+ cubes.
Gyre Sage
This is an interesting creature. It's not quite a bomb ramp creature, and it's not quite a bomb beater. But it does a solid job of doing both. It reminds me of Werebear, in that it does a little ramping and a little beatdown, but this card is less consistent on ramping, and more consistent on beatdown. We tested it out, and it proved too inconsistent for out 540 cube, but it showed promise.
Verdict: I would add this in for extensive testing at 630.
Boros Reckoner
This creature is pretty cool. It thrashes combat math in the aggro mirror, he's almost impossible to block, he can trade with 6/6 creatures in combat and it can deal extra damage from your own sweeping burn effects. It's also a 3/3 for 3 (that can gain first strike) in Boros, mono-White or mono-Red aggro.
Verdict: I think this is likely the 7th (or perhaps even the 6th, we'll see how this tests against Aurelia's Fury) best Boros card, which puts it somewhere in the 630 range for me.
Crypt Ghast
This is certainly a powerful effect. Doubling your mana production is no joke, and Extort is not an ability to be underestimated. The only problems we had with the card was that A) it was fragile and therefore unreliable and B) we don't really have a deck for this card. Cubes that push MBC will love this card. We don't. Our heavy black decks tend to be aggro/Pox oriented, and this card just didn't work out for us there. But in a heavy black control deck, he could be really beastly.
Verdict: This just missed for us at 540, but I'm pretty sure I'd be playing it at 630.
Obzedat, Ghost Council
Ghost Dad 2.0 is a pretty strong creature. We tested it out and it played fine. It's a 5/5 for 5 that can dodge sorcery removal and hits your opponent with a Syphon Soul every turn. Not bad. But the competition at the 5cc slot in those two colors, and the strength of the current gold suite will be keeping him out of at 540. But I could absolutely see other groups falling in love with this creature.
Verdict: This would be the next Orzhov card I'd add in, which makes it a 630 card for us. He may very well break into our 540 at some point though.
Prime Speaker Zegana
This card is as high on the list as it is for one major reason; the fun factor. It ended up not making the cut at the last minute after some decent testing with it over opting for an additional push in the tempo direction. Casting this right after a Thragtusk and getting a 6/6 for 6 that draws you 6 cards? Completely insane. But having a creature light board that ramps into this with artifact/land-ramp mana gives you a much different result. It's swingy, it has its ups and downs, and if your group is okay with that, give it a shot. The card can be a real beast.
Verdict: Without a Simic tempo support package, this card could definitely make it in at 540. For us, it just missed, and I'd play it at 630 for sure.
Dimir Charm
This is a very solid charm. It counters every sorcery in the cube. It kills about 60% of the creatures in the cube. It can wreck an opponent's topdeck or "counter" a top of deck tutor. It can set up your topdeck, feed your 'yard or purge the top of your library after a bad Top/Rack/Jace/Brainstorm/Library/Ponder effect. All for 2 mana. Very solid.
Verdict: If I didn't play Dimir aggro/tempo decks all the time, Duskmantle Seer would've missed the cut, and this would've made it in. As it is, I'm ranking it 630. But It could easily be 540 or even 450 for folks that don't support Dimir tempo and/or the artifact.dec.
Aurelia's Fury
I'm on the fence about this card. It has the potential to be insane, and it can also be incredibly low-impact for the cost. But it does do a lot of stuff. With the testing of this card so far, it's proven to be quite solid. Mostly used as a 3WR card during the opponent's upkeep to tap two creatures (effectively removing them as both attackers and blockers) ping the opponent for one and Silence them for a turn. Sometimes this can win you the race. Other times, it can stop your board from being wrathed away and secretly win you the game. Other times, it doesn't effect them much at all. But this is essentially an instant-speed Rolling Thunder with a Blinding Beam attached to it that also functions as a Silence. It's hard to evaluate that without adequate testing. We decided to slot this into the cube. We asked the question, is a bad multicolor Profane Command still good enough? We answered: probably, ya.
Verdict: I'm guessing this will be the (new) #6 card for Boros, so I have it ranked at 540 or so.
Simic Charm
I'm sure a lot of people are surprised to find this card so high. Well, part of it is a weak set for the cube. But another part is what this card can actually do for you in-game. Playable pump is rare. Extra bounce is always welcome. And protecting your permanents from targeted removal is perfectly fine. We play a fair bit of UG tempo decks, where this will be right at home. But even if you don't, it's still pretty solid value for 2 mana all around. I compared it to Vines of Vastwood. Vines ended up being edged out over the last years, but it wasn't because the Vines effect was bad, it's because it just needed that extra oomph. Is adding bounce and the ability to protect all your permanents (instead of just your creatures) that extra bit? I think so. Only extended playtesting will show for sure.
Verdict: I'm ranking this as the #5 Simic card, and I think it will fit right in at 540 (or 450 if you support Simic tempo play).
Duskmantle Seer
We play Dimir tempo decks. This guy's a house in Dimir Tempo decks. Most importantly, it plays an important role in those decks (reach + creature size at the top of the curve). This card looks to be a combination of Moroii + Sulfuric Vortex + Howling Mine. Every last bit of what I'm looking for in a UB tempo deck.
Verdict: Because we play Dimir tempo decks, this gets ranked pretty high for us. I think this is the 4th best Dimir card, and I'd consider it a 450 quality card.
Experiment One
This is such a great aggressive 1-drop. It will be swinging as a 2-power 1-drop most of the time. It should grow to a 3/3 or 4/4 in most of your games. When it does, it can regenerate itself and begin the process over again. Not much more I can ask from my 1cc creature than to play like a mono-colored Nacatl variant that can survive Day of Judgment and Earthquake.
Verdict: We play green aggro, and because of that, I'd play this all the way down to 360. Since a lot of cubes don't, I could see this winding up as a 450 creature. But it's really good.
Boros Charm
This card is ridiculous. Reach of this caliber in the cube has no precedence at 2 mana. 4 damage to a player? That's bonkers game-finishing damage. And it's a bullet for most planeswalkers for the same reason. You can bash 4 loyalty off of a 'walker for 2 mana (which kills most of 'em). What else does it do? It makes all of your permanents indestructible until end of turn. Trade in combat? Not anymore. Wrath my board? No. Geddon all lands? No, just yours. Disenchant my Jitte? No. Whatever clutch action your opponent wants to do gets shot down by this Charm. And it also gives double strike to one of your creatures. Not particularly clutch because of the 4-damage mode, but still strong. It allows a 3-drop to trade with their Titan. It doubles Sword/Jitte triggers, or doubles Lifelink effects. On a big creature, it can mean 5-6 extra damage instead of 4. The 2nd ability combined with the 3rd ability means your opponent can't possibly make correct combat decisions. Just an amazing, flexible card that works on offense and defense, and will get played heavily by every Boros deck.
Verdict: Other than Ajani and Figure, this is the clear #3 card in Boros. I'd certainly play this at 360. The one nut card in the set.
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I'm surprised to see the Medic that high on your list. I think it looks like junk, but I guess in a big enough cube you run out of 3-drops. I would bump Gideon up a bit, but not much. You were a little harsh on Slaughterhorn in another thread, so I surpised and pleased to see it make your list. I was considering it, but I liked all my green 3 and 4 drops better.
I think I'm alone in this, but I like Skaarg Guildmage. He's probably not good enough, but I think he's worth considering.
Can't wait to see Boros Charm and Experiment One go to work! They are pretty exciting cards.
Cheers,
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Okay. I don't think it's one of the 20 best cards from this already pretty bad set. I mean, I support UG tempo in my Simic section and I still can't see that card being higher than #7 or #8 at best, which would place it as card #22 -25 from this set.
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Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to start a fight, I just happen to think he's within the top 20 in a bad set. It's OK if we disagree, I was just saying I was surprised our assessments were so wildly different.
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Props on doing a set review. It must have been hard to do. I saw how the number are shaky starting from 7-20. This is a pretty hard set to review, I think.
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@ OP: It was pretty hard. There's several good cards for medium-large cubes, but it's hard to predict where cards will fall for the really big cubes. I gave it my best guess.
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In the end though, probably just the Boros charm, Experiment One, Seer and Reckoner will be my adds. Reckoner fills a gap for us and I'll always prioritise good hybrids in gold slots where possible.
Good work again!
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
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Cool! What decks has he gone in, and what plays have made him good for you in testing so far?
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We support Pod pretty heavily and I didn't get the deck list written down but it can get nuts.
My brother didn't pull this play off but he showed me how he could use only Kitchen Finks + Pod to go completely bonkers:
Pod Finks into Biomancer
Then Pod Finks into Ranger of Eos for Carrion Feeder (or Viscera Feeder)
You now have infinite life
I'm pretty sure thats why he insisted on readding Ranger of Eos. I actually think Ranger of Eos is possibly good enough even if you aren't trying to screw around in a Pod/Survival/Green Tutors deck. We're pushing humans in White so its a pretty awesome reload. Champion+Mom or Student+Champion.
In practice he had Biomancer in his deck but didn't see Birthing Pod enough so he ended up trying to cheese me with Kiki-Jiki shenanigans that I had Skred for. Another time he "forgot" that Kiki can't copy Krenko who is a legend.
He also said he was about to Zenith for Biomancer but I beat him before he could.
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I think its not really about having a specific combo but having such a plethora of combos that have some redundancy between them.
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He's really good but red and green really aren't lacking for good four drops. Even within the Gruul section you have multiple possibilities; BBE, Sarkhan Vol and Huntmaster of the Fells. I think you have to consider the needs of the two colours. Hell, once I go up to 360 I'll be running Boggart Ram-Gang now because red and green both need a 3CMC beater in my cube, so it just makes sense, depsite the fact it's worse on paper than something like Huntmaster.
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
While I don't disagree (and I've been preaching this from the rafters), I do think that Ghor Clan Rampager is a four drop the way Shriekmaw is a 5 drop. Their primary mode is their evoke cost, not their main casting cost.
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I think Thespian Stage is pretty bad. It's not an effect I want, and paying 3 mana for a Vesuva seems really bad.
Gruul was shunned in this set. Gruul Guildmage is okay, and the Rampager is good for C/Ubes that are missing a lot of the great 4cc Gruul bombs. But there's nothing that comes close to edging out cards that are already typically played in cubes.
This card is really underwhelming. It's an okay pump spell and an okay creature. But red and green are stacked with amazing 4cc cards, and it doesn't come close to competing with them, IMO. Not even the mono-colored ones.
I hardcast Shriekmaw at least twice as often as I evoke it. If it were any worse in its creature form, I wouldn't cube it at all.
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[Pauper Cube] - Heisen's Travel Cube || [Cube] - USAstrat's Cube
[EDH] - Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind || [Modern] - Grixis Kiln
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Rampager is probably my #4 card and will go in if I expand my guild section.