This guy seems pretty bad to me. He's very underwhelming outside of mono-black, which is one of the cube's worst decks; has no evasion; has to be pumped twice before he wins in combat against anything with two power and first strike (i.e. lots of dudes in white and a handful in red), etc.
So tell me why you run (or don't run) him. Is it just that black's other two-drop options are even worse? Is he on the chopping block, or not even close?
It's so good! It's a 2-drop that can trade with most 5-drops just with the mana it takes to cast him. You don't need to be playing mono-black at all, any 2-color black deck can use it. It's a 2-drop that can easily threaten combat dominance against anything your opponent will have on the board, and it can deal lots of damage for a 2-drop if they let it go by. It does a lot more than what typical 2-drops should be able to do, and often times the threat of the pump is more important than the actual activation. It functions as evasion of its own because they don't want to "chump" your 2-drop, and they don't want to lose 4cc creatures to it either. It very often just repeatedly gets in for 2-3 damage in the early game when the opponent can't favorably block it, and it can get in for lots of damage in the late game if unblocked. I wish I had one like it in every color.
I think it is a card worth reviewing, as black aggressive creatures have been improving of late.
In black heavy aggressive decks the shade is still good for us, as he makes combat very difficult for your opponent. It grants a form of pseudo-evasion and then you can choose to spend your mana on killing your opponent or playing spells.
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less." -Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
I know you're saying the shade is fine in multicolor decks, but on a related note, have any of you considered supporting mono-black more? After all, moreso than any other color black can be obscene when you're paying BBB+ on something. Phyrexian Obliterator, Lashwrithe, Necropotence, Geralf's Messenger, etc. are all potentially great cards that probably won't be drafted by anybody not playing this deck -- a problem sometimes with reanimator's best cards.
It's so good! It's a 2-drop that can trade with most 5-drops just with the mana it takes to cast him. You don't need to be playing mono-black at all, any 2-color black deck can use it. It's a 2-drop that can easily threaten combat dominance against anything your opponent will have on the board, and it can deal lots of damage for a 2-drop if they let it go by. It does a lot more than what typical 2-drops should be able to do, and often times the threat of the pump is more important than the actual activation. It functions as evasion of its own because they don't want to "chump" your 2-drop, and they don't want to lose 4cc creatures to it either. It very often just repeatedly gets in for 2-3 damage in the early game when the opponent can't favorably block it, and it can get in for lots of damage in the late game if unblocked. I wish I had one like it in every color.
All this. Also if mono-black is one of your cube's worst decks, you're doing something wrong. MBA and MBC are pretty common around here. I'm always happy to see Shade in two colour shells as well, because he's so cost effective.
I know you're saying the shade is fine in multicolor decks, but on a related note, have any of you considered supporting mono-black more? After all, moreso than any other color black can be obscene when you're paying BBB+ on something. Phyrexian Obliterator, Lashwrithe, Necropotence, Geralf's Messenger, etc. are all potentially great cards that probably won't be drafted by anybody not playing this deck -- a problem sometimes with reanimator's best cards.
I include Necro and Messenger out of the above. They see some play in two colour decks, as well as being powerhouses in the monoblack or Bx builds. Lashwrithe and Obliterator simply cannot, which makes them many times more restrictive. After testing them, I cut them for that reason. I don't want cards that go in one single deck.
I know you're saying the shade is fine in multicolor decks, but on a related note, have any of you considered supporting mono-black more? After all, moreso than any other color black can be obscene when you're paying BBB+ on something. Phyrexian Obliterator, Lashwrithe, Necropotence, Geralf's Messenger, etc. are all potentially great cards that probably won't be drafted by anybody not playing this deck -- a problem sometimes with reanimator's best cards.
I shy away from cards with exclusive mana costs because it's too big of a commitment to 1 color.
Ball Lightning and Phyrexian Obliterator are brutal cards in their mono color decks, but are pretty much impossible to cast in even a 2 color deck.
When you decide to go a single color, that means you're fighting with whoever else is drafting that color. While the other person can probably find something else in the pack if the black card is taken, you can't. Your picks suffer. You might get enough black cards to make a decent deck, but probably not enough to curve correctly.
The only archetype that can be supported in a mono color is burn, simply because burn spells aren't always top picks... so it's easy to get a draft deck full of them with a random finisher.
I disagree a bit. I have drafted near mono colored decks many times. Especially a color like black that is perceived bad, so having cards like Phyrexian Obliterator encourage drafters to go all in. Nantuko Shade is a house in a mono black deck.
Saying CCC is all but impossible to cast in 2-color decks means you aren't drafting your lands highly enough, IMO. That, and/or there aren't enough lands to draft. I've cast both Ball lightning and Geralf's Messenger in 2-color decks pretty easily...they are both plenty powerful enough on turn 4-5 (and beyond, honestly).
Shade is a pretty scary creature, because ANY mana open represents a lot of damage. It gives him both a form of evasion and 'must-be-blocked'-ness that few other creatures have.
Saying CCC is all but impossible to cast in 2-color decks means you aren't drafting your lands highly enough, IMO. That, and/or there aren't enough lands to draft. I've cast both Ball lightning and Geralf's Messenger in 2-color decks pretty easily...they are both plenty powerful enough on turn 4-5 (and beyond, honestly).
Shade is a pretty scary creature, because ANY mana open represents a lot of damage. It gives him both a form of evasion and 'must-be-blocked'-ness that few other creatures have.
-AA
Its not so much that it is impossible to cast as that you are unlikely to cast it before turn 5 or when, on average you have five lands in play.
BBB is a prohibitive mana cost and is made worse by the fact that the creature cannot block the turn it comes into play. Obviously mono black has no problems with him, but I forsee most if not all 2 color decks struggling.
He's a really good card for monoblack. Im not cutting him yet, but its awkward because monoblack is a deck type that usually falls short of its competitors even when you get what you need
I still like Shade a lot. I support Black Devotion, so the BB cost is a small asset as only Shade and Bloodghast are the 2cmc cards I run that give 2 devotion. A colorless activation cost would be nuts.
I still play Nantuko Shade, and I still like him, but I have a lot more slots available than most people. I'm not a fan of Gifted Aetherborn, but it is likely better. It's pretty hard to justify the mana cost with splashable cards being printed at the level of Sylvan Advocate. Still, monoblack has always been a deck in my cube, and I like to keep it viable.
I don't remember when Shade was cut. Sometime long ago. And Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth also didn't last. No, I don't think that either is reliant on the other, and if you're relying on having Urborg to play Shade, cubing with it is probably a mistake.
This guy seems pretty bad to me. He's very underwhelming outside of mono-black, which is one of the cube's worst decks; has no evasion; has to be pumped twice before he wins in combat against anything with two power and first strike (i.e. lots of dudes in white and a handful in red), etc.
So tell me why you run (or don't run) him. Is it just that black's other two-drop options are even worse? Is he on the chopping block, or not even close?
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In black heavy aggressive decks the shade is still good for us, as he makes combat very difficult for your opponent. It grants a form of pseudo-evasion and then you can choose to spend your mana on killing your opponent or playing spells.
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I know you're saying the shade is fine in multicolor decks, but on a related note, have any of you considered supporting mono-black more? After all, moreso than any other color black can be obscene when you're paying BBB+ on something. Phyrexian Obliterator, Lashwrithe, Necropotence, Geralf's Messenger, etc. are all potentially great cards that probably won't be drafted by anybody not playing this deck -- a problem sometimes with reanimator's best cards.
All this. Also if mono-black is one of your cube's worst decks, you're doing something wrong. MBA and MBC are pretty common around here. I'm always happy to see Shade in two colour shells as well, because he's so cost effective.
I include Necro and Messenger out of the above. They see some play in two colour decks, as well as being powerhouses in the monoblack or Bx builds. Lashwrithe and Obliterator simply cannot, which makes them many times more restrictive. After testing them, I cut them for that reason. I don't want cards that go in one single deck.
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
I shy away from cards with exclusive mana costs because it's too big of a commitment to 1 color.
Ball Lightning and Phyrexian Obliterator are brutal cards in their mono color decks, but are pretty much impossible to cast in even a 2 color deck.
When you decide to go a single color, that means you're fighting with whoever else is drafting that color. While the other person can probably find something else in the pack if the black card is taken, you can't. Your picks suffer. You might get enough black cards to make a decent deck, but probably not enough to curve correctly.
The only archetype that can be supported in a mono color is burn, simply because burn spells aren't always top picks... so it's easy to get a draft deck full of them with a random finisher.
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Shade is a pretty scary creature, because ANY mana open represents a lot of damage. It gives him both a form of evasion and 'must-be-blocked'-ness that few other creatures have.
-AA
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Its not so much that it is impossible to cast as that you are unlikely to cast it before turn 5 or when, on average you have five lands in play.
BBB is a prohibitive mana cost and is made worse by the fact that the creature cannot block the turn it comes into play. Obviously mono black has no problems with him, but I forsee most if not all 2 color decks struggling.
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