It can be discarded and then played from the gy. That's the advantage it has over every other draw spell. So it's unique and synergistic in ways other blue draw isn't. I'd try and keep it in personally.
This is definitely a big selling point, especially with the draw-and-discard spells. Plus, it's a draw 4 on one card that can be done for 6, or split up over two turns, which is pretty nice for flexibility.
Even with Treasure Cruise and Dig Through Time in the cube, I have no interest in cutting Deep Analysis any time soon. The flexibility of how/when you draw the 4 cards off it is huge, plus the ability to still get two cards after it's discarded is pretty huge. You can also expect to cast it more consistently than a delve spell. I would probably cut Treasure Cruise before I cut Deep Analysis, but maybe that's just me.
i wouldn't fault people for cutting Deep Analysis due to the redundancy of draw spells but it's still a higher tier draw spell. It's playable (but not uncuttable) in the small cubes and I would consider it a staple at 540 cubes and up.
It's splashable 4-for-1 card advantage that's a functional 2-for-0 if only cast from your 'yard. Even with Dig being printed, I have no interest in cutting it. And I think it's better than Treasure Cruise in this format.
Not much to say about the Tier 1 cards besides that they have the most utility / raw digging power, being a creature or an instant is far better than being a sorcery.
While not as powerful as the tier 1 cards, these spells still represent great value, but are a bit more restrictive by either being a sorcery or having to meet some sort of condition (artifacts). DA having flashback / TFK being an instant make these spells much more flexible than the lower tier cards.
Just as good value as the tier 1 / 1.5 cards but these spells require specific timing. Ancestral Visions is amazing on turn 1, awful turn 5 and vice versa for Treasure Cruise. Some players may wonder why Treasure Cruise isn't regarded so highly in Cube when it's banned in Legacy / Modern and restricted in Vintage. The answer is that constructed formats are able to fill their deck with fetchlands and graveyard filling cantrips to fuel multiple Treasure Cruises.
These spells are playable, but nowhere near as good / powerful as the other spells. I can see myself playing one or both of these cards in the 630 / 720 range.
The suggestions to cut Jace, Architect of Thought over Deep Analysis leave me a bit puzzled, to be honest. Jace, AoT's -2 ability is arguably at least as good as drawing 2, and it can also affect the board defensively while DA can't affect the board in any way. His +1 ability is fantastic against aggro and token decks, which are one of the toughest matchups for control decks. Since I've had it as a budget replacement, I've probably been running Jace, AoT for longer than most people in this forum, and his performance has been solid. In fact, I was surprised to read the SCD thread on Jace AoT largely dismissing him when he came out. No one's ever won a game just off the back of Jace, AoT or ultimated him in any of my cube drafts, but the average case scenario is preserving a pretty good chunk of your life total while digging at least 3-6 cards into your deck for answers, and representing a threat than can flat out win the game if not dealt with/attacked to death. Deep Analysis typically draws less cards and is a tempo loss when cast on time.
What am I missing here?
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Jace AoT is underrated around here for sure. I value him over over deep analysis by quite a bit. He's proved himself to me dozens of times.
Never loved deep analysis outside of a deck with a couple looting effects, but I never gave the card a proper run to have full confidence in my evaluation.
I didn't like the card at first, then the best player in my play group told me he didn't like it either, so I cut it and never found a way to sneak it back in.
Think it's likely better than treasure cruise in most cubes tho , and I'll probably cube with it again at some point.
Deep Analysis is more splashable, doesn't care about other "Jace" cards, does work even when it gets discarded / countered, etc etc. I like Jace, AoT, but I feel he's much more of a hassle than Deep Analysis.
He's harder to cast, doesn't always guarantee a 2nd activation, and the - ability is very often not better than just drawing 2 cards. It doesn't guarantee a 4-for-1, and it nets you no value from the 'yard. If it gets attacked to death after one activation (or no draws if you + him) you get far less value than you would from DA. It can be a higher reward card, but it's also nowhere near as consistent.
Like I said, it is a higher reward card but is more inconsistent. And it doesn't generate any value from the 'yard. And it's harder to cast, and usually doesn't equate to the same CA as Analysis does.
I really like Jace, Architect of Thought, but I didn't want to run three and a half Jaces in my cube, so I cut him and kept Deep Analysis. DA is one of those cards that has been on the brink of being cut for years, but never actually gets cut, because it is always just good enough to stay.
Maybe I'm undervaluing being able to discard or get your Deep Analysis (DA) countered as well as the splashability, but I'm having a really hard time getting past the tempo loss that comes with a 4CMC sorcery that doesn't impact the board at all. A 4+ CMC sorcery speed card that doesn't impact the board immediately has to do something reallystellar to even make my colorless section, or have an activation costof one mana so if it's cast the next turn it can start affecting the board.
Jace, Architect of Thought and Tamiyo can provide immediate card advantage or start protecting you immediately if you're under the gun, and Tamiyo can also lock down blockers if you're beating down. I can't imagine cutting either of these walkers for DA. Plus, I don't have a copy of Jace, Vryn's Prodigy yet either, so I'm not worried about having too many Jaces yet. Dungeon Geists seems to have fallen out of favor lately, but it plays fantastically on offense and defense providing great value as well as tempo, so it's solid in control decks as well as more aggressive archetypes. I admire its versatility, so it's nowhere near the chopping block for me either. I've yet to cast Treasure Cruise for more than 3, although I'll admit I really don't want to see it in my opening hand.
So far the only cut suggested that I could see over Deep Analysis is Ancestral Vision, it's the only card that hasn't consistently impressed me. A lot of the time four turns really is just too long to wait, even if it is really mana efficient.
*sigh* Cuts in blue are brutal.
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At 540 I cut Jace, AoT a long time ago and recently just let go of Tamiyo. Both are great walkers, but the competition is fierce for Jace, AoT and while Tamiyo was amazing when she first came out, she has not aged well with all the token generators running around these days.
Thread necro. Got into a pretty big debate about this card on a Fact or Fiction SCD on Reddit. I posted my pure draw spell tier list and a lot of people seem to not be a fan of Deep Analysis these days which I find a bit surprising. Not trying to re-affirm myself with other people’s opinoions (I’m very firm on my stance), just wondering who I can trust these days what everbody’s take on Deep Analysis is these days.
Sounds like they undervalue the splashability, and perhaps don’t run as many ways to get a straight +2 from the GY. Also seems like they have impressions of Cruise from other formats and overrate it slightly, which makes it seem superior vs Deep in their eyes.
I’m a fan of DA and on your side FWIW and no one in my group has ever complained about using this card for their CA.
A-
Fact or Fiction
Chart a Course
Thirst for Knowledge
B+
Deep Analysis
Compulsive Research
B
Treasure Cruise
Ancestral Visions
C
Think Twice
Pretty much mirrors my thoughts. Chart a Course / Thirst for Knowledge are the only two that I can see myself rating above Deep Analysis. I forgot to mention in my previous post that I was only including pure non-creature draw spells that potential to produce card advantage in my list since I don't think it helps to compare pure draw spells to things like Mulldrifter / Cryptic Command / Mystic Confluence.
This is definitely a big selling point, especially with the draw-and-discard spells. Plus, it's a draw 4 on one card that can be done for 6, or split up over two turns, which is pretty nice for flexibility.
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Agreed with every single word. Deep Analysis was, is and will be for a long time a cube staple.
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Tier 0 - LEGENDARY GOD TIER STATUS
Ancestral Recall
Definitely in contention as one of the best cards of all time, comparing every other card on this list to Ancestral Recall is just unfair.
Tier 1
Fact or Fiction
Dig Through Time
Mulldrifter
Not much to say about the Tier 1 cards besides that they have the most utility / raw digging power, being a creature or an instant is far better than being a sorcery.
Tier 1.5
Deep Analysis
Thirst for Knowledge (assuming you have Artifact support)
While not as powerful as the tier 1 cards, these spells still represent great value, but are a bit more restrictive by either being a sorcery or having to meet some sort of condition (artifacts). DA having flashback / TFK being an instant make these spells much more flexible than the lower tier cards.
Tier 2
Treasure Cruise
Ancestral Vision
Just as good value as the tier 1 / 1.5 cards but these spells require specific timing. Ancestral Visions is amazing on turn 1, awful turn 5 and vice versa for Treasure Cruise. Some players may wonder why Treasure Cruise isn't regarded so highly in Cube when it's banned in Legacy / Modern and restricted in Vintage. The answer is that constructed formats are able to fill their deck with fetchlands and graveyard filling cantrips to fuel multiple Treasure Cruises.
Tier 2.5
Compulsive Research
Think Twice
These spells are playable, but nowhere near as good / powerful as the other spells. I can see myself playing one or both of these cards in the 630 / 720 range.
Tier 3
Divination
Counsel of the Soratami
Underwhelming and generic, not much to say here.
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What am I missing here?
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Never loved deep analysis outside of a deck with a couple looting effects, but I never gave the card a proper run to have full confidence in my evaluation.
I didn't like the card at first, then the best player in my play group told me he didn't like it either, so I cut it and never found a way to sneak it back in.
Think it's likely better than treasure cruise in most cubes tho , and I'll probably cube with it again at some point.
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Jace, Architect of Thought and Tamiyo can provide immediate card advantage or start protecting you immediately if you're under the gun, and Tamiyo can also lock down blockers if you're beating down. I can't imagine cutting either of these walkers for DA. Plus, I don't have a copy of Jace, Vryn's Prodigy yet either, so I'm not worried about having too many Jaces yet. Dungeon Geists seems to have fallen out of favor lately, but it plays fantastically on offense and defense providing great value as well as tempo, so it's solid in control decks as well as more aggressive archetypes. I admire its versatility, so it's nowhere near the chopping block for me either. I've yet to cast Treasure Cruise for more than 3, although I'll admit I really don't want to see it in my opening hand.
So far the only cut suggested that I could see over Deep Analysis is Ancestral Vision, it's the only card that hasn't consistently impressed me. A lot of the time four turns really is just too long to wait, even if it is really mana efficient.
*sigh* Cuts in blue are brutal.
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who I can trust these dayswhat everbody’s take on Deep Analysis is these days.Reddit thread that sparked the debate: https://www.reddit.com/r/mtgcube/comments/7ax1dv/scd_fact_or_fiction/?st=J9ONL0QL&sh=a6933737
Current draw spell tier list (spells that have potential to produce card advantage only):
S+++
* Ancestral Recall
S
* Fact or Fiction
* Dig Through Time
A+
* Deep Analysis
* Chart a Course
* Thirst for Knowledge
A
* Treasure Cruise
B+
* Ancestral Visions
B
* Compulsive Research
* Think Twice
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I’m a fan of DA and on your side FWIW and no one in my group has ever complained about using this card for their CA.
A++
Ancestral Recall
A
Dig through Time
Mystic Confluence
A-
Fact or Fiction
Chart a Course
Thirst for Knowledge
B+
Deep Analysis
Compulsive Research
B
Treasure Cruise
Ancestral Visions
C
Think Twice
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Pretty much mirrors my thoughts. Chart a Course / Thirst for Knowledge are the only two that I can see myself rating above Deep Analysis. I forgot to mention in my previous post that I was only including pure non-creature draw spells that potential to produce card advantage in my list since I don't think it helps to compare pure draw spells to things like Mulldrifter / Cryptic Command / Mystic Confluence.
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