I stumbled up on this scrolling in the leak section. My gut reflex is to ignore fight/protection spells for green as it's generally off plan for the green decks I support, but jesus is this one pushed. No way to blow you out with removal, protection , reach and can act as removal for 1 mana.
I don't know what kind of combos exist, but if you have untap/tap mechanisms besides combat, you can kill multiple things.
You can also generate extra mana with creatures like rofellos.
Particularly good if you support green agro and have middling creatures with high P/T
This card effectively has 3 distinct ways to get a 1-for-1 (casting pre-attack to get the bite, casting before blockers to untap a blocker or block a flier, or blanking a kill spell), is almost impossible to interact with, and is a 1-drop instant. While it is reliant on the board state, this seems deece.
Avoid Fate with a ton of upside! It's actually quite difficult to benefit from all of the things this card is doing at once, but it looks like it'll always at least trade 1 for 1 with either a small creature you want to remove before you attack in, or a small creature you want to remove that is attacking you, or a removal spell that you want to counter. I think there's really nothing quite like this and it's worth investigating. I just can't think of a way to turn this into a chaingun without already being in a winning boardstate with Horseshoe Crab + Opposition
My gut reflex is to ignore fight/protection spells for green as it's generally off plan for the green decks I support, but jesus is this one pushed.
This was my initial reaction also: best combat trick ever, but I typically stay away from these types of cards. However, if you look at this from the lens as more of a removal spell than a combat trick, I think this becomes much more appealing to test out even in very high powered settings. This is essentially the closest thing green will get to Swords to Plowshares / Lightning Bolt that also has the potential for a 2 for 1. I actually like this a lot for a lot of different combo decks, not just green creature decks.
My gut reflex is to ignore fight/protection spells for green as it's generally off plan for the green decks I support, but jesus is this one pushed.
This was my initial reaction also: best combat trick ever, but I typically stay away from these types of cards. However, if you look at this from the lens as more of a removal spell than a combat trick, I think this becomes much more appealing to test out even in very high powered settings. This is essentially the closest thing green will get to Swords to Plowshares / Lightning Bolt that also has the potential for a 2 for 1. I actually like this a lot for a lot of different combo decks, not just green creature decks.
What kind of combo decks you thinking of and what's the play pattern? (not disagreeing or agreeing, just curious)
What kind of combo decks you thinking of and what's the play pattern? (not disagreeing or agreeing, just curious)
Primarily reanimator / cheaty face to protect my super fatties. This curves particularly well following an Oath of Druids since you at least get a chance to untap before your Oath trigger. Can also work with RUG builds of Kiki-Twin. I don't support persist / Walking Ballista combos, but this can also protect key creatures there.
What kind of combo decks you thinking of and what's the play pattern? (not disagreeing or agreeing, just curious)
Primarily reanimator / cheaty face to protect my super fatties. This curves particularly well following an Oath of Druids since you at least get a chance to untap before your Oath trigger. Can also work with RUG builds of Kiki-Twin. I don't support persist / Walking Ballista combos, but this can also protect key creatures there.
Ahh, I was hoping there was a way to break it with multiple untaps. I'm a little skeptical for oath decks? Only because it'll be dead card 100% of the time unless you resolve a super fatty. Everything else makes sense to me tho.
I cubed blossoming defense for a little while many years ago and cheaty decks is where it performed the best and this is 10000x better
It has like 4 different ways to be a guaranteed 1-for-1, which is very solid for a 1-mana spell. It also has many ways to be a 2-for-1, and in those windows, it feels pretty busted. It can't be stopped, making it the final say in whatever interaction you and your opponent are mixed up in. Super cool card.
It has like 4 different ways to be a guaranteed 1-for-1, which is very solid for a 1-mana spell. It also has many ways to be a 2-for-1, and in those windows, it feels pretty busted. It can't be stopped, making it the final say in whatever interaction you and your opponent are mixed up in. Super cool card.
How would you gain a 2 for 1? The only way I can think of is Kiki-Jiki untap to get another ETB trigger + deal damage, which is SUPER RARE.
Protect any one of your creatures that has a tapping ability from a removal spell. Casting it to protect one of your creatures from a removal spell before combat on your turn, and then getting the tap kill with it. I saved my Feldon from a Bolt and then activated it, blasting one of their creatures in the process. Untap any creature with a ability and use it to block in combat, and then snipe a creature with its activated ability. Hell, I even used it to give my Underworld Adventurer reach to block a flying creature, and then tapped it for mana to kill another target. It's not that rare to 2-for-1 with it.
Oh ya, last time I saw it in action, I tried to kill my opponent's Loran with a Burst Lightning and they cast LQR to save it, and then activated the ability to snipe one of my creatures.
It's changing the ideal timing window for removal spells in the format(s) it sees play in. Due to the 2-for-1 impact it can have, it's now often incorrect to try and kill your opponent's creatures during their upkeep if you expect to see this card around. You have to wait until it taps itself in combat before it's safe in most windows, which changes previously ideal lines. LQR is a spicy one.
Protect any one of your creatures that has a tapping ability from a removal spell. Casting it to protect one of your creatures from a removal spell before combat on your turn, and then getting the tap kill with it. I saved my Feldon from a Bolt and then activated it, blasting one of their creatures in the process. Untap any creature with a ability and use it to block in combat, and then snipe a creature with its activated ability. Hell, I even used it to give my Underworld Adventurer reach to block a flying creature, and then tapped it for mana to kill another target. It's not that rare to 2-for-1 with it.
Oh ya, last time I saw it in action, I tried to kill my opponent's Loran with a Burst Lightning and they cast LQR to save it, and then activated the ability to snipe one of my creatures.
It's changing the ideal timing window for removal spells in the format(s) it sees play in. Due to the 2-for-1 impact it can have, it's now often incorrect to try and kill your opponent's creatures during their upkeep if you expect to see this card around. You have to wait until it taps itself in combat before it's safe in most windows, which changes previously ideal lines. LQR is a spicy one.
Alright, I'll give it a try.
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I stumbled up on this scrolling in the leak section. My gut reflex is to ignore fight/protection spells for green as it's generally off plan for the green decks I support, but jesus is this one pushed. No way to blow you out with removal, protection , reach and can act as removal for 1 mana.
I don't know what kind of combos exist, but if you have untap/tap mechanisms besides combat, you can kill multiple things.
You can also generate extra mana with creatures like rofellos.
Particularly good if you support green agro and have middling creatures with high P/T
Last Updated 02/07/24
Streaming Standard/Cube on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/heisenb3rg96
Strategy Twitter https://www.twitter.com/heisenb3rg
This was my initial reaction also: best combat trick ever, but I typically stay away from these types of cards. However, if you look at this from the lens as more of a removal spell than a combat trick, I think this becomes much more appealing to test out even in very high powered settings. This is essentially the closest thing green will get to Swords to Plowshares / Lightning Bolt that also has the potential for a 2 for 1. I actually like this a lot for a lot of different combo decks, not just green creature decks.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
What kind of combo decks you thinking of and what's the play pattern? (not disagreeing or agreeing, just curious)
Last Updated 02/07/24
Streaming Standard/Cube on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/heisenb3rg96
Strategy Twitter https://www.twitter.com/heisenb3rg
Primarily reanimator / cheaty face to protect my super fatties. This curves particularly well following an Oath of Druids since you at least get a chance to untap before your Oath trigger. Can also work with RUG builds of Kiki-Twin. I don't support persist / Walking Ballista combos, but this can also protect key creatures there.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
Ahh, I was hoping there was a way to break it with multiple untaps. I'm a little skeptical for oath decks? Only because it'll be dead card 100% of the time unless you resolve a super fatty. Everything else makes sense to me tho.
I cubed blossoming defense for a little while many years ago and cheaty decks is where it performed the best and this is 10000x better
Last Updated 02/07/24
Streaming Standard/Cube on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/heisenb3rg96
Strategy Twitter https://www.twitter.com/heisenb3rg
My problem with this card is that its ceiling feels incredibly low, despite it's relatively high floor.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
How would you gain a 2 for 1? The only way I can think of is Kiki-Jiki untap to get another ETB trigger + deal damage, which is SUPER RARE.
Oh ya, last time I saw it in action, I tried to kill my opponent's Loran with a Burst Lightning and they cast LQR to save it, and then activated the ability to snipe one of my creatures.
It's changing the ideal timing window for removal spells in the format(s) it sees play in. Due to the 2-for-1 impact it can have, it's now often incorrect to try and kill your opponent's creatures during their upkeep if you expect to see this card around. You have to wait until it taps itself in combat before it's safe in most windows, which changes previously ideal lines. LQR is a spicy one.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
Alright, I'll give it a try.