As always, with the new Commander Decks this year, we got a nice batch of new cards to play with. Some amazing ones and some real duds. There are quite a few I want to use and several I know I'm going to use, but I'm having trouble finding room for some! Several, like Mystic Confluence and Blade of Selves are just blatantly powerful, so much so that I'm sure a myriad of decks want them! But most of my decks are built more for fun and every card in the deck has a very specific role or is just too fun or too on-theme to cut. I have trouble removing anything unless a card that's basically strictly better at doing something than another card already in my deck comes along. So I thought it would be interesting to see everyone's thoughts and opinions on the new cards now that they're all spoiled and released.
Generals (and Command Bacon) aside, which new cards are you making use of? What deck are you putting them in? What cards are you cutting for them and why?
For me:
Skullwinder is giving the boot to Witness in my Pheldagriff deck because it's basically everything that deck wants. A card that benefits myself as well as another player while being a nice rattlesnake (ha) in a deck that's generally defenseless. Mirror Match might replace Aetherize in a few of my decks. It's slower which might end up coming back to bite me, but it can be a much bigger blowout and avoid problems like resetting my opponent's ETB triggers. This card just seems too crazy not to run. Mizzik's Mastery will probably replace Nucklavee in my Riku deck because I never really liked that card in there in the first place. Never have enough targets for it's abilities. I think I only have two or three for the "red sorcery" trigger.
Deadly Tempest and Corpse Auger both look very nice for my Grimgrin. They so rarely print a zombie that's good and this guy looks very good at first glance. Deadly Tempest is another welcome addition, reasonably priced and added value for the additional mana compared to Damnation.
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EDH playing competitive Magic cast away
Current Decks GTitania midrange RGThromok tokens/goodstuff | UB Grimgrin zombie tribal GW Sigarda enchantress | R Godo voltron U Braids aggro | WR Kalemne punisher RU Mizzix storm | BUG Mimeoplasm competitive reanimator | UG Ezuri infect
Yeah, I really like Deadly Tempest. That one's definitely going in Mogis if I ever get around to finishing the deck. Corpse Auger is one of those awesome cards that I'm afraid to actually use.
I'm adding the following to my EDH Cube to see how they play there (with those that do okay moving to real EDH): Gigantoplasm - Not an amazing card, but I like Clones that do stuff with rogue mana. Corpse Augur - Graveborn Muse out. I like this guy.
All the 2 color generals - They all offer some slight twist on what those colors already do.
I'm adding the following to my EDH Cube to see how they play there (with those that do okay moving to real EDH): Gigantoplasm - Not an amazing card, but I like Clones that do stuff with rogue mana. Corpse Augur - Graveborn Muse out. I like this guy.
All the 2 color generals - They all offer some slight twist on what those colors already do.
I like Gigantoplasm, if for nothing else but the art! Wizards is releasing too many good 4cc clone effects. We've already had Sakashima, the Imposter and his student, Evil Twin, Phyrexian Metamorph, Dack's Duplicate and Clever Impersonator. Makes me want to make a really, REALLY bad second Riku deck full of nothing but clone and spell copying effects. A "can't do anything unless my opponent does" deck.
Titania (shifted from Yeva) got Arachnogenesis. Fog effect and token abuse through Season / Lives should be fun.
Meren held onto Bloodspore Thrinax and Scourge of Nel Toth. BST pumps up the army when attrition has done its job, and a recurring beater is decent. I'd rather my opponents exile SoNT than Steel Hellkite or whatever.
Arachnogenesis is a great fog card. I picked up a Angus Mackenzie a while back to build Bant Pillowfort, but I just had too many Enchantment options and no real win condition, so that got scrapped for Daxos. This card makes me want to build a dumb deck that's just full of fog effects. Why did it have to be spiders though? I can't stand spiders.
I forgot about Pathbreaker Ibex. That card is hilarious and very fitting for Anafenza! Scourge went into my Savra-turn-Meren deck as well, but I think Thrinax needs a spot in my Vorel of the Hull Clade deck. Just don't know what to cut.
I hear you there. I don't even have a copy yet, but most of my decks could definitely use it. I don't know why Wizards didn't make it a common like Command Tower.
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras. Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power. Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza. Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall. Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana. Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die. Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
I am really pleased with the new non-commander cards in this set. I think they put a lot more thought into them and printed good stuff at various points in the curve as opposed to just big splashy stuff or pseudo reprints. I'll skip the obvious and go to the less obvious.
Bastion Protector - This is a nice take on the Lieutenant mechanic and i found room in Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spiritand Dromoka. The fact that it is so easy to cast and gives you a not-useless body is great. Grasp of Fate - Basically every white deck i have runs this now. Oreskos Explorer - This cat has a home in Anafenza, Dakkon Blackblade, and Heliod. Again a cheap and easy to cast utility card with loads of interactions. Æthersnatch - A Desertion with a clean template finds a home in most all of the blue decks i have. Gigantoplasm - Clones are great! More clones are better. Again its easy on the mana. Mystic Confluence - Loads said on this, goes in every blue deck. I am sure there are some people who will nitpick specifics about this card but those are the same people who say the Godfather is a bad movie. Wretched Confluence - This card has done some serious work in my Wort, Boggart Auntie and Bartel Runeaxe (jund good stuff) decks. It isn't an obvious include like Mystic Confluence but as long as you can take advantage of all 3 modes this thing will come in handy. Thief of Blood - This is a high variance card. Sometimes its a six mana 3/3 that makes a mediocre creature smaller. But sometimes its a 20/20 that KOs whole players strategies. Don't overlook this card. Magus of the Wheel - This guy is great. Again an easy to cast 3/3. I haven't lived the dream of using Sun Titan and Mr Wheel together but hopefully one day. Magus has a home in Wort, Bartel and Propheros. Meteor Blast - Well this card doesn't fall into the easy to cast category but it has been a pretty useful poor-mans comet storm. Mizzix and Bartel both have a Meteor Blast in them. One thing this card has going is that unlike Comet Storm no on really gets upset (aka tries to kill you soon after) when its cast. Mizzix's Mastery - This card made me evolve my Bartel Runeaxe deck from tribal giants to Jund good stuff. Even if you cant overload it you can spend 4 mana to re-buy Violent Ultimatum, Verdant Confluence, Insurrection and a bunch of other good stuff.
Corpse Augur is good in Maren, and I will probably be picking up more copies to utilize in other decks that could benefit from the effect. Ertai, for example, would really enjoy having the Augur around. I may have to give him a try in Nath stax as well, but trying to figure out what to replace in that deck is always tough.
I just reread the OP and saw that you said Command Beacon aside, so apologies. That said, it highlights how awesome the card is.
Oreskos Explorer is perhaps my other favorite card from the set but I haven't got a deck which wants it. It does look like a really solid card for mono-W decks though.
It's fine! I just figured if I didn't mention the card up front, every post was just going to consist of "Command Beacon, duh".
I also like the explorer, but I also ahve the problem of not knowing what to do with it. My Chromium deck has no slots for it. It doesn't have lifelink or gain me life so I don't think I can find room for it in Karlov. It's not an enchantment or Auramancer-type card so Daxos doesn't want it. I could maybe replace the Tithe in my Brion deck with it but I don't know if that's a good idea. If I'm playing 1v1, which that deck is mainly meant for, it's a worse card. Rhys the Redeemed doesn't have a slot for it either, even if it is another decent Reveillark target.
I keep forgetting that Bastion Protector is a 3/3 for 3, not a 2/2. He definitely seems strong for mono white Anafenza and maybe other soldier-tribal decks.
I hate Thief of Blood though! That one card completely destroys my Vorel and Cromat Superfriends deck.
I forgot about Aethersnatch. I love that kind of card. I do have a Desertion in at least one of my decks and I ran Spelljack in the past.
Great Oak Guardian - I have this in my Nissa deck (with loads of tokens) One cool thing they did this is allow you to pick players to get overruns. 80% of the time it will be your team but no one is going to expect a flash treefolk trick. Pathbreaker Ibex- Pretty solid Overrun guy. Goes in Nissa and Bartel (which has loads of high power creatures). Verdant Confluence - This has made it into a few decks though the jury is still out. Nissa makes good use of it and Bartel Runeaxe does as well. Sandstone Oracle - I have slotted this into a few non-blue decks and so far it has been decent. At 7 mana there are other card drawing options that are colorless so this card isn't an auto include but so far so good.
Great Oak Guardian is such an awesome card. I love that Wizards decided to make it "target player" instead of just your creatures. I wish I got to play some team EDH.
I'll use some of the UR goodies when I put together another spell heavy deck. All of my decks are very creature focused at the moment, so there's really no good place for things like Mizzix's Mastery.
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[Pr]Jaya | Estrid | A rotating cast of decks built out of my box.
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Generals (and Command Bacon) aside, which new cards are you making use of? What deck are you putting them in? What cards are you cutting for them and why?
For me:
Skullwinder is giving the boot to Witness in my Pheldagriff deck because it's basically everything that deck wants. A card that benefits myself as well as another player while being a nice rattlesnake (ha) in a deck that's generally defenseless.
Mirror Match might replace Aetherize in a few of my decks. It's slower which might end up coming back to bite me, but it can be a much bigger blowout and avoid problems like resetting my opponent's ETB triggers. This card just seems too crazy not to run.
Mizzik's Mastery will probably replace Nucklavee in my Riku deck because I never really liked that card in there in the first place. Never have enough targets for it's abilities. I think I only have two or three for the "red sorcery" trigger.
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Current Decks
GTitania midrange
RGThromok tokens/goodstuff | UB Grimgrin zombie tribal
GW Sigarda enchantress | R Godo voltron
U Braids aggro | WR Kalemne punisher
RU Mizzix storm | BUG Mimeoplasm competitive reanimator | UG Ezuri infect
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(Signature courtesy of Argetlam of Hakai Studios
Gigantoplasm - Not an amazing card, but I like Clones that do stuff with rogue mana.
Corpse Augur - Graveborn Muse out. I like this guy.
All the 2 color generals - They all offer some slight twist on what those colors already do.
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
I like Gigantoplasm, if for nothing else but the art! Wizards is releasing too many good 4cc clone effects. We've already had Sakashima, the Imposter and his student, Evil Twin, Phyrexian Metamorph, Dack's Duplicate and Clever Impersonator. Makes me want to make a really, REALLY bad second Riku deck full of nothing but clone and spell copying effects. A "can't do anything unless my opponent does" deck.
Trades
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(Signature courtesy of Argetlam of Hakai Studios
Meren held onto Bloodspore Thrinax and Scourge of Nel Toth. BST pumps up the army when attrition has done its job, and a recurring beater is decent. I'd rather my opponents exile SoNT than Steel Hellkite or whatever.
Anafenza, the Foremost's chariot is being driven by a couple of goats, so she got Pathbreaker Ibex. Fear the Goat of Death.
Gisa got Corpse Augur. We'll see if he takes the place of Graveborn Muse or something. Kinda afraid to use him, honestly.
--- Meren of Clan Nel Toth --- Jhoira of the Ghitu --- Prime Speaker Zegana ---
--- Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief --- Ghoulcaller Gisa --- Akroma, Angel of Fury --- Titania, Protector of Argoth ---
I forgot about Pathbreaker Ibex. That card is hilarious and very fitting for Anafenza! Scourge went into my Savra-turn-Meren deck as well, but I think Thrinax needs a spot in my Vorel of the Hull Clade deck. Just don't know what to cut.
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I hear you there. I don't even have a copy yet, but most of my decks could definitely use it. I don't know why Wizards didn't make it a common like Command Tower.
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(Signature courtesy of Argetlam of Hakai Studios
Bastion Protector - This is a nice take on the Lieutenant mechanic and i found room in Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spiritand Dromoka. The fact that it is so easy to cast and gives you a not-useless body is great.
Grasp of Fate - Basically every white deck i have runs this now.
Oreskos Explorer - This cat has a home in Anafenza, Dakkon Blackblade, and Heliod. Again a cheap and easy to cast utility card with loads of interactions.
Æthersnatch - A Desertion with a clean template finds a home in most all of the blue decks i have.
Gigantoplasm - Clones are great! More clones are better. Again its easy on the mana.
Mystic Confluence - Loads said on this, goes in every blue deck. I am sure there are some people who will nitpick specifics about this card but those are the same people who say the Godfather is a bad movie.
Wretched Confluence - This card has done some serious work in my Wort, Boggart Auntie and Bartel Runeaxe (jund good stuff) decks. It isn't an obvious include like Mystic Confluence but as long as you can take advantage of all 3 modes this thing will come in handy.
Thief of Blood - This is a high variance card. Sometimes its a six mana 3/3 that makes a mediocre creature smaller. But sometimes its a 20/20 that KOs whole players strategies. Don't overlook this card.
Magus of the Wheel - This guy is great. Again an easy to cast 3/3. I haven't lived the dream of using Sun Titan and Mr Wheel together but hopefully one day. Magus has a home in Wort, Bartel and Propheros.
Meteor Blast - Well this card doesn't fall into the easy to cast category but it has been a pretty useful poor-mans comet storm. Mizzix and Bartel both have a Meteor Blast in them. One thing this card has going is that unlike Comet Storm no on really gets upset (aka tries to kill you soon after) when its cast.
Mizzix's Mastery - This card made me evolve my Bartel Runeaxe deck from tribal giants to Jund good stuff. Even if you cant overload it you can spend 4 mana to re-buy Violent Ultimatum, Verdant Confluence, Insurrection and a bunch of other good stuff.
In Progress
GBIshkanah, Grafwidow ~ BWGRTymna the Weaver & Tana, the Bloodsower ~ UGRashmi, Eternities Crafter ~ RGAtarka, World Render
Corpse Augur is good in Maren, and I will probably be picking up more copies to utilize in other decks that could benefit from the effect. Ertai, for example, would really enjoy having the Augur around. I may have to give him a try in Nath stax as well, but trying to figure out what to replace in that deck is always tough.
It's fine! I just figured if I didn't mention the card up front, every post was just going to consist of "Command Beacon, duh".
I also like the explorer, but I also ahve the problem of not knowing what to do with it. My Chromium deck has no slots for it. It doesn't have lifelink or gain me life so I don't think I can find room for it in Karlov. It's not an enchantment or Auramancer-type card so Daxos doesn't want it. I could maybe replace the Tithe in my Brion deck with it but I don't know if that's a good idea. If I'm playing 1v1, which that deck is mainly meant for, it's a worse card. Rhys the Redeemed doesn't have a slot for it either, even if it is another decent Reveillark target.
I keep forgetting that Bastion Protector is a 3/3 for 3, not a 2/2. He definitely seems strong for mono white Anafenza and maybe other soldier-tribal decks.
I hate Thief of Blood though! That one card completely destroys my Vorel and Cromat Superfriends deck.
I forgot about Aethersnatch. I love that kind of card. I do have a Desertion in at least one of my decks and I ran Spelljack in the past.
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Great Oak Guardian - I have this in my Nissa deck (with loads of tokens) One cool thing they did this is allow you to pick players to get overruns. 80% of the time it will be your team but no one is going to expect a flash treefolk trick.
Pathbreaker Ibex- Pretty solid Overrun guy. Goes in Nissa and Bartel (which has loads of high power creatures).
Verdant Confluence - This has made it into a few decks though the jury is still out. Nissa makes good use of it and Bartel Runeaxe does as well.
Sandstone Oracle - I have slotted this into a few non-blue decks and so far it has been decent. At 7 mana there are other card drawing options that are colorless so this card isn't an auto include but so far so good.
In Progress
GBIshkanah, Grafwidow ~ BWGRTymna the Weaver & Tana, the Bloodsower ~ UGRashmi, Eternities Crafter ~ RGAtarka, World Render
Trades
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(Signature courtesy of Argetlam of Hakai Studios
Jaya got Magus of the Wheel, because I love wheels.
Karlov has Corpse Augur and Oreskos Explorer.
I'll use some of the UR goodies when I put together another spell heavy deck. All of my decks are very creature focused at the moment, so there's really no good place for things like Mizzix's Mastery.