Kheru Spellsnatcher is great in my view, better than any common and almost any other uncommon in KTK. As with anything costing so much, you have to be careful not to have too many high cost stuff and you can't just splash it due to the double-blue, but I am very glad to first pick it.
It might be good to keep a list of the previous random cards of the day, so the discussion isn't really weird for new people coming into this thread.
On it, starting tomorrow.
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My Decks: EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn Modern: Polytokes IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
Kheru Spellsnatcher is great in my view, better than any common and almost any other uncommon in KTK. As with anything costing so much, you have to be careful not to have too many high cost stuff and you can't just splash it due to the double-blue, but I am very glad to first pick it.
I feel pretty much this way. It's hugely powerful, and it is clearly the pick in many a P1P1, but it also means your deck needs to be built in a specific way. It may not have the color commitments, but it sure has an archetype commitment. You generally will not want this in Jeskai or Temur beatdown decks, for example. So if I'm given the choice between it and a wide open pick like uncommon removal or a really good creature like Mardu Heartpiercer, I find myself wanting to take those more all-around cards that have a lower ceiling, but much lower setup cost/commitment.
Would it have been too oppressive/good if it was a 3/4, like Sultai Flayer. It could have also helped the toughness matters theme in limited. I'm sure Development might have overlooked that.
I'm not too sure about 1st picking it. But it was used against me before, and it changed the game to his favor.
Haven't played with or against it myself, but I love the flavor and story.
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My Decks: EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn Modern: Polytokes IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
I don't think there was any chance of blue getting a 3/4 for 4 in this set, let alone one with as much upside as this has!
I'm not sure... I mean it's a rare right. 2UU would have solve that problem.
On Sarkhan: I've played him many times... I know... lucky me.
He's just pure dumbness. That he goes for 2 quick bites (8 points), and can ultimate after. Not that it really matters (his ulti). Because flying in this set matters so much more than previous sets. What he ensures is a quick death.
I'm still not sure which I'll pick though in a stacked pack; Wingmate Roc or Sarkhan. Because Sarkhan versatility makes him on par I feel.
Sarkhhhhaaaaannnnn (yes, I yell that every time I play him or attack him..still waiting for the flavor battle of Zurgo attacking him) is a fair bomb. There are real answers to him and he is not going to win a game that you were losing. But in a Stalled board where there is no Sagu Archer or Exile effects/Throttle, he can win the game. I am never unhappy to see a Sarkhhhhhaaaannnn in my packs. If I have to face either planeswalker in limited, I rather face Sarkhhhhaaaannnn.
Would it have been too oppressive/good if it was a 3/4, like Sultai Flayer. It could have also helped the toughness matters theme in limited. I'm sure Development might have overlooked that.
Toughness matters is one of the enemy color subthemes, Black/Green in this case. So Blue isn't really part of it.
On Sarkhan, main thing is that he's a fast clock, though burning a creature is nice in a pinch. I think he gets attacked down easier than Sorin, but he closes out the games faster. If he gets to attack, the opponent is likely dead soon, so the ultimate is probably never to be seen.
You really just need to embrace the rage. I keep a small colony of hamsters next to my computer and every time I lose a match to mana screw I throw one against the wall.
My helpy helpdesk of helpfulness.
My Decks: EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn Modern: Polytokes IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
Problem is largely that it takes up a slot that you'd probably rather use for Treasure Cruise, and everyone who wants a Treasure Cruise pretty much always gets one. The only cases where this is desirable are where 1) you're in Abzan, are a slow deck, and got zero blue mana fixers to splash Cruise, or 2) You're all in on the Delve plan. Since neither of those circumstances basically ever happen, I'm pretty much always leaving this in the board.
I always play the first copy and rate it highly. I'll play the second copy slightly more often than not, but won't draft it highly. I never want a third one.
Then again, the decks I draft always have 3 to 5 draw spells, so this works as an enabler for Treasure Cruise, not competition.
You really just need to embrace the rage. I keep a small colony of hamsters next to my computer and every time I lose a match to mana screw I throw one against the wall.
Bitter Revelation is a card I want to love, but it rarely works well for me. Half the time, I get my best cards in the four or I rather have something else to pay on turn 4.
Very happy to have this in a lot of decks. Like Tahn, the decks where I want this want up to 5 draw spells, and you usually can't get 5 treasure cruises (also, I think this gets better than more cruises around cruise #3 or 4). So far every black deck I have drafted is on the slow and grindy card advantage plan, and this is slow and grindy card advantage second only to treasure cruise/dig through time.
EDIT: Also, I think you rarely play this turn 4. Generally, you want to play card draw spells once you run out of other things to do, so you can draw into more things. I would usually be casting this on turns 6 or 7 after the rest of my non-card draw spells have been played out.
I don't know how this fits into the discussion, but I almost always feel good when my opponent plays Bitter Revelation. It's probably because I tend toward tempo decks in this format rather than slow durdly monstrosities, so the combination of 4 mana sorcery + 2 damage tends to work in my favor. Like, gee thanks I'll happily smash with my Morphs now that you're tapped out and also I appreciate you hitting yourself, good luck deploying those cards while also flipping your Morphs before you're dead.
Yeah, you have to stabilize first before you can play this. I've been on the tempo end of someone casting this turn 4, and it does feel pretty good if they haven't done much else relevant. Something like tapland, archer's parapet, tapland + debilitating injury probably gives you enough room to cast this safely against a tempo deck. T3 morph, T4 this doesn't really.
I tend to prefer this to Treasure Cruise in a lot of decks, simply because I often cast Cruise for 3-4 mana, and the selection is a big deal. This is a solid 5th-8th pickup in non-Mardu black decks (where Tormenting Voice + threat is usually just better).
I like the first Bitter Revelation in a deck a whole lot, and prefer it over Treasure Cruise in many decks so that I can avoid drawing a meaningless land (depending upon the deck) not to mention costing less. I would not want more than 1 or possibly 2 in a deck. It's a very good late game card, not much in the earlier part of the game when you want to stabilize or continue the pressure.
If you're in black, it's great. Sultai scavenger, dead drop, murderous cut, and to a degree shambling attendants all usually make it into a non mardu deck and this card finds them, then sets them up. Obviously you never want to play this on turn four. If you kept a hand that passed until turn 4 and then played bitter rev, you kept a seriously bad opening hand. I think it's very good in multiples in Sultai, at least one in Abzan/splashed 4th, and 0 in Mardu.
My Decks:
EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn
Modern: Polytokes
IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
Just a friendly reminder that I will drive this car off a bridge
I feel pretty much this way. It's hugely powerful, and it is clearly the pick in many a P1P1, but it also means your deck needs to be built in a specific way. It may not have the color commitments, but it sure has an archetype commitment. You generally will not want this in Jeskai or Temur beatdown decks, for example. So if I'm given the choice between it and a wide open pick like uncommon removal or a really good creature like Mardu Heartpiercer, I find myself wanting to take those more all-around cards that have a lower ceiling, but much lower setup cost/commitment.
RBGLiving EndRBG
EDH
UFblthpU
BRXantchaRB
BGVarolzGB
URWZedruuWRU
I'm not too sure about 1st picking it. But it was used against me before, and it changed the game to his favor.
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
Haven't played with or against it myself, but I love the flavor and story.
My Decks:
EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn
Modern: Polytokes
IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
Just a friendly reminder that I will drive this car off a bridge
RBGLiving EndRBG
EDH
UFblthpU
BRXantchaRB
BGVarolzGB
URWZedruuWRU
I'm not sure... I mean it's a rare right. 2UU would have solve that problem.
On Sarkhan: I've played him many times... I know... lucky me.
He's just pure dumbness. That he goes for 2 quick bites (8 points), and can ultimate after. Not that it really matters (his ulti). Because flying in this set matters so much more than previous sets. What he ensures is a quick death.
I'm still not sure which I'll pick though in a stacked pack; Wingmate Roc or Sarkhan. Because Sarkhan versatility makes him on par I feel.
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
That's interesting. You are probably right.
RBGLiving EndRBG
EDH
UFblthpU
BRXantchaRB
BGVarolzGB
URWZedruuWRU
Toughness matters is one of the enemy color subthemes, Black/Green in this case. So Blue isn't really part of it.
On Sarkhan, main thing is that he's a fast clock, though burning a creature is nice in a pinch. I think he gets attacked down easier than Sorin, but he closes out the games faster. If he gets to attack, the opponent is likely dead soon, so the ultimate is probably never to be seen.
Also, in one of my games I reached 10 mana, -3'd Sarkhan suiciding him, got him back with Warden of the Eye, replayed him and attacked.
Finally! A non-rare!
My Decks:
EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn
Modern: Polytokes
IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
Just a friendly reminder that I will drive this car off a bridge
Problem is largely that it takes up a slot that you'd probably rather use for Treasure Cruise, and everyone who wants a Treasure Cruise pretty much always gets one. The only cases where this is desirable are where 1) you're in Abzan, are a slow deck, and got zero blue mana fixers to splash Cruise, or 2) You're all in on the Delve plan. Since neither of those circumstances basically ever happen, I'm pretty much always leaving this in the board.
Then again, the decks I draft always have 3 to 5 draw spells, so this works as an enabler for Treasure Cruise, not competition.
Pauper: Burn
Modern: Burn
Legacy: Burn
EDH: Marath, Will of the Wild - Ramp/Combo | Anafenza the Foremost - French | Uril, the Miststalker - Voltron | Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury - Goodstuff
Ghost Council of Orzhov - Tokens | Lazav, Dimir Mastermind - Control | Isamaru, Hound of Konda - Tiny Leaders
EDIT: Also, I think you rarely play this turn 4. Generally, you want to play card draw spells once you run out of other things to do, so you can draw into more things. I would usually be casting this on turns 6 or 7 after the rest of my non-card draw spells have been played out.
RBGLiving EndRBG
EDH
UFblthpU
BRXantchaRB
BGVarolzGB
URWZedruuWRU
R Norin the Wary: I've Got a Bad Feeling About This
UG Thrasios & Kydele: Knowledge is Power
RG Borborygmos Enraged: The Breaking of the World
BG The Gitrog Monster: All Glory to the Hypnotoad
WUR Zedruu the Greathearted: Endless Possibilities, One Outcome
WBG Karador, Ghost Chieftain: What's Dead May Never Die
Turn your junk into something great with PucaTrade!
That said, not gonna help you without a board against an army. Drawing it would feel like rubbing salt into the wound. lol
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG