Title says it all. If you had to think of the single best card in modern, what would it be. Not your pet card, or the best card in a deck, or even a color, but the best card that is good in every situation you can think of?
Two me, its lightning bolt. I think we judge cards on what it kills, staying above the bolt range, ect. Some decks even splash for it specifically, like fae, or w/b delver. Sometimes even Restoration Control.
Bolt is a solid choice, but I have to go for Dark Confidant. It's almost the only reason to play black, and I'd say it's singlehandedly responsible for making Jund the best Tarmogoyf deck.
I'd also like to give a nod to Kitchen Finks as, if not the actual best card, the most subtly important card in the format. This card does so many things for so many decks. It's Bolt levels of useful but gets nowhere near as much respect.
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Title says it all. If you had to think of the single best card in modern, what would it be. Not your pet card, or the best card in a deck, or even a color, but the best card that is good in every situation you can think of?
Two me, its lightning bolt. I think we judge cards on what it kills, staying above the bolt range, ect. Some decks even splash for it specifically, like fae, or w/b delver. Sometimes even Restoration Control.
What do you think?
To me, it would be something that's not bad in any given matchup. I would probably take Dark Confidant, Knight of the Reliquary (criminally underplayed, can disrupt tron, grab bojuka bog for storm / graveyard decks, etc) or Snapcaster Mage. Liliana of the Vei is close behind since she really shines just about every time she's resolved with the exception of against a rare token deck.
There are a lot of really good disruption spells, but most of them have archetypes they're dead vs. Bolt is dead vs. Tron, Storm Combo, and any non-twin combo decks (where it's not great vs. either). Same can be said about Path to Exile, except it can't hit combo decks generally. Permission and Discard is similar, in that it's not always great in every matchup.
Other creatures are pretty bad against combo decks or tron decks such as Kitchen Finks even if they're still very good overall.
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To me, it would be something that's not bad in any given matchup. I would probably take Dark Confidant, Knight of the Reliquary (criminally underplayed, can disrupt tron, grab bojuka bog for storm / graveyard decks, etc) or Snapcaster Mage. Liliana of the Vei is close behind since she really shines just about every time she's resolved with the exception of against a rare token deck.
There are a lot of really good disruption spells, but most of them have archetypes they're dead vs. Bolt is dead vs. Tron, Storm Combo, and any non-twin combo decks (where it's not great vs. either). Same can be said about Path to Exile, except it can't hit combo decks generally. Permission and Discard is similar, in that it's not always great in every matchup.
Other creatures are pretty bad against combo decks or tron decks such as Kitchen Finks even if they're still very good overall.
But Bolt inst dead in those matchups, you cast it and deals 3 damage. however darkconfidant is bad if you get an emkrul off it, and knight can be bad if you dont have any lands in the grave (annnnd they both die to bolt) Which is why I suggest bolt is better, because its never not useful, even with a deck not built around it.
However you are both right that finks is also insanely good, pretty much all the time.
Lightning Bolt is never a surprise though. I see red, I expect Bolts to be coming. It never makes me :\ lol
Cards like Thoughtseize do though. It can sometimes ruin a hand before you even get to play.
Finks, Liliana oV, Wurmcoil are also annoying.
Honestly the card I hate above any other though is Mindslaver. That card can turn a game around like non other and can be played/used t4 and you're usually screwed if you dont have instant artifact hate in hand with mana open lol.
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Lightning Bolt is never a surprise though. I see red, I expect Bolts to be coming. It never makes me :\ lol
Cards like Thoughtseize do though. It can sometimes ruin a hand before you even get to play.
Finks, Liliana oV, Wurmcoil are also annoying.
Honestly the card I hate above any other though is Mindslaver. That card can turn a game around like non other and can be played/used t4 and you're usually screwed if you dont have instant artifact hate in hand with mana open lol.
But it's a tough call and always will be
It's not about surprise though. It's about what card is the best card in format? For example, in Legacy it's Brainstorm (and IMO, you can't argue that fact). Does it mean every deck plays it? No. Are you surprised when your opponent casts it? No. But it's the best card.
Lightning Bolt fits that description, Thoughtseize doesn't (though I hate that card too).
Normally, I'd agree with you. But when I see someone play an island in modern i'm like "oh okay, so this guy is either going to play a sub-par blue draw spell or card filtering, or he's going to play a delver, neither of which I'm worried about"
Realistically, there are always a handful of blue cards that concern me, but blue is seriously far less powerful in this format than in legacy and standard.
But as far as I'm concerned, the best card in modern is my good friend, bob.
Normally, I'd agree with you. But when I see someone play an island in modern i'm like "oh okay, so this guy is either going to play a sub-par blue draw spell or card filtering, or he's going to play a delver, neither of which I'm worried about"
Realistically, there are always a handful of blue cards that concern me, but blue is seriously far less powerful in this format than in legacy and standard.
But as far as I'm concerned, the best card in modern is my good friend, bob.
Totally agree with you. Blue isnt lacking, but its not all powerful.
Not your pet card, or the best card in a deck, or even a color, but the best card that is good in every situation you can think of?
I think that this isn't really a good metric because there is no card in magic that is good in every possible situation because there are situations where pretty every card does nothing. And then the term best is really vague, best in what sense? Dark Confidant is far and away the most powerful card in the format, Lightning Bolt is probably the most flexible card since its splashable, cheap, and can fit in a lot of decks. So my answer would be, it depends, what do you mean by best?
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I think that this isn't really a good metric because there is no card in magic that is good in every possible situation because there are situations where pretty every card does nothing. And then the term best is really vague, best in what sense? Dark Confidant is far and away the most powerful card in the format, Lightning Bolt is probably the most flexible card since its splashable, cheap, and can fit in a lot of decks. So my answer would be, it depends, what do you mean by best?
I just mean, that is always good. You never draw it and go "well if so and so were this way..."
Bob does fit that since you at worst, get a creature/blocker, at best more CA. Path wouldnt be, as its useless vs combo.
Vendilion Clique can deny any card from hitting the field at instant speed, and hit you in the air for 3... FOR ONLY THREE MANA. I may go with this last one...
Emrakul. I don't care what matchup your playing, annihilator 6 plus 15 damage will always be relevant. Plus, ever hardcast it on turn 2? It's pretty sweet
Emrakul. I don't care what matchup your playing, annihilator 6 plus 15 damage will always be relevant. Plus, ever hardcast it on turn 2? It's pretty sweet
How are you hard casting it on turn 2, and why is that I do not know how to do this already? I want to do that.
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Legacy Decks
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Modern
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Whatever pile of 75 I throw together the night before without testing. Usually: :symb::symu::symg:
Vedalken Shackles to me is the best card. I have seen it single handedly invalidate entire decks.
To me raw power defines best card.
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In case I didn't tell you, I don't care about your opinion I just want your facts. And not the facts that make you seem smart. I want the ones that are actual facts.
No one else can even pretend this isn't true.
Tron, ramp, or even god forbid Cloudpost, he will always win the game on the spot. (;
Actually no he doesn't. Ensnaring Bridge shuts him down completely, so he needs his litttle brother Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre to come out first. If I have 2 bridges, tron has a real headache.
How are you hard casting it on turn 2, and why is that I do not know how to do this already? I want to do that.
Play Elves. The deck wins on t4 regularly, t3 if your opponent doesn't have any meaningful disruption, and I've personally hardcast emrakul in actual games twice on turn 2.
It doesn't matter if you cast emrakul on turn 2 or turn 15, the game ends on the spot.
Two me, its lightning bolt. I think we judge cards on what it kills, staying above the bolt range, ect. Some decks even splash for it specifically, like fae, or w/b delver. Sometimes even Restoration Control.
What do you think?
I'd also like to give a nod to Kitchen Finks as, if not the actual best card, the most subtly important card in the format. This card does so many things for so many decks. It's Bolt levels of useful but gets nowhere near as much respect.
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To me, it would be something that's not bad in any given matchup. I would probably take Dark Confidant, Knight of the Reliquary (criminally underplayed, can disrupt tron, grab bojuka bog for storm / graveyard decks, etc) or Snapcaster Mage. Liliana of the Vei is close behind since she really shines just about every time she's resolved with the exception of against a rare token deck.
There are a lot of really good disruption spells, but most of them have archetypes they're dead vs. Bolt is dead vs. Tron, Storm Combo, and any non-twin combo decks (where it's not great vs. either). Same can be said about Path to Exile, except it can't hit combo decks generally. Permission and Discard is similar, in that it's not always great in every matchup.
Other creatures are pretty bad against combo decks or tron decks such as Kitchen Finks even if they're still very good overall.
But Bolt inst dead in those matchups, you cast it and deals 3 damage. however darkconfidant is bad if you get an emkrul off it, and knight can be bad if you dont have any lands in the grave (annnnd they both die to bolt) Which is why I suggest bolt is better, because its never not useful, even with a deck not built around it.
However you are both right that finks is also insanely good, pretty much all the time.
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Cards like Thoughtseize do though. It can sometimes ruin a hand before you even get to play.
Finks, Liliana oV, Wurmcoil are also annoying.
Honestly the card I hate above any other though is Mindslaver. That card can turn a game around like non other and can be played/used t4 and you're usually screwed if you dont have instant artifact hate in hand with mana open lol.
But it's a tough call and always will be
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[14:58]  Paramount_Elite: Anyways don't confuse Casual EDH with EDH or the highly compettive format called French Duel Commander.
It's not about surprise though. It's about what card is the best card in format? For example, in Legacy it's Brainstorm (and IMO, you can't argue that fact). Does it mean every deck plays it? No. Are you surprised when your opponent casts it? No. But it's the best card.
Lightning Bolt fits that description, Thoughtseize doesn't (though I hate that card too).
Still, my vote is Kitchen Finks.
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Normally, I'd agree with you. But when I see someone play an island in modern i'm like "oh okay, so this guy is either going to play a sub-par blue draw spell or card filtering, or he's going to play a delver, neither of which I'm worried about"
Realistically, there are always a handful of blue cards that concern me, but blue is seriously far less powerful in this format than in legacy and standard.
But as far as I'm concerned, the best card in modern is my good friend, bob.
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Totally agree with you. Blue isnt lacking, but its not all powerful.
And lol@ bob.
I think that this isn't really a good metric because there is no card in magic that is good in every possible situation because there are situations where pretty every card does nothing. And then the term best is really vague, best in what sense? Dark Confidant is far and away the most powerful card in the format, Lightning Bolt is probably the most flexible card since its splashable, cheap, and can fit in a lot of decks. So my answer would be, it depends, what do you mean by best?
I concur. The color blue is the best that was, the best there is, and the best there will ever be.:)
Individual card would be: snapcaster mage.
I just mean, that is always good. You never draw it and go "well if so and so were this way..."
Bob does fit that since you at worst, get a creature/blocker, at best more CA. Path wouldnt be, as its useless vs combo.
This. This guy read my mind.
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Snapcaster Mage makes any "really good card" better. Suddenly any deck that plays 4 Path to Exile or 4 Cryptic Command can say they play 8.
Vendilion Clique can deny any card from hitting the field at instant speed, and hit you in the air for 3... FOR ONLY THREE MANA. I may go with this last one...
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How are you hard casting it on turn 2, and why is that I do not know how to do this already? I want to do that.
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Modern
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Whatever pile of 75 I throw together the night before without testing. Usually: :symb::symu::symg:
Otherwise, any of the Ravnica dual lands are pretty sweet too.
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:symu::symr: Dragonstorm :symr::symu:
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To me raw power defines best card.
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Actually no he doesn't. Ensnaring Bridge shuts him down completely, so he needs his litttle brother Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre to come out first. If I have 2 bridges, tron has a real headache.
Play Elves. The deck wins on t4 regularly, t3 if your opponent doesn't have any meaningful disruption, and I've personally hardcast emrakul in actual games twice on turn 2.
It doesn't matter if you cast emrakul on turn 2 or turn 15, the game ends on the spot.