Tons of new cards spoiled at PAX. Of the 9 we have seen so far, these are the two that look most playable.
Sultai Charm
Kills almost every creature in the format, hits artifacts and enchantments, and isn't even a dead draw if the board is safe. All that at instant speed? This seems like a very strong tool for the otherwise nonexistent BUG deck that everyone has been trying to make. I really think this one will be a hit.
Crackling Doom
Not quite as playable as Charm, but still a decent card. It's brutal against Bogles (bypasses Leyline, doesn't care about Arbor), strong vs. Tron, and has a little Shock tacked on at the end. It's also unique amongst most Sacrifice effects because it always hits the biggest target which is incidentally often the card you most want dead.
Crackling Doom
Not quite as playable as Charm, but still a decent card. It's brutal against Bogles (bypasses Leyline, doesn't care about Arbor), strong vs. Tron, and has a little Shock tacked on at the end. It's also unique amongst most Sacrifice effects because it always hits the biggest target which is incidentally often the card you most want dead.
Good anti-Boogles sideboard tech for Burn, certainly. Blow up the Voltron and pick up 2 damage.
Not so sure about strong vs Tron though. The 4 things Tron most often does with its mana are Karn, Wormcoil, Primetime and Mindslaver Lock (in the MonoBlue version), right? If so, it doesn't kill Karn, it doesn't do anything to Mindslaver Lock and it will kill Wormcoil or Primetime but they've already gain tons of value out of them (2 tokens or 2 lands, either of which they're fine with).
Crackling Doom still has a hilariously hard time hitting Geist of Saint Traft (they'll sac V. Clique/Resto/Colonnade/Tiago/Traft's Angel before him), though.
Necropolis Fiend is Tombstalker...if it cost 1 mana more, had 1 less power, but could kill stuff. Might it be playable?
Herald of Anafeza looks like a sweet Ranger of Eos target--it keeps making 1/1's (at a high price)!
Crackling Doom still has a hilariously hard time hitting Geist of Saint Traft (they'll sac V. Clique/Resto/Colonnade/Tiago/Traft's Angel before him), though.
Necropolis Fiend is Tombstalker...if it cost 1 mana more, had 1 less power, but could kill stuff. Might it be playable?
Herald of Anafeza looks like a sweet Ranger of Eos target--it keeps making 1/1's (at a high price)!
How often would you want the charm over an Abrupt Decay? That's the real question.
Why not run both? One of the reasons the BG and Jund pairings have been strong is redundant effects. The Charm, on top of Decay, adds more redundancy to that BUG shell. Hitting Pod at instant speed is particularly awesome. Spellskite can't redirect Sultai away from a Mite/Exarch. It also hits both Kiki and Angel. Charm also blows up both Inkmoth and Blinkmoth, which have historically been some of Affinity's best weapons against BGx decks. Add to that all the fringe cards this nukes and we have the trappings of a totally playable BUG card that just supplements Decay. Jund plays redundant removal spells. So does BG Rock and BGx Souls. This can serve the same function for BUG.
[quote from="ktkenshinx »" url="http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/568542-khans-of-tarkir-spoiler-thread?comment=88"]
Good anti-Boogles sideboard tech for Burn, certainly. Blow up the Voltron and pick up 2 damage.
Not so sure about strong vs Tron though. The 4 things Tron most often does with its mana are Karn, Wormcoil, Primetime and Mindslaver Lock (in the MonoBlue version), right? If so, it doesn't kill Karn, it doesn't do anything to Mindslaver Lock and it will kill Wormcoil or Primetime but they've already gain tons of value out of them (2 tokens or 2 lands, either of which they're fine with).
Agree on it being subpar vs. Tron. Was just trying to reach for something it was good against besides Bogles but reached too far. Still playable in other matchups but just not nearly as powerful as Charm.
How often would you want the charm over an Abrupt Decay? That's the real question.
Why not run both? One of the reasons the BG and Jund pairings have been strong is redundant effects. The Charm, on top of Decay, adds more redundancy to that BUG shell. Hitting Pod at instant speed is particularly awesome. Spellskite can't redirect Sultai away from a Mite/Exarch. It also hits both Kiki and Angel. Charm also blows up both Inkmoth and Blinkmoth, which have historically been some of Affinity's best weapons against BGx decks. Add to that all the fringe cards this nukes and we have the trappings of a totally playable BUG card that just supplements Decay. Jund plays redundant removal spells. So does BG Rock and BGx Souls. This can serve the same function for BUG.
[quote from="ktkenshinx »" url="http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/568542-khans-of-tarkir-spoiler-thread?comment=88"]
Good anti-Boogles sideboard tech for Burn, certainly. Blow up the Voltron and pick up 2 damage.
Not so sure about strong vs Tron though. The 4 things Tron most often does with its mana are Karn, Wormcoil, Primetime and Mindslaver Lock (in the MonoBlue version), right? If so, it doesn't kill Karn, it doesn't do anything to Mindslaver Lock and it will kill Wormcoil or Primetime but they've already gain tons of value out of them (2 tokens or 2 lands, either of which they're fine with).
Agree on it being subpar vs. Tron. Was just trying to reach for something it was good against besides Bogles but reached too far. Still playable in other matchups but just not nearly as powerful as Charm.
Why not run both? One of the reasons the BG and Jund pairings have been strong is redundant effects. The Charm, on top of Decay, adds more redundancy to that BUG shell. Hitting Pod at instant speed is particularly awesome. Spellskite can't redirect Sultai away from a Mite/Exarch. It also hits both Kiki and Angel. Charm also blows up both Inkmoth and Blinkmoth, which have historically been some of Affinity's best weapons against BGx decks. Add to that all the fringe cards this nukes and we have the trappings of a totally playable BUG card that just supplements Decay. Jund plays redundant removal spells. So does BG Rock and BGx Souls. This can serve the same function for BUG.
Not sure if it will be good enough on its own to add BUG to the list of BG variants, but if we get another couple good BUG cards it very well might.
Agree on it being subpar vs. Tron. Was just trying to reach for something it was good against besides Bogles but reached too far. Still playable in other matchups but just not nearly as powerful as Charm.
No problem. That said, if it was already in my sideboard for my Burn deck, I would probably side it in against GR Tron just to prevent Wurmcoil from swinging.
The charm definitely looks good. It hits so many things in Modern it is ridiculous. The only creatures It won't hit are Finks, Redcap, Knight of the Reliquary, and Pridemage. Those 4 are the only creatures I can think of off the top of my head that are multi-coloured and played in top tier lists.
The second mode hits everything out of affinity, as well as twin, pod, batterskull, any sword, vial, defense grid, so many targets >_>
And the last mode lets you use is to try and get some more gas if you don't need removal.
A++ card in my opinion. If a BUG deck pops up in Modern, it will definitely want some of these.
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Modern Decks: UBG Lantern Control GBU BRG Bridge-Vine GRB
Commander Decks UBG Muldrotha, Value Elemental GBU BRG Windgrace Real-Estate Ltd. GRB
#PayThePros
The real comparison for Sultai Charm is with Maelstrom Pulse. In exchange for the draw ability, you have to pay U instead of 1 and lose the ability to hit planeswalkers, multiples, and multicolored creatures.
That's an extremely steep drawback, but the ability to hold up a removal spell and instant speed draw at the same time might just be that powerful.
Similar creatures to what he turns into as a +1 have seen play in Modern, and being able to also be decent removal and having an obtainable ult that keeps you from ever running out of gas seems good.
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*Insert giant block of annoying garbage that no one cares about but you have to scroll past anyway here*
I like the new Sarkhan, all his modes are useful for mono red. Looks like big red decks may have gotten a replacement for Chandra on the top end. I dare say he has the potential to be better than Koth, and with Generator Savant, turn three Sarkhan would be back breaking.
Sultai Charm is alright. There's a big difference between the three and two mana charms. Almost none of Shard charms see more than fringe play, despite many of them being ok to good cards. Time will tell if its worth it, although I suspect in a bug deck it could edge out maelstrom pulses.
Outlast as a mechanic is templated very strangely. I am not a fan of how it looks on a card, although in theory its a very simple ability. It seems like for the most part it wont be worth it, its a lot of effort to put into one creature that can easily eat removal. I wouldnt be surprised if Herald of Anafenza is the strongest Outlast card and he's not strong enough to see play in most decks.
What I'm seeing so far makes me think Khans may be more battlecruiser magic. Spells are freaking expensive man. That Junk wrath costs 7 mana? There's supposedly going to be some big spell that they think is extremely playable that costs XXBBBB? Even if that thing has Delve what on earth could it be that's worth it?
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Currently Playing:
Modern: UWUW TronUW
Legacy: WDeath N TaxesW CEldrazi C
If you couldn't tell I hate greedy blue decks.
Similar creatures to what he turns into as a +1 have seen play in Modern, and being able to also be decent removal and having an obtainable ult that keeps you from ever running out of gas seems good.
I like him, but I wish that his ultimate was better in Blue Moon.
Tons of new cards spoiled at PAX. Of the 9 we have seen so far, these are the two that look most playable.
Sultai Charm
Kills almost every creature in the format, hits artifacts and enchantments, and isn't even a dead draw if the board is safe. All that at instant speed? This seems like a very strong tool for the otherwise nonexistent BUG deck that everyone has been trying to make. I really think this one will be a hit.
Crackling Doom
Not quite as playable as Charm, but still a decent card. It's brutal against Bogles (bypasses Leyline, doesn't care about Arbor), strong vs. Tron, and has a little Shock tacked on at the end. It's also unique amongst most Sacrifice effects because it always hits the biggest target which is incidentally often the card you most want dead.
Sultai Charm is going to make BUG a thing. It is an instant-speed answer to every card other than planeswalkers in the format. Even without the draw mode I would guess that it would be playable. Also, I am glad that Wizards hasn't completely abandoned good spells.
Oh my god, I just realized that Sultai Charm is exactly the card that Breaking Bad Reanimator needs! Being able to replace Thirst For Knowledge with a card that does almost the same thing for the deck while removing every problem card is perfect!
Sarkhan the Mono-Red looks vaguely playable to me--being removal should compensate for being unable to block, although losing pro-white, having only 4 power, and being unable to shove fliers out of the way all suck. His ult looks decent in Jund, although blue decks don't want to ult him. I might try him instead of Tamiyo in Blue Moon, but at least Tamiyo could mana screw them out of basics, and her ult is backbreaking...
Oh my god, I just realized that Sultai Charm is exactly the card that Breaking Bad Reanimator needs! Being able to replace Thirst For Knowledge with a card that does almost the same thing for the deck while removing every problem card is perfect!
Yup, this is definitely replacing Oblivion Ring and possibly Detention Sphere in my Breaking Gifts build! Thank goodness for that deck that Deathrite is banned...
Sarkhan the Mono-Red looks vaguely playable to me--being removal should compensate for being unable to block, although losing pro-white, having only 4 power, and being unable to shove fliers out of the way all suck. His ult looks decent in Jund, although blue decks don't want to ult him. I might try him instead of Tamiyo in Blue Moon, but at least Tamiyo could mana screw them out of basics, and her ult is backbreaking...
I still prefer Tamiyo, Batterskull, and Keranos as the 5-drops for Blue Moon. However, Skred Red could probably use Sarkhan much better.
Oh my god, I just realized that Sultai Charm is exactly the card that Breaking Bad Reanimator needs! Being able to replace Thirst For Knowledge with a card that does almost the same thing for the deck while removing every problem card is perfect!
Yup, this is definitely replacing Oblivion Ring and possibly Detention Sphere in my Breaking Gifts build! Thank goodness for that deck that Deathrite is banned...
This is not the creature we're looking for, though. Next!
Sultai Charm
Kills almost every creature in the format, hits artifacts and enchantments, and isn't even a dead draw if the board is safe. All that at instant speed? This seems like a very strong tool for the otherwise nonexistent BUG deck that everyone has been trying to make. I really think this one will be a hit.
Crackling Doom
Not quite as playable as Charm, but still a decent card. It's brutal against Bogles (bypasses Leyline, doesn't care about Arbor), strong vs. Tron, and has a little Shock tacked on at the end. It's also unique amongst most Sacrifice effects because it always hits the biggest target which is incidentally often the card you most want dead.
Cheeri0sXWU
Reid Duke's Level One
Who's the Beatdown
Alt+0198=Æ
Good anti-Boogles sideboard tech for Burn, certainly. Blow up the Voltron and pick up 2 damage.
Not so sure about strong vs Tron though. The 4 things Tron most often does with its mana are Karn, Wormcoil, Primetime and Mindslaver Lock (in the MonoBlue version), right? If so, it doesn't kill Karn, it doesn't do anything to Mindslaver Lock and it will kill Wormcoil or Primetime but they've already gain tons of value out of them (2 tokens or 2 lands, either of which they're fine with).
Necropolis Fiend is Tombstalker...if it cost 1 mana more, had 1 less power, but could kill stuff. Might it be playable?
Herald of Anafeza looks like a sweet Ranger of Eos target--it keeps making 1/1's (at a high price)!
Necropolis Fiend is Tombstalker...if it cost 1 mana more, had 1 less power, but could kill stuff. Might it be playable?
Herald of Anafeza looks like a sweet Ranger of Eos target--it keeps making 1/1's (at a high price)!
Why not run both? One of the reasons the BG and Jund pairings have been strong is redundant effects. The Charm, on top of Decay, adds more redundancy to that BUG shell. Hitting Pod at instant speed is particularly awesome. Spellskite can't redirect Sultai away from a Mite/Exarch. It also hits both Kiki and Angel. Charm also blows up both Inkmoth and Blinkmoth, which have historically been some of Affinity's best weapons against BGx decks. Add to that all the fringe cards this nukes and we have the trappings of a totally playable BUG card that just supplements Decay. Jund plays redundant removal spells. So does BG Rock and BGx Souls. This can serve the same function for BUG.
Agree on it being subpar vs. Tron. Was just trying to reach for something it was good against besides Bogles but reached too far. Still playable in other matchups but just not nearly as powerful as Charm.
Why not run both? One of the reasons the BG and Jund pairings have been strong is redundant effects. The Charm, on top of Decay, adds more redundancy to that BUG shell. Hitting Pod at instant speed is particularly awesome. Spellskite can't redirect Sultai away from a Mite/Exarch. It also hits both Kiki and Angel. Charm also blows up both Inkmoth and Blinkmoth, which have historically been some of Affinity's best weapons against BGx decks. Add to that all the fringe cards this nukes and we have the trappings of a totally playable BUG card that just supplements Decay. Jund plays redundant removal spells. So does BG Rock and BGx Souls. This can serve the same function for BUG.
Agree on it being subpar vs. Tron. Was just trying to reach for something it was good against besides Bogles but reached too far. Still playable in other matchups but just not nearly as powerful as Charm.
Not sure if it will be good enough on its own to add BUG to the list of BG variants, but if we get another couple good BUG cards it very well might.
No problem. That said, if it was already in my sideboard for my Burn deck, I would probably side it in against GR Tron just to prevent Wurmcoil from swinging.
I don't know that he will see modern play, a decent token deck with Brimaz, King of Oreskos, Akroan Crusader, Akroan Hoplite, and Goblin Rabblemaster will be standard for a while.
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Reid Duke's Level One
Who's the Beatdown
Alt+0198=Æ
The second mode hits everything out of affinity, as well as twin, pod, batterskull, any sword, vial, defense grid, so many targets >_>
And the last mode lets you use is to try and get some more gas if you don't need removal.
A++ card in my opinion. If a BUG deck pops up in Modern, it will definitely want some of these.
Modern Decks:
UBG Lantern Control GBU
BRG Bridge-Vine GRB
Commander Decks
UBG Muldrotha, Value Elemental GBU
BRG Windgrace Real-Estate Ltd. GRB
#PayThePros
That's an extremely steep drawback, but the ability to hold up a removal spell and instant speed draw at the same time might just be that powerful.
Cubetutor Link
Herald. Do want. Ranger target.
YES.
YEEESSSSS.
THIS PLEASES ME.
DON'T CARE HOW SLOW IT IS, I'M GONNA FIND ME SOME COPIES.
Similar creatures to what he turns into as a +1 have seen play in Modern, and being able to also be decent removal and having an obtainable ult that keeps you from ever running out of gas seems good.
Cheeri0sXWU
Reid Duke's Level One
Who's the Beatdown
Alt+0198=Æ
Outlast as a mechanic is templated very strangely. I am not a fan of how it looks on a card, although in theory its a very simple ability. It seems like for the most part it wont be worth it, its a lot of effort to put into one creature that can easily eat removal. I wouldnt be surprised if Herald of Anafenza is the strongest Outlast card and he's not strong enough to see play in most decks.
What I'm seeing so far makes me think Khans may be more battlecruiser magic. Spells are freaking expensive man. That Junk wrath costs 7 mana? There's supposedly going to be some big spell that they think is extremely playable that costs XXBBBB? Even if that thing has Delve what on earth could it be that's worth it?
Modern:
UWUW TronUW
Legacy:
WDeath N TaxesW
CEldrazi C
If you couldn't tell I hate greedy blue decks.
Vintage
WWhite Trash
I like him, but I wish that his ultimate was better in Blue Moon.
Sultai Charm is going to make BUG a thing. It is an instant-speed answer to every card other than planeswalkers in the format. Even without the draw mode I would guess that it would be playable. Also, I am glad that Wizards hasn't completely abandoned good spells.
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
Yup, this is definitely replacing Oblivion Ring and possibly Detention Sphere in my Breaking Gifts build! Thank goodness for that deck that Deathrite is banned...
I still prefer Tamiyo, Batterskull, and Keranos as the 5-drops for Blue Moon. However, Skred Red could probably use Sarkhan much better.
What does your list look like?
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
Modern: RW Burn