We know the current color pie will be adhered to with Modern Horizons per Maro, so Sylvan Library should be out on that alone; paying life to draw cards is black, not green. Also, the additional burden of tracking cards which have already been drawn probably isn't something Wizards wants players and judges to worry about for competitive play.
As several others have stated, Mirri's Guile is balanced much better for Modern, plus the story flavor seems like something they'd want for MH1.
I hope there are some cool hybrid and colorless mana cards in this set. I think Stifle is a bit too good at stuffing early fetchlands, but imagine a cross between Bind (aka green Squelch) and Stifle for one and a U/G hybrid. Or hey, some slightly pushed cycles, like enemy color commands! Now those would keep the set sales strong.
I could see Death's Shadow Jund being too good with Sylvan Library. I do not want that card because of that deck to be honest(although I LOVE the card)
I dunno man. Library is probably a bit too slow for any Death's Shadow build I'm aware of. The only somewhat competitive deck I can think of right now that Sylvan Library would go in is BG Rock. It would also put Bant Wilderness on the map, though. That said, Library is highly unlikely to get a reprint in its' current templating. I could see them trying a "fixed" version, but I doubt it. The main thing I'd be looking for are new enemy colored commands, and maybe a monocolored charm cycle. Miscalculation, Complicate, and the Onslaught Decrees could be neat, too.
Library might also go into a Dredge list - if you're using a replacement effect instead of drawing (which Dredge is), you don't have to pay any life or put cards back, you just get to do it three times.
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Well, I can saw a woman in two, but you won't wanna look in the box when I'm through.
if they did want to do an updated/fixed version they could give it the cabal therapist treatment. just call it Sylvan Librarian or whatever. either way i dont think the original is something id categorize as too strong in the current modern environment. even in something like dredge, they gotta find slots for it and its a tappout play that doesnt put anything into the GY.
basically what im getting at is that it isnt a very good goldfish card. it isnt cheap nor has immediate payoff, and it focuses on card advantage and selection. its played when the game is expected to go on for a bunch more turns. so if the format is in a spot where decks are looking for that kinda tool, that seems fine to me.
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Modern: UWGSnow-Bant Control BURGrixis Death's Shadow GWBCoCo Elves WCDeath and Taxes (sold)
I am of the opinion that while mechanics can return I would hedge my bet towards draftable mechanics.
Unearth is a great mechanic in a draft environment so it is a possibility.
One reason I do not think we would get flusterstorm as a card is due to the fact that storm as a mechanic is not a mechanic wizards likes to print and its really bad in draft.
I would like to see some old blue permission spells be reprinted into MH for us to use in Modern, below are some I believe have a shot of being included:
Friendly reminder that Mana Tithe is currently legal and sees absolutely no play. A "force spike" effect is very bad if it's not free, or can be upgraded to a negate.
I believe Counterspell is not good for the format as it makes other possible permission spells completely obsolete. The point is to bring in cards that allow more flexibility and choices into Modern and Counterspell will not do this. It belongs to Vintage and Legacy not Modern.
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"Battle doesn't need a purpose; the battle is its own purpose. You don't ask why a plague spreads or a field burns. Don't ask why I fight."
I believe Counterspell is not good for the format as it makes other possible permission spells completely obsolete. The point is to bring in cards that allow more flexibility and choices into Modern and Counterspell will not do this. It belongs to Vintage and Legacy not Modern.
Actually, it belongs to Pauper, it's not good enough for anyone else.
I believe Counterspell is not good for the format as it makes other possible permission spells completely obsolete. The point is to bring in cards that allow more flexibility and choices into Modern and Counterspell will not do this. It belongs to Vintage and Legacy not Modern.
Actually, it belongs to Pauper, it's not good enough for anyone else.
And I would be glad for it to stay there.
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"Battle doesn't need a purpose; the battle is its own purpose. You don't ask why a plague spreads or a field burns. Don't ask why I fight."
I believe Counterspell is not good for the format as it makes other possible permission spells completely obsolete. The point is to bring in cards that allow more flexibility and choices into Modern and Counterspell will not do this. It belongs to Vintage and Legacy not Modern.
consider why flexibility and choices is something worth striving for and maintaining in various cards and effects. seems to me that its about cards that ask interesting deck building questions, with some give and take in the form of opportunity cost (aka deckbuilding cost).
choosing which crappy 2 cmc permission spell to include that might incidentally fail without it being anywhere on my opponents radar rates extremely poorly in that regard imo. there are no different decks or different builds hinging on them, and from the opponents side the play pattern is reduced to a binary of 'do they have it?' when they choose to jam into 2 open mana. i mean honestly when was the last time you saw someone actively play around mana leak.
so while what you are saying is technically true, and counterspell would condense those slots; its akin to asking yourself if you should be playing lightning bolt if you are in red and looking for removal. rather than some interesting puzzle like choosing to play eldritch evolution over chord of calling; or even something a little more mundane like the split of bolt, helix, and electrolyze in jeskai control.
the only interesting alternative at the moment is remand because the result is unique and sometimes worth leveraging. i havent played with counterspell, but on the surface i cant see it being a strict upgrade to remand in the modern decks that play it.
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Modern: UWGSnow-Bant Control BURGrixis Death's Shadow GWBCoCo Elves WCDeath and Taxes (sold)
I believe Counterspell is not good for the format as it makes other possible permission spells completely obsolete. The point is to bring in cards that allow more flexibility and choices into Modern and Counterspell will not do this. It belongs to Vintage and Legacy not Modern.
Actually, it belongs to Pauper, it's not good enough for anyone else.
Counterspell will matter in the meta, but it won't be back breaking.
If anything, and I might get some raised eyebrows for this one, I think it'll even out the Tron match a bit.
After playing with Silumgar's Scorn for a few weeks, I think I've got a reasonable bearing on how Counterspell would interact with the meta. Good not great; winner in some matches, loser in others. The difference is that it's a loser where all 2cmc counters are already losers opposed to randomly because your opponent is playing creatures into your Negate or you have no fetch to fuel your Logic Knot on T2.
I'll be ecstatic to see it get a printing here in a few months and... probably fairly crushed if it doesn't. Y'all are buildin up my hopes with things like "it should be a lock at this point".
For me its all about having different choices and flexibility and not auto relegating it to one choice of a card for 4 slots in a 60 card deck. Interesting analogy with Lightning bolt, this card will always take those 4 slots in any deck looking for the "best" red cheap removal spell. One of the reasons I was one of those opposed to it being in Modern too . If we follow this logic of sticking to the best card whenever then why did they not print Swords to Plowshares into Modern? Way better than Path to Exile don't you think?
So I stick to my opinion of not having Counterspell in the format.
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"Battle doesn't need a purpose; the battle is its own purpose. You don't ask why a plague spreads or a field burns. Don't ask why I fight."
For me its all about having different choices and flexibility and not auto relegating it to one choice of a card for 4 slots in a 60 card deck. Interesting analogy with Lightning bolt, this card will always take those 4 slots in any deck looking for the "best" red cheap removal spell. One of the reasons I was one of those opposed to it being in Modern too . If we follow this logic of sticking to the best card whenever then why did they not print Swords to Plowshares into Modern? Way better than Path to Exile don't you think?
So I stick to my opinion of not having Counterspell in the format.
May be an issue here, as a format without Bolt to me isnt worth playing for long, and I think StP should be in the format because Path, in a format as potent as Modern, is too much of a tempo loss.
Counterspell is also not like either Bolt or Path, because right now, there is no reason to be playing counters really at all, any deck that tries, is setting themselves up to fail, unless its Stubborn Denial.
I'm really starting to hope for a sylvan library reprint in modern horizons but that might be asking for a lot. There are probably too many midrange decks that could abuse it
Counterspell is definitely not in the category of the 1-mana removal spells (it's a 90's way of seeing Magic in a sense). The flexibility with counterspells right now is laughable, it's like giving players the choice between Lightning Strike and Searing Spear. Like standard-level bad, and it's been that way since Modern inception. Counterspell costs UU, so the flexibility will remain : some decks will prefer good counters and others good counters.
The other option is to print a new card that would be a strictly better Mana Leak or sthg, and let all those 2010-power level counterspells finally become obsolete and rest in peace. Hallelujah.
Sneak Attack is scary. It would let Emmy come back in business and turn Reanimator & GR Titan into monsters. I believe Through the Breach is already good enough: it's counterable, cast a turn later, and only a one-shot. The amount of upgrades Sneak Attack brings looks too strong for what Modern can take imho. Simian Spirit Guide and Desperate Ritual would be much better too.
Now I wish they make a cycle of those Cabal Therapy imitations (ala Magus cycle), I don't care if they eventually suck in Modern, at least it will demonstrate what cards Wizards don't want to reprint in Modern. Welcome to the overcosted Sylvan Librarian, Shower & Teller, Sneak Attacker and Karakasi !
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Pioneer - A bunch of stuff Modern - Humans Legacy - Grixis Phoenix / Death & Taxes
I think karakas would be fine. The only deck it'll really heavily impact is grishoalbrand imo. So many other creature strats just don't care about it. I get there is minimal deck building cost to the first one really, like pendelhaven, but more than 2 seems like you'd be stretching it.
I don't think you'd need a fixed version of it and I don't think it'll be all that useful to the format. Unless they print some busted in half legendary creature that lets you abuse it.
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As several others have stated, Mirri's Guile is balanced much better for Modern, plus the story flavor seems like something they'd want for MH1.
I hope there are some cool hybrid and colorless mana cards in this set. I think Stifle is a bit too good at stuffing early fetchlands, but imagine a cross between Bind (aka green Squelch) and Stifle for one and a U/G hybrid. Or hey, some slightly pushed cycles, like enemy color commands! Now those would keep the set sales strong.
I dunno man. Library is probably a bit too slow for any Death's Shadow build I'm aware of. The only somewhat competitive deck I can think of right now that Sylvan Library would go in is BG Rock. It would also put Bant Wilderness on the map, though. That said, Library is highly unlikely to get a reprint in its' current templating. I could see them trying a "fixed" version, but I doubt it. The main thing I'd be looking for are new enemy colored commands, and maybe a monocolored charm cycle. Miscalculation, Complicate, and the Onslaught Decrees could be neat, too.
basically what im getting at is that it isnt a very good goldfish card. it isnt cheap nor has immediate payoff, and it focuses on card advantage and selection. its played when the game is expected to go on for a bunch more turns. so if the format is in a spot where decks are looking for that kinda tool, that seems fine to me.
UWGSnow-Bant Control
BURGrixis Death's Shadow
GWBCoCo Elves
WCDeath and Taxes(sold)Unearth is a great mechanic in a draft environment so it is a possibility.
One reason I do not think we would get flusterstorm as a card is due to the fact that storm as a mechanic is not a mechanic wizards likes to print and its really bad in draft.
Prohibit
Evasive Action
Circular Logic
Foil
Miscalculation
Misdirection
Hopefully 2 or 3 make it into the set!
Mana Tithe
Lightning Helix (probably needs to be a sorcery just to keep from Helix overload)
Spirits
Daze would be a great addition to the format.
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
Spirits
Actually, it belongs to Pauper, it's not good enough for anyone else.
Spirits
And I would be glad for it to stay there.
consider why flexibility and choices is something worth striving for and maintaining in various cards and effects. seems to me that its about cards that ask interesting deck building questions, with some give and take in the form of opportunity cost (aka deckbuilding cost).
choosing which crappy 2 cmc permission spell to include that might incidentally fail without it being anywhere on my opponents radar rates extremely poorly in that regard imo. there are no different decks or different builds hinging on them, and from the opponents side the play pattern is reduced to a binary of 'do they have it?' when they choose to jam into 2 open mana. i mean honestly when was the last time you saw someone actively play around mana leak.
so while what you are saying is technically true, and counterspell would condense those slots; its akin to asking yourself if you should be playing lightning bolt if you are in red and looking for removal. rather than some interesting puzzle like choosing to play eldritch evolution over chord of calling; or even something a little more mundane like the split of bolt, helix, and electrolyze in jeskai control.
the only interesting alternative at the moment is remand because the result is unique and sometimes worth leveraging. i havent played with counterspell, but on the surface i cant see it being a strict upgrade to remand in the modern decks that play it.
UWGSnow-Bant Control
BURGrixis Death's Shadow
GWBCoCo Elves
WCDeath and Taxes(sold)Why?
Spirits
If anything, and I might get some raised eyebrows for this one, I think it'll even out the Tron match a bit.
After playing with Silumgar's Scorn for a few weeks, I think I've got a reasonable bearing on how Counterspell would interact with the meta. Good not great; winner in some matches, loser in others. The difference is that it's a loser where all 2cmc counters are already losers opposed to randomly because your opponent is playing creatures into your Negate or you have no fetch to fuel your Logic Knot on T2.
I'll be ecstatic to see it get a printing here in a few months and... probably fairly crushed if it doesn't. Y'all are buildin up my hopes with things like "it should be a lock at this point".
"Reveal a Dragon"
So I stick to my opinion of not having Counterspell in the format.
May be an issue here, as a format without Bolt to me isnt worth playing for long, and I think StP should be in the format because Path, in a format as potent as Modern, is too much of a tempo loss.
Counterspell is also not like either Bolt or Path, because right now, there is no reason to be playing counters really at all, any deck that tries, is setting themselves up to fail, unless its Stubborn Denial.
Spirits
sneak attack would be cool too
The other option is to print a new card that would be a strictly better Mana Leak or sthg, and let all those 2010-power level counterspells finally become obsolete and rest in peace. Hallelujah.
Sneak Attack is scary. It would let Emmy come back in business and turn Reanimator & GR Titan into monsters. I believe Through the Breach is already good enough: it's counterable, cast a turn later, and only a one-shot. The amount of upgrades Sneak Attack brings looks too strong for what Modern can take imho. Simian Spirit Guide and Desperate Ritual would be much better too.
Now I wish they make a cycle of those Cabal Therapy imitations (ala Magus cycle), I don't care if they eventually suck in Modern, at least it will demonstrate what cards Wizards don't want to reprint in Modern. Welcome to the overcosted Sylvan Librarian, Shower & Teller, Sneak Attacker and Karakasi !
Sylvan Library and Mirri's Guile would be fine. Give the green players some new toys.
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I don't think you'd need a fixed version of it and I don't think it'll be all that useful to the format. Unless they print some busted in half legendary creature that lets you abuse it.