Ya, I'd test it over Recoil, Nemesis, Oona, Lich, Warp, etc... all of the cards that take up slot #4 (#3 if you don't support the artifact deck). But I wouldn't cut anything "higher" for it.
I'm going to try the Strix, but I won't be running the cascade creature. When it was spoiled at 2cc, I was stoked. When it was spoiled as black, I was stoked. But UG 3cc is probably the worst potential combination/cost in the cube. It's nowhere near as good as BBE. Like, not even remotely close (for the cube, that is).
UG's most common archetype in cube is a tempo-aggro deck, which is what makes it so hard for me to decide if i would pick it over something like trygon predator. edric will win a game by itself, but it is relatively easy to remove from play. predator is slow as molasses, but can ruin your opponent's game plan and will usually nab something before leaving play.
shardless agent doesn't rely on staying on the battlefield to get the best out of it, which sets it apart from its competition. the archetypes it belong in aren't any different from edric, and while its effect isn't as powerful as edric nor as advantageous as trygon, it is vastly more stable. the ability to power out 2 creatures for 3 mana, on a single spell, should never be underestimated.
of course it's not AS good as bloodbraid elf, but that is like saying fire imp shouldn't be played because flametongue kavu is really good.
UG's most common archetype in cube is a tempo-aggro deck, which is what makes it so hard for me to decide if i would pick it over something like trygon predator. edric will win a game by itself, but it is relatively easy to remove from play. predator is slow as molasses, but can ruin your opponent's game plan and will usually nab something before leaving play.
shardless agent doesn't rely on staying on the battlefield to get the best out of it, which sets it apart from its competition. the archetypes it belong in aren't any different from edric, and while its effect isn't as powerful as edric nor as advantageous as trygon, it is vastly more stable. the ability to power out 2 creatures for 3 mana, on a single spell, should never be underestimated.
of course it's not AS good as bloodbraid elf, but that is like saying fire imp shouldn't be played because flametongue kavu is really good.
Actually it's not like sayin that at all. The comparison to bloodraid elf doesnt make sense because of the colors the agent is in and the likelihood of cascading into a dead card. In u/g tempo, you're going to have some smaller creatures, yes, but you're also going to have a mix of bounce and tempo counters that will end up being dead a good majority of the time. The lack of control you have over cascade and the uncertainty of its outcome is the detractor here.
Actually it's not like sayin that at all. The comparison to bloodraid elf doesnt make sense because of the colors the agent is in and the likelihood of cascading into a dead card. In u/g tempo, you're going to have some smaller creatures, yes, but you're also going to have a mix of bounce and tempo counters that will end up being dead a good majority of the time. The lack of control you have over cascade and the uncertainty of its outcome is the detractor here.
Thank you. This is exactly correct.
The Agent falls short of being cubeworthy because it's simply not good enough. It has nothing to do with BBE.
Quote from CorporateNoun »
UG's most common archetype in cube is a tempo-aggro deck
Not around here it's not. That's probably the least popular Simic decktype, actually.
And even if it were, why would I wanna run the Agent in that deck over Snake, Edric or Predator? Three cards are perfect for that archetype, and this card has a whole ton of whiffs in your deck that get played in every blue tempo build.
Quote from CorporateNoun »
of course it's not AS good as bloodbraid elf, but that is like saying fire imp shouldn't be played because flametongue kavu is really good.
No, it's not like saying that. It's more like saying that UG's other options are all better than this card. Simple, really. The comparison to Bloodbraid is a terrible one.
Certainly it's OK to just add a card, but why would I just add a card to my cube for the sake of adding it when I feel like the card wouldn't be good in most decks? This guy just isn't going to make maindecks very often at all. I mean, to begin with you have to be in a specific two color combination, which is pretty narrow. After that you also want to not be playing blanks like counterspells and bounce spells, things that do nothing if you cascade into them, so some UG decks are going to decide not to include this guy becuase of all the blanks he might hit.
On top of all that, If BBE blanks (lets say you run a fireball in your BBE deck), at least you got a 3/2 haste that is probably going to deal 3 to your opponent, and your aggressive deck wants that. Sure you wouldn't play a 3/2 haste for 4 otherwise, but it's not the end of the world if she bricks. If this guy bricks, your tempo deck just paid 3 mana for a 2/2 that dies to Manic Vandal. The worst case scenario on this guy is so high that I just wouldn't cube with him outside of a very specific deck.
I agree with you, it's totally fine to just add a card sometimes if you're not sure. The problem is . . . I'm sure. This guy doesn't cut it.
Ya, the Angel is good with fast mana. But with only 1 mox and 1 angel in a deck instead of 4/5 like constructed, I don't think it's going to be consistent enough.
Quote from Torggo »
For the love of humanity, its ok to just add a card to your cube from time to time. You might be surprised that it doesnt water it down.
I love adding new cards into the cube. They just have to be good enough.
Yes, those two will be staples of the U/B section forever as far as I can see, unless a strictly better one comes out... which would be scary.
But it's still not coming in. Too bad I won't be running it.
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UG's most common archetype in cube is a tempo-aggro deck, which is what makes it so hard for me to decide if i would pick it over something like trygon predator. edric will win a game by itself, but it is relatively easy to remove from play. predator is slow as molasses, but can ruin your opponent's game plan and will usually nab something before leaving play.
shardless agent doesn't rely on staying on the battlefield to get the best out of it, which sets it apart from its competition. the archetypes it belong in aren't any different from edric, and while its effect isn't as powerful as edric nor as advantageous as trygon, it is vastly more stable. the ability to power out 2 creatures for 3 mana, on a single spell, should never be underestimated.
of course it's not AS good as bloodbraid elf, but that is like saying fire imp shouldn't be played because flametongue kavu is really good.
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Thank you. This is exactly correct.
The Agent falls short of being cubeworthy because it's simply not good enough. It has nothing to do with BBE.
Not around here it's not. That's probably the least popular Simic decktype, actually.
And even if it were, why would I wanna run the Agent in that deck over Snake, Edric or Predator? Three cards are perfect for that archetype, and this card has a whole ton of whiffs in your deck that get played in every blue tempo build.
No, it's not like saying that. It's more like saying that UG's other options are all better than this card. Simple, really. The comparison to Bloodbraid is a terrible one.
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On top of all that, If BBE blanks (lets say you run a fireball in your BBE deck), at least you got a 3/2 haste that is probably going to deal 3 to your opponent, and your aggressive deck wants that. Sure you wouldn't play a 3/2 haste for 4 otherwise, but it's not the end of the world if she bricks. If this guy bricks, your tempo deck just paid 3 mana for a 2/2 that dies to Manic Vandal. The worst case scenario on this guy is so high that I just wouldn't cube with him outside of a very specific deck.
I agree with you, it's totally fine to just add a card sometimes if you're not sure. The problem is . . . I'm sure. This guy doesn't cut it.
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Overall was a very meh set i do have to say.
I love adding new cards into the cube. They just have to be good enough.
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