Blink is probably my favorite archetype for a number of reasons. It's fun, it's subtle, and it can create some really unfair combos. In addition, it doesn't always have to pull off etb blinks to be good; resetting tapped creatures to block, getting out of a Doom Blade, removing persist counters, or unmorphing for cheap, all provide a certain flexibility to the archetype that most combo-oriented decks lack.
Having a 720 cube, I try to push blink enablers as much as I can without reducing card quality significantly. I'd like to discuss what might be "cube-worthy" cards, what aren't, and/or, whether blink as an archetype is something cubers here push at all.
It's still not colorless, and has no color. That's a paradox. So either you're a Zen master or an idiot, I'll assume the Zen master for sake of argument. This card will have no paradoxes because it has a clear paradox. Deep stuff man.
The blink archetype has been a huge component of my Peasant cube since its inception. It's one of my favorites. Crystal Shard is a legitimate first pick.
The blink archetype has been a huge component of my Peasant cube since its inception. It's one of my favorites. Crystal Shard is a legitimate first pick.
Since you are listing cards like Parallax Wave as an enabler: there are multiple creatures that exile other creatures as long as they are in play, like the "Champion a creature" cards, some Judgment cards or the most common ones Faceless Butcher and Fiend Hunter.
I added Parallax Wave because it gives you a good deal of control over when it's sacrificed; you can remove other things in play to time your etb triggers on your next upkeep. It's also just a good cube-staple in it's own right.
The Champion mechanic I feel gives you a bit less control over blinking; same with Butcher and the Wormfangs. You'd have to kill your own creature just to blink, no? Or blink it, both being pretty inefficient enablers imo.
Thanks for the additional bouncers; I added everything above Tradewind Rider.
There are a lot of lesser blink cards that can do work in a deck designed to abuse them. Venser is used more than Momentary Blink because of the damage MB took from damage leaving the stack. Pre-M10, this card was pretty beastly because as a combat trick, it was just bonkers. The blink part of it was an added bonus to the creature protection and making "trades" asymmetrical.
Blink is a cool deck in our playgroup. We don't go all in on it with cards like Momentary Blink and Mistmeadow Witch, but we do play a lot of blink and bounce cards that provide quite a bit of added value to ETB triggers. Cards like:
I want to add some Blink support in my Cube. What I am currently thinking is that many good cards are already in the Cube anyway (nice list provided by wtwlf123 above), so I'll probably just add the poster child Venser, the Sojourner and namesake Momentary Blink and call it a day.
i really like blink and would love to fit it into my cube a bit more. i have cloudshift, kor skyfisher, flickerwisp, waterfront bouncer, capsize, snag and unsummon. the only problem i have with it would be using up valuable azorius slots for mistmeadow witch and momentary blink, and i think i'd rather have plumeveil and wall of denial really.
I like Mark of Eviction to help support this archetype. It's basically in the Crystal Shard/Erratic Portal family. Worse in some areas, but can also more reliably bounce your opponents creatures.
I like Mark of Eviction to help support this archetype. It's basically in the Crystal Shard/Erratic Portal family. Worse in some areas, but can also more reliably bounce your opponents creatures.
Great at killing tokens. My gut says it's too slow but I'm interested.
Some people run galepowder mage. I run flickerwisp also since he's aggressively costed with a blink effect. Restoration Angel of course.
I had Momentary Blink in UW section but recently cut it for detention sphere. I found people rarely maindecked blink when they had it.
I will mainly include it as a signpost. Most of my players don't bother looking at my list and/or my updates, so the easiest way to communicate that an archetype is supported is to include some poster child or namesake card they recognize; they will correctly assume that this card is in for a reason and draft the deck if they like it.
I will mainly include it as a signpost. Most of my players don't bother looking at my list and/or my updates, so the easiest way to communicate that an archetype is supported is to include some poster child or namesake card they recognize; they will correctly assume that this card is in for a reason and draft the deck if they like it.
Good point. I can understand your goal. I think my group gets distracted by other powerful flashy cards and they overlook a solid roleplayer like blink so they don't build a deck around it. Just my playgroup I guess.
So here's the thing. I have a number of blink enablers, but I feel like the number of blink targets are a bit low. Since your main blinkers are going to be 3-drops (Flickerwisp) and 4-drops (Restoration, Glimmerpoint Stag, Galepowder Mage), it's nice to have 2 or 3 drop ETB creatures to blink, but the number of creatures is pretty low. Here are the ones in my 360 + a few off the top of my head:
Off the top of my head, for blink targets 3 cmc or less: Sea Gate Oracle, Augur of Bolas, Pestermite (meh), Liliana's Specter, Keldon and manic vandal, mogg war marshal
Conjurer's Closet is a blink enabler, though a bit expensive. You do get your first blink the turn it comes into play, and a free blink every turn after. Similar to Venser in that regard.
EDIT: Also Equilibrium can be used as a blink enabler as well.
So here's the thing. I have a number of blink enablers, but I feel like the number of blink targets are a bit low. Since your main blinkers are going to be 3-drops (Flickerwisp) and 4-drops (Restoration, Glimmerpoint Stag, Galepowder Mage), it's nice to have 2 or 3 drop ETB creatures to blink, but the number of creatures is pretty low. Here are the ones in my 360 + a few off the top of my head:
Are there more blink targets to add, especially in W or U, and especially in the 2-drop slot?
I've run into this exact same issue... not enough cip/etb targets especially for blue and for white (green has a crap ton). I want to squeeze in a couple more white or blue targets... ideally in the 2cc or 3cc slots. I currently run:
Having a 720 cube, I try to push blink enablers as much as I can without reducing card quality significantly. I'd like to discuss what might be "cube-worthy" cards, what aren't, and/or, whether blink as an archetype is something cubers here push at all.
Hard, instant, enablers:
Restoration Angel
Momentary Blink
Cloudshift
Ghostly Flicker
Otherworldly Journey
Turn to Mist
Ghostway
Vanish into Memory
Hard, sorcery-speed or eot, enablers:
Venser, the Sojourner
Galepowder Mage
Glimmerpoint Stag
Flickerwisp
Parallax Wave
Flicker
Nephalia Smuggler
Deadeye Navigator
Mistmeadow Witch
Tawnos's Coffin
Other cube-worthy etb abusers:
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Splinter Twin
Worst-case scenario, you can use soft enablers: cube-worthy bounce cards so you can re-cast your etb creature.
Soft enablers:
Crystal Shard
Erratic Portal
Cryptic Command
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Upheaval
Venser, Shaper Savant
Waterfront Bouncer
Into the Roil
Repeal
Capsize
Man-o-War
Aether Adept
Surgespanner
Riftwing Cloudskate
Chain of Vapor
Recoil
Repulse
Ninja of the Deep Hours
Sakashima's Student
Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
Kor Skyfisher
Stonecloaker
Please tell me if I'm missing anything.
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The blink archetype has been a huge component of my Peasant cube since its inception. It's one of my favorites. Crystal Shard is a legitimate first pick.
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Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Reacurring Nightmare
Mimic Vat
Revielark
Sun Titan
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=385729
Added, thanks!
Kiki-Jiki I'll add because it abuses etb effects, but it isn't really a "true" blink effect.
The rest are not blink enablers, they're reanimator spells or effects that require graveyard interactions.
I added Parallax Wave because it gives you a good deal of control over when it's sacrificed; you can remove other things in play to time your etb triggers on your next upkeep. It's also just a good cube-staple in it's own right.
The Champion mechanic I feel gives you a bit less control over blinking; same with Butcher and the Wormfangs. You'd have to kill your own creature just to blink, no? Or blink it, both being pretty inefficient enablers imo.
Thanks for the additional bouncers; I added everything above Tradewind Rider.
Blink is a cool deck in our playgroup. We don't go all in on it with cards like Momentary Blink and Mistmeadow Witch, but we do play a lot of blink and bounce cards that provide quite a bit of added value to ETB triggers. Cards like:
And several more cards really help to take all the ETB creatures and provide extra value from them. When you combine any of those cards with things like Wall of Omens, Lone Missionary, Blade Splicer, Cloudgoat Ranger, Mulldrifter, Man-o'-War, Venser, Shaper Savant, Solemn Simulacrum, Triskelion and the plethora of cards in other colors, WU really has a strong bounce/blink subtheme put together using nothing but cards that are already strong cards in their own right.
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I'd add Recurring Nightmare to this list, it's best in decks with great ETB effects.
I want to add some Blink support in my Cube. What I am currently thinking is that many good cards are already in the Cube anyway (nice list provided by wtwlf123 above), so I'll probably just add the poster child Venser, the Sojourner and namesake Momentary Blink and call it a day.
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
Great at killing tokens. My gut says it's too slow but I'm interested.
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I had Momentary Blink in UW section but recently cut it for detention sphere. I found people rarely maindecked blink when they had it.
360 Uncommons only Cube!
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
Good point. I can understand your goal. I think my group gets distracted by other powerful flashy cards and they overlook a solid roleplayer like blink so they don't build a deck around it. Just my playgroup I guess.
360 Uncommons only Cube!
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
W: Stoneforge Mystic, Lone Missionary, Wall of Omens, Blade Slicer
U: Aether Adept, Man-O-War
B:Geralf's Messenger (though you're unlikely to be able to blink it next turn)
R: Keldon Marauders, Fire Imp, Imperial Recruiter
G: Wall of Blossoms, Eternal Witness
Colorless: nothing
Multi: nothing
---
Are there more blink targets to add, especially in W or U, and especially in the 2-drop slot?
EDIT: Also Equilibrium can be used as a blink enabler as well.
360 Unpowered Cube | Cubetutor
I've run into this exact same issue... not enough cip/etb targets especially for blue and for white (green has a crap ton). I want to squeeze in a couple more white or blue targets... ideally in the 2cc or 3cc slots. I currently run:
Stoneforge Mystic
I'm considering Karmic Guide but I'd rather be adding something in with a lower casting cost.
My suggested adds (just for blinking purposes):
Cheers,
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For information, I'm currently running the following in white and blue.
-2cc-
Wall of Omens
Stoneforge Mystic
Lone Missionary
Snapcaster Mage
-3cc-
Blade Splicer
Man-o'-War
Aether Adept
Vendilion Clique
Pestermite
Deceiver Exarch
Sea Gate Oracle
It seems to be the unfortunate reality that to get a good EtB trigger on a body you need to pay 3+ mana as the truly nasty targets are all at 5cc.
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