Just as an additional point, this card is very good against white decks, and white is arguably one of the most powerful colors in Cube (don't really want to debate most powerful colors, just sayin...). That makes this card even more desirable in my opinion.
I'm just going to go ahead and say that they are both very good, for different reasons. I don't think we're going to get anywhere by arguing over which is better, because it's obvious they shine in different situations. I'm going to keep running Putrefy, and add in the Troll and either Vraska or the Shaman.
I look at this card and I see an EXCELLENT card for cubes that want it.
(Personally I prefer Nature's Claim over something like this, but if I had space, I would include this one too. - lets continue to agree to disagree wtwlf - Fast answers are worth their weight in gold in powered cubes)
My issue is that G/B is so ridiculously stacked;
Pulse & Deed are #'s 1 and 2, no question.
#3 is where a lot of these cards are similar in caliber.
Lotleth Troll & Putrid Leech are similar
Abrupt Decay & Putrefy are very similar (I think decay has a slight edge)
Vraska is one of those cards that push drafters into a color pair, so I give it the slight edge in my cube, since it basically screams "Deal with me or lose". But honestly I could include any 1 of those 5 cards as my third nonland Golgari card and be perfectly happy with the quality.
So after a couple of months, how does Abrupt Decay stack up against its competition in G/B? Where would you rank it among the following (in no order here)?
It's a great removal spell. One of the better ones in the cube. I rank it behind Deed and Pulse, and about on par with the Troll. Life // Death isn't critical for reanimation until the cube gets a bit bigger. Vraska's good, but it's expensive for removal. It's safely in the #3 or #4 spot in the Golgari section.
Vraska is surprisingly slow and clunky in practice. Decay, on the other hand, has been pretty awesome. While not as good as Pulse, it is a pretty good targeted removal spell at instant speed. The uncounterability is just gravy.
Whereas I much prefer the cheaper cost and the more diverse suite of targets that Decay has. Especially for powered cubes.
I'm currently running Putrefy. When I was making my B/G Rock deck I bought myself 4x Abrupt Decay and i'm currently only using 3x. I felt like taking the extra Abrupt Decay and replacing Putrefy. I feel like Abrupt Decay would work better in my cube. I figure in my artifact section 80-90% of all my artifacts are 3 or less. I'm not running Batterskull or Wurmcoil Engine. I have Jitte, Mimic Vat, Chimeric Mass, and Skullclamp. I also have enchantments such as Sylvan Library, Sulfuric Vortex, Ghostly Prison, Detention Sphere and Oblivion Ring.
I think being able to hit something like Jitte, Skullclamp or Swords would be really good. Those would be more dangerous than whatever creature you would kill with Putrefy. Abrupt Decay can also not be countered. I don't know if that makes it any better.
I'm currently running Putrefy. When I was making my B/G Rock deck I bought myself 4x Abrupt Decay and i'm currently only using 3x. I felt like taking the extra Abrupt Decay and replacing Putrefy. I feel like Abrupt Decay would work better in my cube. I figure in my artifact section 80-90% of all my artifacts are 3 or less. I'm not running Batterskull or Wurmcoil Engine. I have Jitte, Mimic Vat, Chimeric Mass, and Skullclamp. I also have enchantments such as Sylvan Library, Sulfuric Vortex, Ghostly Prison, Detention Sphere and Oblivion Ring.
I think being able to hit something like Jitte, Skullclamp or Swords would be really good. Those would be more dangerous than whatever creature you would kill with Putrefy. Abrupt Decay can also not be countered. I don't know if that makes it any better.
Kojiro runs a much different cube list than most of us here, so it makes sense that putrefy works better for him, while wtwlf and plenty of the rest of us run faster cubes that need answers asap, which abrupt decay delivers.
I would probably run an 8 card deep golgari section without second guessing myself if I weren't so sure it would be a bad idea.
Thanks everyone. It looks like I'll run this over Vraska. Despite the fact that Vraska has been plenty good and would make it in most other colour pairs.
Putrefy also hits a most of the big guys, of course.
It looks to me like Abrupt Decay actually hits more important targets, in addition to being cheaper (if you aren't counting the big creatures). The only real reason to run Putrefy over it is for the additional flexibility of killing the bigger creatures.
There are a ton of cards under the 82 card list you didn't put in the "Notable Putrefy targets" list. Almost every creature on there is a good target.
I know a lot of people don't agree, but I actually like Putrefy more. It's one mana more, but hits so many more targets that I'll usually play it over Abrupt Decay, and we run a powered list. Most of our cubers feel the same way.
Just looking at those lists above makes it even more clear that Putrefy hits many more priority targets than Decay. Lots of the cards on that Decay list don't even count (Sarcomancy) and the Putrefy list is pretty impressive. Don't get me wrong, I love cheap spells but the arguments for Decay aren't convincing for powered cubes and are even weaker when talking about unpowered cubes.
Decay has been far superior to putrefy for us. Green has tons of slower answers for slower artifacts. Black has tons of slower removal for slower creatures. What both colors lack, is quick versatile answers for early threats, artifacts/enchantments (and even a few planeswalkers). It fits a much more needed role than Putrefy does; at Putrefy's speed, there's a lot of redundant options for removal in that color combination. Nothing else does what Decay does for Golgari at the speed it can deliver the effect.
There are a ton of cards under the 82 card list you didn't put in the "Notable Putrefy targets" list. Almost every creature on there is a good target.
I didn't list them because they are fairly redundant. All of those creatures already have plenty of answers. The notable ones are the ones you will really want putrefy in your deck to deal with. Everything else already has plenty of available answers.
Abrupt Decay stops cheap cards from taking over the game. Putrefy answers mid-late-game bombs. I feel that there is a more pressing need for Abrupt Decay.
I think the difference in cost between 2 and 3 mana for a removal spell is being significantly overlooked. It looks negligible but it's really not unless you are playing a super slow cube format.
All other arguments aside, this is the biggest factor that puts it above putrefy in my mind.
The cannot be countered clause is small but something too.
Rock colors are often mid-rangey or reanimator and blue is probably both of those colors worst matchups (ramp is tough too for midrange).
Taking down a veldaken shackels or a vendillion clique backed up by countermagic is pretty clutch in these match ups.
It really depends on how much your cube plays like an eternal constructed environment, or how much it plays like a limited environment. In the former, cost is everything.
I agree completely. I don't think Abrupt Decay compares to Putrefy, I think it compares (quite favorably) to Maelstrom Pulse.
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Ya i dont run power but if I did I would probably run Decay. Good Sol Ring defense.
https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/3pq
You still run decay. It just hits so much.
Ill give it a try.
https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/3pq
(Personally I prefer Nature's Claim over something like this, but if I had space, I would include this one too. - lets continue to agree to disagree wtwlf - Fast answers are worth their weight in gold in powered cubes)
My issue is that G/B is so ridiculously stacked;
Pulse & Deed are #'s 1 and 2, no question.
#3 is where a lot of these cards are similar in caliber.
Lotleth Troll & Putrid Leech are similar
Abrupt Decay & Putrefy are very similar (I think decay has a slight edge)
Vraska is one of those cards that push drafters into a color pair, so I give it the slight edge in my cube, since it basically screams "Deal with me or lose". But honestly I could include any 1 of those 5 cards as my third nonland Golgari card and be perfectly happy with the quality.
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I'm not including Deathrite Shaman as I'm happy to play that as an extra card wherever, either in B or G; it's too good to exclude.
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I'm currently running Putrefy. When I was making my B/G Rock deck I bought myself 4x Abrupt Decay and i'm currently only using 3x. I felt like taking the extra Abrupt Decay and replacing Putrefy. I feel like Abrupt Decay would work better in my cube. I figure in my artifact section 80-90% of all my artifacts are 3 or less. I'm not running Batterskull or Wurmcoil Engine. I have Jitte, Mimic Vat, Chimeric Mass, and Skullclamp. I also have enchantments such as Sylvan Library, Sulfuric Vortex, Ghostly Prison, Detention Sphere and Oblivion Ring.
I think being able to hit something like Jitte, Skullclamp or Swords would be really good. Those would be more dangerous than whatever creature you would kill with Putrefy. Abrupt Decay can also not be countered. I don't know if that makes it any better.
Kojiro runs a much different cube list than most of us here, so it makes sense that putrefy works better for him, while wtwlf and plenty of the rest of us run faster cubes that need answers asap, which abrupt decay delivers.
I would probably run an 8 card deep golgari section without second guessing myself if I weren't so sure it would be a bad idea.
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Cards that Abrupt Decay hits that Putrefy doesn't (17):
Notable Abrupt Decay targets:
Cards that Putrefy hits that Abrupt Decay Doesn't (82):
Notable Putrefy targets:
Putrefy also hits a most of the big guys, of course.
It looks to me like Abrupt Decay actually hits more important targets, in addition to being cheaper (if you aren't counting the big creatures). The only real reason to run Putrefy over it is for the additional flexibility of killing the bigger creatures.
I know a lot of people don't agree, but I actually like Putrefy more. It's one mana more, but hits so many more targets that I'll usually play it over Abrupt Decay, and we run a powered list. Most of our cubers feel the same way.
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Just looking at those lists above makes it even more clear that Putrefy hits many more priority targets than Decay. Lots of the cards on that Decay list don't even count (Sarcomancy) and the Putrefy list is pretty impressive. Don't get me wrong, I love cheap spells but the arguments for Decay aren't convincing for powered cubes and are even weaker when talking about unpowered cubes.
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I didn't list them because they are fairly redundant. All of those creatures already have plenty of answers. The notable ones are the ones you will really want putrefy in your deck to deal with. Everything else already has plenty of available answers.
Abrupt Decay stops cheap cards from taking over the game. Putrefy answers mid-late-game bombs. I feel that there is a more pressing need for Abrupt Decay.
All other arguments aside, this is the biggest factor that puts it above putrefy in my mind.
The cannot be countered clause is small but something too.
Rock colors are often mid-rangey or reanimator and blue is probably both of those colors worst matchups (ramp is tough too for midrange).
Taking down a veldaken shackels or a vendillion clique backed up by countermagic is pretty clutch in these match ups.
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I agree completely. I don't think Abrupt Decay compares to Putrefy, I think it compares (quite favorably) to Maelstrom Pulse.
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