MTG Salvation

I've been very pleased with it so far. It basically wins every race it isn't answered in basically and can often ramp once of twice per game in my 360.

Also it's given surprising value by hating graveyards, blanking a snapcaster one game, shrinking a goyf another, and my favorite shutting down reveillark forcing the opponent to use it just as a 4/3.

Wanted to bump to quickly comment on the Shaman. We did a Cube day this past weekend & the premiere card from the 4 drafts we did was Deathrite Shaman. It is so innocuous but will dominate the game on its own. One game I think the life swing was 14 points (+6/-8). There were other games where it was still an impending force. I knew it was a good sign when my opponent spent a piece of premium removal to get rid of it.

After seeing how it did in a few different decks this past weekend I would rank it in the top 3 of golgari. I know that may seem high but it ramps early & gains/drains late. I would run it in my Cube even if I only had three G/B slots (with Pulse & Deed).

I also saw DRS do admirably against a really good reanimator cube deck last weekend. An untapped DRS ready to remove anything from the opponent's graveyard was an absolute headache for the reanimator player.

Edit: @xfollowthereaperx: I think you could safely replace Putrid Leech with the Shaman. I think DRS is a good bit better.

Quote from Toad

I think Deathrite Shaman is the best 1-drop ever printed, by a very large margin.

Um Goblin Welder would like a word with you

On topic, trying DRS in my black section sounds like a great idea.

Quote from Toad

I think Deathrite Shaman is the best 1-drop ever printed, by a very large margin.

He probably is (excepting Welder as noted) but I don't think hes the best 1 in cube because he is erratic as a fixer. Still, hes more than good enough to make it.

DRS is probably my second GB card right now. It's been fantastic in every way since adding it. It's a fun and interactive card to boot.

Best 1-drop ever? Not for cube. It's good, but it's really inconsistent and requires two colors to play with full potential.

No, but I can compare 1-drops to other 1-drops, and Shaman isn't at the top in the cube.

Quote from Toad

I'd rank Deathrite Shaman over Goblin Welder for its impact across all formats, and that is despite playing Goblin Welder in Vintage since 2002. For Cube, ranking cards outside of colors is something else, it does not make much sense to compare Deathride Shaman to, say, Savannah Lions or Mogg Fanatic.

I think such a comparison is valid. In cube you're going to first/early pick Goblin Welder (in powered) or Goblin Guide over DRS.

You're also forgetting about Goblin Lackey.

I'd also take Figure of Destiny, Wild Nacatl, Gravecrawler, Mother of Runes and probably a few others (in addition to Goblin Guide and Goblin Welder) over the Shaman in the cube.

Quote from wtwlf123

I'd also take Figure of Destiny, Wild Nacatl, Gravecrawler, Mother of Runes and probably a few others (in addition to Goblin Guide and Goblin Welder) over the Shaman in the cube.

I'd probably add Grim Lavamancer to that list. The benefits of staying in one color and being able to hit creatures are too great to ignore.

Cheers,
rant

Quote from Toad

That's clearly just a question of preference, I'd pick Deathrite Shaman over Goblin Welder, Goblin Guide, Wild Nacatl, Gravecrawler and Mother of Runes all the time. I would probably pick Figure of Destiny over it though, and Grim Lavamancer for sure. These are the only two 1-drops I'd pick over Deathrite Shaman.

Let me reprhase. Almost everybody is going to pick a bunch of those 1 drops over Deathrite Shaman. Yeah, yeah "everything's subjective"..but that's hippy talk

Quote from rantipole

I'd probably add Grim Lavamancer to that list. The benefits of staying in one color and being able to hit creatures are too great to ignore.

Cheers,
rant

Oh god, of course. Don't know how it slipped my mind.

Goblin Guide is the best red card in my cube. Deathrite Shaman isn't even the best GB card.

Is he one of the better black 1 drops? I don't count him as a golgari card (Since the green ability isn't that great) and I think he's a fine card.

Not really. Without all modes available, it puts less pressure on your opponent than most other threats do. It's the combination of reach and recover that makes it such a good card.

I had run him as a black card for testing purposes while I got to grips with Vraska and Loltroll. It's actually considerably better with both colours available, and I feel like (s?)he should be run in Golgari. The more hybrids taking up gold slots the better anyway, in my opinion.

Quote from Goodking

DRS is probably my second GB card right now. It's been fantastic in every way since adding it. It's a fun and interactive card to boot.

This is how I feel. The card is an absolute tank even in mono-color (green or black).

I rank Deathrite Shaman as the 3rd best BG card after Pernicious Deed and Maelstrom Pulse, therefore it makes it into my cube. Played with this card lots in Cube, Standard, Modern and Legacy and it never dissapoints whenever it resolves in any of these formats, absolute all star.

The price of Deathrite Shaman has really shot up late, and for good reason. The foil price on this thing is absolutely ridiculous.

His creature exiling ability has been VERY good in cube. I was very satisfied with him and Scavenging Ooze along side Living Death.

You guys got me interested. We initially didn't find room for him, but I will see if we can find room to test him out.

Would you play him in aggro builds as well or is it mainly in slower, more midrangy, rockish decks?

It gives aggro some reach, but it's not an ideal aggro card. He's a boss in the mid-range mirror though.

I am really wanting to give this guy a try but I'm not sure where to fit him in. I originally wanted to incorporate a hybrid slot to accommodate him but the lack of playable hybrids for each guild put an end to that idea. This is what I am currently running in Golgari.



I am considering cutting either the Troll or Putrefy. What do you guys think?

Quote from jcircone

I am really wanting to give this guy a try but I'm not sure where to fit him in. I originally wanted to incorporate a hybrid slot to accommodate him but the lack of playable hybrids for each guild put an end to that idea. This is what I am currently running in Golgari.

Fidelis's DeckMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
1 Lotleth Troll 1 Abrupt Decay 1 Maelstrom Pulse 1 Pernicious Deed 1 Putrefy

I am considering cutting either the Troll or Putrefy. What do you guys think?

Depends on your stance of Abrupt Decay vs. Putrefy. Whichever one you like least should be the cut for the Shaman. Personally, I like Putrefy less.

Out of these I'd remove Putrefy too, but you could also classify Deathrite Shaman as either a green or black card (I'd go with green to go with the other elves).