The body for the cost is decent, but not amazing - comparable to Hooting Mandrils.
That ability though... the word "nonland" means it's pretty much always going to be giving you value. Especially if you can further Delve to reduce chaff.
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Time Walk wasn't seeing much play in my cube, maybe that will change now with this and SGM...
I think it's very strong. Although I didn't play it, I quite appreciated Hooting Mandrills' big body for the cost and being able to play for just one coloured mana. The extra toughness is probably worth losing trample, and the additional ability is pretty relevant. I might play this in mono-black (or at least non-B/U or B/G) but that makes it much more interesting, giving you a guaranteed non-land draw and potentially fuelling the GY - so better than 'draw a card'.
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My point was, these two cards (SGM in particular) make an already top pick and insane card, even more powerful and abusable in decks with them.
Oh. That's embarrassing.
This isn't as good with Walk as SGM is, because your opponent chooses what you get back. I imagine unless you flip two lands into a yard that has only Time Walk in it, you're probably getting something else back.
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I think if you can reliably get to play this on T3 for 2B to curve into the 4-mana activated ability, you're sitting pretty. Is it still good enough if you have to pay a fairer cost for it? I think the shenanigans you can pull off with its activated ability make it worth playing.
Looks like a wedge section is definitely needed 'cause my black section is already super tight, but this guy is a playable card for sure.
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The more I think about this, the more I like it. A weakness of some delve spells is that you frequently get to a point in the game where you really don't care how much they cost, but casting this for 1 lets you activate the ability in the same turn for only 5 total mana, a very reasonable cost, in addition to sweetening up your targets. I've been very underwhelmed with Sultai Charm and don't think I can support Sidisi, Brood Tyrant, so I think this will go nicely in my Sultai slot.
This isn't as good with Walk as SGM is, because your opponent chooses what you get back. I imagine unless you flip two lands into a yard that has only Time Walk in it, you're probably getting something else back.
Ya, the self-mill part of the ability isn't a "may" so it won't ultimate with the Walk like I first thought it would. Oh well. OP updated.
This guy looks very promising. A good durdly body with a slow but powerful midrange ability. If you can cast him for 3B he is decent, any less and he becomes very good.
Have been experimenting to good success with Satyr wayfinder and Commune with the gods. This guy looks like he's going to be a perfect complement to a BUG graveyard value deck that can exist.
Regardless he's likely strong enough in any cube. Can't wait to test him out to see just how good he is.
Nit picking, but I think his ability is slightly worse than draw a card, not better. Sure you won't get a land card (which isn't always worse than a random card even at 4+ mana), but capping the upside is a legitimate draw back.
Cool that you can choose to exile all the bad spells in your graveyard so you are more likely to get a premium ones... Almost wish his ability didn't mill 2 haha.
It can be worse than just "draw a card" when you have a non-land card that you really don't want to draw in your graveyard. But it does guarantee gas, so when the average non-land card in your graveyard is of a quality you'd like to draw, it can be better than just "draw a card" in a lot of situations too.
And it's strapped to a 4/5 body that will come down for between B and 2B almost every time it resolves, which is very solid on its own.
I'm intrigued by this card for sure. If anything i'll test it just to fill the Sultai slot now that we have legitimate candidates for the other for clans.
This looks pretty great. Guess I will be creating some kind of tricolor section now.
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I got rid of my tri-color wedge sections a couple years ago because NO ONE drafted cards like Lightning Angel and Doran, the Siege Tower. It's tempting to bring back a wedge for some of the cards we've seen previewed, however. I really like the hybrid mana activation costs because then you're not forced into being all three colors of the wedge. For that reason, I think I'm going to leave the wedges out and just slot cards like this into their respective colors. You want to play them, you'll draft at least one of the other colors to make that happen.
If only WotC was this good at creating three color cards during Shards block... I'm having a real hard time narrowing my newly minted Wedge section down to just one card now. I'm currently running Sultai Charm in this Wedge and that card is pretty solid.
I was so glad this card was printed because while Sultai Charm is a fine card, it's pretty subpar in comparison to the other Shard/Wedge options. The BUG section was the Achille's Heel of the tri-color suite, so I'm glad this card shored up that weakness.
On paper I think this guy is worse than the other mono color wedge cards that we've seen (that are good enough for cube) and that he's about on par with something like Sultai Charm based on pure power level. Charm is a nice catch all type of card and if this guy ends up in my cube over the Charm it's mainly because of the less restrictive mana cost. Giving the choice to the opponent really hurt this guy's power level, IMO, and I don't think changing that would have made it too overpowered. Obviously Time Walk is a lock with this guy in that case, but how often would that realistically happen? I don't know, maybe my evaluation is way off here, but I'm not overly impressed.
It's a dirt cheap (1-3 mana) 4/5 that repeatedly generates draw-based card advantage ...that has to be chosen from a pool of non-land cards. And it's playable to full effect in two different 2-color decks. I think this card is WAY better than Sultai Charm, and I'm a Sultai Charm defender.
It is the last small set Wizards will ever print. Might as well make it a good one. Im putting this one in my dimir section, its easier to fit it in there than the golgari section and the fact that golgari decks can run it is just pudding.
On paper I think this guy is worse than the other mono color wedge cards that we've seen (that are good enough for cube) and that he's about on par with something like Sultai Charm based on pure power level. Charm is a nice catch all type of card and if this guy ends up in my cube over the Charm it's mainly because of the less restrictive mana cost. Giving the choice to the opponent really hurt this guy's power level, IMO, and I don't think changing that would have made it too overpowered. Obviously Time Walk is a lock with this guy in that case, but how often would that realistically happen? I don't know, maybe my evaluation is way off here, but I'm not overly impressed.
If you could choose what card to get back, Tasigur + Early Harvest or Turnabout = Infinite Mana + You mill your library. That "combo" took me all of 3 seconds to think about. I'm sure if you were keen on breaking this for a Constructed format, you could do something pretty degenerate if you chose what to get back.
I probably think sultai charm is better than anyone I know...
Not cutting it from my cube at the moment, but I think this card is better. If you were only going to put 1 in sultai and classify this as sultai I'd pick this guy for sure.
Sultai charm is almost everything you want from a catchall removal spell AND acts as a discard outlet + card advantage in a GY deck. It's a powerful catchall removal with upside. I'd put it on maelstrom pulse power level in a sultai deck that uses the GY.
The problem with sultai charm it's sultai ONLY and requires a strong mana base.
In a deck that can pile things in the GY, this guy is a 4/5 that can take over the game himself, and often for 1-2 mana, that's pretty insane.
I think this card is really strong...
I like cheap (down to 1-mana!) 4/5 creatures with repeatable card-advantage triggers.
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That ability though... the word "nonland" means it's pretty much always going to be giving you value. Especially if you can further Delve to reduce chaff.
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I think it's very strong. Although I didn't play it, I quite appreciated Hooting Mandrills' big body for the cost and being able to play for just one coloured mana. The extra toughness is probably worth losing trample, and the additional ability is pretty relevant. I might play this in mono-black (or at least non-B/U or B/G) but that makes it much more interesting, giving you a guaranteed non-land draw and potentially fuelling the GY - so better than 'draw a card'.
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How? This card is insane. Even if you're just using it as a Snap-untapping Explore.
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My point was, these two cards (SGM in particular) make an already top pick and insane card, even more powerful and abusable in decks with them.
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This isn't as good with Walk as SGM is, because your opponent chooses what you get back. I imagine unless you flip two lands into a yard that has only Time Walk in it, you're probably getting something else back.
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Looks like a wedge section is definitely needed 'cause my black section is already super tight, but this guy is a playable card for sure.
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Ya, the self-mill part of the ability isn't a "may" so it won't ultimate with the Walk like I first thought it would. Oh well. OP updated.
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Regardless he's likely strong enough in any cube. Can't wait to test him out to see just how good he is.
Nit picking, but I think his ability is slightly worse than draw a card, not better. Sure you won't get a land card (which isn't always worse than a random card even at 4+ mana), but capping the upside is a legitimate draw back.
Cool that you can choose to exile all the bad spells in your graveyard so you are more likely to get a premium ones... Almost wish his ability didn't mill 2 haha.
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And it's strapped to a 4/5 body that will come down for between B and 2B almost every time it resolves, which is very solid on its own.
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I got rid of my tri-color wedge sections a couple years ago because NO ONE drafted cards like Lightning Angel and Doran, the Siege Tower. It's tempting to bring back a wedge for some of the cards we've seen previewed, however. I really like the hybrid mana activation costs because then you're not forced into being all three colors of the wedge. For that reason, I think I'm going to leave the wedges out and just slot cards like this into their respective colors. You want to play them, you'll draft at least one of the other colors to make that happen.
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If you could choose what card to get back, Tasigur + Early Harvest or Turnabout = Infinite Mana + You mill your library. That "combo" took me all of 3 seconds to think about. I'm sure if you were keen on breaking this for a Constructed format, you could do something pretty degenerate if you chose what to get back.
Not cutting it from my cube at the moment, but I think this card is better. If you were only going to put 1 in sultai and classify this as sultai I'd pick this guy for sure.
Sultai charm is almost everything you want from a catchall removal spell AND acts as a discard outlet + card advantage in a GY deck. It's a powerful catchall removal with upside. I'd put it on maelstrom pulse power level in a sultai deck that uses the GY.
The problem with sultai charm it's sultai ONLY and requires a strong mana base.
In a deck that can pile things in the GY, this guy is a 4/5 that can take over the game himself, and often for 1-2 mana, that's pretty insane.
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