Clocknapper 3UU
Creature - Human Spy
When Clocknapper enters the battlefield, choose beginning phase, precombat main phase, combat phase, postcombat main phase, or ending phase. Steal that phase from target player during his or her next turn. (That phase occurs as though it's your turn instead.)
2/2
Does "beginning phase" mean untap, upkeep and draw?
Yep.
That actually does help it a ton; taking their untap and draw is a big deal, not to mention stopping upkeep triggers.
That's so awesome. It might as well be Time Walk on a stick. If you can continually recur this you have a pretty strong soft lock on your opponent that increases for every time you recur in-turn (hello Recurring Nightmare), and even once is so massive in cube. I'm kind of speechless, and sitting here trying to figure out ways that's awful or things I'm missing, but it seems like they just printed 5 mana pseudo-Time Walk on a stick? Obv if they have PWers or untapped mana or etc it's not actually that, but still really good there.
Perhaps I'm overestimating that? But, I don't know, you're essentially blocking them from untapping and drawing a card all from a creature while also taking that away from your opponent. What is that, a 2 for 1 at its base? Your extra card, taking away the card your opponent was guaranteed if that counts, then the creature? Time walk def an exaggeration but I don't think too far too often. And that's just one option.
The ceiling is massively high, the floor is some tempo or it's in a deck that clearly doesn't want it. Blue 5s are pretty strong but at the same time there is some wiggle if it's worse than my gut reaction thinks.
This card seems pretty awesome. The floor is +2 card advantage and lets you untap what you used to cast it (pick beginning phase, you untap, draw a card, and deny your opponent a draw). I think best case scenario you steal their combat so they can't kill you for a turn so you get an extra turn to assemble a lock/combo.
Prob not better mulldrifter for a number of reasons, but its very good. Also, sometimes picking beginning still buys you a turn if attacked you last turn
This could end up being too good, specifically stealing the beginning phase. Skipping your opponent's untap and draw is frequently going to be equivalent to skipping their turn (so a Time Walk + 2/2), and you get an extra draw, plus some free mana if you have relevant instants. A Time Walk + 2/2 + draw a card for 5 mana is very strong. Mulldrifter doesn't even come close. Add any sort of recursion and it's an easy hard lock. Test and watch closely for power level.
Forms a hard lock with Erratic Portal, Crystal Shard, Recurring Nightmare, Mimic Vat, Capsize, Brago, or Venser. Also generates insane value with any instant speed one-shot bounce.
Almost too good? Be hard to imagine a scenario where you steal a different phase than beginning phase from the opponent.
The fact that we're gushing over -one- mode of this card might be the craziest part. Yeah, the other modes are probably less ideal most of the time, but they still exist and when they are better to take advantage of, probably being if you're dead on board even if they don't get to untap like with an Eldrazi or just lethal damage.
The absolute floor of this card i.e. if your opponent is completely untapped and you can't do anything with the mana you untap with is: 2/2, you draw a card and opponent essentially skips their usually guaranteed draw, which we can probably count as a card, so its floor is a 2 for 1. For the literal worst this card can do in a vaccuum (i.e. no Meddling Mage examples) that seems extremely good.
During that player's next turn, as the chosen phase begins, you treat it as if it were your turn. Let's walk through what happens if you steal each phase:
Beginning phase – You untap permanents you control and your opponent doesn't. Abilities that trigger at the beginning of your upkeep happen and ones that trigger at the beginning of their upkeep don't. You draw a card as it's now your draw step, so your opponent doesn't.
Precombat main phase – You can cast all types of spells while your opponent can only cast instants and spells with flash.
Combat phase – Just like combat on your turn, you can attack your opponents with your creatures. The opponent you stole the phase from can't attack with their creatures, but they can block.
Postcombat main phase – Same as precombat main phase.
Ending phase – Most abilities that trigger during the end step don't care whose turn it is, but keep an eye out for anything that does. Effects that last "until end of turn" or "this turn" will expire as normal, as they also don't care whose turn it is.
I snagged this in my Unstable draft this weekend, and card is nuts. Time Walking your opponent and letting you untap your creatures/lands means this plays fairly well in a more controlling shell or a more creature-heavy shell (had both scenarios come up over the course of my matches). I ended up cutting Crystal Shard for it, because I decided that I didn't want to have a 2-card combo with this where you get to just take all of the turns forever for 6 mana, but that may end up being incorrect.
Yeah it's kind of incredibly disgusting with Crystal Shard. You end up building an engine where you're essentially two-card Time Walk comboing. If power level is a concern, I'm not sure I would cut the shard before the napper since not many other cards go off on the same level as Napper/Shard do, but I do understand the justification.
Got to play with Clocknapper today and she was pretty amazing. I got the Crystal Shard combo off any it worked exactly as you would expect. Even with a couple of other ways to replay her (Restoration Angel, Flickerwisp etc.) and you can really get a lot of value out of it. Two or three Clocknapper triggers and you are usually in pretty good shape, especially if you catch your opponent tapped out.
I have only used it to steal the beginning phase so far, but the ability to blank a combat step or get extra walker activations seems like it could occasionally be useful on the right boardstate.
My playgroup has peer pressured me to cut clocknapper... For being too powerful and unfun to play against.
It was too easy to abuse, and when abused clocknapper is a broken magic card that prevents your opponent from playing magic.
We played with it a lot in it's first month, by the end of it's run , it's pick order was ranked high up in the tier directly below power. Consensus higher pick than Jace the mind sculptor, snapcaster mage, tinker, Arcane savant etc.
I personally didn't mind it as It spawned a whole new archtype by itself (build around clocknapper.dec), but it had similar levels of unfun as an early mind twist or a channel when blinked, cloned or recurred.
I think that would be more accepted if it were a "real" magic card, but given that it's an uncard, I was pressured to cut it :/
My playgroup has peer pressured me to cut clocknapper... For being too powerful and unfun to play against.
It was too easy to abuse, and when abused clocknapper is a broken magic card that prevents your opponent from playing magic.
We played with it a lot in it's first month, by the end of it's run , it's pick order was ranked high up in the tier directly below power. Consensus higher pick than Jace the mind sculptor, snapcaster mage, tinker, Arcane savant etc.
I personally didn't mind it as It spawned a whole new archtype by itself (build around clocknapper.dec), but it had similar levels of unfun as an early mind twist or a channel when blinked, cloned or recurred.
I think that would be more accepted if it were a "real" magic card, but given that it's an uncard, I was pressured to cut it :/
Do you think it would be closer if instead of beginning phase there was untap, upkeep and draw?
I feel the card would still be powerful when taking the untap step or draw step without being as oppressive.
Clocknapper 3UU
Creature - Human Spy
When Clocknapper enters the battlefield, choose beginning phase, precombat main phase, combat phase, postcombat main phase, or ending phase. Steal that phase from target player during his or her next turn. (That phase occurs as though it's your turn instead.)
2/2
--
Stealing the beginning phase for a turn seems pretty good on its own, and combined with Angel of Condemnation, Brago, King Eternal, Mimic Vat, Venser, the Sojourner, Splinter Twin or Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, it seems like instant win.
[180 classic cube]
If I choose combat I'm guessing I cant attack with it since I haven't started a turn with it under my control.
Its an interesting card but I dunno if it's for me. Great if you can recur him regularly but as a one shot I don't know if it's enough.
Yep.
[180 classic cube]
That actually does help it a ton; taking their untap and draw is a big deal, not to mention stopping upkeep triggers.
That's so awesome. It might as well be Time Walk on a stick. If you can continually recur this you have a pretty strong soft lock on your opponent that increases for every time you recur in-turn (hello Recurring Nightmare), and even once is so massive in cube. I'm kind of speechless, and sitting here trying to figure out ways that's awful or things I'm missing, but it seems like they just printed 5 mana pseudo-Time Walk on a stick? Obv if they have PWers or untapped mana or etc it's not actually that, but still really good there.
Perhaps I'm overestimating that? But, I don't know, you're essentially blocking them from untapping and drawing a card all from a creature while also taking that away from your opponent. What is that, a 2 for 1 at its base? Your extra card, taking away the card your opponent was guaranteed if that counts, then the creature? Time walk def an exaggeration but I don't think too far too often. And that's just one option.
The ceiling is massively high, the floor is some tempo or it's in a deck that clearly doesn't want it. Blue 5s are pretty strong but at the same time there is some wiggle if it's worse than my gut reaction thinks.
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phasing doesn't count as etb (or leave either for that matter) if that's what you're thinking
I'd say its a better Mulldrifter.
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Forms a hard lock with Erratic Portal, Crystal Shard, Recurring Nightmare, Mimic Vat, Capsize, Brago, or Venser. Also generates insane value with any instant speed one-shot bounce.
Card is crazy good.
Almost too good? Be hard to imagine a scenario where you steal a different phase than beginning phase from the opponent.
Draw 2, get a 2/2, 95% of a time walk, blinkable, recuriterable for 5 mana is pretty bannanas.
Last Updated 02/07/24
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The fact that we're gushing over -one- mode of this card might be the craziest part. Yeah, the other modes are probably less ideal most of the time, but they still exist and when they are better to take advantage of, probably being if you're dead on board even if they don't get to untap like with an Eldrazi or just lethal damage.
The absolute floor of this card i.e. if your opponent is completely untapped and you can't do anything with the mana you untap with is: 2/2, you draw a card and opponent essentially skips their usually guaranteed draw, which we can probably count as a card, so its floor is a 2 for 1. For the literal worst this card can do in a vaccuum (i.e. no Meddling Mage examples) that seems extremely good.
Also, follow us on twitter! @TurnOneMagic
[180 classic cube]
This is getting my vote for superstar of the set. I'm most definitely interested in getting this.Edit: This is absolutely the superstar of the set. A card that may be of interest to those who reject all but the finest silver-bordered cards.
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
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I have only used it to steal the beginning phase so far, but the ability to blank a combat step or get extra walker activations seems like it could occasionally be useful on the right boardstate.
Also, follow us on twitter! @TurnOneMagic
It was too easy to abuse, and when abused clocknapper is a broken magic card that prevents your opponent from playing magic.
We played with it a lot in it's first month, by the end of it's run , it's pick order was ranked high up in the tier directly below power. Consensus higher pick than Jace the mind sculptor, snapcaster mage, tinker, Arcane savant etc.
I personally didn't mind it as It spawned a whole new archtype by itself (build around clocknapper.dec), but it had similar levels of unfun as an early mind twist or a channel when blinked, cloned or recurred.
I think that would be more accepted if it were a "real" magic card, but given that it's an uncard, I was pressured to cut it :/
Last Updated 02/07/24
Streaming Standard/Cube on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/heisenb3rg96
Strategy Twitter https://www.twitter.com/heisenb3rg
Do you think it would be closer if instead of beginning phase there was untap, upkeep and draw?
I feel the card would still be powerful when taking the untap step or draw step without being as oppressive.
360 card powered Chicago cube:
https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/e7r
2020 Numerical Power Rankings:
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-card-and-archetype/817969-2020-numerical-cube-power-rankings
2018 CubeTutor Power Rankings:
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-card-and-archetype/803301-cubetutor-power-rankings-2018-by-color-and-cmc