MTG Salvation

If you do nothing fancy, it's a fairly cheap tutor variant where it gets you two cards and your opponent one card. I can't recall seeing a card like that before, so I'm not certain what to expect. However, the reason I'm excited is because it's an artifact. Now my Tezzeret, the Seeker can find anything. Both Goblin Welder and Goblin Engineer break the symmetry while also turning the Talisman into a tutoring engine. And I'm sure there's plenty more to do with the card! Keep in mind, whenever you find a way to break this, THE TALISMAN TUTORS FOR IT.

Overall, the floor seems playable with an incredibly fun ceiling to build for.

Quote from ryansaxe »

If you do nothing fancy, it's a fairly cheap tutor variant where it gets you two cards and your opponent one card. I can't recall seeing a card like that before, so I'm not certain what to expect. However, the reason I'm excited is because it's an artifact. Now my Tezzeret, the Seeker can find anything. Both Goblin Welder and Goblin Engineer break the symmetry while also turning the Talisman into a tutoring engine. And I'm sure there's plenty more to do with the card! Keep in mind, whenever you find a way to break this, THE TALISMAN TUTORS FOR IT.

Overall, the floor seems playable with an incredibly fun ceiling to build for.

Great point on the welder/engineer synergy. Don’t know why I assumed this was symmetrical and wrote it off like another scheming symmetry. Missed the 2v1 card assymetry.

So hard to evaluate... but the more I think about it, the better it seems. Most so in cubes that support combos that can win the game on the spot.

Very interesting game play as well. Worth a test in cubes with combo and possibly just any cube.

If we can find consistent ways to abuse it, it seems cool. At face value, I think it's a slight miss.

Some ways to abuse this card:

1) Goblin Welder/Goblin Engineer
2) Upheaval
3) Into the Roil/Cyclonic Rift/Venser Shaper Savant/Cryptic Command/etc
4) Splitter Twin combo/Sneak Attack Eldrazi/Storm Combo/other insta-win
5) Greater Gargadon
6) Dack Fayden
7) Flickerwisp
8) Mindslaver
9) Aven Mindcensor/Shadow of Doubt/Stranglehold/Brooding Saurian

Anything else?

I have always wanted Stax in my Cube to gravitate to BWR, and that is really hard given that G has so many great Stax compatible cards. More interaction for things like this + Welder is always appreciated, and I will rejoice if and when the day comes that I can push BWR more. But until then, this card is kind of a miss for me.

I mean, if you're gonna include Stranglehold, you may as well consider Ashiok, Dream Render. Although, I frequently find mill too demanding on cube slots, and not really fun anyway. I guess you could also Venser, the Sojourner it back to your side each turn?

I think the only real options here are cards like Welder and Gargadon, and I really don't think this card is all too important in decks that want those. I'm curious if people get more ideas, because I think it could be cool, but I just don't have high hopes.

Slam dunk replacing Demonic Tutor in my artifact cube. Sure, this is definitely worse. But also more abusable and in theme. Really works with Welder/Engineer/Daretti, or just plain Atog.

Quote from JinxedIdol »

Slam dunk replacing Demonic Tutor in my artifact cube. Sure, this is definitely worse. But also more abusable and in theme. Really works with Welder/Engineer/Daretti, or just plain Atog.

This is the best argument I've seen yet. I don't really want this in my cube, but for an artifact cube, I think it's a delight.

Unless I'm missing something, the only interaction with Engineer is fetching this, not sacrificing it.

I will be considering this card...

Quote from Omirr85 »

Unless I'm missing something, the only interaction with Engineer is fetching this, not sacrificing it.

I will be considering this card...

You activate the claw. With the trigger on the stack, you can sacrifice it to engineer. You will still get the tutor, but your opponent will not gain control of the claw.

I think this is going to be an excellent constructed card for all sorts of combo decks in Modern, Legacy and possibly even vintage (Paradoxical Outcome storm bounce the artifact while the trigger is on the stack to draw a card and return it to your hand - anyone? Paradoxical Outcome also runs a Tinker for Bolas's Citadel but in a pinch you could Tinker for this and activate it to get Tendrils of Agony.)

In fact, I feel there's a chance this could be the next Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis and end up banned in modern.

Not to mention how perfectly this slots into Urza, Lord High Artificer Thopter Foundry Sword of the Meek combo with Karn, the Great Creator to both shut down your opponent's activation of this and/or tutor up the combo pieces. The fact that Goblin Engineer fits perfectly into all of this just adds to the silliness.

Ok, time to go to the Modern forum for theory crafting on artifact combo decks...

As a cube card, it could go either way.

Quote from ryansaxe »

You activate the claw. With the trigger on the stack, you can sacrifice it to engineer. You will still get the tutor, but your opponent will not gain control of the claw.

Yes, that's the thing I missed!

bringing this up again. for a cube supporting storm, is Wishclaw Talisman really that bad of an idea? being able to throw it down early to "bank" while you build/sculpt your hand to storm off, and eventually cracking it for a cheap tutor seems really powerful. maybe i'm just coming off a cube draft where I found myself durdling for 4-5 turns waiting for the right cards to turn up, but I certainly wouldn've appreciated dropping this earlier on to prep for my combo turn.

not to mention it plays well with cracking Lion's Eye Diamond; instead of using LED in response to the less cubeable card Infernal Tutor, you can just crack the LED, wish for a Yawgmoth's Will, and start storming off.

think I just might have to try this out!

Played it in MTGO vintage cube. Card is narrow but strong.

If you can set up a near unbeatable turn, or a very strong turn that kills/bounces the wishclaw talisman it's very good.

Examples include sneak attack, channel etc.

The more combos you play that end the game on the spot, the more appealing the Wishclaw is. Under the more "fair" iteration of my cube, I had little interest in this. But with a bunch of combos that can end the game on the spot available now, I'm going to test out this card and see how it does. Looks fun with Welder/Engineer too.

We've loved the card over here. Any combo deck will happily play it, and fair decks can play it if they have access to combos (e.g. Wren + Strip Mine, Opposition + Creatures), cards that break Talisman (e.g. Teferi, Time Raveler, Dack Fayden, Goblin Engineer), or a set of cards that are generally good however extremely polarizing in some matchups (e.g. Jitte/Batterskull vs aggro, Carnage Tyrant vs control).

I don't think I'll ever cut the card, so I got the foil full-art version

Hasty answers or combo pieces will make this good.

Hey guys, any updates on this one due to playtesting results?

I think you need to be both heavy in game-winning combos and have Welder shenanigans in the cube in order to get much use out of Talisman. But if you support those kinds of things, it's a good card.

I just want to clarify, the way to break the symmetry is to put the wishclaw trigger onto the stack, then sacrifice or bounce it with something like Goblin Engineer/ Welder?