@Sandcry The problem with finding the exact percentages as you suggest is that WotC takes measures to keep the total numbers for decks under wraps - and for good reason (IMO); if people have that much information about exactly what they'll be facing then metagames could be solved way too quickly. Because of this, people have to speculate based on experience and the results of higher-placing decks rather than solely using cold hard numbers.
Not that I mean to argue anyone's points, because this is a very good discussion here.
But I would like to point out:
#1: Sacrificing creatures isn't that big of a cost if you're going to lose one anyway. Board wipes or unfavorable combat trades now have an upside, almost negligible if you're running tokens. Tokens is a bad deck to fall behind in, so if you can turn half of a Lingering Souls into two more answers, that's something to consider.
#2: If you spend 6 mana saccing 3 creatures to this, you gain 3 life and draw 3 cards, just as if you were casting Sphinx's Revelation for 3. Except broken into parts over turns, if necessary.
We now return to the round table...
My buddy and I were playing and he had two Vampiric Rites on the field. He said that for both to go off, he only has to pay once because the mana satisfies the condition for both cards-
With that being said, is he right or does he have to pay for every card's ability to get multiple effects?
He has to pay for every card's ability since it's an activated ability and not a trigger that says "whenever a creature you control dies..." If it were though the card would be pretty sweet. IMO it seems too slow as is, but hey I haven't tested with it much in Modern so I wouldn't know.
Weird card, but a great design IMO. It's already hard enough to kill PWs in Standard as is though; hopefully a Hero's Downfall variant gets printed to counteract this.
The control player in me is salivating over the thought of T4 Glimmer into T5 Fumigate into T6 Tezz getting a Gearhulk. This is probably a little more powerful than most of the PW deck cards will be, but it would definitely be nice if some of them were borderline playable in Standard (not to the point that people are just gonna buy out the decks though since that kinda defeats the purpose of the product).
Hmmm.... may need to cost higher (though then it can gain a bigger body), but otherwise no issue.
Next
Groundsmelting1R
Sorcery (R)
As an additional cost to cast Groundsmelting, sacrifice any number of untapped lands.
Search your library for an artifact card with converted mana cost X or less and put it onto the battlefield, where X is three times the number of lands sacrificed this way. There is always enough metal in the soil to make a treasure.
The untapped lands part may be a bit unwieldly, but what do you think? Sacrifice 1 land, get a Trinisphere, sacrifice four lands, get a Blightsteel Colossus...
I love this card when you're getting a Blightsteel, but it seems a little too broken when you're fetching Trinisphere and I agree with you about sacrificing untapped lands being kind of unwieldy. I'd probably change it to:
Groundsmelting X2R
Sorcery (R)
As an additional cost to cast Groundsmelting, sacrifice X lands.
Search your library for an artifact card with converted mana cost four times X or less and put it onto the battlefield.
Anyway, here's mine:
Tundra Explorer G
Creature - Elf Scout (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control two or more Plains, transform Tundra Explorer.
1/1
//
Glacial Awakener
(green/white) Creature - Elf Shaman
When this creature transforms into Glacial Awakener, put a soul counter on up to two target Plains you control.
Lands you control with soul counters on them are 3/3 white Elemental creatures in addition to their other colors and types.
1/1
I'm thinking it might be too strong at one mana, but it requires a lot of setup, gets hosed by boardwipes, and it's pretty hard to get it going without access to duals or shocks. Thoughts?
I don't think this will see much play anywhere outside of Limited. Low loyalty plus a pretty mediocre defensive ability is never a good combo on a 6-mana planeswalker. The +2 is pretty powerful, so I think it'll do fine as a 1- or 2-of in some kind of GW/x midrange deck in Standard. It looks like an absolute bomb in limited though and could very well end up being the best card in the set.
Besides, you have to consider the impact of the card outside of Abzan. You're absolutely right that it wouldn't be at its best there, but what about, say, white midrange decks, or Delver? SFM gives those decks another angle of attack that it's really hard for most decks to defend themselves from with the removal available in Modern.
Is there a single deck in modern that can't defend itself from an artifact on turn 4 (especially post board)?
No, but what happens if they don't draw the removal, or it's preboard, or they have otherwise good removal like Bolt that doesn't hit Batterskull? Even if it does get answered game 1, in most cases it'll just take over the game anyway if the game goes long enough. And it's not like SFM would see play in decks where you answer one card and they lose. My point isn't that it's impossible to answer Batterskull or SoFaI or whatever else pops out of a turn 2 SFM, but that it's hard enough that it runs the risk of warping the format.
SFM is one of those cards that shouldn't come off and I don't think people suggesting her unban are aware of her power.
This is exactly the kind of hyperbole that my post was referencing. Yes, SFM is a good card but it is a one off card advantage then it is a 1/2. i am fully aware of "her power" of cheating equipment into play but the only equipment that is even relevant to that discussion is a 4/4 lifelink vigilance which is SMALLER than the green 2 drop tarmogoyf. Seriously, the idea that she is somehow way more powerful than anything this format is already doing is just hyperbole. If the discussion boils down to whether she reduces deck diversity rather than increasing deck diversity then that is a fine discussion but trying to pretend she is over the top powerful is not a profitable discussion because she clearly is not.
Just from reading your comment I'm guessing you've never played with or against SFM. Sure, it's not quite as broken as in Legacy since you can't tutor for Jitte, but turn-3 Batterskull is a game-winning play in Modern most of the time. Even if they kill SFM before it can be activated, it's still a Steelshaper's Gift that takes out a removal spell. And you can't compare Batterskull to Tarmogoyf - most creatures that are played in Modern are smaller than Tarmogoyf, and this one has two relevant abilities. Now, I don't necessarily think that SFM shouldn't EVER come off, but it's definitely one of the stronger cards on the banned list, and I don't think it should get unbanned right now or for the foreseeable future.
I have not only played with and against her but i have done some testing with my brother in law in current modern and your statement is at best ignorant and at worst damaging to intelligent discourse.
I am listing what she actually does as a card and speaking from VERY recent experience decking 2 equipment is a very real cost. Drawing either the sword or the skull requires 5 mana investment to see any benefit and it is actively bad in a number of matchups. Particularly in abzan which is a very tight list with precious few slots to cut you are often in a situation where you need an answer and draw a SFM or equipment, and along with that you regularly would rather have tarmogoyf than SFM when you pull it off the top of the deck. (It is most often better than tarmogoyf on exactly turn 2 but not even always then.)
Also, she is only as good as the equipment you can get with her. So saying she is not as good in modern where you cannot get jitte is a GROSS understatement jitte is often whoever gets it first wins and that is just not the case for batterskull or swords in modern
In and of itself, the lack of Jitte makes SFM miles worse. But I'm also accounting for the fact that Legacy has a lot more unfair decks/cards than Modern, which makes Stoneforge into Batterskull or a Sword a much better play than it is in Legacy.
Besides, you have to consider the impact of the card outside of Abzan. You're absolutely right that it wouldn't be at its best there, but what about, say, white midrange decks, or Delver? SFM gives those decks another angle of attack that it's really hard for most decks to defend themselves from with the removal available in Modern.
SFM is one of those cards that shouldn't come off and I don't think people suggesting her unban are aware of her power.
This is exactly the kind of hyperbole that my post was referencing. Yes, SFM is a good card but it is a one off card advantage then it is a 1/2. i am fully aware of "her power" of cheating equipment into play but the only equipment that is even relevant to that discussion is a 4/4 lifelink vigilance which is SMALLER than the green 2 drop tarmogoyf. Seriously, the idea that she is somehow way more powerful than anything this format is already doing is just hyperbole. If the discussion boils down to whether she reduces deck diversity rather than increasing deck diversity then that is a fine discussion but trying to pretend she is over the top powerful is not a profitable discussion because she clearly is not.
Just from reading your comment I'm guessing you've never played with or against SFM. Sure, it's not quite as broken as in Legacy since you can't tutor for Jitte, but turn-3 Batterskull is a game-winning play in Modern most of the time. Even if they kill SFM before it can be activated, it's still a Steelshaper's Gift that takes out a removal spell. And you can't compare Batterskull to Tarmogoyf - most creatures that are played in Modern are smaller than Tarmogoyf, and this one has two relevant abilities. Now, I don't necessarily think that SFM shouldn't EVER come off, but it's definitely one of the stronger cards on the banned list, and I don't think it should get unbanned right now or for the foreseeable future.
Has anyone tried a blue splash in the Pummeler version? Just from goldfishing it seems like the mana wouldn't be too bad if we cut Cinder Glade and go down to 1-2 Game Trail.
I picked this up because it looked fun to play. It is, but the various energy based decks seem impossible to beat. I get crushed every time and they are all over the place right now. The deck doesn't seem to be a good meta choice right now because of that.
What's your meta? I've barely seen any energy decks on MODO and at my LGS, and they haven't really been putting up results at big events (Spirits is doing a pretty good job of suppressing them).
If you want to beat Energy with this deck, look to Blessed Alliance first and foremost. If Pummeler tries to go off, a well-timed Blessed Alliance is pretty much game over. It's also good against the non-Pummeler lists since it hits Bristling Hydra. Fumigate is also great against them in my experience.
You mention a quantity of 4+ toughness creatures and compare to Origins, but the number isn't all that different (20 in Origins at C/U vs 23 non-vehicles in Kaladesh) and there are plenty of design parallels. And just like Origins, these high toughness creatures are either too-little, too-late or efficient beater in their own right (e.g. both Rhox Maulers and Riparian Tiger are/were fine top-ends in a beatdown deck and fit that role much better than being on the block).
I don't think this is a comparison you can really make. Sure, the numbers line up, but the 4-toughness creatures in Kaladesh are both more powerful and better suited to their format. Skyswirl Harrier, Dukhara Peafowl, and Consulate Skygate stop most of the format's fliers dead in their tracks. Wispweaver Angel will usually be the biggest flying body on the board, and its ability can be game-winning. Contraband Kingpin is exactly what most UB decks want. Gearseeker Serpent and Arborback Stomper are both incredibly powerful. Origins didn't have high-impact defensive creatures like that.
In MaRo's new Storm Scale article yesterday, he said this about Traps:
I think Traps are basically like quests with a little extra baggage in that they have less design space and versatility. As such, they are one higher on the scale. I would though like to find the right thematic place to bring Traps back.
If an Egyptian plane isn't the right thematic place to bring traps back, I don't know what is. Also, a lot of the traps from Zendikar block (actually pretty much all of them, except Permafrost Trap and maybe a couple others) seem like they'd fit thematically into Amonkhet, based on what little we've seen of it so far. That said, they were rated a 6 on the scale which is pretty high.
He has to pay for every card's ability since it's an activated ability and not a trigger that says "whenever a creature you control dies..." If it were though the card would be pretty sweet. IMO it seems too slow as is, but hey I haven't tested with it much in Modern so I wouldn't know.
I love this card when you're getting a Blightsteel, but it seems a little too broken when you're fetching Trinisphere and I agree with you about sacrificing untapped lands being kind of unwieldy. I'd probably change it to:
Groundsmelting X2R
Sorcery (R)
As an additional cost to cast Groundsmelting, sacrifice X lands.
Search your library for an artifact card with converted mana cost four times X or less and put it onto the battlefield.
Anyway, here's mine:
Tundra Explorer G
Creature - Elf Scout (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control two or more Plains, transform Tundra Explorer.
1/1
//
Glacial Awakener
(green/white) Creature - Elf Shaman
When this creature transforms into Glacial Awakener, put a soul counter on up to two target Plains you control.
Lands you control with soul counters on them are 3/3 white Elemental creatures in addition to their other colors and types.
1/1
I'm thinking it might be too strong at one mana, but it requires a lot of setup, gets hosed by boardwipes, and it's pretty hard to get it going without access to duals or shocks. Thoughts?
No, but what happens if they don't draw the removal, or it's preboard, or they have otherwise good removal like Bolt that doesn't hit Batterskull? Even if it does get answered game 1, in most cases it'll just take over the game anyway if the game goes long enough. And it's not like SFM would see play in decks where you answer one card and they lose. My point isn't that it's impossible to answer Batterskull or SoFaI or whatever else pops out of a turn 2 SFM, but that it's hard enough that it runs the risk of warping the format.
In and of itself, the lack of Jitte makes SFM miles worse. But I'm also accounting for the fact that Legacy has a lot more unfair decks/cards than Modern, which makes Stoneforge into Batterskull or a Sword a much better play than it is in Legacy.
Besides, you have to consider the impact of the card outside of Abzan. You're absolutely right that it wouldn't be at its best there, but what about, say, white midrange decks, or Delver? SFM gives those decks another angle of attack that it's really hard for most decks to defend themselves from with the removal available in Modern.
Just from reading your comment I'm guessing you've never played with or against SFM. Sure, it's not quite as broken as in Legacy since you can't tutor for Jitte, but turn-3 Batterskull is a game-winning play in Modern most of the time. Even if they kill SFM before it can be activated, it's still a Steelshaper's Gift that takes out a removal spell. And you can't compare Batterskull to Tarmogoyf - most creatures that are played in Modern are smaller than Tarmogoyf, and this one has two relevant abilities. Now, I don't necessarily think that SFM shouldn't EVER come off, but it's definitely one of the stronger cards on the banned list, and I don't think it should get unbanned right now or for the foreseeable future.
What's your meta? I've barely seen any energy decks on MODO and at my LGS, and they haven't really been putting up results at big events (Spirits is doing a pretty good job of suppressing them).
If you want to beat Energy with this deck, look to Blessed Alliance first and foremost. If Pummeler tries to go off, a well-timed Blessed Alliance is pretty much game over. It's also good against the non-Pummeler lists since it hits Bristling Hydra. Fumigate is also great against them in my experience.
I don't think this is a comparison you can really make. Sure, the numbers line up, but the 4-toughness creatures in Kaladesh are both more powerful and better suited to their format. Skyswirl Harrier, Dukhara Peafowl, and Consulate Skygate stop most of the format's fliers dead in their tracks. Wispweaver Angel will usually be the biggest flying body on the board, and its ability can be game-winning. Contraband Kingpin is exactly what most UB decks want. Gearseeker Serpent and Arborback Stomper are both incredibly powerful. Origins didn't have high-impact defensive creatures like that.
If an Egyptian plane isn't the right thematic place to bring traps back, I don't know what is. Also, a lot of the traps from Zendikar block (actually pretty much all of them, except Permafrost Trap and maybe a couple others) seem like they'd fit thematically into Amonkhet, based on what little we've seen of it so far. That said, they were rated a 6 on the scale which is pretty high.
So are Traps coming back?