Thanks to everyone who participated in my ranking survey! Here's what I took from it:
1) Thirst is possibly underrated. This is probably what I'll try since the archetypes I'm interested in giving a boost are artifact ramp and control.
2) Time Spiral is possibly overrated. Still seems super busted to me but maybe getting to 6 is a more significant hurdle than I'm willing to admit.
3) Cruise is probably the most solid choice if I were to consider all the archetypes with equal weight.
4) Timetwister hasn't aged well. Still good but competition is stiff.
I may try to find room for both Thirst and Cruise, if I feel I need another draw spell.
Again thanks for helping me think about these cards in different ways!
Hmm, yeah, very possibly. I ran that at 540 and was pleased with how it performed. Just spaced it out making my list of candidates!
My inclinations so far are towards: Time Spiral because that card is nuts. Crowd favorite in my group too. Thirst for Knowledge because I like instant speed and 3CMC and digs hard. 1 person at least plays the artifact deck every 8 man draft. I'm wondering how viable it is in a control deck with only 3-4 artifacts, though, primarily as a dig spell. Treasure Cruise kinda boring but seems fairly safe.
1) S&T + Elesh + Sower = S&T resolves, Sower's trigger goes on the stack, Sower dies from Elesh's -2/-2 (state based action), trigger resolves (and does nothing) and opponent keeps Elesh (because the trigger did nothing).
2) S&T + Elesh + Hostage T = S&T resolves, Hostage T's trigger goes on stack, Hostage T is a 0/1, Hostage T exiles Elesh if I want it to.
Thanks all. I think I'll go with Lich and just swap Chainers and GFFT back and forth until a clear winner emerges (if that even happens). Either way should be fine though.
I have another design puzzle I'd like help with. I have 1 slot in blue that is up in the air and I want some kind of draw spell. Please rank the following pool of draw spells from the perspective of each supported archetype (450 powered):
Pool:
Ancestral Vision
Treasure Cruise
Timetwister
Thirst for Knowledge
Time Spiral
Currently, I've been keeping the Lich and running GFTT over Chainer's.
My experience with the Lich is that it is a bad to decent edict effect, coming down later in the game is not ideal for an edict. It doesn't help stop the early cheated Carnage Tyrants/Leviathans or what have you, and it is virtually blanked when Lingering Souls, Pia and Kiran, Hermit Druid, etc, etc, hit the board...BUT!...sometimes it is a decent edict, and I like three things:
1) It is a card advantage engine. I cut Arena and this is all that's left for black that lets me straight up draw a card every turn (provided I'm monarch of course)
2) It has a decent attacking body. I like clearing the board and going on the offensive.
3) It is tutorable with Recruiter OTG.
In short, I like Lich more for the CA than the actual removal spell. I would only choose the other two if I felt that the early interaction was so critical that I needed Dibolic/Chainer's/GFFT as a trio to fight the good fight.
Putting GFFT heads up vs. Chainer's is tricky for me:
Instant vs. Sorcery
Limited Targets vs. Always Hits Something
Does this card comparison come down to being able to hit the flashback on Chainer's to make it worth it? Does that put it over the hump?
Interesting, I can see it being a little too good in unpowered. I’m trying to decide at a powered 450 level if I have a high enough density of 3+ artifacts to make full use of this. My drafters value it quite highly and they love the artifact deck, but if the card doesn’t have the proper support, I fear the fail case on it might be too high.
-Hostage Taker stealing/casting Crystal Shard and then bouncing the HT to steal the rest of his rocks/creatures.
-Opponent plays Show and Tell revealing Elesh Norn, I reveal Treachery FTW.
-I tap 7 for Battlesphere leaving up only Academy, which now taps for 6 (1 rock in play), which lets me counter with Mystic Confluence the Fractured Identity that was going to exile/copy my Battleball.
1) Thirst is possibly underrated. This is probably what I'll try since the archetypes I'm interested in giving a boost are artifact ramp and control.
2) Time Spiral is possibly overrated. Still seems super busted to me but maybe getting to 6 is a more significant hurdle than I'm willing to admit.
3) Cruise is probably the most solid choice if I were to consider all the archetypes with equal weight.
4) Timetwister hasn't aged well. Still good but competition is stiff.
I may try to find room for both Thirst and Cruise, if I feel I need another draw spell.
Again thanks for helping me think about these cards in different ways!
Hmm, yeah, very possibly. I ran that at 540 and was pleased with how it performed. Just spaced it out making my list of candidates!
My inclinations so far are towards:
Time Spiral because that card is nuts. Crowd favorite in my group too.
Thirst for Knowledge because I like instant speed and 3CMC and digs hard. 1 person at least plays the artifact deck every 8 man draft. I'm wondering how viable it is in a control deck with only 3-4 artifacts, though, primarily as a dig spell.
Treasure Cruise kinda boring but seems fairly safe.
Still not sure what I'm gonna do!
Right. Thank you.
1) S&T + Elesh + Sower = S&T resolves, Sower's trigger goes on the stack, Sower dies from Elesh's -2/-2 (state based action), trigger resolves (and does nothing) and opponent keeps Elesh (because the trigger did nothing).
2) S&T + Elesh + Hostage T = S&T resolves, Hostage T's trigger goes on stack, Hostage T is a 0/1, Hostage T exiles Elesh if I want it to.
Is this right?
I have another design puzzle I'd like help with. I have 1 slot in blue that is up in the air and I want some kind of draw spell. Please rank the following pool of draw spells from the perspective of each supported archetype (450 powered):
Pool:
Ancestral Vision
Treasure Cruise
Timetwister
Thirst for Knowledge
Time Spiral
Archetypes:
Control:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Tempo:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Spells Matter:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Artifact Ramp:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Thanks!
Currently, I've been keeping the Lich and running GFTT over Chainer's.
My experience with the Lich is that it is a bad to decent edict effect, coming down later in the game is not ideal for an edict. It doesn't help stop the early cheated Carnage Tyrants/Leviathans or what have you, and it is virtually blanked when Lingering Souls, Pia and Kiran, Hermit Druid, etc, etc, hit the board...BUT!...sometimes it is a decent edict, and I like three things:
1) It is a card advantage engine. I cut Arena and this is all that's left for black that lets me straight up draw a card every turn (provided I'm monarch of course)
2) It has a decent attacking body. I like clearing the board and going on the offensive.
3) It is tutorable with Recruiter OTG.
In short, I like Lich more for the CA than the actual removal spell. I would only choose the other two if I felt that the early interaction was so critical that I needed Dibolic/Chainer's/GFFT as a trio to fight the good fight.
Putting GFFT heads up vs. Chainer's is tricky for me:
Instant vs. Sorcery
Limited Targets vs. Always Hits Something
Does this card comparison come down to being able to hit the flashback on Chainer's to make it worth it? Does that put it over the hump?
Chainer's Edict
Go for the Throat
Custodi Lich
I was thinking that it was like Eureka for sure, so I appreciate you clarifying the interaction!
1 Izzet Signet
1 Simic Signet
1 Talisman of Dominance
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Spellskite
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Arcane Denial
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Vedalken Shackles
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Hostage Taker
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Thought-Knot Seer
1 Commit // Memory
1 Mystic Confluence
1 Time Spiral
1 Myr Battlesphere
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
1 Mind Twist
1 Condescend
1 Polluted Delta
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Vivid Marsh
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Caves of Koilos
1 Field of Ruin
7 Island
4 Swamp
1 Waste
1 The Abyss
1 Languish
1 Precursor Golem
Highlights:
-Hostage Taker stealing/casting Crystal Shard and then bouncing the HT to steal the rest of his rocks/creatures.
-Opponent plays Show and Tell revealing Elesh Norn, I reveal Treachery FTW.
-I tap 7 for Battlesphere leaving up only Academy, which now taps for 6 (1 rock in play), which lets me counter with Mystic Confluence the Fractured Identity that was going to exile/copy my Battleball.