@Plated Geopede: However, the woes I have about Lynx aren't as strong for Geopede. I really like "bear+ cards". I think 1 + [color] for a 2/2 is fair even at cube. If it has higher upside, coolbeans. I also find 4 damage (or 6 if you can pop a fetch and then attack) is quality. Unlike Lynx, if I miss landfall, it's still a bear. I am comfortable crashing in for 2. It's fine.
Uh, do you play Geopede in your cube? It's not a bear in any version of Magic I'm familiar with.
Agree more generally with your other points. The Landfall beaters are self-evidently powerful, but inconsistent. More so the larger the cube and the fewer fetches played.
Crystal Shard is also excellent in our deck and hopefully it will wheel, as the only other deck I can see wanting to pick it highly in pack 1 is UG tempo-aggro who opened on Sword into Gilded Drake or something. Possible, but seems likely that we'll get it back, while Metamorph is just insane in every circumstance and perfect with the 'Lark.
It's a cool card but difficult to turn on and not super impactful even then; if it's competing with any other utility Selesnya land options at all (I'd certainly rank Stirring Wildwood and Horizon Canopy ahead of it) my vote goes to Krosan Verge, which is far better in the decks that can afford time to setup a wonky dual-color fixer - as both Riftstone and Verge are.
100% agreement with Antknee on Future Sight. That card is way too iconic and awesome to exclude from any cube that can remotely spare a slot and supports its deck.
A look at your list revealed you don't support U tempo, so Aether Adept loses some value there. Also, is Stolen Identity too much a pet card to drop? How's that playing for you?
One clarifying question: how frequent are big-mana mostly-U decks in your group? You have a fair suite of artifact acceleration for an unpowered cube and Capsize loves those decks. If they seldom come up for you though, that's what I'd cut given Identity's assured status.
What a thread. I read the first few accusations of Goblinwalk being Gubbe 2.0 and thought to myself "Surely not! I haven't seen a nonsensical analogy or an incorrectly shoehorned-in multisyllabic word yet!"
But then suddenly...
The mechanic of survival of the fittest is the only real cause that balances an environment. There are multiple environments this mechanic could shape, which you then can categorize into a paradigm to make it practical for communication. The fittests would be the yardstick. Humans for example have created an entire new 'balance' to the worldly environment, eradicating millions of lifeforms unfit to the relatively new element that we are. Thatcher cleared the path for neo-liberal hegemony.
The search function seemed to only show these two in the context of this thread which contained very little discussion of the cards in question and is now almost a year old.
Cheatyface is a card that inspired a lot of shenanigans among my friends back in the day, and my playgroup still uses its name to refer to cards that let you play things without paying its manacost. As long as the rules of his use are established ahead of time in the playgroup, he seems potentially playable.
With the possible resurgence of MonoU Tempo/Aggro support given recent printings, what are people's thoughts on this? I'm considering adding him alongside Master of Waves, Nightveil Specter (in a flex slot), and Coralhelm Commander to flesh out the aforementioned strategy. I also find it immensely pleasing that his effect is supremely blue!
On a similar note, Carnivorous Death-Parrot stood out to me as a fairly solid beatstick in a color that's more and more in need; it's basically a Pegasus with an additional point of toughness.
Admittedly these two are still extremely narrow in application - few cubes include Unhinged cards and even fewer heavily support blue aggro. Still, I'm sure someone out there has experience to share with this duo.
We cut Channel for being way too bad, not too good. Interesting to see it regarded high enough to ban. Turn 2 Wurmcoil or Sundering Titan were both fine, but it was too narrow for us.
I think this is definitely correct with respect to smaller and more powerful cubes, where the card is risky and it's hard to justify support for an inherently inconsistent archetype.
At the same time, I can see it being oppressive in a small and relatively underpowered environment and that's probably lessened in my cube due to its size; if OP's entire playgroup opined against it in this case then its exclusion seems reasonable, but my friends and I are just deeply attached to Cheatyface combos in cube.
I certainly don't think it's anywhere close to Mana Drain in power level by itself, but it's the metagame effect that really matters here.
Can you explain what you or your group found banworthy in Channel? Did you playtest it?
In my 720 unpowered cube the card is a ton of fun and absolutely earns its keep - the restrictions on deckbuilding given its manacost, the potential of a blowout if you drop something removable, and the limited number of targets for it mitigate its obvious power and make it a fun build-around-me like an all-in Reanimate strategy for Green.
EDIT: Looking back at the first page of the thread, you mentioned running Channel with Fireballs and it "not [being] a major issue yet", so I'm curious how it ended up on the banlist by the next few pages in.
Yeah, that would be pretty spectacular. As an instant I think the card would probably be near auto-include for mid-sized cubes and worthy of consideration for 360. But alas! A sorcery it was born and a sorcery it shall die.
Brazen Palmgreaser - 1U
Creature - Human (R)
2UU: Exchange control of ~ and target creature you don't control.
"Did he really just do that?" -Boran, onlooker
0/2
Thoughts?
Agreed, it would be quite good in those colors.
If only...
Uh, do you play Geopede in your cube? It's not a bear in any version of Magic I'm familiar with.
Agree more generally with your other points. The Landfall beaters are self-evidently powerful, but inconsistent. More so the larger the cube and the fewer fetches played.
Crystal Shard is also excellent in our deck and hopefully it will wheel, as the only other deck I can see wanting to pick it highly in pack 1 is UG tempo-aggro who opened on Sword into Gilded Drake or something. Possible, but seems likely that we'll get it back, while Metamorph is just insane in every circumstance and perfect with the 'Lark.
One clarifying question: how frequent are big-mana mostly-U decks in your group? You have a fair suite of artifact acceleration for an unpowered cube and Capsize loves those decks. If they seldom come up for you though, that's what I'd cut given Identity's assured status.
But think of all the incredible Wildfire decks you would get to goldfish!
But then suddenly...
and of course that sweet old Gubbe favorite:
The search function seemed to only show these two in the context of this thread which contained very little discussion of the cards in question and is now almost a year old.
Cheatyface is a card that inspired a lot of shenanigans among my friends back in the day, and my playgroup still uses its name to refer to cards that let you play things without paying its manacost. As long as the rules of his use are established ahead of time in the playgroup, he seems potentially playable.
With the possible resurgence of MonoU Tempo/Aggro support given recent printings, what are people's thoughts on this? I'm considering adding him alongside Master of Waves, Nightveil Specter (in a flex slot), and Coralhelm Commander to flesh out the aforementioned strategy. I also find it immensely pleasing that his effect is supremely blue!
On a similar note, Carnivorous Death-Parrot stood out to me as a fairly solid beatstick in a color that's more and more in need; it's basically a Pegasus with an additional point of toughness.
Admittedly these two are still extremely narrow in application - few cubes include Unhinged cards and even fewer heavily support blue aggro. Still, I'm sure someone out there has experience to share with this duo.
I think this is definitely correct with respect to smaller and more powerful cubes, where the card is risky and it's hard to justify support for an inherently inconsistent archetype.
At the same time, I can see it being oppressive in a small and relatively underpowered environment and that's probably lessened in my cube due to its size; if OP's entire playgroup opined against it in this case then its exclusion seems reasonable, but my friends and I are just deeply attached to Cheatyface combos in cube.
I certainly don't think it's anywhere close to Mana Drain in power level by itself, but it's the metagame effect that really matters here.
In my 720 unpowered cube the card is a ton of fun and absolutely earns its keep - the restrictions on deckbuilding given its manacost, the potential of a blowout if you drop something removable, and the limited number of targets for it mitigate its obvious power and make it a fun build-around-me like an all-in Reanimate strategy for Green.
Shoutouts to Phyrexian Processor, Batterskull, Staff of Nin, Wurmcoil Engine, Karn Liberated, and Myr Battlesphere besides the obvious spaghetti monsters and fireballs for being the sort of Channel targets that kept my playgroup coming back to it.
EDIT: Looking back at the first page of the thread, you mentioned running Channel with Fireballs and it "not [being] a major issue yet", so I'm curious how it ended up on the banlist by the next few pages in.
Yeah, that would be pretty spectacular. As an instant I think the card would probably be near auto-include for mid-sized cubes and worthy of consideration for 360. But alas! A sorcery it was born and a sorcery it shall die.