Now that is a way to make Stifle both cubable and maindeckable!
Seems close to Vendilion Clique to me. High power evasive flash creature is a great answer to opposing planeswalkers. Also presents a rather fast clock the opponent doesn't see coming. Sure, it loses the pseudo-Thoughtseize etb trigger, but is becomes splashable and also an answer to some powerful cards that are already on the board (like Deed, a ready to ultimate planeswalker, etc).
The Scarab God is pretty good. Not sure what to cut for it, but it is pretty good. I really like that it makes 4/4 copies, not just 4/4 tokens. And 5/5 is a beefy body for 5 mana.
I think this guy is fine for aggressive decks. Pretty much 2 guaranteed damage on turn 2 (that might also help your 1-drop get through). 6 mana may seem expensive for a deck that wants to win before getting to that much mana, but keep in mind that things don't always work out that way. I found that even aggro decks reach 6-7 mana quite often. And getting a card-neutral hasty 4/4 that helps you push damage through is quite a treat.
Not sure what to cut for it though. I wish it were a human for that subtheme. Most of my red 2-drops are humans now and I don't really want to cut one of them. Maybe I cut Abbot of Keral Keep? I would certainly not cut Aether Chaser though. That guy is the bomb. Top 5 red 2-drops.
Collective Defiance is ok. I really wish it would either cost 2R or be an instant. I don't expect it to hold out much longer, even though it is not really bad. The flexibility is nice. It's just that the cost is a little bit too fair for a traditional cube.
When I was in school, I was on a protest against/for a school reform (can't quite remember which one it was). Later, I was to a few protests against neo-nazi demonstrations. **** (neo-)nazis.
I've recently realized that I run only two white 4-drop creatures and was thinking about giving Gisela, the Broken Blade a try after all. This might be a more interesting option.
And yes, having vigilance is absolutely essential. I wouldn't even consider this card if it didn't have that ability. Fortunately, it has, making those activated abilites a lot less costly.
This is a rather interesting red card. I would certainly like him in a Wildfire or ramp deck. However, there are at least half a dozen red 5-drops that I would run over him, so he just loses to the competition.
This slot got really stuffed lately. I remember when there was quite a drop-off after Siege-Gang Commander and now I want to run more red 5-drops than I have room.
This is expensive and I really wish it had a 5th toughness. That being said, this has a lot of synergy with Draw 7s / Skullclamp / Opposition / Purphoros.
I am attracted to those interactions, too. Surely, some fun can be had with this card.
I currently run Keranos, God of Storms which this would have replaced if it were a little bit more pushed. The god itself needed haste, too. Or that 5th toughness. Or only cost five mana, to make a really greedy wish. Since none of those are true, I fear that it just not powerful enough to enter my list. Even though it has some fun interactions.
I excluded Opposition from my cube for a few years, because I thought that the double blue cost didn't go well with the demand for a large number of creatures. And my blue section didn't play well with creatures at the time. I reincluded it when I tried to push blue into a new direction and after more great token makers were made. Boom! It had an even higher impact than I imagined. A few years before, it rarely got picked and now it was the centerpiece of many decks. It can lead to unfun situations, but I've also seen comebacks from under an opposition-lock and it does make certain deckbuilding demands. This means that I am fine with running it, even though few cards in my cube have let to as many concessions (in the sense of rage quits) as this card.
And the original artwork is just fantastic. Urza block has the best art of the whole game, imo.
I was completely baffled when they announced that they would scrap the two block model after less than two years. I think it was a definite improvement over the old model and deserved a chance despite having some hickups. Completely abandoning blocks after two decades is just... wow. I think not mixing sets will lead to better draft formats, the reinclusion of the coreset will lead to a better standard metagame and having story arcs span anything from one to three sets will make for some better stories. So, I think the change is an improvement. However, I am still shocked about the loss of blocks and the short time the two block model got.
Until the lategame, this acts as a less mana-intensive Cancel. And once your opponent has enough mana, it can be swapped for something better at instant speed. I like it.
Kinjalli's Sunwing
2W
Creature - Dinosaur
Flying
Creatures your opponents control enter the battlefield tapped.
2/3
Slightly larger, flying Imposing Sovereign. This is a definite inclusion for me. I love this effect for WX aggressive decks. Flying and +2 toughness is a fair upgrade for an additional 1. Less relevant creature type, but that is a very small concern.
The effect that Cogwork Librarian has during a draft is pretty cool, but I really don't like running a card that has zero chance of getting maindecked. Would cube this if it cost 3. I would feel silly for cubing it as printed though.
I run a few conspiracies and draft-matter cards in my cube. I did cut half the conspiracies that I tried for being too powerful though. Too bad that a lot of those cards from the Conspiracy sets come with logistical issues. Cards that require written notes are instantly rejected. Not coming with such issues is certainly a plus for Cogwork Librarian. The effect is pretty clean and well designed.
Certainly a cool card mechanically, but I don't have a slot for a 5-drop like this in Rakdos. If only this would cost 3BB... I mean, it is perfectly in line with the color pie as a mono-black card. And I would have had a slot in black for sure.
I don't get what the problem with the name is?
What annoys me is that it is an always active non-indestructible god. That really devalues the theme of being a god. So far, being a god meant something. Now it seems that any impressive creature can be a god.
Seems close to Vendilion Clique to me. High power evasive flash creature is a great answer to opposing planeswalkers. Also presents a rather fast clock the opponent doesn't see coming. Sure, it loses the pseudo-Thoughtseize etb trigger, but is becomes splashable and also an answer to some powerful cards that are already on the board (like Deed, a ready to ultimate planeswalker, etc).
Count(er) me in as well.
I wish The Locust God was this pushed.
Not sure what to cut for it though. I wish it were a human for that subtheme. Most of my red 2-drops are humans now and I don't really want to cut one of them. Maybe I cut Abbot of Keral Keep? I would certainly not cut Aether Chaser though. That guy is the bomb. Top 5 red 2-drops.
When I was in school, I was on a protest against/for a school reform (can't quite remember which one it was). Later, I was to a few protests against neo-nazi demonstrations. **** (neo-)nazis.
And yes, having vigilance is absolutely essential. I wouldn't even consider this card if it didn't have that ability. Fortunately, it has, making those activated abilites a lot less costly.
This slot got really stuffed lately. I remember when there was quite a drop-off after Siege-Gang Commander and now I want to run more red 5-drops than I have room.
I am attracted to those interactions, too. Surely, some fun can be had with this card.
I currently run Keranos, God of Storms which this would have replaced if it were a little bit more pushed. The god itself needed haste, too. Or that 5th toughness. Or only cost five mana, to make a really greedy wish. Since none of those are true, I fear that it just not powerful enough to enter my list. Even though it has some fun interactions.
And the original artwork is just fantastic. Urza block has the best art of the whole game, imo.
I was completely baffled when they announced that they would scrap the two block model after less than two years. I think it was a definite improvement over the old model and deserved a chance despite having some hickups. Completely abandoning blocks after two decades is just... wow. I think not mixing sets will lead to better draft formats, the reinclusion of the coreset will lead to a better standard metagame and having story arcs span anything from one to three sets will make for some better stories. So, I think the change is an improvement. However, I am still shocked about the loss of blocks and the short time the two block model got.
Scatter to the Winds seems like a good cut for this.
Kinjalli's Sunwing
2W
Creature - Dinosaur
Flying
Creatures your opponents control enter the battlefield tapped.
2/3
Slightly larger, flying Imposing Sovereign. This is a definite inclusion for me. I love this effect for WX aggressive decks. Flying and +2 toughness is a fair upgrade for an additional 1. Less relevant creature type, but that is a very small concern.
I run a few conspiracies and draft-matter cards in my cube. I did cut half the conspiracies that I tried for being too powerful though. Too bad that a lot of those cards from the Conspiracy sets come with logistical issues. Cards that require written notes are instantly rejected. Not coming with such issues is certainly a plus for Cogwork Librarian. The effect is pretty clean and well designed.
I don't get what the problem with the name is?
What annoys me is that it is an always active non-indestructible god. That really devalues the theme of being a god. So far, being a god meant something. Now it seems that any impressive creature can be a god.