I don't think it's better as bouncing your own creatures is a real application (maybe not the main, but it has been done plenty) and playing it out onto a dead board seems just as if not more niche, but it's definitely awesome and I'm definitely excited to run it.
This was one of my first thoughts but I think the "always loot" maxim applies and the effect is neutral. There is an equal chance that you mill stuff they don't want in their graveyard (their reanimation effects, etc.) as there is that you mill stuff they do want (fatties).
Depends on the percentages, as looting is a bit different since I get the choice of what I keep. If there are 2 reanimation spells left and 3+ reanimation targets/things that care about the GY, the math on that never works out in favor of hurting my opponent. At best you have the neutral 'always loot' aspect against decks where they can't use the GY, but that's a poor ceiling.
I can't count how many times a card has vastly under or overperformed over the years. Especially weird ones, like vehicles or good auras.
So, theory only gets you so far.
Definitely. It's close to impossible to get a real sample size that could be considered accurate with a card while playing in person or just playing regularly in general.
I have 31 in a 540. As much as I think 'slippery slope' is a real concept, PWer density is not one I apply it to especially since I could see myself cutting a number of them in the future and not necessarily for more PWers.
I’m pretty maxed out on planeswalkers / 2-cmc mana rocks and my meta is still very healthy and aggro is still one of the most consistently winning archetypes. If your cube has aggressive strategies from Goblin Guide to Oath of Druids, planeswalker saturation shouldn’t be a problem.
It helps in your cube to have the higher powered stuff which is frankly fine but also puts pressure on the durdle do-nothing PWer superfriends decks that can show up. There are some unpowered lists where it might be oppressive--see some MODO lists where highpowered spells are removed but there are a million PWerss--but when I can channel or tinker or aggro etc it then the slower aspects of planeswalkers don't grind everything else/dominate the format.
Hitting lands is overall a pretty niche application--you want to hit creatures since green has no real creature removal, and then the rest of the options. I don't run it anymore as is played out like a bad expensive path to exile that you could counter. The other day for example my opponent song'd my opposition, and then I flickerwhisp'd the opposition back, and just one of the multiple common ways Song can be nullified. Unlike O-Ring, I can't pay for my Flickerwhisp with O-Ring.
Too much great music! This is my Spotify ever-growing playlist of all songs I've enjoyed from the past or new ones I've found through their discover feature:
Honden is like this card except more consistent at the cost of flashyness, and I'm not going to maybe win a game off the milling at the cost of fueling my opponent's GY shenanigans.
TBH it hasn't felt like a problem yet, so I haven't really thought about it. It helps that I like planeswalkers unlike some cube owners, so I'm not really looking for a reason to reduce them. I like the amount I have, and I would be open to expanding though not by extreme amounts.
How many 5 mana blue win conditions do we need? Probably one of the tightest spots in cube, it takes serious business to crack into that spot. Mystic Confluence, Bribery, Treachery, Meloku the Clouded Mirror, honorary always-splash-this card Fractured Identity, depending on if you have un-cards there's another set with Arcane Savant and our blue god Clocknapper. Even Tidings, not played by a lot of people, is probably overall better since you get the cards and move on with your life. It would be tough to justify a spot for a card that's really only good in one match up where those other cards are still pretty good there too. The power level on this feels kinda low compared to these options, with 5 mana cards I need to be incentivized to pick & play them and it's tough to find a good reason here.
I still run it, but it's my next cut. After playing a bunch of decks where it should be good, it ended up being just worst than other filtering and draw effects. I would re-add it if I ever went to 720, but I don't see myself making that decision.
My Spellbook (things I've been playing a lot lately/forever):
I feel like it'll compare poorly to e.g. Tidings outside of grindy control mirrors.
Yeah I think drawing 4 once for the same cost is prob better, especially since milling my opponent is only as bad as their deck lets it be. Considering I haven't seen a tidings in a 540 or less in years, I imagine this has tough competition even at bigger builds.
The cost is the real difference, Aerther Adept would've been much easier to play at 2U
Depends on the percentages, as looting is a bit different since I get the choice of what I keep. If there are 2 reanimation spells left and 3+ reanimation targets/things that care about the GY, the math on that never works out in favor of hurting my opponent. At best you have the neutral 'always loot' aspect against decks where they can't use the GY, but that's a poor ceiling.
Definitely. It's close to impossible to get a real sample size that could be considered accurate with a card while playing in person or just playing regularly in general.
It helps in your cube to have the higher powered stuff which is frankly fine but also puts pressure on the durdle do-nothing PWer superfriends decks that can show up. There are some unpowered lists where it might be oppressive--see some MODO lists where highpowered spells are removed but there are a million PWerss--but when I can channel or tinker or aggro etc it then the slower aspects of planeswalkers don't grind everything else/dominate the format.
Too much great music! This is my Spotify ever-growing playlist of all songs I've enjoyed from the past or new ones I've found through their discover feature:
https://open.spotify.com/user/salmoilla/playlist/3QSfz207EYTHW8xyVoxZUA?si=GseT76I7SwqFtazNfZS9RQ
In other decks with without this, this could be *****.
As much as I'm 'meh' on Kalitas, at least he's a stats monster I don't have to pay extra costs for.
Honden is like this card except more consistent at the cost of flashyness, and I'm not going to maybe win a game off the milling at the cost of fueling my opponent's GY shenanigans.
My Spellbook (things I've been playing a lot lately/forever):
Purphoros
Monastery Mentor
Recurring Nightmare
Fractured Identity
Fiery Confluence
Dark Confidant
Dack Fayden
Strip Mine
Yeah I think drawing 4 once for the same cost is prob better, especially since milling my opponent is only as bad as their deck lets it be. Considering I haven't seen a tidings in a 540 or less in years, I imagine this has tough competition even at bigger builds.
Also, is that an 18% chance of drawing 0 cards?