Is this the smallest/cheapest demon to date?
Not counting changelings, of course.
I wouldn't mind having this "different mana cost matters" becoming a recurring mechanic in the future.
There are two 2 CMC demons Rakshasa Deathdealer from Khans and the undying switch sides one from Avacyn Treacherous Pit-Dweller been at least a handful of 3 CMC ones before like the 5/5 flier that drew opponents cards, the 4/3 flier that saced your other creatures and I think there was a -1/-1 counter themed one from Amonkhet. Being a 0/0 though kinda makes smallest an easy win though lol.
Split cards have a combined CMC of both halves in any place other than the stack, so you don't get 1 and 3 for Incubation // Incongruity, instead you get 4 CMC. Surveil I think is the keyword/deck archetype that this may have a place in.
I think the potential issue of the card is that it checks the graveyard when it ETB, but doesn't change with the graveyard like Tarmogoyf does. Goyf entering on curve as a 1/2 is common but shortly becomes a 4/5 or 5/6. Playing this on curve as a 2/2 or 3/3 is okay, but I'd assume isn't great -- whereas if it continuously checked I think it would be heavily played even if a gravewipe turned into a kill spell against him. I feel like a 2/2 flying deathtouch that could grow to 5/5/ or 6/6 would be nice. Past 6/6 is kind irrelavant without trample and the gravehate to kill would have been a good drawback. As is it's harder to kill, but limits the upside. I think it's a decent finisher if you are a counterspell deck and the low cmc allows you to drop your finisher on 6 mana and hold up a counter, but with three CMC Teferi counters aren't in a great place so I'm not sure how played this could be. I think Surveil control is the shell though, just likely poorly placed against Teferi metagame.
Reanimate would resolve and drain you before the Demon is in play I am pretty sure.
This is incorrect.
Life loss is counted as the converted mana cost when the creature is in the graveyard, but is paid when the creature is on the battlefield. So like a current example is Platinum Emperion where you check and see to pay 8 life while it's in the graveyard, but then it comes into play and Reanimate then asks you to pay the 8 life and that is in that case not paid as the Emperion says your life total can not change. So with this Vilis, Broker of Blood Reanimate would see Vilis in the graveyard and say it will cost 8, then Vilis comes into play and you pay 8, Vilis sees this and you draw 8 cards.
edit: went back to finish reading and saw it's already addressed there though so my bad for an extra post. I could see this potentially being a reason to switch Legacy Reanimator back to UB from RB as this makes Force of Will cantrip and you will be doing Force fights to make your creature not eat a Swords. It's also sweet that your Thoughtseize is B they discard a nonland your your choice (or you dump another target to reanimate from your hand) and then you draw two cards, and fetchlands cantrip. Reanimator is going to be sweet and blue over red gives Show and Tell to give an out to gravehate.
Really like this card and I think it is strong. Future printings of cards could break this card which makes it a speculative pick near the end of it's rotation cycle if it didn't make a slash in standard (ie. a Griselbrand like card but Vampire would make this an insane Show and Tell). The card should have a strong casual appeal too. The most fun Christmas land I thought of is below.
If you're in a world with Dark Ritual, I think the Dark Ritual into this into Morophon, the Boundless into The First Sliver is the makings of a T1 kill. Just cascade into four smaller slivers (plus play whatever no-generic-component slivers in your hand and cascade off those), some of which make other slivers bigger and one of which gives slivers haste... and whammo.
I mean, Morophon, First Sliver, and Cloudthresher Sliver alone would swing for 17 in the air.
The First Sliver isn't on the battlefield by the time the card you cascade into is cast though (so it doesn't yet have Cascade), so the stringing them together on cascade won't work. Swamp, Dark Ritual, Sorin, Morophon, First Sliver, Cloudshredder Sliver is 6 cards and 3 damage off which can be hit off the cascade (which can hit Dark Ritual or Sorin) with like another sliver. In 6 card sliver Christmas land the following works for 20+ (not needing the cascade or the 7th card)
Swamp + Dark Ritual + Sorin + Morophon, the Boundless + Sliver Legion + Cloudshredder Sliver (Morophon 8/8, Sliver Legion 10/10, Cloudshredder Sliver 4/4). That's the same number of cards as the Defiant Bloodlord version (swamp, forest, dark rit, sorin, defiant bloodlord, feed the clan), but a turn 1 instead of 2 in exchange for one of the six cards being a max 4 of over a land that taps for green (easier to draw so more likely).
Really like this card and I think it is strong. Future printings of cards could break this card which makes it a speculative pick near the end of it's rotation cycle if it didn't make a slash in standard (ie. a Griselbrand like card but Vampire would make this an insane Show and Tell). The card should have a strong casual appeal too. The most fun Christmas land I thought of is below.
mono-green Lands deck or splash another color could be a nice semi-budget legacy deck now (Manabond and Root Maze [Root Maze is good witht he budget Wastelands like Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin] instead of Mox Diamonds and Exploration and no dual lands, with this as the budget win con instead of Dark Depths since going wide is an option since no Tabernacle of Pendrell Vale and this helps witht he go wide strategies like Tabernacle does [obviously worse but much more budget friendly] to trim price significantly). Sea Gate Wreckage would also be very nice in a mono-green Manabonds budget list.
A deck with these cards and Mirrodin Besieged could have some pretty epic plays/turns. Mirrodin side with Paradoxical makes guys and draws cards, then add Urza and all the Baubles, Petals and LEDs are Mox Sapphires (and the Mirrodin side tokens tap for blue too). This can then draw into more 0 drops and more Paradoxical to continue going off. Six mana cast Timetwister mode of Echo of Eons draw into Lion's Eye Diamond and more 0 drops, cast them then Tap LED for blue then sac it for three more blue and flashback Echo. Get Paradoxical Outcome, tap 0 drops repeat. Have 2 Training Grounds by now? Start using the Mind's Desire mode of Urza for 1 colorless, and if you hit an artifact tap it to float a blue and repeat. Hit Paradoxical? Have fun, hit Echo? Have more fun. Then you end up with Mirrodin Besieged and if no grave hate end step win with Phyrexians, and if there is grave hate keep going until you have a swarm of tokens to attack for lethal next turn. Have only one Mirrodin Besieged in the deck but you played it on Mirrodin for blocks to survive in the game? Paradoxical it back then switch it to Phyrexian. Seems fun.
Not sure if it is a real deck, but it seems as real as High Tide potentially to me.
Seems like it could work in Dream Halls but the deck would be reworked pretty hard to get high quality Guild pair cards in I would think. I assume you'd pick blue as your base and then the guilds you are mainly looking at are Dimir, Izzet, Simic, and Azorious. There is probably enough control and combo elements in those pairs to figure something out from that.
Aurelia, the Warleader + Brago, King Eternal is one two "guild" combo that I can think of, but Brago would need to be able to attack (and connect) and I can't really think of another guild card + guild card combo this could draw into, but I'm sure there is something (ideally not Izzet + Izzet or whatever).
This can go pretty hard with Thousand-Year Storm. I am not sure which cards are really legal with it off the top of my head but like Preordain into Shock into this for 4 CMC (that's the 6 mana used to cast TYS) is 1 preordain, 2 shocks, 3 Finale of Promise which then casts that Shock (4 more copies) and Preordain (5 more copies) and all the 1 and 2 mana instant and sorceries you've cast to stay alive until you resolved TYS. Just at this point Lightning Strike is lethal.
Emrakul, the Aeon's Torn has protection for colored spells, so your Aether Flux can not target it. Just a heads up if you are theory crafting before buying the cards. If you have them already, like the other poster said the core of your deck looks like Tinfins. You run more Emrakul's than Tinfins though, so if you want to keep the high density maybe consider something like Show and Tell to have an alternate route and an out to grave hate. One card I think you might want to consider is Unmask. Sometimes you have exactsy mana and want to see if they can stop you and Unmask helps, others you have Griselbrand, Goryo's, Goyro's in hand and Unmask works there to target yourself to discard Griselbrand (pitching the extra Goyro's).
I don't intend to be super competitive, but I've been thinking about the old school engine of Squandered Resources and Natural Balance with a suite of 5 drops including Titania, Protector of Argoth and The Gitrog Monster. I figured since Nic Fit (I used to play it years ago) fairly easily supports 5 drop creatures and Resources/Balance operates somewhat similarly to Cabal Therapy/Veteran Explorer perhaps a mashup could work.
There are some Christmas-land lines like
T1: Forest, Veteran Explorer
T2: Swamp, Diabolic Intent (Find Natural Balance or Squandered Resources), Forest, Swamp, Squandered Resources
T3: float GGBB, sac to float GGBB. Natural Balance get 5 basics untapped, The Gitrog Monster, sac a land to float another mana and draw a card, Protector of Aragoth, return land, sac lands to draw+make a 5/3+float mana either on your turn or opponents end step.
T4: Attack with all the 5/3s
The Gitrog Monster + Raven's Crime + Dakmor Salvage can annihilate the opponents hand. You pitch the Salvage to Ravens Crime then use Gitrogs draw to dredge the Salvage to repeat.
World Shaper brings a ton of lands back once you run out or just need a lot because The Gitrog Monster leaves you with a ton of card advantage and you want to cast those cards.
Assassin's Trophy is pretty insane given Natural Balance and Veteran's Explorer are already giving opponents basics. Already going to be testing this really different version of Nic Fit so I figured I'd try a fun of Lotus Vale which could draw 2 or make 2 5/3's if it's played after the late game creatures. Something like the following line could happen I guess?
1. Forest
2. Swamp + Squandered Resources
3. Nature's Balance, use 3 of the five lands to make mana then sac 2 (or 3) of the tapped lands to cast (or GSZ) Gitrog or Titania then land drop Lotus Vale for turn draw 2 or make two 5/3 for turn, then you have GGG or BBB + sac option for additional plays (Another Natural Balance?! lol).
I don't know, thought about it for a while yesterday and bought the cards and figured I'd post for some ideas. My other current legacy decks are also worth less than $400 and are Budget Elves (no Gaea's Craddle) and Manaless Dredge. I figure this should be at least on power level with those two, and therefore perhaps worth sharing.
EDIT:
I got the cards and sleeved them up to essentially gold fish against manaless dredge, and had an insane turn two. Much more explosive potential than I initially realized although things have to line up correctly. I had Veteran Explorer turn one, then turn two was Diabolic intent, then Squandered Resources off the explorer's lands. Then sac 4 to get 5 from Natural Balance cast The Gitrog Monster sacd five (draw 5) floating 1 and casting Natural Balance getting five, continuing to float mana and the five lands to Green Sun's Zenith into World Shaper, then sac'd the 5 lands and cast Recurring Nightmare with 3 floating, sac'd the World Shaper for the Veteran Explorer and returned 14ish lands and then with the ability to repeat the Recurring Nightmare loop for World Shaper I can draw and cast my entire deck at will, which involves Raven's Crime + Dakmor Salvage (Gitrog Draw to Dredge Dakmor back, and triggering on it hitting the grave as well as when sac swamps for black to cast Ravens Crime) to remove their hand, Eternal Witness getting back Assassin's Trophy to destroy all of opponent's permanents, and Scavenging Ooze to exile their graveyard, as well as make as many 5/3 elementals as I want to attack with next turn with Titania, Protector of Argoth. Insane and obviously won't happen frequently and is poor to go for against a deck with counters, but absolutely insane power and speed out of a Nic Fit shell.
This is where I am at in testing. I have had a lot of fun goldfishing it and would like some feedback before taking it to FNM. Depose has acted as a slow the game cantrip which I like the idea of as we want to stall while we play lands and our endgame enchantments (and Primal Amulet), while the other half Deploy seems fun while storming. Although it isn't instant win making the creatures, the life gain is fairly obnoxious (2, then 4, then 6, then 8 if you have cast three spells before which is 20 life and 8 1/1 flying thopters). I like the idea of Deploy as a turn three play after an Electromancer as well gaining 3 life and getting some blockers. Emergency Powers looks like a lot of fun in a storm deck. Watching some Youtube videos of last Guilds of Ravnica era Thousand Year Storm decks they seemed to have issues getting a critical mass of cards once they have survived long enough to land their enchantment level end game cards. Emergency Powers at 7 during the mainphase refills the hand (and cost less than 7 for each Electromancer) and then drops something like Thousand Year Storm, Wilderness Reclamation (which then untaps the lands you used to cast Emergency Powers), Primal Amulet, or if you missed on those an Electromancer or land. It's been a lot of fun goldfishing, and I hope it has potential at FNM. I haven't found anything online of a similar idea so I thought I'd make a thread.
Been meaning to do this for a while, and this seems like a good time to start.
Basically, this is an idea for a monthly "Power Rankings" for individual cards in Standard, as determined by the prevalence of individual cards in the Top 8 of major tournaments (defined as 3-star and higher on MTGTop8). I intend to do a four month weighted cycle, but for this debut issue, its only three, so covering tournaments for December, November, and October.
All in all, 212 different nonland cards made top 8s in the last 3 months. Here's the Top 50, along with the Top 10 nonbasic lands.
I haven't been in the game for a while, and wanted to read this thread so I added card tags to know what some of these cards do. Apologies for lacking content.
There are two 2 CMC demons Rakshasa Deathdealer from Khans and the undying switch sides one from Avacyn Treacherous Pit-Dweller been at least a handful of 3 CMC ones before like the 5/5 flier that drew opponents cards, the 4/3 flier that saced your other creatures and I think there was a -1/-1 counter themed one from Amonkhet. Being a 0/0 though kinda makes smallest an easy win though lol.
I think the potential issue of the card is that it checks the graveyard when it ETB, but doesn't change with the graveyard like Tarmogoyf does. Goyf entering on curve as a 1/2 is common but shortly becomes a 4/5 or 5/6. Playing this on curve as a 2/2 or 3/3 is okay, but I'd assume isn't great -- whereas if it continuously checked I think it would be heavily played even if a gravewipe turned into a kill spell against him. I feel like a 2/2 flying deathtouch that could grow to 5/5/ or 6/6 would be nice. Past 6/6 is kind irrelavant without trample and the gravehate to kill would have been a good drawback. As is it's harder to kill, but limits the upside. I think it's a decent finisher if you are a counterspell deck and the low cmc allows you to drop your finisher on 6 mana and hold up a counter, but with three CMC Teferi counters aren't in a great place so I'm not sure how played this could be. I think Surveil control is the shell though, just likely poorly placed against Teferi metagame.
This is incorrect.
Life loss is counted as the converted mana cost when the creature is in the graveyard, but is paid when the creature is on the battlefield. So like a current example is Platinum Emperion where you check and see to pay 8 life while it's in the graveyard, but then it comes into play and Reanimate then asks you to pay the 8 life and that is in that case not paid as the Emperion says your life total can not change. So with this Vilis, Broker of Blood Reanimate would see Vilis in the graveyard and say it will cost 8, then Vilis comes into play and you pay 8, Vilis sees this and you draw 8 cards.
edit: went back to finish reading and saw it's already addressed there though so my bad for an extra post. I could see this potentially being a reason to switch Legacy Reanimator back to UB from RB as this makes Force of Will cantrip and you will be doing Force fights to make your creature not eat a Swords. It's also sweet that your Thoughtseize is B they discard a nonland your your choice (or you dump another target to reanimate from your hand) and then you draw two cards, and fetchlands cantrip. Reanimator is going to be sweet and blue over red gives Show and Tell to give an out to gravehate.
The First Sliver isn't on the battlefield by the time the card you cascade into is cast though (so it doesn't yet have Cascade), so the stringing them together on cascade won't work. Swamp, Dark Ritual, Sorin, Morophon, First Sliver, Cloudshredder Sliver is 6 cards and 3 damage off which can be hit off the cascade (which can hit Dark Ritual or Sorin) with like another sliver. In 6 card sliver Christmas land the following works for 20+ (not needing the cascade or the 7th card)
Swamp + Dark Ritual + Sorin + Morophon, the Boundless + Sliver Legion + Cloudshredder Sliver (Morophon 8/8, Sliver Legion 10/10, Cloudshredder Sliver 4/4). That's the same number of cards as the Defiant Bloodlord version (swamp, forest, dark rit, sorin, defiant bloodlord, feed the clan), but a turn 1 instead of 2 in exchange for one of the six cards being a max 4 of over a land that taps for green (easier to draw so more likely).
Turn 1: Swamp, Dark Ritual, Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord, -3, Defiant Bloodlord
Turn 2: Forest, Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord first +1 on Defiant Bloodlord making it 5/6 Flying, Lifelink, Deathtouch, Feed the Clan gaining 10, trigger Defiant Bloodlord dealing 10, attack, dealing 5, lifelink gain 5, trigger Defiant Bloodlord deal 5 for 20.
mono-green Lands deck or splash another color could be a nice semi-budget legacy deck now (Manabond and Root Maze [Root Maze is good witht he budget Wastelands like Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin] instead of Mox Diamonds and Exploration and no dual lands, with this as the budget win con instead of Dark Depths since going wide is an option since no Tabernacle of Pendrell Vale and this helps witht he go wide strategies like Tabernacle does [obviously worse but much more budget friendly] to trim price significantly). Sea Gate Wreckage would also be very nice in a mono-green Manabonds budget list.
A deck with these cards and Mirrodin Besieged could have some pretty epic plays/turns. Mirrodin side with Paradoxical makes guys and draws cards, then add Urza and all the Baubles, Petals and LEDs are Mox Sapphires (and the Mirrodin side tokens tap for blue too). This can then draw into more 0 drops and more Paradoxical to continue going off. Six mana cast Timetwister mode of Echo of Eons draw into Lion's Eye Diamond and more 0 drops, cast them then Tap LED for blue then sac it for three more blue and flashback Echo. Get Paradoxical Outcome, tap 0 drops repeat. Have 2 Training Grounds by now? Start using the Mind's Desire mode of Urza for 1 colorless, and if you hit an artifact tap it to float a blue and repeat. Hit Paradoxical? Have fun, hit Echo? Have more fun. Then you end up with Mirrodin Besieged and if no grave hate end step win with Phyrexians, and if there is grave hate keep going until you have a swarm of tokens to attack for lethal next turn. Have only one Mirrodin Besieged in the deck but you played it on Mirrodin for blocks to survive in the game? Paradoxical it back then switch it to Phyrexian. Seems fun.
Not sure if it is a real deck, but it seems as real as High Tide potentially to me.
Daenerys?
Aurelia, the Warleader + Brago, King Eternal is one two "guild" combo that I can think of, but Brago would need to be able to attack (and connect) and I can't really think of another guild card + guild card combo this could draw into, but I'm sure there is something (ideally not Izzet + Izzet or whatever).
Right?
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Eternal Witness
1 World Shaper
3 The Gitrog Monster
1 Titania, Protector of Argoth
2 Raven's Crime
4 Cabal Therapy
3 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Diabolic Intent
2 Assassin's Trophy
1 Garruk Relentless
4 Natural Balance
4 Squandered Resources
3 Pernicious Deed
1 Recurring Nightmare
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Dakmor Salvage
1 Lotus Vale
10 Forest
9 Swamp
I don't intend to be super competitive, but I've been thinking about the old school engine of Squandered Resources and Natural Balance with a suite of 5 drops including Titania, Protector of Argoth and The Gitrog Monster. I figured since Nic Fit (I used to play it years ago) fairly easily supports 5 drop creatures and Resources/Balance operates somewhat similarly to Cabal Therapy/Veteran Explorer perhaps a mashup could work.
There are some Christmas-land lines like
T1: Forest, Veteran Explorer
T2: Swamp, Diabolic Intent (Find Natural Balance or Squandered Resources), Forest, Swamp, Squandered Resources
T3: float GGBB, sac to float GGBB. Natural Balance get 5 basics untapped, The Gitrog Monster, sac a land to float another mana and draw a card, Protector of Aragoth, return land, sac lands to draw+make a 5/3+float mana either on your turn or opponents end step.
T4: Attack with all the 5/3s
The Gitrog Monster + Raven's Crime + Dakmor Salvage can annihilate the opponents hand. You pitch the Salvage to Ravens Crime then use Gitrogs draw to dredge the Salvage to repeat.
World Shaper brings a ton of lands back once you run out or just need a lot because The Gitrog Monster leaves you with a ton of card advantage and you want to cast those cards.
Assassin's Trophy is pretty insane given Natural Balance and Veteran's Explorer are already giving opponents basics. Already going to be testing this really different version of Nic Fit so I figured I'd try a fun of Lotus Vale which could draw 2 or make 2 5/3's if it's played after the late game creatures. Something like the following line could happen I guess?
1. Forest
2. Swamp + Squandered Resources
3. Nature's Balance, use 3 of the five lands to make mana then sac 2 (or 3) of the tapped lands to cast (or GSZ) Gitrog or Titania then land drop Lotus Vale for turn draw 2 or make two 5/3 for turn, then you have GGG or BBB + sac option for additional plays (Another Natural Balance?! lol).
I don't know, thought about it for a while yesterday and bought the cards and figured I'd post for some ideas. My other current legacy decks are also worth less than $400 and are Budget Elves (no Gaea's Craddle) and Manaless Dredge. I figure this should be at least on power level with those two, and therefore perhaps worth sharing.
EDIT:
I got the cards and sleeved them up to essentially gold fish against manaless dredge, and had an insane turn two. Much more explosive potential than I initially realized although things have to line up correctly. I had Veteran Explorer turn one, then turn two was Diabolic intent, then Squandered Resources off the explorer's lands. Then sac 4 to get 5 from Natural Balance cast The Gitrog Monster sacd five (draw 5) floating 1 and casting Natural Balance getting five, continuing to float mana and the five lands to Green Sun's Zenith into World Shaper, then sac'd the 5 lands and cast Recurring Nightmare with 3 floating, sac'd the World Shaper for the Veteran Explorer and returned 14ish lands and then with the ability to repeat the Recurring Nightmare loop for World Shaper I can draw and cast my entire deck at will, which involves Raven's Crime + Dakmor Salvage (Gitrog Draw to Dredge Dakmor back, and triggering on it hitting the grave as well as when sac swamps for black to cast Ravens Crime) to remove their hand, Eternal Witness getting back Assassin's Trophy to destroy all of opponent's permanents, and Scavenging Ooze to exile their graveyard, as well as make as many 5/3 elementals as I want to attack with next turn with Titania, Protector of Argoth. Insane and obviously won't happen frequently and is poor to go for against a deck with counters, but absolutely insane power and speed out of a Nic Fit shell.
4 Goblin Electromancer
Instants (23)
4 Opt
4 Shock
3 Radical Idea
2 Lightning Strike
1 Mission Briefing
1 Revitalize
3 Depose // Deploy
2 Chemister's Insight
2 Expansion // Explosion
1 Emergency Powers
Enchantments (9)
2 Search for Azcanta
4 Wilderness Reclamation
3 Thousand-Year Storm
1 Primal Amulet
Lands (23)
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Breeding Pool
4 Sulfur Falls
2 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Grounds
2 Glacial Fortress
2 Hinterland Harbor
1 Plains
1 Forest
1 Island
1 Mountain
2 Chemister's Insight
3 Invoke the Divine
1 Revitalize
2 Lightning Strike
3 Negate
4 Electrostatic Field
This is where I am at in testing. I have had a lot of fun goldfishing it and would like some feedback before taking it to FNM. Depose has acted as a slow the game cantrip which I like the idea of as we want to stall while we play lands and our endgame enchantments (and Primal Amulet), while the other half Deploy seems fun while storming. Although it isn't instant win making the creatures, the life gain is fairly obnoxious (2, then 4, then 6, then 8 if you have cast three spells before which is 20 life and 8 1/1 flying thopters). I like the idea of Deploy as a turn three play after an Electromancer as well gaining 3 life and getting some blockers. Emergency Powers looks like a lot of fun in a storm deck. Watching some Youtube videos of last Guilds of Ravnica era Thousand Year Storm decks they seemed to have issues getting a critical mass of cards once they have survived long enough to land their enchantment level end game cards. Emergency Powers at 7 during the mainphase refills the hand (and cost less than 7 for each Electromancer) and then drops something like Thousand Year Storm, Wilderness Reclamation (which then untaps the lands you used to cast Emergency Powers), Primal Amulet, or if you missed on those an Electromancer or land. It's been a lot of fun goldfishing, and I hope it has potential at FNM. I haven't found anything online of a similar idea so I thought I'd make a thread.
I haven't been in the game for a while, and wanted to read this thread so I added card tags to know what some of these cards do. Apologies for lacking content.