We've got a really great little set of cards to discuss this week, and I'm pretty excited to have our resident sojourner Venser's Journalist back from traversing the planes to join Grandpa Growth and me as we tackle what has turned out to be a bunch of blue cards. Good thing I came prepared.
And since we play Fight Club rules here on The Stack, AND it's VJ's first night, we're going to make him fight last. Cause that's how The Stack works. Last in, First out.
So let's make like Autobots, Ludacris, and various Rock/Ground Type Pokemon and ROLLOUT!
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| "Me and my homies, like Donphan/ So much money, you can't stop that." If you don't like my Super Friends, then go build your own Legion of Doom. |
ON THE STACK!
VENSER'S JOURNALIST'S PICKS
This card has seen tons of use in standard formats, but the transition into EDH has been rough at best. The biggest problem I see with Detention Sphere is the fact that it's just a glorified O Ring. Also, you can't Detention Sphere a Detention Sphere (which may not necessarily be a bad thing, considering the multiple O Ring loops I've seen in silly EDH games against four other white decks). The good in this card is the fact that it is a token/Rite of Rep/Followed Footsteps destroyer. Still, the 1WU cost might be tricky and the $3.49 price tag makes this not worth the trouble, unless you desperately need another O Ring effect.
Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
I'll play this card. I actually don't play a lot of O-Rings, but I like this better. Cause tokens and Infinite Reflection are things. Also, if you're feeling like building your own Maelstrom Pulse, Faith Healer and Auratog are nifty ways to get this off the battlefield before the second ability triggers. Similar to the way Tidehollow Sculler gets abused in the Modern Zombie deck.
Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
This card. Is not good for my sanity. Consider the separation: Oblivion Ring is a common. A very powerful one at that. Maelstrom Pulse is an enemy colored Rare that is a fixed/modernized version of an iconic and powerful from the past. Now from the other direction: O ring is light years ahead of Dark Banishing. D-sphere is 'cheaper' Maelstrom Pulse in my mind because it only requires ally colored mana. The balancing factor that made Vindicate acceptable was that is was a simple 1 for 1. Much like Counterspell, it could never be that out of control because you just trade straight up and go back to work; not much real advantage on paper. This takes things into a whole new dimension. Speaking of which, this card was perfectly named. It's O ring that loops infinitely in a new direction...into...a...sphere. BOOM FLAVOR BOMB!
Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
In EDH, mill is somewhat uncommon in terms of win condition. But if you're going for some serious mill, you need to get some crabs (Hedron, that is). Landfall has always been one of my favorite effects and this 0/2's ability is nothing short of devastating, especially if you can trigger multiple land drops per turn. Fill a deck full of fetch-lands and mana ramp, and you'll have a well-oiled milling machine.
Uncle Landdrops-THUMBS UP
Definitely willing to try and make this work. I do feel that this card is probably better in a more self-mill style game though. Getting cute with this on your opponents might make them want to Doom Blade it quickly. Especially if you're trying to get Lazav online.
Grandpa Growth- THUMBS DOWN
I am a little unclear about what I am supposed to be evaluating here. I thought we were talking about Magic cards. I am going to take this moment to talk about designing mill cards and why R&D never gets it right (cause it can't be done). Milling cards has almost zero marginal value. Even in situations where it can have value, the value is quantized in an irregular way. Value comes when you mill important things or when you mill them down to enough so they can no longer win with the cards they have left. Milling cards earlier is worse than milling cards later. If your opponent wants to draw a particular card from his deck (which is almost always true) then you are actually improving his chances of winning by milling him. So knowing all that, let's step back to how to design mill cards. How do you appropriately cost something like this? Here we have a one drop that can potentially mill infinite cards, but does so incrementally and at a controlled pace. Why is that so cheap? Because it is getting harder and harder for YOU to win the more times you do it. It should actually be getting CHEAPER as it goes, up until your opponent has 9-12 cards left then the cost should rise again. Need proof? Compare the cost, effect, and card economy of Traumatize, Memory Sluice, and Glimpse the Unthinkable. In my opinion, Traumatize and Archive Trap (for 0) are the only properly costed mill cards. Traumatize can't really kill and it's effect scales down the closer you get to milling them out, keeping the cost appropriate throughout the game. Archive trap is expensive, but easy to fall into. When your opponent plays around it (typically because they are in danger of being milled out) you can pay the blood price and kill them. CMC 5 is an established cost for cards that are lethal under particular conditions (see Time Warp).
Counterspells are crucial to any EDH deck that runs blue, and chances are, exiling spells would be even more helpful. Syncopate works great on telling those 9 and 10 drop creatures to take a hike, since you really only need two mana to make this card work. A minor drawback might be the fact that you were hoping to cancel a huge spell, but you find that you need to cancel someone's Doom Blade and that person's got plenty of Open mana. That's why Wizards made Dispel.
Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS DOWN
If I'm in the mood to be sadistic and bring a bunch of counterspells to the party, this guy will definitely be invited. Until that day though, I'd rather take my chances with Condescend instead. There are better options, but this card isn't bad. Just a matter of personal taste.
Grandpa Growth-THUMBS DOWN
I like the nostalgic name. I like the balance of the effect. There are just better options. I would rather have Condescend and Power Sink, or even Mana Leak, if I am going to play something like this, which I am not always on board with. VJ mentioned the plan of just 'getting them' when they tap out. Which is always a major victory, but it is much easier with something like Daze. People are less likely to tap out if you are representing counterspells. Let's be honest though, in the haymaker, big spell format, you can't afford to be inefficient with your mana. People tap out at every stage of the game, even when the coast isn't clear. Sometimes you just have to go for it to have any chance of winning. Eventually you figure out that your chances of winning are just better if YOU have the counterspell.
GRANDPA GROWTH's PICKS
Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
An excellent distraction card. A plan B that your opponent must deal with or it will win by itself. It draws removal away from your real threats. The key part is that unlike creature removal, people tend not to overload on Disenchant effects. So killing this has a more direct cost when you also control a Sword or Greaves. I don't even play much multiplayer either, where this card is usually better, if not more unpredictable.Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS DOWN
And I've rooted for this card, I promise you. Back when GG and I used to swap EDH Fisticuffs, he claimed that this card was good against his normally reactive control aspirations to play "Draw, Go," but it never was, and so I've evolved. Cause even if you get 2-3 counters on it, good players will find ways to screw you over big time. I've since removed it from all of my decks. Funny anecdote. I was playing a buddy of mine who played this card the other night thinking it was gonna wreck my face cause I didn't have any board position. Fortunately for me, I was playing fresh new Scepter of Empires tech cause of how well it works for Darien. Scepter of Empires: Luminarch's natural enemy. See also- Vampire Hexmage, Hex Parasite, and the aforementioned Disenchant.
Venser's Journalist- NOT SURE
This is a great distraction card indeed, but it seems a bit like a card that will paint targets on your face. As long as another player card deal you damage each turn, this card may not even be worth much stress on anyone's part. I really like spitting out Angel tokens, but Sigil of the Empty Throne might be more effective, assuming you run a lot of enchantments.
Conceding the disclaimer that this isn't what I'd call a multiplayer card, that is simply too dangerous for my tastes. In 1v1 however, this card, along with others like it, help create a powerful advantage in certain matchups. Breaking the symmetry is key, but that shouldn't be difficult against control decks. In certain matchups this is equivalent to Time Warp.
Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS DOWN (& Thumb's fine GG)
Definitely a political card with volatile power. My inner red player tells me that you're probably only playing this if you're trying to go off with Krenko (and seriously, no other Goblin Commander.) and kill the table in one turn. Or maybe you've got a Commander like Zedruu and you're having a FIRE SALE. But if you're just trying to get a fast Inferno Titan, play Mark of Fury instead. You're gonna like the way it works. I guarantee it.
Venser's Journalist- NOT SURE
There is a time and place for this card. Use it if you see your opponent's deck is not creature based. Don't you dare use it if you're up against Rhys the Redeemed, Goblins, or the like. But in multiplayer, this is probably going to get you killed.
This is a nostalgia pick for me. It has been a long time since Boomerang made it into any of my decks, but I still love it. I still have fond memories of it. There are just better versions these days that make me looks elsewhere.
Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
I prefer this card with ways to get it back, like Mnemonic Wall, Izzet Chronarch, or our favorite Snappy Asian Wizard. Definitely good in a tight spot for blue, but is much better with build-me-around stuff like Isochron Scepter.
Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
Boomerang is still a great card today, being a cheap bounce spell that works on ANY permanent. Do I need to say more?
UNCLE LANDDROPS' PICKS
I don't really draw it much (if ever) in my Kiyomaro EDH, but it's a card I'd like to have every time when I'm playing against discard, token hordes, or people who still play Gifts Ungiven, like Grandpa Growth. Reminder text really helps you show how multi-dimensional this card is. One of the most elusive white utility cards I've ever heard about.
Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
It's all about fast cats and pro colors. Hell, I just like the fact that it's a 3/3 with Flash. Sygg, River Guide could take a lesson from this card.
Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
This card is a vicious beating and a source of tremendous value. I like my threats to be instant speed and my counterspells to attack. In short: I wish every card were more like this card.
I know there's a world where this card will be good, but it's not the one that I currently live in. I've had zero luck with trying to play this, mostly because I want it to be my replacement for Phyrexian Arena and Necropotence, which I've gotten exhausted with as of late because everyone plays those cards. But I get it in my hand, and I don't ever want to play it. It's basically a horrible version of the aforementioned, and invested versions of Night's Whisper and Sign In Blood, which I do play.
Venser's Journalist- THUMBS DOWN
If I want to draw cards in a black EDH deck, I prefer Underworld Connections or Null Profusion. This card is just too much of a late game liability for me to give it much credit.
Grandpa Growth- THUMBS DOWN
All of the investment, none of the pay off. This is what makes bad cards bad. Even if you get really deep on this it is still way worse than Greed, which is so much worse than Necro that people won't even play it. Tying up your mana means you won't get to use as many of those extra cards and you are essentially down a card for a full two turns JUST FOR THE PRIVELAGE of maybe being up some cards after that. Admiral Ackbar says...
I heard about this card on CommanderCast, and I've had it both fail and succeed in a few decks I've tested it out in. When I have a little more time, I do have a nice place for this card, and it's going to blow people's minds. (Hint: I'm gonna abuse combat tricks.)
Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
As a fan of Rube Goldberg style Magic tech, this doesn't seem as much fun to play as an Eternal Witness + some kind of blink spell, artifact, what have you. But the fact that you can trade the mediocre creature in your hand for the really important creature in your graveyard makes this totally playable and a real lifesaver.
Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
When the dollar general idea got tossed around in our playgroup, Rosheen Meanderer was the general I was most excited to try out. It gave me a chance to play cards I would never play normally. Mostly giant do-nothing sorceries, but this was a hidden gem. I don't think it is as powerful as Creeping Renaissance and it doesn't have the instant kill potential of Nostalgic Dreams, but it does have one important improvement over those cards. You can recur the same card multiple times, thus allowing this to become a hybrid of Tortured Existence, Survival of the Fittest, and Crucible of Worlds. Not bad company.
And GG's right. Cause this is Bad Company, and they look nothing like that.
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| Honk if you were raised on Classic Rock. |
Seriously though. The show's over, and so are the horrible rock puns. But keep it rocking anyway. Cause we will.
Oh, and yeah, Grandpa Growth's showing up for work tomorrow, contrary to the false promises I made last week. So if you can't get enough TGZ, that's good. Cause we'll be here tomorrow, lying about not saying puns, making pop culture references, talking trash about Top, and having fun talking about Commander all the while.
Your Move, Kaiba!
-UL
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