Sure, I make stupid references, but we're not going to use Eiffel 65 to mind control you. I won't go that low. Lou Bega was high-brow. Hearing this song everywhere in the 90's was enough though.
Sorry if you've never been traumatized by the so-called "Wizards of Italian Techopop." We'll save that for another day. Preferably one when you've got your dancin' pants on.
But seriously, here's a story about Landdrops, who doesn't live in a blue world on the regular, but occasionally dabbles with Islands, and is known to play a counterspell or two every once in a while when the police have all been trapped below Gotham in the tunnels and the world needs protecting; or, when he just really wants to play Cryptic Command.
So on these days, when the world is in fact much more blue, these are the creatures that I like to battle with. I'm kinda hoping maybe you'll like them too. I think they're worth a shot.
10. Kederekt Leviathan
| He's like The Rock, except he looks like an actual rock. But you can see the resemblance, right? |
Back in Zenny when I first got into Magic, I played this silly Quest For Ula's Temple deck, filled with copies of Wrexial, Lorthos, Inkwell Leviathans, Kraken Hatchlings, Shoal Serpent, Serpent of the Endless Sea, and this guy.
Switching formats, this card is almost always somewhere near my deck construction when I'm considering blue and I don't have a way to handle enchantments or artifacts, which is most of the time in mono-blue or in dark Dimir colors.
Even without Unearth, he's great. The ability to do this twice makes it a pretty excellent addition to any blue deck though, because it really helps slow the game down for re-builds and more chances to counter threats. Getting damage in with blue has to be done when you can, and sometimes this is the finishing touch you need at the end of a grindy, blue control game.
9. Sphinx of Uthuun
| Fact or Fiction, All Day Err' Day. |
Having another copy of Fact or Fiction has been a huge source of card advantage. In Animar, I basically cast him for UU, and Blue Braids has ways to get him for free.
Casting him for 7 isn't bad, especially when you've built your deck right. Getting any combination of five cards have put serious constrain on my opponents. GG always said there's really no such thing as a bad FoF, and more and more I find this statement to be true. Making your opponents pick their poison I find is as close to being fairly fun and interactive while not hyperextending into abuse.
Having flying and being a 5/6 is relevant in the world of Hellkites, but it's not the thing that really is impressive. Getting cards and a nice beater, however, can be.
So start playing this. And FoF, if you're not.
8. Diluvian Primordial
| I'ma da Pope. |
As most of the regular Zoners know, Grandpa's got a bias for blue and all its cruelty.
So when he said Diluvian tied for being the "best" Primordial with Sepulchral, I disagreed because of Sylvan, but put it to the test anyway.
I've played it a couple times now, and I do really like it. Though I'm not high on the art, but I can't deny there's a lot of fun to be had with this card.
They definitely fixed the places where they went wrong with Chancellor of the Spires. But if you like two-ofs, go ahead and get its spiny-looking, less-powerful partner. It's worth it if you want to play a "more fun" style of blue game.
7. Phyrexian Ingester
| It's like the movie Teeth, but with Legs. |
I love Pongify and Rapid Hybridization, the former's new ridiculously technical Frog Lizard sidekick, so Ingester is just my extra support when I can't play Path to Exile and Swords.
Most control decks probably don't want to be tapping out for dudes anywhere before turn 6 anyway, so paying the "Troll Toll" to cast this bad boy isn't awful, and you should get a big dude in most cases.
For me, I like this card better than Control Magic or similar enchantments. Eating a creature tends to have that effect, and I find it's stylistically more "original" than stealing a creature.
6. Mulldrifter
| I like the way he's kinda smirking. He's either nice, evil, or the evil kinda nice. I can't decide yet. |
This flying fish (say that five times fast) Elemental is pretty cool though. He can be the Divination you need to make land drops, or he can be two cards and a chump blocker for some pesky flyer.
Animar loves 1-for-2s, and he eats Mulldrifter up for breakfast. I've used him in a variety of decks for years now, and I'll be using him for years to come.
This is as simple and straightforward as they come.
And getting a copy is as easy as reading "One Fish, Two Fish," and after you play it, you're gonna wish you did get a copy when you were 4 or whatever. What age do kids learn to read these days?
5. Drift of Phantasms
This is a great card to create a mini package around in any deck. There are plenty of relevant 3-cost cards I like to plan this card around, and I've been doing so for years now.
Recently, he got a slot in The Braids-y Bunch so I could get Proteus Staff, but I have other targets too. There are also plenty of other options here. In Momir Vig, he's a dude you can play, or a dude you can pitch to get your Cloudstone or Equilibrium. I've had him for counterspells in other decks too.
Whatever you do though, make sure you transmute him for more card advantage. Like Blue Sun's, Crucible of Worlds, even Divination. Trust me. It's just better this way.
4. Treasure Mage
 |
| What am I doin? Nothin' man. Just kickin' it wit muh pal BLUE EYES, WHITE BEATDOWN! |
This dude is bonafide money. He gets me all the things that I want in a game. Duplicant, Steel Hellkite, and Caged Sun is a short-list of great targets. Etherium-Horn Sorcerer is part of the great package I built for him in Animar.
If you're more adventurous, there's plenty of other useful cards like Contagion Engine, Wurmcoil Engine, even Darksteel Colossus. Well, Blightsteel, I guess. That's the new "unfair" card.
Don't worry though Darksteel. I still love you.
3. Elgaud Shieldmate
She fits on a lot of mana curves, and with a lonely U mana symbol, into any 2+ colored deck. And she's a cheap card to pick up if you don't wanna spend 2 dollars on another lightning greaves, or require another copy.
2. Merfolk Looter
He can do it all. Sometimes, it's just a discard outlet for Sedris, Bruna, or even (dare I say it) a Mimeoplasm deck. Any Reanimating or graveyard-abusing deck will love this though. And The Mimeoplasm's still super-lame. Sorry. Had to say it.
I actually try to play this and Thought Courier, its Wizard counterpart, whenever I can. If you have to pick one, I have recently found that this art is a "loot" cooler than the newer versions.
However, tribal Azami, or any deck where you're running wizards and a Riptide Laboratory might mean you have to run Waldo aka Thought Courier. There is however, no alternate art for Waldo yet- Especially one as cool as a Steampunk-Looking Sea-Dragon robbing an unconscious woman underwater. Cruel, but super-sweet. It's one of those GG-abusive cards we can both agree is disgustingly good.
1. Looter il-Kor
We can talk for days about damage theories in EDH- when to attack, when not to. However, this guy is all downhill, and does essentially the same thing as Looter.
Most folks will even laugh, take a point, and let you sit there and straight up lose to getting an extra card. Sure, you sacrifice the instant speed of Merfolk Looter, but I tend to be in a lot of games where Life Total is relevant, and blue tends to be pretty hands-off until Turn 8.
This fact, in my opinion, justifies playing the guy, especially against people who like to play Luminarch Ascension and pretend it's not going to wreck your life.
With Shadow, the damage trigger is almost a certainty. I seriously don't know anyone in my meta who's playing dudes to block this, cause there's no point, and they're not going to waste a removal spell. So take the chance. Pick up a couple copies of this and Looter, and see how much better your blue deck gets.
Remember to come back to TGZ Thursday for new writer Johnny Confidant's article where he goes "Tops Down//Bottom's Up" with Melek.
Also, we've got the second half of our Dragon's Maze Guild Champs to talk about on this week's installment of "The Stack." Yeah, I know these ones aren't as exciting, but not all those cards can be Ruric Thar, apparently.
And stay tuned for Next Week- I've got another Repay In Kind Winner, and I hope to get the alt art done by then. Till then, Remember-
Friends Don't Let Friends Play The Mimeoplasm.
(Trademarked. All Rights Reserved.)
-UL
No comments:
Post a Comment