Originally, today was supposed to be a Stack episode dedicated to that proposition. The TGZ team and I were supposed to go cycling- as in, talking more about our favorite cards that cycle, or our favorite cards in our favorite cycle. None of us are gettin' our PEDs on with ol' Tour de France Lance, or anything like that.
All things fair, we did that, and it was supposed to be the theme(s) this week.
But little did I know I also said, "Make sure it's a blue card."
I promise you non-blue Zoners this was an accident. Sort of. In a world where we've told you all to go out and buy up your local game store's copies of Krosan Tusker and Eternal Dragon, this was inevitable, yet definitely an oversight by yours truly.
Anywho, I think you'll like what we've got this week. It's little slim on the diversity scale, but there's definitely something here for every kind of blue player that exists. We're at least good at that.
These are our picks, and THIS IS THE STACK!
VENSER'S JOURNALIST'S PICK
Although I'm not a huge fan of cycling, it certainly has its benefits. Rather than simply discard a card to draw one, I want my cards to do things as well, and in most scenarios, I like the way Complicate thinks. It's not a great counterspell, and paying 3 to cycle might be steep for some; but I've seen the merits of this, and anyone should be able to appreciate that moment when your opponent taps out and could have had their crazy combo catalyst on the field if only they had one more open mana.
I admit that Mana Leak is a better counterspell on a cost level, but it only does one thing, and it sure is not the greatest. Like one of my colleagues told me, "If you're only going to do one thing, you better be the best at it."
Johnny Confidant- THUMBS UP
Honestly you can't go wrong with this spell, either it's (3) or (1) it's all about timing and that's what Counterspell veterans do. With Dismiss printed in Commander 2013 it isn't hard to choose between the hard counter and this. I'll admit though, when i run Mono blue i'll be looking at this card for potential.
Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
Most players not trying to walk right into traps won't play into double blue. What appeals to me most about Complicate is the ability to keep your opponents guessing and the game evolving. The "Poker" aspect of Magic is really underrated. Making your opponent have to decipher not only IF you have a counterspell, but WHAT counterspell you might have is pretty nice. I've been doing this with "free" spells, like Foil for a while. This is a great pick and a card I'm gonna start playing again.
Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
This card is great. People basically never stop utilizing all of their mana in Commander. Between the general unreasonably high casting costs of the cards people want to play and the multitude of scaling effects it is very easy to find uses for soft counters even late in the game. Hard cast, this almost always works as an expensive counter, but the potential for card advantage is real. I have definitely played this card, even in places that might surprise you. I would rather have this than Dismiss most of the time. The only real drawback to soft counterspells is how poor they are when your opponent gets information about your hand.
GRANDPA GROWTH'S PICK
Speaking of unreasonably high casting costs, this is a biggun'. To be clear, this is definitely not my favorite card that cycles. That would be Krosan Tusker, but personally, and collectively, we talk about that card here on TGZ quite a bit. Decree of Silence is a strange and generally pretty unfair card. It basically gives you a turn, possibly more, off from having to think about or answer any of your opponent's moves. In tight games, this is almost always enough to win. You trade it for their worst THREE cards and a whole truck load of tempo. It is rare that a single player can actually cast three spells in a turn and even more rare that a player can still win after wasting time casting three spells that will do nothing. On the cycling mode this is really overcosted, but something had to give, I guess. This is a card that I would not ever play if it didn't cycle because the possibility of getting to eight mana with board control and resource parity all while having this stuck in your hand doing nothing would be just a little too real.
Johnny Confidant- THUMBS DOWN
I like Karona, and her Cycle of Decrees are some of the strongest cards used this day. D.O Justice gives us Angels, recently reprinted as Entreat the Angels for (2) less. D.O Annihilation is only played if you feel like Punishing the players. D.O. Savagery is not one I've ever seen played but seems good in the right spot. D.O Pain is probably the most beneficial wrath spell ever printed and D.O Silence here is just to buy time?
Honestly, if you need a 8 CMC enchantment to buy time your not playing control very well. The Only Enchantment I run that high is Omniscience just for the fun of playing my hand. Granted, I don't use Enter the Infinite, but I do own one.
Venser's Journalist- NOT SURE
This card is cool in theory. I honestly do like what Decree of Silence is getting at, and GG and JC both make good points for and against it. I'll jump on the bandwagon and say that the CMC is unsightly and that it is only a way to buy time. But I think that I'm leaning more towards GG's opinion when I say that time is incredibly important in MTG. If you're not popping out armies of weenies, hack and slash creatures, or getting a whole ton of land out on the field, what else can you be doing?
The answers are plentiful, but each of those answers more than likely requires some amount of tempo/control to make it work. If you're laying the groundwork for an artifact combo, it might be nice not to worry about Naturalize-like spells for a turn or two. I will say though, the card is really only effective if used for its main purpose, because cycling this seems like more of a waste than an good counterspell.
Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
At it's best, DoS is a big enchantment and a beating. I played this card a lot in Chisei, and it was a house. The ability to remove counters with Clockspinning made it a great investment and very difficult to deal with. People didn't know Chisei had claws.
Yet, one of the things most people (including myself) often forget about DoS and Complicate is that these are virtually uncounterable spells because they trigger as a result of cycling.
JOHNNY CONFIDANT'S PICK
Johnny Confidant- THUMBS UP
The Primordial Cycle has been very common in EDH, from the detrimental Sylvan to the odd Luminate Primordial; all are involved in most deck construction.
My favorite is Diluvian. I'm a softie for playing spells in graveyards and my games are long enough to make use of my opponent's graveyard fairly easily. I've cast all the big spells and all the mana ramp I could dream of, but each interaction with him is as rewarding as it is fun. He may not be as feared as Sylvan is, but Diluvian is top in my book.
Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
JC's pick got pre-approved by me early this year in an article I wrote about some of the better blue creatures. The Primordial's ETB triggers scale exponentially in multiplayer, and that power is really absurd.
Grandpa Growth - THUMBS UP
At 8 mana I expect a card to win pretty much straight up. 90% or better. For some reason, I am much more lenient on 7 drops. Historically, they are much less powerful than more expensive plays, but the last few years have done a lot to change that. I'd say that, starting around Alara Block, big mana plays have become much more powerful as a whole and nowadays, the line has grown pretty thin. The primordial cycle, and by proxy the Titan cycle, adequately demonstrates that there is no longer a substantial difference in power level between things that cost 6 or more until you get to Eldrazi mana. You can cast this on 7 and immediately move the game to an unloseable state. This whole cycle is awesome, value packed, beatdowns. I can dig it.
Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
Definitely a solid card. I am a fan of ETB creatures and artifacts, and this one does not disappoint. Certainly, this would get the most use at a multiplayer game, but in certain one-on-one settings against cruel burn decks or destruction-based control, Diluvian can give your opponent a taste of their own medicine.
UNCLE LANDDROPS' PICK
Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
What comes after Tusker and Eternal Dragon?
I didn't know until I started looking through old decks, but it is apparently the eclectic Vedalken AEthermage.
Much like my favorite cyclers, we don't ever play AEthermage if it's being played correctly. We're using its insane ability to tutor up other Wizards. In blue alone, this is very strong. My short list is Venser, Snapcaster, and Sower of Temptation. Those are the cards I go for most of the time. However, with more colors comes more creativity. Aven Mindcensor, your favorite Magus, Memnarch, Momir, Prime Speaker Zegana- the list goes on. It's better than a Harbinger, can't be countered, and basically an instant. Hidden Value, folks. It's all around you and you don't even know it.
Johnny Confidant- THUMBS UP
Futuresight was a weird set, So many Mechanics, Colorless spells. While we got to explore the science fiction of fantasy to come we got confusing types like Riggers and Contraptions, but we also got some of the most interesting cards with them.
Flash, Bounce a Sliver, and Cycling for Wizards is quite a lot for one creature. If you're playing Mono Blue Wizards tribal I can see the appeal of this card, but honestly I can't see myself running him even if I had Snapcaster and the like. For what he is I like him and I'd recommend to anyone in need.
Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
I have a friend who has a picture of Hagrid (is that how you spell it?) stuck over his Aethermage. Primarily so that he can use it to go find his Harry Potter Arcanis so he can combo out. I have never really used this card. Never really had a tribal deck. I don't like puppies or Christmas either. I don't understand any of that nonsense. What I do know, is that this card is pushed. Look at this monster from a design perspective. It is a two drop common with three abilities. Bouncing Slivers was only relevant in limited, but Flash is a straight up bonus at all points and being the only card that really Wizard cycles makes it a unique and powerful CREATURE tutor in Blue. It's a dude that can tutor for other dudes? And it isn't Green? I'd like to order ten more of these.
Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
At the risk of echoing my comrades, this unique card has two things going for it: wizardcycling (possibly the most mystical cycle) and a blue creature catcher. I love it. It's quirky. It kinda looks like a Hindu deity.
That's all we got for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for story time with Grandpa.
-UL and the TGZ Crew
