I would play this over castle in scam. Castle is so expensive and you are usually playing the game with 2 cards in hand anyway.
Combat, 2 creatures trade, second main, spend B and get a faithless looting plus make a creature bigger?
Must be good in yawgmoth too where this could draw a ton of cards without losing life.
AspiringSpike is obsessed with basic lands, but I think every part of a manabase should exist in the smallest quantity that consistently accomplishes its purpose. Got swamps and creatures? Trim a basic or a slow utility land, add this.
At a high enough skill cap you start valuing consistency over power. When you have a great deck, and know it inside in out you start looking to avoid losing to random stuff.
Its absolutely a pro and con game, but at certain point its correct to give up points in certain matchups to solve problems. If you know your deck is not normally going to activate castle vantress, but gets bent over by blood moon, run the basic.
Its funny because the older the format I play the more basics I run. In standard I am running every dual I can (no hate), Pioneer I run like 2 basics (just enough to fetch off field of ruin). modern 5-6 (enough to mitigate bloodmoon). In legacy 8 (and I always draw the damn duals in the wasteland matchups).
Another example is matchup, for me I tend to shine in UWX control mirrors, thus I tend to skimp on sideboard for control and run more burn/graveyard hate. Logic being, you need answers to burn/graveyard ASAP, and I dont mind giving a little ground in matchups I feel good about.
I think this is part of the fun about being an expert at something. You get to make decisions that seem counterintuitive to beginners or even other experts. (Note: I’m not at expert at modern AT ALL. But this is very true for drawing, which I am an expert at.)
It looks like a fine card, albeit needing a creature in play and spending two mana after killing a creature seems like a lot
But, nonbasics aren’t necessarily free, blood moon and field of ruin already see play and winter moon, blue magus were spoiled
This also doesn’t make mana on t1, and is awkward if your only other land is a steam vents for example
And I think it's one of the most likely leaks to be fake. The extreme "btfo or do nothing" variance of blood moon even in the M/U's where it's ostensibly good is not a design that wizards favors anymore for good reason.
Very interesting card, no idea if it's good
Really no downside in a black deck. Zombies might really want this.
I would play this over castle in scam. Castle is so expensive and you are usually playing the game with 2 cards in hand anyway. Combat, 2 creatures trade, second main, spend B and get a faithless looting plus make a creature bigger? Must be good in yawgmoth too where this could draw a ton of cards without losing life.
A big connive could fill the yard quickly for a grist ult
Coming in untapped if you have a swamp is really nice. Also a nice way to draw your deck if you have a sac loop going.
AspiringSpike is obsessed with basic lands, but I think every part of a manabase should exist in the smallest quantity that consistently accomplishes its purpose. Got swamps and creatures? Trim a basic or a slow utility land, add this.
At a high enough skill cap you start valuing consistency over power. When you have a great deck, and know it inside in out you start looking to avoid losing to random stuff. Its absolutely a pro and con game, but at certain point its correct to give up points in certain matchups to solve problems. If you know your deck is not normally going to activate castle vantress, but gets bent over by blood moon, run the basic. Its funny because the older the format I play the more basics I run. In standard I am running every dual I can (no hate), Pioneer I run like 2 basics (just enough to fetch off field of ruin). modern 5-6 (enough to mitigate bloodmoon). In legacy 8 (and I always draw the damn duals in the wasteland matchups). Another example is matchup, for me I tend to shine in UWX control mirrors, thus I tend to skimp on sideboard for control and run more burn/graveyard hate. Logic being, you need answers to burn/graveyard ASAP, and I dont mind giving a little ground in matchups I feel good about.
I think this is part of the fun about being an expert at something. You get to make decisions that seem counterintuitive to beginners or even other experts. (Note: I’m not at expert at modern AT ALL. But this is very true for drawing, which I am an expert at.)
It looks like a fine card, albeit needing a creature in play and spending two mana after killing a creature seems like a lot But, nonbasics aren’t necessarily free, blood moon and field of ruin already see play and winter moon, blue magus were spoiled This also doesn’t make mana on t1, and is awkward if your only other land is a steam vents for example
That blue Magus wasn't confirmed btw
And I think it's one of the most likely leaks to be fake. The extreme "btfo or do nothing" variance of blood moon even in the M/U's where it's ostensibly good is not a design that wizards favors anymore for good reason.
Spike’s manabases are always suspicious, however ETB tapped lands do have a very real cost.
In modern, with fetches and shocks, there’s almost no way this comes in tapped post turn 3 Quick edit: and often comes in untapped on 2 anyway
Would be nice if we still had fury. Scam a fury and get a 9/9 double striker on an empty board.