Entry 11: Catching Up ~ Invincible is just a word ~ (Oust) This past month has been a big one for the Deck Diary. I said in my last post that I had some catching up to do and if this past week didn’t catch me up then I don’t know what will. Thanks to the generosity of some community friends, I have a huge influx of new cards. As such, this post is going to get straight to the point. No, I’m not going to tell you about the time I took out an opponent with Seraphic Greatsword. Nor will I be talking about why in the world Nevinyrral’s Disk got the axe and Sheer Drop inexplicably remains. Instead, you’ll get one hundred words a piece on the ten new additions to the deck this week.
Big thank you's again to both Xynam and Nick (G3) for the many additions provided to this deck. I’m significantly closer to my goal than I was at the start of this month. I’m looking forward to many more new additions to come.
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It wouldn't be a new set without some controversy over a new white card. Modern Horizons 2, like its predecessor, is full of reprints, new designs, and creative spins on old mechanics, but it was two callbacks that seemed to draw a lot of ire this time around. Rest in Peace and Leyline of the Void are two of the most iconic graveyard hate pieces in modern, and possibly, in all of magic. Both of these sideboard all-stars saw some call back style creatures printed in the newest supplemental set — Sanctifier en-Vec and Dauthi Voidwalker. Naturally, the parallels between these two mana "hatebears" were drawn, and as is customary, the court of public opinion ruled in favor of the non-white rare. Sanctifier en-Vec has been lambasted for being underpowered and outclassed by its black counterpart, but with a closer examination is the comparison as horribly lopsided as people would like to believe?
While hitting cards at more points in the game is great, that doesn't exempt Sanctifier from its second crime. It only exiles black and red spells — then again — is this really a problem? There's a strange tension with this text. On the one hand, it's extremely easy to build a deck where this exiles no cards from the owner's graveyard whether that deck is mono white or otherwise. On the other hand, this will spare some graveyard synergies and reanimation targets that a commander or modern player would otherwise want to hit. Because modern has more of a meta than a casual commander game, this likely isn't a problem for modern sideboards, but commander doesn't have the luxury of sideboards. Should this have been made a truly one sided piece of graveyard hate for commander? At two mana, I don't think so. There isn't a precedent for unconditional graveyard hate on a two mana creature. At two mana, graveyard disruption usually targets a specific card or, at most, can target a specific player's graveyard. Remorseful Cleric can exile the most cards right away by exiling a single opponent's graveyard when sacrificed. After that, other two mana creatures like Scavenging Ooze Withered Wretch, or Apostle of Purifying Light have to target individual cards one at a time. While more narrow than actual Rest in Peace, the enters the battlefield trigger on Sanctifier en-Vec is still powerful when on a creature at that mana cost. Even when looking at three and four drops many of these cards such as Angel of Finality have to target a single opponent and can't hit multiple graveyards at one time. Sanctifier en-Vec is a powerful card at its mana cost. Could it be better? Absolutely, but that doesn't mean it should be better. As it stands, on a creature, it's a one of a kind effect, and it might even see play in bant or mono white decks in commander. It slots in nicely to a bant enchantress build that might want to exile an opponent's grave while protecting its own, and mono white reanimator is definitely something that can be built. To say Dauthi Voidwielder doesn't have a fascinating upside would be a lie, but the comparison between these two isn't as simple as one may think — especially when considering the importance of enters the battlefield triggers in commander. Both these cards have a fail case, but in a four person game, it's far more likely that the Voidwielder gets destroyed in a four player game than no black or red players. This seems to be a classic case of judging just two ceilings rather than the entire context of both cards. If it goes unremoved, Dauthi Voidwielder has the potential to create some absurd plays, but it also has the potential to do absolutely nothing. Sanctifier en-Vec will always do its job, but sometimes that job won't be sufficient. I honestly can't say if one is better than the other, but in the context of previous printings, the set, and the purpose of these two cards, it's clear to see why they were designed this way. In the end, power is relative and dependent on a variety of factors from meta games to the requirements of a set. What I can say — Sanctifier en-Vec is not a card I plan to ignore for my commander decks,
Entry 10: State of the Deck ~ Light as a feather, sharp as an angel's wrath ~ (Seraphic Greatsword) It’s been awhile, but after taking a break during the month of may I’m ready to start tackling my Deck Diary again. I think now, half way through the year, is a great time to take note of where the deck is after 180 days. To date I’ve made fifteen total changes. My hope is to have this list built entirely out of new printings from 2020-2021 by the end of the year. As such, I’ve got to pick up the pace quite a bit. There are 36 nonland reprints still remaining in the deck which need to be replaced with new printings from this year and 2020. At the time that this is going up, there are 29 weeks left in 2021. That leaves 29 weeks for 36 non land changes so I have a little catching up to do.
That means two things: 1) trying to make a change each week and/or 2) making multiple changes in a single week to help me catch up. For budget, I’m less concerned about keeping to my budget and more focused on updating the list with new printings I want to test. This project has provided an interesting stress test for new printings as it creates a kind of vacuum in which I can see the card acts in a variety of situations, not just in decks where the card is built to thrive. With that, I have three new additions for this week: Akroma, Vision of Ixidor; Akroma’s Will; and Seraphic Greatsword.
To wrap up, I’ll quickly touch on the three cards I’m cutting to make room for these additions. Sandstone Oracle is getting the axe despite being one of the best creatures in the deck for a long time. I’ve actually been able to slowly up the card draw so recently oracle hasn’t drawn me as many cards, but more importantly it’s a seven mana creature so swapping it and Akroma makes a lot of sense. Unbreakable Formation was a solid piece of protection for a while and could be used for offense too, but Akroma’s Will just does a better job on both accounts. Finally, Seraphic Greatsword is taking the spot of Fireshrieker. WIthout Taranika in the zone, Fireshrieker doesn’t have the same utility and is often just an awkward card when I draw it. Now, I can replace it with an awkward 2020 card. That wraps up my midyear update on this project. I’ll be looking to get in games with this deck more frequently moving forward and maybe even stealing a win here or there.
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AuthorMonoWhiteBorder -- A man who loves MtG and his small dog. Archives
June 2021
Categories"MonoWhiteBorder" and corresponding content is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
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