u/Lectrys

[HOB] Key to the Side-Door

Key to the Side-Door {1}

Artifact

{2}, {T}: Target creature can’t be blocked this turn.

{1}, {T}, Discard a legendary card with the same name as a legendary permanent you control: Draw two cards.

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So it turns out that the brewer's paradise Modern card for the Hobbit set wasn't even mentioned in this sub-reddit's threads before AspiringSpike started making decks with it. Admittedly, that Oswald Loki Sewer-veillance deck only started spiking during the latest Pro Tour and not long before Key to the Side-Door was revealed, so we weren't extensively thinking about decks with the critical mass of legendary permanents required to make this card good.

So what is that critical mass of legendary permanents? 5 playsets like the latest YungDingo list with this card to Top 8 a Modern Challenge? 6 playsets like I thought after trying the AspiringSpike lists and finding the Key to not be consistent enough? Does the critical mass change if you decide to make the Key a 4-of instead of a 1-2-of? How many 2-ofs and 3-ofs can the Key accept if the deck is otherwise short of critical mass?

I guess making Urza's Saga tokens and [[Bilbo, Thief in the Night]] unblockable and targeting [[Loki, God of Mischief]] is relevant, too...

reddit.com
u/Lectrys — 4 days ago

[HOB] Thranduil, Sindarin Liege // Silvan Rally

Thranduil, Sindarin Liege {2}{G/U}{G/U}

Legendary Creature — Elf Noble

Other Elves you control get +1/+1.

Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, create a 1/1 green Elf creature token.

2/3

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Silvan Rally {1}{G/U}{G/U}

Sorcery — Adventure

Mill four cards, then put up to two land cards from among them into your hand. (Then exile this card. You may cast the creature later from exile.)

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Previewed in the official MTG Instagram account according to https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/1va11uu/hob_thranduil_sindarin_liege_mtg_instagram/

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This card looks like it has the power of a rare or even mythic rare, but it's a mere uncommon. The kicker pushing this into viability? That this card can find lands to trigger its own Landfall before it enters. It's like if [[Icetill Explorer]] and [[Mole Man, Moloid Master]] had a baby that dug for new lands but forgot the [[Crucible of Worlds]] part. Oh, and as long as Thranduil is alive, the Elves he makes are 2/2 instead of 1/1. That's pretty good on the defensive. (I get 1-2 land cards on average with Silvan Rally in a deck with 22 lands. Yeah, I'm testing this in Eldrazi Ramp, and Mole Man is getting his butt kicked.)

While Icetill Explorer won't be dethroned anytime soon, surely this is valuable support...and only the decks most desperate for mana and Ghost Quarter recursion will stick to Mole Man now.

reddit.com
u/Lectrys — 23 days ago

[HOB] Plunder the Trollshaws

Plunder the Trollshaws {1}{U}

Instant

Draw a card. If this spell was cast from a graveyard, draw two cards instead.

Flashback {3}{U}

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Previewed in https://www.instagram.com/p/DbYXg9nIhst/

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Ever did think you wanted the almighty grindy card advantage from 4-mana [[Consult the Star Charts]], but paid 2 mana for it too often? Then this card looks like a worthy substitute! Or emulate those UW Control players with both Consult and [[Wan Shi Tong, Librarian]] with a Kaheera-friendly deck! Sure, it's 6 mana for 3 cards at instant speed, but the first card can be drawn for 2 mana, and the last 2 cards can be drawn for 4 mana later! It sure grants more CA than [[Think Twice]] and [[Deduce]], that's for sure...

reddit.com
u/Lectrys — 23 days ago

[TRK] U.S.S. Enterprise-D, Galaxy-Class

U.S.S. Enterprise-D, Galaxy-Class {3}

Legendary Artifact - Spaceship

Whenever one or more charge counters are put on U.S.S. Enterprise-D for the first time each turn, exile the top card of your library. You may play that card this turn.

Station (Tap another creature you control: Put charge counters equal to its power on this Spacecraft. Station only as a sorcery. It’s an artifact creature at 7+.)

(7+) Flying, vigilance

4/5

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Scryfall already grabbed this from the mothership: https://scryfall.com/card/trk/273/uss-enterprise-d-galaxy-class

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[[Count on Luck]] has a hard time seeing play, and that card doesn't tap down your creatures in order to generate card advantage...but this Spaceship can be put into a deck of any colour! How good an impulse "draw" engine is this going to be? Are creature-heavy weenie decks (such as Energy variants and Yawgmoth) going to like this card?

u/Lectrys — 1 month ago

[MSH] Hex Magic

Hex Magic {2}{R}

Sorcery - Arcane

Exile all the cards from your hand, then draw that many cards. Until the end of your next turn, you may play cards exiled this way.

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Found in https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/comic-book-classics-arrive-in-secret-lair-x-marvel-spinner-rack-specials, looks like it's in the main set according to the wall image in https://www.reddit.com/r/MTGRumors/comments/1tysqhb/two_commons_and_a_wall/

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This card has the potential to draw 3, 4, or maybe even more cards in a single turn and still play most to all the cards you exile this way...as long as you're playing a low-curve and proactive enough deck, but not Prowess or Affinity levels of low curves. So far, two of the best homes I've found for this are Ruby Storm and UR Cori-Steel (with Emry and Tamiyo).

Most of the time, remember to sandbag your land drop for the turn, cast this, then play your land from exile...although Splicing onto Arcane with Desperate Ritual is worth making the land drop before casting this.

Think this card will end up in more homes? How much do Ruby Storm and UR Cori-Steel want this card, anyway? Surely this has to be better than [[Invasion of Kaldheim]], if only because it's one mana cheaper and Ral can discount it further...but how much better?

u/Lectrys — 3 months ago