Thoughtseize is by wide margin the best card in the format. According to MTGGoldfish, it is the most played card in Pioneer at being in 36%. Second place goes to Fatal Push at 34%. Third place is Duress at 32%.
In a few of the Pioneer discord servers I'm in, as well as in this subreddit, Thoughtseize's place in the meta has been very hotly debated. What does it add to the format? How does it detract? And should it be banned?
This is what I wanted to discuss and share my take.
First of all, is Thoughtseize anti-combo? This gets brought up quite a bit in defense of the card. The answer is yes, but Thoughtseize is more anti-everything. In a format where most threats are fast and come with some ETB bs, Thoughtseize is premiere because it stops it before it can leave beside residual resources. Fable, Badgermole, Sentinel, etc. Combo decks that splash into black often enjoy a playset of Thoughtseize because of this (see Greasefang and Tree).
They also enjoy Thoughtseize for a more specific reason--clearing the way.
Want to dump a Parhelion but the opponent has RiP in their hand? Thoughtseize solves this. Or you want to make sure Fang doesn't immediately get doom bladed? Thoughtseize can solve this as well. This has the side effect of devaluing the sideboard. The fact is, many games in Pioneer are only truly played after the first round, because so many decks demand sideboard tech or you just lose. So having your hate piece hand attacked boils g2 down to chance whether draw the next hate piece. In this sense, Thoughtseize has the power close out games by t0.
Now, how is this any different than having your Soul-Guide Lantern Duressed? Duress isn't broken. Of course it isn't, and in-game, there isn't. But on the deckbuilding side of things, if you're expecting a Duress you may want to consider creature-based hate pieces like Flanker. If you're expecting Dreams of Steel and Oil, go for RiP. The problem with Thoughtseize in this case is that it's anti-everything, so you can't tech around it. You just have to accept it.
And creating non-games is Thoughtseize's best aspect. It's a strong contributor to the disparity between being on the draw and on the play. It's one of the main reasons why taking a mulligan is so dangerous, outside of already being down a card. God help you if you keep an iffy 5 and then get Thoughtseized t0. Pack it up, because at that point whether you win or lose depends on your topdecks.
Once again, Duress doesn't have this issue because it is limited in scope. It can't hit creatures, which are a major part of this format. It can't hit Swiftspear, Emberheart, Badgermole, Sheoldred, etc.
That being said, I do think Thoughtseize is important to keep in the meta. I think Pioneer's threats right now have become so powercrept and interaction has lagged behind. We need [[Mana leak]]. We need [[Strangle]] as an instant. [[Erode]] is a step in the right direction. There's so much garbage in the format that Thoughtseize reliably checks, we just need more because right now all the power in the format is localized to Black, and it'll be that way as long as Thoughtseize and Fatal Push are the best interactive pieces in the format.
Thanks for the read.
I know the economy sucks and it’s difficult to make ends meet, so financially kids seem pretty far away. But for me personally at least, I really want to have sweet little daughters. I want to be a dad one day so badly. Just wondering if any of y’all felt the same way.
Hmmm I think I will go on vacation to a place where the wildlife will harass me and steal my stuff— statements made by the insane
And they come in gangs too, whole packs on ne’er-do-wells trying to swipe YOUR bag of trail mix and your expensive shiny sunglasses. How cute!
And chimpanzees are some of the most violent creatures ever. You can look it up yourself, they’re extremely territorial and aggressive and have zero chill whatsoever. How cool!
“Oh but monkeys are the smartest animals—“ WHO MADE THAT LIST. WE DID. HUMANS.
“Oh but monkeys have so much in common look at the genes—“ WHO DISCOVERED GENES. WHO DEVELOPED THE THEIRY OF EVOLUTION. WE DID. Awful imposters. They pretend to be us so badly but the reality is that MAN was made in the image of God NOT MONKEYS.
Gorillas and orangutans are chill tho, respect tbh.
oc (somehow)
Untarnished bones and cleanly skin
Wetted tendons, chiseled chins
Bright and lively, soft and sweet
Yearling flesh for it to eat
And gnash and gorge
And tear and spit
And hoard and want
And never quit
To surge to life, this tempest had
To soothe and quiet the sane made mad
Right and wrong, as though there must be
And though kings would speak, the rest could see
Eyes, a dozen, a thousand or so
Day after day they each deeply know
Seen as a child peers through her window
Fallen, worthless, like November snow
Are men legally prohibited from using aeronautic equipment in lore?
ps: I don’t count Dva as a flyer in terms of playstyle but this was the best image I could find
I would rather you rapidly order 150 items than spend 60 seconds thinking about what you want at the place you chose to eat at. It’s just so exhausting having to wait while actively listening when you’re just trying to get through the work day. And its one thing to notice a new item and consider it, that’s okay, but some people get there and genuinely have no clue what they want. Very tiresome. Sorry for the vent.
Please just know what you want before you order ❤️
First dump rate it 😭rest in piss🤬 out of ‼️swag messiah‼️💯🔥🔥
They’re so so cute and sometimes they’re mean and selfish and fussy but they’ll learn and I want to teach some of my own and have a bunch of adorable little daughters one day (and also boys too) so I can be the best dad ever and take them fishing and teach them about life stuff and make up silly stories. I understand people not liking them or being intimidated by them but I’d be so so happy to hold a baby of my own and be the best dad ever.
I don’t think there’s anything that makes me grin as widely as seeing a happy laughing baby.
The only thing that could possibly make me happier is to have my skeleton buried as the big spoon for my future wife’s skeleton and we’d feed the trees with our marrow. Is that so much to ask for?
For me it’s bonk titan. I know it’s insanely powerful and good for solo content but I find it too stressful to enjoy because you die the moment you miss your hammer. And I have missed my hammer many, many times.
I’m not really a band kinda guy but I do love me some 80s, Journey and The Cure have been my absolute jam, as well as some Lebanon Hanover.
“Omg he’s got a reliable economic family vehicle 😍😍😍”
is this realistic or nah?
I (m20) work in fast food and like 3 of my coworkers thought I was 17 until I told them I was 20. Imo I don’t wanna be looking 17 i wanna look my age. Or ideally I’d look 96 years old and like a garden gnome man I’d love that tbh
First time with love and it got me pretty hurt ngl, I made some mistakes too but now its over and I gotta find the real (real) ones in my life and work on myself
Also project hail mary is genuinely so so good fellow goslings because I was the lead actor (and so were you)