Pattern Recognition #6B - Card Draw 2

Features Opinion Pattern Recognition

berryjon

3 November 2016

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Hello everyone! I'm berryjon, your giver of weekly doses of Magic musings, History histrionics and I've run out of all additional alliterations anyone allowed.

This week, I continue with my examination and explanation of Card Draw to finally get around to answering the question asked of me. Last time, I broke down what I saw as the major methods of card drawing and I encourage you to go back and refresh yourself if you're not simply reading these in an archive binge.

I promised then that this week will be a colour breakdown of card draw mechanics. This doesn't look like it's going to be as long as part one now that I've had a chance to reorder my notes, but I'll still try to do each colour justice. Normally, however, I would start with White and work my way through the colour pie, but because the initial question focused on that colour, I'm going to save it for last.

: Let's be honest here. Blue is the paragon of card draw. When I worked in a FLGS, a customer asked me for what I would suggest as card draw in blue. I looked that person straight in the eye and told them it would be faster to list which cards didn't draw in Blue. It's a bit of an exaggeration, true, but the concept is still there.

Yet, when people think about Blue's draw, the first thing that jumps to mind is Fastdraw. Now, this is not the be-all, end-all of what they do, but Blue does have this front and centre. Last time, I cited Concentrate, Braingeyser and Divination as examples, and I stand by them.

So why does Blue get this so much? The best answer I can think of lay in how Blue is seen through the eyes of Vorthos of all people. Blue is the wizard, studying in their books, Telling Time while hoping to Foresee what is to come and have a Glimmer of Genius. All so they can Gush about the Mysteries of the Deep they have resolved! After all, your Touch of Brilliance can let you Weave Fate.

I should stop now.

Blue gets Fastdraw like this because they are the colour that is willing to step back and take a moment to study the problem, to give temporarily give up resources in the now in order to advance their position in the future. But that really isn't the end of it. Blue is also the largest source of Draw Engines in the game, from Archivist to Azami, Lady of Scrolls to Sphinx's Tutelage. Reliable and repeatable, Blue can advance their position over a long period of time through the use of these permanents, and then protect them with all the other tricks up Blue's sleeves.

Now, I do want to admit that Blue at least dabbles in every draw mechanic. So I chose to highlight those two because I feel that they are the most emblematic of and so that I have things to talk about when it comes to the other colours. ;)

Another thing that was pointed out to me last week by Reaxetion, who pointed out that for Blue, Fastdraw really is . Blue gets a lot of card draw that happens at Instant speed, meaning that they can go for solutions at any time - Inspiration, Glimmer of Genius or Vision Skiens, Azami, Lady of Scrolls also works at Instant speed, and this is something no one else gets with any sort of regularity. And because of this, Blue can save its card draw antics for the end of the previous player's turn, instead of committing during their own turn, which ties down their mana away from other uses.

To summarize, Blue's options for card drawing are manifold and part of the colours basic identity. You can't expect to see a blue deck across the table from you and know what they'll be using to accelerate their draw because they can do anything.

: Black, black, black. I love the fact that you have always been faithful to your one true draw mechanic. A mechanic so firmly entrenched in your colour that even Blue's draw, or Red's Burn seems pale by comparison.

Black sacrifices. It's Ambition's Cost, that Ancient Craving for more power. A Cruel Bargain and Merciless Resolve that gives you the chance to Dredge up Phyrexian Etchings!

I'm having SO MUCH FUN with that, you wouldn't believe!

Black doesn't care much for the fancy tricks other colours have when it comes to drawing more cards. To those who play black, when you want more cards, you take them, regardless of the costs. It's a very simple cost. 1 Life for 1 card. And as any old school Black player can tell you, those for whom Lich and Necropotence were a way of life, the truism about them is still as important and accurate today as it was when Alpha hit the shelves.

The only point of life that matters is the last one.

: Before I go into Red in more detail, I want to pass forward something that I had to get corrected on from last week. The ability to 'Draw, then discard' is Looting, as per Mermaid Looter. However, the ability to 'Discard, then draw' is called Rummaging as per Rummaging Goblin. Looting is still a ability, while gets more Rummaging effects. Please assume, for the rest of Red that when I talk about Looting, I also include Rummaging in the concept.

Red's entry into card draw came later than others. For the longest time, they only got card draw through Cantrips or Slowtrips on cards like Burnout or Chaotic Strike. Once Cycling showed up, Red embraced it fully along with everyone else.

And this was a problem, part of Reds historical weakness.

You see, Red casts spells as fast as Blue, but didn't have Blue's ability to replenish their hand. They were often reduced to topdecking before anyone else, and couldn't do much to fix that aside from not doing anything, which is something that Red really doesn't want to do.

Red is the colour of action, and so stopping and waiting is outside of their colour identity.

So in response, Wizards starting giving Looters to Red. This started around the time of Tenth Edition and M10 with Burning Inquiry, and Goblin Lore. But therein lies the problem. Looting doesn't fix the problem. All Looting does is delay it because you're drawing, then tossing out what isn't working. You aren't actually improving the number of cards in your hand. You're just changing them up. Red is still in the same boat as they were before they were given Looting - except now the concept of the 'hand' extends as far down into your deck as you can dig, assuming you're willing to lose everything you can't hold on to!

Yet Wizards keeps trying to make this work! They keep printing and reprinting Tormenting Voice, which on the surface seems like a good deal where you discard a card to draw two. Except that's wrong. You still have to cast the card itself. You're losing two cards to draw two, without having the Loot's effect of allowing you to decide what to keep.

But it's also a step in the right direction. I mentioned last time that there is a massive difference between "Draw then Discard", and "Discard then Draw". And this is what I wanted to pull up. Sure, the cards in hand hasn't changed, but when you look at it, you're more likely to toss away cards you know you won't need and plan for it, rather than take the risk of drawing first, and trying to decide what has to go because you drew great cards to go with one you wanted to keep in hand.

Yet think of it like this - what if Tormenting Voice let you draw three cards instead? You're still pitching two from your hand, but gaining three in the process for a net gain of one. Wouldn't that solve both problems at the same time? No, it doesn't, because all you are doing is being fancy with your fast draw. Cast a spell that lets you draw two, then cast a spell that's simply a cantrip, all for the price of one cast spell, and one card discarded as part of the cost to the spell. It's not a solution.

I mean, sure, basic lands are prime discard fodder when you loot, but that's not always going to be an option. Nor will Madness when it rotates out again.

Red's problem has changed. It hasn't gone away. And it doesn't look like that's going to change anytime soon. Perhaps they should take a spin on the Wheel of Fortune, and see what comes up?

: Now we come to greener pastures. Green certainly has an Abundance of cards that can let you draw, a Bequeathal from the Collective Unconscious that gives rise to a Glimpse of Nature, an Elemental Bond as you Explore until you find your Soul's Majesty.

I missed that.

So, what does Green do? Well, outside of the aberration that is Harmonize, and the 'everyone gets this' of Cycling and Cantripping, Green's primary means of card draw is conditional in nature. What does that mean? Well, Green focuses less on the card drawing as a pure thing like Blue does, nor does it participate in exchanges for other resources like Black. What Green focuses on is the idea that you get something, in this case, a card draw, for having something else happen or for having something on the board.

Shamanic Revelation is a very good recent example of this as it allows you to draw based on the number of creatures in play. And while the Tarkir block wasn't that big on token generation, tokens are a thing in larger formats, and tossing in the ability to draw cards more efficiently than Blue simply for doing what Green already does well? Well, that's one of the things Green does. They build up.

The other half of that is cards like Reki, the History of Kamigawa, one of several that all do the same thing - play a certain card type, draw a card to replace it. Green can effectively cantrip Creatures on Primordial Sage, Enchantments with Argothian Enchantress, and even when their spells are countered with Multani's Presence - though that one will only show up in Commander, Casual, Legacy or Vintage.

My reviewer, Simon_Williamson pointed out during review that Warriors' Lesson is something that Blue would normally get - the card draw for damage aspect. Except it's amazingly efficient when compared to the alternatives, and can target creatures that you know haven't been blocked. He also pointed out that Green is also, moreso than Blue, the master of the 'play with the top card of your library' mechanic, citing Garruk's Horde as an example of being able to extend your hand into your deck.

Those are Green's draw gimmicks. The ability to keep moving forward by building up from what has come before. It's actually very low key, but also extremely consistent and reliable, though not quite to the point of being called a walking draw engine. Engines tend to be self contained.

But now it's time to talk about the thing that started it all.

: White. I really don't want to say this, but say it I must.

Gets nothing.

Well, that's not true. White does get Cantrips and Cycling. Like everyone else. And nothing else. believe me, I looked, and looked hard. What they do get is either in off-colour cards like Benalish Heralds or by trusting in artifacts like Jayemdae Tome.

So, why is this? Why does White get nothing that isn't a purely replacement effect? I mean, sure, not everyone can be Blue, able to draw all day long. But what is it about White that means that they don't get that sort of advantage?

I know the answer to this. But it's an intuitive one, born from long years of playing the game and seeing a lot. So I need to step back and actually explain to you how I came to my answer rather than just dumping it on you.

White is not a colour that acts rashly. They don't get Haste natively, their spells tend toward pacing the game rather than ending it outright. White rarely gets the big, flashy bombs that can end the game in one fell swoop - well, not since Serra Angel was downgraded out of 'Bomb' status and into 'Average Midrange'.

And this is reflected in their card draw. Their mono-white effects are replacitive in nature, rather than advancing their hand state. White doesn't advance in the same way that the others do. They don't sacrifice like Black, they don't destroy themselves looking for an answer like Red. Nor do they sit back and take a moment to make gains like Blue, or set up a renewable source of draws like Green.

White ... waits.

In the end, this is White's Card Draw Engine. Time itself. The slow press of turns. White alone can simply stop and say to itself "One more Turn", to draw then rather than now. That's what White does, and does it well.

White also Taxes, as was brought to my attention. By delaying the game with Wrath effects, or locking down a creautre with Pacifism, White can reset the board state in such a manner as to mitigate the card advantage of other colors, causing disproportionate losses for the effort expended.

In addition, Mentor of the Meek is a very style of card draw, but one that plays to White's strengths in smaller creatures, effectively making any creature with a power of 2 or less Cantrip for the cost of . I'd almost say that it's more once you strip the creature off it.

The initial question asked me if White could do with a Curiosity effect. Well, I thought about it, but I have to respond to that person that their suggestion doesn't work. It works for White because they get a very large amount of evasive creatures. Flying being first among them, but Blue also has one other combat trick up their sleeves that no one likes to talk about. Blue creatures, well, they get "This creature can't be blocked." There are 40 creatures with that ability, and only Ferropede isn't Blue.

This is why Blue gets Curiosity, and not White. Because Blue can exploit it. And why Keen Sense was printed. Not because Green got their hands on evasion, but because it works with Trample. White doesn't get this because they have neither. Yes, they have evasive creatures, but not to the same degree as Blue. And Curiosity works by pushing forward, and it took the Exalted mechanic from Alara to try and pry White out of it's group mentality. It simply doesn't mesh well with how the colour works.

And so, at long last, I hope I have answered the question put before me. White doesn't have a fancy mechanic because time itself is their mechanic.

Besides, if you're so desperate to draw in White, go splash Blue. Multi-coloured decks are a thing, and I have no wish to open up that particular can of worms given how many words, and how much effort I've put into this article. I want to talk about other things eventually!

So, that's that. I hope you've all enjoyed my Words of Wisdom, and I hope you'll all join me next time when I talk about the most meta of meta concepts in the game. Something so fundamental, but so completely unnecessary that no one could comprehend its absence. See you then!