The Queen's Egg
Commander / EDH
SCORE: 719 | 855 COMMENTS | 116708 VIEWS | IN 397 FOLDERS
So long, my sweet sweet Engine —July 11, 2019
Hello fellow Hivemates,
I'm sure all of you have heard the recent big news - Paradox Engine and some other card have officially been banned by the EDH Rules Committee. Also, an additional interesting note the comittee also updated their official Philosophy when it comes to EDH. The portion of that Philosophy that I found most interesting likely explains why they targeted Paradox Engine for a ban:
The goal of the ban list is similar; it does not seek to regulate competitive play or power level, which are decisions best left to individual play groups. The ban list seeks to demonstrate which cards threaten the positive player experience at the core of the format or prevent players from reasonable self-expression. The primary focus of the list is on cards which are problematic because of their extreme consistency, ubiquity, and/or ability to restrict others’ opportunities.
Obviously I wasn't happy to hear the news about the banning. Engine is one of my favorite cards in magic due to its dynamic nature. It can enable almost any combo, however the Rules Committee sees it as disruptive - a card that is too ubiquitous. I want to pick apart this philosophy, as I think they have it wrong with this ban. Obviously i'm biased, but I think there are inconsistencies in the Rules Committee's logic:
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The Rules committee have a misconception on how ubiquitous Paradox Engine is.The only real data I can find on how often this card is used is on EDHREC, which lists Paradox Engine to be in only 6% of decks recorded on it's site - 13600 of 238337. The Rules Committee need to cite their metrics, and show some form of hard data that can point to this card being used so frequently, because 6% is hardly a number worth mentioning. In my opinion the committee are issuing this ban because of what they perceive to be a ubiquitous card, but in reality...isn't.
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The Rules Committee are not consistent in their philosophy - if the committee were so concerned with the ubiquity of certain cards, then why unban Painter's Servant? When combined with Grindstone, this two card combo can instantly mill a player's whole library for only 6 generic mana on the same turn. This combo can be ubiquitous because it only requires generic mana. How can they preach about banning extreme consistency and ubiquity but allow this?
And don't get me started on them unbanning Protean Hulk:
This banning in my opinion shows that there is a disconnect between the Rules Committee and the EDH community proper. I know this is probably not going to result in anything, but I have voiced my displeasure by signing a Change.org Petition. If you agree with me, then please sign the petition along with me and many other players.
Also, I have decided the place holder for Paradox Engine - Worldly Tutor. I'll explain my rationale in the comments.
Hey gvazdaus,
How has The First Sliver performed? My concern is that it would cascade into something I'd rather not cast at the moment.
Good question. So, there have been a few moments where I cast First and end up with a counterspell or Toxic Deluge . Fortunately there is a "may" clause where I can simply not cast it:
When you cast a spell with Cascade, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card whose converted mana cost is less than the spell's converted mana cost. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost. Then put all cards exiled this way that weren't cast on the bottom of your library in a random order. - source
Before First was even printed, my deck was pretty much designed to incorporate it. Top deck manipulation is an important theme in this deck, and therefore I can set up multiple castings during my upkeep or at a moments notice depending on what I have on board. Ad Nauseam effects wouldn't hurt to include, but I think there are better options. Worldly Tutor and Enlightened Tutor are must haves if you are running First , in my opinion. Scroll Rack can set you up for some really great plays if you have in hand what you want to Cascade onto the field - like a Mana Echoes for example.
Durdle Time - yeah...I too am concerned about that. What I try to do is consolidate library shufflings and searching into just one instance. For example: Turn 1, I play a Polluted Delta . I tell my playgroup that I am going to crack it for an Underground Sea and play Vampiric Tutor . I put the tutor into my graveyard, while making the motion on the board that I have tapped the Sea . Once I do that, I pass turn get my cards, shuffle my library and double check to make sure my boardstate is legal. My playgroups appreciate this, and when someone stops to scrutinize or ask questions I welcome it - because I could have easily made a mistake. So yeah, try and consolidate shuffling/interactions with your library into one event - but always check with your playgroup first if that is okay.
July 4, 2019 5:21 p.m.
Thank you for being the inspiration for me to rebuild my sliver deck after MH Return of the Slivers I run into Supreme Verdict a lot in my meta do you think Ertai's Meddling Is worth running for being able to delay it if Sliver Hivelord i not out yet? I feel its a highly unrated card since it does get around uncounterable spells and can delay other threats and buy you time at minimum 1 turn for 2 mana so 1/3 of a Delay but you get around uncounterable
July 8, 2019 12:11 a.m.
Doombeard1984 says... #4
Yes dude, new Sliver Legion judge promo is on the list to get. Artwork is sooooo good.
July 8, 2019 2:57 a.m.
Hi! Really love your deck, but... What about Paradox Engine now? Are you going to switch into Intruder Alarm ?
July 8, 2019 1:10 p.m.
Indeed,it looks like we must find a replacement for Paradox Engine being now gone LVL_666.
July 8, 2019 3:28 p.m.
Why did they ban paradox? I feel like Senseis Diving top would be a better banning because it is not so important in the meta but it still can do some stuff. A train on Iona ban tho, Theres a dude at my store who plays Iona and its super annoying
gvazdaus says... #1
How has The First Sliver performed? My concern is that it would cascade into something I'd rather not cast at the moment. Also, I keep coming back to Ad Nauseam -like effects and am flirting with running Bolas's Citadel but would want to add Sensei's Divining Top . Between the fetchlands and the Overlord, I spend some time searching, even if I know what I'm grabbing and it slows the game down. Do you worry about durdle time?
July 4, 2019 11:18 a.m.