Sunder Shaman or Rust Scarab - which is better?
General forum
Posted on Oct. 29, 2021, 2:33 a.m. by MortisAngelus
Objectively speaking, which one is better?
I run a Liquimetal Coating + Liquimetal Torque deck and I currently run 2x Rust Scarab as they fit the theme very well. And because Sunder Shaman didnt exist when I built the first version.
Now,I have difficulty deciding which is better.
If one lists the positives, SCARAB wins for only requiring one green and mostly gets through as ppl dont want to lose anything due to their permanents becoming artifacts. But it costs 5 and also do not get anything destroyed.
SHAMAN only costs 4 and will destroy something whenever he attacks; either an artifact or a blocking creature. But he costs GGRR, which is much more complicated than 4G.
MTG cannot be defined objectively in most cases. As a player, it comes to preference and resolve. I would say the Sunder Shaman is a superior card, as it bears a lower mana cost and better stats. It also becomes stronger, for it does not require the opponent to have a creature to do its job.
Thence is all.
October 29, 2021 5:05 a.m.
wallisface says... #4
It's pretty hard/impossible to judge either without a list, but I would suggest there are better options than both, by a long way. 5cmc and 4cmc respectively is pretty big, and these guys do nothing on entering the battlefield, so you've given your opponent an absolute TON of time to setup and win before you're enacting any kind of plan (I'm assuming this is the main plan for the deck as I have no other information). On top of that, if you're planning on controlling the board state, you don't need big creatures, you just need to make sure the board is under your control, and then win at your leisure.
So instead, I would suggest you consider some of the following:
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Shenanigans Lets you destroy whatever you want of your opponents, as many times as you'd like. At 2cmc, you can start peeling-away at every board-piece your opponent has as early as turn 3 - and have a guaranteed 1-destroy-per-turn until your opponent concedes, or you swing for lethal.
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Gorilla Shaman gives you access to ruining all your opponents non-creature stuff (most notably/easily, their lands), and also provides a body to swing with when the coast-is-clear.
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Embereth Shieldbreaker is a 1-mana destroy spell, which you can later turn into a creature to deal damage.
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Ancient Grudge kills 2 artifacts for the price of 1 spell.
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Reclamation Sage and/or Knight of Autumn can peel back an artifact on entry, provide bodies to attack with, and can be abused with the likes of Ephemerate
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Also, while Collector Ouphe doesn't specifically destroy an artifact, you can use it to effectively turn off your opponents lands (make them artifacts before they draw), which will certainly help mess up what they're trying to do.
October 29, 2021 6:16 a.m.
MortisAngelus says... #5
Thanks for all the input guys.
I wasnt sure about forum rules if I was allowed to link deck lists or not.
But here's the current list: Forged Execution
It might look somewhat harmless, but unless ppl have a lot of hexproof/shroud/ward it is very devastating. Built first version 5 years ago, but wasnt allowed to play it in my playgroup due to the land destruction/full permanent control.
So the issue is not what the low cmc cards should be. I just want to add 2 big creatures.
Off topic; any suggestion on how I could refill my hand without also refilling my enemies hands? I used to have 3x Reforge the Soul but they have been relocated to my EDH decks. And this deck should stay budget. Same question goes for what I should add to my sideboard.
P.s. 4x Reclamation Sage are on the to-buy list.
October 29, 2021 3:58 p.m.
MortisAngelus says... #6
Shenanigans is extremely interesting... Might cut Ancient Grudge for that one, and re-insert Elixir of Immortality.
Question is also, if it might be better to keep in 2x Voltaic Key instead of having some big hitters.
October 29, 2021 4:29 p.m.
wallisface says... #7
MortisAngelus I'll have a look at your list now and comment on that directly :)
seshiro_of_the_orochi says... #2
I'd need to see your list to evaluate if you could support shaman's mana cost. Four coloured pips can be a heavy restriction.
Leaving that aside, I'd go with shaman. Here's my reasoning: Usually, you'd want to keep most decisions for yourself. Scarab puts a decision into your opponent's hand: Block it and lose at least one permanent or take damage. They can choose whatever is best for them. Shaman says "Can you block me? No? Ok, goodbye to whatever. You can block? Ok, 5/5 will usually enough to kill the blocker." This is pretty straightforward, and you can mostly know what happens before attacking.
October 29, 2021 3:27 a.m.