Why not Tormod's Crypt?
Modern Deck Help forum
Posted on Aug. 19, 2017, 5:46 a.m. by nicochulo
Perhaps I'm not a very experienced MTG player, but everytime I see graveyard hate sideboarded I always see Relic of Progenitus but I've never seen Tormod's Crypt. Why?I mean,don't get me wrong, I sorta get the "draw a card" thing and stuff but Tormod's Crypt costs 0 mana to cast and to activate, plus it doesn't hate your graveyard. Anybody who wants to explain this in-depth?
Thanks in advance
I'm not sure about all the reasoning either, but Relic has more situational uses. For example Scavenging Ooze etc. that can use both graveyards.
August 19, 2017 6:05 a.m.
Draakeragon Yeah getting a card is nice,but I'm also talking about the "all cards from all graveyards" thing, which affects you as well, that's all
User:Naksu Didn't think about that, that's a solid reason as well
August 19, 2017 6:10 a.m.
Also, you can keep pressure on an already empty graveyard with relic.
Against any deck with Tarmogoyf, you don't want any card types in any graveyard.
August 19, 2017 6:28 a.m.
xyr0s Didn't think about Tarmogoyf. Btw you're so active here, I like that :P
August 19, 2017 7:57 a.m.
Plus you can selectively get yourself ready for Karn Liberated
August 19, 2017 7:59 a.m.
Seisler No, not really. Karn only cares for cards exiled by karn. Any other cards in the exile zone when you ult karn, are simply part of the new game, shuffled into the library.
August 19, 2017 9:05 a.m.
SoggyGecko says... #11
There are some niche cases where you actually want Tormod's Crypt over Relic of Progenitus.
Goblins.
It better synergies with the deck (Reckless Bushwhacker), and with no fetch lands, you aren't really helping out the opponent with their spells. You usually cast your burn to finish them off, so the only way for them to get stuff in your grave is from themselves.
I will admit Goblins is not even tiered, but at least it is a small case of the Crypt doing something.
August 19, 2017 10:10 a.m.
Reanimator and Flashback (Lingering Souls) decks tend to favor Tormod's Crypt
August 19, 2017 10:40 a.m.
I want to thank all of you for the help you've given me. I needed to know this for my black burn deck.Since I use graveyard sometimes I think I'll use Tormod's Crypt or that Nihil Spellbomb that xyr0s suggested a while back
August 19, 2017 11:33 a.m.
The ability to chip away at an opponent's graveyard with the tap effect, and the fact that you get a card back when you crack it make Relic a significantly stronger card. It's true that it requires mana to "babysit" the Relic, which can sometimes cost you a bit of tempo, but the benefits over Crypt are well worth it. Crypt is more of a thing in formats like Legacy or Vintage, where not having an on-demand graveyard wipe active on T1 can lose you the game.
August 19, 2017 11:36 a.m.
Plus, Legacy and Vintage have Cabal Therapy, so having a mix of graveyard hate cards is relevant. It's a staple in Dredge for a reason. They will name a piece of hate so they aren't stuck trying to deal with Rest in Peace for the entire game. That's why you'll see lists with Nihil Spellbomb, Tormod's Crypt, and Relic of Progenitus all mixed in together, rather than just multiple copies of the same card.
Modern doesn't have this issue, so you can play several copies of the same hate card and not having to worry about getting BTFO'd by hand disruption. I think if graveyard decks were to play Lost Legacy more often, we'd probably see more people playing a mix of Tormod's Crypt and Relic of Progenitus.
You also want to be able to play your hate on turn 1 like rothgar13 stated.
August 19, 2017 6:45 p.m.
sylvannos in modern, you gotta watch out for Surgical Extraction. Playable without any particular color, decent on its own and devastating for combo'ish decks along with any 1 cmc discard effect.
Draakeragon says... #2
I think because you get a card for 2 mana with relic of progenitus.And I don't think you need to hate three people with graveyard hate all the time.
August 19, 2017 5:52 a.m.