Ghirapur AEther Grid

Enchantment

Tap two untapped artifacts you control: Ghirapur AEther Grid deals 1 damage to target creature or player.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Arena	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (50)

legendofa on Is WotC Being Inconsistent in …

2 months ago

Again, not a professional designer. But:

Compare Whispering Wizard to cards like Monastery Mentor or Third Path Iconoclast. I would say if {R} or {W} got added to the cost and it became a 2/2, it would be more likely to be triggered on any use. {U} is the weakest color for continual token generation.

Sunshot Militia would need a shift up to at least uncommon, if not rare. It's already a reasonably efficient pinger, in that it can be activated multiple times in a turn and hits each opponent. Adding {1} or maybe {R} to the mana cost and upshifting the rarity would be enough to remove the restriction, I think. Ghirapur AEther Grid and Kyren Negotiations are my references here.

Crow_Umbra on Why Are So Many Recent …

5 months ago

If I'm not mistaken, Sunshot Militia can also tap itself to activate its own ability, since it doesn't specify "other creature"? Additionally, Sunshot hits all opponents, which could be used in some convoluted tap/untap combo loops.

Ghirapur AEther Grid debuted in Magic Origins, back in 2015, meaning it was likely designed a few years earlier than that (possibly 2011-13). Sunshot Militia was likely designed sometime in the past 2-4ish years.

DemonDragonJ, I'd recommend poking around Mark Rosewater's Blog to get some tidbits on design decisions. This is a recent post that's kind of adjacent to the questions you're asking.

Additionally, Mark Rosewater has the Drive to Work Podcast where he discusses all kinds of set design stuff to put it lightly. It's available on most major streaming platforms. Here's the Wiki page with a list of each episode and corresponding links.

wallisface on Why Are So Many Recent …

5 months ago

DemonDragonJ firstly, you're comparing a common to an uncommon, which isn't a fair assessment - generally speaking uncommon cards are much stronger than commons and can do more powerful and complex interactions.

Additional to this, the cards also behave quite differently. Sunshot Militia can be activated much easier, as there are two different cards types which it can tap to trigger itself (creatures and artifacts), whereas Ghirapur AEther Grid has to use artifacts.

But also, I don't think its fair to compare individual cards like this - looking at things in isolation like this isn't indicative of anything, and doesn't prove any valid path of discussion either-way. I think you would do better getting grasps on the bigger picture of why Wotc has made this change, instead of getting caught in the minutia of individual cards.

DemonDragonJ on Why Are So Many Recent …

5 months ago

What about Sunshot Militia? Why does its ability need to be usable only as a sorcery, when Ghirapur AEther Grid's ability can be used as an instant? Did WotC decide that that ability was too powerful as an instant, as well?

Max_Hammer on Mardu Treasures

1 year ago

Hello friend! I have some suggestions! I had way too much time today, so here you go.

Absolute must adds

Relatively cheap, potent, and just perfect upgrades.

• Anointed Procession double the treasures, double the constructs, double the fun.

• Inspiring Statuary is going to make all of your spells cheaper without making you sacrifice artifacts.

• Oni-Cult Anvil is going to go hand-in-hand with your commander by making all of these tokens.

• Grim Hireling does make a lot more treasures, it’s going to be more useful as super annoying removal.

• Daretti, Ingenious Iconoclast isn’t budget, but one murder a turn is a good deal.

• Ghirapur AEther Grid is super good. When you have untapped tokens, why not use them?

Making more goodies

This bit is, of course, focused on making as many treasures as your board can bear.

• Dockside Extortionist makes so many treasures, aaaaah! But, y’know, also stupid expensive.

• Seize the Spotlight is a way to hold your opponent’s creatures hostage! And since there are plenty of sacrifice outlets, you can just throw it away after you’re done with it.

• Life Insurance, Scion of Opulence, Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge and Pitiless Plunderer both net you tokens for sacrificing creatures (your Commander’s whole thing!!)

• The Reaver Cleaver is gold. Yes to all of this. Trample and +1/+1 is alright, but the loads of tokens will be really sweet.

• Blood Money is a board wipe, but you get even more treasures afterwards.

• Monologue Tax makes three more treasures a round, more or less.

• Bolas's Citadel can be a wincon on its own.

• Descent into Avernus is some snazzy treasure creation, but also pretty dangerous. Use with care!

• Skullport Merchant and Dockside Chef both give plenty of card draw, in exchange for a little mana.

• Black Market Connections gives you pretty much whatever you need at the moment.

• Ancient Copper Dragon makes a million treasures, plus he's a dragon.

• Hoard Hauler can protect a weaker creature that you can’t attack with and still get you more tokens.

• Prosperous Partnership is extremely useful when on the defensive. If you must have all of your big bad creatures untapped on your opponent’s combat, then you’re wasting potential! Just marry some of your creatures, they won’t mind.

• Trove of Temptation forces your opponents into a potentially uncomfortable position while giving you treasures in the meanwhile.

• Storm-Kiln Artist is a good ground defender, since it’ll kill most whatever is thrown at it, but it’ll also make plenty of tokens!

• Unexpected Windfall, Inspired Tinkering, Pirate's Pillage, Deadly Dispute, Big Score, and Seize the Spoils are all just draw but with extra token creation.

• Fake Your Own Death revives a creature and gives you a treasure.

• Contract Killing and Grim Bounty are both murders but with extra tokens, which is very nice.

• Sudden Breakthrough is a buff with first strike that makes an extra treasure.

• Sticky Fingers gets you tokens when you attack.

• Treasure Vault is here for obvious reasons. Pump it with enough mana and you’re set for life.

• Ancient Den, Great Furnace, and Vault of Whispers aren’t treasure tokens, but they are artifacts, which is just going to give you a little boost to some of your mechanics and means that you can tutor them with cards that weren’t intended for such.

• Mimic, Glittering Stockpile, and Goldhound are all just treasures. Nothing special, but still something to note.

• Smoke Spirits' Aid seems useless… Unless you board wipe after. Could be lots of damage and lots of extra treasure.

• Undercity Scrounger is okay filler, if you need it.

What to do with your treasures

Great, now you have all of these treasures, now what are you going to do with them?

Frogmite, Lens Flare, Scale of Chiss-Goria, Tooth of Chiss-Goria, Mycosynth Golem, Slag Strider, Furnace Dragon, and Myr Enforcer are all notable cards you could add, since they pretty much become free after a while, though mostly pretty useless.

Forsworn Paladin is pretty good token generation early game, but really shines with the second ability where it can instantly punish anyone blocking or attacking you recklessly.

Marionette Master is going to pack a punch.

Dargo, the Shipwrecker is super cheap for a 7/5 with trample.

Enraged Giant, Freejam Regent, Battle at the Bridge, Saheeli's Directive, Herald of Anguish, and Organic Extinction are all pretty solid additions, since they don’t make you sacrifice anything in exchange for it.

Ruthless Technomancer has a million combos with (like Dockside Extortionist+sac outlet) and is just pretty good on its own.

Leonin Elder is just one life, but when you’re playing a treasure deck, that one life will definitely add up.

Underhanded Designs is a murder or a poke engine, which is very snazzy.

Glaze Fiend is pretty scary, considering that it has trample.

Dragonspark Reactor could be a bit of removal in your back pocket or your wincon.

Arcbound Crusher’s design team didn’t anticipate just how many artifacts I was planning on throwing onto the field.

Professional Face-Breaker is just like Grim Hireling, in that it makes treasure tokens, but more importantly, it gives you something else. You get a load of impulse draw, which is really nice when you have loads of mana.

Magda, Brazen Outlaw is just an artifact tutor, really. Though, there are plenty of treasure loving dragons you could also fish for. (:

Kalain, Reclusive Painter loves treasures, giving everyone big buffs.

Swashbuckler Extraordinaire can give anything that might be sensitive to dying double strike for a big final push. That, or just give one big boy double strike.

Their Number is Legion gets you lots of life and lots of tokens.

Necron Overlord is just a worse Ghirapur, but it’s still gonna hurt.

Street Urchin is the same idea as the above.

Armix, Filigree Thrasher could be some annoying removal, especially early game.

Hellkite Igniter is a big boy that, if left unblocked, could be a one hit kill.

Feedback Bolt is a big, powerful spell. To put it simply: ouch.

Fain, the Broker can make treasures, can make +1/+1’s, and can make little spooky boys. The best type of boys. Great utility and variety overall.

Rain of Riches is big. One cascading spell a turn, whichever one you want? Imagine dropping Feedback Bolt and cascading into Hellkite Igniter.

Captain Lannery Storm is innocent… Until you leave her unblocked like a dummy.

Concussive Bolt can be an easy kill, letting you get as much damage as you want through.

Dispense Justice is just like saying “Fuck your voltron.”

Construct tribal specifically

It seems you also like having and sacrificing constructs, so here’s a bit to let you do more of that, if you’d prefer to have a construct deck over a treasure token deck.

• Solarion and Suncrusher both utilize your ability to make any color of mana and are stronger for it.

• Digsite Engineer is going to make a lot of big creatures for you.

• Flamewright and Sokenzan Smelter are going to make plenty of tiny constructs for you.

• Scrapyard Recombiner is a good tutor for you.

• Hangarback Walker, Gemini Engine, Traxos, Scourge of Kroog, Scuttling Doom Engine, Crackdown Construct are all just big boys.

• Scrap Trawler might be kind of annoying? Idunno how well it would work, I’ll let you judge that.

• Adaptive Automaton, Steel Overseer, Alibou, Ancient Witness, Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer, and Chief of the Foundry make all of your boys bigger and scarier.

• Epochrasite is great, since you can sacrifice it again and again.

• Arcbound Worker and Sparring Construct are both little boys to sacrifice,

• Ancient Stone Idol isn’t a construct, it’s a golem, but it makes a construct.

• Skittering Surveyor, Manakin, Hedron Crawler, and Millikin are all very good for mana.

• Shambling Suit and Slag Fiend are big boys that are really just a massive menace.

• Noxious Gearhulk and Chaos Defiler are removals with a big, mean body.

• Phyrexian Soulgorger is a big boy. Granted, if you let him live for too long he’ll eat your entire army, but for a little while, especially while you’re pumping out constructs, this is a good deal.

• Indulge / Excess makes creature tokens, sure, sure, but mostly makes a lot of treasures.

What to take out

• Shared Animosity will give constructs a boost, but there really isn’t a specific theme across creature types aside from that, and your constructs are better used for chump blocking or just turning them into scrap. Ignore this if you’re going for more of a construct tribal sort of thing.

• Fable of the Mirror-Breaker  ^Flip is a good card, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think it’s really necessary.

• Rakdos Charm could be replaced with something better as far as artifact removal or graveyard hate. Nihil Spellbomb would be good graveyard hate and Generous Gift is just a good white staple.

• Comet Storm is fun, but Crackle with Power is more fun.

Triton on Kurkesh Sesh

1 year ago

Poly_raptor no worries! I totally get life happens sometimes. :) I appreciate the suggestions a lot! I definitely wanna find a place for Pia's Revolution- Ghirapur AEther Grid as well. It's tricky finding cards to cut but I will definitely add them to the Maybeboard! Thank you for the suggestions!

Poly_raptor on Kurkesh Sesh

1 year ago

Oh and also Ghirapur AEther Grid is a maybe

Mountainmammoth on Strefan the Bloody [primer]

2 years ago

Your collection is impressive. Here are some suggestions that I hope will improve your list.

Olivia's Attendants creates 6 blood every time they attack, which is an amazing as a set up for dockside extortionist

Twilight Prophet is dirty with Strefan. Draw an extra card each friendly upkeep and if it has a cost more than zero, damage each opponent so you get three blood per turn and gain life too. Plus strefan’s blood tokens make getting city’s blessing a snap.

Ghirapur AEther Grid. You will be creating a lot of artifacts (blood and treasure) and being able to tap them in pairs to damage either players or problem creatures can give you an edge while you are building a critical mass of artifacts for krark or inspiring statuary and torment of hellfire.

Olivia, Crimson Bride is a Rakdos vampire that Strefan can cheat on to the table. Essential does a similar thing to Strefan only she cheats on any creature from your graveyard instead of vampires from you hand. Great way to recur dockside extortionist or anything else you discard with blood tokens/lose to spot removal.

Squee, Goblin Nabob is fantastic with blood as you can discard him and redraw him from the graveyard once per friendly upkeep. That can turn a blood per turn into card advantage.

Anger is also amazing with blood tokens. You can use the blood to discard anger, draw a card and give all of your creatures haste. Strefan doing his combat trick the turn you recast him can be clutch.

I would consider adding Nirkana Revenant back in as it works really well with Urborg, tomb of yawgmoth and can also give you extra mana for your cost X spells.

I don’t see a ton of synergy between Strefan and the Exquisite Blood tricks, but you do have the tutors to make it work even if there isn’t any support from the command zone. If you want to keep those win conditions, consider adding Blood Tribute. Tap a vampire as the kicker and have Vito/sanguine bond in play and you get to straight up remove a player (or all players if you have sengir as well). Great backup play for when exquisite blood gets removed/countered.

You already have one of the pieces for the Worldgorger Dragon combo (animate dead). Add in a Dance of the Dead and a Necromancy for redundancy and you have a recipe for infinite mana. Just use a blood token to discard the dragon and you are in business. Avacyn's Judgment, discarded with blood and cast for the madness cost can also deal lethal damage to three player with enough mana.