Arcane Denial

Instant

Counter target spell. Its controller may draw up to two cards at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep.

You draw a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep.

Discussion (51)

SeanmanX on Space Aids

2 days ago

Digging the first pass of the deck I would try to go all-in on the infect theme and ditch some of the +1/+1 counter focused cards. Would make the deck feel a lot more consistent in games played.

I also see some cards that give brokkos some form of evasion, its worth noting that brokkos already has a pseudo-evasion like effect by naturally having trample, which deters people from blocking anyways, I feel that the additional evasion effects via creatures to mutate onto seems a bit extra.

I reccomend removing these:

• Merfolk Skydiver - +1/+1 theme, its nice for a 5 mana proliferation sink but I feel its too clunky
• Pollenbright Druid - A one time proliferate is likely too cute for this deck
• Polukranos, Unchained - +1/+1 counter themed, I see the argument for mutating onto a huge creature with +1/+1 counters, but polukranos also shrinks really quickly
• Elusive Tormentor  ^Flip is a nice unblockable threat, but we're winning by going to bash town with infect damage, rather than an unblockable 6/7
• Silhana Ledgewalker Another pseudo-unblockable threat.
• Toothy, Imaginary Friend I likely would only play this card with Pir, Imaginative Rascal, seems very off theme from what you're trying to do aside from giving itself counters.
• Yeva, Nature's Herald This card only gives your green creatures flash, I dont think its really worth it... otherwise I would be super on board
• Blighted Agent is a human and you cannot mutate onto it. I'm not sure if you want to keep it in the deck as an extra infect threat, or go all in on the mutate plan.
• Relic Putrescence feels way too narrow just for giving its controller a single poison counter
• Simic Ascendancy Is a +1/+1 card that I dont see as a viable backup plan
• Leyline of Anticipation It's nice casting things at instant speed but that isnt really the theme of the deck, if folks have instant speed removal they will likely use it anyways and this wont get you many bonus points
• Golgari Charm What is this for? Removing 1/1s? Brokkos has trample and your infect creatures might have 1 toughness... regenerating brokkos? Just mutate again..

Cards I would consider adding:

• Rot Wolf
• Whispering Specter
• Plague Myr
• Necropede
• Blackcleave Goblin
• Thrummingbird
• Triumph of the Hordes
• Blackblade Reforged

Since you're looking for more Destroy effects, Card draw effects, and counter effects, consider the following:

• Beast Within
• Vines of Vastwood
• Deadly Rollick
• Invigorate
• Phyrexian Arena
• Painful Truths
• Arcane Denial
• Curtains' Call

There are a few different land ramp spells I may play, but those are likely out of budget. For the remainder of the cuts I reccomend taking out the worst infect creatures, and possibly some of your land ramp spells

DemonDragonJ on Drawing Cards During Upkeep Versus ...

1 week ago

There are plenty of cards that allow a player to draw additional cards, beyond their normal card draw each turn, and, in this thread, I wish to focus on triggered abilities that cause players to draw cards.

Some cards have abilities that cause their controller to draw cards that trigger during that player’s upkeep step, while others trigger during that player’s draw step, but, in recent years, there have been more instances of such abilities triggering during draw steps (i.e., Well of Ideas or Overbeing of Myth) and less of such abilities triggering during upkeep steps (i.e., Bringer of the Blue Dawn, Honden of Seeing Winds, or Arcane Denial).

That makes me wish to ask several questions: what is the difference between drawing a card during one’s upkeep and drawing an additional card during one’s draw step, why does WotC have two different variations on that ability in the first place, and, most importantly, why have there been more instances of that ability triggering during the draw step, rather than during the upkeep step, in recent years? I prefer such abilities to trigger during the upkeep step, because nearly every other ability triggers during that step, and, as far as I am aware, there are very few abilities that trigger during the draw step, apart from additional card drawing, so everything would be easier and more uniform if the upkeep step was the universal (or near universal) step during which abilities triggered. Also, WotC could have saved many words on Panopticon if they had used the same template that they used on other planar cards, such as Quicksilver Sea or Grove of the Dreampods.

What does everyone else say about this? Why did WotC have two different variations of this ability, and why has one become more commonplace, recently?

TDemers on The Ur-Companion

2 weeks ago

NeonEndymion Just getting around to look at your comments in more details now.. I remember looking at Magmaquake earlier and it would be great if it wasn't for that double red mana and Jegantha... lol

Considered your advice and made the following changes: Feels like it made an overall improvement to the deck, I will add Dragonlord Silumgar and Fire Covenant when/if I manage to get my hands on them. Thanks again for the help.

In: Heroic Intervention - Out: Arcane Denial

In: Steely Resolve - Out: Path to Exile

In: Morophon, the Boundless - Out: Chromium, the Mutable

In: Ramos, Dragon Engine - Out: Hypersonic Dragon

In: Steel Hellkite - Out: Spellbound Dragon

In: Rhythm of the Wild - Out: Negate

LeonSpires on Spacegodzilla Mutation

2 weeks ago

@ Reznorboy

Invisible Stalker would be one of the best mutate target as it has both hexproof and unblockable. Unfortunately it has the pesky word "human" printed on it. So to make it work I would also need to run cards like Amoeboid Changeling. At that point I don't think he's worth it.

Flusterstorm and Swan Song are already in the list. The others seem too narrow on what they target to me. Although I hesitate to run it because of my cEDH experiences I might try Arcane Denial and see how it does in the deck. Also I have been thinking of possibly running Unwind and Rewind. With cards like Leyline of Anticipation and Kruphix, God of Horizons they can function fairly well as mana isn't as likely to go to waist.

That's a cool interaction with Raven's Crime and Life from the Loam. I had never thought of that. I might try that synergy at some point down the road.

Thanks again for the suggestions you have really helped me think through some things for this deck.

Bahoola on Kalamax Nittpicking 50$

3 weeks ago

Nitpicking - IN! (41 cards) Goblin Electromancer God-Eternal Kefnet Guttersnipe Niv-Mizzet, Parun Wavebreak Hippocamp Ral, Storm Conduit Ancient Grudge Arcane Denial Commit / Memory Conqueror's Galleon  ^Flip Cultivator's Caravan Electrodominance Expansion / Explosion Expedite Fact or Fiction Fire / Ice Foil Fury Storm Impulse Krosan Grip Mizzix's Mastery Mystic Confluence Nature's Claim Peek Primal Amulet  ^Flip Radical Idea Rapid Hybridization Snap Springleaf Drum Stubborn Denial Thaumatic Compass  ^Flip Thousand-Year Storm Game Trail Holdout Settlement Mountain Valley Reliquary Tower Rogue's Passage Sheltered Thicket Survivors' Encampment Temple of Abandon Temple of Mystery

Grind on Nekusar

1 month ago

cool deck!
Teferi's Puzzle Box and Magus of the Wheel might be good.
and maybe Arcane Denial over Dismiss?

Epicurus on Drawn to Death

1 month ago

G'damn, the "set up my pillow fort and watch you draw to death" strategy. That's damn brutal.

I've always loved the Maze of Ith + Silent Arbiter pillow fort combo. But Solitary Confinement is a nice addition. Also, though, consider Arcane Denial.

Great build. Cheers!

Daedalus19876 on Endless Forms Most Beautiful: Vadrok EDH [PRIMER]

1 month ago

Grind: Thanks for your thoughts! In order --

1) I have not yet added Mystical Tutor, but I definitely should. Part of the reason is that this isn't really INTENDED to be consistent, per se -- it came from a silly idea I had, not a desire to make an optimized deck -- but as it's gotten more tuned, Mystical Tutor's fit better. I probably should run Merchant Scroll too, since that's much better to cast off Vadrok's mutation trigger.

2) I'm pretty dedicated to only running UR here (with the possible exception of Restore Balance). Also, Recruiter of the Guard can't get one of my primary three targets (Lore Drakkis), so I'll have to pass on this one.

3) Chart a Course is actually rather intentionally included over a straight draw spell. I often cast it in my precombat main even when I have something that COULD attack. The reason is that I want to have as many spells as possible that let me dump something into GY to cast with Vadrok in early turns, so I have value ready and waiting when I mutate her. Also, comparing it with Brainstorm, the problem is that Brainstorm can be pretty bad when I cast it from GY, since I'll often be drawing through the same cards I just put on top (unless I can crack a fetch in between, or whatever).

4) I am not a huge fan of Arcane Denial -- I'd very much not like to give my opponents cards when I can help with it. Delay is cute, but if I add another counterspell my go-to will certainly be Mana Drain ;)

5) Char-Rumbler is not spectacular, but when he goes off it's pretty hilarious. I mutate my commander onto him, swing for 3 double strike... Then on the next turn I swing, pump with RRRRR, and kill my opponent from lethal commander damage. He's probably the weakest of my current hosts, but I'm just so amused by getting to play the most janky uncommon ever printed. I was considering War Elemental in its place, but I could never manage to make it survive the ETB trigger.

Your thoughts definitely weren't useless! Thanks, I really appreciate them :)