Archivist

Creature — Human Wizard

Tap: Draw a card.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Modern Beyond Horizons	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (44)

Caerwyn on Is Staff of Completion a …

4 months ago

Archivist is a too slow a card. Imagine a casual game that ends on turn 8. You play archivist on turn 4, have to wait until turn 5 to use it, and only get 3 cards out of it. M

You would pretty much be better off with Finale of Revelation at that point -Finale would give give you two cards immediately, instead of three cards starting a whole turn later.

Now, I am not saying “throw Finale in e every deck.” The 4-mana and later point of the game can be critical to winning, and spending an entire turn to draw cards and do nothing else can put you a bit behind. Finale works best in a deck with a lot of ramp, where you can sink ten mana into it, get a bunch of cards, and untap five lands so you can immediately use some of those cards.

That is what I meant when I earlier said look at your deck and decide what the deck needs. If you have a deck where you can reliably cast Finale for X = 10+, go for it. But in a deck where it will just be casting if for 2-3? Find a different card that works with that specific deck.

DemonDragonJ on Is Staff of Completion a …

4 months ago

wallisface, that certainly makes sense, so what about Loran of the Third Path as a replacement for Temple Bell? She is less expensive than is Archivist, has higher power, has a triggered ability, and benefits only a single opponent, which allows her controller to gain favors with other players.

Also, the three decks that I mentioned in my previous post can easily make use of Staff of Compleation, since two of them have a strong focus on +1/+1 counters and my Liesa deck weaponizes gaining life.

wallisface on Is Staff of Completion a …

4 months ago

DemonDragonJ your criteria appears to be “has a tap ability which doesn’t include a mana cost or active-only-as-sorcery”. That’s a massive selection of cards. I’m not sure what that search criteria would be but it’s surely far too vast to be useful.

Archivist reads as being an incredibly slow card. Yes in commander interaction is scarce so it’ll likely stick around… but it’s mana cist is just soo high for such a slow/durdly/weak return.

Otherworld Atlas falls into that same bucket of being extremely slow/durdly/weak, except that it’s even worse in that it’s helping your opponents, so is actively terrible for you in the same way Temple Bell is… Otherworld Atlas is even worse as it has all the same problems as Temple Bell while costing twice as much mana and generally being far more inefficient (on the plus side its high mana cost means it’ll take longer to start giving your opponents cards)

The barrier for including Staff of Compleation in a deck shouldn't be whether you can scrape together enough lifegain to offset it (lifegain in general is a weak/terrible strategy you should generally avoid, especially so in a format that’s starting you on an absurdly high 40 life). The barrier to include the card should be “does activating this 2-3 times win me the game?” - if your deck can’t profit immensely, rapidly, and reliably from the card, it’s more effort than it’s worth running

DemonDragonJ on Is Staff of Completion a …

4 months ago

What does everyone here think about Archivist? Four mana for a 1/1 creature with no protection is rather risky, but it requires no additional investment of mana, can be used as an instant, and can be used repeatedly, and benefits only its controller.

wallisface, what criteria should I use to search for those cards on Scryfall?

RiotRunner789, several of my decks could actually use Staff of Compleation, such as my Jenara, Asura of War EDH deck, my Marath, Will of the Wild *f-etch* EDH deck, and my Liesa, Shroud of Dusk EDH deck, all of which have sufficient amounts of lifegain to be able to pay the costs of the abilities of the staff and all of which could actually benefit from the proliferate ability. Unfortunately, my Liesa deck is the only deck of mine that can gain life reliably enough to justify the inclusion of Well of Lost Dreams, and I definitely like Idol of Oblivion, but the only deck of mine in which that card would be reliable is my Ghired, Conclave Exile EDH deck, and I am not certain what card I would remove from that deck, to make room for the idol.

DarkKiridon, I am almost afraid to ask, but why do you dislike Otherworld Atlas?

king-saproling on Bjiorna and emeral

1 year ago

You might like these: Academy Manufactor, Alaundo the Seer, Quicksilver Dagger, Archivist, Oracle's Insight, Gilded Goose, Glittermonger, Tireless Provisioner, Tireless Tracker, Curse of Opulence, Basilisk Collar, Gorgon Flail, Gorgon's Head, Banishing Knack, Retraction Helix

Personally I would cut these to make room for the above: Laurine the Diversion, Narset Parter of Veils, Rampant Growth, Sakura-Tribe Elder, Elvish Mystic, Llanowar Elves, Vengeful Ancestor, Wavebreak Hippocamp, Thought Scour, Harrow, Fact or Fiction, Kuldotha Forgemaster, Ornithopter, Astral Cornucopia, Everflowing Chalice

king-saproling on Minn Commander (Decklist only)

2 years ago

You might like these: Alhammarret's Archive, Sakashima the Impostor, Azami, Lady of Scrolls, Merfolk Looter, Archivist, Enclave Cryptologist, Jacob Hauken, Inspector  ^Flip, Sindbad, Thought Courier, Cephalid Broker, Aphetto Alchemist, Vizier of Tumbling Sands, Kelpie Guide, Clever Conjurer, Drowned Rusalka, Psychosis Crawler

Homunculus1203 on Untap Bunny

2 years ago

I have Mind Over Matter in another deck of mine, it might be too strong for what i want with Kwain.

Illusionist's Bracers is a maybe the price is a little high for a card I don't already have.

I like Psychic Possession I have to test if it needs more card draw.

Chakram Retriever I'm not a fan the mana cost is to high at 5 I think.

Smothering Tithe too expensive.

Solitary Confinement is a nice addition might be better the Ghostly Prison.

I think Merfolk Looter or Thought Courier is better then Archivist, they go though your deck at the same speed but for half the mana cost.

king-saproling on Untap Bunny

2 years ago

Cool deck. Thoughts on these?

Mind Over Matter - expensive card but combos with Kwain

Illusionist's Bracers - equip to something like Aphetto Alchemist to combo off

Psychic Possession - essentially another copy of Teferi's Ageless Insight

Chakram Retriever - alongside Kwain, adds "everyone draw 1" to all your spells

Smothering Tithe - another pricey one, but great with Kwain

Solitary Confinement - makes you unkillable

Archivist