Miscast

Instant

Counter target instant or sorcery spell unless its controller pays {3}.

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)

wallisface on Azorius Aggro-Control deck

2 months ago

9-lives

For Defiant Strike you yourself even admit that Opt and Preordain are better - and that's the exact reason why this card is bad.

I have no idea what you mean by "And, no, I don't have to cast two creatures for it to be worthwhile, as whenever i cast it I would lose nothing if I didn't keep it for over 2 turns.". Assemble the Players does effectively nothing on its own. You play it, and now you have 1-less resource in-hand, for no inherent board-state advantage. Once you play the first creature from the top of your deck with it, now you've at-least "broken even" - that is, the cards you've invested into it have equaled the gain in boardstate you have acquired (albeit, costing 2 additional mana and having to wait an undetermined number of turns, so still being more hassle-than-value). Only once you've cast your second creature from the topdeck, has the card made any kind of net-advantage. The problem is that the sheer amount of time it would take to achieve that is ridiculous.

You are saying "Oppressive Rays is far underrated" but this is just your unfounded opinion. There's good reason why it sees no play at all, even in budget decks or in Pauper (where you can only play commons... if it's not even seeing play there then alarm bells should be ringing!).

Spell Pierce is infinitely better than Miscast, simply because it hits a much, much wider berth of spells. The difference between an opponent paying {2} or {3} is far less-wide of a gap than the one between only being able to target instants and sorceries, versus being able to target instants, sorceries, planeswalkers, enchantments, artifacts, and battles.

Mishra's Bauble doesn't let you look at the opponents hand at all, just their topdeck (which may get shuffled away before they draw anyway). Urza's Saga can only specifically search for artifacts costing exactly {0} or {1}, which none of your artifact creatures are, so you cannot grab them with this card.

I am looking at the whole deck. Some of the cards I have said are bad here can conceivably work in different shells. Just not remotely this one.

---

I have asked you twice now already what your budget is for this deck, so that people giving you card suggestions can cater this for what you are wanting to spend. If you want people to be able to help you, you need to include this information!

The biggest problem holding your decks back at the moment, as far as I can see, is that their constructor is too stubborn and not-open enough to feedback. By getting super-combative with every suggestion/response people give you, these decks are not going to be able to improve, and instead cycle around in a rut indefinitely. The best thing you can do to help strengthen your deckbuilding is learning to be more open to healthy non-combative discussion, and being more open to listening to others ideas. Coming to a pre-determined decision that everything you've done is correct from the start only serves to leave you exactly where you began.

9-lives on Azorius Aggro-Control deck

2 months ago

What is so bad about Defiant Strike if it's simply a addition to having the ability to draw a card? It's no Opt or even Preordain, but it's good for my purposes.

And, no, I don't have to cast two creatures for it to be worthwhile, as whenever i cast it I would lose nothing if I didn't keep it for over 2 turns.

Oppressive Rays is far underrated for its power.

I have 13 counterspells out of around 70 cards. Miscast is not better nor worse than Spell Pierce. Spell Pierce is targeting other things, and also has a different mana cost to the opponent.

Urza's Saga and Mishra's Bauble are great. The latter lets me look at the opponent's hand. The former is good for artifacts, and can search for artifact creatures as well as Mishra's Bauble.

wallisface on Azorius Aggro-Control deck

2 months ago

To counter your points:

• You've changed the list since first read as Defiant Strike wasn't initially there - but this should never be in any deck aside from maybe some super-janky prowess build. But my point on Assemble the Players is that you need at least 2 creatures to make it worthwhile (which was the 5 turn estimate, re-read my post because I think you've misunderstood). Furthermore, you can only cast this card reasonably once you also have the mana to control your opponents turn as-well, so it's a super late game tool which won't really give you the value you're wanting. Mishra's Bauble doesn't help Assemble the Players at all because you have no flash-creatures, so there's no interval where you can make use of Assemble the Players with it.

• Your argument for keeping Oppressive Rays isn't a valid one, and shows a clear misunderstanding of how games typically play out. I feel like you're just digging-your-heels-in as opposed to taking-in actual advice and well-meaning criticism.

• With 11 counterspells, 16% of your cards are countermagic, which is a low-enough density that you can't assume to be reliably countering magic for long.

I've just noticed you're at 68 cards. Get down to 60. I remember having this discussion before with you - but if you're even remotely trying to take deck-building seriously, this is the first thing you need to do.

I see you've added Miscast to the deck... this is just a worse Spell Pierce.

I think Sorcerous Spyglass was in the deck initially but I should call out this is a sideboard-card at best. The vast majority of decks won't care at all about this card - a lot of cards don't have activated abilities.

Urza's Saga can only grab Mishra's Bauble so seems unideal to have here, but it's no biggie either way.

You still haven't let anyone know what your budget is!!

Icaruskid on Doomsday Clock | Budget Urza [PRIMER]

3 months ago

Whoa thank you Profet93!

Yep, Remand is an upgrade of Miscast and better than Turn Aside which I had also tested in that spot.

Treasure Mage is my failsafe to find Planar Bridge if a win condition can't be found otherwise and my get out of jail card Platinum Angel which is a budget version of Darksteel Forge. Sometimes my group targets me heavily so this is likely a utility slot for other players. Would you drop all three for another plan?

I appreciate your ideas!

Crow_Umbra on Neon Light Speed [Primer]

5 months ago

Thanks for the suggestions Profet93, I appreciate them. My thoughts on the suggestions and some of your questions:

• Rhystic Study - Definitely a great card. I don't play it because I don't currently own a copy, but have played against it numerous times in my local metas. It's not the most fun for me to experience, so I'd rather spare others the "Do you pay the {1}?". I think Mystic Remora puts in plenty of work in this regard. My primary play group tends to pay the {1} more often than not, so I do acknowledge its usefulness as a tax piece.

• Berserkers' Onslaught - Pretty understandable to feel that way at first glance. I've liked it as a means of getting extra tokens on those haste-y combat damage connections. I haven't really had any moments where I regretted playing it.

• Tragic Slip - Great removal piece. I didn't initially consider it for this deck, but have used it in the past in more aristocrats focused builds. Lots of stuff dies, so it's not that hard to get the Morbid clause. I'll consider it as a potential swap.

• Reality Shift - I frequently play against graveyard utilizing strats, so I like to utilize exile removal whenever I can manage it. So far, I haven't really had any issue with a significant threat under the Manifest. More often than not it's been a land or non-creature spell.

• Miscast - I've had some past success with this counter in other decks. I think in those situations, my opponents either were already tapped out, or couldn't pay the {3} for whatever reason. I added this after some of the earliest games with the deck, where I felt I needed a couple of more cheap counterspell options. Some other stuff I've considered for this slot: Familiar's Ruse, Mizzium Skin, Lazotep Plating, Change of Plans, or Seize the Spotlight

Profet93 on Neon Light Speed [Primer]

5 months ago

Crow_Umbra Nice deck, +1

Rhystic Study - Draw

Curious about the following cards...

Berserkers' Onslaught - Is double strike necessary to close out games? It appears winmore at first glance.

Reality Shift - Doesn't black have other removal that might work? Tragic Slip is one that comes to mind given all the creatures that will probably die in EDH, seems easy to trigger. Unless the exile clause is important due to GY decks as tragic slip gets around indestructible as well. Personally, I don't like giving an opponent a potential card as a substitute. How has it been playing for you?

Miscast - Seems weak late game, why not substitute in a different counterspell, more removal or draw?

Crow_Umbra on The Glass Ninja Cannon

5 months ago

To keep Goro-Goro and Satoru kicking, I think it could be helpful to get a few more counterspell and protection effects in there. Once you start connecting with those fast & evasive bodies, they tend to draw a target on their back. Stubborn Denial can be a fairly cheap option, since you should have some 5/5 dragon tokens around. Some other budget options could be Miscast, Counterspell, and Negate. From having played G-G&S, I think having some more instant speed interaction/protection will be helpful to keep your board intact, and temper the glass cannon to be a bit more durable.

On the topic of interaction and removal, I'd recommend adding in Feed the Swarm, since Grixis is pretty limited for options in terms of enchantment removal.

Death-Greeter's Champion and Berserkers' Onslaught might be worth a look. With how G-G&S are worded, if a creature that ETB'd that turn and connected with Double Strike, they will then get an additional trigger and make an additional Dragon Spirit token.

Lastly, I'd recommend checking out Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury since it has pseudo-Haste because of Dash, and can act as an antheming buff for all your creatures. She can be a finisher option if you have some dragons out there.

Azoth2099 on Lord of the Tokens

8 months ago

Oxenfree

Consider Countersquall, Miscast, An Offer You Can't Refuse, Drown in the Loch, Snap & Misdirection!