Obzedat's Aid

Sorcery

Return target permanent card from your graveyard to the battlefield.

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
Historic Brawl	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Modern Beyond Horizons	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (50)

trippy_mcfly on Cumly Cube

5 days ago

Introducing Cumly Cube 1.3! Two years ago, Cumly Cube was updated to Cumly Cube 1.2, creating a balanced cube and wonderful play experience for all involved. Despite these changes, there remained some minor flaws in the card pool. I am now pleased to announce that, after extensive research and design, Cumly Cube has reached a final form. No card is too powerful. No card is too weak. Synergy is abundant. Both the draft and play experiences are dynamic, exciting, and new. There will be no more major updates to Cumly Cube 1.

120 cards have been removed, and 120 cards have been added. Here are the changes, provided with brief justifications:

REMOVED:

ARTIFACT

1. Everflowing Chalice: mana rocks should cost 3 or have a drawback
2. Glass of the Guildpact: too weak
3. Heraldic Banner: encouraged mono-colored decks
4. Illuminated Folio: too weak
5. Jayemdae Tome: too weak
6. Loreseeker's Stone: too weak
7. Mind Stone: mana rocks should cost 3 or have a drawback
8. Null Rod: too much of a hate card
9. Pithing Needle: too powerful with Urza's Saga
10. Pyromancer's Goggles: too narrow
11. Retrofitter Foundry: too powerful with Urza's Saga

CREATURE

1. Bomat Courier: too powerful against slow starts
2. Deathpact Angel: creates a Cleric token, not a supported creature type
3. Dimir Cutpurse: too powerful
4. Elves of Deep Shadow: too obvious of a choice as a cumly
5. Golos, Tireless Pilgrim: too powerful
6. Hostage Taker: too powerful
7. Kalamax, the Stormsire: too powerful
8. Loyal Retainers: too obvious of a choice as a cumly
9. Monastery Mentor: too powerful
10. Moonveil Dragon: pumping the team makes for anticlimactic endings
11. Murktide Regent: we’ve seen enough of this card already in other formats
12. Ornithopter of Paradise: too obvious of a choice as a cumly
13. Phantom Tiger: too weak
14. Risen Reef: too powerful
15. Shadrix Silverquill: creates Inkling tokens, not a supported creature type
16. Tatyova, Benthic Druid: too powerful
17. Thraben Inspector: we’ve seen enough of this card already in other formats
18. Toxrill, the Corrosive: creates Slug tokens, not a supported creature type

ENCHANTMENT

1. Alpha Authority: hexproof makes for less interesting games
2. Favorable Winds: too weak
3. Offspring's Revenge: too narrow
4. Pernicious Deed: too powerful of a board wipe
5. Rally the Ranks: too weak
6. Song of Freyalise: too typical a card for green

LAND (types are grouped together in this list)

1. Tolarian Academy: too powerful
2. Arid Mesa: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
3. Bloodstained Mire: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
4. Flooded Strand: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
5. Marsh Flats: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
6. Misty Rainforest: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
7. Polluted Delta: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
8. Scalding Tarn: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
9. Verdant Catacombs: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
10. Windswept Heath: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
11. Wooded Foothills: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
12. Badlands: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
13. Bayou: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
14. Plateau: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
15. Savannah: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
16. Scrubland: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
17. Taiga: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
18. Tropical Island: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
19. Tundra: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
20. Underground Sea: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
21. Volcanic Island: mana-fixing should not be so easy in Cumly Cube
22. Hissing Quagmire: creature lands are too versatile and discourage disciplined drafting
23. Lavaclaw Reaches: creature lands are too versatile and discourage disciplined drafting
24. Lumbering Falls: creature lands are too versatile and discourage disciplined drafting
25. Shambling Vent: creature lands are too versatile and discourage disciplined drafting
26. Needle Spires: creature lands are too versatile and discourage disciplined drafting
27. Raging Ravine: creature lands are too versatile and discourage disciplined drafting
28. Stirring Wildwood: creature lands are too versatile and discourage disciplined drafting
29. Wandering Fumarole: creature lands are too versatile and discourage disciplined drafting

INSTANT

1. Abnormal Endurance: too typical a card for black
2. Aerial Predation: too narrow
3. Alchemist's Gift: too weak
4. Arbor Armament: too weak
5. Autumn's Veil: too narrow
6. Betrayal of Flesh: too weak
7. Bladebrand: too typical a card for black
8. Brainstorm: we’ve seen enough of this card already in other formats
9. Cathartic Pyre: too much utility for an instant
10. Comet Storm: one-sided board wipes need to be focused on creature type
11. Consider: too typical a card for blue
12. Crippling Chill: too typical a card for blue
13. Crush: spot artifact removal is not to be part of Cumly Cube
14. Dawn Charm: other cards in Cumly Cube fill this role better
15. Dive Down: hexproof makes for less interesting games
16. Divine Offering: spot artifact removal is not to be part of Cumly Cube
17. Dragon's Fire: too typical a card for red
18. Electrify: too typical a card for red
19. Fell the Pheasant: too narrow
20. Gainsay: too narrow
21. Gut Shot: too weak
22. Heroic Intervention: other cards in Cumly Cube fill this role better
23. Hold the Line: too narrow
24. Into the Core: spot artifact removal is not to be part of Cumly Cube
25. Lash of Thorns: too weak
26. Make Your Mark: too weak
27. Opt: too typical a card for blue
28. Overload: spot artifact removal is not to be part of Cumly Cube
29. Pitfall Trap: too narrow
30. Repulse: too typical a card for blue
31. Scrap: spot artifact removal is not to be part of Cumly Cube
32. Seedtime: too narrow
33. Shatter: spot artifact removal is not to be part of Cumly Cube
34. Smash: spot artifact removal is not to be part of Cumly Cube
35. Smashing Success: spot artifact removal is not to be part of Cumly Cube
36. Smite: too narrow
37. Turn to Frog: turns a creature into a Frog, not a supported creature type
38. Unsummon: other cards in Cumly Cube fill this role better

SORCERY

1. Blasphemous Act: too typical a card for red
2. Chart a Course: too much utility
3. Cleansing Wildfire: too much utility
4. Cultivate: too typical a card for green
5. Disentomb: too typical a card for black
6. From the Ashes: too narrow
7. Funeral Rites: too much utility
8. Gitaxian Probe: too typical a card for blue
9. Necromantic Summons: too typical a card for black
10. Nighthaze: other cards in Cumly Cube fill this role better
11. Persist: too typical a card for black
12. Pirate's Prize: too much utility
13. Ponder: too much utility
14. Reanimate: too typical a card for black
15. Recover: other cards in Cumly Cube fill this role better
16. Serum Visions: too typical a card for blue
17. Spitting Earth: too typical a card for red
18. Thoughtcast: too typical a card for blue

ADDED:

ARTIFACT

1. Coat of Arms: encourages building around creature types
2. Patchwork Banner: encourages building around creature types

CREATURE

1. Arahbo, the First Fang: supports the Avatar and Cat creature types
2. Avatar of the Resolute: supports the Avatar creature type
3. Autonomous Assembler: supports the Assembly-worker creature type
4. Bag End Porter: supports the Dwarf creature type
5. Breya, Etherium Shaper: supports the Human and Thopter creature types
6. Captain Storm, Cosmium Raider: supports the Human and Pirate creature types
7. Captivating Unicorn: supports the Unicorn creature type and supports enchantment decks
8. Centaur Battlemaster: supports the Centaur creature type and functions as a strong payoff for prowess decks
9. Chronicler of Heroes: supports the Centaur creature type
10. Conclave Cavalier: supports the Centaur and Elf creature types
11. Conclave Mentor: supports the Centaur creature type
12. Crosis, the Purger: supports the Dragon creature type
13. Fear of Exposure: supports the Nightmare creature type and supports enchantment decks
14. Ghostly Changeling: supports all creature synergy decks
15. Gimli of the Glittering Caves: supports the Dwarf creature type
16. Glissa Sunseeker: supports the Elf creature type
17. Graveshifter: supports all creature synergy decks
18. Gwenna, Eyes of Gaea: supports the Elf creature type
19. Haunt of the Dead Marshes: supports the Elf and Nightmare creature types
20. He Who Hungers: supports the Spirit creature type
21. Heedless One: supports the Avatar and Elf creature types
22. Jungle Creeper: supports the Elemental creature type
23. Jungle Delver: supports the Merfolk creature type
24. Kataki, War's Wage: supports the Spirit creature type and functions as artifact hate
25. Keiga, the Tide Star: supports the Dragon and Spirit creature types
26. Kiora's Follower: supports the Merfolk creature type
27. Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca: supports the Merfolk creature type
28. Lagonna-Band Trailblazer: supports the Centaur creature type
29. Marwyn, the Nurturer: supports the Elf creature type
30. Master Skald: supports the Dwarf creature type
31. Mine Layer: supports the Dwarf creature type
32. Neighborhood Guardian: supports the Unicorn creature type
33. Promised Kannushi: supports the Human and Spirit creature types
34. Realmwalker: supports all creature synergy decks
35. Reveka, Wizard Savant: supports the Dwarf creature type
36. Seraphic Steed: supports the Angel and Unicorn creature types
37. Soul of Zendikar: supports the Avatar and Beast creature types
38. Steadfast Unicorn: supports the Unicorn creature type
39. Stingmoggie: supports the Elemental creature type and functions as artifact hate
40. Sygg, River Cutthroat: supports the Merfolk creature type
41. Vineshaper Mystic: supports the Merfolk creature type
42. Wistful Selkie: supports the Merfolk creature type
43. Yargle and Multani: supports the Elemental and Spirit creature types
44. Zacama, Primal Calamity: supports the Dinosaur creature type

ENCHANTMENT

1. Aura of Silence: functions as artifact and enchantment hate
2. Aura ShardsGC: functions as artifact and enchantment hate
3. Blessed Sanctuary: supports the Unicorn creature type
4. Corrosion: functions as artifact hate
5. Embargo: interesting prison piece for stasis decks
6. Font of Fortunes: card advantage at a fair price for Cumly Cube
7. Gate to Phyrexia: functions as artifact hate and supports the niche but possible sacrifice deck
8. Impending Disaster: a useful piece for aggressive decks or niche graveyard decks
9. Shared Animosity: supports all creature synergy decks

LAND (types are grouped together in this list)

1. Drowned Catacomb: completing the full set of check lands
2. Glacial Fortress: completing the full set of check lands
3. Hinterland Harbor: completing the full set of check lands
4. Sulfur Falls: completing the full set of check lands
5. Cascade Bluffs: completing the full set of filter lands
6. Graven Cairns: completing the full set of filter lands
7. Mystic Gate: completing the full set of filter lands
8. Sunken Ruins: completing the full set of filter lands
9. Wooded Bastion: completing the full set of filter lands
10. Darkwater Catacombs: completing the full set of Odyssey filter lands
11. Desolate Mire: completing the full set of Odyssey filter lands
12. Ferrous Lake: completing the full set of Odyssey filter lands
13. Fire-Lit Thicket: completing the full set of Odyssey filter lands
14. Flooded Grove: completing the full set of Odyssey filter lands
15. Overflowing Basin: completing the full set of Odyssey filter lands
16. Skycloud Expanse: completing the full set of Odyssey filter lands
17. Sunscorched Divide: completing the full set of Odyssey filter lands
18. Viridescent Bog: completing the full set of Odyssey filter lands

INSTANT

1. Accelerate: supports prowess decks
2. And They Shall Know No Fear: supports all creature synergy decks
3. Artifact Mutation: functions as artifact hate and supports the Saproling creature type
4. Bandage: supports prowess decks and is also funny
5. Brokers Charm: charms are an important part of Cumly Cube
6. Charge Through: supports prowess decks
7. Cremate: supports prowess decks
8. Mirrodin Avenged: supports prowess decks
9. Poison the Blade: supports prowess decks and offers deathtouch in green instead of its typical color, black
10. Pressure Point: supportsli prowess decks and offers tapping in white instead of its typical color, blue
11. Steady Progress: supports prowess decks as well as slower proliferate decks
12. Sugar Rush: supports prowess decks and offers power boost in black instead of its typical color, red
13. Treacherous Greed: supports the niche but possible sacrifice deck
14. Turf Wound: a strange tempo card that fits the ethos of Cumly Cube
15. Warriors' Lesson: supports prowess decks and might end up as green Ancestral Recall

SORCERY

1. Altar of Bone: supports the niche but possible sacrifice deck
2. Aphetto Dredging: supports all creature synergy decks
3. Apocalypse: total game resets are an important part of Cumly Cube, because you end up playing more Cumly Cube!
4. Ashen Powder: a more situational and odd piece for reanimator decks
5. Blood for Bones: a more situational and odd piece for reanimator decks
6. Breath of Life: offers reanimation in white instead of its typical color, black
7. Broken Bond: functions as artifact and enchantment hate yet also ramps
8. Channel the Suns: a strange yet useful mana-fixer. Out with fetch lands, in with sorcery WUBRG!
9. Cloak of Feathers: supports prowess decks
10. Crippling Fear: supports all creature synergy decks
11. False Dawn: supports prowess decks and might offer mana-fixing in niche situations? Even if this card is pretty useless, it screams Cumly Cube
12. Grim Tutor: tutoring is a small part of Cumly Cube but very important in the right decks
13. Growth Spasm: offers ramp, mana-fixing, and supports the Eldrazi creature type
14. Hymn of Rebirth: offers reanimation in green and white instead of its typical color, black
15. Ice Storm: land destruction is a small part of Cumly Cube but a necessary balance, and not usually in green
16. Jace's Triumph: there are Jace planeswalkers in Cumly Cube
17. Mana Vapors: a strange tempo card that fits the ethos of Cumly Cube
18. Many Partings: offers mana-fixing and food
19. Migratory Route: offers mana-fixing and supports the Bird creature type
20. Obzedat's Aid: offers reanimation in black and white
21. Ordered Migration: supports the Bird creature type
22. Raise the Palisade: supports all creature synergy decks
23. Resourceful Return: a more situational and odd piece for black graveyard decks and artifact decks
24. Ribbons of Night: offers direct damage in black instead of its typical color, red
25. Rise of the Witch-king: a more situational and odd piece for reanimator decks
26. Riveteers Confluence: similar to a charm
27. Safewright Quest: offers slight mana-fixing in green and white
28. Solve the Equation: tutoring is a small part of Cumly Cube but very important in the right decks
29. Sweep the Skies: supports the Thopter creature type
30. Temporal Machinations: supports artifact decks
31. Unnatural Restoration: supports proliferate decks
32. Urborg Repossession: a more situational and odd piece for black graveyard decks

m_tironi on Official missing/incorrect card/token thread

2 years ago

Hello. Is it just for me that the image for Obzedat's Aid does not appear during playtesting? Can others confirm having the same issue as well?

New Sheoldred  ^Flip also has no front side image.

golgarigirl on Is there any printed way …

4 years ago

Reanimate some enchantments. If I recall correctly, auras (ex. Trollhide ) only target on CAST. If you reanimate them, you do not cast them, they just come into play attached to whatever you want them on. If you can get them out of your graveyard and into play (I can't think of any non-white spells that do an Obzedat's Aid or Retether impression), you can get them onto your Shroud'ed creatures.

king-saproling on Sing for Absolution

4 years ago

You might like these: Reanimate , Dance of the Dead , Dread Return , Regna, the Redeemer , Krav, the Unredeemed , Start / Finish , Planar Birth , Stitch Together , Victimize , Blood for Bones , Karmic Guide , Obzedat's Aid , Ephemerate , Emerge Unscathed , Virulent Swipe , Spellbinder

ezio2907 on

4 years ago

You want to be left alone until you can cast your angels. Cards like Thalia, Heretic Cathar & Kambal, Consul of Allocation can help while the other players are going to hate you more. Making it a little harder in the mid/late game. I would defiantly skip Thalia, Heretic Cathar for that reason. Kambal, Consul of Allocation can at least deal damage and gain your life.

Lives are a resource for sure. Just watch out with Vona, Butcher of Magan that he will not suck you dry. That is a woman's job XD.

Killing Wave you want to cast for x is high. Do really want to pay that much life for all your creatures? I would skip this and play a real board wipe.

I think that you will not use Obzedat's Aid very well. You can get back an artifact (mostly ramp in your case) == bad. You can get back a planeswalker (if they got it away once, they can it again if you spent your turn on returning it) == (in my opinion) bad. You can get an enchantment back == good (in some cases). Most of the enchantment won't reach the graveyard. But it can good. You can get back a creature == good for less mana. There are a lot of better regeneration spells. They can be used more or for less.

That is why I would suggest not to play Obzedat's Aid. It is not mana efficient enough versus versatility.

From Reign of the Pit & Syphon Flesh you get a creature(s). But would it not better to choose for them? Just killing everything?

Your creatures will not always be the biggest on the table. But why do you use Ethereal Absolution instead of the cheaper options? Glorious Anthem, Always Watching, Commander's Insignia, Force of Virtue or Spear of Heliod. Graveyard hate is a benefit. But I think you can spend your mana better than that.

True Conviction is good but watch that one. Ask yourself "Do I want to play it? Or do I prefer something else? When is this good and when is it bad?". I think that it is bad in most cases and too late when you need it.

I understand that you want the lifegain and ping from Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord. But know that the -x you can use it on 9 creatures (for now) on the turn it enters the game. Also, remember that the lifegain is only for during your turn. Is it worth it?

I don't think that Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath can give you a lot of value. It can be me but I don't like this card.

Why Elspeth, Sun's Champion? You get tokens for 6 mana or destroy all your creatures and some of the opponent creatures. Is that worth it? Or do you play it because you have it lying around?

For Aetherflux Reservoir you probably will never be high enough with this on the board. You don't cast a lot of spells in a turn so you must be happy if you gain 3 lives in a round from it. This is not the deck for it.

Moonlight Bargain is 5 mana + 10 lives for draw 5. Promise of Power is the better version of it. It is on sorcery speed, but cost 5 lives less and you can also get a big beater from it if you pay extra.

For now I think that you are not using enough instant speed tricks that require you to hold up mana. That makes that when you hold up mana for Batwing Brume there is a big chance that you don't need it now and want to cast it later instead. Making you not spend some mana in the round. I would skip this card.

If I look at the curve then I would think about playing 36/37/38 lands. You need a lot of mana for your creatures and you miss green to ramp well. You can use cards like Hagra Mauling  ^Flip & Ondu Inversion  ^Flip to make it a little easier.

Barbarian_Sun_Pope on 9-Shrine

5 years ago

Sweet prototype (+1), I've been waiting forever for WOTC to do more with the shrines. Do you think some graveyard recursion would work well here? Cards such as Dance of the Manse, Obzedat's Aid, Eerie Ultimatum, or Primevals' Glorious Rebirth. This is the direction I might try out for a commander build centered around the graveyard with Jodah, Archmage Eternal.

GenericCola on Orzhov Aristocrats - EDH Theme Deck

5 years ago

ShadowAblaze, thanks for the comment. I am very aware of all of those cards; they have all been left out deliberately, for different reasons (except Teysa, who is actually my commander-- you seem to have overlooked her). I'll address them individually:

Blood Baron of Vizkopa - At 5 mana, with no real synergy with the rest of the deck, and no immediate impact on the board state, he is not viable in this build.

Immortal Servitude - This is a fantastic card, and I will actually probably put a copy in. I just need to work on finding a copy. Unfortunately, it's usually going to be a strictly worse Rally the Ancestors, but casting it for X=2 should usually yield good results.

Obzedat, Ghost Council - This is another creature which offers no synergy with the rest of the deck's aristocrat goals. I will probably make a separate deck for the Ghost Council in the future.

Obzedat's Aid - I love this card, and I have tried to make it work so many times, but it is unfortunately too slow, most of the time. This card lives in my maybeboard.

Karlov of the Ghost Council - This is a very strong card, but again, it lacks any meaningful synergy with the deck. The best I get from Karlov is a bunch of triggers from my Lifelink tokens, but usually Karlov ends up being a "win-more" card. He, too, lives in my maybe-board.

Teysa Karlov - This is literally the commander of the deck. I'm not sure why you think she's not in here, lmfao.

Kaya's Guile - I have playtested this card, and I have found that more often than not it under-performs. It may find its way back into the deck as my meta shifts, but more often than not it's not worth playing, for me.

Debt to the Deathless - This has been one of my favorite cards since its release. It simply is not well suited to this deck, however. More often than not, it simply gets countered, and even if it didn't, it does nothing to support the aristocrats strategy of this deck. The current build usually does not accelerate to the amount of mana required to make this card viable.

High Priest of Penance - This is another one of my all-time favorite Magic cards, and nearly made the cut, but since I do not have any way of dealing damage to him on my own, he more often than not ends up sitting in play and doing nothing until the board gets wiped. He's another one of those cards that lives in my maybe-board, and may one day be added to the roster-- but for now, he doesn't have the synergy required to make it work.

ShadowAblaze on Orzhov Aristocrats - EDH Theme Deck

5 years ago

Blood Baron of Vizkopa, Immortal Servitude, Obzedat, Ghost Council, Obzedat's Aid, and Karlov of the Ghost Council are all orzhov cards I think you should at least know about.

Teysa Karlov - not sure why she isn't on here...

Kaya's Guile - excellent edict and graveyard hose

Debt to the Deathless - potential win con

High Priest of Penance - can be solid removal