Pithing Needle
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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
Modern Beyond Horizons Legal
Oathbreaker Legal
Pioneer Legal
Planar Constructed Legal
Planechase Legal
Quest Magic Legal
Tiny Leaders Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Pithing Needle

Artifact

As Pithing Needle enters the battlefield, name a card.

Activated abilities of sources with the chosen name can't be activated unless they're mana abilities.

trippy_mcfly on Cumly Cube

1 month 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 Shards: 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

wallisface on Kamarupa’s Challenge

6 months ago

I think Choke is a card you’d probably leave in the sideboard to battle decks that use islands. But I think Power Conduit is a good mainboard addition:

Spell_Slam on Hell-Queue Magda

8 months ago

Hi Apollo_Paladin

Thanks for the good suggestion. My list is feeling mostly optimized, but I'm sure there are still a handful of good lands to include, like the one you suggested. I will be adding it.

I went up against Emry, Lurker of the Loch a few times now, and this matchup has me scratching my head. Their combo is pretty hard to disrupt, as Emry is so easy to recast and I have limited graveyard hate (and they can often play around graveyard hate anyways). Unlicensed Hearse has been good, but often it's still not enough. What are your thoughts on something like Pithing Needle?

wallisface on Eggs is Back on the Menu

1 year ago

Ahh ok that makes more sense. But is one copy of Zuran Orb enough then? You do have ways to find it but there’s a bunch of cards you need to find to make progress.

And, if the opponent gas a Pithing Needle naming Zuran Orb is it not just game over?

wallisface on

1 year ago

With the upcoming Mh3, there’s two cards you may want to consider fitting into this brew: Sorin of House Markov  Flip, and Guide of Souls.

I really strongly feel like your mainboard needs 22 (maybe even 23?) lands instead of 21.

As far as your sideboard goes, it feels like you are particularly weak to the opponents interaction and/or combo strategies. In that vein i’d run something like:

————————————

In relation to some of the cards already in your sideboard selection, i’d suggest against them for the following reasons:

  • Stony Silence doesn’t do enough to artifacts decks, as many don’t use activated abilities too often - namely this hurts Scales, but not-really Affinity.

  • Inquisition of Kozilek is good against control and some kinds of combo. But only being able to hit 3-or-less mana makes this awkward against both. Combo decks you should already have answers for with my above suggestions. I don’t see this deck beating control whatever it does, so i don’t think there’s point trying to fight it with this card.

  • Kor Firewalker is only useful versus burn. Your deck should have absolutely no problem beating burn naturally, so this isn’t needed.

  • Sanctifier en-Vec feels like overkill if you’re already running Rest in Peace. Furthermore, it’s more red-hate in a deck already generally positioned well against a lot if red gameplans

  • Ghost Quarter i’m not sure why you’re running this? I assume for tron, but this really won’t slow them down enough to matter, and is more likely to mess with your own tempo.

  • Surgical Extraction is generally only good versus combo, but requires being in a deck with a LOT if ways to force discard/mill so you can reliably exile what you need to.

Caran_Lyg on I fell and landed in Modern.

1 year ago

Thanks legendofa and cartoonywolf. I think all of your suggestions are great. Pithing Needle and spyglass are great form of removal. Kogla, the Titan Ape and Avenger of Zendikar I considered putting those 2 on the CMNDR deck I based this deck from but ended up not adding them because first, the Ape’s 3rd ability targets only 3 Humans in the deck. The Avenger I really wanted to put because it creates chump blockers but its last ability only helps plants. I know it’s a big threat but I only had 2 plus any plants it creates every time a land ETB and didn’t find cards that can create more plants that also had synergy with Landfall. Baloth Woodcrasher I can definitely put there. It worked for my CMNDR deck.

legendofa on I fell and landed in Modern.

1 year ago

Would something like Pithing Needle or Sorcerous Spyglass help? Unless you have a planeswalker-heavy meta, The Immortal Sun would probably be a sideboard card anyway.

wallisface on Jund Saga

1 year ago

As far as decent 1-mana artifacts that you can add as 1-ofs for Saga, the normal go-tos are Haywire Mite and Shadowspear (both which you're already running), and then Springleaf Drum, Nihil Spellbomb, Pithing Needle, Pyrite Spellbomb. I'm not sure how many of those you'd actually want to run mainboard, as many are more useful as sideboard options - I think the combination of Haywire Mite, Shadowspear, and Mishra's Bauble is already a good mix :)

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