Spellskite

Artifact Creature — Horror

{UP}: Change a target of target spell or ability to this creature. ({UP} may be paid for with either {U} or 2 life.)

Discussion (51)

Balaam__ on Incredible budget combo elves

1 week ago

Yeah that’s definitely a thing with ramp decks. Some decks try to mitigate that by running countermagic, others use multi purpose cards like Spellskite. Unfortunately Legacy is a brutal format filled with blazing fast Tier 1 decks against which Elves don’t really stack up.

Without adding another color or changing formats (which brings new sets of problems), there isn’t much you can do except go all in on as many ramp cards as you can (I noticed a lack of the classic Arbor Elf+Utopia Sprawl combo) and hope for the best.

lightning_elf on Incredible budget combo elves

1 week ago

Thank you so much Balaam! You've helped me a little and saved me a lot of money! I just was wondering if you have a solution to the most common problem I run into with elf decks. Early on, when I'm building up my mana with things like Llanowar Elves or Elvish Mystic they kill them off and it ruins it all. What would you suggest to solve that problem? I already have Spellskite which I think would help.

lagotripha on Chattering Ordeal

1 week ago

Myr retriever has several other options if you're looking to combo - Semblance Anvil+sac outlet, Scrap Trawler/Workshop Assistant as alternative options, or even backup combos that generate gravestorm (flavours of persist/undying).

I've found the combos taken as a group to be reliable because they all share pieces - the battle is packing protection for the graveyard itself and surviving to cast it. Going into black/green and playing a lot of thoughtsieze seems like it has a good chance of that, especially with a grindy backup plan.

In theory playing Painter's Servant and Spellskite for free could set up something big, but I haven't found a way to make that really tick over. I've also thought about creatures with 1 toughness and a death trigger to try and get to high gravestorm - fecundity+heartless and Hangarback/myr sire is a draw two. Still fragile though. Best of luck with the brewing - I hope you figure this one out.

Frank_Glascock on The Great mutation

1 month ago

Earle swears by Toski, Bearer of Secrets.

Dakota, if this is an Animar test I am going to ace it. Remember that the best Animar lists are like creature based spellslinger decks. The closer your list gets to 50 creatures the better. I was at 48-49.

I know you are tired of Craterhoof Behemoth but you did include Finale of Devastation. The best decks focus their strategy and wincons. That may not be what you want. The deck certainly looks fun to play.

1. Should you want to focus the deck more I would include cards that would lead to a turn two Animar. Chrome Mox, Mox Diamond, Wild Growth, and Carpet of Flowers are some that come to mind.

2. You need Animar on board for three turns I would think. The turn you cast him. The second turn where you cast lower mana creatures to pump up his counters. And then turn three where you play your big threats. How are you going to protect him from spot removal? Better yet, what is your strategy for combating board wipes?

Kodama's Reach? Bloom Tender is the replacement-not even a close call.

Nature's Lore? I would play a mana dork like Llanowar Elves.

Dito for Arcane Signet, Chromatic Lantern, Ketria Crystal, Sol Ring, Talisman of Creativity and Talisman of Curiosity. Cut all this for Sylvan Safekeeper, Spellskite, Elvish Mystic, Fyndhorn Elves and some more ways to stop board wipes like Swan Song. I ran Force of Negation and Force of Will in my Animar list but you don't have the blue to support those cards.

Even with the big mana creatures you are playing would Purphoros, God of the Forge not be considered?

Hardened Scales was printed by some Animar lover at Wizard's of the Coast. It should be in here.

A creature based deck without one of the allstar blue creatures, Consecrated Sphinx?

I play Mystic Remora in every deck that has blue. But, that is me and it isn't an auto include in casual.

Crop Rotation is a definite should you play Gaea's Cradle.

DreadKhan on Seoul Sista!

1 month ago

Well, Spellskite can redirect a lot of stuff to itself, if people use burn effects this can survive some, and can redirect an effect from you in a pinch (has to be able to target players and creatures). It's a worse Mother of Runes usually, but rarely it can be better, and paying life should be meaningless in your build, Felidar aside.

RNR_Gaming on Ezuri 2.0

3 months ago

1) Run more dorks and no spell ramp. Dorks are good at all points in the game with your commander - ramp spells not so much.

Fyndhorn Elves, Boreal Druid, Arbor Elf, and Priest of Titania are all very solid. They'll ramp you, trigger your experience counters which can make them into big threats in the late game.

2) That'll end up being play group dependent. Personally, I'd run things that have utility like Allosaurus Shepherd, Destiny Spinner and Spellskite over things like Whirler Rogue - sure the 3 triggers are nice but 4 mana is so steep.

3) I like Pathbreaker Ibex mainly because it's a goat but it is a decent pay off card that does a good enough Craterhoof Behemoth impression that you may want to consider putting it back in. Also, Blossoming Defense is very solid and typically experience commanders do tend to get targeted and you'll end up losing progress if your commander cannot stick around.

4) that's very budget dependent. My rule of thumb is this:

Og Duals> fetches> shocks> battlebond lands> rainbows> good utility/mana positives lands that dont come in tapped>pain lands

Most other lands that come in tapped don't provide enough value to sacrifice consistency but that's only going to matter in certain groups - your land base looks fine though you can probably go down to 37 lands with the majority of your curve being on 3

5) adding a budget range and explaining the power level you're going for will probably help people provide better suggestions.

ClockworkSwordfish on Criminally Underplayed EDH Gems

4 months ago

No shortage of 'em, that's for sure...

Hull Breach: The same card advantage of Return to Dust and at the same speed... but for half the mana. It's a common, too. How this two-for-one superstar was ever forgotten was beyond me!

Blood Frenzy: Mono-Red is somewhat lacking in hard removal. Sure it can throw direct damage at creatures, but EDH is the world of big plays, and sometimes a fattie will come along who is simply too big to burn. Blood Frenzy can kill any attacking or blocking creature for just two mana - while coming with a free Scorching Missile! This type of card takes advantage of the multiplayer format that EDH often is: If Player A attacks Player B with a big creature, you can use Blood Frenzy to make the creature hit Player B for four more points while conveniently disposing of it right after. Whoops, you just did Doom Blade better than black could ever dream of.

Aftershock: Blood Frenzy is cheap and powerful but a little specific in what it can target. Aftershock can flat-out destroy any permanent of the three most common types with no restrictions! This kind of versatility at four mana comes with the acceptable caveat of 3 life, which is a pittance when you start with 40. If you're making a mono-red deck, the flexibility of Aftershock should make it a staple.

Repopulate: Graveyard hate for decks without access to black - and it's an instant, so you don't lose the element of surprise like if you run artifact solutions. It can also fight against milling effects if you're desperate. Don't need graveyard hate? Hey, you can just cycle it away for something else!

Kill Switch: Playing a colour that can't deal with artifacts? Crank this guy every turn and you'll shut them all down! A Blightsteel Colossus is only scary if it can move. You can even still use mana rocks and attack with artifact creatures on your turn, then activate Kill Switch afterwards to keep anyone else from having access to their own trinkets.

Duskmantle, House of Shadow: Does anyone in your playgroup run Cruel, Enlightened, Mystical, Personal, Sylvan, Vampiric or Worldly Tutor? How about Harbingers, Volrath's Stronghold or Momir Vig? It can be comforting to have an anti-tutor just sitting in play, making mana when you don't need it.

Mitotic Manipulation: Monoblue can't do mana acceleration, right? Under most circumstances, Mitotic Manipulation is three mana to put an Island into play untapped - last I checked, that's better than the ever-popular Wayfarer's Bauble. Plus, once in a while you might get to pull out a Sol Ring, Gilded Lotus or other format staple if one of your opponents already has theirs.

Coalition Honor Guard: Long before Spellskite was zooming the toys away from Boggles decks, this unassuming common was doing the same. The Honor Guard is a nightmare for any Voltron-style deck that leans heavily into auras, including the common Zur and Uril builds. It also soaks up removal that would be pointed at key cards, such as your own commander.

Warping Wail: This counterspell can be played in any colour and even has some other modes. Any EDH deck without access to blue can still run this to prevent untimely board wipes, extra turns, and plenty of game-ending cards: Debt to the Deathless, Exsanguinate, Finale of Devastation, Genesis Wave, Insurrection, Rise of the Dark Realms, Torment of Hailfire... any number of effects you never want to see your opponent resolve.

Heat Shimmer: This mundane-sounding sorcery can do some heavy lifting, particularly in a colour pie as shallow as red's. Shimmer allows you to bring the heat by copying not only the best comes-into-play trigger on the field, but also any fun triggers from attacking, dealing damage, and so on. This can be a roundabout way for red to ramp, draw cards or borrow the nasty abilities of Resolute Archangel, Terastodon and other off-colour haymakers. Don't forget you can also get a permanent copy of your token if you Populate it before it's gone.

Bind: The best cards are often not only powerful but completely unexpected. Green isn't exactly known for its countering, but this cheap cantrip lets any mono-green deck stop combos, hose Strip Mine/Ghost Quarter, prevent a planeswalker ultimate or turn Aetherflux Reservoir into a losing proposition. All this for two mana and it even replaces itself!

Arena of the Ancients: We all know Karakas is banned for hosing commanders too hard, but the Arena does a decent impression and is still fair game. This cheap artifact can tap down even commanders with hexproof or vigilance and keeps them locked down - especially useful for colours that don't typically have strong control options, like black and/or red. It's another easy answer to voltron commanders.

Righteous Aura: This card doesn't read as too impressive, but performs a lot better than you might think. 2 life is a pittance in the face of some of the steroid monsters you'll see in any given EDH game, and it allows you to ignore Commander damage entirely as well as any other non-creature or even non-permanent threats that might take a chunk out of you. Best of all, it doesn't even target, allowing it to bypass hexproof, shroud and protection.

mx439 on Volo's Legion

4 months ago

New change 12/23/21:

Out: Dawntreader Elk.

In: Spellskite.