Thought Monitor

Artifact Creature — Construct

Affinity for artifacts (This spell costs {1} less to cast for each artifact you control.)

Flying

When this enters, draw two cards.

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
Freeform	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Historic Brawl	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (45)

trippy_mcfly on Cumly Cube

2 months ago

Introducing Cumly Cube 1.4! Two months ago, Cumly Cube was updated to Cumly Cube 1.3, which was touted as balanced and without any notable flaws. There is no more insidious poison than hubris! Many cards remained that were too strong, or close to unplayable. Many archetypes existed in the cube but had too little support to ever be worth drafting. Many cards failed to fit the ethos of Cumly Cube. With 89 more cuts and adds, I am now pleased to announce that, this time, Cumly Cube has reached a final form! Perhaps a few cards are still too strong, too weak, or out of place, but the vast majority of the draft pool is now in an acceptable state. Any further changes to Cumly Cube 1 will exist as minor updates, swapping out only a few cards at a time. This means that there will never be a Cumly Cube 1.5, only 1.4.1, 1.4.2, etc.

Here are the changes, provided with brief justifications:

REMOVED:

ARTIFACT

1. Basilisk Collar: equipment is not part of Cumly Cube 1
2. Hedron Archive: cut to weaken the artifact archetype
3. Mox DiamondGC: cut to weaken the artifact archetype
4. Mox Opal: cut to weaken the artifact archetype
5. Mox Tantalite: cut to weaken the artifact archetype
6. Sensei's Divining Top:cut to weaken the artifact archetype

CREATURE

1. Academy Manufactor: cut to weaken the artifact archetype
2. Archfiend of Spite: madness is not part of Cumly Cube 1
3. Arsenal Thresher: too weak
4. Augmenting Automaton: too weak
5. Autonomous Assembler: Assembly-Workers have been cut from Cumly Cube 1
6. Baleful Force: too weak
7. Battleground Geist: cut for a better Spirit card
8. Belligerent Hatchling: too weak
9. Bloodpyre Elemental: too generic of a red card
10. Bloom Hulk: there are better proliferate engines available in Cumly Cube
11. Copperhorn Scout: cut to weaken the Elf creature type
12. Crosis, the Purger: too annoying to play against
13. Deathrite Shaman: cut to weaken the Elf creature type
14. Deus of Calamity: too weak
15. Dutiful Replicator: Assembly-Workers have been cut from Cumly Cube 1
16. Dwynen's Elite: cut to weaken the Elf creature type
17. Emperor's Vanguard: cut to weaken green
18. Farhaven Elf: cut to weaken the Elf creature type
19. Fear of Exposure: cut to weaken green
20. Fertilid: cut to weaken green
21. Galazeth Prismari: cut to weaken the artifact archetype
22. Geyserfield Stalker: too weak
23. Greater Gargadon: suspend is not part of Cumly Cube 1
24. Hallowed Priest: cut for an identical card to support the Cat creature type
25. Heedless One: cut for a similar card to better support the Elf creature type
26. Hematite Golem: too weak
27. Hunted Horror: too weak
28. Impetuous Devils: too generic of a red card
29. Jeskai Student: too weak
30. Junktroller: too weak
31. Lashweed Lurker: emerge is not part of Cumly Cube 1
32. Llanowar Visionary: cut to weaken the Elf creature type
33. Lodestone Golem: we have seen enough of this card in other formats
34. Lunar Avenger: too weak
35. Maze Behemoth: cut to weaken green
36. Mishra's Self-Replicator: Assembly-Workers have been cut from Cumly Cube 1
37. Morselhoarder: too weak
38. Night Incarnate: too generic of a black card
39. Omnath, Locus of the Roil: cut to weaken the Elemental creature type
40. Phantom Nishoba: too weak
41. Quirion Ranger: cut to weaken the Elf creature type
42. Scalding Devil: cut to make room for more interesting Devil creatures
43. Self-Assembler: Assembly-Workers have been cut from Cumly Cube 1
44. Seton, Krosan Protector: cut to weaken green
45. Soul of Zendikar: cut to weaken green
46. Teferi's Sentinel: too weak
47. Thought Monitor: cut to weaken the artifact archetype
48. Torbran, Thane of Red Fell: too generic of a red card
49. Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre: cut to make room for more balanced Eldrazi creatures
50. Walking Ballista: cut to remove an infinite combo payoff accessible from the Cumly Zone

ENCHANTMENT

1. Aura ShardsGC: too powerful
2. Blood Moon: we have seen enough of this card in other formats
3. Impending Disaster: too weak
4. In Bolas's Clutches: cut for a similar but more expensive version of this effect
5. Night Soil: cut due to the presence of two other very similar cards
6. Revel in Riches: too powerful
7. Urban Utopia: cut to weaken green

LAND

1. Ancient TombGC: too powerful
2. Flagstones of Trokair: too weak
3. Mishra's WorkshopGC: too powerful
4. Urza's Saga: too powerful

INSTANT

1. Accelerate: too generic of a red card
2. Bedevil: spot removal has been removed in favor of removal found in commands, charms, and confluences
3. Fading Hope: too generic of a blue card
4. Fissure: spot removal has been removed in favor of removal found in commands, charms, and confluences
5. Fracture: spot removal has been removed in favor of removal found in commands, charms, and confluences
6. Frazzle: too generic of a blue card
7. Inside Out: too weak
8. Lens Flare: spot removal has been removed in favor of removal found in commands, charms, and confluences
9. Schismotivate: too weak
10. Seize the Initiative: too weak
11. Volt Charge: spot removal has been removed in favor of removal found in commands, charms, and confluences

PLANESWALKER

1. Karn Liberated: too generic and powerful of a draft pick
2. Nissa of Shadowed Boughs: animating lands is not part of Cumly Cube 1

SORCERY

1. Broken Bond: spot removal has been removed in favor of removal found in commands, charms, and confluences
2. Chain Reaction: too generic of a red card
3. False Dawn: too weak
4. Grim Tutor: too powerful
5. Ice Storm: spot removal has been removed in favor of removal found in commands, charms, and confluences
6. Lava Flow: spot removal has been removed in favor of removal found in commands, charms, and confluences
7. Sinkhole: spot removal has been removed in favor of removal found in commands, charms, and confluences
8. Tezzeret's Gambit: too powerful
9. Wildfire: too generic of a red card

ADDED:

ARTIFACT

1. Banner of Kinship: encourages building around creature types
2. Conduit of Worlds: supports graveyard synergies
3. Pillar of Origins: encourages building around creature types

CREATURE

1. Aetherjacket: supports the Thopter creature type
2. Ajani's Pridemate: replaces Hallowed Priest to support the Cat creature type and lifegain synergies
3. Akroan Conscriptor: supports spellslinger synergies
4. Alibou, Ancient Witness: supports the Golem creature type and other artifact decks
5. Ancient Cellarspawn: supports the Demon, Horror, and Nightmare creature types
6. Angelic Aberration: supports the Angel and Eldrazi creature types
7. Axgard Artisan: supports the Dwarf creature type
8. Bloodwater Entity: supports spellslinger synergies
9. Brass Herald: supports the Golem creature type and encourages building around creature types
10. Campus Guide: supports the Golem creature type
11. Chief of the Foundry: supports the Construct creature type and other artifact decks
12. Chrome Courier: supports the Thopter creature type
13. Cursed Wombat: supports the Nightmare creature type and +1/+1 counter decks
14. Darksteel Colossus: supports the Golem creature type
15. Duergar Hedge-Mage: supports the Dwarf creature type
16. Eidolon of Blossoms: supports the enchantment archetype
17. Endbringer: supports the Eldrazi creature type
18. Essence Depleter: supports the Eldrazi creature type
19. Gimli, Mournful Avenger: supports the Dwarf creature type
20. Gishath, Sun's Avatar: supports the Dinosaur creature type
21. Herald of Slaanesh: supports the Demon creature type
22. Hunting Velociraptor: supports the Dinosaur creature type
23. Immaculate Magistrate: replaces Heedless One to support the Elf creature type
24. It That Heralds the End: supports the Eldrazi creature type
25. Kozilek's Channeler: supports the Eldrazi creature type
26. Mayhem Devil: supports the Devil creature type
27. Patrician Geist: replaces Battleground Geist to support the Spirit creature type
28. Petravark: supports the Beast creature type
29. Pillardrop Warden: supports the Dwarf and Spirit creature types
30. Precursor Golem: supports the Golem creature type
31. Prosperous Pirates: supports the Pirate creature type
32. Quandrix Pledgemage: supports the Merfolk creature type and spellslinger synergies
33. Roaming Throne: supports the Golem creature type and encourages building around creature types
34. Rootwater Hunter: supports the Merfolk creature type
35. Shambling Suit: supports the Construct creature type and other artifact decks as well as enchantment decks
36. Shantotto, Tactician Magician: supports the Dwarf creature type and spellslinger synergies
37. Smokebraider: supports the Elemental creature type
38. Solarion: supports the Construct creature type
39. Species Specialist: encourages building around creature types
40. Squealing Devil: supports the Devil creature type
41. Tayam, Luminous Enigma: supports the Beast and Nightmare creature types
42. The Balrog of Moria: supports the Demon creature type
43. The Lady of Otaria: supports the Dwarf creature type
44. Three Tree Mascot: adds mana fixing and encourages building around creature types
45. Titans' Vanguard: supports the Eldrazi creature type
46. Torch Fiend: supports the Devil creature type
47. Ulamog's Dreadsire: supports the Eldrazi creature type
48. Vengeful Devil: supports the Devil creature type
49. Venomcrawler: supports the Demon creature type
50. Wavecrash Triton: supports the Merfolk creature type and spellslinger synergies
51. Zara, Renegade Recruiter: supports the Pirate creature type

ENCHANTMENT

1. Destructive Flow: offers a land destruction engine that can provide a large advantage in some decks
2. Efficient Construction: supports the Thopter creature type
3. Keldon Twilight: offers a creature destruction engine for aggressive decks
4. Lay Claim: replaces In Bolas's Clutches as a more expensive control spell
5. Might Makes Right: encourages large creatures and can be used in conjunction with sacrifice synergies as a creature destruction engine
6. Porphyry Nodes: offers a creature destruction engine for slower decks
7. Retreat to Kazandu: supports landfall synergies
8. Shivan Harvest: offers a land destruction engine and supports sacrifice synergies
9. Sunken Hope: offers a creature bounce engine for slower decks
10. Whirlwind of Thought: supports spellslinger synergies

LAND

1. Foundry of the Consuls: supports the Thopter creature type

INSTANT

1. Atarka's Command: commands have been added to Cumly Cube to provide interaction and versatility
2. Aura Mutation: quite similar to Artifact Mutation
3. Brokers Confluence: confluences have been added to Cumly Cube to provide interaction and versatility
4. Cabaretti Confluence: confluences have been added to Cumly Cube to provide interaction and versatility
5. Dromoka's Command: commands have been added to Cumly Cube to provide interaction and versatility
6. Kolaghan's Command: commands have been added to Cumly Cube to provide interaction and versatility
7. Lorehold Command: commands have been added to Cumly Cube to provide interaction and versatility
8. Maestros Charm: rounding out the charms in Cumly Cube to provide interaction and versatility
9. Maestros Confluence: confluences have been added to Cumly Cube to provide interaction and versatility
10. Obscura Charm: rounding out the charms in Cumly Cube to provide interaction and versatility
11. Obscura Confluence: confluences have been added to Cumly Cube to provide interaction and versatility
12. Ojutai's Command: commands have been added to Cumly Cube to provide interaction and versatility
13. Pulse of the Fields: supports lifegain synergies
14. Quandrix Command: commands have been added to Cumly Cube to provide interaction and versatility
15. Riveteers Charm: rounding out the charms in Cumly Cube to provide interaction and versatility
16. Silumgar's Command: commands have been added to Cumly Cube to provide interaction and versatility
17. Silverquill Command: commands have been added to Cumly Cube to provide interaction and versatility
18. Siren's Ruse: supports the Pirate creature type and blink synergies

PLANESWALKER

1. Saheeli, Filigree Master: supports the Thopter creature type
2. Vraska, Golgari Queen: supports sacrifice synergies

SORCERY

1. Renegade Tactics: replaces Accelerate as a less typical red card
2. Roar of the Crowd: encourages building around creature types
3. Temporary Insanity: stealing creatures is a small but important part of Cumly Cube
4. Witherbloom Command: commands have been added to Cumly Cube to provide interaction and versatility

ZoomZoom on Drone Strike

2 months ago

What about Thought Monitor? It's flying, has affinity for artifacts, and draws two cards on ETB. Plus, fits the Drone theme, going by the art ;)

shock7123 on Artifact Aggro on a $50 Budget

8 months ago

Out of curiosity, when you say hyper budget, how budget are we talking? Is there a monetary limit you're trying to stay under?

For starters, your mana ramp and card draw is incredibly limited. Especially for an aggro strategy, running out of cards in hand and mana to use is especially detrimental. You have some card selection with Akal Pakal, First Among Equals, but that can be a slow process when you're not flashing out artifacts on each turn. Some cards I might recommend:

Thought Monitor and Thoughtcast - cheat these out with affinity for easy one-time value. Prices are around $0.50 and $1.00, respectively.

Mask of Memory - equip onto a flyer or other evasive creature for consistent looting. ~$0.31

Hedron Archive - 6 mana over a couple of turns to be able to draw 2 isn't bad. ~$0.12

Aether Syphon - If you have the extra mana to pay into this, 2 mana to draw an extra card per turn is decent. ~$0.08

Transplant Theorist - loot whenever you play an artifact, plus get the ability to tuck cards back into your library to theoretically be able to replay later. ~$0.06

Coveted Jewel - 6 mana draw 3, then add 3 mana back. If you get attacked and don't have the ability to block one, sure, that opponent gets control of the jewel. However, it tends to start a minigame where people will just attack the Coveted Jewel's controller rather than you. ~$0.18

wallisface on Should I Put Additional Artifact …

1 year ago

As an example, this list costs well-under half of the money of your current list, but will significantly outperform it by prettymuch every metric:

• 4x Ornithopter
• 3x Signal Pest
• 3x Vault Skirge
• 4x Frogmite
• 4x Sojourner's Companion
• 2x Myr Enforcer
• 4x Thought Monitor
• 4x Welding Jar
• 4x Sol Ring
• 4x Springleaf Drum
• 4x Cranial Plating
• 4x Thoughtcast
• 4x Seat of the Synod
• 4x Darksteel Citadel
• 8x Island

nuperokaso on Affinity and what to cut

1 year ago

You will need to remove 18 card to get to 60: - 2 Mystic Forge and 4 Deadly Dispute - Affinity is an aggro deck; it wants to put additional creatures on board, not just draw cards. You may leave Thoughtcast and Thought Monitor. That will also rid you of black color entirely. - 4 Mistvault Bridge - 22 lands is too much for a 60 card deck that mostly plays free spells. You also don't want to draw multiple tapped lands. - 2 Shrapnel Blast - You don't want multiples in your opening hand, because then you won't have enough artifacts to cast your spells. You are also playing another sacrifice outlet (Arcbound Ravager) and too many sacrifice effect have diminishing returns. - 2 Myr Enforcer - You were playing 12 7 mana spells, that's simply too much. You can't keep opening hand with 4 of them. - 4 Lotus Petal - The only card in your deck that was not Modern legal. Also it's useless in longer game.

After these cuts, your deck has 60 card. However, 10 of them are non-artifacts, which may be more than you would like.

I will also give you a few other tips: - If you are too low on 0 mana cost cards, try Memnite or Welding Jar. Jar does something even in longer game, unlike your original Lotus Petal. - Nettlecyst - Acts similarly to the Cranial Plating, but comes with a body and has a good toughness. If you would play it, I suggest that you replace them for Arcbound Ravager, as they are doing opposite things.

wallisface on Arcbound Scales

1 year ago

Some thoughts:

• your land count is very low, especially when you’re running 3 copies of a legendary land. For reference, the meta hardened scales runs around 24 lands and has an average mana-cost of only 1.5 (treating cards like Walking Ballista as worth {2}). You’ve only got 19 lands and your average mana-cost is a much higher 1.9 (assuming Thought Monitor and Thoughtcast only ever cost {U}).

• Shadowspear is generally only ever good because it can be grabbed with Urza's Saga - without Saga it’s much harder to justify.

• 4 mana is very steep, especially considering your land count, and I don’t see either Arcbound Crusher or Vannifar, Evolved Enigma doing nearly-enough to justify their cost.

• Fabricate feels very slow/clunky when Ancient Stirrings exists.

leon_bulminot on Animar Horde 4

1 year ago

GeminiSpartanX

I mostly kept Armillary because colorless. I contemplated Shard Convergence as a replacement but it didn't work out as well.

For Cultivate, I used to run Tempt with Discovery. I am actually pondering replacing Armillary with Sword of Hearth and Home. Land drop and bouncing. I'd like to get a reliable creature that searches each turn but I'm riding Armillary after readding to test. Then swap to Cultivate for games and see which feels better. I went for more mana filters for now, until I can really nail down which searchers I like and regularly use. The major part of why Cultivate got cut was I always drew it mainly mid game and by that point, animar is like 14 counters deep and Selvala is out. But cost wise, I did like the 3 mana early game.

I honestly didn't even know Roaming existed and being colorless means free summons with enough counters. I am REALLY liking Hormagaunt. Aberrant would bring back some sorely needed removal.

I am trying to figure out how to squeeze Muldrifter in. Or at even Thought Monitor.

All suggestions are awesome. Just need to figure out what's become a stale draw since the update!! But I think I know which card I can cut first for Aberrant. Rootpath Purifier was useful when i had more ramp in the deck. Now she sort of just sits in my hand.

DreadKhan on Tempered Steel/Starlight Spectacular

2 years ago

In my experience if you use this for multiplayer their is one key difference between Humiliator and Diminish; Diminish lasts an entire turn cycle (each player gets a turn with that player have 1/1s), while Humiliator only helps you. If you target someone with Mass Diminish (and you get 2 casts per copy due to Flashback) you will probably eliminate them due to everyone piling on the easy target, Humiliator is a much smaller effect, including letting the opponent attack on their own turn (instead of them still having 1/1s). If you're looking for something you could pull, I think Myr Sire might be your weakest link atm, especially with so few lands. Knight of the Kitchen Sink A is relatively hard to cast, needing WW could be awkward, but Knight is a more useful card than Sire. Another card that I think that's on the weak side is Servo Exhibition, hopefully this gives you some food for thought!

That seems reasonable enough, I must have misunderstood your previous post about Protection. If you're worried about Enchantments being targeted it's a bit harder to solve, there is Devoted Caretaker and Greater Auramancy, I'm not sure either would be worth it. Enchantments are much harder to protect than creatures because it's really easy to kill creatures, do you find your enchantments get targeted? My only other idea worth mentioning is Dispel, but you'd probably be better served by Thoughtcast and Thought Monitor to just draw into replacements for your Enchantments.