Icy blast as early game "removal"?
Deck Help forum
Posted on Oct. 23, 2014, 12:29 a.m. by EvilKidsMeal
Alright so im making this deck JACE, THE LIVING GUILDPACT DOES NOT SUCK!
and i ran into a problem, i was suggested by someone Silence the Believers over Icy Blast in a black blue control, and it got me thinking.... is icy blast worth the turn two, ''Tap that aggro creature so it doesnt kill me'' kinda thing or not. wasnt sure, can you take a look and tell me if if Icy Blast is worth it? Since Silence the Believers costs 4 mana, and i already have to wait till i get three to start using counter spells or removal like Hero's Downfall , so im on the fence about this, help me haha
TurboFagoot says... #3
Absolutely not. A control deck wants to trade 1 for 1 minimally, but ideally get more value with their spells with a 2 for 1. Icy Blast is just a tempo play, you don't actually get a card worth of value out of it.
Playing Icy Blast in your deck will just leave you Hellbent by turn 5, that's not what you want at all.
October 23, 2014 1:14 a.m.
Square_Nacho says... #4
Sorry if this is a stupid suggestion. But Try running walls or something that's cheap for turn 2 and block with it. I would suggest Wall of Frost even tho it is turn 3 you'll take a hit but its good because anything you block with it doesn't untap in it's controllers next untap step.
October 23, 2014 2:34 a.m.
ColdHeartedSith says... #5
Icy Blast is awsome its and instant speed Sleep you cast it pre combat on your opponents turn and then untap and swing away not once but twice because your opponents creatures dont untap next turn either. If your deck cant win with that huge opportunity by late game, its either mill or it sucks. Icy blast isnt a turn 2 kid, its a turn 6 or 7 haymaker.
October 23, 2014 3:37 a.m.
TurboFagoot says... #6
"If your deck cant win with that huge opportunity by late game, its either mill or it sucks."
This is an objectively wrong statement.
Icy Blast is not constructed playable. Maybe side board for extreme creature mirrors? Maybe.
October 23, 2014 3:42 a.m.
ColdHeartedSith says... #7
bullshit any deck ive played if im tapping all your shit on your turn and taking two free swings plus what ever else I do in my next two turns uh your dead or I swear i'd light my deck on fire in the parking lot. It is constructed playable its an instant speed rare. Icy blast won pre release for me too.
October 23, 2014 3:55 a.m.
TurboFagoot says... #8
Prereleases aren't constructed, they're limited.
Not everyone is playing mono creatures. You tap their board, they play their removal, they play additional creatures, they flash something in, they counter your spell. The card isn't nearly as ubiquitous in constructed as it is in limited.
In limited it is insane.
But you clearly have no idea what you're talking about, so whatever.
October 23, 2014 4:47 a.m.
pookypuppy6 says... #9
I considered it for my control deck but erred away from it in the end. It is just okay as a control tool; while it can blank out crucial creatures from their combat phase it doesn't really remove them, and my control deck doesn't regularly have 4 power around to make it more akin to Sleep . At the moment the only blue rare removal I am running is AEtherspouts , which annihilates tokens and slows my opponent down WAY more than I think Icy Blast could.
As a Turn 2 or 3 play Icy Blast just isn't that strong. As atempo tool it can be a game winner, but control wise I prefer to Divination on Turn 3. Which probably ain't playable either, but it gets me to the point where I wreck crap Turn 4 with Anger of the Gods or something.
October 23, 2014 7:09 a.m.
Icy blast is one of those cards they put in sets to teach new players what's good and what's bad. It's a trick card - looks good but in reality does little. This card is most definitely bad in over 90% of decks. The ONLY time you want it is in a tempo or aggro deck as a wincon but as removal or in a control deck - forget it.
October 23, 2014 1:02 p.m.
pookypuppy6 says... #11
@ChiefBell: I'm an expert at not learning that advice. I went 3-1 at FNM with a deck based around 4 copies of Phytotitan ! :D
October 23, 2014 1:37 p.m.
This thread has sort of devolved into a yes-no-yes argument. However, I hold that Icy Blast can be good in some situations--but not in this control deck. There aren't enough creatures or ferocious enablers to make it worth it.
October 23, 2014 5:59 p.m.
LordOfDispair says... #13
As others stated, trading 1 for 1 minimum is required for a control, which I why I really like Crippling Chill . Tempo advantage without sacrificing card advantage.
October 23, 2014 6:04 p.m.
LordOfDispair may have something here. Crippling Chill might be what you're looking for, although hard removal might still be preferable.
NTPYTO says... #2
It probably depends on how easily you're able to get the ferocious triggers on Icy Blast with your deck. If you can't consistently have ferocious with it, Silence the Believers is probably better.
You can always just try using both in the deck for a while and see which performs better and use that.
October 23, 2014 12:59 a.m.