best card in standard game
General forum
Posted on April 17, 2011, 12:57 p.m. by MakoLifeStream
I was just wondering what you guys thought about a card being the best in standard, and what would that card be? We will make it a game. you list the card, then give an explination why you think it is the best, then after a while, we will call votes after considering everyones argument and choose the very best card in standard. Here we go!!!
I would personally have to say Wurmcoil Engine . This is because of its cost. paying (6) for a 6/6 creature is pretty nifty. Then add deathtouch. Ouch. of course your going to want to chump block it as much as possible. NOW add lifelink. Holy crap, it comes equipped with Basilisk Collar . your now paying (5) for a 6/6 and an extra (1)for Basilisk Collar on it from the git go.
Now your not too sure if you just want to chump block. with it gaining life and killing creatures, maybe we should just kill it.
OH DAMN! it just created 2 3/3s! DAMN IT ALL! one has lifelink and the other has deathtouch!
WOW. so your basicly paying (4) for a 6/6, (1) for basilisk collar, and another (1) for a Mitotic Slime rip off. Holy crap that is powerful. the only safe way to deal with this thing is to either exile it, of never let it come onto the field in the first place.
Ok now that i listed those reasons here is one more. There simply is no deck it cant fit into. Being colorless has never been so good for a card. this can fit into black, green, red, white, and blue no problem. Blue control? sure, he is great for the late game. green Ramp? turn 3 baby. Black (did i mention deathtouch?). red kuldotha, go ahead, block it, see what happens. white ( did i also mention lifelink?).
Well I think that is a thourough explination of why i think that Wurmcoil Engine is the best card in standard.
Now its your turn. Tell us what you think.
MakoLifeStream says... #4
You have to give an explanation as to why you think jace, the mind sculptor is the best. ((i think jace is easy to beat.))
April 17, 2011 3:01 p.m.
cnielsen05 says... #5
Yeah, another vote for the wallet-sculptor. I don't think he needs much explanation but I'll play along.
He costs 4 mana, so in a BUG/RUG deck you play him turn 3 with counter mana up.
He has FOUR planeswalker abilities, all of which are ridiculous.
He digs three cards deep into your library every turn for zero. Consider another card in standard that allows you to dig that deep? card:Jace's Ingenuity, and that costs 5. He basically does that every turn for zero as long as you have the ability to shuffle your library.
He fateseals for +2. If you want to get him out of lightning bolt range the turn you play him you can either scry 1 for yourself, or if you know what your opponent is trying to do or needs to draw you can do it on their library instead.
He bounces creatures that threaten him for -1. Excellent for breaking tempo and protecting himself. This makes him quite a nuisance to kill.
Finally his ultimate, as if he needed a fourth ability at all after the previous three. It roughly translates to "win the game" for -12.
Jace enables Standard control as we know it today. You can comfortably run 1-of's and 2-of's and actually draw into them considerably well if he is in your deck. Even if he dies the turn he gets played, you got a Brainstorm out of him and that alone is fairly significant in control.
Look at results from GP Dallas and you will find 32 out of 32 possible maindeck slots filled with Jace in the top 8 decks. It's been said many times, but unfortunately there is indeed a reason he is called the $400 entry fee to Standard. There is only one card that can hang with the power level of Jace, the Mind Sculptor and that is Jace, the Mind Sculptor .
April 17, 2011 3:04 p.m.
KirkKismet says... #7
Lagac Lizard , hands down. You can throw him down turn 2 in RUG and then when your opponent plays Jace on the next turn, you already have an answer. B)
April 17, 2011 3:23 p.m.
DJGingerAle says... #8
I'm quite frankly surprised that you all have overlooked this power house of a common. thats right hes a COMMON! so not only is he incredibly versatile, but he is also cheap. which is a trait that is often underestimated in standard. Lets look at the details as to why he is the best card in standard.
he costs 3, 2 colorless and just one black. so he can fit in to almost any deck with just a hint of black.
he's a 2/2, so in other words he is a Runeclaw Bear for black! which is ridiculous and overpowered. Once he hits the board turn three (or perhaps t2?) your opponent is already in the state of mind "well, I scoop, or I lose..."
he cant block unless you have a vampire. this is a minor set back and its not like you would block with him anyway since he will just kill the opponent next turn. he is just the standard of perfection in this day and age.
April 17, 2011 4:26 p.m.
well put on the mind sculptor cnielsen05.
another card imo thats a powerhouse in standard is actually two Duress and Inquisition of Kozilek .
early disruption is great and it can grab some powerfull spells.
also, when NPH drops,
t1 duress targeting jace followed up with Surgical Extraction Memoricide ing for free
seems like a really strong play to me.
April 17, 2011 5:38 p.m.
Anyway, it's jace, I've gotta admit.
I really feel as though surgical extraction is overrated. For 2 life and a card, all that this card can potentially (at best) do is clear a person's library of jaces. I just don't feel that it's reliable enough, or powerful enough to see much play in standard, unless there are cards in NPH/M12 to makes dredgevine decks a major force in standard.
Not including Jace, the second best card in standard would be a more interesting debate, I feel. In the current metagame, I'm actually thinking that it could be Inquisition of Kozilek , simply because the dominant deck (u/w hawks) runs so few creatures that t1 hand disruption really puts a dent in their game plan. Alternatively, there's always Preordain , for giving a better mulligan rate, and a better chance of fetching up jace.
April 17, 2011 8:21 p.m.
i think you're under valueing extracion removing win conditions is powerfull. rmoving mystic, hawks, vengevine, and anything you can hit with early discard for free is good nomatter how you look at it.
April 17, 2011 8:31 p.m.
theemptyquiver says... #12
I kind of feel like seconding the Preordain thought.
It remains one of the reasons I splash blue in decks constantly.
The ability to drop a Darkslick Shores or and Island and scry AND draw ON TURN ONE is a beautiful thing.
April 17, 2011 8:35 p.m.
MakoLifeStream says... #13
You prove a very good point with Duress and inquisition. They are very powerful black spells that go great in any control deck. When surgical extraction comes out, it will just be ridiculous.
I like the 2 because you get to look at your opponents hand and take a pick. Just knowing what is in the opponents hand is a great advantage because you know what to expect and how to react. I like your choice.
I dont mean to be rude or anything but.... are you being serious? I kind of doubt it considering that you said Mindless Null and i can think of at least 10 others that are infinitly better at the same cost or less AND STILL BE COMMON. Barony Vampire , Bog Raiders , Blistergrub , Bojuka Brigand , Contagious Nim , Moriok Reaver , and even Vampire Lacerator
Thank you for giving an explanation as to why you think that Jace, the Mind Sculptor is best. but just pointing out that i would think his brainstorm ability is more attune to Ponder ((without being able to shuffle)) than card:Jace's Ingenuity. and dont get me wrong, Jace is powerful as hell. gotta love him.
Good job guys, keep throwing em in, or agreeing with others.
April 17, 2011 8:50 p.m.
CharonSquared says... #14
In Eldrazi Green, he comes out turn 3 and grabs lands that let you start tossing out Eldrazi by turn 5.
In Valakut, he comes out turn 4 and if you get to untap and swing with him, you win on the spot.
April 17, 2011 8:55 p.m.
π_is_the_word says... #15
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle .
A Land that acts as a free Lightning Bolt everytime you have a mountain enter the battlefield? How ridiculous a land that gives you an infinite number of Lightning Bolt s?
Add Primeval Titan and in my opinion you have a card worth being banned. Look at what happened at Worlds, U/B Control was designed to beat Valakut. It was a good deck, but the main purpose was to beat Valakut and last time I checked, a deck which is so dominate and so powerful as to have people play decks built solely to beat such a deck is unhealthy for a format and should be banned.
April 17, 2011 9:32 p.m.
Jace's brainstorm ability is closest to Brainstorm .
Personally, I'm a fan of Grand Architect . Crazy ramping and decent buff as a 3 drop. Totally out of color for blue, too.
April 17, 2011 9:37 p.m.
Surgical Extraction will be pretty nasty when it hits, believe me. It's ludicrous to go t1 Duress - DoJ or Jace PMS, -2 life SurgEx - smack you. If I'm packing 4 Malakir Bloodwitch and you're packing 4 Day of Judgment , those days leave and you're in some serious trouble, even if you do find a jace.
Also, tec edge a valakut and then rip the rest out. Pretty much game against valakut (which I predict will die because of this, barring some considerable amount of good new stuff).
April 17, 2011 10:03 p.m.
You guys all have it wrong.
The most powerful card in not only Standard, but Extended, Legacy and Vintage is.......
.........................................................................................................
Island!
April 18, 2011 10:04 a.m.
Lord_Of_1234 says... #21
In my opinion, meta cards are not worth the money. All time favorite card(s)... Necrogen Scudder and Horrifying Revelation
April 18, 2011 10:37 a.m.
Here are my arguments:
Ancestral Recall Brainstorm Ponder Preordain Spell Pierce Daze Force of Will Mystical Tutor Blue Elemental Blast Hydroblast Dispel
and those are only cards I can think of that cost 1 mana or less off the top of my head.
Once you get more Islands on board it gets even more ugly.
The only other color that comes close is black imo.
Just like in the current standard meta, blue has been defining formats for nearly 2 decades.
So Valakut became a problem, guess who was there to solve it, yep you guessed it, Blue and his control buddies.
Then UB Control in standard became a problem, so guess who solved it, yep you guessed it again, Blue and his white control buddies.
Blue is and always will be the cornerstone of Magic. It keeps all decks in check when combined with other colors. It provide card advantage and tempo advantage which are crucial in this game.
It pains me to make this post because originally I was an anti-blue kinda guy.
But after years of being tormented by the dreaded Island , I finally decided to join them.
You know what they say, "Once you go blue, you never go black or green or red or white."
April 18, 2011 10:56 a.m.
MakoLifeStream says... #23
Stoneforge Mystic might be a pretty good choice considering the meta game now adays and most everyone playing some form of caw-blade. but remember, you have to give an argument as to why it is you believe stoneforge mystic is best.
April 18, 2011 11:12 a.m.
π_is_the_word says... #24
I think Island is a good choice, but you must agree Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle was what made UX decks the most powerful. Because Valakut Combo is so prevalent in the meta Agro decks which should be competitive against stuff like Caw-Blade are not top eighting, just because Valakut Combo is 1 or 2 turns faster to get a kill.
Valakut Combo still makes up a greater percentage of Tournament decks than any other deck(including Caw-Blade.)
April 18, 2011 12:11 p.m.
BrownDog5117 says... #25
island?? are you kidding me??
island is not as broken as forest
April 18, 2011 12:16 p.m.
1BB for 2/3 flyier? Ok.1BB for 2/3 flyier with deathtouch? Tasty! :D1BB for 2/3 flyier with deatchtouch AND lifelink?! WTF?! =D
Mimic Vat - Pure awesomeness. That's all i can say.
April 18, 2011 1:58 p.m.
MakoLifeStream says... #27
@pi_is the word
you prove a valid point. Valakut decks been a powerhouse of a deck for as long as its been out (or so ive heard, ive never actually faced one yet.). Just by looking at it it looks powerful, and not easily destroyed either. in fact there are far fewer land destroyers than there are artifact, enchantment, and creature destroyers.
@primaver
Vampire nighthawk is one nasty little bugger. He really should have been a rare at the minimum. his low cost 2/3 flyer makes him much valued alone. but your right adding deathtouch and lifelink on top makes him a beast. He is black so doom blade dont work on him,((just another reason to switch to GFTT?) and he is hard to block (asuming you want to).
your damn strait Forest is broken. Its just too damn fast for anything else but Mountain . must be why they get along so well. :)
April 18, 2011 4:12 p.m.
Lol @ Forest
I guess since the OP was asking what is the most powerful in Standard, I should answer that.
Jace, already mentioned is the most powerful by far. It can single handily win games for the many reasons already mentioned.
The real question as already asked is what is the 2nd most powerful card.
Arguments for Valakut have been made and while it is powerful, it really isn't good without Primeval Titan . Since the good old Titan has seen play in many other decks, including RUG, BUG and Eldrazi Ramp, I would like to think it warrants more respect than Valakut.
Although Thrun hasn't found a home yet, it really only dies to card:Black Sun's Zenith, so personally I think that card is just waiting for rotation to shine.
Goblin Guide would also like to step into the discussion as it has risen to the forefront with decks such as RDW and Boros.
Vampire Nighthawk might have had a claim to this spot except it easily dies to Mr. Bolt and now the wonderful Go for the Throat .
Speaking of Mr. Bolt, good old Lightning Bolt never gets old, but still not worthy of our 2nd spot.
Duress and Inquisition are also intimidating, but not game defining like Jace is.
I personally think the 2nd best slot is a toss up between two cards:
Preordain - you need a landdrop, no problem, you want to shuffle away 2 lame landdrops late in the game, no problem. This card in the current standard game makes every blue deck around. Well almost every blue deck.
Gideon Jura - He is so stinking hard to get rid of at 8 loyalty and like Jace, he really just wins games. He can be controlling and still be aggressive.
April 18, 2011 6:20 p.m.
island, beats valakut down!!! Spreading Seas
a turn 1 elf makes Forest pretty good.
turn 1 bolt is mountains thing
turn 1 Dark Ritual or Duress /Inquisition of Kozilek
turn 1 white is Path to Exile . exile ur own Memnite for mana ramping!
April 18, 2011 7:37 p.m.
MakoLifeStream says... #30
Hmmmmm you have a very good point there, Raddman. Well then perhaps this thread should be renamed to the second best card in standard. But if you had to choose one, what whould it be and why? I think im still sticking to Wurmcoil Engine .
(btw though, ive played thrun against JTMS, and there was nothing he could do about it. Thrun is a bruise on jace's face. He is a favorite in my deck Green Anti-control FNM which as the name suggests is the deck i use in my local FNM.
April 18, 2011 9:13 p.m.
painsmith. you can infect to death turn 3 with painsmith;
- drop a smith t2
- t3, 3 0drop artifacts, painsmith is a 7/1.
- vamp. bite, distortion strike, tainted strike, win.
May 28, 2011 6:01 p.m.
icekillaxx says... #32
Best card ever!? Hmmm up at the top has to be Vampire Nighthawk hes rediculous for black! like the fuck? 3 mana 2 of it is black. SO what hes got flying lifelink and deathtouch! For 3 mana he has 3 abilities and on top of that hes a 2/3 he can get bolted but so fucking what thats rediculous..... my favorite card to piss anyone off is :) have to agree with Lord_Of_1234 on Horrifying Revelation one mana discard and one off the top of there deck.! and i dont think JTMS is all that good.... Ive always wanted to do this to someone idk if you can though. If someone has JTMS out and you get out SORIN wait till he has enough and use sorins ult to make JTMS use his ult on your opponent!
August 26, 2011 1:18 p.m.
rckclimber777 says... #33
Well now that standard has put the ban on both Jace and Stoneforge, clearly Jace was the winner. He's just plain mean.
Best Card in the current standard.
He's not quite as broken as Jace, but he's getting there and he's been out for a couple months.
+1 ability gives him protection in the form of a 3/3 beast.
-3 ability which he can use next turn which gives you draw advantage over your opponent especially if you just dropped a titan.
-6 ability which gives you a 6/6 wurm creature for EACH land in play.
Now his ultimate takes just 3 turns to work up to. Meanwhile you've played 3 3/3 beast creatures for protection. Wurmcoil may not die to much, but 7-8 6/6 wurms it DEFINITELY dies to.
Like all great cards, the cards surrounding it have to help it to make it great. So let's look at it's supporting cast.
Gideon Jura provides the same protection he provided Jace in caw-blade.
Swords are still around and thus give that beast a bit of an extra power to it.
Birds of Paradise are out there and thus help to get Garruk out faster along with other mana ramp such as rampant growth. Albeit there is a significant difference as compared with Zendikar and thus if ANY mana ramp comes out in Innistrad then Garruk will easily step into the Pantheon of great cards and subsequently see the Ban stick.
Solemn Simulacrum provides a guarantee that next turn you'll have the mana for Garruk and if you need it you can then chump block with Solemn only to draw a Garruk.
Primeval titan... need I say more?
and to round his support cast Dungrove Elder who has hexproof for just 3 mana and has the P/T equal to the number of forests. Mono-green or G/W have never looked so good.
Select says... #2
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
April 17, 2011 2:04 p.m.