birthing pod combos and ideas!
General forum
Posted on May 18, 2011, 4:37 p.m. by Ninja_starr
Hello cello members. New Phyrexia has got everyone in a frenzy for new decks, and as such I have found a few cards that tickle my fancy. Most importantly is Birthing Pod . I just love this card, and i'd like to see everyones opinion and ideas for a deck or combos around this card. Im going to post my deck that I made saturday later on tonight when I get home. Thanks everyone!
cnielsen05 says... #3
It also turns 1-drops into Myr Superion s which I think is another awesome way to use it.
May 18, 2011 6:46 p.m.
Ninja_starr says... #4
Both of those are great ideas. In fact the obliterator combo is in the deck i made which i am posting now and will send a link here in a few minutes. but could you please explain this "infinite" thing you mentioned? im having a hard time understanding what you mean.
May 18, 2011 7:30 p.m.
Ninja_starr says... #5
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/phyrexian-pod/
here is my deck
May 18, 2011 7:42 p.m.
Prophylaxis says... #6
I find the easiest way to use Birthing Pod is to compare it to an obscure rare from Coldsnap - card:Hibernation's End.
May 18, 2011 8:30 p.m.
The infinite combo he's referring to is. Deceiver Exarch + Splinter Twin which is infinite guys with haste which = GG if they don't have an instant answer.
I like that this card allows for a competitive toolbox deck. I love me some toolboxes.
May 18, 2011 10 p.m.
I do like the idea of Deceiver Exarch to double-tap the Birthing Pod . I may have to play some blue for that.
My deck based on Birthing Pod was basically designed to use Birds of Paradise and Llanowar Elves to get some early acceleration, and then to be sac targets for Birthing Pod into Stoneforge Mystic for Batterskull . When the Mystic has served its purpose, sac it for a Priest of Urabrask for some mana to play a Phyrexian Metamorph from the hand, then sac the priest into a Phyrexian Metamorph , and have them come in as Batterskull .
While the Birthing Pod is doing a ton of work for my deck, if I don't keep it, my curve is still very low, and I'm still able to cheat out Batterskull easily and often. I didn't want to have to rely on the single card in case they could easily answer it with something like Memoricide and Surgical Extraction .
May 18, 2011 10:40 p.m.
another cool thing for the pod is to declare a blocker then sac before it dies, the opposing creature is blocked and you trade up.
also Myr Superion is a t2.
t1: forest, Joraga Treespeaker
t2: land, level up, Myr Superion
yeah i did it, go build decks with this now
May 18, 2011 11:02 p.m.
Unfortunately, you cannot activate it after declaring blockers. The card's text states it can be activated only any time you could play a sorcery, which is a main phase, when the stack is empty.
May 18, 2011 11:29 p.m.
Batterskull is an equipment. You can copy it with the Phyrexian Metamorph because of the "or artifact" clause, but you cannot get it out with the Birthing Pod , as it is creature only.
As to the fine details of copying a living weapon with Phyrexian Metamorph , I am not quite qualified. It really depends on how/when the "enter the battlefied" clause works on both cards. I'm not sure if/when a germ is created to attach to. I'm pretty sure it all works out, but you might just be creating a naked equipment if you copy this way.
May 18, 2011 11:53 p.m.
Phyrexian Metamorph still qualifies as a creature card as per Birthing Pod 's specifications. It only enters the battlefield as something else. It is still cast and played as a creature spell.
To illustrate, here is a semi-relevant rule with a relevant example:
608.3b If a permanent spell resolves but its controller can't put it onto the battlefield, that player puts it into its owner's graveyard.Example: Worms of the Earth says "If a land would enter the battlefield, instead it doesn't." Clone says "You may have Clone enter the battlefield as a copy of any creature on the battlefield." If a player casts Clone and chooses to copy Dryad Arbor (a land creature) while Worms of the Earth is on the battlefield, Clone can't enter the battlefield from the stack. It's put into its owner's graveyard.
It goes into the stack correct to Birthing Pod , but it enters the battlefield as an artifact.
This also applies to how it works with a living weapon. It enters as a Batterskull , indistinguishable from one in any other way. As such, it should enter with any ETB abilities it should otherwise have, in the same way Clone would.
But it exists in the hand and library as a creature card or 'spell.'
May 19, 2011 2:03 a.m.
Ninja_starr says... #14
Lol it happens. Great ideas guys. I really hope to see some of these ideas being played out in standard. I like seeing a variety of decks being played, not just 2 or 3 big ones.
May 19, 2011 11:04 a.m.
Mask, no offense but I'm 100% sure that you are wrong about your ruling.
When it enters the battlefield it is what the card type is which is:
Artifact - Equipment
Period.
It then get's it's effect and creates a creature as part of it's effect.
Birthing Pod asks for a creature spell. It looks at the card type for that value and Batterskull 's says Artifact - Equipment, not Creature. In essence Batterskull is a creature in most aspects as far as playability; but, cards like Despise , and Birthing Pod do not interact with it because in all technicality, it's not a creature.
May 19, 2011 5:22 p.m.
Well yeah, Batterskull isn't a Birthing Pod target. It was never the intention, either. It was Phyrexian Metamorph , which is an artifact creature until it enters the battlefield as anything else.
I apologize, rereading my last paragraph, I can see how you'd mistake my meaning as Batterskull and Birthing Pod , as I neglected to clarify my reference. That last bit had been in reference to the fact that a Phyrexian Metamorph would enter like a Batterskull , creating its germ and attaching to it. At no point did I mean to imply that Batterskull itself, while 'creature-like' in some ways, was actually a creature.
The point to be made was instead that Phyrexian Metamorph absolutely is a creature when it is searched, it is placed into the stack as a creature. If it resolves, it enters as whatever it may become a copy of.
This can be illustrated again with that rule and example. Clone must still be cast as a creature spell, and then attempt to enter the battlefield as Dryad Arbor , whereas Dryad Arbor may simply be played as a land.
Which means it enters the stack as a creature, which is what it is cast as, and then becomes a land creature when it enters the battlefield, not before.
Phyrexian Metamorph is always an artifact creature when placed on the stack, and only becomes anything else upon leaving the stack and entering the battlefield.
May 20, 2011 12:33 a.m.
You are right about that and I honestly never even considered that as an option. Good combo idea man, truly.
Like I said, I wasn't trying to discredit you I just misunderstood what you were trying to say and didn't want people to build decks around, what appeared to me, a bad ruling.
After going back and re-reading I can see what you were talking about and I apologize for misreading your post. You are exactly right.
May 20, 2011 4:17 p.m.
It's no problem. I wasn't as clear as I should be, especially when dealing with magic rules.
As for the combo, I'm liking the deck I've built around it.. It has some holes, mainly, Surgical Extraction , but my sideboard has largely been designed to hate on the deck that ruins me, the most, which is black. Removal is terrible, especially if they wait for you to sac a Birthing Pod target and then destroy it.
The deck I'm running this synergy in is here:
I like it simply because it runs on a low curve, easily, isn't terribly susceptible to counterspells, has a wide variety of options to respond to most things.
Batterskull and Phyrexian Metamorph are some of my favorite synergy cards, so far, as you can placeholder the metamorph on the skull, and then still pay 3 to return it and play it as something else.
May 20, 2011 9:15 p.m.
AEtherZero says... #19
Just to let you know, players can't respond to you sacrificing a creature to your birthing pod.It's part of the cost and costs can't be responded to. They have this same argument for Master Transmuter so you can look it up if you like but yeah, nothing can be done in response to paying a cost. Rather, you have the advantage because you can respond with birthing pod anytime you like, even if they target the creature with a kill spell.
May 21, 2011 11 p.m.
You are half right Zero. You can't respond to a cost, but, you can't respond with a sac either because it can only be used as a sorcery, ie. on one of your main phase's when the stack is empty.
If it was instant speed the card would be brokkkken.
May 22, 2011 12:08 a.m.
np, glad I could point it out. I missed it the first time I looked at it too.
It would be sweet if you could do it in response to declaring a blocker though.
May 22, 2011 12:24 a.m.
Love the Phyrexian Obliterator possibilities. Was wondering about a mono-blue using Birthing Pod and Leyline of Anticipation . The Leyline lets you play soceries at instant speed, so I am assuming the Birthing Pod ability would check when you could play sorceries (which is now anytime) and allow you to 'pod' in a Phyrexian Obliterator off your 3cvc creature and block their attacker forcing them to sacrifice.
See Beyond would be useful in shuffling an unwanted Obliterator draw back into deck. Then use typical blue counter / control.
Thoughts?
June 6, 2011 3:38 p.m.
TylerJohns says... #25
Well I have a deck that combines Splicers with Venser WITH birthing pod, and hey, it's ok. Should check it out - http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/vensers-blinking-pod-comment-please/
August 1, 2011 9:54 a.m.
ok here's a question - it's clear that my opponent can't respond to activating the pod but since I'm the active player, does it work for me to play Beast Within targeting the same creature sac'd to the vat and put that on the stack on top of the pod activation?
if so, i'm pretty sure that Birthing Pod still happens because it doesn't fizzle from having no target, since it doesn't target
or is it the cast that the sac resolves before i have a chance to put anything else on the stack too?
August 25, 2011 11:50 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #27
The sacrifice is part of the activation cost for Birthing Pod . Paying an activation cost doesn't use the stack and cannot be responded to. Once you pay the cost to put the Pod's ability on the stack, the creature you sacrificed is no longer on the battlefield, and therefore no player can target it as if it were.
Also, your opponent can absolutely respond to you activating the Pod, so long as they have priority. They (like you) just can't try to target whatever creature you sacrificed because it doesn't exist as a permanent anymore.
August 25, 2011 11:53 p.m.
Ah ok. But if we both had effects I'd always get to go onto the stack first (with some effect that doesn't target the creature that is no longer there) since I'd always be the active player when pod is being activated, right?
August 25, 2011 11:58 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #29
Correct. Whenever multiple triggered abilities are triggered simultaneously, they go onto the stack in APNAP (active player, next active player) order. Be aware that you order your own triggers however you choose, and since yours go on the stack first, they'll be last to resolve.
cnielsen05 says... #2
Birthing Pod with Deceiver Exarch lets you either set up for the infinite, or use it twice in one turn to turn a 2 drop into a 4 drop. My favorite 4-drop target for Birthing Pod is probably Phyrexian Obliterator since he's awesome when you don't actually need 4 black to cast him.
May 18, 2011 6:45 p.m.