1) It is relatively non-counterable.It can't be Spell Pierced, it can't be reliably Mana Leaked on the draw, it can't be Deprived pretty much any time.
2) It is a pure tutor, ala Demonic Tutor. (but better!)
Fauna Shaman feels like a fairer tutor, because it effectively has summoning sickness, and doesn't net you up a card.
Can you imagine if SFM was 1W, T, Discard an Equipment, search your library for a equipment card and put it into your hand? (Instead of it's tutor ability, it can keep the vial-version)
Can you imagine if Fauna Shaman searched your library for a creature when it came into play as well as it's current ability? (In addition to it's swap)
The old semi-broken tutors (Enlightened, Vampiric) put the card on top of your library (aka card disadvantage). Stoneforge Mystic seems predicated on the idea that either having a creature to equip is worth no cards, or equipment is not worth a card, and both seem ludicrious at this time.
Demonic Tutor is a restricted card in VINTAGE, and Stoneforge Mystic has a few ways that it is better than Demonic in STANDARD. Would you even play Demonic Tutor to get a sword in standard, if it was legal?
3) It tutors for things that shut down entire decks.
It is similar to Enlightened Tutor in Legacy, where you can get your silver bullet 1-of, that the other deck probably can't interact favorably with. Moat, Ensnaring Bridge, COP Red, Solitary Confinement, etc, etc, etc. (Except SFM doesn't cost you a card, and it makes the spell you tutor for uncounterable as well)
Try playing a mono-colored deck (aka mono red) with a tutorable protection from red equipment. Try playing a mono-green deck in a format with two tutorable pro green equipment.
Try playing an aggro deck with a t3 unkillable (as if BSA was killable) instant speed Baneslayer Angel.
Try playing a enemy colored deck, that happens to be in sword-colors. Green-Black. Red-White. Green-Blue. Good luck winning against discard + untap in GB. Or gain 6+ life a turn and kill an attacker each turn in RW. Or blocking the 4 turn clock of mill + generate chump blockers in GU.
All of these are shut down pretty hard by your opponents turn two play. You battle it out, but your odds aren't north of 50% before the game even starts.
4) It makes the thing you tutor for uncounterable.
Spell Pierce, Mana Leak, Steel Sabotage, etc, are ways for blue to interact with a reusable creature enchantment.
Instant speed, etc. It combos too well with other (white) instant speed removal or (blue) counters.
5) Equipment is too good to mess around with.
Tom Lapile doesn't like equipment, because it breaks the small vs big creature curve. You can just play small creatures with equipment, and you don't have to worry about the top end of your curve. A Squadron Hawk with a matchup-appropriate sword on it is in the realm of a titan for that matchup, and it costs so much less.
Protection is an ability that shouldn't just be thrown around on artifacts. Nor should about half of the abilities on swords to begin with. It's not like you need to be Green or Black to get the Green and Black abilities off the GB sword. Can you imagine how it would change the power level of these puppies if they had an equip of GB instead of 2, or RW instead of 2?
Bonesplitter. Darksteel Axe. Vulshok Morningstar. Fine.
Swords, Jitte, Batterskull (or really any living weapon), not so great.
The mitigating factors:
A) All colors can in theory deal with equipment.
Red has Manic Vandal, Crush, Shatter. (and many answers at 4+)
Black has Inquisition, Duress, Despise
Blue has Steel Sabotage, Into the Roil (for tempo, not as real solutions)
White has Divine Offering, Revoke Existance, Kor Sanctifiers.
Green has Naturalize, Nature's Claim, Viridian Corruptor, Acidic Slime
The problem with these arguements:
I) The card you're spending a card destroying (or a terrible creature, like a Grey Ogre, or better yet, a 5-drop Grey Ogre) didn't cost your opponent any cards! It may not even cost them any tempo, if you're paying 5 to kill something that cost 2 to Vial in, and 2 to equip. And worse yet with that solution, they STILL get to hit you with the equipment once! And if it's Batterskull, you're in no way guaranteed to actually kill it. Or, you're playing a hard to cast creature that isn't doing real damage to your opponent. Or, you're just delaying them with a blue deck. Meh.
II) They are tutoring for their problem, you're naturally drawing your answer. So unless you have a disproportionate amount of answers to their threats, you're going to run out first, or just straight up not have one when they attack you on turn 4. So your answers have to be generally useful, and it's pretty hard to find that. Acidic Slime comes the closest, and it's almost laughable to try and kill a Batterskull with that, or to even resolve it against a blue opponent.
III) Most of these cards aren't exactly great even once they do their job. Many of the instants can't be played for "true" tempo, because the longer you wait to destroy their equipment, the more likely your one answer can be dealt with by one of their counter-answers (bounce, counter, etc). Discard can't be played for tempo ever, because it's natural tempo disadvantage. And of course, the top of your deck is perfectly safe from discard spells. They can even just tutor for something non-amazing with SFM #1, and tutor for the good equipment with SFM #2, or on 5 mana, and just play their card that destroys your whole deck concept naturally, without you having a chance to discard it.
B) Just play a 3 color deck!
Then your opponent will only have protection from two of your colors with one sword? Hopefully your removal isn't in Black or White or Red or Green or Blue only.... (or in the two colors that the sword gives protection from...) Hope your blockers aren't of that color...
Only Grixis (RBU) and Esper (BUW) are three color decks that DON'T have two of their colors on one sword. The other eight three-color combinations have all three colors on two swords. (BUG, BGW, BGR, GUW, RUG, RWB, RWG, RWU) Some of these have multiple combinations of two swords that can lock all three colors. FUN!
Playing a colorless deck, or a mono-Blue deck (since the GU sword sees the least play) could be a real answer to equipment.
C) Just play aggro, and kill them before their invincible combo comes online!
Problem: It comes online on turn 3.
Sure, you can slow it down with removal for their SFM, or removal for their equipment, but that is likely to slow you down enough that the late-game of the Mystic deck can take over. Again, it's not like they had to spend a card to get the equipment! It's not like you're getting card advantage, even with a Manic Vandal, or the like. You're just breaking even, best case, and casting a otherwise non-useful spell, if they just draw the other 80% of their deck.
======================
There are decks that do fairly well against Caw. Decks that don't use the combat step for non-infinite damage. Decks that kill on turn 2. Decks with infinite artifact, planeswalker, and colorless removal for creatures, that don't mind being bounced by Jace or lured/killed by Gideon.
Other tutors in standard, like Quest for the Holy Relic, give a strong advantage, but the decks they are in are often so terrible. What you have to do to use QFTHR effectively is so constricting, that if you deal with that one threat (via one of the many artifact hate cards above), the match may be won on the spot. Caw isn't anywhere near this problem.
Archmage Ascension is incredibly prohibitive to charge.
Birthing Pod is interesting, but quite restrictive, and relatively expensive to use. (And again, destroy it or they don't draw it, and the deck probably falls apart)
Stoneforge Mystic requires nothing out of your deck to use well. In the worst case scenario, it tutors for, plays, and carrys the sword all by itself, starting to swing with it (or Batterskull) by turn 4. Sure you can have Squadron Hawks, or Vengevines, or Pilgrim's Eyes, or Sea Gate Oracles, or Kraken Hatchlings carry the sword if you want, but none of these are part of a required strategy.
You don't auto-scoop to Pyroclasm, or Shatter, or Into the Roil. You aren't dead to Duress, or Memoricide.
============================================
Okay, so what if I was brewing to beat Caw? What is a real solution to this problem?
Splinter Twin, if it can be consistant at all.
Mono-U artifact might be good enough to see play.
A deck with casual artifact destruction (Manic Vandal, Corruptor, Slime) as part of it's normal game plan could have a shot.
For Pyromancer, I'm going to put (at least) two Shatters main-deck. Between copying them, and drawing a million cards, that might be enough to swing the matchup back to even. They won't exactly be awesome against aggro, or combo, but hopefully the sideboard (or 14 main-deck burn + 12 draw) can take care of that.
================
Do we need to ban SFM? I don't know. Give it a week or two at least, and see if Splinter can put up results. See if Manic Vandal and other main-deck artifact removal is enough. See if some other crazy deck can put up some results in the hands of some crazy deckbuilder.
If we go a month with 80% of the top 16 as Caw, that's probably not a format that people will enjoy.
Mike Flores is right in that Caw is causing good players to win tournaments. It makes it more of a skill game. That is one definition of a good format. But for the non-top-10% to continue playing, there needs to be some variety, and one dominant, expensive, deck doesn't give you that. At least not at the top tables.
=================
6/8 Edit:
Wizards releases event decks for casual players to get a start in magic.
One of the event decks is a white equipment deck.
This deck has 2 Stoneforge Mystics in it.
There is no way that Wizards is going to release an event deck with 2x of a rare, and then ban that rare. However stupid, however oppressive, however degenerate it makes the format, the event decks are the spearhead of SFM not being banned. So be it.
No comments:
Post a Comment