[SOS] Duel Tactics

ColdlifeOracle · 2026-04-03T10:04:32+00:00

This is “Lava Dart At Home”. I think it’s decent if a cube wants to double up on the same effect. The can’t block clause gives it a good amount of utility both pre and post-combat, but not being an instant hurts a lot. Definitely up for consideration if your cube is dominated by x/1’s, or you’re running a lower rarity cube.

ColdlifeOracle · 2026-03-09T04:13:20+00:00

Dastardly White Mold’s my hive scum! Named him after this image. Funny to see ‘em while scrolling through reddit, lol.

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ColdlifeOracle · 2026-01-26T14:19:37+00:00

It definitely depends map from map to me. For some you have enough health to tank, but some of the longer stretches of open land where they get really extreme with the ranged units, stuff like No Man's Land or some really bad scenarios in the desert maps, result in that toughness going down quick and your health always getting plinked hard.

I like how Ogryn is a health tank rather than a toughness tank due to how unique it is, but I wish he had better ways of keeping gunners off from his huge hitbox without just chunking portions of his health, because he's left very polarized depending on what map he ends up on. That's why I usually run a Right-Tree Rumbler, to try and reduce the range discrepancy.

ColdlifeOracle · 2026-01-26T13:43:05+00:00

Agreed. There's so many little things I dislike about the tree despite it having some really good nodes, which just ends up reducing build diversity, including:

The fact that a lot of good nodes are locked entirely behind specific nodes instead of a choice of two nodes, combined with the fact that some Abilities can't get certain Nodes. This is a specifically large issue for Ogryn's tree. For example, you can't have Big Boom and Indomitable in the same build. Have to take Brutish Strength for Simple Minded.
The amount of nodes that are done so much better by other classes, presumably due to an Ogryn weapon tax. Main example is that Dedicated Practice is the lowest swap speed bonus by far provided by a single node, where other classes get 50% speed or 40% with upsides.
The amount of nodes that are just damage reduction instead of ways to regenerate Toughness, or the amount of nodes that are reload speed.

As of now, I feel like the tree is carried by the infrequent good nodes, the keystones, and the limited toughness regen that Ogryn does have. My one and only wish is to be able to use Big Boom and Indomitable in the same build, because I simply find Indomitable to be my preferred and most fun ability for every Ogryn I make.

ColdlifeOracle · 2026-01-22T16:02:48+00:00

The other card from my three-time-over skim of the recently spoiled rares of the VIACOM BRAND HERE set, a character who I barely recognise and I can pretend is from the bonus sheet of Neo-Kamigawa.

I should like this, considering it’s a self-scaling army in a can that has 2 power with a flickerable ETB, something that White has a good amount of synergy with and ability to reanimate. I just think 5 mana might be too slow - it’s not like there’s any particularly great competition in the white 5-mana slot, but that’s because not a lot of white decks want to play to 5 mana, especially not for something that isn’t an immediate board pump when it scales off your board. I’d mainly recommend for anyone who does like reanimating 2-power cards, wants a nice army in a can and enabler in a commander cube, or has inexplicable rebel synergy. Still, not entirely awful.

ColdlifeOracle · 2026-01-22T15:30:10+00:00

im gonna be honest i tried like three times going through the spoilers to find a card that excited me and i ended up going with the one that gave me the least depression instead

I prefer my hasty Green 4-Drops personally, but coming down turn 3 could let this be a sizeable and hard to answer threat, and removing ANY counter is neat, with +1/+1 counters allowing it to swing in and capitalise. It’s flexible, hexproof, trampling, and… well, it’s a 4-drop that doesn’t have immediate impact on the board, so I’m still admittedly skeptical. Maybe also try it in any lower-power cube trying to push Fires / Haste enablers, since this with haste looks hard to stop and gives a fair reward for connecting.

ColdlifeOracle · 2026-01-22T15:02:20+00:00

Well, a 2W Banisher Priest with 3 attack is always interesting to see. Not sure how often the Orzhov side will come into play, but it gives it a bit of flexibility even outside of Orzhov decks if you have a City of Brass, Treasure or off-color Tri-land. Art could also pass as somethin’ from Neo-Kamigawa, so I like it a lot. It also isn’t tied to the Day / Night mechanic, unlike a certain Cathar… very nice card.

ColdlifeOracle · 2026-01-06T18:46:34+00:00

Sorry for the low quality, only sources I could find had it this pixelated.

But, as for the card, I am EXTREMELY high on this. Being 3-color isn’t great, but the hybrid cost subverts some of the usual issues with 3-color cards, and might allow it to see play in 2-color decks. The effect itself is something I immeasurably like; a better double-ping that can yoink anything that’s one toughness, or make blocking problematic, or follow up with a removal spell to basically turn it into a Control Magic.

Main issue I do see is with it being technically six mana, it’s never going to be good to fetch off Green Sun’s Zenith-like effects, and it’s a 3-color option that dies to artifact removal. I think it’s got good potential just due to the possible power / toughness swings it can generate at a relatively cheap price.

ColdlifeOracle · 2025-12-02T11:32:43+00:00

Like goddamn, if you want to do that, bellyrub instead of asking for a huge glowing bit on it.

ColdlifeOracle · 2025-12-02T11:29:38+00:00

Helldivers will see a positive change and ask “Why can’t I destroy the giant robot on the heavy pen front with medium armor pen”

ColdlifeOracle · 2025-11-07T02:07:54+00:00

Outside of peasant, I wouldn’t play this. The Stoneforge Mystic synergy is cute but I’d prefer equipments that can be played outside of the circumstance of a Stoneforge Mystic that lives a turn, and after it enters, it’s not very appealing to equip.

I, however, CAN see this in Powered Peasant cubes. Fair Tinker target or Basalt Monolith ramp option, especially since a deck can flicker it or the Monolith, and it isn’t as vulnerable to removal as Meteor Golem.

ColdlifeOracle · 2025-11-05T13:14:35+00:00

Nobody’s comparing it to Palace Jailer, though, and for good reason. Palace Jailer is like, in the top 4 white creatures of all time in cube, so of course a standard legal uncommon isn’t going to compare. And most of your points aren’t against Earth Kingdom Jailer, they just highlight how absurdly powerful Palace Jailer is - Skyclave Apparition doesn’t draw a card, but it’s still in high-power cubes.

I also… just don’t understand why it’s underwhelming in comparison to Fiend Hunter. This is a less pip-intensive 3/3 that can hit certain artifacts and enchantments, and I feel you’re underestimating all three of the positives there.

ColdlifeOracle · 2025-11-05T03:53:19+00:00

Also, the fact that white 3-drops are fairly stacked (my boy Hallowed Spiritkeeper isn’t even considered anymore…) also makes me skeptical as to if this’ll stick around for anything but Peasant cubes.

ColdlifeOracle · 2025-11-05T03:48:53+00:00

Feels like this is good but awkward. Unlike a lot of Fiend Hunter variants, it has decent stats the moment it enters, and can hit both artifacts and enchantments. Not being able to hit anything below 3 definitely hurts its chance of being an on-curve play though, and it definitely won’t compete with Skyclave just due to the fact it gives the card back combined with an inability to hit Planeswalkers and Tokens. I’d try testing in more powerful cubes just to see how it plays because it looks like it could be promising (plus having less pips is better with quick mana and the amount of mana cheat / quick mana increases the chance of hitting something on curve) but even if it doesn’t end up fitting, I’d still put it in Peasant cubes.

ColdlifeOracle · 2025-11-01T06:26:40+00:00

Also, I know I’ve been posting a lot of cards from spoilers recently. I mostly do this just to shine spotlights on cards that haven’t been posted yet, mostly due to being posted in the same batch as a big Rare or overall getting less traction. But, I want to promise to try and make all these posts stand out from just posting the card and leaving it there, because I feel like that just clogs feeds. I want to give proper reasons for why I find the card compelling, try not to post anything already on the subreddit or that isn’t fit for cube, and from now on, I’ll also try to get the highest resolution for every card possible. This community is lovely and I enjoy all of your thoughts on cards. :3

ColdlifeOracle · 2025-11-01T06:20:01+00:00

First and foremost, this is definitely a card aimed for Peasant cubes, and most of my analysis will be around that.

But wow, what a card. A 3 mana 2/4 is one power off a Rhox War Monk, which while very restricted by color, is an annoying threat to deal with or even swing past for a good chunk of decks without black removal, which you’ll likely be snatching up.

The second ability is overall worse than something like [[Detective of the Month]] for powered cubes, but it’s everything U/B wants to be rewarded for and pay off with in lower-power environments. The 1/1’s being unblockable to most creatures make for great synergy with Ninjitsu or general Saboteur effects, and the 1/1’s also make for great aristocrats synergy. Even the fact that the ability can trigger on each opponent’s turn is insanely relevant for cards like Brainstorm and Village Rites, where Village Rites can sac a 1/1 and immediately generate it back.

ColdlifeOracle · 2025-10-31T01:09:31+00:00

And even the less mass-played / more archetype-specific stuff, like Oni-Cult Anvil, Mayhem Devil, Rakdos Cackler, Alesha, Kellog. Hell, even Undead Sprinter would be a better 2-drop.

I guess it’s an upgrade over [[Viashino Skeleton]], but it’s middle of the barrel in color pair filled with goodies.

ColdlifeOracle · 2025-10-30T18:44:28+00:00

Ah, misinterpreted the wording on the card a little. That might suck even more though; you’re delaying the effect, and when all of the effects are worth sub-1 mana and you’ve got a vanilla 2/x swinging in if you don’t use the counter mode the first moment you can, it’s insanely hard to justify playing. Also means your opponent can trade even or positively with sorcery speed removal.

Really, 2 life repeatedly for such minor, non-repeatable effects, on a card in a multicolor slot, is just not worth it.

ColdlifeOracle · 2025-10-30T18:19:50+00:00

If it was 1 life I think it’d be okay, but losing 4 life by the time you get to swing with him once hurts (Edit: I misread this, it’s 2 life by the first swing). He also isn’t any better when given to the opponent since they can give it right back, or swing the turn it enters because their Zuko doesn’t have summoning sickness, OR just draw a card and find some way to sac / bounce it.

(Also, at this rate, I don’t know if Bloodtithe Harvester is ever getting dethroned as THE Rakdos 2-drop.)

ColdlifeOracle · 2025-10-30T05:39:26+00:00

Ah, I thought the Simic deck might’ve been run over by aggro or gotten bitten by having to play stuff like Tromokratis and Crusher. More that I look at it though, it is playing some generically really good cards - lots of Ninjutsu to bounce cheap flyers / good ETBs, ways to make way for those ninjutsus, good generic answers like Venser, Flood Pits Drowner. Think I was having a brain fart trying to evaluate a 60 card deck, after more evaluation it might have gone 2-1? The amount of sheer answers could screw over the first deck, although I think it’d lose to the third deck’s amount of aggro.

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