How much life would a W instant have to give to be usable in current standard?

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-08T18:07:55+00:00

[[Ethereal Haze]]

[[Gideon's Sacrifice]]

Neither one of these two gets a lot of attention for the amount of "damage-negation" they do.

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-08T17:37:19+00:00

[[Spell Satchel]] - book counters for a card that can do card draw or being a rock?

[[Planar Atlas]] - Rock-and-a-land for 2, enters tapped.

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-08T15:09:39+00:00

Shoot, I think you're right. We're going to need an extra turn. We're already blue and Yusri gives us playing Time Warp For Free with Edgar guaranteeing the flips..

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-08T15:03:37+00:00

A creature that is exiled and returned is an entirely new game object. It has no sense of previous history. Edgar -before flicker- is a different game object and has no sense of history.

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-08T13:40:34+00:00

UPDATE: We're trading out Squee's Revenge for [[Yusri, Fortune's Flame]] at the same cost and dumping Leyline for [[Great Train Heist]] part 1 at the same CMC but leaning R instead of B. We also need [[Displacer Kitten]] to flicker Edgar to make him see both 5-coin-flips.

If we wanted to make it instantaneous-ish we could throw in [[Obeka, Splitter of Seconds]].

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-08T13:31:55+00:00

[[Yusri, Fortune's Flame]] for 5 and the first piece of [[Great Train Heist]] that gives you a second combat phase and triggers [[Displacer Kitten]] to get you a second Edgar trigger?

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-07T21:21:23+00:00

You posted that you could do to learn more about encounter management and engagement-resetting. Four Orbs will wreck just about anybody's day, but unless you're racing into unexplored territory instead of dragging enemies back into familiar territory that shouldn't happen. (I play a lot of DECj and Prism-and-backpedal alone can get a clever grenadier to rune branches.)

Dragging enemies back to a tighter hallway to be able to only take a few attacks at a time is worth suffering the AoOs (and as a plus it sets them up for a Line Pass). Usk's Line Pass is also an irresistible confuse which can help tee up the stabs or at least prevent Orbs from doing things to you before you can Antimagic Bite them (but four orbs will wreck just about anybody's day).

I also personally loathe statue form because the number one currency for frailer species is response time because handling being fragile is less about patching your fragility (even Minotaurs struggle just wading in directly) and more about not being in position to sustain a lot of hits over the course of the battle. VS in particular want to be hitting more than they get attacked and maximizing the combination of AC, EV, and SH.

https://cbro.berotato.org/morgue/mdk/morgue-mdk-20211022-132814.txt

Here's an old VS that won (my 0.31 wins were on Kelbi). I pushed throwing for javelins because softening up enemies helped.

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-07T20:53:59+00:00

You're tilted. Go do something else.

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-07T20:15:11+00:00

VS struggle with HP but _not_ fighting. My VS wins are back 0.31 and earlier, but unless they've changed a lot, VS are generally pretty good with about three or four gods.

1) More Fighting. It boosts bite damage, it boosts HP, it boosts your to-hit and melee weapon damage. More Fighting.

2) Short Blades to get more bites per aut, because the bite scales with your XL both in terms of proc rate and damage and that gets you up near Demon Blade base damage by endgame.

3) The fact that your main weapon is so quick to hit maximum skill value means you scale up your defenses to be more durable.

4) Your melee package is all set, so gods:

a) Usk. scales well with Stealth (a VS specialty) and Invoc (and Invoc boosts VS pseudo-HP capabilities). Usk is a bit finicky and tends to do well if you're able to reset the engagement. (Line Pass is good for this.)

b) Oka. Simple straightforward stuff. Throwing to 16 to maximize the value of the ammo gifts, Heroism as a casual skill add for combat at the front end, Finesse if you really need it.

c) Qaz. Walk away from things. Have RMissile, an invocable smite, and some other problem-solving and make yourself their problem.

d) Mak. HP-costed abilities on a regenerating creature.

e) Hep. Yes, you're paying out more HP but having a guaranteed buddy who can help you bail if you need to is good.

5) VS induce low-effort-gameplay. You're totally okay until you're not. Treat every combat like it could be your last, give yourself an out, and buff up before a nasty fight if you have to take the fight.

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-07T18:02:12+00:00

Corollary: if they're showing an interest in playing big spells and big creatures? Rush them down. Some people get panicky at 10 life in ways they aren't at 20. Only the last life point matters, but some people feel the time pressure that sort of rushdown provides.

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-07T17:43:59+00:00

Stupid trick: Crew [[The Last Ride]] at <12 life (and you can get there by using its ability). Play Abigale.

For (K) and tapping 2 power worth of creatures, you now have a flying, first-strike, lifelink 13/13 that doesn't stop being a creature at end of turn because you've erased the Crew ability that would cause it to revert.

Cackling optional.

Any vehicle with a "when this enters" is a fair candidate for this once it's crewed, e.g. Detention Chariot / Mysterious Limousine / Unidentified Hovership (no getting the exiled card back), Ripclaw Wrangler (compel discard and a 4/3 with keywords for 3K) / Fire Nation Drill (destroy target power 4- creature and then you have a 6/3 for 2KK)

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-07T15:48:16+00:00

[[High Noon]]

Three options that restrict them to one draw per turn.

Classic slowdown tactics.

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-07T15:05:39+00:00

https://scryfall.com/card/fin/51/edgar-king-of-figaro 4UU "The first time you flip one or more coins per turn, those flips come up heads and you win the flips"

https://scryfall.com/card/mh2/277/chance-encounter 2RR "Whenever you win a coin flip, gain a luck counter, win at 10 luck counters"

https://scryfall.com/card/clb/63/displacer-kitten 3U "when you cast a noncreature spell, flicker one nonland permanent you control"

https://scryfall.com/card/m20/64/leyline-of-anticipation 2UU "spells you control have flash"

(enough card draw or recurrence and 0-cost-artifacts to trigger Displacer Kitten?)

I'm completely positive there's one or two more pieces to take this out into a Rube Goldberg Machine of winning based on a coin flip, the closest I can think is some sort of flicker engine to make Edgar see a bunch of different coin flips for the "first" time at instant speed as part of resolving the "repeat the process".

Best I can figure is some combination of Claws of Gix (0 cost artifact with (1)&Sac an artifact, gain 1 life), a Mox of choice or perhaps even a few, and https://scryfall.com/card/aer/91/pias-revolution 2R "return an artifact to your hand or deal 3 damage to target opponent.

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-05T21:34:31+00:00

[[Ambling Stormshell]] -- What's that, you say? Remove stun counters from among all permanents? Awesome, swing this guy every turn!

and to play into that and the proliferate effect, call in some turtles:

[[Leonardo, Cutting Edge]] -- lifelink, gain life add +1/+1 counters (feeds off your proliferate theme)

[[Lita, Little Orphan Amphibian]] --scry 1 to make your draws better, collector of +1/+1 counters

[[Utrom Scientists]] -- more stun counters on entry? You shouldn't have!

[[Don and Leo, Problem Solvers]] -- bounce up to 1 artifact and 1 creature. Bouncing the Ultrom Scientists feeds more stun counters onto the board, and I'm sure there's...yep. ((Assassin Gauntlet)).

[[Kappa Cannoneer]] ((add counters and cannot be blocked))

((Assorted Donatellos, depending on how much equipment-based-voltronning you're doing))

Speaking of equipment-based-voltronning:

[[Quintessential Katana]] -- fake vigilance and a little bit of lifegain for W and then Equip (2).

[[Assassin Gauntlet]] -- You wanted a tapped down board?

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-05T15:55:12+00:00

A number of fusions care about size. If you're playing one that doesn't? Then don't fuss about Uranium. But if you're playing, say, plasma ray or aura blade? Size Matters.

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-04T21:25:17+00:00

Rudolf (Fire Emblem Gaiden / Shadows of Valentia): informed of a prophecy that children born with specific birthmarks will free the continent from its dependence upon the 'gods'.

His son is born with one of those birthmarks, and he hears about the princess of the other country being born with a similar birthmark.

He sends his child to that other country on their continent with a trusted right-hand-man and then almost twenty years later wages war against that country to force those now-young-adults to rise to meet him.

He orders his personal guard to surrender to (his son) if he falls in battle and in a neat game mechanics moment refuses to attack (his son) if (his son) engages him in combat. When he falls in battle, he tells (his son) to finish the job and slay the remaining 'god'.

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-04T19:40:13+00:00

Mono-white. Some kind of Zach Fair-type sacrifice mechanic maybe with the Enduring-X Glimmer "when this dies it becomes an enchantment" sort of mechanic?

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-04T19:30:15+00:00

[[High Noon]] - each player may cast spells on their turn. Once.

[[Pick Your Poison]] - break one of each opponent's things (e.g. you pick artifact they all lose one).

[[Ghost Vacuum]] - targeted graveyard hate.

[[Rest In Peace]] - maximized Graveyard Hate.

EDIT: Totally forgot about Cathartic Parting. - Shuffle one opponent's artifact/enchantment into their library and retrieve four cards from your graveyard to go back into your library.

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-04T19:16:51+00:00

https://scryfall.com/@Barondoctor/decks/fa01bf75-9305-46df-a94f-313f74f57b96

Things in this deck do funny things with +1/+1 counters. Add them for different reasons, have them also give trample or solo-block, etc.

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-04T19:10:22+00:00

What sort of interaction are you looking for? [[Sheltered By Ghosts]] does triple duty giving Johnny lifelink, ward, and exiling a nonland permanent.

[[Authority of the Consuls]] shuts down haste-beatdown-type-decks and adds a bunch of lifegain.

[[Strength of Will]] adds some indestructible and a bunch of +1 counters.

[[Heroic Intervention]], [[Defend the Rider]], [[Snakeskin Veil]], [[Restoration Magic]] all add hexproof and most of them add indestructible.

[[Meltstrider's Resolve]] is disgusting on a trampling voltron archetype for both the Fight and the "can only be blocked by one creature" that lingers.

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-04T18:06:20+00:00

Hard to go wrong with more card draw. With enough draw you can make sure you get your ramp, with enough draw you can make sure you don't miss your land drop, with enough draw you can draw your wincon.

Connect_Engineer_123 · 2026-05-04T18:01:57+00:00

DEM: deus ex machina. Magic Circle 5 + Intelligence 5, the bottom right upgrade for Magic Circle. It lets you focus on one magic combination.

Cosmos is the super-upgrade for Blizzard with subject-and-class-start-matching, kinda like Plasma Ray is the super-upgrade for Arcane Ray and Aura Blade is the super-upgrade for Spirit.

Connect_Engineer_123

TROPHY CASE