[Single Card Discussion] Null Profusion

[Arsenal]

For those who don't know what this card is...

http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=125874

4BB
Enchantment

Skip your draw step.

Whenever you play a card, draw a card.

You're maximum hand size is two.

Yes, this is a black Recycle... and we all know how much play Recycle sees. Seriously though, this caught my eye. It's black, so it can be powered out much earlier than turn 6 w/ help of Ritual, or you could just put it into play with Academy Rector (another seldomly seen card in Legacy). I don't know... it just seemed kinda cool. Danger of Cool Things? Perhaps. But isn't there someway to utilize this effectively?

[AngryTroll]

The Maximum Hand Size of two is pretty killer. To get this into play is going to take a sizable mana commitment, so you may not be able to follow it up with anything that turn. Then (best case) you discard down to two cards. If you have cantrips or draw spells in hand, you might be alright, but if your two cards are removal and a creature or something, you run the risk of ending up with two land in hand. At that point, you have locked yourself out of any more resources.

[emidln]

We tested it as a 2-of and then a 1-of in SI and it wasn't really necessary. It would only win you a handful of games out of a couple hundred where you wouldn't already win, and most of the time you would just imprint it on a Chrome Mox.

[Nihil Credo]

you run the risk of ending up with two land in hand. At that point, you have locked yourself out of any more resources.

Null Profusion triggers off of playing lands.

Not that I think the card is much good.

[Arsenal]

Yeah, it triggers of any card that is played. Oh well, it looked cool.

[Zuriya]

I have seen Null Profusion in action and it is quite a cool card. The problem is, it probably doesn't go in any deck that is played. Mechanically, Burn would probably fit quite well, the problem is the casting cost. Unless some form of Counter-Burn with black instead of blue emerges, the card won't see play out of Casual.

[RoddyVR]

I've been trying all day (ye i know, not exactly a big time commitment yet) to break it.

With a whole bunch of Dark Ritual effects (had to go black/red eventualy), you can play quite a bit of a deck on turn one and end up with an insane storm count and mana in pool.

A bunch of rituals, including things like culling the weak and burnt offering.
A bunch of creatures like priest of gix, cathodion and Myr Moonvessel that give you back your mana either on CIP or on dying (by being sacked to a culling the weak).
Add a good bit of tutors (the black ones that give you cards, ones that just place it on top of lib are prety bad) and a few wishes, and all you need is a kill condition.

So far biggest problems are:
1. Keeping the land count down (cant play more then 1 land a turn, so under null profusion, land draws DO become dead cards for a turn) without having too many card disadvantage things like chrome mox and mox diamond, because casting Null Profusion as your last card is realy pointless.
2. Fitting in some sort of disruption without making the combo fizzle too often for drawing too much disruption.
3. Need to find something that can be reused to provide extra draws... buyback is ok, but can be prety expensive mana wise (5 min for black, 4 min for red, some of the black ones are prety usefull especialy when its cantriping at same time, but that's a LOT of mana.) Flashback works realy well, but only once per card... Some sort of creature that could be cast from the yard (not only during upkeep) would be realy good (Haakon being the cheapest one i've found but he would require a way to discard which i dont have at this point.)


The coolest interactions I've run into so far under Null profusion are:
1. a second Null Profusion is actualy not a bad thing (draw 2 cards off each played card) as long as its not too early (having it in hand an no mana to cast would suck).
2. Grinning Ignus becomes a "R: draw a card" if you have the 2R to invest temporarily.


this is what my "deck" so far is... even though its not realy a deck, more like a list of cards that i think could be used in this, even though i'm not sure what the proportions should be...
start
BR dual
BR fetch
Lotus Petal

accell
Dark Ritual inst B=BBB
Culling the weak inst B=BBBB+sac creature
Burnt Offering inst B=Sac creature to add B/R = CC
Rite of Flame sorc R=RR (+R/already played)
Desperate Ritual Inst 1R=RRR (splice into arcane)
? Seething Song inst 2R=RRRRR


color fix critters
agent of stromgald R 1/1 R: add B
Blood Celebrant B 1/1 B,1 life: add one any color

pays for self critters:
Myr Moonvessel 1 1/1 - when put into yard, add 1.
Priest of Gix 2B 2/1 - CiP= Add BBB
Cathodion 3 3/3 - When put into yard, Add 3.
Grinning Ignus 2R 2/2 R, return to hand: add 2R
? Su-Chi 4 4/4 - when put into yard, add 4.

Null Profusion

Tutors/Draw (under profusion)
Unearth B Sorc - return a cc3 or less creature from yard to hand.
Diabolic Intent 1b sorc - sac a creature, search for card and put into hand.
infernal Tutor 1b sorc - reveal card, search lib for same card, put into hand (hellbent get any card)
Grim Tutor 1BB sorc - lose 3 life, search for card put into hand.
Burning Wish
Death Wish

and the kill can be prety much any of the standard Storm kills or even an X burn spell (though i think that would require more mana then this can consistenly ramp up)


EDIT: had a couple questions come up actualy...

Under Null Profusion:
1. If i cast a DarkBlast, will it be in the graveyard in time to be dredged back for the draw that Profusion gives for casting the darkblast?
2. is there some card that has a "discard a land: draw a card" effect (or atleast something similar)

[Arsenal]

As I mentioned earlier, this could be brought into play pretty early with a Ritualed out Academy Rector. And of course I wouldn't just wedge it into an already established deck. Back in the day in Vintage, pre-Storm mechanic, Rector-Bargain decks were fearsome. While Profusion is certainly no Bargain, the same theory could apply, just adjusted to Legacy.

But alas, this is one of those "Danger of Cool Things" cards. I just wanted to put it out there and see if it sparked anything.

[Solpugid]

Recycle+aluren was a favorite casual deck of mine back in the day, but that's all it was. Casual.

The problem is not going down to two cards (that's plenty unless your opponent hymns you), it's devoting enough slots in your deck to power the card out and still get ahead from the card advantage. The negatives more than outway the positives, I'm afraid. But again, in casual...

[AngryTroll]

Null Profusion triggers off of playing lands.

Ah...so it does. Fair enough, but then you have just replaced your draw for the turn by playing a land.

Looks fun, and I'd love to throw a few into a Tendrils/Empty the Warrens deck, but I don't see it being amazing.