[SCD] Timely Reinforcements

[morgan_coke]

Timely Reinforcements

2W
Sorcery
If you have less life, gain six life. If you control fewer creatures, put three 1/1 white soldier tokens into play.

As a sideboard card this just seems incredibly strong for control decks against any kind of aggro deck. It gets back whatever life you've lost due to fetches/Phyrexian mana/being attacked, and also provides enough blockers to briefly stabilize your board position.

I mean, it's obviously not going to win the game or anything, and it's only good when you're behind, but for a control deck it buys you probably a solid 2-3 turns, which should be enough time for you to almost guarantee stabilization.

Compare it to common sideboard options like Kitchen Finks or Loxodon Hierarch and it just doesn't seem like it's that close. The mana cost is also dramatically easier for control decks as it's only a single W mana. Anyone else see this as being a potentially solid sideboard option for controllish strategies?

[death]

[evanmartyr]

That's pretty much its only use. It's good at it, though.

[Gheizen64]

Some White based decks with ancient tombs and equipments come immediately to mind. Not the best card but i like it. It's also insane in control vs aggro situations gaining you a lot of turns, i agree. White should have more of those "tax" effects like this and Tithe.

[evanmartyr]

Of the few "new" cards coming out in m12, this is one of the few that I'll be picking up sets of. I love control.

[troopatroop]

Of the few "new" cards coming out in m12, this is one of the few that I'll be picking up sets of. I love controlling Zoo/Merfolk/Goblins.

I amended that for you, because that's where this card is playable. Anywhere else? The card is weaksauce.

Compare it to Firespout at the same manacost, which can kill mana/combo creatures AND stabilize the board permanently. When you consider that Firespout is rarely maindecked nowadays, and that Legacy has a huge variety of combo-control strategies, the card looks barely playable. Like, do you play it MD? This is Legacy here. Have fun with it being dead, alot.

[dahcmai]

If you really sit and think about it, you fogged once, maybe twice against those aggressive types. Not bad I guess, but I can think of other things I'd rather do with 3 mana especially in white. Path springs to mind. I guess it depends on the colors available to you, but if you're playing blue, there's probably a lot more you can do with 3 mana. Mono-W control, maybe, but still I bet I could find something better.

[Infinitium]

"It's good in a Stax shell!"

[kiblast]

For 1 mana more, I can cast Wrath of God... it's a nice card but barely playable.

[Gui]

For 1 mana more, I can cast Wrath of God... it's a nice card but barely playable.

Hmmm... for mana more you can cast Akroma's Vengeance, so I guess Wrath is also barely playable.

[crovakiet]

If it were instant instead of a sorcery, I am sure a lot more people would be interested :)

[Shabbaman]

If it were instant instead of a sorcery, I am sure a lot more people would be interested :)

As an instant it'd have been annoying, flashing in blockers at the last instant. As a sorcery Untimely Reinforcements would have been a better name, heh.

[kiblast]

Hmmm... for mana more you can cast Akroma's Vengeance, so I guess Wrath is also barely playable.

WoG is a Landstill staple, usually UW plays at least 1 of, while Akroma's Vengeance is a staple only for EDH...

[Zolek]

whoosh

[DragoFireheart]

Stop bickering children.

Anyways, it seems like the card has some potential to help you stabilize. It does seems weak on glance though. Some testing with show whether it's Legacy worthy or not (unlikely, but then people thought JTMS wouldn't be either...)

[evanmartyr]

I amended that for you, because that's where this card is playable. Anywhere else? The card is weaksauce.

I meant non-blue control, like stax and such. They can easily afford the manacost with sol lands.

EDIT: Type 2 as well, it may be decent in. Just a handy card to have a playset of on hand.

[Malchar]

It's potentially better than wrath. You gain life, which wrath doesn't do, and you also get three blockers. If you wrath against goblins, you could still lose to hasted creatures. Having blockers can actually buy you more time. It also works against burn decks because of the life gain. Not to mention it costs less than wrath. It arrives at the most critical turn in legacy. Frankly, anything that gives you automatic three-for-one card advantage at this manacost has to be playable.

[kiblast]

It's potentially better than wrath. You gain life, which wrath doesn't do, and you also get three blockers. If you wrath against goblins, you could still lose to hasted creatures. Having blockers can actually buy you more time. It also works against burn decks because of the life gain. Not to mention it costs less than wrath. It arrives at the most critical turn in legacy. Frankly, anything that gives you automatic three-for-one card advantage at this manacost has to be playable.

Spectral Procession is absolutely not playable. I can't see how a slightly better mana cost and 6 lifes help making the card playable.

[evanmartyr]

Spectral Procession is absolutely not playable. I can't see how a slightly better mana cost and 6 lifes help making the card playable.

Because Spectral Procession works on one metric, and the flying is pointless 99% of the time. This is splashable, and works effectively against creatures AND burn. Maybe it's not playable in Legacy (thinking this would be awesome as an instant) but maybe it is.

[Gui]

WoG is a Landstill staple, usually UW plays at least 1 of, while Akroma's Vengeance is a staple only for EDH...

That's the point ;D

For 1 less mana, this can help a control deck to stabilize against an aggro deck. I dunno if too weak, but is faster than WoG, and looks playable.