June 20th B&R List Update: Land Tax unbanned

[caiomarcos]

one LT trigger is all that you need. If the rest of your deck is doing work as it should you'll hang in tough then just make basic land drops. Once you're at about four or so in play thresh just loses.

Your deck won't be doing good work though, there will be 3 more Land Tax in it...

[Vandalize]

It doesn't really ramp, though. I mean, if you're a land behind the opponent, they can turn off your Land Tax by simply missing a land drop and daring you to hamstring yourself on mana by playing another land. RUG Delver, for example, doesn't often have a bunch of lands in play; you'll likely get an LT trigger and then you'll have the same number of lands.

If you can get one trigger, you're way ahead on RUG Delver. They use zero basic lands (they won't benefit for their own LT triggers) and their mana-denial plan is going to fail because of the fresh three basics.

3 basic lands for W is a really big threat for today's metagame (unless you're playing Tribal).

[Guevera59]

Unless they just Stifle Land Tax.

[Antonius]

Unless they just Stifle Land Tax.

YEAAAAAH, every turn until they have seven stifles in yard and double goose KILLS YOU DEAD

[menace13]

Because of Land Tax, Humility will warp the format now.

[Guevera59]

YEAAAAAH, every turn until they have seven stifles in yard and double goose KILLS YOU DEAD

If the guy playing Land Tax chooses to not play a land to try to get the Tax trigger, and the Delver opponent Stifles the trigger, that's a backbreaking play. Does the dude with Tax play a land and give up on Land Tax? Or does he choose to not make another land drop, putting him incredibly behind?

[dontbiteitholmes]

Lets speculate how high the price will jump! $60 by friday?

I'll speculate back down to $7-$8 by next month. Shitty card is shitty.

Highly contemplating digging up the posts of all the people who argued with me over the years that Land Tax was broken. Now we'll see (spoiler alert, it kind of sucks).

[(nameless one)]

I think the best way to abuse Land Tax (along with Scroll Rack) is with Armageddon.

You resolve Armageddon, your opponent drops a land on his/her turn, on your turn, Land Tax triggers.

Sol land and Mox Diamond helps you get to the higher casting cost spells (such as Armageddon). The best Sol land you can use is Crystal Vein since it has that self sacrifice that you can control.

The rest of the deck can be built around cheap/free spells. Miracle cards are awesome here (and they work well with Scroll Rack).

I'm not saying its a broken card. It's like Dream Halls or Metalworker that you have to build around it. I just have that unconditional love for Land Tax.

[menace13]

If the guy playing Land Tax chooses to not play a land to try to get the Tax trigger, and the Delver opponent Stifles the trigger, that's a backbreaking play. Does the dude with Tax play a land and give up on Land Tax? Or does he choose to not make another land drop, putting him incredibly behind?

Good question. Does it change if the Land tax player also has Mox Diamond and/or Wasteland? Is there removal in hand? I would likely try to force RUG to play the 2nd land drop.

[Moondancerbb]

YEAAAAAH, every turn until they have seven stifles in yard and double goose KILLS YOU DEAD

Every turn your not dropping land is a turn they are ahead since they just operate off of 2 mana and you cant make a land drop because you are trying to get it trigger.

The card is narrow but is definitely a way to fight back against the proliferation of wasteland so it will be a good thing. I very much doubt that its going to bust the format or the current meta.

The reality is its about time we found out if we can break it with land tax.

I predict we see it in Enchantress, Death and Taxes, And mono white stax if that is still a thing.

[morgan_coke]

By far the best of use of Land Tax is to improve an E. Tutor UW Thopter/CounterTop deck that runs bullets like Back to Basics. Unfortunately it doesn't improve that deck enough to make it relevant against the main things that prey on it, like speed from RUG/Delve or anything with Griselbrand. Maybe if you went three colors, and dropped top and balance for Mirri's Guile/Sylvan Library and ran 4x Suppression Field you'd have a start, but I doubt it would be good enough.

[Antonius]

If the guy playing Land Tax chooses to not play a land to try to get the Tax trigger, and the Delver opponent Stifles the trigger, that's a backbreaking play. Does the dude with Tax play a land and give up on Land Tax? Or does he choose to not make another land drop, putting him incredibly behind?

If you're up against thresh you just play your lands it doesn't matter where they came from. You're not afraid of them getting a tax trigger in their favor at all and your route to victory is simply getting lands into play.

[dontbiteitholmes]

Land Tax's best use is as a sideboard card for E. Tutor wishboards in LD heavy meta's IMO. Otherwise it's best use is trading to noobs as of today.

[mishima_kazuya]

Doesn't seem that good in a format of mana dorks from Maverick, RUG threshold decks and unreal fatties being cheated in.

[menace13]

By far the best of use of Land Tax is to improve an E. Tutor UW Thopter/CounterTop deck that runs bullets like Back to Basics. Unfortunately it doesn't improve that deck enough to make it relevant against the main things that prey on it, like speed from RUG/Delve or anything with Griselbrand. Maybe if you went three colors, and dropped top and balance for Mirri's Guile/Sylvan Library and ran 4x Suppression Field you'd have a start, but I doubt it would be good enough.

Because Jace and Thopters require infi mana then.

[Moondancerbb]

Possible positive interactions with Undiscovered Paradise since it leaves the field during your untap phase

[catmint]

I am curious for the post of the guy who has "never discuss the unbanning of land tax" as legacy rule number 1 in his signature...:)...love to see it unwanted but don't think parfait will become a tier deck...

[morgan_coke]

Because Jace and Thopters require infi mana then.

Right. Yeah, I just have a hard time seeing it work anywhere. Also, is there any world where it's better to combine Tax with Scroll Rack than with Jace/Top?

[dontbiteitholmes]

I am curious for the post of the guy who has "never discuss the unbanning of land tax" as legacy rule number 1 in his signature...:)...love to see it unwanted but don't think parfait will become a tier deck...

I think that was more in reference to the shitstorm it caused on forums back in the day. I don't think that guy seriously thinks it's broken.

[Pippin]

This should go straight into some version of UW deck. It's pretty bonkers with Jace and Brainstorm, true cheap draw engine.
Most likely we'll see decks evolving into some kind of Humility + Thopters hybrids fueled with land tax draw.

Btw, speculation is rampant. $50 legends land tax?