Single Card Discussion: Wind Zendikon + Fetchlands/Wastelands

[Jon Stewart]

I really want to discuss this card that I believe is under appreciated.

Wind Zendikon

Enchantment - Aura, U (1cc)
Enchant land
Enchanted land is a 2/2 blue Elemental creature with flying. It's still a land.
When enchanted land is put into a graveyard, return that card to its owner's hand.

I think a lot of people can miss the card while scanning thru the set because it's easy to dismiss as nothing more than a semi-efficent flyer. However the key ability is the second one "When enchanted land is put into a graveyard, return that card to its owner's hand."

Earlygame, when you're tight on mana, enchant a fetchland you control, sac that fetchland to get a land, only to have the fetchland return to your hand to serve as your third land drop.

Early/Midgame, enchant a Wasteland you control, sac that wasteland to destroy your opponent's land, only to have the wasteland return right back to your hand to use again (with zero card disadvantage, unlike crop rotation).

Lategame, when you're flooded with mana, use it as an evasive threat.

I could see this card being played in any deck with Wastelands and Fetchlands, but it seems particularly useful in Team America, since that deck...

A.) already plays fetchlands and an anemically low land count that sometimes cause it to be mana screwed,

B.) plays Wasteland/Stifle/Sinkhole and makes crippiling the opponent's manabase a primary objective and,

C.) can easily run out of gas in the lategame if it's early threats are removed because the deck runs an anemically low threat count.

Three extremely useful functions at a very efficent casting cost of one.

[MMogg]

Wouldn't a deck simply play Regrowth if they really wanted a card back so badly. I know it's one more mana, but it's also much more flexible in what it can return to your hand. You need a minimum of two lands in play to pull of this combo anyway. I can't see this as tier one. Maybe someone else has a better breakdown/response.

[Jon Stewart]

Comparing this to Regrowth is like comparing Spell Snare/Spell Pierce to Counterspell. Counterspell is definately more versatile/useful. But just because it has twice the casting cost, practically no deck in legacy plays it, where as the former cards all see play in Team America. That's how large a difference one extra mana makes.

Regrowth already is a pretty useful card. So being a much more efficient Regrowth but limited to lands + a semiuseful secondary function + pitchability to FoW, seems playable in the same way that Spell Snare is played in TA where Counterspell isn't. About 40% of the spells you want to counter have a cc of 2. And about 40% of the cards you would want to regrowth to your hand in a deck like TA would your own wasteland or possibly fetchlands (and of course, sometimes you're happy with a 2/2 hasty flyer, or FoW fodder)

Also consider that frequently, Tombstalker and Tarmogoyf get removed by StP and Path to Exile, which are probably the most popular removal cards (that can actually hit Tombstalker and Goyf) in the format. So Team America Regrowthing it's threats isn't always an option, plus using two mana for Regrowth + having to recast the Goyf/Stalker effectively brings the casting cost of that threat up to 4-5 over two turns and another turn for the summoning sickness to wear off, which is unacceptable in a deck that has so many better things to do with it's mana thanks to it's cantrip engine. Whereas this gives you an evasive threat with haste immediately. No it's not better than being able to return Goyf to your hand, but nevertheless, it's still a threat, and it has it's own advantages.

Not saying the card definitely should see play, just that it seems useful enough in just about any scenario to maybe warrant trying as a 2 of.

[majikal]

This was discussed briefly on The Mana Drain, and I think the consensus there was that it was more "the danger of cool things" than anything actually worthwhile. I don't see much, if any difference in its application for Legacy, so in my opinion the verdict is the same.

[Jon Stewart]

This was discussed briefly on The Mana Drain, and I think the consensus there was that it was more "the danger of cool things" than anything actually worthwhile. I don't see much, if any difference in its application for Legacy, so in my opinion the verdict is the same.

Legacy isn't Vintage though. Wasteland is far more valuable in legacy due to the lack of Moxen in the format. I doubt that any Vintage decks even play Sinkhole for this same reason. And Wasteland is the most broken and valuable of the four functions that this card serves. Plus Vintage has a much higher barrier to playability than legacy for a number of reasons. So just because it doesn't cut it in Vintage doesn't mean that it can be scrapped in Legacy as well.

[chokin]

It's a pretty interesting card if you ask me. It's a 2/2 flier for 1U that acts kinda like a Genju but in reverse in regards to what dies.

One thing that is worth mentioning is that while it protects a land from being destroyed by Wasteland, Sinkhole, Stifle and crew, it opens it up to the realm of creature removal. So realistically, its a manland that gets owned by sorceries but if it dies, you lose the enchantment, not the land (well, you have to replay it).

I think that the card has a nice design, but I don't think that it's strong enough to be put into a competitive Legacy deck.

[majikal]

Legacy isn't Vintage though. Wasteland is far more valuable in legacy due to the lack of Moxen in the format. I doubt that any Vintage decks even play Sinkhole for this same reason. And Wasteland is the most broken and valuable of the four functions that this card serves. Plus Vintage has a much higher barrier to playability than legacy for a number of reasons. So just because it doesn't cut it in Vintage doesn't mean that it can be scrapped in Legacy as well.
Have you ever even seen a Fish deck in Vintage? They pack 4x Wasteland + Stripmine. The application is exactly the same in this case. The point is, it's more of a "cool trick" than an actual, useful strategy. Plus, like chokin has mentioned, getting your land opened up to creature removal is horrible, especially if that removal is StP or Path.

[Jon Stewart]

Regardless of if the function is vintage fish is similar. Legacy players are a lot more prone to being mana screwed because legacy lacks Moxen. Moxen allows Vintage players to play out a big chunk of their hand on the first turn and gives them a secondary source of mana to their lands, so they won't be as crippled if you manage to blow up thier land the next turn and continue to take out lands since they already played many cards and have a secondary source of mana. A legacy player that gets their first turn land drop blown up, and then their second turn land drop blown up as well is going be much more choked off from mana. That's why Sinkhole is a potent card in legacy and close to unplayable in Vintage.



It's a pretty interesting card if you ask me. It's a 2/2 flier for 1U that acts kinda like a Genju but in reverse in regards to what dies.

One thing that is worth mentioning is that while it protects a land from being destroyed by Wasteland, Sinkhole, Stifle and crew, it opens it up to the realm of creature removal.

No, you're misreading the OP. I'm not talking about using the card to protect your lands, I'm talking about using it to blow up your opponents lands, or to get you an additional land drop...

The best secondary function is to enchant a wasteland that you control, pop the wasteland to take out an opponents nonbasic, only to have that wasteland return to your hand rather than to the yard so that you can reuse.

Or in a similar fashion, when you don't have a third land in hand, you can enchant a fetchland you control, pop your fetchland to get your second land only to have that fetchland return to your hand to get you your third land.

[majikal]

I think you'd be better off running Ponder, honestly.

[arebennian]

4 Raze
4 Stifle
4 Wind Zendikon

4 Flagstones of Trokair
4 Wasteland



Mashing it into a 3colour manabase might be difficult, but with Zendikon and Flagstones the synergy of Raze is bypassed giving you a targeted land destruction spell for R.

With 8 targets for Raze and at least 4 Brainstorms, I'm sure you will find some combination that will screw your opponents.

I know Team America are shying away from using Sinkhole so I don't know the viability of running 12+ cards that attempt to target your opponents manabase but I just thought I would throw it out there.

[Tacosnape]

I won't lie. I like this card. It's my second favorite Zendikon.

The question is what deck wants this.

Here's how I feel about this thing. The Wasteland and Fetchland tricks are pretty cool, but not good enough to justify this on its own. It's also worth noting that it lets you Swords and Path your opponents lands, provided you somehow want to spend two cards on this.

Despite all the uses listed above, the biggest point about this card is that it's one blue mana for a 2/2 flyer. That's the single most undercosted mono-blue creature in all of magic short of possibly Sea Drake.

Yet the biggest asterisk on this card is that it opens up your land to being hit by Swords and Path. Meaning the biggest time when you'd want this quick flyer (early) is the time you can least afford to do it.

I can see this going in some kind of U/W or U/R Tempo deck packing Standstill and Wasteland. Turn one Wind Zendikon, turn two Standstill. Turn one Vial, turn two Wasteland, Wind Zendkion, Waste your land, return Wasteland. Etc.

[Infinitium]

Not to mention that it effectively has got haste past turn 1. I could definetly see this working in a tempo threshold shell over Nimble Mongoose since in addition to the previous points regarding waste/fetch it provides extra reach in conjunction with burn, pitches to Force and grows Tarmogoyf more effectively. Not being GY-dependent helps as well.

[Shugyosha]

Wind Zendikon is perfect for Canadian Threshold.

-1 Clique
-1 F/I
+2 Zendikon

adds another Beater, and occassionally adds another Wasteland or fixes Mana. Besides for double Wasteland you usually don't use Zendikon early but you won't use Vendilion Clique or F/I earlier anyways.

[pi4meterftw]

I wouldn't pay a U for this kind of utility, but I'll admit it's close. Wizards couldn't have made it cost 0, because then it'd actually be too good. (Even if they removed the ability to swing for 2 or w/e.)

But the main problem is that this pumps tarmogoyf. Especially those who complain that tarmogoyf is overpowered really ought not to be the ones who put enchantments in their graveyard just for fun.

[Jon Stewart]

But the main problem is that this pumps tarmogoyf.

Why is that a problem. Canadian Thresh, TA and 80% of the decks that would want to play this play goyfs and few or no enchantments. They like that it pumps Goyf.

[Infinitium]

Trying this in a Canadian Threshold shell atm in lieu of Nimble Mongoose atm and is somewhat pleased with the results. All I can say for now is that plays out completely differently than the Mungo, usually it sits on hand until I've played out the disruption or act as that extra Wasteland which is quite nice if followed by a quick Enchantment-fed Goyf to the jugular, and it allows the deck to play a one-sided Firespout main which is -very- nice versus a variety of matchups. It also allowed me to swap Wipe Away for Krosan Grip and not impact the U count which is overall pretty decent tech.

// Lands
4 [TE] Wasteland
1 [UNH] Island
4 [ZEN] Misty Rainforest
4 [ZEN] Scalding Tarn
3 [B] Volcanic Island
3 [A] Tropical Island

// Creatures
4 [FUT] Tarmogoyf
1 [MOR] Vendilion Clique

// Spells
4 [WWK] Wind Zendikon
4 [SC] Stifle
1 [PS] Rushing River
1 [SHM] Firespout
2 [DIS] Spell Snare
4 [AL] Force of Will
4 [NE] Daze
4 [A] Lightning Bolt
4 [AP] Fire/Ice
4 [MM] Brainstorm
4 [M10] Ponder

// Sideboard
SB: 3 [TSP] Krosan Grip
SB: 2 [SHM] Firespout
SB: 2 [4E] Red Elemental Blast
SB: 2 [4E] Blue Elemental Blast
SB: 3 [NE] Submerge
SB: 3 [FNM] Tormod's Crypt

[Maveric78f]

Turn one Vial, turn two Wasteland, Wind Zendkion, Waste your land, return Wasteland. Etc.
This won't happen because of summoning sickness.

[Jon Stewart]

This won't happen because of summoning sickness.

Are you sure about that? The card text specifically says that it is still a land. I can understand not being able to attack with it if you just played that land the same turn. But not being able to use it as a land too? It's irrelevent anyways in the example cited above since the player couldve led with wasteland on turn one but Im curious because it could prove relevent in other situations.

Infinitum, that build looks awesome. I'm glad you've had initial success with it. Keep us updated on if you continue to like the card.

[Zlatzman]

Creatures can't attack or use "tap:"-abilities unless you've controlled it since the beginning of your turn. This is one of the things that make Dryad Arbor less than stellar.

[jrsthethird]

So you play the Vial off the Wasteland turn one, play a blue turn two and enchant the Wasteland, Wasteland can still blow up a land and come back for more.

[Phoenix Ignition]

So you play the Vial off the Wasteland turn one, play a blue turn two and enchant the Wasteland, Wasteland can still blow up a land and come back for more.

Any deck that plays turn 1 Vial is going to want to play it off of an island so they can Daze the FoW that is inevitably coming at it. Playing a 1st turn Wasteland also allows the opponent to see that you have wastelands, and therefore go for less nonbasics.

And in Tempo Thresh doesn't that deck like Goose because of his shroud? There are plenty of other beaters for the deck to run but 3/3 shroud for :g: is far better than 2/2 flying potentially 2 for 1 for :u:.

[Tacosnape]

This won't happen because of summoning sickness.

Good Point. Lead with the Wasteland then. Whatever.:)