[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]

http://www.blackborder.com/q/sites/default/files/images/Timely%20Reinforcments.jpg

[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 :2: 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 :2: 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.

[Mr. Safety]

I think it needs to be in a White Weenie sideboard. WW has some pretty awesome bears right now (Stoneforge Mystic anyone?) so it could potentially use this against burn decks. What it can ALSO do is provide threats. So many people are looking at this thing as a defensive weapon, why not offensive? Three creatures for 1 card is card advantage, pure and simple. Spectral Procession isn't as good because it doesn't create inevitability. Gaining 6 life is pretty hard for Burn to recover from fast enough before a White Weenie deck can get there with it's dudes. Honor of the Pure and Elspeth, Knight-Errant are both really good aggressive options in White Weenie right now. I feel that if you want a defensive 3-mana spell, I'd probably be playing Kitchen Finks in white. It can trade with Nacatls and provides life to boot.

EDIT: I said something about ANT, and I'm retarded...it's gone now.

[RogueMTG]

...think of what it can do against ANT, too. Getting 3 more storm counters isn't impossible, but it isn't always easy either.

I think you've forgotten the conditional nature of Timely Reinforcements... against ANT it's more often than not a 3 mana do literally nothing.

[Mr. Safety]

Yep, I did...DOH! I'm retarded...

EDIT: fixed...

[derpp]

I really don't see how this card is much better then kitchen finks in legacy. Yeah finks costs 1 more white mana, but having the effect be non-conditional seems worth it to me. Defensively its arguably better since it trades with stuff like wild nacatl/pridemage + a bear, or two lords, or piledriver and warchief... etc. Finks is also more aggressive because you can play it and beat down when you are ahead in life.

In standard reinforcements might be good, but I think its just tough to squeeze into legacy.

[nedleeds]

If it gave you 3 life and a man if you don't meet the criteria it might be ... barely slightly playable. As is I'll take a horde or other stabilizers at that cost. Ghostly Prison, a Ratchet Bomb cast the turn before, a Kitchen Fink, even Spectral Procession is a better card in most cases. Sideboard this vs. burn? Leyline is better. Sideboard this vs. zoo? Finks are better. Sideboard this vs. tribal? Ghostly Prison is better.

[evanmartyr]

I'm somewhat confused by people arguing against Timely Reinforcements based on the requirements of the card. When does a control deck have more creatures in play than Zoo? When does a control deck have more life than Zoo?

My big complaint with it is simply that it's not an instant. I get the feeling, though, that were it an instant, it'd still be a three mana kind-of-answer, instead of a three mana threat. I don't see this being great in Legacy unless you're playing Ancient Tomb, and even then it seems like a more efficient answer to aggro decks with red than anything else. Pretty solid sideboard card, though.

[sporenfrosch1411]

To be honest, this could be a Tech in Standard, but i don't see a Legacy future for it.
3 Mana is quite a lot, just brainstorm of other cc3 Spells that are considered good, without any specific application.

[Tacosnape]

You people need to test the card. Seriously. In any controllish deck packing white, this is a sideboard house. Words just fail to describe how easy a single Timely Reinforcements makes stabilizing against an aggro deck. Six life and three chump blocks buys time for Jace. Or if you get the guys off the board first, the six life and the three guys turns the tide and puts them on the clock instead. Burn wearing you down too fast? Two of their spells are negated, and your clock just got a lot better.

I'm packing one in the board of Deadguy and two in Landstill at the moment. We'll see where they go.

[Gui]

Thanks Taco, u R da man! :D

[Mantis]

You people need to test the card. Seriously. In any controllish deck packing white, this is a sideboard house. Words just fail to describe how easy a single Timely Reinforcements makes stabilizing against an aggro deck. Six life and three chump blocks buys time for Jace. Or if you get the guys off the board first, the six life and the three guys turns the tide and puts them on the clock instead. Burn wearing you down too fast? Two of their spells are negated, and your clock just got a lot better.

I'm packing one in the board of Deadguy and two in Landstill at the moment. We'll see where they go.
Precisely, turn 3 Timely Reinforcements, turn 4 Jace with +2 seems hard for any aggro deck to beat.

When I read the assessment of some of the people in this thread I felt like it contradicted with my own feelings so much there just had to be something wrong in my thoughtprocess. Glad to see the one poster I have by far the most respect for on this forum agrees with me.

[Mr. Safety]

Well said, Tacosnape