Elbrus Mystic Decks?

[baghdadbob]

I'm not sure if everyone has read the D.A. spoilers yet or tooled around with any of the new cards but Elbrus seems very good in conjunction with S.F.M. I'm not sure what type of S.F.M. deck (color wise) would fit best in the current meta, but I just wanted to know what people thought about it's soon to be impact(?) on legacy. I think the most popular decks right now are also a creature decks worst matchup. I'm speaking specifically about punishing fire decks in particular. So I don't believe the shell would be aggro based but more control-ish maybe this card is the perfect addition to U/W/x Blade? I think I would rather play it then Batterskull but I suppose it is debatable which is better. Thoughts on this sick card and its implications to the legacy scene would be appreciated.
http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/magic_single_card.asp?cn=Elbrus,%20the%20Binding%20Blade

[Vacrix]

It could be decent in Affinity where you actually have flyers that can hit the opponent. Along with SFM, it could be kind of like Natural Order ---> Prog. for Affinity. Theres no way you can run it in multiples though as you need SFM in play to drop it so it might be playable as a 1'of.


EDIT:
Is it any faster than Cranial Plating? The turn Cranial Plating comes down you deal a significant amount of damage, while Elbrus produces a creature that seals the game.. but it takes 2 turns after you have an active Elbrus to get the kill.

Turn 1 SFM --> Plating
Turn 2 --> Drop Plating, equip, swing
Turn 3 --> swing
Turn 4 --> swing for the kill

vs.

Turn 1 SFM --> Elbrus
Turn 2, Drop Elbrus w/ SFM, equip, swing, produce token
Turn 3, swing with token for 13
Turn 4, swing with token for the kill

Also, Elbrus exposes the win condition to STP/Path while Plating will stick around and equip to another creature.

[TsumiBand]

I cannot imagine Affinity wanting to play that card, even with all the evasive critters it's capable of playing. Cranial Plating is so much faster and cheaper, and works in multiples.

It's been sussed out in so many words before, but really the advantage you'd gain from playing with Elbrus is generally marginally worse than the advantage you get from equipping Sword of Fire and Ice. The key is the fact that it doesn't come online as fast and goes from being one unsafe permanent type (artifact) to another (creature), meaning you can get your Equipment destroyed by something dumb like PtE.

I don't know about Standard/Modern, but I estimate people will try it in Legacy for a little bit, but it will never make a splash and will only prove to be as slow as people already think it is, and too much of a liability besides. Just because people would like to believe that SFM is Legacy's Tinker doesn't make this card any good (or at least, no better than the other playable Equipment cards in the format that actually promote card advantage instead of risk disadvantage).

[Hanni]

I thought about it a good bit, and I agree with what everyone else said.

In Affinity, there is really no good reason to run this over Cranial Plating. This equipment just has too many issues.

First of all, at 7 mana, it's only ever going to be castable through SFM. This means its a dead card if you draw it without a SFM, and means you're completely dependant upon SFM not dying. At least with Batterskull, the card can get hardcasted during the lategame. 7 mana is such a big difference than 5.

Secondly, it doesn't even have an immediate effect once you cheat it into play. At least with Batterskull, you immediately get a 4/4 vigiliance lifelink. With this, you still have to have a body to attach it to. Albeit the equip cost is negligible, it's effect before flipping is just bad.

Even if you can connect with the creature you attach it to, a 13/13 without Shroud, Hexproof, Pro Colors, or Pro Everything means it's probably eating a removal spell. If the thing had Shroud instead of Intimidate (which is retarded with Trample), this thing would be insane.

Now, in comparison with Cranial Plating in Affinity, it doesn't even have that impressive of a clock difference. Cranial Plating on a flier is likely going to end the game just as fast or faster, it's a great card to draw into, it's much easier to use, and it's alot harder to deal with. Combine the effect with a Vault Skirge, and it also gains a bunch of life. There's literally no question what the better equipment is for Affinity.

The verdict? Bad for Legacy.

[rufus]

You could try with Sneak Attack -> Godo, Bandit Warlord or something similar. That 'combo' might have been playable if the critter that Elbrus produced had haste so it could finish in a single turn.

Maybe as some kind of EDH general, though that's fuzzy territory.

[routlaw]

Weirdly enough, this is exactly the kind of card I want for Vintage SFM decks (yes, it seems some fringe play there). Legacy has too many dudes that will just block.

It may be an interesting option to speed up the clock against combo, but that's always been more a problem for the BUG control decks, not the UW Stoneblade ones.

[electromoves]

It might work in a Boros type of Build, Stoneforge Mystic to get Elbrus, the Binding Blade and Grim Lavamancer to get around blockers

[Vacrix]

That doesn't work. It has to be combat damage.

[electromoves]

Oh, yeah........

[TsumiBand]

It might work in a Boros type of Build, Stoneforge Mystic to get Elbrus, the Binding Blade and Grim Lavamancer to get around blockers

If if this did work, you're just assembling Voltron now. That's a three card combo even with SFM as a tutor, and it's a 13 card combo that takes two turns to win the pie. Eh.

I think Elbrus is cute and flavorful, but that just puts it in league with cupcakes. It's going to steal a game and maybe someone will Top 8 with a copy of Elbrus in the 75, but that's not indicative of anything. I could Top 8 with a 1x Shuko in a Deadguy build, that doesn't make Shuko worth a look.

[DragoFireheart]

Does True-Name Nemesis change this card at all?

[Valtrix]

Why would you even need Elbrus blade with a True-Name Nemesis in play? A sword of fire and ice adds +2 cards and +8 damage in two turns already, which probably means you just win anyway. Elbrus is +1 damage and then a 13/13 that can be killed still. Elbrus is just completely awful to boost your creatures, can't be played without SFM, and doesn't really add much of anything in my opinion.

[Megadeus]

I suppose with elbrus, tnn and invisible stalker would be a hilarious deck

[DragoFireheart]

Why would you even need Elbrus blade with a True-Name Nemesis in play? A sword of fire and ice adds +2 cards and +8 damage in two turns already, which probably means you just win anyway. Elbrus is +1 damage and then a 13/13 that can be killed still. Elbrus is just completely awful to boost your creatures, can't be played without SFM, and doesn't really add much of anything in my opinion.

It's another equipment that needs to be dealt with. It also doesn't die to Decay.



I suppose with elbrus, tnn and invisible stalker would be a hilarious deck

That does sound like a fun deck. All the untargetable, unblockable dudes would really piss some players off.

[YamiJoey]

Withengar dies to Abrupt Decay and StP, though. The only removal Spells it dodges are Lightning Bolt and Dismember. (And then stuff like Snuff Out from all the jank decks.)

I now understand what that guy was attempting to play at GP Richmond, though. I never actually read it, and always assumed it was "Something something Multiplayer" and ignored it.

[DragoFireheart]

Withengar dies to Abrupt Decay and StP, though.

Ah right, since the flipped side has no casting cost so it's a CMC of 0.

Nvm, it's more terrible than I thought.

[Lemnear]

Ah right, since the flipped side has no casting cost so it's a CMC of 0.

Nvm, it's more terrible than I thought.

Dies to Repeal ... MoreLULZ

[FTW]

Dies to Repeal ... MoreLULZ

Also dies to Tarfire... on SFM. Not like anyone is hardcasting Elbrus.

[Lemnear]

One more for you: Artifact Mutation

[DragoFireheart]

One more for you: Artifact Mutation

FFS, even Karakas solves it.

[FTW]

FFS, even Karakas solves it.

EOT Vial in Gilded Drake?

Notice that your Withegar also gets +13/+13 because I just "lost the game".

EDIT: You did too.

[DragoFireheart]

EOT Vial in Gilded Drake?

Notice that your Withegar also gets +13/+13 because I just "lost the game".

EDIT: You did too.

Yeah. Whoever designed it had multiplayer in mind.