[CARD ASK] Medallions

[TsumiBand]

Ever since I started playing Magic back in whenever-the-hells, like mid 2001, I have not been able to decide on my opinion of the Medallion cycle. Pearl Medallion and friends, you know what I'm saying.

At a glance they are worse than just playing things that make mana, right - producing :u: is better than pseudo-producing :1:, arguably, in particular in a format that is predominantly defined by 3-color decks.

However, I have to say that this opinion is not the result of any actual playtesting. So I sort of carried the mythology around with me, inherited from the people who taught me the game, that they were "strictly worse" than other mana producers.

Years and years later a friend bought me DotP'13 for Steam, and many of those decks included Medallions, so I figured - what the hell, it's a silly variant of Magic anyway, I will try it. And really... they seem pretty all right.

Now most of those lists are mono- or dual-colored, and so again, in a format like EDH perhaps the net effect is diminished significantly. However, it occurs to me that in any turn where you cast more than one spell with colorless in its casting cost, the card has 'generated' more mana for you than most of the other 2 casting-cost mana rocks in the format.

Has anyone here ever given Medallions a real fair shake in EDH, and if yes -- what was your experience?

[Megadeus]

The blue one is sweet in legacy. Eot, intuition for two mana for three accumulated knowledge, cast the one accumulated knowledge for one mana to draw three. Next turn, snapcaster for one mana to flashback accumulated knowledge for one mana to draw three again.

[JPoJohnson]

The blue one is sweet in legacy. Eot, intuition for two mana for three accumulated knowledge, cast the one accumulated knowledge for one mana to draw three. Next turn, snapcaster for one mana to flashback accumulated knowledge for one mana to draw three again.

Been a while since I heard such Christmas Land scenarios for Legacy decks :laugh:

On topic though I think that you could definitely get away with medallions in EDH and it would play two lines:
1. Semi-ramp through dropping spell cost
2. Create a different target to protect your more important artifacts.

Either way a win win if you ask me.

[Davran]

I think the Medallions are fine in non-green decks as your green deck shouldn't need help casting stuff on the cheap (just play more ramp bro). I also think they're better the less colors you have. For instance, Jet Medallion seems better in a mono-black deck than it does in any other color combination with swamps. My reasoning there is that Jet Medallion is pretty sad when you're holding a bunch of white cards or whatever.

To be perfectly honest though, in my mind they're more of a tool for 'spikes'. If you're looking to come out of the gates quickly, shaving 1 off of all your spells is definitely a way to do that. If you're just looking to mess around with your buddies over a couple beers and some cheetos I'd just play a mana rock instead.

[Bed Decks Palyer]

You may play only one of each medalion in EDH. As a one-of, it's not that brillinat, and for multicoolor decks, where you'd may use more of them, they are not exactly good.

[JPoJohnson]

You may play only one of each medalion in EDH. As a one-of, it's not that brillinat, and for multicoolor decks, where you'd may use more of them, they are not exactly good.

I completely agree. I would only run it in a mono-deck personally... maybe certain two color decks.

They are a dead draw later in the game but most decks have either a draw or filter engine of sorts so it shouldn't be a huge deal for those I would think? I may see how the medallions run in something like Mono-U Talrand control.

[Bed Decks Palyer]

I completely agree. I would only run it in a mono-deck personally... maybe certain two color decks.

They are a dead draw later in the game but most decks have either a draw or filter engine of sorts so it shouldn't be a huge deal for those I would think? I may see how the medallions run in something like Mono-U Talrand control.

Also, there are the creature-medallions, like Sunscape Familiar so maybe one may build some bi- or tricolor deck with a mix of reductors, both medallions and creatures?
http://mtgbudgetplayer.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/cost-reduction-make-all-your-spells-so-cheap/
Note that most of those cards are not exactly EDH material...

[Offler]

a) Pseudo-mana source
If you have any artifact which produce 1 per tap, you will use it only once per turn. These can "fix" mana in every spell of that color. They are most usable in situations when you are casting a lot of spells for turn. I have seen decks based on Melek, Izzet Paragon which were casting a lot of instants and sorceries every turn.

Also can be useful for elven/goblin/zombie tribals which cast up to 3 creatues per turn. Also can make "wizardstorm" combo with Azami/MoM more viable...

b) Helm of Awakening
Does affect all spells, most useful with artifacts with CMC 1. I havent any of the medallion, but I sucessfully tested this one. Its a combo enabler (with SDT and Future sight). I am not sure if traditional medallions can help in this way. This card is better as medallions because there is no color restriction. Usually not being used if not in combo. Why the hell I am not trying this in my monoblack vampires? :D Edit: Helm was released some time before Medallions. Players then remembered "better" variant.

c) Legendary 1 mana.
you know the situation... "If I would have 1 more mana". This is exactly what can fix your trouble. :)

d) Etherium sculptor, Stonybrook banneret, Cloud key
Even more specific pseudo-manasources. Sculptor sucesfully used in combo with SDT and FS, Stonybrook banneret remained unused. My blue deck does not require this type of mana source. But these have clausule "spells you play", so nobody else can take the advantage.

e) Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
Can be used as EDH commander. Hated by everyone since it makes blue spells cheaper and all opponnents spells to cost 1 more mana. Usually does not survive for more than 3 turns.

[Ace/Homebrew]

Has anyone here ever given Medallions a real fair shake in EDH, and if yes -- what was your experience?
None of the responders indicated they have used them... just ways you could use them. I believe that speaks volumes about the medallion cycle in EDH.

There is nothing wrong with them! They are fairly costed and have a useful effect. My only experience with them stems from building casual mono-colored highlander piles of 200+ cards before EDH was a thing...
They seem like a card you put in your original list and cut months later when the new set comes out and you need to find space for a wild new card.

[Megadeus]

Meh a few years ago when I actually played EDH, my buddy used it an it seemed fine. It isn't exactly the spell in a game of EDH where I am like "When he cast that medallion the game was over."

[Offler]

None of the responders indicated they have used them... just ways you could use them. I believe that speaks volumes about the medallion cycle in EDH.

In my case I was unable to find one. Sapphire Medallion was referred as good card by best player around, while most players were unable to found any usage - even agro players. Mostly "Forgotten" card, but not because its bad.

This particular medallion can be helpful with Palinchron combo if you are playing it without High Tide or Phantasmal image

[Aggro_zombies]

I have used Sapphire Medallion in a UB Storm combo deck before. It was totally fine there because it "made" at least 5-6 mana on the combo turn.

However...in just a fair one- or two-color deck, I don't think any of the two-mana mana rocks are all that good, with the possible exception of Grim Monolith and/or the relevant Signet. Cards like Armillary Sphere and Journeyer's Kite tend to be much better since basic lands are typically destruction-proof in EDH - and these cards specifically provide thinning and shuffle effects. If you're in green or G/x, Tribe-Elder and likely Bloom Tender are better, and possibly Three Visits and Nature's Lore depending on what your deck is doing.

It also depends on how competitive you want to be. All of the mana rocks go up in value to some extent if you're trying to be more cutthroat since the games are much faster.

[AngryTroll]

Mini Necro, but Nightscape Familiar is probably awesome in a Grixis deck. It'll eat a Wrath eventually, but might produce a few damage or send an attacker elsewhere while saving you a few mana.

[evanmartyr]

They seem great in more control-ey, mono-colored decks. I play one in Drana, and it's pretty great.

[Offler]

Nightscape familiar
Stormscape familiar
Thornscape familiar
Thunderscape familiar
Sunscape familiar

Most of them long forgotten here, even when Alara was printed and Esper became hit color combination for EDH Sharuum the Hegemon decks. Those small dudes act as two medallions at a time, and thus they should be twice as good. Or?

[TsumiBand]

Nightscape familiar
Stormscape familiar
Thornscape familiar
Thunderscape familiar
Sunscape familiar

Most of them long forgotten here, even when Alara was printed and Esper became hit color combination for EDH Sharuum the Hegemon decks. Those small dudes act as two medallions at a time, and thus they should be twice as good. Or?

Well, there's the "weenies don't work in EDH" myth that probably artificially keeps them out of many lists, but it's sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy - indeed if you try them in a meta rampant with mass removal and guys that walk all over them, they will be seen as assy and unplayable. That Medallions are artifacts and still subject to hate but are not as oft-hated by the nature of the format probably speaks to their appeal.

For my part I've got a couple of ____scape Familiars sitting around waiting to jump into a deck or two, and I can just never decide what to actually cut. Meh.

[FTW]

I think the medallion has to consistently net you 2+ colorless mana per turn in order to be playable. Otherwise, a signet or Talisman or even a Fire Diamond is probably better, by virtue of generating colored mana and helping fixing, etc., since 1 colored mana per turn is definitely better than 0-1 colorless mana per turn. What I think that means is that the medallions are unplayable in most 3+ color EDH decks. Even with card draw, you are rarely casting 2+ spells per turn of the same color.

However, there will be some decks more built around chaining spells and dumping your hand. Decks like BUG Damia can probably afford to run a medallion if you are skewed more towards one color, since anything to help you dump your hand faster makes the general that much more degenerate. So at least the maximum potential is high, even if many turns it is just making 1 mana. Spell combo decks like UR Melek should love Medallions, again because you are trying to set up for one (or a few) big degenerate turn. I play Sapphire Medallion in mono U EDH Azami, since you are monocolored and drawing a ton of cards and it usually saves you several mana in a color that otherwise ramps poorly. I'd consider playing Jet Medallion in mono B control (e.g. Skithiryx or MikeTrike), because again you have access to tons of card draw and it lets you react and dump your hand faster. But those are specific cases.

[JPoJohnson]

Of the familiars, the only one I would ever play would be Nightscape Familiar since he's not entirely a dead draw outside of the beginning of the game since he can chump for days.

[Offler]

What about Mistform Warchief?

I find him particulary interesting in some tribal based decks.