[SCD] Light up the Stage

[morgan_coke]

So I've been seeing a lot of this card in Arena, and I'm pretty sure it's not only Legacy playable, but actually really strong. For reference

Light up the Stage

Light up the Stage
2R
Sorcery
Spectacle R
Exile the top two cards of your library, until the end of your next turn, you may play those cards.

The words "Next Turn" are what really sells this card, because it turns it into basically a pure draw 2 for R. Even if you draw 2 lands, you can still play them both out.

The most obvious application is in burn type lists obviously, but it also works just about as well in Delver lists. I mean, Brainstorm and Ponder pretty much couldn't work any better to set this up if they tried. And all 3 are still good on their own, obviously. This is a lot of refueling in a RUG or Grixis Delver, or say a Dreadnought list or something similar.

This feels like by far the biggest Legacy card of the set, and a huge sleeper. I guess time will tell, but I think we're all so used to these kinds of cards being "this turn" trash for 2 or 3 mana that this got overlooked big time.

[mistercakes]

#rubystorm

[kinda]

Its very strong. But I doubt better than the blue ones which limits it. Burn or dragon stumpy?

[Poron]

It plays around Chalice as well.

Good card but not in a blue shell. Predict and Knowledge give you the very same cards (or more at Instant speed)

[morgan_coke]

Its very strong. But I doubt better than the blue ones which limits it. Burn or dragon stumpy?

Attack with Delver. Cast Brainstorm - put two cards you want to play over the next two turns on top of your library, all counters in your hand. Cast Light up the Stage.

Attack with Delver. Cast Ponder, put the counterspell into your hand and the land and creature on top. Cast Light up the Stage.

No, seems to work pretty dang well with BS and Ponder as the mythical "3rd great cantrip, except it actually draws you cards"

[Mr. Safety]

I seriously think it will be played in at least Burn and Ruby Storm, possibly other decks. The card is very good, probably the best red draw spell since Faithless Looting.

[kinda]

Attack with Delver. Cast Brainstorm - put two cards you want to play over the next two turns on top of your library, all counters in your hand. Cast Light up the Stage.

Attack with Delver. Cast Ponder, put the counterspell into your hand and the land and creature on top. Cast Light up the Stage.

No, seems to work pretty dang well with BS and Ponder as the mythical "3rd great cantrip, except it actually draws you cards"

So the card is good when you have an active delver which is connecting...

[PirateKing]

I wish it was an instant, because it would be better but still fair kind of.
If your opponent cracks a fetch or plays a shockland, you can cast this at the end of their turn for Spectacle, but then you'd only get the cards for your next turn, so it's half as long but the window to cast it is twice as big. Self regulating elegance. But then it'd be a Mythic most likely :/

Anyways I really like the card, it's a flavorful red draw that the color pie needed. I'm hoping the design space gets explored more.

[Michael Keller]

Wonder how good it would be with something like Lava Dart for added value. You can just float a red mana and fire it off for its Replicate cost after dealing one damage. In other corner cases, it could be good with Revolt after losing the Mountain, too.

[mistercakes]

So the card is good when you have an active delver which is connecting...

also good when you have a connecting goblin guide. :)

[from Cairo]

Burn and Ruby Storm

^

Agreed, I'm planning to try both decks with 4x and go from there.

[rufus]

I think it could work in something like affinity too. Basically anything aggressive that might play red.

[FTW]

Burn might not want it. "R: draw 1 land and 1 Bolt" is worse tempo than just casting the Spectacle Bolt for R. If Burn needs gas, Risk Factor already sees play.


#rubystorm

This

[Poron]

Well it’s surely worth to own a playset of this

[Mr. Safety]

Wonder how good it would be with something like Lava Dart for added value. You can just float a red mana and fire it off for its Replicate cost after dealing one damage. In other corner cases, it could be good with Revolt after losing the Mountain, too.

Good catch! I know some folks were skeptical of this for burn, but I think it has a very important use for the deck: feeding greedy Fireblasts. You get two turns to utilize those 'draws', meaning you can make the land drops you need to be more aggressive with Fireblast. The issue with Fireblast, which has always been awkward in multiples in hand, is the alternative cost. Now we can dig deeper for lands. It makes playing Sulfuric Vortex or other 3-mana cards a lot more feasible as well.

Lava Dart seems like a potential card depending on the metagame. I mean, we already have Gut Shot which is 'free', although it only deals 1 damage. I think if you are in the market for some number of Forked Bolt then the swap to Lava Dart to help enable LUtS seems natural.

Light up the Stage in Burn provides:
1) Potential for ensuring land drops to feed 3cmc spells
2) Potential for ensuring land drops to feed multiple Fireblast
3) Extra draws that each deal 3+ damage
4) Much needed velocity in a deck that is just a bit shy, about 1/2 turn, of being fast enough to break through another tier.

[Finn]

Sean, I think this card will be everything for Burn. Time to gin up some lists, I guess.

[Megadeus]

I think it could work in something like affinity too. Basically anything aggressive that might play red.

This. I want to play a red heavy affinity list with this and bomat courier maybe and galvanic blast I guess. I feel like there's some potential there. You could even throw in Thoughtcast if you wanted too.

[compacta_d]

In terms of draw I think it's better than Faithless Looting. FL puts things in yard which is important for THOSE decks, everything else can probably use this.

Why does burn want this? Burn wants this because casting a spell for R that "draws 2 cards" actually does a lot for burn. Keep in mind burn is not always a "speed deck" but often is a card equity deck where every card does 3 damage. This card essentially does 3 damage, but what it DOES is makes you NOT run out of cards that do 3 damage.

I would put this in burn and cast it literally AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. You hit with a Guide? cast this. Play the land off the top. Keep the sorcery/instant on top for next turn or play the creature. What that does is KEEPS THEM BOLTS IN HAND for late game.

I think paying on Tuesday for a hamburger today is the type of thing burn wants to do.


I think worst case scenario would be 2 fireblasts, which actually wouldn't be bad if you had land in hand, and in the case of mountain blast, you essentially reduced the cost of blast to that of Shard Volley, which still adds up. And would actually be great with land in hand.

I'll try it at least.

[rufus]

...
4) Much needed velocity in a deck that is just a bit shy, about 1/2 turn, of being fast enough to break through another tier.

I do think that it has upside in burn, but card advantage stuff like Light up the Stage tends to make for slower and more reliable decks since the R that you're spending on lighting up the stage isn't dealing damage or changing the state of the board.

[morgan_coke]

This. I want to play a red heavy affinity list with this and bomat courier maybe and galvanic blast I guess. I feel like there's some potential there. You could even throw in Thoughtcast if you wanted too.

Galvanic/Thoughtcast/Shrapnel/Stage? That's a lotta gas and burn damage.

@Finn

Yeah, I think this is a game changer for Burn.dec to hit Tier 1 tbh. Might also be enough to enable some kind of Rakdos aggro as well.

[mistercakes]

Only big issue with metal craft deck is you likely won't cast fireblast easily. Might not matter as much if you can run galvanic blast, but fireblast is still great.

[Finn]

@Finn

Yeah, I think this is a game changer for Burn.dec to hit Tier 1 tbh. Might also be enough to enable some kind of Rakdos aggro as well.

Never underestimate the ability of blue to co-opt everything. I wonder if one of those blue-red burn decks is a natural home. I'm looking forward to those interesting interactions when someone cracks a fetch on your main to Brainstorm. At any rate, it is a great find. Well done.

[Mr. Safety]

I do think that it has upside in burn, but card advantage stuff like Light up the Stage tends to make for slower and more reliable decks since the R that you're spending on lighting up the stage isn't dealing damage or changing the state of the board.

My assertion is that it gives velocity, digging deeper into the deck to abuse greedy Fireblasts. I haven't tested it yet. The first Fireblast is amazing, the 2nd one is rough unless you've flooded. LutS actually helps you reach 4 lands easily enough so your best burn spell can be cast more than once a game. I'm really interested in Lava Dart as well because it allows Forked Bolt to be spread over several turns. Drawing multiple lands or multiple Lava Darts/Fireblasts with Light up the Stage seems like pure gas.

For those of you wanting to play artifacts with Shrapnel Blast I suggest Black Vise! It has been very good in my janky list. It's pretty easy to support
3-4x Shrapnel Blast with 4x Black Vise and 4x Great Furnace.

[mistercakes]

not sure if you've noticed as well, but you can cast fireblast from exile as well by sacrificing 2 mountains. it's very possible that the R can lead to an additional 4 damage.

turn 1 guide. attack for 2.
turn 2 attack. bolt bolt
turn 3 can't attack b/c of blocker. bolt, stage, bolt, fireblast.

that's still 20. not sure how reliable this is, but it doesn't seem super unrealistic.

the other major turn i think for this deck is digging for eidolons. it's the best card in a lot of matchups, and the ability to find them is something burn couldn't find outside of opening hands.

i also wouldn't rule out decks like eldrazi trying to fit this into their list. that's a deck that has some clunky hands where going turn 1 into endless one, turn 2 attack cast this card, then flip over some useful things for that turn and the following turn doesn't seem half bad.

[Mr. Safety]

not sure if you've noticed as well, but you can cast fireblast from exile as well by sacrificing 2 mountains. it's very possible that the R can lead to an additional 4 damage.

turn 1 guide. attack for 2.
turn 2 attack. bolt bolt
turn 3 can't attack b/c of blocker. bolt, stage, bolt, fireblast.

that's still 20. not sure how reliable this is, but it doesn't seem super unrealistic.

the other major turn i think for this deck is digging for eidolons. it's the best card in a lot of matchups, and the ability to find them is something burn couldn't find outside of opening hands.

i also wouldn't rule out decks like eldrazi trying to fit this into their list. that's a deck that has some clunky hands where going turn 1 into endless one, turn 2 attack cast this card, then flip over some useful things for that turn and the following turn doesn't seem half bad.

It rewards Eldrazi players still using Simian Spirit Guide as well to get t1 Chalices; it's another use of that red mana that can sometimes be dead in the mid-game. Fun fact: you can cast Light up the Stage for R even under a Chalice.

[Poron]

It rewards Eldrazi players still using Simian Spirit Guide as well to get t1 Chalices; it's another use of that red mana that can sometimes be dead in the mid-game. Fun fact: you can cast Light up the Stage for R even under a Chalice.

Totally. That and Counterbalance is 80% of the reasons why is good to run Skewer the Critics over many other good shots

[Ronald Deuce]

Totally. That and Counterbalance is 80% of the reasons why is good to run Skewer the Critics over many other good shots

I agree with your reasoning, but I feel like drawing two is better than just getting another Bolt. Needing to connect before Skewering or Lighting Up also feels like it's going to be a taller order than some people are suggesting.

I guess this is the way I see it: we're not going to want too many cards that are dependent on hitting somebody, and I'd rather use those slots on draws (at least at this point, without having tested either card yet).

[Poron]

He just needs to lose life. Fetch lands and Force of Will are good enough already..
Everyone agrees that Light up the Stage >>>> Skewer the Critics

[Mr. Safety]

I look at Light up the Stage as a Manamorphose that draws you 2 cards. Burn would play the SHIT out of that card, simply for turning it into a 56 card deck with the best 'fair' damage-to-mana ratios. By splitting the card draw over 2 turns (allowing you to play lands you draw) means it basically pays for itself if you draw even one land you normally wouldn't have, or rather 'drawing' it a turn earlier. The tempo you lose by paying R for 'draw 2' is gained back easily the next turn. All of this doesn't necessarily tip the scales to playability, but digging deeper for sideboard options is probably the best argument for LutS in burn. 'Didn't draw it, lost' is why there are decks like UR Delver that sacrifice uniformity (every non-land card deals 3+ damage) for Brainstorm and Ponder so they can have options against the field. With 18-20 lands and 40-42 Lightning Bolts your deck is either good or bad against particular opponents, with little ways to adjust beyond crossing your fingers and hope you draw your sideboard cards in needed matchups. The printing of Eidolon of the Great Revel Burn got significantly better. Now you can have card draw and still play all Mountains. Now you can dig for 3 mana cards and reliably cast them. I am unashamedly a big fan of this card.

Skewer the Critics isn't better than any of the Bolts already printed, arguably worse. In Modern where Chain Lightning doesn't exist it seems very good, but in Legacy we get 4 damage by sacrificing two Mountains. Another Bolt is not going to alter the deck significantly.

[kinda]

It won an scg open!

http://www.starcitygames.com/decks/127360