[Single Card Discussion] Puca's Mischief

[SpikeyMikey]

I'm surprised this card hasn't generated a buzz in the format yet. I don't know if it will become a solid staple for blue decks, but it's definitely worth a look or three.

For reference:
Puca's Mischief R
3U
Enchantment
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may exchange control of target nonland permanent you control and target nonland permanent an opponent controls with an equal or lesser converted mana cost.

My first thought was that it would be interesting as a replacement for Donate in Trix, since it can come down before the Illusions, but Trix isn't exactly a viable deck anyway, and hasn't been for some years now.

My second thought was that it might be interesting in combination with Baloth/Spikes/Sakura Tribe Elder or any other permanent with a self-sacing clause. Then I read the FAQ, to whit:

* If either one of the targets becomes illegal (because it leaves play or for any other reason) by the time the ability resolves, the exchange won't happen. If both targets become illegal, the ability is countered.

Then I realized that you don't have to get something for nothing out of it. You just need to get better than you give. There are a ton of playable symmetrical permanents that don't particularly care which side of the board they're on. Things like Moat, Humility, Standstill or Tangle Wire. I'll drop a Standstill. Next turn, I'll exchange it for your 4/5 Tarmogoyf. You take my Moat, I'll take your Exalted Angel. Fair trade, right?

Combine this with the new Soldevi Digger land (Mistveil Plains) and the new Argivian Find (Mine Excavation), and we might be ready for a Parfait style deck to find a niche in the format. Anything your opponent is going to play, outside of the occasional Tombstalker or Myr Enforcer, and let's face it, both of those are pretty rare) can be stolen, basically for free.

Or throw this in green. There are several playable, if not outstanding, creatures that you wouldn't mind trading for something scary of an opponents. Wall of Roots and Blastoderm at 1 counter both come immediately to mind. Stampeding Wildebeest would be some good with it too. Every upkeep, you stack the 'return a green creature' targeting the Wildebeest, then swap it with Mischief, then bounce it and replay it.

Of course, none of these things lead to broken uber-consistant T2 kills, but at worst, it's a solid lurker, waiting for something else to make it broken, and at best, it's a viable consideration for any deck that can or will splash blue.

[Nihil Credo]

So, I have to play with crappy permanents (like self-bouncers, or for that matter Mischief itself) in order to trade them for my opponent's good permanents? Why not just play good permanents in the first place?

The only sliver of hope comes from the idea of running stuff that works on either side of the board. That, however, means general hosers, and the better hosers they are (Moat, Humility) the less likely it is my opponent has permanents still worth stealing (nice 1/1 Tarmogoyf).

[quicksilver]

If you read the card, you will notice that you can't do things like take an exalted angel for a moat.

[mujadaddy]

If you read the cardI'm not listening!!! Lalalalalalala!!

[deadlock]

It looks decent in T2, i build a deck around which involes the combo of Pucas + Colfenor's Plans or Pucas and CIP boucers (Riftwing Cloudscate and Venser Shaper).

I dont think its viable in Legacy though.

[SpikeyMikey]

Well you're right, you can't trade a Moat for an Angel. That's a poor example.

Just because something isn't useful in your opponents deck doesnt' mean that it's a bad card. Wall of Roots, for instance, could be traded to an opponent, especially if it's already low on counters. Most decks aren't set up to take advantage of the extra mana efficiently. Something like Blastoderm is only slightly subpar, it's not really viable in any existing decks, but that doesn't mean that it's not close to tournament level. A recurring, manaless Control Magic doesn't constitute a bad card, I don't think. That's like saying that ATS shouldn't have run Gilded Drake, because instead of running a critter stealer, it could've just run the critters it would be stealing. You get twice the advantage out of stealing your opponents critter, at least, if what you're giving them for it is worthless to them. If it's a little more difficult to set up than "tap 1G, play fatty", that doesn't instantly discount it from viability.

I don't really play anymore, outside of the Prereleases, if I get around to them. I still like to play around with cards and theory though, so I thought I'd share a thought.

[conboy31]

I pre-ordered these for like 4 bucks. I don't think they will ever be useful, but I wanted to take a stab at what will probably be a blue white control deck. Oblivion ring seemed to be the most obvious synergy.
I don't think a deck would ever want to run cards, and a deck would not have to in order to get a halfass effect with the mischief. It could also work well with things like Null Rod/Damping Matrix/Cursed Totem.

I am almost positive the deck will be nothing more than casual fodder, but it could have some neat interactions.

[SpikeyMikey]

I pre-ordered these for like 4 bucks. I don't think they will ever be useful, but I wanted to take a stab at what will probably be a blue white control deck. Oblivion ring seemed to be the most obvious synergy.
I don't think a deck would ever want to run cards, and a deck would not have to in order to get a halfass effect with the mischief. It could also work well with things like Null Rod/Damping Matrix/Cursed Totem.

I am almost positive the deck will be nothing more than casual fodder, but it could have some neat interactions.


Perhaps. A lot of decks run subpar cards because of synergies with other cards. Mangara of Corandor, Eternal Witness, Muscle Sliver, Goblin Ringleader, the list is pretty long. A card may not be good in a vaccuum, and it may not be good in any existing decks, but that doesn't mean that it isn't a good card in the right deck. Part of innovative deck design is the ability to use cards with drawbacks in ways that negate the drawbacks or turn them into advantages. Trix is a perfect example, probably the most extreme example, since cards that suck as bad as Illusions and Donate are rarely playable. Mono Green Control with Wildebeest and Wall of Blossoms and other fun recurring green stuff was not only playable, but powerful, years and years ago (probably long before most of you started playing). Would it be good now? Probably not, it's a pretty slow concept, but who knows.

You've really got 2 bases to start from, the W Parfaitish w/ U and the green midrange control similar to the old SotF decks. Viable? Dunno, haven't spent enough time digging for the synergies, looking to see what's lurking. Like you said, it could have some neat interactions. That was all I was trying to point out.

[rufus]

Cards with upkeep expiration clauses can be generally interesting with something like Puca's Mischief - Stasis, Thought Lash, Maelstrom Djinn, Raven Familiar, Jotun Grunt, Parallax anything...

[bigbear102]

Just thought I would mention that Blastoderm with 1 counter on it would be awesome to give up for something cool of your opponent's, except for the fact that cards that target don't work too well with creatures that can't be targeted.

On that note, I think if this deck were to be built it should be U/W. Moat and O. Ring seem like the best cards to trade. Paradox Haze would also combo with it in a very casual environment.

As for the having to build a deck around it, most decks built around a single card tend to be casual oriented. There are the select few that have been strong enough to tough it out in Legacy, like Survival decks and the like, but I doubt this would be much more than an amusing casual deck at best.

[Isamaru]

I will consider redesigning Prison Dancer, if anyone remembers that deck. It was UW.... I might post a list later if I get around to combining the two ideas.

Just to get the ideas flowing, another card that works with Mischeif is Ancestral Knowledge.

[THEchubbymuffin]

I'll swap my Illusions of Grandeur for your Tarmogoyf. I like this idea already.

[FoolofaTook]

U3 to get a permanent in play that then works best with other permanents that are 2cc or higher. It just looks like it'd be really hard to get in play and use effectively in the fast-paced meta we're in.

Best case scenario would probably be keeping the opponent's Phyrexian Dreadnought off the board, or taking it after the fact, with a Sensei's Divining Top. Even that is too trixy and pace-dependent to be worth a lot.

[SpikeyMikey]

So I make no claims as to the viability of the following decklist. It was just something I whipped up as a kind of starting idea for using this card.

4xForce of Will
3xMana Leak
2xMisdirection
4xStandstill
4xSensei's Divining Top
4xPuca's Mischief
3xVedalken Shackles
3xSword of Fire and Ice
4xWall of Roots
4xTarmogoyf
3xWaterfront Bouncer

6xIsland
4xTropical Island
4xFlooded Strand
3xFaerie Conclave
2xTreetop Village
2xBreeding Pool
1xPolluted Delta

The deck doesn't have a lot of cards that are useless outside of Mischief, Bouncer was successful in T1 fish decks for a while, and despite it's lack of Legacy play, I don't think it's a bad card. It's mostly been useless because of the more creature heavy nature of the format, but as decks load up more and more on non-creature goodies like Counterbalance and rely more on things like 'naught and 'goyf for winning, it becomes better.

I don't think Shackles has seen much play in a while either, mostly due to the lack of blue control, but I don't think that it's too slow to be useful, even as fast as the format is. Of course, shackles works well with Mischief, since you can take a creature, then give it back in exchange for something else so you can untap your Shackles and take the original creature back again.

I don't imagine this is a very good deck, like I said, it's just an idea. It'd probably want a few more creatures and possibly white for StP. Just wanted to get something out there so you guys see where I'm coming from.