Hour of Devastation [HOU]

[ReAnimator]

Looks like Budget players finally got an option to replace Clique with. In some, specific decks, this will be better. And it's Uncommon. Nice job Wizards.

It's a rare.

[wcm8]

Looks like Budget players finally got an option to replace Clique with. In some, specific decks, this will be better. And it's Uncommon. Nice job Wizards.

Looks like a Rare to me?

[rufus]

...
Your T3: Unearth, Standstill
...

Yeah, it's good against standstill, but how much of the meta is that?

[MaximumC]

Clique does it's thing and then hits them until they die.

Ding ding ding ding. And, that's leaving aside the fact that this and Clique do totally different things. Would you consider Brainstorm to be a card that fills the role of Stifle? No? Then why would you think Birdman can stand in for Clique?

This guy is cool for a number of reasons, but because you have to pick between the body and the ability, I don't think it will become Clique good.

But this guy is still cool.

Agreed, but I think it's more of a modern card than a Legacy card. At 3 mana, you're not hitting early fetches. Nevertheless, it gives you a main-deckable answer to problem cards and combos that otherwise might pull your pants down. In your hand, this guards against everything Stifle does, while being a beater if the opposing deck is not vulnerable to that kind of attack.

It's a Good Card.

[Claymore]

The only big activated ability I see this guy countering that you care about is a Griselbrand activation or Craterhoof trigger. Or maybe counter a Jace ultimate/snapcaster ETB.

Too slow to fight fetches properly, with 3 mana out you likely don't care about Wasteland/don't want to be holding up 3 lands to fight that effect, bad trade off to counter a DRS activation. Against Dark Depths its okay, but same problem that Stifle has.

Cool card but seems iffy. Either its a flash 3/1 beater/delver killer, or it's basically an expensive Trickbind.

[MaximumC]

Either its a flash 3/1 beater/delver killer, or it's basically an expensive Trickbind.

That might be good enough, though. In your hand, it's a threat-in-being. You can wait until the end of the turn and, if you need to save your ass against a bad trigger, there you go. If not, deploy your 3/1. It's a lot of flexibility, and control decks in particular really need stuff like that to keep them sufficiently answer-dense.

[Cire]

I do find the idea of a Stifle.Dec funny though - just hate on fetches so hard.

4 Stifle
4 Trickbind
4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
4 Daze
4 Counterspell

4 Nimble Obstructionist
4 Delver
4 Snapcaster
4 Phyrexian Dreadnaught

8 Fetch
8 Islands
4 Wasteland

Not a good deck by any stretch of the imagination, but lmao - I can see it being super annoying. And that's what's important.

[maharis]

Yeah, it's good against standstill, but how much of the meta is that?

My idea was to use it WITH unearth/standstill as a way to disrupt then get a threat out. Just spitballin.

I don't think think anyone believes this card is as good as Clique, but it is a good card that could find a home. Playable effect, affordable mana cost, blue goes a long way.

[Megadeus]

I'm with Maharis. My very first thought was this in standstill. This guy is sick as fuck. A stifle that draws a card and stops them from wasting my factory without triggering standstill? Fucking A this card is sick

[Kanti]

Their T2: Stifle your fetch, draw a card
Your T3: Unearth, Standstill

Edit: I wish this was a different color so there actually could be a deckbuilding consideration but I guess that's too much to ask.

This card is niche but strong enough.

You wish other colors had Stifle effects? I wish blue had effect effects, but I guess thats too much to ask. This card is cool, but like PirateKing said, Clique hits you in the face until you die.

Also, holy camoly just noticed your handle Pirate King. FLCL is the greatest.

[Fox]

Eh, Nimble Obstructionist is at least interesting. You really have to ask yourself why you think Clique is a good card if you're actually considering swapping it out, I guess. You're talking about a card that costs 3 mana in a deck that probably only runs 14 lands + 4 Wastelands and also uses Daze - how exactly are you going to cast this card (DRS i guess)? You get to 3 mana in a deck like that you're competing for slots at the cmc point where a sideboard card is supposed to have huge impact, and this card just doesn't.

3/1 flash, flying beatstick is definitely good enough to see legacy play, but it's not really a tool Stifle deck will want. This card is more for people who like the idea of having access to Stifle but don't want to draw Stifle (b/c it's a dead card...unless you run Dreadnoughts); now they can draw a wincon instead. I doubt there's much effective difference between casting your 3/1 at instant speed whether or not it has a beneficial ETB, but I don't think you can continue to justify it when talking adding in Karakas and Leovold synergies.

[Claymore]

Now, if Top and Terminus was still legal? Different ballgame.

[maharis]

You wish other colors had Stifle effects? I wish blue had effect effects, but I guess thats too much to ask.

Effects change colors all the time. Spirit of the Labyrinth became a BUG card. If this was not blue it would be a little more interesting just because it might resuscitate/open up a deck that we can't all just name 24 cards in already.

Eh, Nimble Obstructionist is at least interesting. You really have to ask yourself why you think Clique is a good card if you're actually considering swapping it out, I guess. You're talking about a card that costs 3 mana in a deck that probably only runs 14 lands + 4 Wastelands and also uses Daze - how exactly are you going to cast this card (DRS i guess)? You get to 3 mana in a deck like that you're competing for slots at the cmc point where a sideboard card is supposed to have huge impact, and this card just doesn't.

3/1 flash, flying beatstick is definitely good enough to see legacy play, but it's not really a tool Stifle deck will want. This card is more for people who like the idea of having access to Stifle but don't want to draw Stifle (b/c it's a dead card...unless you run Dreadnoughts); now they can draw a wincon instead. I doubt there's much effective difference between casting your 3/1 at instant speed whether or not it has a beneficial ETB, but I don't think you can continue to justify it when talking adding in Karakas and Leovold synergies.

I don't think you necessarily use this with Stifle as all-in mana denial. There are lots of triggers and activations that could be good to stop while not going down a card.

Ancestral Vision
Shardless Agent
Flickerwisp
Batterskull
Stoneforge Mystic
Animate Dead
Vampire Hexmage
Terminus
Entreat the Angels
Snapcaster Mage

How often do people just suicide a creature to get Jitte counters? Just stopping that could be a blowout.

This is basically a modal card: either stifle draw or a 3/1. Question is how strong the modes are.

[Fox]

I don't think you necessarily use this with Stifle as all-in mana denial. There are lots of triggers and activations that could be good to stop while not going down a card.

Ancestral Vision
Shardless Agent
Flickerwisp
Batterskull
Stoneforge Mystic
Animate Dead
Vampire Hexmage
Terminus
Entreat the Angels
Snapcaster Mage

How often do people just suicide a creature to get Jitte counters? Just stopping that could be a blowout.

This is basically a modal card: either stifle draw or a 3/1. Question is how strong the modes are.

Most of those things you've listed will have already taken place before you have mana online to cycle this guy. About half of them are either repeatable or create a situation where you'd rather have the 3/1. If you're passing up Clique's pseudo-discard, you're in black for actual discard (also, you're a DRS deck...that then means an amount of Leovold)...the question becomes why are you doing this? People justify Clique b/c it's "good vs combo," whereas this guy is kinda has a "coolness" factor (in the same way that people suboptimally run JVP over SCM, because it's "cool"). Optimal home seems like mono-U stompy deck or a fairly outrageous plan of cycle-to-Stifle followed by activate Volrath's Stronghold to redraw this guy off its own cycling ability still on stack...or some Oath of Ghouls nonsense (which actually is fairly oppressive in a Leovold/DRS shell, if not realistic).

[Darkenslight]

Most of those things you've listed will have already taken place before you have mana online to cycle this guy. About half of them are either repeatable or create a situation where you'd rather have the 3/1. If you're passing up Clique's pseudo-discard, you're in black for actual discard (also, you're a DRS deck...that then means an amount of Leovold)...the question becomes why are you doing this? People justify Clique b/c it's "good vs combo," whereas this guy is kinda has a "coolness" factor (in the same way that people suboptimally run JVP over SCM, because it's "cool"). Optimal home seems like mono-U stompy deck or a fairly outrageous plan of cycle-to-Stifle followed by activate Volrath's Stronghold to redraw this guy off its own cycling ability still on stack...or some Oath of Ghouls nonsense (which actually is fairly oppressive in a Leovold/DRS shell, if not realistic).

I'd argue that this is good against a variety of combo decks in Legacy; it stops the cast trigger on Time'Rakul, negates the first Griz activation, counters Storm/Belch activations, negates late-game Wastes/Fetches, stops Tasigur activations. Without Flash, it would be a much weaker card. I'm pretty certain that it will see play as an anti-combo beater, even if it's only out of the board.

[UseLess]

The wrong side of Stifle? "you don't control" really hurts this card - but it is uncounterable.

Somebody on Magicspoiler.com pointed out that this wording allows you to cycle the card even when there is nothing to respond to on the stack. If it could counter your own abilities and triggers cycling it with an empty stack would force you to stifle your own cycling trigger. Seems quite a relevant point.

I like the card a lot. Maybe not legacy material, but definitely a fun/interesting card. Now I need to figure out what to cut from my cube for this!

[Crimhead]

You wish other colors had Stifle effects?

Not quite Stifle, but has Bind.

[kombatkiwi]

Somebody on Magicspoiler.com pointed out that this wording allows you to cycle the card even when there is nothing to respond to on the stack. If it could counter your own abilities and triggers cycling it with an empty stack would force you to stifle your own cycling trigger. Seems quite a relevant point.

I like the card a lot. Maybe not legacy material, but definitely a fun/interesting card. Now I need to figure out what to cut from my cube for this!

This is true but they could have avoided this by just making it a may-trigger

[civet five]

This is true but they could have avoided this by just making it a may-trigger

That would be inconsistent with them dumbing down the game. Forced triggers and/or causing it to counter itself would make kiddos upset

[UseLess]

This is true but they could have avoided this by just making it a may-trigger

Doh, yeah, of course. Well, then it's just a shame they didn't give the additional option. Can't think of anything that would make this too busted. For three mana you can also cast a Show and Tell or something alike. That can maybe be countered, but so can whatever it is you're using the stifle option on. Dumbing down it is then! :p