[SCD] Planar Overlay

[Infinitium]

Planar Overlay

A quick search through the forums and deckcheck didn't yield anything, so here goes:

I recently found this gem whilst browsing through Magic Workstation, and it immediatly struck me as a possible sideboard card in tempo-orientated Merfolk and possibly Blue Stax as a replacement for Back to Basics. Whilst the effect is less gamebreaking in many ways, itself consider the following perks:

*It hits basic lands, which is huge considering that Zendikar fetches allows stable 3cc manabases including 3+ of them, thus rending BtB easy to play around.

*It dodges pre-emptive EE's/Deeds as well as postside enchantment removal (to deal with Vial or lock pieces if nothing else).

*It makes Daze relevant in the midgame, alternativly plays very well with an active Smokestack.

*It sets back mass removal for another 2-3 turns.

*It makes Wasteland better as a tempo sink.

*The (sometimes) drawback is minor, especially since that BtB shuts down your own colorless producing lands as well.

Granted, it doesn't deal with Maze of Ith or Manlands the way BtB does, but that's whats Wasteland and the occasional Stifle is for. Are there any compelling reasons that this doesn't see more play than it currently does, especially considering the metagame shifts since Zendikar?

[Atwa]

Seeying you can return a dual for both it's landtypes, this card will return:
1 land in a mono color deck
1 dual in a 2 color deck
2 lands (of which 1 dual) in a 3 color deck
2 duals in a 4 color deck
Thank god we don't have any 5 color decks in Legacy

Seeing the card hits you as well, it will only generate card advantage in a deck with over 3 colors (not counting the Planar Overlay you put in your grave in the proces). In which case Back to Basics (accompanied by Wasteland and Stifle) is way better, since those are permanent asnwers. Yes, this card will return basics, but that still doesn't make a 3 mana investment interesting.

I am all in for obscure cards, but Planar Overlay simply isn't good enough to be played in Legacy.

[Kangaxx]

I like the card. The fact that it works against dual lands makes it playable. I think in a deck with Mox Diamond, Propaganda effects, in like a Blue Stax shell it could be good.

[Malchar]

It could be used in conjunction with Wasteland to hurt on multicolored decks. If you waste a few duals here and there, you might be able to catch the opponent with all basics in play. I guess it really depends on if your opponent plays with lots of backup duals or if they readily fetch up basics.

[majikal]

in like a Blue Stax shell

I have got to start keeping a tally of this.

[Otter]

I like the card. The fact that it works against dual lands makes it playable. I think in a deck with Mox Diamond, Propaganda effects, in like a Blue Stax shell it could be good.

As Atwa showed, it really doesn't work against dual lands. For instance, you can pick up your Bayou as both your Swamp and your Forest. Combined with Wasteland perhaps it would be decent, but I would expect there would be a lot of situations where it'd be a three mana "boomerang your dual" that also affects yourself.

Also, I guess it's worth mentioning that if you were somehow using some sort of Blue Stax shell (has this every actually happened?), surely Parallax Wave or Sunder would be better ways of getting rid of opposing lands than this card.

[Fatestitcher]

Most effective against 3-color decks that fetch all basics (SotF?) but then again which of the tier decks are like that? It's a suboptimal choice in a meta that shifted towards running all duals or all mono-basics. The used just to return a single dual land is not worth the investment. This card cannot compete with slots occupied by Trinisphere, Crucible, Tangle Wire, and Back to Basics or Propaganda.

[Skeggi]

I have got to start keeping a tally of this.

Yup, it's getting rediculous how often a card 'could be good in a XXX stax shell'. Perhaps add a new rule to the SCD rules? 'Don't mention Stax. Ever.'

Remember that The Source is focused on competitive/tournament Legacy. If the SCD thread is not producing ideas which are reasonably competitive for a general Legacy tournament, the thread may be moved to the Casual Forum, even if it follows these guidelines.

Basically, if the card won't support an existing succesful archetype, you shouldn't suggest it. Unless it really breaks the archetype - like Lodestone Golem - but then again, that card doesn't need any discussion, the deck it produces needs testing.

[Infinitium]

Seeying you can return a dual for both it's landtypes

Rule dickslap for the loss I suppose. What is the relevant pasage and is it something that changed with M10? I always assumed cards like Sundering Titan didn't work out this way, but then again I never played the archetypes it was used in.

@Skeggi: BtB sees play in some Merfolk builds, and imo this is a somewhat viable alternative that got better(or less bad. whatever.) with 3cc wedge decks suddenly being able to tutor basic lands of their enemy color. I'd say it's reasonable (or so I thought).

[Skeggi]

Planar Overlay != Back to Basics. Not by a longshot. In fact, where Back to Basics is good against duals, Planar Overlay isn't: if a person has two of the same duals, he only needs to bounce one. Back to Basics lost some strength when Zendikar made it easier to fetch to basics, but Planar Overlay never was viable and never will be worth the trouble.

One of the main features of B2B is that it shuts down facility lands, like Volrath's Stronghold, Academy Ruins and Manlands. Planar Overlay is complete and utter shit. It's actually not even worth this discussion.

Edit: to answer your rules question: with Sundering Titan the effects controller choses which lands get destroyed. With Planar Overlay, it's the player himself. So there's no rules change in M10, or any special passage in the comprehensive rules, it says so on the cards themselves.

[Kangaxx]

I have got to start keeping a tally of this.

lol. Who me or in general?

[Atwa]

What is the relevant pasage and is it something that changed with M10? I always assumed cards like Sundering Titan didn't work out this way, but then again I never played the archetypes it was used in.

Cards like Sundering Titan have always worked like this. Just like you can select a Juggernaut for both creature and artifact when playing Cataclysm (you don't want to, but it's a completly legal play).

I love how people think a lot of these things changed with M10, while the only thing that changed and didn't concern combat(abilities) is the removal of mana burn and how mana is handled when going to other phases/steps (it ceases to excist).

I can't give you a specific rule, I'm not a judge, just a guy who's been playing for a long time. If you are interested in it, you could ask a question in the rules forum (or PM CDR).

[Tacosnape]

This needs to be in a Blue Chalice Aggro deck, not Blue Stax. Blue Stax can't always take full enough advantage of the tempo boost. And I'm sure several of the many "Zomg Blue Stax is the best deck evar and is 105/-5 against every deck ever made including the mirrarr" people will rail on me for this, but hey.

But in a Faerie Stompy variant, possibly with Trinispheres? This might be sneaky tech against Zoo and the like.

It's probably too situational to become a Legacy staple, but it's interesting.