MTG Cube

Mana Crypt

I have made my distaste for this card known on many occasions however I stand here now with my foot in my mouth. I did a little reasearch at http://magiccards.info and found something slightly disturbing. But before I go into that I’d like to touch on why I felt the way I did about it before:

1. The card is a “media insert”. What does that mean? I don’t know really know except that is has never been printed in any block or core set.
2. IMO it plays almost on par to Black Lotus which is the best mana accellerant printed to date. While it may not give colored mana, the Lotus is often used as colorless anyways plus Crypt persists and untaps every turn.
3. It is strictly better then Sol Ring the first turn it’s played.
4. The expected value of the damage you take each upkeep is only 1.5. That’s not much. Mana Vault, for the same acceleration and does not untap, gives you 1 damage each turn and becomes equivilant in acceleration 1 turn later then Mana Crypt.

Given the above points I’ve been pushing to remove Mana Crypt from the cube. Until now. I was bored at work so I thought I’d try and dig up some dirt on our old friend the Crypt to get some hardnosed analytical reason why it shouldn’t be in the cube. What did I find you ask? The most blatant reason why it has to be included.

Mana Crypt is Restricted in Vintage! (for a list of restricted / banned cards go here: http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=judge/resources/sfrvintage)

That makes it no different then Black Lotus or even Brainstorm believe it or not.

What does this mean? I’ll shut up about my distaste for Mana Crypt and start drafting that mofo like there’s no tomorrow. See you all on Friday for draft!

Steve

When asked what card sticks out in his mind more than any other from our games this past week, Tavish said the exact same card that I was thinking of: Kira, Great Glass-Spinner.

Kira was drafted at least four times this week and wreaked havoc almost every time. Steve chose it as his favorite card from the deck he drafted. It forces your opponent into a tight bind when it comes out creating a shroud around your creatures, not to mention it costs merely three mana for a 2/2 flier. At one point, a Legacys Allure dropped down opposite of Kira, but the Allure was rendered temporarily useless. Before the Legacy’s Allure could finally capture Kira, the opponent had to waste a creature removal spell targeting her, causing a massive slowdown for the opponent. However, at that point, the tables were turned indeed, because Kira is that good.

How good is Kira? Imagine summoning a Platinum Angel next to her. Your opponent may be playing an Icy Manipulator, Eight-and-a-Half-Tails, Mother of Runes, or some other card that can very easily break the shroud on one of your creatures. On the other hand, if you play a Grafted Wargear or Skullclamp, you’ll be able to use it to easily cast enchantments and equip artifacts on your own creatures by breaking the shroud on your own terms. Just be wary of the forthcoming Lightning Bolt once you bust the shroud. And if you equip the Grafted Wargear on one of your creatures while Kira is out, you’ll best beware the Disenchant, since Grafted Wargear forces you to sacrifice the creature when you unequip it. Therefore, think twice before you decide to buff Kira up with an artifact or enchantment.

When playing Kira, keep in mind that she cannot be flashed in to counter a spell targeting one of your creatures in play. For example, if your opponent casts a Swords to Plowshares targeting your Darksteel Colossus, you cannot use an Aether Vial to put Kira into play in order to counter the spell. The Collossus has already been targeted. You also cannot change your Mutavault or other man-land into a creature in response to it being targeted by a Pillage to save it, even if Kira is in play already. Since Mutavault has already been targeted, Kira’s ability will not be triggered.

The cube does have some outlets for dealing with Kira if she gets played by an opponent. Be on the lookout for non-targeting removal cards such as Wrath of God,  and cards that force your opponent to sacrifice a creature such as Chainers Edict. You can also tactically eliminate Kira with Gideon Jura. Since his ability doesn’t target any creatures, you can force your opponent to attack with Kira into a creature that will kill her. Red can easily burn Kira because some red spells cannot be countered. A Volcanic Fallout, for example, can deal a devastating blow to an opponent controlling Kira while playing control with other small creatures in play.

When Kira enters the battlefield, your opponent may very well have a hand full of cards rendered nearly useless. Kira works solidly to help you control your opponent and protect your battlefield assets. When you see Kira in a draft, you better be prepared to face the dire consequences should you so foolishly pass her to your opponent.