{Staff of Nin}
So last FNM I was running a horrible deck...just cards I found around the house. But in this one game I got a staff of nin out and let me tell you...it is awesome drawing an extra card every turn and being able to kill weenies!!! I hear a lot of hate for this card but seriously...it is awesome. Just try it! At one game I had two staff of nins out and it was so broken and awesome! My opponent was infect so he could never get a creature out. If he got a creature out I would kill it with double staff power, and if he never did then I would just say "end of your turn, 2 to you with staffs" So let's look at the advantages of staff of nin.
- One-sided {Howling Mine} effect. Drawing cards is one of the best things you can do in Magic: the Gathering to help you win the game. And since you will only be casting the staff mid to late game, your opponent will be the one topdecking. Who will you be? The one with options.
- Killing creatures + ping damage to a player. A 1 damage machine is often underestimated. It can kill dorks, or small creatures that have the potential to be huge. It can keep a plainswalker at bay so you don't end up being sentenced to "death by ultimate". It can slowly kill a player just enough so that he or she makes decisions based on protecting him or herself, instead of winning. In a small but effective way.
- Evasive. In a mono black deck (my deck), I asked myself: Why run staff of nin when I can spend one less mana on {Bloodgift Demon}? Answer: The staff is not a creature. Say your opponent boardwipes. Okay. Well if you had the bloodgift demon it would be an even playing field. And your opponent probably would not boardwipe if he or she knew that it would put you at an advantage. But if you had staff of nin out, not only would you prevent your opponent from coming back with small creatures; you would still have a damage source on the table. And also there is the factor of the 1 damage ping against you.
- Colorless. If a deck wants to run this card, color will not be an issue. Nuff said? Nuff said!
...Okay. Now the disadvantages with answers.
- High CMC (converted mana cost). I mean, why drop this when you can drop a titan? Get real.
ANSWER: While a titan can benefit you more, people usually kill titans on priority. They are also subject to board wipes and can be easily dealt with. You will benefit from the ETB (enters-the-battlefield) effect of your titan, and then it will most likely be gone. So you just spent 6 mana to get 2 lands ({Primeval Titan}). Or to get 2 zombies ({Grave Titan}). Or whatever. Don't get me wrong, titans are amazing. But Staff of Nin nets you more advantages and benefits over a longer period of time, and is a better game-changer in many situations.
- HOLY CRAP THAT IS THE ONLY DISADVANTAGE!
Now here's a disclaimer: I am not saying {Staff of Nin} is for every deck. But if your deck has a habit of running past turn 6, I strongly recommend that you try this card out.
So yeah. That's my 2 cents of {Staff of Nin}. I dare you to playtest it.
Comments are welcomed. Also I have no idea why I cannot post in the "Articles" section. D:
My friend Sangkuk loves this card, I love {Surgical Extracting} it!
It costs {6} mana. It deals 1 damage...
Nice article though.
Edit: if {Staff of Nin} dealt -1/-1 counters to creatures or 1 damage to players, it may be tolerable. It'd have more utility, like removing counters from undying, or causing your opponent to start racing with a creature before it dies. As it stands, it's really just not that good of a card for the types of games I play.
Quote from: InfinitiveDivinity on August 04, 2012, 08:39:58 PM
My friend Sangkuk loves this card, I love {Surgical Extracting} it!
That's the beauty of discard! :) T1 {Duress}. if you like what you see (or rather, DON'T like what you see), {Surgical Extraction}! Access DENIED!
Quote from: Dudecore on August 04, 2012, 08:40:02 PM
It costs {6} mana. It deals 1 damage...
Nice article though.
Edit: if {Staff of Nin} dealt -1/-1 counters to creatures or 1 damage to players, it may be tolerable. It'd have more utility, like removing counters from undying, or causing your opponent to start racing with a creature before it dies. As it stands, it's really just not that good of a card for the types of games I play.
Yeah it isn't for everyone. But fantastic for decks that even have a tad bit of control in them.
And thanks! :D
Run it in my Grixis control. Since bolas is my win con, it helps me draw him and keeps midgets off the board!
This card is absolutely great in limited. The six casting cost is a huge disadvantage in most constructed though. Enjoyed the read.
CV I'm glad you had such a good time playing with your staff. :P
Quote from: Harmon74 on August 04, 2012, 10:21:03 PM
CV I'm glad you had such a good time playing with your staff. :P
This.
Hahaha nice one. I am also a supporter of the staff. It is very high mana cost but I agree with Coffee
I just can't shake off the feeling that {Staff of Nin} reminds me so much of {Rod of Ruin}.
Quote from: Harmon74 on August 04, 2012, 10:21:03 PM
CV I'm glad you had such a good time playing with your staff. :P
More like I used my staff to play with my opponent but thank you!
Quote from: Quackmaster5 on August 04, 2012, 10:23:34 PM
Hahaha nice one. I am also a supporter of the staff. It is very high mana cost but I agree with Coffee
yay thank you fellow staff follower!
Quote from: Prophylaxis on August 04, 2012, 10:36:44 PM
I just can't shake off the feeling that {Staff of Nin} reminds me so much of {Rod of Ruin}.
{Staff of Nin} tells me that he is disgusted and does not want to be affiliated with such a horrible card (between you and me staff of nin is his son...but keep it on the DL ;))
I'm gonna be the idiot who builds a mono green elf ramp deck to get this out as quickly as possible and not just one but at least 2-3.
Edit: anyone have any good ideas for cards that can copy artifacts? Most preferably not {phyrexian metamorph} (to costly)
Hey Coffee, I just posted on your Introduce Yourself thread on MTGSalvation. You should check it out.
Solid!
Quote from: Greg54js on August 04, 2012, 11:43:02 PM
I'm gonna be the idiot who builds a mono green elf ramp deck to get this out as quickly as possible and not just one but at least 2-3.
Edit: anyone have any good ideas for cards that can copy artifacts? Most preferably not {phyrexian metamorph} (to costly)
{Sculpting Steel} works. Also try {Mizzium Transreliquat}.
Quote from: KulrathKnight on August 05, 2012, 11:03:14 AM
Quote from: Greg54js on August 04, 2012, 11:43:02 PM
I'm gonna be the idiot who builds a mono green elf ramp deck to get this out as quickly as possible and not just one but at least 2-3.
Edit: anyone have any good ideas for cards that can copy artifacts? Most preferably not {phyrexian metamorph} (to costly)
{Sculpting Steel} works. Also try {Mizzium Transreliquat}.
How about {copy artifact}. lol
That works well too. The only problem is it requires {U}. The ones I mentioned can be put in any deck, including the mono-green elves that were mentioned (Though the Transreliquat wouldn't be as useful as the {Sculpting Steel})