Khans of Tarkir (Speculations and Spoilers)

[Mattao19]

Personally see it as the 1-2 of in a couple different decks in standard.  In modern, splinter twin, tokens, and... Soul sisters?  Edh most definately.

Lol why does twin need it? In case damage isn't enough??

And why would those other decks want to waste 2-4 slots for a potentially useless card ... Especially in modern where a players GY is that players hand ...

[lotrwk]

Personally see it as the 1-2 of in a couple different decks in standard.  In modern, splinter twin, tokens, and... Soul sisters?  Edh most definately.

Which standard decks? And for modern, twin already has infinite damage, why need mill? Tokens has lots of big/bigs with vigilance, why need mill? Soul sisters is bad.

[Dudecore]

Isn't {Blasting Station} just better then that mill thing anyway? It enables it's own infinite combo...

Also, milling 3 by turn 6 isn't all that impressive. {Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver} can do that.

[Spikepit]

Touché

[InfinitiveDivinity]

I'm just excited about it for EDH. I don't think it's very good in constructed.

[Dudecore]

But who is going to want to top deck it? You're already behind. The more turns that go by the worse it gets. It basically has to be in your opening hand to do anything, and completely bricks forever after that. We've had more powerful cards in standard, and things like {Codex Shredder} that can be in multiples, no one plays them.

I like that it hurts all opponents, but if you're generating infinite creatures, there is {Phyrexian Altar}, {Blasting Station} and {Ashnod's Altar} all enable the Melira + Persist loop.

[LinkCelestrial]

{Altar of the Brood} is alt win condition for {Midnight Guard} + {Retraction Helix} deck. It also works with {Astral Cornicopia} so it's more flexible. And two colour and less mana intensive. I'm pretty sold.

[Mattao19]

What about the delve decks? Like you make some good points for standard. I can see it see play (Hell it's in my Standard Brew!) but don't say it's a modern worthy card ... Pod wins through infinite damage or infinite life gain it doesn't need infinite mill too that's a win more effect

[Mattao19]

So...that deck seems fun, but what does it do against an opponent w/ any instant speed removal?  Don't you have to be able to stick {Ornithopter}? Am I missing something? I don't know what else is in the deck other than {Midnight Guard} + {Retraction Helix} + {Ornithopter}.

While I think the card is good because of its ease of use, it still looks like it has to be built around to actually win with it. I don't generally play enough permanents throughout a game to win with {Altar of the Brood} I don't think. Seems almost like {Duskmantle Guildmage} + {Mindcrank} is actually easier to pull off, but I could be totally wrong.

The deck is just janky goodness if we lose meh oh well if we win AWESOME lol!its a deck made just for Johnnies. It dies to almost any removal but can win T2 look at the post called Team Janky Johnny in Chat

[LinkCelestrial]

So...that deck seems fun, but what does it do against an opponent w/ any instant speed removal?  Don't you have to be able to stick {Ornithopter}? Am I missing something? I don't know what else is in the deck other than {Midnight Guard} + {Retraction Helix} + {Ornithopter}.

While I think the card is good because of its ease of use, it still looks like it has to be built around to actually win with it. I don't generally play enough permanents throughout a game to win with {Altar of the Brood} I don't think. Seems almost like {Duskmantle Guildmage} + {Mindcrank} is actually easier to pull off, but I could be totally wrong.

{Astral Cornicopia} can also be cast for X = {0}. I haven't personally made a deck for it yet but I'm thinking U/W/R. Something like,

4 {Ornithopter}
4 {Midnight Guard}
~2 {Purphoros, God of the Forge}

4 {Retraction Helix}
4 {Astral Cornicopia}
4 {Altar of the Brood}
~2 {Jeskia Ascendancy} (I think that's what it's called...it goes infinite too)

Make the rest of the cards counters and removal to protect the combo and maybe {Ensoul Artifact} for another win condition.

[Dudecore]

It just seems like a card that is part of an magical Christmas land, 8-card god hand combo where all the pieces are blank cards until they're assembled.

Standard has had better mill, and no one played it. It also had better and easier infinite combos, no one played it.

Some mill is better then no mill at all, unless that mill meant putting a card in your deck that doesn't do anything unless it comes down turn 1 and never gets answered. Even then, it puts your opponent on a 20 turn clock? 10 turns? It doesn't race any creatures. It certainly not a removal spell, counter spell, pump spell or anything of that nature.

It's a cool card, I don't see the fuss. There are better cards to be excited about, certainly more with other format implications too. I am not a Johnny, but I see everyone clamoring to build around this when {Jace, Memory Adept} has been standard for over 4 years and {Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver} is still standard. Altar is going to be bulk if it isn't already.

[Dudecore]

because cmc = 1 colorless

It is all relative. It doesn't make it better if CMC = 0. The effect isn't that good. It never gets better. I would pay more for a card that could win the game any turn outside of turn 1, on the play, against a deck with absolutely no way of winning.

[LinkCelestrial]

I have no intentions of throwing {Altar of the Brood} in anything but Johnny and mill decks. It's not good in a deck that won't abuse it IMO. But it's still abusable.

[Destore117]

Altar will also be fun just to mess around with in multiplayer. Doesn't need to be competitive to be fun.

[Falcon182]

Probably mentioned already but dig through time looks nuts.