Spike Breeder

Magic theory for MTG's best creature type

[badmtgcombos]

[nissarevane]

Reblog if you’re not afraid to have a picture of Jesus on your blog

[spikebreeder]

Has magic gotten boring? Depressed? Do your decks not sparkle like they used to? Does the encroaching power creep and increasing complexity of the game concern you? Then maybe you need to sit back, relax, and play some Tempest cards like magic was supposed to be played! 

https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/abzan-spikes-edh-primer/?cb=1586638413

[spikebreeder]

I know there’s a question on everyone’s mind since I started this blog, the question of whether or not Salt Road Quartermasters  can be considered a Spike

And objectively, yes, Salt Road quartermasters is a spike. Unfortunately, though, not a very good one. Although it follows the common spike rule of +1 counters = CMC - 1, the movement ability costing three mana hinders Quartermasters where it could really shine. 

At 3 mana per, it’s almost pointless to activate Quartermasters without Heartstone or Training Grounds in play. 

Not only that, but the lack of a secondary option cripples the card where it could support having an overcosted ability. Despite being one of the only three spikes available in Modern currently, it’s hard to justify saving the slots for it. Unfortunately, a deck would be better off including more tutors for Spike Feeder.

[spikebreeder]

Let’s be honest here, when someone sees your Spike Feeder, they’re going to try to remove it out of jealousy. When it comes down to that, we have to be prepared to defend ourselves.

Persist effects like these are our best option to defend against destroy effects. You could say ‘What about Heroic Intervention?’ but besides being ungodly overpriced, Heroic Intervention doesn’t net us value like persist does. 

Using persist lets us capitalize on Spike Feeder’s unique ability of being able to kill itself. Unlike Intervention, persist allows us to kill our own Feeder for life gain, fizzling our opponent’s spell and bringing it back to the field. Also, entering with counters eliminates persist’s clause, allowing us to abuse the effect as much as possible. 

Don’t resist, simply persist! 

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As we all know, spikes can fit into most decks. But what deck do they fit in best? There are several commanders that give our spiky boys the best treatment. 

Today we’ll focus on Ramos, Dragon Engine , a rather open-ended commander that lets us flex how we want. At five color, ramos lets us include all the +1/+1 counter staples, while allowing us to include some of the flashier options, like Training Grounds  to increase our spike exchange rate. 

However, the real focus using Ramos is that ability. Five counters for ten mana. At the going spike exchange rate of 2 mana per counter, Ramos himself nets us a break-even point. This way, any value generation we throw into the mix nets us pure value as, once a turn, we don’t have to worry about wasting mana to chase those gains.

Five counters can be a lot, especially without any value effects, so it’s important to monitor the situation of your spikes and not overexert them just to chase a synergy. Ideally, we want to activate ramos for as little as 3 mana, and no more than 8. 

At 6 mana, Ramos is a bit of a spendy commander, at it’s best to manage your profit the turn he comes down. If you can get the mana to activate Ramos four times a round, this value can be tough to slow down. Behind that cold metal exterior, there is a home for spikes.

[spikebreeder]

As we all know, when you’re running spikes there’s two things you always run: Heartstone and Hardened Scales

Of course we all know that’s just the basics, and there’s many more options to fit your deck. However, at the most basic level, it’s these two effects that are going to make our spikes worth it. 

After all, spike theory lies in the idea of efficient value generation, so don’t be afraid to change some things around to fix your engine. 

[spikebreeder]

When you think of spikes, you probably think of two cards: Spike Feeder and the lesser known Spike Weaver that used to be played in legacy. 

But there’s eleven. Yes, Eleven. Eleven criminally underplayed Spikes. Eleven completely playable spikes. 

Until WOTC listens to the masses and reintroduces spikes to the game, I’ll be cracking each and every way to include spikes in your daily life.