#birthing pod

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Birthing Pod

Artist: Titus Lunter TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[magicjudge]

Welcome back Charlotte. Hope you are doing well. If I had an Iron-Claw Crusher which I had cast for its prototype cost, and I then sacrificed it to birthing pod, would I get to go and get a 5-drop or an 8-drop?

You would go and get a mana value 5 creature from your library. When you cast a card for its prototype cost, that mana cost and P/T stay with it for as long as it's on the stack and battlefield. In the case of Birthing Pod, this means that Pod will see it as 4-MV when you sacrifice it, even though it immediately goes back to having an MV of 7 in the graveyard.

[sylvhem]

From the Vault: Phyrexia

When Wizards of the Coast choose to discontinue the From the Vault series, almost two years ago, many said it was inevitable because the company had finally run out of good themes for those products. I disagree and think that, on the contrary, there is still lot of cool themes that could be used to make new From the Vault. So I decided that, since I was constantly thinking about new ideas for them, I will periodically make posts presenting “custom” From the Vault, that is, lists of fifteen cards tied by a theme that I think would make a good From the Vault product.

And the first entry in this series will be From the Vault: Phyrexia. What a better way to start that with the classic antagonist of the series? Moreover, Phyrexia being around Magic: The Gathering lore since Antiquities, there is a lot of cards and sets to choose from. It’s more a problem of “too many cards” than “too few of them”. Also, this is the perfect occasion to reprint some of those cards with the Phyrexian watermark.

Yawgmoth, Thran Physician

I can’t possibly make a retrospective of Phyrexia without including the man who created it, Yawgmoth. A Thran physician exiled for his interest in eugenics as well as his support to a failed revolution, Yawgmoth traveled across Dominaria, experimenting on various species, often under the pretense of bringing medical help. He later took his revenge on the people who cast him away when, recalled to the Thran Empire to help cure a mysterious disease, he seized the opportunity to transform the sicks into mutants and use them as an army to overthrow the government. With the candid help of the planeswalker Dyfed, he traveled to an artificial plane long abandoned by its creator and immediately started to modify it to suit his needs, creating Phyrexia. Bounding himself to the plane’s core, he then became immortal and inherited god-like powers. Unfortunately for him, Rebbec, the chief architect of the Thran capital of Halcyon, trapped it there, making him and his follower unable to return to Dominaria. He then spent the next millennia perfecting his creations, conquering other planes and plotting to, one day, finally take over his birth plane.

On this card, Yawgmoth is depicted as his young self, before he ascended to godhood and maybe even before his exile. Nonetheless, we can see him wearing a phi-shaped tool to his belt, hinting to the fact he may already have some plans regarding his future creations. Even if it’s technically a card that predates Phyrexia, the facts that he is its creator and that he already started his “Great Work” made it an auto-include here.

Phyrexian Altar

This card, originally printed in Invasion, is a classic of the game. Not as well-know as some other cult cards, it’s still quite popular and is relatively used in Commander. Moreover, its original art have never been used on a modern frame and it would be the perfect occasion for this.

Priest of Yawgmoth

Not as well know, Priest of Yawgmoth is a card that come straight from Antiquities. Not as powerful nor popular as Phyrexian Altar, it’s an interesting card in that it’s a good representation of what the original mechanical take on the Phyrexians was. Also, it could really use a reprint, to have an occasion to see this art in a modern frame, but, more importantly, to have a version of this card with its much simpler Oracle text.

Phyrexian Arena

This card is too much of classic to not be a part of this set. Originally printed in Apocalypse, it has been reprinted numerous times, including in core sets, but still commands a higher price tag due to its popularity in formats like Commander. This would be the perfect occasion to have a version with the Phyrexian watermark.

Phyrexian Tower

Originally printed in Urza’s Saga, this card was then part of the same cycle of legendary lands that gave us Gaea’s Cradle, Serra’s Sanctum and Tolarian Academy. But unlike those three cards, Phyrexian Tower and Shivan Gorge were not put on the Reserved List.

Despite that and the popularity of this land in Commander, it has never been reprinted before Ultimate Master (if we omit its gold-bordered version). We could reprint it with its gorgeous new art, but I think it would be a good opportunity to use its classic illustration, never used in conjunction with the modern frame before.

Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

You can’t make From the Vault: Phyrexia without including at least one of New Phyrexia’s praetors. And none of them is as iconic as Elesh Norn, leader of the Machine Orthodoxy. Moreover, this card have been printed five times but always with the same illustration. A premium print like this one would be a good occasion to give it a new artwork.

Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice

This card may be the most popular commander of all time. Besides, apart from its original printing in Commander 2016, it only has been reprinted once, in Commander Anthology Volume II. None of those printings have a Phyrexian watermark.

Phyrexian Unlife

This card is such a good depiction of what Phyrexia is that it would be sad to not include it in this set.

Phyrexian Obliterator

A really cool and flavorful creature card. It’s probably the most iconic card from New Phyrexia.

Birthing Pod

A staple of the Modern format before its ban, it gave birth to an entire archetype.

Gitaxian Probe

Banned in Legacy, Pauper and Modern, restricted in Vintage, this card used to be a staple in those formats when it was still legal to play it.

Surgical Extraction

This card is one of the most popular card in Legacy and commands a huge price tag because of it.

Dismember

A Modern staple and a useful card all around.

Gut Shot

This list lacked a mono red card and Gut Shot is a popular card in Pauper, played in numerous archetypes.

Phyrexian Scriptures

The Scriptures, Phyrexia’s sacred texts, have been referenced in numerous flavor texts through the years. That’s why it was cool to finally have a card to represent them in Dominaria!

And that’s it! What do you think of that list? Would you have done things differently? Does it convinced you other cool From the Vault could be made?

[m4n71c0r3]

Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday yesterday! I treated myself to a fun little self-indulgent doodle to commemorate turning 24 so here it is, the Birthday Pod!

[wolfthebard]

Do you like big creatures? Do you like doing big dumb things? Do you like playing Gods, Pigs, and smart dragons? Does the name Fblthp make you smile with joy? Then Temur Pod is the deck for you.

One of my builds for Arena Best-of-One. This deck uses the new card Neoform

to go up the food chain. Eventually we get to a 4cmc creature, namely Vannifar

Who then goes and starts the chain all over again. Our one drops consist of Arboreal Grazer, to ramp us to four mana faster., and a pair of Wall of Runes. They’re for scrying our big dudes to the bottom. While we can cast them naturally, sometimes they’re just a dead draw until late game. Moving up we have 

If we get this out with Neoform or Vannifar, we net two cards. Even hard casting early game is great, just because no opponent is wasting targeted removal on them.  We also have another pair of Incubation Druid. Light ramp, and a late game mana sink. For three and four drops we have Exclusion Mage, Mirror Image. The mages are great tempo cards, and the Mirror Image is great copy of anything that might be pacified. As for four drops, a pair of Vannifar as well as Neheb, dreadhorde champion and a Spark Double. Neheb can be another Spark Double, I left it in for the big body, as well as the effect. Sometimes just wheeling our hand is great.  Spark Double is a legit third copy of Vannifar, and allows us to have two of her out on the board. For five drops we have one Demanding Dragon, and one God-Eternal Rhonas. 

This is just a game ending card. Also, we’ll always have a five drop in the deck. The Dragon is also some endgame content, but more or less replaceable for either another Rhonas, or any five drop you like. We curve out at eight mana, for the meat! 

A single copy, which is all we need. I wish it gained haste, but Vigilance and Trample are important too. But how do we get from five to eight? Well with our six and seven drops. Dream Eater, a great Tempo card, and let’s us filter our deck is a great little play. Even hard casting this during our opponents turn can cause some sweet plays. Namely, just setting back their attackers. We also have a Niv- Mizzet, Parun. We can hard cast him, and I’ve done so. We have some draw, and it’s great against token decks. The Ravager Wurm is one of our removal pieces, and boy does that help. Lastly for our seven drops, a pair of Pelakka Wurms, and a Nezahal. Wurms are there for the aggressive decks, and Nezahal for the control/ mid-range decks.  Ith Niv and Nezahal out, we can sometimes draw two + cards a turn and start chipping away at our opponents life.  Our last cards are a pair of Chemister’s Insight. We really need to draw our Neoform’s and Vannifar’s, if not we are a really slow deck. Also with Niv on board, it’s a four mana kill spell. This deck is some janky fun. We really don’t need a playset for many of our creatures, and the few we do are cheap on the wallet. Neoform can be built in many different ways, and if Arena allowed dusting, I’d change a few things. (Add a second Rhonas, for sure). In best of one, we struggle hard against hyper aggressive decks, like Phoenix Red, and against some of the more draw-go control decks. We shine when we get paired with a mid-range deck. Mostly because copying a creature and getting to a seven drop with a full board by turn six can just straight up win. If you guys have any questions, or suggestions for the deck or a deck you’d like to see me talk about. You can always hit me up. -Wolf

[jesse-of-jund]

Can I get a motherfuccin uhhh....

B I R T H I N G

P O D

[maskedheromaskedchampion]

Prime Speaker Pod

Commander Birthing Pod, reporting for duty!

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Birthing Pod

Artist: Titus Lunter TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link