The Leyline Phantom is big and helps trigger Evolve, but in effect just locks up our mana for the rest of the game.

Metropolis Sprite is the correct choice. It comes down fast and hard, and if we can cheat counters onto it, its ability gets ridiculous.

as much as we may want the Leyline Phantom to trigger evolve, he is just so darn slow at it. and we have Metropolis Sprite on the polar opposite being a fast evasive threat. I am a huge fan of the spite. get any amount of counters on her is you need to deal with her or lose. the two toughness still evolves our Shambleshark.

My vote is for Metropolis Sprite

flying is sweet... even on a 1/2 and occasional 2/1. Metropolis Sprite gets my vote. although i do like the possibility of multiple evolve triggers off Leyline Phantom

Metropolis Sprite

Leyline Phantom, our 2-slot is getting a bit heavy, I would rather pick solid two drops than settle with some mediocres.

hmmm the Metropolis Sprite vs the Leyline Phantom . . .

well our mana curve is already pretty low, so it isnt like we need a ton of help there, and a 5/5 is a pretty good beat stick

Vote: Leyline Phantom

GTC limited is a pretty fast format. It's really beneficial to have a bunch of efficient low-cost creatures and win before your opponent get to their bombs.

Overall, the strongest cards are in the lower CMC slots, except for perhaps the Primordials, which often don't hit the field before the game ends.

Also it is unlikely that both (or either) Syndic of Tithes and Daring Skyjek will make it into the final build. We still have plenty of room for small efficient dudes.

I could be persuaded, I really haven't seen either Metropolis Sprite or Leyline Phantom in action.

We are really clogged at 2 drops. And we didn't take Nimbus Swimmer last pick. So even though it's not that great, at least the Leyline Phantom has synergy with our deck.

Don't forget that Leyline Phantom has almost zero synergy with our Frontline Medic splash bombs. Medic is made to help smaller creatures wreck the board state. Play to our deck's strength. The bigger card isn't always better.

Any other circumstance it would be Metropolis Sprite in a heartbeat. But you've got 3 Shamblesharks. The synergy with that and Leyline Phantom is just too good to pass up.

I'm most convinced by landgrafb's first argument, Leyline Phantom would most likely tie up all our mana.

My vote is going for: Metropolis Sprite

Leyline Phantom

It's what's for dinner.

Slam dat Phantom. While GTC limited is very fast (landgrafb), T5 is not all that late, and we have creatures that are efficient and fast enough to profitably block in the early game. We know our pilot is fine with/prefers longer games, and aggressive trades produce exactly that in this format. Leyline Phantom gives us inevitability for the mid-to-late game, which is very good with a bunch of 2-drop evolvers.

We have a good amount of 2-drops. I'd go for the Leyline Phantom.

Metropolis Sprite. It doesn't matter that we have a lot of 2-drops already; Leyline Phantom isn't good. It's too slow and it ties up your mana for the rest of the game.

Leyline Phantom gets my nod.

I'm not worried about tying up the late game mana. Worst case we just stop casting the sucker and move onto another tactic. By then our evolving mod squad should be pretty happily boosted.

any good simic deck needs a Leyline Phantom or two. Our curve is low enough so that by the time we get it out it will eat everything they play and evolve all our shamble sharks plenty. Plus, it is a half-good finisher (literally) once we have the advantage in creatures.

Leyline Phantom. It trades with most creatures, and beats a lot too.

Tough, Leyline Phantom is a total beater, plus it NEVER DIES. as it triggers before it is destroyed in combat. on the other hand, Metropolis Sprite is pretty silly with Simic Charmfor around the same mana...

No, Leyline Phantom only bounces if it survives combat. It's on the card.

Metropolis Sprite, move along.

We should probably take the Metropolis Sprite.

I feel like Metropolis Sprite is the better choice here but only barely.

Leyline Phantom

Leyline Phantom. Tying up late game mana isn't really an issue and it's essentially tailor-made to help evolve out. Sprite is good, but we're pretty congested at our 2-drop spot, and I want creatures with bigger power/toughness to help ensure we trigger evolve. Since we're in on evolve we need to plan for that strategy, and that means making sure we get big guys as well as early ones.

Leyline Phantom is my pick, for the evolve triggers, but I'm happy to take the sprite as well.

look at the next back, there is a Crowned Ceratok, Mindeye Drake, Assault Griffin, Crocanura, hell even another Shambleshark. all of which would be nice if they wheel. Metropolis Sprite is the better pick here. we can work on the high end of the curve with the next pick and next pack. five mana every two turns or so to slowly evolve our dudes is not worth losing an early threat with evasion that if we manage to protect (2 Simic Charms anyone?) can take half the other players life by the time Leyline Phantom comes out

pack*

TheBearShaker nailed it. Our deck is currently fast and efficient and Leyline Phantom is the opposite of that. Remember that the Phantom can only really do anything every other turn, and that's only if we DON'T use it to block.

It's a card that can block every turn for 5 mana per turn, or it's a creature that can't block and can only swing once every two turns. It's not a good card. I also just realized that it doesn't even have Flying. When it swings it will just get chumped.

Metropolis Sprite, on the other hand, Evolves our Shambleshark and swings for at least 2 in the air every turn. We already have good Evolve enablers. Not every card in our deck needs to evolve every other card.

5 mana is way too much for a theoretical Titania's Boon every other turn. Metropolis Sprite is an easy pick.

My vote is for the Metropolis Sprite. Don't really have more to say on the reasons why than what has already been said.

i'm gonna go with Leyline Phantom here, but I won't be too sad if Metropolis Sprite gets picked

Switching my vote to Metropolis Sprite, after some thought. I keep getting hung up on what I would want to pick in a purely Simic evolve deck, where I quite like Leyline Phantom (the sprite is also decent, but in a different capacity).

In the deck we're building, however, I do agree that Metropolis Sprite is perhaps better suited. I like how the sprite works with Frontline Medic, for example.

tough call. Vote: Metropolis Sprite.

The other guy is specific to simic. We're more likely to see him again. Little flyers are solid in draft, and we have few.

Wow, Vic breaks the tie. Metropolis Sprite it is.

Metropolis Sprite resurgence!

Actually, that's a terrific point, vic. No one else really even wants the Phantom; we'll probably have another chance at him. I'm glad we ended up with the Sprite after all.

Vic's point is the only one that really makes any connection in favor of the Metropolis Sprite . . .

Remember 13 of our 21 cards are two drops . . . thats not always awesome, and the Gyre Sage synergizes very well with the Leyline Phantom

The clogged two-drop spot is the main reason I voted for the Phantom. I think Vic's point outweighs that, though, since it's likely we'll be able to pick up a late Phantom for that slot later, minimizing the opportunity cost.