Necropotence vs Yawgmoth’s Bargain
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on March 21, 2022, 2:34 a.m. by EnbyGolem
I was curious to see the community’s opinion on two powerful black draw enchantments: Necropotence and Yawgmoth's Bargain.
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Which do you think would be better in casual EDH?
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Which would be better in cEDH?
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Do you think that the difference between them is great enough to demand Bargain’s ban?
I find it fascinating that only one of these is legal while the other is not.
I agree here that the effect of bargain is much stronger because you get the cards right away, but that being said, 6 mana is really high for a cEDH deck. You can only have a few big spells in any deck that's using Ad Nauseam which is one of the most common wincons in C.
But I'm no expert : ) I like to watch cEDH, and don't really play it. That being said, it's rare to see either of these at cEDH, really. They might both fall into the category of, absolutely nuts in casual, but not quite competitive. Because most cEDH decks like drawing cards, but they really only need to draw one card to win, so Demonic Tutor and the like will be stronger than just drawing a bunch.
March 21, 2022 7:57 a.m.
And I just realized that Yawgmoth's Bargain is on the banlist. Sorry! This is what I get for trying to think magic first thing in the morning. Now it definitely makes sense why I don't see it so much in gameplay : )
March 21, 2022 8 a.m.
I did think it was interesting, looking at other high powered formats, how these two break down. For example, in Vintage, Necropotence is the one that is restricted while Yawgmoth’s Bargain is fully legal. Likewise, Canadian Highlander runs both fine, neither showing up on their points list.
While obviously these formats are all very different to EDH, it does make me wonder if Bargain’s power is really that much higher than other busted cards already in the game. Especially at 6 MV, it seems like there are already cheaper/specific top-tier options in the game for the most competitive builds. I guess maybe it would be busted in more casual decks where games tend to last longer? I could see how responding to Bargain’s removal by drawing X amount of cards could be potentially too good for the average game...
March 21, 2022 7:33 p.m.
Grubbernaut says... #6
cEDH here. Necro is great and bargain is literally unplayable, in competitive. Being able to dark rit into necro, dump 20+ life into cards, and then untap into a likely win. Yes, you're waiting until the end of your turn, but it's coming down earlier because it's half the Mana cost.
March 21, 2022 9:47 p.m.
Grubbernaut says... #7
While different, of course, Peer into the Abyss is just much better than Bargain.
March 22, 2022 11:16 a.m.
Peoyogon I agree that it isn't all that more powerful than lots of other degenerate cards that are legal. I suspect part of the reason it is banned is bc it is on the reserve list and is an insanely powerful piece that most decks in black would want. Since they can't reprint its supply is limited, and its sort of a haves and have nots thing. The Rules Committee seems to be fine with this dynamic if its not a game-winning card, but they don't like it if there are inaccessible cards that you feel like an optimal deck must run which would also be good in almost any deck in that color. Hence Gaea's Cradle is legal because it is only good in creature-based decks and is not necessarily a must-have for a green deck, but Yawgmoth's Bargain is illegal under this logic because there is no reason not to run it in any black deck, and its supply is limited. I'm not necessarily agreeing with all of this reasoning, but I've noticed that is how they tend to think.
March 22, 2022 11:24 p.m.
Grubbernaut see, that’s what I was assuming. I don’t play cEDH personally but I see quite a lot of content around it. Bargain just seems way too slow (and out gunned) for that high level of play.
For sure, Guerric - I hadn’t considered the reserve list’s potential impact on the RC’s decision. I don’t like that criteria personally but it does seem like an aspect that they would certainly take into consideration.
Thank you all for sharing your thoughts and perspective!
Gidgetimer says... #2
Yawgmoth's Bargain is insanely more powerful. Not having to wait to get the card in hand provides three strong benefits. It allows you to pay exactly as much life as you need to draw your win. Instant draw enables going off the turn you play it outside of instants and flash. Finally not having to wait allows you to dig for answers for an opponent's plays if you don't just win the turn it is played. The MV is higher, but not being triple pipped makes it much easier to cast in multi-color decks. Necro is strong, Bargain is busted.
March 21, 2022 3:10 a.m.