Anguished Unmaking: The Return of Modern Control?
Modern forum
Posted on March 14, 2016, 1:11 p.m. by Sceadugenga
What do you guys think? Getting access to Vindicate seems like it puts a LOT of power back into an Esper shell. Abzan also gets a significant boost in removal options. OK, I'll Abrupt Decay every permanent you have CMC 3 or less. Try to dodge me? I'll Anguished Unmaking it. Seems like this card in a BG/x deck also pushes counterspells into solid playability....BUT. Is cmc 3 too high for a Modern removal spell?
It's not really, but it does have to compete with Path to Exile, Slaughter Pact, and other efficient removal. Maybe an Abzan control list could emerge with a card like Elspeth, Sun's Champion as the finisher, but I think the regular Abzan midrange list is the best direction to go. That or the combo route with Collected Company and Chord of Calling.
March 14, 2016 1:15 p.m.
Better than Maelstrom Pulse in Abzan decks. I will glady play 1-2. It's a worse vindicate, but when we have a modern comparable vindicate, well that's something.
March 14, 2016 1:23 p.m.
Sceadugenga says... #5
Personally, I think the card enables Esper Control to exist. The shell lacked the bgx access to Abrupt Decay, but now has a viable option.
March 14, 2016 1:35 p.m.
DrFunk27, I disagree, I think MaelPulse is still better, and would play it over this in a Junk Midrange shell.
March 14, 2016 1:41 p.m.
vault I can see why people will disagree, but I believe it will be played. It's a card where it's effect is powerful enough to overlook the 3 points of damage.
March 14, 2016 1:42 p.m.
TheAnnihilator says... #8
I've been playing Esper Draw-Go for months, and this card is certianly a welcome addition.
March 14, 2016 1:48 p.m.
SwaggyMcSwagglepants says... #10
Guys, we are Mar-doing it!!! Yaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!!!!!!!1111
On a more serious note, Mardu now has their facsimile abrupt decay. This will definitely see play in mardu lists all over.
March 14, 2016 6:44 p.m.
CanadianShinobi says... #11
Modern control lacks proper, effective counterspells. This card will do little to nothing for Control lists. Furthermore, the bolt to the face is rather unforgiving and I'd be hesitant to play it, if for that reason alone.
March 14, 2016 8:05 p.m.
Sceadugenga says... #12
CanadianShinobi that's true if and only if by control you confine yourself to a draw-go design. Draw go isn't an archetype, its a flavor. I stand by the argument that BG/x decks are control decks in Modern, and should be treated as such. As has been mentioned, Anguished Unmaking gives base BW instead of base BG access to an Abrupt Decay facsimile--not quite an equivalent since it isn't uncounterable, but nonetheless of proper power for its cost-- that can, and likely will, enable new control deck builds. Esper gets additional flexible options, and can protect its own vindicate with a spell snare, and Mardu has plenty of life gain options so as to not really care about the selfbolt unless the pilot is already at 6 or less life.
March 14, 2016 8:12 p.m.
I am absolutely playing 2-3 in Mardu. Between Lightning Helix and Vault of the Archangels, I'm ok with taking 3 life to kill a must answer threat, specifically Liliana's and such. It's more of a catch all for everything Path to Exile can't hit.
March 14, 2016 8:26 p.m.
I'm actually a big fan of this card. Esper's main weakness is lack of playable instant speed removal, since path is the only unconditional removal spell in the colors. Esper really wants to hold up mana during the opponents turn. The other issue is lack of answers to noncreatures, which this helps a lot as well. This card certainly doesn't bring esper to tier one, but it's a start. Thing in the ice is also a card is be looking at for that deck. Glad to see wizards is doing some things to make modern better in the midst of twin, eldrazi winter, etc.
March 14, 2016 8:30 p.m.
Sceadugenga says... #15
And the set isn't even a full fifth spoiled yet. There is room for acknowledging the possibility that the next few blocks could solve the issue of a lack of blue based control in Modern.
March 14, 2016 8:46 p.m.
Just reprint Counterspell in Modern and call it a day. lmao
March 14, 2016 8:54 p.m.
CanadianShinobi says... #17
Except that hoping Wizards will fix Modern's lack of Control is like hoping it will rain icecream. Wizards has increasingly demonstrated that they care about creature based play and things that interact with creatures.
March 14, 2016 9:18 p.m.
CanadianShinobi But....but....counterspells interact great with creatures. It's like your killing them before they are alive. OMG, it's almost like abortion. You're aborting creatures with your counterspell. o.O Ok, that's an extreme example, but damn it, I want Counterspell in Modern!
March 14, 2016 9:21 p.m.
CanadianShinobi says... #19
DrFunk27 that's going on the Wall o Quotes. But, I should be clearer. Wizards wants creatures and spells to interact once in play. The Stack has become something heretical.
March 14, 2016 9:29 p.m.
CanadianShinobi Haha, well it's almost true. I agree though, we haven't seen a truly good counterspell in years. I'm not talking about negate, dispel, etc. because those are strong, but aren't a catch-all. The last truly good counter-spells created are Remand and Cryptic Command. Even counters like Dissolve and Dissipate are just too much. Maybe Wizards just doesn't want a 2 cmc counterspell in modern. Idk, but I'd even take Daze in modern. I guess we have spell pierce but idk.
March 14, 2016 9:46 p.m.
Sceadugenga says... #21
My personal thought has always been a reverse Disdainful Stroke. Counter target spell CMC 3 or less. It's still a restriction, but would largely be a Modern Counterspell.
March 15, 2016 3:13 a.m.
JaceArveduin says... #22
I'm no genius, but can't we make an Esper Dragons list for Modern that isn't too shabby? You even have access to Wall of Omens 5-8, if they're needed. Would probably run one or two Unmakings, maybe play a pair of Ojutai's Command to balance out the life loss.
March 31, 2016 2:46 a.m.
Gepetto I sincerely hope you're joking. Your post is the most self-righteous thing I have seen on the Internet, no joke. Our lack of faith as magic players in this specific card has to do with the fact that there are many cards very similar to it that aren't seeing play. It's not that much better than Utter End. I can't see a 3 mana removal spell that costs you life being played in a format where everything costs 1 or 2 mana. Why would you play this over dismember, which trades off the ability to kill 6+ toughness creatures for a much more flexible cost. I'd rather pay 1 mana and 4 life for a spell that kills every modern creature than 3 mana and 3 life for a card that kills every nonland permanent in modern. I think the 3 life is definitely not trivial and any deck that would want to play this card would rather play something like Detention Sphere. We'll have to see whether or not the life loss is too much for a deck like esper or mardu, but this card is certainly worse than dismember in all aggressive decks and I don't see or being good outside esper draw-go.
March 31, 2016 9:05 a.m.
I didn't mention Tokens directly, but dismember is so much better than anguished unmaking in tokens. I don't know if you understand, but dismember has a fairly similar effect (very few 6+ toughness creatures in modern) for a deck like BW tokens. There aren't really playable nonland permanents that hurt that deck enough to warrant it over dismember. The important thing to remember is that you are losing very little in order to get a spell that costs 3 times less. Dismember at 1 mana is the same as unmaking at 3 in a lot of scenarios, and is almost as good at 2 or 3 mana as well. As for your argument about path vs dismember, I completely agree and don't think I ever said anything to oppose it. In fact, it's kind of backing my argument more than yours. If you've already got path and dismember, why also play this. I also agree with what you're saying about mardu and esper, but again, you're furthering my argument. I'm saying that the card will not see significant play, which means it won't see that much play outside of small decks like esper and mardu. Esper has a big problem in that it has trouble dealing with resolved permanents. This could fix that problem for the deck. I do think this is a good card and will see some play, as a one or two of in junk, some in mardu or esper, maybe 1-2 in the main/side of tokens. I think that no one would argue, though, that that is a significant part of the metagame. Also, I don't really know what you're saying about tokens with regards to how fast the deck is. If you're saying that the life loss doesn't matter, you should play the 1 mana dismember over it.
March 31, 2016 10:26 p.m.
What non-creature, non-land permanents does 
Tokens care about?
Artifacts/Enchantments? - Sundering Growth = your answer + an extra creature.
Planeswalkers? - Just attack it and kill it.
Something that recurs itself? (Though I can't think of any you'd be worried about) - Rest in Peace does a far better job.
Vindicate is good... because it can hit land. - This does not.
The 3 life is negligible, but it's not non-existent.
This card's only up-side is the Exile. It's a very mild up-side.
TL;DR - This really does not compare to Vindicate, or other Modern removal options.
April 1, 2016 11:19 a.m.
Ravenous this is exactly what I'm trying to say. Anguished unmaking is flexible, but it's more flexible than a deck like tokens needs and it isn't powerful enough to be just a good removal spell. What are the noncreature, nonland permanents that are actually played that tokens care about and are played maindeck? The only cards I can think of are cranial plating (which you can chump forever anyway), leyline (which is probably not important anymore by turn 3), and planeswalkers (which tokens can just kill). Dismember is so much better at killing creatures that anguished unmaking' fairly negligible upside isn't worth it.
April 1, 2016 11:39 a.m.
Sorry meant Rayenous. Ravenous has 0 decks, suggestions, or comments and his last activity was the same day he joined.
April 1, 2016 11:41 a.m.
I agree that there won't be any resurgence of modern control. And again, I'm not advocating for you to play dismember, but I'm just saying that I think that card is better than unmaking anyway. Your local meta might dictate that you run it, but once lantern control dies down, there aren't really any decks besides tron that you'd any this card more for. Sideboard options are just so much better. I understand that the card can also hit creatures, but few decks play the hate of ghostly prison/bridge and creatures you want to hit anyway. Look, I definitely don't think it's a bad card, but it doesn't nearly compare to something like vindicate. It doesn't seem that much better than oblivion ring, which has never been a viable option. I do think it could be okay in tokens, but I don't think it will make the deck suddenly very viable. Since discard is such a big deal in your deck, you only need to use this to kill topdecked ugin or karn. Are you seriously saying Liliana of the veil is a problematic card for tokens to deal with? If that is the case, I cannot see how the deck is any good at all. You named cards from 1 deck that are good against you. Is maindecking this card worth how poor it is against a much more popular deck in burn? Or how about against infect? Or affinity? I don't know any decks that play ghostly prison, but that might be a meta call. Does blood moon really destroy tokens? If so, I can see merit to playing this card, although again, that's not really a maindeck card. If you want, you can play it in tokens, but I think there are better options for the job.
GoldGhost012 says... #2
It's not the 3 CMC. It's the part where you're Lightning Bolting yourself to play the card that makes it a point of contention.
March 14, 2016 1:15 p.m.