Scry-like effects for modern controll
Modern forum
Posted on Dec. 6, 2016, 4:10 p.m. by Xica
People traditionally all play full play sets of Serum Visions.
However there are at least two alternatives that are never played but have their benefits, that would make it worth to play a number, if not a full play set of them.
Mystic Speculation - can be recurred late game to make some use of the leftover mana
Sage of Epityr provides a body, and in a good all around deck ordering 4 cards can be as good as scry 2 (?)
What do you think about the cards mentioned above?
I get that for tempo (especially prowess) decks the cantrip effect is the most important.
For me it seems that an early chump blocker would make stabilizing the game much easier, when it comes to control decks.
And being able to dig around the top 3 cards in your library every turn, worth more than a cantrip in the late game.
Would you please elaborate beyond the declarative "its not playable because someone said so/few people play it"?
I would be interested in seeing the reason why its completely unplayable, instead of looking for an excuse to dismiss the card as useless because it doesn't fit in some decks.
December 6, 2016 4:55 p.m.
Infinimage007 says... #4
I understand that is good to be able to look at and order the top few cards of your library, but having access to immediate draw power is usually better for the kind of deck that wants to play a scry spell. Blue-based control in Modern wants its hand full, therefore drawing is important. Prowess decks also want a full hand because it wants to have options. The thing about the two cards you mentioned is that there is something that does what it wants to do better. Serum Visions is so popular because it both cantrips and scries. Mystic Speculation only scries, and yes the buyback is nice, but only late in the game. Control has a hard enough time in Modern, and adding a card that does well late but has little to no impact otherwise is risky. Sage of Epityr does not even scry: it just orders the top cards of your library. And the 1/1 body is fairly irrelevant with aggro decks that play 3/3s for 1. That's why those cards don't see play.
December 6, 2016 5:02 p.m.
Most of the blue-based control decks in Modern are looking to 1-for-1 their opponents, until they can cast something like Electrolyze, Kolaghan's Command, or Supreme Verdict to gain additional card advantage.
The problem with just scrying is that you don't replace the card in your hand. So your Electrolyze that would normally 2-for-0 an Affinity player is now only a 2-for-1. You only have so many resources available to you before the Affinity deck turns all of its creatures sideways and kills you.
Worse, you want to be able to use your fetchlands effectively. Sometimes, it's correct to just sit on them until you need to actually fetch for a specific land. Because a lot of the scry effects are sorceries, you have to fetch before you use them. Otherwise, you scry and then shuffle those cards away. It's absolutely terrible to cast Mystic Speculation, have your opponent cast something like Collected Company, then fetch for a land so you can Mana Leak it. You basically just discarded Mystic Speculation, or tapped for no reason.
December 6, 2016 7:09 p.m.
Sage of Epityr does not remove any unwanted cards from the top and has minimal effect on board state. Only useful turns one or two and only if the cards it sees help.
Mystic Speculation could thin up to 3 cards from the top of the deck and helps to optimize card selection. No impact this turn. Best late game, casting early game can feel less than optimal.
Serum Visions takes a card, potentially thins or optimizes next turn's card selection and you have an extra card in hand with which to potentially impact board state. Good to cast every turn.
December 6, 2016 10:17 p.m.
I decided to go for Mystic Speculation, over everything else.
Early game Serum Visions is somewhat better, but mid to late game Mystic Speculation wins hands down.
And it will not draw accidentally into Platinum Angel
Infinimage007 says... #2
Mystic Speculation doesn't allow you to draw a card, which is the main purpose of Serum Visions.
Sage of Epityr is a worse Index, which is also not playable in Modern.
December 6, 2016 4:13 p.m.