Vortex Elemental
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on Jan. 28, 2014, 6:53 p.m. by MaliciousMac
It's interesting. Half of me says it's bad and won't see standard play, and the other half of me says it's a hidden gem that will be in the one-drop spot of a first place Mono Blue Devotion deck.
When comparing it to Judge's Familiar , it's actually a little similar. The Familiar potentially holds your opponent off of instants and sorceries. The Elemental holds your opponent off from attacking you. Buuuut, the Familiar flies.
Not to mention it's an Elemental, which can possibly make a difference with Master of Waves .
What are you guys' thoughts on this?
Noble Quarry , Armed / Dangerous , Ramp, Triton Tactics , and Vortex Elemental seems interdashing in standard, but it itself is iffy for mud, I like raptor and the familiar better
January 28, 2014 7:21 p.m.
Blizzicane says... #4
I am also on the fence about that card but it definitely has potential.
January 28, 2014 7:24 p.m.
It's a removal without casting (no counter)
It's removal without going to the grave (no reanimator, and no Indestructible)
It's removal without bouncing (no immediate recast)
It's removal without exile (...okay... not sure why that may be useful)
It's removal without targeting (gets around hexproof)
It removes before combat damage (no Trample, no Doublestrike, no Firststrike, no "when this creature deal damage" triggers)
It can be killed... but do they waste removal on a 1CMC 0/1 that will remove itself? (also, you can shuffle it back into your library in response to removal)
It can be avoided (flying, unblockable, etc.).... but eventually you will have mana to force them to block.
Little effect if drawn late game... but you can force them to block it, allowing your bigger things through.
Summary - Can't be relied on as consistent removal... but makes a great sideboard for certain types of creatures. Also possible combos to be found. (Not likely though... "shuffling into your library" is usually hard to combo with)
January 28, 2014 7:52 p.m.
When it first got spoiled I didn't care but then I reread it. I like it, I plan to playset them in my mill deck. I look at it as a recyclable kill spell. Since I'm milling there's a solid chance the card bounced with vortex will wind up in a graveyard from the mill effects. Meanwhile I get the little guy back in my deck. And I activate it when it's targeted by a kill... Oh I'm sorry you wanted it dead? I'll just shuffle him back into the library, have fun. My thoughts at least.
January 28, 2014 7:54 p.m.
Almost forgot... this is also a great creature to use Bestow on to make them want to block... when you use his ability, you still have a creature.
January 28, 2014 7:55 p.m.
MaliciousMac says... #8
I like the ideas I'm hearing. I think it will definitely be good in limited for bestowing, like mentioned. In standard, I wouldn't use it as removal necessarily, but as more of an intimidation tactic. Like, don't attack me. If you do, you lose your creature. It makes your opponent play around it, in the same way that Judge's Familiar does.
January 28, 2014 10:58 p.m.
KrosanTusker says... #9
Another card for the standard Elemental tribal deck! That's how I evaluate cards: "what silly thing can I do here"?
Also, cool flavor: the elemental is the whirlpool monster Charybdis.
In standard? It discourages attacking, if you have mana open -- which a control deck will have no trouble with doing. Discouraging attacking is kind of what the control deck wants to do, as well. You only need to hold out for seven turns until that AEtherling
!
To actually use it as targeted removal needs too much mana for that ability to be used much outside of limited, in my opinion.
January 29, 2014 12:13 p.m.
kiranearitachi says... #10
i hate rapter in my mono blue and will be replacing him with this
January 29, 2014 1:36 p.m.
I absolutely love pulling Charybdis in a sealed pool. They always make the cut for me and perform magnificently. I want to see if it work in my bant control build, but I fear he may just be outclassed by other cards. Though he does actually help me fend off rakdos aggro pretty well...
January 29, 2014 4:49 p.m.
ChrisHansonBiomancin says... #12
It's definitely useful and I would guess it'll see play. Consider that MUD's only removal options are Rapid Hybridization and Curse of the Swine , and this comes without the downside of leaving a token behind. If they're too scared to swing into him with their fatty, that's still enough to do the job.
January 29, 2014 6:09 p.m.
this card looks evil. It brings me back to the days of zendikar with my Cosi's Trickster , Gomazoa deck. Oh that was fun(ny). This looks strong as it's a friggin' one drop and people are gonna be wasting removal to kill it when they could be killing a master later or a Tidebinder Mage . MUD may take a turn towards control, adding in aetherling as a win con along with master, and using the new devotion counter along with thassa herself, Tidebinder Mage , Judge's Familiar and this to maintain constant board control. Heck Wall of Frost may see play if this idea is successful.
January 30, 2014 4:43 a.m.
MaliciousMac says... #14
Yeah, I've heard talk of MUD going towards a control deck, even splashing white. The more I think about Vortex Elemental , the more I like it. It's more removal. It makes your opponent play around it. It can possibly mess up your opponent's scrying.
My biggest issue right now with it is that it doesn't have flying, nor does it have any power at all. Which means it can't trigger Bident of Thassa . The only power it can get is from Master of Waves , but by that point, I don't think it will matter.
Spootyone says... #2
I've actually considered Vortex Elemental in standard as an aggro defense in a control deck, though I can't say yet if I approve of it in there are not.
January 28, 2014 7:10 p.m.