Sultai Emissary worth it?
Standard forum
Posted on Feb. 22, 2015, 10:33 a.m. by TheDECKSPLORER
I am working on a sultai deck that is very creature heavy. I have a full playset of Rakshasa Deathdealer, Sagu Mauler and a Torrent Elemental and Thousand Winds etc. I have all the nasties i need for sultai creatures and I really want to use this guy in a deck. I am naturally drawn to sultai, and I love the sneakiness of manifest. Is the emissary a wasted spot? Would it be better to use a Jeskai Sage instead?
ChrisHansonBiomancin says... #3
First off, there's a reason that Sultai Emissary costs 2 to Young Wolf's 1, and that is because Manifesting is superior to a vanilla 2/2. Not only is there potential for the face-down creature to become a bigger threat by flipping, but Manifesting also brings about more subtle advantages, such as allowing you to dig through your deck and thus increasing your chances of seeing the creature cards you need.
So is Sultai Emissary a good card? Absolutely. But should it be shoved into any deck playing Black? Absolutely not. Like Young Wolf, Doomed Traveler, etc, it needs to be surrounded by sac outlets and cards that benefit from its death. I am currently running a Rakdos Aristocrats build and there is no card I'm happier to see in my opening hand than the Emissary
If you want to add in a dose of Manifesting but aren't dedicated to the sac theme, you could try Qarsi High Priest as a way to protect your creatures from removal.
February 22, 2015 2:31 p.m.
ChrisHansonBiomancin says... #4
Also, if you do want to Manifest with fatties galore in your library, then deck manipulation is the name of the game. Courser of Kruphix, Thassa, God of the Sea, and Prognostic Sphinx are your friends.
JMullen says... #2
In the worse case scenario, Sultai Emissary is a worse Young Wolf. That might be okay, though, as creatures replacing themselves are relevant in this format. I am not sure if there is a strong upside with the creatures listed, but if we have a way to scry the top so that we know what we are getting, then Sultai Emissary becomes a cheaper morph cost.
Ultimately, I like the card, but I don't think it's as strong as playing something else. I've not had enough testing to be sure, though.
February 22, 2015 12:52 p.m.