Why isn't Myrsmith cost X?
Asked by zigkid3 14 years ago
so with Myrsmith you can pay 1 and get a myr token. i figure you can do this multiple times since you dont tap her, and it's just a payment cost, also considering my answer to Nirkana Revenant which was confirmed i can pay multiple mana.
but my question is more about wizards' word choice. since the cost is just 1, why didnt they just put pay X instead?
also tell me what you think of these combos: 1) 2Myr Galvanizer 's + Palladium Myr + Myrsmith = infinite myr army 2) 2Myr Galvanizer 's + Palladium Myr + Myr Propagator = infinite myr army 3) 2Myr Galvanizer 's + Palladium Myr + Vigil for the Lost = infinite health
then there's the obvious infinite mills and infinite damage combos. but personally i'd prefer an infinite army or infinite health combo
teh_good_stuff says... #2
you can only pay 1 once with myrsmith. cuz its a triggered ability and the artifact only comes into play once, you can only pay it once. if you find a way to bounce an artifact infinitely and have infinite mana, then you can have infinite tokens. and thats why wizards didnt print it sayin x. cuz you cant actually pay what you want
October 5, 2010 6:07 p.m.
but doesnt the artifact creature myr token i get count as playing an artifact spell? even so i thought the effect lasted until end of turn. like you can use this ability but only if you play an artifact spell this turn, type thing.
October 5, 2010 6:38 p.m.
i got it! how about... Razor Boomerang
i can first gain infinite mana. then i can use infinite boomerang by tapping and untapping my myr. but of course my opponent would be dead before i get an unlimited army but this seems pretty cool too
October 5, 2010 6:57 p.m.
Myrsmith 's ability will not duplicate on itself because the token is not being 'cast'. Therefore the trigger doesn't repeat.
As the card states... You pay 1 mana and for that mana you 'put' a 1/1 Myr artifact creature token into play. Your not casting, your putting. And as such. putting a card into play is treated as a different thing to casting it.
Now the reason this may seem stupid to some folk is exactly for the very reason you wanted the card to be... a cheating way to get to metalcraft, a way to pump out massive army's early game... If this card was worded with 'cast' instead of 'put' it would be too powerful and therefore beyond broken... Much like Skullclamp .
Also there is no X equation for this card cause if there was, then this card would be automatic rare/mythic rated.
Unless you could find a way to get a token making a permament you control return to your hand, then Memnite could just become bonkers... hmm... there's a possible theory for a broken legacy deck somewhere...
Combo no.1 - Won't work at all. You need someway to "cast" Myr's... Even prototype-chamber doesn't "cast" them. :(
Combo no.2 - Difficult to pull off, but if done would rock out anyones board.
Combo No.3 - Just how do you get to chain off the effect of Vigil for the Lost ... Can't think of many white cards that destroy your own creatures. Of course you could try a splash of red and go with any burn and/or Pyroclasm (Counter productive, I know)
Out of the 3 suggestions, no. 2 would be best in sealed (if you got the cards) and 3 would be better in standard enviroment.
DISCLAIMER: These views are my own, and as such should not be treated as fact.
October 5, 2010 7:55 p.m.
@cardcoin: i would chain Vigil for the Lost by purposely blocking my opponent to have a creature killed if they attack. as long as that creature doesnt effect my infinite mana combo it should work.
also what if i had the infinite mana combo and Myrsmith out, but then what if i used Razor Boomerang ? could that work then? cause it'd be sent back to my hand then i can cast it again, and i just untap my myr that i equip it to each time. the only thing is, i kill my opponent with it before being close to infinite tokens but i could create like up to 20 i guess
October 5, 2010 10:29 p.m.
@zigkid3: There are all kinds of fun things you can do with infinite combos, even ones including Razor Boomerang =) To answer your original question as simply as possible, however:
When you cast an artifact spell- meaning, play it from your hand (or another zone via Hellcarver Demon , Bloodbraid Elf , any card with Cascade, etc.)- you may pay 1 and only 1 for each Myrsmith you control. If you do, you get exactly 1 Myr token per Myrsmith . Cards or effects that put artifacts onto the battlefield, as well as cards or effects that create artifact creatures or tokens, do NOT trigger Myrsmith 's ability. Thus, you can't use things like Mimic Vat to trigger Myrsmith .
October 6, 2010 midnight
Also, to differentiate Nirkana Revenant from Myrsmith :
The pump ability of Nirkana Revenant is an "activated ability." This means that whenever you have the mana, you may pay the cost to put its effect on the stack. The token generation of Myrsmith is a "triggered ability," meaning something else has to happen before you gain the ability to pay 1 and make it happen- in this instance, casting an artifact.
Hope that helps!
zigkid3 says... #1
myrsmith is cheaper and not an artifact creature so she's less vulnerable to destroy spells.
propagator on the other hand costs 1 more than myrsmith, but you can make copies of itself while you wait to combo to insure that your opponent cant get rid of it.
October 5, 2010 5:45 p.m.