[HOU] Nimble Obstructionist

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I'm not sure if this thing is good, great, or average, but it certainly isn't Bad or subpar.

If you have this thing in your hand, for 2U your opponent can never go off with a Storm spell unless they're playing Thoughtseize. It also replaces itself, so It has marginal utility against Wastelands, Fetchlands, and such.

Pokey

This card does some cute things with (an opponent's) Standstill in play.

evouga

With a cheaper cycling cost it would be insane. As is, it's a bit too slow to counter early fetchland activations, which would be its most backbreaking use. It does counter Wasteland, but are you really keeping 3 mana up against Shops or White Eldrazi?

In the later game it does stop Storm triggers, as you mention, and also Planeswalker ultimates, but I'm not sure that's enough to make him worth playing. At least 3/1 flying is not at all bad for flashing in and killing Jace or Dack.

The problem is it has to cycle to cancel the ability. If it said when cast or cycled I'd call this a vintage playable card. Since it doesn't, I've gotta go thumbs down on this card.

1 toughness also sucks.

Actually I might be wrong about this. I hadn't considered how well this card plays with standstill.

This guy brings us to the tipping point for a fully realized Tribal Birds. Just look at the powerful hits and tribal synergies Birds offer:

Birds of Paradise
Aven Mindcensor
Baleful Strix
Bone Picker
Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
Judge's Familiar
Keeper of the Nine Gales
Nimble Obstructionist
Soraya the Falconer
Squadron Hawk
Stormscape Familiar
Sultai Scavenger
Warden of Evos Isle
Zodiac Rooster

Throw in some Cavern of Souls, tribal hit Seaside Haven, and you've got yourself a brew.

Islandswamp

This card is really, really cool. I think that the utility here might make this playable. As a creature its' a flash blocker, plus it has flying so you can end step this to fly over your opponent's monk tokens and kill Jace on your turn. It's much like a Vendillion Clique in this respect.

The Cycling ability is actually really good, BUT three mana is a tad expensive. On the plus side it's nearly uncounterable (unless your opponent is playing their own stifle effect), it;s a cantrip so you're not losing card advantage, and it can target a ton of different things.

As you mentioned Storm is a triggered ability, so this stops that. But you can also just hit fetchlands for value too. Sometimes stopping a planeswalker activation or ultimate is helpful too. Does this stop Modular from working too (I'm really asking)?

Stifle always suffered from a few unfortunate things. Stifle looks bad against Mental Misstep. Stifle is always a stifle and as such it's value is entirely relative to the targets your opponent is giving you. Also when you counter an ability with stifle and that ability is reusable you're trading a card in hand for basically nothing besides a short delay; this is bad in card advantage battles. This card replaces itself so if you're stopping something like a planeswalker for a turn you're still going to remain at the same card advantage count that you were before.

Oh and it pitches to Force of Will. And it fuels Treasure Cruise. I really like this card. The three mana cost seems like the only thing that could hold it back.

Khahan

3 mana ability isn't so bad. It's not affected by thorn/sphere effects so it's always 3

Vendilion Clique sees play as an answer to Planeswalkers. This card is even easier to cast and is better in multiples. Doesn't look like a card I would play, but just pointing out that a card like it sees play already. Then you could always turn it until an uncounterable Stifle that cantrips. (Tendrils, Flusterstorm, Jar, Wasteland, Fetchland)

Also of note that Flash Creatures have seen play. I've done well with the UW Spirit, Vendilion clique, and Snapcasters in a deck, and this card fits that theme.

@MSolymossy said in [HOU] Nimble Obstructionist:

Also of note that Flash Creatures have seen play. I've done well with the UW Spirit, Vendilion clique, and Snapcasters in a deck, and this card fits that theme.

You can also rebuy all the Wizard effects with Riptide Laboratory and tutor up the ones you want with Vedalken Aethermage.

John Cox

This wouldn't be bad in bomberman (maybe a sideboard card in mentor/delver?) I don't see enough places for it to go for it to be adopted.

@The-Gremlin-Lord said in [HOU] Nimble Obstructionist:

@MSolymossy said in [HOU] Nimble Obstructionist:

Also of note that Flash Creatures have seen play. I've done well with the UW Spirit, Vendilion clique, and Snapcasters in a deck, and this card fits that theme.

You can also rebuy all the Wizard effects with Riptide Laboratory and tutor up the ones you want with Vedalken Aethermage.

Do you have a single purpose on this site other than to be a troll and post useless shit, while having my name in your signature hiding behind "the gremlin lord"?

Serracollector

Between these 2 sets are we going to have enough blue cyclers to enable a cycling deck? Maybe using Drake Haven?

@MSolymossy said in [HOU] Nimble Obstructionist:

@The-Gremlin-Lord said in [HOU] Nimble Obstructionist:

@MSolymossy said in [HOU] Nimble Obstructionist:

Also of note that Flash Creatures have seen play. I've done well with the UW Spirit, Vendilion clique, and Snapcasters in a deck, and this card fits that theme.

You can also rebuy all the Wizard effects with Riptide Laboratory and tutor up the ones you want with Vedalken Aethermage.

Do you have a single purpose on this site other than to be a troll and post useless shit, while having my name in your signature hiding behind "the gremlin lord"?

Nah, I think you covered it. Vintage innovation has occurred behind the scenes on team chats and forums for a long time, so it's not as though I'm here for that.

@The-Gremlin-Lord said in [HOU] Nimble Obstructionist:

@MSolymossy said in [HOU] Nimble Obstructionist:

@The-Gremlin-Lord said in [HOU] Nimble Obstructionist:

@MSolymossy said in [HOU] Nimble Obstructionist:

Also of note that Flash Creatures have seen play. I've done well with the UW Spirit, Vendilion clique, and Snapcasters in a deck, and this card fits that theme.

You can also rebuy all the Wizard effects with Riptide Laboratory and tutor up the ones you want with Vedalken Aethermage.

Do you have a single purpose on this site other than to be a troll and post useless shit, while having my name in your signature hiding behind "the gremlin lord"?

Nah, I think you covered it. Vintage innovation has occurred behind the scenes on team chats and forums for a long time, so it's not as though I'm here for that.

I would appreciate it, since you're hiding behind a false name and not doing anything nearly constructive, if you took my name, or anything resembling my name, out of your signature.

Islandswamp

@desolutionist said in [HOU] Nimble Obstructionist:

Vendilion Clique sees play as an answer to Planeswalkers. This card is even easier to cast and is better in multiples. Doesn't look like a card I would play, but just pointing out that a card like it sees play already. Then you could always turn it until an uncounterable Stifle that cantrips. (Tendrils, Flusterstorm, Jar, Wasteland, Fetchland)

This is a great point. I noted that clique and this were very similar, but your post made me realize that they are even more similar than I realized. They're both disruptive 3/1 blue flash flyers for three mana, but Obstructionist IS slightly easier to cast.

Also, Clique is neutral card advantage. Nilmble Obstructionist has the potential to be a +1 card advantage. If you use this card like a Stifle on a fetchland you're destroying (essentially) a permanent and getting a card on the battlefield at the same time. That's like a cheaper Avalanche Riders with flash, flying, and one more power!

BazaarOfBaghdad

@Islandswamp Not quite - the bird goes to the graveyard, not the battlefield. But this is still +1 C.A. in those situations as you point out.

In general, I think this will see even less play than Vendilion Clique, except this may start to allow the marriage of Island and Ancient Tomb, in which case this may be quite playable.

Islandswamp

@BazaarOfBaghdad oh shit I was thinking it was ETB this whole time instead of cycling. I guess if you choose to play the card it stops being disruptive like clique. Of course you can still use it as a pseudo removal spell by flashing in a blocker or surprise attacking a Jace the Mind Sculptor.

tattoocek

This card was designed to go in a Standstill deck