[C17] Shifting Shadow

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So this one might be a long shot but I can't help but see potential here. Hitting a Griselbrand off this or Emrakrul just seems like game over.
It has a playable casting cost at R2 which is very easy to speed into play. Having to put it on a creature is a definite drawback but it wouldn't be hard to hit a one drop or even tokens that shift into something massive. Also the fact that all the non-creature cards are getting put back into your library takes away the factor of possibly decking yourself and say you hit Emrakrul everything is getting shuffled back into your library anyway and you could continue the loop.

I just can't help but see some potential here for some fun shenanigans. It might not go into any deck currently, maybe an interesting oath deck? Or it might be possible to just make a new deck around this. Tell me what you guys think. Thanks.

garbageaggro

I guess my main thought (and you brought this up) is that it seems sort of like an oath of druids. The problem is that oath of druids costs one less and is enabled by lands, and slows your opponent down.

I am trying to think through the situations where this might be better than oath, and I am having a little trouble. The biggest one, is if there was some reasonable token based strategy, you could play shifting shadow. My main issue is I have never seen a Vintage deck like that. However, if the main think holding those decks back in vintage was, the ability to have some sort of explosive finish, this might be the key to that being a reality?

My initial inkling is it is a little too slow, but I could imagine a scenario where this was somewhat decent, I just don't think that time is right now. Whatever context it was viable in, would probably have to involve 1) tokens being good 2) less creature removal being played 3) Red still being better than green

@garbageaggro I think your analysis is correct. The only upside I see is that the cards are going back into the library instead of the yard and the creature gets haste. I am not sure where this was really matter though, unless you are basing the strategy around Emrakrul swinging and even then it is one mana slower than oath and you are hoping they are not playing swords. You also don't have to live and die on forgotten orchard, but oath by itself is still just a better card.
It would definitely need something token based, and otherwise seems like a faster but more unpredictable sneak. I don't think we should sleep on this entirely though, in the future if the meta changes and we aren't stuck on the Mentor/Shops merry go round it could present some interesting scenarios.

Islandswamp

@garbageaggro said in [C17] Shifting Shadow:

I guess my main thought (and you brought this up) is that it seems sort of like an oath of druids. The problem is that oath of druids costs one less and is enabled by lands, and slows your opponent down.

I am trying to think through the situations where this might be better than oath, and I am having a little trouble. The biggest one, is if there was some reasonable token based strategy, you could play shifting shadow. My main issue is I have never seen a Vintage deck like that. However, if the main think holding those decks back in vintage was, the ability to have some sort of explosive finish, this might be the key to that being a reality?

My initial inkling is it is a little too slow, but I could imagine a scenario where this was somewhat decent, I just don't think that time is right now. Whatever context it was viable in, would probably have to involve 1) tokens being good 2) less creature removal being played 3) Red still being better than green

There are a couple of lands that I can think of that would fix this. Mishra's Factory, and the Khalani Garden (or whatever it's called) that makes a 0/1 plant token when it comes into play. I remember when Jace and Emrakul were new people were trying a polymorph deck in standard that used the garden to generate creatures.

This combo IS much more expensive. However it does not require that your opponent play creatures, so that is a bonus. I don't think that this is enough to make it worthwhile in Vintage, but since Oath of Druids is banned in Legacy I can see people trying to make it work there somehow.

@islandswamp i think dryad arbor might solve this problem as well thinking about it. I think this def has a home in legacy somewhere. Could even be an addition or variant on some sneak decks there.

garbageaggro

@islandswamp Mishra's factory doesn't work right? I thought of man-lands than realized they probably would work.

Another possible comparison card is polymorph, which gets the creature right now, but costs one more, but is in a better color. That card has never been good enough for Vintage or Legacy as far as I know. Just a thing to think about.

wappla

This post is deleted!

@garbageaggro there was a really off the wall Polymorph deck in Legacy a few years ago after Emrakrul came out but I don't think it was very competitive. It's definitely not good enough for vintage. It is a good comparison to this. That came to mind as well. I guess the static effect was what drew me to this over morph

Topical_Island

Worse than [[Polymorph]]?

Aaron Patten

This seems ok with indestructible creatures and, of course, creatures which have decent enters the battlefield triggers. Indestructible creatures just stay in play and this keeps firing. Also worth noting is that this grants haste which is supremely relevant when comparing it to other Polymorph effects. Griselbrand and Emrakul can attack off of this although that is heavily mitigated by the fact that it most likely has to survive a round attached to a creature.

Dstinct

@poxeveryturn You want lands that turn into creatures. You could accidentally end up shifting into another Arbor. You could also use any spell that creates tokens.

The best creature target for this would likely be Blightsteel Colossus. You need a creature that can win in 1 swing. With BSC, if you can't win in 1 swing, you would only need 2 to loop.

Sovarius

@dstinct said in [C17] Shifting Shadow:

@poxeveryturn You want lands that turn into creatures. You could accidentally end up shifting into another Arbor. You could also use any spell that creates tokens.

The best creature target for this would likely be Blightsteel Colossus. You need a creature that can win in 1 swing. With BSC, if you can't win in 1 swing, you would only need 2 to loop.

No you don't, because they stop being creatures and the enchantment falls off. Also, the cheapest rate to animate a land is 1 mana, meaning you need to have 4 mana to put the enchantment in.

You could potentially play a single Arbor and fetch for it. Not saying its great but it works infinitely better than Factory.

BSC would be one of the worst, he is inly good because Tinker is a thing. If your opponent plays Swords and they know you are on BSC you are boned. Swords is a lot less likely to hit Griselbrand, who fills you with counters and more avenues to a win if the Swords does resolve. And Swords never hits Emrakul, who is also a 2-shot and blows up their board.

If your opponent is on swords, they spend it on the enchanted dork before it shifts into Grisel/Emmy, but then you still have them in your deck. If you are on BSC, they wait for your dork to tranform, then you get 3-for-1'ed without that wincon in the deck.

MaximumCDawg

@dstinct You don't need 2. Blightsteel shuffles itself into your library as a replacement effect. So, assuming it's the only creature in your deck, it just finds itself. Compare to Emrkaul, who shuffles itself as a triggered ability and thus is not in the yard during resolution of Shadow.

Anyway, I like this card for casual -- not Vintage. I made a list of it's positive interactions with non-terrible cards:

(1) Run some specific ways to make every dork who gets this enchantment put on it indestructible:

Shielded By Faith, Spearbreaker Behemoth, Krosan Warcheif

(2) Make a deck full of cards that are already indestructible = Value town

Phylactery Lich, Predator Ooze, Ulamog the Ceaseless Hunger, Ulamog the Infinite Gyre, Zurgo Helmsmasher

(3) Sprinkle in some creatures you want to die, maybe?

Veteran Explorer, Academy Rector

(4) Give your dorks regeneration?

Yavimaya Hollow, Asceticism

(5) Go all old-school Polymorph?

Kalanui Garden -> Emrakul

(6) Or just enjoy that sweet, sweet ETB action? Some regularly played favorites..

Baleful Strix, Eternal Witness, Precursor Golem, Thought Knot Seer, Solemn Simulacrum, Sundering Titan

(7) Or other bit players?

Angel of Despair, Auramancer, Avalanche Riders, Bogarden Hellkite, Coiling Oracle, Flametounge Kavu, Any Titan, Laquatus's Champion, Rune Scarred Demon, Siege Gang Commander, Thunder Dragon

(8) Use dorks that have regeneration?

Albino Troll, Augur of Skulls, Deity of Scars, Hellkite Overlord, Loleth Troll, Masticore, River Boa, Spirit Monger, Thrun, the Last Troll, Troll Ascetic

None of these options seem attractive in Vintage.

@maximumcdawg it would definitely be a fun casual deck. Could also make for some interesting commander matchups.
If this thing cost 2 I think it might be a different story and might make a run at a deck. I think basing a deck around this could get you a game one pretty easy but after that it would struggle. Still fun to think about. Thanks for putting this list together! Gives a lot of good insight into what this could be good with.

MaximumCDawg

@poxeveryturn Absolutely agree on casual use, and I'm getting a bunch for that purpose.

I just don't see it in Vintage

John Cox

It's a shame you can't use this in a Zur EDH list.