Chalice of the Void

[Grendal]

After having practiced this card only a short while, I am left with some questions, as well as some revelations about the wonders of this new card.

I had a buddy of mine last evening ask me what the proper play with this card could be, and it really wasn’t until he posed the question to me that I realized how hard of a question that is to answer…

For example…

Starting Hand Example 1:
Wasteland / Wasteland / Polluted Delta / Brainstorm / AK / Force / CotV

With an opening hand like the above, 3 mana strong, backed by 2 wastelands, the proper play in my opinion, assuming of course you go first.   Would be to drop the CotV for 0, laying the Polluted Delta as your land.   In fact the best play might be to lay the Delta, sack for a blue source, and brainstorm.  Then follow it up with CotV assuming not much has changed.   Reason being would be you have now made the game turn into a single land drop match, with you having 2x Waste and Force of Will backup.



Starting Hand Example 2:
Tundra / Mox E / CotV / Mana Drain / Brainstorm / Fetch land / Mystical Tutor

It is hands like this that actually leave me the most perplexed as to what to do.   If you do not go first, well then coming from the stand point of a reactionary move,  you will better know what to do.   However, if you actually go first, a hand like this is extremely questionable.   I would hate to call a hand like this a Mulligan, because I really don’t think it is.   You have a very standard Keeperish hand.   You have brainstorm/fetch, you have a mystical.   You have essentially 2 blue sources for counter spells.   But that damn Chalice shows up again.   Does it beg for a round one (0 counter) or a round one (1) counter.   Or is this one of those cases where you hold it to find what your opponent is playing , rather than playing the guessing game.

Now if the Mana Drain in hand were a force of will, then I think the proper first round play would be to go Tundra / Mox E, and mystical for a ancestral on the end of their turn.   However in the case above it is not…   So I guess this is my call to the experts, what is the proper play with this hand.   Because hands much like Example 2, come up far to often for me in play testing, and I’m really at a loss as to what technically is the proper play.   I suppose a round 1 brainstorm to see (what next 3 cards) were, could make a huge difference in your playing the CotV for 0, or holding it for later.   However if you brainstorm and find out that you might just need to drop the CotV for 1, its to late.   You just tapped your 2nd source of mana, and unless their was another Moxen/Lotus in that top 3 cards, u now no longer have the option for a round 1 Chalice for 1 counter.

I guess my question is…   Ideally I think the Chalice is a (Chalice for 1) vs most decks…  but how early does one do it?  

Does it hinder you to not do it on the first round?    

Is it something you should do on the first round, despite hosing several of your own cards?

These are questions I do not know the answers to... and look forward to seeing what some of the rest of you think.

I think we can all agree that this is by far one of the greatest cards to ever hit the format, and certainly it has upped Keepers arsenal of threats.   But I still think a great degree of understanding will go into knowing how to properly play this card.

All to often I go for a mana denial route and drop it for 0, only to find out my next few cards are 0 drops.   Or I go for a 1 drop, only to draw into several of my 1 casting cost cards, and wish I hadn't done it.

Ahhh well....   Thoughts please?

- Grendal

[jpmeyer]

You can wait until turn 2 with your second hand.  I would simply go Tundra, Emerald, go, and then on my opponent's turn I would figure out what he's playing and then set up either Balance or Ancestral with Mystical.

[Matt The Great]

Quote Starting Hand Example 2:
Tundra / Mox E / CotV / Mana Drain / Brainstorm / Fetch land / Mystical Tutor

This really boils down to what deck the opponent is playing. Unless you're against Long, Chalice for 0 is probably not the best move. There are realy two moves I'd go with:

Plan A:

Emerald, Fetchland. EOT Fetch Underground Sea (only Shaman is maindecked red spell, and we're about to set Chalice to X=1) and cast Brainstorm, putting back any CMC=1 or late-game cards (win conditions, Will, that sort of thing).

During your upkeep, Mystical for a spell that doesn't have CMC=1. Draw your spell, play the Tundra, and drop a Chalice for X=1.

Balance might be the best thing to Mystical for, as you're +3 already (Mox, Chalice, Mystical). However, they can always throw their useless CMC=1 spells into the Chalice to fuck your Balance (or just discard them), so maybe not.


Plan B:

Play Tundra, Brainstorm, hiding the Drain on top of the deck. Drop any CMC=0 cards you drew, then Chalice for X=0. Next turn keep Drain mana open.

Those stand out as the strongest plays, but it's up to the player to decide which one to go for.