[Single Card Discussion] Mold Adder

[BC]

Mold Adder     
G
Creature - Fungus Snake    
Uncommon
Whenever an opponent casts a blue or black spell, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Mold Adder.
1/1

This card seems good to me.  First, because I can envision it getting pretty big relatively fast in a Vintage game, where a very large percentage of the decks are blue and black.  Maybe not ridiculously big, just pretty big.  Likely to do as much damage as your average Tarmogoyf.  And it only costs G, so there is no doubt that it can hit on turn 1 reliably.  Secondly, it may cause your opponent to change their strategy in order to play around it.  Similar to Mystic Remora, the opponent may play more conservatively so as not to feed the Fungus Snake.  Thirdly, this card is a Fungus Snake, which is some sweat flavor.  I like it.

[Diakonov]

Wow.  This is very solid I think.  I'm very happy to see that they are printing cards like this, as it would seem that they do have an eye on Vintage.  I agree that it is probably on about the same level as Tarmogoyf vs. Vault/Key.  It might even be better than Tarm vs. storm decks.

[Demonic Attorney]

Another example of what I referred to in the Advanced Vintage Forum as Fish Power Creep.  High-power decks like Storm or blue-based control usually get only 1 card from a new set in a blue moon; most other Vintage decks typically gain at most 1 or 2 cards from all the new sets released in a given year combined. 

Except for Fish.  Fish picks up assets from new sets far more regularly than any other Vintage archetype that I can think of.  Dark Confidant, Jotun Grunt, Aven Mincensor, Trygon Predator, Gaddock Teeg, Tarmogoyf, Qasali Pridemage, and now Mold Adder are all examples of Fish's unique ability to reap regular rewards from new sets.  Hate cards for Fish aren't being printed at nearly the same pace.

[DubDub]

Hate cards for Fish aren't being printed at nearly the same pace.

To be fair, Sower of Temptation, Volcanic Fallout and Path to Exile are recent printings.  But any true hate, like "The Abyss" with shroud (Pridemage) would dominate the lesser formats.

Oh, and you forgot Ethersworn Canonist, that card is a HUGE beating.

[tito del monte]

Quote from: Demonic Attorney on Today at 06:37:03 AM
Hate cards for Fish aren't being printed at nearly the same pace.

To be fair, Sower of Temptation, Volcanic Fallout and Path to Exile are recent printings.  But any true hate, like "The Abyss" with shroud (Pridemage) would dominate the lesser formats.

You can probably even count Thoughtseize in that bunch too.

It just seems that creatures with disruptive abilities that had historically been the preserve of other permanents really took off a few years back with Wizards and that that design space is much more fertile for them than the very combat-orientated keyword abilities that were attributed to creatures in the early days.

Mold Adder does seem pretty good - but green needs more straight up disruptive creatures like Xantid Swarm and Vexing Shusher. Not sure the fungus snake (wtf?!) will really be maindeck material. Still... I'll definitely pick up a set, I'm determined to make a mono green fish deck for casual Vintage play  

[Troy_Costisick]

Another example of what I referred to in the Advanced Vintage Forum as Fish Power Creep.  High-power decks like Storm or blue-based control usually get only 1 card from a new set in a blue moon; most other Vintage decks typically gain at most 1 or 2 cards from all the new sets released in a given year combined. 

Except for Fish.  Fish picks up assets from new sets far more regularly than any other Vintage archetype that I can think of.  Dark Confidant, Jotun Grunt, Aven Mincensor, Trygon Predator, Gaddock Teeg, Tarmogoyf, Qasali Pridemage, and now Mold Adder are all examples of Fish's unique ability to reap regular rewards from new sets.  Hate cards for Fish aren't being printed at nearly the same pace.

That's very true, and I think that sooner or later it will all add up to a very powerful disruptive weenie deck.  However, it only takes one printing to help the other engines overcome huge swaths of Fish creep.  Take Inkwell Leviathan for instance.  I really believe that a Fishy answer to Tez decks would have been found had it not been for this card.  The combo or Shroud/Trampe/Islandwalk/11 Toughness makes the creature the perfect foil to Fish and undoes many of the gains that archetype has made since Time Spiral.  Every set Fish will pick up something, but it only takes one card to mitigate a good portion of what they gain.  Would you agree?

Peace,

-Troy

[TopSecret]

It's like Christmas!
This guy is what I always wanted Moss Dog to be.

He is going to be good in Fish decks and many Zoo decks.


However, there are two obvious downsides to this guy:

Firstly, Mold Adder can be an awful topdeck late in the game.

And secondly, he is awful against decks like Stax, TMWA, and rogue decks that don't rely on casting Black or Blue spells.
So, in a relatively open meta, Mold Adder could be a Willow Elf 1 or 2 rounds out of a tournament.

Because of the two above reasons, I don't think Mold Adder will be the new Goyf,
but I do think he will be a good addition to a Fish or Zoo deck's arsenal.

[vroman]

wow, my opponent is making my fungus snake huge! just wait until my next attack step!



oh

[LordHomerCat]

wow, my opponent is making my fungus snake huge! just wait until my next attack step!



oh

Seconded.  Either you play this guy turn 1 and he hits them for maybe 7 over the course of a game, or you play him sometime later and he gets gigantic but that's because they have played like 12 blue and black spells... which means they are in the process of killing you.

[FlyFlySideOfFry]

Mold Adder     
G
Creature - Fungus Snake    
Uncommon
Whenever an opponent casts a blue or black spell, you may have that player lose 1 life.
1/1

That would be playable. or:

Mold Adder     
G
Creature - Fungus Snake   
Uncommon
Whenever an opponent casts a blue, black or artifact spell, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Mold Adder.
1/1

Mold Adder as it is is dead in every single matchup except Tezz if they can't just go infinite or Tinker before he matters. Way too situational for my taste. The beauty of goyf is you can drop it after your lock pieces are already in place and it'll already be huge. At least if he got big off artifacts you could make them pay for moxen as a turn 1 drop but in all honesty as he is he'll probably be a 2/2-3/3 until they just win. Just a more conditional Wild Nacatl/Kederekt Parasite imo.

[voltron00x]

Mold Adder     
G
Creature - Fungus Snake    
Uncommon
Whenever an opponent casts a blue or black spell, you may have that player lose 1 life.
1/1

That would be playable. or:

Mold Adder     
G
Creature - Fungus Snake   
Uncommon
Whenever an opponent casts a blue, black or artifact spell, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Mold Adder.
1/1

Mold Adder as it is is dead in every single matchup except Tezz if they can't just go infinite or Tinker before he matters. Way too situational for my taste. The beauty of goyf is you can drop it after your lock pieces are already in place and it'll already be huge. At least if he got big off artifacts you could make them pay for moxen as a turn 1 drop but in all honesty as he is he'll probably be a 2/2-3/3 until they just win. Just a more conditional Wild Nacatl/Kederekt Parasite imo.

Man, that first one you posted would be ridiculous.

I have to agree, I can't see this guy having much of an impact in the Vintage meta as it stands right now.

That said, in Extended he looks pretty good to me against Faeries, or even in Legacy against CB/Top or Thresh he could have a place.

[Jimbo]

That's very true, and I think that sooner or later it will all add up to a very powerful disruptive weenie deck.  However, it only takes one printing to help the other engines overcome huge swaths of Fish creep.  Take Inkwell Leviathan for instance.  I really believe that a Fishy answer to Tez decks would have been found had it not been for this card.  The combo or Shroud/Trampe/Islandwalk/11 Toughness makes the creature the perfect foil to Fish and undoes many of the gains that archetype has made since Time Spiral.  Every set Fish will pick up something, but it only takes one card to mitigate a good portion of what they gain.  Would you agree?

Peace,

-Troy

I don't think that a creature that is used as a secondary win condition is what is holding fish back right now.  There are cards like Curfew and Hurkyls Recall/Rebuild out there that could be used if that really was the case.  Not to mention black removal that forces a sacrifice.

I do agree, however, that any advancement for any other deck puts said deck way ahead of fish, because it's likely not a creature that makes a leap in evolution possible.

[Diakonov]

I certainly don't think this guy will be format-altering, but he is definitely playable.  It's true that if your opponent has made him really huge real fast, you're in for a bad scene.  The incremental gains he offers could be pretty nice though, assuming your opponent is playing on average one spell each turn.  As far as a purely damage-oriented instrument goes for Fish decks, he's good I think.

[Implacable]

I certainly don't think this guy will be format-altering, but he is definitely playable.  It's true that if your opponent has made him really huge real fast, you're in for a bad scene.  The incremental gains he offers could be pretty nice though, assuming your opponent is playing on average one spell each turn.  As far as a purely damage-oriented instrument goes for Fish decks, he's good I think.

In other words, he could work pretty well with Canonist.

[nineisnoone]

All you really need to make this guy playable is for them to play 1 / spell.  Savanah Lions (while not currently played really) are format legit.  I play Wild Nacatl as a 3/3 for 1 in my Zoo deck, and I would definitely be looking to play this guy in that deck as well.  He's not replacing Tarmogoyf or anything, but if you are looking for a more aggro-heavy angle then this should definitely be considered.

[Natxete]

Seems a good card in the first turn, but horrible in the topdeck. It´s as playable as hidden gibons.

[marriedwithchildren]

I can see this in some wierd painter deck.

[nineisnoone]

Seems a good card in the first turn, but horrible in the topdeck. It´s as playable as hidden gibons.

Huh.  I wonder if gibbons could be playable.

[Lurker101]

Seems a good card in the first turn, but horrible in the topdeck. It´s as playable as hidden gibons.

Huh.  I wonder if gibbons could be playable.

I think Hidden Gibbons could actually be playable in some zoo decks. A 1 mana 4/4 that will most likely change into a creature the turn by the turn after you play it seems decent enough. I never considered it before it was brought up in here.