[Discussion] Not so obvious MIR cards hitting the scenes...

[Nameless]

I'm just wondering if anybody else is noticing MIR cards popping up more and more, as I have.

For example, I've yet to see a worthwhile Sligh deck that isn't using Slith Firewalker in it.  That card is just amazing for Sligh, and likely the best addition since Jackal Pup was printed.

Another example of what I mean is Bonesplitter.  OK, some of you may not have seen it, but I've watched this card now make it's appearances in everything from Suicide and Stompy to WW, and even a few multi-colored Sligh decks I've seen have been sporting it, too.

I would venture to say that there are certainly many more visible cards from the set being noticed all over, but I was just wondering what other cards are seeing play that are very good, but perhaps just not as visible.

I might also go so far as to say that the two I mentioned could be seeing more play simply because of thier rarity, and them being so readily available.

Am I nuts?  Clearly.  But am I the only one noticing cards like these popping up left and right?

[Zherbus]

Of course, there is my little love-affair with Damping Matrix as well.

[Kowal]

I certainly haven't seen them "left and right" but obviously some have made an impact.

I've seen sligh lists without Slith that just look a lot more solid, I think running him is great and all, but I'm not convinced he's really that spectacular in there.

I dunno.  I liked Mirrodin a lot but I don't see that many Mirrodin cards being all that awesome when they actually show up.  Spoils for example was great in theory, but I've never seen it end up being a good card.  It always wrecks the life total, and has something like a 14% chance to up and kill you even if you name a 4-of you haven't seen yet.  Chrome Mox was harped as broken but nobody ever really found a way to break it in the format.  Bonesplitter is like Rancor, but I never saw it played.  *Shrug*

[Nameless]

Good one Zherb, I forgot about your torrid sexual encounters with Damping Matrix!  

No, but seriously, Kowal, what I'm asking is are there cards out there that are actually doing GOOD, not kinda ok or so so.

I mean obviously Damping Matrix is working good in T1, and even using what I've seen I'd say Slith Firewalker fits this bill, too.  I say that though because I think it'll be a staple card in time, it just needs to settle in more and prove itself.

I may be biased though, because many many moons ago Whirling Dervish was my favorite card for a long time, and this little sucker is like my old Dervish, but with the better benefit of Haste over Pro. Black.  Well, maybe not better in some cases, but certainly superior on a card that has this ability!  

[Ric_Flair]

Can we see a list with and without Slith Firewalker.  Personally I like him a lot.

Other cards:  

Elf Replica
Empyral Plate
Platinum Angel
Glimmervoid
Thirst for Knowledge

All of these cards are cards that I have seen that have had some cool, solid uses.  Some of them are really small niche cards, but others are downright ASSKICKERS.  

The theme is unsung heros of Mirrodin right?  That is what I posted anyway.

[Kowal]

I should give notice of Elf Replica as well.  That card is pretty cool, despite not being totally badass and broken.

[Hyperion]

I thought Mask of Memory would be excellent in Madness, but it did not live up to my expectations in testing. However, it wouldn't surprise me if there's some other aggro or aggro/control deck out there that can make good use of this card.

I posted a list of Mirrodin cards that I had seen play in decks here and there since its release, back on the temporary TMD forums in late December. For reference, here is a copy of that post:

By now, it's common knowledge that Mirrodin has contributed a lot of playable cards to Vintage. While I don't think its impact on the format can be completely measured by simply counting the number of playable cards - for example, even though Scourge only had a handful of playable Type I cards, the ones that were playable (i.e. Tendrils of Agony, Mind's Desire, Xantid Swarm, Stifle) had a very strong impact. When I went through the set list this morning of Mirrodin cards that have seen play in Type I so far, I counted a staggering 31. I am sure that this list is not comprehensive and that more will be added to the list over time. This is intended to be objective - I merely took what I had seen and incorporated them into these lists accordingly. I also tried to split them into 'central' and 'supporting' cards, and seperated reprints from original cards.

Central Cards (15)
-I defined 'central cards' as cards that either spawned a new archetype or are functionally important to the way current archetypes work.

Auriok Steelshaper (WW)
Bonesplitter (WW)
Chalice of the Void (TNT, Stacker, Stax/Welder MUD, Slavery, Chalice Black, Chalice Keeper, and general hoser)
Empyrial Plate (WW)
Gilded Lotus (Workshop Slavery)
Goblin Charbelcher (Parfait)
Isochron Scepter (some blue-based control decks, some Sligh, WW, Parfait)
Mask of Memory (Madness)
Mind's Eye (some Welder MUD, control Slavery)
Mindslaver (Slavery)
Slith Firewalker (Sligh)
Solemn Simulacrum (TNT)
Spoils of the Vault (Mask)
Thirst for Knowledge (Slavery)
Troll Ascetic ("Oshawa Stompy", monogreen LD, etc.)

Supporting Cards (12)
-I'll define these as cards that are either usually relegated to the sideboard, typically present in 2 or less copies in a deck, or are used but don't provide significant functionality.

Artifact Lands (Slavery, some TNT)
Chrome Mox (various combo)
Damping Matrix (Keeper)
Duplicant (TNT)
Elf Replica (TNT)
Glimmervoid (various combo)
Lightning Greaves (Mask, TNT)
Pentavus (Slavery, some TNT)
Plated Slagwurm (some Dragon, some Reanimator)
Platinum Angel (TNT)
Raise the Alarm (WW)
Shrapnel Blast (Stacker)

Reprints, or the Equivalent (4)
Bottle Gnomes (no specific use)
Chromatic Sphere (Long)
Triskelion (TNT, Stacker, Stax/Welder MUD)
Viridian Shaman (TNT)

There are 306 cards in Mirrodin and 20 of those are basic lands. That means that 31/286, or almost 11% of the set, has seen play in Type I so far. Pretty incredible, isn't it?

[Nameless]

Wow, great post Hyperion!  That's exactly the sort of information I was looking for, and you too Ric_Flair.  

Yea, I got to thinking about this because of that number crunching article on Starcity, and I just couldn't help but wonder to myself what cards people were using from MIR that I hadn't heard about yet.  That list is very informative, at least for me.

I also think Elf Replica is pretty good, I mean it's not going to be the backbone of any new broken decks or anthing, but it's got a lot of cracks it can fill in.

[leviat]

I've seen quite a few Mirrodin cards showing up in our local tournies. The most notable cards are:

Glimmervoid
Thirst for Knowledge
Damping Matrix
Lightning Greaves*
Solemn Simulacram
Duplicant
Shrapnel Blast
Pentavus

* There's a new 2/2 for 1W in DarkSteel that will allow you to equip at instant speed. That would allow for some amazing interaction with just one Lightning Greaves (all your men become essentially untargetable).

I'm really happy with Mirrodin and I think DarkSteel will show another influx of good Type-1 playable cards.

[Binary]

Locally, I can think of the following cards off the top of my head that are getting played:

Thirst for Knowledge
Artifact lands (esp. Seat and Great Furnace in Slavery)
Chalice of the Void
Glimmervoid
Lightning Greaves
Solemn Simulacrum
Triskelion (not strictly a new card, but it is in Mirrodin)  
Goblin Charbelcher
Spoils of the Vault
Chrome Mox
Platinum Angel
Mindslaver

That's a pretty fair batch for what most people consider the format "just for the old cards."

[Nameless]

I've seen quite a few Mirrodin cards showing up in our local tournies. The most notable cards are:

Glimmervoid
Thirst for Knowledge
Damping Matrix
Lightning Greaves*
Solemn Simulacram
Duplicant
Shrapnel Blast
Pentavus

* There's a new 2/2 for 1W in DarkSteel that will allow you to equip at instant speed. That would allow for some amazing interaction with just one Lightning Greaves (all your men become essentially untargetable).

I'm really happy with Mirrodin and I think DarkSteel will show another influx of good Type-1 playable cards.

AWESOME point!  I remember that little sucker now, too!

I wonder if it can make WW viable is a formidable deck...

I mean, you can play Enlightened Tutor, 3x Lightning Greaves, and 4x of these Tiggers...  And you've got what, pretty much an untargetable WW deck, yes?  Coool.

Anyways...

Nice catch on the Shrapnel Blast, and for that matter nice one too on the one before mentioning the artifact lands!  I've actually seen a good measure of Sligh decks trying to use the Great Furnace with a few Shrapnel Blasts in them.  Hrm...

What about the Warhammer?  Has anybody seen any of those floating around any decks?  I heard tell somebody made a GP Trial T8 with one in the deck,  but I didn't see any lists or anything.

[rvs]

After playing Slavery today, I am totally convinced Mirrodin is the best set released in quite a while. Lots of cool, new cards, cool new mechanics, and a great limited format to boot. I think Mirrodin is my favorite set since tempest for those reasons.

[Nameless]

After playing Slavery today, I am totally convinced Mirrodin is the best set released in quite a while. Lots of cool, new cards, cool new mechanics, and a great limited format to boot. I think Mirrodin is my favorite set since tempest for those reasons.

I couldn't agree more!  I've actually been around since the good ol' days, and this is easily my favorite set ever, just for that reason!

We've got some neat little mechanics, some cool cards that, while not broken, have let us make some really FUN decks, that are strong in the formats, too.

I also happen to love playing in MIR Leagues on MODO, very fun!  

[Dr. Sylvan]

This is what Mirrodin showed up in all ten >50 player tournaments found on morphling.de from 2003-09-28 to 2003-12-28:

48 Chalice of the Void
20 Isochron Scepter
7 Solemn Simulacrum
4 Platinum Angel
4 Thirst for Knowledge
3 Mindslaver
2 Great Furnace
2 Mind's Eye
2 Seat of the Synod
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Pentavus
1 Tree of Tales

I think so far January has at least the same kind of Mirrodin proportions. I agree that it's a very influential set.