New Card Discussion: Surrakar Spellblade

[deadlock]

Surrakar Spellblade
   1uu
Creature - Surrakar    Rare
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may put a charge counter on Surrakar Spellblade.
Whenever Surrakar Spellblade deals combat damage to a player, you may draw X cards, where X is equal to the number of charge counters on it.
   2/1

http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=104046&d=1270786189

Could this be Vintage viable, either in the Confidant slot in existing control decks or an entire new deck? The downside is that it most likely wont come down t1 unlike Bob and it needs to connect. Upside is that the effect can be much more powerful and increases over time. Thoughts?

[Phele]

I would say, it won't work in Vintage:

- it is as vulnerable as Confidant
- needs to hit the opponent without evasion
- costs on colored mana more than Confidant
- doesnt draw cards without casted instants/sorceries
- counter mechanic is vulnerable to bounce

Yes, after a little time it can draw lots of cards. But before I would try out this, I would certainly play bob or would use the Selkie/exalted mechanic.

[Mr. Fantastic]

I think Phele nailed it.  The one thing I do like about it that hasn't been mentioned hitherto is the fact that it is blue, ie, has synergy w/ Force. But then, so does Selkie; pre-obsolescence redux.

[Troy_Costisick]

At the same cost I could have Thada Adel.  Surrakar isn't going to cut it.

[DubDub]

The lack of evasion really hurts this card.  Why would you play this over Thada Adel?  It unfortunately compares unfavorably with most of the 2CC bears and Goyf, and at 3CC with Thada, Selkie, Trygon, Lorescale etc., even with Dimir Cutpurse probably.

Wow, guess I took too long to write that third sentence.

[TheShop]

This may not be good now, but if he had been around back in the Forbiddian days...sick.

[Blue Lotus]

Even though people (for reasons beyond me) run selkie, Confidant killed every beatstick that has to connect to draw cards.  Not one will be relevant.   

[RecklessEmbermage]

Would it be worthwhile to build a deck with a bunch of cantrips, counters and bounce effects and use this to reload your hand each turn?

4 this
4 confidant, for consistency

4 force
4 daze
4 spell pierce
4 repeal
4 remand
4 stifle
4 shadow rift
2-3 misdirection (protecting this for a turn without mana being key)
6-8 duress effects

wastelands, strip, a set of power

etc?

[Portalis]

shadow rift would be the best bet with this dude. you cast rift to give him shadow and you draw a card from the rift and you draw cards with the damage done. 

[serracollector]

it looks like a tinker toy with storm.  Rit, Rit, yawg will, rit, rit, swing, draw 5? 

[Mr. Fantastic]

it looks like a tinker toy with storm.  Rit, Rit, yawg will, rit, rit, swing, draw 5? 

If you're able to resolve Rit, Rit, Yawg Will, Rit, Rit, do you really need a  2/1 to help you win the game? 

[urweak]

I would think that Augury Adept is still even better then this card. Not to mention a handful of other creatures.

[zeus-online]

There are lots of "better" creatures, atleast for vintage, then this guy...

Dark confidant is waaay better, other then that we've got ophie (still the best mana cost of any non-confidant draw-dude) Dimir cutpurse (+2 swing in CA each time he connects) then there's selkie which is way better then the others in decks with exalted creatures.

So this guy?...I don't see him as playable.