What were they thinking?

So... I miss something?
One thing is doing an underpower card
other is doing a bad dessign
other is doing trash on purpose
and then I think is this?
Is there a combo reason or some hidden meta at the time?

Maybe Im just so dumb that cant see beyond

>Maybe Im just so dumb that cant see beyond
This.

>cast any mld
>float all your mana
>in response, here's a 5/5 legendary black spirit demon, have fun dealing with it without any lands you stupid fucks

>barren glory in play
>tap all mana, sac lands make token
>small pox
>one with nothing
>win game

>other is doing trash on purpose
I mean, that's actually what they did. Wizards purposely downgraded and inflated mana costs in Kamigawa in a knee-jerk reaction to the power of Mirrodin block.

I know... but even then, one thing is purposly downgrade, and other is that....

The answer is that it's a land. All decks run lands regardless, so it doesn't take up actual deck space, and every now and again, a 5/5 flying demon will win you the game. It's an incredibly low cost card to add to your deck that will occasionally win you a game you otherwise wouldn't. That being said, it's still not great, but never underestimate just how relevant land effects are. Look at Ramunap Ruins for a recent example.

So you are really not suppose to use the ability unless you are sure it can win you the game for sure?
I guess that make sense,

>never underestimate just how relevant land effects are

This. Ghazi-Glare was a tier 1 deck in original Ravnica and it all revolved around spending 5 mana to make a 1/1

Are you familiar with the concept of a "back-up" weapon? That's what that card is. A holdout pistol.

In a vacumm is ok/bad, but in the right deck it could be amazing. Also depends on the format your playing.

Try thinking outside the box, Timmy.

This with Titania and or Gitrog. Budget combination.

What a shitty combo

>need to play two cards to have the same effect as desolation angel

...right? I don't...get...what was their...goal...

It's also in response to MLD with a land if you see it frequently enough. Most MLD is sorcery speed, and the tomb can respond to that even if you have no cards in your hand, which is pretty good for a land that comes in untapped. It'd be rough in a 20 life format, but in anything else it's a useful card.

I mean... what... were they... thinking... ?

Well, nobody said it was the best. We're just pointing out to OP in which cases the card could be useful.

They're just adding to your personal sense of pride and accomplishment.

>5 Mana
How?

Vitu Ghazi is crazy good in my Ghave Edh tho

You are tapping the land itself to cast the 1/1 thus its is technically 5 mana to cast.

I'm pretty sure it's a jank land to help get you a Cheese Stands Alone win-con.

It's not even usable. It's bad in legacy, modern, commander and wasn't good during standard. There's only draft left for it and I assume it'd have been okay at best there.

Combo it off Titania, Protector of Argoth maybe?

Or you could just cast armageddon.

Armageddon is sorcery speed, while you can tap the land before your turn starts, so you can swing that turn with your tokens

Every card is usable in casual commander. It's a budget combo, no need to go full asperger on a sub optimal combo piece.

Casual commander wouldn't allow this card if Titania was your commander. Also, for 4 less mana and without having to splash you can run sylvan safekeepers for a much more efficient combo.

>Casual commander wouldn't allow this card if Titania was your commander
It's not like it's the "anything goes" format... Also it could work in a land deck as a backup combo piece.

Look, the card is not good but it isn't the worst. There are far more offenders than this land.

>ignoring your commander's color identity

I think you guys are missing the true intended purpose of this card- comboing it with Sink Into Takenuma.

The whole point is you're giving up everything to Urami. The flavour is on point, and in a game you can use it to force through those last points of damage.

It doesn't combo

Or you could
>barren glory
>o-ring it
>kaervek's spite

Yup. Design-wise, it has to do the pinging thing because it'd be a Swamp that could make a game-winning threat with nothing else needed the turn it enters the battlefield (Or most likely, next opponent's end step). Even with the ping, if the land only sacrificed itself, it'd be too good.

It can see play in Legacy Pox. You play 4 Urborgs anyway so in 90% of games it's a Swamp with upside. It's another potential wincon in a deck that's light on wincons and doesn't restrict you noticeably.

In modern 8rack though your curve ends at 3 and you discard excess Swamps to Raven's Crime instead of playing them, so it has no place in there.

Really the ideal situation for it that requires the least amount of other cards would be to wait until your opponent taps out or has no cards in had and make the demon at the end of their turn if you can swing for a win. Ideally you'd put this in some sort of blue/black draw go style deck where you'd primarily play cards during your opponent's turn.

These kinds of half-cocked mind games were what Kamigawa spirits were intended for, I think. Not so much power, but the idea that it could do something hefty was supposed to trip the other guy up.

I mean, Arcane doesn't make any sense otherwise, and that was half of Kamigawa's personal design space. Kamigawa was weird.

that's not how it works user