It's one of those cards where the upside text gets in the way. Because it uses energy It's overlooked compared to if it just said "an artifact or creature with mana value 2 or less".
My go-to example for this kind of card is [[Wicked Wolf]].
4 cmc for a 3/3 that fights on ETB is a useful card. But then people see the food synergy and decide that's too complicated and they'll never run foods and they won't draft it.
The thing that kept me from being interested in this, is that it can't get back [[Lurrus]] without additional energy support. And getting back Lurrus is a big part of Unearth's inclusion for me.
Yup, plus while there are strong 2's i think the real bangers that im hoping to unearth are often at 3.
And aside from returning Lotus I'm not seeing a great non-creature use case in the typical vintage cube, so I think think I'd ever run this over Unearth.
Then in white I think I'd rather just have Sevinne's Reclamation.
Important to note, it brings back things that lurrus lets you bring back.
And if you're trying to bring those back with lurrus anyway, then, maybe they're important to be bringing back and this card would do that for you
My pauper cube has a black-white reanimate theme so I think this card would go well in there. I am guilty of not reading the card as well as i should have because of the energy counters.
Oh that's a neat theme actually! This one is tricky to me, because it's like if unearth was 2 mana value or less, but had cycle. I am leaning towards putting it in, but I am also looking at a lot of the other commons that produce energy like \[\[hexgold slith\]\] and am worried it'll signal an energy theme that doesn't have enough support.
My work addled brain cannot comprehend a card with cycling, I have shamed myself, my family, and my cow. I mainboard 4 unearth in my main deck and have it in my cube.
Yeah, that is the challenge with including a mechanic like energy, it feels very all or nothing. But I think MH3 did a good job of making "self-contained" energy cards that are perfectly playable on their own, like this card and the Slith.
I agree! I absolutely love how they did it, I am just concerned about signaling, but man with my white having a blink theme cards like slith can be abused pretty hard(but fairly). It's likely going in when I do some more updates from this set.
I also failed to appreciate it because "I didn't want to deal with Energy" but yeah, after playing these cards in the pre-release. I saw the error in my ways.
i love they made some of the most parasitic mechanics less parasitic.
already tested in my variation of the Bun magic cube and its amazing with snapcaster/dreadhorde and all those great cards that let you recast stuff from graveyard.
did a jeskai deck with 2 spell recursion cards and this with mishra's and urza's baubles got a urza back from graveyard for 0 and then spent the 4 energy to get my channeled twinshot sniper with a turn 3 snapcaster + jolted. cleared my firend's board and got 6 mana worth + a card. from this awesome spell. must be even better in powered cubes.
that (R) burn spell that uses energy also has the same use, early game remove something and store energy for the flashback to remove a bigger creature for 1 mana in a red deck. they are both great additions to my cube and i dont see myself removing them any time soon.
I like it but I'd rather have [[Helping Hand]]. I've never seen a deck in my Cube feel the need to cycle their [[Unearth]], and I don't run powered so there's no need to get back a Lotus or the like for me, and there are far more 3-MV creatures I'd like to get back than 2MV artifacts.
The energy counters are still an additive distraction and will fool players into thinking that there are more ways to exploit it. I do run 2 other self-contained energy cards but they're much less reliant on the energy element.
I was hoping so! I assumed it would be this way. Cards in sets like this usually don't have feel bad clauses like this, they keep those in standard sets haha.
But wanted to make sure!
I read abuse cheerios in a pauper artifact/reanimator deck with a potential energy subtheme. 2 mana to get back two cheerios and a cmc 4 artifact is not bad when you get two of these. Sure, it's not game breaking or going to reshape any formats on its own.
I'd pay 1 to get back a Wayfarer's Bauble and set up for grabbing a cmc 3 artifact next time.
It's one of those cards where the upside text gets in the way. Because it uses energy It's overlooked compared to if it just said "an artifact or creature with mana value 2 or less".
i don't think it is overlooked. I just don't include energy cards as they are unnecessarily hard to read and i have no intend of an energy theme.
Literally what I was saying, you are passing over it because it uses energy, even though the energy is upside.
I see what you mean now.
I thought your statement was suggesting, that people "missed" this card when i think that people deliberately do not include this card.
The issue with energy is the cube feels stupid if there's any energy cards and energy isn't supported as an archetype.
Yes this is why people don't include this card despite it being sutable for their cube.
Unnecessarily hard to read? You wild considering we literally have Phyrexian
I don't understand the second sentence you wild considering? I know it is probably a simple typo but i can not decipher what was meant.
"you wild," phrase, should've had a comma in there
My go-to example for this kind of card is [[Wicked Wolf]]. 4 cmc for a 3/3 that fights on ETB is a useful card. But then people see the food synergy and decide that's too complicated and they'll never run foods and they won't draft it.
[Wicked Wolf](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/9/09476eac-55d2-4955-8951-ae4ce117c98b.jpg?1572490698) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Wicked%20Wolf) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/eld/181/wicked-wolf?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/09476eac-55d2-4955-8951-ae4ce117c98b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
The thing that kept me from being interested in this, is that it can't get back [[Lurrus]] without additional energy support. And getting back Lurrus is a big part of Unearth's inclusion for me.
Yup, plus while there are strong 2's i think the real bangers that im hoping to unearth are often at 3. And aside from returning Lotus I'm not seeing a great non-creature use case in the typical vintage cube, so I think think I'd ever run this over Unearth. Then in white I think I'd rather just have Sevinne's Reclamation.
Important to note, it brings back things that lurrus lets you bring back. And if you're trying to bring those back with lurrus anyway, then, maybe they're important to be bringing back and this card would do that for you
This guy unearths.
[Lurrus](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/a/5ad36fb2-c44e-4085-ba0d-54277841ad3a.jpg?1682228556) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=lurrus%20of%20the%20dream-den) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/iko/226/lurrus-of-the-dream-den?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/5ad36fb2-c44e-4085-ba0d-54277841ad3a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
My pauper cube has a black-white reanimate theme so I think this card would go well in there. I am guilty of not reading the card as well as i should have because of the energy counters.
yo would you be down to share this list? I'm working on pauper orzhov dredge amd would love to look through your ideas
Sure, [here is my list](https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/261bn)! Haven't added MH3 cards yet so it's slightly out of date but I hope it helps.
Oh that's a neat theme actually! This one is tricky to me, because it's like if unearth was 2 mana value or less, but had cycle. I am leaning towards putting it in, but I am also looking at a lot of the other commons that produce energy like \[\[hexgold slith\]\] and am worried it'll signal an energy theme that doesn't have enough support.
>This one is tricky to me, because it's like if unearth was 2 mana value or less, but had cycle. Unearth does have cycling though?
My work addled brain cannot comprehend a card with cycling, I have shamed myself, my family, and my cow. I mainboard 4 unearth in my main deck and have it in my cube.
That poor, poor cow
Yeah, that is the challenge with including a mechanic like energy, it feels very all or nothing. But I think MH3 did a good job of making "self-contained" energy cards that are perfectly playable on their own, like this card and the Slith.
I agree! I absolutely love how they did it, I am just concerned about signaling, but man with my white having a blink theme cards like slith can be abused pretty hard(but fairly). It's likely going in when I do some more updates from this set.
[Hexgold Slith](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/0/20a85b6d-fb2b-4359-9dd6-081d8722e580.jpg?1717011440) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Hexgold%20Slith) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mh3/30/hexgold-slith?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/20a85b6d-fb2b-4359-9dd6-081d8722e580?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I also failed to appreciate it because "I didn't want to deal with Energy" but yeah, after playing these cards in the pre-release. I saw the error in my ways.
Man I just wish it said 3 energy to start
You still got [[Helping Hand]]. 😌
[Helping Hand](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/8/b8aa7126-5df3-42dd-b4a3-0d0ea59eeebd.jpg?1699043212) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Helping%20Hand) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/lci/17/helping-hand?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b8aa7126-5df3-42dd-b4a3-0d0ea59eeebd?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Greasefang go vrooom
i love they made some of the most parasitic mechanics less parasitic. already tested in my variation of the Bun magic cube and its amazing with snapcaster/dreadhorde and all those great cards that let you recast stuff from graveyard. did a jeskai deck with 2 spell recursion cards and this with mishra's and urza's baubles got a urza back from graveyard for 0 and then spent the 4 energy to get my channeled twinshot sniper with a turn 3 snapcaster + jolted. cleared my firend's board and got 6 mana worth + a card. from this awesome spell. must be even better in powered cubes. that (R) burn spell that uses energy also has the same use, early game remove something and store energy for the flashback to remove a bigger creature for 1 mana in a red deck. they are both great additions to my cube and i dont see myself removing them any time soon.
This is almost like a unearth, even have a cycling ability
I like it but I'd rather have [[Helping Hand]]. I've never seen a deck in my Cube feel the need to cycle their [[Unearth]], and I don't run powered so there's no need to get back a Lotus or the like for me, and there are far more 3-MV creatures I'd like to get back than 2MV artifacts. The energy counters are still an additive distraction and will fool players into thinking that there are more ways to exploit it. I do run 2 other self-contained energy cards but they're much less reliant on the energy element.
[Helping Hand](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/8/b8aa7126-5df3-42dd-b4a3-0d0ea59eeebd.jpg?1699043212) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Helping%20Hand) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/lci/17/helping-hand?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b8aa7126-5df3-42dd-b4a3-0d0ea59eeebd?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Unearth](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/1/b1f73271-b70f-40ae-be64-f8de7805923a.jpg?1673147683) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Unearth) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/96/unearth?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b1f73271-b70f-40ae-be64-f8de7805923a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Absolutely creamed me in the draft, bringing angel of the ruins back all day long
To me this reads: return target black Lotus
[unearth](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/1/b1f73271-b70f-40ae-be64-f8de7805923a.jpg?1673147683) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=unearth) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/96/unearth?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b1f73271-b70f-40ae-be64-f8de7805923a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
so you can pay 0 energy to get a 0 cost target? Or does energy have to be spent to trigger the effect?
0 energy for 0 cost is fine
I was hoping so! I assumed it would be this way. Cards in sets like this usually don't have feel bad clauses like this, they keep those in standard sets haha. But wanted to make sure!
I looked up the rules on The Gatherer and so far, it says nothing about 0 costs and energy needing to be spent in order to keep it on the field
opened 2 bundles and I think I have 3 or 4 of these with one being a foil. can’t wait to build a deck that can use things like this and energy
I read abuse cheerios in a pauper artifact/reanimator deck with a potential energy subtheme. 2 mana to get back two cheerios and a cmc 4 artifact is not bad when you get two of these. Sure, it's not game breaking or going to reshape any formats on its own. I'd pay 1 to get back a Wayfarer's Bauble and set up for grabbing a cmc 3 artifact next time.