Hall o' Shame Nominations: Alliances

[BigBlue]

I always sort of liked Alliances... But I think there are some obvious choices here...

Aesthir Glider
Agent of Stromgald
Arcane Denial
Ashnod's Cylix
Astrolabe
Awesome Presence
Balduvian Dead
Balduvian Horde
Balduvian Trading Post
Balduvian War-Makers
Benthic Explorers
Bestial Fury
Bounty of the Hunt
Browse
Burnout
Carrier Pigeons
Casting of Bones
Chaos Harlequin
Contagion
Deadly Insect
Death Spark
Diminishing Returns
Diseased Vermin
Dystopia
Elvish Bard
Elvish Ranger
Elvish Spirit Guide
Energy Arc
Enslaved Scout
Errand of Duty
Exile
False Demise
Fatal Lore
Feast or Famine
Fevered Strength
Floodwater Dam
Force of Will
Foresight
Fyndhorn Druid
Gargantuan Gorilla
Gift of the Woods
Gorilla Berserkers
Gorilla Chieftain
Gorilla Shaman
Gorilla War Cry
Guerrilla Tactics
Gustha's Scepter
Hail Storm
Heart of Yavimaya
Helm of Obedience
Inheritance
Insidious Bookworms
Ivory Gargoyle
Juniper Order Advocate
Kaysa
Keeper of Tresserhorn
Kjeldoran Escort
Kjeldoran Home Guard
Kjeldoran Outpost
Kjeldoran Pride
Krovikan Horror
Krovikan Plague
Lake of the Dead
Lat-Nam's Legacy
Library of Lat-Nam
Lim-Dul's High Guard
Lim-Dul's Paladin
Lim-Dul's Vault
Lodestone Bauble
Lord of Tresserhorn
Martyrdom
Misfortune
Mishra's Groundbreaker
Misinformation
Mystic Compass
Nature's Blessing
Nature's Chosen
Nature's Wrath
Noble Steeds
Omen of Fire
Phantasmal Fiend
Phantasmal Sphere
Phelddagrif
Phyrexian Boon
Phyrexian Devourer
Phyrexian Portal
Phyrexian War Beast
Pillage
Primitive Justice
Pyrokinesis
Reinforcements
Reprisal
Ritual of the Machine
Rogue Skycaptain
Royal Decree
Royal Herbalist
Scarab of the Unseen
Scars of the Veteran
School of the Unseen
Seasoned Tactician
Sheltered Valley
Shield Sphere
Sol Grail
Soldevi Adnate
Soldevi Digger
Soldevi Excavations
Soldevi Heretic
Soldevi Sage
Soldevi Sentry
Soldevi Steam Beast
Soldier of Fortune
Spiny Starfish
Splintering Wind
Stench of Decay
Storm Cauldron
Storm Crow
Storm Elemental
Storm Shaman
Stromgald Spy
Suffocation
Surge of Strength
Sustaining Spirit
Swamp Mosquito
Sworn Defender
Taste of Paradise
Thawing Glaciers
Thought Lash
Tidal Control
Tornado
Undergrowth
Unlikely Alliance
Urza's Engine
Varchild's Crusader
Varchild's War-Riders
Veteran's Voice
Viscerid Armor
Viscerid Drone
Wandering Mage
Whip Vine
Whirling Catapult
Wild Aesthir
Winter's Night
Yavimaya Ancients
Yavimaya Ants

Nominations close 11/12

 

[BigBlue]

I'll tell you a card I've never liked, I realize you can donate it...

But otherwise, what good is Thought Lash?

 

[Melkor]

I'd say Though Lash is definitely the leader in the clubhouse. I'll nominate Dystopia though. I expect so much more when I'm looking at Cumulative Upkeep: Pay 1 life. Also considering all the much more effective green white hate in black, it just looks so pitiful.

 

[Oversoul]

Did we just skip Homelands, infamous as the worst set in the history of the game?

 

[Budget Player Cadet]

Thought lash isn't just bad, it's one of the worst cards ever.

 

[DarthFerret]

I always hated Urza's Engine. It is way too expensive for a banding mechanic. I do not think I have ever seen anyone use it or make it work in any kind of deck. Much cheaper ways to get the banding you want.

 

[Spiderman]

Did we just skip Homelands, infamous as the worst set in the history of the game?

I think it's coming up...

 

[Shabbaman]

I'd say Though Lash is definitely the leader in the clubhouse. I'll nominate Dystopia though. I expect so much more when I'm looking at Cumulative Upkeep: Pay 1 life. Also considering all the much more effective green white hate in black, it just looks so pitiful.

How can you say that? Dystopia is awesome, as it was one of the few ways for monoblack to get rid of things like Karma. It was a tutorable singleton or sideboard staple in my deck for ages. Thought Lash on the other hand is so bad I don't want to even consider another card for nomination, out of fear people would get tempted to vote for that other card.

 

[Mooseman]

Thought lash is a crap card, but it seems there are decks out there that actually use it
There is some engine it combo's with Future Sight to mill yourself and play whatever you like along the way. (some Lotus Petals/Lion's Eye Diamonds for mana, then diving top a bunch of times to up the storm count into a lethal brain freeze.

It also seems to be a favorite of some donate decks.....

I don't like the card, but I'm just saying.....

Dystopia's only use is as mentioned above.....

 

[Oversoul]

I think it's coming up...

It was printed before Alliances. I thought we were doing these in chronological order...

Well, Thought Lash is a crap rare. Moreso than any other card in this set. So I can see why there'd be disdain for it. Really, this is a testament to how good of a set Alliances was. Even Thought Lash is better than the other cards that have been discussed for previous sets. I think it's especially true in these earlier sets that enchantments are easy targets. They're often overcosted and sometimes completely useless. Unlike creatures, you can't say, "Well, at least it can chump block."

But I'm wary of Thought Lash as a hall of shame card. Here's why: it's explosive. The penalty for what it does is harsh. But it can actually do a lot. If you have your opponent on a clock and he needs to kill you before something kills him, Though Lash can shake off quite a bit of damage while you wait.

And while it's not the best card to use with Donate, it does work.

So yeah, it's situational. That's the problem with all bad cards. But a card that is situational and mediocre even when it does get the job done would be worse than a card that is situational and extremely powerful if it is what you're looking for. The question then is, out of all of the cards in Alliances, is there another card bad enough that Thought Lash's limited use makes it better than the other card's general crapiness?

I can only think of one. I nominate Carrier Pigeons. 1/1 fliers are not hard to come by. Other birds cost two mana and have some other useful ability. With this card, we lose the secondary ability, double the mana cost, and the card becomes a cantrip. That's a horrible deal. This is a creature that actually costs twice as much as it should. It's stupid and boring. At least Thought Lash does something unique and isn't an awful version of another card.

 

[Mooseman]

Here, here..... Thanks Oversoul for the good analysis

 

[BigBlue]

I agreen w/ Oversoul that this set is really pretty good all around. Not everything is as great as say Force of Will... but there are plenty of fun cards in the set.

As far as the order, I couldn't remember... sorry if the "worst" set wasn't done in order...

Another card which I'm surprised hasn't been nominated is Winter's Night... it isn't "horrible"... but for a 3 color enchantment it isn't really that strong...

One 'nice' thing about Thought Lash too is that you only pay that severe penalty if you don't pay the upkeep. So, if you can sacrifice it or disenchant it it isn't so bad. 5 turns without any activations would cost you 15 cards... Maybe if you only need to buy a turn or two it's worth it... But I'd rather use Glacial Chasm though if that were my need... more stable since it's a land and there is usually less LD built in decks than Enchantment removal.

 

[Oversoul]

As far as the order, I couldn't remember... sorry if the "worst" set wasn't done in order...

Heh. I can definitely see a case for putting "worst" in quotation marks. Homelands gets a bad rap, but most of the cards in it are just mediocre, not ridiculously awful. I am curious as to what card will be selected as the worst of the bunch, though...

 

[BigBlue]

Heh. I can definitely see a case for putting "worst" in quotation marks. Homelands gets a bad rap, but most of the cards in it are just mediocre, not ridiculously awful. I am curious as to what card will be selected as the worst of the bunch, though...

While it's early to posit a guess... I'm going w/ Apocolypse charm... It's the last of the "destroy my own set" cards... and what homelands cards would you really want to destroy?

I think it get's the "worst" set nomination not because of the amount of crap cards, but for the lack of real power... You may see a Sengir Autocrats used once in a while... but what else? And that isn't exactly "power". You should be excited about the possibilities of opening a booster... not laughing/crying at it.

And for those of us who were around when it came out... you don't know that going into it, so when you buy a box, because that's your standard operating procedure when a set comes out... it felt like a complete waste of money... Oh, did I slip into the 1st person there... whoopsie...

It's also the last "standalone" set... before they figured out the idea of a "block".

EDIT - added recap and reminder that today is the final day for nominations.

Carrier Pigeons - Oversoul
Dystopia - Melkor
Thought Lash - BigBlue & others
Urza's Engine - DarthFerret

 

[Shabbaman]

I can only think of one. I nominate Carrier Pigeons. 1/1 fliers are not hard to come by. Other birds cost two mana and have some other useful ability. With this card, we lose the secondary ability, double the mana cost, and the card becomes a cantrip. That's a horrible deal. This is a creature that actually costs twice as much as it should. It's stupid and boring. At least Thought Lash does something unique and isn't an awful version of another card.

It's just a Pyknite with flying. Pyknite rocks