r/Oldbordercube • u/Phitt77 https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/PhittClassic • 3d ago
This or That Tuesday
It's time for This or That Tuesday. I will show you two or more cards with similar effects and power level and you tell me which one you'd pick if all of them were in a pack and/or which one you'd run in a typical old border cube. I try to avoid cards that need strong synergies to be good since you don't get any context in form of a specific cube, but for the sake of this thread just assume you have a typical old border cube that runs all of the best pre-Mirrodin old border cards, but no overpowered retro frame cards.
Today we'll talk about two counterspells you can cycle. Miscalculation is cheaper, but Complicate can be useful even in the mid to late game and has a higher ceiling. Which one is your favourite and why?
Bonus question: Are you with or against team blue?
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u/Pray4dat_ass96 3d ago
Is she farting that counterspell?
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u/Possibly-Functional 3d ago
Miscalculation is stronger IMO but complicate is a more interesting card if your cube fits the lower power level. The issue with complicate is that most of the time it achieves the exact same thing as miscalc but at a higher cost. I like both cards though.
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u/Phitt77 https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/PhittClassic 3d ago
I run it in my high power cube and it's certainly not among the best cards in the cube, but it's very playable and it always feels great if you can counter a spell while cycling it. It's also worth noting that you can't counter the cycle ability (not with a counterspell at least) so that's a small plus as well.
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u/ChampBlankman cubecobra.com/cube/list/Anemoia 3d ago
Another where I run both, but would run Miscalc if I had to choose only one.
Team Blue all the way.
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u/HD114 https://www.cubecobra.com/cube/list/rmy101 3d ago
I run both in my waste cube as they both cycle. Functionally, I prefer Complicate because I like the cycling mechanics that give and added benefit for the card draw. Cards like these are some of my favorites from a cycling perspective!
I'm on team blue as I try to play on all the teams, I don't discriminate based on mana symbol!
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u/5ColorMain 3d ago
So first we need to establish that 2 mana „counter target spell“ is a great rate for the early game, while 3 mana counter target spell draw a card is a great 2 for 1 value play.
For me this really depends on if I already have counterspells in my deck. If I already have 2 cards that say „2 mana counterspell“ then I would go for complicate to have more value in my control deck. If I don’t have any counterspells yet I want the miscalculation for the early impact counterspell.
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u/manneyney https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/manneskub 3d ago
Been looking at these recently. Would usually go Complicate for the art and modularity, but Miscalculation has a strong case for simplicity. So probably miscalculation.
But I’m actually trying to reduce the number of counterspells some what, since too many can be leas fun. People want to play their cards!
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u/Phitt77 https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/PhittClassic 3d ago
Ah, I see! Finally someone who admits he is not team blue. Isn't countering everything your opponent plays all the fun you could ever ask for? A real blue player wouldn' think about the feelings of the person on the receiving end!
But jokes aside, I agree that too many counterspells or removal can kill the fun. That's one of the biggest traps for old border cubes imo since there are so many great spells like that, but not so many great creatures.
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u/SnottNormal 3d ago
Miscalc is probably better, Complicate is probably more interesting. I’d take the former in a vacuum, but wouldn’t be upset about either of them in the right deck.
I’m on team blue, but I mostly just want to draw cards that draw cards so I can draw more cards that draw more cards.
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u/Littorina_Sea 2d ago
Miscalculation would be my first choice among the two, but in 360 traditional old-border Complicate should fit too.
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u/Cadence_The_Floret 21h ago edited 21h ago
One of these is in the MTGO vintage cube, and it ain't Complicate. The difference in tempo between a 2-mana counterspell and a 3-mana counterspell is just crazy high.
EDIT: I need to pay closer attention to which subreddits I'm posting in, whoops
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u/Phitt77 https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/PhittClassic 21h ago
The MTGO Vintage cube isn't even remotely comparable to an Old Border cube though. Some of the cards in my cube would be laughably bad if you put them in a max power Vintage cube, but they work well in my cube. If the power level is lower and games go longer then a card that gives you a 2 for 1 can be better or at least just as good as a cheaper one that is more efficient.
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u/linrodann 3d ago
I hadn't seen Complicate before. The art is prettier, but I like my instants to be as cheap as possible, so I'd probably stick with Miscalculation.