Get your mind out the gutter, just for once in your life. I am, of course, talking about Big Dumb Spec Mentions if you’re just now joining the recurring ramblings and tirades of a crusty deep-sea dweller. From time to time we do ask for another arthropod to chime in to give things a little balance. That’s not to say that us Homarids always agree, mind.
Toby and I had wildly differing opinions on BDSM back in a February issue. The card in that instance was Accursed Duneyard. It’s done diddly squat since posting. However, this was always going to be a mid-long term spec – rather than a short-term spec like the recent Herd Heirloom, which I snagged a good few copies of a week or so prior to the 200%+ price hike the other day (still rising, baby). Sadly I was too slow to get the word out prior… D’oh!
This lead me to think; “What’s the point in having this giant folder of Specs, when I have lacked the motivation to actually put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and let you fine folk know about them in good time“. The whole idea is that I want to help people avoid the super costly ‘staples’ of our time, and embrace the janky-yet-effective alternatives. They tend to cost a fraction of the price, and do something pretty darn similar to the crowd faves which doth burn many holes in thy pocket.
So, today and for the next 9 days, I will be posting a BDSM article and reeling off as many Specs as I can. Between Skeet and I, we have Collector Album full to the brim of delightful specs. To be fair to my paid subscribers, I’ll be doing one day free, one day paid-tier subscribers only. I’m hoping it’ll serve as a little incentive to those on the fence about supporting our vision.
“What is our vision” you say? Stop being so intrusive. But since you ask, our vision is to provide sensible (!) deck building advice, put you onto cool cards before fancypants YouTube sensations make them dreadfully costly, give you the opportunity to hunt some copies of aforementioned goodies and perhaps make a little copper along the way. HaHo has and always will believe in a mantra of papyrus over peso – the game comes first, then the money. I’d give my cards away if I could. But I’ve already given away at least ten copies of Rhystic Study already. To make matters worse, I don’t even own a personal copy. Woe is me.
We aim to create a bustling online community for MTG players of all formats, and host a safe & friendly online space where trading is encouraged. We’d like to see the ‘T’ put back in TCG. We offer a variety of EDH/ Commando decks that I’ve brewed with my own blood, sweat and so so many tears. I’ve sold 128 Decks and one Pauper deck in the last 2.5 years and I pride myself on:
- Not netdecking
- Not using EDHREC
- Avoiding Exposure to YouTube MTG content. Unless Skeet forces me to watch with the Clockwork Orange eye-clamps
- *Prioritising fun and enjoyment of the game over winning & being ‘streamlined for maximum efficiency’ and winning at all costs.
EDH/Commando is a casual format, and while I do enjoy a game of Standard or even Pauper, I do largely write about cards within a Commander context. Having said that, if I think a card in a BDSM episode could be useful in a format other than EDH/Commando, I’ll be sure to let y’all know. The shop is constantly having inventory added, so keep your eyes peeled here!
Anyway, back to the BDSM you’ve been licking your lips and waiting for. Paid subscribers can look forward to another article into my BDSM lair tomorrow, and unpaid Paupers can meet me here again on Saturday for another load of cards. I’ll aim to keep my summaries brief in an attempt to cover as much ground as possible.
BDSM BONANZA
Barrensteppe Siege, Glacierwood Siege, Hollowmurk Siege & Frostcliff Siege from Tarkir: Dragonstorm (2025).
I won’t dissect each one of these cards, but I will say that their current price point seems unlikely to remain low forevermore. I’ll cast your minds back to MH1 where one of my favourite alt win-cons Mirrodin Besieged was released. Select the second modal option of that badboy and fill your graveyard with artifacts by sneaksy means… BOOM!
You won the game and your opponents are really mad. While none of these new Siege cards quite match Mirrodin Besieged arguably broken power level, and certainly aren’t likely to match the massive spike that Mirrodin Besieged hit in Feb 2023, I do think these cards have room to grow.
These new Sieges are versatile, low CMC, and provide us with either one (or in a few cases 2) decent perks to choose from. The Temur mode on Glacierwood Siege is a little underwhelming & that card also has the joint-tied 2nd Highest CMC of the lot. But as with Mirrodin Besieged, it only needs one decent mode to be a good card. The downside is just the perk of ‘choice’ that I mentioned becomes a little less valid. Barrensteppe is 4CMC, Glacierwood is 3CMC, Frostcliff is 3CMC & Hollowmurk is an impressive 2CMC. The ability to play this (likely) on turn 2 in a game of Commander is undeniably strong. However, both modes rely on you being able to either attack, or put a counter on a creature you control (that’s any counter at all.. even, say, a Finality Counter).
Overall these cards shouldn’t be ignored, and I’d advise buying some up and sitting on them.
ESTIMATED PRICE INCREASE PERIOD: Mid-Long term (Mirrodin Besieged came out in MH1, 2019. It hit high prices when the drooling masses learned how busted it was in 2023 – so four years). However, these cards aren’t quite as burly as MB so I think we can expect a more modest price increase in a slightly shorter period of time.
FORMATS PLAYABLE: Plenty.
Sage of the Skies from Tarkir: Dragonstorm (2025).
Another BDSM from the most recent set where we ventured back to the plane of Tarkir. I didn’t care much for this set, but I always try to find the good things in life rather than focus on the negative. This card definitely shouts “Power Creep!” from the top of the highest mountain peak. At 3 CMC {WCC} this creature cares about having played another spell this turn. It’s possible to do in constructed formats, with something as simple as Novice Inspector doing the job nicely for a paltry 1W. In Commander, this card can really shine via the use of zero cost artifacts letting you hit the prerequisite. There’s just a single white ‘pip’ here, and if you manage to hit the proc Sage of the Skies will copy itself. As well as being a 3CMC 2/3 creature with flying and lifelink, this ability synergises well with new cards such as Elspeth, Storm Slaver as the copied spell becomes a token! Of course there are plentiful other ways to abuse token generation. In Dragonstorm: Tarkir we even have the introduction of some ways to avoid sacrificing tokens! Seems like there’s some room to grow here, with the card only priced at around $1NZD per copy within New Zealand Aotearoa.
ESTIMATED PRICE INCREASE PERIOD: Short-Mid term
FORMATS PLAYABLE: Plenty
Colossal Rattlewurm from Outlaws of Thunder Junction (2024)
I’m stumped. I really don’t understand why this card isn’t seeing play in any format. Sure, it’s a little tricky to summon with two Green mana in the casting cost. However, for a mere 4CMC total we are granted a whopping 6/5 body. Better? It has Trample. That’s right, a 6/5 with Trample for 4CMC. If this isn’t Power Creep I’m not sure what is!
The pros don’t end there though my deep-sea friends; this card can even be played at instant speed if you’re lucky enough to have a Desert in play. This might seem like a bit of a stretch, but the Deserts printed in OTJ and in MH3 Precons such as Desert Warfare make it easier than ever to incorporate Desert lands in your deck. If you utilise the janky wonder that is Spelunking then you’ll also bypass the negative trait that most Deserts have, and they’ll come into play untapped.
But wait… there’s more! Colossal Rattlewurm can even help us from beyond the Grave(yard). For 2CMC we can exile him/her/it from the Graveyard and search our Library for any Desert land and put it straight into play. Even though it’ll come into play tapped, if you’re smart and run Spelunking, this will mean that exiling Rattlewurm and fetching a Desert to put into play actually results in an untapped Desert coming straight onto the board untapped. As a lot of Deserts tap for multiple types of mana, I can’t stress enough how viable this card really is.
One final point to make about exiling Rattlewurm from the Graveyard is that there have been a slew of cards that encourage ‘Graveyard Hate’ and also cards that grant benefits if you exile cards from your own Graveyard. This card is a slept on whopper!
ESTIMATED PRICE INCREASE PERIOD: Mid-term
FORMATS PLAYABLE: I’ve had some success brewing Standard prototypes with it and can also see it working very well in the right Commander deck too.
That’s all for today, folks. Paid subscribers, I’ll see you tomorrow with some more… premium tips from your favourite deep-sea dwelling MTG pundit. Paupers, I shall see you again for more BDSM antics on Saturday!
One Love,
Josh / King Kookus for HappyHomarid.com