Well, here we are with another card review - only this will be a bit different. I'm sure some of you have noticed this section has lacked Team CotD's authority in here lately, and I take part of the blame for that. I didn't step in during Kitty Week (sorry, but didn't have in interest in reviewing a card for a specific deck) and we didn't come up with anything for this week, so I've taken it upon myself to do something different today. Without further ado, I bring you....
The most common replacement I've been hearing (and this should be a giveaway if you read the thread title) is Reckless Greed. And why not? It's available in 4 different forms now... PGD, DB2, and both SD1 and SD2 and Common in all but PGD (Rare). But can this really be considered a "replacement" to Pot of Greed? Short answer - "no." Long answer - here's why.
Pot of Greed states simply "Draw 2 cards from your Deck." Let's further analyze this... Normal Spell, play and draw 2 cards, no drawbacks. Simple, no?
Reckless Greed states "Draw 2 cards, and after that skip your next 2 Draw Phases." And let's analyze this... Normal Trap, set, activate, draw 2 cards, skip next 2 draw phases.
Compare and contrast...
- Pot of Greed can be activated on your turn to give you 2 more cards with no penalty.
- Reckless Greed must be set first, then can be activated on either your opponent's turn or almost anytime afterwards. It let's you draw 2, but you must skip your next 2 Draw Phases.
- Pot of Greed is a topdeckers best friend. Reckless Greed isn't since it has to be set.
Advantage, Pot. But you already knew that.
I know what you're thinking... "But Jathro, you're comparing apples and oranges. Obviously Pot of Greed is better than Reckless Greed, but I'm doing the best I can with what is available." And you know what, you're 100% right. But let me just say this right now. There is no replacement for Pot of Greed. Sure, there are substitutes, but there is no replacement.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you shouldn't add draw power to your deck. I mean, we did lose 2 incredible forms of that in Pot of Greed and Graceful Charity. But I don't feel that you can use Reckless Greed in place of Pot of Greed and hope for the same advantages. It all boils down to that "Skip your next 2 Draw Phases" bit.
Here's where I see Reckless Greed working for you:
- Late game, when it's do or die time and those next 2 cards will either get you the win or (possibly) save you from losing.
- You're playing Offerings to the Doomed and you already have to skip a Draw Phase because of that. (see rulings)
- You know what's on top of your deck and getting that will lead to a win for you where you won't need the next 2 Draw Phases.
To summarize, go ahead and use Reckless Greed. Just don't expect the same results Pot of Greed gave you. My take? Reckless Greed is no Pot of Greed, but it does have it's uses. It's helpful late game, but not so much early and mid.
Jathro's Public Service for September 29th in Regards to the October 1, 2005 Ban List
I've been hearing lately from people something along the lines of "I'm gonna start using (fill in the blank with a card that lets you draw) since I can't use Pot of Greed anymore." To that, I say "Kudos. Draw power is important. Hand advantage and deck thinning are always nice. Etc, etc."
The most common replacement I've been hearing (and this should be a giveaway if you read the thread title) is Reckless Greed. And why not? It's available in 4 different forms now... PGD, DB2, and both SD1 and SD2 and Common in all but PGD (Rare). But can this really be considered a "replacement" to Pot of Greed? Short answer - "no." Long answer - here's why.
Pot of Greed states simply "Draw 2 cards from your Deck." Let's further analyze this... Normal Spell, play and draw 2 cards, no drawbacks. Simple, no?
Reckless Greed states "Draw 2 cards, and after that skip your next 2 Draw Phases." And let's analyze this... Normal Trap, set, activate, draw 2 cards, skip next 2 draw phases.
Compare and contrast...
- Pot of Greed can be activated on your turn to give you 2 more cards with no penalty.
- Reckless Greed must be set first, then can be activated on either your opponent's turn or almost anytime afterwards. It let's you draw 2, but you must skip your next 2 Draw Phases.
- Pot of Greed is a topdeckers best friend. Reckless Greed isn't since it has to be set.
Advantage, Pot. But you already knew that.
I know what you're thinking... "But Jathro, you're comparing apples and oranges. Obviously Pot of Greed is better than Reckless Greed, but I'm doing the best I can with what is available." And you know what, you're 100% right. But let me just say this right now. There is no replacement for Pot of Greed. Sure, there are substitutes, but there is no replacement.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you shouldn't add draw power to your deck. I mean, we did lose 2 incredible forms of that in Pot of Greed and Graceful Charity. But I don't feel that you can use Reckless Greed in place of Pot of Greed and hope for the same advantages. It all boils down to that "Skip your next 2 Draw Phases" bit.
Here's where I see Reckless Greed working for you:
- Late game, when it's do or die time and those next 2 cards will either get you the win or (possibly) save you from losing.
- You're playing Offerings to the Doomed and you already have to skip a Draw Phase because of that. (see rulings)
- You know what's on top of your deck and getting that will lead to a win for you where you won't need the next 2 Draw Phases.
To summarize, go ahead and use Reckless Greed. Just don't expect the same results Pot of Greed gave you. My take? Reckless Greed is no Pot of Greed, but it does have it's uses. It's helpful late game, but not so much early and mid.
