Immediately after the official release of Magic: The Gathering’s newest set, Lost Caverns of Ixalan, players wasted no time in brewing innovative decks centered around the untested Discover mechanic. The results have been nothing short of surprising.
MTG introduced the Discover ability as a “fixed” version of Cascade, but many players argue that it has actually achieved the opposite effect. On MTGO, players have stumbled upon a frenzied combo that seems to have an endless chain reaction in both the Explorer and Pioneer formats.
WOTC must be feeling a mix of frustration and nausea right now, as their attempt to fix Cascade has inadvertently created something even more broken. Twitter users are having a field day, with one user jokingly stating, “WOTC must be crying and throwing up rn that their fixed cascade is more broken than normal cascade lol.”
The combo in question revolves around Geological Appraiser, an uncommon human creature card from Lost Caverns of Ixalan, and its Discover ability. By exiling clone spells like Glasspool Mimic, Saheeli Rai, or Mirror Image, players can create copies of Geological Appraiser. Each copy triggers its Discover ability upon entering the battlefield.
This process can continue indefinitely until one of the clones discovers Eldritch Evolution. At that point, the player can search for Trumpeting Carnosaur, which conveniently also possesses the Discover ability. With just four mana, the player can summon an army of clones and a colossal dinosaur. To seal the deal, players can then search for Doomskar Titan, a Giant Berserker that grants haste to all creatures.
This game-winning combo has gained recognition on MTGO’s official website, as decks piloted by JMM and triosk secured first and third place, respectively, in the Pioneer Showcase Challenge on November 19. JMM utilized Quintorius Kand’s passive ability, which deals damage to all opponents for each spell cast from exile, to claim victory by inflicting massive direct damage.
While Twitter users tend to exaggerate, Reddit users offer a more level-headed perspective. One user, Winter_File_405, explains on a MagicArena thread that Discover is tied to mana value, preventing the casting of spells with higher mana value. This limitation is clearly explained on MTG’s website. Nevertheless, the Discover mechanic remains a potent tool, granting players strategic access to specific spells from their library and potentially ending the game.
The infamous Companion mechanic is the only mechanic in Magic’s history to have been “nerfed” due to its overwhelming power. It is too early to determine if Discover will have a similar impact on formats like Explorer and Pioneer, necessitating intervention from WotC. Emergency bans have been implemented in Standard and MTG Arena in recent years, but those were targeted at individual cards that significantly warped the format on their own.
Source: DOTESPORTS
