Power Conduit!?!

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mythosx

Guest
When this card first came out, I thought meh. So what if you can push around a bunch of +1/+1 counters. Then I read it more clearly. And its any counters. And recently I read the rules more clearly and apparently cumulative upkeep is based on age counters. So you can use Power Conduit to reduce cumulitive upkeep and at the same time beef up creatures. WHAT THE FUG? Is it me or is this really really broken? Now not only do powaaaful creatures don't have a penalty. (you can reduce the age counters done to 0) But they get plus one plus one instead.
 
R

Rooser

Guest
My friend is exploring this card. There are a lot of interesting combos you can run. Nothing that's quite tourney viable, but who cares! It's a casual player's dream card.

Here are some things that I find intersting:

You can use it to break symmetry with Quicksilver Fountain. Use the conduit to keep removing the flood counters from your land. If you don't have a good home for the counter, there's nothing illegal about putting a charge counter on the conduit or the fountain - they just don't do anything. Great way to color-hose the board.

You can create a lock on spells with Decree of Silence. The conduit can keep removing depletion counters, so it never runs out. Of course this is super cheesy, way too expensive, and only helps you if you've already got control of the board.

My friend *almost* locked me out by comboing this with Wall of Roots and Spike Weaver. You put a -0/-1 counter on the wall to adda green. You use the green to remove a counter from the weaver and fog. You then use the conduit to remove the -0/-1 counter from the wall and put a +1/+1 counter back on the weaver.

Anything that puts counters on things as a form of payment is good with this card - Serrated Biskelion, Cumulative Upkeep, etc.

Also, the ability to add charge counters to things adds more utility. +1/+1 counters are nice, but aggro-combo doesn't often work too well, so artifact manipulation is better.

Things that use charge counters that you might want to look at:

Riptide Replicator: Why pay a bunch of mana for it now when you could just pay 4 and let it build?
Lightning Coils: Why kill your stuff just to get 3/1 hasters? Do if for free, do it organically!
Chalice of the Void: HELLO! Adjustable Chalice, ho boy!
Magistrate's Scepter: Infinite turns? Not likely, but lots of extra turns? Easy.

Just some brain food.
 
T

train

Guest
The adjustable chalice was discussed elsewhere - and this just hit me...

The adjustable chalice is great with Glasses of Urza!!!...

*Deck ideas brewing...*:D
 
O

Offline

Guest
Whoa....
hold on a sec...

your telling me that you can pay 0 for chalice of the void. then put a counter on it later to counter all spells of one mana. can you do it in responce?

and when you pay cumulative upkeep you put a counter on the card? how does that work. i would like somebody to explane that a little better.

if you were to put a counter on a creature, like Bird of paradice, would it just get a +1/+1 counter?

i was looking at this card the other day trying to think of some use for it.
 

Spiderman

Administrator
Staff member
I don't think you can do it in response; the spell would already have been played by then.

Here's from the rules about cumulative upkeep:
502.13a Cumulative upkeep is a triggered ability that imposes an increasing cost on a permanent.
The phrase "Cumulative upkeep [cost]" means "At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age
counter on this permanent, then sacrifice this permanent unless you pay [cost] for each age
counter on it."
If you just put a counter of BoP with the Conduit, it's a +1/+1 because it's not an artifact (unless you made the BoP an artifact and/or creature beforehand, then you can choose).
 
T

train

Guest
The difference is that cumulative upkeep is age counters - so it can't be affected by the conduit...

the bird can get either counter- as long as the current type/s on the card specify the characteristics that the conduit is looking for...

so like spidey said - it owuld be a +1/+1 counter, unless the bird somehow became an artifact...

;)
 
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mythosx

Guest
what do you mean it cant be affected by the conduit? You use ti to pull the age counters off. It works. You would never put an age counter on something you control!
 
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train

Guest
mythosx - my bad - I was reading it as someone wanting to add counters...

As for removing them - you're correct in that it does take the counters off... but you do have to have an artifact or creature in play to target...

"Sometimes no sleep is not good.."

The unstable mutation bit is just wrong...

:eek: :rolleyes:

"but it's blue so it's okay, right?!"
 
S

Seeker of Truth

Guest
train:

You can place a counter on the Power Conduit. Just because it doesn't have anything to do with charge counters doesn't mean that you can't put a counter on it.



I like the Fountain combo a lot. If the opponent isn't using blue, they can get really screwed.

There are so many things that use counters in some way, that there's got to be a way to abuse the Conduit, especially since there's no cost to using it, except to tap it.
 

Ferret

Moderator
Staff member
I'd like to know whose brilliant idea it was to use "Age Counters" on cumulative upkeep cards...if anything, there should be a ruling that those counters can NEVER be removed from the cards that they are "Ageing"...

-Ferret

"The one card that everyone is forgetting about: Glacial Chasm..."
 
T

train

Guest
Seeker... I knew the counter on conduit bit... I just lost myself in looking at the cumulative upkeep and was thinking of it being someone else's...:rolleyes:

As for abusing it - Mind over matter...
 
S

Seeker of Truth

Guest
How about Decree of Silence? Unless your opponent can play 4-7 spells in one turn, they might as well scoop. Couple this with discard or a card like Necrogen Mists, and there will be no way for your opponent to do anything.
 
H

Hetemti

Guest
Why would they scoop when they could just reach across the table and strangle you until your eyes bulged out for playing the most boring combo since Stasis/Kismet?
 
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Hetemti

Guest
No, at least Channel/Ball does something (rather than stop everything) and kills you. (Rather than bore you until you abandon the game and grab a Great Biggie fries at the food court.
 
M

mythosx

Guest
I started the this post wondering if anyone would get to the obvious of Glacial chasm. I am glad some one mentioned it. As far as channel fireball goes, I have mixed feelings. On one hand its pretty powerful. On the other hand it is rather plain jane.
 
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Reverend Love

Guest
What about the old

1. Paralyze
2. Ley Druid
3. 4 Wild growths on a land

OOOOLD school.
 
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