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fatalpush.bsky.social
Matt Armstrong
@fatalpush.bsky.social
15 followers 34 following 12 posts
aggressively mediocre | defaced cardboard rectangle enthusiast | he/him
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fatalpush.bsky.social
Tempo Cube: FIN Update

Blog post in alt text, though I ran out of characters to copy it in.
The Final Fantasy release lands with minimal impact—power level came in low, even by standard set expectations. A few cards make the cut, largely for testing purposes, but most of the set is a miss for this environment. Tenacious Underdog often read stronger than it played—four mana and two life to blitz from the graveyard was rarely a worthwhile exchange, and even aggressive decks began passing it over. Cecil, Dark Knight offers a more compelling effect: the front side provides a solid early body and a life-loss trigger that enables early Death’s Shadow setups. The payoff for the trouble is a transformation into a 4/4 the grants indestructibility to attacking creatures and offers late-game inevitability, though the lifelink on the back side may prove dissonant in the very shells most interested in the front. The tension is notable, but the upside is worth exploring. Cori-Steel Cutter leaves the lineup in favor of Summon: Brynhildr. The Cutter overperformed in nearly every archetype, including control—pushed by the environment’s natural lean toward double-spelling and insulated from efficient removal by the cube’s removal suite struggling to efficiently answer non-creature permanents. Brynhildr is a cleaner aggro piece with narrower applications and fewer snowball patterns, while still rewarding aggressive sequencing and mana efficiency. Ornery Tumblewagg is out, replaced by Sazh’s Chocobo. This is more a cleanup than a power-level correction—the +1/+1 counter package has too many enablers, and Tumblewagg consistently felt like the least enjoyable among them. Unlike Bristly Bill, Spine Sower or Luminarch Aspirant, it rarely produced interesting board states and often encouraged trivial plays. Chocobo retains synergy but scales back the free value. Mosswood Dreadknight exits for the return of Abrupt Decay. This is a shift toward broadening early interaction. The Dreadknight remains a solid two-for-one, but felt increasingly interchangeable and low-impact here.
June 13, 2025 at 7:57 PM
fatalpush.bsky.social
Tempo Cube: TDM Update

Blog post in the alt text.
Moreso two updates in one. New cards from Tarkir: Dragonstorm join the lineup and a round of spring cleaning clears space for more interesting play patterns. Of the new mechanics, Flurry’s push toward double-spelling fits naturally into this environment. [[Rally the Monastery]] and [[Cori-Steel Cutter]] replace [[Bulwark Ox]] and [[Fireblast]], respectively. Rally may prove too expensive to consistently make decks, but the modality creates interesting tension. The Cutter is an interesting toy for red-based aggro and a powerful payoff for blue-based spells-matter decks looking to pivot on tempo. Fireblast had an undeniable ceiling but was often a trap: frequently gifted late, rarely worth the cost, and ultimately more punishing than rewarding. [[Repeal]] finally exits after years as a perfectly acceptable 24th card. In its place is [[Floodpits Drowner]], which gives blue decks more meaningful interaction with the board, a way to manage problematic creatures, and a flexible line that encourages instant-speed play and long-term planning. [[Stalactite Stalker]] underdelivered even with support from fetches and cheap artifacts. [[Emperor of Bones]] enters as a proactive graveyard hate piece and a compelling build-around for grindier black decks. Interactions with +1/+1 counters ([[Luminarch Aspirant]], [[Ornery Tumblewagg]], etc) may prove awkward, but the upside is worth testing. Finally, [[Vindicate]] is out and [[Orzhov Charm]] steps in. Vindicate’s power was never in question, but it increasingly felt like a blunt instrument in more synergy-driven decks. Charm trades raw power for flexibility: cheap removal, recursion, and corner-case reach, all while better supporting modern Orzhov shells.
April 7, 2025 at 12:43 PM
fatalpush.bsky.social
April 2, 2025 at 2:44 AM
fatalpush.bsky.social
I’ve got a dilemma: My Rob Alexander signatures don’t match.

My Vents and Mire were acquired via the secondary market, the rest were signed in one go.

Do I buy new lands and get them signed fresh so they all match, or do I include a sample with a fresh Vents and Mire and hope he can match it?
January 28, 2025 at 3:57 AM
fatalpush.bsky.social
Deleted my Twitter accounts.
January 25, 2025 at 3:16 PM