Weight of Spires is a very interesting card. Burn spells are hard to make because they are so linear in nature. Very often it's simply a numbers game, an attempt to find the best cost to power ratio and restrictions for the limited enviornment. This card stands out as a mechanically clever card in the context of Ravnica limited, where non-basic lands were the rule rather than the exception, even if there rarely were more than one or two Karoo variants on the other side of the table. Effectively costed and designed with adequate scaling in mind, Weight of Spires has a place in limited as a later pick burn spell, a strange plane for such a splashable card to be.
Clearly inspired by Price of Progress, Weight of Spires is rarely better than an instant-speed Flame Jab. Its constructed uses are limited due to its unreliability and that it's generally outclassed by Lightning Bolt's versatility. This card is generally just behind the curve by a point of damage or two with the rare basic that sneaks into tournament play with its efficient creatures and can be played around. Even Vendetta is more useful with its guarantee of getting the job done at the same mana cost.
All that being said, this is a very neat design with great Ravnica flavor. It has a home for sure in Rx Commander decks as cheap removal, as efficient spells are much better than people give them credit for in that format. The problem is that in Constructed there are just better cards.
Comments (4)
Exceptions- ink-treader nephilim and Radiate.
Weight of Spires is a very interesting card. Burn spells are hard to make because they are so linear in nature. Very often it's simply a numbers game, an attempt to find the best cost to power ratio and restrictions for the limited enviornment. This card stands out as a mechanically clever card in the context of Ravnica limited, where non-basic lands were the rule rather than the exception, even if there rarely were more than one or two Karoo variants on the other side of the table. Effectively costed and designed with adequate scaling in mind, Weight of Spires has a place in limited as a later pick burn spell, a strange plane for such a splashable card to be.
Clearly inspired by Price of Progress, Weight of Spires is rarely better than an instant-speed Flame Jab. Its constructed uses are limited due to its unreliability and that it's generally outclassed by Lightning Bolt's versatility. This card is generally just behind the curve by a point of damage or two with the rare basic that sneaks into tournament play with its efficient creatures and can be played around. Even Vendetta is more useful with its guarantee of getting the job done at the same mana cost.
All that being said, this is a very neat design with great Ravnica flavor. It has a home for sure in Rx Commander decks as cheap removal, as efficient spells are much better than people give them credit for in that format. The problem is that in Constructed there are just better cards.