Why You Guys Were Right: Situational Cards vs. Topdeck Cards

Yesterday, I held a comments poll over what card was better: Mind Control or Sleep? The situation was Pack One, Pick One of a draft.

When the results were in, Mind Control won 3-0. All three commentors gave good reasons. Here are their comments:

AndreStompy: Mind Control. I find it's just better. That's not to discount Sleep, which is quite a good card. But I feel much more comfortable picking Mind Control knowing I'll play it, than if I were to pick Sleep and have to only be so-so in this deck.

Basically, Mind Control is only a dead draw if they don't have creatures, in which case, who cares about a dead draw?

Mtgcolorpie: Mind Control. Your bomb has now become my bomb. Sleep is more situational if you could finish them off or need to hold them off. Everyone plays creatures in limited.

Thomas David Baker: Mind Control.

I think of Mind Control in terms of card advantage. Mind Control is simultaneously a very strong removal spell and a bomb/strong creature in one card. A really good 2-for-1. The only situation where it isn't brilliant is at less than five mana, or where you are winning anyway. In which case you now have insurance against that changing.

Sleep can win you the game, no doubt, even steal it. But it is much more situational. Mind Control is the better top deck.

The one mana difference in casting cost is not significant as you won't be casting Sleep immediately after making your fourth land drop anyway.

Thanks for all your comments, guys. All of you are correct. Let's look at the points raised here:

• Mind Control is better than Sleep
• Mind Control goes into a wider variety of decks
• Mind Control performs at full power in every blue deck
• Mind Control can take their bomb
• Mind Control is card advantage: A Terminate and a bomb in one card (Great way of looking at it!)
• Sleep is more situational. Mind Control is a better topdeck.
• The one mana doesn't matter since you don't want to play Sleep Turn 4.

These are excellent points, including some that I didn't consider in my own assessment. For the record: here's my assessment:

Mind Control. Mind Control can perform a wider variety of roles than Sleep can. Sleep breaks a creature stall, and that's all it does. Stealing your opponent's best guy will 90% of the time break a creature stall. So for one more mana, you get something that does everything Sleep does, and far, far more.

The main argument I want to showcase is:

• Sleep is more situational. Mind Control is a better topdeck card.

Thank you Thomas David Baker. You have made the exact point this article was to open with: if you could topdeck a bomb it would almost always be Mind Control, because in 99% of situations, it's more useful. However, Mind Control is a better card than Sleep in general, so let's look at some more closely matched cards.

If these cards were in the same set, available in a draft for an R/G deck, which would you pick? Personally, I would pick the Rannet, because it's more useful in some situations: like when you have 2-4 mana, for example. Ridge Rannet is almost never a totally dead draw.

The main reason Mind Control is better than Sleep is because it is almost always the better topdeck. As previously indicated, Sleep is only good in one situation, Mind Control is good in a multitude.

Until next time, may your first-pick be a bomb whenever you draw it.

P.S: Damn you guys are awesome. Seriously, I love my readership. You are all smart, totally brilliant people and I hope you keep making insightful comments for years to come. This is why I blog (that and I have too much Magic enthusiasm to keep it bottled up!) Great job, guys!