What cards do most want to use but find you keep cutting?

[Xaarvaxus]

I decided to start this thread as I'm pulling cards to set aside for a Bruna deck and on top of the stack is Comeuppance.  Its a card that I've put aside quite a few times for other decks before, but even if it found itself in a sleeve initially, that card slot usually went to either Crush Contraband, Return to Dust or something like Day of Judgment instead.  It got me wondering if others here found themselves having cards that they want to use but end up sliding in something more desperately needed/more familiar/EDHREC recommended for that commander/etc. and what everyone may have done to help find that Triple A player a home in the Show somewhere else.

I've been trying to make a more conscious effort to diversify which cards I use [partially to justify even owning them in the first place] but mostly so I don't end up with decks that all look and play alike and Comeuppance might just fit that bill this time....maybe... or perhaps that slot ends up going to Unbreakable Formation which I want to fit into a deck somewhere.  Though it is just a likely that on the first trial run with the deck that I get smoked by an artifact I can't rid of and I rage buy another copy of Return to Dust and stick it in the deck.

Some other cards that seem to share the same fate for me [there are probably many more but these are near the top of a 'to be filed stack by my computer]:

Masterwork of Ingenuity - I like the idea of duping a key piece of equipment but the original doesn't usually last long enough to clone [or is legendary] or isn't really useful enough in multiples.

Thragtusk - Seems to fight with other cards at this CMC.  Have had this in my Meren, Tasigur and Xenagos decks and have pulled it each time [may need to try again with Xenagos though]

Cataclysmic Gearhulk - not nuking lands like its namesake usually gets me to pull it from the deck but I still get it out to see if I can find a place where it works and maybe getting some planeswalkers with it seems like it should be decent.

Grave Betrayal - always seems to clog my hand so gets yanked asap.  Seems like it should do epic things though... sigh.

[WWolfe]

Moonlight Bargain - I love the card in theory, but it always seems to be one of the last cards I cut. Maybe I always realize at that point it's not as good as I want it to be, but it's a card I always want to put in a deck but that just never makes it.

[CleanBelwas]

Carnival of Souls - Seems like it has the potential to do great things in the right combo, but yet to find a place for it. I thought about a Josu Vess, Lich Knight deck with this and an Ashnod's Altar, keep kicking Josu, sac him to the altar, cast him again kicked, make more menacing knights, using some to pay for the commander tax, repeat until critical mass. But that life loss hurts, and I'm yet to think of a good and consistant way to negate it in mono black. Also it has sweet flavour text, and that's always fun.

Forbidden Crypt - Really want to make this work in a Sultai self mill deck, but there just always seems to be a better option.

Basically, I love these old black janky cards that can kill you as easily as help you. Live life on the edge, or die trying.

[Morganator 2.0]

Vizier of the Menagerie: Try as I might, I can never get this card to do anything special for me. Even in creature-heavy decks.

Elvish Piper: This definitely seems like a strong card, and it always seems that way when someone else uses it. But when I use it, I never have a really powerful creature in hand that makes Elvish Piper worthwhile.

Sunbird's Invocation: I've only periodically seen this card in action, and everyone that uses it vouches for it being a good card. So why can I never get it to do anything game breaking?

[Judaspriester]

Carnival of Souls - Seems like it has the potential to do great things in the right combo, but yet to find a place for it. I thought about a Josu Vess, Lich Knight deck with this and an Ashnod's Altar, keep kicking Josu, sac him to the altar, cast him again kicked, make more menacing knights, using some to pay for the commander tax, repeat until critical mass. But that life loss hurts, and I'm yet to think of a good and consistant way to negate it in mono black. Also it has sweet flavour text, and that's always fun.

What about Blood Artist, Deathgreeter or Zulaport Cutthroat? If you get one of them you would be able to negate the life loss resulting in a +/-0. I've just checked, you would get 27 mana per rotation, infinite wouldn't work but if I calculated right, you would be able to do 9 iterations with a plus in available mana. This should make a great feast for Torment of Hailfire.

[CleanBelwas]

Carnival of Souls - Seems like it has the potential to do great things in the right combo, but yet to find a place for it. I thought about a Josu Vess, Lich Knight deck with this and an Ashnod's Altar, keep kicking Josu, sac him to the altar, cast him again kicked, make more menacing knights, using some to pay for the commander tax, repeat until critical mass. But that life loss hurts, and I'm yet to think of a good and consistant way to negate it in mono black. Also it has sweet flavour text, and that's always fun.

What about Blood Artist, Deathgreeter or Zulaport Cutthroat? If you get one of them you would be able to negate the life loss resulting in a +/-0. I've just checked, you would get 27 mana per rotation, infinite wouldn't work but if I calculated right, you would be able to do 9 iterations with a plus in available mana. This should make a great feast for Torment of Hailfire.

Of course! I've been going about it all wrong. I was looking for etb creature triggers a-la Ajani's Welcome and keeping the 36 knights. Sacrifice them to the altar, get the death triggers and pump into a big X spell.  That sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks for the suggestions!

Exsanguinate could be fun too. Take it to the edge only to bring it right back again.

[Xaarvaxus]

Vizier of the Menagerie: Try as I might, I can never get this card to do anything special for me. Even in creature-heavy decks.

Elvish Piper: This definitely seems like a strong card, and it always seems that way when someone else uses it. But when I use it, I never have a really powerful creature in hand that makes Elvish Piper worthwhile.

Sunbird's Invocation: I've only periodically seen this card in action, and everyone that uses it vouches for it being a good card. So why can I never get it to do anything game breaking?

I have the Vizier and Sunbird's in my Xenagos deck.  The Vizier has been 'meh' to okay, and the Invocation has been okay to good.  Both get so much better if I can get Sylvan Library to stick in play.  The only think I can say about the Piper is that it conducts electricity *very* well. 

[CleanBelwas]

Thought of another one.

Mirage Mirror - This card seems soooo good, but every time I've played it, it's just so underwhelming. Maybe it's just my meta, but it just never seems worth it.

[WWolfe]

Thought of another one.

Mirage Mirror - This card seems soooo good, but every time I've played it, it's just so underwhelming. Maybe it's just my meta, but it just never seems worth it.

I've had a lot of luck with it. Just in the past few weeks I've copied a friends Gaea's Cradle, a friends Muldrotha, a friends Cabal Coffers, and my own Propaganda.

[Judaspriester]

Library of Leng - the card seems interesting (the lovecraft theme is a nice bonus) but somehow I haven't found a usage for it until now.

Thaumatic Compass - another card that I somewhat like, but cutted out of all my decks. It feels like a very slow fixing and if I really need the transformed effect, Maze of Ith seems better.

[Marshstepper78]

I use Library of Leng in Nekusar.

The card I always end up cutting is Karmic Justice.

I also love Mirage Mirror, and in all honesty, there has never been a moment where I had nothing good on the board to copy with it. From my experience as well, a lot of players forget just how many card types it can emulate so they often get caught when, for example, I turn it into a Maze of Ith to untap a key attacking creature.

You have extra mana and someone has a Rhystic Study in play? Copy RS and you too can draw cards!

Mirage Mirror is super versatile.

I'm still not sure why there is a rule against double-posting, but instead of making two posts in a row, you can just go back and edit the first post.
-Morganator 2.0

[CleanBelwas]

I think Mirrage Mirror hasn't shined for me just because my meta is super casual, so the targets worth copying are few and far between. We play a lot of jank. If you're playing with and against more focused or optimised decks I have no doubt it can do a lot of work.