Using Sunbird's Invocation

[Morganator 2.0]

To everyone that has used Sunbird's Invocation, how did it work out for you?

It certainly seems like a fun card to me, and I want to use it at some point. Unfortunately, I can never get it to work and I'm not entirely sure why. Does it need to be in a deck that can play big spells and lots of spells? What decks have you used it in, and did it perform well?

[ApothecaryGeist]

I tried it once.  And like you, it really wasn't effective.  I seldomly got it on the field.  And never hit anything good off it.


I think the problem is in the numbers.  Because Sunbird's Invocation is 6 mana, you have to be able to cast big mana spells.  First you have to cast SI.  Then you have to cast another big spell.  Then, in order to really be effective, there has to be another big spell (but not too big) towards the top of your library.  Because even if you're digging 8 cards deep, in a library with still 80 cards in it, that's still the top 10%


Sunbird's Invocation requires you to have many high CMC cards; and it also requires that you have the ability to hard cast those cards.  If you can do that consistently, then you don't really need Sunbird's Invocation.  At least, that was my conclusion.

[Schau]

I use it in my Gishath, Sun's Avatar deck and it performs well, I also use it in Narset, Enlightened Master because she can cast it for free but other than that I don't use it.

[CleanBelwas]

I've got a friend who uses to to good effect in his Jodah deck. Alternative costs don't effect CMC so he pays 5 for a big 9 drop, then digs 9 deep and gets another big free spell. As you might expect, that deck runs a LOT of expensive spells, so it can work out really nicely. It's still very janky and if you kill Jodah it does sweet FA, but he has fun with it and that's what counts.

[Xaarvaxus]

I've really only gotten good hits off Sunbird's Invocation when I pair it with something like Sylvan Library or Scroll Rack to control what I'm hitting but even then I didn't find it ultimately worth it to keep in decks. 

[robort]

Sunbird does and will work but more in a casual deck then anything else. With Sunbird it needs around the same potential targets to hit. The avg mana drop for sunbird to be effective has to be 5 to 7 and everything higher. Per example if you only have say 9 cards that are 5 or higher the chances of casting those for free with sunbird drop significantly when running lower casting cost stuff. Sunbird really does need to at least draw 5 from it to get a chance to play anything for free. The more card it reveals the better the chance you have of getting stuff out for free. Granted it does miss but the main bullseye targets to me are the 5,6,7 drops. Casting stuff higher just becomes a bonus. Showing/flipping 3-4 cards just isn't going to do a lot for me. Sunbird is a good card but it has to be utilized for its fullest potential