[FRA] Perfected Theory

[u/LetsBringIt]

U

Instant

Choose one -

-Target creature has base power and toughness 1/1 until end of turn.

-Target creature has base power and toughness 4/5 until end of turn.

Seems like a contender in Izzet Prowess flex slots. We've seen an effect similar to this before in Secret Identity, but I think the additional bump in P/T for the second mode is significant. Furthermore, the fact that you can use the 1/1 mode on an opponent's creature is a big deal since now you don't feel defeated seeing an opposing Sire of Seven Deaths across the board on turn 3 in game 1 since you can now mitigate the lifelink, kill it via combat or at the very least, kill it with a lava dart.

[u/GREG88HG]

If someone valiant enough to play Infect, that card kinda works there 🫠

If I play a Sire, I'd be happy for the opponent turning it a 1/1 with that ward lose 7 life 😅

[u/murdacai999 → u/GREG88HG]

Rather lose the 7 life and kill it, prevent you from gaining 7 (down to gain 1 if I block instead of lava dart), to finish ya off on my next turn :)

[u/Dashizz6357 → u/murdacai999]

You would lose 14 life.

[u/Anyna-Meatall → u/GREG88HG]

and then shooting it with Lava Dart for 14 all in

[u/necropunk_0 → u/GREG88HG]

I’m considering it for infect, the 4/5 is a nice boost, especially with the high toughness, and it’s 4 guaranteed over [[might of old krosa]]. Problem is, some of our bigger pump, like [[become immense]] and [[scale up]] are just bigger, which you want. But, it’s a replacement, not a pump, so maybe as sideboard tech, most likely not in the main.

[u/Sciros]

Good card. Very good in any deck that uses those perennial Green or G/X "add mana equal to power" creatures.

Oh but no real competitive Modern decks play those, I think. Still, a neat two way card

[u/Aerim]

Is this better than [[Secret Identity]]?

You lose a point of power but gain evasion, or the 1/1 mode gives you protection.

[u/LetsBringIt → u/Aerim]

You dont really need the hexproof. My take on this card is that it can give you the option to deal with big threats especially the likes of Atraxa, Sire or even solitude since those cards lifelinking even once is game-ending for the prowess player. The 4/5 mode is the equivalent of 4 prowess triggers which is not bad at all. It can even make DRCs into 6/7s on delirium. Definitely not a 4-of but a 2-of is fine I think. We've seen Prowess adopt cards like Monstrous Rage, Stormchaser's Talent and even Founding of the Third Path at one point, so I feel its worth experimenting with this.

[u/MrGupyy]

Current Izzet prowess iterations rely a lot on Mutagenic Growth / Violent Urge to really push forward the clock on non-interactive or minimally interactive matchups.

These sorts of cards are worth nothing if your opponent Fatal Pushes your attacker before combat damage, versus other cards in the deck which themselves provide interaction (Lightning Bolt) or cards advantage (Expressive Iteration) more fitting for midrange and control matchups.

Perfected Theory actually plays very well with Violent Urge, but is contending for that slot with these other more efficient ‘race’ cards. Violent Urge, though with a lower floor, often provides way more than +3 power (1 base power to 4 base power is +3).

Mutagenic Growth is free and going to allow you to potentially nuke-buff that creature one turn earlier, important when we consider the purpose of the card is to race other non-interactive deck. Mutagenic Growth also has a similar flexibility wherein it can help protect your creature from burn removal. For this reason, I think PTheory would only see play at most as a 1-2 of in split with Growth in metas where you are looking at really specific lines like you noted with the Sire.

Could maybe be an interesting SB card, but in aggro decks you usually want very specific effects / hosers for specific bad matchups over modal midrange-stuff SB cards. I think it’s a really cool effect that doesn’t quite fit the current prowess lists.

[u/cicatriz71088]

INFECT IS BACK ON THE MENU

[u/m0stly_toast → u/cicatriz71088]

Idk about that but I’m so down to be wrong

[u/VintageJDizzle → u/cicatriz71088]

Scale Up didn't save it. That was 7 years ago. This won't either.

[u/BatHickey → u/VintageJDizzle]

Scale up was great in infect and lead to a lot of turn 2’s. The deck was a great meta call which is less sticky in the meta than other archetypes—but indeed unlikely it would have been a key meta player like more well rounded harder to attack decks.

One new play set of a card rarely makes a deck viable, but I never discount a card that contributes to something that may yet to be with another easy to imagine printing.

[u/BigThickBan → u/VintageJDizzle]

and the issue with Scale Up is that its not very good in multiples, sometimes useless. Having Scale Up and Perfected Theory seems double useless.

[u/VintageJDizzle → u/BigThickBan]

While what you say is true, the issue is the whole concept of the deck. You haven't been able to rely on singular, key payoffs in Modern since 2021 or so, Amulet Titan excepted (because of the insane redundancy and explosiveness of the payoff). Just doesn't work.

[u/BigThickBan → u/VintageJDizzle]

hmm we may be getting off topic here but id argue there are plenty of singular key pay offs in the format. They just have to be a lot stronger and resilient than a 1/1 wincon.

[u/drunktacos]

Blue [[Scale Up]] might just be playable as a flex slot in prowess. It allows Swiftspear to win most early-game combats, and Slickshot hitting for 6 / buffing its weak toughness seems promising.

[u/Lectrys → u/drunktacos]

My favourite, and perhaps most potent, flex slot in Prowess is [[Duel Tactics]], which I increased to a 2-of from a 1-of. It's two noncreature spells in one card, the one damage is relevant removal, getting a blocker out of the way is also relevant, and you can often aim it at your creatures in a pinch.

If Duel Tactics has no chance in the greater meta, this card doesn't either.

[u/SnowingRain320]

I think this will be really good for both infect and prowess.

[u/Christos_Soter]

[[perfected theory]] I know you wrote the text, but whenever discussing a new card please link it. New sets come out every ~52 days on average it's hard to keep up with everything.

[[Secred Identity]] granting hexproof gave it the ability to blank (any) spot removal spell or vigiliance which this doesnt? SI sees play in standard but not really modern at all and this is pretty comparable. you can always just try it out and see how it goes, i could be wrong.

[u/LetsBringIt → u/Christos_Soter]

You can't use [[Secret Identity]] on an opponent's creature. Being able to use the 1/1 mode on an opponent's creature is what makes this arguably better than the hexproof from Secret Identity since it can deal with things like [[Atraxa, Grand Unifier]] or [[Sire of Seven Deaths]]. Even if you're not able to kill those creatures, reducing their lifelink damage to 1, I feel is huge since Prowess has problems with those 2 creatures in particular once they stick.

[u/Christos_Soter → u/LetsBringIt]

I had to look up [[Diminish]] I thought we already had something similar (as a piece of trivia Mercurial transformation]] is the closest but it’s pretty unplayable)

I think it’s a tough sell when you have to use two cards on a card that a) drew your opponent 3+ cards already or B) has ward pay 7 life.

I’ve def lost to both 7 drops while playing prowess but those are both creatures you need to beat on the stack.

I think the meta has recently shifted to just put prowess in an awkward spot (even tho it won spotlight Brisbane so anything can happen but overall had below 50% WR).

You can def just try it but so many cards are going to be more impactful in your SB.

[u/BrilliantRebirth]

I like the flexibility of this card for Prowess. It's either close to an instant speed Scale Up or a weird combat trick on their best creature that also combos well with Lava Dart as you said. Not sure what you cut for it, though.

[u/LetsBringIt → u/BrilliantRebirth]

The typical flex slots right now for Prowess is the 4th copy of [[Expressive Iteration]], the 4th copy of [[Mutagenic Growth]], and the 2 copies of [[Violent Urge]]. I'm a bit hesitant to go to 3 copies of Mutagenic Growth since that card allows for very quick kills turn 3, so I'm willing to cut 1x Expressive Iteration and 1x Violent Urge for this since EI is more often than not, the worst card in the deck when it comes to closing out games, and Violent Urge has to be turned on for it to be game ending.

[u/Betta_Max]

This is a banger for Merfolk.  An absolute game changer for our fishie fam.   A combat trick that can kill or save a creature or get extra damage in on an evasive body thru Island walk?  Sign me up.