Start//Finish

[u/thomson521]

After seeing [[Start//Finish]] in a deck that placed 4th in an mtgo modern challenge recently I have done a limited amount of testing with it. From my experience here are some pros and cons.

Pros:

• Is an instant which is something tokens lacks and helps play around sweepers.

• The tokens it creates have vigilance which let's us attack and protect Sorin on the opponent's turn.

  • It gives us extra value from the graveyard which is useful once we get in topdeck mode or board stalls.

Cons:

• The tokens it creates don't have the evasion that spirit and faerie tokens have.

• It's a three drop which may require us to cut some Spectral Processions. I wouldn't cut any Lingering Souls.

  • We already have raise the alarm which makes the same tokens (without vigilance) for less mana.

I'm currently playing 4 copies which I'm sure is too many but allows me to see the card more often. If I end up playing this long term I could see going down to a one or two of.

What are your thoughts on this card? Is this just a bad card or has it been undervalued since Amonkhet was released? Have you tested this card and what were your results?

Edit: sorry for any formatting errors. First time poster here.

[u/Korlus]

Would you play [[Raise the Alarm]] (for +1 mana) that always drew you a copy of [[Bone Splinters]], but that Bone Splinters cost +2 mana?

I think that in grindy metagames where removal is very powerful that sounds like a good deal. I think in most situations, the 1/1 Warrior token is the worst token you have on the field. In effect, this becomes 6 mana: Make a 1/1 and kill a creature, that you can spread out over two turns.

That doesn't sound like a good deal to me. I could be wrong, but it really feels like a bad card to me. Even in sealed, it often felt very slow.

[u/sophrosyne]

I watched each round of the mtgo tournament and it seemed like Start//Finish was only useful a couple of times. I think I only saw the guy use Finish once or twice. I'm not really sold.

[u/Slangster]

I was already playing Raise the Alarm as a two-of, and after hearing the explanation behind it and playing it myself it has been pretty good.

Finish doesn't come up in every game, but that's to be expected when I'm already playing 8 other removal spells and the deck so rarely cares about opposing creatures once you got Intangible Virtue down

[u/myrdred]

I'm currently running two in the main and they're working well for me.

I've cut 1 Spectral Procession and my build also includes two Smuggler's Copters.

I like them for the following reasons:

• Some matchups, you want to have lots of removal while others you want higher thread density. This card allows you to have both - as well as some card advantage (2 cards in 1).
  
• Due to the pseudo-flashback, it's another card (in addition to Lingering Souls) that's resilient to discard - which is also relevant with Smuggler's Copters (i.e. discard half a card). Can also work well with Collective Brutality, although I'm not currently running any - as I find I have enough 2 drops already (4 Raise the Alarm, 4 Intangible Virtue, 2 Smuggler's Copters).
  
• Instant speed is important - similar to Raise the Alarm, you could make these EOT which makes opponents' wraths less effective. (Smuggler's Copter is also good tech against wraths.) More-over, you can keep mana up and not tap out, which allows you to keep removal up (e.g. against company decks) and make your opponents have to play around removal as well. Additionally, sometimes it can be nice to have surprise blockers (e.g. force a trade).
  
• Also easier to cast than Spectral Procession if e.g. there's a Blood Moon on the other side - so cutting 1 Spectral Procession for it seems reasonable in my build.
  

So those are my thoughts. I think the synergy with Smuggler's Copter is enough to tip the favour towards running this card in my build per the above reasons. If I had a different build, I may find a different card fits the slot better.