I don't know how to describe it, but I just find myself having deck ideas in my head, go to TCGplayer, look at the list, and the only thing I can muster any will to buy are full art lands and the land cycle from the set. It's not like the set looks bad, but it feels like I had higher expectations for the set in some ways. I'm sure the new Gideon is going to find a home and Nisa is a complete trap like Tezzeret was in the last one.
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I'm pretty excited for the set, went and bought a fat pack and booster box today. Just seems like there's a lot of good stuff for Standard, Commander and even a few things for Modern. Not many meta defining cards but a lot of solid cards that will help spawn some new decks and make some current ones a little better.
I also love the flavor and story so far. Limited is insanely good as well.
I'm pretty excited for the set, went and bought a fat pack and booster box today. Just seems like there's a lot of good stuff for Standard, Commander and even a few things for Modern. Not many meta defining cards but a lot of solid cards that will help spawn some new decks and make some current ones a little better.
I also love the flavor and story so far. Limited is insanely good as well.
Yeah, I've liked limited with the set. It's more so constructed standard that just feels sort of dead to me.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I've been really stoked for the self discard triggers and finding out how to make a Sultai EDH deck out of it. So far I've got a good shell of utility effects that are leading me down the route of sac engines fueling cycling and self discard to then fuel the discard trigger cards in AKH
I know I just blasted the cost of bundles in another thread, but I often receive them as gifts. I think it is safe to say that since new phyrexia, a new deck has been born from each of them.
Bringing W to zombie is an interesting move, but embalm does look powerful enough to try it out, just as R does add greatly to vampire decks.
There are a few combo piece cards that make easy decks in the new set, which can be great for casual as long as they aren't too limiting to the other players.
Lastly, even if you aren't excited with the new gods or "Deus Ex Gideon" decks, holy crap exert! The thrill of pushing everything you have beyond its typical limit (and the stupid synergy it has with vigilance) looks like the next deck I'm going to make in the forseeable future.
Now will I personally buy a bundle? Probably not, at least not yet. However, the easiest way I can immerse myself in a set (this is just me when it is myself, no peers, and my wallet) is grabbing a bundle (or a box if your wallet is that heavy), cracking all the packs and starting a deck from there. Anything else can go to bolstering your trade binder (and your other decks, obviously).
It's less that and more "did any new decks really appear from having this set enter standard, or did existing decks just all scrap less effective parts and replace them?"
I jumped back to look at decks like GBx snakes, and they are already just tossing in Rhonas and basically calling it a day. Mardu Vehicles brewers are pondering the new gideons place in the world and are collectively shrugging because the older gideon is still a superior card, Saheeli players are scraping the combo now and going back to ideas like putting in Aetherworks Marvel and using Chandra, Torch of Defiance for the ultimate, etc.
This isn't to say there aren't new decks coming about: The reason the secondary market prices are high on the green and red cards is due to the green / red gods decks being brewed at the moment and now zombie players are jumping back to the old school grinder since it's possible the artifact hate will do in the older versions using Scrapheap Scrounger.
My feeling is that with the prevalence of indestructible targets, exile effects are going to be extremely valued, especially against the gods decks. Imprisoned in the moon, Stasis Snare, Cast Out, Angel of Sanctions, Anguished Unmaking, Declaration in Stone, and Grasp of Darkness are all going to be extremely important removal options and red is just getting way worse, as they have few good ways to deal direct damage to players through spells and red spells that exile do nothing against indestructible creatures. That makes WBU and BUG decks very attractive as far as removal goes.
Ironically, it's this same paradigm that makes Oath of the Gatewatch eldrazi really attractive. Since the format is slowing down before rotation in fall, the eldrazi are really much better now than they were with heart and combo cat in the format. Reality Smasher is a 5/5 with haste and trample that punishes opponents for trying to use removal on it, so if someone is playing the discard cycle deck, they got very little they can do against it and glorybringer in red aggro / midrange decks can't even kill it. Thought-Knot Seer is just absurd right now.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Burn from Within Magma Spray Incendiary Flow
exist.
Firebreathing and X burn spells are usually underrated in constructed, but I've lost too many games to bad spells like Fireball and Shivan dragon over the years...
Those can't stop indestructible creatures and we are now entering a format where those are going to be increasingly commonplace is my point. Good catch though on Burn from Within. That guy sort of vanished into the history books.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I'm mostly only interested in buying the foil lands from this set, especially after getting the foil swamp on the day stores were just giving foil lands away. Ever since then I've told myself I'd get a foil island for my Grixis Death's Shadow deck. Other than that, I'm not too interested in many cards from the set for constructed decks, at least until cards make their way into a modern deck I play.
ironically, I'm really interested in this limited environment so if I can get the time, I'll try and draft the format a lot
Never // Return already ordered from SCG and on it's way.
Desert Cerodon, Horror of the broken lands, Archfiend of Ifnir, and the uw cycling land. I'm excited to get them .
Also interested in the green snake god, but I have to wait for his price to drop a bit. He costs almost as much as a khans fetch land right now. >_<
Its the first set in a while (RTR block was the last time I actually enjoyed a set) that I have enjoyed and have looked forward to opening. For limited and for brewing.
I'm tempted to buy and play zombies but Gideon, Ally of Zendikar is still preventing anything else from shining in Standard, and it rotates at the same time as many great zombies.
So no, I'm not buying any.
I'm tempted to buy and play zombies but Gideon, Ally of Zendikar is still preventing anything else from shining in Standard, and it rotates at the same time as many great zombies.
So no, I'm not buying any.
Agreed. Aside from the full-art lands, Plague belcher was one of very few cards which caught my eye this set, especially with a new self-recurring 1-drop and relentless dead still in standard. Unfortunately as you've already pointed out, the archetype simply isn't good enough to be viable in a competitive sense, not yet anyway. Who knows...maybe we'll get unholy grotto back or another interesting zombiesque reprint in the next set. One can hope, right?
My personal solution to satisfy my zombie craving in the interim (admittedly it's a difficult time right now with TWD Season 7 done and FTWD Season 3 yet to start)? Well, I still had tons of gravecrawlers and geralf's messengers lying around among other cards (inquisitions of kozilek, thoughseizes, fatal pushes, death barons, gray merchants, and cemetery reapers), so I put together a mono-black modern zombie deck instead (with one erebos to draw cards if/as needed in dark confidant's absence, and also to keep soul sisters and kitchen finks combos in check). Relentless dead is still proving decent, and I'm even running mutavaults to get back the gravecrawlers more easily, though I might replace the two zombie infestations I'm testing with black cats instead since that enchantment is underperforming Zombies FTW
Anyhow, the best I can come up with myself is a game in the top 8 of a PTQ back during Urza block in which we were starting game 3 with time already expired, so the tiebreaker rule was that whoever had more life after 3 turns would win. And I lost to... healing salve.
Varyag I'm sort of in the same boat, but in this case it's also because of SOI and BFZ both still hanging around. Those sets need to cycle out to let more deck ideas spawn, as the mana base is making three color a little too easy to splash into. Right now this feels like a very fast / very slow format due to aggro and control both being very strong.
Things may change after the pt though.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
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1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I also love the flavor and story so far. Limited is insanely good as well.
Yeah, I've liked limited with the set. It's more so constructed standard that just feels sort of dead to me.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I'm especially happy that Unfulfilled Desires exists, so far the king of all triggers I've found. Survival of the Fittest is tasty too
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/magic-general/334931-what-is-the-most-pimp-card-deck-youve-seen-or?comment=5361
Commander
RGOmnath, Locus of Rage Grenades! EDHGR
UWSygg's Defense, EDH - Voltron & ControlWU
BUGMimeoplasm EDH ft. Ifnir Cycling-discard comboBUG
WBTeysa, Connoisseur of CullingBW
BWSelenia & Recruiter of the Guard suicice combo EDHWB
UBRWGO-Kagachi - 5 Color Enchantments - EDHUBRWG
Not sure why this needs a thread, especially if you still like the set enough to buy cards.
Bringing W to zombie is an interesting move, but embalm does look powerful enough to try it out, just as R does add greatly to vampire decks.
There are a few combo piece cards that make easy decks in the new set, which can be great for casual as long as they aren't too limiting to the other players.
Lastly, even if you aren't excited with the new gods or "Deus Ex Gideon" decks, holy crap exert! The thrill of pushing everything you have beyond its typical limit (and the stupid synergy it has with vigilance) looks like the next deck I'm going to make in the forseeable future.
Now will I personally buy a bundle? Probably not, at least not yet. However, the easiest way I can immerse myself in a set (this is just me when it is myself, no peers, and my wallet) is grabbing a bundle (or a box if your wallet is that heavy), cracking all the packs and starting a deck from there. Anything else can go to bolstering your trade binder (and your other decks, obviously).
I jumped back to look at decks like GBx snakes, and they are already just tossing in Rhonas and basically calling it a day. Mardu Vehicles brewers are pondering the new gideons place in the world and are collectively shrugging because the older gideon is still a superior card, Saheeli players are scraping the combo now and going back to ideas like putting in Aetherworks Marvel and using Chandra, Torch of Defiance for the ultimate, etc.
This isn't to say there aren't new decks coming about: The reason the secondary market prices are high on the green and red cards is due to the green / red gods decks being brewed at the moment and now zombie players are jumping back to the old school grinder since it's possible the artifact hate will do in the older versions using Scrapheap Scrounger.
My feeling is that with the prevalence of indestructible targets, exile effects are going to be extremely valued, especially against the gods decks. Imprisoned in the moon, Stasis Snare, Cast Out, Angel of Sanctions, Anguished Unmaking, Declaration in Stone, and Grasp of Darkness are all going to be extremely important removal options and red is just getting way worse, as they have few good ways to deal direct damage to players through spells and red spells that exile do nothing against indestructible creatures. That makes WBU and BUG decks very attractive as far as removal goes.
Ironically, it's this same paradigm that makes Oath of the Gatewatch eldrazi really attractive. Since the format is slowing down before rotation in fall, the eldrazi are really much better now than they were with heart and combo cat in the format. Reality Smasher is a 5/5 with haste and trample that punishes opponents for trying to use removal on it, so if someone is playing the discard cycle deck, they got very little they can do against it and glorybringer in red aggro / midrange decks can't even kill it. Thought-Knot Seer is just absurd right now.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Those can't stop indestructible creatures and we are now entering a format where those are going to be increasingly commonplace is my point. Good catch though on Burn from Within. That guy sort of vanished into the history books.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
ironically, I'm really interested in this limited environment so if I can get the time, I'll try and draft the format a lot
Desert Cerodon, Horror of the broken lands, Archfiend of Ifnir, and the uw cycling land. I'm excited to get them .
Also interested in the green snake god, but I have to wait for his price to drop a bit. He costs almost as much as a khans fetch land right now. >_<
Nexus MTG News // Nexus - Magic Art Gallery // MTG Dual Land Color Ratios Analyzer // MTG Card Drawing Odds Calculator
Want to play a UW control deck in modern, but don't have jace or snaps?
Please come visit us at the Emeria Titan control thread
So no, I'm not buying any.
Agreed. Aside from the full-art lands, Plague belcher was one of very few cards which caught my eye this set, especially with a new self-recurring 1-drop and relentless dead still in standard. Unfortunately as you've already pointed out, the archetype simply isn't good enough to be viable in a competitive sense, not yet anyway. Who knows...maybe we'll get unholy grotto back or another interesting zombiesque reprint in the next set. One can hope, right?
My personal solution to satisfy my zombie craving in the interim (admittedly it's a difficult time right now with TWD Season 7 done and FTWD Season 3 yet to start)? Well, I still had tons of gravecrawlers and geralf's messengers lying around among other cards (inquisitions of kozilek, thoughseizes, fatal pushes, death barons, gray merchants, and cemetery reapers), so I put together a mono-black modern zombie deck instead (with one erebos to draw cards if/as needed in dark confidant's absence, and also to keep soul sisters and kitchen finks combos in check). Relentless dead is still proving decent, and I'm even running mutavaults to get back the gravecrawlers more easily, though I might replace the two zombie infestations I'm testing with black cats instead since that enchantment is underperforming Zombies FTW
Things may change after the pt though.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!