Recently made the decision to quit Yugioh and switch over to Magic, the Gathering. Having a hard time deciding on a color to run, though!
My favorite type of TCG playstyle is to wind up with powerful creatures that are hard to remove and overwhelm my opponent that way, along with forms of control to keep my opponent from killing me while I'm working my way to my strongest creatures.
What colors would tend to work best for this playstyle? From my (limited) research, I think it would be some combination of green, white, or blue, though I wanted to ask some of the more veteran players around what they think!
Big fatty creatures tend to be green, although each other colors can have them too but in less quantity. I also think you're looking more for protection for your creatures rather than actual counters. Protection can be in both green and white.
Now it also depends on the format you are playing too. Standard does have Green Stompy, Modern has Eldrazi, etc.
Recently made the decision to quit Yugioh and switch over to Magic, the Gathering. Having a hard time deciding on a color to run, though!
My favorite type of TCG playstyle is to wind up with powerful creatures that are hard to remove and overwhelm my opponent that way, along with forms of control to keep my opponent from killing me while I'm working my way to my strongest creatures.
What colors would tend to work best for this playstyle? From my (limited) research, I think it would be some combination of green, white, or blue, though I wanted to ask some of the more veteran players around what they think!
Thanks, everyone.
In standard I think you'd be a big fan of Vine Mare and Rekindling Phoenix. My advice would be to build steel leaf stompy, as the deck survives rotation easily as it basically loses nothing of importance and is pretty powerful. It doesn't have a lot of cancel effects in being mono-green, but Vine Mare is hexproof and swings past black creatures. It also has a resilient 2 drop elf and ways to ramp into turn 3 plays early.
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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!
Oops! I guess I should have said what format I'm looking to play in.
I was a competitive Yugioh player, so I plan on moving into the competitive Magic scene as well, so Standard will likely be my format of choice.
TBuzzsaw, you are partially correct in what I'm looking for. I want strong creatures with inherent protection effects like Hexproof or Indestructible, but I also want things to protect myself until I can get those powerful creatures on the field. That, or be able to ramp into my powerful creatures very quickly so the protection won't matter.
Colt47, I looked up Vine Mare and that is absolutely a card I would love! Have to find a way to get past that 3 defense, though. Makes it really easy to block and destroy. Though I'm sure Green has plenty of cards that buff up your creatures.
Honestly, for a new player I find Red/Green to often hit the sweet spot for new players: big creatures and fire spells to clear the way for your creatures.
But who are you playing against? Friends at the kitchen table or did you want to go play at a store?
Honestly, for a new player I find Red/Green to often hit the sweet spot for new players: big creatures and fire spells to clear the way for your creatures.
But who are you playing against? Friends at the kitchen table or did you want to go play at a store?
As I said in my previous post, I'm a competitive player at heart. I would like to work my way into the competitive scene of Magic like I was in Yugioh. So, I'd likely start by playing at local tournaments once I get more familiar with the game.
Also, quick question, I see a lot of people recommending new players buy the Commander 2018 decks. I read these are not legal in Standard play, so why are they such a good value?
As I said in my previous post, I'm a competitive player at heart. I would like to work my way into the competitive scene of Magic like I was in Yugioh. So, I'd likely start by playing at local tournaments once I get more familiar with the game.
Also, quick question, I see a lot of people recommending new players buy the Commander 2018 decks. I read these are not legal in Standard play, so why are they such a good value?
Well, there are formats outside of standard, for one. Commander is the game's most popular casual format, so its preconstructed decks tend to be popular as well. Actually, I'm surprised that you'd switch from competitive YGO to a rotating format like standard MTG so easily, since a number of people who play non-rotating card games tend to find the concept of format rotation rather jarring. If you're going to drop a chunk of money into the game, modern is another good choice if you have a local community who plays it and would rather play a non-rotating competitive format.
As I said in my previous post, I'm a competitive player at heart. I would like to work my way into the competitive scene of Magic like I was in Yugioh. So, I'd likely start by playing at local tournaments once I get more familiar with the game.
Also, quick question, I see a lot of people recommending new players buy the Commander 2018 decks. I read these are not legal in Standard play, so why are they such a good value?
Well, there are formats outside of standard, for one. Commander is the game's most popular casual format, so its preconstructed decks tend to be popular as well. Actually, I'm surprised that you'd switch from competitive YGO to a rotating format like standard MTG so easily, since a number of people who play non-rotating card games tend to find the concept of format rotation rather jarring. If you're going to drop a chunk of money into the game, modern is another good choice if you have a local community who plays it and would rather play a non-rotating competitive format.
I left Yugioh because of the state of the game. It's become far too fast, with one-turn or two-turn kills running rampant, often causing the game to come down to the roll of the dice (who goes first). Additionally, Yugioh, in a way, does have rotation. These days, power creep causes decks to stay competitive MAYBE 6 months at most. That's the form of rotation they have, and how they force you to buy new sets.
Standard is the cheapest entry but can be costly to constantly update. It does sound like Mono Green Stompy in Standard is the way for you to go, as it is losing very little and is capable of keeping alive after rotation. Stuff like Steel-Leaf Champion, Ghalta, Primal Hunger, and Carnage Tyrant is right up your alley. People are either splashing blue for counterspells against removal or black to be able to play said removal.
I left Yugioh because of the state of the game. It's become far too fast, with one-turn or two-turn kills running rampant, often causing the game to come down to the roll of the dice (who goes first). Additionally, Yugioh, in a way, does have rotation. These days, power creep causes decks to stay competitive MAYBE 6 months at most. That's the form of rotation they have, and how they force you to buy new sets.
Ah, of course. I actually did dip into your old game back in high school and encountered exactly what you described. You sound like you've done some research already, but keep in mind that rotation will occur in a little more than a month will upend the metagame since much of standard's most popular aggro deck is going to vanish overnight. Even buying a rotation-proofed deck isn't a guarantee to remain competitive. The green stompy deck you appear to be interested in will keep most of its pieces as long as you avoid relatively expensive rotation-bound cards like Rhonas the Indomitable.
Standard is the cheapest entry but can be costly to constantly update. It does sound like Mono Green Stompy in Standard is the way for you to go, as it is losing very little and is capable of keeping alive after rotation. Stuff like Steel-Leaf Champion, Ghalta, Primal Hunger, and Carnage Tyrant is right up your alley. People are either splashing blue for counterspells against removal or black to be able to play said removal.
I think you are right about Green being the color for me. Thank you! Do you have any advice on how to start/invest in the necessary cards? Such as sets or singles?
Standard is the cheapest entry but can be costly to constantly update. It does sound like Mono Green Stompy in Standard is the way for you to go, as it is losing very little and is capable of keeping alive after rotation. Stuff like Steel-Leaf Champion, Ghalta, Primal Hunger, and Carnage Tyrant is right up your alley. People are either splashing blue for counterspells against removal or black to be able to play said removal.
I think you are right about Green being the color for me. Thank you! Do you have any advice on how to start/invest in the necessary cards? Such as sets or singles?
Just outright buy the deck via single and then add more over time as the meta evolves. I built mono green for myself (along with several other decks) specifically because it looked poised to be a strong contender after the October rotation.
Standard is the cheapest entry but can be costly to constantly update. It does sound like Mono Green Stompy in Standard is the way for you to go, as it is losing very little and is capable of keeping alive after rotation. Stuff like Steel-Leaf Champion, Ghalta, Primal Hunger, and Carnage Tyrant is right up your alley. People are either splashing blue for counterspells against removal or black to be able to play said removal.
I think you are right about Green being the color for me. Thank you! Do you have any advice on how to start/invest in the necessary cards? Such as sets or singles?
Just outright buy the deck via single and then add more over time as the meta evolves. I built mono green for myself (along with several other decks) specifically because it looked poised to be a strong contender after the October rotation.
That's what I figured would be the best route. Thanks for the confirmation. Would anyone be able to point me to a good source to study the meta and learn about upcoming changes?
Standard is the cheapest entry but can be costly to constantly update. It does sound like Mono Green Stompy in Standard is the way for you to go, as it is losing very little and is capable of keeping alive after rotation. Stuff like Steel-Leaf Champion, Ghalta, Primal Hunger, and Carnage Tyrant is right up your alley. People are either splashing blue for counterspells against removal or black to be able to play said removal.
I think you are right about Green being the color for me. Thank you! Do you have any advice on how to start/invest in the necessary cards? Such as sets or singles?
Just outright buy the deck via single and then add more over time as the meta evolves. I built mono green for myself (along with several other decks) specifically because it looked poised to be a strong contender after the October rotation.
That's what I figured would be the best route. Thanks for the confirmation. Would anyone be able to point me to a good source to study the meta and learn about upcoming changes?
Well the meta wont be defined because we're losing 4 sets of cards in October. Now I can say that the sets that will remain are fairly tribe heavy (Goblins, Vampires, Dinosaurs, Merfolk, Knights). Blue or Red Wizards could be around. Turbo Fog should survive. UW Control should be sustainable. But no one can say for sure what to expect because we havent seen the cards in the new set yet.
mtgtop8 is a pretty good resource (both for deck building and meta breakdowns) as the season goes along. checking the weekly deck dumps from the mtgo results is a good place to look as well
But yeah, I might wait picking anything up until spoilers. We are saying that Mono Green looks to stay strong and not lose anything, but the next set is a gold set (multi color) so it goes against the single color strategy.
I'll check out those sites for meta updates. Thank you, everyone. Certainly seems like green will be my go to color, likely with a splash of blue or black (all the mtgoldfish mono green decks seem to splash some black for sideboard removal) and I'll wait until the rotation to see what I'm truly going to build. I'll test out some decks online in the meantime.
I may need to make another thread for this, but I've been researching some completive green decks online, and every one of them is running some cards I just can't understand how they're good. Prime examples being the Heart of Kiran, and this elephant card that takes energy counters to play (and the decks have no other way to make said eneegy counters)
Nevermind! Answered my own question about Heart of Kiran with further reasearch. I did not realize that Crew is instant speed.
However, still unsure about Greenbelt Rampager in the lists that I'm seeing just because the decks have no other way to make the energy counters, meaning you'd have to spend 3 mana to play it at any time.
Yeah, read up on “the stack” on the comprehensive rules (or play around on mtgo for a bit - the interface is atrocious, but the computer enforces you to play Step. By. Step. Which is good for learning he rules).
I started and stopped writing a “simple” explanation of the stack here, but everything I wrote would probably confuse you more I’m sure there are far better written introductions out there (try this one: https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Stack).
As for this particular example, when the elephant enters the battlefield and you fail to pay 2e, it crates a stack with “return this to your hand” on it. You can then respond to that with instants and abilities (such as crew!), and since the stack is resolved last-in-first-out, the crew ability will “go off” before the elephant jumps back to your hand.
Hope that helps!
Alright, that makes sense. As I said earlier in the thread, I am a former competitive Yugioh player, so that is very similar to "Chains" in Yugioh. I should be able to pick up on stacks pretty quickly (hopefully!)
Oops! I guess I should have said what format I'm looking to play in.
I was a competitive Yugioh player, so I plan on moving into the competitive Magic scene as well, so Standard will likely be my format of choice.
That's the right choice. Standard is best for beginners here. And the cards are easier to obtain.
However, maybe after 1 or two years having fun in Standard. You can try switching over to Modern. There are plenty more decks in Modern, and it's a non-rotating format.. so your cards would hold value longer.
Oops! I guess I should have said what format I'm looking to play in.
I was a competitive Yugioh player, so I plan on moving into the competitive Magic scene as well, so Standard will likely be my format of choice.
TBuzzsaw, you are partially correct in what I'm looking for. I want strong creatures with inherent protection effects like Hexproof or Indestructible, but I also want things to protect myself until I can get those powerful creatures on the field. That, or be able to ramp into my powerful creatures very quickly so the protection won't matter.
Colt47, I looked up Vine Mare and that is absolutely a card I would love! Have to find a way to get past that 3 defense, though. Makes it really easy to block and destroy. Though I'm sure Green has plenty of cards that buff up your creatures.
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!
powerful creatures that are hard to remove= green!
forms of control to keep my opponent from= disruption = black (proactive/ discard or blue (reactive /counterspell)
So i think green splash blue/black would be a good starting poin for you (get mtg arena, you can test if you like the deck or not!)
powerful creatures that are hard to remove= green!
forms of control to keep my opponent from= disruption = black (proactive/ discard or blue (reactive /counterspell)
So i think green splash blue/black would be a good starting poin for you (get mtg arena, you can test if you like the deck or not!)
Rampagaernalso combos nicely with Lifecrafter's Bestiary and Aerhersphere Harvester for a continuous source of card draw & life gain.
That said, all of those as well as Heart rotate out in a month so you'd be wasting your money.
But you will want things like Llanowar Elves, Steel Leaf Champion, Thrashing Brontodon, Thorn Lieutenant, Ghalta, Vine Mare. Then try out things like Merfolk Branchwalker, Jadelight Ranger, Goreclaw, Gigantasaur, Vivien Reid, Ripjaw Raptor, & Terretorial Allosaurus
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Recently made the decision to quit Yugioh and switch over to Magic, the Gathering. Having a hard time deciding on a color to run, though!
My favorite type of TCG playstyle is to wind up with powerful creatures that are hard to remove and overwhelm my opponent that way, along with forms of control to keep my opponent from killing me while I'm working my way to my strongest creatures.
What colors would tend to work best for this playstyle? From my (limited) research, I think it would be some combination of green, white, or blue, though I wanted to ask some of the more veteran players around what they think!
Thanks, everyone.
Now it also depends on the format you are playing too. Standard does have Green Stompy, Modern has Eldrazi, etc.
Standard: BG Golgari Midrange
Modern: U Merfolk GWUBR 5 Color Humans UBW Esper Gifts GW Bogles
In standard I think you'd be a big fan of Vine Mare and Rekindling Phoenix. My advice would be to build steel leaf stompy, as the deck survives rotation easily as it basically loses nothing of importance and is pretty powerful. It doesn't have a lot of cancel effects in being mono-green, but Vine Mare is hexproof and swings past black creatures. It also has a resilient 2 drop elf and ways to ramp into turn 3 plays early.
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 was a competitive Yugioh player, so I plan on moving into the competitive Magic scene as well, so Standard will likely be my format of choice.
TBuzzsaw, you are partially correct in what I'm looking for. I want strong creatures with inherent protection effects like Hexproof or Indestructible, but I also want things to protect myself until I can get those powerful creatures on the field. That, or be able to ramp into my powerful creatures very quickly so the protection won't matter.
Colt47, I looked up Vine Mare and that is absolutely a card I would love! Have to find a way to get past that 3 defense, though. Makes it really easy to block and destroy. Though I'm sure Green has plenty of cards that buff up your creatures.
Thanks, both of you, for the quick replies!
But who are you playing against? Friends at the kitchen table or did you want to go play at a store?
As I said in my previous post, I'm a competitive player at heart. I would like to work my way into the competitive scene of Magic like I was in Yugioh. So, I'd likely start by playing at local tournaments once I get more familiar with the game.
Also, quick question, I see a lot of people recommending new players buy the Commander 2018 decks. I read these are not legal in Standard play, so why are they such a good value?
Well, there are formats outside of standard, for one. Commander is the game's most popular casual format, so its preconstructed decks tend to be popular as well. Actually, I'm surprised that you'd switch from competitive YGO to a rotating format like standard MTG so easily, since a number of people who play non-rotating card games tend to find the concept of format rotation rather jarring. If you're going to drop a chunk of money into the game, modern is another good choice if you have a local community who plays it and would rather play a non-rotating competitive format.
I left Yugioh because of the state of the game. It's become far too fast, with one-turn or two-turn kills running rampant, often causing the game to come down to the roll of the dice (who goes first). Additionally, Yugioh, in a way, does have rotation. These days, power creep causes decks to stay competitive MAYBE 6 months at most. That's the form of rotation they have, and how they force you to buy new sets.
Standard: BG Golgari Midrange
Modern: U Merfolk GWUBR 5 Color Humans UBW Esper Gifts GW Bogles
Ah, of course. I actually did dip into your old game back in high school and encountered exactly what you described. You sound like you've done some research already, but keep in mind that rotation will occur in a little more than a month will upend the metagame since much of standard's most popular aggro deck is going to vanish overnight. Even buying a rotation-proofed deck isn't a guarantee to remain competitive. The green stompy deck you appear to be interested in will keep most of its pieces as long as you avoid relatively expensive rotation-bound cards like Rhonas the Indomitable.
I think you are right about Green being the color for me. Thank you! Do you have any advice on how to start/invest in the necessary cards? Such as sets or singles?
That's what I figured would be the best route. Thanks for the confirmation. Would anyone be able to point me to a good source to study the meta and learn about upcoming changes?
mtgtop8 is a pretty good resource (both for deck building and meta breakdowns) as the season goes along. checking the weekly deck dumps from the mtgo results is a good place to look as well
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/metagame/standard#paper
But yeah, I might wait picking anything up until spoilers. We are saying that Mono Green looks to stay strong and not lose anything, but the next set is a gold set (multi color) so it goes against the single color strategy.
Standard: BG Golgari Midrange
Modern: U Merfolk GWUBR 5 Color Humans UBW Esper Gifts GW Bogles
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
I may need to make another thread for this, but I've been researching some completive green decks online, and every one of them is running some cards I just can't understand how they're good. Prime examples being the Heart of Kiran, and this elephant card that takes energy counters to play (and the decks have no other way to make said eneegy counters)
However, still unsure about Greenbelt Rampager in the lists that I'm seeing just because the decks have no other way to make the energy counters, meaning you'd have to spend 3 mana to play it at any time.
Alright, that makes sense. As I said earlier in the thread, I am a former competitive Yugioh player, so that is very similar to "Chains" in Yugioh. I should be able to pick up on stacks pretty quickly (hopefully!)
Thank you for the explanation!
That's the right choice. Standard is best for beginners here. And the cards are easier to obtain.
However, maybe after 1 or two years having fun in Standard. You can try switching over to Modern. There are plenty more decks in Modern, and it's a non-rotating format.. so your cards would hold value longer.
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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
See SBMTG's deck tech here. It's better than it looks in standard, though modern it obviously fails the bolt test. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLjxz56FK08
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!
forms of control to keep my opponent from= disruption = black (proactive/ discard or blue (reactive /counterspell)
So i think green splash blue/black would be a good starting poin for you (get mtg arena, you can test if you like the deck or not!)
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/standard-blue-green-stompy#paper
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/standard-mono-green-stompy-50868#paper
(note that both are almost mono green with splash for disruption, duress and negate are the key card in sideboard)
pd: some cards are rotating in one month, see https://whatsinstandard.com/ for more details
That said, all of those as well as Heart rotate out in a month so you'd be wasting your money.
But you will want things like Llanowar Elves, Steel Leaf Champion, Thrashing Brontodon, Thorn Lieutenant, Ghalta, Vine Mare. Then try out things like Merfolk Branchwalker, Jadelight Ranger, Goreclaw, Gigantasaur, Vivien Reid, Ripjaw Raptor, & Terretorial Allosaurus