This is probably a stupid question, but I'm very new to magic and was curious. My deck is a RDW style deck, and I've gotten most of the cards I need. The last cards I'm needing based on the RDW official forum are Rootbound Cragx4. I don't understand these cards. The deck is mono red, so why would I want a land card that I have to tap for a red land, when I could just replace it in my deck with a red land?
So you can add a small amount of green for cards like mutagenic growth, kessig wolf run and the flashback on ancient grudge. It is not 100% nessecary for RDW but it is helpful.
I don't think anyone was at any point suggesting that any sideboard slots be should used for lands.
The OP asked if Rootbound Crag was used if there were mainboard Ancient Grudges. He obviously thinks that if the Ancient Grudges are in the sideboard, then Rootbound Crag should be in the sideboard as well, and that they should come in together. I'm telling him that Rootbound Crag doesn't really take up any maindeck spots, so there's no reason that it can't be in the maindeck.
... He obviously thinks that if the Ancient Grudges are in the sideboard, then Rootbound Crag should be in the sideboard as well, and that they should come in together ...
This is far from obvious and I don't even think it's true.
I think the OP meant that you use them for when you have to SIDE-IN ancient grudges in games 2 and 3. He used the term "mainboard" but he really meant "move them to the mainboard after game 1".
Just for clarification, if you mainboard that means you are running it in your main 60 cards with which you play game 1.
I think the OP meant that you use them for when you have to SIDE-IN ancient grudges in games 2 and 3. He used the term "mainboard" but he really meant "move them to the mainboard after game 1".
Just for clarification, if you mainboard that means you are running it in your main 60 cards with which you play game 1.
Ahh okay. I thought mainboard was the act of moving from sideboard to your main deck. And I never suggested sideboarding the dual land cards, I was asking why they existed in the first place in a mono-red deck, and I didn't take into account that ancient grudge required green.
The deck is mono red, so why would I want a land card that I have to tap for a red land, when I could just replace it in my deck with a red land?
Just to be clear, you always have to tap your land to get mana from it. While Rootbound Crag explicitly states, ":symtap:: Add...", basic lands have the same text (for their appropriate color) as far as the game rules are concerned, even if the text isn't printed on the card. Just look at a 4th Edition Mountain, for example: Mountain
It seems very common for decks these days to be one color, and have a little bit of a second color (I guess splash is the term :P). That Rootbound Crag produces one of two colors each time you use it, so there is really no drawback other than it coming into play tapped. Of course if you have a mountain or forest out already, you can use it the turn you play it.
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Decks:
Standard: RG Beware the Night
Vintage/Legacy: W Divine Light U Drake Tricks RXDragon Treasure (modified retail Championship deck) G Strength of Silverheart GR Puppy Howl WUBRG Bolas's Shadow
As someone running a RDW like that, I have to say it's indeed for the ancient grudge (and I've never played my crags tapped)
Also some players sideboard naturalize to deal with problem enchantments, rootbound crag helps with that too.
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Current Decks
Standard BEtched Champion/InfectB WSoilders/knightsW WUVenser SplicerWU RRDWR GFeed the Pack comboG WUPool of ExhaustionWU
EDH GEzuri, Elf OverrunG BGeth, GraverobberB UThada Adel, ThiefU RUrabrask, Big RedR WElesh Norn, CrusadeW WUGAngus Makenzie, Bant ControlWUG
if you need mana on turn 1 every game, I suggest karplusan forest.
Though this post is it not in the Standard section, the context of this entire conversation makes it clear that the deck is a Standard deck. After all, the OP does mention the "RDW official forum".
Back to the OP's question, many people have already answered that many red-based aggro decks in Standard have Ancient Grudge in the sideboard.
Let's look at the drawback of Rootbound Crag coming into play tapped.
Assume you have an opening hand of 1 Rootbound Crag and no other lands. Sure, if that land was a Mountain instead, you would be able to make R on your first turn. However, that one-land hand is probably a mulligan anyway -- regardless of what that land is.
An opening hand of 1 Rootbound Crag, 1 Mountain, and 5 other cards is always better than an opening hand of 2 Mountains and those same 5 other cards.
The only time that the drawback of Rootbound Crag becomes relevant in your mulligan decision is when your opening hand consists of multiple Rootbound Crags and no Mountains.
Using an example deck of 22 lands: 18 of which are Mountains and 4 of which are Rootbound Crag is a 60 maindeck, there is only a 0.858% chance (1 in 116) that your opening hand contains multiple Rootbound Crags and no Mountains and forces you to mulligan an otherwise acceptable hand.
As people have pointed out, since we are only limited to 15 sideboard slots, it is best to put Rootbound Crag in the maindeck and dedicate all 15 sideboard slots to relevant spells instead of wasting them on our mana base.
if you need mana on turn 1 every game, I suggest karplusan forest.
He's obviously playing Standard; if it was any other constructed format, then he'd be looking for Stomping Ground or Taiga, not Karplusan Forest. The only decks I can see running painlands now are decks in Modern that need 16+ 2 color lands and have to resort to painlands because they already have 4x Innistrad/M10 lands, 4x Scars lands, and 4 shocklands. I have a Modern RG land destruction deck that runs 4 Karplusans, but I'd ditch them in a heartbeat if Wooded Foothills was reprinted in a Modern-legal set.
@OP: RDW lists aren't pure Red in Standard anymore; having lands that can tap for green enables Ancient Grudge and possibly Naturalize if things get bad enough to need it.
You can find me on MTGO. My username is gereffi.
Ohh, right. So it's mainly for if you have to mainboard Ancient Grudge?
Mainboard [sic] or sideboard (usually sideboard).
BRG Loam Control (Assault - Loam) BRG
W Mono White Control (Martyr - Proc) W
No. You don't want to waste sideboard slots on lands, when it almost never hurts you to keep them in the main deck.
You can find me on MTGO. My username is gereffi.
I don't think anyone was at any point suggesting that any sideboard slots be should used for lands.
BRG Loam Control (Assault - Loam) BRG
W Mono White Control (Martyr - Proc) W
The OP asked if Rootbound Crag was used if there were mainboard Ancient Grudges. He obviously thinks that if the Ancient Grudges are in the sideboard, then Rootbound Crag should be in the sideboard as well, and that they should come in together. I'm telling him that Rootbound Crag doesn't really take up any maindeck spots, so there's no reason that it can't be in the maindeck.
You can find me on MTGO. My username is gereffi.
This is far from obvious and I don't even think it's true.
BRG Loam Control (Assault - Loam) BRG
W Mono White Control (Martyr - Proc) W
Just for clarification, if you mainboard that means you are running it in your main 60 cards with which you play game 1.
Ahh okay. I thought mainboard was the act of moving from sideboard to your main deck. And I never suggested sideboarding the dual land cards, I was asking why they existed in the first place in a mono-red deck, and I didn't take into account that ancient grudge required green.
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Standard:
RG Beware the Night
Vintage/Legacy:
W Divine Light
U Drake Tricks
RXDragon Treasure (modified retail Championship deck)
G Strength of Silverheart
GR Puppy Howl
WUBRG Bolas's Shadow
RGGruul Aggro
WSoul Sisters
WBTokens
BUGRRestore Balance
BMono-Black Infect
EDH:
RGWMayael, the Anima
GWURoon of the Hidden Realm
BDrana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Also some players sideboard naturalize to deal with problem enchantments, rootbound crag helps with that too.
BEtched Champion/InfectB
WSoilders/knightsW
WUVenser SplicerWU
RRDWR
GFeed the Pack comboG
WUPool of ExhaustionWU
EDH
GEzuri, Elf OverrunG
BGeth, GraverobberB
UThada Adel, ThiefU
RUrabrask, Big RedR
WElesh Norn, CrusadeW
WUGAngus Makenzie, Bant ControlWUG
Extended
WGElvesWG
Legacy
RGoblinsR
UBGFariesUBG
UBGRaffinityUBG
Though this post is it not in the Standard section, the context of this entire conversation makes it clear that the deck is a Standard deck. After all, the OP does mention the "RDW official forum".
If we're not talking about Standard, then Taiga and even Stomping Ground are better options than Karplusan Forest. Also, Copperline Gorge makes either R or G on the first turn without damage.
Back to the OP's question, many people have already answered that many red-based aggro decks in Standard have Ancient Grudge in the sideboard.
Let's look at the drawback of Rootbound Crag coming into play tapped.
Assume you have an opening hand of 1 Rootbound Crag and no other lands. Sure, if that land was a Mountain instead, you would be able to make R on your first turn. However, that one-land hand is probably a mulligan anyway -- regardless of what that land is.
An opening hand of 1 Rootbound Crag, 1 Mountain, and 5 other cards is always better than an opening hand of 2 Mountains and those same 5 other cards.
The only time that the drawback of Rootbound Crag becomes relevant in your mulligan decision is when your opening hand consists of multiple Rootbound Crags and no Mountains.
Using an example deck of 22 lands: 18 of which are Mountains and 4 of which are Rootbound Crag is a 60 maindeck, there is only a 0.858% chance (1 in 116) that your opening hand contains multiple Rootbound Crags and no Mountains and forces you to mulligan an otherwise acceptable hand.
As people have pointed out, since we are only limited to 15 sideboard slots, it is best to put Rootbound Crag in the maindeck and dedicate all 15 sideboard slots to relevant spells instead of wasting them on our mana base.
He's obviously playing Standard; if it was any other constructed format, then he'd be looking for Stomping Ground or Taiga, not Karplusan Forest. The only decks I can see running painlands now are decks in Modern that need 16+ 2 color lands and have to resort to painlands because they already have 4x Innistrad/M10 lands, 4x Scars lands, and 4 shocklands. I have a Modern RG land destruction deck that runs 4 Karplusans, but I'd ditch them in a heartbeat if Wooded Foothills was reprinted in a Modern-legal set.
@OP: RDW lists aren't pure Red in Standard anymore; having lands that can tap for green enables Ancient Grudge and possibly Naturalize if things get bad enough to need it.
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