MTG Salvation

So, to repeat this back, you basically have the general slot as an extra slot in the pack? Like a basic land? Or did I misunderstand that.

Thank you for your help, other tips make sense

Hey guys,

Looking at switching from a regular cube configuration to EDH. My playgroup has mostly moved to EDH as a format and we all think that an EDH cube would make the decks quite fun. Things I would like some help on:

How do people draft yours? Do they draft legends first, or throughout the packs?

Are there any special pitfalls I should avoid in this format, as opposed to regular cube?

What is the ideal deck size for EDH cube matches?

Thanks for any feedback!

If you lived in NC I'd be interested in purchasing a lot of that bulk...I actually enjoy the sorting and piecing out of Commons and Uncommons...but basically what others have said on this thread applies...look to get about 4$ per thousand from a store. The other option if you had time would be to "pick" the bulk and buy list any cards worth a quarter or more...but without a lot of time, it's kind of a moot point.

Yeah, Stooge. I'd say collectors and speculators. The specific trader whose profile you linked seems to be betting on a few cards that are known to be in-demand, but which haven't seen their largest price jump yet. KCI is talked about in a lot of magic finance content at the moment...but I think the ship sailed on it a week ago or so.

If you look at my profile, I will take all From Beyonds you have, for instance!

I just used the Discord and PucaTrade to pick up some alters I am excited. While the artist asked for a bit of a premium, it's always easy to send enough to get the points!

I have found the Discord to be a huge impetus for trades. That said, one feature I was displeased with is the Send Cards list recently. I still dislike that it defaults to "New Traders" it had been a month or so since I used it and I was so confused for a moment...my haves list was loaded but only two cards came up. Sheesh!

That and my own opinion after playing it and seeing how diverse the opinions are in the US on the format is that the other countries need to expand or add cards to it to let in the kind of decks people want to play. If someone has a favorite pet card they want to try they should let it in to try it out. The ultimate thing that people seem to have never tried doing in Magic is "build" a format. Not just declare one, but cultivate one that fits the community playing magic. It's what the game needs right now more than anything else and WoTC along with Hareyuya are ill suited to meet those demands. When people take command of a format and control the cards being played, it creates a meta-game that is far more dynamic and interesting than just putting everything into a blender and hoping what you get out is what you really want. There really is a format out there that can handle Birthing Pod, Splinter Twin, GOOD control, and even some aggro and mid-range. The community just needs to come together to actually work on building it.
Modern

Commander is the only "built" community format that I'm aware of. It's a rousing success. I agree with your statement here.

Had a really fun draft experience with two good foil pulls. Sylvan library and swords to plowshares. Bombed the draft despite the card quality, but had a lot of fun.

I have also found the best formula for getting trades to be a 4000+ points total and a large wants list. I specifically seem to get most of my packages that have a combination of little commons/uncommons and one or two larger cards. Having a combination so that people can send their extra bulk to earn a bonus is effective.

It has been helping me upgrade/complete EDH decks a lot recently.

Cool looking list, and not bad. But, if you're going to be using Thoughtseize and Murderous Cut as your role-players from black, you may want a few more black sources. It's going to be a difficult balance, but you may need it. Thoughtseize is ideal turns 1 or 2, and you'll hopefully be holding up Murderous Cut after turn 3. I doubt you want to risk not drawing black there. As the opposite, you have very little early game in white. I would change at least 1 Wind-Scarred Crag to the equivalent B/R or U/B land. Possibly both crags for one of each. I think that's the closest to a balance you will get.

Okay, so to be honest, the way these decks work best is by basing their mana in two colors and having the other two as supports, in my experience. I think you're trying to do too much here. I would go for something a little more like one of these:

U/R List: (Most shaky mana of all the lists. Gains a lot of power, but U/R requires the other colors to do some heavy role-playing for it. On the upside, you get a ton of consistent draw power in return.)


U/B List: (Spotty mana for End Hostilities....but otherwise just a HEAVY permission build. Should be able to keep a clean board. Ashiok is unique to this build because of U/B. Probably very good against the midrangey meta.)



B/W List: (Super-heavy removal focus. Going for an overwhelming finisher on turn 5/6 every game on a clear board.)


R/W List: (It's entirely possible that this is best as just Jeskai, in which case you can stabilize your mana a little and exchange divinations for Dig Through Time. Also allows you to add MB counterspell effects. Though, Mardu Charm seems insane here.)


R/B List: (Heavy attrition/spot removal focus. Mogis plays a big role in this deck, so there are two. You should be able to tuck him away at some point or discard him to your tormenting voice. U splash is just for Keranos as a finisher.)


Stoke the Flames is best in the decks with Jeskai Charm or other good burn spells, as your opponent can go from 8 to 0 in a turn. This leaves them very open to just...dying. I personally like the last list best, as it's very attrition-focused. If you can play this style well, it's very rewarding. Your opponent will often make bad plays as they simply can't handle the grind. The barely-there splash of blue also will leave your opponent wondering going into game 2, as you most likely will not Keranos every game. Also allows for the new Disdainful Stroke out of the board against midrange.

In any case, none of these lists have been heavily tested, but I felt like giving you some options for examining your mana costs. All of these decks should be a hair to a LARGE amount more consistent than your current list. Let me know what you think. Thanks for asking for my help directly.

So, the big problem I see at first is that you only have 3 mountains and are running Chained to the Rocks. It seems unlikely you'll get to use that.

The second thing that I would do is add more draw. For the most part, your strategy seems to be 1 for 1ing the opponent to get to the endgame. This is a losing strategy most of the time, as you will likely run out of removal before the y do threats without proper draw spells.

Cool idea, but you might want to consider something in WUBG, dropping the red. This gives you access to Abzan Charm and Soltai Charm, which on the whole seem more versatile to me.

@Gross: It probably does happen on occasion. That being said, it doesn't make it easier to sell outside of an LGS.

@OP: I would draft them with some friends. That's how you'll get the most value out of them. I often, after winning packs at FNM (if the store won't do store credit, or doesn't have what I want) will trade loose packs away at $ value for cards. If a player wants your packs and has something you want, you're much more likely to get the value of a pack as trade credit than you are in cash.

Sorry for continuing the Abzan variant on here, but I don't feel this is different enough to need a separate thread.

Assuming the uncomfirmed, but realistic spoiler of Abzan charm is correct, I'll probably be running this deck for the initial two weeks of standard. Seems like it will be pretty easy to acquire all the pieces for and it should have a relatively "free" matchup against aggressive decks. Our lifegain, removal concentration, and superior card selection should easily trump them.

My list is currently looking more like this... (updated through playtesting, and the addition of a villainous wealth)



Still thinking on sideboard. Will probably include some number of Drown in Sorrow, Negate, Disdainful Stroke, and the other 2 Thoughtseize.

Have you considered an Abzan style deck? While we don't know what they have in the way of charms, there is a card with an ETB that really fits in this deck: Siege Rhino



The deck is a little more attrition-y. You are aiming to finish them with drain at this point, or with your walkers.

Additionally, there's always that brand new Butcher of the Horde if you feel committed to Mardu. Probably the best finisher you could ask for in this deck.

So, Murderous Cut was just spoiled and is another major option for our deck. What do you guys think of this card? Can we reliably make use of Delve to aid the cost?

I definitely like that it's only one colored mana. Our deck, begin Wedge colored, may have trouble reliably casting Hero's Downfall.