MTG Salvation

I just priced out my R/G Tron deck, and found that even the entire thing doesn't equal a playset of Tarmogoyf at both of their current values Ideally, the deck I've always wanted to play in modern would be Zoo with Goyf in it, but due to its price I feel like I've had to "settle" for other decks in the format; the same goes for fetchlands as well. While modern is a great format, there's such a huge barrier to entry that only gets worse, even when I get more of an ability to afford cards, the prices go up to keep staying out of reach.

As much as Wizards wants to pretend that they don't know anything about the secondary market, they have to know that these cards are too expensive. Their solution for some of them like Bob and Goyf have totally backfired. They made them more "available" but that isn't the big problem. It doesn't matter how many more come into existence if they still aren't AFFORDABLE. I thought that this format was created so we wouldn't have to worry about being completely priced out of cards, and it seems like the complete opposite has happened. Practically every rare or uncommon that's been printed in the format that isn't utter garbage seems to be spiking to ludicrous levels these days.

I don't care if my modern cards lose value, and I certainly don't care if anyone else's do, either. I got mine knowing that they could get reprinted and lose value due to that, and anybody that is concerned about that should only buy reserved list cards. Collectors and speculators have already crippled Legacy and Vintage due to their backlashes in the past about reprints, and I would really like it if they ****ed off when it comes to this format.

Hey, here's another FNM report! Same place as last time, but I have modified my decklist a bit, as you'll see. The inclusion of the cards I put in has really helped things out, and made it a better deck. The side board still isn't perfect, so I'll only post what I boarded in/out until I get the sideboard to where I really want it to be, which won't take long at all.

Also, I'll try to remember what I boarded in and out each game, but that part I'm still terrible about remembering, so I might not have those results here for each match.



Round one: Vs Affinity

Game one: I was playing against someone that has never played, or even seen the deck before, I should warn you guys. The reason for this is that we needed the eighth person for us to be able to do modern, and he was kind enough to play for us. Now, I should have been dead of turn three, he had absolutely nut-hands, and it was only his inexperience that saved me here. I did manage to kill him with pyroclasms and O-stones, but like I said, if he knew how to pilot the deck, I would have died much quicker.

Game two: From what I remember, I boarded in nature's claims(2) and three spellskites. I managed to nature's claim a lot of his important artifacts while I was so desperate for green mana that I had to use a sylvan scrying to get a Grove. This game went better for me, as I was able to get Karn out after blowing up his field, and just start exiling everything. Once I was stable, he didn't stand a chance.


Round two: Vs A B/R deck(closest deck archetype it fit into was mono-black control)

Game one: We both had some slower starts, but I was able to get out wurmcoils which he wasn't able to get around, even after getting a demigod of revenge out, which got hit with an O-stone. I think I also had a Karn out as well, which did a lot of work on his lands. It was a fairly easy game one.

Game two: This round was tougher as he had another turn one thoughtseize on me, which put me a turn behind from assembling tron. He then extripated my sylvan scrying that he took with thoughtseize, which definitely hurt me. I was able to hold him off for awhile, and even get the mana to cast Emrakul. However, the turn before I was going to play it, he thoughtseized it out of my hand, and by the time I could draw my Eye of Ugin to get it back, it was that one turn too late for me. He killed me with an Erebos, a Demigod, and a Phyrexian Obliterator. I believe that I took out my pyroclasms for a couple spellskites, but I really didn't have a lot to take out of my sideboard that would have helped me.

Game three: I went first, and had much better luck assembling an early Tron. He thoughtseized another card(I forget which) that also got extirpated as well. I got a turn three wurmcoil, which he wasn't able to really respond to. Unfortunately, our other games had gone on for so long that we drew by going to time. He was able to hold me off for just long enough, which really sucked.


Round three: Vs Mono-Blue Tron

Game one: This was the same guy that I talked about back on page (101) in my previous report. Since if I lost there was no way I would win anything, and if he won, he wouldn't win anything either, we agreed that he would give me the wins, and we would split any prizes I won(Unfortunately I won nothing due to getting third, which got no prizes). We ended up playing for fun, anyways to see what would have happened. Now having relics in my mainboard, I was totally ready for anything that he would be throwing at me. He didn't get a mindslaver lock due to me getting a Karn and wurmcoil out, which did a lot of work against him. He scooped eventually, and we went to game two.

Game two: I boarded in my nature's claims and spellskites(sorry, can't remember how many of each, and what I boarded out besides pyroclasm). Initially he got a better start than I did, but I managed to get Karn out again, from which he could not recover. Ghost quarter was very helpful in this matchup as I blew up one of his tron lands early on. Again, no mindslaver lock, as I kept him off tron lands, and got to over (50) life by hitting with wurmcoil.


So, those were the only rounds we had tonight since we only had the bare minimum for people show up. Even though I had the same record as the guy I tied with; we both went 2-0-1, his last opponent he defeated had to have had a higher rank than the one I beat, which meant he got second place while I got third. It sucks when you get paired down like that and get a lower place through no fault of your own, but thems the breaks, sometimes.

The changes I made to the deck from last time definitely helped, and it was good to get more games of modern in. Next time I'll be doing a modern event will be on the tenth, so I'll be sure to tell you guys how that goes as well.

Bitterblossom is probably the hardest to trade for until we see the banlist announcement.

I was really excited for Theros to come out, but I haven't seen a single card in here besides Kiora that I have to have, and that's only because I collect planeswalkers. Value-wise, it doesn't seem like there's much of anything in this set, and since I'm not really into standard, there isn't much here either for me as a modern and EDH player.

At least Theros had three walkers, thoughtseize, and other cool cards. But I can't see myself ever buying a booster of this outside of maybe the pre-release since we can get Theros packs at it.

Quote from thememan

I would like to point out that Astromancer is an Uncommon, so it should be expected to be. I will say that being able to dig and choose Auras is an interesting ability, and could prove potent in some build or another.

But the comparison is so lame.

I guess if you want to make a super, super casual deck that probably won't win, then the astronomer could be fun(winning isn't everything, I know). But even then there are just better options. The issue with it and most isnpired cards is that you have to put all of this extra effort into them to get effects that really are just not worth all of the effort. The astronomer just requires so many resources to use that effect, which just makes it seem pointless to dedicate that much to it. At least with heroic cards like Fabled Hero, you can get a hell of a lot of mileage out of its heroic ability.

The astronomer just feels like a "do nothing" card.

No, Wizards, that astronomer isn't even close to the level that Kor Spiritdancer is on. NOT. EVEN. CLOSE.

But hey, at least we have our second tribute card(after the xenagos one) that isn't utter garbage!! Wonder why they could only get it right on some of the tribute cards, yet not the others.

Does anyone think that all of the octopus, kraken, and serpent stuff could be forshadowing a return to Zendikar?

Great, another creature that would have been awesome as a legendary card.

Such a freaking waste of a card not being legendary. Could have had a cool new pentacolor commander.

Quote from clan_iraq

I was saying in custom card creation that it would be very interesting to see a tribute card where both sides could have an interesting upside/downside in any game situation and it wouldn't be so clear cut. Something where the +1/+1 counters interacted mechanically with the card to have an effect other than just giving you a big dumb vanilla beater. Right now the only choice you get is "vanilla beater or bad stuff". Which is mechanically very uninteresting and poorly designed.

Well, you've got me with the Xenagos tribute creature.

Great, we've seen ONE tribute card that isn't total ****. Isn't that showing off how cool the mechanic is?

Like I've said before, if they're going to make the choice so obvious about what to pick, then they might as well either not even have the option for choice, or just make it so that when they choose the "obvious" option, that there's something in it for the person playing the creature.

So, are they ever going to make a tribute card where it isn't blatantly obvious what the "correct" choice is?

Every tribute card so far has their effects made so that there's no reason at all to ever choose one of the effects over the other. Why even bother giving your opponents a choice when it's laid out right for them?

Quote from Valanarch

Umezawa's Jitte

Dear god, I hope this thing never gets taken off of the ban list. This is one of the few cards on it that I think should never be okay in modern.

Here's my deck, I'm short three cards, and not sure what to put in. I still have to buy one more cascade bluffs, since one is a proxy right now, and I was thinking of upping the land count to (25) to add one more basic mountain. Any suggestions? Please don't suggest fetchlands, though, as I don't have any, will not pay $45+ for one, and the filters really help with the cryptic mana more than the fetches have for me.





Also, while I know that obstinate baloth is a good sideboard card for us, what else should we sideboard for this kind of scapeshift deck? I'm not sure what cards would work best for it. I've heard of people doing cliques in boards, but like the fetches, it just costs too much right now.

I would really appreciate help on this one.

I'm still praying that the "pushed" merfolk is not Kiora's follower. A two mana cost merfolk that isn't mono-blue, with an effect that isn't a "lord" effect" like lord of atlantis is pretty far from being describable as a "pushed" card to me.

It just doesn't actually DO anything. It can untap vial on turn three, big whoop. I'd rather play a lord on turn two with vial instead, and then just tap vial once for another merfolk to pump up my team. Not one that can't even affect anything for another turn.

I guess it was way too much to ask for just one more UU merfolk that gave all your merfolk +1, +1.

Quote from Valanarch

While you are right about paying tribute, I wouldn't say that a flying creature is easily chump-blocked.

Any flyer you put out can just eat its attacks until you get removal.

What I mean is, if it's going to be a mythic, can it not be garbage? Imagine opening that in a pack.

How the hell is a 5/5 vanilla flyer mythic?? I'd barely say a 3/3 haste flyer could qualify, and there is NEVER a good reason to pick the non-tribute option, ever.

Sorry to disappoint some of you, but this card is just terrible. You're better off waiting a turn and playing stormbreath, which is what a mythic red flyer should be like.

I don't like the phoenix because there's no reason at all to not pay for the tribute on it. And then once it has it, it can easily be chump blocked, as it'll just be a 5/5 flier with nothing else at that point. Who would ever give it haste + the ability to come back??