I don't really know how to do the math, but i'm pretty sure double elim is faster than 12 rounds of swiss with top 8.
the formula for double elimination is
# of games required = (# of players x 2) - 2
or +1 additional game at the end. so 8 players = 14 or 15 games needed to get a winner, 16 players = 30 or 31. i don't know how swiss works so someone can chime in with that to compare.
edit: # of games is worthless, we want number of rounds to compare.
8 players = 5 or 6 rounds
16 players = 6 or 7 rounds
seems like they will be wearing CFB shirts at tourneys and thats the extent of this new team. they will continue to test together because they already do. they will continue to write for SCG.
seems like a professional athlete getting an advertising gig on the side. except the gig in this case is with a rival company, which is strange, but apparently all parties are cool with it.
Summoning Rift would be cool in a digital game but this creates impossible memory issues.
i enjoy Wolfpack Alpha's first ability but its sort of ruined by its high cmc and extra ability. not sure if that makes sense. i guess i mean it has an interesting flavorful combat ability but the rest means it'll never be in combat.
You can't always have removal open, trading with a Traveling Philosopher is fine if it got 8-10 damage in, and mythic rarity has nothing to do with if this card should trade or not trade with certain other cards.
Just take a look at this innocent board state, imagine if the opponent played this card and tell me that it isn't outright broken.
i'm about to blow your mind. sower of temptation. bet you didn't know that was a card, or forgot huh?
So board them out when you're playing against control? Sheesh, it's not that much good deckbuilding you have to do to make these consistently good.
BDM: ...and to conclude the main deck portion of this deck tech, you can see 4x copies of Thunderstrike Berserker.
LSV: Yeah those really help you get a fast presence on board even after mulliganing.
BDM: All in all, a very impressive record you've put up with this Naya aggro deck here at at the Pro Tour.
LSV: Thanks Brian. Our ChannelFireball team worked hard on it.
BDM: Now let's move onto the sideboard here. I see you dedicated 10 sideboard slots for lands. Can you explain that?
LSV: Yeah, the Arsenal lands are so bad against control, we actually used up two thirds of our sideboard to fix our mana base against one of the most ever-present archetypes in all of magic.
BDM: That sounds like bad strategy.
LSV: Sheesh, cmon Brian, it's not that much good deckbuilding you have to do to make these consistently good. You just use 10 out of your 15 sideboard slots for lands, something that hasn't happened before in the history of competitive magic because it sounds so dumb. Sheesh.
In an aggro deck, these will almost never effectively ETB tapped if they hit play after your first turn, and against any deck that's attacking you with creatures - i.e., many of them - they're good for twice the amount of mana that normal lands are if your opponent doesn't play conservatively. Isn't that enough?
what about the downside? i have 5 lands in play, 3 of these and 2 basics. i tap out to play a couple creatures. my opponent wraths. i'm stuck at 2 lands until i can attack. i play another 2 drop creature. doom blade. i draw a 3 drop creature, no good. i draw another one of these lands, no good. i draw a basic then play a 3 drop creature, doom blade.
my opponent meanwhile is play PWs and ticking them up. or maybe he land screws me until he has plenty of lands to play an aetherling and my creature centric deck doesn't have the tools to come back.
is this really such a far fetched situation?
counterpoint: "well don't fill your lands with these lands". designing rare lands that have such an inherent risk that you have to limit the number you play is bad design. and the inherent risk here is lands depending on your creatures surviving. these lands are so, so bad against removal heavy control, like the current esper deck in standard.
yes you also limit the number of ETBT lands you play but not to the extent you'd have to for these to be playable. the risk for ETBT lands is i might lose a mana one turn. the risk for these lands is this land might blow up at any moment.
you're saying after pack 1, i should be cemented in BW when i have 1 good black card, 1 good white card, and 1 good BW card? given how open green was?
i jumped on Nylea's Presence cause i didn't know what colors i was still and its great for splashing. p2p1 sea god's revenge is by far the best card unless you want to argue griptide. what are your picks until p2p2?
this is a classic case of a mechanic that should just be printed on one card. a card named "pray" that doubled your devotion or something would be perfect for the theros block (if it works within the rules, which i'm not sure if it does)
Caveat: I'm a terrible drafter and I would have been too embarrassed to even post this draft but I'm currently 2-0 so maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought. I'm curious what direction you would have ended up in this draft. Every time I thought I had committed to a color, it would disappear and a rush of a new color would come in. I HATE splashing even a 3rd color so I was nervous at the 4 color deck I was forced to submit.
Clearly there was one color I should have committed to in pack 1 but I was to see if that's only clear in hindsight or if I messed up somewhere.
------ THS ------
Pack 1 pick 1:
Loathsome Catoblepas
Omenspeaker
March of the Returned
Pharika's Cure
Defend the Hearth
Leonin Snarecaster
Priest of Iroas
Read the Bones
Scholar of Athreos
Felhide Minotaur
Centaur Battlemaster
Evangel of Heliod
Flamecast Wheel
--> Whip of Erebos
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 2:
Bronze Sable
Messenger's Speed
Mnemonic Wall
Commune with the Gods
Returned Phalanx
Lagonna-Band Elder
Lost in a Labyrinth
--> Pharika's Cure
Savage Surge
Opaline Unicorn
Anvilwrought Raptor
Ordeal of Nylea
Reverent Hunter
Island
Pack 1 pick 4:
Fleetfeather Sandals
Demolish
Ephara's Warden
Portent of Betrayal
Defend the Hearth
Agent of Horizons
Crackling Triton
Deathbellow Raider
Borderland Minotaur
--> Ordeal of Thassa
Steam Augury
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 5:
Fleshmad Steed
Nylea's Disciple
Spark Jolt
--> Last Breath
Scourgemark
Satyr Hedonist
Sedge Scorpion
Boon of Erebos
Nemesis of Mortals
Dark Betrayal
Forest
Pack 1 pick 6:
Fleshmad Steed
Thassa's Bounty
Lost in a Labyrinth
--> Agent of Horizons
Fade into Antiquity
Satyr Rambler
Borderland Minotaur
Shredding Winds
Chronicler of Heroes
Forest
Pack 1 pick 7:
--> Chosen by Heliod
Mnemonic Wall
Fade into Antiquity
Returned Centaur
Commune with the Gods
Boulderfall
Sedge Scorpion
Vanquish the Foul
Island
Pack 1 pick 8:
Viper's Kiss
Feral Invocation
Thassa's Bounty
Priest of Iroas
Setessan Battle Priest
Artisan's Sorrow
--> Sentry of the Underworld
Forest
Pack 1 pick 9:
Loathsome Catoblepas
March of the Returned
Defend the Hearth
Priest of Iroas
--> Scholar of Athreos
Flamecast Wheel
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 10:
Bronze Sable
Commune with the Gods
Lost in a Labyrinth
Savage Surge
--> Anvilwrought Raptor
Island
Pack 2 pick 4:
Omenspeaker
March of the Returned
Lightning Strike
Defend the Hearth
Agent of Horizons
Crackling Triton
Spark Jolt
Last Breath
Shredding Winds
Deathbellow Raider
--> Sentry of the Underworld
Mountain
Pack 2 pick 5:
--> Prescient Chimera
Fleetfeather Sandals
Ill-Tempered Cyclops
Lagonna-Band Elder
Lost in a Labyrinth
Pharika's Cure
Rage of Purphoros
Akroan Crusader
Flamespeaker Adept
Spellheart Chimera
Island
Pack 2 pick 6:
Sip of Hemlock
Fade into Antiquity
Battlewise Hoplite (FOIL)
Commune with the Gods
--> Hopeful Eidolon
Savage Surge
Setessan Griffin
Dark Betrayal
Artisan of Forms
Plains
Pack 2 pick 7:
March of the Returned
Read the Bones
Thassa's Bounty
Lost in a Labyrinth
Fade into Antiquity
Savage Surge
--> Opaline Unicorn
Dissolve
Forest
Pack 2 pick 8:
Loathsome Catoblepas
Priest of Iroas
Thassa's Bounty
Lost in a Labyrinth
--> Traveler's Amulet
Shredding Winds
Gainsay
Swamp
Pack 2 pick 12:
--> March of the Returned
Defend the Hearth
Crackling Triton
Mountain
Pack 2 pick 13:
--> Lost in a Labyrinth
Spellheart Chimera
Island
Pack 2 pick 14:
--> Commune with the Gods
Plains
Pack 2 pick 15:
--> Forest
------ THS ------
Pack 3 pick 1:
Sip of Hemlock
Stymied Hopes
Ill-Tempered Cyclops
Satyr Hedonist
Read the Bones
Last Breath
Unknown Shores
Crackling Triton
Deathbellow Raider
Borderland Minotaur
Hunt the Hunter
--> Keepsake Gorgon
Witches' Eye
Bident of Thassa
Island
Pack 3 pick 2:
Viper's Kiss
Lightning Strike
Pheres-Band Centaurs
Divine Verdict
Spark Jolt
Returned Phalanx
Coastline Chimera
Pharika's Cure
Scholar of Athreos
Disciple of Phenax
Karametra's Acolyte
Flamecast Wheel
--> Arbor Colossus
Swamp
Pack 3 pick 3:
Bronze Sable
Messenger's Speed
Mnemonic Wall
--> Returned Phalanx
Coastline Chimera
Pharika's Cure
Defend the Hearth
Disciple of Phenax
Wavecrash Triton
Magma Jet
Rescue from the Underworld
Evangel of Heliod
Island
Pack 3 pick 4:
--> Nessian Asp
Bronze Sable
Ephara's Warden
Satyr Rambler
Observant Alseid
Scourgemark
Coastline Chimera
Rage of Purphoros
Ray of Dissolution
Vaporkin
Burnished Hart
Plains
the formula for double elimination is
# of games required = (# of players x 2) - 2
or +1 additional game at the end. so 8 players = 14 or 15 games needed to get a winner, 16 players = 30 or 31. i don't know how swiss works so someone can chime in with that to compare.
edit: # of games is worthless, we want number of rounds to compare.
8 players = 5 or 6 rounds
16 players = 6 or 7 rounds
seems like a professional athlete getting an advertising gig on the side. except the gig in this case is with a rival company, which is strange, but apparently all parties are cool with it.
i enjoy Wolfpack Alpha's first ability but its sort of ruined by its high cmc and extra ability. not sure if that makes sense. i guess i mean it has an interesting flavorful combat ability but the rest means it'll never be in combat.
(name) is broken. 2 mana for 4 damage to the face is the standard. 2 mana for (often) 5-6 damage to the face OR creatures is not priced correctly.
at least, i sure hope so cause you seem a little too smug otherwise, for someone who's wrong.
LSV: Yeah those really help you get a fast presence on board even after mulliganing.
BDM: All in all, a very impressive record you've put up with this Naya aggro deck here at at the Pro Tour.
LSV: Thanks Brian. Our ChannelFireball team worked hard on it.
BDM: Now let's move onto the sideboard here. I see you dedicated 10 sideboard slots for lands. Can you explain that?
LSV: Yeah, the Arsenal lands are so bad against control, we actually used up two thirds of our sideboard to fix our mana base against one of the most ever-present archetypes in all of magic.
BDM: That sounds like bad strategy.
LSV: Sheesh, cmon Brian, it's not that much good deckbuilding you have to do to make these consistently good. You just use 10 out of your 15 sideboard slots for lands, something that hasn't happened before in the history of competitive magic because it sounds so dumb. Sheesh.
my opponent meanwhile is play PWs and ticking them up. or maybe he land screws me until he has plenty of lands to play an aetherling and my creature centric deck doesn't have the tools to come back.
is this really such a far fetched situation?
counterpoint: "well don't fill your lands with these lands". designing rare lands that have such an inherent risk that you have to limit the number you play is bad design. and the inherent risk here is lands depending on your creatures surviving. these lands are so, so bad against removal heavy control, like the current esper deck in standard.
yes you also limit the number of ETBT lands you play but not to the extent you'd have to for these to be playable. the risk for ETBT lands is i might lose a mana one turn. the risk for these lands is this land might blow up at any moment.
i jumped on Nylea's Presence cause i didn't know what colors i was still and its great for splashing. p2p1 sea god's revenge is by far the best card unless you want to argue griptide. what are your picks until p2p2?
Clearly there was one color I should have committed to in pack 1 but I was to see if that's only clear in hindsight or if I messed up somewhere.
------ THS ------
Pack 1 pick 1:
Loathsome Catoblepas
Omenspeaker
March of the Returned
Pharika's Cure
Defend the Hearth
Leonin Snarecaster
Priest of Iroas
Read the Bones
Scholar of Athreos
Felhide Minotaur
Centaur Battlemaster
Evangel of Heliod
Flamecast Wheel
--> Whip of Erebos
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 2:
Bronze Sable
Messenger's Speed
Mnemonic Wall
Commune with the Gods
Returned Phalanx
Lagonna-Band Elder
Lost in a Labyrinth
--> Pharika's Cure
Savage Surge
Opaline Unicorn
Anvilwrought Raptor
Ordeal of Nylea
Reverent Hunter
Island
Pack 1 pick 3:
Ill-Tempered Cyclops
Leafcrown Dryad
Chosen by Heliod
Pheres-Band Centaurs
Nylea's Presence
Asphodel Wanderer
--> Wingsteed Rider
Two-Headed Cerberus
Cavern Lampad
Sedge Scorpion
Ordeal of Purphoros
Tormented Hero
Swamp
Pack 1 pick 4:
Fleetfeather Sandals
Demolish
Ephara's Warden
Portent of Betrayal
Defend the Hearth
Agent of Horizons
Crackling Triton
Deathbellow Raider
Borderland Minotaur
--> Ordeal of Thassa
Steam Augury
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 5:
Fleshmad Steed
Nylea's Disciple
Spark Jolt
--> Last Breath
Scourgemark
Satyr Hedonist
Sedge Scorpion
Boon of Erebos
Nemesis of Mortals
Dark Betrayal
Forest
Pack 1 pick 6:
Fleshmad Steed
Thassa's Bounty
Lost in a Labyrinth
--> Agent of Horizons
Fade into Antiquity
Satyr Rambler
Borderland Minotaur
Shredding Winds
Chronicler of Heroes
Forest
Pack 1 pick 7:
--> Chosen by Heliod
Mnemonic Wall
Fade into Antiquity
Returned Centaur
Commune with the Gods
Boulderfall
Sedge Scorpion
Vanquish the Foul
Island
Pack 1 pick 8:
Viper's Kiss
Feral Invocation
Thassa's Bounty
Priest of Iroas
Setessan Battle Priest
Artisan's Sorrow
--> Sentry of the Underworld
Forest
Pack 1 pick 9:
Loathsome Catoblepas
March of the Returned
Defend the Hearth
Priest of Iroas
--> Scholar of Athreos
Flamecast Wheel
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 10:
Bronze Sable
Commune with the Gods
Lost in a Labyrinth
Savage Surge
--> Anvilwrought Raptor
Island
Pack 1 pick 11:
Ill-Tempered Cyclops
Pheres-Band Centaurs
--> Nylea's Presence
Asphodel Wanderer
Swamp
Pack 1 pick 12:
--> Fleetfeather Sandals
Demolish
Defend the Hearth
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 13:
Satyr Hedonist
--> Dark Betrayal
Forest
Pack 1 pick 14:
--> Fade into Antiquity
Forest
Pack 1 pick 15:
--> Commune with the Gods
------ THS ------
Pack 2 pick 1:
Fleshmad Steed
Cavalry Pegasus
Nylea's Disciple
Scourgemark
Griptide
Satyr Hedonist
Satyr Rambler
Leonin Snarecaster
Opaline Unicorn
Ray of Dissolution
Stoneshock Giant
--> Sea God's Revenge
Decorated Griffin
Ashen Rider
Forest
Pack 2 pick 2:
Cavalry Pegasus
Loathsome Catoblepas
--> Nylea's Presence
Rage of Purphoros
Feral Invocation
Returned Centaur
Setessan Griffin (FOIL)
Ray of Dissolution
Vaporkin
Vanquish the Foul
Akroan Hoplite
Prowler's Helm
Titan of Eternal Fire
Swamp
Pack 2 pick 3:
Demolish
Ephara's Warden
Fleshmad Steed
Agent of Horizons
Fade into Antiquity
Satyr Rambler
Scourgemark
Boulderfall
Setessan Battle Priest
Karametra's Acolyte
--> Erebos's Emissary
Steam Augury
Mountain
Pack 2 pick 4:
Omenspeaker
March of the Returned
Lightning Strike
Defend the Hearth
Agent of Horizons
Crackling Triton
Spark Jolt
Last Breath
Shredding Winds
Deathbellow Raider
--> Sentry of the Underworld
Mountain
Pack 2 pick 5:
--> Prescient Chimera
Fleetfeather Sandals
Ill-Tempered Cyclops
Lagonna-Band Elder
Lost in a Labyrinth
Pharika's Cure
Rage of Purphoros
Akroan Crusader
Flamespeaker Adept
Spellheart Chimera
Island
Pack 2 pick 6:
Sip of Hemlock
Fade into Antiquity
Battlewise Hoplite (FOIL)
Commune with the Gods
--> Hopeful Eidolon
Savage Surge
Setessan Griffin
Dark Betrayal
Artisan of Forms
Plains
Pack 2 pick 7:
March of the Returned
Read the Bones
Thassa's Bounty
Lost in a Labyrinth
Fade into Antiquity
Savage Surge
--> Opaline Unicorn
Dissolve
Forest
Pack 2 pick 8:
Loathsome Catoblepas
Priest of Iroas
Thassa's Bounty
Lost in a Labyrinth
--> Traveler's Amulet
Shredding Winds
Gainsay
Swamp
Pack 2 pick 9:
Fleshmad Steed
Cavalry Pegasus
Satyr Hedonist
Leonin Snarecaster
--> Opaline Unicorn
Decorated Griffin
Forest
Pack 2 pick 10:
--> Cavalry Pegasus
Loathsome Catoblepas
Akroan Hoplite
Prowler's Helm
Titan of Eternal Fire
Swamp
Pack 2 pick 11:
--> Ephara's Warden
Satyr Rambler
Boulderfall
Steam Augury
Mountain
Pack 2 pick 12:
--> March of the Returned
Defend the Hearth
Crackling Triton
Mountain
Pack 2 pick 13:
--> Lost in a Labyrinth
Spellheart Chimera
Island
Pack 2 pick 14:
--> Commune with the Gods
Plains
Pack 2 pick 15:
--> Forest
------ THS ------
Pack 3 pick 1:
Sip of Hemlock
Stymied Hopes
Ill-Tempered Cyclops
Satyr Hedonist
Read the Bones
Last Breath
Unknown Shores
Crackling Triton
Deathbellow Raider
Borderland Minotaur
Hunt the Hunter
--> Keepsake Gorgon
Witches' Eye
Bident of Thassa
Island
Pack 3 pick 2:
Viper's Kiss
Lightning Strike
Pheres-Band Centaurs
Divine Verdict
Spark Jolt
Returned Phalanx
Coastline Chimera
Pharika's Cure
Scholar of Athreos
Disciple of Phenax
Karametra's Acolyte
Flamecast Wheel
--> Arbor Colossus
Swamp
Pack 3 pick 3:
Bronze Sable
Messenger's Speed
Mnemonic Wall
--> Returned Phalanx
Coastline Chimera
Pharika's Cure
Defend the Hearth
Disciple of Phenax
Wavecrash Triton
Magma Jet
Rescue from the Underworld
Evangel of Heliod
Island
Pack 3 pick 4:
--> Nessian Asp
Bronze Sable
Ephara's Warden
Satyr Rambler
Observant Alseid
Scourgemark
Coastline Chimera
Rage of Purphoros
Ray of Dissolution
Vaporkin
Burnished Hart
Plains
Pack 3 pick 5:
Stymied Hopes
--> Nessian Courser
Scourgemark
Coastline Chimera
Rage of Purphoros
Satyr Hedonist
Boon of Erebos
Peak Eruption (FOIL)
Dissolve
Arena Athlete
Plains
Pack 3 pick 6:
Demolish
--> Gods Willing
March of the Returned
Portent of Betrayal
Wavecrash Triton
Opaline Unicorn
Purphoros's Emissary
Flamespeaker Adept
Witches' Eye
Forest
Pack 3 pick 7:
Guardians of Meletis
Battlewise Valor
Loathsome Catoblepas
Returned Centaur
--> Fate Foretold
Portent of Betrayal
Observant Alseid
Vaporkin
Swamp
Pack 3 pick 8:
Coastline Chimera
Rage of Purphoros
Satyr Hedonist
--> Read the Bones
Last Breath
Triton Shorethief
Warriors' Lesson
Forest
Pack 3 pick 9:
Ill-Tempered Cyclops
Satyr Hedonist
--> Read the Bones
Unknown Shores
Crackling Triton
Witches' Eye
Island
Pack 3 pick 10:
Viper's Kiss
Pheres-Band Centaurs
Spark Jolt
--> Returned Phalanx
Pharika's Cure
Swamp
Pack 3 pick 11:
Bronze Sable
Messenger's Speed
--> Coastline Chimera
Defend the Hearth
Island
Pack 3 pick 12:
--> Bronze Sable
Satyr Rambler
Coastline Chimera
Plains
Pack 3 pick 13:
--> Scourgemark
Arena Athlete
Plains
Pack 3 pick 14:
--> Demolish
Forest
Pack 3 pick 15:
--> Swamp
edit: forgot this was for cube. in the context of cube only i think its fine. drawback is way less relevant.