MTG Salvation

Agree on Voidslime. It gets everything. Slime all the things. I'm surprised Cryptic Command isn't on your list since it's so versatile. Also, Arcane Denial is indeed great. You can even use it to counter your own junk and draw three cards if necessary.

I'm not sure how to evaluate this card. He's definitely not "OMG SO CRAY CRAY." My knee jerk reaction is that he's a little underwhelming, but then I don't play any sanctioned constructed formats, so...

In my fave format, EDH, he's not so hot. I do like new Sarkhan, though.

I'm going to try and sell Gwafa Hazid, Profiteer yet again. I love this guy. You can certainly build a control shell around him but if that's not your bag, then that's cool too. My Gwafa (at least at first) was built on a strict mercantile/trade theme using any cards that fit thematically by name/art/function. It included a lot of steal effects like Bribery and Conjured Currency (THEME SO HARD!), and animal token makers like Storm Herd, Sacred Mesa, Trading Post and Springjack Pasture (MORE THEME SO HARD - LIVESTOCK FOR SALE). Basically, anything with the words "market" or "trade" or "tax" I jammed in just to be super theme-y.

He's a pretty flexible build and not a huge threat as he gives opponents cards when you use his ability. Overall, he's a fun and unique general that most people don't expect.

When I first saw the title of this thread, I was so stoked that you were gonna make a deck that sought to tap all of your opponents' permanents. I was getting ready to suggest Icy Manipulator and Scepter of Dominance but clearly this is not what you had in mind.

Instead, I will suggest something I quite like in my mono-red EDH: Spikeshot Goblin with an Eldrazi Conscription taped to it. Spikeshot Elder is even better, but too bad he doesn't to deal damage.

Quote from alpinefroggy »

The other problem is that the other format staples are not currently increasing in supply. People now have access to cheaper manabases, but not main decks. Cards like clique, bob, goyf, LOTV, snapcaster, cryptic etc which may actually increase in price even more because of this

As someone who left behind constructed formats long ago for EDH but from time to time itches to shuffle a 60 card deck, I'm not at all enticed to return to 60 card formats as much as I might like to try playing them again. It looks terribly frustrating for new players entering the modern format and to a lesser extent, standard. I laud Wizards for reprinting the fetches in a block set to make them more accessible but it seems like partially fixing one barrier to entry (in this case the cost of manabases) just exacerbates or emphasizes another (the cost of staples like 'goyf and Clique, though I admit you don't necessarily need these cards to compete).

I recently sold a good portion of my ZEN fetches in anticipation of a reprint and I'm glad I did. This whole thing reminds me of how the sports card industry is now bereft of its lifeblood: young people. Eventually, I think most young players could be priced out and all that will be left is mostly a bunch of adults with deep pockets and no one to pass the hobby onto. Long term, I don't think $1,000 decks are good for the health of the game. I sure hope prices somehow come back down to reasonable levels. Funny how in the recent past I thought $200 for a set of Baneslayers was crazy and further back how I really had to scrimp and save my allowance to buy $5 revised duals.

Quote from paladin3056 »

On another note, Courser of Kruphix is now Out of Stock in SCG, and i predict it will still go higher than before, good think I kept 3pcs and I might play GW in the coming standard.

Yup. I checked SCG's stock of Coursers at about 2AM EST just after the fetches were spoiled and they had 33 in stock at $12. Someone or some people bought them all out overnight while I was sleeping and not losing my mind trying to buy up all of the Coursers as a speculation target. I'm not sure how much the Courser will stand to gain, but I'll definitely keep an eye on them while I use my single copy for EDH. Good thing I don't play standard or modern, I dunno how I'd pay my bills. I miss the days of $5 ABUR duals.

I wonder what Magic would be like if non-basics were never invented.

Quote from Jukai »

Quote from Verseau »

guysss...
how many boxes you guys think we need to buy to get complete playsets for all fetches ???

My guess would be a pallet of boostercases. By that amount your better off just buying them as singles.

Agree so hard. I find it weird that so many people are asking how many boxes they'll need to buy to get a full set of allied fetches when it's always better and more cost effective to just buy the singles.

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!

Wow. Awesome. This should move a ton of product.

Quote from Ophidian Eye »

Do you play Eldrazi Monument in the deck?

Yes, I am playing Eldrazi Monument. While creature pumpers are relatively abundant in the form of lords, I am more interested in the Cauldron working in a vacuum since I don't reliably tutor up the monument. On the other hand, elf lords are generally easier to search for with all of the green creature tutors.

I'm running an elves deck with Ezuri, Renegade Leader at the helm. Of course, most creatures in the deck are little guys and after checking, I have about 10 creatures with a toughness of 2 or greater. Originally, I wanted to have the Cauldron in there to benefit from Oran-Rief, the Vastwood, Joraga Warcaller and Strength of the Tajuru, but I'm not sure if I have the density for any consistent benefit from the Cauldron. I've also never actually had a chance to play it, so I'm wondering if you all think it's worth running from a theoretical standpoint.

EDIT: Oops, for reference - Cauldron of Souls

+1 for Trading Post. Also enjoy:
Reverse the Sands and Repay in Kind - great for late game turnarounds.
Goblin Game - because it's hilarious, jokey and speeds up the game. A game within a game.
Illicit Auction - more red shenanigans.
Warp World - it creates some interesting and wacky board states.
Eldrazi Conscription - about as splashy a play as it gets. Makes 1/1s absolutely terrifying.
Squee, Goblin Nabob - my favourite general.
Despotic Scepter - my favourite sac outlet that, like Trading Post, plays nicely with Spine of Ish Sah
Caribou Range - because caribou.
Gwafa Hazid, Profiteer - because flavour!

I guess I think red is fun, mostly.

I also like Squee in conjunction with red looter effects like Rummaging Goblin and Mad Prophet. Jalum Tome is another useful artifact source.

Eldrazi Monument is always good in token decks and slots into any colour. If you weren't in mono-white, Asceticism could be effective, though mana-intensive for tokens. On the upside, it's green, so what's a bunch of mana?