MTG Salvation

None of the artists I've run into charge to sign cards, but like iRebel said they will do alters for a few bucks. They'll also sell artist proofs, and other merchandise.

Problem is, lots of people take advantage of this: I've seen people with a stack of 30-40 cards stand there waiting for 10 minutes and then leave without giving the artist anything. I try to give the artist $10-20 even if I only get one or two cards signed, just to thank them for coming and having the patience to sign cards all day.

Depends on the kid. I'm 15 and have Day 2'd a GP, but I have friends that range from complete noobs to really good players. There's that 13 year old kid that writes for SCG. Some annoying immature kids can give us a bad reputation.

Quote from Bronson

I'd go with UW Control (wait til MM to get Clique) or UW Tron. Both are fairly cheap and both are very fun

Do you think UW is that cheap with Snaps, Resto, Clique, Cryptic, and duals?

I'm pretty unfamiliar with the MTGO economy, would it be realistic to make the UW Control deck for ~200 tix?

Favourite playstyle: Midrange or control
How competitive: MTGO daily events, probably PTQ's
Favourite cards/colours:
Budget: 200 tickets max if possible
Staples owned: None

My group is fine with proxies on these conditions:

1) You own a copy of the card in another deck.
2) You are actively trying to acquire the card, whether it's being shipped to you or you're trying to find someone who has it.

Quote from TheLizard

The Soul Ransom had some interesting adventures. First, I played it when my opponent had 1 card in hand, and that card turned out to be Gruul Charm (

Did he use the Gruul Charm to gain control of his creature again? Because I don't think that would work - my understanding is that he'll get his creature back just long enough for SBA to give control back to you.

Ok, having piloted Orzhov to a 3-0-1 finish, I can definitely say my doubts have been erased. Extort is an incredible stabilizing mechanic, and more than once I won a game after being knocked down to less than five life. Vizkopa Guildmage was unimpressive, the lifelink was only useful once or twice and it's second ability didn't do much for me. Dutiful Thrull won me games by stalling against the aggressive Boros decks I played. I am confident that Guardian of the Gateless is the best White card in the set, bar none, and probably one of the best uncommons in the set. Treasury Thrull's card advantage won games, and Gift of Orzhova was even better than I expected. Unfortunately I only drew Obzedat in two games, one of which I already had locked up. The other time he was good, but not game breaking. Lord of the Void, on the other hand, single-handedly won me one of the games I played him, although unfortunately in the other game he got Soul Ransom'd twice, and we ended up drawing because he was at 1 and I was at 12 on turn five of extra turns. Soul Ransom anecdotes aside, here's what I played:

This thread seems to have spawned a lot of good discussion, and I figure I'll probably be fine if I get good early game defensive creatures. Thanks guys, only 10 more hours for me to wait!

Hey guys, I'm thinking of playing Orzhov at the prerelease tomorrow, but I don't know if it can hold off aggressive decks like Boros and Gruul (and Naya). Late game it can slowly drain them out, but extort won't make a whole lot of a difference early game when you're taking five damage a turn from their two and three drops. If I don't pull some early game stall like Basilica Guards, can I beat a fast Boros deck?

Ok, thanks for the clarification. I wasn't sure if there was some weird hybrid triggered/activated rule.

If you don't mind me jumping on to this thread, will Illusionist's Bracers copy Extort? I'm guessing yes, but I want to make sure before the prerelease tomorrow night.

Thanks for the quick reply, although your answer brings up another question. You said the player controlling the equipment controls all the triggers; how does that work with Swords? For instance, if Player A steals Grizzly Bear equipped with Sword of Feast and Famine from player B with Threaten, and then attacks player B, player B will discard a card, but who untaps their lands? Same thing with SoBaM (control of Wolf token).

• Karador, Ghost Chieftain
  
• Dralnu, Lich Lord
  
• Norin the Wary

If I take control of a creature my opponent owns that has any equipment attached to it, does the equipment stay attached to the creature, or does it fall off?

I would argue that it's the opposite, Resto is a 3/4 flyer with flash for only four mana, even without the blink effect those are ridiculous stats. It's amazing in U/W Flash, who wants an evasive beater that can be played during their opponent's turn. Angel's ridiculous in any deck running Thragtusk.