Gifts is amazing. I've talked too much already about how much i love this card. I really don't understand how more people haven't caught on to how sweet this card is in Modern Storm yet. I think everyone is too caught up thinking about how Gifts has worked in other decks to realize its potential here. Just try it!
I saw someone stream a deck that looked pretty much like that one a while ago. The player ended up 4-0ing a daily. Was that you?
Watching the guy play was a blast, and gifts was super powerful. With Past in Flames in the deck, it's basically an instant speed, tutor for 4 cards, with flashback. So I get what you're saying.
As with any tutor, it's also strong because it's versatile; it's a grapeshot when you need it and not a grapeshot when you don't need it. It's never a dead draw. That kind of consistency is really important for engine-based combos.
I recently started playing on MTGO and I copied your list, giving it a whirl at the tournament practice rooms for a while
Hey guys! So I just bought this deck today online and I'm having a great time. Mindslaver is such an awesome card the kills can be so over the top too. I'm still trying to understand the best lines of play though, so I have a few questions:
1. Your initial hand is t3 Wurmcoil and nothing else. You don't know what your opponent is playing. Do you keep?
2. What do you usually side out? I can figure out pretty much which sideboard cards to use in which matchup but I never know which cards to take out. Do you keep any remands in on the draw? Also, in which matchups do I want to keep Simulacrum?
3. I feel that maybe I'm undervaluing the Talisman. Do you ever tap out for a talisman t2 if you have a Condescend or Repeal in hand?
4. I realized some people just concede if I cast Mindslaver with an academy ruins on the field, even if I don't have the mana to do the full loop. That said, I only played in the tournament practice room so far, so I'm thinking if people behave differently when there's tix on the line. Do you often have problems with the clock while playing this deck?
5. Last one, I promise! I just wanted to ask which wincons do you go to more often? I feel inclined to take the Mindslaver route most of the time, is it really our most reliable wincon? Are there any tricks I should watch out for when moving for the Mindslaver kill?
I just built a Thassa deck and it's super fun. She can be very difficult for my opponents to actually get rid of, and even when she's not online she's fixing draws and ensuring you don't get screwed/flooded. You can also manipulate your devotion at instant speed with sacrifice effects or cards with flash to make sure she avoids removal, or gets in the way of an unsuspecting attacker. Still, the deck is way less obnoxious than the usual Azami, draw a bunch of cards, counter everything, take 8 turns in a row and pass that everyone hates to play against... Also, she holds swords like a boss.
I have a feeling that the possibility of "going infinite" lures more people into MTGO than it actually damages their profits. I'm willing to believe that they will not axe the Dailies, though I have to admit that WotC is being super shady with these recent problems.
Only when they're attacking, so it goes away at end of combat.
Minor nitpick that could be relevant: They're still considered attacking creatures during the end of combat step, so there IS a time when combat damage has already been dealt and they have deathtouch. It only really goes away when you reach main phase 2.
If you attack with the Stealer of Secrets, the trigger will happen and your opponent will control the damage effect, since he still controls the enchantment.
nitpick: the counters go on the creature, not on the ordeal.
Well, grinders are just the tip of the iceberg though. It's hard to justify playing MTGO with no +EV tourneys. I don't see why can't they increase the prize payout for the single-elimination queues while we have Swiss queues.
Basically what I argued in points 1 and 2 is that the game benefits from having a pro scene (read: people that play the game at a very high level, and also as their main source of income), and that cutting the grinders that abruptly is very disrespectful. Yes, WotC has no obligations towards grinders, they should've known it's a risky way to make a living, etc. That doesn't mean that it wasn't a huge slap in the face by WotC.
And considering paper cards as an "investment" is pretty valid aswell. While I certainly agree that some individual card prices are beyond absurd, LGSs only exist because they have faith that WotC won't print something that will make their stock's value plummet overnight, even though they *can* do that.
1. For everyone saying "it's stupid to make a living off a game", I'd like to quote a tweet from PVDDR earlier today: go tell that to professional LoL players. Or professional sports players for that matter. The whole game benefits from having a pro scene, and MTGO is what truly makes it internationally viable. Are you going to say the same things about big bot chain owners? They too build their whole lives around a 'digital version of a fantasy trading card game' and depend on a healthy MTGO market to survive.
2. WotC knows that grinders exist. They're aware that people can make a living off of MTGO. Therefore it's pretty rude, not to say cruel, to make such drastic changes without some previous warnings. There's a reason companies are obligated to warn people in advance before they decide to fire them.
3. I'm from Brazil aswell, so let me do some explaining. Batutinha has stated that he makes around ~100tix a day on his twitter. Let's assume he profits an average 80 tix a day in a given month, then sells the tix for .95 dollars each. That's 80 x 30 x .95 = over 2k USD/month, and over 5k BRL/month. If he does indeed gain 5k BRL a month, that means he's in the top 10% of brazilian society. That's probably more than I'm going to get after I graduate from architecture school. It's a legitimate way of getting money if he's good at it.
So please at least try to show some sympathy for a man who's been majorly ****ed up overnight.
Regardless of whether living off of MTGO grinding is a good idea or not, I think it's pretty disrespectful of Wizards to just shut dailies off like that with no forewarning. They know that people grind, and that grinders have a significant impact in the game economy and metagame. If they can shut off grinders overnight, what makes you believe they just won't shut MTGO down overnight aswell if they feel like doing it?
Just trying to imagine what this will do to the economy makes my brain hurt. I'm no expert, but I can imagine that basically all grinders will just sell their whole collection right away?
Can you reliably get devotion 5? She is quite the threat herself, pretty hard to get rid of and also unblockable - give her a Sword of X and Y and she'll kill in 3 hits, for example. A few of the best swords + some artifact tutors (fabricate, tezzeret) could cut it maybe?
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Tap an untapped blue creature you control: Opposition
PLEASE WIZARDS
I saw someone stream a deck that looked pretty much like that one a while ago. The player ended up 4-0ing a daily. Was that you?
Watching the guy play was a blast, and gifts was super powerful. With Past in Flames in the deck, it's basically an instant speed, tutor for 4 cards, with flashback. So I get what you're saying.
As with any tutor, it's also strong because it's versatile; it's a grapeshot when you need it and not a grapeshot when you don't need it. It's never a dead draw. That kind of consistency is really important for engine-based combos.
I recently started playing on MTGO and I copied your list, giving it a whirl at the tournament practice rooms for a while
1. Your initial hand is t3 Wurmcoil and nothing else. You don't know what your opponent is playing. Do you keep?
2. What do you usually side out? I can figure out pretty much which sideboard cards to use in which matchup but I never know which cards to take out. Do you keep any remands in on the draw? Also, in which matchups do I want to keep Simulacrum?
3. I feel that maybe I'm undervaluing the Talisman. Do you ever tap out for a talisman t2 if you have a Condescend or Repeal in hand?
4. I realized some people just concede if I cast Mindslaver with an academy ruins on the field, even if I don't have the mana to do the full loop. That said, I only played in the tournament practice room so far, so I'm thinking if people behave differently when there's tix on the line. Do you often have problems with the clock while playing this deck?
5. Last one, I promise! I just wanted to ask which wincons do you go to more often? I feel inclined to take the Mindslaver route most of the time, is it really our most reliable wincon? Are there any tricks I should watch out for when moving for the Mindslaver kill?
Thanks in advance, looking forward to the streams
I know, I'm optimistic
Minor nitpick that could be relevant: They're still considered attacking creatures during the end of combat step, so there IS a time when combat damage has already been dealt and they have deathtouch. It only really goes away when you reach main phase 2.
nitpick: the counters go on the creature, not on the ordeal.
And considering paper cards as an "investment" is pretty valid aswell. While I certainly agree that some individual card prices are beyond absurd, LGSs only exist because they have faith that WotC won't print something that will make their stock's value plummet overnight, even though they *can* do that.
1. For everyone saying "it's stupid to make a living off a game", I'd like to quote a tweet from PVDDR earlier today: go tell that to professional LoL players. Or professional sports players for that matter. The whole game benefits from having a pro scene, and MTGO is what truly makes it internationally viable. Are you going to say the same things about big bot chain owners? They too build their whole lives around a 'digital version of a fantasy trading card game' and depend on a healthy MTGO market to survive.
2. WotC knows that grinders exist. They're aware that people can make a living off of MTGO. Therefore it's pretty rude, not to say cruel, to make such drastic changes without some previous warnings. There's a reason companies are obligated to warn people in advance before they decide to fire them.
3. I'm from Brazil aswell, so let me do some explaining. Batutinha has stated that he makes around ~100tix a day on his twitter. Let's assume he profits an average 80 tix a day in a given month, then sells the tix for .95 dollars each. That's 80 x 30 x .95 = over 2k USD/month, and over 5k BRL/month. If he does indeed gain 5k BRL a month, that means he's in the top 10% of brazilian society. That's probably more than I'm going to get after I graduate from architecture school. It's a legitimate way of getting money if he's good at it.
So please at least try to show some sympathy for a man who's been majorly ****ed up overnight.