Speaking from experience, ABUR duals are not *that* much better unless you're playing 4 or 5 colour. 3 colour decks often do just fine without them.
Functionally, they're no better than the checklands if you don't have fetchlands. But once you do? There's so much power, SO MUCH in being able to command your manabase such that you can flip between WW to BBB in the time between t2 and t3.
Certainly you can do that, but I often don't feel like you *need* to, unless you're playing a very greedy deck in terms of mana costs. I suppose I don't, but, there are folks who play punishing cards in my groups; Price of Progress, Primal Order, etc.
The Grand Abolisher to Necropotence line of play is what I was going for, there. Sometimes you DO need to, to land that. Even when nonbasic hate is aplenty, I get it, you just have to play around it or play faster than it. Or, like, this is the format with a hundred tutours, just burn one to nuke the offending hate piece.
The option to choose between Return to Dust and Cryptic Command is also very good. Duals make you flexible, and fetches that turn into duals are functionally playing extra copies of those duals, which is highly relevant in a singleton format.
In Shadowmoor/Eventide, the filter duals were largely responsible for people playing triple and quadruple color requirement cards in multiple colors without worry, like holding up mana for Cryptic and then flashing Cloudthresher when the Cryptic wasn't needed. Chaining filters together can even get you to heavy mana cost requirements in three or more colors.
In Shadowmoor/Eventide, the filter duals were largely responsible for people playing triple and quadruple color requirement cards in multiple colors without worry, like holding up mana for Cryptic and then flashing Cloudthresher when the Cryptic wasn't needed. Chaining filters together can even get you to heavy mana cost requirements in three or more colors.
Exactly! Which, also, is an incredibly greedy line of play and why Blood Moon would have been a perfectly reasonable reprint in that block (though I'd argue it wasn't so much the filters that made this deck possible, but the existence of Reflecting Pool + Vivids).
That kind of fixing is powerful, grossly powerful. But hey if they're gonna give it out...I'm gonna take it haha. Let me keep Grand Abolisher-ing into Necropotence into Kiki-Jiki
Speaking as someone who has played Mind Sculptor in EDH in the past: It's a lot worse in multiplayer than in 1v1 where it can easily dominate games. Its reputation from 1v1 also carries over, so people tend to be overly-scared of it and will try to kill it often with even more prejudice than most planeswalkers.
Speaking as someone who has played Mind Sculptor in EDH in the past: It's a lot worse in multiplayer than in 1v1 where it can easily dominate games. Its reputation from 1v1 also carries over, so people tend to be overly-scared of it and will try to kill it often with even more prejudice than most planeswalkers.
This one kind of interests me, because people have all sorts of opinions, with some people going so far as to say JtMS is an actively bad card in Commander. He clearly is not as strong as he was at the time in Standard or as he is in Modern, Vintage or Legacy, but his functionality as a control piece is very limited in a multiplayer format. I would even go so far as to say that he is probably not the right card for the majority of EDH decks that might run him. His impact to cost ratio just isn't high enough in a multiplayer game. With this in mind, I recently traded away one of my two copies, picking up a literal stack of other cards which I think will serve much better across a much wider range of decks.
This is not to say jdtsd is wrong. First off, he wants what he wands. Second, his might be one of the decks where JtMS has strong enough synergy with the deck's goals and the other cards in the deck that it is a very good card there. The one deck where I currently play it, I don't see anything else likely to replace it any time soon, even though it's not one of the most key cards in the deck.
Speaking as someone who has played Mind Sculptor in EDH in the past: It's a lot worse in multiplayer than in 1v1 where it can easily dominate games. Its reputation from 1v1 also carries over, so people tend to be overly-scared of it and will try to kill it often with even more prejudice than most planeswalkers.
Yeah, he doesn't quite live up to his 1v1 strength. JtMS suffers from one of the big consequences of the multiplayer aspect of EDH - there's 3 times as many opportunities to attack him. If he actually sticks around, he still provides a lot of value for his controller, but keeping him alive is much harder, especially with his reputation. The best 'walkers in EDH tend to be those that can have a decent impact on the game even with only one activation, and the ol' Wallet Sculptor doesn't work like that. Still, in a deck that's good at keeping creatures away, he's well worth running.
And I can certainly understand wanting one. It's the iconic planeswalker.
As for me, well, I'm going to be boring and say Timetwister. Sure, it's not as strong as the other 8, but it's still Power. And it's Power I could actually play in the only constructed format I care about. Not happening though....
JtMS is usually bad, but my Muldrotha Control deck shuffles 1-2 times each turn in the late game with recurrable tutors(fetches, Steve, etc), so the Brainstorm each turn is absurd. I actually would get a LoTV before JtMS though, because symmetrical discard ends the game very quickly in the deck.
In Shadowmoor/Eventide, the filter duals were largely responsible for people playing triple and quadruple color requirement cards in multiple colors without worry, like holding up mana for Cryptic and then flashing Cloudthresher when the Cryptic wasn't needed. Chaining filters together can even get you to heavy mana cost requirements in three or more colors.
This is the reason I still like filter lands greatly. Back in Lorwyn Block there were two very competitive 5 color decks, Elementals, and 5 color control, both relied on filter lands (mostly green and blue) along with Reflecting Pool and Vivid Marsh style lands, as pointed out above. I still use Filters in many 3 color decks for the ability to turn a turn one Forest into UU with a Filter in hand.
I do agree that without Fetch lands, ABUR Duals loose much of their appeal. Its the Fetches that really make dual-typed anything shine.
This confuses me when one of my good friends says they do not like playing fetches, despite having them for his main decks. This baffles me due to how good they are in practice even with minimal land interaction in the graveyard.
Card I want for a Deck: Foils of new cards that are expensive (Recruiter of the Guard). I am actually quite content with my collection barring keeping up with new foils as they are released for my main two decks. I would like a Time Twister (who wouldn't), but I do not have a burning desire for one.
Command Beacon! I want a Command Beacon for Titania, Protector of Argoth. That is high on my list because it fits so well. And I have been having a lot of fun with that deck recently.
I wish I had a Plateau. I own 8 different duals, some of them multiples and some even playsets. But no Plateau and no Tundra, and that is a bit odd.
I'm also sad that I don't own a set of Bazaars. Not that I need them, but I was outbid several times when I tried to get them around Torment or something like that. Not owning them is a constant reminder on what I missed out on.
For me it'd be Earthcraft since I've always been tempted to build a Squirrel Tribal deck in EDH / Commander with Squirrel Nest without having to rely on Unset cards such as Earl of Squirrel. It's either that or Angus Mackenzie which I've always wanted to build an EDH / Commander deck around since the art always reminded me of Tim the Enchanter from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
I've always liked the idea of building around Legendary Creatures from Legends and Chronicles due to their original artwork despite not being as efficient as today's Legendary Creatures where their abilities matter more than the illustrations to some extent. The reason why a lot of Legendary Creatures from back in the day didn't have very many good abilities was because most of them were vanilla creatures.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
While my collection lacks original duals, fetches and most of the fast mana rocks, I think the one card that I'd like to have is Wheel of Fortune. Definitely something Edgar Markov could make some good use of and isn't over the top costed yet. So it's one of my goals to see if I can set enough aside to acquire one this year.
Where would you put Moat? I have one and every time I start a decklist with the intention of having Moat, it gets cut. All of those Legends enchantments are cool, wish I had a Land Equilibrium.
Where would you put Moat? I have one and every time I start a decklist with the intention of having Moat, it gets cut. All of those Legends enchantments are cool, wish I had a Land Equilibrium.
I've run it in enchantress lists and fliers lists (e.g. Radiant, Archangel). Moat is one of the ones I actually find semi-regular use for purely on the basis of it being a solid defensive card in mid-power groups without feeling as oppressive as some of the others.
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[Pr]Jaya | Estrid | A rotating cast of decks built out of my box.
Where would you put Moat? I have one and every time I start a decklist with the intention of having Moat, it gets cut. All of those Legends enchantments are cool, wish I had a Land Equilibrium.
The only place I've ever put it is Kaalia. And even then, if it weren't for the fact it's reserved so it's an investment, I'd feel like that $225 wasn't the greatest way to spend the money.
I guess im kinda sad that i sold my Signed NM ish Book edition Mana Crypt for way lower than its worth today. Would be cool to get a new Mana Crypt again. Otherwise im quite happy with what i got. Or well duals would be cool to have.
In Shadowmoor/Eventide, the filter duals were largely responsible for people playing triple and quadruple color requirement cards in multiple colors without worry, like holding up mana for Cryptic and then flashing Cloudthresher when the Cryptic wasn't needed. Chaining filters together can even get you to heavy mana cost requirements in three or more colors.
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
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Exactly! Which, also, is an incredibly greedy line of play and why Blood Moon would have been a perfectly reasonable reprint in that block (though I'd argue it wasn't so much the filters that made this deck possible, but the existence of Reflecting Pool + Vivids).
That kind of fixing is powerful, grossly powerful. But hey if they're gonna give it out...I'm gonna take it haha. Let me keep Grand Abolisher-ing into Necropotence into Kiki-Jiki
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
It's just such a good control card.
Deal with it.
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
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This one kind of interests me, because people have all sorts of opinions, with some people going so far as to say JtMS is an actively bad card in Commander. He clearly is not as strong as he was at the time in Standard or as he is in Modern, Vintage or Legacy, but his functionality as a control piece is very limited in a multiplayer format. I would even go so far as to say that he is probably not the right card for the majority of EDH decks that might run him. His impact to cost ratio just isn't high enough in a multiplayer game. With this in mind, I recently traded away one of my two copies, picking up a literal stack of other cards which I think will serve much better across a much wider range of decks.
This is not to say jdtsd is wrong. First off, he wants what he wands. Second, his might be one of the decks where JtMS has strong enough synergy with the deck's goals and the other cards in the deck that it is a very good card there. The one deck where I currently play it, I don't see anything else likely to replace it any time soon, even though it's not one of the most key cards in the deck.
I bought it for $250 USD at a GP 6 years ago, then I trade away for Trop island, some expedition lands.
Now it is 1.5k CAD, probably should never get rid of it.
It is so powerful but I don't think it is 100% need for my deck tho.
EDH: Xenagos, God of Revels.
Yeah, he doesn't quite live up to his 1v1 strength. JtMS suffers from one of the big consequences of the multiplayer aspect of EDH - there's 3 times as many opportunities to attack him. If he actually sticks around, he still provides a lot of value for his controller, but keeping him alive is much harder, especially with his reputation. The best 'walkers in EDH tend to be those that can have a decent impact on the game even with only one activation, and the ol' Wallet Sculptor doesn't work like that. Still, in a deck that's good at keeping creatures away, he's well worth running.
And I can certainly understand wanting one. It's the iconic planeswalker.
As for me, well, I'm going to be boring and say Timetwister. Sure, it's not as strong as the other 8, but it's still Power. And it's Power I could actually play in the only constructed format I care about. Not happening though....
Deal with it.
$1439.99 at Face to Face!
Glad I didn't pay that.
Competitive
GUWB Thrasios/Tymna Breakfast Hulk GUWB - RGBW Tana/Tymna Blood Pod - URGAnimar, Soul of ElementsURG - UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU
Tuned
UBG Sidisi, Brood Tyrant (Write Up) UBG-BG The Gitrog Monster BG-UG Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca UG - UBG Muldrota, the Gravetide UBG - UBW Varina, Lich Queen UBW - RB Xantcha, Sleeper Agent RB - UB Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow UB - GWURafiq of the Many GWU - WUB Oloro, Ageless Lich WUB - GUBRKydele, Chosen of Kruphix and Vial Smasher The Fierce GUBR - BG Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons GB - WB Athreos, God of Passage WB - UBThe Scarab God UB - UBRMarchesa, the Affinity RoseUBR - UBGTasigur, the Golden FangUBG - GSelvala, Heart of the WildsG - BRGrusilda, Monster MasherBR - BChainer, Dementia MasterB - WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG - URMizzix's Thousand Year StormUR - RGOmnath, Locust of RageRG - GUEdric, Spymaster of TrestGU - WUBrago, King EternalWU
Legecy Decks
W Death and Taxes W-C Eldrazi Stompy C-R Mono Red Prison R-U MerfolkU
This is the reason I still like filter lands greatly. Back in Lorwyn Block there were two very competitive 5 color decks, Elementals, and 5 color control, both relied on filter lands (mostly green and blue) along with Reflecting Pool and Vivid Marsh style lands, as pointed out above. I still use Filters in many 3 color decks for the ability to turn a turn one Forest into UU with a Filter in hand.
I do agree that without Fetch lands, ABUR Duals loose much of their appeal. Its the Fetches that really make dual-typed anything shine.
This confuses me when one of my good friends says they do not like playing fetches, despite having them for his main decks. This baffles me due to how good they are in practice even with minimal land interaction in the graveyard.
Card I want for a Deck: Foils of new cards that are expensive (Recruiter of the Guard). I am actually quite content with my collection barring keeping up with new foils as they are released for my main two decks. I would like a Time Twister (who wouldn't), but I do not have a burning desire for one.
Command Beacon! I want a Command Beacon for Titania, Protector of Argoth. That is high on my list because it fits so well. And I have been having a lot of fun with that deck recently.
I'm also sad that I don't own a set of Bazaars. Not that I need them, but I was outbid several times when I tried to get them around Torment or something like that. Not owning them is a constant reminder on what I missed out on.
I've always liked the idea of building around Legendary Creatures from Legends and Chronicles due to their original artwork despite not being as efficient as today's Legendary Creatures where their abilities matter more than the illustrations to some extent. The reason why a lot of Legendary Creatures from back in the day didn't have very many good abilities was because most of them were vanilla creatures.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
Where would you put Moat? I have one and every time I start a decklist with the intention of having Moat, it gets cut. All of those Legends enchantments are cool, wish I had a Land Equilibrium.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
Who needs Colours?
My most played EDH deck:
X Kozilek, the Great Distortion
UBR Nekusar, the Mindrazer