I doubt anyone here has been playing Affinity for this long (who knows, maybe they have) but when it was first moved to Extended, people played this deck with Merfolk Looter, believe it or not, because Skullclamp got banned. As you can clearly see, that did not catch on, and for good reason.
As dudemanthing explained, he is not card advantage, but card selection. There is a reason we play Thoughtcast over Brainstorm besides the simple fact that we cannot abuse it with fetches. It's because it does not net us cards, and only gives us an option of drawing 3 deeper and selecting what is best for this situation.
However, do not get me wrong, I would play him over Glimpse any day of the week, as he gives a lot of consistency to the deck, just not any explosiveness.
Has anybody actually tested him?
We tested him and he gives a lot of consistency AND explosiveness believe it or not, allowing to get a really good turn 2 if you play a lot of free cards (mox, memnite, thopter, frog and fatguy, to name a few)
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Has anybody actually tested him?
We tested him and he gives a lot of consistency AND explosiveness believe it or not, allowing to get a really good turn 2 if you play a lot of free cards (mox, memnite, thopter, frog and fatguy, to name a few)
I'm willing to test him. But how many slots are you using for him?
is he a 4-of?
edit: How do you use riddlesmith? I can't go all out because once my hand is dumped and I have a riddlesmith on the board, i essentially discard what I draw from him not giving me advantage OR selection. Another note, he seems to be a terrible top-deck when your hand is empty... Instead of a game-turning card you get a card that will most likely keep your hand empty at the same time forcing you to discard stuff like galvanic blasts or even lands at one point. (Or an extra tezzeret)
Maybe I just don't know how to use him yet...
I can't see how he can be explosive if you discard a card anyway. Seems like affinity is so tightly strung (combo-esque) to a point that every card you draw is something you want to see that discarding a card is so painful.
I certainly think they are good suggestions but not as proven as the other choices. They definitely deserve to stay in the Primer. I have 4 of both of them in my "might use in Affinity" box. I like that Nature's Claim can also help us gain 4 life in a pinch. Meekstone is even better now that I took out my MoE (of course I would boarded him out for it anyways).
I mainboard my meekstones after removing my MoE's.
I think they're stellar. But I haven't been to any major tournaments or anything. I'm using an experimental build atm.
Salvage Titan seems awesome, but with every blue deck package FoW he seems a godly target (for them). I suppose you could try him out SB if your getting killed by zoo... But you should BR beating zoo, especially if glyph run meekstone, so idk. He also is a great target for StP and, and if you eliminate using him vs decks that run either FoW or StP, you are left with us, zoo, Reanimator... maybe enchantress? Doesn't seem like a good card for us.
Atog is a poor man's Ravager, but is also strictly inferior to Ravager. What would you remove to play him? He's worse than every MBS card we us IMO.
On riddlesmith: just tested him, never makingthat mistake again. I literally lost every game I played him in, often times because of him. He is forced discard by turn 4. Horrible.
So this is the Deck I have currently built. My major problem is I don't have anyone to test against. So I make proxies and test them myself. It seems to run quite well. I am open for suggestions.
How are you finding Thopter Foundry? I've considered testing that card but I havent found the time. Do you find Atog is useful at all? Or do you usualy wish he was an Etched Champ? Sideboard seems kinda meh, Salvage for the reasons I mentioned, Meek because it is too slow a combo for this deck.
Remove the atog. It won't do much to you but act as a very bad 5th Ravager.
Thopter Foundry is better in than aspect that Atog.
As for land base:
-2 Great Furnace
-1 Ancient Den
+3 Darksteel Citadel
Find space to put in one or two Glimmervoids as well. They help out more than you can imagine.
Your sideboard seems too splashed together hastily.
your 3 graveyard hates can be 3 different cards. (Tormods Crypt, Relic of Progenitus and Nihil Spellbomb.) Althought I don't use Nihil Spellbombs, I use Faerie Macabre in its slot. Its almost an uncounterable GY hate.
Scrap Salvage Titan. At most he's just a creature that keeps recurring. He doesn't pose a win-con or aid in a win-con. He's subpar compared to the other cards in the format. Tidehollow Sculler is kinda okay. I'm not against you running him if you need and see that the effect works. Remove Phyrexian Revoker. Sub-optimal compared to Pithing Needles. Scrap Sword of the meek. This ain't a combo deck.
Bump Engineered plagues to 3 atleast. 2 means you won't be drawing into it much, you'll want to.
Scrap Salvage Titan. At most he's just a creature that keeps recurring. He doesn't pose a win-con or aid in a win-con. He's subpar compared to the other cards in the format. Tidehollow Sculler is kinda okay. I'm not against you running him if you need and see that the effect works. Remove Phyrexian Revoker. Sub-optimal compared to Pithing Needles. Scrap Sword of the meek. This ain't a combo deck.
Bump Engineered plagues to 3 atleast. 2 means you won't be drawing into it much, you'll want to.
I have seen a couple decks that run sword. Maybe replace the atog with it. I think Tidehollow Sculler is inferior to Cabal Therapy. This deck likes saccing stuff, which you don't want to do with sculler, and you don't want to attach a cranial plating on it and attack cause its easily blockable and will probably die with 2 toughness. That plus with all the 0 cost creatures you can therapy twice T1. Since you side in against combo decks even if you miss the first time you won't the second since you've already seen their hand.
I have seen a couple decks that run sword. Maybe replace the atog with it. I think Tidehollow Sculler is inferior to Cabal Therapy. This deck likes saccing stuff, which you don't want to do with sculler, and you don't want to attach a cranial plating on it and attack cause its easily blockable and will probably die with 2 toughness. That plus with all the 0 cost creatures you can therapy twice T1. Since you side in against combo decks even if you miss the first time you won't the second since you've already seen their hand.
Do you ever play this deck??? You never see Sword of the Meek in this deck. Its terrible. This deck doesn't like sac'ing stuff either, Ravager is just an amazing win con but you never use him on a creature unless a) it was about to die, or b) your swinging for game right now.
I do run this deck and I don't run sword, I don't really like it. But I have seen a couple decks a month or two ago that ran a singleton of sword. Dunno how much it helped them but it must've helped them alittle for them to include it. It's not inferior to anything to dismiss it outright imo (as long as you run a couple foundries).
The point is that meek is horrible in this deck. Running 1 meek and 3 foundries means dropping 4 cards from this deck for a two card combo in a deck with no card selection, barely any card draw, and no control.
I think I am perfectly fine desmissing that, since it makes no sense.
Also, I wasnt (or didnt mean to) dismiss you out of hand, simply the sword.
so... you removed the furnaces for the extra room and... added a glimmervoid? why? i figured more artifact lands are generally better, and red is what you need for the galvanic blasts
so... you removed the furnaces for the extra room and... added a glimmervoid? why? i figured more artifact lands are generally better, and red is what you need for the galvanic blasts
Glimmervoid prevents a lockdown when Null Rod hits the board, corrects your mana for Tezzeret and allows you to use Galvanic Blasts anyway. Its drawback shouldn't happen and if it does happen, that means your doing something wrong.
Glimmervoid prevents a lockdown when Null Rod hits the board, corrects your mana for Tezzeret and allows you to use Galvanic Blasts anyway. Its drawback shouldn't happen and if it does happen, that means your doing something wrong.
This. Also, both Cannonist and Nature's claim are good sodeboard cards and the extra choice mana can come in handy with those spells.
Edit: it's worth noting that I have only twice ever had to sac it, after Deeds. After Deeds resolves you have effectively lost anyway however, so if doesn't really matter.
How many cards actually needs the affinity for artifacts? 4 Frogmites and to some extent Cranial Plating and Metalcraft, which doesn't need too many artifacts to be effective.
I'd sacrifice a bit of artifact over more color consistency. Speaking of which, do how did you find playing with 4x Springleaf + 4x Mox Opal? Does having too many Opals slow us down in the long-run?
How many cards actually needs the affinity for artifacts? 4 Frogmites and to some extent Cranial Plating and Metalcraft, which doesn't need too many artifacts to be effective.
I'd sacrifice a bit of artifact over more color consistency. Speaking of which, do how did you find playing with 4x Springleaf + 4x Mox Opal? Does having too many Opals slow us down in the long-run?
Who's runing 4 Opals/4 Springleaf? I tried it in the past but my experience was that you are right: it just slows us down in the long run
Who's runing 4 Opals/4 Springleaf? I tried it in the past but my experience was that you are right: it just slows us down in the long run
Ok, I was just wondering in case anyone had experience with this set up. Then what about 4 Leaf + 3 Opal, might this be considered as optimal amount of non-land accel/color fix?
Ok, I was just wondering in case anyone had experience with this set up. Then what about 4 Leaf + 3 Opal, might this be considered as optimal amount of non-land accel/color fix?
Eh, I've been perfectly happy going 3/3, even with Tezz
You've been happy with a 3/3 split, but whats wrong with a 4/3 split? It adds another source of 5c mana, and can accelerate you to an earlier Tez instead of a land in its spot.
I was thinking in the line of either a Citadel, or Great Furnace/Den/Blinkmoth for those who use 16 lands.
I've tried the 4/3 split. Found that top-decking either a mox or a springleaf drum midgame when I need a threat makes me lose. But of course, this was before Tezzeret. As of now, I think a 4 mox/3 springleaf split rather than the otherway around would be good. Atleast the mox opal would be better in the opening hand which is what we really want. But doing a 4/3 split would make me want to run atleast 1 thopter foundry maindeck for that 5th ravager feel.
Has anybody actually tested him?
We tested him and he gives a lot of consistency AND explosiveness believe it or not, allowing to get a really good turn 2 if you play a lot of free cards (mox, memnite, thopter, frog and fatguy, to name a few)
:symw::symb:Steel Wb Weenie
I'm willing to test him. But how many slots are you using for him?
is he a 4-of?
edit: How do you use riddlesmith? I can't go all out because once my hand is dumped and I have a riddlesmith on the board, i essentially discard what I draw from him not giving me advantage OR selection. Another note, he seems to be a terrible top-deck when your hand is empty... Instead of a game-turning card you get a card that will most likely keep your hand empty at the same time forcing you to discard stuff like galvanic blasts or even lands at one point. (Or an extra tezzeret)
Maybe I just don't know how to use him yet...
I can't see how he can be explosive if you discard a card anyway. Seems like affinity is so tightly strung (combo-esque) to a point that every card you draw is something you want to see that discarding a card is so painful.
I mainboard my meekstones after removing my MoE's.
I think they're stellar. But I haven't been to any major tournaments or anything. I'm using an experimental build atm.
Salvage Titan seems awesome, but with every blue deck package FoW he seems a godly target (for them). I suppose you could try him out SB if your getting killed by zoo... But you should BR beating zoo, especially if glyph run meekstone, so idk. He also is a great target for StP and, and if you eliminate using him vs decks that run either FoW or StP, you are left with us, zoo, Reanimator... maybe enchantress? Doesn't seem like a good card for us.
Atog is a poor man's Ravager, but is also strictly inferior to Ravager. What would you remove to play him? He's worse than every MBS card we us IMO.
On riddlesmith: just tested him, never makingthat mistake again. I literally lost every game I played him in, often times because of him. He is forced discard by turn 4. Horrible.
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So this is the Deck I have currently built. My major problem is I don't have anyone to test against. So I make proxies and test them myself. It seems to run quite well. I am open for suggestions.
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Thopter Foundry is better in than aspect that Atog.
As for land base:
-2 Great Furnace
-1 Ancient Den
+3 Darksteel Citadel
Find space to put in one or two Glimmervoids as well. They help out more than you can imagine.
Your sideboard seems too splashed together hastily.
your 3 graveyard hates can be 3 different cards. (Tormods Crypt, Relic of Progenitus and Nihil Spellbomb.) Althought I don't use Nihil Spellbombs, I use Faerie Macabre in its slot. Its almost an uncounterable GY hate.
Scrap Salvage Titan. At most he's just a creature that keeps recurring. He doesn't pose a win-con or aid in a win-con. He's subpar compared to the other cards in the format. Tidehollow Sculler is kinda okay. I'm not against you running him if you need and see that the effect works. Remove Phyrexian Revoker. Sub-optimal compared to Pithing Needles. Scrap Sword of the meek. This ain't a combo deck.
Bump Engineered plagues to 3 atleast. 2 means you won't be drawing into it much, you'll want to.
I have seen a couple decks that run sword. Maybe replace the atog with it. I think Tidehollow Sculler is inferior to Cabal Therapy. This deck likes saccing stuff, which you don't want to do with sculler, and you don't want to attach a cranial plating on it and attack cause its easily blockable and will probably die with 2 toughness. That plus with all the 0 cost creatures you can therapy twice T1. Since you side in against combo decks even if you miss the first time you won't the second since you've already seen their hand.
Do you ever play this deck??? You never see Sword of the Meek in this deck. Its terrible. This deck doesn't like sac'ing stuff either, Ravager is just an amazing win con but you never use him on a creature unless a) it was about to die, or b) your swinging for game right now.
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I think I am perfectly fine desmissing that, since it makes no sense.
Also, I wasnt (or didnt mean to) dismiss you out of hand, simply the sword.
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if so, how does it affect consistency?
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Glimmervoid prevents a lockdown when Null Rod hits the board, corrects your mana for Tezzeret and allows you to use Galvanic Blasts anyway. Its drawback shouldn't happen and if it does happen, that means your doing something wrong.
This. Also, both Cannonist and Nature's claim are good sodeboard cards and the extra choice mana can come in handy with those spells.
Edit: it's worth noting that I have only twice ever had to sac it, after Deeds. After Deeds resolves you have effectively lost anyway however, so if doesn't really matter.
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I'd sacrifice a bit of artifact over more color consistency. Speaking of which, do how did you find playing with 4x Springleaf + 4x Mox Opal? Does having too many Opals slow us down in the long-run?
Who's runing 4 Opals/4 Springleaf? I tried it in the past but my experience was that you are right: it just slows us down in the long run
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Ok, I was just wondering in case anyone had experience with this set up. Then what about 4 Leaf + 3 Opal, might this be considered as optimal amount of non-land accel/color fix?
Eh, I've been perfectly happy going 3/3, even with Tezz
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I've tried the 4/3 split. Found that top-decking either a mox or a springleaf drum midgame when I need a threat makes me lose. But of course, this was before Tezzeret. As of now, I think a 4 mox/3 springleaf split rather than the otherway around would be good. Atleast the mox opal would be better in the opening hand which is what we really want. But doing a 4/3 split would make me want to run atleast 1 thopter foundry maindeck for that 5th ravager feel.
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