I was a KTK draft on Friday. I was already solidly in Abzan, and in P2P2 I had a choice between Murderous Cut and End Hostilities. I took the Murderous Cut, but should I have considered taking the End Hostilities? Are wrath effects something that should be picked early and built around, or is this format too fast to rely on a 5 mana sweeper?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Focused on limited for now. Occasionally play some standard/modern as well.
Murderous Cut is very good but a sweeper is really something special, especially in a slow format like this one. Yes, I think it was wrong to pick murderous cut over end hostilities, especially if you were already in white.
I personally prefer the Murderous Cut, though I tend to be down on sweepers compared to most Limited players. I think sweepers are some of the more divisive cards for Limited since you can't always build your deck around them. But on the other hand they can potentially offer a ton of card advantage and provide a unique effect that can get you back into a game you'd otherwise just lose.
Still, I can't pass up unconditional instant removal with Doom Blade upside depending on how stocked your graveyard is.
end hostilities has more potential upside, but both cards play out so differently that it's more about how you like to play and how your deck is or will be turning out. Personally I'd prefer end hostilities here since it the one that can turn a losing game around. Even if the board is about parity, it is still very good since you can pretend to be mana flooded and stock up creatures and pull the trigger once you're ready. murderous cut is mostly a card about keeping a board advantage longer (or creating one).
Both can be played around. Murderous cut being uncommon does mean people will expect it more, but its delve ability creates more situation where you can surprise your opponent. It's not like either is a bad choice.
What does "solidly in Abzan" mean? How strong are you seeing your deck in white at that point? If my card pool at that point seems to have a green-black lean, which if it continues might end up with something like 8/8/6 manabase B/G/W, that can affect the decision. I'd rather not have a double caster in my minor colour in the end.
P2P2 is early, so I might be more inclined to pick the End Hostilities. But still, Murderous Cut is very solid and safe choice which will have very few downsides.
By solidly in Abzan, I meant to say my P1P1 was Anafenza, the Foremost, which I took over Abzan Falconer and Incremental Growth. I'm aware that sent bad signals to my left, but black/green seemed reasonably open pack 1, though I was seeing some Jeskai multicolor stuff late in pack 1 too. I had mostly black cards, with a few green cards, and a couple of white cards. The double white in End Hostilities was a concern. I ended up getting more white cards in pack 2/3 though, and ultimately ended up base black/white, splashing green. If I'd known that would have happened I would have taken the End Hostilities.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Focused on limited for now. Occasionally play some standard/modern as well.
There's already an SCD for this card, but that thread died back in october of last year so I don't know if I should revive it or just start a new thread.
I was playing at a sealed event yesterday and somebody played End Hostilities against me. I think we both had 8 land or so in play at that point. I was up on life at something like 13 to 6. After he wiped the board, he didn't play any creatures. On my turn I brought out Chief of the Scale and Alpine Grizzly. I think he brought out a single small creature on his turn (Kin-Tree Warden?) and then I hard-casted Woolly Loxodon I think. At that point I was clearly on the beatdown and won the game very quickly.
In retrospect I think that playing End Hostilities is what lost him the game. It essentially broke a board stall and allowed me to go in for the kill. How would you be playing this card, or how would you build a deck around it? Should you be waiting until you draw your bomb before you play it?
Merged with the previous thread. Don't worry about bumping old threads if they're still relevant!
-Sene
It was a board stall. I vaguely remember that I had a Abzan Guide out and was on my way to gaining more life. But the board was stalled with 3-4 creatures on each side I think.
I would never play End Hostilities just to break a board stall unless I felt that I had multiple better creatures in my hand than my opponent. I basically play End Hostilities when I'm behind on the board and/or can get a big advantage. I believe that many players cast some of their spells too early, whereas being more patient might obtain greater benefit.
If I have it in my hand for a while then I can plan for it, and maybe get a 5-for-3 (by not casting my creatures before it) or some advantage like that. The timing of when to cast it is tricky, though, because I don't want to just hold it in my hand as I lose the game. A couple of days ago I played it for a 3-for-3 so that I could deal with his flyer knocking me out and I had two good creatures in my hand but then he hard-cast Ponyback Brigade followed next turn by Ankle Shanker and that was game, and had I known he had those I should have waited one more turn.
In my view it's a great card because it can swing a game from a very likely loss to a very likely win, although once your opponent knows you have it then it's not as effective in the next game since your opponent can be more cautious about playing his creatures. It's a useless card when I'm ahead so it can be a dead card, but I think that the power level is high enough that I would be glad to first pick it.
You need to sandbag ards in hand and build up a better hand before going for the reset. My plan would be to aim to lose as slowly s possible with what's in play, then have a lot of gas to deploy post wrath. Sounds like your opponent did it really badly. You had a creature that he really wanted to kill, and the additional cost of losing all of his creatures he didn't value highly enough.
You need to sandbag ards in hand and build up a better hand before going for the reset.
This tactic makes a lot of sense to me. I haven't drafted the card yet or gotten it in my pool. But if I get it and I draw it, the first thing I'm going to do is to start to build a reservoir of creatures in hand to prepare for the wipe.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
RBGLiving EndRBG
EDH
UFblthpU
BRXantchaRB
BGVarolzGB
URWZedruuWRU
Still, I can't pass up unconditional instant removal with Doom Blade upside depending on how stocked your graveyard is.
Both can be played around. Murderous cut being uncommon does mean people will expect it more, but its delve ability creates more situation where you can surprise your opponent. It's not like either is a bad choice.
By solidly in Abzan, I meant to say my P1P1 was Anafenza, the Foremost, which I took over Abzan Falconer and Incremental Growth. I'm aware that sent bad signals to my left, but black/green seemed reasonably open pack 1, though I was seeing some Jeskai multicolor stuff late in pack 1 too. I had mostly black cards, with a few green cards, and a couple of white cards. The double white in End Hostilities was a concern. I ended up getting more white cards in pack 2/3 though, and ultimately ended up base black/white, splashing green. If I'd known that would have happened I would have taken the End Hostilities.
I think that might be where you went astray. The Falconer is, for me, a better card to start a draft with.
RBGLiving EndRBG
EDH
UFblthpU
BRXantchaRB
BGVarolzGB
URWZedruuWRU
Yeah, the 3 mana wedge cards are deceptively bad early in the draft.
Oh yes. I'd put that in the bomb category and would have no problem slamming it first pick.
Anything that can be a one-card win condition does shirk that particular distinction.
RBGLiving EndRBG
EDH
UFblthpU
BRXantchaRB
BGVarolzGB
URWZedruuWRU
I was playing at a sealed event yesterday and somebody played End Hostilities against me. I think we both had 8 land or so in play at that point. I was up on life at something like 13 to 6. After he wiped the board, he didn't play any creatures. On my turn I brought out Chief of the Scale and Alpine Grizzly. I think he brought out a single small creature on his turn (Kin-Tree Warden?) and then I hard-casted Woolly Loxodon I think. At that point I was clearly on the beatdown and won the game very quickly.
In retrospect I think that playing End Hostilities is what lost him the game. It essentially broke a board stall and allowed me to go in for the kill. How would you be playing this card, or how would you build a deck around it? Should you be waiting until you draw your bomb before you play it?
Merged with the previous thread. Don't worry about bumping old threads if they're still relevant!
-Sene
It was a board stall. I vaguely remember that I had a Abzan Guide out and was on my way to gaining more life. But the board was stalled with 3-4 creatures on each side I think.
If I have it in my hand for a while then I can plan for it, and maybe get a 5-for-3 (by not casting my creatures before it) or some advantage like that. The timing of when to cast it is tricky, though, because I don't want to just hold it in my hand as I lose the game. A couple of days ago I played it for a 3-for-3 so that I could deal with his flyer knocking me out and I had two good creatures in my hand but then he hard-cast Ponyback Brigade followed next turn by Ankle Shanker and that was game, and had I known he had those I should have waited one more turn.
In my view it's a great card because it can swing a game from a very likely loss to a very likely win, although once your opponent knows you have it then it's not as effective in the next game since your opponent can be more cautious about playing his creatures. It's a useless card when I'm ahead so it can be a dead card, but I think that the power level is high enough that I would be glad to first pick it.
This tactic makes a lot of sense to me. I haven't drafted the card yet or gotten it in my pool. But if I get it and I draw it, the first thing I'm going to do is to start to build a reservoir of creatures in hand to prepare for the wipe.