I was going to build one of these decks for casual play/pick up play with the (little) money I made cashing out of standard.
but when reading a deck list/strategy basic guild on the deck I came across this quote from a notable magic player who [probably] knows quite a bit about what WOTC is going to do.
I’m pretty sure that Storm is going to actually be dead at the next banning.
is there any truth to this? should I avoid building a storm deck because of this?
I wanted to build a "set it and forget it deck" and that kind of halts progress if it's going to be banned here in a few months?
Warning for banlist talk outside of official thread. Merged with official thread
-ktkenshinx-
Wizards doesn't like non interactive combo decks like storm for a few reasons:
It makes covering games very dull when this deck is being played. It's essentially just watching a guy masturbate with his cards for an hour. Not very interesting to watch
It's a turn 3.5 deck in a turn 4 format and its a combo deck that does not need creatures to function (less interactive than other combo decks).
They like the deck to exist, but they don't like it to be a dominating deck. Expect see a non essential part of it being banned in the future. My guess is either past in flames or pyromasters ascension but not both.
Serra Angel was once Rare. Try printing her as a rare now.
If creatures are going to increase in power to such a point that the old favourites are now underpowered, then it is fair to ask for similarly powerful removal to deal with them to be easy to access.
It has no relevance to the modern ban list so I dunno why its being discussed here but irregardless.
I don't play much limited, but those people I know who do have the same feelings that I do. In general, Removal and creatures should be similarily pushed. If Creatures are pushed, then the removal needs to be as well. Most people I know don't like drafting Theros because the removal sucks, the creatures are pretty pushed. It's battlecruiser magic that doesn't interest people.
I get that WOTC is trying to get people to play with the monstrous effect and whatever, but its not fun for me and many people I know.
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Currently Playing:
Modern: UWUW TronUW
Legacy: WDeath N TaxesW CEldrazi C
If you couldn't tell I hate greedy blue decks.
I have a hard time taking this article seriously when Finkel bashes Living End as a "lamer" combo where all it takes is one well placed piece of GY hate or a Counterspell to ruin a Living End players day.
Would I personally ban anything from Storm? No not really.
While I think it is bad for the format as Eggs was in delaying tournaments and regular T2-T3 kills without interactivity, it does keep a lot of combo-centric decks at bay.
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Level 1 Judge - Altruistic Community Service.
My Modern decks: B/R/G Living End G/R/B G/R Tron R/G U/W/G/R Gargageddon R/G/W/U R/W/G Naya Burn G/W/R
I feel anything Standard legal that can handle a planeswalker will be a rare. In the talk about Hero's Downfall the conversation revolved around rarity and most of the design team agreed anything that can deal with a planeswalker and other things needs to be a rare. Hence my feelings about o-ring. The attitude I see in the last few posts makes me think they wont reprint it if thats the back lash they will get.
What Maro said was that if it specifically says planeswalker on it it has to be rare. If that wasn't the case, Bramblecrush would be rare, as would be Negate. Also, another example of rarity inflation is the often-mentioned Domesticate at rare. Why is that?
Negate doesnt kill the planeswalker, it counters it, big difference. I am going to go out on a limb and say the reason bramblecrush was not hit was its casting cost. To be honest I was surprised it was reprinted as an uncommon and not a rare.
Domesticate was simply a limited thing. It was one of those cards in multiples that could dominate limited. Bumping it up makes it harder to get multiples in limited.
I'm not sure if this comes from me playing a lot of legacy where more action for less (or none) mana exists, but Modern feels a little bit too stressfull sometimes. Not sure if it's the speed or what, but somehow pushing the t4 rule is making it seem like people are hurrying to win (or at least, control the flow of the game) very fast (while not consistently going before t4 because of bans, but still).
Maybe it's the lack of slow control decks? Recently I've been advocating a cloudpost unban if Emrakul takes its place, feels much more logical. Maybe the format is missing good old tron (not gifts for unburial nonesense), tezzerator and similar lock control decks. This also opens up for faster decks.
My point is: diversify the speed of the decks from turn 2 to turn 6+, not have everything consistently having it's peak at turn 4 which it seems like. This causes the guy on the play to have a bigger advantage and deckbuilding to increase consistency and speed over synergy.
Just my thoughts, feel free to dissagree. I won't deny my experience with Legacy may cloud my vision even if I've been playing modern since it's inception.
This actually seems like a good idea. The power of Cloudpost came from its ability to get out Primeval Titan, search for Eye of Ugin, cast Emrakul, and win. It would not be nearly as good with a worse finisher. It might be safe even if Green Sun's Zenith was unbanned. Also, control decks other than WU Tron would get a boost from not having to worry about Emrakul. Unfortunately,it likely would kill Griselbrand Reanimator.
Personally I see no issue with killing griselbrand reanimator, it's a deck that can fairly consistently violate the turn 3 rule winning as early as turn 1 and consistently able to go off by turn 2 or 3.
Personally I see no issue with killing griselbrand reanimator, it's a deck that can fairly consistently violate the turn 3 rule winning as early as turn 1 and consistently able to go off by turn 2 or 3.
No, it can't go off consistently on turn 2 or 3. It can barely go off consistently on turn 4.
The deck has multiple combinations of cards that can allow for it to go off turn 3 and enough dig to get there. The biggest inconsistencies it has is that it requires 3-5 cards to be able to do this (including lands), but when the dig the deck uses is also part of the combo enabler it really is an "unhealthy deck" moreso IMO than storm is. The only saving grace is that the deck can easily fail itself and if it doesn't get a fast start it is incredibly easy to disrupt and usually autofolds to any kind of turn 1 or turn 2 graveyard hate card and is forced to rely on Through the Breach which is slow enough for decks to interact with. Still a very unfun deck to play against considering it's very hard to deal with turn 1/2 Grisel/Emrakul even if they don't outright win the game on the spot.
I'm not saying it needs immediate attention or that it needs a ban or something, but I honestly don't think anyone should cry if they decided to kill it off even incidentally as it's specifically trying to do things that WotC doesn't want to have in modern.
The deck has multiple combinations of cards that can allow for it to go off turn 3 and enough dig to get there. The biggest inconsistencies it has is that it requires 3-5 cards to be able to do this (including lands), but when the dig the deck uses is also part of the combo enabler it really is an "unhealthy deck" moreso IMO than storm is. The only saving grace is that the deck can easily fail itself and if it doesn't get a fast start it is incredibly easy to disrupt and usually autofolds to any kind of turn 1 or turn 2 graveyard hate card and is forced to rely on Through the Breach which is slow enough for decks to interact with. Still a very unfun deck to play against considering it's very hard to deal with turn 1/2 Grisel/Emrakul even if they don't outright win the game on the spot.
I'm not saying it needs immediate attention or that it needs a ban or something, but I honestly don't think anyone should cry if they decided to kill it off even incidentally as it's specifically trying to do things that WotC doesn't want to have in modern.
On one hand, it's all the unfun of playing against Bogles paired with the color of superdickery.
On the other, it actually makes Black a better color. Sounds weird, but for every loss that Red suffers in the face of Tuna, Black wins out.
That said I don't think that kind of thing is needed. Yet.
No no no no no.. TNN should NOT be introduced into Modern. LEGACY has warped hard around the card. Most people want it gone but no one wants it banned (due to the precedent it would set). Just keep it out of Modern.
Or they want their Jace back. Jace is on the decline in Legacy due to this fish. Would Geist of Saint Traft do the same to Jace if ever he gets of the list? I mean Jace haven't faced Geist of Saint Traft in Standard before right? Liliana will also be a better planewalker than Jace is front of Geist of Saint Traft.
Just because answers exist doesn't mean he's a safe unban. If Jace is in the Modern, you play Jace. If you can't afford Jace, you play a deck that beats Jace. This leads to a highly inbred and warped meta. I personally would enjoy it I think.. I'd love to see The Mindsculptor in Modern, it's one of my all time favorite cards, but it's not gonna happen. If Ponder and Preordain are banned, what makes you think WotC would be OK with Brainstorm on a stick? In Modern you're essentially guaranteed to live to turn 4. Him + fetches = a level of consistency that the powers that be are uncomfortable with.
I quit playing Standard after Zendikar and only came back briefly when Innistrad hit the standard. As much as I like Legacy, I hate Jace. He's just too powerful in any format outside of Legacy, Vintage, or EDH. I remember times when I wanted to shred the card on sight when I saw him played. They waited far too long to ban him in Standard, he was warping from the first moment Zendikar came out.
I would like to see splinter twin banned, and perhaps something in Pod that makes it too good (I don't think birthing pod itself is broken, just certain cards you can get with it, such as, melira, kiki jiki, deceiver exarch). Basically, these combo cards end the game as soon as they are played, in the case of twin and what comes off of pod. This is not very fun to play with or against.. "did I draw exarch and twin? yep, I win" It calls for so much to counter these cards. If you don't think they are too powerful, look at the top 8 decklists from events over the past few months. So many decks add a few splinter twins to have that instant win available. Pod lists are very popular, lots of melira and kiki in top 8's. Modern should be "fair" to an extent, and I think these cards push it too far. The only other option to counter these cards/decks is to make just as powerful counter strategies, ie. unbanning of JTMS and bloodbraid, as neither of these are played in twin or pod (well, JTMS might be played in a U/W/R twin list, but it doesn't really need twin if it has jace).
I like to think of modern close to on par with power level to standard, just with lots of older sets to choose cards from. The way modern is now, it is full of combo that is not interactive, nor does it feel like you are playing a game with another person. Vintage and Legacy already allow 1 turn win combos, so we really don't need to see anything close to that in Modern. Let's focus modern on games that last 10-15 turns or so. I know there they try to avoid anything less then turn 4 win, but is 4 turns really all you want to play in this format? Like, did I draw the answer for his one turn kill? That basically determines the outcomes of a lot of games. Modern is a great format and I really love it (aside from a few things as I've mentioned).
As for the insane cost of fetches (and most modern staples)- I see this as good and bad- it means people are playing modern, they are buying into it, and enjoying it. Bad that it is so expensive to get into it, and with reprints coming, it will only hurt people who invest now. It's probably wise for most people to wait for prices to drop, but that doesn't help grow the format. If modern becomes more popular then standard, then wotc will have to adjust their marketing plans to accommodate. Currently, they make tons of money through standard by selling tons of product every 2-3 months as players have to get the new stuff to continue to play. With modern, once they get a deck they like, they can play it forever. So, wotc will have to print things like modern masters, event decks, etc. to continue to make money off of those players; or by making new cards in standard that are strong in modern.
Sorry I hope I didn't rant to much, but I have a lot to say on the subject!
I would like to see splinter twin banned, and perhaps something in Pod that makes it too good (I don't think birthing pod itself is broken, just certain cards you can get with it, such as, melira, kiki jiki, deceiver exarch). Basically, these combo cards end the game as soon as they are played, in the case of twin and what comes off of pod. This is not very fun to play with or against.. "did I draw exarch and twin? yep, I win" It calls for so much to counter these cards. If you don't think they are too powerful, look at the top 8 decklists from events over the past few months. So many decks add a few splinter twins to have that instant win available. Pod lists are very popular, lots of melira and kiki in top 8's. Modern should be "fair" to an extent, and I think these cards push it too far. The only other option to counter these cards/decks is to make just as powerful counter strategies, ie. unbanning of JTMS and bloodbraid, as neither of these are played in twin or pod (well, JTMS might be played in a U/W/R twin list, but it doesn't really need twin if it has jace).
I like to think of modern close to on par with power level to standard, just with lots of older sets to choose cards from. The way modern is now, it is full of combo that is not interactive, nor does it feel like you are playing a game with another person. Vintage and Legacy already allow 1 turn win combos, so we really don't need to see anything close to that in Modern. Let's focus modern on games that last 10-15 turns or so. I know there they try to avoid anything less then turn 4 win, but is 4 turns really all you want to play in this format? Like, did I draw the answer for his one turn kill? That basically determines the outcomes of a lot of games. Modern is a great format and I really love it (aside from a few things as I've mentioned).
As for the insane cost of fetches (and most modern staples)- I see this as good and bad- it means people are playing modern, they are buying into it, and enjoying it. Bad that it is so expensive to get into it, and with reprints coming, it will only hurt people who invest now. It's probably wise for most people to wait for prices to drop, but that doesn't help grow the format. If modern becomes more popular then standard, then wotc will have to adjust their marketing plans to accommodate. Currently, they make tons of money through standard by selling tons of product every 2-3 months as players have to get the new stuff to continue to play. With modern, once they get a deck they like, they can play it forever. So, wotc will have to print things like modern masters, event decks, etc. to continue to make money off of those players; or by making new cards in standard that are strong in modern.
Sorry I hope I didn't rant to much, but I have a lot to say on the subject!
I haven't had many issues with Twin, as it's easily disrupted, as is Pod. Of course, since I use Zoo, I also run with 4 Paths and Scavenging Oozes mainboard. Pod's never been a problem, Twin on the other hand also relies on certain combos to make it work. It's harder because of the Deceiver Exarch and such... But it can be hit too. But any pod-based deck relies on things entering the grave, therefore one well timed Path or Ooze already in play and the game for them is lost. It's funny watching people go after Tarmy, he's good but I have rarely cared if he was in play or not. Zoo relies on massive amounts of creatures and Rest in Peace is simply too good to pass up.
I understand what you are saying, as they need exarch and twin to instantly win, and you can disrupt them- but you have to be playing the disruption and draw it in time. It forces people to play answers that without they would most certainly lose. It's way more powerful then a lot of cards already on the banned list.
This is one example of how suppressive these cards can be (not all tournaments are like this, but a lot are), SCG Richmond top 8 on 3/9/14:
kiki pod
affinity
affinity
melira pod
melira pod
u/r twin
melira pod
melira pod
there was another tournament (can't seem to find it off hand right now) where almost all top 8 decks ran twin in some fashion or another. but i am glad there is a lot more diversity in modern, like living end, tron, zoo, junk, amulet, norin, etc. i just think it would be a better format without instant win combos if the player draws the correct combination of cards; which is a luck based game, not skill.
I understand what you are saying, as they need exarch and twin to instantly win, and you can disrupt them- but you have to be playing the disruption and draw it in time. It forces people to play answers that without they would most certainly lose. It's way more powerful then a lot of cards already on the banned list.
there was another tournament (can't seem to find it off hand right now) where almost all top 8 decks ran twin in some fashion or another. but i am glad there is a lot more diversity in modern, like living end, tron, zoo, junk, amulet, norin, etc. i just think it would be a better format without instant win combos if the player draws the correct combination of cards; which is a luck based game, not skill.
These are so contradictory. What I saw in the case was that Bitterblossom didn't even get anywhere near the top 16 or so. Everyone was prepped to hose it.
But by the same token, you're saying Twin is bad, or Melira is bad. Well, elves can consistently win by turn 2-3 if they're not disrupted. Amulet of Vigor hands with a nut draw can win on turn 2. But they, like Twin and Pod rely on a lucky draw. Twin can easily lose just as quickly. It's like O-Ring and Restoration Angel to forever exile pieces.Or Restoration Angel and Witch.
The first time I payed against a Melira Pod based deck I lost. The next time I was ready because I know how it works. With the death of DRS which was a perfect card for dealing with any deck based on graveyards, I found other more consistent cards. Here's a fun idea: Ulvenwald Tracker. There's many examples, and I have never lost to Pod ever since I understood how it worked. The deck that can be more problematic is Twin in any form. But kill the enchantment and Surgical Extraction. My sideboard has used this card no matter what deck color I was playing.
In other words, it takes skill for either deck to win and they rel heavily on skill and luck like any other deck out there. I've played Christmas with Cheerios in Legacy. I know what can happen if a well timed spell can disrupt an entire chain.
It's like, Turn 1, Stone Forged Mystic. Response? No? Ok, turn 2 Batterskull. Have fun!
Of course, let's say how a Show and Tell can easily backfire: You show Emrakul, I had Take Possession. Take Possession takes Emrakul. I win, you lose.
I'm upset DRS is banned, I never seen how he warped the game. Of course, I used him as grave hate to deal with Pod and Snapcaster.
Still a very unfun deck to play against considering it's very hard to deal with turn 1/2 Grisel/Emrakul even if they don't outright win the game on the spot.
Turn 1 or 2 Emrakul is actually rather unimpressive. Let’s think about what they have to do to pull that off.
They need something to put it into the graveyard, Emrakul himself, Goryo’s Vengeance, and some kind of mana acceleration like a Simian Spirit Guide. On turn 1, that requires them to have a land, Emrakul, two Simian Spirit Guides, a Faithless Looting, and a Goryo’s Vengeance. Let’s ignore the low chance of that happening and focus on the number of cards you use up to pull it off. You use up five cards (not counting the land) to pull that off. The result is you hit your opponent for 15 damage and, unless you’re playing against Affinity, take out at most two permanents (assuming they were on the play). The 15 damage is respectful, but you just used five cards to take out two. In order to finish off your opponent, you must get another Emrakul or Griselbrand and another “put it into play” card, which takes time. Time for your opponent to draw cards and rebuild their board. Which is easier because they only lost a few cards.
If you pull it off on turn 2, it’s a bit better. You only use up four cards (need one less Simian Spirit Guide) and your opponent will lose more cards, maybe as much as four if they’re on the play and cast someting each turn. But again, you still need to find a way to deal that extra damage, and after all that you've ultimately ended up with, at best, an even trade (4 for 4). Though Emrakul is pretty lethal against Affinity because of how quickly they dump their hand.
The main advantage to getting that quick Emrakul is it’s harder for your opponent to stop you, but the downside is that you screw up their board state less. I remember getting Emrakul’d early on in one game, and I WON THAT GAME because I was able to rebuild my board position, while my opponent was stuck hoping to find another combination of Emrakul/Griselbrand+Goryo’s Vengeance/Through the Breach.
To get the quick kill, you really have to get the Griselbrand into play, because with his drawing power he can (with reasonable reliability) get you the Fury of the Horde kill.
The main advantage to getting that quick Emrakul is it’s harder for your opponent to stop you, but the downside is that you screw up their board state less. I remember getting Emrakul’d early on in one game, and I WON THAT GAME because I was able to rebuild my board position, while my opponent was stuck hoping to find another combination of Emrakul/Griselbrand+Goryo’s Vengeance/Through the Breach.
It sure isn't Show and Tell or Sneak Attack o.O;;
Course, Take Possession on a Show and Tell is hilarious.
My problem with Pod isn't necessarily with the card, but the deck it spawns. Malira Pod is just so resilient, and offers many lines to victory, all with the very solid back up plan of winning with value creatures. It also has the solid ability of tutoring up silver bullets, or answers to hate. These things make the deck powerful in the hands of smart players, which will lead to more people piloting it. As for the argument that more people will pack hate for it, uh... pod's been around for a long time now... who goes to a major event without at least SOME kind of plan for facing the deck? As better creatures come out (silver bullet dudes, value dudes, combo dudes) the deck will get stronger and stronger centralizing itself in the metagame. Kiki Pod works in a sense to add the Twin plan to an already powerful engine, it obviously uses the dude version of the spell because it plays nicely with the engine, but I consider the two one and the same. So no, I do NOT think pod will necessarily be too powerful currently, but the deck is going to just grow in popularity. To hit the deck with a glancing blow as opposed to just hitting the enabler in the deck would be to hit Chord. That card is proving to be so powerful. Shutting down the combo always seems so temporary when they can EoT Chord for a way to fight off the hate. If they banned Kiki they would succeed in keeping the two deck types separate while weakening the all in kiki/twin deck. Either way i'm kind of hoping that we get another major event or two before another major ban. Yes Pod and twin plans aren't overall as represented as Jund was, but enough people keep seeing it at the top of major events and it will get to that point. I feel like jund wasn't as good as pod, but was always at the top because of it's number of players... I dread a time when Pod also has the number of players as jund.
Modern: shouldn't have banned DRS along with the unbanning of nacatl/bitterblossom. Should have waited for next rotation for major modern results and then made the banning, if necessary.
These cards are not broken, they are powerful but they are not broken. In fact their presence stops other decks form being dominant. Ravager makes affinity good which hurts slower, greedier decks like control, jund, tron, etc... Goyf helps give g/b a big advantage over combo because it can end the game fast, if goyf was banned then there would probably be more combo since those decks would have a hard time ending a game quickly before storm could cobble together a few rituals into an empty the warrens or scapeshift draws their namesake card. Snapcaster helps make control good which hurts combo decks and midrange decks. All of these cards (and the other more blatantly powerful cards you didn't mention) balance each other out and are necessary for an unbroken meta. The only card that I agree with you on it birthing pod, I'm not a fan of it, it's wayyy too good, but it doesn't need a ban yet (it will after a few years though).
You're main point seems to be about how much this format costs, and that only about 20% of the pool (give or take) actually see play.
No matter what format you look at there are always going to be cards that are better than other cards. This is just how magic works. You don't see people playing grey ogre in legacy for a reason. This doesn't mean that a format is broken, or that something needs a ban. These good cards are arguably what makes the game interesting.
Even if these high dollar cads didn't exist, something else would take their place. Say if dark confidant was banned and all decks that played him as a 4 of instead played rise/fall as a 4 of in bob's place (rise is a rare form a set with a similar run, that's just not good enough to play currently), rise would quickly be the same price that bob is. There is always a card that is better than other cards and that card will be expensive because everyone wants to play with the good cards.
Some of the cards you are complaining about are certainly broken in a format like standard, but in modern they are all far form broken, and they are all easily beatable with certain cards, stony silence beats ravager, any removal spell that's not burn kills goyf, literally any removal spell kills bob, anger of the gods destroys pod and zoo, rip makes snapcaster embarrassing. It does suck that it costs a descent amount of cash to invest in this format, but it's what you have to deal with when you are playing a popular format with old cards, it's not that something has to be banned, something just needs to get printed more.
If MTG is a part of your life, the formats are like relationships:
Standard/Block = The on-again, off-again holiday fling
Modern/Vintage/Legacy = Stable, homely. A ***** after absence/misreading
Limited/Sealed = Heart breaking free spirit
Commander/Cube = Agreeable, needy and expensive
Pauper/Peasant = Sweet, kind, practical, but shy and boring
Let me preface my response to this by saying that this is literally the stupidest post that I have ever seen on this forum (and that includes ban Archive Trap, Wizards should never abolish the reserved list because I invested in cards on it, cards being reprinted in Modern would destroy the sanctity of the format, Stoneforge Mystic is a better version of Tinker, every card on the Modern banned list should be unbanned, and that infinite combos should not be made because they aren't flavorful).
Birthing Pod is splashable and overpowered, requires 0 skill or brain to use, a 5 year old kid could design a less broken card.
If it is splashable, why is it only played in two decks that are designed entirely around that card? If it requires 0 skill or brain to use, why is it one of the hardest decks to play in any format at a lower complexity level than Legacy and Vintage? And anyone could design a less broken card. Look below.
Least Broken Card Ever 999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
Sorcery Common
Split Second
You lose the game.
Remind me again how Pod is breaking the format?
Kiki Jiki and Infinite Combos are . Splinter Twin is just as .
Care to elaborate? Is it just me or are you saying that basically every infinite combo deck in Magic's history was stupid?
Tarmagoyf is way too undercosted, splashable, and abusable, esp with fetchlands.
All of the top cards in any format (even casual) are undercosted and abusable. That is kind of how the game works. Goyf decks aren't even doing that well right now, so I don't see what your problem is with them.
Dark Confidant wins the game if not answered within 2-3 turns.
Dark Confidant is played in just 2 decks (BGx Midrange and Team Italia) that isn't even doing that well. It also carries the high risk of killing you and is easily answered. By your logic, Phyrexian Arena should be banned.
Wild Nacatl + Loam Lion/Kird/Boar are . They aren't overpowered by themselves, they are overpowered because of fetch into --> dual lands or just plain dual lands on turn 1.
Once again, Zoo isn't even doing that well in Modern, Flinthoof Boar is barely even played anymore, and power-level is relative to the rest of the format (which makes these cards look tame in comparison).
Fetchlands+Shocklands - stabilizes mana bases way too much, makes playing 3-5 colors insanely rewarding with a drawback that means absolutely NOTHING.
It means that you have 1-2 less turns against most decks to live. That means quite a lot. There are no competitive 5 color decks that run fetch-shock manabases and there is only 1 competitive 4 color fetch-shock deck (and that deck often suffers mana inconsistency problems). There is nothing wrong with having a format of 3 color decks, or was Innistrad-Return to Ravnica Standard an abomination beyond belief? This makes me wonder if you even play Modern or if you just watched a few rounds of the Grand Prix and declared yourself a master of the format.
Health doesn't matter until you reach 0.
It kind of does. If you are getting yourself closer to 0, then you are making yourself more likely to lose.
Fetchlands being able to fetch dual lands is even stupider...... worst game design ever.
There are many things that are more poorly designed in this game than a simple manabase.
Arcbound Ravager is overpowered, mainly because his sac ability costs nothing and his tokens move after you kill him, for 2 mana.
Once again, power-level is relative. I used to think that it should be banned too (mostly because I forgot to pay my Slaughter Pact trigger that day, went 1-3 because of it, and got worse prizes :mad:), but then I realized that it could be beaten. Look at Affinity. Now look at the number of events that it has won. That's right, it isn't that many of them. If a deck isn't dominating, causing logistical issues at tournaments, or winning consistently before turn 4, then it isn't breaking the rules of the format and shouldn't be banned out of it.
Snapcaster is , a 2/1 w/ flash that gives a +1 at any time and gives cheaper flashback then the printed cost on most flashback cards.
Oh right, everything that is strong is ":pumpkin: " . Once again, if it is not breaking any of the rules of the format, why is it a problem. If you want to ban all of the strong cards out of a format, go play Casual. And if your whining makes it so that no one wants to play Magic with you, go take two decks and play it solitaire. But stop trying to ruin the fun for other people.
If WOTC actually cared about the game and diversity maybe they would ban these blatantly OP cards that everyone knows are must own/must run.
That's like saying that if Wizards actually cared about Standard they would ban Polukranos, Lightning Strike, Gray Merchant of Asphodel, Master of Waves, Ephara, and Sphinx's Revelation because every deck needs to run those cards. Banning all of the strong cards will just leave the second-strongest cards ron top. We see that now with the current banned list. If more cards were banned, we'd see it happen again.
TLDR: Modern format diversity is crap, would be nice if anything other then 10 decks and the same 2-300 cards saw play in a pool of 13.5k cards.
First, Modern has only half that many cards (once again proof that you don't know anything about the format). Second, in every constructed format that has ever existed only a small percentage of the cards see play. Get over it. No one wants to play Magic with Hill Giant midrange decks versus Bone to Ash control decks versus Lava Axe burn decks (except for you apparently).
When is Wizard going to step up and ban cards that ruin the format and limit diversity?
When are you going to step up and shut up? The format is as diverse as most competitive formats are. If you want to complain about a boring format without diversity, go complain about Standard.
Are they afraid to upset the people who have invested in these cards?
No, they are afraid of killing the format by banning several perfectly reasonable cards that aren't breaking anything.
Do people really think that them paying $50-$200 for a piece of cardboard should be justification for an overpowered card not being banned?
No, they think a card not breaking the format should be a justification for a card not being banned. I really don't see why you don't understand this.
Or do they justify these cards power levels by the fact that they are "rare/mythic rare"
No, they justify them by the fact that THEY AREN'T BREAKING ANYTHING!!! Also, the most powerful card in the format is a common (see Lightning Bolt)
Show me a successful green deck that isn't running Tarmagoyf and a Blue deck that doesn't run snapcaster.
Blue decks without Snapcaster Mage-Merfolk, Storm, Ad Nauseum, Mono-U Tron, Restore Balance, Griselbrand Reanimator
Green decks without Tarmogoyf-Kiki Pod, Melira Pod, Hatebears, 4C Gifts, Bogle, Living End, Monogreen Devotion
Your argument is invalid (especially since you were complaining about the brokenness of Pod before without even looking at the deck).
Seriously never seen such ignorance by a company...its like they don't give a crap about the format, lest they upset people who spend $$$ on these aformentioned broke cards that are mandatory for playing the game at a competitive level.
And I seriously have never seen such ignorance from a poster on this forum.
TLDR;
Oh great, a shortened version of your incorrect rant that is completely wrong about every aspect of the format.
This format requires 0 brain atm.
You are funny.
All you need to win a magic GP
$2000-$2500
RNG
Proper Technical Play (This isn't hard)
Cheating, go read dark confidant: Greatness, at any cost. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Maher,_Jr. - BANNED for 6 months for cheating.......the irony is hilarious
Skill Needed : 0
Deckbuilding Knowledge Needed : 0
Uniqueness Needed: 0
Cash Needed: Again, Varies, but cash is the biggest factor.
First, remind me again why if what you are saying is true people have said that the feature match in round 8 at GP Richmond between Richard Nguyen's Blue Moon and Patrick Dickmann's RUG Twin was one of the most skillful matches in Magic EVER? The format is very skillful, and you would either have to be a troll or a noob who doesn't understand the format to not notice that.
Second, I'll make you a bet. I will bet you all of my college savings that if you bought a Jund deck (the most expensive deck in the format), and foiled it out with cards that were all signed by Richard Garfield, you would still lose if you took it to a Grand Prix with no testing, tweaks, or skill (or format knowledge, which you have shown repeatedly that you don't have).
95% of the current decks in the meta pilot themselves.
Why don't you prove it.
Were is the variety when in a pool of 13.5k cards the same 1-200 see play....
There aren't that many cards in the format, it is impossible to have 1-200 cards see play in the format (it has to be an actual number), and I can name more cards than that that see play in the format easily. Get a clue.
A company that gave a crap about balance and format diversity would ban broken cards instead of just letting people who buy them use them and pretending that they are doing a great job randomly banning and unbanning cards with no bias.
Power level is relative. If everything is broken, nothing is broken. And there will always be other broken cards that are more powerful than the other cards in the format. That is how every format in Magic's history has worked.
Bitterblossom unbanned? Its still fundamentally broken, nothing changed..
That's definitely why it has been dominating, won every major Magic tournament, and is in more than 2.08% of the decks on MTGO/sarcasm. Oh wait...
a 1/1 with flying will still be infinitely better then 1 life, is WOTC mentally challenged or something?
While at times I wonder if they are, this is not one of those times. Are you mentally challenged or something?
Nacatl - 3/3 for one mana....
That isn't breaking anything...
Deathrite Shaman - WOTC power creep lack of playtesting at its finest.
Congratulations. Out of 26 separate points, you made 1 correct one. You win a gold star! (not really, the level of stupidity in this post indicates that you don't even deserve a gold star)
The main advantage to getting that quick Emrakul is it’s harder for your opponent to stop you, but the downside is that you screw up their board state less. I remember getting Emrakul’d early on in one game, and I WON THAT GAME because I was able to rebuild my board position, while my opponent was stuck hoping to find another combination of Emrakul/Griselbrand+Goryo’s Vengeance/Through the Breach.
It sure isn't Show and Tell or Sneak Attack o.O;;
Course, Take Possession on a Show and Tell is hilarious.
Actually, if my understanding of the rules is correct, that doesn't work. You can't use Take Possession on anything they put into play with Show and Tell because that isn't in play at the time Take Possession needs something to enchant (similarly, you can't put a Clone into play via their Show and Tell to get your own Emrakul/Griselbrand). The reason you can use Oblivion Ring or Confusion in the Ranks to mess with what they put into play is that they're triggered abilities, meaning they only go on the stack after both them and your opponents' permanent is put onto the battlefield.
Or do you mean casting Take Possession the turn after they cast Show and Tell?
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What then?
but when reading a deck list/strategy basic guild on the deck I came across this quote from a notable magic player who [probably] knows quite a bit about what WOTC is going to do.
is there any truth to this? should I avoid building a storm deck because of this?
I wanted to build a "set it and forget it deck" and that kind of halts progress if it's going to be banned here in a few months?
Warning for banlist talk outside of official thread. Merged with official thread
-ktkenshinx-
It makes covering games very dull when this deck is being played. It's essentially just watching a guy masturbate with his cards for an hour. Not very interesting to watch
It's a turn 3.5 deck in a turn 4 format and its a combo deck that does not need creatures to function (less interactive than other combo decks).
They like the deck to exist, but they don't like it to be a dominating deck. Expect see a non essential part of it being banned in the future. My guess is either past in flames or pyromasters ascension but not both.
Yeah, Storm is bad for the format.
My Modern decks:
B/R/G Living End G/R/B
G/R Tron R/G
U/W/G/R Gargageddon R/G/W/U
R/W/G Naya Burn G/W/R
It has no relevance to the modern ban list so I dunno why its being discussed here but irregardless.
I don't play much limited, but those people I know who do have the same feelings that I do. In general, Removal and creatures should be similarily pushed. If Creatures are pushed, then the removal needs to be as well. Most people I know don't like drafting Theros because the removal sucks, the creatures are pretty pushed. It's battlecruiser magic that doesn't interest people.
I get that WOTC is trying to get people to play with the monstrous effect and whatever, but its not fun for me and many people I know.
Modern:
UWUW TronUW
Legacy:
WDeath N TaxesW
CEldrazi C
If you couldn't tell I hate greedy blue decks.
Vintage
WWhite Trash
http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/taking-modern-by-storm/
If something gets banned is unknown right now. I mean it is not dominating and turn 3 wins are not consistent but you never know.
Would I personally ban anything from Storm? No not really.
While I think it is bad for the format as Eggs was in delaying tournaments and regular T2-T3 kills without interactivity, it does keep a lot of combo-centric decks at bay.
My Modern decks:
B/R/G Living End G/R/B
G/R Tron R/G
U/W/G/R Gargageddon R/G/W/U
R/W/G Naya Burn G/W/R
Negate doesnt kill the planeswalker, it counters it, big difference. I am going to go out on a limb and say the reason bramblecrush was not hit was its casting cost. To be honest I was surprised it was reprinted as an uncommon and not a rare.
Domesticate was simply a limited thing. It was one of those cards in multiples that could dominate limited. Bumping it up makes it harder to get multiples in limited.
This actually seems like a good idea. The power of Cloudpost came from its ability to get out Primeval Titan, search for Eye of Ugin, cast Emrakul, and win. It would not be nearly as good with a worse finisher. It might be safe even if Green Sun's Zenith was unbanned. Also, control decks other than WU Tron would get a boost from not having to worry about Emrakul. Unfortunately,it likely would kill Griselbrand Reanimator.
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
No, it can't go off consistently on turn 2 or 3. It can barely go off consistently on turn 4.
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
I'm not saying it needs immediate attention or that it needs a ban or something, but I honestly don't think anyone should cry if they decided to kill it off even incidentally as it's specifically trying to do things that WotC doesn't want to have in modern.
Fair enough.
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
I quit playing Standard after Zendikar and only came back briefly when Innistrad hit the standard. As much as I like Legacy, I hate Jace. He's just too powerful in any format outside of Legacy, Vintage, or EDH. I remember times when I wanted to shred the card on sight when I saw him played. They waited far too long to ban him in Standard, he was warping from the first moment Zendikar came out.
I like to think of modern close to on par with power level to standard, just with lots of older sets to choose cards from. The way modern is now, it is full of combo that is not interactive, nor does it feel like you are playing a game with another person. Vintage and Legacy already allow 1 turn win combos, so we really don't need to see anything close to that in Modern. Let's focus modern on games that last 10-15 turns or so. I know there they try to avoid anything less then turn 4 win, but is 4 turns really all you want to play in this format? Like, did I draw the answer for his one turn kill? That basically determines the outcomes of a lot of games. Modern is a great format and I really love it (aside from a few things as I've mentioned).
As for the insane cost of fetches (and most modern staples)- I see this as good and bad- it means people are playing modern, they are buying into it, and enjoying it. Bad that it is so expensive to get into it, and with reprints coming, it will only hurt people who invest now. It's probably wise for most people to wait for prices to drop, but that doesn't help grow the format. If modern becomes more popular then standard, then wotc will have to adjust their marketing plans to accommodate. Currently, they make tons of money through standard by selling tons of product every 2-3 months as players have to get the new stuff to continue to play. With modern, once they get a deck they like, they can play it forever. So, wotc will have to print things like modern masters, event decks, etc. to continue to make money off of those players; or by making new cards in standard that are strong in modern.
Sorry I hope I didn't rant to much, but I have a lot to say on the subject!
My multiplayer powered cube
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=9936757#post9936757
my EDH deckbox:
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=6849857#post6849857
elesh norn statue:
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=413011
tamiyo figure/bust:
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=444503
my etsy dark souls statues page:
www.etsy.com/shop/originalstatues
I haven't had many issues with Twin, as it's easily disrupted, as is Pod. Of course, since I use Zoo, I also run with 4 Paths and Scavenging Oozes mainboard. Pod's never been a problem, Twin on the other hand also relies on certain combos to make it work. It's harder because of the Deceiver Exarch and such... But it can be hit too. But any pod-based deck relies on things entering the grave, therefore one well timed Path or Ooze already in play and the game for them is lost. It's funny watching people go after Tarmy, he's good but I have rarely cared if he was in play or not. Zoo relies on massive amounts of creatures and Rest in Peace is simply too good to pass up.
This is one example of how suppressive these cards can be (not all tournaments are like this, but a lot are), SCG Richmond top 8 on 3/9/14:
kiki pod
affinity
affinity
melira pod
melira pod
u/r twin
melira pod
melira pod
there was another tournament (can't seem to find it off hand right now) where almost all top 8 decks ran twin in some fashion or another. but i am glad there is a lot more diversity in modern, like living end, tron, zoo, junk, amulet, norin, etc. i just think it would be a better format without instant win combos if the player draws the correct combination of cards; which is a luck based game, not skill.
My multiplayer powered cube
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=9936757#post9936757
my EDH deckbox:
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=6849857#post6849857
elesh norn statue:
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=413011
tamiyo figure/bust:
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=444503
my etsy dark souls statues page:
www.etsy.com/shop/originalstatues
These are so contradictory. What I saw in the case was that Bitterblossom didn't even get anywhere near the top 16 or so. Everyone was prepped to hose it.
But by the same token, you're saying Twin is bad, or Melira is bad. Well, elves can consistently win by turn 2-3 if they're not disrupted. Amulet of Vigor hands with a nut draw can win on turn 2. But they, like Twin and Pod rely on a lucky draw. Twin can easily lose just as quickly. It's like O-Ring and Restoration Angel to forever exile pieces.Or Restoration Angel and Witch.
The first time I payed against a Melira Pod based deck I lost. The next time I was ready because I know how it works. With the death of DRS which was a perfect card for dealing with any deck based on graveyards, I found other more consistent cards. Here's a fun idea: Ulvenwald Tracker. There's many examples, and I have never lost to Pod ever since I understood how it worked. The deck that can be more problematic is Twin in any form. But kill the enchantment and Surgical Extraction. My sideboard has used this card no matter what deck color I was playing.
In other words, it takes skill for either deck to win and they rel heavily on skill and luck like any other deck out there. I've played Christmas with Cheerios in Legacy. I know what can happen if a well timed spell can disrupt an entire chain.
It's like, Turn 1, Stone Forged Mystic. Response? No? Ok, turn 2 Batterskull. Have fun!
Of course, let's say how a Show and Tell can easily backfire: You show Emrakul, I had Take Possession. Take Possession takes Emrakul. I win, you lose.
I'm upset DRS is banned, I never seen how he warped the game. Of course, I used him as grave hate to deal with Pod and Snapcaster.
They need something to put it into the graveyard, Emrakul himself, Goryo’s Vengeance, and some kind of mana acceleration like a Simian Spirit Guide. On turn 1, that requires them to have a land, Emrakul, two Simian Spirit Guides, a Faithless Looting, and a Goryo’s Vengeance. Let’s ignore the low chance of that happening and focus on the number of cards you use up to pull it off. You use up five cards (not counting the land) to pull that off. The result is you hit your opponent for 15 damage and, unless you’re playing against Affinity, take out at most two permanents (assuming they were on the play). The 15 damage is respectful, but you just used five cards to take out two. In order to finish off your opponent, you must get another Emrakul or Griselbrand and another “put it into play” card, which takes time. Time for your opponent to draw cards and rebuild their board. Which is easier because they only lost a few cards.
If you pull it off on turn 2, it’s a bit better. You only use up four cards (need one less Simian Spirit Guide) and your opponent will lose more cards, maybe as much as four if they’re on the play and cast someting each turn. But again, you still need to find a way to deal that extra damage, and after all that you've ultimately ended up with, at best, an even trade (4 for 4). Though Emrakul is pretty lethal against Affinity because of how quickly they dump their hand.
The main advantage to getting that quick Emrakul is it’s harder for your opponent to stop you, but the downside is that you screw up their board state less. I remember getting Emrakul’d early on in one game, and I WON THAT GAME because I was able to rebuild my board position, while my opponent was stuck hoping to find another combination of Emrakul/Griselbrand+Goryo’s Vengeance/Through the Breach.
To get the quick kill, you really have to get the Griselbrand into play, because with his drawing power he can (with reasonable reliability) get you the Fury of the Horde kill.
It sure isn't Show and Tell or Sneak Attack o.O;;
Course, Take Possession on a Show and Tell is hilarious.
These cards are not broken, they are powerful but they are not broken. In fact their presence stops other decks form being dominant. Ravager makes affinity good which hurts slower, greedier decks like control, jund, tron, etc... Goyf helps give g/b a big advantage over combo because it can end the game fast, if goyf was banned then there would probably be more combo since those decks would have a hard time ending a game quickly before storm could cobble together a few rituals into an empty the warrens or scapeshift draws their namesake card. Snapcaster helps make control good which hurts combo decks and midrange decks. All of these cards (and the other more blatantly powerful cards you didn't mention) balance each other out and are necessary for an unbroken meta. The only card that I agree with you on it birthing pod, I'm not a fan of it, it's wayyy too good, but it doesn't need a ban yet (it will after a few years though).
You're main point seems to be about how much this format costs, and that only about 20% of the pool (give or take) actually see play.
No matter what format you look at there are always going to be cards that are better than other cards. This is just how magic works. You don't see people playing grey ogre in legacy for a reason. This doesn't mean that a format is broken, or that something needs a ban. These good cards are arguably what makes the game interesting.
Even if these high dollar cads didn't exist, something else would take their place. Say if dark confidant was banned and all decks that played him as a 4 of instead played rise/fall as a 4 of in bob's place (rise is a rare form a set with a similar run, that's just not good enough to play currently), rise would quickly be the same price that bob is. There is always a card that is better than other cards and that card will be expensive because everyone wants to play with the good cards.
Some of the cards you are complaining about are certainly broken in a format like standard, but in modern they are all far form broken, and they are all easily beatable with certain cards, stony silence beats ravager, any removal spell that's not burn kills goyf, literally any removal spell kills bob, anger of the gods destroys pod and zoo, rip makes snapcaster embarrassing. It does suck that it costs a descent amount of cash to invest in this format, but it's what you have to deal with when you are playing a popular format with old cards, it's not that something has to be banned, something just needs to get printed more.
Standard/Block = The on-again, off-again holiday fling
Modern/Vintage/Legacy = Stable, homely. A ***** after absence/misreading
Limited/Sealed = Heart breaking free spirit
Commander/Cube = Agreeable, needy and expensive
Pauper/Peasant = Sweet, kind, practical, but shy and boring
Let me preface my response to this by saying that this is literally the stupidest post that I have ever seen on this forum (and that includes ban Archive Trap, Wizards should never abolish the reserved list because I invested in cards on it, cards being reprinted in Modern would destroy the sanctity of the format, Stoneforge Mystic is a better version of Tinker, every card on the Modern banned list should be unbanned, and that infinite combos should not be made because they aren't flavorful).
If it is splashable, why is it only played in two decks that are designed entirely around that card? If it requires 0 skill or brain to use, why is it one of the hardest decks to play in any format at a lower complexity level than Legacy and Vintage? And anyone could design a less broken card. Look below.
Least Broken Card Ever 999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
Sorcery Common
Split Second
You lose the game.
Remind me again how Pod is breaking the format?
Care to elaborate? Is it just me or are you saying that basically every infinite combo deck in Magic's history was stupid?
All of the top cards in any format (even casual) are undercosted and abusable. That is kind of how the game works. Goyf decks aren't even doing that well right now, so I don't see what your problem is with them.
Dark Confidant is played in just 2 decks (BGx Midrange and Team Italia) that isn't even doing that well. It also carries the high risk of killing you and is easily answered. By your logic, Phyrexian Arena should be banned.
Once again, Zoo isn't even doing that well in Modern, Flinthoof Boar is barely even played anymore, and power-level is relative to the rest of the format (which makes these cards look tame in comparison).
It means that you have 1-2 less turns against most decks to live. That means quite a lot. There are no competitive 5 color decks that run fetch-shock manabases and there is only 1 competitive 4 color fetch-shock deck (and that deck often suffers mana inconsistency problems). There is nothing wrong with having a format of 3 color decks, or was Innistrad-Return to Ravnica Standard an abomination beyond belief? This makes me wonder if you even play Modern or if you just watched a few rounds of the Grand Prix and declared yourself a master of the format.
It kind of does. If you are getting yourself closer to 0, then you are making yourself more likely to lose.
There are many things that are more poorly designed in this game than a simple manabase.
Once again, power-level is relative. I used to think that it should be banned too (mostly because I forgot to pay my Slaughter Pact trigger that day, went 1-3 because of it, and got worse prizes :mad:), but then I realized that it could be beaten. Look at Affinity. Now look at the number of events that it has won. That's right, it isn't that many of them. If a deck isn't dominating, causing logistical issues at tournaments, or winning consistently before turn 4, then it isn't breaking the rules of the format and shouldn't be banned out of it.
Oh right, everything that is strong is ":pumpkin: " . Once again, if it is not breaking any of the rules of the format, why is it a problem. If you want to ban all of the strong cards out of a format, go play Casual. And if your whining makes it so that no one wants to play Magic with you, go take two decks and play it solitaire. But stop trying to ruin the fun for other people.
That's like saying that if Wizards actually cared about Standard they would ban Polukranos, Lightning Strike, Gray Merchant of Asphodel, Master of Waves, Ephara, and Sphinx's Revelation because every deck needs to run those cards. Banning all of the strong cards will just leave the second-strongest cards ron top. We see that now with the current banned list. If more cards were banned, we'd see it happen again.
First, Modern has only half that many cards (once again proof that you don't know anything about the format). Second, in every constructed format that has ever existed only a small percentage of the cards see play. Get over it. No one wants to play Magic with Hill Giant midrange decks versus Bone to Ash control decks versus Lava Axe burn decks (except for you apparently).
When are you going to step up and shut up? The format is as diverse as most competitive formats are. If you want to complain about a boring format without diversity, go complain about Standard.
No, they are afraid of killing the format by banning several perfectly reasonable cards that aren't breaking anything.
No, they think a card not breaking the format should be a justification for a card not being banned. I really don't see why you don't understand this.
No, they justify them by the fact that THEY AREN'T BREAKING ANYTHING!!! Also, the most powerful card in the format is a common (see Lightning Bolt)
Blue decks without Snapcaster Mage-Merfolk, Storm, Ad Nauseum, Mono-U Tron, Restore Balance, Griselbrand Reanimator
Green decks without Tarmogoyf-Kiki Pod, Melira Pod, Hatebears, 4C Gifts, Bogle, Living End, Monogreen Devotion
Your argument is invalid (especially since you were complaining about the brokenness of Pod before without even looking at the deck).
And I seriously have never seen such ignorance from a poster on this forum.
Oh great, a shortened version of your incorrect rant that is completely wrong about every aspect of the format.
You are funny.
First, remind me again why if what you are saying is true people have said that the feature match in round 8 at GP Richmond between Richard Nguyen's Blue Moon and Patrick Dickmann's RUG Twin was one of the most skillful matches in Magic EVER? The format is very skillful, and you would either have to be a troll or a noob who doesn't understand the format to not notice that.
Second, I'll make you a bet. I will bet you all of my college savings that if you bought a Jund deck (the most expensive deck in the format), and foiled it out with cards that were all signed by Richard Garfield, you would still lose if you took it to a Grand Prix with no testing, tweaks, or skill (or format knowledge, which you have shown repeatedly that you don't have).
Why don't you prove it.
There aren't that many cards in the format, it is impossible to have 1-200 cards see play in the format (it has to be an actual number), and I can name more cards than that that see play in the format easily. Get a clue.
Power level is relative. If everything is broken, nothing is broken. And there will always be other broken cards that are more powerful than the other cards in the format. That is how every format in Magic's history has worked.
That's definitely why it has been dominating, won every major Magic tournament, and is in more than 2.08% of the decks on MTGO/sarcasm. Oh wait...
While at times I wonder if they are, this is not one of those times. Are you mentally challenged or something?
That isn't breaking anything...
Congratulations. Out of 26 separate points, you made 1 correct one. You win a gold star! (not really, the level of stupidity in this post indicates that you don't even deserve a gold star)
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
Actually, if my understanding of the rules is correct, that doesn't work. You can't use Take Possession on anything they put into play with Show and Tell because that isn't in play at the time Take Possession needs something to enchant (similarly, you can't put a Clone into play via their Show and Tell to get your own Emrakul/Griselbrand). The reason you can use Oblivion Ring or Confusion in the Ranks to mess with what they put into play is that they're triggered abilities, meaning they only go on the stack after both them and your opponents' permanent is put onto the battlefield.
Or do you mean casting Take Possession the turn after they cast Show and Tell?