I am getting back into standard, I have a deck I want to play it's R/W Aggro. I am not going to post it because it's not pertinent to the question. I am having trouble understanding how prowess is a good and strategically advantageous ability to use when your it forces you to play instants not during your opponents turn. For instance the card lightning strike great removal card. But what's the point of it being instant speed when I can only use it on my turn to activate Monastery Mentor, Monastery Swiftspear or Seeker of the way. It seems I need to lose value to gain the pump which only lasts until end of turn. Sure I do see the point of using instant removal on a card like Goblin Rabblemaster then blocking his token with my beefy seeker. My question is, what kind of mindset do I need when going about prowess? I come from a time when red removal was a combat trick during the opponents attack phase. I could win a game in three turns with doomed traveler and Sword of War and Peace.
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I am on the attack and swing in for 2. Opponent assigns no blocks. I strike his face and trigger prowess. Opponent who was facing 2 damage now takes 6 and I gain 3.
I am on the attack and swing in for 2. He declares a block with a Siege Rhino. I strike the Rhino and trigger prowess. Rhino dies from combined damage (3+3), Seeker trades, and I gain 3 life.
Opponent is in the attack and swings with his Siege Rhino. I declare block, strike the Rhino and trigger prowess. Rhino dies from combined damage (3+3), Seeker trades, and I gain 3 life.
For Monastery Swiftspear, it's all about mana efficiency. Nothing ruins a slow deck's day more than T1 Swiftspear, swing 1. T2 second Swiftspear and Titan's Strength, 7 damage coming across, opponent at 12. T3 three Wild Slash's to the face, tripple prowess trigger, 14 damage dealt, opponent at -2 and dead.
To be honest, Monastery Mentor hasn't really found a home yet. Dunno why. I hope it does soon, because I have a playset of them. The only time I see him now is either forcing his way into a tokens build or as a 3-drop filler in the Heroic decks.
Not regretting it, but I knew what I was getting into. Not like spending that money on a booster box would have been a better buy after seeing so many of them opened.... I would love something like RW Protection Burn or something. Problem is that other RW decks are just better right now. I played tokens for quite a while, but the mana is clunky and it's way too easy to lose post-board unless you shift into control (with poor win cons). Plus, Rabblemaster just wins the game if left unchecked. Mentor needs a constant flow of spells.
Actually my build is going to have Brimaz and mentor. I am going to test the waters with the deck then I am going to adjust as necessary when I learn the meta.
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Brimaz is amazing depending on your local meta. Most people at my store all play aggro decks with lots of red and red/white. He is difficult and annoying for them to kill. He also dodges common black removal like Bile Blight and Drown in Sorrow. The problem I have with mentor is he doesn't do anything immediately and dies to literally everything. Now if you have enough other threats or enough spells to really protect and make use of him, it can be lights out. Just depends on the support cards.
In Constructed, Burn was basically never a "combat trick" during your opponent's combat. It's mostly just a Removal of finisher spell; and there have been times when you couldn't really be punished by playing the Burn Spell during your opponent's turn instead of during your main phase, but for the most part, you want to kill the creatures during your turn anyway unless you think you can screw up combat for your opponent by playing it during his turn, but that just happens so much rarer than in Limited. So having to play your removal on your turn on stuff you need to kill on your opponent's turn at the latest, anyway, is not really such a big downside, which is why the Prowess cards are still pretty good.
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Sometimes those with the most sin cast the first stones.
I is also worth noting that even without the burn cards in hand, you can threaten to prowess which can get damage through that you wouldn't be able to push in otherwise.
My question is, what kind of mindset do I need when going about prowess? I come from a time when red removal was a combat trick during the opponents attack phase. I could win a game in three turns with doomed traveler and Sword of War and Peace.
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Let's say I have a Seeker of the Way on the board and a Lightning Strike in hand.
For Monastery Swiftspear, it's all about mana efficiency. Nothing ruins a slow deck's day more than T1 Swiftspear, swing 1. T2 second Swiftspear and Titan's Strength, 7 damage coming across, opponent at 12. T3 three Wild Slash's to the face, tripple prowess trigger, 14 damage dealt, opponent at -2 and dead.
To be honest, Monastery Mentor hasn't really found a home yet. Dunno why. I hope it does soon, because I have a playset of them. The only time I see him now is either forcing his way into a tokens build or as a 3-drop filler in the Heroic decks.
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
https://pucatrade.com/invite/gift/47609
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
BGU Control
R Aggro
Standard - For Fun
BG Auras
Be as aggressive as possible.
You need to worry about things like Hero of Iroas and Goblin Rabblemaster. If your opponent taps out for these cards burn them straight away.
Against slower decks yeah get the damage in, burn the face and pump up your Seeker.