I use the KMC character guards because I enjoy sleeves with art on them. Unfortunately sleeves with art on them are really fragile but the KMC over sleeves have been a great way to protect them. I think in the past two years I've broken a handful of character guard sleeves and ZERO of the regular sleeves inside.
Scry all the things! Seriously, on color temples, Crystal Ball, Sensei's Top, Sylvan Library, Thasa, God of the Sea, Worldly/Mystical/Personal Tutor. Noxious Revival and Reclaim are also pretty solid. Maybe even Stormcaller of Keranos.
Cannot reccomend KMC character guards enough. They double sleeve your expensive decks, AND protect your snazzy looking sleeves no matter how fragile they are.(looking at you every cool looking ultra pro sleeve ever)
If your creature is equipped with Godsend, True-name can still get through fine, but at least they can't use True-name to block with impunity. Equipped creature doesn't need to deal damage and Godsend need to target, so True-name will be exiled when it blocks.
So you want to quit and/or are concerned about the amount of money invested in cards, but are worried you'll come back some day and regret selling all the cards and will have to start over again. If you actually have 30 grand(can I just say damn!) in cards and want to quit or take a break, unload some and do something nice for yourself or the family with that nice chunk of change. Instead of putting all the cards into storage, I would suggest keeping your favorite EDH deck, favorite two Legacy decks, and sell what's left.
At some point you WILL want to play again. This way you could recoup some of your investment, but if you ever feel like getting back into the game you can. Plus with two decks for legacy, you can still either lend a deck out to someone or be able switch it up sometimes if one deck starts to feel stale.
I like Phyrexian Revoker over Pithing Needle partly because he stops Lion's Eye Diamond. I've also been noticing that in matches where he would shut off something that is definitely going to kill me, I usually don't have to worry about creature removal spells such as the painter/grindstone combo (oddly popular at my lgs lately) and storm combo/sneak and show, though Painter/Grindstone could kill either through a Pyroblast after everything is blue or Goblin Welder -ing away no matter if I'm running Revoker or Needle. Against more midrangy decks seems like the thing I have most to worry about is random equipment and pernicious deed, where abrupt decay could kill a pithing needle just as easily.
So I've been playing Affinity for a couple years, and recently added in Stoneforge Mystic. I've really been liking running essentially 7 Cranial Platings, but lately the deck just hasn't been doing as well as it used to. I can reliably go 2/2 in our four round events but I haven't managed to go 3/1 since November. We have a healthy and diverse meta and usually get 12-18 people to show.
I figured I'd post my current list and see what people have to say. I'm pretty open to criticism and changes, though if at all possible I'd like to continue running at least one copy of Baleful Strix. He's been possibly my favorite creature since he was spoiled in Planechase.
Sideboard Choices:
1 Phyrexian Revoker: Lions Eye Diamond/Jitte/Pernicious Deed hate. Also one guy always brings painter grindstone
3 Ethersworn Canonist: Fast Combo
2 Oblivion Ring: Sneak and Show and Jitte
2 Zealous Persecution: True Name Nemesis and the couple folks who play elves
3 Swan Song: Fast Combo/Pernicious Deed
1 Sword of Light and Shadow: Lot of Death and Taxes cropping up the past couple months
1 Grafdigger's Cage: Graveyard hate, also natural order and green sun's zenith for Elves and Nic Fit
2 Tormod's Crypt: Graveyard Hate
Lately it's been Omni-tell and Sneak and Show variants. I just cannot deal with turn 2 or 3 Emrakul. Elves are also a tough match up, and another friend built a surprisingly strong 5 color tokens deck powered by Young Pyromancer and Lingering Souls. These swarms of dudes and the arrival of everyone's favorite mini-Progenitus Merfolk inspired me to start running Zealous Persecution in the board. Prison/Stompy decks can go either way, though win or lose Death and Taxes is just a miserable 45 minutes of magic.
With Merfolk, Shardless Bug, Jund, Maverick, Stoneblade, and Delver decks I can often win, and if I lose it's still a fun interactive game so I don't feel bad about it. Dredge and Reanimator are easy enough to hate out. Arcbound Ravager is main deck Bridge from Below hate, who knew? L.E.D fueled combo decks just roll over me the first game but I can interact pretty well post board for games 2 or 3.
Just ordered the last 2 cards needed to foil out my favorite EDH deck. Somehow nobody in the greater Houston area has a foil Mischievous Quanar or an FNM foil Cultivate. Also managed to snag a medium Simic t-shirt, ABU games actually had them in sizes other than the polar opposites of small or XXL.
Most excited about the Quanar. Old bordered blue foils are sexy.
Jund, Esper Control, Shardless BUG, RUG Delver, Maverick = Fair; they win through little bits of advantage and often kill you by beating face with the most efficient creatures and spells in the game.
Sneak & Show, Dredge, Reanimator, Storm Combo = Unfair; they win through exploiting the mechanics of cards to do something ridiculous that you would not normally be able to do, like cheating in an Emrakul turn 2 or playing Tendrils with a storm count of 11.
The issue with filter lands is that so many of them are 15-20 dollars, and just like with scavenging ooze or baleful strix, it would become impossible for the casual players to find the casual products. There were almost no CounterPunch or Night of the Ninja Decks to be found after people caught on. It wouldn't be an issue with the checklands and painlands sitting at a measly 1-5 bucks.
At some point you WILL want to play again. This way you could recoup some of your investment, but if you ever feel like getting back into the game you can. Plus with two decks for legacy, you can still either lend a deck out to someone or be able switch it up sometimes if one deck starts to feel stale.
I figured I'd post my current list and see what people have to say. I'm pretty open to criticism and changes, though if at all possible I'd like to continue running at least one copy of Baleful Strix. He's been possibly my favorite creature since he was spoiled in Planechase.
4 Ornithopter
2 Signal Pest
2 Vault Skirge
2 Arcbound Ravager
3 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Baleful Strix
4 Etched Champion
Other Spells: 22
3 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
1 Batterskull
4 Cranial Plating
3 Dispatch
4 Thoughtcast
4 Mox Opal
3 Springleaf Drum
1 Academy Ruins
2 Blinkmoth Nexus
4 Glimmervoid
3 Ancient Den
3 Vault of Whispers
4 Seat of the Synod
1 Phyrexian Revoker
3 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Zealous Persecution
3 Swan Song
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Tormod's Crypt
Sideboard Choices:
1 Phyrexian Revoker: Lions Eye Diamond/Jitte/Pernicious Deed hate. Also one guy always brings painter grindstone
3 Ethersworn Canonist: Fast Combo
2 Oblivion Ring: Sneak and Show and Jitte
2 Zealous Persecution: True Name Nemesis and the couple folks who play elves
3 Swan Song: Fast Combo/Pernicious Deed
1 Sword of Light and Shadow: Lot of Death and Taxes cropping up the past couple months
1 Grafdigger's Cage: Graveyard hate, also natural order and green sun's zenith for Elves and Nic Fit
2 Tormod's Crypt: Graveyard Hate
Lately it's been Omni-tell and Sneak and Show variants. I just cannot deal with turn 2 or 3 Emrakul. Elves are also a tough match up, and another friend built a surprisingly strong 5 color tokens deck powered by Young Pyromancer and Lingering Souls. These swarms of dudes and the arrival of everyone's favorite mini-Progenitus Merfolk inspired me to start running Zealous Persecution in the board. Prison/Stompy decks can go either way, though win or lose Death and Taxes is just a miserable 45 minutes of magic.
With Merfolk, Shardless Bug, Jund, Maverick, Stoneblade, and Delver decks I can often win, and if I lose it's still a fun interactive game so I don't feel bad about it. Dredge and Reanimator are easy enough to hate out. Arcbound Ravager is main deck Bridge from Below hate, who knew? L.E.D fueled combo decks just roll over me the first game but I can interact pretty well post board for games 2 or 3.
Most excited about the Quanar. Old bordered blue foils are sexy.
Sneak & Show, Dredge, Reanimator, Storm Combo = Unfair; they win through exploiting the mechanics of cards to do something ridiculous that you would not normally be able to do, like cheating in an Emrakul turn 2 or playing Tendrils with a storm count of 11.