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  • posted a message on [[BNG]] DailyMTG Previews 1/16
    Karametra just whispered in my ear. She said, "Go look in your collection and find those Fleetfoot Panthers that you thought were useless. The Rampaging Baloths and I will be waiting for them here."
    Posted in: The Rumor Mill
  • posted a message on [[BNG]] Buy-A-Box promo "Fated Conflagration"
    I personally like this card. I believe that planeswalkers have somewhat gotten out of hand and I applaud the folks at WotC for the increase in cards available to deal with them. Just my opinion, take it for what it's worth.

    I am also predicting more mono-colored "Swiss Army Knife Cards" in future sets to deal with Planeswalkers as well, and it is a pleasant topic of thought, for example:

    Heliod's Judgment 3WW
    Instant
    Choose one or two--Destroy target enchantment, or Destroy target artifact, or Destroy target Planeswalker

    Thassa's Betrayal 4UU
    Instant
    Put target permanent an opponent controls on top of its owner's library, then Fateseal 2 (look at the top two cards of an opponent's library. You may then put those cards on top or on bottom of that library in any order.)

    Ok, I'm sure the Future Sight mechanic is reaching there, but I wouldn't be surprised if WotC finds a way to work these in. In conclusion, I believe this new card is very well designed to what R & D intended it for. I feel all those hating on the "can't target player" thing have unreasonable expectations of a 4 CMC card---5 damage to anything for just 4 mana? Really?
    Posted in: The Rumor Mill
  • posted a message on 2 Questions, building 1st Commander deck
    I felt dumb yet enlightened when I read the comment on Mikaeus. He makes so much sense as my Commander. I have him in the list of 81 creatures I am whittling down. When I look at the mass removal I have planned (Damnation, Decree of Pain, Oblivion Stone, Bane Of The Living, Black Sun's Zenith, Nev's Disk, Life's Finale) Oona doesn't really make all that much sense since I'll just be nuking all the 1/1 Faeries anyway *puts the Bitterblossom back in the old binder* Mikaeus works with Shriekmaw, Nekrataal, Havoc Demon, Fleshbag Marauder, and Bone Shredder wonderfully. Intimidate will be very nice for the Equipment shenanigans too. Awesome suggestion; thanks for speaking up!
    Posted in: Commander (EDH)
  • posted a message on 2 Questions, building 1st Commander deck
    Real quick:

    1) Making a mono-black deck that will feature tons of removal and reanimation since my local Commander scene seems to revolve around who can play the biggest creature (so some things need to die!) So I've narrowed it down to 2 generals--either Visara or Oona. Thoughts or suggestions concerning either one?

    2) My friend seems to believe that I can't run Sword of Fire and Ice (or Light and Shadow, etc) in the deck and he's claiming color affiliation. That just doesn't sound right to me. Is he correct? Don't want the Rules Police busting my first Commander deck. Thanks!
    Posted in: Commander (EDH)
  • posted a message on Possible Mechanic?
    OK I will begin by recognizing fully that it never really had a name beforehand, but

    Does anyone remember the enchantments from the Urza's Block that became creatures whenever condition X was met?

    Opal Archangel, Opal Acolith, Hidden Stags, Opal Titan, etc

    Given that Theros is supposed to be enchantment-emphasized, and even possibly that MaRo stated there would be a reworked mechanic from the past that "didn't pan out," does anyone see any remote possibility of these cards returning with a new mechanic name in Theros or the other 2 sets, possibly slightly reworked?

    How about:

    Diamond Gargoyle WWW

    Enchantment

    Whenever a creature or enchantment enters the battlefield, if Diamond Gargoyle is an enchantment, it becomes a 3/4 creature with flying that still counts as an enchantment.

    The Halls of the Athenaeum remain quiet for a reason.

    Perhaps just wishful thinking, but I really wish my old Opal Enchantment deck had worked out back in the day. Anyone see how this could work, or should I perhaps ignore these ideas that occur in the middle of the night when I've drunk a Diet Coke beforehand? Thanks for replies.
    Posted in: Speculation
  • posted a message on New Chandra is insane!
    I always liked Chandra Ablaze from Zendikar. That's right, I said it. Troll away, but if you threw in some of those old Madness cards with her...it's not epic awesome, but it sure is fun. This M14 Chandra is a close second to C.A. in my humble opinion, so I'm all for it! I am so interested in the new Chandra that on Release Day, in 2 boxes, I got 4 Mutavaults, Archangel, and multiple copies of every rare between 6-10 bucks in value, and I was still disappointed.

    P.S. No, I'm not open to trading any of my new M14 for Chandra :p
    Posted in: New Card Discussion
  • posted a message on Ban List Update?
    I personally think Holy Strength is WAY too OP! I mean, let's examine this:

    --First off, it's +1/+2 to any creature that doesn't have Protection from White. There's not a lot of Pro-White out there at the moment, so it pretty much could be targeted on a seemingly infinite number of creatures. Who wouldn't be playing a deck with creatures? What a crazy idea that'd be.

    --As stated before, that's a +1/+2 buff for just ONE mana. ONE. That's nuts. One mana, the beatdown begins. Two toughness? The enchanted creature might as well have Protection From Pillar Of Flame stamped on it with a Holy Strength on the board! That extra point of Power? Don't even get me started--suddenly, putting it on a 1/1 changes the opposition from being on a 20-turn clock to a 10-turn clock. That's half of what it was. If you top decked land 10 turns in a row, you'd be answerless if you didn't have removal or a bigger creature before. What about lifelink? That could be one more life per turn you're gaining by having a Holy Strength enchanted. It might put the game out of reach. That card creates too much of a threat. Even if everyone weren't maindecking 4 copies in their deck, I'd still ban it...

    I personally find most talk about bannings to be somewhat ridiculous. For example, when Affinity was at its height, I designed a red/black deck that very easily dispatched all those pesky Ravagers and their buddies. While everyone else was screaming for bannings, I kept my cool and designed a deck that won several (local) tournaments. People saw me win, I became the new target, the cycle moved on. I'm tired of the attitudes I see of "I'm upset because I have to deviate from my original ultimate deck idea and maindeck a few less appealing cards because my opponent is playing X." I have found that 99 percent of the time, there's some nifty card that addresses the threats posed by the cards we're asking be banned. Maindecking 2-4 copies of that card usually doesn't prove bothersome either.
    Posted in: Speculation
  • posted a message on M14---Why???
    [QUOTE=Georg51;/comments/12018984]So you hate big bomby cards like Titans, yet trash M14 for not having cards like that? I'm not even sure you understand yourself.

    Please, show me where in any of my posts in this thread I whined about any particular MYTHIC OR RARE (In case you are somehow unaware, the cards with the gold or red expansion symbol.) I am referring to the COMMONS mostly (you know, the ones with the black expansion symbol Tongue )

    And yes, I stand by what I said. There are still relatively few cards (and even fewer for the budget player) to deal with Planeswalkers (and with no Oblivion Ring here....atleast Bramblecrush is back....) nor are there really very many effective pieces of removal here. As stated before, a Lightning Blast reprint would have been nice, or perhaps even Blaze, Pyrotechnics, maybe even Repulse (lol yeah, I went there,) Infest, etc. As many others have stated, hopefully Theros can fill a lot of these gaps. One of the neat things about my early days of MtG play was that there were several "even the mighty can fall" cards that were in the common slot. It gave the game flavor and excitement regardless of budget. I think there's an overall shortage of these cards now. I fear for the kids (which are the future of the game, the majority of Mythicmongers I know nowadays will be its past within the next 5 years given their age and life responsibilities.) I'm afraid they will sit down to play and their opponent has an Olivia Voldaren and a Liliana out while the kid looks at a hand full of Hill Giant wannabe cards that they got with their M14 and they will get discouraged. I feel that discouragement will spread when they find cards such as Dreadbore and realize that being even remotely competitive won't come cheaply. Yes, this is partially WotC's fault, as their card pools have created this type of environment. The dwindling of my local MtG population is again partially their fault (although I more blame the card shops who ignore my pleas for petitions for pauper or "junk draft.") I fear for WotC's ability to make it to 25 years if they keep this up. They need new ideas. They need to make the game less 1-dimensional; it can't be all Mythic creatures and planeswalkers. I'm also not suggesting Commons should overpower all else and that good decks should only cost 5 bucks. I am suggesting that balance is in order though.
    Posted in: Speculation
  • posted a message on M14---Why???
    Quote from Xaerael
    whut? revised wasn't 4th ed, revised was 3rd ed (aka limited) ver2.0 (aka unlimited/revised). You're getting your sets mixed up. 4th had no duals what so ever (ice age duals were reprinted in 5th), the best cards were things like sylvan library, land tax and Swords. There's a whole bunch of cards you list that never got to 4th.

    4th ed was well known as all the junk of revised + the junk of legends/Arabian/dark/antiquites + about a dozen worthwhile rares that survived the limited reprint/type 1/type 1.5 cullings.

    Listing commons and uncommons like Lightning bolt, Dark ritual, control magic, kird ape, "Elves" (which I can only assume you mean llanowar elves!)or others that were literally reprinted in every core set for years, and which most people who played during that era have literally dozens of wasn't the sort of things that caused people to open a booster and celebrate (brief count, I have 47 lightning bolts from 3 different editions.) You have to bear in mind one very important fact: 4th edition had 121 commons, 121 uncommons, 121 rares. 121! that's almost double the rares+mythics of core sets today.


    I think he did touch on a major point by listing those cards though. Again, we are back to the new player gimmick. If I am starting out, I'd like to feel like I had at least some shot against my opponents in a game. Again, if I am a NEW PLAYER, not a veteran with 4+ of everything, imagine my excitement when my pack contains Lightning Bolt or Control Magic. M14, as have certain recent sets before it, seem to be saying, "You'll never be good at this game until you shell out 500 bucks for a bunch of mythics and dual lands." What 16 year-old with a minimum-wage job would want to jump in a game like that? I certainly wouldn't have back in 1996. I think the main point of my post was missed somehow (maybe because I was typing while scatterbrained.) I do NOT miss the Titans, BSA, Jace TMS, etc. I I couldn't give a rat's behind what M14 does for Type II or EDH. I'm more worried about this set's "fun factor" and its appeal towards newer players with those "other cards." Bring about all the GP attendance statistics you want, but I have seen my local card shop's MtG population drop by about 75 percent. For most of those that left, they were tired of never winning. And you know what? New players and casual players still buy cards too; it's not just the pros. If they see no point in buying the cards or picking up the game, then MtG will eventually devolve like those sad Heroclix tournaments I witnessed...
    Posted in: Speculation
  • posted a message on M14---Why???
    Quote from Ramenth
    You wanted to see Healing Salve. I'm not sure you should be talking about power levels.


    I was referring to the relative power of certain commons, plus, since I began playing (Ice Age/4th) Healing Salve seemed to encompass everything that was WHITE. Block a White Knight with another White Knight, Healing Salve, yours wins. Someone burns you for lethal damage, respond with a Salve, gain 3 life, you live another turn and could still pull out victory. Sure, the lines between color roles have become severely blurred, but if WotC was really trying to lure in new players, why wouldn't they have a few cards that atleast somewhat speak to that crappy insert in Intro Packs with the color pie?
    Posted in: Speculation
  • posted a message on M14---Why???
    To me, M14 is even more disappointing to yours truly than the entire Alara block wound up being (just my opinion on the Alara block, disagreements welcome:) )

    I have been to every pre-release since I accidentally missed the Torment PR back in the day. This may be the end of that streak. Not sure I want to go running out of the house, hit up Waffle House early AM, and speed on up to the card shop for this one. I have also bought atleast 1 box of every set since 5th Edition back in 1997. Again, that streak may be ending soon (heck, even 5th Edition was, by comparison, relatively OP for its time compared to M14.) I personally just cannot get into this set.

    It's apparently not just me. The consensus in my neck of the woods (Georgia) seems to be that M14 is DOA, as were Dragon's Maze and to a lesser extent, MM. It almost seems like WotC may have literally outdone themselves and just don't have anything else good to offer the game. It looks like another "crack-the-pack-and-pray-for-the-chase-card Lottery set." While I am super-thankful that Acidic Slime, Thragtusk, and many flashing shenanigans will be gone, I would have liked to see Doom Blade at common (or hell, even a watered-down destroy version of Terror,) or perhaps Volcanic Hammer (if 2cc was too cheap, what about Lightning Blast?) or Mana Leak, Healing Salve, or one of the legions of green common-slot creatures that were awesome. It seems to me if WotC were really trying to appeal to the newer player, they would atleast throw them a bone and give them something at common to give them a fighting chance, So I ask, why WotC? Was it about making more money? Is it really "Magic:The Creaturing" as a forum-poster said earlier (awesome joke bro, if you're reading.) Are you out of ideas like a band that has released 17 albums? Is it really all about Mythics now? When will we reach the point that we offer 2 monsters on our side of the field as tribute to summon Slyfer, the Sky Dragon? Tongue

    What do you guys think?
    Posted in: Speculation
  • posted a message on Mutilate or Damnation in M14?
    I like the Infest idea. It's a solid card that's not way overpowered, plus I feel it gives those who don't have hundreds of dollars to "keep up with the Joneses" in Type II a fighting chance. Damnation would just be another chase card, kind of like Goyf in MM. For the old school players out there who might remember obscurely-referenced cards, I also wouldn't be opposed to seeing either Dry Spell or Nausea in an upcoming set, just in case we stumble upon some neo-Lingering Souls or Sorin shenanigans (not insinuating they'd reprint either; but maybe they'll come up with something even more obnoxious.) Last but not least--I would find a Pestilence reprint most hilarious---not going to happen, but a boy can dream....
    Posted in: Speculation
  • posted a message on Executioner's Swing; worst design of the set?
    I agree it's poorly designed. Yeah, if I had one in Sealed, I'd maindeck it, but beyond that, it's a middle-of-the-pack draft at best; Type 2 utility is out of the question. Now, it's hard to design this one in such a way as to fit in a common slot, and I'm sure this one will get trolled for its design or worthiness for the common slot, but what if:

    Executioner's Swing
    WB
    Instant

    Target opponent gains 4 life. Then target creature gets -5/-5 until end of turn.

    Given the quote of the card, referring to an unpaid debt, it makes sense to me. Ravnica Part II block was pretty light on worthwhile removal overall unless you're Rakdos, Golgari, or Azorius(I think it's because people were tired of their Olivia Voldarens or other shenanigans creatures biting the dust,) but I feel my design would have been far more appealing to a) budget players, and probably b) those infernal EDH players. Sure, it's not Unmake or Mortify, both of which I thought were well-done by WotC. But, it's also not the junk common from Gatecrash I despised after playtesting.
    Posted in: New Card Discussion
  • posted a message on [[M14]] Burning Earth
    This is a good start.

    I went to FNM last week for the first time since Guildpact and did not enjoy myself with the locals teasing me about my deck containing so much basic land. I also grew tired of watching the same old progression of Shock Land-Shock Land-Shock Land-Shock Land-Mythic-Mythic-Mythic of whatever colors their heart desired and so on. I feel this crap leaves no real hope for players who don't have 500 bucks to spend on their decks or newer, younger players just getting started and trying to have some fun. If WotC keeps making it seem like you can't be any good at Magic unless you shovel outs tons of $$, they're going to watch their player base shrink until it starts to look like a Heroclix tournament--one person getting a bye watching the other 2 play *laugh* I drove home Friday night after my respectful 2-2 finish hoping for a Type 2 Ravenous Baboons, Price Of Progress, hell, Dryad Sophisticate, SOMETHING. Woke up the next morning to find this on the spoiler. It's a nice shred of hope. Make people at least think about finding some cards such as "Island" or "Swamp" to put in their decks. I just hope for more like this, as well as a few more cards to deal with 'walkers.
    Posted in: New Card Discussion
  • posted a message on [[M14]] Kit received in store
    Oh thank you sweet Jesus for that Burning Earth enchantment! I feel like us poor people who don't have 500 bucks to build the net deck everyone is playing have a small chance again! On the way home from FNM this week, I was secretly hoping for Price or Ravenous Baboons or SOMETHING. I actually spend what little money I have on packs and build decks with those cards. It means I have to play with a good amount of basic land. Now this enchantment might give me a small shot vs all those people Friday who acted like I didn't belong at the tournament while they were throwing down 4+ Shocklands and their mythics as as their winning strategy. Thank you WotC....now please, just a little more Planeswalker hate if you could...
    Posted in: The Rumor Mill
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