Over the Top - The combo spell. You rely on having a large number of permanents on the board, and having a deck with a small number of non-permanent cards, resulting in usually more-than-doubling your permanents when you cast this. All of our cards aim either to create permanents, or to help us dig for Over The Top.
Invasion of Segovia - Creates three permanents for three mana. Good value. It also lets us play Over the Top much sooner using convoke. You can also chain multiple Over the Tops by tapping the creatures from the prior one to cast the next one, often resulting in most (or all) of your deck being put into play in a single turn.
Bitter Reunion - Card filtering. It also allows us to attack on the same turn we cast Over the Top, which is critical since we sometimes have no library remaining on the turn it gets cast.
Redcap Gutter-Dweller - Three permanents for 4 mana, which is decent value. Also fairly strong as an evasive attacker. Also gives us some ongoing optional card draw - This is important, as the deck can't contain mandatory card draw (We will often end up at zero cards remaining in library on the winning turn, being forced to draw cards is bad!)
Wandering Mind - Evasive attacker, and has optional card draw (with some nice card selection)
Questionable Card Choices:
Stasis Field - useful removal and shuts down a lot of annoying abilities. Can sometimes fail to be as useful in matchups with +1/+1 counters.
Invasion of Mercadia - decent card selection, gives us a permanent, and in a crunch with a lot of tokens and no combo pieces, it provides a somewhat useful creature for the aggro strategy. Definitely not as useful as Bitter Reunion.
Hexgold Halberd - can probably be replaced. It's a 2-drop and it gets us 2 permanents and a bit of aggro, but I'm sure there's better options out there.
Atsushi, the Blazing Sky - is usually pretty solid, just a bit slower than I'd like. It activates Invasion of Segovia in a single attack, and if it dies you usually end up taking 3 treasures (if you're holding Over the Top)
I'd love some feedback on card choices. Keep in mind the weird limitations that this deck creates:
We can't run any forced card draw. All card draw needs to be "you may..." type effects to avoid milling out during the combo.
Running instants or sorceries other than Over the Top is definitely doable, but it diminishes the effectiveness of the combo significantly (We don't get a permanent when we play the card, and it does nothing when the card gets revealed by Over the Top). We would need a really compelling reason to run non-permanent cards.
Tapped lands don't play nicely with Over the Top and severely limit your ability to combo out.
Noggin CrankerRU
Creature - Goblin Wizard
Whenever you cast a red spell from your graveyard, Noggin Cranker deals 1 damage to target opponent.
Whenever you cast a blue spell from your graveyard, draw a card then discard a card.
2/2
Blaat, The Craghorned2RR
Legendary Creature - Goat Beast
Morph - 2RR
First strike, trample, haste
When Blaat, The Craghorned is flipped face-up, it gains double strike until end of turn.
4/2
My bad on Blackwart the Bulby - I missed the mana cost - But I like your save, void_nothing!
Golden Noose Trap - 3RG
Instant - Trap
If an opponent controls exactly one attacking creature, you may pay (R/G) rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Golden Noose Trap deals 4 damage to target attacking creature.
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt by that creature this turn.
Lashing Vines3BG
Enchantment
Whenever a creature attacks you or a Planeswalker you control, put a -1/-1 counter on that creature and it doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.
Darmos Flameblood2RW
Legendary Creature - Human Warrior
Haste
At the beginning of combat on your turn, target creature you control gains indestructible until end of turn.
At the end of your turn, return target creature card with converted mana cost X or less from your graveyard to the battlefield, where X is the number of creatures you attacked with this turn.
3/2
Commons are less complex and usually less powerful by design.
I understand the argument for less complexity, but not the argument for less power level.
Obviously not every common can be an efficient powerhouse, but when decks have to be 60%+ rares and mythics, and often run no commons, it points to a massive imbalance between the power level of higher rarity cards vs lower rarity cards.
Academy Journeymage could have been a viable tempo card if its mana cost were 1 lower.
Aven of Enduring Hope could be a (weak) contender in constructed decks at 4CMC, but is easily trumped by Lyra Dawnbringer at 5CMC and becomes utter junk.
Befuddle might see play at 1U in WU control, but doesn't stand a chance at 2U
This trend continues with a host of cards that could all still be reasonably costed, and significantly more likely to see constructed play if their costs were reduced by 1: Crash the Ramparts, Cruel Finality, Dark Bargain, Final Reward just to grab a few at random. There's hundreds of examples.
It's like most commons are intentionally overcosted by 1, and to break free of that curse they need to get really lucky, or they need to be upgraded to uncommons. The problem with these cards is nothing to do with complexity, and everything to do with power level.
Faulty Tutor1B
Sorcery (R)
Search your library for a card and reveal it.
Target opponent may choose to have you put that card into your hand, or return it to your library.
If that opponent chooses for you to return that card to your library, search your library for a card with a different name, reveal it, and put it into your hand.
Shuffle your library.
Shocking ThoughtsRU
Instant (U)
Target opponent chooses two creatures he or she controls.
Choose one of those creatures. Shocking Thoughts deals 2 damage to that creature.
Tap the other creature.
Nightfall of VerisimilitudesBGU
Sorcery
Look at target opponent's hand a choose a card. That player discards that card.
Look at the top 2 cards of your opponent's library, put any number of them into that player's graveyard then put the rest back in any order.
Look at the top 2 cards of your library. Put any number of land cards from among them onto the battlefield, then put the rest back in any order.
Blackwart the Bulby
Legendary Creature - Saproling Dwarf Pirate
Dear Magic: The Gathering. What happened to commons?
Once upon a time, we got cards like Sakura-Tribe Elder, Grapeshot, Lightning Bolt and Ponder as commons. Constructed decks weren't defined by a handful of mythics, but by synergistic interactions between your commons and a few choice rares.
Something horrible has changed in the design philosophy over the last while, and commons have become literally unplayable.
Let's look at a few of the top decks in today's standard.
Something weird changed in design philosophy after mythics were introduced, and we've been seeing a gradual creep in power level on the high-end mythics and rares, and a dropping off in power amongst commons and uncommons to the point where most of them are so inefficient in terms of mana cost that they're no longer playable cards.
Why? What benefit is there to giving players a bunch of cards that are literally unplayable to a point that they're not usuable in constructed decks?
There have always been unplayable cards. Back in the days of my Heartbeat of Spring deck, we had terrible cards like Chimney Imp and Coalhauler Swine - But we also had awesome playable commons like Stinkweed Imp, Myr Enforcer and Ancient Stirrings! I understand the need to have bad commons. But there also needs to be good commons to serve as a base for a deck, so that a new player's deck doesn't require 40 packs worth of rares/mythics just to have a fighting chance!
4 Over the Top
Card Selection (9)
2 Invasion of Mercadia
4 Bitter Reunion
3 Wandering Mind
4 Third Path Iconoclast
4 Chrome Host Seedshark
4 Invasion of Segovia
4 Redcap Gutter-Dweller
4 Stasis Field
Other / Aggro (3)
2 Hexgold Halberd
1 Atsushi, the Blazing Sky
Lands (24)
10 Island
10 Mountain
4 Shivan Reef
Key Cards:
Over the Top - The combo spell. You rely on having a large number of permanents on the board, and having a deck with a small number of non-permanent cards, resulting in usually more-than-doubling your permanents when you cast this. All of our cards aim either to create permanents, or to help us dig for Over The Top.
Invasion of Segovia - Creates three permanents for three mana. Good value. It also lets us play Over the Top much sooner using convoke. You can also chain multiple Over the Tops by tapping the creatures from the prior one to cast the next one, often resulting in most (or all) of your deck being put into play in a single turn.
Bitter Reunion - Card filtering. It also allows us to attack on the same turn we cast Over the Top, which is critical since we sometimes have no library remaining on the turn it gets cast.
Third Path Iconoclast and Chrome Host Seedshark - Both serve to create chump blockers, as well as being an ongoing threat/aggro presence. They create large numbers of tokens that will count toward Over the Top. The flying on Chrome Host Seedshark is often useful for attacking the battle Invasion of Segovia.
Redcap Gutter-Dweller - Three permanents for 4 mana, which is decent value. Also fairly strong as an evasive attacker. Also gives us some ongoing optional card draw - This is important, as the deck can't contain mandatory card draw (We will often end up at zero cards remaining in library on the winning turn, being forced to draw cards is bad!)
Wandering Mind - Evasive attacker, and has optional card draw (with some nice card selection)
Questionable Card Choices:
Stasis Field - useful removal and shuts down a lot of annoying abilities. Can sometimes fail to be as useful in matchups with +1/+1 counters.
Invasion of Mercadia - decent card selection, gives us a permanent, and in a crunch with a lot of tokens and no combo pieces, it provides a somewhat useful creature for the aggro strategy. Definitely not as useful as Bitter Reunion.
Hexgold Halberd - can probably be replaced. It's a 2-drop and it gets us 2 permanents and a bit of aggro, but I'm sure there's better options out there.
Atsushi, the Blazing Sky - is usually pretty solid, just a bit slower than I'd like. It activates Invasion of Segovia in a single attack, and if it dies you usually end up taking 3 treasures (if you're holding Over the Top)
I'd love some feedback on card choices. Keep in mind the weird limitations that this deck creates:
Enchantmnet
1R, Tap an untapped creature you control: Rage of the Masses deals 2 damage to target player.
Creature - Goblin Wizard
Whenever you cast a red spell from your graveyard, Noggin Cranker deals 1 damage to target opponent.
Whenever you cast a blue spell from your graveyard, draw a card then discard a card.
2/2
Legendary Creature - Goat Beast
Morph - 2RR
First strike, trample, haste
When Blaat, The Craghorned is flipped face-up, it gains double strike until end of turn.
4/2
Next: Sphinx's Disciple
Golden Noose Trap - 3RG
Instant - Trap
If an opponent controls exactly one attacking creature, you may pay (R/G) rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Golden Noose Trap deals 4 damage to target attacking creature.
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt by that creature this turn.
Dragon Psycho - 2RB
Creature - Dragon
Shaka, When The Walls Fell
Lashing Vines 3BG
Enchantment
Whenever a creature attacks you or a Planeswalker you control, put a -1/-1 counter on that creature and it doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.
Next: Ramses Overdark
Legendary Creature - Human Warrior
Haste
At the beginning of combat on your turn, target creature you control gains indestructible until end of turn.
At the end of your turn, return target creature card with converted mana cost X or less from your graveyard to the battlefield, where X is the number of creatures you attacked with this turn.
3/2
Next - A commander that wants you to lose life.
Obviously not every common can be an efficient powerhouse, but when decks have to be 60%+ rares and mythics, and often run no commons, it points to a massive imbalance between the power level of higher rarity cards vs lower rarity cards.
Academy Journeymage could have been a viable tempo card if its mana cost were 1 lower.
Aven of Enduring Hope could be a (weak) contender in constructed decks at 4CMC, but is easily trumped by Lyra Dawnbringer at 5CMC and becomes utter junk.
Befuddle might see play at 1U in WU control, but doesn't stand a chance at 2U
This trend continues with a host of cards that could all still be reasonably costed, and significantly more likely to see constructed play if their costs were reduced by 1: Crash the Ramparts, Cruel Finality, Dark Bargain, Final Reward just to grab a few at random. There's hundreds of examples.
It's like most commons are intentionally overcosted by 1, and to break free of that curse they need to get really lucky, or they need to be upgraded to uncommons. The problem with these cards is nothing to do with complexity, and everything to do with power level.
Sorcery (R)
Search your library for a card and reveal it.
Target opponent may choose to have you put that card into your hand, or return it to your library.
If that opponent chooses for you to return that card to your library, search your library for a card with a different name, reveal it, and put it into your hand.
Shuffle your library.
Shocking Thoughts RU
Instant (U)
Target opponent chooses two creatures he or she controls.
Choose one of those creatures. Shocking Thoughts deals 2 damage to that creature.
Tap the other creature.
The wording needs help on these.
A 4/2 for 2R is fairly costed in red, so dropping to 4/1 with reinforce seems pretty reasonable.
Sorcery
Look at target opponent's hand a choose a card. That player discards that card.
Look at the top 2 cards of your opponent's library, put any number of them into that player's graveyard then put the rest back in any order.
Look at the top 2 cards of your library. Put any number of land cards from among them onto the battlefield, then put the rest back in any order.
Blackwart the Bulby
Legendary Creature - Saproling Dwarf Pirate
Chain of Snakes
Enchantment
Creatures can't attack or block.
Creatures have: "T: Add one mana of any color."
Next: Fertilid
Once upon a time, we got cards like Sakura-Tribe Elder, Grapeshot, Lightning Bolt and Ponder as commons. Constructed decks weren't defined by a handful of mythics, but by synergistic interactions between your commons and a few choice rares.
Something horrible has changed in the design philosophy over the last while, and commons have become literally unplayable.
Let's look at a few of the top decks in today's standard.
RAKDOS AGGRO:
https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=20103&d=330768&f=ST
- 9 maindeck mythics
- 30 maindeck rares
- 6 maindeck uncommons
- 15 maindeck basic lands
There is not a single common in the maindeck of standard's current top deck. Maybe this is an outlier. Let's look at another!BLUE WHITE CONTROL:
https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=20103&d=330782&f=ST
- 19 maindeck mythics
- 16 maindeck rares
- 13 maindeck uncommons
- 11 maindeck basic lands
- 1 maindeck common
About the same. Commons barely play a role in the constructed deck, while mythics and rares overwhelmingly dominate the deck content.Looking back at when I really enjoyed standard, commons were the norm in constructed decks.
One of my old favorite decks, HEARTBEAT OF SPRING, ran an astounding 17 commons:
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/historical-standard-gauntlet-heartbeat-combo/
Something weird changed in design philosophy after mythics were introduced, and we've been seeing a gradual creep in power level on the high-end mythics and rares, and a dropping off in power amongst commons and uncommons to the point where most of them are so inefficient in terms of mana cost that they're no longer playable cards.
Why? What benefit is there to giving players a bunch of cards that are literally unplayable to a point that they're not usuable in constructed decks?
There have always been unplayable cards. Back in the days of my Heartbeat of Spring deck, we had terrible cards like Chimney Imp and Coalhauler Swine - But we also had awesome playable commons like Stinkweed Imp, Myr Enforcer and Ancient Stirrings! I understand the need to have bad commons. But there also needs to be good commons to serve as a base for a deck, so that a new player's deck doesn't require 40 packs worth of rares/mythics just to have a fighting chance!