the champion lost...dammit! :(...your time will come..paladin...it will come...
This week is definitely between the baloth and the troll...both creatures that in the past have annoyed me to no end (the baloth less so). I think I'll pick the baloth...mainly because it would lead to a more balanced environment (imho), where the game is not dominated by a certain 3/2 nigh invulnerable creature. A 4/4 for 4 with a nifty sac ability feels alot more safer, and if wizards prints quality beasts, that's just gravy.
as for the lands, I really don't see what you people see in avon's lands, really. They are just too bland (well, the island is the best looking of the lot, but the plains and forest...yuk). Seeing the response however, I guess avon would win where he's selectable.
I would see the cards submitted by the invitationalists as an idea of where the player intends to take the card, so cost and p/t should have no bearing since R&D would decide that.
Take rakdos augermage for example. Terry submitted a card with decent p/t & ability to cost ratio, and R&D decided to neuter it by adding R, first-strike and +1 power to the mix, and making the ability a tap ability.
Or maybe Solemn Simulacrum, which became a colorless artifact creature instead of 2UG.
The basic idea is that the players make an ability they would like to see, and let R&D decide what creature they would like to see it tacked on.
All said, I see only a few cards that are (in my opinion) actually unique, namely bluffmaster, wayfarer's treasure, bibi, bum bum & liespewer. definitely cards I would like to see printed for their abilities.
the builds I've seen ran only 1 win condition pre-sideboard, so I think cranial still nails it. Post dissension however gives heartbeat access to research, which bring a multitude of menaces from the sideboard, so a kill condition is just a tutor away.
B/W has access to hide//seek though, which can be pretty nasty since it can be played turn 2
why won't one cranial the win condition anyway? without maga/firemind they won't...win? unless there's another way to kill the opponent that i'm just not seeing...
I'd send it back. In the event that your next card is not a land, you'd be relying too much on cards that would depend on bop/farseek. If your opponent lays a swamp, it might be darkblast/riot spikes. Mountain would lead to seal of fire/riot spikes. Island would lead to spell snare, and if that happens, bye2 farseek and gg. Too much depends on these 2 cards resolving for it to be a keeper.
The reason I use the house guard is because it is a very, very effective tutor, since most of the business spells cost 4 (wrath, fetters, loxodon, cranial & persecute 2 be exact). What's iffy, however, is the mana base, which is unstable at the moment. The base is exactly like Remie's build. I'm thinking of running 2 more godless shrines instead of the orzhov basilica, and replacing the 4 signets with maybe rampant growth/far seek.
Oh, and the deck basically keels over to heartbeat (got him down to 1 life in 1 game and he still managed to pull off a win by muddling into ste, topping an early harvest ftw.) This deck just isn't fast enough. My only hope is that he doesn't counter a cranial for maga/firemind/what have you. Comments?
This week is definitely between the baloth and the troll...both creatures that in the past have annoyed me to no end (the baloth less so). I think I'll pick the baloth...mainly because it would lead to a more balanced environment (imho), where the game is not dominated by a certain 3/2 nigh invulnerable creature. A 4/4 for 4 with a nifty sac ability feels alot more safer, and if wizards prints quality beasts, that's just gravy.
as for the lands, I really don't see what you people see in avon's lands, really. They are just too bland (well, the island is the best looking of the lot, but the plains and forest...yuk). Seeing the response however, I guess avon would win where he's selectable.
Take rakdos augermage for example. Terry submitted a card with decent p/t & ability to cost ratio, and R&D decided to neuter it by adding R, first-strike and +1 power to the mix, and making the ability a tap ability.
Or maybe Solemn Simulacrum, which became a colorless artifact creature instead of 2UG.
The basic idea is that the players make an ability they would like to see, and let R&D decide what creature they would like to see it tacked on.
All said, I see only a few cards that are (in my opinion) actually unique, namely bluffmaster, wayfarer's treasure, bibi, bum bum & liespewer. definitely cards I would like to see printed for their abilities.
B/W has access to hide//seek though, which can be pretty nasty since it can be played turn 2
First, the decklist:
2 Godless Shrine
3 Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree
4 Temple Garden
3 Swamp
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
4 Plains
4 Overgrown Tomb
2 Orzhov Basilica
Creatures:
4 Dimir House Guard
2 Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
2 Angel of Despair
4 Loxodon Heirarch
4 Orzhov Signet
4 Wrath of God
3 Phyrexian Arena
4 Mortify
2 Last Gasp
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Persecute
2 Cranial Extraction
4 Castigate
2 Faith's Fetters
2 Persecute
1 Eradicate
10 ?
The reason I use the house guard is because it is a very, very effective tutor, since most of the business spells cost 4 (wrath, fetters, loxodon, cranial & persecute 2 be exact). What's iffy, however, is the mana base, which is unstable at the moment. The base is exactly like Remie's build. I'm thinking of running 2 more godless shrines instead of the orzhov basilica, and replacing the 4 signets with maybe rampant growth/far seek.
Oh, and the deck basically keels over to heartbeat (got him down to 1 life in 1 game and he still managed to pull off a win by muddling into ste, topping an early harvest ftw.) This deck just isn't fast enough. My only hope is that he doesn't counter a cranial for maga/firemind/what have you. Comments?